Indian News Briefly | DesPardes.com

Indian nurses in UK face racist attack
Nurses from India working in hospitals in north Liverpool have recently been attacked by racist thugs, leaving them terrified to move out of their flats, according to media reports. Four blocks of flats in Falconhall Road, Fazakerley, where the nurses recruited by the National Health Service reside, have been attacked. The racist abuse hurled at the nurses is reportedly getting worse. Minu Subash, a nurse working at the Fazakerley hospital, was quoted as saying: "We are really afraid to go out at night because of young boys roaming around outside. I have stopped them trying to take my car and they tried to smash their way into a flat through the window."

Jewelers ban Burqa
Muslim clerics are opposing a plan by some Pune jewelers to bar women in Burqas from entering their shops from January 1. The jewelers say unless they unveil their faces before CCTV cameras, Burqa-clad women will not be entertained. Clerics say the shops should instead hire saleswomen to cater to women customers. Some clerics have said Muslims would be forced to boycott shops putting in place such a ban. After a string of thefts, the Pune Saraf Association said women in veils should unveil themselves so that they can be identified for security reasons.

Kissing Picks Up in Bollywood
Onscreen kissing is slowly picking up in Bollywood. After the infamous kiss between Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in Dhoom 2, it is now Abhay Deol and Neha Dhupia who will be seen lip-locked in their upcoming film 1:40 Ki Last Local, reported IndiaFM today. This will be the first time that Abhay will be kissing onscreen while Neha is not new to this (Julie, Sheesha). Onscreen kisses were also seen in recent films like Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Salaam Namaste. Though kissing in Bollywood was generally considered a no-no, these days Bollywood is becoming quite open about it. 1:40 Ki Last Local is story about a young man who misses his last train and lands up in a situation. The film is directed by Sanjay Khandoori and is scheduled to release early next year.

'I Can't Ask Tatas to Go Back'
After successfully persuading Ratan Tata to locate Tata Motors's small car project in Hooghly district's Singur area, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday said that he could not possibly ask him now to go back. "I cannot tell Ratan Tata to go back..We must go ahead," the CM said according to a PTI report. He said that Tata Motors had already decided to set up the plant in Uttaranchal. After much persuasion, Tata Motors had decided to visit four or five sites in the state, after which Singur was finally selected, he added.

Dalit Woman Paraded Half-Naked in Bihar
A middle-aged Dalit woman in Bihar was tonsured and paraded half-naked on the orders of the husband of a woman village head for allegedly stealing a few bananas. According to media reports, Besra Devi, in her mid 50s, of Balua Basanta village in Vaishali district was meted out the "punishment" on Saturday. According to villagers, after she refused to pay a fine her head was shaved. "How can I pay a fine when I don't have enough to eat?" she said. A few days ago, some landowners chopped off the fingers of a 10-year-old Dalit girl, Khusbu, for plucking a few leaves of spinach from a vegetable field in a village in Bhagalpur district. A Dalit youth was beaten and humiliated in public by some powerful people in a village in Muzaffarpur district after he refused to work in a field without wages. These are a few instances of the predicament of the poorest of the poor in rural Bihar. Most such cases go unreported.

Indian Woman Skydives Over Antarctica
DEC 23 - A woman trained by two Indian Naval skydivers carried out a record-setting Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) jump on the icy continent of Antarctica - the South Pole. 24-year-old Shital Mahajan from Pune, who had earlier carried out a "parachute static line jump" over the North Pole, approached the Indian Navy to assist her with her Antartica jump. On December 17, assisted by the two Instructors on either side, Shital carried out the AFF jump from an altitude of 14,300 feet, with the temperature fluctuating between minus 38 degrees Celsius to minus 100 degrees. Earlier she created world record as The Youngest lady of the World who jumped over the North Pole. Hailing the AFF jump in the icy continent as "unprecedented," the India Navy has stated that this feat can enter the Guinness Book of Records, reported Deccan Chronicle today.

For Holidaying CEOs It's Incredible India!
DEC 22 - Leading Indian CEOs who travel round the year across the globe and are away from families for long are taking time off to holiday in Incredible India rather than overseas. A domestic location is not too far away from their homes but still distant enough to avoid corporate jungle. Many families have not seen enough of India also. Says Cobra Beer regional director Perses Billimoria: "London is our headquarters and there is no shortage of travel. So places like Rajasthan appear attractive. This new year, I'll be attending a relative's wedding in Delhi," reported TOI today. Same is the case with General Motors India president and MD Rajeev Chaba. "My wife is planning my yearend vacation and I'm led to believe it's a place 200 km from Delhi." Ditto with Subex Systems CEO Subhash Menon, who's planning a Kerala holiday.

'Bond' Prowls Corridors of Gujarat Inc
DEC 18 - Taking a cue from Ian Fleming's spy, an Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical giant has recently rolled out a 'Secret Agent Program' to gather information on its competitors for its marketing field force. According to a TOI news report, the program calls for 'secret agents' to keep a close eye on sources of information like brochures and freebies that pharma companies give to doctors, competitors' products at stockists and conference participation by doctors. The target: The competition's strengths and weaknesses so that pre-emptive action can be taken against initiatives like price changes, new launches and promotions, said the report.

Brahmos Cruise Missile Overshadowing Russian Missiles
DEC 14 - Several Russian missile makers have accused India of discrediting their weapon systems and spoiling their chances in the global market through the aggressive marketing of the BrahMos cruise missile developed jointly by the two countries. Brahmos aerospace, , has discredited export versions of Russian anti- ship missiles like Moskit (NATO name Sunburn) and Club, the military news wire of the official news agency Itar-Tass said. During a recent defence expo in Indonesia, BrahMos aerospace, a joint venture of the two countries, displayed a poster comparing the characteristics of its missile with those of other missiles available in the international market, the report said. The BrahMos, named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, is described by India and Russia as an example of the cutting edge defence hardware that can be created through cooperation. The missile has been inducted into the Indian Navy.

Ganesh and Samosas by her side, Sunita is on cloud nine
DEC 10 - Carrying among other things a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a statue of Lord Ganesh and a packet of samosas, Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams soared into space on board the space shuttle Discovery toward the International Space Station that would be her new home in the stars for the next six months. Discovery, with six other crew, took off at 8.47 pm EST on Saturday (7.17 am IST Sunday) from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Sunita, who is also carrying a letter written in Hindi by her father Deepak Pandy, is a graduate of the US Naval Academy. She is one of only six women Nasa has put in space since 1965. Her mission, the 20th to the space station, will include a complex set of tasks carried out over three spacewalks, including adding a small structural truss to the orbiting laboratory.

Condoms 'Too Big' For Indian Men
DEC 8 - The standard sized condoms are proving too big for Indian men, whose penises fall short of the size of condoms currently in the market. A study conducted by a leading government institution, has found that 60 percent of men in Mumbai had organs one inch shorter than the normal condom size. For another 30 percent, the difference was at least two inches. The failure of condoms as contraceptives is attributed to their large sizes. �One of the reasons for a failure of up to 20 percent is the association of the size of the condom to the erect penis,� the council�s Dr Chander Puri said, adding another reason was couples often put them on in a hurry.

Desi Astronaut To Carry Samosas to Space
DEC 7 - The first woman of Indian origin to fly into space, Kalpana Chawla, paved the way. Now Sunita Williams is following her trail becoming the second. She will leave on a six-month long Expedition 14, a NASA mission to the International Space Station where she will serve as a flight engineer. Her father, Deepak Pandya is an Indian-born doctor and mother a homemaker of Yugoslavian descent. Williams has visited India three times, her last visit was after the Columbia tragedy that took place in 2003, where she spent some time in a school in Delhi. And what does the woman flying to space want to carry to space? She said that she would carry samosas with her in a special container when she launches in an interview to Asian week. Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who perished in the Columbia crash was a friend of Williams. The two often went bike riding and hiking together, according to Williams.

Fewer Women at Workplace
DEC 6 - There are more women workers in rural areas than in the urban centers, but fewer women in workplace on overall basis. The work participation rate for women in rural areas was 30.98 per cent as compared to 11.55 per cent in the urban areas, says a report. In rural areas, women are mainly involved as cultivators and agricultural laborers, while in the urban areas, almost 80 per cent of the women workforce work in unorganized sectors like household industry, petty trades and services and construction. While, the proportion of women in India's workforce has increased during the last three decades, but it still stood at a poor 25.68 per cent in 2001. The proportion of women in the workforce in 1981 was 19.67 per cent and it rose to 22.73 per cent in 1991, further rising to 25.68 per cent in 2001, according to the statistics from the registrar-general of India.

IA Plane Skids, Blocks Runway For 7 Hours
DEC 5 - The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi witnessed high drama for several hours late on Sunday night when an Indian Airlines flight from Kolkata skidded off the runway after landing. While the 130 passengers on board Airbus A-320 had a miraculous escape, the plane got stuck in such a way that the main runway was blocked for nearly seven hours. Luckily, visibility was high and the secondary runway could be used. The incident revived memories of an Air Sahara plane skidding off the runway during last year's torrential monsoon in Mumbai and remaining stuck there for over two days. For Indian Airlines, this was the second case of technical snag on Sunday. In the afternoon, its Bangalore-Delhi flight was delayed for several hours and when it finally took off, it had to land at Hyderabad after developing another fault.

NRI to Sue Dutch Bank For Racist Remarks
DEC 2 - Forty two-year-old Meena Sagoo, who is an NRI senior executive with a Dutch bank ING is suing her employer for more than 100,000 pounds alleging that she has been a victim of racist remarks and that her career hit a 'glass ceiling' because of her race. She said not long after joining the bank her boss told her how the rest of the staff had likened her to a character in the popular BBC TV comedy, The Kumars At No 42 , news media reported. Sagoo who earns 80,000 pounds a year will claim at an employment tribunal that another Asian, Brij Bharati, was nicknamed Bindi Bhaji - an Indian dish of okra and spices - by boss Richard Mutter. And she said other Asian and black members of staff were subjected to racist remarks following the September 11 attacks in America. British born and of Indian descent, Miss Sagoo from Hounslow, West London, joined ING's London Wall offices in the city in 2002 and became a vice-president a year later. She worked in an IT department developing computer systems for the bank's human resources team.

Indian Engineer Shot Dead in the US
NOV 30 - A 26-year-old engineer from Kerala was shot dead outside his apartment by an unidentified person in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday, according to news reports. The deceased, Sanal Nathan, was in USA on a work visa. According to information received, the incident took place at 3.00 am IST on Tuesday when Sanal, along with his fianc�e, was traveling in a car. A man in an inebriated state stopped their vehicle and asked for money. As Sanal was giving him some money, he was shot at. He was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries. Texas Police said Nathan tried to reason with the gunman but was shot in the chest; the man then ran off without the purse. Sanal's wedding was to be solemnized in December.

Indians Among Top Real Estate Investors in Dubai
NJ, NOV 28 - To tap the growing Indian interest in Emirate's booming real estate market, Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce will organize real estate road shows, conferences and exhibitions in India and Saudi Arabia in 2007. In India, the road shows will be held in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai on August 20, 22 and 24 respectively, a government official said. More than 40 real estate companies will participate. Ever since the emirate of Dubai opened its property sector in 2002, there has been a boom with some $100 billion worth of real estate projects under construction or in the pipeline.

Aishwarya to Marry Tree First
NOV 28 - If reports are to be believed, then Aishwarya Rai is right now getting ready to marry a �tree�. This, of course, would just be a ceremonial one � leading up to her wedding with Abhishek Bachchan. According to a news report in an influential Indian newspaper, a renowned Vedic Brahmin requesting anonymity has said: �Aishwarya will have to marry either a peepal or banana tree or with an idol of Lord Vishnu (of gold or silver), in case she is manglik.� A day after the Bachchan family and Aishwarya left for Mumbai after performing pujas at Vishwanath Temple and Sankat Mochan Temple on Monday, the temple town is abuzz with talks of the ceremonial �Kumbh Vivah�. �Kumbh Vivah� is performed for manglik girls to ward off ill effects.

A Peek Into Ambani's Dream House
NOV 27 - Imagine living in a 22-storied building, with two swimming pools, two basements for parking cars and a 100-seater home theatre! And if that seems a tad less, top it all with a helipad! All of that for a neat sum of Rs 120 crores. Well, that's where the dream ends and reality begins. While most people can just imagine this, Mukesh Ambani is the man who's going to own it. According to IBN Live, it's the dream house of the man who owns a $20 billion company. Located at the Alta Mount Road in Mumbai, the building has more to it than a lavish design. The house can withstand an RDX explosion, and if that's not safe enough, even an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale can't damage it. The architect behind this dream home is Singapore-based James Young. And his vision will be there for all to see in just about two years time.

Hangman Nata Mullick becomes actor
NOV 26 - Nata Mullick, the hangman who sent 25 convicts to death dangling at the end of a rope, including a rape and murder convict two years ago, has been roped in by a theatre group for his talent in histrionics. "Enough of hanging. I have other abilities too, which I could not put to use earlier," Mullick, who last hanged apartment guard Dhananjay Chatterjee two years ago for raping and killing a girl, said. "I have come to bring a smile on people�s lips," Mullick who have also acted as a hangman in Mrinal Sen's film Mrigaya in the 70s, said. �Desher shatru neta, Baper shatru beta� (Enemy leader, father's enemy), a Bengali folk drama is already being staged in rural areas with shows registering large turnouts in south Bengal districts of East and West Midnapore and South 24 Parganas since October. Mullick enacts the role of an idealistic music teacher who tutors his pupils for free but fails to countenance his drug peddler son, whom he kills towards the end of the show, said Haradhan Roy, director of the play and an official of 'Mangaldip Opera', staging the 'jatra' (folk theatre).

India's Outbound Growth Reveals New Niches
NOV 24 - The mood is upbeat in the travel and tourism segment, as figures show that India, with a population of more than 1.1 billion and GDP growth of more than 8 per cent per annum, is one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world. "India's middle classes are moving into the 'cash rich/time poor' bracket and are starting to demand improved quality on their trips," according to Shravan Gupta, director, Travel Tours Pvt Ltd. "While business travel, holiday and VFR trips still dominates outbound volumes, people are also opting for niche products like sports tourism, luxury travels, honeymoon packages and cruises. With money to spend people are not shying away from asking for tickets to a Formula 1 race in Dubai or hiring a castle in Austria, " Gupta added, reported Times of India today.

Young Indians happiest: Survey
NOV 21 - Young people in developing nations are at least twice as likely to feel happy about their lives than their counterparts in the developed ones, says a survey. Indians are the happiest overall, while Japanese are the most miserable. The reasons for unhappiness across the developed world included a lack of optimism, concerns over jobs and pressure to succeed. But in developing countries, the majority of people in the same age group expected their lives to be more enjoyable in the future. "The happier young people of the developing world are also the most religious," the survey said. The MTVNI survey took six months to complete and has resulted in the Wellbeing Index which compares the feelings of young people, based on their perceptions of safety, on their notions of where they fit into society and how they see their future. In the overall Wellbeing Index, India came on top, followed by Sweden.

Mahindra to Sell Vehicles in US
NOV 19 - Mahindra will be the first Indian automobile manufacturer to sell road vehicles in the US. They already have a large tractor dealership, and will now be importing SUVs and pickups, including a promised diesel-electric hybrid, according to a news report. In the United States, Mahindra plans to initially introduce a sport utility vehicle and a pickup. A diesel-electric hybrid version of the S.U.V. would follow. The hybrid, the first of its kind to be built in India, will be with their Scorpio model line.

Big B overwhelmed on being honored

NOV 5 - Bollywood's greatest superstar Amitabh Bachchan was on Saturday honored by Delhi University, from where he graduated in the early sixties, with an honorary doctorate in literature for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

"There is a palpable nostalgia today about the hours spent at the coffee house and the bus stop outside Miranda house (women's college). Yes, yes always outside Miranda house," he said in his acceptance speech after receiving the degree, causing the jam-packed hall to burst into laughter.

The 64-year-old megastar received the award amidst a rousing applause in the hall, which had a large number of students from Kirori Mal college, from where he had passed out in 1962 with a Bsc degree.

Bachchan, who was accompanied to the ceremony by his wife Jaya and children Abhishek and Shweta and friend, Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh, remembered the drama in which he had played a major role and which was incidentally staged in Miranda house.

Mukesh Ambani is India�s richest man

OCT 17 - In a double-treat of sorts, Reliance Industries' emergence as India's most valued firm has also catapulted its Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani right on to the top of the country's richest list.

After toppling state-run energy giant ONGC as India's largest corporate house, RIL's market cap has further swelled to over Rs 1,65,000 crore taking Mukesh Ambani's net worth to more than Rs 70,000 crore.

Ambani's elevation to the top of the country's richie-rich club has pushed Wipro's Azim Premji to the second position with a net worth of about Rs 64,700 crore.

The younger Ambani brother Anil's net worth has also soared after the recent record breaking rally in the stock market. Anil Ambani maintains his position as the country's third richest person with a net worth of over Rs 61,000 crore based on his shareholding in group companies.

Miss India on hijacked plane!

Miss India Kanksha Mehta

OCT 4 - Among the 107 passengers on board the Turkish Airways plane, which was being hijacked, was Miss India Kanksha Mehta, India's representative at the Miss International competition with three other compatriots.

Miss Singapore, Miss Malaysia and Miss Philippines were also on the flight, the Albanian event's press spokesman told the news media.

Kanksha Mehta was supposed to be flying to New York. However, she later asked the organisers to book the tickets for the Turkish flight," he added.

Mehta is a classical dancer and her interests include dancing, traveling and shopping. She holds a degree in food and nutritional sciences, fine art and dance.

Seeking to communicate with the Pope, a Turkish national seized control of the airliner flying from Albania to Istanbul on Tuesday and diverted it to Italy before surrendering.

All the plane's 107 passengers - including the beauty contest entrants - and six crew are said to be unhurt.

Don Girl Gets 5 Years Imprisonment

SEPT 29 - Former Bollywood actress and girlfriend of underworld don Abu Salem, Monica Bedi, was awarded five years imprisonment in a passport forgery case.

Bedi, Abu Salem and his first wife Sabeena Azmi had obtained passports in August 2001 under false names and addresses from Kurnool. Bedi's passport was issued in the name of Sana Malik Kamal, while Salem got the passport issued in the name of Ramil Kamal Malik.

The fraud was detected in February 2002 when the Indian Intelligence Bureau got a tip-off that Salem and Bedi had used fake passports during a trip to Dubai.

The Regional Passport Officer had cancelled the passports in March 2002 and alerted all airports across the country.

But, by then the trio had fled the country.

After prolonged extradition proceedings, Salem, one of the most wanted criminals, allegedly involved in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, and Bedi, were brought to India on November 11 last year.

Bedi and Salem were extradited from Portugal, and had been lodged in the state prison for women at Chanchalguda in Hyderabad since then.

Indian artists in spotlight

Atul Dodiya�s �Mirage� (2002), enamel paint on a metal shutter.

SEP 20 - A new generation of contemporary artists is chronicling Indian life. Atul and Anju Dodiya are two of them. Atul's canvases swallow everything, from the garish everyday India to high art from all over.

The couple, who met in art school in Mumbai 20 years ago and married, are among a generation of contemporary Indian artists who chronicle the gestalt of an India on the boil, offering both mirror and commentary on issues ranging from its exuberant economy to the kitsch and disquiet of its daily life. Their work is also attracting attention abroad.

Sotheby�s and Christie�s are both holding auctions of Indian contemporary art, including work by the Dodiyas, with estimated prices as high as $220,000.

Among the works in the Sotheby�s sale is Mr. Dodiya�s 2002 �Mirage,� painted on a storefront shutter, of a kind that virtually every small shop in India uses as its front gate and its advertising billboard. On Mr. Dodiya�s shutter is a grinning Gandhi trailed by two grinning British security officers. (Content sourced from The New York Times)

Indian Army, the right place to party

A Bollywood party scene

Sep 14: The slick, new recruitment advertisement for the Indian army aired on local television channels promises it all.

An idyllic country cottage to live in, the finest schools for the kids, healthcare at swanky hospitals and access to swimming pools and perfectly manicured golf courses.

Also on offer are opportunities to go sailing, try a hand at fencing and abseil off cliffs. And if that is not enticing enough, there are also lavish garden parties.

"Come join the Indian army. Sure there's hard work but we'll make sure you lead a good life," promises a uniformed officer in the James Bond-style television commercial.

Army has launched an offensive to attract bright, young men who are being lured away from what was once a sought-after profession by high-paying career opportunities in the private sector.

The 1.1-million strong force - the world's second largest Army after China - has witnessed a steep drop in officer recruits over recent years, resulting in a shortage of over 11,000 army officers.

The Army - derived from the British Indian Army formed during colonial rule - initially drew its officers from the elite classes such as royal families and the sons of affluent land-owners after independence from Britain in 1947.

But after suffering high causalities during India's wars with China in 1962 and with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and as upper classes shifted to better paid government jobs, the army began drawing recruits from other sections of society. (Reuters)