India Empire January 2016

COnTEnTS

january 2016

06

12

12

rEVaMPInG nrI EnGaGEMEnT Former MP and nrI advocate Madhu Goud yashki speaks to us

06

EDuCaTInG InDIa India’s HrD Minister Smriti Irani speaks to us on steps taken to improve the country’s education ecosystem

16

15

20

DIPLOMaTIC CIrCLE Coverage of Mongolia, afghanistan, Israel and Tunisia

40 27

40

DIaSPOra nEWS Global Thinkers

43 uP PraVaSI DIWaS a first of its kind

27 BuSInESS anD GOVErnanCE Major decisions being taken

Cover Story—PolitiCal interview

Ms Smriti Irani Union Minister for Human Resource Development

“There is increased cooperation between Centre and States on education” The transition from a highly successful and acclaimed career in television into the hustle and bustle of India’s confrontational politics has been a fairly smooth one for Ms Smriti Irani, the youngest Cabinet Minister for HRD the country’s had. Ms Irani is now tasked to find solutions to one of India’s biggest challenges—educating a very large and ambitious young population, and ensuring that quality is not relegated to the back seat. Even the adult illiterate cannot be ignored. Having contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Gandhi-stronghold of Amethi, Ms Irani says that the constituency’s fabled tales of development were nothing but a mirage in a desert of hopelessness. Known for strong work ethics, she’s already made a mark by ensuring that all Government schools across India now have separate toilet blocks for girls, a first in Indian history. She spoke to India Empire’s Editor Sayantan Chakravarty at her office I am going to start by asking you a difficult question.

Which is more important going forward—school education or higher education?

I think there has to be an amalgamation of efforts between the two. If you address both the departments in silos then you do a great disservice to education. I think that is what has been happening for a very long time in our Ministry. The ecosystem was developed such that there was no bridge in terms of communication between the two. Whatever you do in school education has a huge impact on higher education and vice-versa. Hence, to disintegrate these aspects of education and not look at it holistically is not advisable.

In terms of percentage of total budget spend, India still spends far less on developing its school education system that many of the western nations. How are you dealing with this situation?

I think one needs to understand that allocation of more money is not essentially transformational on the ground in terms of infrastructure. In India we have known to do much more, with much less. For instance, you can look at the clarion call that Prime Minister gave for building toilets in Government schools across the nation. For over six decades this problem was not addressed. But we did not hike up our budget. Instead, within the budget, we ensured that we built 6

india empire | january 2016

different toilet blocks for girls and boys in all Government schools in a timely fashion, that is within one year. This is a first in Indian history. This is reflective of two things: one, when there is a political consensus and a strong political resolve to address such issues, then they can percolate to the ground and solutions can be found. And at the same time the very fact that this was done without any additional budget goes to show that there also was a very strong political will. I am glad that during my tenure there is an increased co-operation between the center and the states since education is in the concurrent list. I am also aware that there are certain decisions which fall only in the realm of the state Governments. On such decisions, we continuously engage and encourage states to do better.

What steps are being taken to make this country 100 per cent literate, irrespective of which political party is in place in which state?

I think one has to look at education from two perspectives. One, the school going children that wear a dress and those who graduate from school onwards to institutions of higher learning, and second, an adult illiterate population which is looked upon from various perspectives of age groups. In the past one and a half years, the number of people who sat in the adult education exam exceeded the num-

PhotograPhS © SiPra daS

HOT SEAT: Brining about changes in India’s education policies, revisiting curricula, and appointing heads of important institutions is not easy in India. Minister Irani has her task cut out

bers of the previous two years. This means that we are giving a thrust not only to school education but we are also highlighting the challenges that adult illiterates face in our country. And we are kind of engaging with them to increase their knowledge base. For instance, our adult education bureau looks after not only literacy from a reading and writing perspective but there are also elements of financial literacy, legal literacy and electoral literacy. And for the first time the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Jan Dhan Yojana is something that we tried to leverage just to see to what extent financial literacy has percolated on to the ground. I am happy to say that over 1 crore Indians were joined with these two schemes of the Prime Minister through the adult literacy bureau.

How do you verify your numbers?

I and my ministry were very adamant on the fact that when we talk numbers, I need numbers that are verifiable.

So when we made our toilets, I said for each toilet made I want photographic and video-graphic evidence. And I wanted evidence which provided me various phases of construction. So from the time when the foundation of the toilet was laid, to the whole building itself, we have photographic and video graphic evidence. Then we sent central observers from various ministries, 150 officers of MHRD

went to each district to check. Similarly for the Suraksha Bima Yojana and the Jan Dhan Yojana, every citizen that we enrolled through our adult education centre, we have each and every individual’s bank account number that we helped open, and their addresses. So these are data points which can be actually looked at in detail in terms of verification. So I said that let the numbers speak, and ensured that this engagement was not limited to only paper, but turned into a genuine human to human engagement.

What is the Swacch Vidyalaya program? Why don’t we hear more of it in terms of publicity campaigns that can help counter opposition attacks?

I think the attack gets more traction because that is the nature of the media. But let me also say this that if I had failed, you would have heard a lot about it. So, it must be really said that we have succeeded and the empirical evidence suggests that we have done it right. This is the reason why there is no criticism. We have also said that this is a process which is in continuity. It is not a process limited to building a block. We have opened it up for citizens to inform us where we need to intervene and inform state Governments that much more needs to be done. So, we have not limited our interaction to only building one block and leaving it, it is a continuous engagement with the states. january 2016 | india empire

7

Cover Story—PolitiCal interview

During your TV days you put a premium on excellence and were recognized with several best actress awards from the industry. Let me ask you then, there are 72 institutions of national importance. How many of these will eventually become centres of excellence, because that is what you really want to see eventually, isn’t it?

There are actually 120 institutions of national importance.

And I think they are already centers of excellence and that is why they are institutions of national importance. I believe that is exactly one of the challenges that we face, we do not give ourselves enough applause for the enriched journeys many of our academicians undertake. I also think that we do not have enough of mind space where we celebrate the successes of our academicians who are so busy working in the laboratories and their research centers, that they do not come out and seek attention. So in December we had our second ever national award for innovation and educational interventions by block and district education officers. We recognized and awarded around 62 officers. Their interventions ranged from ICT to facilitating access and education for those who are physically challenged, to encouraging more and more participation of the girl child in school systems, and these are all public education systems. So, we do have the good stories which are coming out and we are hopeful that our citizens learn more about us as we put out that information.

What kind of opportunities are there for Overseas Indians to engage in developing the education infrastructure in the country, particularly at the school level, and what role can this Ministry play in guiding them?

I think we have taken up 2-3 issues which could be of interest to our NRI population. One, on the HRD website itself we have an engagement called iShare for India. Here if you have any technological interventions that you would like to share in terms of learning resources, or any other technology development that facilitates learning not only in the school sector, but in higher education as well, you can get in touch with MHRD. You can help share that technology with the rest of the country, free of cost. Apart from that we have said that we want to celebrate the existence of a school, because the school needs to become the fulcrum of all community engagements. So we had propagated a program called ‘Shala Utsav’. I am aware of schools in Odisha that are 150 years old which called us for those celebrations. I visited schools in Assam which also had that kind of a legacy. So, if I can implore the NRI population that whichever village or small town you belong to, if you know of a Government institution which has been in existence for a long time and you want to celebrate the impact of that institution, the life of the local community, we are more than happy to do that. Another thing is the concept called ‘Thithi Bhojan’ which is something that the Prime Minister did when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. We tell people that instead of throwing big parties on your birthday or doing those big celebrations on your anniversary, if you want to donate fruits for the midday meal program of that day, that is something that would be lovely. There are many people who actually hold special lunches for the children through the ‘Thithi Bhojan’ in their 8

india empire | january 2016

village school. So, I am sure that many people want to know of this initiative and can get in touch with us. And if there is a big group of NRIs that wants to do it, we can facilitate their interaction with state Government for that local district or that block where they want to serve children. So these are 2-3 initiatives I can think of at the top of my head.

These are all irrespective of state Governments. All Governments are happy to welcome engagement as long as it is within the framework of rules.

Please tell us about the GIAN… This is the Global Initiative of Academic Networks.

Under GIAN, the Government of India at their cost calls academicians from across the world. We have currently listed 352 academicians from 38 countries who at the cost of Government of India come and teach in Government institutions all across the country. For instance, we began in IIT Kharagpur and Gandhinagar. Kharagpur was about orthopedic biomechanics by a Professor from The Netherlands. We will give credits to our students. It is free for students. We have also opened it up in terms of allowing institutions to call students from other institutions around it, so that it is not limited to only a few institutions. This program is not only limited to IIT Kharagpur, it has been expanded to universities including state universities and institutions. And if you know of academicians of repute who would like to come and serve, then everything from their boarding and lodging to their travel needs and a little bit of their remuneration is taken care by the Government of India. A committee of experts sits together, goes subject by subject, and tells us which foreign academician they seek to invite. We vet the whole process. Then we invite the foreign faculty accordingly, and then we pay for them. Many opportunities are there for joint research programmes starting. So if there are celebrated Indian academicians across the world who are happy to come and teach in India, we are more than happy to welcome them under GIAN. It is exponentially designed to grow to a 1,000 overseas academicians in this one academic year.

Having been here for a year and a half, what is your long term vision at this stage for educating India?

I think one of the biggest challenges is that the earlier policy was not reflective of the constant changes within the education sector. Also, the last time we made our policy was around 30 years ago and much has changed since. I think in the new one, a part of the journey is reflective of the challenges we have faced as a nation. It also recognizes the ground level realities which haven’t been addressed. Solutions haven’t been found, even though they are available. I am hopeful that the education policies are reflective of the will of the people.

We have reached out to around 2 and half lakh village education counselors and we have asked them to give us their input on what kind of education they want for their villages. Similar interventions have been carried out across all urban local bodies, all blocks, all districts and with all states I have personally done video conferences with district collectors and public representatives. We spoke to everybody that could have possibly been spoken to. Additionally, our regulators, institutions of national importance, they themselves held a lot of deliberations.

Cover Story—PolitiCal interview

“We also need to celebrate the legacy of Arya Bhatt, Manjul Bhargava who is teaching mathematics in Princeton in the form of poetry in Sanskrit, and Ramanujam, and remind ourselves of how far we have travelled and how much we have contributed to the world”

We also leveraged our associations with UN solutions exchange, so that those who have been in the sector worldwide can share with us their experiences. With the UNESCO institute, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Peace, we helped do a youth survey on the education policy and now I am happy to say that for the first time in the history of our country, we have over 107,000 villages today which have given their own personal village resolution for education. Over 5,370 blocks have come through and now we also have a committee which will now draft and evolve the policy. It is headed by ex-cabinet secretary Mr TSR Subramaniam. He has had quite an expanded interaction in the field of education himself. He has an administrative wherewithal to help us not only give a policy, but also a framework for action.

Here’s a political question. What is the state of development you saw in Amethi after all these years of attention?

I think that Amethi was a story untold. It was a mirage that was built, and what has happened is that post my intervention the realities have surfaced to the ground. The reality shocked many of those from the journalistic fraternity who went there for the first time. They actually managed to see behind the cover, peeled it off and realized that poverty there is abundant.

There were expectations from the place because it has been the bastion of the Gandhi family. I personally witnessed the poor women who had absolutely not a penny on them, literally picking grain from the ground. They said they would cook it.

It gave me a real understanding of the poverty, and that, more than anything else, enraged me as a human being. For me I think political fights are a nature of the job we are in. But as a human being how can you turn away from an old woman who is hunched over a dirty road so that she can pick grains to eat.

And for me that is the issue I wanted to address. People look at it from a political perspective. But I think you need to see the 10 india empire | january 2016

people behind it who have lost absolute hope that things will change. My engagement there was not limited to an election, it continued because I wanted people to know that not everybody in politics turns their backs on them.

Do you see a future when instead of a brain drain, there will be a brain gain, and people from the West will come to study in large numbers in India?

What was very heartening for me was a news that came where IIT students got offers from overseas but they turned them down because they were impressed with the ‘Make in India’ campaign of the PM and they said we want to stay back home and work for our country. So, for me that is one of the biggest victories we could have seen in the one and half years of this Government. These are the decisions that impact individual lives and the fact that they believe in the PM, they take life-altering decisions and stay back to contribute to the nation.

I think that is the fascinating story that needs to be told often.

I received a lot of warm responses and appreciation when I spoke at the UNESCO’s 70th celebration. So this gives us an impetus to go further. So we need to expand the horizons of our communications such as giving interviews to your magazine. I think one need to understand that there is a particular eminence to Indian institutions that cannot be compared to many institutions. If we think of education from a domestic perspective, we have an institution for Tamil language. So now that institute might not be important from an international perspective but it is extremely important for us. We also need to recognize that we have institutions like Vishva Bharati Shanti Niketan and Benaras Hindu University. We also need to celebrate the legacy of Arya Bhatt, Manjul Bhargava who is teaching mathematics in Princeton in the form of poetry in Sanskrit, and Ramanujam, and remind ourselves of how far we have travelled and how ❐ much we have contributed to the world.

Key nri interview

Mr Madhu Goud Yashki NRI, and former Lok Sabha MP from Nizamabad

“If India wants to be a superpower, NRIs cannot be ignored” Mr Madhu Goud Yashki, a lawyer, was a Member of Parliament for two terms, starting 2004 and ending 2014. During those 10 years he had intense engagements with NRIs in the capacity of being a member of a Standing Committee in Parliament for the Ministry of External Affairs. He vehemently advocated the creation of a new Ministry for NRI Affairs (later to be known as the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs), and opposed several voices that wanted the NRI desk in the MEA to continue. Today when the Government has announced the merger of the MOIA with the MEA, his views become all the more important. Mr Yashki provides a unique perspective on how India should treat its NRIs, and leverage from their experience in countries across the globe. He speaks to India Empire’s Editor Sayantan Chakravarty at his office in the Constitution Club, New Delhi

As an NRI yourself, do you think India has the administrative and political mechanism to deal with, respond and enthuse NRIs who wish to intensify their engagement with India?

Yes I do believe that. As an NRI, I attended the first Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in 2003, and then in 2004 I became the first NRI Member of Parliament. Later in 2009, Mr Shashi Tharoor also became an MP. Following the initiative of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas started by Mr A.B. Vajpayee in 2003, the UPA Government built on this further and created the Ministry for NRI Affairs in 2004, later to be renamed as the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.

Regarding this there was a big discussion in the standing committee of Ministry of External Affairs. The committee members were apprehensive about having a new ministry for NRIs. They felt there would be duplication of work, and felt the new Ministry would do the same thing and the proposal should be scrapped. So I intervened and told them that India requires an NRI Ministry in every aspect of its development. India expects NRIs to rush to help when there are natural calamities. India expects NRIs to come to its rescue when there is a crisis in foreign reserves (1991).

12 india empire | january 2016

We keep talking about China’s development because of the involvement, and historical role, of the country’s large diaspora. If you look in 2004-2005, the foreign direct investments in India were only USD 3 billion dollars, but NRI remittances were of the order of USD 27 billion dollars.

But today if you look at it, the remittances have gone up to USD 75 billion, which is much more than the FDI. If you want double-digit growth, involve the NRIs. If India wants to be a superpower, NRIs cannot be ignored.

Many NRIs ask about the “Single Window” system of addressing their queries. What is your view on this?

It is not working effectively. In fact there is no single window system for the NRIs in the country. There are single window systems for the individuals and companies started by various states. Kerala has designated a Minister for NRI Affairs and it is one of those few states that is working in an exemplary fashion for NRIs. The Andhra Pradesh combined state (before bifurcation) had a NRI cell, but not a minister. I think the experience of Kerala, Punjab and Gujarat must be extended to all other states with larger Indian diaspora. If you look at it, the confusion is created

PhotograPhS Š SiPra daS

NRI VOICE: Former MP and advocate Mr Madhu Goud Yashki firmly believes that NRI policies in Delhi must be revisited to attract them to India

by the OCI and the PIO card. Also the initial announcement of visa on arrival was not honoured. I was on a vacation with my daughter in January. She is a US citizen studying in Italy, so she wanted to come to India with me to visit India and meet her grandparents. We were coming from Prague to France. When we landed in Paris they did not allow us to board the onward flight to India. I said that

there is visa on arrival but the authorities told me that we were supposed to apply online first and get a visa by sending the documents online which takes 72 hours. You receive the visa on email and you have to carry the print out with you in order to board the flight. So, it is visa online not visa on arrival. This is why I believe that single window system is very important because the announcement and practical implementation has a huge gap.

Can you give us some more examples?

Many Indians are facing so many problems. The incident that I narrated earlier happened with me. Similar instances have happened with many NRIs who got into trouble. While coming to India from US via Dubai, they were stopped and could not travel further to India due to similar confusion. The single window system is required because if somebody unfortunately passes away, until they spend 7,000-10,000 US dollars they cannot bring the body home. So, all these people become dependent on the overseas Indian organizations for aid. In some special cases that I represented, about 31 people were struck at Jordan, Afghanistan and various other countries where they went on some work visas. They were brought back by the UPA Government under special case. Similarly, in Gulf countries there was an amnesty program, so at that time state of Andhra Pradesh was given one time ticket and got around 300400 people back on plane to Hyderabad. These are some of the problems that I have listed which explains the single window system is the urgent requirement at this time.

NRIs feel harassed by court cases taking too long to resolve, particularly those related to their property. As a lawyer yourself, what do you think can be done to expedite?

About 5.2 crore cases are pending in Indian courts. I myjanuary 2016 | india empire 13

Key nri interview

“

In 2003, committee members were apprehensive about having a new ministry for NRIs. So I intervened and told them that India requires an NRI Ministry in every aspect of its development

self have gone through the same problem, as a lawyer I represented so many cases. A friend of mine came from Chicago and got stuck in court. Somebody took Rs 5 crore to sell some property and instead of the promised 5 acres, sold only 2 acres. So in such cases you have to deal with police commissioners, chief minister and court complaints and finally the case got resolved. But how many innocent NRIs have this kind of access? So, the delay in court cases is a huge problem. Also, many NRIs marry Indians and take them to their respective countries and at times leave them after the marriage in India itself and leave the country and later send the divorce notices to their spouses. In stances of many civil cases, children custody and separation cases Indian brides are cheated left and right. In case investments, many NRIs are cheated in cases of double registration, fake property locations and at times that are shown very nice properties on the web but at the time of delivery, the investors realize that the property does not exist. The delivery at times is delayed by years, so such delays are causing huge problems.

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is currently headed by the same Minister who is the Foreign Minister. What is your view on this?

It came as a shock and surprise to all of us. At Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2015 held at Los Angeles, the Foreign Minister was not even allowed to go. Empty promises 14 india empire | january 2016

BALANCED VIEWS: Mr Yashki believes in the Pravasi movement, and wants it sustained through better engagement activities than at present are made to the NRI community with no concrete action, so giving two portfolios to one minister is definitely an injustice to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and also the NRI community.

You run a foundation that is involved in charity and philanthropic work in India. Many overseas Indians would like to run similar foundations but find it extremely difficult to work with credible NGOs in India.

How to get over this trust deficit?

It is a very right question. That is the reality. In the US over 33 billion dollars have been pooled to support NGOs across the globe. It not necessarily Bill Gates, an ordinary employed salaried worker also donates money on seeing the advertisements, but the money is meant for the NGOs that are genuinely working for underprivileged, needy and deserving people. When I set up the Madhu Yashki Foundation, I did not take money from anybody. I started with my own income. I had been spending 25 per cent of income in the US on the welfare of families of the farmers that commit suicide. India is the diabetic capital of the world and my wife who is an endocrinologist used to conduct diabetic camps in the rural areas as well as the urban areas. She was working with Apollo hospital also at that time. So, we decided to engage with our foundation and work for health and education activities. â??

PolitiCal landSCaPe PhotograPhS © SiPra daS

PoWeR CeNTRe

Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi with BJP President Mr Amit Shah at a programme in Delhi

STANDfoRD eNTeRS PARLIAMeNT

Mr Dinesh Trivedi, MP, engages a delegation from Stanford University, USA. Here he is seen in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue inside Parliament

26 india empire | january 2016

BUSINESS AND GOVERNANCE

bUSineSS and governanCe

VEDAPATHASALA The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a Vedapathashala of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam at Ai-Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion, the President said Vedas are a source of our heritage and culture.

They constitute the foundation of our value system. The ideas enshrined in the Vedas not only address the welfare of the individual, society and the nation, but also manifest a spirit of universal brotherhood. They provide us with knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

The President said Vedapathasalas provide an institutional framework for dissemination of Vedic knowledge. He congratulated the government of Andhra Pradesh and the Tirumala Tirupati Dev-

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurating the Vedapathasala

asthanam for initiating measures to preserve the oral tradition of Vedas and for designing innovative programs for popularizing Vedic education.

CONSUMER AWARENESS Mr Ram Vilas Paswan

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food aAnd Public Distribution, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan has said

28 india empire | january 2016

that the Government will launch a countrywide campaign along with voluntary consumer organizations to create mass consumer awareness which will also include capacity building training for safe and hygienic food. He added that the initiative of his ministry will be taken to rural pockets which need more awareness about consumer rights. He expressed hope that the campaign will be successful in building a culture of food safety in the country with nationwide sensitization sessions on cleaning, hygiene and sanitation for safe food.

Shri Paswan said that with opening up of the economy various consumer goods and services have entered into the Indian market. To meet the changed situation, we have introduced new Consumer Protection Bill and new Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Bill to prevent unfair trade practices, to effectively deal with adulteration of food, misleading advertisements and speed up the disposal, which will have far reaching implications.

YOGA WORLDWIDE Under Central Sector Scheme of International Cooperation(IC), the Ministry of AYUSH undertakes measures for global promotion and popularization of AYUSH systems of Medicine including Yoga. The Ministry deputes Yoga experts to participate in fairs/ workshops organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Commerce, and Indian Missions abroad for Yoga demonstration and lectures. The Ministry of AYUSH had in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) deputed Yoga teachers to Indian Missions for a period of 7 days by revising IC Scheme to train Yoga enthusiasts for their participation in the Mass Yoga Demonstration organized by various Indian Missions abroad to celebrate the first International Day of Yoga.

Separately, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) under auspices of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) also deputes Yoga teachers to Indian Missions for imparting training to local students and teachers. MEA also provides publicity material including videos, documentaries, coffee table books, instructional manuals on the different aspects of yoga and yogic practices to Indian Missions for display and distribution. MEA also has been building partnerships with local organisations like Art of Living Global Centre, Gayatri Parivar, Isha Foundation Global, Iyengar Yoga Foundation, that have been instrumental in spread-

Mr Shripad Yesso Naik

ing knowledge about yoga in different parts of the world.

The ICCR has recently signed an MoU with Yunnan Minzu University, China for establishment of Yoga College named “India-China College of Yoga�.

The part support for this initiative has been provided by the Ministry of AYUSH, according to Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik.

january 2016 | india empire 29

bUSineSS and governanCe

ToURISM PoTeNTIAL Dr Mahesh Sharma

The manpower requirement of Tourism and Hospitality Sector is market driven. The Ministry of Tourism on its part aims to sustain the effort to skill the targeted groups of employment. The Ministry drives its efforts through the Institutes of Hotel Management, Food Craft Institutes, State Tourism Development Corporations and the classified hotels amongst others. The Ministry of Tourism also aims to sustain the efforts to test and formally certify the skills of the existing service providers

in the Sector.

As per the report of National Skill Development Corporation on “Human Resource and Skill Requirements in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Sector (2013 -17, 2017 – 22)” the sub – sector – wise break – up of employment in the year 2022 is as follows: Sub Sector

Employment in 2022

Hotels

2.30 million

Restaurants

10.49 million

Travel Agents and Tour Operators

0.66 million

According to Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Dr. Mahesh Sharma, the Ministry would meet the expanding demand of skilled and trained manpower by providing hospitality education to students as well as certifying and upgrading skills of existing service providers.

The Annual Plan Outlay for the year 2015 – 16 for the Scheme of Assistance to IHMs/FCI/IITTM/NCHMCT was Rs.165.00 Crore and that for the Scheme of Capacity Building for Service Providers was Rs.88.05 Crore.

BETTER AVIATION The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken the following initiatives to promote “Good Governance” in IndiaThe Draft Civil Aviation Policy has been released.

The objective of this policy is to provide safe, secure, affordable and sustainable air travel with smooth access to various parts of India and the world. Release of Draft Civil Aviation Policy was a long awaited initiative. ❖ Municipal Bodies have been delegated with the powers to issue “No Objection Certificate” for maximum permissible height of buildings. ❖ Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has undertaken a project for implementing Bio-metric Access Control System which will not only enhance secu-

30 india empire | january 2016

❖

❖

rity but also make the process more transparent.

BCAS is also in the process of undertaking an e-governance project for making its own business processes electronic thereby benefitting the stakeholders by making it streamlined and transparent, while enhancing security.

Non-stop flight from Delhi to San Francisco started

by Air India w.e.f . 2nd December, 2015 with a view to provide seamless connectivity to Indians living in the West Coast of USA. On-line system introduced in the Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited to receive applications for recruitment purposes.

GANGA ReJUVeNATIoN Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti has said that Surface cleaning of Ganga will start next month in 10 major cities (Haridwar, Garhmukteshwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Sahibganj, Kolkata, Nabadwip and Gangasagar) under Namami Gange programme. Stating this in the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to her Ministry, the Minister said trial for this has already begun in Varanasi which has been assigned to Tata Projects Ltd. under corporate social responsibility scheme. The Ms Uma Bharti Minister said NTPC, ONGC, and Petronet have expressed their willingness to fund the project. Referring to the progress of sewage treatment under Namami Gange, the Minister informed that so far 29 projects have been completed at a cost of Rs. 463.58 crore with the treatment capacity of 123 mld and sewer network of 666.69 km. She said a total of 93 projects have been sanctioned at the cost of Rs. 1502.66 crore. This will result in the creation of treatment capacity of 858 mld and sewer network of 3623.10 km.

Referring to the progress of River Front/Ghat Development projects the Minister informed that development of four ghats out of 20 in Patna has been completed last month. The river front development at Patna has been taken up at cost of Rs. 243.27 crore and will be over by 2017-18. She said work at Chandighat (Haridwar), Chhath Ghat (Delhi) and Sahibganj will begin next month. The Minister said DPRs for Kedarnath, Allahabad, Kanpur, Kolkata and â??

Rishikesh are under preparation.

january 2016 | india empire 31

bUSineSS and governanCe

COAL BLOCK AUCTION According to Shri Piyush Mr Piyush Goyal Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy, the Central Government has successfully auctioned 31 Coal Mines under the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.

The Minister stated that revenue which would accrue to the coal bearing State Government concerned comprises of upfront payment as prescribed in the tender document, auction proceeds and royalty on per tonne of coal production. State wise and mine wise details of total amount received by the Central Government till October, 2015 from the coal mines auctioned under the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 is given:Coal India Limited (CIL) has informed that the

following steps have been taken to increase the production: Mines / projects to produce about 908.10 MT in 2019-20 have already been identified and further plans to augment production up to 1,000 MT are being developed. A report has been prepared for assessment of the need for up-gradation of technology presently under practice in CIL mines and scope of further modernization.

In order to maintain the planned growth in production and evacuation in future, CIL has undertaken three major Railway infrastructure projects to be executed by Indian Railways in growing coalfields of South Eastern Coalfields Limited, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, and Central Coalfields Limited.

POWER FOR ALL Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy sought participation of Industry to achieve “Power For All” goal of Government . While speaking at Power for All Summit 2015, Shri Goyal said “Events like Power for All Summit where you engage and discuss relevant issues are truly an education for us all and help us to device better mechanism to speed up our efforts to achieve 100 percent electrification targets. Referring to recently launched Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna, he said, “UDAY is an entirely bottom up scheme which has emerged out of the culmination of the engagements with bankers, discoms, power producers, consumers bodies, state governments and all the other stakeholders over a long period of time.” Shri Goyal appealed to transmission companies in the country to play a leadership role in explaining any loopholes in either bidding and evaluation process or its technical aspects.

Shri Goyal said that the Government is planning to present amended Tariff Policy soon to ensure more and more transmission projects via bidding process only and said, “We will allow transmission projects to be filled out on nomination basis only in exceptional

32 india empire | january 2016

cases”. He added, “Capacity to the South has increased substantially. He further said that lot of efforts are being made in improvising Transmission sector and possibly Government can plan to double the capacity in Southern India in next three years. The Minister stated it’s the first time that a Government has spent Rs 10,000 crore to set up transmission and distribution in North-Eastern areas of the country.

FIRST

FOR NTC

The Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Dr. S.K. Panda and the Central Vigilance Commissioner, Shri K.V. Chowdary witnessing the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between National Textile Corporation Limited (NTC Ltd.) and Transparency International India (TII), in New Delhi on December 03, 2015

The National Textile Corporation Limited (NTC Ltd) became the 51stPublic Sector Undertaking (PSU) and 49th Central PSU to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Transparency International India (TII) for adopting Integrity Pact (IP). The signing ceremony was attended by Shri K V Chowdary, Central Vigilance Commissioner; Dr. S. K Panda, Secretary, Textiles, and other senior officials from Ministry of Textiles.

Integrity Pact is a tool which ensures that all activities and transactions between a Company or Government Department and their Suppliers are handled in a fair, transparent and corruption-free manner. It prohibits any kind of bribing, favour or any other unethical practice, which is closely monitored by honorary Independent External Monitors (IEMs).

Shri P C Vaish, Chairman and Managing Director, NTC Ltd signed the MoU on behalf of their organization and Shri P S Bawa, Chairman, Transparency International India signed on behalf of TII. With the approval of Central Vigilance Commission, Shri Kalyan Chand, Ex Director General, Taxes and Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathi, Ex-Member, Company Board have been appointed Independent External Monitors to oversee the implementation of Integrity Pact at NTC Ltd. â?? january 2016 | india empire 33

bUSineSS and governanCe

SMART CITIES Mr Venkaiah Naidu

85 of the 98 cities included in the Smart City Mission have submitted city level Smart City Proposals to the Ministry of Urban Development within the stip-

ulated time. While Tamil Nadu Government, preoccupied with flood management in Chennai and other parts of the state could not submit the proposals, Telangana Government sought to replace Hyderabad in the Smart City Mission by another city, to be communicated later.

30 foreign companies from 20 leading countries have been associated with preparation of smart city proposals of 45 mission cities. These include : KPMG, KcKinsey, CISCO Systems, Price Waterhouse Coopers, DeloiteToucheTohmastsu, Jones Lang La Salle, Dorsh Holding GmbH, Knight Frank, Tractabel Engineering SA, Haskoning DHV Consulting Pvt Ltd., Grant Thornton, Happold Engineers, Ecorys Netherlands BV etc.

Cities with which foreign companies were associated in preparation of smart city proposals include: New Delhi Municipal Council, Agartala, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bhagalpur, Bhabaneshwar, Bhopal, Greater Mumbai, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Pune, New Town Kolkata, Kota, Ranchi, Rourkela, Ujjain, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Tumakuru (Karnataka).

CNG INFRASTRUCTURE

Mr Dharmendra Pradhan

34 india empire | january 2016

In the context of a recent NGT order, Union Petroleum Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, chaired a meeting to review the current status of CNG Infrastructure in NCT of Delhi. During the discussions, IGL apprised the Minister that IGL has adequate capacity to immediately cater to an additional demand for CNG up to the extent of 100 per cent.

Shri Pradhan asked IGL to explore all options to further promote usage of CNG in all segments to curb down emissions and bring down pollution levels, such as increasing the number of CNG stations, incentivizing CNG refueling during non-peak hours and to explore various possibilities for incentivizing CNG kit conversion.

Shri Pradhan advised his officials to take up with land owning agencies of Government of Delhi and Government of India for allotment of additional land to IGL for construction of new CNG stations. He also advised that the matter may be taken up with Ministry of Finance for rationalizing excise duty on CNG.

PolitiCal landSCaPe PhotograPhS Š SiPra daS

CRICkeT PoLITICS

(Left) MPs played a Media XI at a cricket fixture in December in Delhi. At left Mr Anurag Thakur gets some close tips from Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore while (at right), team members posed with Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science and Technology, and Earth Sciences

UNITeD We STAND

BJP MPs from Delhi before addressing the Media at a conference in December in Delhi

january 2016 | india empire 35

ColUMn: yogi aShwini

Mind and body

THe AVATAR

By Yogi ashwini

I

Yogi aShwini

s an avatar a he or she? Some say that an avatar is neither he nor she. Then why is Ram called maryadapurushottam? The term purush connotes a man. So then is an avatar always a he? Mohini was a she…and she came twice, once for the amrit kalash and at another time for bhasmasur. There are also those who maintain that an avatar has both he and she…That is nonsense. When avatars take a body, then they are normal beings, and in normal beings you don’t have he and she, it has to be either. A person with both sexes is not normal, though these days even that is considered normal.

But technically it is an abnormality, because there are only two purposes to a birth. The first is to experience which we call bhog or anubhav and the other is procreation.

There is no third purpose, after that you go beyond. If someone misses either of the two purposes, then he/she has to do a lot of tapa to go beyond or he/she has to participate in creation, otherwise there is no moksha for them, because there experience is not complete. This however does not apply to tapasvis and tapasvinis, they can go just like that.

Avatars always take the form of either a man or a woman, because they have a specific purpose and to serve that purpose, they need a specific energy inside them.

Every avatar has negative and positive inside them. The negative is as strong as the positive, since it is a balance. If you look at the various avatars - Krishna, Ram, Parshuram, Narsingh, Varaha, Mohini, none had all positive aspects.

Each of them had both aspects because both the aspects are there in Divine. The only difference between Divine and human being is that there is no effect of the positive and negative on the Divine but both of these have a very strong effect on a human being. It is under the effect of the negative and the positive that a human being gets misled (bhramit) and forgets his path and direction, attaches himself to nashvarta and separates himself from the amar tattva. There is no effect of these on the avatars and the Divine. That is the difference between human beings and avatars/Divine.

We should strive to remain unaffected by the positive or negative happening with us because if even the shadow of it falls on us, then we will get carried away and waste our birth. It is because of this bhram that the majority keeps wandering in circles looking for solutions to their physical 36 india empire | january 2016

problems. And what is a solution to any problem? Let me tell you there is nothing called as a ‘solution’ and ‘upay’, there is only karma. If you improve your karmas, then there is no need for any upays, you do not even need to put your mind to a problem because everything falls into place on its own. The one who leads his life making karma as the basis, for him there is nothing which is unattainable. I am not talking about negative karmas here. As soon as a person starts doing good karmas the problems start disappearing. Have you experienced this? If not, then better start doing good karmas because otherwise you will keep trying to preserve what you have and before you know it, your body will fade, you will leave from here for another lok, not necessarily swarg. At that time an account of your karmas will be taken and if you have not done anything good, then you will land in hells and bear a lot of pain.

According to the Gangapuran, Lord Vishnu left prithvi 5000 years back and gave a time period after which, Ganga too would disappear from earth. He said that as Ganga would recede, the corruption in the world would start to rise and it will become more and more asuric and asabhya.

That is precisely what is happening right now. 5000 years back Lord Vishnu decided that this place is no longer worth living and thought it better to leave and after Ganges dries up, within 200 to 400 years of it, all the other devi-devtas would also leave. And when they leave, nothing would remain. Take the case of surya, it is a dev, if he goes away, only darkness would remain. That would be the time of mahapralay, what is called the Ice Age. The modern scientists confirm that Ice Age will return and all life-forms will perish with it. That is the indication of the palayan of the surya dev. Palayan does not mean ‘running away’, the surya dev would not just disappear or Vishnu did not flee from here, palayan means that their shaktis become nishkriya (inactive).

When the sky gets covered with dust, then the Sun will not be seen and so the energy of surya will become nishkriya.

As yugs change, the axis of the Earth tilts a little more.

The axis keeps tilting with the change of yug, what we call a dimensional change, and this is a clear indication that our shastras are not wrong. Because the tilt of axis has changed ❐ since, we have come from satyug to kaliyug.

—The writer Yogi Ashwini Ji is the head of Dhyan Foundation, Delhi. For details contact: ashwiniyogi@yahoo.co.in

DIASPORA NEWS

rPbd loS angeleS—diaSPora initiative

From left: Mr Thomas Abraham, Founder and Past President, GOPIO, Mr Ashok Madan, President NFIA, Dr Seema Jain, President, AAPI, Mr A. K. Agarwal, Secretary, MOIA and Mr Inder Singh, Chairman, GOPIO

Digital India

Collaboration This far reaching collaboration was announced jointly by the National Federation of Indian Americans (NFIA) and the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin (ASEIO) on day 2 of the Regional PBD in Los Angeles, California, USA on November 15, 2016

38 india empire | january 2016

T

he National Federation of Indian American (NFIA) President Mr. Ashok Madan and American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin (ASEIO), Mr. Subba Gopavarapu have pledged their support in funding for The Intergenerativity Group based in Cleveland Ohio led by President Professor Peter Whitehouse MD-PhD. He is a geriatric neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist, and expert on intergenerational learning. Fifteen years ago he cofounded with his wife Catherine, The Intergenerational School (www.tisonline.org). NFIA and ASEIO are now developing a unique intergenerative project based on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India and Skill Development. Intergenerational Digital Knowledge Centres in Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh are being supported by Member of Parliament Mr. Anurag Thakur.

Vice President of Global Strategies and Operations of The Intergenerativity Group, Mr. Yachneet Pushkarna, showcased the project in Los Angeles at NFIA. The Intergenerational Digital Knowledge Centre will be a place for a second chance for the young adults who dropped out from high school or college. They will be taught English through e-programs developed in the United States and taught specific IT skills for making them employable for the start-up IT environment in India as well as the US. Furthermore Mr. Subba Gopavarapu, CEO of GSR Technologies Inc. and Mr. Nipun Sharma of DT Professional Services LLC based in California have pledged their support to hire the first batch of students, based on their requirement in IT skills. These candidates will be working from the remote location of Hamirpur. The Intergenerativity Group India will also be in touch with other Indian IT start-ups for forging strategic alliances for in-

“

NfIA and ASeIo are now developing a unique intergenerative project based on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India and Skill Development

ternships and employment opportunities for successive pass out batches.

The concept received applause from Minister of State for External Minister General V. K. Singh, H.E.Arun K. Singh, Indian Ambassador to the United States, and Consul General of India to San Francisco, Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok.

“The Intergenerativity Group is planning to open 10 such Knowledge Centres in India under PPP based on the zonal need of the place,” said Yachneet Pushkarna. ❐

From left: Mr Ashok Madan, President, NFIA, Mr Subba Gopavarapu, Chairman, ASEI, Professor Peter Whitehouse, MD-PhD, President, The Intergenerativity Group, Mr Sunill Gulati, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana, Professor G.K. Surya Prakash of the USC, Mr Harmel Dhiman, BJP, HP, India january 2016 | india empire 39

honoUr

GlOBAl ThINKeRS Four persons of Indian origin are featured in Foreign Policy magazine’s list of 100 Leading Global Thinkers who have generated ideas that could promise humankind a better future

By Arun Kumar

f

eatured among ‘Innovators’ whose work has advanced “progress in global health, human rights, security, and more” is Nina Tandon, co-founder of Epibone, New York City, “For healing broken bones by growing new ones.” Typically, to reconstruct bone, surgeons must take bone either from somewhere else in a patient’s body, necessitating a double surgery, or from an outside source, such as a prosthesis or a donor. But Tandon has created a third way: Growing new bones. A patient’s stem cells are placed in a bone-shaped mold, which is then put into a special chamber that simulates the body’s temperature, nutrient composition, and other conditions.

After three weeks, the cells have essentially formed a new bone. This method requires only one surgery and avoids implanting foreign materials, thereby reducing pain and complications, Foreign Policy noted. EpiBone has successfully replaced the jaw of a pig and is gearing up to start its first clinical trials, to be held within two years.

Among the ‘Moguls’ who have “showed that progress is possible, whether in corner offices or on factory floors” are Rajan Anandan, managing director of Google, Southeast Asia and India, and Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Civic 40 india empire | january 2016

Accelerator, an investment fund for socially conscious enterprises. While Sri Lanka-born Anandan is included “For lobbying on behalf of the unconnected”, Khanna gets in “For nudging women into the corner office”.

Anandan “has used his stewardship of Google in India to greatly improve tech access for the poor by successfully lobbying Indian manufacturers to launch low-cost phones, pushing carriers to bring down the prices of data plans, and increasing the translation of Google products into many Indian languages.”

“Beyond that, he’s also one of the country’s most active tech investors: Between January 2014 and June 2015, he was the most prolific, according to Quartz, investing in 15 startups.” “Anandan’s work simply proves that good business doesn’t have to be at odds with good citizenry,” FP said.

In November 2014, Ayesha Khanna and Shannon Schuyler, head of corporate responsibility at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), pooled resources to help women gain access to capital. This spring, with PwC funding, Civic Accelerator’s cohort of 13 US start-ups - all of which had at least one female founder, and 11 of which were started entirely by women - participated in a 10-week boot camp to test ideas and connect with investors.

Khanna and Schuyler have pledged that at least half of

Mr Rajan Anandan

Ms Nina Tandon

Ms Ayesha Khanna

future Accelerator-supported ventures will be owned by women.

Featured among ‘Challengers’ who have “proved that even sacred cows can be toppled” is India-born Zainab Ghadiyali “For cracking the STEM ceiling.” In Menlo Park, California,

Ms Zainab Ghadiyali

Ghadiyali and Erin Summers, both engineers at Facebook, are running “wogrammers,” a movement to end the “brogrammer” stereotype and highlight the technical accomplishments of their peers. In its first year, wogrammers highlighted 50 female engineers from around the globe. ❐ january 2016 | india empire 41

SPeCial ColUMn—eMotional health

grand InItIatIVe By dr avdesh sharma dr avdesh Sharma

I

would like to congratulate INDIA EMPIRE, especially the Editor Mr. Sayantan Chakravarty, for being a partner of the ‘Public Education Initiative’ of the World Psychiatric Association. The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) is a global body of mental health professionals, especially psychiatrists, in about 130 countries representing their professional organizations consisting of 200,000 psychiatrists from all continents. WPA and INDIA EMPIRE would focus on Mental Health and Well Being Issues in each publication of INDIA EMPIRE on various aspects by eminent personalities from the field across the world.

Mind is the fulcrum on which life hinges as we experience the world through our minds. Thoughts, emotions, actions and relationships of human beings with themselves, others in society and the environment defines not only the health, wealth, happiness and peace in the world but the very existence of the world itself. While there have been strides in development on economic front; human potential and social justice should not get neglected.

We know that one in four persons will develop a mental illness at least once in their life time. The burden of disease for mental illnesses has been steadily increasing and depression is emerging as the number one disease worldwide in terms of mortality and morbidity. Anxiety, Depression, Panic attacks, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Phobias, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, Childhood mental disorders, Dementia, Culture specific syndromes, Addictions etc. are some of the mental illnesses which commonly afflict humanity. People with mental illnesses may die many years earlier than rest of the population and face discrimination, prejudice and stigma along with their family members.

There is a strong link between physical and mental disorders, specially with Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Cancer and Accidents apart from addictions. Similarly many subclinical syndromes, stresses and problems of living or relationships have a huge impact on the overall economic and happiness indexes. The economic and human cost from mental illnesses to the society is tremendous and thus World Economic forum has for the first time ever appointed a Global Agenda Council on Mental Health.

It is seen that there are many links of computer sciences, neurosciences, genetic and health frontiers with culture, social issues and spirituality which shapes causation and management 42 india empire | january 2016

of Mental Health issues. There are thus many stakeholders to improving mental health and well-being of the communities, society and nations. It is thus imperative that we start a movement to empower the public at large and all stakeholders – judiciary, law enforcers, politicians, bureaucrats, policy makers, administrators, physicians, spiritualists, families and users of health services and many more.

WPA under the leaders of the President, Dr. Dinesh Bhugra, the executive and office bearers apart from focusing on spearheading the amelioration of mental illnesses and enhancement of health and well-being have identified five parallel themes: a) domestic gender-based interpersonal violence; b) child sexual, physical and emotional abuse; c) prisoner mental health care; d) mental health care of underserved groups such as elderly; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender; those with intellectual disabilities, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers; and e) mental health promotion for all.

The ‘Public Education Initiative’ globally envisages: ● Engaging the media, NGOs, stake holders and caregivers towards public education and stigma reduction. ● Comprehensive culturally sensitive audio video and print material in various languages. ● Involvement and sensitization of all, specially those having mental health issues and their families in management after becoming aware. ● Utilizing our circle of influence in organizations, workplace and society for focus on mental health. ● Pooling in of meagre resources (monetary and professionals) for improving mental health and well-being in the world.

We seek your support to be a part of this international movement to provide ‘Mental Health for All, for Life’ in all settings, all individuals and groups in all countries. You are welcome to receive more information at wpanet.org and connect with WPA (all psychiatric organization and their members in all the countries of the world are members of WPA) or email at wpapubliceducation@gmail.com.

Let Mental Health and Mind retain the focus it deserves and be where it belongs—right in the centre. ❐ —Dr Avdesh Sharma, International Lead, Public Education Initiatives, World Psychiatric Association

reCognition

U.P. RATNA Dr Nandini Tandon, a visionary entrepreneur and venture capital based in the Silicon Valley, was honoured with the U.P. Ratna Samman Award by the U.P. Government at the Uttar Pradesh Pravasi Diwas on January 4, 2016. The award has been instituted to recognize the achievements of NRIs who hail from U.P. Mr Akhilesh Yadav, UP Chief Minister, handed her the honour. Dr Tandon and her sister, Ms Priya Tandon, were the first two recipients of the UP NRI Cards in 2014, also given by Mr Yadav. Dr Tandon was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award at Gandhinagar by the Vice President of India in January 2015 at the PBD. “It is an absolute honour and privilege to have been accorded this honour, the highest by the state Government for overseas Indians,� says Dr Tandon

Dr Nandini Tandon (left), former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Mr Basdeo Panday (centre), and Ms Priya Tandon at the UP Pravasi Diwas

Dr Nandon receives the Award from UP CM Mr Akhilesh Yadav

Ms Priya Tandon and Dr Nandini Tandon receiving the first two UP NRI cards from CM Yadav in 2014

january 2016 | india empire 43

CineMa

Immigrants ‘critical’ for both America and India: Indian-American filmmakers Two Indian-American makers of a new film about immigrants in America believe immigration, which has emerged as a key issue in US presidential elections, is “incredibly critical” for both America and India

“

W

e think immigration is incredibly critical not just for America but also for India,” says Rishi Bhilawadikar, writer/producer of “For Here or To Go?” a comedy drama set against the backdrop of the 2008 recession about many personal battles faced by immigrants.

“Indian Americans are key contributors to growth and competitiveness,” he said in an interview pointing to Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella, CEOs of Google and Microsoft respectively as examples. “As artists we hope a story like ‘For Here or To Go?’ humanises the situation and can contribute towards action in bringing about sensible immigration reform,” Bhilawadikar said. Rucha Humnabadkar, San Francisco-based director of the film, agrees, saying one of their goals “is to show that the immigration debate is about people and people’s lives and not just numbers or policy.

We hope to put a human face to this largely political issue.”

“Immigration is a complex demographic phenomenon and there needs to be a broader discussion that goes beyond the theme of illegal immigration to the US,” she said. “Presidential candidates must take a more comprehensive approach, which involves attracting and retaining the brightest and smartest minds from around the world, which is what will continue to help this nation to truly remain innovative and drive sustained economic growth.” The film tells the 44 india empire | january 2016

contemporary story of ambition and ambivalence of Ali Fazal (3 Idiots) and Desi immigrants, “AmeriMelanie Kannokada cans in mind and Indians at (Brown Nation) in a scene from “For Here heart,” through the struggles or To Go?” a comedy of Vivek Pandit, a young Sildrama on battles faced icon Valley software profesby Indian immigrants sional awaiting the renewal in America of his work visa. Bhilawadikar, who came from Mumbai to study interactive storytelling and video game design, said the idea of the film started with his own “experience of trying to be an entrepreneur as an immigrant in 2007, many of which still exist.” “At the time reverse braindrain phenomenon was picking up and a lot of American educated immigrants had started returning to their home countries largely due to the immigration process.”

“The story examines this fascinating dilemma of millions of people trying to make a home away from home and the choices they face today,” he said. This experience “exemplified by the Indian ethno-bubble of the Silicon Valley,” Bhilawadikar said, “started getting captured in a blog ‘Stuff Desis Like” and later into the script of ‘For Here or To Go?’” “Rishi and I have the advantage of being exposed to both worlds this story straddles,” said Humnabadkar, who hails from Pune. She decided to direct the film when

Texas Diaspora Film Festival More than a dozen films focusing on issues affecting South Asians and exploring the lives and stories of the South Asian diaspora in the US will be showcased at a film festival in Texas next February. The 2nd annual Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) South Asian Film Festival kicks off its programming from February 19 to 21, at locations in downtown Dallas and Plano with “Miss India America” as the opening night film.

It will screen on February 19 at the Hoglund Foundation Theatre of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, followed by a red carpet and cocktail reception at the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall. The rest of the specially-curated line-up will be showcased at the Angelika Film Centre in Plano on February 20 and 21, followed by panel discussions with attending filmmakers, after-parties and networking events, all taking place in Plano. JINGO Media, a Dallas and New York based public relations and events management firm, produces the annual festival of South Asian independent cinema in North Texas. “In our second year, we are stepping up our game,” said JINGO Media Principal/CEO Jitin Hingorani. “Our team of curators has spent the year travelling to other South Asian film festivals around the world, including Toronto, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Goa, India,” he added.

she realised “it wasn’t just my story but also that of many friends and family members.” “At the heart of it, it’s a story about cultural assimilation in a foreign land, and asks the question where is home and where do you belong?” she said. Interviewing several San Francisco Bay area Indian immigrant families, they came across stories of “the visa struggles of immigrant entrepreneurs, students victimised in the Tri-Valley university scam, the ‘reverse brain drain’ phenomenon during the recession, and the tragic wave of Sikh shootings that followed 9/11.” “We understood that the film we needed to make would be the first of its kind, a narrative that unifies the experiences of a very strong and growing South Asian minority across all strata of American society,” Humnabadkar said. When asked about the ongoing debate in India about growing intolerance, both Bhilawadikar and Humnabadkar felt they didn’t “qualify to make comments” as it was “something that’s not part of our everyday reality.” “That said, some of the reactions that I’ve read to the comments made by such accomplished names like Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir khan do little more than proving their points,” said Bhilawadikar.

Humnabadkar agreed, suggesting a “healthy public debate” about the subject. “It is important for a democratic nation to protect its secular fabric, be it discussion of immigration in the US or intolerance in India. We must find unity in diversity.” ❐ january 2016 | india empire 45

diaSPora Meet—United KingdoM

eMPoWeRING WoMeN

Executive Members of the British Sikh Association (from left) Mr Hardip Singh, Dr Peter Chadha, Mr and Mrs Ravi Gidar, and Members of the Panel: The Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, Dr Sukhbir Kapoor OBE, Ms Laura Marks, Dr Rami Ranger, MBE, FRSA and Mr. Hardyal Luther

W

omen not only have the right to equality, it is also clearly stated in the texts and by the prophets of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Sikhism say a panel of academics and cultural leaders.

The call for women's empowerment came during an inter-faith seminar held by the British Sikh Association in London on 2nd December 2015. While emphasising the history of women who played key roles in shaping the core values of these religions, often working alongside male prophets and leaders as mothers, siblings or spouses, the panel broadly accepted that modern society has lost sight of these values which call for women's empowerment and equality in many religious texts.

The panel, which included British Sikh Association Chairman, Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Ms Laura Marks OBE, The Lord Sheikh of Cornhill and Dr Sukhbir S. Kapoor OBE, addressed the question first posed in the 13th Century by Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism: "Why condemn women who bear prophets and kings?"

The compere of the Inter-faith seminar was Mr Hardyal Luther, the Vice Chairman of the British Sikh Association.

According to Dr Ranger, "as a single parent child, whose father was assassinated before his birth for opposing the breakup of India, he would not be able to realise his ambitions if his mother had not been treated as an equal and allowed to be educated. Educated women can bring up their 46 india empire | january 2016

Dr Rami Ranger MBE, FRSA speaking on the need for moving away from a single income, multi-child family

families more effectively by bringing not only extra income but also experiences they themselves have gone through.

Attitudes and aspirations of both girls and boys are unlikely to change if they see their mothers staying at home and often treated as subservients."

The panel called for business, political, educational and religious leaders to re-examine the core religious texts and reflect on the clear statements and values within them which call for the empowerment of women in religion and society. â??