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Indian
THE INTERNATIONAL
Est 1992: The Region’s Oldest, Authoritative
Magazine of Gulf Indian Society & History
2011 • ISSUE 4 • VOL. 18.4
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Paras Shahdadpuri:
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Editorial
Can India Go
The Way Of Pakistan?
We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to
make us love one another. – Jonathan Swift
In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost
every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from
authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue
but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners,
whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.
– Mark Twain
Religion can never reform mankind because religion is slavery.
– Robert Ingersoll
M
iddle East, India, July 20,
2011 — Diaspora Indians
have a choice – we can
put our trust in India and return
home one day, or we can look for
alternatives. For those of us who
want to go back, it is an ongoing
dilemma, especially when India
lurches from one crisis to another.
But let me try and get some
perspective on the issue by
asking a question.
Let’s say Canada, Australia
and the United States decided
to drastically increase their
populations and announced a
new immigration policy aimed
at luring educated Indians. They
offer permanent resident status
and
subsequent
citizenship
without any preconditions –
except for a legitimate college
degree. You can pick up your
green card or the equivalent on
arrival in any of those countries.
What do you think would
happen?
We
would
undoubtedly
2
witness the greatest human
migration the world has ever seen
– India would empty out most of
its middle class population.
It may be no exaggeration to
say that if those three countries
were prepared to absorb 250
million middle class Indians
or more, there would be no
problem in completing the quota
– possibly within one year if the
airlines could handle the exodus.
Here’s another outrageous
question – can we be certain that
fundamentalist forces in India will
not take the country the way of
Pakistan?
Don’t be in a rush to dismiss
the idea because of mere
sentiment – consider India’s
political road map and what the
future could bring.
Most Indians will agree
about how poorly the country
is managed, but where is India
heading? In the wake of financial
scams, illegal mining, cash-forvotes, bomb blasts, the Maoist
insurgency,
food
inflation,
growing citizen concerns etc., the
Government seems to be losing
the confidence of the people.
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh’s
recent
powerless
Cabinet reshuffle indicates the
ruling Congress is immobilised
and comatose, with no guts or
inclination to tackle corruption.
This is also evident in social
activist Anna Hazare terming the
Lokpal Bill, in his letter to the PM
“A joke on the nation.”
Will the future bring an India
of terror or tranquillity to place
our trust in? There are enough
forces on the loose in the country
to change its direction quite
drastically.
Mumbai has been attacked
again and at the time of writing,
officially 20 people are confirmed
dead and hundreds injured in
the serial blasts on July 13, 2011
in Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar
and near the Kabutarkhana
in Dadar. The terrorists may
not have achieved the level of
carnage they desired, but they
clearly succeeded in inflicting
psychological damage on India’s
financial capital. According to
Outlook magazine, the ‘Maximum
City’ has now experienced 11
terror attacks in 18 years, in 40
different locations, with 704 lives
lost, and 2,289 wounded.
It cannot end because in India
too many victims within and
many aggressors without are
bent on revenge.
Can we end up like Pakistan
where Muslims are systematically
butchering each other every day
in numbers nobody can keep
track of?
Going by recent history,
it could take just a change of
government for India to radically
regress as it did during the 1998
– 2004 term of Prime Minister
A. B. Vajpayee and his Bharatiya
Janata Party.
Even after the horrific 2002
Godhra communal riots, the BJP,
which is the parliamentary arm
of the Hindutva movement and
currently leads the Opposition,
has not stopped its divisive
and inflammatory propaganda.
With its dubious campaign to
rewrite India’s history as a Hindu
theocracy, religious nationalism
remains the national agenda of
the BJP’s politics. Its return to
power at some point cannot be
ruled out.
Speculation aside, so far no
real evidence has been unearthed
on the latest Mumbai attack. The
terror could be homegrown or
imported - its religious backing
certain but still unclear.
In its aftermath, Indian media
is rife with comparisons on how
the U.S. Government created a
new Department of Homeland
Security after 9/11, centralizing all
U.S. intelligence coordination.
America has not suffered a
terrorist strike in 10 years, but not
even three years passed before
Mumbai has been attacked again
after November 26, 2008, when
more than 160 people lost their
lives and over 300 were injured.
The danger to India from
religious fundamentalism is just
a saffron version of Pakistani
Islamist fanaticism. Karnataka’s
attempt to force study of the
Bhagwad Gita in schools is
another glimpse of it. For that
reason India can be compared
more to Pakistan, not to the
USA, even if both countries are
pluralistic secular democracies.
India ranks 70 on the global
corruption index, Pakistan stands
out at 117, whereas the United
States is far behind at only 17
(www. worldaudit.org).
America certainly has corrupt
leaders, their 39th Vice President,
Spiro Agnew was forced to resign
on charges of extortion, tax fraud,
bribery and conspiracy; but such
instances are rare in the USA; in
India and Pakistan corruption
is routine, consequently our
national security is in the hands
of potential traitors in the highest
corridors of power.
More importantly, religion in
America is a non-toxic tradition,
for many a compulsion; but in
India religion is deadly poison. On
religious issues Americans live
and let live, Indians live and let die.
There is real danger as the power
of the religious right grows, it is
gaining proselytes, and infecting
the nation with bigotry pandered
as cultural revival.
Besides unlawful religious
and ideological politics in India,
private armies and powerful
interests have scant regard for
the rule of law; India’s enemies
at home are far more dangerous
than those the U.S. contends with
internally. Despite Republicans
and Democrats always being at
loggerheads violence is unknown.
Author Dinesh D’souza who
emigrated from India and became
a U.S. citizen in 1991, writes in
What’s So Great About America
that it is a new kind of society.
It produces people who are
“confident, self-reliant, tolerant,
generous, future-oriented - a vast
improvement over the wretched,
servile, fatalistic, and intolerant
human beings that traditional
societies have always produced.”
I share some of that scepticism
knowing conditions in the
subcontinent.
However, IT professional and
author S.R. Welch writing in The
Secular Web observes, “During
the last century a diaspora of
Indian émigrés spread their
culture to communities as far
afield as Johannesburg and
Jackson Heights; at the beginning
of this century Indian cuisine,
music, literature, and film enjoy an
unprecedented popularity abroad.
That Indian culture not only
competes with but also penetrates
the commercial monolith of
western culture testifies to its
modern robustness and vitality.
For its part, the religion called
‘Hinduism’ - the amorphous family
of traditions and philosophies
that comprise historical reality,
and not the neo-orthodoxy of
the Hindutva movement - will
continue to endure by virtue of its
inherent inclusiveness, tolerance,
and its unique recognition that no
creed has a monopoly over truth.”
Sometimes a foreigner can
offer better insights on India, and
one can only hope that Welch’s
assessment accurately foretells
our country’s future.
Frank Raj
Founder Editor & Publisher
[email protected]
3
Indian
THE INTERNATIONAL
EST: 1992 The Region’s Oldest, Authoritative
BUZZ WORD
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IN EVERY ISSUE
2 Editorial
6 Letters
7 Editor’s Pick
74 TII Hall of Fame
95 TII Central
FOOD
82
4
to
n
Pho
TII petitio 4
7
Com page
See
Bridal Cooking
By: Golden Reejsinghani
No other country in the world can boast
of such a great variety of delicious dishes
as India. Spicy, colorful, whole some and
nourishing dishes, a delight to the eyes and
the palate.
CONTENTS
FEATURES
8
35
38
42
44
46
58
62
68
71
TI
Hist I India
See ory Quiz
page
70
Paras Shahdadpuri Former Indian Diplomat
Now Mega Businessman | By: Nirmal Khanna
TII introduces the first of a unique series featuring Father-Daughter
business teams in the Gulf Indian Diaspora.
The India Experience | By: Sarina Menezes
In the last five years, an increasing number of expatriates
of Indian origin have been returning to India.
In Love With Challenges | By: Deepa Ballal
“I can’t deal with simplicity,” quips Kamal Gupta,
Managing Director, Fonterra, Middle East, Africa
and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
“Challenges are part of my blood”.
Subrata Dutta: Innovation Is The Key To Our Success
By: Bandana Jain
“You find the job that you enjoy and you will never have to work.”
Such is the philosophy that is vibrantly reflected in Subrata Dutta’s
personality.
India Travel Buzz
TII’s new column for India travel will keep you up to date on what’s
happening on the tourism front in the country.
Gulf Hotel Happenings
Clients to entertain? Want to make that business trip more
interesting? TII keeps you up to date on what’s happening at the
region’s best hotels.
75
76
80
Meet the Nexus S with Android 2.3
By: A Staff Writer
Samsung and Google launched Nexus S, the world’s
first handset to feature the latest version of Google’s
Android™ platform.
Healthcare Scenario In Dubai And Lifestyle
Diseases | By: A Staff Writer
The Emirate has high rates of chronic diseases related
to life style such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular
diseases.
The Maestros Of Melody
By: Ruqya Khan
The lingering voice, the melting melody,
the soulful approach – the ‘ghazal’ is but a journey of
words that takes you deep inside the alleys of your mind.
TRAVEL
18
24
26
31
Bangkok: Colossal, Regal, Magnificent
By: Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher
Bangkok in Thai translates to “city of angels,” but
don’t be misled: This metropolis of 605 square
miles and 12 million people is widely known to have
an equally devilish side centered on its nightlife and
“anything goes” attitude.
I Love Lamu | By: Ikram Shikoo
LAMU ISLAND: Part of the Lamu Archipelago of
Kenya. Lamu Old Town, the principal inhabited part
of the island, is one of the oldest and best-preserved
Swahili settlements in East Africa.
Indian Seniors Bindaas In China
By: Shyamola Khanna
TII joins a bunch of Indian senior citizens on their
jaunt to China.
Okay By Me In America | By: Melanie Kumar
When Melanie P. Kumar, TII’s Bangalore based writer
finally visited the USA, she was quite well prepared for
the American juggernaut. Nonetheless a few important
lessons were learned about the ‘American way.’
Into The Diaspora Wilderness: Interview With Selma Carvalho
By: Frank Raj
Selma Carvalho has lived in the Diaspora for most of her life in
Dubai, USA and now in the UK, but she feels she has never been
anything other than a Goan.
There Are ‘Saints’ Among Us
By: Marianne de Nazareth
TII chose four ordinary ‘saints’ in Bangalore to see how they work
tirelessly to help the poor in different areas of the city.
COLUMNS
50
52
54
66
92
96
Disney: Myth And Diaspora | By: Asma Ayob
“It was not once upon a time, but at a certain time in
history, before anyone knew what was happening, that
Walt Disney cast a spell on the fairy tale, and he has held
it captive ever since.”
(Jack Zipes, 1994)
Bringing Home An Inter-racial Relationship!
By: Prem Kishore
It could be a mixed menu in American households. Dal and steak,
tortillas and tandoori or dhokla and gumbo.
56
Photo Essay: Zanzibar | By: Frank Raj
Zanzibar is one of the most unusual places you can
visit. The capital, Stone Town, is how olden times
on an island of mixed peoples must have been and
still is.
INDIA JOURNAL
Where Are You From?
By: Ranjani Iyer Mohanty
We ‘look at situations as contingent, not as
inevitable’, as the result of choices we’ve made, as
changeable.
GUPTARA GARMAGARAM
Minorities In India
By: Prabhu Guptara
Our contemporary rulers are, in any case, better
at dividing than at ruling: one key responsibility
of being a ruler is that of maintaining
law and order, and it appears that the
government is less and less able to do
that.
EAST MEETS WEST PARENTING
Just Like My Stay-At-Home Mommy
By: Cynthia Lim
I never imagined myself as a stay-at-home mom. I
just wasn’t fond of kids. “Messy little brats” is what
I secretly thought of other people’s children.
Exam Fever For Parents | By: Anita Thomas
Examinations (fortunately) have become the stuff
of memories for adults, remembered and refracted
through personality and experience.
SOLDIERS
When Media Forgets Its Obligation To The
Soldiers | By: Major General Mrinal Suman,
AVSM, VSM, PhD
A soldier is always prepared for the supreme
sacrifice. Despite immense pain of losing a son/
husband/father, family members of every martyr
draw consolation from the belief that dying for the
country is the ultimate honour for a soldier.
FUTUREQUEST
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam:
What Is Truth? | By: Frank Raj
He that chooses a religion over Islam, it will not be
accepted from him and in the world to come he will
be one of the lost.
– Quran 3:85, “The Imrans,” Dawood, p. 60
THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN is owned by Global Indian Travellers Association (GITA) a private limited company incorporated in England and Wales
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5
Letters to the Editor
Indian
THE INTERNATIONAL
EST: 1992 The Region’s Oldest, Authoritative
TII in the UK
I was recently going
through one of your articles
in The International Indian,
it was very appropriate and
meaningful I hope politicians
in India will understand the
urgency and behave like
mature
and
responsible
citizens.
I would like to read your
articles regularly and I live in
the UK, can you suggest how I
can get your articles.
Dinesh Mysore
Dubai
New Delhi Airport
I really liked the article on
New Delhi Airport by Ranjani
Iyer Mohanty. I completely
agree with her. The very
purpose of any language is to
make others understand what
you want to say. So what’s the
purpose of using high British
accent at a domestic Indian
airport? Better use a simple
Indian accent.
Manoj Sureka
Dubai
Relocation to India
Got a latest copy of the
International Indian recently
and liked your article where
Sarina Menezes has written
so beautifully about her
relocation to India from
UK. Made so much of sense
especially to me at this point
of time since I am planning
to relocate to Canada myself
this August after much
contemplation. It’s such a big
decision and the first year is
the acid test I guess !
Giselle Fernandes
Dubai
Our Precious Heritage
I am a Indian living in Dubai
for the past 10 years and liked
your story about the Taj Mahal
a lot. You see. that is where
my husband and I spent one
week for our honeymoon. I
was reading the story in my
friends house where I saw
your magazine.
It is indeed good we have
people like the lawyer and
Chief Justice, who care about
our precious monuments. The
Indian government obviously
does not want to spend
any money to look after our
precious heritage.
Sheena Desai
Dubai
Good For You
Read Sarina’s article in TII
18.3 on returning to India. Yes
India does have its challenges
but the big plus comes from
having near and dear one’s
close to you. It’s really nice
to know that you guys have
accepted the changes and are
happy with your decision.
Christine
Dubai
The best letters to the editor
will win exquisite gifts from
Liali Jewellery.
Email your letters to:
[email protected]
6
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Nov/Dec 2009
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By: Frank Raj
Editor ' s PICK
Spacious rooms
www.moevenpick-dubai-ibnbattuta.com
Al Bahou - the stunning lobby of 88 lanterns
IBN BATTUTA GATE HOTEL:
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Culture And Luxury For Business And Leisure
tepping through the iconic
portal of the Ibn Battuta
Gate Hotel, operated by
the Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts
Group, is a dazzling experience.
At 60 metres, the Ibn Batuta
Gate is higher than the Arc de
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large-size eastern-style lanterns
is a signature feature of the
hotel, reflecting its culturallyinspired interiors, five-star luxury
and eclectic architecture. Such
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From five-star accommodation
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Ibn Battuta Gate hotel draws
inspiration from its namesake, the
intrepid 14th Century explorer,
Ibn Battuta, who travelled the
world, from Africa and Europe to
the Far East. Mirroring his journey,
the 396 spacious hotel rooms are
each beautifully furnished in the
colours and styles of Moroccan
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“In Dubai’s competitive hotel
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modern luxury. Providing more
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we offer a destination for our
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said Philippe Bonnot, General
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Located conveniently within
‘New Dubai’, Ibn Battuta Gate
Hotel is close to the city’s
commercial
hubs,
including
Dubai Media City, Internet City,
Knowlege Village and Jebel Ali
Free Zone. In addition, it is close
to the main artery of Sheikh
Zayed Road, which links the
whole of Dubai.
Frank Raj is TII's
Founding Editor and Publisher
7
Cover Story
Paras Shahdadpuri
Former Indian Diplomat Now Mega Businessman
TII introduces the first of a unique series featuring FatherDaughter business teams in the Gulf Indian Diaspora.
Dubai is known for big Indian success stories; notable
among them is Paras Shahdadpuri, a former diplomat and
now business tycoon. He is all set to expand the Nikai
Group, his electronics and outsourcing empire, sharing
responsibilities with his son Mahesh who oversees
Outsourcing and Food Retail, and daughter Dr. Jean, who
will spearhead the company’s entry into Healthcare.
By: Nirmal Khanna
D
ubai has been a major lands revelled in their success
After oil was discovered,
trading hub for decades while the local businessmen commerce grew, the floodgates
and many fortunes, notably laughed all the way to the bank.
opened and people, the majority
amongst the Indian
being Indian, arrived
business community,
to put down roots.
have been built on
They staffed the banks,
commerce.
Their
opened
schools,
success was based on
set up more trading
a well tried formula:
companies,
helped
find a gap in the
construct a metropolis
market, be it toffees,
and Dubai changed
toys or textiles, bring
forever: it became
it into the country
a
destination
for
and with the huge
shopping, recreation
influx of tourists, just
and investment.
about everything will
With
the
new
be snapped up. The
‘settled’
population
traders flourished as
instead of the migrant
HH Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher
did the Emirate. The (Middle)
Education and Scientific Research with Paras Shahadpuri, (Right) Chairman of the trader who had earlier
big names in Japan,
jetted in for a few days
Nikai Group
Korea and western
for his transactions,
8
(Left) HH Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al
Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education
and Scientific Research with Paras Shahadpuri,
on a hunting trip in the Emirates.
Cover Story
the need for fitting out a home up our children in an Oriental level and I was showered with
with basic electronic items society rather than the permissive accolades for my efforts. This
became urgent. Big names like Occidental society,” he added. is when I became aware of my
Sony, Panasonic, Philips sent in TII met Paras Shahdadpuri and innate commercial acumen, and
container loads of products and daughter Dr. Jean Shahdadpuri perhaps why I felt the urge to do
flooded the market. The local at Nikai’s offices in Dubai.
something on my own.
affluent population
needed the goods as
At what stage did
did the neighbouring
you decide to quit
Emirates;
indeed
working for the
the entire region
government?
benefited
from
I had been with
Dubai’s prosperity.
the Indian Foreign
In 1988, in the
Service for many
midst of this boom,
years, with postings
by chance, arrived
in China, USA, Saudi
a
former
Indian
Arabia and Libya. I
diplomat
whose
realized my own
last posting was
potential while in
in Libya. As an
Libya when I handled
entrepreneur, having
the
economic
set up an office in
and
commercial
London, he made
portfolio. Working in
an
unscheduled
bureaucracy has its
Paras Shahdadpuri with HH Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan (R) during
stopover en route, the
presentation of the Nikai Award for the Best Innovation in Teaching in Abu Dhabi own handicaps, your
due to a missed flight
efforts and initiatives
connection. Not surprisingly he Which diplomatic posting was
do not always come to fruition.
was struck by Dubai’s growth and more challenging, China or
This at times leaves you with
potential. “I was very impressed Libya?
a sense of dissatisfaction, and
by the infrastructure, free
I enjoy challenges - that is perhaps frustration. Besides, at
foreign exchange environment, my adrenaline. China was an that time, our policies were more
telecommunications, absence of ironclad, closed country. For a skewed to political diplomacy
taxation and the ease with which diplomat to get any information rather than economic diplomacy.
one could set up a business,” or understand local thinking at This was in the 70’s & 80’s.
recalls
Paras
Shahdadpuri, that time was difficult. In such
Now our foreign policy has
Chairman of the Nikai Group conditions, it was very satisfying shifted and is more geared to
of Companies. During his 22- when we were able to dig out and economic diplomacy. I saw the
hour enforced stay, he was able collate information which was road blocks and that tempted me
to exchange currency at the important to our country. One to venture out on my own. This
late hour of 9 pm with ease – had to use a good measure of was in the mid-80s; I quit my job,
something uncommon in India, diplomatic skills to achieve this.
began trading in commodities:
and even surprised his wife with
During my tenure in Libya, tea, coffee, urea, fertilizers,
a gift from Dubai. He found the India had large economic soap, detergents, etc. In those
schools suitable for his children engagement with the country days telecommunication in India
and the Emirate well connected but no trade. This was a challenge was not developed, something
with India with several daily given to me and it was the first absolutely vital for business.
flights. “In an emergency, it was time that I handled commercial Foreign exchange was very tight,
as simple as going to the airport activity in my diplomatic career. making business trips tough. This
and taking the next available I worked very hard to prove my made me decide to live abroad,
flight. It was love at first sight new portfolio and test my skills. so I set up an office in London
with Dubai and he spontaneously Trade increased manifold. It was which allowed me to travel back
decided to shift his business base widely appreciated both at the and forth to India.”
to Dubai. “We Asians like to bring Mission level and at Ministry
“When I was dealing in
10
ARABIAN CENTER
DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY
THE DUBAI MALL
PEDROSHOES.COM
Cover Story
commodities, I had some spare the market is huge but has I have always been involved
time as work came in spurts. I many administrative challenges: in community activity. When I
began trading in a small way distribution, visas, etc. which at came to Dubai, I was itching to
and somehow got involved with times are frustrating. In many make some contribution to the
electronic appliances. I
community. I believed
was advised that it was
that it was alright to
a saturated market and
make money but one
not to touch it. But I have
must also think beyond
always believed that
business and himself,
there is an opportunity
to give back to society.
if the pie is big. As
The Indian business
long as you are looking
community
elected
for a small share, you
me as Chairman of
can always elbow your
the Overseas Indian
way into a small space,
Economic Forum from
establish your base and
1999 to 2001. Later I
gradually flourish.
was elected President
“In
1995,
I
of the Indian Business
contemplated creating HH Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher and Professional Council
my own brand. Many Education and Scientific Research with Paras Shahadpuri (R), son Mahesh and (IBPC)
from
2009daughter Jean (L).
of the big international
2011, and currently I
brands had dug into this territory other countries, we operate am ex-officio Board Member of
and so many private brands through a large network of the organisation. In my humble
had sprouted. I saw a niche and agents and distributors. We are way, I invested quality time to
thought, if done intelligently and now exporting to more than 60 help enhance the economic,
correctly, it would be a hit. By countries.
investment
and
trading
God’s grace, our brand, Nikai
“We are in Iraq but not in relationship between our two
which means ‘good omen’ and full strength. There are security great countries – India and UAE.
‘second storey’ in Japanese, has issues. I am always conscious of During my tenure as President of
created history in this part of the the security of my staff whom the IBPC, we initiated a very large
world. It has sustained growth I consider extended family and number of events to promote the
year after year for 15 years and Al partners in business.
India-UAE economic and trade
Hamdulillah, with decent profits.
relationship. Among 152 private brands, we are You have an established brand;
We invited a number of trade
by far the No. 1, and probably the what about R&D?
delegations, both from India and
only privately owned company
Honestly, we do not have any the UAE. This greatly helped in
that is completely professionally large R&D unit in the company. building up strong economic
managed, without relatives or We do some research in-house, and investment ties between our
friends employed.
invest in some designs and two countries. IBPC organized a
moulds, but in engineering, we mega India Business Summit in
Which are your newer markets?
are not hard core inventors. We 2010 with the participation of CII,
Nikai is always on the lookout deal with ‘Original Equipment FICCI, ASSOCHAM, OIFC from
for newer markets. At the end of Manufacturers’ (OEMs). They India and the Dubai Chamber of
the day, UAE is a relatively small have large factories and they use Commerce with various other
consumer base. We have to look their own R&D which we fine tune Departments of the Government
for horizontal growth and hence for our own needs. Like us, in of UAE. we have to look around for other fact most of the top international
Three Federal UAE Ministers
markets. We are brand owners brands use the same OEM’s.
and the Indian Minister of
so we are not restricted to one
Commerce & Industry attended
region as an agent would be. The How do you contribute to the
the event. It is satisfying to
world is our playing field.
Indian Business Community in
underscore that for India, it is not
“We are very keen on Russia. the UAE?
the USA or UK or Japan, but the
We are already in Saudi Arabia,
Having been a career diplomat, UAE which is the No. 1 trading
12
partner with a staggering USD 45
billion non-oil trade.
What would you advise new
entrants to business?
Success in any business
requires honesty, sincerity and
total commitment. For me when
I quit my diplomatic career,
there was no alternative but to
succeed. And to support my
family, I had to make money from
the word go. Anyone wanting to
get into business must first study
the market, do due diligence,
and go through a mental
SWOT (strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities
and
threats)
analysis and go by his
gut feel, passion and
drive. Also, dream big
but do not fly! Initially
one must stay within
one’s financial capacity.
Once you have tested
the waters and you feel
stable and confident,
something which may
take 3-4 years, then you
go for your big dream!
individuals. In my childhood, it
was Swami Vivekananda; when
in my mid-thirties, Lee Kuan Yew
became my icon. He developed
Singapore from a wasteland into
a major commercial, investment
and tourist centre, while pursuing
democratic principles. My third
role model is HH Sheikh Nahayan
bin Mubarak Al Nahayan but for
different reasons. I have seen him
serving his ailing father for nearly
30 years with extraordinary
care and devotion, something
rarely seen today. I am extremely
impressed by his family values
and his valuable service to his
It is our way of giving back to
the community and we consider
it our corporate and social
responsibility.
Your son and daughter are
involved in your business, what
are their roles?
All three of us are board
members on the Nikai Group of
Companies where we discuss
strategic issues together. My son
Mahesh heads two businesses –
TASC Outsourcing, a temp and
contract staffing company and
Boston Foods, operators of some
of the Subway outlets. Jean,
my daughter, who has
been engaged in the
Nikai brand division, will
soon oversee our foray
into the healthcare
business, where her
second post-graduate
degree in Healthcare
Management will be
useful.
What are the business
constraints you see in
Do you prefer to be
the UAE?
a businessman or a
UAE’s business
diplomat?
environment
is very
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bacchan with Paras Shahdadpuri
Which side of the
encouraging with its
hand would you prefer? Both are country. He has nurtured UAE’s world class infra-structure. There
important. It is a difficult choice. youth, giving them the best is a sizable investment by Indian
But if forced to make a choice, I educational opportunities and businessmen in UAE, which runs
would prefer to be a businessman. preparing them to serve their into billions of dollars. It would
Your efforts, skills and strengths nation capably.
indeed help further investments
are put to test with instant
into this country if serious
tangible results. You can put your What about philanthropy?
businessmen and professionals
resources to good use either for
I would rather not talk about are given security by granting
yourself or for the community. it. But if you ask me specifically, them long term residence visas,
Diplomacy is a part of life, which I am involved in various projects and doing away with the periodic
in fact each one of us needs to in India to support education, mandatory health check-ups. The
learn and practice. It is a fine art which is something dear to my issue of 51:49 per cent ownership
of handling intricate subjects – be heart. I have helped to set up in many business activities in the
they government to government, a school in Punjab and I am UAE, mandated by law, needs
corporate to corporate or person involved in several other projects also to be seriously reviewed.
to person.
also. Locally, we have the Nikai This should result in a huge
Awards for the ‘Best Teacher’ and influx of FDIs which will benefit
Do you have any role models?
the ‘Best Student’ in the UAE’s the country and build investor
Yes, I have had three such Higher Colleges of Technology. confidence.
13
Cover Story
Father & Daughter in Business
growing OEM in the region with to this dictum. We siblings, in
Dr. Jean Shahdadpuri, Paras’ an appetite to expand in export our capacity as Directors in the
daughter, a specialist in Pediatrics markets around in the Gulf, CIS Nikai Group, learnt the intricacies
and an MBA from the United and the African region. Nikai’s of the business and how to build
States, is married with a daughter. B2B business took off, its supplier and manage a team we call
“We were brought up with a base was consolidated, an ERP employee-partners.”
somewhat different background system implemented, customer
What next? “We realized
as compared to other children. service strengthened and strong that the sensible thing would
My father was in the diplomatic relationships built with internal be to diversify, for each of us
service and we had to relocate to and external partners. This to maximize our potential. My
different countries every 3 years,” elevated the brand perception brother Mahesh pursued another
says Jean.
and value, and captured local line of business - Outsourcing
“The expectations of our and regional market share due to under the banner of TASC
parents were much more in all strategic alliances with various and Restaurant Management
the fields, curricular and extra companies.
under Boston Foods; I decided
curricular.,” she recalls.
Performance
management to venture into healthcare
“Obviously my father had a was implemented, professional management. Here, I thought it
different vision and scheme of managers trained and Board would only be fitting that I equip
things in his mind. Having himself governance put into place.
myself with another Masters
been an entrepreneur
degree in Healthcare
coming
from
a
Management
which
diplomatic background,
I
have
successfully
it appeared he wanted
completed this year.”
to have a second
“We in the family are
successful experiment
continuously evolving
by enticing me to quit
and deciding on the
regular
professional
new forays of the Nikai
practice and join him
Group, such as location,
in business. This would
size of investments, new
address
succession
opportunities etc. I am
management and bring
proud of what we have
a fresh pair of eyes to
achieved so far and look
look at the organization.”
forward to an exciting
“Somewhere deep in
future,” Jean enthuses.
my heart, I was dearly With an MBA in the Management of Healthcare Business, her 2nd postgraduate
Paras explains, “My
degree, Dr Jean Shahdadpuri spearheads Nikai’s foray into healthcare
missing
my
parents
intent was to apply a
and wished to be nearer them.
“Joining the Nikai Group modern and equitable formula
After all I had been my Daddy’s was, for me, an entirely different when it came to my children by
daughter! Thus, I left the US world. From medical practice in making my son and daughter
and joined the Nikai Group to the U.S. to joining a family owned equal partners in the business.”
support my father and the family business in the Gulf was a world He feels strongly that each child,
business.”
of difference” says Jean, “and son or daughter, must be given
“I must say, my husband, who that too, learning and working an equal opportunity and share
himself is a senior management with your father!”
in the family fortunes and allowed
consultant, was a tremendous
“In fact, in our entire Nikai the same space to develop
support and source of strength at Group of Companies, my father, themselves. “Mahesh is developing
this crucial crossroad of our lives, who is the Chairman of the Group, his own niche markets while Jean
and I am truly appreciative of has ensured that no relatives or is handling our diversification
his support. There has also been friends’ children, not even one, into healthcare management. We
the unconditional support of our are employed. It is all reward for are a close knit family and all our
mother,“ Jean admits.
performance, and no exception decisions are made jointly.”
The next few years
saw is made. Both my brother and
Nirmal Khanna, is a Dubai based
Nikai growing into the fastest myself were not any exception
freelance writer
14
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Travel
Bangkok
Like Its Famed Reclining Buddha,
Is Colossal, Regal, Magnificent
Bangkok in Thai translates to “city of angels,” but don’t be misled:
This metropolis of 605 square miles and 12 million people is widely
known to have an equally devilish side centered on its nightlife and
“anything goes” attitude.
By: Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher
O
ur slant, however, is
tamer, focusing on iconic
sites that illuminate
Bangkok’s history. Of Thailand’s
Take, for example, where a trip
to Bangkok begins: Suvarnabhumi
Bangkok Airport, the air hub for
Southeast Asia. Suvarnabhumi
Bangkok is unique in many ways, a not to be missed country (Photo by: Mandarin Oriental)
30,000 temples, more than 400
are found in Bangkok.
18
means “The Golden Land,” a
traditional moniker for the region
of
Thailand-Cambodia-LaosMyanmar (Burma).
Suvarnabhumi accommodates
45 million passengers a year,
supports 76 flights per hour,
and handles three million tons of
cargo annually.
The airport centerpiece is
a large art installation “The
Churning of the Milk Ocean”
An imposing “Naga” (king of
serpents) and figures of “Devas”
(demigods)
and
“Asuras”
(demons) tug on the ornate tail/
rope as Lord Vishnu stands atop
a turtle, representing a mountain.
Legend says the figures are
straining to churn up the sea,
hoping to produce the “Amritha”
– the elixir of life.
Sue, our Abercrombie & Kent
guide took us expertly through
her top five must-sees (outlined
here), she helped us maneuver
through the alleyway food
and flower markets to mingle
among the street vendors before
The dancing ladies of Bangkok
are not the only attraction in the
city. There is so much to see and
do in this incredible city of the
Far East. (Photo by: Fletcher/Newbern)
hankooktire.com
Travel
hopping in a “tuk tuk” motorized
rickshaw.
Her best advice: Eat like the
locals at least once. She escorted
us through a winding alleyway to
the tiny streetside Yoy Restaurant.
carved from a single block of
The complex, with pleasant
green jade,
restaurant, is easily reached by
Inside the complex, there’s the clean, efficient Sky Train.
The Pavilion of Regalia, Royal
Decorations
and
Coins,
a Bangkok’s Royal Barge Museum
museum displaying items used
by the royal family Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River,
(tea sets, artwork, called the “River of Kings,” remains
furniture,
attire, a major artery to transport goods
utensils,
jewelry and people, which explains why
and weaponry as many attractions and temples,
well as medals and are along its shores.
coins). The amount
Our transport, a speedy longtail
of
gold
and boat, offered an up-close view of
precious
stones is river traffic, the cityscape around
(Photo by: Tourism Authority of Thailand)
overwhelming. The us, and the bustling activity along
most
impressive the riverbanks and side channels
display
exhibits that dissect the city.
two sets of the
Have
your
boat
driver
seasonal
attire crisscross some of these canals
View from the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok’s famed waterway.
of The Emerald for a fascinating glimpse of
(Photo by: Mandarin Oriental)
Buddha — each average people’s lives on the
“The mother goes to the market outfit valued at $750,000.
river.
everyday,” Sue promised, “so the
Then stop at The Royal Barge
food is fresh. And her place is very Jim Thompson House
Museum, a huge boathouse where
clean.” The superb, affordable
By promoting the quality of visitors view the ornately carved
lunch included whole steamed Thailand’s silk to the world, Jim and elaborately painted barges
sea bass, grilled chicken and pork Thompson, an American born in housed here. Once used for royal
with sticky rice.
1906, became a living
This cosmopolitan city is a legend in Bangkok
shopper’s paradise, too, with too and Thailand. Then on
many jewelry stores to count, March 26th, 1967, he
yet a different kind of sparkle posthumously became
surrounds you everywhere: the an enigma when he
glint of temple gold.
disappeared
while
visiting the Cameron
THE GRAND PALACE
Highlands of Malaysia.
The Grand Palace is perhaps
An architect before
the city’s most famous landmark. his stint in the U.S
Built in 1782, it was the home of Army during World
the Thai King, Royal Court and War II, Thompson fell
administrative offices for 150 in love with Thailand,
years.
returning to live here
A portion of Bangkok’s Grand Palace as seen from the Chao
The complex sits on 234 acres after the war. His
Phraya River, a major thoroughfare through the capital city.
surrounded by a 6,600-foot-long passion for art and his
(Photo by: Fletcher/Newbern)
wall. Several prominent structures interest in Thai silk,
are open to the public including which was at the time a cottage transport and warfare, now the
the popular Wat Phra Kaew, the industry, became his life’s work. Royal Barges are primarily used
Royal Monastery of the Emerald His house is a tidy tribute to his for ceremonial purposes like the
Buddha, which dates to the 14th life and love and open for tours. annual fall Kathin Ceremony, that
century. The name is a misnomer, There’s a good quality gift shop marks the end of the rainy season.
though, because the statue is selling many silk creations.
A flotilla of 52 barges, requiring
20
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2,082 oarsmen, carries the King
and royal family to Wat Arun.
that
fell into disfavor and went
unused in the 1930s and ‘40s. In
1955, when the plastered-over
Golden Buddha was being moved
to its present location, it fell and
some of the plaster broke off,
revealing the gold underneath.
The Reclining Buddha
The Reclining Buddha is
housed in Wat Pho, one of the
largest and oldest temples in
Bangkok; construction began in
1788. With his head reaching 49
feet and the body stretching 151
feet long (all covered with gold
plating), it’s the largest reclining
Buddha in Thailand. The feet
alone are 10-feet long and have
soles inlaid with mother of pearl
displaying 108 Buddhist symbols.
The Reclining Buddha is
colossal, regal, and magnificent, a
rightful must-see.
Buddhist monks inside Bangkok’s Grand Palace (Photo by: Fletcher/Newbern)
Another flotilla comes at
the full moon during Songkran,
the Thai New Year, when the
royals travel to the Temple of
the Emerald Buddha for the
ceremonial change of Buddha’s
clothes.
Temple of the Golden Buddha
At Wat Traimit is The Temple
of the Golden Buddha containing
the world’s largest solid gold
Buddha.
Its 5.5 tons equates to a value
of about $264 million. Of course,
the religious value of this Buddha
is priceless.
But consider this: Nobody
knew it was made of gold until
1955. Cast some time in the 13th
century, the 15-foot-tall Buddha
was once covered in plaster and
lacquer, then painted, most likely
to disguise it from potential
thieves or enemy invaders.
Between 1824–1851, the statue
was installed at a Bangkok temple
22
So is Bangkok.
IF YOU’RE GOING
Abercrombie & Kent (ww.abercrombiekent.com) can arrange every
detail of your visit from sightseeing and tours to luxury accommodations,
including:
• The modern lebua at State Tower, which offers jaw-dropping views of
the city, especially dramatic at night from the rooftop restaurant, bar and
signature dome (www.lebua.com).
The Mandarin Oriental, established in 1876 on the banks of the Chao
Phraya River, is the most elite hotel address in Bangkok, voted in past years
one of the best hotels in the world. The Oriental, as the locals call it, is also
the place to get married in Bangkok (www.mandarinoriental.com/Bangkok).
• We boarded The Oriental’s teak barge for the short ride across the
river to sample their sumptuous Oriental Spa followed by al fresco dining
and Thai show. This riverside, garden-like spot, with tiny, white lights
sparking in trees a night, was the perfect backdrop to reflect on a perfect
first visit to Bangkok — truly delightful.
• Both hotels are about 40 minutes from the airport
(www.suvarnabhumiairport.com).
(Photo by: Kathy M. Newbern)
• For more on Bangkok, visit www.thailandtourism.org.
U.S. based, award-winning travel writers Kathy M. Newbern and J.S. Fletcher write
about luxury, spas, cruising and romantic destinations worldwide when not operating their
personalized romance novel company, YourNovel.com, where they put you in the middle of the
romance and adventure by starring you in your own book.
’
Reader s Trip Advice
I Love Lamu
LAMU ISLAND: Part of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya. Lamu Old Town,
the principal inhabited part of the island, is one of the oldest and bestpreserved Swahili settlements in East Africa. Built in coral stone and
mangrove timber, the town is characterized by such features as inner
courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has no
roads, just alleyways and footpaths, residents walk or move by boat, and
use donkeys for transport.
WHO: Ikram Shikooh, Travel
speedboat ride.
DON’T MISS: The winding streets
Writer, based in Dubai, UAE.
RESTAURANTS: Olympic, Hapa
of the island are best explored
WHAT: On a Kenya safari
on foot or by donkey;
combine a delightful stay in
include Shela village.
fabulous Lamu Island
UNIQUE: Best beaches in
WHEN: Jan - Mar for
Kenya. Islands, Lamu fort,
snorkeling; Aug-Sep is
Lamu museum. Various
clear and dry after the long
historical sites. Enjoy dhow
rains. March is humid; July
tours, diving, wind surfing,
is windy, which is good for
snorkelling and swimming
sailing. The long rains come
with dolphins, waterskiing
late March to May and the
and kayaking, barracuda
short rains in October and
fishing from the beach,
November.
crab catching, sun bathing
WHY: Lamu Archipelago is
and bird walks.
one of the oldest towns in
COSTS: Return economy
Ikram Shikooh (first left) in Lamu: Kenya’s oldest living town, Lamu ticket to Nairobi is approx
coastal Kenya and a World
has retained all the charm and character built up over centuries.
Heritage site.
AED 2,260 on Kenya
WHERE: Lamu, 14th century
Hapa, Bush Gardens, Whispers,
Airways All inclusive package
Swahili settlement, with a unique Mangrove Center, New Minaa,
tour for 2 nights AED 3705 (Min
blend of Portuguese explorers,
Bosnian Cafe etc.
6 pax), Lamu return airfare ex
Turkish traders and Omani Arabs, SHOPPING: For upmarket
Nairobi: US$ 390 on Air Kenya.
Lamu’s own culture is unique.
souvenirs and jewellery from all
Call Lillian: +9714 221 2149
HOW: By air from Nairobi etc.
over Africa, Baraka Gallery has a
GOOD HOTELS: Has some of
fine selection, but it’s pricey.
TII invites contributions for
‘Reader’s Trip Advice’ a new series
Kenya’s best resorts. Kipungani
CAUTION: Nothing to worry
to share holiday experiences.
Explorer Resort is on a deserted
about, its tourism economy
Send details on your most recent trip to the
12 Kilometres Crescent Beach
attracts people from all over the
Editor: [email protected]
accessed by a 30 minute
world.
Lamu: View from your
speedboat
24
Donkeys work in Lamu
Kipungani Explorer Resort
Lamu Duty-free shop
Travel
Indian Seniors Bindaas In
China
sachets were there but no milk
and sugar! So I enjoyed jasmine
tea – refreshing even without any
milk and sugar. While in China do
all things royal.
Among the many decorations
on the curling eaves of the roofs,
I could see an array of animals
TII joins a bunch of Indian senior citizens on their jaunt to China.
They discovered a magical, hi-tech, clean country that is proud of
its history and quite far ahead of India in many ways - not a poor
cousin at all. And the Chinese food there is quite different from
what passes off as the real thing in India.
An artist doing mother of pearl inlay work
By: Shyamola Khanna
I
Senior folks havin’ a ball - almost everyone from the group is there!
n April 2011, I joined a group
of 30 senior citizens who were
traveling to China. All the
26
travel arrangements were done by
Yatra.com, the travel portal - right
from visas, food, accommodation,
money exchange and sightseeing.
We also convinced Sushil from
Yatra.com to come with us as
our tour manager and guide. We
were scheduled to visit four major
tourist destinations - Beijing, Xian,
Guilin and then Shanghai and then
get back to Hyderabad.
Beijing in April on a clear
spring day, was a little nippy at 22
degrees!
Liza, our smiling local guide
met us and Sushil, accompanied
us to the five star Qianmen
Jianguo Hotel, where we were
allotted rooms on a twin sharing
basis. After stretching out for
a while to ensure that the bed
was as comfortable as it looked,
I decided a cup of tea would be
great! I switched on the kettle
and then started rummaging for
the makings in my bag — the tea
as the Chinese do!
BEIJING CITY TOUR
Over the next three days, we
must have walked at least 50
kms altogether in various places
of interest. The old royals did
not believe in anything small
or contained — just one tourist
attraction, the Temple of Heaven
where the royal family prayed
twice in the year, is more than a
kilometer from beginning to end.
So, train before you go to China,
get used to walking at least five
kms every day! And don’t forget
to take good, comfortable shoes.
The Forbidden City is a
photographer’s delight - ancient
history, coupled with modern
maintenance - makes for bright
colorful pictures of ancient water
vats, incense burners, bronze
statues of cranes, turtles and
deer. The color red is all over—I
am told it was the favorite of all
the royals, down the centuries.
Blue is the color for heaven,
green for the earth and gold for
and soldiers. The guide said that
when you saw seven of those,
with the first one being of a man
riding a carriage, it meant that
the building was for the use of
the king. The other six figurines
behind him meant that the first
was the master of them all. Any
building which had
five or three of the
figurines, meant that
the master was that
much lower in rank/
protocol. A Chinese
version of India’s
caste system?
On our second day
in Beijing, we drove
up to Badaling for
our first sight of the
Great Wall of China.
“Awesome”that
word so freely used by youngsters
- is the only one that comes to
mind when you see the Great
Wall for the first time. And to
think that it has been continually
added to, over a period of 2,000
years, soaring to a height of
1000 metres above sea level and
stretching 6700 kms from east
to west! “ Bilkul awesome”!
One of the most interesting
things
to do in Beijing is to
take the “Hutong” trip. After the
modern boulevards, chrome and
glass high-rises, it is a great view
of how the average Chinese lives.
We visited Mr Zhang’s house—it
is a regular house with a small
courtyard in the centre, and a
little stone pond of water with
fish. I was reminded of our Indian
traditions of ‘vaastu’, when
I noted their rigorous belief in
feng-shui, which rules their way
of life even today. According to
feng-shui, the boys live in the
eastern rooms while the girls
get the western ones, the master
lives in the north room while the
servants live in the south.
The return ride from the
Zhang House brought us through
a very modern ‘bar street’ which
had all kinds of bars - karaoke
bar, beer bar, tea bar - with lovely
bright cushioned sofas in all the
brightest colors set around little
glass tables with flowers on them.
This was on the common side of
The musical show at Guilin
the wide moat that surrounded
the Forbidden City. A young and
trendy spot outside the ancient
heritage — a great place to spend
an evening, listen to music and
enjoy a chilled beer!
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belief in the after life. A king next stop.
began to plan his tomb from the
GUILIN
time he ascended
The city of Guilin is not as
the throne. Thus well known as Shanghai, Beijing,
Emperor
Qin Guangzhou or Xian. It is a small
planned an elaborate clean city, made famous by its
copy of his entire river Li and its famous Osmanthus
army with its six flower, which lends its name and
categories/ranks of flavor to a local perfume and
soldiers and officers, wine.
along with bronze
We landed in the midst of an
birds,
chariots, ongoing drizzle and an overcast
bells, swords etc sky. Nonetheless, we went to
to be buried along the various tourist spots—the
with
him.
The Fubo Hill with its different caves,
museum has very the reed Flute Cave and the
China turned out to be much more advanced than we thought
for the famous reflexology interesting artifacts unearthed Elephant Trunk Hill. The last was
massage. They were very happy and painstakingly restored in really an unusual hill formation
that they did because all the every detail. So if the emperor where the river flowed through a
aches and pains were eased after had everything in this world, he gap between a regular cliff and
the massage. The next day we wanted to make sure that he had an outcrop. It did look like an
were to leave for Xian by the everything in his next life too!
elephant’s trunk!
China Eastern Airlines flight at
The Tang Dynasty Music and
The cruise on the river Li,
6 pm China time.
Dance show gave us an idea which was the highlight of our
of the extraordinary cultural stay in this city, was an absolute
XIAN
richness of the Chinese people. It delight. The river winds its way
Our arrival in Xian
was
delayed by about two hours. After
dinner at an Indian restaurant, we
checked into our hotel and slept.
A trip to China is incomplete
without a mandatory peep at
the enormous burial grounds of
the Terracotta warriors at Xian.
How the first warrior head was
discovered is a story by itself.
Back in 1974, some poor farmers
were digging for a well on a
corner of a plot, when they
found fragments of terracotta
pots and what appeared to be
parts of a clay head and limbs.
The government stepped in and
in a few years time, the world
was able to see the remarkable
collection of nearly 6,000 strong
The Great Wall Of China
terracotta soldiers entombed
along with their king, the first was a perfect blend of traditional through outcrops of hills and
Emperor of unified China, Qin music and modern sensibilities. deep caves and the whole trip
(pronounced chin) Shihuang who We had a Chinese dinner right is a visual treat and an artist’s
ruled China from 259 BC to 210 next to the stage.
dream.
BC.
Early next morning was our
The stalactite and stalagmite
Apparently there was a great China Eastern flight to Guilin , our formations inside some of the
28
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Travel
caves form interesting patterns
with the special lights being
thrown on them.
We saw the acrobatic show
which told the story of the Li
River with a lot of contemporary
inevitable and funny! We come
thousands of miles away from
home and then lose our shirts over
whether the bhajiyas at Ganges in
Beijing were better than the ones
in the Indian Kitchen in Shanghai!
The finale was our
trip on the Maglev
(Magnetic Elevated)
train from the city
centre to Pudong
Airport to catch our
flight back to KL
and then onwards
to Hyderabad. The
Maglev is China’s
showpiece
of
technical
prowess
- it is an elevated
Leena poses while her husband gets into the Xian warrior’s mould
bullet train which
ballet combined with old world reaches a maximum of 450 kms
costumes and ancient music. per hour so swiftly that it is
Quite a visual treat.
almost a buzz. The 37 kms was
covered in exactly 7 minutes!
The next day we left for
Shanghai.
FOOD
We had Chinese food and
SHANGHAI
we had Indian food in the
Shanghai is probably the various cities we stayed at. We
oldest and the best known of were allowed one drink on the
China’s cities, outside of China. house, so you could have a Coke
It is a great commercial hub or Sprite or a wine. We were
and financial centre—a bustling seated eight or ten to a table,
metropolis with swanky high- separated into vegetarians and
rises, clean roads, glitzy malls with non vegetarians. So as a meat
the latest luxury brands available. eater I got to taste the Peking
The streets have colorful flower Duck, various chicken and pork
borders laid out in neat patterns. dishes and of course, the many
In short it would compare with tofu, broccoli, Chinese cabbage,
any of the great cities anywhere mushrooms etc. Surprisingly, the
in the world.
noodles came only when you
Deepa, the baby of the group, asked for them.
The veggies
decided to explore the night life had to make do with the steamed
and came back saying that it was rice and the vegetables on which
really quite safe and she had no they added a generous sprinkling
trouble at all finding the places of their version of ‘chutney podi’
and meeting the people she was (spice powders). It is understood
looking for.
that there is no such thing as a
We had a couple of Indian chilli sauce in China!
meals at the Indian Kitchen,
Their desserts were mostly very
fairly good food that made simple—date and peanut brittle,
comparisons between the Indian little sweet balls, date pancakes.
food at Beijing, Xian and Shanghai
The dinner at the Tang Dynasty
30
Studying In America
show was an elaborate Chinese
meal—we had
eight varieties
of dumplings, each one with a
unique identity. So there was the
monkey face, the peacock, a bird,
lily flower besides the shrimp, the
cabbage and finally the walnut
dumpling which was sweet. At
the centre of the table was the
Dowager’s Hot pot which was
a delightful soup
we sipped
along with the dumplings. The
steamed rice, along with the
spiced potatoes and spinach,
was our entrée. Green tea flowed
copiously.
SUMMING UP
It was a total of ten days
and all I can say at the
end of it is that every bit
was worthwhile.
What
we saw, what we ate and
what we experienced was
a revelation on different
levels. Let me explain—
What goes for ‘Chinese
food’ in India
is very
different from the Chinese
food we ate on the tour;
our perception of China
as a ‘poor cousin’ who was
kind of waking up, had
to be revised too. They
are awake and running
far ahead of us in India.
We have basked in ‘our
ancient history’ but let me
tell you if we are old then
China is probably older.
How do we know this?
It has been showcased
for the average visitor,
much better than how we
present our history and
our historical artifacts and
monuments.
Shyamola Khanna is a freelance writer
based in Hyderabad
Okay By Me
In America
Nothing changed the Indian mindset as much as the entry of
American television channels into Indian drawing rooms. The
24/7 assault did something to the mindset of people, especially
younger Indians, who have been seduced by the American Dream.
Suddenly India had TV anchors shifting from saris to western
attire, imitating American accents and before we knew it, America
had barged into India! When Melanie P. Kumar, TII’s Bangalore
based writer finally visited the USA, she was quite well prepared
for the American juggernaut. Nonetheless a few important lessons
were learned about the ‘American way.’
By: Melanie P. Kumar
M
y first exposure to the
name “America,” was as a
little girl when my uncle,
a lover of all things American
used to play the Trini Lopez song,
“I like to be in America. OK by
me in America. Everything’s free
in America. For a small fee in
America…” and so the song went
on. It was played so often at my
uncle’s place that I had visions
of some far away land of milk
and honey. In those days, most
people, carrying over a colonial
legacy, were enchanted by the
idea of Britain, as the place to
visit, study and perhaps choose
to live in.
It was Hollywood that first
brought the concept of the
Melanie and Jeevan at Longwood Gardens
United States of America alive
to Indians, with blockbuster films
from the big studios like MGM
and Paramount. But what really
clinched it, though, was satellite
television, which brought alive
the American way of life to a
whole new generation of Indians.
Nothing changed the Indian
mindset as much as the entry
of American television channels
into their drawing-rooms. The
24/7 assault did something to
the mindset of Indians, especially
the younger ones, who found
themselves seduced by the
American Dream. Suddenly we
had TV anchors shifting from
saris to Western attire, imitating
American accents and before we
knew it, America had come to
India!
So, on board the Continental
flight
from
Frankfurt
to
Newark Airport, it was neither
intimidating to hear the American
accent of the stewardesses and
flight pursers, nor to be served
31
Studying America
by them. It is another matter, of
course, that the service was not
a patch on the one that we were
charmed by, on the BangaloreFrankfurt sector.
Except for
one middle-aged Flight Purser,
who was extremely polite, the
others were indifferent, and one
particularly rude, which, coming
from ladies in this field, was a bit
of a surprise.
But this was nothing to beat
the shock of landing at Newark
Airport and to find that our
baggage had not landed with us.
My husband, Jeevan had been
invited for a week of lectures at
Ramapo College in New Jersey
and we had arrived a few days
earlier to spend the weekend with
a friend at his place in Princeton.
Thanks to a Matrix phone with a
US number, that can be procured
in India, I was able to reach our
friend, Suresh Paul, who was
waiting outside to meet us.
We were guided to the
Continental
Airline
counter
How can anyone avoid Disneyland?
to report our loss of baggage
and were given a complaint
number. Queries about interim
compensation were stonewalled
with a suggestion to call the
number marked on a flyer. Having
worked in the travel industry, this
was a surprise for me but we let
it pass. Suresh our host, however,
was not so easily fobbed off; he
32
drove a hard bargain with the other. Everyone says, “Hey,” “Hi”
lady on the other side of the or “How’s it going?” with so much
telephone, getting a commitment warmth, like one is meeting a
for a certain amount to be used long-lost friend! But most times,
by us for our shopping.
He I noticed the conversation never
said that 18 years in the U.S had progressed beyond that greeting.
taught him to speak plainly and A white American friend told me
talk tough. So, that was
the first lesson that we
learned on American soil.
As a result of our
baggage loss, we spent
several days shopping
for clothes in Princeton,
cutting into our precious
foreign exchange! What
is really upsetting is
that even though we are
back in India, we have
Jeevan and Melanie at the Cloisters, Upper Manhattan
still not received the
compensation. The process is that it was just a superficial thing,
extremely complicated because and woe betide if you were to
one has to download a form from really take the person seriously
the airline’s website, fill it up and and try to narrate how the day
post it with all the original bills had gone for you! But since I
attached.
never tried to do so, I would still
Many Indian friends settled like to give people the benefit of
in the US told us that this was the doubt.
a deliberate attempt
From Princeton, we moved
to make it difficult for to Mahwah, where the college is
people to get recourse located and were housed at an
and
perhaps
even American chain called the Double
put them off from Tree Hotel. I noticed that the
the idea. So what we hotel was poorly staffed, mostly
had learnt in theory with Mexican employees, many
that the US of A is run of whom were struggling with
by its corporations their English. But it was really
was relayed to us by refreshing to meet a lady at the
friends there, based reception, called Alyssa, who
on our own personal was so good as to come up to
encounter with an the room and help us with all
American corporation!
the mechanical applications that
Shopping at the big were befuddling us! When I told
American chains was her that I did not have quarters
just like shopping in the big malls left for detergent, she whipped
in India - impersonal. But at a out a packet of “Tide,” making
couple of the stores, the presence me think, “Hey, what are they
of some helpful employees (a doing with an Indian detergent in
number of them Blacks and also a America,” only to figure out that
few Indians) made it a little more we are now living in a globalised
bearable.
world and the product was
The one thing that really actually American!
strikes you about America is
Alyssa was thrilled when I
the way that people greet each gifted her a lacquer-work jewel-
box from Bidar in Karnataka.
After
she
made
the serving myself ice-cream, I asked
She wanted me to write all observation, I became more alert the student next to me, if I should
the particulars about it on the in the washrooms and watched keep the tray open for her to
wrapper and we exchanged how perfunctorily this ablution help herself. Her reply was, “I am
e-mail ids too. With complete is performed. It is very clear finding it hard to decide.” When
unselfconsciousness,
Alyssa that if there is one thing that is I said, “Dilemmas of plenty?!” her
created a friendly image of
reply was, “Aren’t we lucky?”
America for me, a tourist.
It did not take rocket
My husband, Jeevan, was
science to decipher that
assigned an office within
the country suffers from
the college premises and
a huge obesity problem,
there were other friendly
which seems to have a
Americans who made our
direct co-relation with the
lives comfortable during
size of the helpings of food!
the course of our stay. They
Everywhere we looked, there
are too many to mention
were overweight people.
by name but suffice it to
Even more shocking was to
say that we left Mahwah
notice this in the student
feeling very good about the
community.
At Disney
hospitality accorded to us.
World, I was surprised to find
On one occasion, one
ice-cream cones, double the
American lady teacher,
size of what you get in India
Jaya’s babysitter Kathleen (Left) and Susan at Washington Heights
Susan, drove us to Upper
designed to hold two big
Upper Manhattan
Manhattan, which is just
scoops of ice-cream.
an hour away from Mahwah, considered a premium in the US, it
What also hits you is the
and showed us around. It was is time. Most people are dashing wastage. Behind the college, we
a pleasure to step inside an about in a hurry everywhere and found a garbage dump, where
American home and meet her this is particularly visible in a place all the waste food is thrown. It
Nepali-American ten-year old like Manhattan! The flip side of seemed sad that in a self-help
daughter, Jaya.
Among the this is that everybody is a stickler system, people would serve
highlights of the visit to the for time and very conscious of themselves more than they could
house, was our encounter with not wasting anybody’s, unlike our eat and then throw the rest.
Jaya’s
babysitter,
Kathleen, country, which as everyone knows
Over-consumption does not
whom we mistook to be her follows Indian Stretchable Time!
happen with food alone. The
grandma, so well-informed and
Glaring in America are the average American seems to
friendly was she!
portions of food and drink. Most have very little realisation about
A Tibetan Buddhist by faith, of the fresh drinks come in three the dwindling resources of the
she was excited to learn that my sizes and the “Regular,” which is world, and if one were to look
husband, Jeevan, was Director of supposedly the smallest would at consumption levels, statistics
the Gandhian Studies Centre at be like a “Large,” in India, besides reveal that an average American
Bangalore University. She had being too sugary! Similarly when roughly consumes about the
recently seen and been enthralled ordering a salad for the first time, same as what ten Indians would!
by Attenborough’s “Gandhi,” and I asked the waiter if the helping From the amount of tissue that
could not stop talking. It turned would suffice for two. I ordered piles up in the bin of a public
out that Susan is an expert on two plates because he said no, washroom to the 45 minutes
Nepali politics and has written and ended up storing most of it that is used to run a drier for the
two books on the subject. She in the refrigerator because even clothes, were just a few of my
had met her Nepali husband, one plate was way too much for observations.
Tika, on one of her sojourns to two people to finish!
One American Professor was
Nepal, and when watching me
At the canteen in Ramapo honest enough to admit that what
wash my hands, commented on College, I noticed that you could he had grown up to believe was
the leisurely South Asian style eat anything on display including the American Dream is steadily
of something as mundane as dessert on the payment of a fixed turning into a nightmare. Many
washing one’s hands.
amount. One afternoon, after people who had bought into
33
Studying America
the dream of owning big houses
were now feeling the pressure
of increased energy costs. Yet,
the awareness to simplify one’s
lifestyle is yet to catch on.
I began to arrive at the
conclusion that it would be very
hard to live a sustainable lifestyle
in this country.
It was a relief when a relative
in Delaware drove me past Amish
country and I actually saw their
men driving buggies that do not
use gasoline and watched the
women, use a broom (like the
ones we have in India), to sweep
their yards.
When
speaking
of
consumption
to
the
students, we found that
there were some who
were concerned and yet
wondering whether it was
not too late to turn the
clock back. It gave me
hope that when awareness
comes, there would be
people willing to try a more
sustainable lifestyle.
One
would
have
imagined that getting one’s
baggage after five days
would be bad luck enough
to last for one trip. But not so
with us who faced the misfortune
of having our flight to Miami
cancelled from Dulles Airport,
Washington DC. It was a storm
that created the havoc and I must
have stood in at least five queues
before a very efficient Supervisor
from United finally rerouted us
to Orlando, by checking out the
cancellations that were likely to
happen on that flight.
On that day, we had the
opportunity to see the systems
fall apart in the biggest airport of
America’s capital city. The queues
were longer than anything I have
seen in Indian railway stations
and there was chaos, as airport
employees tried to deal with the
situation. At one stage, when a
34
few people protested about the
lack of compensation on account
of cancellations, I was surprised
to see a policeman appear from
nowhere and station himself
near the counter. So much for
free speech!
Queues are good places to
check out human behaviour
and I saw the best and worst of
America reflected in the queues
that I stood in. There was a man
behind me who did not permit
me to let a lady on a wheelchair
go ahead because he would
lose his place by one, and in
Jeevan & Melanies tour included EPCOT Center
another case, there was another
gentleman who let me proceed
ahead because he was planning
to go by road.
The media, especially the
electronic one, seems to drive
opinions in America.
But it
was heartening to learn from
a Professor that he found that
students preferred to get their
dose of news from a comedian,
John Stewart, who adopts
satire and is believed to have
“skewered” Obama!
Small cafes and cabs in New
York had Bangladeshi and Indian
drivers and it was interesting to
engage them in conversation.
Whilst we were there, the cricket
World Cup finals took place in
India and it was funny to read
Expatriates In India
that there were very few cabbies
available in New York on that day.
Like in England, it was good to
see vast expanses of countryside,
where huge roads were flanked
by large trees, which were
intact. The Americans also love
their gardens like the Brits, and
Longwood Gardens in Delaware
was packed with tourists on a
Saturday afternoon.
What was very good to
observe is the importance paid
to family time on weekends.
Americans will slog through the
week but come weekends, they
are out spending time with
family at parks, amusement
areas and museums.
All
public spaces are disabledfriendly and it is good to
see people with physical
handicaps, sometimes on
wheelchairs, taking in the
sights and sounds around
them.
We
also
had
the
opportunity to ride on
rickshaws, called pedi-cabs
(because they have gears)
both in Manhattan and in
DC. It was nice to know
that this low-energy form of
travel is making its presence felt
in the United States. Gasoline is
cheap and this is one area where
America consumes like there
is no tomorrow. This has led to
disastrous consequences both
with regard to America’s foreign
policy and agriculture, when
sugarcane fields were cultivated
for bio-fuel at the cost of food.
As one cab driver told us,
America has achieved what it
has because as a relatively new
nation, it is not limited by a sense
of history. But there are lessons
also to be learnt from history and
it is hoped that a country that
has much to offer the world, will
realise this.
Melanie Kumar is a freelance writer
based in Bangalore
The India
Experience:
In the last five years, an increasing number of expatriates of
Indian origin have been returning to India. The rapid growth and
development in India, the desire to be part of one’s own society
and culture, and also the increasing global importance of India
as an emerging economy, is driving a lot of Indians to seriously
consider career opportunities back home.
By: Sarina Menezes
I
n its ongoing quest to provide over joyous however; we arrived
useful insights on India, TII
decided to talk to some
families who recently moved to
bustling Mumbai to understand
their experiences including the
alterations and adjustments they
have had to make in their lifestyles
especially as they arrived from
different corners of the world.
Akash and Beda Sahai along
with their daughter, India (11) and
son, Hanse (9) moved to Mumbai
from Canada in 2010. Akash was
offered an opportunity to head
Group Aeroplan in India and
after a lot of to and fro travel
that happened for 6 months, the
urgent need to be based in India
brought them to Mumbai. Beda Sunny & Regina with daughter Saloni (7); moved to
recounts her feelings about how Mumbai from Dallas in January this year, after being
in the US for about 18 years.
their last one year went by.
“Our first reaction to the with no real lifestyle expectations
thought of moving to India wasn’t and took everything in our stride
as we prepared to face challenges
and the real adventure. Looking
back I think we have overcome
those and are presently as settled
as we could be.”
“The whole process of our
move was pretty smooth except
that we would have preferred
a reliable, more organized real
estate company to assist in the
house hunting. We first picked the
school and chose Ecole Mondiale
School due to the Indian touch
the school offers. Once that was
out of the way, the house hunting
began and our preferred location
was proximity to the school.
Which meant Akash would have
to commute to work which is
based in town.”
“Our next hunt was for a place
that could meet our recreational,
leisure and sporting needs which
was thankfully easily found
35
Expatriates In India
within close proximity of the forward to doing this year.
“For Sunny, his working
school and our new home, and
Sunny & Rejina Banerjea lifestyle had to undergo a change
surprisingly with world class moved to Mumbai from Dallas in due to the long commuting hours
facilities. Hanse enjoys Squash January this year, after being in to Lower Parel and of course the
and India has been doing a bit of the US for about 18 years. Sunny working style in India. You face
Tennis and Swimming.”
is Head of Process & Technology challenges everywhere you go
“Where challenges of the at KPMG and Rejina has an and one of the things we have to
move were concerned, every entrepreneurial background of deal with is the crowds and the
move brings you that. If you have owning and managing a chain density of population in Mumbai.”
never been to India, you will be of Dunkin Donuts and Baskin
“We picked the Ecole Mondiale
shocked to see the poverty, noise, Robbins stores in the US. What School over the American
pollution and dirt. For us this was prompted them to move to India School for Saloni, my 11 year old
not an issue as we came prepared was the desire to experience daughter simply because we
and knew what to expect.
wanted her to experience
The more pressing issues
Indian
culture
which
were the practical ones
Ecole offers adequately.
like finding trustworthy
The different festivals,
domestic help, managing
religions, languages and
them and the fact that I
India’s diversity have been
don’t know Hindi.”
a huge learning for her.
“Before we left Canada
However, I wish there was
I was told by friends and
an opportunity for parents
family that the easily found
to be more involved at the
domestic help would make
school like in the U.S. “
my existence in India hassle
“We do miss the
free and probably even
open spaces, the sense
luxurious. While I don’t
of
community
the
deny the advantages, it
neighborhood offers, walks
has been a new experience Heather & Vivek Gupta with son Jake (2). Heather, “can’t imagine around the lake, greenery
trusting and managing this living anywhere else! I’ve loved working here too, amidst the chaos and and our good circle of
the madness there is passion and a real zest for life which I just don’t Indian
set of people.”
and
American
see back in the UK.”
“Out of all of us, I think
friends in Dallas. But we will
the children have had the easiest India and also get closer to family. be here for a number of years and
time. Although the way the Besides they were keen that are keen to make sure our time in
school is managed is not what their 11 year old daughter, Saloni India is a memorable one. We are
we expected it to be, all in all, it would have an opportunity to this presently enjoying every moment
has worked out to be the best exposure.
of it and we have a nice group of
option as the right education
Let’s hear from her…
friends we can socialize with.”
and integration was important.
“Since we are originally from
They are off to Dallas this
My primary concern was for the Calcutta, we found Mumbai quite summer and look forward to
children to fit in, for them to overwhelming and my first two more experiences of India when
find their social circle and get months were quite miserable as they return in August.
accepted for who they are so that we settled in and would miss our
Heather & Vivek Gupta are
they settle in easily which all has friends and familiar places. But young parents with a 2 year
fallen in line pretty much easily.”
as time went on, we got to know old son, Jake. Heather heads
And last but not the least, one a lot of parents from the school the HR department at UTV and
of the things we have enjoyed and I also found a sanctuary Vivek freelances as a producer.
doing was travelling in India and where I have my own space and India happened to Heather quite
so far we have been to Goa, Agra, can spend time using the gym, accidentally and this is where
Udaipur and Jaipur. We are off sauna and steam facilities. This is she also met her husband, Vivek.
to Canada this summer for our something I never had in the US Today, she cannot imagine living
holidays but more travel around due to the busyness and rushing anywhere else.
India is something we will look around at work.”
Heather reminisces and tells
36
us about her journey……
maps (or lack of them!) but also Purvi is 19 years old this year in
“My Indian husband Vivek and the culture and systems. Some September and Ritu will turn 13
I met four years ago, in Mumbai, things work perfectly, some in August. We have decided to
through friends and we soon got things seem insurmountably move back to Mumbai as this is
married in Kolkata at St. Paul’s difficult but somehow, it all our home base and our tenure
Cathedral in 2008. Our son, Jake works. The trick is to just believe was ending in China. India offers
was born to us in September it will happen, somehow, and to great opportunities and its nice to
2010. I’ve been in India
be back home.”
for almost eight years
“We have been away
now. I ended up living
from India since January
here
completely
by
2000 so it’s a good eleven
accident. After leaving
plus year’s since we left.
the UK in 2000 to travel
Today, India’s economy
the world for a year, I’ve
is strong and offers a
still not returned ‘home’,
good opportunity which
and its more than 10
is why the company
years now! I spent a
I work for, Maersk,
wonderful year in 2000,
which is in the shipping
backpacking
through
business
believes
Asia, was offered a
the Indian market is
job in Thailand with an (L-R) Purvi (19), Ritu (13), wife Armity & Vimal Kanal; have been away very important to our
from India for 11+ years.
advertising agency in
business. This is the main
2001 and then got headhunted give yourself up to the inevitable. reason why we decided to be
for a job in Mumbai in 2003, and There’s a wonderful word in Hindi back in India.”
here I am!”
which sums it up - jugaad. There’s
“Settling back here has been
“I have had a wonderful time no exact equivalent, but its spot as per our expectations. We
in India - initially it was quite a on for India.”
had a fair bit to run around with
challenge but I loved the pace and
“If you ask me what I miss regards to school admissions.
energy of India and particularly about England, yes the English House hunting also has taken
Mumbai from the very beginning. pubs, warm pints of frothy beer, some time as we decided to buy a
I just adore the vibrancy and cheap (good) wine, proper home in Mumbai. The challenges
the “can do’ attitude here – it’s a sausages, bacon sandwiches, in India are mainly coping with
wonderful, warm society, chaotic newspapers and TV shows. As daily issues such as traffic and
but fulfilling. Today, I can’t imagine well as friends and family of congestion. Otherwise we are
living anywhere else! I’ve loved course, though these days with quite settled here and business is
working here too, amidst the chaos Skype, Facebook, Emails, SMS developing well.”
and the madness there is passion and chat, you hardly feel you’re
“Some of the things that we
and a real zest for life which I just away from people.”
are looking forward to doing are
don’t see back in the UK.”
Armity & Vimal Kanal left catching up with our friends and
“Some of my many wonderful Mumbai in the year 2000 for family. This was missing in our
experiences, include backpacking a small country in West Africa lives for a long time as we could
all over Rajasthan, Camel Safaris, called The Gambia where they not get sufficient time to meet
Horse riding, frequent visits to spent four wonderful years everyone.”
Goa, cruising on houseboats in before moving to Kuwait for
So, India awaits and welcomes
Kerala, seeing the Himalayas, three years and then to Shanghai, more ‘prodigals’ it seems like
enjoying wonderful five star China where they have lived until a joyous time for both – those
luxuries as well as cheap and May this year.
moving back to India for good and
cheerful travel haunts. I’ve been to
Vimal talks about their time those returning for a stint after
all of the major cities as well as the overseas and about their decision saying good bye, a long time ago.
off the beaten track locations.”
to move to India……… “India can be tough to
“Armity and I have two
Sarina Menezes is a freelance writer
navigate, initially - not just the daughters , both born in Mumbai.
based in Mumbai
37
Fonterra
In Love With
Challenges
“I can’t deal with simplicity,” quips Kamal Gupta, Managing
Director, Fonterra, Middle East, Africa and the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS), “Challenges are part of my blood”.
By: Deepa Ballal
S
itting in his spacious Al Quoz key markets throughout the hence self-sufficient,” says Kamal.
office in Dubai, managing region, his mission is to bridge That explains why one never saw
the unending demand for the gap between the “cow them even in any of the huge
dairy products Kamal
supermarkets.
Good
Gupta landed in the
to know that no matter
right field of business to
how much water the
realize his passion. With
doodhwala adds into
his company head office
the milk, or blames his
in New Zealand, which
cow, we as a nation
experiences an early
have never felt the need
sunrise, for Kamal every
to import milk from
day is a busy day.
abroad. But once in
He is responsible
Dubai where we have no
for driving business
milk packets left at our
and
commercial
doorstep (often shared
development
for
by our feathered and
Fonterra, the leading
feline friends in India)
multinational
dairy
or have the facility of
company, owned by
milk booths, we rely
New Zealand’s dairy Kamal Gupta, MD of Fonterra, the leading multinational dairy company and on the ones available
the world’s largest exporter of dairy products.
farmers
and
the
in plastic cans (and
world’s largest exporter of and the consumer” in this part tetra packs) in supermarkets
dairy products. His markets of the world.
with varying shelf lives and fat
include the United Arab
Fonterra. Not many Indians content. Sometimes, I muse, even
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, have heard about it. “India is cows would be surprised to see
Iraq, and the CIS. Growing its one of the largest producers as the way their milk is handled by
Anchor and Anlene brands in well as consumers of milk and homo sapiens!
38
Considered to be one of the
Since Fonterra Co-operative bit more. A degree in Finance,
richest sources of calcium, dairy Group was formed in 2001, it Management, Law and Company
products have always been in has become the world’s largest Secretary-ship
explains
his
demand. Today Fonterra has dairy exporter with 10,500 resourcefulness.
Working
in
made its presence felt
industries as diverse as
in our lives.
Anchor
banking, construction,
Butter, Anchor Cheese
fertilizer and eventually
or the Anchor Jar
with FMCG, Kamal has
cheese have for sure at
learnt
the
nuances
one time or the other
of trade and uses his
made their way into our
expertise to handle
shopping cart or our
diverse issues.
From
palates. Pizza Hut, Papa
being a banker for six
Johns, Shakespeare &
months to being the
Co Restaurant and Cafe,
Chief Financial Officer
California Pizza Kitchen,
of Gillette India and then
Gelato , Lime Tree Café,
the CEEMEA Group,
Wafi Gourmet, Al Hallab
he knows what it takes
Restaurant & Sweets are
to sell and boost the
Kamal Gupta with his family (L-R) wife Pinki with daughters
some of the eateries in
numbers. “From selling
Apoorva (15) and Mansi (18)
UAE who exclusively
blades to selling dairy,
use Fonterra products. What farmer shareholders and 4.5 the fundamentals of selling any
makes Fonterra dairy products million cows. Today they are product and influencing the
taste different is the fact that the responsible for more than a third consumer remain the same.”
cows in New Zealand graze only of international dairy trade and “Providing quality product to
in green pastures 365 days a year. export 95 per cent of their New the consumer tops the list in all
Apart from pleasing the Zealand-made dairy products cases,’’ he points out.
insatiable tongue, Fonterra has to customers and consumers in
But the biggest challenge
also taken efforts to spread more than 140 countries. Some so far has been dealing with
awareness
on
osteoporosis of Fonterra’s biggest customers people from different cultural
through Anlene - the brand of dairy of ingredients are other big backgrounds. This interaction has
products specially formulated dairy companies such as Nestle, not only been a great learning
for adults, to help build healthy Danone and Wyeth. It also has experience but also helped
bones. Studies have shown that the credit of creating the adult him understand people better.
one in three women in UAE is at and maternal milk categories in “From Europeans I have learnt
risk of developing this painful and Asia and the Middle East.
the concept of work-life balance.
silent disease. Thanks to the free
“Fonterra has the widest Their working style is entirely
Bone Health Check programme portfolio in GCC,” says an different from that of Indians.
offered by Anlene, more than enthusiastic Kamal. Most of the They not only respect time but
124,000 women across the GCC high premium hotels in UAE use other people’s time too. Kiwis can
have been assessed to see if they Fonterra dairy products. Thanks be very straightforward and blunt,
are at risk of developing this to the growing demand for dairy but come 5 “o” clock they will
devastating disease. “We have products in this region and a host say –“Let’s have a drink”. South
been offering free bone scanning of other local brands to compete East Asians don’t like aggression,
for almost six years across Asia with, Kamal finds his new role everything has to be conveyed
and the Middle East, reaching not only challenging but exciting. in a composed manner,” explains
more than four million women. Something very evident when Kamal.
Our Anlene team in Dubai will one starts talking to him.
Be it dealing with people or
offer bone scanning at hundreds
An unending urge to explore taking important decisions, he is
of health events, malls and clinics new avenues and reach new aware of the complexities existing
throughout 2011,” says Kamal heights has been his forte. He in the corporate world. Many
highlighting Anlene’s important chose never to stop, when he slog for years together while
healthcare initiative.
knew he could stretch the bar a some quickly climb the ladder.
39
Fonterra
The golden mantra that Kamal
follows to this day is - Do what is
right and do what is good for the
has handled for a sizeable number
of years. And this is what his team
has to say about him - “As a boss
you are damn demanding,
but its fun to work with you
because we learn a lot.”
Nevertheless, Kamal finds it
equally rewarding for having
created an environment
where his team has the
freedom to ask and seek
guidance, be it professional
or personal.
Gone are the days when
people with a degree in
finance ended up as mere
bean counters. They now play
a key role in understanding
the business and helping it
grow. “It’s a fact that today
many officials with a sound
finance background are
now the CEO’s right hand
or occupy senior posts in
the company,” says Kamal
emphatically.
From being the CFO of
From being the CFO of Gillette India and then the
Gillette
India and then the
CEEMEA Group for a decade and now MD of
Fonterra Middle East, he has indeed come a long way. CEEMEA Group for a decade
and now MD of Fonterra
business, never crossing the lines Middle East, he has indeed come
of honesty. “While working for a long way. “From a functional
Gillette I fought a case with the role to a line role, I have found
customs department for the good this to be extremely challenging,”
of the company, but my personal admits Kamal. Supporting him to
life suffered immensely. I had the the core has been his family. “My
option to opt for unethical ways wife, Pinki, sacrificed her career
to win the case, but I chose not as a research scientist to help
to. Eventually we won the case, my career take wings and has
which saved millions of dollars for taken the entire responsibility of
the company,” recalls Kamal.
bringing up our two daughters,”
But for many, despite doing the says a proud and grateful Kamal.
right thing in the corporate world,
Shifting places, jobs and
success never seems to knock on long hours at work did take a
their door. The simple reason is toll and the family often felt his
probably their lack of networking absence.Nevertheless
all
his
skills.
“Networking
is
very wife wanted was his happiness.
important, but that alone doesn’t “We will go wherever you are
help. One has to be committed happy,” was Pinki’s assurance,”
to work too,” he clarifies. His recollects Kamal when they
emphasis on commitment to work discussed moving to Dubai from
often earns him the title of a very Singapore. In return, Kamal seeks
demanding boss, a role that he every opportunity to spend time
with his wife and two daughters.
Bringing up their kids abroad,
Kamal ensures that they are in
India regularly and them to take
advantage of both cultures.
“They speak Hindi and I never
felt the need to mentally prepare
them before visiting our folks
back home. In fact they eagerly
look forward to these visits,” adds
Kamal.
From being a demanding boss
to being a loving father, Kamal
seeks to change each hurdle
into an opportunity and each
opportunity into a stepping stone
”
40
But the biggest
challenge so far
has been the
one dealing with
people from
different cultural
background. This
interaction has not
only been a great
learning experience
but also helped him
understand people
better.
”
to success. Hence the fear of failure
hardly deters him. Someone once
said, “If you are not failing, you are
not growing.” And in Kamal’s case
each day is an appointment with a
new challenge, a new opportunity,
and a new experience. Having
battled the odds in a foreign land
and rearing to grow, one finds him
firmly grounded. Someone who
is confident about who he is and
where he is going.
Deepa Ballal is a freelance writer
based in Dubai, UAE
41
Samsonite
Subrata Dutta:
Innovation Is The Key To Our Success
“You find the job that you enjoy and you will never have to work.”
Such is the philosophy that is vibrantly reflected in Subrata Dutta’s
personality. Surely his passion of selling travel accessories is
evident in the steadfast growth and multiplied turnover that has
taken Samsonite Corporation, South Asia Pvt. Ltd. to a new realm
altogether.
By: Bandana Jain
E
quipped with a B. Tech
degree from IIT Kharagpur
and a Post Graduate
Diploma in Management from
IIM Bangalore, Subrata Dutta,
Managing Director, Samsonite
South Asia Pvt. Ltd. has been
heading the world’s leading
luggage maker company for the
past five years and he is doing it
with sheer aplomb.
Dutta believes that there was
never a recession at Samsonite
Corporation. “On the contrary,
during the period of 20082010 we have actually seen our
UAE business grow in leaps and
bounds. In these difficult years
when people were closing shops,
we were actually opening new
stores. Our Dubai Mall and MOE
stores, Deira City Centre actually
came up during this time and the
Ibn Battuta Store got refurbished
during this time. All these stores
42
have been blossoming during
Subrata Dutta -I believe in keeping my
employees happy
this so-called recession. Our
growth has been much faster in
the Middle East as compared to
anywhere else in the world during
these years. That’s what has given
us further confidence to invest in
this region.”
Samsonite Corporation is a
European company based out
of Belgium which contributes six
and a half percent of the global
turnover from India and another
two and a half to three percent
from the Middle-East. Samsonite,
an aspirational brand at par with
any other brand in the Middle-East
comprises two brands- Samsonite
and American Tourister which
are the world’s number one and
number two brands of travel gear,
respectively. Research indicates
Samsonite has a cent-percent
brand recall (aided and unaided
put together). American Tourister
is the world’s number two brand.
Strategies are being worked at to
bring American Tourister to the
logical number two position in
the Middle-East as well.
The entire approach of looking
at business not as a luggage
business but as a travel experience
business has been the biggest
point of success at Samsonite. a taller upright handle came into during a long period of hundred
“We believe that we are not in the vogue which made the trolley years. Accordingly, a company
business of luggage. Our business even easier for carriage. With surviving for hundred years is a
is the entire experience of travel, the spinners (or four wheels) it rarity. Samsonite Corporation,
which means much more than became rather simple to turn the which last year proudly celebrated
filling bags and stepping
its
hundred
years
out. We believe that
of existence, claims
every person has that
an
achievement
of
little bit of nomad in him
reinventing itself by
and our job at Samsonite
means of breakthrough
is to encourage people
modifications
and
to step out of their
innovations in its product
comfort zone and do
line over the years.
something
different,”
Keeping the right
reveals Samsonite South
balance of profit motive
Asia’s MD.
and consumer- centric
The entire strategy
approach is the hallmark
of opening retail doors,
of
any
successful
reasonably big in size
business.
Dutta,
by
is what Dutta calls a
his
own
admission
Subrata Dutta with daughter Aparajita, son Surjo and wife Chaitali
significant achievement
claims that the biggest
for Samsonite Corporation in the trolley around and move it very challenge in his job is to keep
Middle East. He strongly believes fast. Recently, Samsonite has maintaining this balance, “As a
that doubling the number of come up with a product using a brand; we need to be obsessed
retail stores is also key to taking mesh of plastic wheeled together with quality; we try to balance our
Samsonite to another level to make a very light bag called act well through rigorous quality
altogether. “For the last four years, Cosmolite. Hence, it goes without checks and price controls.”
we have been able to double our saying that Samsonite carries the
It is not to say that things
turnover in the Middle-East and credit for a series of innovative have always been smooth at
we intend to maintain the same travel accessories.
Samsonite. “There have been
momentum for the next two years
Stressing on the need for situations where we have made
at least. Currently we have around proper research in this field, Dutta mistakes regarding the choice of
fifty stores in the Middle- East. explains, “We have three labs-in location but somehow we have
We are quite passionate about Belgium, India and Shanghai. It been lucky to make quick amends
doubling that number in the next would be awe-inspiring for the and move forward,” admits Dutta.
one year with particular focus on consumer to know that much of
The Indian community in the
pockets like Abu Dhabi, Sharjah this research is ahead of time and Middle-East is very well exposed
and Saudi Arabia.”
at any point of time, we have at to the brands from India and
As a company, Samsonite least ten to fifteen ideas ready therefore, Samsonite is quite
Corporation is obsessed with to be launched in the next few popular among Indians in the Gulf.
innovation. In fact, innovation has years. For this purpose we spend In this environment of Indianness
been the pathfinder at Samsonite. humongous amounts on research and Asianness that Dutta knows
Samsonite carries the onus of and development.”
well, he takes extreme pride in his
innovating and introducing a
Business studies have revealed Indian-Asian values, like humility,
series of state-of-the art travel over the years that the graph of listening, caring and showing
gear from time to time. Samsonite the natural life cycle of products concern at the right time; traits
was a pioneer of plastic suitcases and companies initially rises, which are typically required for a
in the 1970s which were a welcome saturates beyond a point and good customer-centric approach.
option to the heavy metal trunks after a few years starts coming “It is actually the reinventing of
of yesteryears. Subsequently, down and eventually collapses. these Asian values that leads to
plastic bags with zippers were Typically, a company gets a little our success,” says Dutta.
introduced and wheels to pull the bored, gets short of ideas and
Bandana Jain is a freelance writer
suitcase was invented. Gradually, finds it very difficult to reinvent
based in Dubai, UAE
43
India Travel Buzz
T
II’s new column for India travel will keep you up to date on what’s happening
on the tourism front in the country.
No More Baggage Best Airport
Scans
Award For
Good news for international Bangalore
passengers in and out of India.
No more standing in long queues
for luggage scans at checkin. The Airports Authority of
India (AAI) plans to remove
baggage scanners from the
international departure terminal.
A system called ‘in-line baggage
screening’ is in its trial stages
wherein bags are automatically
scanned at airline counters.
This scanning system is part of
a four-layer security system.
X-ray machines will scan these
bags, and suspicious baggage
will be isolated, and moved to a
separate area where an explosive
detector test will be conducted,
and owners will be asked to
explain the contents. Airport
Director EP Hareendranathan
Orchid in Pune is also designed
to be an ecotel. “At The Orchid,
we undertake activities which are
eco-friendly such as recycling
Bangalore
International
Airport Limited has been awarded
the prestigious ‘Best Airport
India’ award by Skytrax World
Airport in Copenhagen, Denmark
on March 30. The prestigious
award is based on 11.38 million
survey questionnaires completed
of water, energy conservation,
and waste management in terms
of Verniculture plant,” said GM
Rajiv Ranjan. On each of its
seven floors, the hotel has 30
rooms, which include deluxe and
standard rooms and suites.
by over 100 nationalities of world
air travelers, covering more than
240 airports worldwide in 2011.
At the global level, Bengaluru
International Airport earned a
special mention for being among
the three airports nominated for
the best improvement in one year
in global rankings.
Promoting Bhutan
MakeMyTrip.com,
India’s
largest online travel company, has
tied up with the Tourism Council
The Orchid Hotel
In Pune
said, “The X-raying of bags can
be monitored from six stations.
Passengers will have to scan
their bags themselves during the
trial period. The bags that are
scanned by the passengers will
then be routed through the inline baggage system.”
44
The Orchid has opened in
Balewadi on the Pune-Bangalore
highway. The luxury hotel launched
by Kamat Hotels India Limited is
conveniently located near Pune’s IT
sector and the E-square multiplex
and shopping mall. The airport is
just 45 minutes away and on the
Expressway, it takes just two hours
to reach Mumbai.
Like the Orchid Mumbai, The
of Bhutan and Drukair to promote
Bhutan as a tourist destination,
and offer exclusive charter flight
inclusive, holiday packages. The
idea behind this is to showcase
the
unexplored
beauty
of
Bhutan, and give avid travelers
an experience of a lifetime. Mohit
Gupta, CMO, MakeMyTrip.com
said, “The overwhelming success
of charter flights to Ladakh,
Maldives and Andamans provided
the impetus for creating the same
for Bhutan. The objective is to
offer new and innovative holiday
opportunities, especially within
the Sub-continent as there are
so many interesting countries
to offer which hitherto have not
been packaged and offered to
Indian travelers.
city, surf the Net, play video
games, chat on Facebook or
listen to music. Maintaining its
image as India’s most wired city,
Bangalore’s public transport
(only Volvo) buses sport internet-
Medical
Emergency Fares:
Kingfisher
Kingfisher Airlines now offers
Medical Emergency Fares to
benefit guests travelling on
account of a family medical
emergency or bereavement
in the family. These Medical
Emergency Fares are available
on
Kingfisher’s
domestic
network, for travel undertaken in
flights offering Kingfisher Class
service and for flights operating
as Kingfisher Red services. The
hospitalized or deceased family
member must be a spouse or
registered
partner,
parents,
children, siblings or in-laws.
Bangalore Hi-Tech
Volvo Buses
Passengers can ride in comfort
from Bangalore’s International
Airport at Devanahalli to the
enabled tablets on seat head
rests. The Tegra2 Magic Tile Apollo
tablet developed by Bangalore
based EAFT (Everything At
FingerTips) Technologies is a
7-inch resistance touch screen
device, which offers real-time
information, communication and
entertainment to commuters.
The tablet is equipped with
an Internet browser, which can
be accessed after providing the
user’s contact details, just like in a
cyber café. It also offers Youtube,
Facebook, weather, stock market,
news, horoscopes and BMTC
ticket portal apps for free. Music
and high-resolution videos have
been pre-loaded into the system.
Marketing representatives, Interactive Bill Board (IBB), also plan
to introduce entertainment apps.
Soon the internet connectivity will
move to 3G networks, enabling
faster Internet on the go.
“We will extend the services
to 200 buses within 3-4 months,”
promises Vishwanath Rao S,
President of IBB. He added
that BMTC has reported better
revenues in buses with these
tablets, and even bus stops will
be “ICE branded”.
Hilton Checks
Into Chennai
Hilton launches its fourth
luxury hotel in India.
Chennai opened another
luxury hotel for its growing
troops of business and leisure
travelers. International luxury
hospitality brand Hilton Hotel &
Resorts has launched a 10-storey
edifice with 204 rooms in the
city; 138 of these rooms are
currently open for reservation.
The hotel, owned by the Empee
Group, is located in Guindy, a mere
15-minute drive from Chennai’s
domestic and international airports.
Hilton Chennai is the fourth Hiilton
Worldwide property in India.
“We enter this key region with a
stylish new hotel that combines
contemporary luxury with the
warmth of authentic Hilton and
South Indian hospitality,” said Dave
Horton, Global Head, Hilton Hotels
and Resorts. The room comes with
the signature Hilton Serenity Bed,
a spacious work desk, a flat-screen
LCD TV, a walk-in rain shower, a
luxurious bathtub and high-speed
Internet access. Hilton Chennai also
offers state-of-the-art conference
rooms; its ballroom equipped with
sky-fold soundproof partitions
is ideal for both corporate and
informal gatherings.
45
C
lients to entertain? Want to make that business trip more interesting?
TII keeps you up to date on what’s happening at the region’s best hotels.
Break the
fast, bed and
breakfast offer at
Mövenpick Deira
The Mövenpick Hotel Deira,
has launched its Ramadan
promotional packages that will
bring together work colleagues,
family and friends to celebrate
the holy month.
“We
have
promotional
rates, for seminars, overnight
accommodation and of course
integral to all of our offers is
Iftar. We want all of our guests,
irrespective of nationality or
culture to celebrate breaking
the fast together,” said Michael
Nugent, the hotel’s general
manager.
For guests wishing to simply
enjoy Iftar, the hotel has a special
rate of AED 115 for adults, AED
60 for children under 12 years
old and free for children under 7,
with a generous 20% discount for
group bookings of ten or more
during the first week of Ramadan.
The hotel has also introduced
a flexible bed and breakfast offer,
where guests can either take Iftar
and Sohour or Iftar and breakfast
in the morning for non fasting
guests. Prices start at a highly
competitive AED560 for two
people per night.
46
Ramadan and Eid
At The Yas Hotel
This Ramadan, whether you
would like a traditional Arabic
Iftar setting with a modern twist,
or you prefer a family style Iftar
buffet, The Yas Hotel caters to
your every desire. Along with all
this fine dining, you will certainly
love our ‘Eid Getaway’ package
designed for fun with the whole
family and our range of takehome cakes from our 5-star
pastry chef at the Yas Lounge in
The Yas Hotel. This Ramadan, you
won’t want to miss the world’s
most exciting hotel!
Buffet Breakfast, à la carte
Dining and Rush Bar During
Ramadan
For Ramadan this year The Yas
Hotel will be serving a traditional
breakfast buffet at Amici, open
to all guests looking to have
breakfast discretely during the
holy month. In the afternoon and
evening, guests are free to enjoy
delicious authentic Italian cuisine
with à la carte lunch and dinner
menus at Amici. For those looking
for something a bit different for
dinner, we offer Japanese, Indian
and South East Asian à la carte
menus at Kazu, Angar & Noodle
Box. Rush bar will be open
every day during Ramadan after
Iftar and will be serving house
beverages for quiet relaxation.
Accor creates
Earth Guest
Research, an
open knowledge
platform on
sustainable
development for
the hotel industry
Accor announced the launch of
Earth Guest Research, a platform
for sharing knowledge on social
and environmental issues relating
to the hotel industry. The platform
aims to contribute to progress in
the tourism industry by making
sustainable development surveys
and methodologies available to
all industry operators, as well as to
the general public. Carried out by
French market research institute
IFOP in six countries from August
9-30, 2010, the survey’s sample
groups comprised nearly 7,000
respondents who had spent at
least one night in a hotel in the
previous 12 months,
“With
our
pioneering
experience
in
sustainable
development, our role is to drive
change and lead the tourism
industry in this field,” says Accor
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Denis Hennequin.
The survey is available as of
today at www.accor.com.
Crowne Plaza
Ramadan Iftar
Buffet
From Iftar onwards
Spice Island invites you to
break your fast with a wide
selection of Arabic specialities.
Share this special time with your
family, friends and colleagues
while enjoying an array of
traditional salads, fresh Arabic
grilled meats, live cooking
stations such as Asian, Mongolian
and Tandoori stations as well
as refreshing Ramadan juices,
accompanied by a selection of
fresh fruit, Oriental, Ramadan and
international desserts, including
the all-time favourite, baklava.
For a traditional Arabic meal,
choose from Shish Kebab, Shish
Taouk and Kofta Kebab from the
Arabic Mixed grill. If you want
to experiment, proceed to the
different stations such as Mexican
where you can make your own
tacos, tortilla, tostadas, shrimp
and vegetable tempuras at the live
Asian station, Beef, Chicken and
Fish from the Mongolian station
and many more. For desserts,
you have a choice of special
Arabic desserts such as sabiya
konaffah, namoora, ayshsaraya,
zunul al sith, kathayaf–nuts or
cream asafiari, balaksham, omali
as well as crème caramel and
chocolate mousse.
It’s summer
Park Rotana - Abu
special time again Dhabi
at Ibis!
Ramadan
To really enjoy your vacation
experience in all
travels without worrying
about spending a lot of
its serenity
money, Ibis brings back its
special summer offer: from
8th July until 4th September,
in nearly 600 hotels in 27
countries.
Every year when the warm
weather comes back, thoughts
turn to vacation plans. How about
a weekend with friends or a
romantic getaway? Want to visit
new countries and new cities?
The Ibis summer offer is going
to make a lot of people happy
travelers indeed! It’s a great way
to have a good time all summer
and discover France, Europe and
the rest of the world, without
fretting about the budget!
Ibis,
Europe’s
leading
economy hotel chain, has
launched an exclusive online offer
at www.ibishotel.com and www.
accorhotels.com, bookable now,
and until 4th September.
In the Middle East, the Ibis
summer promotion rate is valid
from 1st June to 29th August, 2011.
It is a perfect time to escape the
city and indulge in short weekend
breaks in Amman, Jordan; Muscat,
Oman; and Kuwait or better still
pamper yourself with short city
breaks in the UAE.
Just as every cherished
occasion, the Holy month
of Ramadan is a time of
extraordinary joy. This year, the
five-star Park Rotana Abu Dhabi,
takes pride in offering its guests
the true essence of Ramadan
with a traditional Iftar buffet.
Priced at AED 175* net per
person and served in modern,
yet Ramadan themed settings
this sumptuous feast will feature
mouth watering spreads of
authentic Arabic food with
various live cooking stations.
The Iftar offers are specially
designed to cater to individual
guests as well as to groups of
various sizes. Group requests can
be comfortably accommodated
in the array of property’s catering
venues. Groups of 20 persons
and above can relish a delectable
Iftar buffet starting from AED
150* net per person or Sohour
buffet starting from AED 100* net
per person. The price is inclusive
of 10% service charge and 6%
Tourism fee and is also inclusive of
traditional Ramadan beverages.
For reservations and more
information visit www.rotanatimes.com
or call (0)2 6573333.
47
Jumeirah
Millennium Abu
Summer Breaks – Dhabi unveils
GCC Offer
Ramadan opening
Explore action-packed fun
with Jumeirah Summer Breaks – hours and offers
GCC Offer
Experience the ideal summer
holiday with Jumeirah’s summer
packages offering great value
and a host of complimentary
services:
- Complimentary private beach
access*
- Complimentary buffet
breakfast*
- Complimentary access to Kids
Club*
- Complimentary access to Wild
Wadi Waterpark*
- Complimentary internet*
- 2 for 1 offer on a signature 60
or 90 minute massage (Offer
only for Madinat Jumeirah)*
- Jumeirah Beach Hotel - The
perfect family location: 10% off
our best rate from AED 990*
- Jumeirah Emirates Towers-An
iconic city lifestyle destination:
10% off our best rate from AED
799*
- Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Discover Ottoman opulence: 10%
off our best rate from AED 899*
- Madinat Jumeirah - The
Arabian Resort of Dubai: 10% off
our best rate from AED 899*
- Jumeirah Living World Trade
Centre Residence - Effortless
living: 10% off our best rate from
AED 900*
* Terms and Conditions Apply
48
During the Holy Month of
Ramadan, Millennium Hotel Abu
Dhabi will offer a lavish Iftar buffet
complete with Ramadan juices
for only AED135* per person for
adults and AED75 for children
between 6 and 12. The Iftar buffet
is served from sunset until 22:30
in Citrus Restaurant.
Guests can enjoy a shisha with
a game of chess or backgammon
in the Layali Al Alfeya tent in
Marakesh
restaurant,
open
from 20:00 until Suhoor. An
Oudh player will entertain with
traditional sounds of Arabia, and
the a la carte menu offers oriental
and authentic Ramadan food.
Sevilo’s restaurant will be
open from 6:00 until midnight,
serving breakfast and lunch to
non-fasting guests. Breakfast is
served from 6:00 – 10:30, Lunch
is served 12:00 until 15:30, and
Dinner will be served from 19:00
until closing. No alcohol will be
served before 20:00. Wednesday
nights will still be seafood nights,
and Friday brunch will continue
without alcoholic beverages at
AED 140 per person.
The Lobby Lounge will open
after Iftar each night, while the
Cristal Champagne Bar opening
hours for the month will be 19:30
until 01:30.
Celebrate
Ramadan in
traditional family
style at Arabian
Courtyard Hotel
& Spa!
This
Ramadan,
Arabian
Courtyard Hotel & Spa, invites
you to break your fast with a wide
selection of Arabic specialities at
Bastakiya Café. Or experience
a true Arabian setting at the Al
Khaimah room, transformed into
a Ramadan tent, where individual
diners and small groups can enjoy
a traditional Arabic set menu or
buffet with live stations for large
groups and private events.
The Iftar buffet at Bastakiya
Café features international and
sub continental dishes with live
stations for AED 55/- per person.
Habib Khan, General Manager,
Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa
and CEO Hospitality Division of
Planet Group, said: “Ramadan is
a time to share and enjoy your
blessings with your family and
friends. We are happy to offer
a feast of flavours prepared by
our professional chefs for this
occasion. We have our Ramadan
tent where individuals, families
and groups can experience true
Arabian setting while enjoying
an array of delectable Arabian
and international cuisines. Come
enjoy a memorable Ramadan.”
The Address
Hotels + Resorts
celebrate Ramadan
with traditional
flavours in
Arabesque settings
Make this Holy Month of
Ramadan truly memorable by
sharing special moments with
family and friends at The Address
Hotels + Resorts, Dubai’s five star
premium hotel brand.
The
Address
Downtown
Dubai, The Address Dubai Mall,
The Address Dubai Marina and
The Palace – The Old Town
will offer Iftar and Sohour
experiences featuring traditional
cuisine in settings that underline
the Arabian heritage. The hotels
will also offer special corporate
Iftars to suit specific preferences
of the clients.
Mr. Patrick Heuze, Chief
Executive
Officer,
Emaar
Hospitality Group said: “We have
already set an industry benchmark
in
bringing
memorable
celebratory experiences. The
location,
superior
service
standards and attention to detail
make the celebrations at all our
properties in Dubai truly different.
This Ramadan, Address hotels
will create compelling guest
experiences that are in line with
the spirit of the season marked
by solidarity and compassion.”
Listings for
Ramadan & Eid at
The Palace – The
Old Town
Iftar and Sohour at Ewaan
This
Holy
Month
of
Ramadan the Arabian allday dining restaurant Ewaan
evokes a truly regional theme
evident in the regal arches and
wooden trellis. The setting is
of vivid Arabia making Ewaan
the most perfect venue for
a
traditional
experience
enhanced by luxurious drapery
and flamboyant accessories.
Arabic and Oriental dishes
are served from live cooking
stations at an extensive buffet
along with coffee.
Iftar Timing: Sunset to 9pm
Price: From AED 190
per person including soft
beverages
Souhour Timing: 10pm to
2am; Friday & Saturday 10pm
to 3am
Price: A la carte From AED
150 per person including soft
beverages
For reservations, please call
04 4287806 or email Dine@
thepalace-dubai.com
Dine from Iftar
to Suhoor at
Grand Millennium
Al Wahda
Grand Millennium Al Wahda,
in partnership with Alhan
Restaurant, is putting the final
touches to their Ramadan
preparations, which include a
sumptuous
culinary
journey
through Arabic cuisine with an
Iftar buffet including soft drinks
for AED 160/-.
The bountiful buffet table will
offer traditional culinary delights
including cold and hot mezze,
Arabic mixed grill, lamb frkkeh,
koosa mahashi, lamb harris, and
dawood basha with vermicelli
rice, as well as a carving station.
Continental main courses are
also on offer, and a range of
‘everyone’s favourite’ desserts.
Fresh fruit juices, rose water, and
yoghurt drinks will quench thirst
refresh guests.
Large families and groups are
made to feel especially welcome,
as those booking tables for 10
people are offered an additional
two eating for free. Meanwhile a
trio of Syrian musicians on Oud,
violin, and percussions, will help
create the unique ambiance of
Iftar and Suhoor. Valet parking
will be free of charge for all
visitors of the Ramadan tent. A
special Ramadan room package
is also available from AED 650.
49
India Journal
Where Are
You From?
We ‘look at situations as contingent, not as
inevitable’, as the result of choices we’ve
made, as changeable.
By: Ranjani Iyer Mohanty
I
t seems an innocuous enough
question but one that brings
me to a grinding halt. Then I
usually take a deep breath and
launch into my speech: ‘Well,
I was born in Bombay, but my
parents come from South India.
Sometimes I wish I could
give a one word answer but I
feel it would just not adequately
describe me.
And maybe in
today’s world of high mobility,
varied interests, and greater
accessibility, it doesn’t describe
We never see things in isolation but always
through a double perspective, “in terms
of what has been left behind and what is
actually here and now”, and therefore we
derive our own interpretations of them.
We moved to Canada when I was
seven years old. After university,
I’ve lived and worked in Canada,
England, Holland, Portugal and
India.’ By the time I’ve said all this,
the person, who was expecting a
simple one word answer, smiles
politely, if with a somewhat
glazed look in their eyes, and
remembering a previous urgent
appointment, stumbles off.
50
a number of us anymore. I have
tended to absorb things from
each of the places I have lived
in and am therefore definitely a
bit of a composite. In school, we
described Canada with the term
‘cultural mosaic’ and now, I feel I
am a cultural mosiac all by myself.
And it sounds much better than
‘schizophrenic’.
Being a cultural mosaic can
lead to a sense of uprootedness.
I feel I’m a visitor everywhere.
Always a stranger in a strange
land.
Always a bit removed
from any situation I find myself
in.
Sometimes when I visit
friends who have lived in one
place their entire lives, I get a
sense of stability and continuity
that I can only envy. They don’t
need to figure out which doctor
to call, nor look up words in a
foreign dictionary to describe
a
particularly
embarrassing
condition.
They don’t need
to find out where to buy fresh
strawberries, nor what is a
good price. They don’t have to
repeatedly answer questions like
‘Where are you from?’ And when
you find yourself doing these
same things again and again
over the course of several years
in several different countries, you
have to ask yourself ‘Am I making
any progress here?’ While my
friends are moving ahead and
upwards in their lives, am I simply
moving horizontally?
In Portugal, they had a name
for us: estrangeiros. Author
Salman Rushdie referred to
expats (including himself) in
his book Imaginary Homelands
and said “sometimes we feel
that we straddle two cultures;
at other times, that we fall
between two stools.”
The
physical movement can lead
to an intellectual movement as
well. Edward Said, in his lecture
titled Intellectual Exile, called
us (including himself) marginals
but listed three positive
outcomes of the condition:
We never see things in
isolation but always through a
double perspective, “in terms of
what has been left behind and
what is actual here and now”,
and therefore we derive our
own interpretations of them.
We ‘look at situations as
contingent, not as inevitable’,
as the result of choices we’ve
made, as changeable.
We have the opportunity to
begin afresh in each new situation,
the freedom to recreate ourselves
and perhaps even do things that
we would not or could not have
done in our earlier locale.
French actress Julie Delpy
calls herself an adaptable nomad,
adding ‘…my roots are within me.’
While that reminds me of a turtle,
I understand what she is saying:
we are, or at least we try to be,
self-contained.
Call us what you will -- global
nomads, gypsies, citizens of the
world, or simply turtles – we are
better understood now, or better
tolerated anyways, and not least
because we’ve increased in
number. During my first stay in
India in the early 1990’s, people
used to wonder why I, looking
obviously Indian, should talk
with a strange accent. There
was a term then that supposedly
described me: ABCDs – AmericanBorn Confused Desi (Indian).
devised to describe them. But
maybe such acronyms and their
necessity are passé.
Like most terms of this nature, it
served as a good catch-all phrase
for those who didn’t care to know
if you were American or not, born
abroad or not, confused or quite
clear that you were a cultural
mosaic!
Now, during my second
stay here, I don’t hear that term
anymore. Many families have a
son or daughter living abroad,
and parents who visit them
yearly. And when they hear me
speak, they wonder what part
of the North America I’m from.
When I tell them I grew up in
Calgary, they tell me that their
aunt’s son-in-law’s sister’s friend
lives in Calgary too, and ask if I
know her. There are also many
cases of Indians who were born
abroad or who had immigrated
now returning to work in India.
My mind boggles at the thought
of what acronym might be
Nowadays even my accent
doesn’t stand out anymore.
When Madhuri Dixit and others
who have barely been in North
America for a couple of years
return with a much stronger
twang than I do, people wonder
why I don’t sound, look and act
more…well, North American.
As movement becomes more
the norm, our countries – whether
they be those of our parents,
where we were born, where we
were raised, or where we are
living right now – may no longer
define us. Maybe the question
asked then will not be ‘where are
you from?’, but rather ‘where are
you going?’ Quo vadis?
Ranjani Iyer Mohanty is a writer and
academic/business editor. She writes for the
IHT, NYTimes, and CSMonitor.
This article originally appeared
in the WSJ India Journal
51
Guptara Garmagaram
Minorities
In India
Our contemporary rulers are, in any case, better at dividing
than at ruling: one key responsibility of being a ruler is that of
maintaining law and order, and it appears that the government is
less and less able to do that.
By: Prabhu Guptara
W
hen people think of
Indian minorities, they
usually think of Muslims,
Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains,
Jews, and so on. However, what
one means by minorities is a
complicated matter in our country.
To help us clarify this, let us
keep in mind China, which has
”
”
“Hindu leaders” are happy to join
certain bandwagons for publicity
and public relations purposes,
they continue to compete against
each other, as they have done for
centuries, because there is no
such thing as “Hinduism”; rather
there are many “Hinduisms”.
For example, Shaivites are not
The Government of India has put forward a
draft of a special bill to handle communal
violence. Is such a bill needed?
one language (at least so far as
its written form is concerned).
The country also has, in terms
of
numbers,
overwhelming
dominance by the Han race - a
dominance that is systematically
bolstered by national policy.
By contrast, India is composed
of nothing but minorities.
Let me explain.
Some people have long
pretended that followers of
“Hinduism” compose the majority.
The problem with this point of
view is that, though many of our
52
Vaishnavites, and there are now
thousands of gurus. So, far from
being united, we Hindus therefore
end up, in practice, opposing each
other and therefore fragmenting.
That is why others like to
pretend that it is Hindi-speakers
who compose the majority of
India. On paper, this too looks
like a pretty strong claim. In fact,
however, regional dialects within
the Hindi region (though many of
these should really be regarded
as separate languages!), the
urban-rural divide, religion, caste
and numerous political parties, all
split the Hindi-speaking region
into many competing interests.
So I repeat: India is, for better
and worse, a country composed
of nothing but minorities. That is
one key reason why we have for
example, Sikh violence against
Hindus, and Hindu violence
against Sikhs. Or Hindu violence
against Muslims, as well as
Muslim violence against Hindus.
Though Buddhists, Christians and
Jains do not normally indulge in
violence, who knows what the
effect will be of the increasingly
violent climate throughout the
country? Theoretically, Buddhists,
Christians and Jains do not believe
in caste either, but look at what has
happened in practice! What can
be expected now when we have
castes fighting each other, tribes
fighting each other, castes versus
tribes, and even extra-judicial
killings by the police, whether of
criminals or of innocent people.
There was a similar situation in
India throughout history, except
where powerful kingdoms or
empires succeeded in establishing
peace. After Independence, the
reaction to the bloodbath around
the time of Partition was enough
to keep the dogs at bay till 1961
when the first post-Independence
riot took place, and the number
and severity of riots and other
incidences of communal violence
has kept mounting since then.
Though the British
are supposed to have
perfected the art of
“divide and rule”, in
actuality that art had
been perfected many
centuries before that
by our rulers, who were
mostly invaders (at least
in North India). That is
how the original native
rulers were displaced
by foreign rulers who all
settled in the country
and became “Indianised”
(except for the Europeans
from the 14th century AD). British
rule at least kept our competing
minorities sufficiently quiet –
there was hardly any communal
violence through three and a half
centuries of their rule, except in
the last phase of their rule, as it
was slowly coming to an end.
Our contemporary rulers are,
in any case, better at dividing than
at ruling: one key responsibility of
being a ruler is that of maintaining
law and order, and it appears
that the government is less and
less able to do that. At least,
that is so when one considers
the various scams that are being
exposed (the ability to maintain
the law) and when one considers
the increasing frequency of
communal violence (the ability
to maintain order). Actually, the
situation is much worse, because
many of our government leaders
are so focused on making money
and on staying in power, that they
actually organize and benefit
from the breaking of law as well
as of order. That is why, in the
decades since 1961, so many
agencies of the state have been
involved in aiding and abetting
violence against one group or
other, rather than in maintaining
law and order in a balanced and
objective way.
While it is true that the
number and severity of incidents
of communal violence has been
rising over the last few decades, it
is also true that that needs to be
seen in the context of the fact that
life has become more and more
more precarious and pressured
for most citizens – though we win
the occasional victory against
our masters, for example in the
case of Jessica Lall, in general the
situation continues to go from
bad to worse.
In that context, the Government
of India has put forward a draft of
a special bill to handle communal
violence. Is such a bill needed?
Well, the authorities, so far
from preventing, deterring or
controlling communal violence,
often collude with or even
instigate the rioters, so justice is
very rarely done: hardly anyone
gets punished and rehabilitation
of the victims, if it happens at
all, takes place in fits and starts
(with much of the money being
stolen or appropriated by corrupt
politicians and officials). There
are no permanent fast-track
courts, the offense is not defined
in law, nor are there special
prosecutors who are properly
trained, equipped or resourced.
Therefore, a law certainly is
needed that holds officials as
well as political and community
leaders
publicly
accountable, in addition
to remedying the other
problems
mentioned
above.
At present, a furious
debate is taking place
about the draft law on
communal violence, with
a considerable amount
of
disinformation,
propaganda,
lobbying,
and politicking.
What
result all that produces
remains to be seen. And
even where the right sort
of law emerges, the problem in
India has always been one of
implementation.
So what is the condition of all
of India’s minorities? Fortunately,
it is much better than the situation
in
most
other
developing
countries. However, the situation
is gradually degenerating.
I
publicly stated some time ago
that India had only a few years
as a united country if the elites
did not heed their ways. It seems
that, as they have always done
(except when prevented by the
will of foreign rulers who were
themselves exploitative), our
current elites are determined to
continue looting the country.
Professor 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 in the past, been
connected. His personal website is:
www.prabhu.guptara.net
He blogs at: www.prabhuguptara.blogspot.com
53
East Meets West Parenting
Just Like My
Stay-At-Home Mommy
I never imagined myself as a stay-at-home mom.
I just wasn’t fond of kids. “Messy little brats” is
what I secretly thought of other people’s children.
By: Cynthia Lim
I
’ll admit it. I have a fantastic
kid. And a lot of mothers
want to know what the secret
is. How, exactly, did I raise a
daughter in five cities, across
four continents? How did she
turn out so well – kind, easy-
cultures – from East and West –
to be the best mother I could be.
And I realized that being a mom
can be a full-time job.
I never imagined myself as a
stay-at-home mom. I just wasn’t
fond of kids. “Messy little brats” is
It was a full time job that did not earn me
a paycheck. Thank goodness for Daddy
who brought home the bacon, or the sushi,
or the schnitzel, or whatever was the
prevailing currency.
going, and with admission offers
from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton
to boot? It’s not like there’s a
formula for Ivy-League-material
children.
But if there’s one thing I know
about parenting, it’s this: It’s not
easy. I had to borrow from various
54
what I secretly thought of other
people’s children.
I always saw myself as the
high-powered career woman,
climbing the corporate ladder
more quickly than anybody else.
That was until I had my daughter
Maia.
As my maternity leave neared
its end, the thought of leaving
Maia at daycare – in the hands of
strangers! – bothered me more
and more. And then it happened.
It was as if a huge neon sign
flashed on in my brain, and it
said: “There is no career more
important than this tiny infant in
your arms”.
I knew then that I was leaving
one career for another. I had
decided to be a stay-at-home
mom. Everyone was in shock,
but I wasn’t. Instinct told me
that I was moving on to greener
pastures. And that the rewards
would be incredible – better than
any corporate bonus.
I became Maia’s mom. It was a
twenty-four hour job. Seven days
a week. 365 days a year. On a leap
year, 366.
As a mom, I wore a lot of hats.
I was a chef and a nutritionist.
Maia never liked carrots, but she
ate them anyway. She just never
knew she was eating carrots. I had
a way of making them
disappear in the dishes
that I cooked. I guess I
was also a magician.
I was a baker. There
were no cake shops in
Lagos when we lived
there, but that didn’t
matter. I learned to
bake before Maia’s first
birthday and by her
second birthday, I could
whip up elaborate cakes
shaped just like Mickey
Mouse – one large
round sponge cake for
his goofy face, and two
smaller ones for his
ears. Piece of cake.
I was a costume
designer. I never learned
how to sew, so when
Halloween came around, I used
glue. Lots of it. And I became
pretty proficient with the stapler,
too. Who needs a sewing machine,
right? When she was ten, Maia
trick-or-treated as the Phantom
of the Opera in a dramatic black
velvet cape, which I hemmed with
staples. When she was eleven,
she went as the Giving Tree,
holding open an umbrella glued
with a cascading canopy of crêpe
paper leaves.
I was a Japanese teacher. I
taught her the 240 characters
of the Japanese alphabet, which
she’d missed the chance to learn
when we moved out of Japan.
One morning after another I
wrote short stories using these
characters and I snuck these
stories into her lunch box for her
to read at school.
I was even a medical
researcher. Once, when we were
in Lagos (we were there for three
years), I found a fat, white worm
in her diaper, wriggling. It was
alive – very alive. And as luck
would have it, our family doctor
was out of town. I panicked, but
not enough to get on a plane
to London. I went through the
medical
encyclopedia,
and
identified the energetic parasite
as a female, chock full of eggs. I
panicked again. But armed with
this knowledge, I ordered some
deworming medicine from Tokyo.
The next day I discovered more
worms in her diaper. But this time,
all of them were dead.
I was Maia’s mom and I was a
little bit of everything else.
It was a full time job that did
not earn me a paycheck. Thank
goodness for Daddy who brought
home the bacon, or the sushi, or
the schnitzel, or whatever was
the prevailing currency.
But Maia gave me hugs and
kisses by the ton, and the bonuses
were incredible!
When a friend appeared
disappointed to hear that I was
neither a lawyer, nor a diplomat,
but a stay-at-home mom, Maia
countered by saying that if stay-
at-home moms were corporate
warriors, I would be the highestpaid CEO. Definitely seven
figures. And with stock options.
She also wrote the
following in one of her
college essays.
“I used to want to
be a writer. I turned
eleven and decided to
become Chairman of
the Federal Reserve.
Now I plan to follow in
my dad’s footsteps and
be a bureaucrat, but I’m
realistic enough to know
that might change. All I
know for sure is that I
want to be a mother.
It’s the most difficult
job in the world, but I’d
like to try my hand at
it, because it’s also the
most important.”
And the biggest
bonus of them all...
“I want to have a daughter.
And I will raise her exactly the
way you raised me. I will be a
mommy just like you.”
Cynthia Lim has lived, studied, worked
and parented in more than a dozen cities
in four continents. Born in the Philippines,
she is of Chinese heritage - although she
has never been to China, unless you count a
few stopovers in Hong Kong - and is now a
Japanese citizen living in New York City.
She has a hard time answering the question,
“Where are you from?” She likes to think
of herself as a nomad, or even a hermit
crab, toting her home around on her back.
Even while traveling all over the world, she
was able to raise a fantastic daughter - kind
and easy-going, who has just graduated
from Harvard. Cynthia keeps busy taking
classes at the French Culinary Institute, and
offering seminars on international parenting
and child-rearing.
Read more ‘East Meets West Parenting’ in
The Washington Times Communities.
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/
55
Photo Essay
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is one of the most unusual places you can visit. The
capital, Stone Town, is how olden times on an island of mixed
peoples must have been and still is, it has so much character.
African, Arabic, Indian and other cultures have blended here,
creating an exotic mix.
The sea is Zanzibar’s mainstay.
Dhows, jihazis and ngalawas
(all boats made from mango or
mahogany wood), are modelled on
ancient Indian and Arab designs.
Daily seafood catches of octopus,
changu, tuna, dorado, kingfish and
barracuda can be seen at Malindi,
a 400-year-old fish market. Life
is still simple and basic here but
things are changing.
By: Frank Raj
Zanzibar is a UNESCO World Heritage
site, and a growing tourist destination not
quite organized yet. The island’s ambience
and architecture is a major draw. Everything
is old; winding streets, brass-studded,
crafted mahogany doors and hand carved,
wooden balconies of the capital Stonetown
– the exotic evidence of the 17th and 18th
century affluence of Bohra Shi’a traders
and pirates from Persia and Arabia selling
spices, coconuts, and slaves. Go there
soon! Hungry hoteliers, telecom companies,
investors, wannabes, misfits and travelers
from everywhere are coming to enjoy the
Spice Island’s bounty. Now is the time to go !
Photos by: Frank Raj, TII’s Founding
Editor and Publisher.
SCHEDULE: 10 FLIGHTS A WEEK WITH IMMEDIATE CONNECTIONS TO ZANZIBAR
56
Daily – KQ 311 – Departure Dubai 0235 – Arrival Nairobi 0640 Mon / Wed / Sat – KQ 318 Departure Dubai 2300 - Arrival Nairobi 0515
Daily – KQ 310 – Departure Nairobi 1920 – Arrival Dubai 0135 Mon /Wed / Sat – KQ 318 Departure Nairobi 1525 – Arrival Dubai 2140
Desh Aur Diaspora
Disney:
Myth And Diaspora
church in carriages instead of
cars. It is almost as if fairy tales
spring to life when ordinary
women are ‘transformed’ into
beautiful princesses in the real
world. The media is influential in
showcasing this transformation.
Fashion designers transform new
members of the royal family into
“It was not once upon a time, but at a certain time in history,
before anyone knew what was happening, that Walt Disney cast a
spell on the fairy tale, and he has held it captive ever since.”
(Jack Zipes, 1994)
By: Asma Ayob
E
very little girl wants to
be a princess. Proof is
found in the plethora of
merchandise sold to young girls:
tiaras, fairy dresses, plastic shoes
that resemble the famous ‘glass
slipper’ in Cinderella and more.
The obsession with the fairy
tale continues even though it is
58
faithful to a world that embodies
the
concepts
of
fantasy,
stereotyping and ‘happily-everafter’. In the words of Tolkien,
“The truth of fairy stories is the
truth of our imagination, not
that of normal causality.” In
popular culture today, the genre
of fantasy is dominated by its
medievalist
form,
especially
since the worldwide successes of
the Lord of the Rings and Harry
Potter franchises.
The essence of fantasy can
be traced back to the origins of
the fairy tale and before that,
to folklore. There is no doubt
that the fairy tale provides a
platform for the exploration of
various elements. Jealousy, love,
hatred, anger, sadness and joy
are emotions that both young
children and adults experience.
The fairy tale takes both children
and adults on a roller coaster
ride that encompasses the whole
spectrum of human emotion.
The world at large was once
again bitten by the romantic
notion of the fairy tale when Kate
Middleton walked down the aisle
with Prince William. It is not the
first time that a contemporary
fairy tale found support in the
international affairs of royal
families and it certainly won’t
be the last. Women who marry
royalty, amongst other famous
royals unknowingly assist in
keeping the notion of the fairy
tale alive.
On their wedding days,
these ‘princesses’, are taken to
princesses and these women
are then adorned with the royal
jewels and tiaras. Kate Middleton
is a middle-class girl. Yet, when
she stepped onto the balcony
of Buckingham Place dressed
in the finest lace and stood with
her ‘prince’, and the royal family,
spectators looked up to her as
their ‘princess’.
As
parents,
no
matter
what our religious or cultural
affiliations may be, we want
to tell our children stories that
allow them to dream and believe
that no matter what the world
throws their way, they will be able
to navigate their way through.
Adversity is an inevitable part
of life. Stories such as fairy tales
allow us to momentarily suspend
belief and embark on these
journeys without any boundaries.
Essentially, fairy tales are
stories of transformation. When
this transformation is witnessed
in the real world, it fuels the
notion of transformation as
being attainable in real-life and in
turn, supports and promotes the
‘princess phenomenon’.
The Princess Phenomenon
Authors like Beatrix Potter,
Charles Perrault, the Brothers’
Grimm and Hans Christian
Anderson must be acknowledged
for their creation of stories that
fall under the fairy tale genre.
But it was Walt Disney who
fully appropriated the literary
fairy tale in 1937, in his version
of Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs, and made his signature
into a trademark for the most
acceptable type of fairy tale in
the 20th century.
Today Disney is almost always
synonymously associated with
the fairy tale genre. In fact,
Disney’s versions of fairy tales
are hailed throughout the world
and have been translated into
hundreds of different languages.
It seems as if Disney’s ‘formula’
of retaining the ‘faithfulness to
magic’, ‘myth’ and the ‘happilyever-after’ phenomenon
resonates
positively
with both adults
and children. The
success of Disney’s
fairy
tales
is
aptly expressed
by Kevin Lima,
director
of
Enchanted, “We’re
all Disney babies in
some way, it’s just a
matter of whether we hold
onto the magic or not. You either
embrace it or you resent it.”
While celebrated in one
breath, Disney’s studios have
also been much maligned for
their adaptations of folk and
fairy tales. There is no doubt that
Disney’s versions of fairy tales
remain loyal to the representation
of the plight of the protagonists
in the original Grimm Brothers’
tales. Even though Disney has
‘softened’ the core of their stories
and re-worked various aspects
of the narratives, Disney has
maintained the Grimm Brothers’
fierce patriotism and loyalty
to certain qualities like male
dominance, notions of obedient,
passive, victimized women.
The Brothers’ Grimm
The Grimm Brothers’ in
Germany were amongst the
great collectors of folk tales who
prescribed to a patriotic culture
that was often uninhibited and
cruel. For example, in the Grimm
Brothers’ version of Cinderella,
the stepsisters have their toes
and heels chopped off to fit into
the slipper and then a dove tells
the prince about the bleeding
feet because he doesn’t notice
that it is not “Cinderella”.
As a general characteristic, all
the Grimm Brothers’ protagonists
begin poor, deprived or wronged,
and
after
many
struggles
they achieve their goals. Male
characters
are
dashingly
outspoken and powerful.
Destiny
forms
an
inherent part of the
core story of the
fairy tale and the
protagonist
is
always ‘rescued’
from her situation.
There is also a
strict
adherence
to
stereotypical
behaviour patterns and
characteristics that were
dominant in the 18th and early
19th centuries. For example, both
“Snow White” and “Cinderella”
are portrayed as passive, patient
and hard-working.
In Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs, the victimized “Snow
White” is rescued by the dwarfs
and the prince. In Cinderella it is
the fairy Godmother who gives
“Cinderella” the courage to live
her life. Thereafter, the prince
accepts “Cinderella” as his wife
and fulfils her inner desires of
being swept away by a knight in
shining armour.
Despite Disney’s portrayal of
59
Desh Aur Diaspora
‘princesses’ as representative of
women of past generations and
other criticisms, fairy tales live
on. Angela Ndalianis, Associate
Professor of Cinema Studies
at the University of Melbourne
claims that most little girls to
this day, go through the ‘I-wantto- be- a- princess’ phase. She
blames Disney’s films for fostering
the
little-princess
aesthetic,
as well as for breeding crossmerchandising that’s earning
a bundle for entertainment
companies who have rights to
princess tales. From a historical
perspective, she believes that
the little girl/princess parallel has
been there for centuries-but the
merchandising associated with
conglomeration has amplified its
effect; now our little girls can be
like their favourite princesses.
Is it possible that the use
of merchandise and clever
marketing campaigns keep the
notion of Disney’s princess alive in
the hearts of children to this day?
While consumerism does play a
part in the ‘princess culture’, it
cannot be totally responsible for
the on-going success of the fairy
tale genre. Interestingly, over the
years, Disney has evolved in its
depiction of passive princesses.
“Ariel” in The Little Mermaid
(1989) and “Belle” in Beauty and
the Beast (1991) are more active
in attaining their goals than their
predecessors. “Ariel” takes the
initiative and bargains with an ugly
60
sea hag, while “Belle” consciously
makes a sacrifice for her father’s
safety and is depicted as a young
woman yearning for knowledge.
However, at the end of the day,
pure, sweet and innocent love and
romance still drive the narratives
of these stories.
Myth and Diaspora
Through the myriad of
interpretation boxes opened up
by the narratives of the adapted
fairy tales, the Indian diaspora
comes to mind. Women in India
have been subjugated through
various myths in Indian mythology
that are an inherent part of their
culture. Tales of Sita, a respected
Hindu goddess and Draupadi, a
heroic princess, are hailed within
mainstream Hindu tradition as
models of behaviour that women
must aspire to. Therefore, in the
past, female children in India were
groomed for arranged marriages.
They then waited for a worthy
suitor to come along. Thereafter
they were expected to conform
to the customs and traditions of
their husbands. The narratives of
“Cinderella” and “Snow White”
also position the princesses as
damsels-in-distress
who
are
waiting to be rescued.
In a sense, these fairy tale
settings nostalgically echo the
journey of women in India before
migration and globalization.
“Snow White” is the embodiment
of Disney’s archetypal princess.
She is passive, beautiful, trusting
and is content to keep house for
the dwarfs as she merrily sings,
‘Someday my prince will come’.
Her characteristics position her
as the opposite of a feminist role
model. In today’s modern world,
the notion of a beautiful woman
keeping house for seven young
men, depicted in the form of the
dwarfs, would raise eyebrows,
but the fairy tale is faithful to
innocence and differentiates
between pure and evil. “Snow
White” is the ‘damsel- in- distress’
and is pure at heart, while the
dwarfs represent her guardians
until she can find safety. Within
the classic narrative of the story,
the ‘princess theme’, which
advocates the tendency to wait
to be rescued by the male so that
the social order can be restored is
promoted.
This ‘social order’ depicted in
Disney’s fairy tales is reminiscent
of the older social order that
women in India were subjected
to. Strict patriarchal ideologies
in India demanded that the
woman carry out her duties as a
devoted wife and mother in order
to maintain an ordered universe.
However, at the end of the 19th
century, as a consequence of
changes set into motion by the
British conquest of India, women
began taking advantage of
opportunities for education. Even
though they gained confidence
as they stepped out of their
homes, when they returned to the
household, they still fell back into
their traditional prescriptive roles
as homemakers. The nationalist
agenda in India based its vision
of women on certain assumptions
about femininity, about women
as closer to nature, nurturing
and spiritual. Women were
perceived in a positive light only
if they conformed to traditional
structures. But the position of
women in India has evolved over
the years.
Similarly, if one looks
beyond the classic fairy
tales of yesteryear, a
significant
evolution
is
apparent. A Cinderella Story
(2004), The Prince and
Me (2004) and Enchanted
(2007),
represent
the
new versions of fairy tales
in popular culture today.
Subtle differences have
been implemented. The
‘glass slipper’, the central
icon in Cinderella has
been substituted by a cell
phone in the film A Cinderella
Story. In The Prince and Me,
the protagonist leaves her
prince to finish her education.
In Enchanted, even though the
protagonist is brought to life by
true love’s first kiss, she takes the
initiative and ‘rescues’ the prince
in the end. These adjustments
in narrative structures are more
in line with modern feminist
sensibilities with regard to the
evolution of fairy tales. Yet, at the
end of the day, the happily-everafter phenomenon remains.
A strong parallel can be
drawn between the plight of the
protagonists in Disney’s fairy tales
and women in India in terms of the
notion that fairy tales are stories
of transformation. In the same
way that Disney has adapted the
stories of the Grimm Brothers’,
the patriarchal regimes in India
have also been re-written over the
years and both have evolved.
Cinderella says it all. The latest
versions of Cinderella’s represent
women who are well-versed,
educated and certainly not
suppressed individuals. However,
the thought of romance still
captures their hearts and they
are forced to believe in love and
happiness through marriage to
their princes.
If we look beyond the criticisms
of these fairy tales being merely
‘feminine fantasies’, we are forced
to search for a more meaningful
reason that explains why the fairy
tale continues to endure through
constant critique, evaluation and
appreciation and denigration
simultaneously.
While
the
stereotypes that prevail in fairy
tales dictate rigid ideologies and
conform to cultures of by-gone
eras, within these stereotypes
there exists a logic that has
transcended through time and
place.
According to Betty Friedan,
author of the Feminine Mystique,
the myth of “Cinderella” was but
a fairy tale, and should be read
as inherent in that classification.
She further argued that this
cultural image of femininity
that was faithful to the sublime
goodness of heterosexuality and
domesticity prevented women
from reaching maturity, identity
and the completeness of self.
In the narrative, “Cinderella”
does not possess the slightest
bit of belief in her ability to
even consider going to the
ball. Instead, her desires are
limited to her dream world and
it is only at the insistence of her
fairy godmother that she dares
to venture outside. While this
behaviour is not admirable, it
does reinforce belief in deep
powers of faith. Through
patience, hard work and
perseverance, “Cinderella”
is rewarded with a ‘magical’
fairy godmother, a pumpkin
that turns into a carriage
and a pair of mice who
become the horses that
take the carriage to the ball.
Therefore, if we look at
the bigger picture when
trying to make sense of fairy
tales, we will be forced to
accept that they can prove
to be valuable for children.
Undoubtedly, fairy tales contain
certain strong moral lessons. The
need to nurture inherent qualities
like honesty because it will be
rewarded, the importance of
maintaining goodness because
it will always triumph over evil
and to understand that jealousy
is not conducive to well-being or
character are lessons that remain
the same for each generation of
children.
As the fairy tale has evolved
over centuries from the original
Grimm
Brothers’
narratives,
India has also evolved from its
previous ideologies. Located
within this paradigm of change,
both fairy tales and the Indian
Diaspora continue to evolve
and flourish. And of course, the
notions of myth and magic are as
captivating today as they were in
medieval times.
Asma Ayob is an author and playwright
based in South Africa. She is currently
doing a PhD on Bollywood Cinema and will
be launching a new play soon.
61
Marriage
Bringing Home
An Inter-racial Relationship!
It could be a mixed menu in American households. Dal and steak,
tortillas and tandoori or dhokla and gumbo. There is an ongoing
wave of change with young people eating foods from all over the
world, wearing non typical clothes, listening to world music, and
marrying into diverse cultures.
By: Prem Kishore
Shaily and Vishal had a beautiful wedding that expressed both their personalities through their attire,
decor, lighting, and food. (Photo by: AAcreation Photography)
A
new, bold and
feisty
generation
of
young
Indians is slowly finding
inter communal/racial partners in
the US and cutting across barriers
62
and boundaries. You may find
an Indian marrying a Korean/
Chinese/Indonesian/Sri Lankan/
Vietnamese, Russian , Australian,
American black or Hispanic. Quite
a few young people nowadays do
not want to rely on their parents
to make the important choice.
They believe that marriage
means responsibility, concern
and commitment. The same
values that parents who believe
in arranged marriages want for
their children.
But it is not all sweetness and
light. Many parents on hearing
the news of their son/daughter
having an interracial relationship
shriek “Over my dead body!”
Other parents may blackmail
with ‘I will cut you off’ a common
threat especially if ancestral
property is involved.
When the news breaks ,a
number of Indian parents are
shocked, and
hysterical and
declare they will never accept the
relationship. But later, wisdom
prevails and once they find out
that the boy /girl is a professional
and earning well, which is the
fact in most cases, they accept
the outsider. One father whose
daughter married a black
American
neatly got around
the difficult task of informing his
traditional Brahmin community
thus: ‘‘Just like Obama!’’ he would
say with delight.
President
Obama has a black father and
a white American mother. And
since Obama was in favor with his
family , the problem was solved.
Rupa a
communications
executive
born
to Andhra
parents from Bangalore now
living in Los Angeles, met her
husband Kevin at a party. A year
later, the wedding was planned
meticulously by Rupa and Kevin.
It was held in the spacious lush
lawns of a Heritage House .
Rupa was gorgeous, the six
groomsmen and six bridesmaids
enchanting under a blue sky while
12 green parrots flew past, just
as the couple made their vows.
One of those serendipiditous
things! The Indian priest chanted
slokas, interpreted by Rupa’s
Pop. A typical Indian wedding be a more touching gesture than
with guests coming in from all that?
over the US, India and other
My friend’s daughter a
countries. However
the groom was not
Indian. He was a
black
American.
After the initial
surprise and worry
about compatibility,
the
two families
were
happy
to
conduct
the
marriage. They met
before the wedding,
planned the details
and
the bride
and groom were Shabneez and Shamroze looking at a slide show during their Walima
in the Bay Area (Photo by: AAcreation Photography)
accepted happily by
both families.
software engineer in Chicago,
Rupa says she is certainly married her co-worker of many
not a veteran of marriage but years at a civil ceremony and
‘‘I definitely know that every both flew to Chennai, where
relationship (interracial or not) is her parents and sister hosted a
unique. Challenges have stemmed reception for family and friends.
more from cultural differences. The honeymoon was a trip to the
My husband enjoys Indian Taj Mahal! Her father is a Brahmin
food, movies, dance, music and from Chennai and her mother a
even some wedding traditions. Catholic. And her husband? An
More importantly American black.
she asserts, he
But there is still subtle and
enjoys my family. abrasive disapproval from far
Compared to his too many people when they
very
supportive- have to deal with an inter racial
y e t - h a n d s - o f f - relationship. A cousin in my family
American
family, tells her working daughter, “You
mine is different can marry anyone you like but
with
family do not bring him home” and she
expectations
at gives a short list of her prejudiced
my end. Family opinions.
Blacks,
Hispanics,
structure
is
a Muslims and Sri Lankans are
f u n d a m e n t a l taboo. Certain races in her opinion
difference
in are darker, poorer, less educated,
our
makeup or are of the wrong religion, and
The Baraat - the most exciting moment of the day, with the groom
that
requires cannot assimilate.
riding on Thai, the elephant and his family and friends dancing to lead understanding and
That confounds me. An NRI
the way. (Photo by: AAcreation Photography)
commitment.”
child is born in America, goes to
friend in English, the mother of
And then there is the Kashmiri school and college, and is always
the groom officiated as Justice family with three beautiful taught about equality and that
of the Peace, an elegant dinner daughters. One married a Chinese all people should be given the
and dancing followed. Global and the other a Hispanic. Both the same opportunities, blah, blah,
music with Bhangra melding with men took on the girl’s surname as blah. When it comes to marriage
Carribbean, Hiphop, Salsa and their middle name. Could there the parents sing a different tune.
63
Marriage
In contrast, there is the young
woman who is determined to
marry only a white American.
Avanti (name changed)
says
people concerned .
And what of the weddings
themselves? Many inter-racial
weddings are westernized but
Deepti & John right before their Indian wedding ceremony started
(Photo by: AAcreation Photography)
that she has had to deal with so
much racism at an elite school,
that she is determined to marry a
white person as “that is the only
way she can integrate and be
accepted in American society.”
There are a few Indian parents
who feel that having a ‘white son
in law “is a badge of honor. Again
another member of my family
tells me often that her daughter
has told her that after dating
Indian men, she is thoroughly
disillusioned. So the mother is
eagerly hopingf her daughter
finds a white person and there
too there is a preference. She
likes Englishmen and
wants’
grandkids with blue eyes!”.
Looking at families around me,
all I can say is there is no ideal
marriage. Peace and commitment
appear to be the binding factor
that keeps a couple together.
Whether it is an arranged or a
personal choice marriage, it can
be fulfilling depending on the
64
more often than not the traditional
Indian wedding is the norm.
So we have the bedecked
horse/elephant
ambling
nonchalantly on an American
road, undeterred by the hypnotic,
pounding beat of the dhol, the
jubilant dancers from the boy’s
family and attired bridegroom
seated atop. Yes, this is the Big Fat
Indian Wedding and the horse/
elephant procession or Baraat - the
auspicious beginning to a blessed
union between bridegroom, bride
and two families. Tradition is
integral to Indian weddings and
the elephant plays an important
role in the ceremonies. In India,
horses and elephants symbolized
pomp and power. Today it is about
pageantry and ancient ritual.
I have just returned from yet
another over the top wedding
in the heart of a canyon, which
featured five days of ceremonies,
food banquets, rituals, music
and dance. This wedding was
so big - with a thousand guests
- that there simply had to be a
Wedding Planner. I scout around
and find her.
She is zipping down the
Malibu beach coast line, her head
buzzing with a million details and
talking to me, the words tumbling
fast and energized as she preps
me on the challenges and
excitement of being a Wedding
Planner. Amy Patel, owner and
Head Coordinator of Planning
Elegance has been planning and
orchestrating dream weddings
for years. She is deep in the
midst of sorting out details for
a wedding when I catch up
with her. ‘‘I have been working
for four months on this one,’’
she says. ‘‘My clients wanted
a green wedding’. Everything
about the ceremony had to be
nature themed. The Mandap is
like a tree rising from the earth.
Everything is bio-degradable,
the centrepiece, the name cards,
the details are unique. Moss
everywhere, trees surrounding
the couple and guests. It is like
an enchanted forest. You should
come and see it!” she invites me
spontaneously.
Clearly Amy Patel enjoys the
process of meticulous planning.
Two years ago she started a
company, created a team and a
brand. She specializes in South
Asian weddings although she
has planned Middle Eastern
Jewish, Persian, Christian and Sri
Lankan weddings. She
works
all over California with a head
office in Orange County called
Shaadi Ventures which is a kind
of everything under one roof
shop that caters to the diverse
demands of a wedding. Her
sister, Mili Shah, is head of the
Southern California office.
Does she have to do a lot of
research for different types of
weddings? “A couple may have
a traditional Muslim wedding with a good job, and come from detective will check her salary,
in the morning and then have a a respectable family. But he might retirement benefits, and report
reception where the bride wears be trysting with his lover while on her smoking, drinking habits,
a designer gown at a western negotiating a marriage alliance. maniac shopping and even her
style reception.’’ So there are He may have a debilitating illness, blood type. The same procedure
lists, itineraries, budgets, vendor or the family may be in debt. The is followed in the case of a man.
contacts and tons of stress that girl may have not gone to college Some agencies hack computers,
can overwhelm many a wedding but the parents have flaunted her and bug phones
in order to
planner. What is the cost of these degrees. The matchmaker is the ferret out information. Detailed
services? ‘‘Our prices start at right person to get to the truth.
shadowing, and surveillance
$ 3,000 and if we provide the
So Shekhar after
sifting are the key to this kind of work.
vendors, we help the couple through
forty
marriage Detective teams can contact each
save money as we have excellent applications
and deciding other across the country in a few
contacts who believe in cost on a young woman now hires minutes notice and investigate
saving tips and have
the details of anyone’s
superb experience in
life. So Shekhar is given
pulling it together.”
the full detailed report
In these times of
and then decides if the
recession
how
do
young woman is right for
people splurge in these
him.
extravaganzas?
Meanwhile the young
“Weddings
are
woman too may be
planned for years. People
checking up on Shekhar
have been saving money
in the US.
for just such an event,
There have been
even before they find the
instances of Indian men
right person!’’
living in the US with an
While researching this
American wife seeking
article I am informed of
a bride in India and
the Marriage Detective
then
dissolving
the
who plays a significant
marriage after getting
role in bringing bride and
a dowry. Girls in India
groom together.
have also been known
The bride with her bridesmaids and the elegant elephant, Thai, from Have
Trunk, Will Travel (Photo by: AAcreation Photography)
I meet Shekar, (name
to marry for a green
changed ) a hedge fund manager a Marriage
Detective. An card and demanding a divorce
in Silicon Valley who has hired an investigation begins with the immediately. So there’s a lot at
investigator to do the scoop on detective
scouting out the stake in these unions.
his bride to be. He does not trust house of the young woman.
But why would Shekhar an
his judgment and is not interested Details like the number of people intelligent, liberal, progressive
in taking the leap of faith. He living there, or if the property young man insist on the traditional
began his search for the right is owned or rented, are noted. arranged marriage? His answer is
bride from India by informing his This information comes from quick. “I actually had to plead with
parents They promptly contacted detectives talking to servants, my parents to find someone as I
a match maker.
neighbors, car drivers, laundry simply do not have the time for
Now Matchmakers
have collectors, the ironing man, a getting to know someone whereas
access to details of the life of a shopkeeper near by, or gardeners. my parents , the matchmaker and
potential bride or bridegroom The hired detective will follow the detective can do the spade
and can come up with a ‘go ahead the young woman, photograph work for me.”
signal’ or a ‘stop right there’ her in her neighborhood, work
And then comes the clincher
alert to the two parties seeking place, lover’s apartment or a from him. “It is estimated that in
affirmation that the right choice tryst in the park/movie theater/ the US, 50% of marriages where
has been made. A young man pub maybe and come up with love is the primary motive, end in
might appear to be a fine person evidence incriminating her. The divorce. “
Prem Kishore is a freelance writer
based in Los Angeles
65
Parenting
Exam Fever
For Parents
Examinations (fortunately) have become the stuff of memories
for adults, remembered and refracted through personality and
experience. Our recollections have probably nothing to do with
performance or results; it is the exam fever, the lead-up to the
event that remains etched forever in the subconscious.
By: Anita Thomas
W
ere you one of the
fortunate, enviable few
who had everything
under
control,
knew
your
subjects, slept easily, exercised,
ate well and remained serenely
impervious to suppressed coughs,
scritch-scratching pencils and
study), nervous anticipation,
revisions, snatched hours of sleep,
jarring alarms and clammy palms.
I recall the feverish comparing of
notes and answers before and
after, and the culmination - a final,
explosive, grateful regurgitation
of facts and figures never to be
You caution yourself not to rush
into applying generation-old
criteria to modern education, and
especially not at home.
the deafening silence of an
examination hall ?
Or are you one of the many
who still have recurring ‘exam’
nightmares, remembered more
as feelings rather than clear
processes ?
I can catalog a litany of
trials and tribulations – being
unprepared (despite assiduous
66
remembered again. As an adult, now a parent, you
remember this vividly.
And as exams, especially
board exams - especially firsttime board exams - descend
implacably upon your son or
daughter, the memories surface,
tension knots the shoulders and
anticipation becomes fraught
with anxiety, settling like a
suffocating pall on the examuncorrupted child.
Why are you stressed, the
child asks, reasonably. I should
be stressed, not you. Can you
calm down? And he hunches
his shoulders, rolls his eyes and
mutters under his breath: chill,
please.
COMMUNICATION...
NOT CRITICISM
How do you effectively
communicate – in a measured,
unruffled manner - that catnaps
are not a part of the revision
schedule (at least not in your
book nor in anybody else’s in your
living memory), that studying to
music means you are not fully
focused or concentrating, that
having multiple screens (Internet,
FaceBook,
Skype)
equals
distraction and is an unequivocal
violation of the code of study ?
Every point is met with an easy
response, naps are required to
rest and refresh a stressed mind,
music is a counterpoint to facts
and information - emphasizing
by contrast - enabling recall
through rhythm and tempo. The
explanation is further simplified sound is an inherent part of any
experience – like the tick tock
of a clock or the hum of a fan
triggering a thought, a feeling
(or even a fact) – and in the same
way, music – techno music in this
case – is necessary to anchor
the information. Multiple screens
are a necessity, Skype enables a
Study Group, the Internet is to
research or explore a thought or
a doubt, FaceBook is to exchange
messages while you don’t actually
speak … it helps to stay in touch,
yet not, in a manner of speaking,
if you get my drift.
You concede. You accept the
explanation because to pursue
the point is to open a Pandora’s
box of arguments and counter
arguments.
So you may hyperventilate
in private, but follow the rules
in public – no dire warnings, no
persistent nagging, no doomsday
descriptions on the significance of
The Exam and how it determines
and defines the trajectory of
one’s life. THE TIMES, THEY ARE
A-CHANGING
Explaining the use of new
technology in contemporary
education, Seah-Tay Hui Yong,
Dean of Curriculum at Nanyang
Girls’ High expressed it succinctly
in an article in The Straits Times
of 28 April : We can’t have 21st
century kids taught by 20th
century teachers in 19th century
classrooms.
Yes indeed, times have changed;
it is a comforting thought.
You remind yourself that your
child is the product of new and
unfamiliar technology, teaching
methods, resources and stimuli.
Revisions for examinations may be
a fractured, multi-source process.
You remind yourself, frequently,
that the acquisition of knowledge
these days is not necessarily
See it in perspective, he
suggests : this is a culmination
of years of learning and habit,
no change can be wrought now
through worried hovering. In fact,
he suggests, embracing a form
of benign neglect will be more
learning by rote, not chunks of
text or formulae committed to
memory (thought there is that too,
of course). Some of it, perhaps
much of it, may be understood
in sound bytes and pixels, binary
digits and moving images set to
commentary and sound.
You caution yourself not to
rush into applying generation-old
criteria to modern education, and
especially not at home.
Yet, there is a niggling doubt
that this is a convenient cop-out.
The spouse has no such
concerns; his is a practical
evaluation of the situation. At
this point, he reasons, there is
nothing at all to be gained by
stress. Is it going to change the
outcome ? Definitely not, and
certainly not for the better. What
will be will be.
effective at this point; a parent
need only provide good cheer
and support, food, transport and
whatever else might be the need
of the hour.
And so you (grateful for the
advice) try to appreciate that you
have reached the end of a long
road. The learning has already
taken place; it is time for you to
power down. You have (or should
have) done whatever you needed
to do; it is time to let go and take
your place on the sidelines, ready
with support should he stumble
or fall and ready to cheer when
he earns his stripes. Because, as
we all know, there will be plenty
of both on this private journey of
self-discovery to adulthood.
Anita Thomas is a freelance writer
based in Singapore. Visit her website
www.singaporeforkinds.com
67
Goans
Into The Diaspora
Wilderness:
Interview With Selma Carvalho
Selma Carvalho has lived in the Diaspora for most of her life
in Dubai, USA and now in the UK, but she feels she has never
been anything other than a Goan. In her fascinating book, ‘Into
The Diaspora Wilderness’ (Broadway 2010) she tells the story of
Goans migrating to British East Africa, the Arabian Gulf, America
and beyond.
Q: So this was the beginning of
small Goan communities outside
India?
A: These seafarers returned
home with larger-than-life stories
of strange sightings at sea,
smooth sails and storms, jungles
and cities, some true, mostly
embellished. They elicited in
the humble Goan soul an even
deeper desire to travel beyond
the confines of his own village
and engage in a world which
By: Frank Raj
Q:
You chose an interesting
description of Goa in
circa 1846 in the words
of Sir Richard Burton, the 19th
century British Explorer.
A: It is perhaps ridiculous
that I begin a book about Goans
with a quote from Burton,
for upon sailing to Goa on a
pattimar, a wooden sail boat, he
found Goa to be populated by
thieves, Christian wife-beaters,
negro Robin Hoods and other
reprobates. Burton’s relentlessly,
uncharitable account of Goa, in
Goa and the Blue Mountains, did
not dissuade him from including
in his troupe two Goan servants,
Valentine Andrade and Caetano
Rodrigues, as he set out on his
second expedition, almost ten
68
Selma Carvalho: “The reality is, there were
transformations taking place every step of the
journey, transformations which have inevitably
affected the collective Goan psyche.”
traveller? Or was he just in a very
primitive sense, someone who
foraged for food in new territory?
A: Yes, the reasons for the
movement are incidental. If
exploration and discovery of
virgin land are to be measured
by the courage it takes to
venture into them, contribute
to them and benefit from them,
then the Goan’s stake as an
explorer and early settler must
be on par with that of European
explorers and settlers, and his
journey must be documented
with as much rigour.
Q: You ask in your book: Was
the Goan an explorer? An intrepid
Q: Your opinion is that the
genesis of the wider Goan
Diaspora belongs to that much
caricatured and ignored Goan,
years later, into the interiors of
Africa.
the tarvotti, or seaman.
A: Coming from Nuvem, I am
well acquainted with tarvottis.
Nuvem is known to have many
a son-of-the-soil embark on
a career at sea. It is easy to
recognise a tarvotti. They possess
a certain fast-talking bravado
which can easily be mistaken for
brashness. The agrarian farmer
lives in constant fear of the
elements. The sea-farer battles
them. The Goan’s affaire de coeur
with the sea would inevitably
change his psyche from that of a
fatalistic victim of uncertainty to
one of conquering obstacles.
inextricably woven?
A: It shaped the Goan and
it took him away from Goa.
Wherever a port of call gained
prominence,
fledgling
Goan
communities could be found. Be
it Mozambique, Mombasa on the
east coast of Africa or as far as
Cabo Verde on the west coast
of Africa. Historical-geographer
Clifford Pereira has established
that Goan sailors
seltled
around
London’s dockland
areas. There is
every possibility
that those who
plied the busy
Bombay-Zanzibar
and onwards route
settled in Zanzibar,
operating liquor
shops and ice
factories.
with the passion it deserves.
Throughout my book, Africa
weaves in and out of almost
every chapter; our understanding
of the Diaspora consciousness
can only be heightened when
examined against a backdrop of
this important aspect of history.
Q: Besides the Portuguese you
also make the connection with
Lenny Gomes with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Q:
What
Circa 1950
motivated you to
write such a book in which Africa the British Raj.
figures considerably?
A: Another aspect largely
A: The early emigrant who ignored is how deeply our history
travelled to East Africa has is contrived by the British Empire.
profoundly shaped While the Goan in Goa was
our cultural mores. influenced by the machinery of
His impact remains Portugal’s politics, the substantial
vastly
ignored number of Goans who worked
in our questions in British India or British East
about
identity. Africa and the MiddIe East were
He is a curious impacted by the machinations of
experiment
in the British. Inevitably, a complex
defining identity relationship between the Goan
itself.
Like
all and the Briton evolved, swinging
organic
entities, like a pendulum between racism
identity is subject and respect.
to
Darwinian
Ultimately,
Goans
would
The SS Dwarka took so many Goans to the Gulf
evolution, building become intermediaries between
in the 1960s
upon chance and native populations and the
seemed endlessly wide, open circumstance, shaping according unwieldy
administration
of
and beckoning. Inevitably some to need, absorbing, learning and Empire.
of them settled around the port breaking off from that which is
areas of the countries where they redundant.
Q: When the story of Goan
docked in.
When the last custodians of migration is told why do think it
the Goan story pass away it will is from the vantage point of Goa?
Q: So the sea and the Goan are be lost forever unless recorded
A: It is as if Goans went to
69
Goans
these countries but somehow
remained unaffected by what
transpired in these distant lands,
as if they existed in a political
and cultural vacuum. The reality
is, there were transformations
taking place every step of the ,
journey, transformations which
have inevitably affected the
collective Goan psyche.
Q: In what way?
A: For a great many people
India
Q: Didn’t you come to the Gulf
when you first left India with your
mother?
A: My father Joao Roque
Cardoso had arrived in Dubai a
year before we did and secured
a job with Abdulrahman Al Bahar.
In June 1968 my mother and
I, with over 600 other lndians
set sail on the British India
passenger-liner, S. S. Dwarka,
from the port of Bombay to the
Arabian Gulf. The British India line
had commissioned four modem
D-class vessels – the Dumra, the
Dwarka, the Dara and the Daressa
– to deal with the increased
volume of passengers to the
region. These ships of 5000
gross tons, and deck capacities
of over a thousand, plied the Gulf
axis between Bombay To Basra,
stopping en route in Karachi,
Muscat, Dubai, Bahrain and
Kuwait, carrying on board all the
dreams, hopes and aspirations
that stirred in the souls of those
setting out for the Gulf.
So began my journey into the
Diaspora wilderness.
Frank Raj is TII's
Founding Editor and Publisher
TII India History Quiz 3!
TII launches a quiz on Indian history authored by Dr. V. K. Kapoor,
a surgeon from Lucknow, UP, India who is currently working at the
Zayed Military Hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Answers to the questions
can be found on www.theinternationalindian.com. Readers should
email their replies to [email protected] by July 15, 2011.
Winners will receive an exciting prize!
ANCIENT INDIA: Identify the correct answers!
2. The centre of power
shifted
from the Indus valley in
we
the Gangetic valley in ea st to
st.
to invasion of north-west This led
of India.
Name the king from Ma
cedonia
A. Father and Son
who invaded India in 32
7-325 BC?
B. Brothers
on
nds
gra
&
er
C. Grandfath
A. Cyrus
D. Father-in-law & son-in-law B. Darius
C. Alexander
3. Which was the dynasty
D.
Porus
(famous king Chandragupta)
which ruled India from 4th
dophores
to 2nd century (326 – 184)
4. Another tribe (Gon
BC – the first imperial empire was a king of this tribe) –
ians
in India, with its capital at
closely related to Scyth
the 1st
in
ia
Ind
to
Patliputra (present day Patna) - which came
Iran
rn
ste
Ea
m
fro
century BC
A. Guptas
B. Nandas
A. Parthians
C. Mauryas
B. Hunas
D. Cholas
C. Bactrians
D. Kushanas
1. What was the relationship
between Chandragupta
Maurya and Ashok?
that migrated, new realities
became important and our tryst
with Portugal receded into the
background. These personal and
community stories in my book
are set against a backdrop of the
regional histories and the political
frays of adopted countries. The
book hopes to demystify the lives
of Goans who live abroad, by
bringing to the fore the austerity
of the circumstances they usually
have to contend with; but at the
same time it also celebrates their
ultimate triumph, achievement
and contribution both to Goa and
their adopted homelands.
70
There Are ‘Saints’
Among Us
TII chose four ordinary ‘saints’ in Bangalore to see how they work
tirelessly to help the poor in different areas of the city.
By: Marianne de Nazareth
F
rom being dubbed the
Padmashree Anita Reddy hails Sarah Santamaria helps mentally
ubiquitous
pensioners from the famous Nutrine Sweets challenged children of the poorer
paradise in the ‘70’s to family and believes that the poor section gain a useful trade so that
the hi - tech Silicon Valley of have a right to live in the city they they live productive and fulfilling
the East in the 21st century, the helped to build. Meena Prochaska lives.
face of Bangalore in South India gave up her comfortable lifestyle
All of them work tirelessly
has changed dramatically.
with the support from
Glitzy shopping arcades dot
donations given by you and
the city, which are mirror
me. Donations that are fickle
images of their counterparts
but they bash on regardless,
in the West and there are
only seeing the face of the
gated communities which
poor they are helping.
could match some of
Anita Reddy could have,
the best anywhere in the
like any other rich woman,
Mediterranean.
just taken the path of luxury
Yet in the midst of all
and
relaxation,
instead
this opulence there is a
she runs AVAS which she
vast underbelly of poverty.
began as a registered trust
Beggars can be found at
in 1980. “I learnt my lessons
every street corner and slums
on the ground, starting with
proliferate in the shadows
the Lakshmipuram slum
Padmashree Anita Reddy: I learnt my lessons on the ground. From
of the huge malls which the the poor who are systematically oppressed and alienated from us, the near Indiranagar and the
poor have helped to build.
Sudhamnagar slum near
main stream city dwellers.
Who even considers they
HAL.
need help and support through in the US and returned to run
A burly group of drunks
their cries of misery when sick or a home for children whose accosted me and said what can
homeless?
parents cannot afford to keep you do for us? Initially they threw
At random, TII chose four them. Auto Raja picks up the challenges – get us electricity,
ordinary ‘saints’ in Bangalore to dying and the destitute lying and storm water drains or we will
see how they work tirelessly to on the streets of Bangalore and chop you into bits and throw you
help the poor in different areas of gives them a dignified funeral or into the cemetery opposite.
the city.
nurses them back to health. And
That was my starting point
71
India
but I could see the pain and hope given 2,000 dead bodies lying on or I would beat them up. I stole
in the women and babies eyes. In the roads, a dignified funeral. An everything in my house, including
that slum, a young second wife impossible sinner who gave his my mother’s mangalsutra and
had her second baby daughter. parents and family tremendous her wedding sarees and pawned
The husband picked up the baby grief as a young adolescent with them. Finally my parents and
and threw it into the dustbin in his thieving ways, he has turned relatives threw me out of the
front of my eyes. I did not know into a saint today.
house cursing me and saying
what to do as I had just come back
There is no other way to ‘Go and die, you are a shame to
from the US. Today that baby describe 45 year old Auto Raja, our name.’ I ran away to Chennai
Chandra is a 25 year old woman who presently houses 360 where I began to work in hotels
with her own babies. It was the destitute people in Doddagubbi washing plates, but even there
women’s plight that spurred me village near Lingrajpuram in his I stole and lost my job. Finally I
on to help. Finally when I did fix trust called New Ark Mission of was thrown into jail where for 10
six lights in Lakshmipuram, there India. A saint who picks up the days I could not even go to the
were huge celebrations and their destitute, crawling with lice and toilet. There I got very sick and I
attitudes changed.”
thought I would die and in
The poor says Anita,
my delirious state I made a
are an integral part of our
deal with God to turn over
urban economy. “For thirty
a new leaf if he helped me
three years of my life I
one last time,”
have learnt to handle cycle
Again it was Auto Raja’s
chains, stone throwing
parents who came to his
and court cases. For
rescue. “ They got me out
nine brickbats I get one
of prison and I asked for
bouquet which makes it all
1,000 rupees for one last
worthwhile. It takes time
time. I had decided to get
to win their trust,” says
a license and learn to drive
Anita simply. “Today policy
an autorickshaw. It was
makers, make decisions
while I plied the rickshaw
after looking at efforts like
that I saw these poor and
Auto Raja, picks up the dying and the destitute lying on the streets
mine at the national level.”
starving people lying on the
funeral or nurses them back pavements and I decided to
Her husband Pratap and of Bangalore and gives them atodignified
health.
their three children, Pooja,
help them, like I was helped.
Siddarth and Ram are extremely the starving reduced to skin and
His first rescue was a destitute
supportive of her work. Her bone and stinking, whom no man who was just skin and bones
efforts now have spread from the one wants to touch. He lovingly lying near the garbage dump
urban slums of Bangalore to the picks them off the street and in Binnypet. I had no money to
little villages of Andhra Pradesh. brings them back to his home in feed my family leave alone this
“I can see change happening his autorickshaw, where they are man, but I had faith in God. A
within my lifetime. Just a little washed, fed and allowed to die man named SR Manohar was
effort from our side can help our with dignity, or recover with his the first who came forward to
country’s poor make a decent ministrations. That is where his help me with funds. The India
living and build homes for them nickname is derived from – the Campus Crusade for Christ was
too,” she declares.
auto he drives and uses to save.
the second and then it was HD
Auto Raja’s story brings a
He started out in life on the Kumaraswamy former CM of
lump to anyone’s throat. “I made wrong foot. “When I was young Karnataka who gave me the land
a deal with God fourteen years I had a bunch of friends from and building I am in now and did
ago. You get me out of prison and whom I learnt how to rob to be a lot to help me. “You look just
I will lead an honest and good able to sustain our drinking habits like me man!” he said when we
life!” In the last 14 years after that and our craze to see movies.”
first met and supported me as
deal was struck, Auto Raja has
“Infact while in school I long as he was in office.”
rescued 4,000 destitute humans collected 10p per student
Today Auto Raja manages
off the streets of Bangalore and everyday, as protection money his work on donations and no
72
support from the government.
He needs 3,000 kg of rice, 150 kg
so helping them is very satisfying every day to the Diya Foundation,
for me.”
where they imbibe skills which
What
bothers will make them productive
Meena is that there human beings. “Once these
are so many little children leave the special schools
children
roaming they attend, how do the ABC
the streets with no and 1, 2, 3, that we teach them
proper home to call equip them to get jobs? Parents
their own. “ Here in of these children will not be there
Jeevanrathni,
we to support them forever. I saw a
teach the kids to be huge void there and that is when
clean, have pride in the idea of the Diya Foundation
the place and treat was born,” reveals Sarah.
the buildings like
Candle and chocolate making,
their own. We all sit computer data entry, hands
down together and on gardening like potting and
eat a healthy meal weeding, screen printing, papier
Meena Prochaska: Gave up her comfortable lifestyle in the US and of lentils, veggies, mache making are some of the
returned to run a home for children whose parents cannot afford to fruit, milk and eggs. units Sarah has begun In Diya
keep them.
Snacks,
chocolate to impart skills to the students.
sugar, 150 kg Tur Dal and 60 litres and candies are kept to a bare But naturally she checks their
of oil to feed his inmates. “ I also minimum,” she says.
aptitude first before they are sent
cannot turn away young pregnant
We hope to educate them to to learn a particular skill.
girls who come to my home to a level where they can get out
“My dream is to see the Diya
have their babies” he says.
and get themselves a
But he has hope in his eyes job. They are not for
and tells you, “I made my deal adoption, they know
with God. I am keeping my part of who their parents are
the bargain, he has to keep his!”
and the parents are
Website:
grateful for our support.
http://newarkmission.org/
Only when you help the
email: newarkmissionofindia@
underprivileged
can
yahoo.com
you really say you did
Meena Prochaska
anything in your life.”
Twelve years ago, Meena met You can contact
and married Roland Prochaska in Meena at : roland@
Oman. Roland is from Whidbey jeevarathni.com and
Island in Washington State, USA visit their website:
Sarah Santamaria: My dream is to see the Diya Foundation turn
and Meena from Church Street, www.jeevarathni.com
into a community project where people realise they must help the
Bangalore. “I struck a bargain
“Today some of our less fortunate, mentally challenged child, to also eke out a living
with Roland at the time saying – students have branched
we will live for the first ten years out into making products which Foundation turn into a community
in the US and then we will come might have a more local and project where people realise they
back to live in India,” muses immediate market. Rava idli mix, must help the less fortunate
Meena. So when an opportunity chutney pudi, they have made mentally challenged child to also
arose for them to work in an inroads into areas which they eke out a living,” says Sarah with
NGO in Nallur called Jeevarathni are comfortable with, that earn fervour.“
Foundation, early this year, they them a decent livelihood,” reveals Contact:
sold everything in the US and 48 year old Sarah Santamaria [email protected];
came here.
who began the Diya Foundation Website:www.diyafoundation.
“I am here only because of my 13 years ago. Forty mentally com
love for underprivileged children. challenged teenagers from the
Marianne de Nazareth is a freelance writer
We have no children of our own, marginalised strata come eagerly
based in Bangalore
73
TII Photo Competition
TII AMATEUR PHOTO COMPETITION!
Email ONE Best Photo (hi-res Jpeg file) on the theme below to [email protected]
and win exciting prizes! (For contest rules please visit www.theinternationalindian.com)
a nursing school. None of its
diploma holders are jobless and
we have now tied up with the
University of British Columbia to
raise our standards. To support
all this work I have set up two
charitable organizations in India
and Canada. I am sorry to tell
you that while the Canadian
government, fully aware that
money is going overseas, has
given us a tax-exemption status,
our government is yet to provide
similar relief even when all the
benefits are coming here. Anyway,
we don’t let such things upset
us and continue with our work.
I don’t have any family member
here. If Guru Nanak could spend
25 years away from his family,
then as a Sikh and his follower, I
should also be able to do it for a
good cause.
Sardar Budh Singh Dhahan,
philanthropist and former
sawmill worker, born Dhahan
Kaleran, Punjab, 1925
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
What's New?
in Dubai
First Rain of 2011
Rk
Photo by: Monica
Meet the Nexus S
Monsoon Boat
Shah
Photo by: Salman
with Android 2.3
Theme: Monsoon
By: A Staff Writer
TII Hall Of Fame
If Guru Nanak could spend
25 years away from his family,
then I should also be able to do it for a good cause
T
he British jailed two of my
uncles during the freedom
struggle and I was also put
away twice. In independent India
I was arrested for fighting for the
interests of Punjab. Altogether
I have been arrested 11 times
and put behind bars for periods
ranging from a few days to
several months.
In 1959, my sister sponsored
me to come to Canada. I started
as a manual labourer at a sawmill,
later moved to grader, then
quality controller but had to leave
the mill after six years due to ill
health. I restarted as a labourer
74
at a plywood-making company,
moved up and later left to start
my own construction business. By
waheguru kripa, I found success
and business multiplied. Education
has been a passion with me and
the first thing I did was to start a
Punjabi school in British Columbia
so that our younger generation
was not cut off from their cultural
roots. This was the very first one
and now there are many. Punjabi is
also offered as a second language
in regular schools. I started several
other schools in Canada and
raised resources for schools back
in Punjab. These rural areas of
Punjab lacked facilities for higher
education, so I decided that once
my children were well settled, I
would return to work here.
In 1982, I set up this 250bed charity hospital in Punjab
and ten years later we started
S
amsung and Google launched
Nexus S, the world’s first
handset to feature the
latest version of Google’s
Android™
platform.
Powered
by
Android
2.3,
Gingerbread,
this
smartphone
is
packed
with powerful technology
and the latest in hardware
features.
Form Meets Functionality
Featuring both superior
functionality and a stunning
user-experience, the Nexus
S has a brilliant Super
AMOLED touch screen
that provides a premium
viewing experience. The
4-inch Contour Display has
a curved design for a more
ergonomic style and feel when
held to the user’s face.
Powered by a 1 GHz
Hummingbird processor, Nexus S
produces rich 3D graphics, faster
upload and download times and
supports HD-like multimedia
content. In addition, Nexus S
features a gyroscope sensor to
provide a smooth, fluid gaming
experience when the user is
tilting the device up or down or
panning the phone to the left or
right. It also comes with 16 GB of
internal memory.
Impressive Features
Nexus S features Near
Field Communication (NFC)
technology, which allows users to
read information off of everyday
objects like stickers and
posters that are embedded
with
NFC
chips.
It’s
also equipped with a 5
megapixel
rear
facing
camera and camcorder, as
well as a VGA front facing
camera, and features a new
and improved keyboard
with multi-touch support,
Internet calling (VoIP/SIP
support) and a clean new
user interface.
Get Access to Apps
This
powerful
smartphone also includes
popular Android features
such as portable Wi-Fi hotspot,
true multitasking and access to
Google mobile services such
as Google Search™, Gmail™,
Google Maps™ with Navigation,
Voice Actions, Google Voice™
and YouTube™, and access to
over 100,000 apps and widgets
available in the Android Market™.
75
Focus
Healthcare Scenario In Dubai
And Lifestyle Diseases
The Emirate has high rates of chronic diseases
related to life style such as obesity, diabetes, and
cardiovascular diseases.
By: A Staff Writer
T
he Emirates have achieved
several milestones in the last
few years in terms of offering
a better infrastructure and quality
of life. UAE’s population grew
exponentially to 8.6 million in mid
2010, a growth of 64.5% in four
years, while Dubai’s population
alone grew by nearly seven per
cent in the first nine months of
2010 to reach 1.87 million.
While the Emirate continues
to grow on the socio-economic
front, the Emirate has high rates
of chronic diseases related to life
style such as obesity, diabetes,
and cardiovascular diseases. Early
analysis of results of a screening
program show obesity rates of
33% for males and 38% for females
and high proportions of people at
risk of diabetes and hypertension.
Without major changes, these
rates are set to increase further as
the young population ages.
Obesity
UAE Statistics: According
to WHO, Saudi Arabia has the
world’s third highest rate of
obesity with a huge 35.6% of
its population categorised as
overweight, the UAE comes
fourth with 33.7%, followed in
sixth place by Bahrain (28.9%) and
Kuwait in seventh place (28.8%).
The UAE (19.5%) puts Saudi
Arabia (16.7%) into second place
in the list of countries with the
highest rates of diabetes, with
76
Bahrain in third (15.2%), Kuwait in
fourth (14.4%) and Oman in fifth
(13.1%), according to WHO.
Diabetes
UAE Statistics: The United Arab
Emirates is witnessing a diabetes
explosion, with approximately
19.5 per cent of the population
now suffering from the disease.
Further statistics reportedly show
that 40 per cent of residents,
aged 60 plus, have diabetes, and
the disease causes 75 per cent of
deaths amongst UAE nationals. By
2020, an estimated 32 percent of
the adult population (age 20-79),
including both UAE nationals and
expatriates, may have diabetes or
prediabetes over the next decade,
if current trends continue.
Yet, the vast majority of cases
of prediabetes and about 35
percent of cases of diabetes in
the UAE remain undiagnosed,
representing lost opportunities to
avoid the costs and complications
of a largely preventable disease.
Medical costs attributable to
diabetes and prediabetes in the
UAE are forecast to increase to
perhaps $1.04 billion (AED 3.82
billion) by 2020, representing
a 58 percent increase from an
estimated $657 million (AED 2.41
billion) in 2010.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
includes dysfunctional conditions
of the heart, arteries, and veins
that supply oxygen to vital lifesustaining areas of the body like
the brain, the heart itself, and
other vital organs.
UAE Statistics: One in two
deaths in the UAE are caused by
cardiovascular diseases and the
first cardio event (strike) occurs
at around 45, which is 10 to 15
years earlier than the international
average of 55 to 60, according to
local medical experts.
With big names in the in
the healthcare industry keen
to enter UAE, there has been a
good expansion in the sector in
the past two years. However the
shortage of high end medical
staff continues to interfere
with a smooth growth. Various
factors such as high birth
rates, increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases including
diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular
diseases and other obesityrelated illnesses will add pressure
on the UAE’s healthcare services.
Treatment in India
The emergence of India as a
destination for medical tourism
leverages the country’s well
educated,
English-speaking
medical staff, state-of-the-art
private hospitals and diagnostic
facilities, and relatively low cost to
address the sprawling healthcare
costs of countries such as the
UAE. India’s private hospitals
Focus
excel in fields such as cardiology,
joint replacement, orthopaedic
surgery,
gastroenterology,
ophthalmology,
transplants
and
urology.
Internationally
accredited medical facilities using
advanced technology and highly
qualified doctors and hospital
support staff attract larger
numbers of medical tourists with
every passing day.
Designed as the ultimate
resource for health and wellness
tourism, Treatment Overseas is
a venture of Praxis Healthcare
Consultancy.
Established
in
2006 and based in Mumbai,
India. The company has the
expertise to provide healthcare
facilitation services and medical
arrangements for foreigners in
cities all across India through
their network of hospitals. “We
take on the task of easing the
world wide health care backlog
that exists in the healthcare
systems by providing access to
world-class tertiary healthcare
to countries that do not possess
the facilities indigenously by
making available the Indian
tertiary healthcare expertise.”
says Dr. Rashi Agarwal, Director,
Treatment Overseas.
About the Company
Dr. Rashi Agarwal, Director,
Praxis (www.praxishc.com), has
been consulting with various
healthcare facilities in areas of
hospital planning, operational
management, quality, human
resources, marketing etc. in
USA, India, UAE and Africa.
She is also a visiting faculty for
health administration programs
in India. Dr. Agarwal has
received her Master in Health
Administration (M.H.A.) from
Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis U.S.A. (www.
treatmentoverseas.com)
Malpani Infertility Clinic
Ranked first in the areas of Value for Money and
Attention to Patients
By: A Staff Writer
M
alpani Infertility Clinic
offers IVF (In Vitro
Fertilization)
treatment
to infertile couples from all over
the world. One of the top five IVF
clinics in India, it ranked first in
the areas of Value for Money and
Attention to Patients in a survey
of the country’s best health
centres, conducted by Outlook
Magazine.
The
survey’s
findings
were the result of a rigorous
five-month
long
exercise
undertaken by a dozen
researchers after quizzing 679
doctors around the country
on parameters that a quality
hospital must meet to qualify.
These were: competence of
doctors, infrastructure and
facilities, cleanliness, value
for money and attention to
patients.
78
At the Malpani Infertility
Clinic, Dr. Aniruddha and Dr.
Anjali Malpani provide stateof-the-art
IVF
treatment
at affordable prices, in a
comfortable atmosphere. The
purpose-built, 2500 square
foot facility, located in the
heart of south Bombay, is
just an hour’s ride away from
Mumbai’s international airport.
IVF treatment is done on a daycare basis, so no hospitalisation
is required. A patient needs to
make only four to six visits to
the clinic during the entire cycle,
and can fly back home after the
embryo transfer.
“We offer all the newest
reproductive
techniques,
including IVF, ICSI, laser assisted
hatching, embryo freezing, egg
donation, PGD, embryo biopsy
and blastocyst transfer,” says Dr.
Anjali Malpani who emphasises
that, “All treatments (including
consultation,
all
ultrasound
scans, egg collection and embryo
transfers) are done personally by
my sister Dr. Aniruddha Malpani
or myself. The buck stops with us
- and we don’t delegate any part
of your delicate and critical IVF
treatment to anyone else!”
With developed protocols that
allow patients to interact with
them by Email, greatly reducing
the time required to be spent
at the clinic, and the successoriented approach employed at
the clinic, it is no wonder that
patients from as far afield as the
USA, UK, Australia, Middle East,
Kenya, Nigeria and Singapore
have successfully been treated at
the clinic.
For a guided tour of the clinic
online visit: www.drmalpani.com
Music
The Maestros
Of Melody
The lingering voice, the melting melody, the soulful approach – the
‘ghazal’ is but a journey of words that takes you deep inside the
alleys of your mind. It knocks upon your heart and leaves you in the
familiar embrace of memories.
By: Ruqya Khan
T
ime and again, I have taken
this trail of thought where
poetry turns the pages of
the mind. I walked past
hidden away moments
that I had once cherished
so dearly. I rested upon
incomplete dreams and
broken promises. Silent
summers, winter hues –
they have all witnessed
my love for music and
poetry.
Since I can remember I
have admired the work of
ghazal singer, Jagjit Singh
and lyricist Gulzar. It was
heart warming to see
them come together for
the first time on an international
stage to perform live in Dubai.
Jagjit’s voice hasn’t changed.
Gulzar’s word play hasn’t, either.
They created magic as they
gave the audience an engaging
ensemble of classic ghazals and
thoughtful contemporary poetry.
Designed and conceptualised
by Exquity Events, the concert,
Koi Baath Chale was a like a
moment in history. Renuka Singh,
from Exquity had been working
80
on the idea of this concert for
over a year. She was happy
to present it to Dubai to mark
Jagjit Singh & Gulzar Sahab: The Maestros of Melody
Singh’s 70th birthday, she said,
“Bringing Jagjitji to Dubai for
a concert is always a pleasure.
The audience love him and his
work. But I wanted to take it to
a different level altogether by
combining the power of Gulzar
Sahab’s pen and poetry. He was
a bit hesitant about how the
event would unfold but we were
all mesmerised with their stage
presence. It was beautiful to
visit old ghazals and new poetry
with them. The response of the
audience has been so good that
we hope to take this concert to
New York and many other
cities very soon.”
“It isn’t easy, painting
pictures with verse. It isn’t
simple, touching a heart
to the core. But for this
uniquely acclaimed duo,
it is an art that they are
known by,” she added.
Jagjit Singh and Gulzar
have come together to
perform on rare occasions.
They worked together
to create the soundtrack
for a television serial
on Mirza Ghalib, an 18th
century Persian poet of India,
and for memorable albums
such as Marasim and Koi Baat
Chale. At the concert, their
interaction with their audience
and the participation of the
crowd was one that Dubai had
never seen before. The warmth
of their familiar voices and styles
kept the evening glowing like
a kindling campfire. Jagjit was
loyal to his time-tested musical
style, whatever small variations
Jagjit Singh has given musical expression to
countless memorable ghazals and nazms. In
a career spanning over four decades, he has
created hit albums of ghazals, bhajans (Hindu
devotional songs), songs in Punjabi and other
Indian languages and also composed music for
Bollywood films. He has won many national and
international awards for his contribution to music.
he added in the orchestration
helped the ambience with that
extra edge, making it thoroughly
enjoyable. His relaxed style
of rendition, coupled with the
beautiful instrumental interludes
helped soak in Gulzar’s beautifully
poignant words.
After a successful evening
of melody, the grand masters
of music and poetry spoke to
TII about the many small things
that make the big picture. “Life
is a teacher, it never stops at a
given point to give you a lesson.
It moves on – giving you an
occaional bruise, a scar, a hurt,
a smile even. What you perceive
from your days is what you make
of them. In my journey of more
than 70 years, I have come to
understand that being real is
more important than anything
else. We chase the achievements
of our past and glorify that
which has been. We fail to look
ahead and hope for a brighter
tomorrow. This is where we need
to reorganise our thoughts and
views,” said Gulzar.
“A man who moulds his talent
with the need of the hour is able
to keep his ground. When I am
writing a song, it is in keeping
with the demand of the film. It
has nothing to do with my own
style of poetry or vice versa. To
be a writer is a responsibility, you
always have a message to convey.
What you say depends on who’s
voice your words will be living in.
To fulfil my thirst as a writer I have
a number of books that I have
compiled – these are windows to
my being. In them you will see the
thoughts of my mind, the vision
of my life, the solitude of my
poetry,” he added.
“Indeed solitude is important
for one to find himself,” agrees
Jagjit Singh. “I think one must
spend sometime alone to
analyse and assess the part you
are playing in your own life. It
brings out the true colours of
your thought. Being lonely is not
essential to being alone – a person
can be alone even in a crowd. I
myself have had that experience
of getting so engrossed in my
performance that I forget I am
in the auditorium and singing
for a group. These are the times
when I feel elated and blessed. It
is important to step aside from
the rush of life and see how and
where we are going.”
“And to know the significance
of solitude, one must know
what solitude is,” added Gulzar.
“Writing verses, reciting poetry,
winning awards – this all part of
the roles we play but when you
truly know yourself you know
where you lack and where you
need to grow. My words are my
strength but they can be penned
only when they are louder than
my thoughts.”
“She stands alone in a crowd
of frivolous songs and raunchy
numbers. Her worth undermined
by the youth of today. Yet she
remains poised and pure. Her
strength lies in weaving pictures
with words, teasing hearts with
soulful verse. Indeed, the ghazal,
has been a silent witness to the
change of tunes. Her custodian,
Gulzar is one of the most versatile artists the
Indian cultural scene has ever seen. A poet, lyricist,
writer and director rolled into one, his best works
have made a significant cultural impact. His
song Mora Gora Ang Lai Le now celebrates 50
years. His ground breaking collaboration with
A.R.Rahman in Slumdog Millionaire decorated
him with an Oscar for Best Original Song and he
recently received a Filmfare award for Best Lyricist
for Kaminey.
Jagjit Singh is a man of fame, who
refuses to be titled as a legend.
He takes forward the gift of this
musical genre and welcomes
the listeners to receive it with
pride. ‘‘It has been an honour to
be part of this beautiful concert
with my dear friend, I wish him
good health and a prosperous life
ahead,” says Gulzar.
Ruqya Khan, is a Sharjah based
freelance writer
81
Food
Bridal Cooking
Baked and Stuffed Brinjals
Ingredients
250 grams paneer cut into large squares
250 grams curds
25 grams cashew nut paste
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
2 tablespoons white butter
100 grams cheese grated
Salt and white pepper to taste
No other country in the world can boast of such a great variety
of delicious dishes as India. Spicy, colorful, whole some and
nourishing dishes, a delight to the eyes and the palate. In India,
it’s a tradition for a new bride to enter the kitchen on the second
day of her marriage where she has to cook a meal which everyone
enjoys and for which she gets a gift from her mother-in -law. Below
are given some delightfully scrumptious recipes which a new bride
can make.
Decoration
Mint leaves and onion rings
By: Golden Reejsinghani
soft. Add the vegetables, chicken, corn flour and
soya sauce. Mix well and remove from fire. Soak
the papads in water for a second, remove and wipe
dry. Spread some chicken mixture on one end, roll
up, seal the edges with water and deep fry to a
golden color. Drain and serve with chutney.
Egg Delight
Papad Spring Rolls
Ingredients
8 papads
1/2 cup grated vegetables like carrots, cabbage,
capsicums, cooked chopped mushrooms
1 green onion minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
125 grams shredded chicken
1 tablespoon each of soya sauce and corn flour
Salt to taste
Method
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and fry ginger and onion till
82
Paneer Dil Pasand
Ingredients 500 grams potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
2 green chilies minced
4 slices of bread soaked in water and squeezed dry
4 eggs beaten, 1 cup dry bread crumbs
6 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
Salt and pepper to taste
Method Mix together potatoes, chilies, coriander leaves,
bread, salt and beaten eggs and knead to dough ,
Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Cover each
egg completely with a portion of dough. Roll in
crumbs and keep in the fridge till you are ready to
fry. Deep fry the rolls to a golden color. Cut each
roll into 4 pieces and serve with ketchup
mixed with chili sauce.
Ingredients
3 medium brinjals, parboiled
2 medium onions, minced
1 medium tomato blanched and diced
1/2 cup boiled rice
6 flakes crushed garlic, 2 green chilies, minced
2 hard – boiled eggs, diced
1 small potato, boiled, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon garam masala <ground cloves,
cinnamon and cardamom>
2 tablespoons grated cheese
Salt and chili powder to taste
Method
Cut the brinjals into halves lengthwise and scoop
out a little of the pulp from inside to leave thick
shells. Brown onions in hot oil, add tomatoes, garlic
and the scooped out pulp. Cover and simmer over
a medium fire until the tomatoes are tender. Stir
in the potatoes, eggs and seasonings. Cook for
5 minutes more. Mix with the rice and the grated
cheese. Pile the mixture into the shells. Place in a
greased baking dish. Bake in a moderate oven for
1/2 an hour or until the brinjals are done.
Method
Heat two tablespoons white butter add curds
cashew nuts, cheese, salt, pepper and cardamoms.
Cook till the butter separates. Mix in the square
paneer pieces and cook till the paneer pieces are
well coated with the mixture. Put in a serving plate
put grated cheese on top and
garnish with mint leaves.
Chicken Treat
Ingredients
1 chicken,
25 grams each of blanched almonds
and cashew nuts
1 teaspoon saffron strands
1 large cup sour curds
5 cardamoms
5 cloves
83
Food
1 –inch piece cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 –inch piece ginger
2 flakes garlic
3 medium onions
1 tablespoon anise seeds
1 tablespoon ginger powder
A few pepper corns
1 teaspoon jeera
Salt to taste
Method
Grind the nuts to a paste along with the whole
spices. Soak saffron in 4 tablespoons hot milk for 5
minutes, then grind to a paste. Grind onion, ginger
and garlic to a coarse paste. Heat 250 grams ghee
and fry the onion paste to a golden color. Put in
the sides of the flattened strip of the dough, then
roll into a rectangular shape. Shallow fry to a golden
color and serve with kebabs or similar.
Stuffed Gulab Jamoons
Ingredients
10 readymade gulab jamoons
10 teaspoons cream
5 teaspoons honey
Method
Heat milk and sugar together. When sugar dissolves
add cardamoms and papaya. Cook till the mixture
turns thick. Mix in khoya and 3 tablespoons ghee.
Keep on stirring till the ghee comes out of the
halwa. Put in a serving dish and decorate with
almonds and pistachios. Srve hot.
For the Chutney
5 tablespoons coconut
1 cup coriander leaves
1- Inch piece ginger
1/4 cup mint leaves
3 green chilies
4 cardamoms
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
Grind all the chutney ingredients to a paste
Lachedar Paratha
Ingredients
3 cups Flour
3 tablespoons ghee
all the spices and nut paste and fry again to a red
color. Add the curds and the chicken and cook till
the chicken turns red and ghee starts oozing out.
Cover with hot water and cook till the chicken
turns tender and quite dry. Mix in the saffron and
remove from fire. Serve immediately.
Method
Blend together ghee and flour add enough water
to form a stiff dough . Divide the dough into lime –
sized balls. Take a ball of the dough and roll out a
long strip. Apply melted ghee liberally on both the
folded sides of the strip. Then place one edge of the
strip on the palms of your hand and with the right
hand coil the strip round and round till the whole
strip is coiled, press flat and apply dry flour on both
Papaya Halwa
84
2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds
and pistachios
A few drops red food coloring
A few drops rose essence
Method
Mix together cream, honey, color and essence.
Nicely cut the jamoons into neat halves scoop out
the center carefully with a sharp knife. Mash the
centers and mix well with the cream mixture, Place
the gulab jamoons on a white tissue paper then on
a serving plate and fill with cream and decorate
with the nuts. Serve.
Biryani Mazedar
Ingredients
250 grams ripe yellow papaya peeled seeded and
chopped; 1/2 litre milk.
100 grams khoya
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
200 grams sugar
3 tablespoons blanched and
sliced almonds and pistachios
Ingredients
2 cups rice, 4 cloves, 4 cardamoms
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves crumbled
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
100 grams carrots cut into juliennes
1 big capsicum cut into juliennes
100 grams cauliflower, cut into flowerettes
Large tomato peeled and pureed
250 grams green peas
4 tablespoons ground coconut
1-inch piece ginger, cut into juliennes
4 green chilies, slitted
Handful of coriander leaves
A few mint leaves
1 tablespoon dhaniajeera powder
5 tablespoons ghee
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder salt and chili
powder to taste
Method
Heat 5 tablespoons ghee and add the cumin seeds
When they stop tossing put all the vegetables
and mix well. Fry for 5 minutes then add all the
powdered spices, salt pureed tomato and coconut.
Cook till almost dry. Heat 3 tablespoons ghee
separately and add the whole spices and the
ground green chutney and cook till a nice aroma
emanates from it, add the rice and mix well and
pour 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat
and cook till almost tender and dry. Mix in the
vegetables and continue cooking over a very slow
fire till the rice is tender and no moisture is left
serve hot with raita and papad.
Golden Reejsinghani is a
freelance writer based in Mumbai
85
Buzz Word
American Tourister launches
‘Westlake’ – The Perfect Luggage
Pick This Summer
Modern, affordable line provides added
comfort & convenience
A
Tourister Westlake
merican
Tourister,
the
provider of durable family
travel solutions, has announced
the launch of Westlake – a unique
combination of contemporaryyet-affordable range of soft
side luggage solutions in the
Middle East. The latest luggage
line offers unmatched comfort,
sturdiness and convenience to
suit the demands of travellers
across the region this Summer.
The
American
Tourister
Westlake – ideally suited for
cabin luggage – is made from
tough and durable nylon and
sports an attractive look, with its
extendable soft grip handle on
the top and the side providing
superior grip and handling.
Equipped with added features
to offer the perfect blend of
functionality and strength, the
Westlake offers push button
trolleys for height adjustment and
a fixed combi lock for security.
With its gun metal accessories,
Westlake sports a chic look;
and its spinners provide ease of
handling.
“The launch of American
Tourister
Westlake
luggage
solutions is in line with our
strategy to offer the most
convenient and effective travel
solutions for the Middle East
travellers this Summer. Westlake
provides the optimal mix of
stylish chic without costing a
fortune, while embracing our core
values of functionality, strength
and durability,” said Mr Subrata
Dutta, Managing Director - South
Asia, at American Tourister.
Available in two bright colours
– Black and Red – the Westlake
range comes in three models
– Spinner 55, Spinner 66 and
Spinner 77.
Indian Envoy Releases Spoken
Arabic Handbook
I
ndian Ambassador to Qatar
HE Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa
released the Spoken Arabic
Book titled “Spoken Arabic for
Everybody” handing over the first
copy to Padmasree Advocate
CK Menon, Chairman of Behzad
Group of Companies. Written
by
Amanulla
Vadakkangara,
this is the seventh book by him
in the Spoken Arabic Series.
Published by Goodword Books,
this handbook is helpful in
learning Arabic without the help
of teachers.
Speaking on the occasion,
the Indian envoy said that it
was very important for learning
the language of the country for
a number of reasons. She said
“the Arabic language, apart from
its rich cultural and traditional
University Of Dubai Students
Attend HSBA International Week
2011 In Germany
Students exchange ideas and establish stronger ties with
international partners
University of Dubai students representing the
institutionat the Hamburg School of Business
Administration (HSBA) International Week
2011held in Hamburg, Germany.
T
en
students
from
the
University of Dubai (UD), a
prestigious university in the UAE
established by Dubai Chamber
of Commerce and Industry,
have represented the institution
at the Hamburg School of
Business Administration (HSBA)
International Week 2011 held in
Hamburg, Germany recently.
For the 7th time in a row HSBA
Hamburg School of Business
Administration organized its
Annual International Week as a
platform for the exchange of ideas
86
and the establishment of stronger
ties with its international partner
universities. This year’s theme,
“Hamburg as Green Capital
2011: Reconciling Economic and
Ecological Objectives” included
lectures on topics like global
business, culture in different
European countries, agricultural
fuel, clean energy, sustainability
and other environmental issues.
The participating institutions
included Andrassy University and
Budapest Business School from
Hungary; DePaul University from
Chicago, USA; Edinburgh Napier
University from UK; HaagaHelia University from Finland;
Higher School of Economics St.
Petersburg from Russia and UD.
The program included visits
by the students to multinational
and high profile companies such
as Hapag-Lloyd AG, Haffencity,
Aurubis AG and Hamburger
Hochbahn AG where they learned
the different aspects of the
business and had an on-site plant
and firm visits.
The HSBA’ program also gave
the students the opportunity
to showcase UD’s International
Accreditations
(AACSB
and
ABET) and programs being
offered at the institution. They
also showed a 10-minute clip on
Dubai that was played during the
home institutions’ presentation.
values, is the most important
language for communication in
Qatar and the region. Knowing
the language will greatly improve
the communication skills of the
expatriates with the government
departments and the citizens
of the country. Moreover it will
enable the people to understand
the cultural and local traditions of
the country in a better way.” She
also gave a number of examples
of expatriate Indians who got into
trouble due to their inability to
communicate in Arabic.
Advocate CK Menon said
that Arabic is one of the most
vibrant languages in the world.
Mentioning
the
importance
of learning Arabic, he said
“Learning the Arabic language
will help all expatriates in the
Indian envoy Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa
(5th left) handing over the copy of the book to
Padmasree Advocate C K Menon (4th left)
country to converse and deal
with others more confidently
and conveniently. It is important
for every expatriate to know the
language of the country so that
they feel integrated with the
culture and values of the country.”
President of Ideal Indian School
Hassan Kunhi, MES Indian School
office bearers K P Abdul Hameed,
A K Usman and Indian Social
Worker Advocate Nissar Kocheri
also spoke on the occasion.
Shukkur Kinaloor, Chairman of
Acon Group presided over the
function.
Jet Airways Introduces Convenient
Mobile Ticketing Solution, Enabling
Guests To Book Flight Tickets With
Their Mobile Phones
Jet Airways partners with ngpay, India’s largest mall on
mobile
J
et Airways, India’s premier
International
airline,
has
entered into a partnership
with ngpay, offering guests a
convenient option to seamlessly
book Jet Airways tickets on
their mobile phones. With over a
million users, ngpay is the fastest
growing
end-to-end
mobile
commerce service in India.
This
service
will
allow
guests to book, cancel and
refund their eTickets and also
manage payment cards on their
phones. Upon completion of
the booking process, an eTicket
will automatically be sent to the
guest’s preferred email address.
The eTicket details will also be
sent to his mobile phone via SMS.
To activate this facility, Jet
Airways guests would need to
download the ngpay - mobile
ticketing application on their
GPRS enabled mobile phones.
To download the application,
guests would need to send an
SMS “Jetngpay” to 56388. They
will then receive a SMS with a
link to download the application.
Upon successful download, the
ngpay icon will be displayed on
their mobile phones.
To know more about booking
your Jet Airways ticket on
ngpay, visit jetairways.com or
m.jetairways.com.
According to Mr. Sudheer
Raghavan, Chief Commercial
Officer, Jet Airways (I) Ltd., “Jet
Airways’ partnership with ngpay
will offer yet another convenient
booking channel, enabling our
guests to book tickets on their
mobile. We are confident that the
convenience and simplicity of this
service will be much appreciated
by our guests especially since
mobile phones have now become
an integral part of our daily lives.”
87
Buzz Word
India Tourism Showcased
Myriad Attractions At ATM
Inglot’s All New Crazy Nails
I
NGLOT,
a
revolutionary
cosmetics company know for
their wild colors, funky lashes
and wide range of make-up, has
launched an all new product
that’s sure to start trends and
turn modest fashionistas into
cracking divas.
INGLOT’s all new Crazy Nails
cracking nail enamel collection’s
unique formula, dries to create
a cracked earth effect, when
applied over your favorite nail
polish, creating a high fashion
look that’s easy to create and maintain; simply shake the enamel before
applying an even layer over your favorite pre-applied nail polish. Crazy
Nails cracking nail enamel dries in unique cracked and flake patterns,
which can be sealed by applying a transparent top coat to obtain a
long lasting effect. The thicker the layer of the cracking nail enamel,
the wider the crack pattern on the nail.
In the UAE, INGLOT is distributed by the Apparel Group whose
vision aims at being the premier source of contemporary fashion in
the region offering world-class excellence in quality and value. Having
its milestones imprinted across the world-map, Apparel’s mission to
completely satisfy its multicultural customer base through the best
of international brands that offer the latest trends and contemporary
design has come into existence with its strong partnership with
prestigious world class labels. At present the Apparel Group has
grown to include 45 international brands under its portfolio from US,
Canada, Europe, Australia and the Far East and continues to target
various other segments in the market.
INGLOT’s new line Crazy Nails cracking nail enamel is now available
at any one of their INGLOT stores, found in Abu Dhabi Mall, Burjuman
Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, Al Wahda Mall, Bawadi Mall, Dubai Mall,
IBN Battuta Mall, Lamcy Plaza, Mega Mall Reef Mall and Snow Dome
Marina.
Naturalizer Introduces Style,
Comfort, Sustainability with
Launch of Naya by Naturalizer
Vibrant colors, dazzling prints and enchanting day to night
resort wear
Naya for Naturalizer
N
aya by Naturalizer, from
Brown Shoe Company,
Inc., the makers of Naturalizer
women’s footwear, is a new
collection of women’s shoes
that blends beautiful design,
premium comfort and ecofriendly materials.
Naya’s
debut
collection
includes
styles such as wedges, flat
sandals, heels and ballet flats.
Each Naya shoe begins with a
feminine design enhanced by rich,
vibrant colors and creative details.
Because Naya places the same
88
emphasis on comfort for which
Naturalizer is known worldwide,
Naya
designers
incorporate
soft leathers, breathable leather
linings and layers of premium
cushioning. And, because Naya
is committed to choosing ecofriendly and natural materials
whenever possible, the shoes
feature:
• Chrome-free or vegetabletanned leather
• Natural, organic or sustainable fabrics
• Sustainable bamboo heels
• Biodegradable latex foam
• Natural cork and rubber
Focus on medical and wellness tourism potential
on offer in India
I
ndia Tourism Dubai showcased
its multitude of attractions
within India at the Arabian Travel
Market [ATM] 2011 – the world’s
largest exhibition for travel and
tourism industry in Dubai held
on May 2 - 5, 2011. As part of its
participation under the banner
Incredible India, the entire gamut
of tourism potential – both
business and leisure travel – was
on show during the exhibition.
India Tourism Dubai provided a
glimpse of the newer destinations
as also the countless cultural,
spiritual and travel experiences
that India offers. Foreign tourist
arrivals into India have witnessed
a steady increase over the years,
touching 5.58 million in 2010, a
spurt of a whopping 9.3% over 5.1
million tourist arrivals in 2009.
One of the highlights at this
year’s Incredible India showcase
at ATM 2011 was the focus on the
Medical Tourism in the country.
Within the scope of this, India’s
vast potential as a health and
wellness tourism destination,
backed by its medical facilities
and world-class doctors and
hospitals, ancient healing systems
such as Ayurveda and other
rejuvenating programs coupled
with modern medical amenities as
also the diverse tourism products
such as rural tourism and culture,
were on display.
Own Land for as little
as AED 1.50 per sq. ft.
(approx.)
footbeds
• Outsoles made with recycled materials
• Nickel-free metal buckles
Every pair of Naya shoes
arrives in a shoebox made with
recycled paper, water-soluble
glue and soy-based ink, and
includes a reusable shoe bag.
“We are excited to offer this
new eco-friendly collection to
the women of the UAE. Finally,
our customers have a footwear
choice that incorporates style,
comfort and what’s good for the
earth.”
Talking about the scope for
medical and health tourism in
India, Mr. Vikas Rustagi, Regional
Director (West Asia & Africa) at
India Tourism Dubai, said: “India is
a perfect destination for medical
tourism that combines health
treatment with visits to some
of the most alluring and aweinspiring places of the world. A
growing number of tourists are
flocking in large numbers because
of the superlative medical care,
equipments and facilities that
India offers.
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89
Buzz Word
‘Product Not Available? Claim
Free!’... Now In Abu Dhabi
Electronics retail powerhouse Sharaf DG opens store
at Abu Dhabi Mall
C
ontinuing with its aggressive
expansion plans, Sharaf DG,
the UAE’s largest electronics
retailer, has ventured into Abu
Dhabi with the opening its first
ever store in the emirate’s well
known Abu Dhabi Mall. Located on
the second level of ‘I Zone’ in the
mall, this more than 30,000 sq.
ft. store is the largest electronics
store in the emirate. This new store
marks another Sharaf DG footprint
in a prominent address besides the
sixteen existing ones spread across
Dubai, Sharjah and Bahrain.
The new store, which will stock
leading international brands and
over 14,000 electronic products
in just one location, will also boast
a series of unheard of offers from
the likes of Samsung, LG, Nikon,
Canon and Philips, to name a few.
Speaking on Sharaf DG’s
expansion plans, Mr. Yasser Sharaf,
MD, Sharaf DG, commented:
“Sharaf DG has been witnessing a
steady growth in sales, primarily
on account of our attractive
promotions, exhaustive product
range, and excellent customer
service. This has encouraged us
to continue with our ambitious
expansion plans in the GCC. 2011
is a year of new opportunities for
us and with stores set to open in
prime locations across the UAE,
Celebrate Spring With Las.sel
Collection From LIALI Jewellery
High quality handcrafted jewellery displaying unique floral designs
L
IALI Jewellery, leading retailer
of luxury jewellery in Dubai,
returns to nature for their latest
Las.sel collection of high quality
handcrafted jewellery displaying
unique floral designs depicting
the beautiful cherry blossom,
the popular flower that blooms
in Japan signifying the arrival of
spring.
Exclusively
designed
by
Minoru Kodama from Japan, Las.
sel is an abbreviation of “your last
selection” hence the designer
hopes that every woman
who is confused about
which jewellery to wear
will opt for her Las.sel
piece.
The latest collection
of pendants and rings
90
showcases magnificent
artistry and innovative
workmanship.
The
stunning pendants and rings
are presented in rose gold
and white gold, the shades
of the blossoms. A totally
new creation of two-tone
combination of white and rose
gold is also available for the
collection.
Raed Baker, Chairman of
LIALI Jewellery, said: “We
are delighted to present the
exclusive and extraordinary
Las.sel collection for spring
and summer that reflects the
wonderful beauty of nature in
its intricate designs. A beautiful
pendant and ring inspired by
the cherry blossom of Japan
we are confident of continued
success in the retail market! Abu
Dhabi is just the beginning…”
Mr. Nilesh Khalkho, CEO,
Sharaf DG, added: “Sharaf DG is
known in the market as leading
the retail ‘evolution’ and bringing
innovation to the industry.
Dubai and Sharjah have already
witnessed it and now it’s time
for Abu Dhabi to experience the
largest electronics destination in
the region”. Speaking on the main
USP of this new store, i.e. the 24hour Brand promise, he said: “If
we don’t deliver your product
claim within 24 working hours,
you get it absolutely free.’’
exemplifies love, affection and
feminine beauty. Crafted with
sophistication to perfectly match
any spring or summer clothing,
the jewellery pieces are also
elegant for any evening wear.
These delicate pieces of
jewellery will be treasured
in a woman’s jewellery box
for many years to come.”
Las.sel is known for its
quality craftsmanship and
distinctive designs. The brand’s
specialty is its polish and
designs that are all original
and extremely popular in
Japan. Produced in limited
editions, the master artisans
handcraft
each
piece
using traditional tools. All
diamonds used in Las.sel are
VS and are cut to perfection.
Welcome the arrival of
spring with these exclusive
designs from Las.sel available
only at selected LIALI stores at
the Mall of Emirates, Meadows
and Jumeirah Centre.
91
Soldiers
When Media Forgets
Its Obligation To The Soldiers
A soldier is always prepared for the supreme sacrifice. Despite
the immense pain of losing a son/husband/father, family
members of every martyr draw consolation from the belief
that dying for the country is the ultimate honour for a soldier.
However, they expect countrymen to remember and value their
contribution to the nation’s security.
By: Major General Mrinal Suman, AVSM, VSM, PhD
R
ecent bomb blasts in
Mumbai reconfirm the fact
that terrorism continues to
be an integral tool of state policy
for Pakistan. One is reminded of
the media coverage of General
Pervez Musharraf’s last visit to
India. He was treated as a peace
loving and moderate leader who
is a well wisher of India. One TV
personality went to the extent
of eulogizing him as a beacon
of peace for the sub-continent.
Not one media personality
questioned him for initiating
the Kargil aggression, lest he be
offended. No one cared to ask him
about numerous Indian prisoners
of war rotting in Pakistani jails. Nor
was he asked to explain reasons
for his failure to stop terrorist
training camps and infiltration of
jehadis into India. Worse still, he
was not castigated for the most
barbaric and inhuman treatment
meted out to Lt Saurabh Kalia
It is only a soft state like India that
utters a few protesting murmurs
and thereafter receives the main
perpetrator as a guest of India.
It was repugnant to see media
personnel attempting to outdo
each other in fawning over him.
Another correspondent had no
hesitation in calling him as the
most erudite Pakistani leader,
who is held in high esteem in
India.
92
and his patrol.
One wonders what thoughts
must have passed through the
minds of the parents of the late
Lt Saurabh Kalia when they saw
Indian media going overboard in
lauding Musharraf as a sagacious
leader and a man whom India
could trust. Lt Saurabh Kalia
of 4 JAT Regiment was just 22
years old when he was captured
by the Pakistani Army on 15
May 1999, along with five other
Indian soldiers. Saurabh’s patrol
was on the Indian side of the
Line of Control and was the first
to detect Pak intrusions in the
Kargil area. The patrol was kept
in captivity for three weeks and
their bodies were handed over to
India on 9 June 1999. The state
of their bodies bore testimony to
the brutal torture which they had
been subjected to.
The Pakistanis had indulged in
dastardly acts of inflicting burn
injuries on them with cigarettes,
piercing their ears with hot
rods, removing their eyes before
puncturing them and breaking
most of the bones and teeth.
They even chopped off various
limbs and private organs of the
hapless Indian soldiers besides
inflicting unimaginable physical
and mental torture. After 22 days
of torture, the brave soldiers were
ultimately shot dead. A detailed
post-mortem report is with the
Indian Army.
Pakistan is a signatory to the
Geneva Convention that governs
treatment of Prisoners of War.
Article 13 mandates – “Prisoners
of war must at all times be
humanely treated. Any unlawful
act or omission by the detaining
power causing death or seriously
endangering the health of a
prisoner of war in its custody is
prohibited, and will be regarded
as a serious breach of the present
Convention. In particular, no
prisoner of war may be subjected
to physical mutilation or to
medical or scientific experiments
of any kind which are not
justified by the medical, dental
or hospital treatment of the
prisoner concerned and carried
out in his interest.” Article 17
further stipulates that no physical
or mental torture, nor any other
form of coercion, may be inflicted
on prisoners of war to secure
from them information of any
kind whatever.
Musharraf was never asked by
the media to explain as to why the
perpetrators of such heinous acts
have not been brought to book
to date. But, why blame media
alone?
Shockingly,
inhuman
and dastardly ill-treatment of
gallant Indian soldiers has not
stirred the conscience of India
as a self-respecting country.
The
Government’s
response
has been totally muted and
apathetic. No political party
has considered it worthwhile to
pressurise the Government to
demand an explanation from
Pakistan or take up the issue with
international bodies for crimes
against
humanity.
Although
Indian human rights activists
and bodies never tire themselves
of crying hoarse over trivial and
even
concocted
allegations
against the Indian security forces,
they do not find the abominable
conduct of Pakistani soldiers
worth condemning. As regards
the Indian public, initial anger,
indignation and revulsion have
given way to indifference.
Instead of hauling Musharraf
before
international
law
commissions for crimes against
humanity, India allows him to roam
free in India to propagate his antiIndian views. Even in the recent
thereafter giving him prime time
coverage. It should make every
Indian hang his head in shame.
A soldier is always prepared
for the supreme sacrifice. Despite
the immense pain of losing a son/
husband/father, family members
of every martyr draw consolation
from the belief that dying for the
country is the ultimate honour for
a soldier. However, they expect
their countrymen to remember
and value their contribution to
nation’s security. Soldiers draw
After 22 days of torture, the brave
soldiers were ultimately shot dead.
A detailed post-mortem report is
with the Indian Army.
conclave, he humiliated India
by calling terrorists as freedom
fighters. It was nauseating, to
say the least, to watch the media
grovel before a vicious and
remorseless enemy. Worse, media
scrupulously avoided asking him
any discomfiting question, lest he
be embarrassed.
Great nations are distinguished
by their self-confidence and selfrespect. India fares miserably on
both counts. Had such treatment
been meted out to Israeli soldiers,
Israel would have made Pakistan
pay dearly for it. In case US soldiers
were brutalized in this manner, the
US would have obtained custody
of the guilty and tried them in the
US for war crimes.
Our response to a matter
of national shame has been
indifferent and apathetic. It is
only a soft state like India that
utters a few protesting murmurs
and thereafter receives the main
perpetrator as a guest of India.
It is inconceivable how Indian
media could honour a man
who dishonoured its soldiers.
Inviting Musharraf to participate
in a conclave of statesmen and
strength from the recognition
received from their countrymen.
When the nation shows apathy
to the fate of Saurabh’s party or
for the soldiers in Pakistani jails
who are still clinging to the hope
that India would secure their
release, the complete soldier
fraternity and their families start
wondering whether the country
cares for them at all or even
whether it is worth dying for it.
The nation owes an answer to
Saurabh’s and other martyrs’
parents for its abject apathy and
failure to punish the guilty. A
nation has to prove itself worthy
of its soldiers’ supreme sacrifice.
The glorification of Musharraf
has certainly insulted the
memory of innumerable soldiers
who died for India’s future.
The media needs to do serious
introspection. Indian media must
remember that, above all, it
owes allegiance to India and its
interests.
The author is a retired General Officer of
the Indian Army. He is India’s foremost
expert on defence modernisation procedures
and offsets. He has been highlighting issues
concerning India and its military.
93
Futurequest
Futurequest... continued from page 96...
and know the Quran confirms this
most extraordinary birth of all.
My Hindu friend Madhu is
understandably wise in a land of
many notorious ‘godmen’ and
she finds the ‘Son of God’ idea
farcical. She has seen too much
deception in religion and Indian
Christians generally do not inspire
her. Looking back at myself in the
days when I followed something
called Christianity not Christ, I am
not surprised – she is no fool!
I often wonder if Muslims
seriously ponder the significance
of Jesus’ virgin birth. In Sura 4:
159, “the Quran virtually admits
and testifies to all that Christians
believe in faith about the Messiah,”
says Dr Ibrahimkhan O. Desmukh a
haram is the appalling situation
that all terrorists today appear
to be Muslims even though all
Muslims may not be terrorists;
and why educated Muslims do
not come out en masse against
daily Muslim vs Muslim killings and
widespread terrorism?
Non-Hindus are not surprised
at what Pavan K. Varma, author of
Being Indian writes about Indians
having, “a deep-seated need to
belong to the “moral and the
moral-less world simultaneously.
Hindu culture was not, as is widely
believed,
benevolent
towards
interactions with outsiders. It
regarded all foreigners as mleccha,
perennially beyond the pale. It
was based on the most inflexible
One day we will know the truth
about who is God
scholar of the Bible and the Quran
in his book The Gospel and Islam
(Page 166).
Why does the Holy Quran
confirm the Nazarene’s sinlessness?
Why is he unique among all the
prophets? Why exalt him as
Kalimuttalah – the eternal Word
of God? The absurdity that the
Bible has been altered is believed
by many Muslims who forget that
such an accusation itself is haram,
to suggest that God’s Word can be
changed by mere humans.
I also can’t blame Madhu my
Hindu friend for her views. It’s
quite obvious that Christianity has
hidden Christ from India for 2,000
years. Gandhi didn’t care for this
western religion and he passed
on his aversion to his countrymen.
Nevertheless to turn down Jesus
because of India’s crooked godmen
betrays a serious misunderstanding
about Jesus and even a basic
knowledge of the gospel.
But non-Muslims have their
concerns too. For them the greater
94
insularities within, and the most
unforgiving barriers without.”
To outsiders, it is dumbfounding
how intelligent Indians ignore the
fact that India is one of the last
bastions of great social evils on
planet earth – yet Indians try and
claim the spiritual high ground.
Is Jesus the model for harmony?
He did not utter one word against
any religion in his time, but he didn’t
compromise either. He audaciously
claimed to be the way, the truth and
the life. He gave people the choice
to accept or reject that revelation.
Nobody else has made such a
claim – many enlightened gurus
point to this way or that way, but
they do not claim to be the way.
Mahatma
Gandhi
once
observed: “It is impossible for me
to reconcile myself to the idea of
conversion after the style that goes
on in India and elsewhere today.
It is an error which is perhaps the
greatest impediment to the world’s
progress toward peace … Why
should a Christian want to convert
a Hindu to Christianity? Why should
he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a
good or godly man?”
I wholeheartedly agree with
Gandhi. No one in his right mind
should try to draw a person out
of one religion to lead him into
another religion. But Gandhi often
engaged in ongoing debates with
people of all persuasions on faith.
Experimenting with the truth
like Gandhi did in lively dialogue
with others can be meaningful if
relationships are nurtured – not
negated.
If you thirst for the truth, Isa
55: 1-7 makes it clear you don’t
have to pay for it like organized
religion makes you do in various
ways. The truth is available freely,
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters; and you who
have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without
money and without cost. Why
spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not
satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and
eat what is good, and your soul will
delight in the richest of fare.”
One day we will know the truth
about who is God. Until then we
can only try and discern what is
true and what is untrue.
Organized religion is unlikely to
provide the clarity needed.
Frank Raj is the founding editor
and publisher of ‘The International
Indian’, (www.theinternationalindian.
com) He is listed in Arabian Business
magazine’s 100 most influential Indians
in the Gulf and is co-author of the
upcoming publication ‘Universal Book
of the Scriptures,’ and author of ‘Desh
Aur Diaspora.’ He blogs at www.
no2christianity.wordpress.com.
Read more of Frank’s work in
No 2 Religion, Yes 2 Faith in the
Communities at The Washington Times.
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Futurequest
Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam:
What Is Truth?
He that chooses a religion over Islam, it will not be accepted from him and in the world to come he will be
one of the lost.
– Quran 3:85, “The Imrans,” Dawood, p. 60
Hinduism is a relentless pursuit of Truth. “Truth is God” and if today it has become moribund, inactive,
irresponsive to growth, it is because we are fatigued; and as soon as the fatigue is over, Hinduism will burst
upon the world with a brilliance perhaps unknown before.
– Mahatma Gandhi
Either Christ is true or false. If you bet he is true, and you believe in God and submit to Him, then if he
IS true, you’ve gained God, heaven, and everything else. If he is false, you’ve lost nothing, but you’ve had a
good life marked by peace and the illusion that ultimately, everything makes sense.
If you bet that Christ is not true, and it’s false, you’ve lost nothing. But if you bet that he is false, and he
turns out to be true, you’ve lost everything and you get to spend eternity in hell
–Blaise Pascal (Interpreted)
By: Frank Raj
M
IDDLE EAST, INDIA, June
12, 2011 — What is Truth?
To learn who God is has
to be the ultimate Truth.
In the gospels Pontius Pilate asks
that question and walks away from
my goal is to constantly explore
that issue with readers and
encourage you – to draw your own
conclusions, and I make no bones
about my own!
In one of my poems I wrote:
If only a tradition, is our conviction
a false start?
Jesus who stood on trial before him
without learning the answer (John
18: 38). Most people are like that,
despite their religiosity they avoid
open spiritual discussions like the
plague – creating such a vacuum in
their lives.
In my weekly column in the
Communities at The Washington
Times, No 2 Religion Yes 2 Faith,
What are the beliefs we cannot
agree to hold?
Is Mohammed only the last
prophet to behold?
In Sruti & Smriti is the true Sanatan Dharm told?
Does Christ redeem man’s sin as
the lamb of God? Why do these important
thoughts keep us apart?
Isn’t faith a journey to know Truth
in the heart?
If only a tradition, is our conviction a false start?
Something acquired from the
religious supermart?
Two good friends, one Hindu,
and one Muslim, each tell me frankly,
that they cannot, “accept Jesus
as the Son of God.....” it is haram
(Arabic meaning “forbidden”) for
my Muslim friend Ikram to believe
that primary biblical teaching. For
some reason he cannot accept it as
sire-e-illahi, a mystery of God that
man cannot comprehend.
Strangely, the biological birth
process is more compelling than the
unknown for most Muslims in this
regard. Yet many believe in miracles
continued on page 94...
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Transcription

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