PUbLIcATION OF THE cONSULATE GENErAL OF INDIA IN DUbAI VOL.4 ISSUE 12 | DEcEmbEr 2012

The leGenD Is no More

Pt. Ravi Shankar,who took Indianclassical music tothe world stage,passes away,leaving behind anunparalleledlegacy; LifetimeGrammy comes aday after hisdeath

Ashish Mehta, an eminentlawyer practising in Dubai,explains his idea of justice

The golden beaches of Goa provide an ideal backdrop to the celebration of the silver screen at the 43rd IFFI

Also

Congratulations!

CONTEN

TS

India Matters is a monthly publication of the Consulate General of India (CGI) in Dubai. All rights reserved. No part of this journal may be produced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the CGI Dubai.

Editorial correspondence and manuscripts can be addressed to indiamatters@cgidubai.com

Content and design by IANS (www.ianspublishing.com) on behalf of Consulate General of India in Dubai.Editorial Coordinator: Zarin Amrolia, Dubai

10

SUPERBRANDS

MindTree20

ECONOMY

The Friendship RoadIndia is keen to improve road and sea connec-tivity with ASEAN countries, makes heavyinvestment to this end

08

10 QUESTIONS

‘Lawyers, apt at politics’Eminent lawyer Ashish Mehta talks about theethos of the legal profession and legal practicein Dubai

Godfather of world musicPt. Ravi Shankar, who introduced Indian classical music tothe West, leaves behind an unparalleled legacy

18Bureaucrat-author Bhaskar Ghose on the interestingexperimentations with English by Indian authors

SEPTEMBER 2009 32

Dear Reader,

India lost another of its legendary figures this month. Pandit Ravi Shankar, the man who

took Indian culture to the global audience through classical music, departed from our midst

on December 11, 2012. His contributions saw him being awarded with the Bharat Ratna,

Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and three Grammy awards. Our cover story pays tribute

to the legend, who was part of the golden era of Indian classical music.

Fantasy and reality interchange places, as filmmakers reach out to a vast audience around

the world. India Matters brings you coverage of the 43rd International Film Festival of India.

The festival showcased the evolution of 100 years of Indian Cinema through an assembly of

people and nations, where the world’s greatest film artistes met the emerging talents of today.

Rapid growth has affected a significant change in not just the way India is perceived by the world

but the way Indians perceive their own selves. Indian businesses, Indian products and Indian serv-

ices are gaining increasing visibility and acceptability in the global market. In the backdrop of this

reality, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh highlighted the importance of connecting India and

ASEAN by sea, surface and air links, at the 10th ASEAN – India summit at Phnom Penh.

As a part of our regular feature ’10 Questions’, Ashish Mehta, an Indian lawyer practising

in the UAE, talks about his professional experiences and shares his views on the common legal

issues faced by expats all over the world.

Season’s Greetings and a very Happy New Year!

Happy reading!

RADIO MATTERSThe Consulate General of India in Dubai brings to you its weekly

radio programme ‘India Matters’ on Suno 102.4 FM. The purpose ofthe show is to highlight the services provided by the Consulate and talkabout the events and news related to India and the Indian communityin UAE.

India Matters is aired every Friday between 5 and 6 pm on Suno102.4 FM and repeated every Saturday between 12 and 1 pm.

For more details visit www.cgidubai.com and www.suno1024.com

Winner of the November 2012 monthly quiz contest is

Rakhee MansukhaniThe winner gets a gift hamper.

Sanjay Verma

BOOKS

‘I like new English’

06Over 100 Indian and international films screenedat 43rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI)in Goa; film-makers express views on cinema

INFOCUS

Silver screen sentiments

December 2012|IndiaMattersIndiaMatters|December 2012

CINEMA

‘I love the magic offilms’Karan Johar describes what makes hismovies a hit on the box office

12

COVER STORY

04

16FEATURE

Sports and style You are what you wear seems to be the mottoamong sportsmen and viewers in certainsports, polo and cricket included

14TRAVEL

Health rides inthe Himalayas Cycling is becoming a popularadventure sport in Himachal

FROM THE CONSUL-GENERAL’S DESK

music of the epic Gandhi that wasreleased in 1982. In the same year,he composed the Swagatam wel-come song for the IXth Asian Gamesthat still brings a lump to the throatwhenever it is played.

The mid-1950s were the key toShankar’s contribution to makingIndian classical music a world genre.In 1956, Ravi Shankar crossed theseas with his music to Europe and the US.

Throughout the 1960s and for thebetter part of the 1970s, he taughtabroad and collaborated with leg-ends like Yehudi Menuhin andBeatles star George Harrison, whodrew from Shankar’s ragas for hisrepertoire, most famously inNorwegian Wood.

Harrison produced and participat-ed in two albums, Shankar Family &Friends and Festival of India, bothcomposed by Shankar.

Many have forgotten that Shankaralso played in the epic concertWoodstock, performing after JoanBaez.

The maestro also wrote a‘Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra’,which was performed by the LondonSymphony Orchestra under AndrePrevin. In 1971, Shankar performedat the Concert for Bangladesh atMadison Square Garden.

As music director of All IndiaRadio (1949-56), Shankar composedthe classical version of Saare Jahan

se Achchha that was sung by LataMangeshkar. He was awardedIndia’s highest civil honour BharatRatna in 1999 and won threeGrammy Awards.

Shankar was nominated foranother Grammy for 2013, the newsof which reached him just a daybefore his surgery. Performer till thevery end, he was last seen on stagejust a month ago, in Long Beach onNovember 4, when he played withAnoushka.

He was also nominated to theRajya Sabha between 1986 and 1992.

“How does one put the spiritualsignificance of music on paper?Music transcends all barriers and isone of the most beautiful commu-nicative skills one can have. Musicmakes us all experience differentemotions or the navarasa, as we callit,” the maestro would often sayabout his music.

Shankar’s personal life was also ofmuch interest to his fans. His maincompanion for decades was dancerKamala Shastri. He also had a rela-tionship with New York concert pro-ducer Sue Jones, with whom hefathered singer Norah Jones.

He had a son Shubho Shankar,from his first wife Annapurna Devi.Shubho, who was also a musicianand often toured with him, died in1992.

Old associates refused to bid afinal farewell. “Actually, I think in away we should celebrate the passingaway of the maestro instead of griev-ing his death,” said former studentand associate Shobha Deepak Singh,the director of Shriram BharatiyaKala Kendra.

“It is surreal for me to believe thatPandit Ravi Shankar, whom I called‘dada’, is no more. His passing awaymarks the end of an era that wastruly magical,” sarod maestro AmjadAli Khan said.

Kathak maestro Pandit BirjuMaharaj said, “ I hope his daughterAnoushka, who is a sitarist herself,will carry forward his legacy. And Ipray to God that Pandit-ji will oneday take birth again and strum thesitar.”n

Cover story

4

He was a classical musicianin the purest sense andwas also dubbed the ‘god-father of world music’ by

his Beatles friend, George Harrison.Ravi Shankar, who took Indian classical music to the world in the1950s and effortlessly bound the twoworlds with the stirring notes of his sitar, leaves behind an unpara-lleled legacy.

India’s most effective culturalambassador, who died at the age of92 in a hospital near his southCalifornia home following complica-

tions from a heart surgery, leavesbehind his wife Sukanya and daugh-ters Anoushka, the heir to his legacy,and singer Norah Jones.

“God has blessed me with Lakshmiand Saraswati,” he would often sayof his daughters.

The dancer-turned-instrumental-ist was born Robindro ShaunkarChowdhury on April 7, 1920, inVaranasi. He gave up dancing in hisillustrious brother Uday Shankar’stroupe 1938 to study music underAllaudin Khan — bequeathing his artto daughter Anoushka and legions of

students who trained at the RaviShankar Foundation in the US andin the national capital, where he hadbuilt a gurukul-like school.

Shankar spent his early years tour-ing Europe and India with UdayShankar. But he took to instrumen-tal music in 1934 and studied for 10years under his mentor. Beforeembarking on a formal musicalcareer, Shankar worked as a com-poser setting the score for SatyajitRay’s The Apu Trilogy.

Later, with George Fenton, he wasalso nominated for an Oscar for the

IndiaMatters|December 2012

PT. RAVI SHANKAR, who took Indian classical music to the world, dies aged 92

Godfather of world music

5December 2012|IndiaMatters

SHANKAR WAS NOMINATEDFOR ANOTHER GRAMMY FOR2013, THE NEWS OF WHICHREACHED HIM JUST A DAYBEFORE HIS SURGERY.PERFORMER TILL THE VERYEND, HE WAS LAST SEEN ONSTAGE JUST A MONTH AGO,IN LONG BEACH ONNOVEMBER 4, WHEN HEPLAYED WITH ANOUSHKA.

The world, his stage: Pt. Ravi Shankar with his daughter Anoushka during a concert in February 2009

Indian music legend Pandit RaviShankar has been named a

Lifetime Achievement GrammyAward recipient, a day after hisdeath at 92 in a US hospital.The sitar maestro will be hon-

oured along with six other artistsat an invitation-only ceremony inLos Angeles on February 9, justone day before the 55th annualGrammy Awards are to be tele-cast live from the Staples Centrein Los Angeles.Ravi Shankar has been named

as one of the Grammy nomineesfor Best World Music Album. It isa category in which his daughter,sitar virtuoso Anoushka, 31, hasalso been nominated, markingwhat appears to be the first timethat a father and daughter’salbums will be competing for thesame honour at the Grammys.In addition to Shankar, two

other artists will receive theGrammy Lifetime AchievementAward posthumously. They are:classical piano giant Glenn Gould,who died in 1982; and blues pio-neer Lightnin’ Hopkins, who diedthe same year and at least indi-rectly helped lay the foundationfor rock ‘n’ roll.The other Grammy Lifetime

Achievement Award honoureesare singer Patti Page, 85; iconicsinger-songwriter Carole King, 70;jazz bandleader and bass greatCharlie Haden, 75; and the semi-nal soul vocal group, TheTemptations.

ravi shankar Gets

Lifetime aChievement

Grammy

With a galaxy of stars like AkshayKumar, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Om Puri,Jackie Shroff and Vinay Pathak, theopening ceremony also had the pres-ence of renowned film personalitieslike Kim Ki-duk, MichaelWinterbottom, Susanne Bier amongstothers.

Academy Award winning DirectorAng Lee’s much acclaimed 3D filmLife of Pi was screened as the open-ing film of IFFI-2012. The cast andcrew of the film including IrrfanKhan and Tabu were present on theoccasion.

In the 43rd edition of IFFI, over ahundred movies were screened as apart of the Indian cinema and theworld cinema segments. The Indiansection brought to the audiencemovies from across the country in theIndian panorama (feature and non-feature section) which was selected bya core jury headed by BuddhadebDasgupta for the feature and M.R.Rajan for the non-feature section. TheIndian panorama screened 20 featurefilms, with Baandhon, directed byJahnu Barua, as the opening film, and19 films in the non-feature section,with Celluloid Man directed byShivendra Singh Dungarpur as theopening film.

Apart from the international com-petition, the cine lovers at the 43rdIFFI were treated to a varied line-up ofworld cinema, which was showcasedin sections like ‘Cinema of the World’with 51 films from 42 countries, withLife of Pi as its opening film and MiraNair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalistas its closing film.

Other sections in the Internationalsection included ‘A Cut Above’,‘Masterstrokes’, ‘Festival Kaleido-scope’, ‘Turkish Currents,’ ‘Sketcheson Screen’, ‘Retrospective: SusanneBier’, ‘Special Tribute: AshokAmritraj’, ‘In Focus: Kim Ki-duk’,‘Soul of Asia’, ‘Documentaries’ and‘Homages’.

The off-screen views During the festival, Polish film-makerKrzysztof Zanussi described censor-ship as a world problem and called forreasonable ways to handle it. He said

that censorship is an ugly method ofimproving our life and added thatpolice states tackle this problem in aharsh way, while democratic nationsdo it in a far more reasonable manner.

Zanussi was not the only film-makerto express his ideas on film making.Veteran director Shyam Benegalasked the film fraternity to ponderover how to market new wave cinema,which is on the decline in India.Interacting with media persons duringIFFI, he said that smaller films canmove to television but that does notoffer market and explains the contin-ued decline of art films.

Noted film director and producerAdoor Gopalakrishnan flagged theissue of finance for good cinema andsaid that distribution was another bigchallenge facing new wave cinema.

Film-maker and poet Muzaffar Alisaid cinema is a sacred medium and afilm maker must take it to the highestlevel of communication. Film-makingis a journey through which enrich-ment is achieved, he added.

India’s young filmmakers ResulPookutty, Aishwarya Dhanush, Onirand Gauri Shinde addressed a jointpress conference to share their viewson the new advances in cinema mak-ing. Onir, the acclaimed director ofcinema like My Brother Nikhil and IAm, said, “Independent cinema issomething that we are still discover-ing. Every day we are experimentingwith content which is not available en mass. Today the biggest challengein front of the industry is to createfilms which are for the audience. Weneed to give them a brand of cinemawhich gives them something to thinkabout; and something to take backwith them.” Gauri Shinde, who is acclaimed

across the cinematic universe for herrecent movie English Vinglish, said,that for her, whatever talks back is cinema. Any visual presentationwhich makes her think and ponderupon is cinema. Aishwarya Dhanush, renowned for

the film 3 and viral superhit songKolaveri Di, said the aim of her cine-ma is to reach people. She said thather endeavor is to seek to create content which tugs at the heart of theaudience and gives him a thoughtabout what he has just witnessed.Renowned Kannada film maker and

the director of the film KurmavataraGirish Kasarvalli said that there is athin line between serious and main-stream cinema and that the division ofparallel and commercial cinema hasbeen created by the media.

Noted journalist RatnottamaSengupta, urging the Government todevise a system of ‘single windowclearance’ for granting shooting per-missions, said that India has plenty tooffer like its large coastlines, sea-beaches, snow-covered mountains,forests and the River Ganges, but theGovernment must wake up to theneeds of film-makers to have‘Incredible India’ on the screen.n

In focuS

6

The 43rd International FilmFestival of India (IFFI-2012)was declared open in Goaamidst festivities, glitz and

with a promise to make India an inter-national destination of good cinema.Information and BroadcastingMinister Manish Tewari assured thegathering that the Government on itspart was taking a number of steps tonurture the Indian film industry andto promote India as a destination forfilm shooting. He said thatGovernment was embarking on anambitious National Film HeritageMission during the 12th five year planto preserve India’s film heritage.Moreover, with a view towardsencouraging co-production betweenIndia and other countries, India hasentered into co-production agree-ments with various countries.

Chief Minister of Goa Manohar

Parrikar said that the journey whichwas started by him eight years ago hasyielded positive results and Goa hasbeen awarded as the best film destina-tion. He, however added that a collec-tive endeavour will be made to takethis festival to newer heights and tomake it truly international.

The chief guest of the event andBollywood heartthrob Akshay Kumarsaid that cinema is very important notonly for him but for his entire family.Pitching for good and wholesome cin-ema, he felt proud that the festival ishappening in the centenary year ofIndian Cinema.

Renowned Polish film-makerKrzysztof Zanussi was conferred theprestigious Lifetime AchievementAward by Manish Tewari on the occa-sion, which carries an amount of `10lakh, a scroll, a shawl and a certificate.Known for producing acclaimed films

like Camouflage, Family life and TheSilent Touch, Zanussi said amidst thestanding ovation that this was themost moving moment of his life. Hepromised to make more films infuture. He said that the 21st centurywill be Asia’s Century and it was hisdeep belief that it will be India’sCentury.

Gautam Ghosh, Chairman of theInternational Jury, and all the Jurymembers were felicitated by the IFFI.

Hosted by Kabir Bedi and PerizaadZorabian, the event showcased theevolution of 100 years of IndianCinema through a brilliant combo ofmusic, dance and videos conceivedand directed by Jahnu Barua, SarojKhan and Sajjad Ali.

The nearly two-hour culturalextravaganza also included renditionsby singer Kailash Kher.

IndiaMatters|December 2012 7December 2012|IndiaMatters

“THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE INFRONT OF THE INDUSTRY ISTO CREATE FILMS WHICHARE FOR THE AUDIENCE. WENEED TO GIVE THEM ABRAND OF CINEMA, WHICHGIVES THEM SOMETHING TOTHINK ABOUT.”

— ONIR

Lighting up the golden beaches: Actor Akshay Kumar lighting the lamp to inaugurate the 43rd International Film Festival of Indiain Goa on November 20. Manish Tewari, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for I&B; Bharat Vir Wanchoo, Governor of Goa;Manohar Parrikar , Chief Minister of Goa; and Uday Kumar Varma, Secretary, Ministry of I&B are also seen

Silver screen sentimentsAt the 43rd International Film Festival of India, screening of over 100 movies fromIndia and abroad was combined with film-makers airing views on a range of issues

Wisdom from the veteran: ShyamBenegal in conversation at the fest

9December 2012|IndiaMatters8 IndiaMatters|December 2012

economy

Connectivity is the buzzword inIndia’s relations with the 10-member ASEAN, as itrebuilds road and sea links to

boost trade and people-to-people tieswith an economically vibrant region.

A trilateral highway linkingThailand and Myanmar with India,called Friendship Road, is slowlynearing completion, while a car rallykicked off from Yogakarta inIndonesia to end in India’s North-East. An Indian naval ship is dockingat ports of the ASEAN countries,reviving and building on an ancientsea route link with the region.

“The ASEAN region is economicallyvery important, especially in the con-text of Asia doing very well at a time ofthe global economic crisis,” a seniorofficial said.

India’s 1.2 billion population, withits huge young workforce, andASEAN’s 600 million people, jointly

constitute 1.8 billion people, whileIndia and ASEAN together have aGDP of $3 trillion. The ASEAN regionis expected to average an annual rateof 5.5 percent growth over the 2013-17period, according to an Organisationfor Economic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD) report.

“It is a very significant relationshipand there is an identity of perspectiveand objective,” the official added, notwishing to be named.

Bridging the distancesIndia has built most of its stretch ofthe 1,400 km trilateral highway,which is to connect Moreh in Manipurto Mae Sot in Thailand. “A part of it isbeing built by Thailand and a part byIndia. India is building 160 km, ofwhich 132 km has been completed,”the official added. The highway is slat-ed to be completed by 2016.

During Prime Minister Dr.

Manmohan Singh’s visit to Myanmarin May this year, India committed totake up the renovation of 71 bridges ofWorld War II vintage in that country,including in the Kalewa-Yargi section,which is over 100 km long.

The Indian Government hasalready invested $257 million asgrant-in-aid on this project.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, in hisaddress at the 10th ASEAN-Indiasummit at Phnom Penh on November19, said the working groups on theproject and the highway are “welcomesteps in implementing the vision ofIndia-ASEAN connectivity.”

The Prime Minister said the India-ASEAN car rally and the sailing expedition of Indian Naval ShipSudarshini “highlight the importanceand the potential for connecting Indiaand ASEAN by sea, surface and air links.” The car rally was flagged offfrom Yogyakarta in Indonesia on

November 26, with hundreds of peo-ple waving flags. The rally was flaggedoff in a grand ceremony at RoyalAmbarrukmo Hotel. It plans to passthrough eight ASEAN countries over22 days, covering a distance of 8,000km, before entering India at Guwahation December 17. A total of 124 participants from 11 countries are participating.

Meanwhile, INS Sudarshini set sailon a six-month voyage on September15 from Kochi. It is to call on 13 portsin 9 ASEAN countries and end thejourney in March 2013. “During itsport call, the ship will take on a fewnaval cadets for short-stint training, aspart of navy-to-navy cooperation;besides, cultural and business eventswill be held,” the official added.

“Clearly a big focus is on connectiv-ity and the North-East. Connectivity isan area of priority,” the officialstressed.

exchange of ideas, peopleTourism is also a major focus of roadand sea links with the ASEAN. Indiahas a visa agreement with 7 of the 10ASEAN countries and India andASEAN have also inked a MoU ontourism, the official added.

India is hosting a CommemorativeSummit on December 20-21 to markthe 20th anniversary of its ties withASEAN and the 10th anniversary ofthe ASEAN-India Summit-level part-nership. India and ASEAN held sever-al events this year to mark their asso-ciation, including visit programmes byjournalists and students.

As part of the people-to-people pro-grammes, India has given 640 ITECscholarships to low-income ASEANcountries so far.n

oFFicesuiTe PRoOFFICESUITE Pro allows you toview, create, edit, print and shareWord, Excel andPowerPoint fileswith great ease.One can alsoopen attach-ments and seePDF files on anAndroid based phone or tablet. OfficeSuite Pro includes a File

Browser and integration Box,DropBox, Google Drive, SkyDriveand SugarSync to give users amultitude of options on how tomanage files and attachments.

lecTuRenoTesLECTURENOTES is an Android appfor note-taking by handwriting onthe screen, in par-ticular with astylus. It is designed

keeping a univer-sity or school userin mind, for prepar-ing lecture or actu-al teaching in case of a lecturer ortaking notes during class, in caseof a student. Major features:n Requires no Internet connection n Allows free choice of note-book’s page width and height

n Allows multiple pages to besimultaneously visible on thescreen

n Allows smooth writing, scroll-ing, and zooming

US$ 77 billion is the expected revenue of the Indian ITand BPO sector during 2012-13, according to the NationalAssociation of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM).

US$ 70 billion worth remittances are expected to bereceived by India in 2012, according to the World Bank.

US$ 11.94 billion was the value of the total exportsfrom the Indian services sector in September 2012, up 6.3

percent from US$ 11.23 billion in September 2011, accord-ing to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

US$ 8.51 billion is the revenue earning generated byIndian Railways from commodity-wise freight traffic duringApril-October 2012, up 23.76 percent as compared to US$6.67 billion during the same period in 2011.

US$ 1.90 billion investment proposal by IKEA in Indiacleared by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).

BUSINESS BUZZ

RemoTeREMOTE is a free, fun, and easy-to-use app that turns your iPhone,iPad, or iPod touch into a remotecontrol. With the help of this app,you can control your computer’siTunes library and your Apple TVwith a tap or flick of a finger.

Remote lets youcontrol the iTuneslibrary on your Macthe same way youplay music or videoon your iPhone,

iPad, or iPod touch. Fast-forward,pause, and rewind. Choose a song,shuffle an album, or skip to thenext track. Even create Geniusplaylists.

PoPulAR APPs FoR moBile devices

AdoBe RevelREVEL IS a photo app for Mac, iPad,and iPhone. Put photos into Reveland you can access them anywhereyou have Revel installed. Everything

you do in Revel isautomatically andeffortlessly sync’dacross your Mac, iPad,and iPhone. So no

matter where you are, you have allyour memories with you and every-thing you need to keep them organised.Top Features:n Share a photo library with yourpartner so you have one place forall the family photos

nShare albums as web galleriesthat update automatically

n Your photos are safe in the cloud

By road and sea, India is keen to enhance links with ASEAN, writes Ranjana Narayan 

Easterly influence: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh with the ASEAN/East Asia Summit Heads at the Gala Dinner for the21st ASEAN Summit and related summits, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 19

The Friendship Road

1110 IndiaMatters|December 2012 December 2012|IndiaMatters

1How do you define justice?

Lord Atkinson once said: ‘Might isRight. Law is might, justice is right butjustice which is natural is mightierthan might.’

“It is better that 10 guilty shouldescape than that one innocent personshould suffer,” British philosopherJohn Stuart Mill made this argumentover a century ago in a speech beforethe British Parliament.

It can be very hard to reconcile different definitions of justice. In myopinion, if law is the means then jus-tice is the end. Much less to say thatit’s the end that defines the means.Doing justice is important; it is equal-ly important that it must be seen thatjustice is done.

2Why did you choose law as aprofession? Why Dubai?

The potential to excel in the practice oflaw is limitless. There is never a dullmoment with the multitude of chal-lenges that are unique to each situation.

As a member of the student’s coun-cil in school and as an office bearer ofthe National Students Union of India(NSUI) in my university days, I active-ly participated in learning about thegrievances of my fellow students andresolving their issues. Subsequently, Ideveloped an interest in assisting oth-ers to resolve their grievances andstarted enjoying public dealings sincethen. I chose law as a profession, as itsynchronises with my persona. After

knowledge of the law, the second mostimportant ingredient in the practice oflaw is interaction with people fromdifferent spheres of life. I thoroughlyenjoy interacting with people and participating in affairs affecting common people.

Initially, destiny brought me toDubai. Now I am qualified andlicensed to practise law in multiplejurisdictions, including the UAE,India, United Kingdom andSingapore. I remain grateful to theGovernment of Dubai for granting mea license to practise law.

3How has the teaching of lawin India changed in the last

two decades? Do our NationalLaw Schools match the top insti-tutions in the world?During the last two decades the teach-ing of law in India has changed enor-mously and this process of changecontinues today. Previously therewere no private universities offeringspecialised law degree courses. At thattime traditional universities had a nar-row vision; the primary focus was toprepare students to practise as litiga-tion lawyers. The mindset haschanged since those days.

The practice of law has changed,the areas of practice are much widerand, at the same time, the lawschools are offering industry-specificcourses. To a great extent thischange in the teaching of law is dueto the demand for change in the

practice of law, which is compelledby the requirements of clients.During the last decade or so thepractice of law has evolved globally,hence this change in the teaching oflaw was necessary to keep up withthe changes demanded in what havebecome the global requirements topractice law in any jurisdiction.

Some of our National Law Schoolsare at par with top institutions in theworld. Most of these law schools inIndia focus on overall development,with emphasis on developing expert-ise in legal drafting, mock courts,internship, project reports, arbitra-tion, mediation, personality develop-ment and confidence building, dealingwith challenges faced by newly-quali-fied lawyers and counseling, to namejust a few.

4What is your advice to anyIndian law graduate aiming

to practise internationally? In my opinion, law graduates fromleading Indian law schools are at parwith law graduates from foreign lawschools. However, it is unfortunatethat degrees from most Indian lawschools are not yet considered at parwith the degrees of these foreign lawschools. After I was called to the bar, Iobtained qualification as a solicitorfrom the United Kingdom.

My advice to Indian law graduatesaiming to practise internationally is to(i) re-qualify from an internationallyrecognized jurisdiction, such as the

UK, Singapore, Australia or the US;(ii) develop an out of the box approachand develop confidence to keep upwith the ever-changing requirementsof the clients; (iii) be street smart, dis-ciplined and dedicated, as the practiceof law requires discipline and commit-ment; and (iv) always act in the bestinterest of clients and practise goodkarma. Success will follow.

5Are there any challenges foran Indian lawyer practising

in the UAE?Indian lawyers do not have the right toplead before courts of any jurisdictionin the UAE; save the courts of theDubai International Financial Center(DIFC Courts), where expatriatelawyers registered with DIFC Courtsare able to practice and plead beforeDIFC Courts.

Language is another barrier, as allproceedings, filings and submissionsare conducted in the Arabic languageacross the courts of any jurisdiction inthe UAE; other than DIFC Courtswhere all proceedings, filings and submissions are conducted in theEnglish language.

Other than the aforesaid, the UAEprovides a level-playing field for alllawyers practising in the UAE regard-less of their jurisdiction of qualifica-tion, thus providing an equal opportu-nity to Indian lawyers, who areemployed by licensed law firms in theUAE, to excel.

6What are the common legalissues affecting the Indian

community in the UAE at large?What are the channels availablefor facing these legal challenges?Ignorance of law is no excuse. Thereare multiple legal issues affecting theIndian community in the UAE.

For example, In India a joint bankaccount is generally on either or sur-vivor basis. Most new arrivals to theUAE believe that a joint bank accountis also on either or survivor basis.Their belief is incorrect. In the unfor-tunate event of death of any jointaccount holder, the account in theUAE shall be frozen by the bank wherethe account is maintained.

The UAE has a zero tolerance policyon drug-related offences and drivingunder the influence of any mind-alter-ing substance. Dishonour of a chequeby the bank of its issuer is a criminaloffence against the signatory of sucha cheque.

Until recently non-receipt of salaryand severance pay was a commonissue. Now, with the introduction of aWage Protection System, this issue isclosely monitored by the UAE CentralBank, making it mandatory for allemployers to file salary paymentdetails with the UAE Central Bank ona monthly basis.

Money lending against charginginterest is a serious criminal offence;only entities licensed by the UAE central bank are permitted to lendmoney against charging interest.

7How many pro bono caseshave you taken up so far?

How do you decide that a case isdeserving of a pro bono treat-ment?Each week 6 to 10 pro bono mattersare taken up. Decision on whether amatter deserves pro bono treatment istaken after understanding the suffer-ing of the person in distress; oral, cir-cumstantial and documented andmeeting the aggrieved person.

8Why do so many lawyersturn politicians? Is there a

synergy at play?In my opinion the electoral is betterserved by lawyers who turn politi-cians, as their knowledge, understand-ing and interpretation of the complexlaws allow them to better apply thelaw to resolve the socio-judicial griev-

ances and other issues affecting thepeople of India.

Client (people) management! It’s isan art which is extremely important inthe practice of law. Most lawyers arewell experienced in this.

Strategy! Client management, casemanagement, finding effective ways tocircumvent the laws to protect aclient’s interest or public dealingrequires a good strategy. Experiencegained by lawyers in developing goodstrategies in the practice of law betterenables them to play an effective rolein politics, as well.

Media! Generally speaking, politi-cians with a legal background areappointed by political parties to betheir face in the media. Again, knowl-edge of the law and effective use ofwords greatly helps lawyers in effec-tively projecting the right image oftheir political party and getting acrossthe right message to the electorate;and defending their political partiesfrom any allegations from other polit-ical parties.

Is there a synergy at play? I respondby quoting: “Hazaron jawabo seachchi hai Khamoshi meri, Na jaanekitne sawalo ki aabru rakhe.” (Mysilence is better than a thousandanswers; it keeps intact the honour ofinnumerable questions).

9Who are your role models inthe legal profession?

I prefer to categorise role modelsinto two categories — good lawyersand successful lawyers. There is adistinction between good lawyersand successful lawyers. Generallyspeaking, not all good lawyers aresuccessful lawyers and, similarly, notall successful lawyers are necessarilygood lawyers. My work has alwaysmotivated me to excel and inspiredme to be a role model for otherlawyers.

10Any favourite book orfilm on lawyers?

When not working, the last thing Iwant to do is to read a book on lawyersor watch a film on lawyers. I prefer toutilise such time to read some jokes on lawyers.

THE POTENTIAL TO EXCEL INTHE PRACTICE OF LAW IS LIMITLESS. THERE IS NEVER ADULL MOMENT WITH THEMULTITUDE OF CHALLENGESTHAT ARE UNIQUE TO EACHSITUATION.

‘Lawyers, apt at politics’

10 questions

ASHISH MEHTA, an eminent Indian lawyer practisingin Dubai, describes his idea of justice, in an inter-view to India Matters

He is passionate about hiswork and believes in thepower of cinema, the rea-son why he mostly man-

ages to hit box office bull’s eye, saysKaran Johar, the successful directorand the man behind DharmaProductions.

“I am a great believer in cinema. Ilove films. I love the magic of themovies. And I think when you lovethe movies, you create the movies,”Karan says.

This is true of everyone who isinvolved with his production houseDharma Productions, says Karan.

“I think the reason why we dowhat we do is because all of us in thecompany are very passionate aboutcinema. It’s not a day job for me; it’sa passion job for me. So, when youhave both passion and profession

walking hand in hand, you can’treally go wrong,” he said.

Karan’s passion was evident in hisfilms Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, KabhiKhushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho NaaHo, My Name Is Khan andAgneepath. Known for makingglamorous and designer family dra-mas, he feels his films are able tofind a perfect match between intelli-gence and commercial elements.

“While we produced a Student OfThe Year, we have also produced aMy Name Is Khan, which had itsown impact and relevance, or aKurbaan, which has some kind ofsocial relevance as part of its plot. Sowhile there is entertainment, thereis also relevance and we balance itwithin the company,” he said.

The latest yardstick to measure afilm’s success in B-town is whether

or not it is part of the `100-`200crore club, but Karan believes afilm’s success should be measuredon the basis of its longevity. “I thinkif a film doesn’t last in longevity andin people’s memories, it is not a filmof importance or relevance. Box

office numbers are eventually yourreport card in the business. But Ithink what’s really important is thatyou must make a film, which isremembered. So, to leave the filmbehind in the minds of a cinegoershould be every filmmaker’s objec-tive,” he says.

He is quite chilled out about thelatest fad of remakes. “I am ok withremakes. If you can give your ownedge and slant, then why not? I thinkthere is a dearth of writers, but Idon’t think that’s why people makeremakes....it’s also your sense of cre-ativity and what you want to do withit. Remaking it in exactly the sameway is no fun. Revisiting it in a cer-tain way and adjusting it to the mod-ern times always makes it interest-ing,” he says.

Discussing his own experience withAgneepath, he says it was more of atribute to his father Yash Johar.

“I wanted to pay a tribute to a filmwhich my father had produced andMukul (Mukul S. Anand) had direct-ed fantastically. I wanted to makesure that we make it in a differentway, which I believe in,” he says.n

cInema

12

You can’t go wrong with the passion-profession combo in life, KARAN JOHAR

tells Anjuri Nayar

IndiaMatters|December 2012 13December 2012|IndiaMatters

“I THINK WHAT’S REALLYIMPORTANT IS THAT YOUMUST MAKE A FILM, WHICHIS REMEMBERED. SO, TOLEAVE THE FILM BEHIND INTHE MINDS OF A CINEGOERSHOULD BE EVERY FILMMAKER’S OBJECTIVE.”

Indian themes in World cinema

‘I love the magic of films’ Three documentaries by film mak-ers from different parts of the

world made in different languagesshowcased in the World Cinema inIFFI 2012 have one common thread,viz India.

German director Walter Steffen’sMunich in India is about painterHannez Fritz, also known as FritzMunich, and his paintings in India.The Bengali documentary TheRevolutionary Optimists, directed byNicole Newnham and Maren R.Monsen, is about the journey ofthree children in a Kolkata slumfrom childhood to adolescence. TheCanadian film-maker Nisha Pahuja’sThe World Before Her juxtaposestraditional and modern women incontemporary India.

Interacting with the media in Goa,Walter Steffen said that he wasattracted to the story of FritzMunich, who quit a safe job in the1930s to become an artist and hisjourney as a painter in India duringunsafe times. While exploring theadventurous side of the protagonistin his film, he was able to see theother side of India, which was notactually a dreamland that he hadheard as a child from his grandpar-

ents, he added. Answering a queryhe said that the film has relevancein this day since it shows how following personal ambition is more important than pursuing material gains.

Co-director of The RevolutionaryOptimists Nicole stated that the filmreflects the strength and positivityof the children and people and it isnot meant to be voyeuristic aboutpoverty in India, but to show howthe Indian traditions and culturestrengthens and empowers the peo-ple to face the challenges of ordi-nary life. Filmed over the course ofthree years, The RevolutionaryOptimists follows Amlan Gangulyand three of the children he workswith in Kolkata, as they challengethe idea that marginalisation is writ-ten into their destiny.

Talking about The World BeforeHer, Director Nisha stated that thefilm explores the tension betweentraditional and modern perspectivestoward women by following the jour-ney of young and ambitious womenparticipating in beauty pageantsand women joining Durga Vahini, thewomen’s wing of the Hindu funda-mentalist movement.

World insight into India: A still from The Revolutionary OptimistsThe Johar imprint: (top) Karan Johar’sdirectorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai;(above) the latest flick Student of the Year

meant growing business for travelagents and tour operators.

Those in the adventure tourismindustry in Kullu and Manali say thebest time to pedal in the hills is fromJune till snowfall begins in November.

They also list the best cycling routes.The 475-km Manali-Leh road linkingthe tourist hill town to Ladakh attracts

the most number of cyclists. The routeis tough and the pressure on cyclists isextreme, since they have to cyclethrough the cold deserts of Lahaul andSpiti and Ladakh.

“The Manali-Leh expedition is for14 days, including three days of accli-matisation,” said Prithvi Raj Sharmaof Magic Mountain, a travel agency inManali. He said the fee per cyclistranges between ̀ 40,000 and ̀ 50,000,depending on the time of booking andthe kits sought.

For newcomers and families, thehills surrounding Narkanda, 65 kmfrom Shimla, and Kasauli in Solan,around 29 km from the Himachal cap-ital, are the best cycling spots.

Hatu Hotel in Narkanda, run by theHimachal Pradesh TourismDevelopment Corporation, providesmountain bikes.

The slopes of Jalori Pass (at an altitude of 3,223 metres) in Kullu areone of the finest in the world, accord-ing to Cycling Federation of Indiamember Rakesh Mohindra. Cyclistscan test their endurance, skill and luckon these vertical climbs, he said.

The 320-km Shimla-Rekong Peo-Sumdoh-Kaza route also offers a lot ofthrills, with mild, tough and extremelyrugged slopes. But it is strictly for professionals, riding bikes of titaniumcarbon fibre priced between `100,000and `200,000.

Andre Deplechin, a 59-year-oldcyclist from France and a participantin Hercules MTB Himachal, said, “Ihave been biking across the world for20 years, but Himachal’s terrain reallytests one’s nerves.n

travel

14

Cycling through the ruggedmountain tracks of HimachalPradesh is on a roll. And thistime, the adventurous moun-

tain bikers are not just foreigners.At a nine-day 438-km long moun-

tain biking (MTB) expedition inShimla recently, 62 of the 75 cyclistswere Indians — most of them withwhite collar jobs in big cities.

“Initially, Hercules MTB Himachalused to see mostly foreigners. But

since last three-four years, the expedi-tion is getting popular among Indians.A major chunk of them are corporateexecutives from metros,” said MohitSood of the Himalayan AdventureSports and Tourism PromotionAssociation (HASTPA).

The club in Shimla had organisedthe expedition, considered one oftoughest in the world in early October.

“The trend to explore nature on acycle is getting popular among domes-

tic adventure lovers too,” he said,adding, “They now see mountain bik-ing as an adventure holiday forhealthy living.”

“It is an exercise of the mind and thebody,” said Saminder Saluja, a cyclistfrom Delhi, who participated in theexpedition.

“For the past few years, I have beena regular participant.”

The growing enthusiasm amongIndians for mountain biking has also

IndiaMatters|December 2012

An increasing number of travellers, who wish to opt for adventure holiday for healthy living, are heading towards the rugged terrains of Himachal to explore nature on a bicycle

Healthy rides in the HimalayasPride on the pedals: (above) Participants

of the Hercules Mountain Biking

Expedition; (above right) roughing it out;

(below) in the pristine setting of Himachal

15December 2012|IndiaMatters

FOR NEWCOMERS AND FAMILIES, THE HILLS SURROUNDING NARKANDA,65 KM FROM SHIMLA, ANDKASAULI IN SOLAN, AROUND29 KM FROM THE HIMACHALCAPITAL, ARE THE BESTCYCLING SPOTS.

favourite tee-icons. After the infi-delity scandal surrounding golferTiger Woods broke out in 2009, Niketook a hit. An IMC report on RalphLauren RLX Golf Line says the com-pany lost “105,000 customers”.

In India, mega-brands like Adidas,

Puma, Fila, Reebok and Nike havepushed a culture of sports-orientedcasual wear mostly among theyounger, vertically mobile profes-sionals and the GenNext. The prod-uct lines are endorsed by popularsports icons.

creases for the crease

An archive of beyond-the-cricketpitch stories, Stories from the Vault- Cricket Fashions compiled by theDonald Bradman Foundation sayscricket fashion has certainly come along way over the years.

“In the early days of cricket, flan-nels were the common uniform, atradition which remains to this day,albeit in a modified form. Flannelsconsisted of white trousers, a whiteshort, Oxford shoes and often a tophat,” the archive says. These daysflannels are worn as “whites” and

matched with navy or black blazers— a style made popular by cricketersand cricket lovers alike in the decadebetween the 1950s and 1980s.

The colours are widely worn by therespective club supporters often outside the pitch.

“Off the field, former Indian skip-per Kapil Dev is still the male fashionicon, with his elegant bandhgallasand Indian pants. Sachin Tendulkaris more about suits and Dhoni is verycasual in his approach to clothes.Virat and Gautam Gambhir are basicin their fashion with T-shirts anddenims. Fans like to follow them,”Girotra says.

Women sports fashion haschanged in the last 100 years tobecome more utilitarian, from theconservative tailored blouses, longskirts, pleated jackets and volumi-nous trousers.n

Feature

16

There’s polo, golf and, ofcourse, cricket... where stylematches strokes, wheresports and fashion blend

indelibly. Over the decades, thiscombination has bred its own ecolo-gy of lifestyle and fashion.

In the latest fashion makeover, theRoyal Jaipur Polo team, one of thecountry’s best and most fashionablepolo squads, is making a new sportsglamour statement.

The fancy pink T-shirts that theteam has been wearing for the lastsix years has been replaced by whiteblue-collared T-shirts with anemblem of the erstwhile Jaipur king-ship, matching white breeches andriding boots.

“Golf and polo are the two gameswhich have strict fashion norms andethics. The uniform of the JaipurPolo team had never been seriouslydesigned. The team had been chang-ing its gear continuously for the lastsix years. It was not very edgy,”designer of the new uniform MayyurGirotra says.

Girotra, who manages the mother-and-son label Rimple-Mayyur, sayshe was “inspired by cricket iconNawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi infashioning the new outfit”.

“I have been following his fashionand admired the way he dressed

effortlessly and carried himself bothon and off the field,” Girotra says.

According to Girotra, sports-ori-ented men’s fashion has been findingacceptance in the mainstream couture stage since the last decade.

Polo is one of the primary arbitra-tors of sports fashion trends in India,along with cricket and now golf.

“Polo fashion is very crisp. It isperhaps the only sport where youcan’t just wear anything to watch aday match. You must have your crispwhite linen shirt and your sun glass-es in place,” he said.

The Jaipur Polo team has inspireda range of apparel under the label,the Jaipur Polo Company. The rangeoffers a selection of rugged poloshirts, rugby shirts, polo jean ridingbreeches, ladies polo pants andaccessories.

Asos Fashion Finder, a contempo-rary fashion tracker, says sportswearhas become more evolved since ithas moved out of the gymnasium.

“The sweatshirt, once worn to thegymnasium, hoodies and bareballjackets now blend with everydaybasics like chinos, before beingstyled with a backpack and hip-hopsfor a day to the field,” a spokesper-son said.

Buyers have positioned golfingapparel brands promoted by their

IndiaMatters|December 2012

Madhusree Chatterjeecomments on the making of

a new glamour statement

SportSand

Style

Glamour as a goal: (above) Women poloplayers; (below) Cricketer Kapil Dev onthe ramp

17December 2012|IndiaMatters

“SACHIN TENDULKAR ISMORE ABOUT SUITS ANDDHONI IS VERY CASUAL INAPPROACH TO CLOTHES.VIRAT AND GAUTAMGAMBHIR ARE BASIC INTHEIR FASHION, WITH T-SHIRTS AND DENIMS.”

— MAYYUR GIROTRA

IndIa’S FIrSt dISabled SkydIver headS to antarctIca

Sai Prasad Vishwanathan, India’sfirst disabled skydiver, who has

since childhood suffered a loss of sen-sation in the lower half of his body,will add another feather to his capwhen he goes to Antarctica in 2013.Sai will become the first Indian with

a disability to travel to the icy conti-nent. In his 20s, Sai said he had anextra growth in his spinal cord and asurgery to remove it left him disabled.“This put tremendous stress on my

parents. Lack of awareness and socie-tal shame of bringing up a child withdisability pushed them to a corner ,”Sai says.Sai was forced to change many

schools as they could not help himdue to his disability. But, believingthat his “salvation” lay in education,his parents pushed him through different schools.“My disability turned out to be my

asset. It gave me many skills of mylife,” says Sai, who hails fromThiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu but staysin Andhra Pradesh with his family.Sai later received a scholarship for

a degree at the University ofWisconsin-Madison in the US andwent on to become an engineer.His life changed when he spotted a

skydiving advertisement on the univer-sity campus, and went for it. Thanksto that, he is now in the Limca Bookof Records as the first Indian with a

disability to skydive from a height of14,000 feet.“I was selected from across the

world, as one of the 30 AntarcticYouth Ambassadors in 2012, and willbecome the first Indian with a disabili-ty to travel to Antarctica in February2013,” he says.

Candles in the wind: Sai Prasad Vishwanathan before a skydiving attempt

English is fast developing adynamism all its own in then o n - E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n gworld, says former Indian

Administrative Service officer,writer and noted theatre personalityBhaskar Ghose, whose first novel is atale of two bureaucrats.

“With new playwrights and writ-ers enquiring into the evolution ofthe language through their writings,the language now has an identity ofits own,” Ghose said at the launch ofhis third book, The Teller of Tales,his first work of fiction.

“We in our own time had a Britishinfluence. But the language is notthat any more. It is acquiring aregional colour — growing in its ownway in South India; in the easternpart of the country; and in NorthIndia... And each of these versions ofthe English language is different,”Ghose said.

“It is wonderful; I like the newIndian English,” the septuagenarianwriter said.

Ghose’s novel draws from hisexperience as a senior bureaucrat for36 years, his 50-odd years on thestage as one of the driving forcesbehind Yatrik, one of the oldest theatre groups in the capital, and hisdays at St Stephen’s College, whenhe experienced India in all its diversity.

“When you read it, you will noticethe similarities. Basically, it centresaround two friends who grew up inthe services (IAS) together,” Ghosesaid during the book launch.

The writer, who was educated inMumbai and Delhi, joined the IAS in1960. He served as Director Generalof Doordarshan and as Secretary ofthe Ministries of Culture, Human

Resource Development andInformation and Broadcasting.

‘Civil’ backgroundThe book explores the lives of twofriends, Arunava Varman, a semi-autobiographical character modelledon the writer, and fellow bureaucratTapan. Arunava’s tales, crafted withintelligence and ingenuity, offerexcitement to Tapan, whose life isotherwise quite dull and grey.

But the stories begin to fray asArunava’s character reveals itself.There are disturbing gaps inArunava’s anecdotes.

“After his second drink, ArunavaVarman became more expansive andmellow... His usual style was to topevery story or anecdote with some-

thing even more dramatic or evenmore epic,” Ghose said.

Early in life, Ghose had once usedthe name Arunava Varman (replac-ing his own) to write an article inThe Illustrated Weekly.

“It was not exactly a pen-name.Arunava is another of my names (itmeans the same as Bhaskar, the sun)and Varman is my communityname,” the writer said.

The book took off under a strangeset of circumstances, Ghose recalled.“Penguin had asked me to write a setof anecdotes. The editor then sug-gested that I get them together into anovel. That was three years ago,”Ghose said.

It started “developing a life of itsown,” Ghose said, of the book.

The stage too is integral to thebook. “I spent 40 years of my lifestaging plays and worked for Yatrikas an actor and director. I startedacting in St Stephen’s. My first rolewas an eight-line part in Macbeth,”Ghose said.

Ghose’s theatre troupe, Yatrik,appears in his book in the incarna-tion of ‘Delhi Players’. The theatreensemble is the backdrop for aromantic tangle between Arunava,Tapan and the “attractive JaishreeKapur”, a talented actor with a flaw-less complexion.

The story moves across an arc ofinteresting terrain — from Manduand Khajuraho in Madhya Pradeshto Jalpaiguri in north Bengal and theHimalayas — places that the writervisited as an IAS officer.

“The book is about the people whowere on the stage with him for thelast four decades and those whohelped him serve the country as abureaucrat,” the writer said. The

Teller of Tales has been published by Penguin-India.

‘batting for ethnic literature Ethnic literature can no longer beignored as these reflect the country’srich folk traditions and keep India’sdiverse languages alive, saysacclaimed poet and translatorSitakant Mahapatra, who has wonseveral honours for his contributionto give recognition to tribal Santhaliliterature.

“The state is surrounded by ethniccultural identities and has to com-prise of indigenous groups,” says the75-year-old former IAS officer,known for his two decades of work inbringing tribal Santhali literatureinto the national consciousness.“Literature is also an importantaspect in the evolution of tribal people as distinct ethnic groups,”Mahapatra said in New Delhi recently. Mahapatra has collectedoral poems of Santhal tribal groupsfrom the Orissa-Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh region and translatedthem into English.

These were published in eight vol-umes as They Sing Life: Anthologyof Oral Poetry of the PrimitiveTribes of India.

Santhals, along with Gonds andBhils, are the three largest tribal

groups of the country. But moderni-sation, Mahapatra said, broughtabout by unchecked industrialisa-tion in the mineral and naturalresource-rich region in the last twocenturies, has changed the lifestyleand socio-political structures of theethnic groups.

“New agricultural policies, educa-tional system, political system and‘panchayati raj’ have come in. Thismodernisation has touched allaspects — their health, spirit andlivelihood,” Mahapatra said.

Another book of his, BringingThem Back to School, probes thehigh dropout rate among ethnic chil-dren, suggesting ways to make themreturn to classrooms.

He said he began studyingSanthali society during his time asdeputy commissioner of

Mayurbhanj in Odisha and foundthat Santhali poetry was abouteveryday life.

“Its essence is simple. TheSanthals sing of life, pain and joys.They speak of their community andtheir ancestors, who are theirdemigods. They sing of their gods...They take a holistic view of theworld,” Mahapatra said.

The poetry is also a mirror of thetribe’s collective spirit, he said.

“They cannot think of being alone.They are close to nature and oftenworship natural symbols. Their godsare free. They believe in a five-foldreality as their philosophy in life andprefer to live as groups.”

Mahapatra, a native of Odisha, isalso an accomplished poet — with 15collections to his name, besidessome essay collections, a travelogueand more than 30 contemplativeworks in Odiya. He has also beenhonoured with Jnanpith and SahityaAkademi awards and PadmaVibhushan.

Mahapatra said Telugu and Tamilpoetry are languishing whileBengali, Odiya, Malayalam andUrdu are doing well.

“Folk traditions are keeping lan-guages alive. One has to go back tofolk to see how they have helped lan-guage evolve,” he said.n

books

‘I like new English’

18 IndiaMatters|December 2012 19December 2012|IndiaMatters

“WITH NEW PLAYWRIGHTSAND WRITERS ENQUIRINGINTO THE EVOLUTION OF THELANGUAGE THROUGH THEIRWRITINGS, THE LANGUAGENOW HAS AN IDENTITY OFITS OWN.”

— BHASKAR GHOSE

Now, a literature festival in Taj city

On the lines of the Jaipur LiteratureFestival, Agra is set to host a Taj

City Literary Festival in February.Besides book releases, lectures,

reading sessions and interaction withauthors, the Feb 1-3 festival will focuson the impact of social networkingsites, micro-blogging, blogging, e-books and contemporary literature.Bloggers, young authors, poets

and film personalities will participatein the festival at 167-year-old St.Peter’s College campus in the heartof the city.“Agra is the land of Mirza Ghalib,

Nazeer and Meer. Its rich literary her-itage has been nurtured by a stream

of Hindi and Braj Bhasha poets. Theyounger generation has to be told ofthe pioneering contribution of the writ-ers and poets from the past and relateit with contemporary ambience,” saidSyed Jafri, director of Mirza GhalibResearch Academy and a member ofthe festival’s organising committee. “These days, information technolo-

gy platforms and social media arehelping promote instant literature. Youwrite a creative piece, poem or storyand post it on Facebook and startgetting immediate feedback. In asense, you are the author, editor, pub-lisher and distributor,” said PiyushPandey, a cyber journalist.

“Coming immediately after theJaipur festival, the literary conclavewill focus on the status of Urdu andHindi literature and how Bollywoodhas impacted people’s literary percep-tions and tastes,” said Jafri.“The heritage of Braj region, the

rich legacy of Ghalib, Surdas,Raskhan, Amir Khusrau, and othershas to be highlighted,” HarvijayBahia, chairman of the festival organising committee, said. “A rich Mughal ambience will be

the flavour. We’ll have music, songs,painting and theatrical performancesin the evenings,” said St. Peter’sCollege principal John Ferreira.

Indian English has an identity of its own, says former bureaucrat BHASKAR GHOSE,even as another former bureaucrat and poet SITAKANT MAHAPATRA pitches for protecting diversity of languages in the country

MindTree, US, gained recognitionon Global Service’s List of the Top100 (GS100) companies, whichdefined global outsourcing.In NASSCOM’s list of the Top 20

IT Software and Services Exportersin India (excluding BPOs) for2009/10, MindTree was ranked13th – moving up one place from its2008/09 position.

HISTORYBacked by US$ 9.50 million in ven-ture capital, MindTree Limited wasco-founded by ten IT veterans inAugust 1999, including SubrotoBagchi and Krishnakumar Natarajan.Prior to co-founding MindTree,Subroto was Vice President atLucent Technologies besides being awell-renowned author.MindTree’s Managing Director and

Chief Executive Officer,Krishnakumar Natarajan – fondlyabbreviated to NKK – was the ChiefExecutive Officer of the ElectronicCommerce Division at Wipro andheld several other key positions inthe same organisation from 1982until 1999. MindTree has, sinceinception, operated in both the ITservices and product and engineer-ing services space. Its growth hasbeen so rapid that MindTree isrecognised to have been quickest toreach US$ 100 million (`̀450 crore)in revenue – surpassing this mark in2005/06. The following year,MindTree became a publicly tradedcompany, when it listed on theMumbai Stock Exchange. Today,MindTree continues to grow expo-nentially and expects to go past US$ 1 billion (`4,500 crore) in revenue in the coming years.

PRODUCTMindTree specialises in IT Services,independent testing, infrastructuremanagement and technical support(IMTS), knowledge services andproduct and engineering servicesincluding research and development(R&D) services and software prod-

uct engineering. Within this finedemarcation is MindTree’s Enter-prise Resources and ConsultingGroup. This is a niche team of individuals

with extensive expertise in the appli-cation of technology for businessgrowth. The team helps organisa-tions define and craft next genera-tion IT strategies, which can then bemapped to technology solutionsdeployment.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTSIn February 2011, MindTreeannounced two exclusive multi-yearand multi-million dollar partnershipsin the area of IT InfrastructureManagement Services (IMS), anoth-er growth area for the company. Thecustomers include one of the largestinformation and communication tech-nology (ICT) service providers inEurope and a leading US-based bank.The combined deal size, in the

next five years, is over US$ 70 mil-lion (`315 crore). MindTree will useits managed services platform,MWatch, to provide IMS as managedservices from India. Specific areas ofwork include application and infra-structure support services, telecomsupport services and remote desk-top management services.

BRAND VALUESMindTree’s success comes throughan enduring commitment to a valuesystem steeped in its history.Defined as CLASS — Caring,Learning, Achieving, Sharing and

Social Responsibility — this series ofinitiatives is at the heart of every-thing the company does.In fact, so fundamental is it to the

system that while half the appraisalresults are devoted to achievingmanagement objectives the otherhalf is reserved for evaluation of per-formance against CLASS. Even if anexecutive does commendably well inthe former he will stand considerablydown-graded if his performance inthe latter is below par. MindTree hasalso been committed to social caus-es since inception. Through theMindTree Foundation, the companysupports primary education and thecause of differently-abled people.

www.mindtree.com

n The average age of a MindTreeMind is 29

n Rather than working with a designagency, MindTree’s visual identitywas created by Chetan, a youngentrepreneur with a very fine mind– and cerebral palsy

n Almost 61 percent of MindTree’srevenue comes from the US

n The original business plan forMindTree was created in 1998 inthe small coastal Indian city ofVishakhapatnam

n MindTree’s overall client satisfac-tion rating in 2009/10 was 92percent while its client’s willing-ness to do repeat business was avery satisfactory 96 percent

(Reproduced with the permission of Superbrands India Private Limited — copyright owners)

December 2012|IndiaMatters

WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOWABOUT MINDTREE

2120

Introducing India’s

IndiaMatters|December 2012

MARKETWhen the definitive story of India’sinformation technology industry iswritten, MindTree will occupy a veryspecial place in its narrative. For, inits very early days, MindTree figuredthere just had to be another way ofrunning a company. In this pursuit itbroke the mould and developed anorganisation that, some years later,was to be called a ‘New Kind ofSoftware Company’ by The New YorkTimes. In a market where severalinfluential brands occupy positionsof eminence, this tribute is a power-ful testimony to its enterprise.On the ground, this accolade is

supported by compelling facts. Ofthe numerous IT companies thatstarted life at the same time asMindTree, only a few have withstoodthe assault of time.MindTree has done better; it has

flourished in this environment andhas been termed the best mid-sizeservices company out of India.December 2010 saw MindTree

emerge in its 10th year as a battle-hardened veteran notching revenuesof `̀1,296 crore (US$ 288 million) –an increase of 4.70 percent over theprevious year. There was something very satisfy-

ing about these results: the globalmeltdown notwithstanding, it wasthe 10th straight year of revenuegrowth for this iconic brand.Today, MindTree employs over

9,700 people – fondly calledMindTree Minds – across 24 loca-tions, including its main develop-ment centre in Bangalore and its USheadquarters in Warren, New Jersey.As of 31st December 2010MindTree had 269 active clients,including 48 Fortune 500 compa-nies. Approximately 61 percent ofits revenue was generated from theUS, 19 percent from Europe and thebalance 20 percent from India andthe rest of the world.MindTree’s revenue is split

between information technology

services (ITS) (59 percent) andproduct and engineering services(PES) (41 percent).

ACHIEVEMENTSThe fine track record that MindTreehas displayed has, not surprisingly,resulted in several recognitions.From 2004 the company has beenconsistently lauded as a people’senterprise gaining in each research,and counts amongst the country’sbest employers, including Hewitt’sBest Places to Work in India survey.MindTree was awarded the num-

ber one place in India for CorporateGovernance in the Asia Money 2009poll. While it was selected as thesecond best company in Asia,MindTree ranked number one in thecontinent – excluding Japan – in thetwo categories of responsibilities of

management and the board of direc-tors and shareholders’ rights andequitable treatment. In the spheresof disclosure and transparency andinvestor relations, MindTree wasslotted amongst the top three.For two consecutive years – 2009

and 2010 — MindTree won theIndian Most Admired KnowledgeEnterprise (MAKE) award offered byTeleos. In the same year, MindTreewas felicitated with the CIO 100award instituted by IDG — India’smagazine for the CIO. The awardpaid tribute to CIOs and organisa-tions which in tough global condi-tions had found ingenious solutionsto take businesses forward throughthe use of information technology.

2322

1. Which Indian state celebrates ‘BuddhiDiwali’ a month after the festival oflights is over?

2. River of Smoke, which was shortlistedfor the DSC South Asian LiteraturePrize 2013, has been penned by…

3. Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, recent-ly conferred Honoris Causa (Doctor ofLetters) upon the chief of cardiologyat Fortis Hospitals. Name him.

4. Name the India-born professor ofmechanical engineering at theUniversity of South Florida, US, whohas received the 2012 US Professor ofthe Year Award.

5. The final resting place of the great

Indian reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roywas…

6. Name the Nineteenth century poetwhose pen name was Asad.

7. Name the chairman of the First PressCommission of India, set up in 1952.

8. Who is the author of India’s Unending

Journey, which talks about the spiritu-al edge that India has?

9. Garam Hawa was based on a shortstory by Ismat Chughtai. Who was thedirector of the film?

10.Daimabad, famous for the discovery ofa bronze chariot dating to Indus Valleyperiod, is located in...

This magazine invitescontributions fromreaders in the formof Q&As, factoids, photographs, quiznews and participationin upcoming quizevents. You can write in to indiqtive@gmail.com

ANSWERS TO THE LAST CONTEST

1. N.R. Narayana Murthy 2. Sebastian Vettel 3. Moosa Raza 4. Maruti Suzuki 5. Shillong 6. Tamil Nadu 7. Atmaprakashi 8. Anuradha Roy 9. Girish Karnad

10. Mukesh Ambani 11. Mandu

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THE PICTURE

QUESTION

This still is takenfrom a 1957 film byV. Shantaram, whichbecame the firstIndian film to win aGolden Globe Award.It is also known forits song Ae MalikTere Bande Hum.Name the film.

THE WORLD OF ART IN MUMBAI

A skull made out of e-waste, a sculpture made out of

diamonds, a Fiat car transformed into a copper sculp-

ture, a display of renowned Damien Hirst and a paint-

ing of the mythical deer Aniya — these were

the key highlights of the second edition of the India

Art Festival.

The festival that kickstarted in Mumbai on November

28, showcased over 3,000 artworks by over 500

artists from 50 cities across India. One of the biggest

attractions amongst them was the very first display of

the works of well-known British artist Damien

Hirst. The ‘Art Concoction’ also featured works of

other celebrated international artists like Anita Klein,

Paul Wright and Jindrich Pevn.

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Walk-in timing: 3-7pm