High pitched transfer pricing adjustments equals tax evasion? Huh?

Lubna Kably
30 August 2013, 10:42 PM IST

Zenobia Aunty's niece is caught up in too many different projects, mind you she isn't complaining. She merely thought that she could put this column on the back-burner, for another day. But requests from her readers mounted to write about this absurdity NOW- and perhaps rightly so. 

What is it that has had tax folks (her readers) seething? Well, a press release issued today evening (August 30) by the Ministry of Finance, 'showcases' the high pitched transfer pricing adjustments made during the past three years. To add insult to injury the heading of the press release is: TAX EVASION BY FOREIGN COMPANIES. Whoa!!! If only the Ministry of Finance had provided additional details of how many of the demands arising out of the transfer pricing adjustments which have reached the appellate stage, be it the ITAT or High Courts, were upheld would we have a better idea on whether this is really tax evasion or just high pitched demands - some made because of the dire need to meet tax targets. 

This is what the press release, which is actually a written reply given to the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) by the  Minister of State for Finance,  J.D. Seelam reads as:  "Data on dollars transferred abroad by foreign companies in India is not centrally maintained by the government. However, with a view to prevent shifting of profits out of India and consequent erosion of the Indian tax base, selected international transactions undertaken are analysed every year in accordance with the transfer pricing provisions contained in Chapter X of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The total quantum of transfer pricing adjustments made in the last three years are as under: Financial year 2011-12 (Rs. 23,237 crore), Financial year 2011-12 (Rs. 44,531 crore) and Financial Year 2012-13 (Rs 70,016 crore).  

Chapter X, containing special provisions relating to avoidance of tax, was inserted in the Income Tax Act, 1961 vide the Finance Act, 2001. Section 92 (1) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 stipulate that income from an international transaction shall be computed based on the arm's length principle. Further, income of foreign companies operating in India is taxed as per the extant provisions of Income Tax Act, 1961 and the various Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements. Some of the relevant sections of the Income Tax Act in this regard are section 9, 44BB, 44BBA, 44 BBB, 44DA, 115A etc, concludes this press release.

It is true that base erosion and profit shifting is now a global worry. But it is also true that India is regarded as one of the most difficult jurisdictions when it comes to transfer pricing.  As some say it, it is just a bag of gas (yes, pun intended as it refers to the Shell case, where issue of shares was caught in a transfer pricing demand).

An EY Global Transfer Pricing Survey Report (2013) points out: The number of survey respondents reporting that they were subject to a review of their transfer pricing policies in India, more than doubled in 2012 from 2007. Emerging markets (India, China, Indonesia and South Korea) made up half of the top eight jurisdictions. imposing transfer pricing penalties. This indicates companies may need to increase their resources and change their focus to deal with transfer pricing matters in those jurisdictions. The survey further suggests that the taxpayers' geographic priorities have begun to shift in response.

Zenobia Aunty learns that in recent times, it is advertisement spends that have caught the fancy of the transfer pricing authorities. In many cases, the Indian subsidairy acts as a distributor cum service provider and incurs a share of advertising and marketing spend for promoting the product. Transfer pricing authorities have contended that since the Indian company incurs advertising and marketing expenses which benefit the foreign associate enterprise, it is the Indian company that should be reimbursed for its expenses. The argument by transfer pricing authorities is that it is the brand of the foreign associate that is being promoted. A comparison is undertaken by them between the level of advertising and marketing expenses incurred by the Indian company (which is an affiliate of an NMC) with those of other Indian companies and transfer pricing adjustments inevitably follow. 

Or take royalty payments as another instance. In its recent decision the Delhi Income tax Appellate Tribunal  rejected the contention of the transfer pricing authorities that Suzuki was a lesser known brand which had 'piggybacked' on Maruti to become an established brand. The transfer pricing authorities had held that because of this, there was no need for Maruti Susuki India Limtied (MSIL) to pay any royalty for use of brand to Suzuki Japan. Can such a transfer pricing adjustment initially made by the tax authorities be referred to as tax evasion? Not really, especially not when the ITAT has ruled in favour of the tax payer. The Delhi ITAT deleted the adjustment made by the transfer pricing authorities on account of payment of royalty by MSIL to Suzuki JapanFrom R&D spends, to issue of shares, to payment of royalty, the transfer pricing authorities have left no stone unturned and the result has been endless litigation, leaving many MNCs frustrated.

While certain transfer pricing issues plauging R&D centres have been taken care of by the CBDT which withdrew a contentious circular and issued an amended version as regards another circular, the newly annouced draft safe harbour principles have got a tepid response. The profit margins appear too high and the transaction threshold for the safe harbour too low. So yes, litigation is bound to continue, if the safe harbour provisions are introduced in its present form.

Zenobia Aunty isn't implying that all transfer pricing orders are unjustified. However, given the recent trends she affirms that all transfer pricing adjustments cannot be termed as 'tax evasion by MNCs' - especially not when many of these demands are not sustainable in appeal.

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The PM speaks up

Jyoti Malhotra
31 August 2013, 01:28 AM IST

For nine years, Manmohan Singh kept the humiliation close to his chest, of how the BJP, newly minted in the Opposition, refused to allow him the courtesy of introducing his Council of Ministers to the 14^th Lok Sabha when he first became prime minister in 2004.

The hurt and anger from those charges erupted on Friday afternoon in the Rajya Sabha, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh uncharacteristically attacked the Opposition. Just because I keep quiet most of the time, he seemed to be saying, doesn't mean that you can continue to take me for granted.

As the entire nation sat up in their seats and watched the live transmission from Rajya Sabha TV, those few minutes of accusation and counter-accusation between the PM and leaders of the Opposition were full 'paisa vasool'. Sample some of these comments :

• I respect the Leader of the Opposition and recognise the need for consensus, but building consensus is also the responsibility of the principal opposition party.
• The principal opposition party has never reconciled to the fact that it was voted out of power in 2004 and 2009.
• Have you ever heard of a country in which the Prime Minister is never allowed to introduce his Council of Ministers as what happened to me in 2004?
• Have you ever heard of a country when members of the opposition walk into the well of the House shouting the prime minister ".... hai'? (The word he used to describe a thief was later expunged from the records. Th same has been edited here as well.)

And when a BJP member was heard taunting him for the losses in the coal scam, the PM shot back : I am not the custodian of the files of the coal ministry.

Clearly, something snapped in Manmohan Singh on Friday afternoon. For nine years and three months he suffered the taunts of the opposition – Narendra Modi calling him "Maun-Mohan Singh", LK Advani calling him 'nikamma' or 'useless' – as well as the whispers of his own partymen who faulted him for neither putting the brakes on growing corruption, especially inside the UPA, nor short-circuiting the insidious paralysis of policy that took over the veins of the government.

Still, this is not the first time that the PM has defended himself in the Parliament. Read this excerpt from July 22, 2008, from the reply to the no-confidence motion brought against the government for going ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal :

"The Leader of Opposition, Shri LK Advani has chosen to use all manner of abusive objectives to describe my performance. He has described me as the weakest Prime Minister, a 'nikamma' PM, and of having devalued the office of PM. To fulfill his ambitions, he has made at least three attempts to topple our government. But on each occasion his astrologers have misled him. This pattern, I am sure, will be repeated today. At his ripe old age, I do not expect Shri Advani to change his thinking. But for his sake and India's sake, I urge him at least to change his astrologers so that he gets more accurate predictions of things to come."

Thus spake the Prime Minister just over five years ago. Except that the Opposition didn't allow him to speak when he got up to reply to the trust motion. His reply had to be given in writing to then Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

Perhaps that's why when he was challenged again today in the Rajya Sabha, the PM decided to unburden his chest.

But there seems to be another crucial difference between 2008 and 2013. Last time around, the PM not only won the no-confidence vote – despite the high drama over the alleged bribing of some MPs, to which Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitely referred to today – he also went ahead with the nuclear deal with the US, and subsequently led the party in the 2009 polls.

This time around, though, the die is cast. Hurt, angry or outraged, the prime minister's face will surely be on the campaign posters of the Congress party when it contests the 2014 elections – along with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – but even if the UPA wins, it is unlikely he will be prime minister again.

By speaking up on Friday afternoon, the PM was reminding the House as well as the nation that he was not really the man they thought he was. He was not a pushover. He would not go gently into the night.

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Why is the BJP always so rude?

Prashant Panday
31 August 2013, 09:42 AM IST

The one other word that rightly describes the BJP's conduct in Parliament, apart from obstructionism, is "rudeness". Whether it is senior leaders of the party or ordinary spokespeople, the common trait that all of them possess is uncouth aggression, calling others names, disallowing them from speaking, disrupting proceedings, booing ministers….The only thing left now for the party to descend to the bottommost pits is getting physical.

The BJP may want to keep two consequences of this style in mind. First, and most important I would imagine, it does not win them additional voters. All that it does is make those already supporting it swing further in support. Lay people – most of whom are not as aggressive – watch with disgust and anger when senior leaders call the PM "chor". That too, this particular PM who is the most decent and humble PM India has ever had. Such aggression is seen as bullying tactics, the belief that whoever has more muscles is stronger, and whoever has a louder voice is more correct. Indians – trained to respect elders and the humble – don't take kindly to it. The second fall-out of this aggressive style is that it doesn't win the party any more allies. But that's an old story. No one wants to align with the BJP, especially after the most aggressive of them, Narendra Modi, has been anointed as the campaign chief.

I don't know if it is some sort of a heady smell of power that affects them all, but every BJP spokesperson – including the ladies, Smriti Irani and Meenakshi Lekhi – speak such guttural language that watching them on TV becomes a challenge. But then why blame them? They look up to their leaders for inspiration. When they see the normally dignified Arun Jaitley interrupt the PM with unproven accusations of cash-for-votes (no matter how untenable that charge; I wrote about this on Sept 6, 2011: http://prashant-therealtruth.blogspot.in/2011/09/cash-for-votes-scam-more-likely-bjp-is.html), what inspiration do they get? When they see their PM-in-waiting call the PM names, that inspiration gets re-inforced. Yashwant Sinha, Ravi Shankar Prasad and even the usually more dignified Nirmala Seetharaman are hyper-aggressive by normal standards.

BJP leaders are even more abusive and uncouth on twitter. This is what Meenakshi Lekhi tweeted: #PMOChorHai NAHIN yeh Sarkar choro ki barat hai, hunger, inflation, scams & devaluation of Re, 157 files missing, corrupt/helpless/puppet PM???. I wonder what a lay person feels when he reads this tweet. Now I know that everyone believes the digital world is like the wild west, but data suggests otherwise. Tech expert Vijay Mukhi writes this lovely post on this: http://www.mxmindia.com/2013/08/why-the-bjp-is-wrong-in-wanting-to-be-aggressive-on-the-social-web/.

The only other person/party that follows an equally abusive style is the Aam Aadmi Party. Some of the posters they have put up in Delhi are truly pathetic. But what about a national party like the BJP? I think that with the older brigade yielding to the younger one, the BJP is morphing. I have never heard Vajpayee or Advani use such language. Clearly, they are no longer inspirational.

Regional parties are typically the ones one would expect to engage in such language. But even regional parties adopt a much better tone and manner when they come onto the central stage. I have heard spokespeople of SP, BSP, JD(U), all on TV, and none of them come anywhere close to the BJP. The Congress is particularly careful on this front. I have never seen their spokespeople or leaders use abusive language againt BJP's leaders. The BJP is in a permanently attacking mode, no matter what the issue. And since the party does have gifted speakers, it packs in a punch. But what does that punch deliver for the party? In my humble opinion, it only takes away potential voters. Maybe that's why the latest India Today poll gives the NDA lesser seats in 2014 than it did six months back.

It's the same with our TV channels. Hindi news channels have always been loud and sensationalist. That's probably why they get such poor viewership. In terms of GRPs (Gross Rating Points – aggregation of viewership over a week), Hindi news channels collectively garner just around 120 GRPs a week. Contrast that with the GECs (General Entertainment Channels like Star, Sony, Colors, Zee) which get 10 times more at 1300 odd. Even Hindi movie channels get 5 times more at 600 odd GRPs. Even the more niche music channels manage 100 GRPs. Why do Hindi channels fare so poorly? Is it because of what they have done to their language? Is this also why newspaper, far more careful with their language, keep growing in India while they are dropping elsewhere in the world?

But what is even more shocking is the way the English news channels have gone in the last two years or so, since their language became even foul (since the CWG scam days really). As their presentation became dirtier, their GRPs crashed. Today, the top three English news channels garner a total of just 1.5 GRPs a week. This is a quarter of what it was two years back. Just think about this. Even English movies manage 20 times more at 30 GRPs a week.

The real truth is that BJP leaders/their followers/media owners all need to think about whether rude language is helping them at all. In my humble opinion, and the data justifies my viewpoint, no….

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Is cricket still an Indian game?

John Cheeran
30 August 2013, 02:31 PM IST

India, and in turn, Indian cricket, continues to fascinate the outsider. No wonder, then, that James Astill, political editor of the British magazine The Economist has written a highly readable account, The Great Tamasha – Cricket, Corruption And The Turbulent Rise of Modern India (Published by Bloomsbury under the imprint, Wisden Sports Writing).

Astill gives away the whole book in a single sentence that accompanies the title. It tells the reader how modern India is riven by corruption, including in one of its few vibrant spots, cricket.

The Great Tamasha, no doubt, is meant for a non-Indian audience since most of what Astill writes about has been discussed and debated earlier such as its history, the class and caste consciousness that informs the game. So what's new?

Astill, by the way, has great cricketing background and an India connection. One of his ancestors was part of the MCC team that played a drawn game against the Hindus at Bombay in 1926, before India played Test cricket in 1932. Ewart Astill, a Leicestershire professional who bowled off-spinners and medium pace cutters, took five wickets in the match and went on to play nine Tests for England. Also, Astill is one of the few journalists who had the privilege of facing up to the fearsome Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, when India toured Pakistan in 2004. Courage, it is called.

Astill is greatly agitated by the Indian Premier League and the clout that the Board of Control for Indian Cricket (BCCI) wields. Is BCCI corrupt? There are few pointers to believe the veiled charge that BCCI is corrupt. There is no doubt that BCCI is feudal in character. There is, also, crony capitalism at work. But, for example, is N Srinivasan corrupt? Has he siphoned off money from the BCCI to India Cements, the company he owns?

Astill writes that IPL is perhaps the chief illustration of the Indian board's disregard for cricket's future good. "It is a splendid cricket romp, hugely popular and great fun for players and spectators. But its effect on international cricket has been destructive." Is BCCI, then, expected to play the role of United Nations?

What made BCCI as rich as the Mughals is one-day cricket. IPL and T20 came much later. But one-day cricket was not the invention of the BCCI. T 20 was not BCCI's bastard child. So what wrong has BCCI done?

Astill has taken some effort to deflate sociologist Ashis Nandy's theory (whom he describes as an obtuse cricket theorist) that "Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the English," which Nandy put forth in his book The Tao of Cricket in 1989. That theory was purely based on the open-ended form of Test cricket and equivocal nature of the five-day sport, where no one is fully defeated and no one is fully victorious.

Now in the age of T20 and IPL, Astill asks Nandy and us a pertinent question-- is cricket still an Indian game?

The question becomes significant in the backdrop of the manner in which England cricketers celebrated their Ashes win over Australia at the Oval last week. I assume there is no corruption in England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the gentlemen, who run the game there, are civil to a fault. May be James Anderson, Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad may have an Indian bone.

And now to read Astill's depressing outlook that "India, a country that has so enriched cricket, is now the gravest threat to its most precious traditions" would come as a revelation to you. Before Jagmohan Dalmiya barged into the ICC boardroom and when MCC was ruling the cricketing waves, what good it had done to cricket in India and elsewhere?

Did MCC bankroll the development of Indian cricket? It is all fine to preach to BCCI that it should resuscitate the game in the West Indies and Zimbabwe. May be nothing should stop someone from suggesting that BCCI should bankroll Pakistan cricket as well since not having a strong Pakistan team would also affect the board's pecuniary interests. Imagine broadcasters shying away from bidding for satellite rights of an India-Pakistan series if the result is a foregone conclusion.

I suggest that Astill should write about the serious business that English cricket is. Forget Nandy. Why is it that England, the inventors of all forms of the game, including ODIs and T20s, have never won the World Cup? Men, I'm talking about.

Astill is right when he writes that the good of Indian cricket is not the chief priority of the politicians (read Sharad Pawar, Arun Jaitley, Rajeev Shukla, et al) who run the BCCI. To be fair to these politicians, he should remember that India has won two World Cups with such villains around, but England has none.

What BCCI has done for world cricket cannot be ignored, despite small men riding the IPL wave now. By taking World Cup away from colonial masters, first by winning it in 1983 and then by staging it first time outside of England in 1987, when words such as liberalisation, globalization were unheard of India, was an act of imagination. There were no Modis, Narendra or Lalit, too, at the wicket. Astill himself has quoted Wisden: "The fourth World Cup (in 1987) was more widely watched, more closely fought and more colourful than any of its predecessors held in England."

It is a travesty then that we take The Great Tamasha a little too seriously. One could not miss a sense of grovelling when eminent journalists from India's finest newspapers ask Astill how cricket needs to be run in India so that it benefits India and world (not part of the book, but in an interview Sunday Times of India carried on August 25, 2013).

But, for all that, Astill does not spare Indian journalists. Read this: "Indian newspaper journalists can be rather an insecure lot. Less well paid than TV reporters, whom they tend to despise, they protect their dignity jealously. And these cricket reporters, all deeply serious about the game, did not feel it was well served by the IPL."

Astill also points out that Indian sports editors were unsure how to cover IPL. He says the T20 format did not call for traditional match reports. A fair point, one should concede.

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Footsteps of the Buddha @ Sotheby's

Uma Nair
30 August 2013, 04:14 PM IST

A world in total turmoil, needs the peace and gentle calm of Lord Buddha-and in a historic first in the decade, Sotheby's New York will present Footsteps of the Buddha: Masterworks from Across the Buddhist World, (Sep 3-23, 2013) the first of its kind in more than a decade at Sotheby's. Offering an extraordinary opportunity for collectors and connoisseurs, the selling exhibition traces the historical development and transformation of Buddhist art as it traveled throughout Asia from the 2nd century through the 21st century.

Tracing Ancient Regions

This exhibition features pan-Asian Buddhist paintings and sculptures from the ancient regions of Gandhara, Nepal, Tibet, Korea, China and Japan. Organized jointly by Sotheby's Asian art division, the exhibition aims to introduce important Buddhist artwork to a wider audience.

Rare Bodhisattva

Jacqueline Dennis, Specialist, Indian & Southeast Asian Art Department, notes, "This exhibition provides collectors and connoisseurs with a unique perspective on a variety of cultures through the prism of Buddhism. The 31 pieces in this exhibition display the distinct artistic heritages and aesthetics of their countries of origin, but at the same time, they share a common history and iconography. They express Buddhist philosophical concepts, show how Buddhism influenced the culture of the countries it penetrated, and how those countries made Buddhism their own. These timeless works of art also show how Buddhist art transformed through space and time, and continues to be a vital force in Asia today."

A major highlight of the exhibition is an extraordinary grey schist standing Bodhisattva, a superlative example of Gandharan style of sculpture. The region of Gandhara, located at the center of the Silk Routes, was particularly influenced by Hellenistic culture resulting from the travels and military campaign of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. The legacy of Hellenism that he left was integrated into local traditions, out of which was born the Gandharan School of art, a unique mix of East and West. This monumental work of art from circa 3rd/4th century is from a particularly unique period of Asian and Buddhist history.

A magnificent 12th century West Tibetan bronze figure of Bodhisattva Manjushri is an early work influenced by Kashmiri and western Himalayan sculpture. This rare, elegant and proportioned work of art is quite large for a bronze of this time period. A further highlight of the selling exhibition is an Udayana Buddha from the Qianlong period (1735-1796) of China (left). This gilt copper alloy statue celebrates an ancient tradition associated with the introduction of Buddhism to China. This style of gilt bronze has become known in China as Udayana after legends surrounding an historical Indian ruler and a sandalwood statue brought to China in antiquity.

15th Century Kalachakra

An important painting of the Kalachakra mandala, an early 15th century work, depicts the mandala, or cosmos, of the Buddha Kalachakra, Wheel of Time (right). The predominant reds and blues of the painting together with the symmetry of design and geometric placement of the deities suggest a Nepalese artistic style in the central regions of Tibet. This painting is one of the earliest representations of Kalachakra in Tibetan art. Also included in the selling exhibition is a rare 15th century thangka depicting Tsongkhapa from Guge in West Tibet, rarely seen on the market.

Parinirvana Buddha 16th/17th century

A further highlight is The Parinirvana of Buddha, a painting from the 16th/17th century in Japan, which depicts parinirvana (the ultimate nirvana), which occurs with the death of the physical body of the enlightened Buddha (left). The commemoration of this occasion is one of the most important events in the Buddhist calendar, and paintings such as this appeared as the focus of these ceremonies during the Nara period (710 – 794). There are several examples of such paintings in temples and museums including an 11th century National Treasure housed in Kongobuji in Koyasan and a 12th century example in the Tokyo National Museum.

Contemporary Buddha by Gonkar Gyatso

Ambivalent Resolution, by Gonkar Gyatso, one of the most significant contemporary artists from Tibet today, features a seated Buddha and is a superb example of the artist's pioneering modernism, juxtaposing traditional Buddhist imagery and symbols of pop culture (right). The surface of the sculpture is covered in the artist's trademark stickers and rhinestones – a mixture of American, European, Tibetan and Chinese decals featuring images of newspaper headlines, manga characters and superheroes, corporate logos and excerpts from Tibetan texts, all engulfed in cartoon flames. Gyatso's work is held in the permanent collections of the Rubin Museum in New York, and the Devi Art Foundation in Gurgaon, India, and will be featured in an upcoming exhibition of Tibetan contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 2014.

Sotheby's has also produced a limited edition catalogue for the selling exhibition with a forward written by internationally renowned Buddhist scholar Dr. Robert AF Thurman, Je Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and the President of Tibet House US.

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Settling down on Mars, Indian style

Manas Gupta
30 August 2013, 05:37 PM IST

Eight thousand Indians have signed up to settle down on Mars some 10 years down the line. Land, it seems, is very cheap there.  Besides, it appears to be in line with Indians' quest to settle on every land known to man.

The project is brought to you by Mars One, a Dutch non-for-profit foundation. Mars One, sources say, promises that the experience will be "out of this world".

The story began much earlier when a probe was sent to find out if men are from Mars and women from Venus. However, since no signs of intelligent life were found on the Red Planet, it was safely concluded that men really are from Mars.

This correspondent managed to speak to some of the Indians hell bent on settling down on Mars.

A former minister called ABC Raja said he planned to begin telecom services on the planet while Mr Ramesh-Suresh Kal Madi Dal wanted to hold the special Martian Olympics. Some members of the UPA wanted to mine the planet for coal but their files went missing.

A certain Mr Gupta said he had no intention of leaving his grocery shop and settling down on a 'foreign' planet. He was only waiting for the dollar to rise and make a killing by selling his booking.  Interested parties may contact Mr Gupta.

Mr Patel, a businessman from Gujarat, plans to produce a chocolate bar on Mars and call it Earth. He plans to put chunks of thepla and khakra in it. "I am going to the raid plan-ate," he enthusiastically told this correspondent.

A group of MCD officials from Delhi have pooled resources to book a trip to Mars. They felt that with pre-existing craters on the planet they may not be blamed for the potholes there. Water supply, too, is not an issue there yet.

Some jehadis in Pakistan were heard laughing at the Indians' desperation to head to the Red Planet. Apparently, a suicide bomber jacket is a much faster and cheaper route to Mars. Indians of course plan to give any jehadi group found on Mars MFN (most favoured nation) status… er along with biryani.

The BCCI meanwhile has already made plans to hold a T20 tournament on Mars. It plans to add a 'no urinating on the pitch' clause for English cricketers.  Besides, it feels the low gravity may improve the players' ability to face bouncers.

Meanwhile, animal activists planned a naked demonstration to protest the harm that may befall any animal on Mars, forcing the Mars One programme to clarify: "No animals will be harmed in the making of this project because there are no resident animals on Mars. Only possible jehadis on a detour from heaven."

Environmentalists too wanted to protest something but were encumbered by an absence of trees, polar ice caps,  and er oxygen.

TMC supporters  have not come forward for the trip as they fear Didi's wrath for going to a red planet. Hearing this some cartoonists promptly booked a seat. Mayawati's supporters have already ordered statues of the former CM to be installed in various parks on Mars.

Meanwhile, some regional parties from Maharashtra have issued a demand that no North Martians be allowed in a designated area and threatened to dig up any cricket pitches they find on Mars.

Some top sources have expressed fears about taking Indians and Chinese to the planet. "A few rabbits were introduced in Australia in the 18^th century and their population exploded to turn them into a national pest. Let's not take these rabbits, oops, I mean Indians, to Mars", he said. "We can't afford a copulation explosion."

Follow Manas On Twitter

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A moment of reckoning for Asaram

Dileep Padgaonkar
29 August 2013, 04:00 PM IST

Every murky controversy that involves a self-appointed dispenser of cures for all physical, psychic and societal ailments sheds a harsh light on two on developments that have surfaced across the world in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries: the rise of blind faith at a personal level and of politics rooted in religious radicalism. Both seek to provide an anchor to individuals and communities trapped in a maelstrom of unprecedented change spear-headed by technological innovations and the globalised economy.

These are perceived as threats to cultures and ways of life, to deeply-entrenched religious beliefs and to moral certitudes. And the riposte of ordinary folk to such threats is to repose their trust in those who claim to have a privileged access to God. Indeed, even when such individuals are caught with, so to speak, their pants down, the faithful are willing to overlook their trespasses. The yawning gap between what they preach – austerity, abstinence, altruism – and what they practice – an opulent life-style, sexual promiscuity and a no-holds-barred acquisitiveness – is of little concern to them.

The case of Asumal Harpalani aka Asaram Bapu is significant in this regard. Ever since he was accused of molesting a minor girl, the media have unveiled his trajectory from his birth in a family of modest means in the Sindh province of British India to one of the country's most prosperous and influential 'spiritual' gurus. It tells a fascinating story of the transformation of a bootlegger – whose family arrived in Ahmedabad after Partition -into a figure who has built an empire that is conservatively estimated to be worth more than Rs. 10,000 crores and who, according to his official website, has twenty million followers in India and abroad. 

These followers have apparently not turned hostile to Asaram despite the contrasts between what he preaches and what he practices. He owns a posse of expensive cars, travels business class, ensures that he isn't frisked by security at airports and continues to expand his real estate empire. Neither the cases of land-grabbing nor the cases of four youths who 'disappeared' in his institutions – the mutilated bodies of two of them were later found on the banks of the Sabarmati – have diminished his appeal.

That explains why most politicians take care not to rub him the wrong way. To take him to task is to alienate a sizeable section of the Hindu vote. Or so they reckon.  Congress leaders have yet to pull him up for his alleged sexual assault on a minor girl. But it is the BJP that takes the cake. Leaders like Uma Bharati and Pravin Togadia have rushed to his defence. In videos that have gone viral on Youtube other worthies of the Sangh Parivar have hailed him as a genuine saint. And the 'saint' himself has called the latest allegations a political conspiracy to frame him while son and presumptive heir has dubbed the minor girl as 'mentally deranged.'

Armed with this support, Asaram has been able to defy law enforcers with impunity. On the grounds that he was engaged in meditation, he kept police waiting for several hours before he deigned to receive a summons to appear for questioning. He then grandly declared that he would not appear before the concerned authorities right away since he has a busy schedule until September 18. And he has continued to visit his scores of ashrams and educational institutions, address the faithful, heap scorn of the media and denounce his critics in a language that suits not a spiritual leader but, well, a clandestine seller of adulterated spirits. Such are the methods of the proponents of a Hindu Rashtra – the very ones that are dear to the proponents of a strident, Islamic rule in Muslim-majority countries or to literalist Christian evangelists in many parts of the world.

The only hope in this sordid saga is that the girl who has accused Asaram of molesting her will stick, along with her parents, to her courageous stand to expose him for what he is: a charlatan who tarnishes the uplifting traditions of Hinduism with his questionable conduct. Should the police do their job and arrest him without delay and haul him up before the courts, the victim would be vindicated.

The parties that swear by the rule of law will then fall in line while those who place their religious faith above the law and the Constitution will be shamed to follow suit. By and by, his blind devotees, too, would realise that the 'saint' they venerate is a man of straw. Keep your fingers crossed.

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Character, community and country: The essence of sports

Narendra Modi
29 August 2013, 04:35 PM IST

Greetings to my fellow countrymen on National Sports Day! On this day we remember the legendary sportsman Major Dhyan Chand, who mesmerized the world with the magic of his hockey stick and made India a force to reckon with in hockey. I also congratulate all the sportspersons and coaches who would be honoured with the various sports awards this year!

I am sure every one of us has a lot of memories attached with sports. We still remember the first time we held a cricket bat. As youngsters, how we wished that the frequency of the games period were exchanged with long classes on grammar, algebra or history! Did you not rejoice when India won a world cup or a medal. 

In my view, the three Cs that wonderfully blend with sports are- Character, Community and Country.

All round character building is incomplete if sports are not a part of our lives. With reference to sports I feel, "जो खेले वो खिले" (The person who plays, shines). Without sports, there cannot be any sportsmanship! Every sport has something or the other to offer. It is a unique opportunity both to sharpen our skills and for our personality development. No wonder Swami Vivekananda once said, "You will be nearer to heaven through football than through the study of the Gita."

We all live in a community and there are only few better ways to strengthen community bonding than sports. It is a great leveller and a unifier- when we play in a team we are not concerned with the caste, creed or community of our team mates. Neither does their economic status bother us. What matters is the victory of our team. I have seen so many lifelong friendships that have originated from the games field.

We are blessed to see such kind of a wonderful atmosphere of oneness and social harmony during our Khel Mahakumbh.  Cutting across all age groups and districts of Gujarat, the athletes compete in various sporting events. Khel Mahakumbh 2012-2013 witnessed a record participation of lakhs of athletes. For this year's Khel Mahakumbh we are starting a new Under-12 category that will enable us to tap young talent. The Government will also bear the various expenses of the talented youngsters, which will help them pursue their sporting dream in the years to come.

A few years ago, we integrated specially-abled athletes to participate in Khel Mahakumbh. The genesis of this happened when a group of young specially-abled athletes who had won in a tournament in China came to meet me. I spent two hours with them, spoke to them…this touched my heart. We decided to further our resolve to provide maximum opportunity to them so that they can shine on the field and that is when we decided to integrate them in Khel Mahakumbh. Thousands of specially-abled athletes left Khel Mahakumbh 2012-13 spellbound with their stellar performance.

Winning a medal or a cup is a great gift to give to our country. Invariably, success on the games field becomes linked with national pride. Sports also blends with culture when a nation hosts an important sporting tournament like the Olympics or a World Cup that enables it to showcase its history to the entire world. Not to mention the boost to the economy and tourism due to such events.

Thus, it is very important to inculcate a spirit of sports and sportsmanship especially among our youth. Apart from the Khel Mahakumbhs I talked about, Gujarat has set up a Sports University, a unique initiative to harness sporting talent from all across the country. Furthermore, every district will have a sports school to give an impetus to sports. By integrating sports with education, a lot can be achieved. As a part of 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda, Vivekananda Yuva Kendras were set up in every corner of Gujarat with an aim to promote sports. Among the other initiatives under its auspices, sports kits were distributed to the youngsters.

Yet, despite all these efforts there is a lot we have to do. I notice that due to academic pressures, the attendance on games field in decreasing. And if children are not studying, they are playing games on their computers. This is a very big shortcoming on our part. As citizens, let us create the right atmosphere and provide the right opportunity so that every child goes out to play for some time. Is it not better to hit a six or score a goal in a park nearby rather than on the computer screen? Another good idea is to devote some time where the entire family comes together and plays a game together. 

I am aware that there are several sports players who are extremely talented but they miss the bus due to financial and logistical constraints. As a government, we are trying but I also seek your help in this. What if corporates can come together set up a corpus so that budding sportspersons can get constant world class training opportunities along with other facilities, with an aim that India emerges with many medals in the future Olympics and other sporting tournaments? This can be a part of their CSR. Likewise, our NRI friends who never shy away from helping their Motherland can contribute in the same way or even by sponsoring tournaments and helping create sporting infrastructure in their villages. 

Together, let us pledge to give our youngsters a happy and playful childhood that prepares the foundation of a glorious future devoted to the service of our nation.

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Old advice in new bottles?

Rumy Agarwal
29 August 2013, 05:14 PM IST

Parents and teachers are so alike in some respects. Like, they are so chock-full of uplifting adages and proverbs which they dole out to their wards with pathetic sincerity, in the happy belief that they are enriching the children's lives. Are they? You just may have to think again. For one thing, these adages are mouthed with such predictable regularity that children always know what their significant adults are going to spout in a given situation—(kinda like, "Groan! Now she's going to say") So there, half the punch is lost anyway!

Our parents and teachers did it and now so are we—the only difference being that when we were at the receiving-end, we bore the barrage with docile resignation, and expressions of dissent or disagreement, if any, were limited to murmurs. For example, we were always urged to keep ourselves busy 'coz "an idle mind was the devil's workshop" and surely we couldn't let the devil have our soul. Right? So we either believed it or pretended to, and kept our hands, eyes and minds fruitfully occupied most of the time. But this generation is something else altogether. Today's smart-alecky kids don't put much stock by sentiment and find moralistic axioms woefully pretentious and obsolete. So when we try extolling the benefits of spending time productively, it doesn't do to bad-mouth the devil any more, 'coz the MTV generation believes that the horned creature definitely has better and more exciting ideas for spending time! You want the kids to work hard? Then talk incentive, man, and if it is hard cash, all the better! They pooh-pooh the "joy of having a job well done"—(yeah, we were always goaded into believing that that was the biggest satisfaction and reward of hard labour!)—and are real wheeler-dealers -- cellphone for good rank in class, cash for cleaning up the room, the car keys for an evening in exchange for running an errand and so on. Nothing comes for free is the bottomline.

Since ours was an all-girl school, the teachers repeatedly exhorted us to be lady-like, demure, soft-spoken and motherly, 'coz they wanted us to believe that "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." The gullible among us glowed when we heard that, stupefied into believing that if we did well by our motherly duties (and why wouldn't we? After all, girls are born to become mothers one day…blah, blah!), we had an excellent chance of "ruling the world" (we were not very sure, though, what exactly that meant). The more pragmatic of my buddies didn't fall for such lines but humoured the elders anyway. Cut to today's generation and what do we have? Marriageable girls are so career-oriented that a baby is equivalent to a nuisance and so doesn't figure on a "To Do" list at all! And if, perchance, it IS part of the scheme of things, there is always a maid in tow, 'coz not only is NOT having a maid/babysitter/governess so pedestrian, but also 'coz the woman on the go cannot be expected to do mundane jobs like feeding, diaper-changing or singing a lullaby etc. Now if that means that the maid is some day gonna rule the world…well, it's your imagination and you are welcome to let it run wild!

When we were faced with a difficult task, our elders goaded us on by saying, "C'mon honey, you can do it, 'coz  "where there is a will, there is a way", and we were sufficiently encouraged to take a deep breath, pull in our tummies, hold our heads high and pledge ourselves to the fulfillment of the task at hand. There is a slight change in today's scenario, however. Youngsters today think big and dream even bigger. Period. So when they are given that spiel about "where there's a will…", they come up with a whippersnapper rejoinder like, "Sure, you make the will (the legal document), and we'll definitely find the way!" Very funny!

So much importance is attached to appearances today - Generation Y swears by designer wear, branded accessories, Body Shop cosmetics and salon makeovers. Sigh! A good visual impression is so important—it gives you the cutting-edge in job interviews, the opposite sex gives you the once over wherever you go and it makes light of your faults or lack of talent. Suffice it to say that you score big if you are easy on the eye! Oh Lord, and to think that we were dinned into believing that it was almost sinful to judge people by appearance alone! "Look beyond the epidermis", we were exhorted, "and find the real person beneath before you form an opinion about him/her." Today, the advice sounds almost pre-historic! People have neither the time nor the inclination for such an exercise.

Another nugget meant for the upliftment of the quality of our lives was "A rolling stone gathers no moss" and this, when uttered gravely, was supposed to urge us to find our vocation quickly and settle down, so that we may slowly and steadily reach the top—the "moss" in question referred to prosperity, I guess. But there's a sea-change in the present scene. Career counsellors are not averse to—and often even suggest—hopping from job to job till you find one which is JUST right for you; in fact, you are almost led to believe that there is a job which is tailor-made for you, keeping your qualifications, aptitudes, temperament and even availability of time in view, and hence you should not rest in your quest till you find it and grab it. Once there, you are plonked on the highway to success! Well, optimism is a great stress-buster, besides being the first step towards success. Another adage of yore bites the dust!

So you see what I mean? We've either got to come up with new maxims to uplift the young souls from the mundane to the sublime or, better still, just keep our mouths shut and let the young Turks find their own litany of morale-boosters and nerve-crackers! Say what, that sounds fine, doesn't it? Okay guys, go for it then—we'll get off your backs. Did I hear a huge collective sigh of relief? Yeah, I know I did.

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How we got Chennai to say ‘meter podu’

Arun Ram
27 August 2013, 04:17 PM IST

On September 4, 2012, I pinned up the jacket of The Times of India in my cabin. The headline read: METER DOWN. It was the day we launched the 'Bring Back Auto Meters' campaign. "Chennai has everything going for it," we then said, "except a rational fare structure for its autorickshaws." Chennaiites and visitors to the city had virtually retired to their fate of either fleeing from an autorickshaw driver or –when an auto ride is the only option – getting fleeced by one. It was, in short, one big blot on the burgeoning metropolis that attracts people from across the world.

I had decided to take off the jacket from the billboard above my workstation only that day when the government brought back the meter. It has been a long wait.

We had not suddenly discovered the 'auto problem.' The autorickshaw meter had played truant since 1998. Everybody knew about it and cribbed about it. Anyone who took the tuk-tuk in Chennai had a horror tale to tell. Newspapers in the city have been writing about it for years, but no paper dared to take it up as a campaign, fearing there would be no result to show, as citizens had virtually reconciled with the curse.

Precisely for this reason, it was a brave decision on our part to launch 'Bring Back Auto Meter.'

Again, we were providing a platform for a demand that has been there for long. K K Prahalathan of NGO Bhumi had posted an online petition asking the state government to reintroduce the auto meter. The TOI campaign co-opted and strengthened such ventures. We invited citizens to join hands and give voice. And that Chennaiites did in large numbers. Within three weeks, the campaign had garnered one lakh signatures – 80,000 of them from the streets and 20,000 online. As the movement gathered strength, S V Ramamurthy, a Madras high court lawyer, filed a petition in the court, stepping up judicial pressure.

It was not a fight against auto drivers who have been portrayed – including in some of our stories – as villains. It was to reason that a metered auto ride meant that the driver earns more and the commuter is not fleeced.  Inspired by the idea, when a couple of private parties launched metered auto rides and proved it to be more lucrative for the drivers and satisfying for commuters, the argument was sealed. Other drivers soon realised that fixed fares brought down haggling and 'dead mileage', increasing patronage and earnings.

A growing number of supporters and participants gave us a sense of purpose; optimists reminded us that we are on the right path; pessimists fuelled our drive. Every time someone said "it's not going to happen," we realised how badly they wanted it to happen. And then, there were a few petty ones who made snide remarks thinking it was a campaign for us to win brownie points. Well, history pardons the pessimists, ignores the petty.

On Sunday, as chief minister J Jayalalithaa announced the new auto fares and promised strict implementation, the campaign had come to a logical conclusion. But we don't think the journey is over. It will take another fortnight for the new rate cards to be distributed among drivers; another month for the GPS-enabled meters to be in place.  Now it is for the authorities to implement the order in letter and spirit—and for us, the commuters to demand a fair ride.

So, have I removed the TOI jacket of September 4, 2012 from above my work station? No. I've pinned the jacket of August 26, 2013 that reads: METER UNCHAINED. We have no delusions of having brought about a revolution. We are just happy that anyone in Chennai may soon be able to get into an autorickshaw with a smile and tell the driver, "Meter podunga."

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September: Christie’s Asian Art Week

Uma Nair
27 August 2013, 05:43 PM IST

Asian Art Week, New York at Christie's promises to hold a legacy of rare and rich provenance boasting avante garde Indian art in September.

On September 17, Christie's will present the Fall sale of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art, which will  offer over 95 exceptional works, with estimates ranging from $2,000 to $600,000 and many from private  collections. The sale will feature works by modern masters, including Syed Haider Raza, Tyeb Mehta, Francis Newton  Souza, Akbar Padamsee, Maqbool Fida Husain, and Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, as well as an impressive selection of  contemporary works from celebrated artists, such as Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, and Jitish Kallat.

Raza's Italian Village
The cover lot of the sale is a moody and intense Post Impressionist  styled landscape-Syed Haider  Raza's Italian Village, painted in 1953, the largest work from the period to come to auction (lot 110,  estimate: $550,000-750,000). This painting marked the pivotal moment when Raza would fully  embrace the medium of oil painting and in doing so further his ambition in scale, technique and composition.Italian village was exhibited at Apparao Galleries in Chennai .

 

Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922), Italian Village

1953 is an important year for Raza,it was  the same year Raza exhibited alongside Francis Newton Souza and Akbar Padamsee at Galerie Creuze. Raza quickly departed from his naturalistic panoramas of the 1940s and was at this time devouring, assimilating and reconstituting the cornucopia of influences in France and Italy. Italian Village transformed into an austere geometric landscape epitomizes the influence of European art on Raza's during the 1950s.

Christie's says this painting is the largest work from the period to come to auction. The composition is governed by a strict schema, an internal logic of line and space as buildings congregate in a cubist crescendo. The flat cubic rigidity and power of contour transforms this Italian vista into something seemingly uninhabitable and intangible. One solitary building placed in an earthy terrain in the foreground creates a perspective and harmony bridging the complex arrangement of buildings that dominate the upper half of the canvas. The corniced houses and abstract angular architecture and pronounced pediments are pierced by the stretching steeples and elongated chimneys. Beneath the subtle and subdued palette echoes a monumentality and magnificence rendering this village both silent and spiritual. This painting reveals a yearning for experimentation which is tempered only by a virtuosic control and maturity that has never left his oeuvre

Supratik Bose Collection
On September 17, Christie's New York will also  present The Art of Nandalal Bose, Abanindranath  Tagore, and Rabindranath Tagore: The Collection of Supratik Bose, a single-owner sale of 81 exceptional modern  Indian works of art. These works are coming to the auction market for the very first time from the collection of Supratik  Bose, Nandalal Bose's grandson. As a retired architect and officer of Harvard University, Mr. Bose's collection also includes works by Rabindranath Tagore, the father of arts education in India, and Abanindranath Tagore, his nephew and fellow artist. The depth of his collection reflects Supratik Bose's heritage and passion for early Indian modernism. 

Nandalal Bose and Mahatma Gandhi
Born in Bihar, Nandalal was one of many artists who wanted to revive Indian art after centuries of British influence. Over the next few decades, Bose experimented with a variety of Indian, Japanese and Chinese techniques and his works intersected with many of the cultural and political movements of his time such as Pan-Asianism and the Swadeshi  movement led by Mohandas K. Gandhi. It was his portrayal of rural India that captured Gandhi's attention. Although

Bose's art was not overtly political, Gandhi saw in the images a traditional India that reflected his non-violent movement. 

To mark the 1930 occasion of Gandhi's arrest for protesting the British tax on salt, Bose created a black on white linocut of Gandhi walking with a staff. It became the most iconic image of India's nationalist movement. Gandhi later commissioned Bose to create posters for the 1938 Indian National Congress meeting in Haripura. Four of these posters will be offered, including the Bull Handler (illustrated on page one), which is the sale's cover lot.

Nandalal Bose (1882-1966), Untitled (Bull Handler Haripura Poster)
This work was commissioned by MK Gandhi for the 1938 annual Indian National Congress Party meeting

Hugo Weihe, Christie's International Director of Asian Art, states: "We are deeply honored to have been entrusted by Supratik Bose to handle this extraordinary collection that his grandfather Nandalal Bose handed down to him. It  documents the shared vision of three artistic geniuses, who are linked by the common goal of art and humanity, family and friendship."

(Images: Cristie's)

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Gopi, Srikanth are smash hits

Amit Karmarkar
27 August 2013, 06:53 PM IST

Lee Chong Wei's face during his IBL battle against K Srikanth said it all. The world No. 1 Malaysian was not sure about winning.

In one of the most exciting matches of the inaugural tournament, Srikanth gave Chong Wei a run for his $135,000. And how! His all out attacking shuttle play drew so much out of Chong Wei that the numero uno had to be far more alert and play far more aggressively than his usual self to quell the Indian's challenge.

Srikanth was giving it to him: a bit of a loose shuttle and whack. His jump smash had oomph factor. And it's not that his other game was weak. However, it will still take him quite some time to match Chong Wei's presence of mind, dribble, flick of the wrist, more flowing transition from defence to offence, spring-pounce-tap finish on the net and overall court craft.

Despite the defeat, Srikanth can hold his head high. Partly because he is not a run-of-the-mill player. Among the top Indian players, there are very few who try fancy shots in big matches. Not that it's absolutely mandatory to win. But deception and the X-factor can surely give you an edge in close matches.

When you play average and safe, you become a predictable player. Such players find it much difficult to win matches when they are not 100 per cent fit.

Though training at the Gopi Chand academy revolves around punctuality, dedication and fitness, I hope that out-of-the-box players like Srikanth won't be subject to too many "corrective measures".

Most of the Indian badminton coaches anyway tell the players to take a safety-first approach and rob themselves of originality.

Perhaps, Gopi Chand is rightly accused of bias towards certain players. But his results are indisputable. He has conclusively proved that he is a cut above the previous coaches in the history of Indian badminton. Of course, he is getting a free hand that very few previous coaches could have enjoyed.

But Gopi is wielding power also due to results. It helps that he is a former All England champion, and that  in "singles", and in the modern era.

The previous coaches seem to lament that strength, stamina and power have get precedence over the skill. But Gopi has filled not only the fitness gap but has also taken the skill part of his wards to a new level. It will do no harm if previous coaches accept that their attitude was bad and they were less qualified to take Indian badminton to another level. Such coaches still exist in the system and it's up to the state associations to ensure that such coaches' 'business module' is made far more accountable.
 
Still, it was a cultural shock to me when Gopi claimed on a TV chat show that Saina's Olympic medal is his medal too. But then I have been a part of a hypocrital society for a large part of my life.

Perhaps, it's time to accept that India needs coaches like Gopi across sports: blunt, open, aggressive and one who can get on  players' nerves. For, they seem to take ownership of  players and their results (and not leave it to God and processes). Most of our coaches rightfully take ownership of their money but not own up to players' failures.

Gopi must continue to prove that he is different.

PS: Jwala Gutta is at it again. She has most upsets to her credit in the history of world badminton. For, she is upset about something or the other quite frequently. Let's coin a name for her: Jwala 'Upset' Gutta! Statutory warning: chewing on Gutta's statements is injurious to mind.

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Kaun Banega CEO

Abhijit Bhaduri
25 August 2013, 12:22 PM IST

Booz & Company has been tracking CEO succession for more than a decade. The picture that emerges every year has some clear lessons for us. Their latest report says:

In 2012, 15 percent of CEOs left office, up from 14.2 percent in 2011. This is the second-highest rate of CEO successions in the history of our study. The new leaders who came into the office were, for the most part, familiar faces: companies promoted people from within 71 percent of the time; a quarter of incoming CEOs had worked at the same company for their entire career; 81 percent of new CEOs had the same nationality as the company's headquarters; and 95 percent were men.

Succession planning for any role is a long drawn process full of trials and errors. The CEOs role is the most complex job in the organization. So organizations need to start finding a successor to any top job as soon as the new incumbent starts. In case of the top job, remember, nearly 80% of CEOs of S&P 500 companies have been ousted before retirement.

Many large corporations are caught unawares when they have to find a successor to the top job. Consider the statistics: 43% of publicly traded companies do not have a formal succession plan. 61% do not have a CEO replacement plan. 61% have no internal candidate development planning.

Procter & Gamble had to call back Lafley from retirement to steer the company till a new CEO was found. This comes from a company that is known for its planned approach to succession. Yesterday Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft announced that he was going to retire in 2014. No successor seems to be in sight. Businessweek magazine's reaction to the news: "Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to Retire. What Happens Next Won't Be Pretty". I agree.

There is no defined successor to Ballmer, only speculation. There are several lists of possible candidates floating around. Bill Gates is part of the succession planning committee that will supervise the search. Gates left in 2000 to focus on philanthropy. There is no way he will return to lead Microsoft to be a tech leader again. So that possibility is a non starter.

Ballmer had said for years that he would retire by 2017. He actually had a thirteen year stint at the helm. So the company had plenty of time to identify and groom someone to takeover. Being unprepared is not an acceptable stance.

There is no doubt that the job will not be an easy one. Apart from X Box, Microsoft has never cracked the mystery of how to market an idea to consumers. There is a video titled "Microsoft designs the iPod package" that pokes fun at the nerd's inability to communicate with the user.

The successor to Ballmer will have a tall task – to reinvent Microsoft. The new CEO will need to reassure the 100,000 employees that the task is tall but doable. The toughest aspect of the reinvention will be to build a culture where the company's leaders learn to tune in to the employees and teach the technical wizards how to listen to consumers.

The second task will be harder. After all Microsoft built the operating system without any input from the user. Windows just came preinstalled in every desktop and laptop. The consumer had no choice. Then Office made Word, Excel and PowerPoint ubiquitous in every organization. When they missed the mobile revolution, the company went into denial instead of asking how they could join the revolution.

You could accuse Steve Jobs too of ignoring the customer when he had said, "A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." That approach works when the product being launched is beyond the imagination of the customer. A Mac or iPhone or iPad or iTunes could pull off this approach. They were game changing concepts. For the lesser mortals, the voice of the customer can't be ignored ever.

Success and market share are two leading causes of deafness in organizations. The same Microsoft will now have to go back to the customer as the new CEO charts out a fresh path. When it came to finding a successor, Apple did a better job. They had made it clear that Tim Cook was the chosen one. So when Jobs was gone, the succession was smooth.

This would be one lesson Microsoft could learn from Apple.

Do you agree?

---------------

Join me on on twitter @AbhijitBhaduri

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What’s your bridal style?

Vinita Dawra Nangia
25 August 2013, 06:39 PM IST

Years ago, it was swaddles of clothes and veils, a dazzling glitter of gold, dazed eyes peering through heavy headgear and cakes of make-up, as a bride walked tentatively to the mandap, weighed down by all she wore.

Today's bride is aglitter still, but she is as much skin as clothes, the get-up as much an offering to the body temple as to the family riches.

She steps forth with confidence in designer gear, her natural glow and beauty enhanced by artful make-up. Her clothes are designed to celebrate her – the expert cuts a paean to the length of her naked waist and statuesque back, the craftsmanship and technique of the designer visible in the ornate bridal look that still gives her ease of movement, which frames rather than overpowers her. Traditional still, but sculpted by contemporary technique, the heavy bridal effect today uses super light fabrics and embroideries, allowing the bride to be steeped in tradition, without being weighed down by it.

"As pure as possible"

TARUN TAHILIANI

Brides, today, are self-assured. They understand that fit and finish are paramount. A bride should look as pure as possible. Trends are not about what others are wearing, but about what suits you. I would hate my bride to look like a vintage grandmother; she has to be both Indian and modern. I would mix resham and dabka with pearls and crystal on a net lehenga over Indian textiles. A sheer tulle veil with shading will envelop the bride like a mist. When you have gorgeous accessories like a maang tikka, extraordinary jewels and flowers, why would you hide all that under heavy fabrics? Through the veil you can see glimpses of skin, the gorgeous lehenga, tiny choli with a bit of embroidery, very natural make-up with powdered bindi and kajal, tiny flowers, or jewels with tiny pearls. We are all tired of big things.

"A picture in elegance"

ASHIMA SINGH (ASHIMA & LEENA SINGH)

Every bride wants to look different, and that is a huge challenge! With a vast choice of designers, trends and looks, brides are ready to be adventurous in colours, silhouettes and veils, aiming for a look of subdued, stylish sexuality. They all wish to go for a heavy bride-like look, but want the clothes to sit lightly on them. An interesting trend is the introduction of the cancan; and you can play with many variations within the same framework. I would use very different colours for my dream bride — blush rose, jade green, amethyst — all jewel colours. Her lehenga would be a mosaic of these colours, while her blouse and veil would use one of the shades. It would be a totally coordinated look where I would pay attention to the minutest details, right down to her footwear and nail art. The lehenga would be ornamental with an inbuilt belt, and the jewels and threadwork used would attempt an inlaid effect like a piece of architecture. The veil would not be too heavily embroidered; I will use some work around the head, like a mukut. Neither too prudish, nor too revealing, my bride will be a picture in elegance.

"Peeping through the veil"

SUNEET VARMA

Brides today are more willing to experiment with silhouettes and colours. My NRI brides go for gold and nude palettes. A bride has to be made to feel fabulous on her wedding day. I would dress my kind of bride in red and gold. A 30-kali lehenga in tanchoi with     zardozi, threadwork and crystals would reveal a grand look and be just low enough to give a hint of navel. I love the veiled effect, where you see the naked back, the hint of glitter, the head ornaments through the veil, rather than directly. I do not like small blouses. She will wear a beautiful corset with short sleeves and a very low back, again with gorgeous zardozi, threadwork and Swarovski crystals. The neckline would have to go with the necklace and there will be no cleavage show! She will carry two dupattas, one on her shoulder, the other, a very light veil on her head as a ghunghat. A maatha tikka is a must in hair, that is pulled back to form a low bun at the nape of her neck. The jooda will have some ornamentation, and this, along with the low back, will be seen through the veil. A diamond necklace or kundan with emeralds or rubies would complete the look with very gentle make-up.

 "A voluptuous, sensual look"

ROHIT BAL

My bride has to have a traditional look and seem to have walked straight out of an Indian miniature painting! Thankfully, brides today are aware of Indian sensibilities, and want to wear vibrant, fullbodied colours and clothes that are still traditional, though lighter, with a very feminine and sexy look. My kind of bride would don a very handcrafted, non-blingy look. The bride's bling should come from her jewellery, the glint from zardozi or dabka, rather than from any crystals. I would use old brocade or some form of tanchoi or velvet in vermillion red and gold for her lehenga and use traditional badla, resham ka kaam, or different forms of dabka. The bridal veil will have a gossamer feel, made with old tissue or organza. The blouse would be a sexy choli inspired by the Kamasutra. I would aim for a voluptuous, sensual look. The sleeves could be short or long, choori sleeves. A low bun with central parting, easy wavy kind of texture, a maatha patti and jhoomar or maang tikka with nath would complete the spectacular bridal look. 

"Perfection is in balance"

JJ VALAYA

Today's bride is trendy, well-travelled, super fit and well-informed. She is far sexier than ever and is looking for change, while still retaining a degree of consistency. She is willing to experiment with various looks. Of late, one amazing influx is the western gown in an Indian avatar. Another trend is the two-stole concept. My ideal bride has to be someone evolved, well-travelled and appreciative of her own country and heritage. I would dress her as a royal bride in red Benarasi fabric with a lot of rich velvet, using age-old techniques and lots of detailing, combining dabka with mokaish, semi-precious stones, real pearls, onyx and opals. Her blouse will have a very sexy, almost non-existent back. In contrast, the neckline will be interesting, but not very deep. I like the concept of midriff showing; in fact, a lot of skin is a great contrast to all that fabric and heavy work. My bride would have two dupattas – the heavier one will be a piece of art, while the lighter one would cover her head. Perfection is all about the art of balance. So with heavy clothes, my bride will go easy on jewellery, make-up and hair.

PS: The photos used are from the shows of leading designers at the Indian Bridal Fashion Week 2013. They do not necessarily represent the exact vision each designer sketches of his ideal bride, in this article

 

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The answers lie within

Santosh Desai
25 August 2013, 07:09 PM IST

Protection and punishment. The two standard responses to tragedies like the Mumbai gang rape. We have television channels talk about the death penalty again and we have a minister talking about special measures to keep women journalists safe just as we had talks of having security people ride every bus in the wake of the Delhi gang rape. It is true that both protection and punishment are necessary instruments for dealing with this problem, but clearly much more is involved. The current idea of action seems to be focused on either preventing an incident that has already happened by limiting the focus to the very set of circumstances that were involved (journalists, buses) or by providing the illusion of a silver bullet deterrent (the death penalty). This is much more an attempt to erase the horrors of the past, or to run away from the complexity of the problem.

The problem of course is that protection and punishment, accompanied by anger and recrimination directed at the police and the politicians, seems at least somewhat tangible. Talking about societal change and the shaping of new mindsets seems to be a project in wishy-washy wishful thinking. When change is distributed so thinly over so many people, it looks impossible. It is much easier to believe that the police force and a limited number of people in power can be made to change and give us solutions.

The change in the gender climate that can be seen around us needs to be understood differently for something fundamental has changed. Women have always been subject to violence in a variety of ways, but both the frequency and the nature of this violence seem to be escalating. One of the key aspects of the horrific Mumbai gang rape is that it happened in the middle of the day, in the heart of town, in the bustling city of Mumbai, even if the location itself was secluded. The underlying assumption is that daylight, busy streets and male company are somehow guarantors of safety. The truth is that the real problem is that increasingly, what were once signs of safety, are now the sources of danger. The idea of the 'public' being a provider of safety is rooted in the comforting feeling that any crime and misdemeanour will raise an outcry if it happens in public. In so many incidents of this kind, we find the opposite to be true. Whether it was the Assam pub case, where a young girl was molested, or the experiences of the American student that have recently gone viral, the problem that women in India face stems from the very public that is deemed to provide safety.

The real change has been the conversion of covert fantasy into a sense of overt acquisition, which has been aided by a new sense of power and its legitimacy. The implicit restraints that had been put in place socially have been dismantled, and power in its new form begs to be converted into opportunity. The primacy of desire means that the eye is always hungry, avid in its quest for acquisition, and any action is seen to lack consequences that cannot be reversed or managed through the use of some form of power. The brute force of power has replaced the unwritten rules that governed behaviour as the primary arbiter of our actions. Currently, we live in a world between rules — those of an earlier era do not apply and new codes have not been framed or agreed to. The responsibility shifts to the enforcement of the law, but this is deeply compromised by the fact that the process is managed by those that cannot fully comprehend the meaning of the changes that we see around us.

In a larger sense, it is the air that is vitiated, not just in issues of gender but in most questions involving a judgement of right and wrong. The lack of an internal self-disciplining mechanism makes public behaviour an exercise in testing the boundaries of what one can get away with. Parents do not chastise their children but aggressively defend them, seniors do not punish the juniors in case of infractions, political parties do not institute disciplinary procedure against errant members. For instance, in the case of the constable who got thrashed by politicians for having the temerity to ask them to follow rules, no political party was serious in punishing their members. In this context, the recent resignation of the Shiv Sena MLA who threatened to have the staff of a toll booth that asked him to show his identity card stripped, is a welcome return to some form of order. We need more self-correcting actions of this kind, for without an internal yardstick of justice, no society can hope to create a sense of order.

The answer does not lie outside. The internal boundaries governing behaviour will need to be drawn again, in every small unit of society. At homes, in schools and colleges, with friends, in public places, within organizations and institutions, inside government departments, in films and media — the need is to start drawing the lines more sharply. This is true of all behaviour but particularly true in the case of gender. Unless bad behaviour carries with it a social cost, other forms of deterrence will always struggle to make an impact. We have had enough of recrimination — what we need is a constructive conversation about creating social mechanisms that reinforce the newer meanings of gender today, in a way that is inclusive.

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Coalgate files: Much ado about nothing….

Prashant Panday
24 August 2013, 10:28 AM IST

I know its election time. And meaningless issues will be blown sky high for political gains. Even at the expense of the functioning of the country's Parliament. But the issue of the Coalgate missing files, and the mudslinging that has followed, defies even minimalistic logic.

So several files related to allocations, and screening committee minutes went missing. And while that reflects the pathetic state of working in India, what was the opposition's charge? That the Government had intentionally lost the files (silly, because the government would know it alone would be embarrassed). That the files related to allocations made to Congress leaders (opposition quoted "reports" but did the reports quote anyone?!). That since the files related to the period during which the PM was looking after coal, he was responsible (that's why he must reply right? In which case, who must reply for files of NDA period lost?). For the opposition, the loss of files was an excellent opportunity to say something to the effect that this was proof that the government was corrupt and hiding the facts. Media was happy to amplify this and the rest of the developments followed the standard pattern – Parliament was disrupted, the Houses stalled, and most Bills remained Bills and didn't become laws.

But nobody thought of just pausing and using that little organ that God has given all of us called the brain. For if they had done that, then they would have realized that it is virtually impossible for files to get lost in the government. There are literally tens of copies of every single document made. If an application was filed, there would be copies sent to several ministries apart from the coal ministry. If the screening committee met, the minutes would be circulated to at least a dozen attenting members, and to several more for the purpose of documentation. No government can ever attempt any such thing as accused.

And yet, the opposition accused the government of cover-up.  Had the government wanted to cover up, were they going to destroy every single copy in every single ministry? What about copies that were filed with the opposition ruled states? Were all of them simultaneously destroyed? The opposition was giving too much credit to the government; it is simply not that competent!

That aside, all the files were already available with the CAG's office, and the CAG already said that. But was anyone interested in hearing them? No, because that would have killed the story! The story stayed on for several days, and several prime time TV shows got created, only because the files stayed missing!

Some months back, when the Maharashtra government offices caught fire, the anchor of a particular channel had similarly spun the conspiracy theory. As per him, the government had intentionally created the fire so as to destroy the Adarsh scam files! We have such creative news anchors, better even than the best guys who work for our entertainment channels! That's probably why a friend once said: our news channels are no different from entertainment channels. Only they are in the "Horror" genre! Even in that case, the CM kept insisting that all files were available and none had been lost, but how else could the masala for several lean days be obtained if not by calling the files missing!

And then this completely bizarre demand that the PM should respond in Parliament since some of the files related to his period. But didn't the files get misplaced now? Shouldn't the current Coal Minister's reply suffice, if the opposition's interest really was in getting to the truth? And if this principle was to be followed, then shouldn't the NDA coal minister answer questions related to files of his period?! Bizarre doesn't even start to describe this; stupid does.

One last point. Why would the government do such a thing? Who was the loser in the entire episode? Only the government! Surely the government knew what to expect. Isn't it possible that moles loyal to the opposition actually created all this up? Just think about it. In the world of conspiracies, this is a better one than the government losing the files!

The only question that was relevant was why the Government took so much time in turning over these files to the CBI. That of course didn't get adequate attention. If only one could focus on that, many of our governance issues would be sorted out. For the truth is that governments (all of them, including the NDA one) work so slowly that a few months delay is hardly anything. The same CBI that sent repeated reminders to the coal ministry can also be accused of delays at its end. Infrastructure projects that roll off today were started several years/decades back. When Praful Patel ordered planes for Air India after a process than took 17 months, he was accused of "too much speed"! And our courts? They sit on cases for decades. What's a few months in this context? In my mind, if the files reached the CBI in a few months, that's a remarkable achievement, deserving of some national award! It indicates "sincerity" of government, not an attempt to cover up!

The real truth is that the missing coal files was just an excuse to stall Parliament. The opposition is petrified that this government has started to move. Policy paralysis is converting to policy activism. The Food Security Bill is a game changer (that's why the BJP keeps reminding us of its own state governments having done this earlier, and better). What else can they do but stall Parliament? And did they succeed? Hugely! 88% of this session's time has been destroyed so far (today's TOI). As far as the country is concerned…..well, who cares????

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Why is Uma Bharti defending Asaram Bapu?

Jyoti Malhotra
24 August 2013, 11:41 AM IST

How dare Uma Bharti defend Asaram Bapu's alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl child.

It's bad enough that our political parties are contesting the Supreme Court judgement seeking to cleanse politics from criminality and thuggery as well as wanting to amend the RTI act barring political parties from its purview.

India needs a brave leader to challenge the herd instinct that promotes both these regressive legislations. Even if the Supreme Court verdict on criminality and politics needs to be amended in some ways because the reality is far tougher and definitely much more grim, there is no denying the nexus between the two.

But now we seem to have hit a new low : Uma Bharti, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who has risen from the ranks to occupy one of the highest political offices in the country, that of chief minister, is now defending a so-called godman for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl child.

According to the BJP leader, this is a cooked-up case by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi acolytes to defame the godman.

Godman? A 15-year-old child has had the incredible courage to tell her parents that this Asaram Bapu sexually assaulted her in his ashram in Jodhpur, and this is what she gets in return.

How dare Uma Bharti defend this man, especially when the investigation has still not been concluded? Why is it that the BJP's several women leaders at the top – like Sushma Swaraj, Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani, Meenakshi Lekhi, etc – have not reprimanded Uma Bharti publicly so far?

For a party that has implemented 33 per cent reservation for women and claims to support the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament – because it hopes to bring many more women into public life -- this shocking silence is only a reflection of its lack of moral courage in speaking up against one of their own.

The truth is that if Uma Bharti is not criticised today by all Indians, and especially those belonging to the BJP family, then this silence will feed into a patriarchal mindset that believes that men can commit the gravest misconduct against women and get away with it.

This is why the shocking gang-rape of a 22-year-old journalist has taken place in Mumbai – because its perpetrators believed that they would get away with this heinous act. This is why there has been no overhauling of the nation's laws that militate against equality for women. This is why Nirbhaya may have just died in vain.

What is the matter with our women leaders in politics? Sonia Gandhi, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Sushma Swaraj, Jayalalithaa...if these women want, they can together change the course of India's political history.

If these women want, they can come together and put the fear of god into all the so-called godmen as well as others who dare take advantage of India's women.

By speaking up in favour of this 15-year-old girl child, and other women who are everyday victims in our country, simply because they are women, our women leaders will do us proud.

We hope they won't let us down. 

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Look what it says in today’s newspaper!

Rumy Agarwal
24 August 2013, 04:38 PM IST

The newspaper vendor is an eagerly awaited man every morning. But that's by sheer force of habit I guess—we've been conditioned to see our parents, and their parents before that, enjoying the morning cup that cheers with the newspaper—because the newspapers of today do not really give any cause for such joyous expectancy.

Bizarre though it may sound, newspapers are actually injurious to our (mental) health. And you don't even have to wonder why. Check out Page 1 of any daily any day and you will be badgered with news of terrorist activities / natural disasters / horrific accidents / puke-inducing crimes / scams and frauds etc that have jolted the nation in the last 24 hours. Move on to the next page and you have a smaller edition of similar fare on a local level. In other words, one bad news after another strung together to make a noose to be tightened around your neck to squeeze out any vestige of joy left in your heart—almost as if to say, "Hey, how dare you feel happy and contented when there are so many morbid things happening all around you?"  When you have survived these pages can you hope for some respite in the entertainment or sports pages. But glamour is a poor substitute for gravitas and it is the latter which forms the staple diet of avid newspaper readers! So what does the reader do? Suffer from an acute case of acidity and indigestion every morning? Yes, more or less.

But why is the situation so pathetic? Don't good things ever happen any more, or do newspapers have a self-imposed ban on writing about them? Well, I will answer the question as best as I understand it. For one thing, the world is not such a miserable place as journalists will have us believe. Good things happen along with the bad ones but newspapers have a long-standing prejudice for using bolder and larger print for the bad news and smaller font for the good tidings. Why? Because they have been conditioned to behave like vultures—you know, swoop in on death, disaster and destruction. They feel almost morally bound to find chinks in the armour of the establishment and report them faithfully to make the public aware of how it is being hoodwinked. And the more sensational the reporting, the more copies sold— is the firm belief of media behemoths. That readers suffer from panic, anxiety and stress is part of the plan—tabloids are fuelled by the unshakeable notion that the gory truth must get out there and they (the newspapers) are actually doing the public a great service by serving that truth, garnish and all. 

But you know what, it is the good news which really keep us—the news-reading public—going. Happy tidings renew our faith and belief in the basic goodness of human nature; they have a feel-good quality which palliates our panic and keeps us from coming unstuck... That doesn't mean that newspapers should ignore or trivialise traumatic events, because that would be a head-in-the-sands approach. I simply wish that all news are kept in proper perspective. Like, when we read about scams, more scams, and then some, we react with impotent rage, right? Maybe that rage could've been mollified a little had the print media also mentioned a couple of those people who refused to be bribed (and they too definitely do exist). See what I mean? A kind of balance between the savoury and the unsavoury, you know.

Journalists come up with catchy captions, pithy taglines and sensational headlines to grab the readers' eyeballs and ensure that they don't stray to rival tabloids, and thus often blow a news item totally out of proportion. Therein lies the danger because most readers are gullible enough to believe as gospel truth whatever is written in their favourite newspaper! Hence, proper presentation of a news item is of the utmost importance here. Newspapers should refrain from insulting the readers' intelligence by upholding lopsided priorities. And some positive stories (for example, regarding civic issues, economic development, human interest, unbelievable feats of science and technology and so on) on the front page could make for a day's good beginning, don't you think?

It is the bounden duty of newspapers to inform and enlighten, not anger and frighten. The print media is powerful—it can inform, it can motivate people to abide by the right and condemn the wrong, it can stir up patriotism and ignite solidarity. Such power should not be misused.

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De-Indianisation begins with elimination of Sanskrit

Tarun Vijay
23 August 2013, 05:32 PM IST

We may have to have a Chinese name if Sanskrit is no more in India.

From birth to death, from naming a child to having a family identity, from marriage to pilgrimage, from wearing an introduction as an Indian to gaining an entry into heaven, we need Sanskrit.

The oldest language the world can claim and the most scientific, a grammarian's dream, which gave us the greatest treasures in science, technology, cosmology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and geometry, theatre, music and performing arts, Sanskrit informed the world about the existence of several suns, a thousand years before and mapped the circumference of the earth, gave zero, and the decimal system and analysed the mysteries of life and death. CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, has a Nataraj statue at its headquarters in Geneva.

Sanskrit inspired Fritjof Capra to author his celebrated book The Tao of Physics with Shiva on its cover.

Sanskrit is us.

Sanskrit is India.

Sanskrit is Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, and Ramayana. The greatest unifying force of India, from north to south and west to east.

Sanskrit is the master of our universe, the daily Panchang, the tithis (Indian dates, calendar that determines  festivals).

It is the vehicle of Kumbh, the biggest human congregation on this planet, the colour of all our celebrations, Holi, Diwali, Durga Puja, Dusshera, Raksha Bandhan.

Guru Gobind Singh sent his best Sikh scholars to Kashi to learn Sanskrit and they were called Namdharis, the great warrior-scholars and revolutionaries.

And under UPA it is systematically being eliminated from our schools and colleges and daily life. It's the most atrocious order by CBSE.

I raised this issue in Parliament last week and hope the government will reply soon.

This is what CBSE is doing.

National Policy on Education 1986, enunciated as the resolution of the Parliament, says that "the State Government should adopt and vigorously implement the Three Language Formula at the Secondary State" and two languages at Higher Secondary level.

The Curriculum Framework for School Education by NCERT also says that the study of all the three languages has to continue up to the end of the Secondary stage, and two languages at XI and XII.

All the State Boards of Secondary Education, except Tamil Nadu and some States, have three languages at the Secondary stage and two languages at Higher Secondary stage.

But the three National Boards i.e., CBSC, CISCE and NIOS do not implement the Three Language Formula at the Secondary stage. They have two languages at the secondary stage (IX, X) and one language at Higher Secondary stage XI, XII. Three languages are taught in VI, VII, VIII only.

When there are only 5 papers in X and XII in CBSE, ICSE and NIOS, states feel that their students are at a disadvantage due to 6 papers. Many state boards, like Haryana, have started following the CBSE pattern on this matter.

Very soon there will be neither Rajabhasha Hindi nor Sanskrit at secondary level and higher secondary level since only the regional language and English will find place in two language formula and one language formula.

No one is concerned about its long-term implications. Notwithstanding some lip service to register that 'yes, we are working on the issue', nothing concrete is being done and the matter ends there.

Look at Delhi's Congress-led government's advertisement for the so-called World Sanskrit conference published today - it simply projects Sanskrit as the language of soothsayers, horoscope readers and astrology.

Sanskrit is science and logic. Sanskrit makes you believe in your own Purusharth, your inner power. A language that has been the mother of most of the Indian languages, that has the distinction of being the medium of a full-length feature film that was awarded the Golden Lotus, top rank award at the Indian Film festival by the government of India and President of India gave the prize to its great director VVS Aiyer (the famous bare-foot filmmaker), is now being axed by the Central Board of Secondary Education, the last hope to have Sanskrit alive in the schools.

I believe that unless Sanskrit is taken to the doors and the hearts of the so-called scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes, no one will be able to fight for it determinedly and successfully. It has to transgress the caste barriers and religious dogmas to become more powerful and omnipresent. To be a vehicle to get top jobs and a social status that it enjoyed once.

These so-called modern-day scholars and the Brown Sahebs of today do not understand that if India can't be visualised without the Ganga, our culture and civilisation is incomprehensible without Sanskrit.  

In 1949 Dr BR Ambedkar had moved a constitutional amendment to make Sanskrit India's official language replacing Hindi. Not only the leaders from Tamil Nadu supported the move but Mr Naziruddin Ahmed, a Muslim League member from West Bengal also signed it. It's another story how Hindi finally got the status but the episode amplifies how leaders of a nascent, independent India thought about Sanskrit.

Pt Nehru, in a debate on India's language policy said: "If I was asked what is the greatest treasure which India possesses and what is her finest heritage, I would answer unhesitatingly, it is the Sanskrit language and literature and all that it contains."

Almost all our great institutions have derived their national mottos from Sanskrit- The govt of India's Satyamev Jayate, Supreme Court's Dharmo Rakshati  Rakshitah, Indian Navy's Shanno Varunah, Loksabha's Dharmachakrapravartnaya, All India Radio's Bahujan Hitaya, Bhajuna Sukhaya and LIC's Yogakshemamam Vahamyaham are pure Sanskrit.

Nepal's national motto is in Sanskrit: Janani Janmabhumischa  Swargadapi Gariyasi (my motherland is greater than even the Swarga - heaven).

Still under the present UPA's regime Sanskrit is an 'unwanted' language.

There are three central universities in the country, created with an Act of Parliament. They are dedicated to Urdu, Hindi and English. It's hard to believe that there is not a single Central Sanskrit University created with a powerful Act of the Parliament. All the existing ones are either deemed universities or state universities.

The only ray of hope for Sanskrit is the people. The people of India and the people of the rest of the world.

Gradually at the non-governmental levels, Sanskrit is gaining popularity not only in the urban cosmopolitan centres in India but also in various institutions in Europe and the US.  

The highly successful courses introduced in St. James School in London are one such pointer that must inspire us to do a bit more to have Sanskrit popularised in our home and in the neighborhood. 

Why Sanskrit in St James? The school explains its policy in these words: "In St James School in London Sanskrit has been the basis of language teaching because it appears to be the mother of all Indo-European languages, is full of profound concepts, and alone among all tongues has not changed over the millennia."

The website of the school declares- 'Sanskrit' literally means 'well formed' or 'refined.' It is a classical language predating Latin and Greek and has the ability to act as a model, teaching children the fundamental principles of language. Its grammar is thought to prevail as the underlying grammatical system of most Indo-European languages.

"This thorough knowledge of grammar ultimately gives the pupils a greater clarity and accuracy in thinking, reading and speaking, thereby preparing them well for whatever they will undertake in life."

The last World Sanskrit Book Fair was held in Bangalore in January 2011, with the wonderful support and visualization by Sanskrit Bharati, a revolutionary organization established in 1981 in Bangalore had attracted more than one lakh visitors and books worth Rs 5 crore were sold out in less than one weak. It's untiring engine, Chamu Krishna Shastri, and hundreds of other workers who speak only Sanskrit, has made the organization achieve amazing success at the ground level.

Publishing houses too hardly find Sanskrit books worth publishing, as there is not much lucre in this business. One of the most distinguished and established publishers in Indology, Motilal Banarasi Das, has published a couple of books entitled Sanskrit which are amazingly easy and eye friendly for the beginners as well as those who have interest but can't find enough time to learn. Story of Rama and other books make a set of seven that delights and encourages knowing more about the real Bharat.

Many such efforts are being made. The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan under Dr Radha Vallabh Tripathi is another institute contributing enormously to the cause of Sanskrit .

But where are the leaders and the real propellers who make a difference. In times when the rupee is sliding, national and international issues affecting the Rashtra-kaya (the nation's physique) are becoming as burning issues as if we are fighting for survival, who will find time for Sanskrit, the soul of the nation?

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