Friday gurgaon 12 18 june, 2015 by Friday Gurgaon

12-18 June 2015

Vol. 4 No. 43  Pages 16  ` 10

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017

Counting down to our 200th. issue (June 19), we are featuring a special Cover Story from the past. This is from Vol 3, No. 19, Dec 27, 2013 to Jan 2, 2014.

The Great Divide { FG }

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

he fixation to build a ‘New‘ Delhi post Independence made the Capital and its new residents quickly forget the traditional culture and roots of Dehli – though fortunately they are surviving within the walls of Shahjahanabad. The failure of the government to ‘develop’ ‘Old’ Delhi, post Independence (and even post ‘New’ Delhi), led to the alienation and almost the death of an agesold culture that represents the very idea of Bharat. Unfortunately, history is repeating itself in Gurgaon (erstwhile Gurugram), as a swish set of politicians and bureaucrats, aided by builders and corporates, has allowed the traditional ‘Old’ Gurgaon to be eclipsed by a glass and chrome city - which has more

{ Barnali Dutta/FG }

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

ndia’s concern over illegal immigration from Bangladesh may be real and the government may be displaying a stronger determination to push them back to their country, but that is easier said than done. The problem today is not only confined to West Bengal, Assam or Tripura, the immediate neighbours of Bangladesh, which have seen a rise in (Muslim) population in border areas. The immigration ranks have clearly spilled over to the northern parts of

gated complexes and malls per square km - or even in the absolute - than any other city in the country. The biggest irony, and tragedy, the ‘old’ residents allege, is that while the government has its seat in the ‘Old’ City, all the plans are made for ‘New’ Gurgaon a virtually ‘private’ area. The feeling of discrimination, of being given lop-sided treatment, has become more acute after the inauguration of the Rapid Metro in DLF City, and the expansion of roads in ‘New’ Gurgaon - while the ‘Old’ City is still crying for basic infrastructure and amenities. The ‘Old’ City residents allege that HUDA, MCG and the District Administration have failed to assimilate this part of the City into the Mas-

ASHA PANDEY

The Highway, which cuts the City virtually in two, is testament to the existence of an India and a Bharat not just within the same country, but even the same city. 'Old’ Gurgaon is also a ‘Walled City’, like ‘Old’ Delhi; it is just that the wall (that we have ‘constructed) above the Highway (NH8) is not visible to us. Ironically, Maruti, the fountainhead of ‘New’ Gurgaon, is considered ‘old’, as it is situated ‘across’ the Highway. Even ‘new’ private colonies ‘that side’ have unfortunately been labelled ‘old’ – and therefore been deprived.

ter Plan, and it therefore has to virtually fend for itself. Bhawani Shankar Tripathy, an activist, agrees, and says that the infrastructure that is being developed in the ‘Old’ City is quite poor - in quality as well as quantity. “All the initiatives, whether these are related to traffic management, expansion of roads, street lighting or security of women, are targetted towards ‘New’ Gurgaon. The Traffic Police has started one-way systems around the Galleria Market, but the same zeal is missing when looking for so-

lutions for the ‘Old’ City,” laments Tripathy. It could have been tried around the Sadar Bazaar. The appalling lack of equity in development, with too much focus on ‘New’ Gurgaon, is also due to the fact that powerful builders with strong ‘connections’ have managed to skew the development agenda to master-plan their future. All major projects - such as the Rapid Metro, its expansion till Sector 56, the Metro expansion to Sohna Road, the new ‘Golf Course Highway’ - are going to benefit the residents of ‘New’ Gurgaon only. The Entertainment hubs - Malls, Kingdom of Dreams, the upcoming Appu Ghar, and even new hospitals, are anyway only in the ‘New’ City. The collaboration and contribution of HUDA, a government agency, in

They're already here the country, especially Gurgaon. The difficulty faced by the Indian authorities is that it is not easy to able to trace the illegal Bangladeshis, as a large number of Bengalilooking and speaking people from West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand regularly migrate to Delhi and the neighbouring areas in search of economic stability. They are mostly employed in household work or as labour in the construction industry; lately they have

swelled the ranks of rickshaw pullers, auto rickshaw drivers and even taxi drivers. Sabina stays near Chakarpur village. She migrated about a decade ago from Bengal, looking for greener pastures in Gurgaon, where there was new economic activity and the population was growing. "I came from Nadia district in West Bengal and am staying here for the last ten years. I work as a maid in a kothi. Sabina, who belongs to the Muslim community, is quite sympathetic to-

wards those whom she believes are Bangladeshis. She feels that they are in Gurgaon for the same reasons as her. “Of course I do hear that the government is trying to push them back to their own country because they are staying here illegally. However, many of the Bangladeshis who are here have left their country more than twenty years ago and are now settled here. How will the government identify them?” she asks. She in fact defends them. “The government cannot just

the building of the Golf Course (DLF) Highway, is another example of how the priorities – and the spends - of the government have changed over time, allege ‘Old’ Gurgaon residents. Sharad Goyal, a prominent businessman, says that the discrimination is quite visible. ‘Old’ Gurgaon is asked to make do with a vintage bus stand that stinks, and will not even be upgraded (despite announcements), while the ‘new’ City Bus Stand has been proposed in “New’ Sector 29. On the health front, the Civil Hospital, the main ‘Old’ City lifeline, has been left in a shambles, and the new facility in Sector 10 is still awaiting ‘inauguration’ - for 5 years now. Contd. on p 11



throw them out now. It would be unfair. They may not have anything to go back to. On humanitarian grounds they should be allowed to stay,” she says. But what about issues relating to fake identities, spurious documentations, etc.? “But who is responsible for this?” retorts Sabina. ”They have surely procured illegal documents with the help of the same government authorities that are now trying to throw them out after so many years,” she says. The Millennium City has not only given job opportunities to the educated, but also attracts a huge Contd. on p 6



12-18 June 2015

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319 Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017 Vol. 4 No. 43  12-18 June 2015

Editor:

Atul Sobti

Correspondent:

Barnali Dutta

Sr. Photographer:

Prakhar Pandey

Sr. Designer:

Amit Singh

Marketing Executive: Kumar Thakur Dy. Manager A/cs & Admin: Shiv Shankar Jha Editorial Office

C ontents

Bon Vivant...

No Handicap Dancers One often hears cliched responses from people who shy away from dancing: ‘I can’t dance, I have two left feet,’ is the most common refrain. Fortunate are those that have their two feet, never mind if those feet don’t ‘move’ to the beats of music. Two women who wished to just dance were not that fortunate. One lost her right foot, the other her left, in separate gruesome accidents. Sudha Chandran, the famous Indian danceractress, lost her right foor in a road accident in 1981; Adrianne Haslet-Davis of the US lost her left foot in the Boston Marathon bomb blast in 2013. Yet neither lost hope. They went back to their first love - dancing.

...P 15

108, Aap Ka Bazar, Gurudwara Road, Gurgaon-122001, Haryana Phone: +91 124 421 9092 Emails:

editor@fridaygurgaon.com letters@fridaygurgaon.com adsales@fridaygurgaon.com Friday Gurgaon (Weekly) edited, published and printed by Atul Sobti on behalf of Arap Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd. from 108, Aap Ka Bazar, Gurudwara Road,  Gurgaon-122001, Haryana Printed at AGS Publication, D-67, Sector 6, Gautam Budh Nagar, NOIDA – 201301, Uttar Pradesh

The views expressed in the opinion pieces and/or the columns are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Friday Gurgaon or Arap Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

Spritual... The Interdependent Phenomena

Wellness... Managing the ‘Good & Bad’ (Part 3)

Last week’s article (Cosmos by Design) provided a glimpse of the Force that has infinite energy, unlimited forms and is the secret mover of the myriad universe(s) – a Force that we call God. Only an endless catalogue can enumerate the ‘things’ and ‘places’ wherein He, the Infinite, may be found….undiminished. Our passing through this finite world is but an attempt to ‘realise’ the infinite phenomena. Even after millennia we remain overawed by many of the riddles and mysteries of this universe - still unexplained and unresolved by science.

Sometimes simplistic statements can confuse – as in, ‘all calories are the same; one calorie contains 4184 Joules of energy and that is it’. Nothing could be further from the truth. The simple fact is that the metabolism in each one of us is unique, as are our body’s basic energy needs as well as the efficiency with which each one of us burns fuel. Related questions that get raised are: ‘Is it possible to rev up our metabolism, so that we can burn more calories? Can we produce ‘clean’ fuel that has least side effects and ensures easy-to-eject waste matter? Are there foods that can put the spring back in our step and help us energetically take on each day with a fresh approach’? The golden rule is that the foods that we choose must be dictated by metabolism types and lifestyle patterns (like, sedentary vs. active).

...P 12

G-Scape....

Thirsty Gurgaon

...P 14

Plus Other Stories.... Civic/Social

Friday Gurgaon

Industrial Demands...................................................P 6

Empanelled with DAVP Empanelled with DIPR, Haryana

Civic/Social

A Goodbye to Welcomes.........................................P 9 Comment

Lessons.......................................................................P 10

IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING FG COPIES REGULARLY

Spritual

Leave your Print.......................................................P 12

...P 16 SMS NR to 08447355801

Spritual

Spiritualism beyond Religions..............................P 13 Spritual

Aashaadh Mela - Sheetla Mata.............................P 13

12-18 June 2015

Epicentre Dance Date: June 13 & 14 Time: 7:30pm If I Could…, 6th Annual Summer Dance Production (Eng/60mins) Director: Swati Mohan; Producer: Danza Performing Art The students of Danza Performing Arts - from 5 years to 72 years, and with varying levels (0 to 15 years) of dance training - will thematically entertain you through dance, theatre, live music and film. Tickets at Rs. 250 available at the

Venue Suitable for all age groups Stand Up Comedy Date: June 16 Time: 7:30pm LOL @ Epicentre Atul Khatri Live (75mins/Hinglish) Tickets at Rs. 500 available at the venue. Suitable for 18 years & above. Music Date: June 17 Time: 7:30pm IWCF

Venue: Epicentre Date: Thursday, June 12 Time: 7pm onwards

Hindustani Classical Vocal Concert by Deepali Chandra Disciple of the renowned artist Vidhushi Smt. Shanti Hiranand, a disciple of Smt. Begum Akhtar accompanied by Sh. Susamoy Mishra on tabla & Sh. Shekhar Ganesan on harmonium

Entry is Complimentary. Invites can be collected from the venue (Epicentre): Call 9810050550

Good News 24x7 Hours

Laye-Flow of Colors Date: June 12-30 Time: 6pm Venue: Gold Souk Mall, Gold Souk Road

Bachata Night @ Shimmers ! Date: June 12 Time: 9pm Venue: Shimmers, 3rd Floor, South Point Mall, Golf Course Road Bachata Shine Competition - for all Bachata dancers and/or lovers.

Om Sai Travels

Keep Your City Clean use recycled water Avoid Polythene bags

HOURS SERVICE

Contact:

Spl. Tour Booking for Haridwar, Mathura, Vrindavan, Vaishno Devi & Golden Temple Amritsar

Pardhan Ramphal Kabadi

An Initiative by Nature International

9311530360, 8802649208

Sharad Goel

Ram Mandir, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon - 122017 (Hr.)

contactus@niggn.com

Escape Velocity Date: June 12 Time: 8pm Venue: The Friends Republic, Sector 65, opposite Nirvana Country, Golf Course Extension Road A prequel gig, to set a mark for regular deep tech sessions with a hint of funk & soul, and a lot more at this very cool & rustic pad!

Door to Door Service

Note: Driver Contact Not Allowed

Cage Cricket Date: June 13 Time: 7pm Venue: Ansal University, Sector 55, Golf Course Road SAPTRANG, A Group Show Of Art Works Date: June 17 Time: 7:30pm Venue: Chancellor Club, Palam Vihar Artists - Swagatika Mohanty, Brajesh Kumar, Jyoti Khatri and Vandana Sharma

GURGAON’S OWN

Cherrapunji Honey

Nagaland Honey

WEEKLY NEWSPAPER Bay Leaves

Black Pepper Turmeric Powder

Naga King Chilli

Natural sweetness no additives

To Advertise

9868163312 | 9818303901 adsales@fridaygurgon.com

NORTH EAST CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION AND REACH (NECTAR) Autonomous body under Department of Science and Technology, Government of India

Tel: 011-42525666/51/56, Email: contact@nectar.org.in For online purchase, visit www.nectarshop.in



 The 1-man Commission of Justice of Justice SN Dhingra, which is probing alleged land scams in the State, sets up office at Civil Lines in Gurgaon. State promises an Aravalli Master Plan, which will cover 300 villages, and will ensure that ground water levels do not decline further and forest area is protected. Biodiversity Park, Gurgaon will get Rs 30 crores for its renovation. NCR Planning Board and Haryana govt. agree that there should be a no-construction 500m buffer zone around the Mangar Bani forest (Aravalli hills). More than 10 lakh farmers in Haryana (32,000 from Gurgaon) suffered major crop losses due to the untimely rain; to date Rs 1,100 crores compensation has been disbursed. State approves 50% of amount collected as challans in 2014 as a Road Safety Fund – Gurgaon Traffic Police will get over Rs 4 crores. Jind and Karnal are added to NCR – now 57% of Haryana (11 districts) is part of NCR. Dalian Wanda Group of China is looking to set up an integrated industrial township on about 9,000 acres in India – the Chairman meets Haryana CM.

 A woman is gang-raped after being called for an interview to a hotel; a woman accuses a taxi driver of rape on the pretext of marriage; a woman accuses her neighbor of raping her.

THE WEEK THAT WAS  A man is held for raping an 11-yearold from a neighbouring house in Sector 5.  A 21-year-old youth and his girlfriend self-immolate, allegedly due to their parents not approving their relationship; they survive, but with 50% burns.  A street vendor is knifed for asking for his Rs 10 payment.  A man is arrested for attempting suicide at a govt. office in Sector 31.  A Road Safety Officer (RSO), riding with his wife and child near Kataria Chowk, is beaten up by 3 drunken men after he objects to their car hitting his bike.  There has been a rise in chain snatchings at gunpoint, despite snatching now being a non-bailable offence.  A sting operation leads to the arrest of a doctor couple working in a private hospital on Khandsa Road – they were conducting (illegal) sex determination tests.  An ultrasound machine in a Sector 40 hospital is sealed.  A guesthouse in South End society (off Sohna Road) is sealed, after protests by residents.  A Nigerian (an ex-national athlete) and 2 others are held for a Rs 8 lakhs plus fraud for fake billing (and payment receipt) from a Greek company; later it is found that hundreds have been duped,

 



over 8 years! An engineer is defrauded of Rs 1.22 lakhs from his bank account. A salesman of a liquor shop is shot at and robbed of Rs 45,000 near Hero Honda Chowk. A DHBVN engineer demanding and taking a Rs 1 lakh bribe from a customer, for fixing arrears, is caught. A JE is caught taking bribe, and Rs 1.75 lakhs cash is found in his car.

 DTCP plans to conduct a ‘groundtruthing’ exercise on forestland.  HUDA asks DTCP to initiate action against 10 builders for discharging untreated sewage into drains.  A new Sewage treatment Plant (STP) is being planned at the intersection of the Badshahpur and Najafgarh drains, to ensure that no untreated sewage of Gurgaon goes into the Yamuna.  DTCP says norms for issuing Occupation Certificates will get stricter for the new sectors, as many cases have come to light wherein residents have been asked to shift in without providing them ‘official’ water and power connections.  Despite the State Registrar staying the change in ‘maintenance operations’ at Sushant Lok 1, the RWA signs an MoU with the maintenance company and the builder on the way forward – including a hike in charges from Rs 1 to Rs 2.75 per square yard.

Nepal Helplines: 0124 2316100, 2303333 (for aid to Nepal) Red Cross toll free number: 81000-880-88 1800-180-4646 Helpline for children with special needs You can inform the Administration about any suspected female foeticide malpractice on mobile number 8010088088 and earn a reward (if the information is found to be correct).

 Nirvana Country goes without piped water supply for 3 days.  Citizens protest at a grievance camp.  4 new villages are to included in MCG area – 11 more are pending.  MCG demolishes unauthorised constructions in Sadar Bazar and other markets.  CCTV cameras will soon be installed on 150 City Buses.  Metro extension from Dwarka to Gurgaon is estimated to cost Rs 3,000 crores, with over Rs 1,000 crores needed for land acquisition.  The Defence University will come up in the City by 2018.  Double decker trains are reportedly running ‘empty’ even during this holiday season.  The first Post Office ATM comes up at the Head Post Office in the City.  Maggi passes Haryana test.  Aashaadh Mela is celebrated at the Sheetla Mata temple.

5-11 June 2015

Watch and listen to

'Hai Ye Gurgaon Meri Jaan' a ballad on Gurgaon, based on the legendary song... 'Ye hai Bombay Meri Jaan'.

Vol. 4 No. 42  Pages 16  ` 10

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017

How Green will be our Valley? { Barnali Dutta/FG }

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

aving the environment is not an option anymore – it is a matter of survival. And it is no longer the ‘prerogative’ of a few but the responsibility of the collective. This is also not the time for apportioning blame on any body or anybody for the degradation of the environment. Individuals, organisations and governments should be jointly accountable and responsible for their actions (or lack of them). We have to protect what is left of our planet, especially for our future generations. We surely do not want to be responsible for ‘apocalypse now’ – for our own premature curtain call. A lot

of damage has already been done. The pyramid of life of Earth is indeed on very shaky ground. But there is still time to make amends and to plan our cities and the coming hyper-urbanisation accordingly. For example, reducing energy use and/or using renewable energy will clearly help reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. The less that the air and the environment are polluted, the more chance we have to reduce global warming, which is already playing havoc with the global climate. What man on Earth is failing to comprehend (since it seems that only seeing with one's eyes is believing) are the dangers arising from global warming – like the rising sea levels. Unless efforts are taken

to arrest such phenomenon, we will surely be swamped. Thankfully, at least awareness levels are rising – almost all across the globe. What is now needed is a method and process to translate this awareness to action(s), to help reduce, if not stop or even turn back, the ill effects on the environment. Many companies have joined this ‘race’ to save the planet. Closer home, NGOs seem to be leading the crusade. “The biggest problem of Gurgaon is now pollution, and the government needs to understand how to control it. We urgently need to find cleaner and more sustainable modes of local transportation. The government needs to protect the Aravalli Hills, especially since the area Contd. on p 6

orld Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on June 5 to raise global awareness on the need for positive environmental action for the protection of Mother Nature and Planet Earth . It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). WED was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, on the opening day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment . WED is widely celebrated in over 100 countries. The 2015 Theme for World Environment Day is ‘Sustainable Consumption and Production’, and the Slogan (for the Theme) is ‘Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care’. The Host Country is Italy. The 2014 Theme was ‘Small Islands and Climate Change’, with a Slogan, ‘Raise Your Voice Not The Sea Level, and the Host Country was Pakistan (Lahore). The 2016 theme has been decided as ‘Our Earth. Our Care’ and the Host Country would be Saudi Arabia). WED 2014 received a total of 6,437 pledges and over 3,000 activities were registered online – which, combined, were triple of the previous two years.



Contd. on p 10



TECZA SHOP www.teczashop.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHKm54U913g

T-SHIRT ` 299 SHIRT ` 599 TROUSER ` 699 JEANS ` 799

Onwards



12-18 June 2015

Also Available at

Special 30% discount

OR View it at the FG Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fridaygurgaon

Shop No. 15, UG., Omaxe Gurgaon Mall, Gurgaon Shop No. 120, First Floor, Sapphire Mall, Gurgaon 9910333956 | 9910083956

FG Last Week Issue Cover Page

12-18 June 2015

Sustainability Report on Urban Mobility

he City’s heady ‘growth’ created its own challenges, especially the lack of civic infrastructure. However, Gurgaon today faces newer challenges, like traffic congestion, declining road safety and pollution. Planned as a ‘counter magnet’ to decongest Delhi, the City in now itself in the grip of congestion. In this context, the Sustainability theme is gaining rapid traction here. Public Transport is an integral part of Sustainability, because it helps rebalance public space in a city, giving greater priority to safe and secure environments, social inclusion and integration, high-quality public life and pedestrian needs. Rapid Metro Gurgaon hosted the ‘Sustainability Report on Urban Mobility’, along with Global Compact Network India. The idea was to explore the possibilities for sustainable transformation through urban mobility – with the Rapid Metro being the ‘last mile connector’. “Sustainable mobility offers opportunities for realising the creation of smart cities and escalating economic performance through a shared value approach,” said Pooran Chandra Pandey, Executive Director, Global Compact Network India. “With the advent of Rapid Metro, we have paved the way for the reduction of cars on Gurgaon roads, and for the advent of a greener and congestion-free Cyber City,” said Rajiv Banga, MD & CEO, IL & FS Rail. The world is today confronted with some mega trends – like climate change, urbanisation, lifestyle diseases, migration, drop in agricultural output, growing consumption, carbon emission, and energy, water and waste related challenges. Sustainable transportation can help tackle some of these challenges, as it forms a critical part of urban development, by providing access to education, markets, employment, recreation, healthcare and other key civic and social services. Cities with integrated transport modes are more likely to evolve and prosper as centres of trade, commerce, industry, education, tourism and services. Global Compact Network India (GCNI) is the Indian Local Network of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). GCNI is a country level platform for public and private sector companies, civil society organisations, academic institutions and business associations, and aids in aligning stakeholders’ practices towards the ten universally accepted principles of UNGC in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and (anti)corruption. Rapid Metro Gurgaon, an initiative of IL&FS Rail, is developing the country’s first fully privately funded Metro Rail system. IL&FS has developed an array of commercially viable models for infrastructure projects on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) platform. Reviewed by Dr. Ramesh Goyal Immediate Previous President, Indian Medical Association.

A Cross Country Race will be organised from Sector 5 HUDA Ground on 14th June (Sunday) morning. This time the race will be flagged off by Additional Chief Secretary Sports, Dr K K Khandelwal; Gurgaon MLA Umesh Aggarwal will preside over the function. The Race is scheduled to start at 5.30 am. More than 1500 youth are expected to participate. This time the distance will be slightly longer: for women it will be 5 kilometres, while the men will have to run a distance of 7 kilometres. A separate race of about one kilometre, within the ground, has been kept for children aged 9-12 years. The winners of the Race will be given cash prizes. First prize in each category of Girls and Boys is for Rs 3100, Second will get Rs 2500, Third will get Rs 2100. Those bagging 4th to 7th positions will be given Rs 750 each, and 8th to 11th positions will be given Rs 500 each. For the children, the prizes will be Rs 1100 (First), Rs 750 (Second), Rs 500 (Third) and Rs 250 (Fourth). The last date for registration for this race is 12 June, and the fully filled up Proforma can be sent online at athleticsggn@ gmail.com For more information you can contact: Rajesh Sharma (07503968849), Dharmender (08447108707) and Shakil Ahmed (08901468661).

In order to hear grievances of residents of Sector 47 and other surrounding areas of HUDA falling under Estate Officer-II, an Open Darbar will be organised at Meeting Hall of Mini Secretariat Gurgaon at 11am on 15th June (Monday), when the Deputy Commissioner T L Satyaprakash will hear grievances of the people of that area. All the officers of the district administration will also be present. Any person who has a complaint related to the area of Estate Officer-II, HUDA, should submit a written complaint in advance to the Complaints Branch of Deputy Commissioner’s office at the earliest on any working day.

NAYI SUBAH Empower Your Domestic Workers! Help them get their Voter IDs in Gurgaon

Nayi Subah team works along with home owners to empower domestic workers If you need help, please contact us. Email: nayi.subah.ggn@gmail.com Phone: +91 9650959335 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nayi.subah.gurgaon

06 They're already here  Contd from p 1 number of uneducated labour from across different parts of India. Many earn pretty good money. The estate manager of Chakarpur village says, "There are many families that have been staying here for generations. They have proper identity cards. We also conduct police verification. These unfortunate people come here to earn their living and we should welcome them. There is no reason for us to believe that they are illegally staying in our country. They are good workers and we find no reason to disbelieve their identity.” R.S Rathee, of Gurgaon Citizens Council (GCC), believes that Bangladeshis do enter India in large numbers. “In fact, during the Commonwealth Games in 2010 many Bangladeshis were thrown out from this country because either they had overstayed or had illegal or fake documents.” But they are back. According to Rathee, there could be around 10.000 Bangladeshis in Gurgaon, and many of them could be living in the country illegally. He feels that immigrations laws should be well defined, and depending on the employment situation, work permits should be issued to those who would like to come into the country. In the absence of such well-defined legislation, people in need will continue to come into country illegally. Also, since they often are employed at lower salaries, the demand for such labour is quite high. Of course the employers may be compromising their own security by employing such people, who can easily disappear without a trace. ”All these problems have to be addressed with clarity and in a humane manner,” says Rathee. Among the general public, there is a sense of distrust. According to Vijay Anand (name changed), the Bangladeshis are not reliable or trustworthy. Ironically, he has provided jobs to a number of such migrants. “Most of the Bangladeshis are working here as maids, construction labour or sweepers. It is a big racket and many people are involved,” he adds. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bangladesh seems to have given fresh hope to many Bangladeshis. They believe that a structure may be put in place wherein their identities will be made legal. This will also help them return to their countries with dignity, and visit relatives whom they have not seen for years. Ishita Mainak Pal, resident of Ardee City, says, “There should now be better ties between the two countries, and those wanting to come over to earn legally must be allowed to do so with proper work permits. Both countries should understand the needs of each other and should come together to offer mutual benefits in many sectors. Our laws should be strict enough to control illegal immigrants.” Adds Rana (name changed), who runs a boutique near Shahpurjat, “The Bangladeshis offer some unique positives too. They are often found to be very talented, and are excellent in working with their hands. Their embroidery work is fantastic." u

12-18 June 2015

C ivic/S ocial

Industrial Demands

ven as the (Draft) Industrial Policy of Haryana takes on board suggestions and readies itself for a rollout, its focus is clear: industry has to progress in the State, and the thrust would come from medium and small enterprises. Entrepreneurship is the new plank on which the State’s economic development will rest. The creation of new enterprises will be essential to building a more industrial Haryana. To give a fillip to the MSME (Micro Small & Medium Enterprises) sector, the State has announced the setting up of a Rs. 1,000 crore corpus (State 10%, Centre 90%), under which loans will be provided to small and medium scale entrepreneurs, free of any collateral. This, the government hopes, will encourage many entrepreneurs to start fresh businesses, contributing to a healthy rise in investment and industrial growth in the State. The current collateralfree offering from banks has had no worthwhile response, as MSMEs can avail such loans only upto a limit of Rs. 10 lakhs – and banks have also been very selective in offering even this. Government sources say that the credit offtake under the existing schemes in the last financial year was only Rs. 60 crores in over 800 accounts. By making the scheme much larger, and promising a hassle-free environment, the State hopes for dramatically different results. The silver lining is that Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in this category have only been a little over one per cent – which is very good, even for ‘selective’ lending. Department officials feel that the new approach to lending will help the banks overcome their inhibitions and enable them to meet their growth targets (in 2014-15, 2.86 lakh units were funded, versus 2.68 lakh units in the previous year). The new policy also envisages greater coordination between the lending banks and the State Industry department, which will make the monitoring process more secure for the banks. The Department will make sincere efforts to unearth new entrepreneurial talent (including among the educated unemployed) in the State.. According to the State Finance, Industries and Commerce Minister, Capt. Abhimanyu, the new Industrial Policy (expected in the next two to three weeks) wishes to bring in greater transparency as well as structural and procedural reforms, to facilitate entrepreneurs. The government has promised that the new policy will take care of the inadequacies of the previous (2005 & 2011) policies. The Chief Minister has referred to those inadequacies as ‘loopholes’ that need to be plugged, to make the policy more effective and industry-friendly. In the meantime, the govt. has been inviting sugges-

tions from industrialists and other stakeholders, the stated objective being to make the policy prescriptions simpler and easier to understand and implement. “Industry must find our policies inviting and comfortable to do business in the State,” the Chief Minister has observed. At the same time, the State has been anxious to make the policy worker-friendly. In this context the State government is determined to simplify some of the existing laws (as done by other ‘successful’ States). Further, some obvious improvements will have to be made in the civic infrastructure. The power situation has to improve, as also the roads and the transportation system. In keeping with the spirit of the ‘Make in India’ policy of the Modi government at the Centre, the State will also adopt a ‘Make in Haryana’ programme to attract investments for the improvement of productive capacities. The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in its memorandum to the State government, has urged for the creation of ‘free industrial zones’ and has asked the State to allow industries to directly acquire land from farmers to set up such facilities. The government, on its part, must provide the requisite infrastructure - such as roads, electricity and water - for such zones, for which External Development Charges (EDC) could be levied. A demand has also been made for reduction of power tariff in the Panchkula district, from Rs 11 to Rs 9, to bring it at par with other districts. The Chamber has also urged for a tax concession to industry, to make it competitive with the adjoining (concession-benefited) hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. An important cog in the wheel is Skill Development. The world is changing rapidly and transforming itself into a more knowledge-based environment, which has become central to industrial development. The focus is shifting from unskilled to a skilled and more educated workforce. A demand has also been made for the setting up of more industrial training and technical institutes near industrial estates, to meet the growing requirement of skilled manpower. According to industry captains, the garment industry is an important one in the State and needs to be more carefully nurtured if it is to acquire a world standard status. Vasudev Loond of the Garment Manufacturers’ Association says that the industry has been operating under difficult conditions, and a major policy change is necessary. The first need is to put in place a policy that enables capacity enhancement, as size does matter in this industry. “This would require more space, and therefore an immediate requirement is that our

industry should be allowed a higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR), which will enable the individual industrial units to increase their existing floor capacities. FAR needs to be enhanced to at least 2.25%, in conformity with the Okhla Estate III under DSIIDC,” says Loond. He adds that the enhancement in space must also be used for areas that support business enhancement. “The improvement in infrastructure must enable activities like banking, establishment of showroom-cum-servicing facilities, training institutions/centres, budget hotels/guest houses, etc.,” he says. Loond also points out that parking is a huge problem; multiple parking sites need to be set up and run by HSIIDC or private players/co-operatives. The garment industry also laments the stiff power tariffs and blames the high-handed approach of the DHBVN. Animesh Saxena, President of the Udyog Vihar Industrial Association, says that representatives of the industries in Udyog Vihar need to be involved. He is critical of the tax recovery system, whereby MCG levies property tax while HSIIDC recovers maintenance tax. He says this dichotomy is confusing and should be discontinued. “We should have a single tax authority for both levies,” he says. A universal concern is on the labour front. In order to enable the smooth functioning of industry, the government will have to discipline the workforce, says President, NCR Chamber of Commerce, H P Yadav. “Discontinuing the industrial peace-keeping squad was a mistake; it should be re-introduced, to help bring peace in the industrial areas,” he says. “Further, only barren land should be utilised for industries, not fertile land. This will help keep a balance in the city,” he adds. Pollution has become an extremely sensitive subject in the State, with the recent High Court order directing ‘red category’ industrial units presently situated in non-industrial areas/estates to be shifted out to notified industrial areas/estates. In this context, the Chamber has made a representation, stating that non-polluting industries should not be required to get a clearance from the pollution board. Besides, common effluent treatment plants should be created at designated industrial areas. The industry and trade body has also demanded that the government must put an end to inspector raj and introduce selfcertification for all industries. The memorandum also states that the Panchkula industrial area should be allowed to have service sector industries, air cargo spaces, warehousing facilities, and health and related industries, so that all kinds of industrial establishments could benefit from the upcoming international airport at Chandigarh. u

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

{ Abhishek Behl FG }

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

{ Abhishek Behl FG }

griculture in India is today at the crossroads, mostly plagued by small landholdings harbouring a rising population. This is putting immense pressure on farmers to sell and move out. However, by adopting new technologies and embracing progressive ways of farming and new produce, more than a few farmers are realising that they can increase their productivity, output and value. The more enterprising are into food processing, and are even branding their produce. This is the strong message that was sent out to thousand of farmers who participated in the Haryana Agri Leadership Summit in Gurgaon. While the State government leaders did hog the ‘medialight’, the event was undoubtedly of, for and by the farmers. Even the corporate crowd in Gurgaon was impressed by the ‘farmwares’ on display by stakeholders from across the State. The centre of attraction was Dharambir Kamboj - popularly known as Kisan Dharambir, who presented many progressive ideas and innovations. His journey, from being a rickshaw puller in Delhi to now becoming an entrepreneur who designs and sells innovative food processing machines across India, is an inspirational tale in a nation where second chances are rare. Dharambir said he had met with a serious accident while riding his rickshaw, and had gone back to his village. There, with govt. help, he learnt about farming and food processing. “I had no money, and my house was also on the verge of being sold. I was in despair. Just then a chance visit to Ajmer inspired me to take up food processing. "I saw that farmers there were making good money by processing local fruits,” he said. An inspired Dharambir went to nearby Jagadhri, a local steel fabrication hub, and got a supplier to make a rudimentary machine

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017

20-26 March 2015

16-22 January, 2015

Contd. on p 4  See back page also

there is little or no checking of people entering Gurgaon. Maybe the Gurgaon Police is now becoming more oriented to basically acting on intelligence inputs, as the new Police Chief told Friday Gurgaon (FG) in a recent interview. He had maintained that he believed more in taking ‘smart’ action rather than, say, putting some extra force at the nakas. At 10.10pm the check post on the Palam Vihar road that leads to Bijwasan was empty, and the room that serves as a Police chowki was locked. In the dark, cold night it was the barricades that were doing duty…. not Policemen. There was also no Police presence on the other road that goes from Palam Vihar to Bijwasan via Ansal Plaza. There is normally a Police gypsy stationed in front of the Ansal Plaza Mall, but that too was missing. May be it was taking a round of the colony. Rajesh Kumar, who was standing on the road for a lift from a cab, as is his usual practice, told Friday Gurgaon that Police presence on this road remains thin, though there is checking sometimes. "We would like that at least a motorcycle team is posted here during the night hours, so that those on the road feel secure," said Kumar. At Kapashera the scene changed dramatically. The new IT hub at Dundahera was alive with activity. There were cabs all around, each trying to overtake the other. Many young men were having tea, rolls and other snacks at the kiosks outside one of the IT buildings. Surprisingly, no girls could be seen. It is only when the FG Team stepped out to talk to the youth we see a number of girls

Contd. on p 6



progressive farmers have combined their hard work with technology to yield ‘gold’ in their farmlands. There is now greater focus on organic crops and human health. The offering of fresh farm produce is a most refreshing development. The 3-day Agri leadership Summit witnessed a healthy display of ‘nontraditional’ farm produce. Visitors crowded pavilions where farm products such as Broccoli, Strawberry, Squash, Cherry Tomato and the like were in evidence. These represented several success stories of India’s rejuvenated farm sector. The Summit was inaugurated by the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal and Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari. In the Farmer’s Pavilion, a range of farm produce was exhibited in stalls. The State government has coined the term ‘Agri Leaders’ to depict and recognise the outstanding farmers who have dared to experiment in their fields…. and succeeded “These ‘Leaders’ have evolved with the market demands and are today earning very good money,” said the Chief Minister. The CM added, “The new generation is well aware of the requirement of the market today, and they

20-26 March, 2015

he pioneering Agri Leadership Summit held at the HUDA grounds near Leisure Valley was widely attended by farmers from across Haryana, agricultural scientists and experts in agricultural practices from India and abroad. The Summit presented the changing face of Indian agriculture and captured the keenness of the farmer community to embrace technology. The focus was on innovations that are being practised across the world to enhance agricultural output and quality. This was particularly relevant in the context of a shrinking agriculture base in India today. Farming is no longer about simply tilling the land. Science and technology has taken an important position in Indian agricultural practice. According to official statistics, more than 90 per cent of the power is now being drawn from mechanical sources: tractors and power tillers provide the bulk of the requirement, followed by electric motors and diesel engines. Some forty years ago, over 72 per cent of the power was provided by human beings and animals. Many

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

{ Barnali Dutta/FG }

Prakhar PaNDEY

 See Special Feature on p 8-9 & Back Page

Contd. on p 6-7

for processing farm produce. After two years of hard work he was able to fine-tune his machine, which can now process multiple fruits, herbs and other produce. “The result is that I have been able to sell a number of these machines across the country, and even abroad. I now earn well, but all this happened only after I connected back with the farm. It helped me make my comeback,” said Dharambir. On sale at his stall were Aloe Vera gel, cream, strawberry juice, 'amla murabba' and several kinds of jams – all produced through his machine. Even the Haryana Governor stopped to take a look at his stall. An officer of the Agriculture department who came to his stall agreed that a large part of horticulture produce in the country, including in Haryana, gets wasted. In his opinion, local ‘factories’ like Dharambir’s, would go a long way in helping save food, and in turn ensure that farmers get a good price. The farmers at the Agri Summit were also told to branch out to floriculture, dairy and other related activities, which would free them from the wheat-paddy economy that is totally controlled by the govt. through its Minimum Sale Price (MSP) policy. Rajinder Dahiya, a farmer from Sonepat, was inspired by an official of the Hisar Agricultural University to take up floriculture. Today he, along with his sons, plants 12 acres of his land with imported bulbs from Holland and is making a neat profit by producing quality flowers - which include Lilies, Chrysanthemums and Roses. His son Kushagra said that they sell the flowers in Ghazipur Mandi, and these are bought by leading hotels in Delhi-NCR because of their good quality. A farmer can make a profit of Rs 5 lakhs per acre through floriculture, provided he is dedicated and willing to work hard, he added. In fact if some of the innovations are embraced seriously, even the humble potato and tomato can help you earn

Farm Fresh the Haryana Way

Vol. 4 No. 31  Pages 16  ` 10

he presence of a Policeman on the streets is not only reassuring for the common man, but is also a great deterrent to miscreants and criminals who are out on the streets looking for prey. In a city like Gurgaon, which has a large floating population and porous borders with Delhi, Faridabad and ‘notorious’ Mewat, the presence of the Police on the roads, particularly during the nights, is critical for the prevention of crime. And of course it does give the citizens a feeling of security and ‘comfort’. Currently, with the national capital on high alert upto January 26 (especially with Obama in town), Gurgaon should remain very vigilant too. It had also been expected that with a new government at the helm and a new administration having taken charge in Gurgaon, things would change for the better…even on the roads. To assess the situation ‘live’, as in earlier years, a Friday Gurgaon team visited different parts of the City on Wednesday night (between 10pm and 1am). Up front: there continues to be limited (even less than before) Police presence in the City, and at many places the Police pickets and nakas - the checkpoints – were unmanned. The good news is that Gurgaon Police is still serious about preventing drunk driving, and teams of the Traffic Police were present at two key points to check motorists. However, it is surprising that while Delhi Police has posted a PCR at key entry points (into Delhi) from the ‘old’ Gurgaon side,

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017

FG Night Inspection

Vol. 4 No. 22  Pages 16  ` 10

16-22 January 2015

Prakhar PaNDEY

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017

24-30 April 2015

The ‘victims’ say that they got involved in betting primarily because it was a source of entertainment, and also to make some money in the process. “It looks easy. And while there is no one who really pushes you into it, it is almost impossible

24-30 April, 2015

of punctures by which dye is inserted into different levels of the skin - so it is by nature an invasive process. When done correctly and in a sterile environment, there really are no complications, though there may be discomfort due to bleeding or pain. However, it's important to keep potential complications in mind. One potential risk is that of a bacterial infection at the tattoo site. Symptoms of this include redness, warmth and a pus-like drainage. You may also have a ‘reaction’ to the tattoo, in which bumps called ‘granulomas’, or excessive scarring, may appear. Some people may have a serious allergic reaction to the types of dyes used in tattoos. So it's important to leave the tattoo parlour with a list of the

Contd. on p 4

Contd. on p 4-5



types of dyes used, just in case. A more serious risk is the spread of infectious disease, which can be avoided by being particular about the tattoo parlour you use. Diseases such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Tuberculosis, Tetanus or HIV can spread if a tattoo ‘artist’ uses ‘dirty’ equipment. Therefore, before you get your tattoo, make sure that the parlour uses an autoclave, or a heat sterilisation machine, on all nondisposable equipment. Needles and tubes should be removed from sterile, new packages before every tattoo job. Satty, owner of Angel Tattoo Design Studio, says, “Tattoos are in vogue and people like to ornate themselves for various reasons. The youth are quite crazy about tattoos, and sometimes they come up with creative, innovative thoughts that they want ‘applied’ on

to exit”, they say. The odds in gambling are always staked against individuals, and for every winner there are multiple losers. Deepak Kumar (name changed) says that people have not only lost their fortunes and taken huge debt, some have



even committed suicide. Akash, servicing a debt of one crore, says that the pressure of the debtors is so much that it is impossible for him to move out – whether within the village or even in the city. He adds that a number of youth from cash rich families in villages also indulge in this pastime, and it has become an addiction for many. Even corporate executives have caught the betting bug, with many putting money on their favourite team and players. Apart from the match result, Akash says that a lot money is won or lost on ‘sessions’, wherein bets are placed on how much a team will score within a few specific overs. Many of the people also bet on the total that a particular team will score. Although the ‘intelligent’ try to hedge their risks by betting on both teams, this ‘strategy’ often fails…and then, once addicted, they look for big wins. Akash says that his family members initially did not know that he had taken to betting - he told them he was engaged in business. However, the loss of one crore has rattled his family, and he is now trying to compensate the loss. However, he realises that it will be impossible unless he sells a small chunk of his land.

Contd. on p 4

ised agency that has been set up to check such crimes, tells Friday Gurgaon that vehicle owners will have to ‘co-operate’ with the Police in checking this menace. "A large number of vehicle owners park their cars in unsecured places, and also many times leave their keys in the ignition, while they 'rush' to take care of some tasks.

Look before you Tattoo

actively bet in the last two IPL series, says that he has lost almost one crore rupees in betting (also called ‘satta), and he says that there are many more like him. “I have lost my mind. I have to pay Rs. 3 lakhs per month as interest to those who loaned me the money for the betting. I don’t have any source of regular income. I have land, which has increased much in value, and that was why people gave me money,” he says. The IPL betting network has a formidable logistics network, and there are a large number of bookies that take the bets, accept the money and then distribute it to those who have won the bets – after taking their Shylock cuts. Another person who has lost a lot says that, like the cricket commentary that comes ‘live’ on TV, the betting network also runs a live commentary on mobile phones. This can be heard by betters on payment of a fee. The commentary covers live betting rates and the odds, which keep on changing with every ball. The time difference between the TV telecast and the live betting commentary is also sometimes used by the betting syndicate to make a ‘profit’.

ody art and piercings are a popular form of self-expression in today’s world – increasingly one of individualism and ‘show’. On the road, in coffee shops and in campuses, more than a few youngsters (and some more youngat-heart) can be seen flaunting their ‘skin art’. The pierced form is permanent. Welcome to the world of Tattoos. However, before you get a puncture, do care, if not beware. The first question you should have is whether a tattoo would harm your skin…or more. The process does involve needles and ink. The tattoo itself, once ‘healed’, is not bad for your skin. The problem is when complications arise during the healing process. A tattoo is essentially a series

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

{ Barnali Dutta/FG }

ith the IPL season in full swing, beware if you have a friend or relative taking too much interest in cricket, asking for large sums of cash from the family, ready to take loans, and even willing to pay usurious interest - he could be bitten by the 'IPL Betting' bug. Millionaires, auto drivers and everyone in between are said to have been caught in this betting menace, which many participants say is a big trap waiting to suck you in. Once you have bitten the betting bug, there is no freedom, there is no release. It is like digging your own grave and walking into it. So dangerous are the consequences of betting that one can lose lakhs of rupees, and even fortunes, on a single cricket match. In Gurgaon, IPL Betting has found a large number of ‘patrons’. Some people who have burnt themselves in this betting say that people with large amounts of cash - traders, land owners, property dealers and even students - have been indulging in this ‘sport’. Akash (name changed), who

vices and anti-theft devices or alarms in their vehicles. Sub-Inspector (SI) Raj Singh of the Vehicle Theft Cell of Gurgaon Police, which is a special-

20-26 February, 2015

vehicle lifters operating in Delhi-NCR are professionals - they seem to have every tool of the trade. Police officials say that these smooth operators use sophisticated equipment, including laptops and master keys, and don't think twice once they have chosen a 'soft' target. They will take only a few minutes to steal your dream vehicle. The ‘normal’ modus operandi is that one of the gang members breaks the lock, anther drives it to the ‘receiver’, who then takes it to the final destination - for sale, or the scavenging of the parts. The business is well organised and well spread. Sometimes cars are even stolen on specific ‘orders’. Despite the threat of auto-lifters looming large in the City, what is surprising is that only a few vehicle buyers have installed GPS tracking de-

The Premier Bet

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

{ Friday Gurgaon }

Vol. 4 No. 36  Pages 16  ` 10

ith Gurgaon Police continuing to be short on men and equipment, especially to handle the high level of ‘street crime’ in the City, it would be prudent for people owning vehicles, particularly luxury cars and motorcycles, to invest in good quality anti-theft devices such as GPS tracking systems and alarms, and mechanical devices like gear locks, steering locks, tyre locks and heavy duty chains, to prevent car thieves from ‘skimming’ their vehicles or running away with them. On an average there were 10 vehicle thefts in Gurgaon every day throughout 2014 (total 3,638) – and the trend continues. The threat is serious, because the majority of

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

{ Abhishek Behl FG }

Your Car Could Be Next

Vol. 4 No. 27  Pages 16  ` 10

20-26 February 2015

2015 Specials

Vol. 4 No. 39  Pages 16  ` 10



RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017

15-21 May 2015

While the govt. has rightfully started probing the suspected scams (mainly property related) of the past, it has thankfully not got bogged down with them. Of course the CM has ‘conveniently’ said that it will take time to get the ‘derailed’ system back on track. A White paper on the State’s finances was presented before the (State) Budget. An SIT, headed by the Lokayukta, had concluded that Rs 10,000 crores was the estimated property fraud committed over the past decade. The CM had responded with a clampdown on the approval of CLUs (Change of Land Use), an instrument that allegedly

Contd. on p 7



had been grossly misused. The State has provided adequate and fairly timely compensation to farmers affected (even 33%) by the unseasonal rainfall. The (agrarian) State has introduced the concept of Haryana Fresh (for fruits and vegetables) and Mega Food Parks. Surprisingly, a ‘novice’ CM has taken to the e-world instantly – the State has announced a time-bound delivery of 163 e-services. In fact it has

15-21 May, 2015

The Enforcement Directorate has raided bookies in Delhi and Gurgaon that were involved in ‘IPL Betting’. FG had very recently (Volume 4, No. 36 - April 24 to 30, 2015) carried a Cover Page story on this – The Premier Bet.

Hai Ye Gurgaon Meri Jaan

The 2-day rain led to a boost in online shopping and home delivery business.

Even the new Chandu Budhera Water Treatment Plant does not have power back-up. When will we ever learn?

While the transfer of HUDA sectors to MCG has been stalled, the transfer of roads has started!

As per data shared by the State, the per capita income of Gurgaon district was Rs. 446,305 – the highest in the State – in 2001-12. The disparity with other districts is growing.

Chief Secretary orders the recarpeting of 8 roads (upto 1km inside the City) that link various parts of the City to NH8. The roads are: Cyber City Road, Shanker Chowk Road, Sector 17/18 dividing road, MG Road, road to ‘Old’ Gurgaon Road, Signature Tower Road, Jharsa Road, Medicity Road.

Contd. on p 4



a senior executive has been an uphill task, as the State government has been antagonistic. At the larger level, the industrial workforce and the trade unions have also launched a campaign against the government, accusing it of trying to dilute the Labour laws in favour of industry. "We fear that the BJP governments at the Centre and the State are trying to dilute laws in favour of factory owners, and we will oppose this move tooth and nail. Local factors, like the status of workers and facilities, need to be taken into account while forming labour policies," says Amit Yadav, a National level Union functionary who hails from Gurgaon.

Hai Ye Gurgaon Meri Jaan

the case for the Maruti workers, says that industrial relations in Gurgaon-NCR will remain in the doldrums till the government creates the right environment and maintains neutrality. "Right now the government does not have a cohesive policy on how to handle labour issues. The rights of the workers are being allowed to be bulldozed, and as a result there is anger and frustration among the workers. If they want to set up and register a trade union, a basic right, they are opposed tooth and nail by the management, and the Labour department officials also discourage the workers," alleges Pathak. The lawyer says that the legal battle for the 147 workers arrested for the ‘murder’ of

6-12 March, 2015

Industry in Gurgaon sees the increased trade union activity as being chiefly responsible for the new aggression in workers. They are particularly suspicious of the Left-leaning trade unions that have become active in this industrial belt. VP Bajaj, President of the Gurgaon Industrial Association, is of the firm opinion that the increasing unionism in this belt is just extortion in the name of labour welfare. "If the government does not intervene soon, a majority of the industry might soon migrate to other States," warns Bajaj. He expresses hope that the new government’s industrial policy will usher in the required labour reforms. Like most of his fellow industrialists, Bajaj sees the labour unrest as majorly a law and order problem. "if the workers of one unit go on strike, the labour from related companies, and even the trade unions, congregate and put pressure on the management. This is clearly intimidation, and must be stopped," he says. The NCR Chamber of Commerce has been demanding a special industrial force to deal with labour unrest in this belt. HP Yadav, President, says, "Our worry is that the industrial units might not expand here, as most are moving to neighbouring Rajasthan, which is quite peaceful and safe. The bigger units are going even farther away. This environment will bring industry to a standstill in Gurgaon." Yadav says that an industrial security force was created in 2003, comprising of 1,200 police personnel, but this was disbanded in 2005. However, Amina Sherwani, a former executive of the Manesar Industries Welfare Association, sees the issue differently, and wants both industry and labour to understand that they are indispensable for each other. "Despite mechanisation we will always need workers, and we (including the State) need to take good care of the people who produce the goods. Of course the anti-social elements in the labour need to be removed. In Gurgaon and Manesar the State has failed to intervene, and the industrialists have been left to their own imaginations to resolve this crisis - which has made matters more complex," she asserts. The industrialists in Gurgaon are hopeful that the Modi government at the Centre will effect changes in the Factories Act (1948), Labour Laws Act (1988) and the Apprenticeship Act (1961). They also want the State to go the Rajasthan way - notably, that industrial units employing more than 300 workers are allowed to terminate them without seeking any permission from the State; the minimum number of employees required for the application of Factories Act has been increased from 10 to 20 (in electricity-powered factories) and from 20 to 40 (in factories without power); and - the most liked reform - the formation of a union requires the membership of 30 per cent (earlier 5 per cent) of the work force.

he State govt. has completed 6 months, and it's time for the first review – after the 100-day ‘preview’. Despite the presence of many local ‘heavyweights’ across the State, the choice of Khattar as CM was unexpected. It is a measure of the ‘new’ CM’s transparency, and even political sagacity, that the State govt. has boldly put out its 6-monthly performance. The govt. seems to believe that it has started walking its talk. Here’s FG’s view.

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

{ Barnali Dutta/FG }

Prakhar PaNDEY

Who will Make in Gurgaon?

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2014-2017

Quietly At Work

Contd. on p 6

he industrial unrest in the Gurgaon-Manesar belt, which remains inert most of the time but erupts suddenly in the form of violent protests and fights between industry and labour unions, is unlikely to end soon. Without any safety valve mechanism in place that could allow the release of some of the pent up steam, there are chances that the simmering tension in the industrial belt will lead to repeated incidents of violence - similar to what happened in Udyog Vihar recently, when workers of a garment unit went on a rampage, smashing cars and damaging property worth crores. The major reason why the situation remains unresolved is that all stakeholders continue to look at the problem from within their narrow prisms, and there is no mechanism or process within which dialogue can take place and trust can be built. Most industrialists in Gurgaon firmly believe that industrial disputes are a law and order problem, and the State must make an authoritarian intervention to resolve this problem for them. On the other hand, the workers and their trade unions see both private industry and the government as exploiters. The government, they allege, is aligned with the interests of the industry, and it has never done anything to ensure that labour gets its due share. A majority of the trade union leaders in Gurgaon and Haryana believe that private industry is concerned only about profits, and wants a weak labour force, which they can hire and fire at will. They refuse to make an employee permanent, even after the person has done the same job, full time, for years. Some industrialists, allege trade union leaders, also have scant respect for labour rules or occupation, health and safety standards. The labour force cites the case of the hundreds of Maruti workers who were fired from their jobs indiscriminately (after a 2012 protest ended in violence and the death of a manager); a large number of workers are still incarcerated in jail. RS Pathak, a lawyer who has been fighting

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

Vol. 4 No. 29  Pages 16  ` 10

{ Abhishek Behl FG }

6-12 March 2015

12-18 June 2015

08 Tap on each of these for sub-categories

12-18 June 2015

Kid Corner Check out what Gurgaon kids are up to

Global Exclusive Global news and features, from 'dpa'

prakhar PANDEY

Archive Check out all the earlier issues, sequentially

FACEB O O K

WEBSI T E

G-Scape All our Photo-features Coming Up Plan your weekend 'dos'

Video/Photo Gallery of Events covered by FG

After reading FG on paper or online, you can also comment on the various articles/stories, on FG Website www.fridaygurgaon.com

or on facebook www.facebook.com/fridaygurgaon

12-18 June 2015

Ryan 'Shilanyas'

Art Rachna

he students of Manav Rachna International School, Sector 46 participated in a 3-day Art Summer Camp, wherein they were also introduced to some Art maestros.

'Vision without action...is a dream; action without vision...is simply passing the time; action with vision is...making a positive difference'

he Summer Camp, 'Shilanyas', was conceptualised around a mix of diverse activities - like personality development, pottery, dance, cricket, skating, creative arts & Casio classes. The main focus was to nurture the talent and personality of the Ryanites and also provide them in-depth theoretical knowledge of the skills in which they want to excel. The Skating class had maximum participation. Creative Arts class was also a big hit - the students learnt folk arts like Warli and Madhubani, as well as Quilling and Mosaic Painting - they also learnt how to wrap gifts with old newspapers. School Head Ms. Peeya Sharma motivated the students to plan their holidays and spend them wisely.

Skill Ryan

yan Global School conducted a Summer Camp –‘Skill Thrill ‘, to nurture the talents of the children and hone their skills. The Summer Camp concluded with a Grand Finale, wherein children displayed their talents in front of parents.

If you wish to be featured in ‘Kid Corner’ (for publishing your school’s activities and achievements), please mail us at fridaygurgaongallery@ gmail.com

{ Alka Gurha}

all it a family ritual, a middle class practice or a small town quirk - my family believed in the tradition of warmly receiving and sending off houseguests. This of course was back in the eighties, when the family was our social glue. It was a time when relatives of relatives were also family…and the time spent with everyone was enjoyed (definitely not considered a ‘waste’). Our house would constantly hum with the presence of relatives arriving for entrance exams, staying for family events and ‘over-staying’ for summer vacations. Sometimes there was no reason at all. The sprawling government bungalow was an ideal holiday abode. Barring those that were young and single, we would receive everyone at the railway station. Our presence there was an affirmation that the guests were most welcome. Much as

A Goodbye to Welcomes I hate visiting (dirty, crowded) railway stations today, I always remember my childhood station visits with a smile. When the train was delayed – which was quite often - we would have plenty of time to kill. Can you imagine killing time in the absence of smart phones?! Those days we had a healthy disregard for time. We would browse the books at the A.H. Wheeler bookstall. My brother would opt for Phantom or Archie Comics, while I was happy with The Famous Five or The Adventures of Tintin. Ma would flip through Cine Blitz or Star & Style, covertly making sure that the cover was ‘appropriate’ for our ‘innocent’ eyes. Once home, a bare-chested Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim (of course not bare!) were shoved beneath the mattress. I still don’t know how this helped in shielding our ‘impressionable’ minds. Similarly,

when we would visit our grandparents, the most thrilling part was arriving at their railway station. As the station swung into view and the train screeched to a halt, I used to feel a silly surge of excitement while peering through the compartment window, watching all those who had come to receive us. There were occasions when I was garlanded and greeted with bouquets, like a politician! And thereafter, oblivious of the milling crowd, we would have warm moments of embraces, smiles, cuddles… and exclamations about how tall we had grown. A common accompaniment on all railway journeys was an ugly rotund character called the ‘bedding’. A combination of easy functionality but complex handling, the olive green bedding would carry everything that didn’t fit in the suitcases. Packing and unpacking the damn thing was another story.

We’ve come a long way since. ‘Busy’ in our lives, and living in cagey apartments, having houseguests now is a slightly painful, protracted affair. With most guests arriving via flights, and the thought of endless traffic and waiting being a damper, the ritual of receiving and sending off is now reserved for children and parents. For everyone else there is an app called Meru, Uber or Easy Cabs…or a perk called the driver. Even as I write, my son is embarking on a new journey. We wish to accompany him to the airport, but he insists on taking a cab. Perhaps the attempt is to avoid emotion-soaked moments; perhaps there is no point in travelling thirty kilometers only to wave hands and hide moist eyes; or perhaps the attempt is to underline the fact that he is a big boy. Speaking for myself, I prefer the partings to be clinically short and swift. There is comfort in the thought that though we see him off today, we will receive him tomorrow. u

C omment

12-18 June 2015

Counting down to our 200th. issue (June 19), we are featuring some early (2011) Editorials on Gurgaon

Lessons

EDITORIAL Atul Sobti

s Gurgaon grows up to become a modern global city - a city  that others would look up to, it should find it worthwhile to take some lessons from its siblings, parents and senior relatives. It should not wish to ignore history, and thus be doomed to repeat it - either through ignorance or arrogance. New Delhi is the parent, always near at hand. Like the Capital, Gurgaon too has an Old and a New. The Capital fairly ignored the old, which led to an isolated and under-developed ‘Old’ Delhi - a Delhi that the modern offspring hardly ever visited - except as a passthrough to college. Let us not repeat that mistake…and regret. Delhi is civic run by 2 agencies - NDMC and DDA….and never the twain have met. We have imbibed well, and done one better, with separate HUDA, MCG and PWD areas...and none of them having any real power. We are effectively run from Capital Chandigarh. Delhi has been rarely run well enough, civically. But Delhi was always good at playing Games for its benefit – first in 1982, and

then, just when the benefit of that had almost played out, in 2010. Since we may not benefit from Games, we need to find our own answers to the crumbling infrastructure – both on the road, and under. Our estranged brother, NOIDA, although not as successful, has got some things right – especially in terms of a focus on public infrastructure first (versus our private construction first and last). It is also run by a single nodal civic body, the Greater NOIDA Authority, headed by a CEO. We also should pay heed to elder cousins Rohtak and Bhiwani, which are rumoured to enjoy special status and are being given botox. Many others, both in India and without, can also trip us up. Of most significance perhaps are the lessons from Mumbai. As an adult, almost independent now, Gurgaon has followed more in the footsteps of a senior successful Tau, Mumbai. What Mumbai is to the Maharashtra family, Gurgaon is almost so to the Haryana family - the milch cow, the golden goose. We are a fast growing commercial hub, with very noticeable

Our Historical Suburb

here is this land to our north, ruled by another Head of State. It is of similar patronage, yet different. It was once a prospering, happening city. Once, many of us lived here and worked there. Then it reversed – many who lived there began to work here…and also partied here. Now, rather than bothering with long travels, many have crossed over fully – they also live here. Gurgaon is happening. Delhi is not missed. We go to Delhi for a short nostalgic trip - to get away from it all; to see how the old folk are; to see how India lived (and still lives) in places called DDA flats. And also to see some greenery. Yes, a monthly trip to the suburb is good for the soul. Their culture is different – with lots of State patronage....and many State & National celebrities. It is a city that was given Capital status (over Calcutta). However, despite that, it never really was numero uno –Bombay stole that thunder. Delhi’s pride was in India Gate and CP – which unfortunately are now remnants, forgotten by even most Delhi-ites. South Delhi has been upstaged by us; the West is happy being the West Delhi Trading Co.; the East finally was considered part of the Commonwealth of Delhi after the Games; the North, though the ‘original’ Delhi, is distant - only college kids dare to travel there. There once was industry in Delhi. Yes, it’s today hard to imagine, and anyway very hard to spot. Delhi now qualifies more as a city of traders. It has ‘seasoned’ residents - bureaucrats and politicians of all hues, as also of a completely different age. Time has passed them by. Delhi was also a Millennium City once. We must never forget our past…even if today it is just a suburb. u

white-collar employment, on top of an old industrial base. Like Mumbai, Gurgaon is a land of opportunity, beckoning folk from across India - who come more with moolah, than stars, in their eyes. Gurgaon does not have a Gollywood or Gullywood yet! Mumbaikars, in hindsight, may wish to have done things differently, in terms of being more local (stoking affiliation & pride), employing more locals, finding alternatives to slums and clamping down early on crime syndicates and ‘illegal’ immigrants. Maybe then there would have been a different avatar of the Strike, Shiv Sena, Dharavi and Bhai. Gurgaonites, and our administrators, need to pay heed. Our transitory, temporary residents - and there are many - have (maybe expectedly) no real affiliation or pride in being Gurgaonites. They are just happy in the moment, and work will take them elsewhere soon. On icons - human or otherwise – while we have no film stars, business magnates, Marine Drive, Gateway of India or Juhu beach to show off... hamare paas Maall hai! u

The Z generation

am a millennium child. Born in Gurgaon on January 1, 2000. In the land they call India. I really do not know much of this land. Or even how it looks (though the smell needs disinfectant and a deo). From my bedroom window I sometimes see some movement - mostly cars. My weekdays are predictable: school and home, computer and laptop, mobile and iPad. Weekends just flash past – with movies, eating out and playing. Ok…predictable. My parents tell me odd stories of how they grew up in a town the other side of this country. Of houses without ACs…in fact a life without much of electricity! No computers, no mobiles. There was even a time in their lives when colour TV was a luxury, and a washing machine non-existent! Maybe that is why this smell will not go away. They say that life is still like that in many parts of India. In fact there is this other side of this city that I am told still lives in those times. We have to change our name! We are the Z generation. Always awake. Operating on a global timeline. We reside and work in Gurgaon, the G(lobal) City. Boy, the pay here is good, life is good…and all of India is here. Even the ‘whites’ are flocking here. It can only get better by the time I start working. Would I even need to? The only bad spot is ‘on the road’; the scene outside is gross - potholed roads, traffic jams, piled up garbage, animals… and people! Why can’t we just have everything within our complex? If we can have a gym, a club and a shop, and so much is available on call and delivered home, why is it so difficult to have a school, restaurants, a cineplex and a Metro station inside? Why can’t we just detach from Gurgaon? We are anyway the Divided City of Gurgaon – separated by the e-way. Welcome to G City, the future of India. What Gurgaon does today, India will do tomorrow. (Smug) u

S pecial

12-18 June 2015

 Contd from p 1 Meanwhile, more than 5 new ‘7-Star Hospitals’ have come up in ‘New’ Gurgaon – mostly on subsidised public land. Even the MCG, 6 years in the running now, has not been able to deliver any new project for the residents of the ‘Old’ City. “Here they will find reasons as to why it cannot happen’; in ‘New’ Gurgaon they will find a way to make it happen. ‘Yes We Can’, for the Administration and citizens alike, only applies to the requirements of ‘New’ Gurgaon(ites). This is the ‘peculiar’ mindset that is ‘ruling’ Gurgaon today. The interests of the builders and the corporates are being promoted, while the ‘original’ inhabitants are being pushed into the background,” alleges Goyal, who is extremely unhappy with the way the City is ‘growing/developing’. The locals allege that the State government is happily showcasing the glass and chrome ‘New’ Gurgaon as its great development story, notwithstanding there being no power to run these buildings and Gurgaon being on the brink of a major water crisis. The multiplicity of development agencies, like HUDA, MCG, private builders and the District Administration (not to mention the Zila Parishad), is also being stated as a reason for the poor maintenance and development status of the ‘Old’ City. The residents want to know why new projects are being announced – almost every day for ‘New’ Gurgaon, whereas the ‘Old City’ continues to be left in the lurch. ‘Old’ City residents cite bottlenecks at Hero Honda Chowk, Signature Tower, MG Road and Sadar Bazaar, a lack of sewerage and drain water infrastructure and no parking facilities, as major problems that have been perpetually left unresolved - even as people suffer. The pathetic state of the Udyog Vihars, the foundations of employment and opportunity in the City, is an example of the shift in priorities – from a long-term vision and plan to a short term ‘land trade’. To correct this situation, Bhawani Tripathy suggests that HUDA should be made to quit the City, at least in ‘Old’ Gurgaon, and this area should be handed over to MCG, which is an elected body and accountable to the people. “MCG should be divided into two zones, with two Zonal Commissioners taking care of the ‘Old’ and

The Great Divide ‘New’ Gurgaon respectively. This could at least bring some semblance of equity in development”, he points out. A number of activists are apprehensive that, with the development of the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR), also known as the Dwarka Expressway, ‘Old’ Gurgaon will be further sandwiched between ‘New’ Gurgaon and the ‘New Sectors’ - as there is no proper connectivity proposed between these areas and ‘Old’ Gurgaon. Ashok Rana, President of the Sector 23 RWA, says that no one knows how the Expressway will be connected to the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway. “The current plan is to connect the new areas through the Palam ViharJwala Mill Road, but it is highly impractical. This road is not even able to bear the current load of traffic and there is little scope for expansion,” says Rana. The poor condition of the ‘Old’ Delhi-Gurgaon Road, which has not seen any expansion and has been under maintenance for the last few months, shows that this area is not on the priority of the government, alleges Rana. In his opinion, to renew the ‘Old’ City, the government will have to bring in better transport facilities, expand the roads and build flyovers and underpasses in certain key bottleneck areas. Meanwhile, new alarm bells have started to ring, as the government has allowed major IT projects and commercial complexes on the ‘Old’ Delhi-Gurgaon Road, as well as conversion of factory complexes into offices in Udyog Vihar. The setting up of an IT SEZ by Unitech, and some other projects (including a fivestar hotel), are likely to put additional pressure on the creaky infrastructure in this part of Gurgaon, says Sanjay Sharma, a resident of Sector 23. Sharma says that one of the reasons for the lesser focus on ‘Old’ Gurgaon has been the lack of corporate offices and residential condominiums. “This part of the City is primarily ‘old’ house residences, and has its own charm. There is less commercialisation, and the populace is more or less middle class,” says Sharma. In his view there is need to focus on the basic amenities of life such as good transportation, better civic services, more

In Gurgaon, education, health, housing and several key areas have already been almost privatised. Why are politicians and bureaucrats only working for the capital gains of builders, developers, industrialists and middlemen, question the ‘Old’ Gurgaon residents? When will this stop? Surely it’s time for an aam aadmi campaign! public space for people and sports centres for the youth. He also believes that while the sectors close to the National Highway are in better shape – on both sides – the condition worsens as you start moving away. The presence of a large number of unauthorised colonies in ‘Old’ Gurgaon, as also the disputed area around the Air Force Ammunition Depot, are also being described as reasons for the lack of development ‘this side’. While government officials point out that they cannot start development in these areas, the opposition parties rubbish this argument. Gaje Singh Kablana of the INLD says that the wards where opposition parties have won have particularly seen little development - a number of Councillors from ‘Old’ Gurgaon belong to the INLD and BJP. The two City

MLAs have also failed to push local causes. Rana, of Sector 23, says that none of the Councillors or politicians has fought for infrastructure projects for ‘Old’ Gurgaon. Sonia Vaid, who often visits relatives in Jacobpura, in the heart of ‘Old’ Gurgaon, says that Sadar Bazaar and other nearby areas are choked with traffic, lack basic sanitation and are hubs of encroachment. Sharad Goyal is more radical in his approach, and says that unless people are united and come out on the roads, to force things, nothing is going to change in the City. “The inhabitants of ‘Old’ Gurgaon, through their organisations and RWAs, and with the help of media, will have to send the message that they won’t accept the status quo,” says Goyal. Old’ Gurgaon residents say that the government must come good on its promises to build flyovers to connect the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ City – and so help bridge the ‘India-Bharat Divide’. It should also work towards creating better transport connectivity with Delhi - particularly through Dwarka. Yogender Dagar, a resident of Sector 22, says that children from ‘Old’ Gurgaon have to suffer a lot while travelling to Delhi University, and even other parts of Gurgaon. Bhawani Shankar Tripathy alleges that even education providers like FIITJEE and other institutes now prefer to concentrate in ‘New’ Gurgaon. “Lack of transport connectivity even across the Highway makes it difficult for people to travel from the ‘Old’ City,” he says. It is because of this that the

residents of ‘Old’ Gurgaon had launched the ‘Metro Lao Sangharsh Samiti’, which is aimed at pressurising the government to extend the Metro line to the old part of the City. Though that movement had dwindled somewhat, the launch of Rapid Metro in ‘New’ Gurgaon has once again kindled the fire of discrimination for the ‘old’timers. Prem Kishan Gehlot, an ‘old’ area resident, says that a large number of senior citizens there need support in terms of better transport and social clubs, which were promised by HUDA Administrator Praveen Kumar. “If this does not happen, people soon will have to come onto the streetws to protest,” he says. Several residents allege that the situation is similar to how the State government discriminates against South Haryana. “’Old’ Gurgaon is the ‘New’ South Haryana for the politicians, as the government prefers the builder-developed, controlled and operated ‘New’ Gurgaon,” alleges Goyal. While the residents cry government apathy, Praveen Kumar, the new MCG Chief, is now promising to change the face of ‘Old’ Gurgaon particularly the Sadar Bazaar area. “We are planning to build a multilevel parking facility in the ‘Old’ City, which will decongest the area; sites have been identified. I am also planning to set up a sports stadium at the Kamala Nehru Park, which will help the youth in a big way,” says Kumar. He promises that the MCG areas in ‘Old’ Gurgaon will see better development and civic facilities in the ‘days to come’. The residents of the City are hopeful that change will come, especially since elections are round the corner and the government will be in poll mode. The sword of AAP is also now hanging over the Congress - Dilli door nahin hai. The residents want the government agencies to work in a cohesive manner, rather than depending upon maverick officials wanting to run their fiefdoms independently. Gurgaon residents do not want to bank on any further promises, but want an institutional mechanism that will bring development as well as social cohesion to the City as a whole – else it would never be able to meet its Millennium aspirations, let alone goals.u

The Interdependent Phenomena { Dr. Rajesh Bhola }

ast week’s article (Cosmos by Design) provided a glimpse of the Force that has infinite energy, unlimited forms and is the secret mover of the myriad universe(s) – a Force that we call God. Only an endless catalogue can enumerate the ‘things’ and ‘places’ wherein He, the Infinite, may be found…. undiminished. Our passing through this finite world is but an attempt to ‘realise’ the infinite phenomena. Even after millennia we remain overawed by many of the riddles and mysteries of this universe - still unexplained and unresolved by science. Oftentimes, the more we believe we understand, the less we seem to know. The universe shows us how small we really are. Science has only ‘recently’ been able to explain where the stars and planets came from. Now scientists have turned their attention to the much bigger mystery of galaxies. What is known is that galaxies are not scattered randomly throughout space; rather, they are found in ‘super clusters’. Are there other universes, each governed by its own set of ‘laws’? Though, with the constant expansion of the universe, it is unlikely that humanity will ever find the answer. We have only discovered four percent of the matter in the universe. Many believe that the rest is in the form of ‘dark matter’ – which we cannot see or touch, and even light and radio waves just seem to pass right through it. One of Albert Einstein’s greatest accomplishments was proving, through mathematics, the existence of ‘black holes’. We now have been able to find several black holes, and believe one to be at the centre of our very own Milky Way galaxy. What is astonishing, however, is what Einstein also proved through his equations that ‘white holes’ also exist. The exact opposite of black holes, white holes are believed to spit out an incredible amount of matter from seemingly nothing. Such an object should be easy to find…yet none has been. ‘Dark Energy‘ is the greatest mystery in the universe today, because it is believed to be all around us, and it explains why there seem to be anomalies within the law of gravity. By the law of gravity, large objects, like galaxy clusters, should attract each other, and their gravitational pull should pull in other objects. This, however, is not the case; most galaxy clusters are moving farther apart - because the universe is expanding at an incredible rate.

S piritual

12-18 June 2015

Scientists have thus developed the theory of Dark Energy, which has the opposite effect of gravity – it pushes things apart. Mathematical calculations have shown that if it exists, it makes up 74% of our universe, outweighing gravity and probably explains why the universe is stretching out. In this cosmic ‘reality’, when we ‘look out at space’, we are in fact looking back in time. The light arriving at our location from the farthest objects in the universe is light that left those objects billions of years ago - so in effect we see them as they appeared long ago. The most distant galaxies look strange, smaller, irregular, lacking clearly defined shapes. Before the Hubble, no telescope had the resolution to see these distant galaxies. When Hubble was tuned to a seemingly nearly empty patch of sky, to let it soak up all the light it could for 10 days, there were startling results – it ‘unearthed’ a treasure trove of 3,000 galaxies, large and small, shapely and amorphous, burning in the depths of space. The stunning image was called the Hubble Deep Field. In subsequent years, Hubble teamed up with other observatories to examine small patches of the sky in high resolution, long exposures and multiple wavelengths. Knowing the age of the universe isn’t just a matter of curiosity. By giving us a time scale of the development of stars and galaxies, it helps us refine our models of how the universe – and everything in it – formed. Our universe started with a bang and has been expanding ever since, the space between galaxies increasing over time. For many years, astronomers contemplating the death of the universe considered two main possibilities: either the universe would go on expanding forever, the galaxies gently drifting apart, or the universe would stop expanding and fall back on itself in a ‘big crunch’. One basic thing that we can learn from the whole cosmic drama is that, for

any phenomena to take place, interdependence is necessary. Phenomena are interdependent because they coexist in a global reality, which functions according to mutual causality. Phenomena are naturally simultaneous, because one implies the presence of the other: ‘This can only be if that also exists; this can change only if that also changes’. The notion of interdependence makes us question our basic perception of the world, which then helps to lessen our attachments, aversions and fears. An understanding of interdependence should demolish the wall of illusions that our minds have built up between ‘the other’ and me - it should make nonsense of pride, jealousy, greed and malice. If all living beings are indeed connected, then we should feel deeply concerned about the happiness and suffering of others. The attempt to build our happiness on others’ miseries is not just amoral, it’s also unrealistic. Feelings of universal love and compassion (the desire for all beings to be freed of suffering) are the direct consequence of interdependence. The knowledge of interdependence leads to a process of inner transformation, which continues throughout the journey of spiritual enlightenment. We must put this knowledge into practice. The interdependence of phenomena demands a universal responsibility. As Einstein said: “A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘Universe’ - a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty’.u Dr. Rajesh Bhola is President of Spastic Society of Gurgaon and is working for the cause of children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities for more than 30 years. He can be contacted at rabhola@yahoo.com (We are re-featuring the special, ‘Spiritualism beyond Religions’, on the followng page)

Leave your Print { Shobha Lidder } Be it foe or brother Why bother to clone, condone Another’s life style, think a while Ponder, contemplate, take a long stroll To comprehend your role & goal In this lifetime. Role models are great, so are mentors, teachers They help you identify your giftedness Shake your laziness, root out your doubts Put you on the route of purpose stout To arise from man to superman Recognise your ‘aham brahmasi’ status Out there it’s a people’s world where all Look & talk like one another From one sunrise to the other So be yourself, no other Not clone nor foe nor your brother Pray for the angels to show you the way To be by your side When you falter, weaken, give in to wasteful ways Deep down you have your own answers You are your own judge & scribe You are wise....your own best advice Rise, above yourself.....do something worthwhile Plant a tree, feed someone’s need Do a good deed a day Win a smile in some way Water a withering plant Do good…do soon Heal like the Summer moon. Shobha Lidder Writer, Journalist, Teacher, Trainer, Social Activist, Reiki Master, Pranic Healer

After reading FG on paper or online, you can also comment on the various articles/stories, on FG Website

www.fridaygurgaon.com or on facebook

www.facebook.com/fridaygurgaon

12-18 June 2015

Spiritualism beyond Religions In today’s world, Buddha sounds ‘right’ to many, because He is so logical and rational. Buddha’s words are very balanced and direct; He never exaggerates. His approach is of intelligence – that of a Master of the mind. Buddha is very contemporary. You can walk with Him with perfect ease; He will not create any trouble for you. Even if you want to argue, Buddha is the right person to convince you. He will not say anything that cannot be proved logically. Jesus has been forsaken by some because the world has grown more into logic than love. Love is seen as illogical. Jesus is so full of love that it overflows. Jesus speaks in metaphors, because love is a poetic approach to reality. Jesus speaks more to the common people - they understand love more easily than logic.

{ Dr. Rajesh Bhola }

ll religions have roots that are based on some basic principles related to kindness, compassion and other basic virtues that make the journey of travellers on this planet more meaningful. These roots manifest themselves through leaves and flowers. But strangely, the roots of a tree look very different from its flowers - the roots look ‘ugly’. However, their function is not to look beautiful, but to nourish the tree - the leaves, the foliage, the fruits and the flowers. The roots, though hidden underneath the ground, are constantly at work. In fact the flower is the fulfillment of the root; the root has existed for the flower. Without the flower the root’s existence would be meaningless. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Islam are flowers of the same root. For example, Moses went underneath as the root, and Jesus came up as a flower. However, to understand that Moses and Jesus are actually one, that the Vedas and the Buddha are one (and thus that Jesus and the Buddha are one), needs great insight - and a radical change in our mindset. If we can love one enlightened person, sooner or later we will understand all the enlightened persons of the world. The teachings of Jesus can be seen as Buddhist. The language may be different, but the message is the same. When we go deep into Buddha, we are able to learn much about Jesus too. Where Buddha says ’Truth’, the same is meant when Jesus says ’Kingdom of God’. Where Buddha says ‘be a nobody’, ‘drop the ego’, ‘be a no-self’, Jesus says ‘drop your will, surrender your will to God’s will’. Once the will is dropped, we become one with the whole. Then, whether God exists or not does not matter. Only a man who is simply like a mirror can understand everybody and can become very much enriched by it. Yes, Lao Tzu may bring a unique breeze into our being, because he is a Master technician who can open a door that nobody else

can, but our being is not sated easily. Why should we not claim all the enlightened people as ours? We can then one day read and learn Buddha, and another day Jesus or Lao Tzu. The effort of all of them is to make us feel enriched, to make available to us all the joys in the spiritual world, to make us capable of enjoying all kinds of ecstasies. Buddha brings an ecstasy through intelligence; Jesus, through love; Krishna, through action; and Lao Tzu, through inaction! These may seem very different paths, but they all come into us and meet in our innermost core. They all have one common root. They are just like the sun, the light. When we will open our eyes, they will be there. And when Jesus says ’I will be there forever with you’, he does not mean ’I will be there in opposition to Buddha or Krishna or Moses.’ He simply means ’I will be there as part of Buddha, Krishna, Moses, Zarathustra...’. They may have all disappeared as persons, but they have become One-ness. We can imbibe all their virtues by looking beyond the walls drawn up by different religions. We should simply be human, with no specific religious ideologies hanging around us. We have to drop all that dust and let our mirror be clear. Then, we will be in continuous celebration, because the whole of existence will be ours. Why go on worshipping one flower when all the flowers can be ours? And why go on planting only one flower in our garden, when all the flowers of the world can flower there? Why have we decided to be poor? Let us try and transform ourselves. Let us learn from any source that appeals to us, or from all the sources. Let us become as internally rich as possible. And let us do it now…rather than wait for the Day of Judgment. Let every moment be our moment of judgment.u Dr. Rajesh Bhola is President of Spastic Society of Gurgaon and is working for the cause of children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities for more than 30 years. He can be contacted at rabhola@yahoo.com

S piritual

13 prakhar PANDEY

Aashaadh Mela - Sheetla Mata

12-18 June 2015

{ Jaspal Bajwa }

Health & Vitality... Naturally!

ometimes simplistic statements can confuse – as in, ‘all calories are the same; one calorie contains 4184 Joules of energy and that is it’. Nothing could be further from the truth. The simple fact is that the metabolism in each one of us is unique, as are our body’s basic energy needs as well as the efficiency with which each one of us burns fuel. Related questions that get raised are: ‘Is it possible to rev up our metabolism, so that we can burn more calories? Can we produce ‘clean’ fuel that has least side effects and ensures easyto-eject waste matter? Are there foods that can put the spring back in our step and help us energetically take on each day with a fresh approach’? The golden rule is that the foods that we choose must be dictated by metabolism types and lifestyle patterns (like, sedentary vs. active). Not only is food a powerful medicine that can heal the body, it can indeed accelerate metabolism. We are born with a specific blood or body type – or a ‘metabolic’ type. For example, Type A’s love salty food, have a strong appetite, are outgoing and experience fatigue more often - which in turn makes them prone to anxiety. Type B’s are on the stout side, crave sweets, have a relatively weak appetite, are sensitive, organised, sometimes stressed and have a caffeine dependency. They require healthy carbs – which is often mistaken for a free licence to load up with ‘junk’ sugary foods. Type C’s are the mixed types. Importantly, the inherent metabolic type gets substantially impacted by choices that we make. Lifestyle choices directly influence our qualities of sleep, physical activity and stress. Positive stress (eustress) is good; negative stress (or distress) is bad. We have to learn the art of managing both. It would be of great help to remember the basic principles of Nature. We are governed by the simple 7-step ‘I Am’ rule. Like everything in the cosmos, our body - a

Managing the ‘Good & Bad’ (Part 3)

community of 70 trillion cells called the ‘microbiome’ – needs to first receive energy and then expend it. Nature does not take too kindly to the attempt to store it (layers of fat are a liability, not an asset!). The first four steps help us fuel-up: ‘I Am what I Think, Feel, Eat and Believe. Then, once the fuel tank is full, energy gets expended through the next 3 steps: ‘I Am what I repeatedly Do, I am the Company I keep and I am what I Celebrate’. This is how Nature’s cycle completes itself. When we master this art and science of living a full and balanced life, we can avoid any imbalance in the energy equation. Before going on to food choices, it must be stressed that physical activity is by far the most variable of the factors that determine how many calories are burnt daily.

Tip of the Week

All added sugars, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, as well as refined grain products like white bread,

are seductive sweet killers. These get absorbed quickly, leading to rapid spikes in our blood sugar. These ‘wannabe foods’ have a high Glycemic Index (GI), which is a measure of how quickly foods raise blood sugar. The ‘blood sugar rollercoaster’ makes us forever crave for the next high-carb snack. The speed at which low fibre carb-calories hit the system can have a dramatic effect on their potential to cause weight gain. Studies have consistently shown that people who eat the highest Glycemic Index foods are at the greatest risk of becoming obese and diabetic. A great example of how all calories are not the same is provided by the two main simple sugars in our diet Glucose and Fructose. These may appear to have the same chemical formula, yet, to the body the two are completely different. Glucose can be metabolised by all of the body’s tissues, but Fructose can only be metabolised by the liver

in any significant amount. Fructose is highly avoidable.

Nature’s Wonder Food(s) of the Week: Energy Efficient Natural Foods

For high ‘EnergyEfficiency’, the best is to rely on seasonal, fresh, mainly plant-based, high-fibre ‘organic’ diets that celebrate the diversity of all the VIBGYOR colours and leave an alkaline balance in the body. ‘Native’ diets, consisting of whole, natural foods - in a certain combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates –are the kindest to the metabolic type we have inherited. Without exception, all these fat + protein + carbs ‘combos’ should be high-fibre and include a diverse array of colourful fruits and vegetables. Starting the day right is key. On getting up, the first step should be to reach out for a glass of warm water – ideally made into a ‘Master Cleanse’ by adding organic

W ellness apple cider vinegar and fresh lime juice. A little fresh ginger on the side would be great! Breakfast can consist of whole eggs and other protein rich foods. Grains could be steel cut oats or quinoa, as these are lower in carbohydrates and higher in proteins. Dessert-like sugary breakfast cereals make you feel hungrier and crave for more sugar later in the day. During the rest of the day, 3-4 light ‘snack-like’ meals keep the fuel tank near full (at 80% stomach capacity) and the ‘Energymeter’ nicely ticking. In between meals, lots of ‘aqua pura’ (natural clean spring water or lemon-water or tender coconut water) is best, to keep the body hydrated. Green and herbal teas are great too, as they add variety and an antioxidant boost. Some examples of ‘Clean Energy’ foods that we can relish are: Green vegetables, especially broccoli, kale, spinach, turnip greens, dandelion and other fresh salad veggies – which should form 50% of the plate Yoghurt, kefir and other high probiotic fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi High quality fats, like virgin olive oil for salads and for high-heat cooking, coconut oil, rice bran oil, sesame oil or selective use of natural organic butter or ghee Mushrooms, especially antioxidant rich Chaga, Reishi Sprouted whole grains or lentils or beans Avocado Lean white meat, like range-grown chicken or turkey Salmon and other Omega 3 rich fatty fish (ideally ‘nonfarmed’ or wild) Eggs, from range-fed hens Organic apple and high Vitamin C fruits (guava, amla or Indian goose berry), blueberries and other colourful berries (e.g. Goji) Nuts (almonds, walnuts) and seeds (chia, flaxseed) Adaptogens, from immune boosting herbs like Ashwagandha and Ginseng A dash of hot peppers (or a fermented sauce like ‘Tabasco’) can help raise body temperature, which is turn enhances the body’s fat burning abilities. Olives, tomatoes, garlic and spices help improve circulation and reduce fluid retention and bloating.u For Education purposes only; always consult a Healthcare Practitioner for medical conditions

B on V ivant

12-18 June 2015

No Handicap

Dancers

ne often hears cliched responses from people who shy away from dancing: ‘I can’t dance, I have two left feet,’ is the most common refrain. Fortunate are those that have their two feet, never mind if those feet don’t ‘move’ to the beats of music. Two women who wished to just dance were not that fortunate. One lost her right foot, the other her left, in separate gruesome accidents. Sudha Chandran, the famous Indian dancer-actress, lost her right foor in a road accident in 1981; Adrianne Haslet-Davis of the US lost her left foot in the Boston Marathon bomb blast in 2013. Yet neither lost hope. They went back to their first love - dancing. Sudha Chandran is the stuff that legends are made of. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, Sudha was a Tamilian girl who was brought up in Bombay. During an ill-fated trip to Tiruchi in 1981, the bus in which Sudha was travelling collided head-on with a truck and Sudha’s legs got trapped in mangled metal. While a local doctor did plaster her right leg, it unfortunately developed gangrene…and had to be amputated. It seemed then that Sudha was destined to be confined to a wheelchair. But this gritty and gutsy lady was determined to challenge the seemingly insurmountable

was a double amputee himself, having lost both of his legs in a climbing accident many years ago. Hugh had succeeded in creating a computer-controlled prosthetic foot. He designed a special bionic ankle for Adrianne. After intense therapy, and enduring extreme discomfort and pain, Adrianne was able to dance again. In 2014, just a year after the gruesome attack, she was back on stage. Adrianne performed to a packed house, and under intense media glare, with her partner, Christian Lightner. America applauded this exceptional dancer, who showed that she could dance – that too, flawlessly - with just one foot. Adrianne continues to perform, and also teaches. She has also become a symbol in the fight against terrorism. The stories of Sudha Chandran and Adrianne Haslet-Davis are inspiring examples of deep passion combined with exemplary determination and courage. These two remarkable dancers have shown that dance (or any performing art) is not only about talent, hard work and practice, but also about the resilience to fight against all odds. They have proven that we are handicapped only by our minds. Take a bow, ladies! u

GURGAON’S OWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER To Advertise

9868163312 | 9818303901 adsales@fridaygurgon.com

The writer is a renowned Kuchipudi danseuse and choreographer

24-30 October 2014

RNI No. HARENG/2011/39319, Postal Regn. No. GRG/35/2012-2014

Vol. 4 No. 10  Pages 16  `10

The Lotus has bloomed here

{ Abhishek Behl / FG }

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

ew’ Gurgaon, which was the hub of ‘Aam Aadmi politics’ during the Lok Sabha elections, and voted almost en bloc in favour of the AAP candidate Yogendra Yadav, embraced saffron in the Assembly polls. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP candidate, Rao Inderjit Singh, had polled 6,44,780 votes, while INLD's Zakir Hussain got 3,70,058 and AAP candidate Yogendra Yadav got 79,452 votes. Yadav, however, polled almost 27,000 votes from the Gurgaon assembly area, and it was expected that if AAP had fought the Assembly elections, it would have been a strong contender for the Gurgaon constituency. In the absence of a viable alternative to the Congress, many of these 'AAP voters’ and several others preferred to go with ‘Modi BJP’. In fact all the four seats in Gurgaon District (Gurgaon,Badshahpur, Sohna & Pataudi) have gone to the BJP. In the Gurgaon assembly constituency, BJP candidate Umesh Agarwal won by a record 84,000 votes (over his nearest rival, Gopi Chand Gehlot, of INLD). What has surprised many has

{ Barnali Dutta / FG }

write to us at letters@fridaygurgaon

he states in India’s North East – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (formerly NEFA), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura - are often referred as

been the average performance of Congress candidate Dharambir Gaba, who came a distant third. He was expected to win, riding on the strong Punjabi vote bank of almost 70,000 votes. All the permutations and combinations of the political pundits were proved wrong not only in Gurgaon, but across Haryana as well. It seems that people once again – even for an Assembly election – voted overwhelmingly for BJP in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even the strong, tried and tested caste arithmetic was proven incorrect in this election, says Vijay Arora, a Congress supporter. He is rankled by the poor performance of the Congress, particularly in Gurgaon, which is considered a ‘Punjabi’ seat. Gaba, backed by this community, has won it four times - and it was because of this performance that he was given the mandate. "Punjabis did not vote for Gaba this time. When we see the voting pattern boothwise, we realise that the BJP

It had been a brave decision of Amit Shah to sever ties with the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), when the latter refused to budge from its 50-50 stand, considering that BJP had no real independent ‘standing’ in Haryana (of course, in retrospect, if he could take on the Shiv Sena in Mumbai, the HJC decision would have been a ‘cakewalk’). Shah also stayed away from any ‘tie-up’ with INLD. With a repeat historic performance in Haryana, at Lok & Vidhan levels, Modi-Shah have proved that they are indeed mega game-changers. In many areas of ‘new’ Gurgaon, including DLF, Sushant Lok and adjoining localities, a large number of people did not even know the local party candidate, but still voted for BJP. Even Umesh Agarwal admitted that people had voted with Modi in mind. Akshay, who has worked for the INLD for a long time, says that despite a large number of people promising to vote for their candidate, they finally preferred to vote for BJP due to Modi. In fact a large number of Jaat voters, who have never ‘crossed the line’, also entered the saffron space, due to the magnetic attraction of the

PM. In adjoining Badshahpur, the BJP candidate, Rao Narbir Singh, had to face a stiff contest against Rakesh Daultabad of the INLD and (BJP) Party rebel Mukesh Sharma, who made the contest quite interesting. While it was a neck-to-neck race in Badshahpur hinterland, the BJP candidate got overwhelming support from many ‘new’ Gurgaon colonies, which are still a part of this constituency. Almost 95 per cent votes in these ‘new’ Gurgaon colonies went to Narbir Singh - giving him a chance to become an MLA after a long time. The ‘elite’ corporate crowd did vote in many areas. In Pataudi and Sohna too the BJP won by huge margins, again despite not so strong candidates. In Pataudi, Bimla Chaudhary won by a good number, and she ascribed her victory to PM Modi and also to her mentor, Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh, who has quite a large following in the Ahirwal belt. So strong was the BJP wave in the urban areas that even ‘personal connections’ were swept away in the Modi wave. RS Rathee, an Independent, who had performed well in the last polls, managed only a couple of thousand in this election. Prem Bhatia, who stays in Sushant Lok, says that people

tures, and certain ‘associated’ behaviour, the Northeasterners have often been viewed with contempt (if not hate) by a particular section of ‘mainstream’ Indians. They are ‘dismissed’ derisively as Chinks or Chinkies (something that even the Chinese are not

sentencing the five accused persons (incidentally belonging to Mewat, near Gurgaon) to life imprisonment. These beasts had raped a girl hailing from Mizoram, who had been working at the call centre of a BPO in New Delhi. It is shocking that within this year itself,

asha PaNDEY

{ Meenu Thakur Sankalp }

odds. She had read about Dr. P.K. Sethi of Jaipur, who had designed a prosthetic foot. Though she knew that it was not possible to dance with this foot, she went to meet Dr. Sethi, who was moved by her passion for dance. The good doctor modified the prosthetic foot and fitted it onto the stump below Sudha’s thighs. However, whenever she attempted to dance, her thighs would start bleeding. Dr. Sethi patiently made several modifications to the foot. Finally, their resilience bore fruit. Sudha became ‘comfortable’ while dancing with the prosthetic limb. Her first opportunity to again perform on stage came through the South India Welfare Society, in 1984 - three years after the fateful accident. As she danced that day, to thunderous applause, the entire country took notice. The media had of course been covering and lauding her tenacity and passion. A famous Telugu film producer offered her a film based on her own life, titled ‘Mayuri’ – for which she won the Special Category National Award for her acting. This film was also made in Hindi and Tamil. Sudha became an inspiration for many of the ‘disabled’ – especially amputees. While she continued to act in lead roles in South Indian movies and did supporting roles in Hindi films as well, her biggest success came in television serials in Tamil and Hindi. Sudha Chandran became one of the most known faces of Indian Television. On April 15, 2013, a pressure cooker bomb, reportedly planted by two Chechnyans - the Tsarnaev Brothers, exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing 3 people and injuring 264 others. Among the seriously injured were Adrianne Haslet-Davis and her husband (an officer in the Services). Adrianne, a dance instructor and a professional ballroom dancer, lost a part of her left leg. She felt devastated. For days she dreamt of being attacked by someone. Whenever she ventured out to the street she believed that another bomb would explode near her. However, despite this mental trauma, Adrianne believed that she could dance again, that too on stage. While the fitting of a prosthetic limb was a ‘solution’, she knew that it would not really make her dance - it was only intended to help a person walk. When Adrianne was being interviewed on a popular TV channel, Hugh Herr, a Biomechatronics professor at MIT, was moved by her courage. Hugh

has won even in areas considered to be our strongholds. The people have just voted for Modi," he admits. Analysts say that the Lok Sabha polls had shown that Gurgaon, particularly the new areas, would vote BJP, and it has now been proved beyond doubt that Gurgaon has become a bastion of the Party. Meanwhile, another strong ‘belief’, that an Independent always wins from at least one seat in the District, has been belied.

Desi Apartheid

Contd. on p 4 

12-18 June 2015

G -Scape asha PANDEY