LA LIGA GOES THE INDIAN WAY >> pg 21
patriot NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 10-16 NOVEMBER 2016 | PRICE:
inside the issue
10 | PAGES: 24 VOL.1 ISSUE 43
NEW BHARAT
HE WANTS TO TRANSFORM INDIA. FROM BLACK MONEY, CORRUPTION, OUTDATED POLICIES, TO SOCIAL IMPEDIMENTS, MODI DESIRES TO ATTACK ALL
GOVERNANCE THE CITY OF FUMES >> pg 02
GLOBE TRUMP’S DONE IT pg 05
TECHNOLOGY WINGS OF CHANGE >> pg 06 ENTERTAINMENT LOVE IN THE TIME OF AFFLUENZA >> pg 17
details on citizen >>
pg 04 PHOTO: AFP
governance patriot
02
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
AIR-POCALPSE!
Mihir Srivastava IT’S AN EMERGENCY. This morning while commuting to work, I saw many on the street, traffic constables and cops, odd people on the Metro, pedestrians, auto-rickshaw-drivers, men and women, who had their faces covered with masks. It made for a disconcerting sight. As if some sort of a chemical warfare has been unleashed in the city. They were trying to minimise breathing the toxins hanging low on the horizon, the thick ominous blanket of smog. The low visibility is reminder of the inextricable fog of the early January that brings the air and train services to a grinding halt. Many road accidents were reported from the adjoining districts, the impregnable layer of smog was blinding. A crisis looms with toxicity in the air at an all-time high of 943, anything above 500 is ‘hazardous’. Cases of chest-infection and breathing troubles are on the rise; the situation is grim. The schools were shut-down for a few days, people were advised to work from home, and some critical
surgeries and transplants were postponed. Construction work was banned, and even the Capital’s power plant was shut down for three days. While there’s nip in the air as winter sets in, people are advised to use airconditioners during the night and keep doors and windows shut, some sort of an ‘air-pocalypse’ as was described by the Time magazine. Delhi is the most polluted city in the world, ironically, is also one of the greenest: 44,777 hectares of green cover includes 8,422 hectares of reserved forests. Anil Dave, union environment minister, while agreeing it is an emergency, has listed five reasons: firewood, coal, diesel, petrol and burning of agricultural waste. In terms of mitigation of the problem, to tame the monster, apart from few preventive measures listed below, has sought public support. “We should imbibe self-discipline in our daily lifestyle. If I don’t minimize use of my four wheelers and expect other people to use cycles, that should not happen. We should collectively come under self-regulation,”
MASKING THE WOES: Vehicular emission accounts for 20% of the pollution
THE AIR TOXICITY IN THE CAPITAL IS AT ALL-TIME HIGH. THERE’S LITTLE CLARITY ON WHAT MAKES DELHI THE WORLD’S MOST POLLUTED CITY
Dave told reporters. ANATOMY OF THE DISASTER: Different government agencies are putting forth their set of reasons for the pathetic state of affairs. There’s little clarity. l VEHICULAR POLLUTION: Sunita Narain, Director General at the Centre for Science and Environment, says, diesel vehicles are the biggest source of air pollution in Delhi and that there is a need to heavily tax such vehicles. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked the Union transport ministry in July 2015: Was vehicular emission the biggest reason for Delhi’s toxic air? It accounts for only 20% of the pollution, the ministry had replied. What about
HAZARDOUS CITY: AIR TOXICITY HAS LEAD TO RISE IN CASES OF CHEST INFECTION AND BREATHING TROUBLES. SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED, ALSO ALL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES STALLED. PEOPLE ARE ADVISED TO STAY INDOORS
the rest? The ministry did not hide the fact that it didn’t know the real reason. The experience of having odd-even restrictions have had mixed results. l ROAD DUST: An IIT-Kanpur report to the Delhi government last year said cars contribute less than 10% of particulate matter (PM) and that trucks are the bigger culprits. Quite in contrast, it’s the road dust that accounts for 35% of PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5 microns) and 56% in the case of PM10. These are fine particles that can settle deep in our lungs, invariably get absorbed in the bloodstream resulting in serious respiratory problems. A mask acts as a shield and protects the respiratory tract in some measure. The other big contributors are power plants, industries and domestic cow dung stoves. l SMOKE: The festival of Diwali is not the only culprit, though the crisis became perceptible the following morning. Burning of stubble, straw and agriculture waste — estimated 32 million tons — after the harvest and to prepare the field for the winter crop is an age-old practice by millions of
farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Eminent agriculture scientist, MS Swaminathan, has assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make suggestions that will help farmer dispense with the agriculture waste profitably. In the meantime, the municipal agencies have been directed to ensure fires at the landfill sites is snuffed out. l CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES: It accounts for 2% of the suspended particulate matter. But sociologist Shiv Visvanathan calls the present crisis as ‘lovely case of desperation’ that requires a multi-pronged approach — technological, political and democratic — if things are to change for better. All construction and demolition activities across the city, including that of the Metro, banned for five days. The Badarpur power plant will remain shut, as it generates fly ash which is transported and used by the National Highways Authority for its road projects. Also, water-sprinkling will be carried out on the fly ash dump near the Badarpur plant to ensure it doesn’t add to the high levels of suspended particulate matter. PHOTO: PTI
governance
PATRIOT|NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
UNITED ACTION: Protesters wearing masks take part in a rally urging immediate action to curb air pollution in New Delhi
What to do?
PHOTO: AFP
What did others do? introduced to understand the problem in totality. Precise mitigation efforts were designed and implemented to meet specific targets: by 2020 reduce the intensity of water use per unit of GDP by 23%; energy intensity by 15%; and carbon intensity by 18%. The broad measures taken at the regional levels were reduction of coal-based industry; contain vehicular pollution; promote cleaner source of energy; and reduction in-field burning.
DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES. HERE ARE SOME IT’S A SAD fact, some mitigation efforts require invetsment and the rich have an advantage to deal with pollution woes that looms over our lives. 1. Masks or respirators: The surgical masks are a saving grace, but a sophisticated respirator, with active carbon filter, with a valve synchronised to breathing, will cost R2000 and above. A good one lasts for a couple of weeks. This will form the first line of defence. 2. Stay indoors: When outdoors, never take shallow breath. So, a complete self-ban on running, exercising in the open, even walks are to be avoided. The damage caused by breathing in toxins is much more than any benefits that will accrue by exercising. Taking elderly people and children out for a stroll is not advisable; though, yoga,
PREVENTION STRATEGY: CERTAIN MITIGATION MEASURES WILL HELP LIMIT THE DAMAGE. STAY INDOORS, WEAR RESPIRATORS, INSTALL AIRPURIFIERS, AVOID JOGGING, AND HOPE FOR THE BEST
or workouts in an air-conditioned / room gymnasium is preferable. 3. Post-sunset is critical time. When temperatures plummet, cool air settles down, and with it the pollutants get trapped, the toxicity hangs low in the air, peaks during the night. 4. Install air-purifiers. Here the rich have an advantage — an air-purifier can cost from R10,000-1,00,000. The Delhi government and the union environment ministry will have to install air treatment plants — including wind purification units, mist fountains and virtual chimneys — especially in the problem areas like the ITO crossing. The experience in the West has shown that: air treatment system helped reduce carbon monoxide and particulate suspended matter by half within a radius of 30 metres. 5. Certain diet and yoga helps. Tulsi, green vegetables, particularly broccoli, are highly recommended. Yoga cleanses lungs and makes the body resilient to polluted air. Bhastrika Pranayama (breathing exercise) and some asanas like the Sukhasana, Bhujangasana and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana are highly recommended to spruce up the lungs.
03
MEXICO CITY
In 1986, Mexican officials executed 21 specific measures to tackle the air pollution crisis. Natural gas plants replaced fuel oil in industry and thermoelectric power generation in the Valley of Mexico; stricter vehicle emission standards were introduced, like the catalytic convertors. The metro network was expanded. By 2000 Mexico City had slashed pollution by half.
SINGAPORE
BEIJING
BEIJING instituted Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan that involved a multipronged comprehensive regional approach that was not confined to just Beijing. Real-time air quality monitoring was
SINGAPORE has been able to maintain clean environments despite high-density urbanisation by assertive measures. A comprehensive policy not just to tackle air, but also for water, soil, noise, and radiation pollution was formulated with detailed action-oriented policies designed to meet specific targets. These measures were incorporated at the planning stage of urbanisation and industrial development so as to stop any policy actions that may potentially pose threat to clean environment. Special measures through the Legislation of Air Quality Standards and a tree planting campaign were introduced and followed up. In Singapore, a car is a luxury that very few can afford and public transport is one of the best in the world.
citizen patriot
04
MIND IT MONEY IS THE WORST CURRENCY THAT EVER GREW AMONG MANKIND. THIS SACKS CITIES, DRIVES MEN FROM THEIR HOMES, TEACHES AND CORRUPTS THE WORTHIEST MINDS SOPHOCLES, Playwright
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
Black Economy bombed!
SURGICAL STRIKE : Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the demonetisation of R1000 and R500 currency notes (left). R500 and R2000 notes, respectively, in its new avatar
MODI IS COMMITTED, BUT THE BOLDNESS OF THIS MEASURE IS NO GAURANTEE OF SUCCESS. THE LOW DENOMINATION CURRENCY MIGHT BE THE NEXT TARGET Team Patriot THEY CALL it a surgical strike on the black money. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the whole nation by surprise. Many were shocked when he announced on the evening of November 8, 2016 that from midnight, in less than four hours, the currency notes of 500 and 1000 will be demonetised. A bold step is a severest blow on the hoarder of the cash. Earlier this year,
he gave an opportunity to all to declare their illicit wealth and pay tax, convert black money into white, and assured no one is going to enquire about the source of money. A whopping R65,000 crores of revenue were garnered by the exchequer in this way. It was a golden opportunity; we now know in retrospect. Those who missed it can repent in leisure. The R2000 and R500 bills will resurface in a different avatar. Later, currency of other denomination, R1000 as well, will have a new incarnation. Shaktikant Das, secretary, economic affairs, said,"In a few months, new colour combination..and design of R1000 rupee note will be released." A death of old currency notes may prove to be a panacea. For corruption, it has become a norm. Hoarding of cash is a popular business practice, especially in the real estate sector. The booming consumerism and goldmarket are due to excessive unaccounted cash in the economy. The high denomination currency notes provoke inflationar spiral. A sizable
part of R17 lakh crores of currency in circulation is in the higher denominations. A significant portion of it is floating as black money, out of the tax network, runs the parallel economy nearly as big as the formal one. To facilitate this revolutionary intervention, banks were closed for a day, on 9 November. However, this is not an unprecedented step. In January 1978, R1000, R5000, and R10,000 currency notes, were demonetised for a similar reason. Twenty-two years later, R1000 notes were reintroduced at the turn of the millennium. This move raises many questions in
A BOLD STEP FORWARD: DEATH OF R1000 BILL MAY PROVE TO BE A PANACEA. CORRUPTION HAS BECOME A NORM. THE CURRENCY OF HIGH DENOMINATION FACILITATE BLACK MARKETEERING
the mind of an ordinary law abiding citizen who pay taxes as a matter of sovereign duty. The boldness of the measure is not a guarantee of success, they fear. Is the government apparatus and the banking system sufficiently prepared to make this transition without much inconvenience caused to the people at large? Modi assured though, the life will get affected, no law abiding citizen will have to suffer. People at large have reconciled, it’s a small price to pay curb the black economy that funds, not only, the illicit trade in drug and arms, but also fuels the terror activities through hawala transactions. However, there are some key issues that cannot be simply wished away. A major chunk of money paid for property, bought and sold, are cash transactions. This is a marriage season; many people have cash stashed to pay for the extravaganza that Indian weddings are. Also, cash is needed for day to day needs, to pay for the grocery, to commute, and buy food and what not? The whole informal sector, hawkers
PHOTOS: PIB/PTI
and peddlers, the daily wage earners, the poor — especially in the rural areas — who don’t have a bank account, are in a flux. Cash is lifeline to many who might not be a black-marketeer. The opposition is still grappling with new reality. The opposition including the regional parties are flabbergasted at the sudden disappearance of the cash from the market. A R1000-bill was handy in the cash-funded election campaigns, as UP and Punjab assembly elections are round the corner. They are in a jeopardy, feel stifled in their political enterprise. Last heard, those who possess sizable amount of unaccounted cash, wads of R1000/R500 bills, were asking their drivers, sweepers, helps, distant relatives in a village if they have a bank account without a reasonable balance. And if they could park some of their cash, clandestinely of course, to bluff the system and might save some money. There were long queues at petrol pumps, mobile shops, as people were trying to rescue some cash rendered trash last week .
globe patriot
HE SAID IT
CIRCUMSTANCES ARE BEYOND HUMAN CONTROL, BUT OUR CONDUCT IS IN OUR OWN POWER BENJAMIN DISRAELI, Former PM of UK
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
NO ONE CAN DENY DONALD TRUMP THE GLORY. HE FOUGHT AND WON AGAINST ALL ODDS. HIS COMING TO POWER IS BREAK WITH THE PAST. THE WORLD WILL NOT BE THE SAME
Triumph of TRUMP!
open to installing barriers to prevent the loss of jobs and to what they call is ‘the onslaught of the outsiders’, the immigrants. This seems to be part of a larger narrative of the West which is stagnating economically. Brexit is another example. The conservatives have had the last laugh while liberals grimace. All said and done, the credit for this stupendous début into politics goes Mihir Srivastava to President-elect Donald Trump. He was born with a silver spoon to a sucDONALD TRUMP, 69, is the 45th cessful real-estate entrepreneur in President of the United States of New York. Trump who joined the famAmerica. He represents the break with ily enterprise at the age of 25, is known the past and has changed the lexicon for his flamboyance. A fixture in the of how American presidential elec- New York glitterati for last 35 years, tions are fought and won. He’s an out- Trump flourishes hogging the limesider with a distinctive demeanour; a light. world view that’s worrisome to But there were setbacks too. many and has introduced a new Towards the end of the eighties, his vocabulary to the political discourse. ambitious real estate projects met Despite and in spite of serious disastrous fate, he was in the red. reservations within his party and Managed to hang on, thanks to $75 outside, he turned out to be the cho- million of inheritance, by the turn of sen one. the millennium he was back in the Nothing succeeds like success and reckoning. Trump is a reality televinothing fails like failure. No one can sion star, hosted Celebrity Apprentice deny him the glory. He's a fighter, has for 11 years and made some $200 milheld his nerves on occasions when lion. Billionaire Trump was a houseother lesser mortals would have called hold name much before he decided it quits. There was a time, just three to contest for the presidency. weeks ago, when his nomination as A pragmatic guy, his one-upmanthe Republican candidate was active- ship makes many uncomfortable. ly reconsidered by his own party, his Married thrice, his current partner, campaign suffered a low Melania, a Slovakian morale, people called model, is all set to be the him a misanthrope and first lady. Interestingly, #TRUMPED: a misogynist, even his the attributes, inexperiTHE BILLIONAIRE running mate, Vice ence or impertinence, ENJOYS President Mike Pence, his matter of fact LIMELIGHT, AND was sceptical. approach, or the fact that IS A FIXTURE IN Many said that he he is seen as someone THE NEW YORK epitomised the worst of who isn’t sure of his facts, GLITTERATI. THE the nation’s politics. All were projected as gloriFIRST PUBLIC his sceptics and critics ous shortcomings. OFFICE TRUMP were proved gloriously The left leaning intelWILL OCCUPY IS wrong as he bludgeoned lectuals, liberals, and the THAT OF THE US his way to the White soft-spoken elite, are PRESIDENT House. His overt patriodumbfounded. They feel, tism proved to be an the unfettered mandate endearing quality to the people. for Trump as the Republicans have Between Tuesday and Wednesday, a captured both the Senate and the world changed. House, is the beginning of the end of He fought and won the elections the American dream. The American against all the odds. The popular people have rejected that argument. media, led by New York Times, New Trump was gracious in his accepYorker and Washington Post, was tance speech, and sought guidance critical of his election bid, methods, and help of even his adversaries. worldview, and that he, as was During Barack Obama’s earlier described, a threat to the ‘American years as the President, Trump doubtdream’. There were many who openly ed whether he was born in America, doubted if he could be trusted with and was rather indecorous to specu‘the nuclear button.’ Barack Obama, late about Obama’s religion. his predecessor, is one of them. In 2011, Obama extended Trump World over, the new trend is that an invitation to the White House people are united by figures of hate. Correspondents’ Association dinner. Lately, Vladimir Putin, the Russian He started by saying “Donald Trump President, was accorded that status. is here,” and went on unabated for Trump was dubbed his friend and an several minutes. Trump was the butt ally. Democrats thought that this coy- of Obama’s jokes. Trump stared at the ness would destroy his bid for the top stage feeling positively humiliated. job. Now we know, it’s not a disqualiIt was perhaps, around this time, fication, either. Trump decided to run for the top American economy has registered office. Five years later, in the wee relatively slow growth for several hours of November 9, Obama calls years. People were bitter and looking Trump to assure the latter of a smooth for a change, not just the presidency, transition of power. As they say, the but also in the approach. They are world will not be the same.
THE FIRST FAMILY IN WAITING: Trump and his immediate family.
05
PHOTOS: PTI
technology patriot
06
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
THE FUTURE OF AVIATION LIES IN THE DYNAMIC CHANGE OF HOW THE AIRCRAFT WINGS ARE ABLE TO MOVE, CREATE UNIMAGINABLE FLEXIBILITY
FLYING REDEFINED: NASA’s Hybrid wing body concept, which blends the wings seemlessly into the body of the aircraft
PHOTOS: NASA/MIT
Wings with a difference Sashikala VP
tional, separate, and moving surfaces, “have had little practical impact”. ENGINEERS AT MIT and NASA have However, this is not the first time developed a new kind of bendable that NASA has developed technology “morphing wing”, which can revolu- to change the wings of an aircraft. It is tionise the aviation sector. According working on a different project, togethto them, the new structure will er with the Air Force Research improve the wing’s aerodynamics, Laboratory (AFRL) and FlexSys, which which will reduce fuel consumption. saw the making of The Adaptive Almost like a birds, these wings will be Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE). agile and flexible, allowIn this joint effort, coning the aircraft to fly ventional hinged flaps on smoothly and more effia modified Gulfstream III TWO MINDS: ciently. It is based on a business aircraft were NASA’S EFFORT system of tiny, lightreplaced with FlexSys’ WITH MIT HAS weight subunits that can advanced, shape changALLOWED be assembled by a team ing flaps that form conENGINEERS TO of small specialised tinuous bendable and DEVELOP THIS robots. The wing will be twistable surfaces. The TECHNOLOGY covered by a “skin” made first ACTE flight was comTHAT WILL of overlapping pieces pleted in 2014 at NASA’s REVOLUTINISE that might resemble Armstrong Flight AVIATION AND scales or feathers. Research Centre, and was MUCH MORE Ne i l G e r s h e n f e l d , followed by additional director, MIT’s Centre for successful flights, conBits and Atoms (CBA), Benjamin tinuing on till 2015. Jenett, a CBA graduate student, Kenneth Cheung PhD ’12, a CBA alum- FUEL EFFICIENCY nus and NASA research scientist, and Even as the world discusses global four others described the new concept warming, the aviation industry is one in the journal Soft Robotics. which guzzles up fuel to fly millions of According to MIT news, Gershenfeld people every day. Hence, a technology said researchers’ attempts in the past that can cut costs and contribute to to achieve a reliable way of deforming decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, wings as a substitute for the conven- will be a significant help.
In addition, the impact of this technology lies in drag reduction — drag is the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft’s motion through the air — in the range of 5% to 12% for longrange fixed wing aircraft. So, this will result in huge savings in fuel consumption. Studies by NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Centre have shown that even a 1% reduction in drag for the US fleet of wide-body transport aircraft can result in annual savings of 200 million gallons. Based on a technology known as “distributed compliance,” the morphing structure integrates actuators and sensors which, according to Flexys, results in “large deformations in shape morphing with very small strains.”
ALL ABOUT WINGS
Gershenfeld said, “We make the whole wing the mechanism. It’s not something we put into the wing.” In the new approach, the whole shape of the wing will twist uniformly along its length, by activating two small motors that apply a twisting pressure to each wingtip. MIT news stated that the windtunnel tests of the structure showed that it matched the aerodynamic properties of a conventional wing, at about one-tenth the weight. The “skin” of the wing enhances the
structure’s performance. It’s made from overlapping strips of flexible material, layered somewhat like feathers or fish scales, allowing for the pieces to move across each other as the wing flexes, while still providing a smooth outer surface. Following up on the successful wind tunnel tests, the team is now extending the work to tests of a flyable unpiloted aircraft. Some of the first uses of the technology may be to make small, robotic aircraft — “super-efficient
long-range drones,” Gershenfeld explained, that could be used in developing countries as a way of delivering medicines to remote areas. This new technology promises to not just change aviation but help in the finer workings of wind turbines, helicopter blades, boat rudder and even pump rudders. Some articles contend that the technology can be used in skyscrapers and bridges, in structures that benefit from not just being strong but flexible.
Lightning Speed Aviation has come a long way since 17 December, 1903, when the Wright brothers made the first heavier-thanair human flight. In the 1980s, a British-French venture resulted in the construction of the Concorde — a supersonic passenger jet airliner that had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h at cruise altitude). First flown in 1969, Concorde entered commercial services in 1976, and continued flying for almost three decades. Twenty aircrafts were built, including six prototypes and development aircraft. Air France and British Airways were the only airlines
to fly it. During its peak, the plane achieved the fastest speed, and flew New York to London in 2 hours, 52 minutes, 59 seconds. But it wasn’t too popular, as it was seen as a toy for the rich, it was too expensive. It was also criticised for the sound —high decibel of 110 — during take-offs. It also was not eco-friendly, using three times the fuel compared to a normal transatlantic passenger plane, and dumping an inordinate amount of exhaust into the sky. And then in 2003, Air France Concorde Flight 4590 crashed, and killed all the passengers and crew.
technology
PATRIOT|NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
07
Powerful drive with Mitsubishi MONTERO IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN THE MARKET AND WILL BE ON THE ROAD BY THIS DECEMBER
RE-STYLED: The new Montero’s exterior is still humungous in size
MotorBeam AFTER DISCONTINUING the Montero in 2014, Mitsubishi has relaunched the SUV in India, with a starting price of R67.8 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). This price puts it in the range of the more tempting BMW X5 and Volvo XC90, but there’s not much Mitsubishi can do about it, considering the Montero is being brought
in via the CBU route. Under the hood of the Mitsubishi Montero is the 3.2-litre diesel motor generating 192 HP at 3800 RPM and 441 Nm of torque available from 2000 RPM. The engine is paired to a 5-speed automatic gearbox that transfers power with the help of the Super Select II four-wheel drive system. The new Montero’s exterior has been re-styled but it’s still humungous
PHOTOS: MITSUBISHI
in size, measuring 4900 mm in length, 1875 mm in width and 1870 mm in height. The kerb weight stands at 2335 kgs and the Montero has a ground clearance of 235 mm. Tyres measuring 265/60 are offered with 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside, customers will get 10-way power adjustable driver seat, power adjustable front passenger, driver’s and front passenger’s seat heater, sun-
roof and a 860-watt Rockford audio system. Meanwhile, safety features include ABS, EBD, dual-front airbags and side and curtain airbags. The deliveries of the car start from the first week of December and the Montero joins the Pajero Sport as the only two cars sold by Mitsubishi in India. Mitsubishi Montero is a sports utility vehicle (SUV ) manufactured by Mitsubishi since 1982. However, Mitsubishi Montero is the second name of Mitsubishi Pajero, which was created due to vulgar meaning of the Pajero in Spanish. In India, Mitsubishi offered the Mitsubishi Montero and Mitsubishi Pajero alongside as new and old generation cars. The Mitsubishi Montero had been discontinued in India due to its hefty price tag and aggressive competition.
PAST PERFORMANCE: THE MITSUBISHI MONTERO HAD BEEN DISCONTINUED IN INDIA DUE TO ITS HEFTY PRICE TAG AND AGGRESSIVE COMPETITION. THE MONTERO AND PAJERO WERE OFERED ALONGSIDE AS NEW AND OLD GENERATION CARS
MITSUBISHI MONTERO
l Priced at R67.8 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai) l The Montero will be able to seat 7 people l Montero’s USP is its off-road capabilities l Powered by 3.2-litre diesel engine generating 192 HP and 441 Nm of torque l Deliveries start from December
Blackberry is back! Team Patriot
IN STORES: (L) DTEK60 will be in the market next month and (R) DTEK50 this PHOTO: BLACKBERRY weekend
BLACKBERRY is back with a bang. This week the DTEK50 was launched in India, a few months after its global introduction. Next month, it will be the turn of DTEK60. The two models are priced at Rs 21,990 and Rs 46,990, respectively. These phones are being claimed by the company as the ‘world’s most secure Android smartphones.’ They will make it possible to control the access of others to private detail and whereabouts, like location, pictures and texts, and it will be the decision of the owner how much of the details he or she wants to share and with whom. The DTEK60 comes with a userfriendly 5.5” quad HD display; 21 mega pixel auto-focus Camera — so no need of a SLR. Last, but not the
least, a 2 TB microSD Card makes it a palm-top computer in terms of memory and processing capabilities. The lower comes with a 5.2” scratch-resistant display, 13 mega pixel auto-focus camera and a 2 TB microSD card support. Not just a palm-top computer, these phones are multifaceted devices of great utility. They operate on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which allows for full access to Google Play, home screen widgets, Google Now. Needless to say, the phones can be connected to other multimedia devices, gadgets of daily use, like a television or a car stereo. This is available without compromising the core competence: security. The gen-next models will keep its owner abreast if privacy is potentially at risk and advice how to mitigate the risks. The DTEK series can monitor the
operating system and applications, track and notify if someone is taking pictures or videos, or sending text message or accessing contacts or location without the knowledge of the owner. The DTEK60 offers a fingerprint sensor technology to unlock the phone, up to 5 fingerprints can be stored, fully encrypted. Blackberry decided to discontinue production of hardware earlier this year, which disappointed its users who enjoyed using its interface. It said it would focus on the ‘smart’ in smart phones, i.e. the software. In March, Facebook-owned messaging system — WhatsApp — decided to stop supporting BlackBerry’s operating system. Despite doubts and apprehension about its future, the company is back in business. And in a smarter manner than before!
edit 08
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
ONE OF THE KEY PROBLEMS TODAY IS THAT POLITICS IS SUCH A DISGRACE, GOOD PEOPLE DON’T GO INTO GOVERNMENT.
patriot
DONALD TRUMP, President, United States
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
Shock and awe
The new, outlier president TRUMP IS AN OUTSIDER FROM THE HURLY BURLY WORLD OF WASHINGTON HONCHOS OF BIG POLITICS. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE OLD ORIGINS WILL CHANGE
T
here are several birds that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has killed with the demonetisation stone. The first is that he has forced the wealthy, traders, middle class, and whosoever deals in the cash economy, to either reveal their money, or let it become worthless. According to reports, over 85% of the cash transactions are in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. By sucking them out in one go, and replacing them with new ones, the old ones are redundant, unless the owner can explain how she earned it. Those, who had done cash transactions in real estate, and kept the money to be used for another land deal, will be huge losers. This will even include the rich businessmen. It’s also a genuine attempt to clean up the political and electoral system, where thousands of crore of rupees are spent to woo the voters. With the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Modi wished to suck out money power, and force the various KEY ELEMENT: political parties to DEMONETISATION compete on the basis WAVE WILL of their policies and RESULT IN ‘CASH’ ideologies. Despite the BENEFITS TO THE severe restrictions on BANKS. THEIR election funding, which SAVINGS RATE were imposed by the MAY GO UP, AS Election Commission MANY MERELY of India, the use of DEPOSIT THEIR money in the elections CASH had not reduced. Politicians and parties found loopholes to whirl around such clauses. According to experts, it is also a neat way to solve some of the problems of the public sector banks (PSBs), which are reeling under evergrowing non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans. The government has said that it will pump a lot of money to bolster their balance sheets. The demonetisation wave will result in ‘cash’ benefits to the banks. Their savings rate may go up, as many merely deposit their cash but don’t withdraw it immediately. This higher savings can be used to lend further, which may boost private and public investments. As the lending go up, the bad loans, as a percentage of overall lending, will come down. Most important, higher loans will result in more money in the economy, which can raise demand for several items and bolster growth. Three birds with one stone!
Prof Dipak Malik DIRECTOR EMERITUS GANDHIAN INSTITUTE OF STUDIES
U
S Elections 2016 is indeed a pointer towards a fast changing scenario on global as well as local American level. It will also have some repercussions for ‘lately come’ friendly countries like India, which has been under the spell of non-aligned and south-south syndrome. God’s own country has ultimately started showing fissures which were long hidden from the probing VICTORIOUS: Donald Trump elected as the President of United States PHOTO: AFP eyes. This election result poses some uncomfortable questions, both for However, the Democratic party deserted Some time back, there was robbing of the Americans and those who see the US as a this camp. This obviously is the result of internal American market by Japan and power house of the world economy as well de-politicisation and de-trade unionisation, more recently by the People’s Republic of as the defender of a world system largely which came in motion in the Ronald Reagan China. based on liberal impulses. It also true that era after the hey days of John F Kennedy-era Business process outsourcing may yield these liberal impulses have sheltered dem- of liberalism, which in turn drew its inspira- more super profits, but it will invariably ocrats, dictators and autocratic monarchs tion from the Franklin Roosevelt-era result in unemployment and poverty in the scattered across the world. reforms of the 1940s. Today, the working other side of the globe, at least in the short The US citizens, now that Republican class is encountering the liberal ethos of the run. This serves well for Donald Trump, who Donal Trump is set to occupy Democratic party. skilfully used these fears. the White House, will witness This is partly due to the As a matter of fact, Trump calls his elecUP CLOSE: a differently-catered world influx of new migrant labour tion as the beginning of a big revolution. It THE US CITIZENS system, which will have to and declining profile of US in indeed is, but not in the manner in which WILL WITNESS change the basic grammar of its domestic and world market. he thinks. Had Trump not used a disturbing A DIFFERENT US polity in days to come. In American vocabulary, this language and some chosen gender-loaded WORLD SYSTEM, Despite the predicted neckelection was between the non- expletives, he would have become an WHICH WILL and-neck race, the final outpolitical versus ‘the business as important figure in the American history. CHANGE THE come resulted in a victor, who usual’. The masses in America, But it’s still not too late. It is not surprising BASIC GRAMMAR is definitely an outsider from if we leave the racial and other that even after emotional appeal of Barack OF US POLITY IN the hurly burly world of profiles, are wary of politicians Obama, the black voters were indifferent, DAYS TO COME Washington honchos of big who seem to be promising signalling that they cannot be fed upon utopolitics running America. It is much but in practice helping pian hopes and rhetoric. clear that the old institutionalised political out a small coterie of the business oligarchs. This election has put uncomfortable organs of the Democratic and Republican This also raises questions about nationalism questions before the legion of American parties face their moment of reckoning. It or localism versus globalism generated by economists, who keep on bagging Nobel is discernible that this edifice of two party push towards globalisation. Prize on esoteric and trifle issues, the busirule is becoming too nimble to enfold the Both cannot co-exist comfortably. ness class and the establishment politicos vast sections of Americans. Business outsourcing will definitely push a and the two major political parties. The overwhelming section of the Missouri or Delaware kind of town into a The election results leave haunting feelAmerican working class, particularly the blind pit of unemployment benefitting ing that finally the days of ‘business as usual’ white segment was allied to its trade unions. either Shanghai or Chennai or even Dhaka. are over in the God’s own country.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
E
ditors of most newspapers make provision for the public to be heard through letters to the editorial columns. Readership surveys show that these letters are among the best read features in the newspaper. When a letter of yours appears on the editorial page, you probably have the largest audience you will ever address. Lets estimate its size. A small town weekly may have a circulation of 2000. A metropolitan daily may have as many as a million or two. Multiply the circulation by 2 (This is conservative. The Hearst papers say 3) To get the number of readers now divide by 4 and you have the approximate size of
your audience. Your readers are a cross section of society, including all shades of opinion. A survey by Center for Practical Politics at Rollins College, Florida, has concluded “Letters to the editor provide one of the most influential channels by which an active citizen can express ideas about timely subjects of general concern. Here are some suggestions which can help in writing kind of letter that’s most likely to receive favorable consideration on the editorial desk. 1. If possible, use a typewriter or printer, and double space the lines.
Write only on one side of the paper. If you have no typewriter, write with ink, plainly and neatly. Do not crowd words or lines. 2. Express your thoughts as clearly and concisely as possible. Editors usually prefer letters of no more than 200 or 250 words, although longer letters may be accepted if they are thought to have sufficient reader interest. 3. Deal with only one topic in a letter. It should be timely and newsworthy. Be sure your meaning is clear. Use as simple words as possible. Short words, short sentences, short paragraphs make for easier reading.
4. Plan carefully your first sentence. Aim to make it short and interesting. If you begin with a reference to a news item, editorial or letter in the paper addressed. Your letter at once has added interest for the editor. This, however, is not always feasible nor absolutely necessary. 5. If you write to criticize, begin with a word of appreciation, agreement or praise. Don’t be merely critical; end your letter with some constructive suggestion. 6. Avoid violent language. A calm, constructive presentation of your thought is more persuasive than ranting.
Is it possible to be frank but friendly. 7. Help supply the truth, that may be omitted or slanted in reporting the news or editorializing on it. You can render a valuable service to the public by presenting news and views that may ordinarily be given little or no attention by the press. 8. Don’t hesitate to use a relevant personal experience to illustrate a point. When rightly told, it can be persuasive. 9. Bring moral judgments to bear upon the issues confronting the nation and the world. Appeal to the reader’s sense of fair play. justice and mercy. HTTP://WWW.FAIRTEST.ORG/
op-ed
PATRIOT|NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
09
TRUMP’S VICTORY EXPLAINED
HILLARY PLAYED SAFE AND FAILED TO INSPIRE YOUTH. ENDANGERED WHITE MALE SUPPORT TRUMP Team Patriot
stood in the shadow of a Ford Motor factory during the Michigan primary ichael Francis Moore is an and threatened the corporation that if American documentary they did indeed go ahead with their filmmaker and an author. planned closure of that factory and While America and the world is trying move it to Mexico, he would slap a 35% to come to terms with the results: tariff on any Mexican-built cars President Donald Trump, Moore is one shipped back to the United States, person who’s would be saying “see! I writes Moore. He was music to the ears told you.” He was fairly sure of Trump’s of ‘angry, embittered working (and victory not because he’s supporter, nonworking) people who were lied to “never in my life have I wanted to be by the trickle-down of Reagan and proven wrong more than I do right abandoned by Democrats.’ The mesnow,” he clarifies. His predictions are sage is loud and clear: one need not neither a fluke. He saw the writing on have to agree with him or like Trump. the wall much before the results were He is the message and the messenger announced, lists five reasons painstak- of their growing bitterness. 2. The Last Stand of the Angry ingly. These reasons are simple, yet White Man. Let’s face it, the 240-year revealing. Moore points that those who believe of male dominance is going to come to an end in the USA, if that Hillary Clinton is it’s not already hapgoing to beat Trump with pened. A woman is no facts and smarts and logic NO CHANCE: more a pushover. The are highly mistaken for THOSE WHO leaders are seen patronthey are oblivious of BELIEVE THAT ising women, reasons “what happened last year HILLARY IS Moore, and the angry in 56 primaries and cauGOING TO white men were feeling cuses where 16 BEAT TRUMP ignored and let down. Republican candidates WITH FACTS Trump’s small ‘peek into tried that and every kitchAND LOGIC the mind of the en sink they could throw ARE HIGHLY Endangered White Male’ at Trump and nothing MISTAKEN did wonders. They’re not could stop his juggerFOR THEY ARE ready to be bossed naut” and “don’t fool OBLIVIOUS around by women, not yourself — no amount of that they have much compelling Hillary TV ads, or outfacting him in the debates choice. But they are reluctant to let or Libertarians siphoning votes away power slip out of their hands. Trump from Trump is going to stop his mojo.” epitomises contempt for women, this Here are the 5 reasons Trump is is no secret. The angry white men ‘after having had to endure eight years of a going to win he listed months ago: 1. Midwest America: Trump will black man [Barack Obama] telling us focus his attention on the four tradi- what to do, we’re supposed to just sit tionally Democratic states that have back and take eight years of a woman elected Republican governors since bossing us around?’ Moore writes. The 2010, namely- Michigan, Ohio, logical progression is next time it’ll be Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The gays, then transgenders will eye the Clintons’ support of NAFTA [North White House. This has to stop. Trump American Free Trade Agreement] is the man who turn the tables. 3. The Hillary Problem. She suffers helped to destroy the industrial states. Trump carries no baggage from the from ‘bad rap(utation)’ she doesn’t past, will capitalise on this disenchant- deserve, Moore emphasises but is bitment with Clinton’s legacy. Trump ter about her support for Iraq War. But
M
TRUMP HAD THE LAST LAUGH: The depressed Sander’s supporter were of little help to Hillary
INTELLIGENT ASSESSMENT: saw the writing on the wall
PHOTO: CC BY-SA 2.0
he’s willing to vote for her to prevent ‘a proto-fascist from becoming our commander-in-chief’ and to prevent ‘Trump’s psycho finger will be on the [nuclear] Button.’ After making that qualification, Moore concedes, the biggest problem, is not Trump, it’s Hillary — an opportunist politician. Nearly 70% of voters think she’s ‘untrustworthy and dishonest’ Younger women, points Moore, are among her biggest detractors. The kids don’t like her, either. There’s this apathy she evokes. No Democrat, let along an independent, is excited to vote her to victory. This election is going be about ‘who drags the most people out to get them to vote.’ Trump, obviously, is a winner. 4. The Depressed Sanders Vote. The
(Bernie) Sander’s supporters drag him/herself, reluctantly, to vote for Hillary. Moore describes them as the “depressed voters” who failed to bring five other people along to vote. A depressed voter, usually the younger lot, have zero tolerance for phonies. The Clinton/Bush era reminds them of having “to pay for music, or using MySpace or big-ass portable phones.” They are not going to vote for Trump either. Some might end up voting for a third candidate. Hillary failed to inspire, her running mate: ‘the middle of the road old white guy’ wasn’t edgy enough to convince people. Two women on the ticket was an exciting idea, but Hillary decided to play it safe. This is one example why she failed to inspire youth.
PHOTO: AFP
5. The Jesse Ventura Effect. Finally, never underestimate mischievousness of millions who fancy themselves as ‘closet anarchists.’ A polling booth is perhaps one place ‘left in society where there are no security cameras, no listening devices, no spouses, no kids, no boss, no cops and no time limit.’ In this atmosphere, millions are likely to end up voting for Trump “not because they agree or like his bigotry or ego,” points Moore, but, simply “because they can... will upset the apple cart and make mommy and daddy mad.” Moore gives the example of the 90s when Minnesota elected a wrestler as their governor. They did so simple because they could. “This is going to happen again with Trump,” Moore predicted. He’s spot on.
business patriot
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QUOTE A WISE MAN SHOULD HAVE MONEY IN HIS HEAD, BUT NOT IN HIS HEART JONATHAN SWIFT, Poet
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016 STILL IN QUEUE: IN INTERIOR AREAS, SOME BANKS AND POST OFFICES REPORTED THAT THEY WERE YET TO RECEIVE NEW NOTES. SECURITY HAS BEEN BEEFED UP IN ALL THE BANKS AND ATMS
STRESSED LIQUIDITY: People queue outside a bank to exchange their old Rs 500 and 1000 notes in New Delhi
PHOTO: PTI
Cashing on banks ANXIOUS CUSTOMERS LINED UP AT THE BRANCHES MUCH BEFORE THE OPENING TIME — SOME AT THE CRACK OF DAWN — AND HAD TO WAIT FOR SEVERAL HOURS TO EXCHANGE CASH
Press Trust of India BANKS ACROSS the country opened up to long, serpentine queues today as millions of people rushed to their local branches to get rid of banned high denomination currency for new notes or deposit them in their accounts even as police maintained tight security. Anxious customers thronged the branches much before the opening time — some at the crack of dawn — and had to wait for several hours to complete their transactions with senior citizens also not being spared of hardships.
Amid frayed tempers, there were complaints galore that the stocks of new hard-to-fake D500 and D2,000 notes were exhausted within hours though the old D500 and D1,000 notes were being accepted by banks. Queues were seen at the banks several hours after they opened for public dealings. In some interior areas, some banks and post offices reported that they were yet to receive new notes. Security was beefed up in banks as people fumed over the idea of waiting in long queues on a working day. In the national capital, as many as 3,400 personnel of paramilitary and Delhi Police along with quick reaction
teams were deployed for maintaining security in banks in view of huge rush of people. “Despite having money with us, we are struggling for basic necessities as grocery stores, DTC buses and other local shops are not accepting these notes. Now I have to skip going to office today to exchange notes as there is such a long queue that my turn will not come before another 3-4 hours,” said Kumkum Bhargav, a primary school teacher in Delhi. Kunal Bhardwaj, a TCS employee said, “Those who have blackmoney will anyway find methods to get away. It is common man who will suffer. Now
we have no option other than waiting in queues as there is no money for basic things as well”. Some people said that the banks should have given tokens. “In that case we would not have to stand in queue for long, we could have done other works. Then there are old people also in the queue,” a customer said in Kolkata. After withdrawing money from a bank here, some persons were seen taking selfie with the D2,000 currency note. There was an incident of minor scuffle in front of a bank in Howrah over entering the bank premises. Only a maximum of D4,000 per person in cash in exchange for the old D500 and D1000 notes was being given after submission of valid identity proof. Anything over and above this value was credited to bank account. Mumbaikars started queueing up as early as 6 AM, nearly 3-4 hours before the banks opened. Several bank officials said most of the branches were witnessing unprecedented huge rush and therefore, they have sought the deployment of police personnel to prevent any law and order problem. The customers, however, seemed frustrated with some banks exchanging only D2,000 with D100 notes. “I was in queue for four hours to exchange D4,000. But unfortunately I was permitted only D2,000 to be exchanged that too with D100 denomination,” said Ashwin Kadam, who stood in queue since 6 AM at the branch of Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank limited in Vikhroli in Mumbai. “I ran out of cash to meet my daily needs. If I do not get new notes, I would be in big trouble. To make sure that I get new notes today, I have came here very early. However, many others were already in the queue when I reached at 6 AM,” said A Patel of New Ranip, having bank account in SBI in Ahmedabad.
Changing colour of money
Press Trust of India
NEW LOOK AND FEEL: : Will it change the way India does its business?
PHOTO: PTI
GOVERNMENT WILL re-introduce D 1,000 banknotes in a few months and also issue new series of lower denomination bills with enhanced security features. The government on Tuesday had demonetised the D500 and D1,000 notes as part of its efforts to clamp down against the black money, fake currency and terror financing. These are being replaced with new currency bills of D500 and D2,000. “In a few months, D1,000 notes with new features will be brought into the market,” said Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das while addressing the Economic Editor’s Conference. Das also added, “Process was on for the last few months; only
2-3 people in RBI were involved in designing of notes”. The currency notes of lower denomination of D100 and D50 will continue to be the legal tender, he said, adding the Reserve Bank will come out with new series of such notes with new design and added security features. The Reserve Bank, time and again, has been introducing new series of
STILL IN USE: THE CURRENCY NOTES OF
LOWER DENOMINATION OF RS 100 AND RS 50 WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEGAL TILL THE TIME RESERVE BANK COMES OUT WITH NEW DESIGNS AND SECURITY SECURITY FEATURES
currency notes with new design and enhanced security features. Following the demonetisation of the currency notes of D500 and Rs 1,000, banks today started distributing new notes of D500 and D2,000. The new D500 banknotes have extra security features besides having peculiar colour, theme and size which differentiate the new bills from the earlier series. The D2,000 notes, which are being introduced for the first time, will be of magenta colour with Mangalayan imprinted on the reverse side depicting the country’s first venture in space. The higher value currency notes will have other designs, geometric patterns aligning with the overall colour scheme both on the obverse and reverse.
business
PATRIOT|NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
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Now for the legal tussle NEXT PHASE OF THE TATA-MISTRY WAR WILL BE FOUGHT IN THE VARIOUS CENTRAL MINISTRIES AND COURTS OF LAW Team Patriot
structure where the Chairman alone is the only common Director across TATA SONS, the Tata Group holding several companies and this situation company, released a 9-page statement could not be allowed to go on,” it said. Punching holes into Mistry’s perforto prove how the previous chairman, Cyrus Mistry, messed up with the mance over four years, it listed Tata group companies’ strategies, opera- Steel Europe, DoCoMo-Tata Tele joint venture and Tata Motors’ Indian opertions and profitability. Days ago, Mistry’s loyalists sharpened their cor- ations as “problem companies” where porate knives. Several independent there was no “noticeable improvedirectors on the boards of Tata com- ment in operations” and the situation has worsened with widening losses, panies, notably Indian Hotels, went against Ratan Tata. Clearly, the next increasing debt and declining market rounds of the battles will be fought in share. “Even with no turn-around...the the finance ministry, ministry of coronly action taken was to write-off porate affairs, investigating agencies and, of course, in the various annual huge amounts against these companies,” it said. general meetings. A look at how the Mistry had in his letter to the opponents stack up. Directors warned of Tata Group firms facing D1.18 lakh crore write-offs. INDICTING DOCUMENT Launching a scathing attack on ousted Tata Sons said the group’s debt has chairman Cyrus Mistry, Tata Sons risen by D69,877 crore to D2,25,740 crore in the last four years and went today accused him of betraying trust on to point that the buyer of Tata’s and trying to seek control of main European steel assets had dramatioperating firms of the over $100 billion cally turned around the company in group. In a nine-page statement, the prothe very first year. moter of the major operating Tata It lashed out at Mistry’s handling of companies made a point by point the crisis at Tata Steel Europe and the rebuttal to the letter stand-off with Japan’s which Mistry had written DoCoMo over the failed EAGLE’S EYE: to its board members a telecom joint venture TATA SONS SAID day after he was ousted where Tatas face $1.17 DIVIDEND FROM on October 24. billion penalty for viola40-ODD TATA Tata Sons accused tion of contract. GROUP FIRMS Mistry of trying to gain HAD DECLINED MISTRY RETALIATES control of the Indian DURING Ousted Tata Sons chairHotels Co Ltd - the firm MISTRY’S man Cyrus Mistry today that runs Taj Group of TENURE WHILE received a major boost, Hotels - by using indeEXPENSES HAVE pendent directors. with the board of direcRISEN TO A Mistry-headed IHCL, tors of the group’s hospiLARGE EXTENT where Tata Sons holds tality arm Indian Hotels just 28.01% stake, had last Co Ltd unanimously supweek in a filing to stock exchanges porting his leadership and continustated that independent directors ance as chairman of the company. have backed the Chairman and his While the independent directors of leadership. Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHCL) endorsed “In hindsight, the trust reposed by Mistry’s leadership and expressed Tata Sons in Mr Mistry by appointing their ‘unanimous’ confidence in him him as the Chairman four years at a meeting just before the board of ago has been betrayed by his desire to the company that runs Taj Group of seek to control main operating com- Hotels met, sources said other mempanies of the Tata group to the exclu- bers of the board supported him later. sion of Tata Sons and other Tata rep“There was unanimous support by resentatives,” the Tata Sons statement the board members to Mistry and his said. continuance as chairman of the comTata Sons said dividend from pany,” a source in the know said. 40-odd Tata Group firms had declined Just as independent directors of the during Mistry’s tenure while expenses firm, including banker Deepak Parekh have risen. It accused Mistry of demol- and Nadir Godrej, met ahead of a ishing the historic management struc- scheduled board meeting, Tata secuture where Tata Sons exercised control rity personnel roughed up journalists over its group companies. and lensmen gathered outside “We now have an unacceptable new Bombay House to report the meetings.
New Chairman for TCS Tata Sons has appointed Ishaat Hussain as the Chairman of the group’s hugely successful IT firm TCS in place of Cyrus Mistry, who was ousted from Tata Sons last month. “The company (TCS) has received a letter dated November 9, 2016 from Tata Sons Ltd nominating Ishaat Hussain as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company in place
of Cyrus P Mistry with immediate effect. In view of this, Mistry has ceased to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and Hussain is the new Chairman of the company,” TCS said in a regulatory filing. TCS said Hussain shall hold office as the Chairman of the company until a new Chairman is appointed in his place.
UP CLOSE WITH THE BOSS: Ratan Tata, who replaced Cyrus Mistry to become the interim Chairman of Tata Sons leaves after attending a meeting at Bombay House in Mumbai PHOTO: PTI
After ousting Mistry from Tata Sons — the holding company of 100-odd firms with India’s largest conglomerate, the promoter Tata Trust is looking at removing him from the operating companies as well. The vote of confidence by the board of IHCL is a boost to Mistry. The board of Tata Chemicals is scheduled to meet on November 10 to consider second quarter results and Tata Motors will do so on November 14. In a BSE filing, IHCL said: “The
independent directors unanimously expressed their full confidence in Chairman Cyrus Mistry and praised steps taken by him in providing strategic direction and leadership to the company.” The other independent directors of IHCL include Gautam Banerjee (of Blackstone Group), Keki Dadiseth (ex-HUL MD), Vibha Rishi Paul (former executive director, brand and human capital, Max India) and Ireena Vittal (former partner with McKinsey
& Co). Besides Mistry, his sibling Shapoor Mistry is a director on the board of IHCL, as also his confidant and CEO Rakesh K Sarna. Ratan Tata-led interim management of Tata Sons is seeking to oust Mistry from his positions in the operating group firms, including IHCL and Tata Motors. As on September 30, 2016, the promoter group controls 38.65 per cent stake in IHCL, out of which Tata Sons has 28.01%.
fashion patriot
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COLOSSAL COLLABORATIONS THE TIE UP BETWEEN HIGH-STREET LABEL H&M AND LUXURY HOUSE KENZO IN NOVEMBER 2016 WAS SO HYPED THAT THE LAUNCH CAUSED THE WEBSITE TO CRASH
NEW DELHI | THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
GENTLEMAN’S QUARTERLY
INTEREST IN MENSWEAR IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH, WITH HECTIC CHRONICLING ON COUNTLESS INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS, ZINES, AND WEBSITES. NOW THAT THE AMAZON INDIA FASHION WEEK HAS WRAPPED UP, #MENSWEAR MANIACS ARE ALREADY OBSESSING OVER WHAT TO WEAR COME SPRING 2017. DANDY DU JOUR / Duhin Ganju BOMBER COOL
MR. STRIPEY PANTS
Ashish N Soni
Akaaro by Gaurav Jai Gupta
50 SHADES OF LEATHER
Huemn
Akaaro by Gaurav Jai Gupta
PAJYAMA DRESSING
Thick or thin, horizontal or vertical; designers like Dhruv Vaish and Rajesh Pratap Singh picked their coloured pencils to map out the perfect trails.
CHECK MATE
PRINTS PLEASE
SHIMMER MATTERS
NEW ZIP CODE
From Madras checks to English plaids; unleash your inner sartorial side with these gauzy ultra-cool separates.
Ashish N. Soni
A dense forest, a constellation of stars and some floral bouquets — prints have never looked so tempting in a man’s closet.
Sequins, metal yarns and embellishments it’s all wired up this summer. Designers like Ashish N. Soni put them on the runway and delighted every man’s heart.
Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna
This season’s crop of flight jackets offered myriad variations, from the crinkled at Gaurav Jai Gupta to patchwork at Huemn.
Siddartha Tytler
From the softest of pinks to the sexiest of blacks, embroidered or laser-cut, give leather a fresh new start.
Rajesh Pratap Singh
How about comfortable luxury? Channel that inner carefree side by adding an element of ease into your spring wardrobes.
Frontal, side-placed or horizontally aligned; fashion’s novelty can now be shown off with pride and interestingly placed zips.
luxury patriot
I SPY THE FAST-FASHION BRAND ZARA IS FACING FLAK FOR ALLEGEDLY COPYING THE DESIGNS OF BASSEN, AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST, ILLUSTRATOR AND DESIGNER BASED IN LOS ANGELES
NEW DELHI | THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
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Inspiration or plagiarism? AT AIFW SS ’17, DESIGNERS WERE ALLEGEDLY CHURNING OUT INTERNATIONAL RUNWAY RIP-OFFS FASTER THAN EVER — BUT SHOULD DESIGN VETERANS BE WORRIED? Duhin Ganju IS IMITATION the best form of flattery? See it on the catwalks next week. See it on the Indian runways in a month’s time. When the fashion week takes charge globally, teams of designers in India will spring into action. Thanks to their efforts, strikingly similar mass-market versions of the latest designer outfits will be in their stores within weeks and at a price equivalent to that of gold. Some call it “being inspired”, for others it is ripping off foreign designers’ work. Nearly everyone agrees, it is preposterous and that there is frankly, very little the industry’s top talents can do about it. The buoyant fibres of silk organza or undulating threads of tulle with leather harnesses evoked a sense of nostalgia when Sarah Burton presented her autumn-winter 2011 collection for Alexander McQueen in Paris. An alleged similar piece appeared on the runway for Gauri and Nainika’s SS ’17 show during the Amazon India Fashion Week, the reaction was well... shocking! It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the sisters have allegedly shown collections before, which include pieces from international runways. Another example would be, a red chiffon halter-neck dress truncating in watery ruffles, quite like Yves Saint Laurent’s ball gown from his 1980 haute couture show. Is plagiarism under the guise of inspiration the new norm for Indian fashion designers? Most think they will get away with it due to their PR contacts and marketing machinery. Maybe, it is the lack of knowledge in
Yves Saint. Laurent Couture 1980 and Gauri & Nainika SS ’17
COPY CATS?: Alexander McQueen SS ’16 and Pallavi Jaipur SS ’17
“fashion experts” or the desire to not mess with a designer and be denied freebies that stops them from exposing them. Therefore, silence becomes a tool of complaince. But how can one ignore the fact that during Dhruv Vaish’s menswear show, a model walked out wearing a pair of trousers that had multi-coloured stripes — the one which you may find on a pair of Paul Smith socks, the building block for the British designer? In Pallavi Jaipur’s show, for instance, the closing look, a crop top appliquéd with flowers seemed like the one that
Alexander McQueen AW ’16 and Gauri & Nainika SS ’17
Sarah Burton paired with embroidered denim jeans for Alexander McQueen’s SS ’16 show. Rabani & Rakha, the brand that boasts of cocktail wedding wear for the independent-minded Indian bride, showcased a gown nipped at the waist with a crystal-embellished bodice and a skirt gathered in lightweight chiffon. On careful observation, the style could be traced back to Ralph and Russo’s Fall ’14 haute couture show where a model donned a variation of that outfit. The only difference being that of colour — the former in a
Ralph & Russo Couture AW ’16 and Ashima Leena SS ’17
sun-kissed nude and latter was in pearly white. The British couture house, formed by Australian couple Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo, became the targeted choice for Indian design veteran Ashima-Leena whose collection was allegedly entirely based on floral prints that the Brits showcased for their SS ’16 show. To make matters worse even the background music was allegedly copied! Pallavi Mohan, of the Not-So-Serious label, reportedly based her entire collection on Valentino. The most prominent piece being a nude tulle gown with a
Ralph & Russo AW ’14 and Rabani & Rakha SS ’17
fisherman-net bodice that looked somewhat like the Italian fashion house’s SS ’16 show. Designer Ritu Kumar, was the first to get her designs registered, and then J J Valaya introduced a trademark pattern that helps customers recognise an original outfit. In the past there have been spats between Aki Narula and Suneet Varma over Rani Mukherjee’s poncho in Bunty and Babli followed by a plagiarism charge by Tarun Tahiliani on Reynu Tandon which ended in unpleasantness. n
Ralph Lauren Collection AW ’16 and Ashish N Soni SS ’17
beauty patriot
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GOD OF BIG THINGS IN JULY 2016, ELLE INDIA PUT ARUNDHATI ROY ON ITS COVER AND CHANGED THE MOULD OF HOW FASHION MAGAZINES LOOK AT CELEBRITIES IN INDIA. AIRBRUSHED BEAUTIES ARE NO LONGER THE ONLY ONE IN VOGUE
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
PERFECTLY IMPERFECT SCARS, FRECKLES, WRINKLES STORM FASHION MAGAZINE COVERS AS WOMEN OF ALL AGES AND PROFESSIONS STEP IN
Shefali Jauhar WITH PROGRESSIVE fashion’s embrace to celebrate the innate beauty and all things that accompany (scars, wrinkles, freckles — marks of identity), the au naturel movement has ushered a new dawn of veritableness and individuality. In an era where Photoshop maintains its ‘white-washed ideals’ to portray concealed realities, beauty in diversity is seeking to challenge preset norms of society. And imperfections are the new trend-setters. With age comes wisdom. Though there can be exception! Beauty can be timeless like heritage houses. Luxury brands are challenging beauty’s short shelf life through powerful statements. Celine’s SS ’15 campaign designed by British guru Phoebe Philo featured 80-year-old literary legend, Joan Didion (photographed by Juergen Teller). The former Vogue employee and ultra reclusive icon is known for intellectual classics like The White Album and Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Even the famous Donatella Versace played muse to Givenchy’s refreshing AW ’15 campaign. Lauren Hutton and Gigi Hadid, supermodels old and new, walked hand-in-hand for Bottega Veneta SS ’17 show. Art veteran, Yayoi Kusama has previously graced the cover of Another magazine. Women of
I’M NOT TELLING YOU TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER, BECAUSE I DON’T THINK THAT PROGRESS IS NECESSARILY PART OF THE PACKAGE. I’M TELLING YOU TO LIVE IN IT. Joan Didion, WRITER
substance rather than pretty faces are taking over as fashion takes a holistic approach to aesthetics. Real beauty comes with blemishes, gap tooth, scars and many designers highlighted this stance through a freckled look (Emma Watson had graced Porter magazine “Winter Escape” 2015 cover). A generous sprinkling of freckles, understated or highlighted were a major trend this SS’17. Designer duo Pankaj & Nidhi’s ‘Chromatique’ collection flashed bright specks around the corners of the face. Look no further than Ashish N. Soni’s bold beauties that were the stuff of Halloween inspiration. On the international front, JW Anderson and Lacoste kept it casualcool with youthful faces. Burberry displayed fresh faces with freckles for spring as opposed to the glittery ones for Autumn ’16. Dutch model Lara Stone is famous for her gap teeth and won campaigns from Calvin Klein, Versace, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton. An increasing advocacy against fashion’s cookie-cutter approach to model imagery has made way for a rather democratic approach. From Vogue Italia’s controversial ‘All Black’ issue in 2008 to Elle India starring plus-size women in 2016, magazines have tried to push the boundaries of ‘editoriallysound’ images. Diversity on the runway has also been a sensitive issue to millennials. According to The Fashion Spot’s Diversity Report, 24.75 percent were “models of colours” in AW ’16, a term used for non-white or mixed backgrounds. It was a slight improvement from 20.6 percent in SS ’15. Kanye West’s multi-racial casting for Yeezy Season 4 was a subject of considerable controversy. Fashion is placing individuality at a rare pedestal of celebration rather than isolating it. Proving beauty isn’t just skin-deep, Reshma Qureshi, an Indian acid attack victim, became an activist on the runway walking for the designer, Archana Kochhar at the New York Fashion Week. “This is my first time in New York and I’m very excited. I think it’s important that people hear the story about the survivors of acid attacks and to know they can lead normal lives,” she told The Independent. Dolce & Gabbana in 2015 featured elderly Italian women for its spring ’15 line (flaunting black lace jackets, jewelled mini-bags and tiaras), while Lanvin had 82-year-old Jacqueline Murdock in its SS ’12 campaign. Same year, 91-year-old actress Angela Lansbury made it to the cover of UK-based magazine The Gentlewoman’s AW issue, which was shot by Terry Richardson. n
BACK TO BLACK: Donatella Versace was Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy’s muse for his AW ’15 campaign
patriot
food&travel NEW DELHI | THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
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Five chefs who rule the world FROM VIRGILIO MARTINEZ’S MODERNIST TAKE ON PERUVIAN CUISINE TO ANANDA SOLOMAN’S COMFORTING COASTAL FOOD TURNED TO FINE DINING, CHEF VICKY RATNANI REVELS IN THE ARTISTRY OF FIVE CHEFS, WHO’VE INSPIRED HIM THROUGHOUT HIS CULINARY CAREER Eat Street VICKY RATNANI MY QUEST for food started with an interest to study world cuisine. I was the leading chef at the most prestigious ocean liner company, Cunard and contributed towards the largest kitchen at sea. It made me travel around the world. Working with 37 nationalities and cooking for prominent personalities like Queen Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela, Rod Stewart helped me think about food in a progressive manner. I have always thought that native produce is of utmost importance. Global influences, local ingredients and modern techniques defines my cuisine. After introducing molecular gastronomy to Indians seven years ago, I joined the famous restaurant Aurus in Mumbai, and also authored the book Vicky goes Veg. Here, I talk about why these five food aficionados make it to my best chefs list.
DELIGHTFUL DELICACIES: Ravioli with truffle and Thai Red curry
PHOTOS: VICKY RATNANI
FROM PERU TO INDIA, WE TOUR THE WORLD WITH CHEF VICKY RATNANI AS HE TAKES US THROUGH THE KITCHENS OF CULINARY GENIUSES
Virgilio Martinez
Thomas Keller
Ben Shewry
Grant Achatz
Ananda Solomon
He is the Head Chef of Central Restaurante in Miraflores district, Lima, Peru. Besides leading the number 4 restaurant of the world, he has taken food to another level by serving ingredients from his own country, to be specific the hills of the Amazon. He likes using potato grown at 5,000 meters above sea level; cushuro, an edible cyanobacteria harvested in high-altitude wetlands of Kushuru; and wild varieties of kiwicha (an ancient Peruvian superfood seed) and quinoa. He is also the connoisseur of the use of salt, and cooks with more than 120 varieties in his restaurant.
He is considered the icon of French cooking. His excellence is one of the leading reasons as to why The French Laundry (a restaurant located in Napa Valley, California) is often referred to as the Mecca of French-style cooking. Adding to this, he is the only American chef who has been awarded three star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants. An interesting trivia about Keller revolves around how he taught American actor Adam Sandler to make the “world’s greatest sandwich”, and was the guiding spirit behind the Pixar film Ratatouille.
He is the owner of Attica in Melbourne, which is one of the top restaurants of the world showcasing the exemplary use of native produce in their food. The best part about Shewry’s cooking is thorough influence of his childhood and upbringing in the natural surroundings of North Taranaki, New Zealand. His life struggle and unorthodox yet original cooking style is truly humbling. “One of the saddest things about chefs is that often they don’t want to cook at home. The most beautiful food you cook should be for your family,” he told Lucky Peach magazine.
His restaurant Alinea, Chicago is where he created a 3D experience for his consumers. He serves not just his food, but also a story. His must-try dish is the ravioli filled with liquid black truffle. He also predicted that aroma would be a big trend. A brave cancer survivor, he is often identified as one of the leaders in molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine. “You eat with your eyes first, then your nose — then you finally get to the taste itself,” he believes. His restaurant holds three Michelin stars, other than being the inventor of heliumfilled edible balloons at Alinea.
He is the first Indian chef to take coastal food of India into the fine dining realm. Solomon is also the frontrunner in bringing authentic cooking of Thailand into our country. His restaurant, Thai Pavillion was aimed to garner support from not just the rich, but also the middle-class. His passion for food reflects in his extensive journey and also resulted in one of the most influential Indians, Ratan Tata, to become a regular patron at his restaurant. Solomon swears by the simplicty of food, and likes to stay away from molecular or processed food. n
art&culture patriot
16
BANGLA BRILLIANCE OTHER THAN BEGUM ROKEYA AND RABINDRANATH TAGORE, MODERN BANGLA WRITERS INCLUDE ANIS AHMED, RAZIA KHAN, NEAMAT IMAM, MONICA ALI AND ZIA HAIDER RAHMAN
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
‘I FEAR BEING HACKED TO DEATH’
EXILED FROM BANGLADESH IN 1994 FOR ALLEGEDLY HURTING RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS WITH LAJJA, TASLIMA NASRIN REVEALS WHY MUSLIM PERSONAL LAW SHOULD CHANGE, MEETING NOAM CHOMSKY, HER FIGHT AGAINST MISOGYNIST MULLAHS AND WHY MAMTA BANERJEE DIDN’T ALLOW HER BOOK EXILE TO BE LAUNCHED IN KOLKATA Asmita Aggarwal
An imam had put a price for your head. Do you ever get tired of living YOU HAVE always believed in free- in exile and regret being outspoken? Many fatwas have been issued dom of thought. How did you deal with the launch of Exile being can- against me. Hundreds of thousands of fundamentalists demanded my execelled? I could not accept the idea of can- cution by hanging. Many cases were celling the launch of my book. I was also filed against me. I was forced to shocked to learn that the inauguration leave my beloved state and country. of my book would not be possible in But I have never regretted being what I am. Kolkata despite my absence. I have always been loved by the people of What are your views on the Babri Kolkata. I received the prestigious lit- Masjid issue and do you think the erary award, Ananda Puraskar twice. RSS is now allegedly converting people back to Hinduism? And now I am a forbidden name. I am against destroying any old Mamata Banerjee cancelled the book historical buildings or architecture. launch only to appease a handful of People have the right to believe in relifanatics. Freedom of expression has gion and to pray to their gods. No been violated in a democracy. But I protested. I wrote articles against the mosques, temples, churches, synagogues or pagodas decision of cancelling should be destroyed by the launch of my book FASCISM: enemies. In Bangladesh, only because it was my “I WAS SHOCKED Muslim fanatics have book. I liked the idea of TO LEARN been destroying Hindu my publisher deciding THAT THE temples. I protest against to launch the book, INAUGURATION those Muslim fanatics. In anyway, as a protest OF MY BOOK India, Hindu fanatics outside the auditorium WOULD NOT BE destroyed the Babri where the launch was POSSIBLE IN mosque, I protested supposed to take place. KOLKATA DESPITE against that barbaric act. People who believe in MY ABSENCE. I Tell us about your free speech joined in AM A FORBIDDEN time in Harvard that the symbolic protest NAME.” you mentioned in Exile against its violation. and meeting Eve Ensler What do you think and Noam Chomsky? needs to change in I was doing my fellowship at India to promote women’s rights in the Muslim community, especially Harvard University when I met Noam Chomsky at MIT. We talked about the the Personal Law? Do you think there Iraq War and the lack of freedom of should be a unified law? press in the USA. Some journalists, Of course. There must be Uniform Civil Code based on equality. Religious who wrote against the Iraq War were fired. I asked Noam how during the laws are anti-women. You can’t have seventh century laws in the 21st cen- Vietnam War, people in the USA had tury. We all need modern laws. We much more freedom, they protested against the war. And also the press had demand equality between men and more freedom. Noam Chomsky did women in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. Women not agree with me. He said we get must be treated as equals. Under reli- more freedom now than we got then. gious laws, women are considered During the Vietnam War, Noam Chomsky and other American antiinferior beings and sex objects. war protesters had taken out a procession against the war and they were protected by the police during a demonstration. I also met Eve Ensler at the Harvard centre. I gave a lecture on women’s rights. Eve recited her famous Vagina Monologues. I was so moved to hear her. It’s all the things that I have been saying in my books. I felt Eve was reciting my poems, my prose, my ideas and thoughts. I could feel that if two people believe in freedom, they can have the same ideas, no matter how far they live. I am from the East, Eve from the West, but our dreams were the same. Do you think Mamata Banerjee will relent and let you come back to West Bengal? What are your expectations from the state or do you have none? I do not think she would ever allow me to enter West Bengal. She has already banned the TV drama series
A MEMOIR: Taslima Nasrin is a Bangladeshi author and former physician, who has released her book Exile
(the serial is about a Hindu family settled in Kolkata. It was stopped on the then newly launched Aakash Aath channel in December 2013) before it was telecast only because the drama series was written by me. Newspaper editors and publishers are afraid to publish my writings, because they are scared of her. The Left Front government made me a persona non-grata in West Bengal. Mamta Banerjee is just following the footsteps of the Left government. You were attacked in Hyderabad despite not saying anything against Islam, who do you think started this vicious tirade against you? I think it was their plan to attack me in order to become popular among religious people in the Muslim community, who were asked to believe that I destroyed Islam or I was going to do so. The attackers were from a political party and it was their political agenda. I must not be labelled as anti-Islam as I criticise all anti-women religions, not only Islam. I am not a believer, it does not mean I am a hater. I do not hate Muslims, Christians or Hindus. They are all human beings to me. You have lived in exile, what are your deepest fears when you are alone?
I may get killed by fanatics someday. Or would be hacked to death. Why did you feel the need to write Exile? Was it cathartic? I have been writing my autobiography. Exile is an important part of my memoir because you can see how a writer had to suffer in a democratic country to defend her freedom of expression. It was to tell people that without free speech, democracy can never exist. Do you feel vindicated when François Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, Lionel Jospin or Simone Veil wish to meet you? How was it meeting Günter Grass and Allen Ginsberg? Big people wanted to meet me. They showed huge respect to me. They defended my free speech when my free speech was denied by misogynist mullahs. Gunter Grass and I talked about free speech. He was also attacked for expressing his views against the unification of Germany. One day he told me, “We are against popular beliefs, your views are not accepted by crazy mullahs, my views are hated by capitalists, you got a big fatwa, my fatwa is smaller than your fatwa, but it is still a fatwa, they do not like my free speech. You saw Das
PHOTO: PENGUIN
Spiegel magazine, how they tore up my new book?” Gunter Grass fought for everyone’s freedom of speech. He was a great writer and a great man. Now the question is, why he hid the fact for so many years that he served in the Waffen SS in 1944. It saddens me. Who do you count as your biggest supporters, despite the turmoil and who have stood by you unquestioningly? Usually free thinkers, feminists and secular humanists stand by me. You have also disclosed a letter written by late Madanjeet Singh and also the support you got from Manmohan Singh. Can you elucidate? Madanjeet Singh was the greatest secularist in the Indian subcontinent. He was an Indian goodwill ambassador of UNESCO. He who wrote letters to Manmohan Singh about me that I should be allowed to live in India. He wanted to do a hunger strike against the decision of the Indian government to put me in a so-called safe house. I was forced to leave India in 2008, and then Manmohan Singh allowed me to stay in India in 2011. All this was only possible because of the enormous kindness of Madanjeet Singh. n
entertainment patriot
NEW DELHI | THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
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Love in the time of affluenza Matinée NIRAJA RAO “Kuch din to rona dhona bumper kiya, Aur phir delete uska number kiya. Ansoo jo sookhe seedha parlour gayi, Parlour mein jaake shampoo jamkar kiya. College ki saheliyon se catch-up kar liya... Jinko mill na paayi unko whatsapp kar diya. Mere saiyyan ji se aaj maine breakup kar liya” — Break Up Song/ADHM IN KARAN Johar’s latest film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil the lead protagonists are “Private Jet Rich” young people, constantly partying in London, Paris or Vienna. Ayan, played by Ranbir Kapoor is in love with a feisty and independent girl, Alizeh (Anushka Sharma). The film is a paean to friendship over love. Alizeh does not reciprocate Ayan’s love, instead preferring friendship. “Pyar Mein Junoon hai,” says Alizeh, “lekin Dosti Mein Sukoon Hai.” (Love is madness but friendship is peace and therefore preferable) this is the mantra of the film. ADHM has the usual Karan Johar/ Dharma bells and whistles — young protagonists, who live hedonistic lives in Europe/America where their relationships are complicated only by desire and mortality. Money is no longer an aspiration; it is accessible and an enabler of a certain lifestyle. In such a cocoon it is ‘pain’ that engrosses the characters and gives them legitimacy and soul. From his debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) Karan Johar has introduced to the Hindi film industry a certain idiom of storytelling that relies heavily on a lavish unrequited love triangle where only death allows the fulfillment of normal, romantic love. In the last decade, Johar has been telling the same story over and over again, but the setup has shifted from uber rich college kids in India to a luxurious NRI landscape, beautiful people romancing against clubs and breathtaking locales in the West. Following Johar’s footsteps are the Akhtar siblings and their exotic love stories. Farhan Akhtar made his debut with Dil Chahta Hai (2001) a coming of age journey of an entitled group of boys, who learn the value of friendship and love through unexpected life lessons. Zoya Akhtar continued that tradition with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Dil Dhadkne Do (2015), stories of rich Indians ‘finding’ themselves and true love through journeys of indulgence across continental Europe. Affluence is now a foundation for protagonists, who are frequently NRI characters, in films made by GenNext filmmakers — rich and entitled themselves. It is also a telling comment on the audience of such films. The millennials consuming such content in India or abroad has access to resources denied to the previous generation. This audience can identify with and aspire to the relationships and setups depicted in such films. Today ‘love’ has perhaps become a
WITH NEW-AGE FILMMAKERS COMING FROM PRIVILEGED BACKGROUNDS, THE PROTAGONISTS IN THEIR FILMS ARE ONES, WHO WEAR DESIGNER ‘MANISH MALHOTRA’ ENSEMBLES AND STRUT THEIR STUFF IN LAVISH FOREIGN LOCALES AS THE LESS FORTUNATE BECOME INVISIBLE ON 70 MM
CHIFFON CLAD ROMANCE: Karan Johar’s
latest film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
hostage to ‘lifestyle’ and relationships are conducted in the full glare of social media. It is indeed ‘complicated’. Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, University of London, Rachel Dwyer writes in her article for Open,The Aesthetics of Excess, “Wealth in Hindi cinema is no longer associated with ill-gotten gains, crime, exploitation and low moral standards…Moral opprobrium is now directed towards the poor, who have become invisible in many films.” The man who took Bollywood to Europe and invented what Dwyer says, he called “Glamourous Realism”, Yash Chopra dealt with changing lifestyles and resultant new types of consumerism in a very different way from his peers Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. A generation that grew up in the 1980’s and early 90’s yearned for the iconic tulip gardens of Silsila (1981) or the chiffon-clad Sridevi in the Swiss Alps during Chandni (1989) and yet these were only song interludes in the films. Yash Chopra’s son Aditya’s debut film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) opened the floodgates to NRI
FAMILY TIES: A film still from Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadkne Do
excess. Yet Yashraj films always tell the story of Indians engaging with their roots with a very middle-class value system where “Champagne sharab nahin hoti”. Denial is never about dreams, but about reality. Aditya Chopra has stuck to that core value system in all the films by Yashraj. The aspiration of the Yashraj upcoming class and perhaps the NRIs’,
who throng theatres in Leicester or New Jersey is to be a good ‘Indian’ rooted in the imagined values of idealistic ‘Bharat’. Bollywood is unfortunately stuck between these two camps of ‘NRI’ story telling far removed from India’s reality. Activist P. Sainath recently said, “ There is no such thing as an Indian reality — but there are Indian realities, in multitude, in plural. Malabar Hill and
Chanakyapuri are as much reality as Dharavi…whose story do we try and tell in the telling of the story?” As the success of Neeraj Ghaywan’s indie film Masaan (2015) or the Marathi film Sairat (2016) shows that small town India itself has moved on. There are filmmakers willing to explore ‘love’ through the multiple realities of the various Indias. n
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leisure
Sudoku
PATRIOT | NEW DELHI | THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the 9X9 squares contains all the digits from 1 to 9.
Solutions for Sudoku and Everyman crossword will be printed in next week’s issue. EVERYMAN CROSSWORD NO. 3485 ACROSS 1 A Catholic clergyman, to be precise (8) 5 Old organ proves musical (6) 9 Plan to study steeple (8) 10 Wholly entertained by wicked song (6) 12 Was up on bronco’s back in wild west show? (5) 13 Different set to wear in a car, perhaps (3-6) 14 A hardware shop should have them, the practical details (4,3,5) 18 Doctor is certain to, engaging British specialist (12) 21 In the past, left Yemeni port with too much on board (9) 23 New hinge, a nicker (5) 24 Fish male brought into room (6) 25 Nevertheless a profit, one more time (3, 5) 26 Surgeon taking head off sore (6) 27 Elected Conservative must ring her right away on paper (2,6)
EVENTS
EVERYMAN SOLUTION NO. 3484
n
SOLUTIONS SUDOKU FROM LAST WEEK
n
DOWN 1 Agreement made by a Conservative and my daughter (6) 2 Carer’s Allowance, initially nothing in US and neighbouring country (6) 3 Ape in centre of forest, and bear (9) 4 In short, rodents brutally ripped apart (4,2,6) 6 First in London to reduce rent (5)
7 A lot live, terribly explosive (8) 8 Medical outfit embarrassed over trial (3,5) 11 Successful business’s current worry (5,7) 15 Supporter at home was hard to indoctrinate (9) 16 Massive reduction in fuel (8) 17 A balloon, then a second
appears, also (2,4,2) 19 Group of stars, including a domineering woman (6) 20 Sea air? (6) 22 Ring worn by miss, unattached (5)
ONENESS AT THE CENTRE ATTRIUM; from November 1-18. Art Articulations curated by Deeksha Nath as part of ILF Samanvay 2016. Featuring: Atul Bhalla, Gulam Mohammad Sheikh, Malik Sajad, Pervez Imam, Priya Ravish Mehra, Rohini Devasher, Sanket Jadia, Suchitra Gahlot, Tushar Joag, Vasudha Thozhur, Vidhi Sharma and Udita Upadhayaya. #LBBEVENT: AN EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF ROHIT BAL X GOOD EARTH on November 16 from 4pm to 7pm. Husn-eTaairaat is a home and apparel capsule collection, which inspired by various elements including nature, wildlife, beauty and love for Persian arts.
HOROSCOPE LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t let anger get the better of you on the 13th and 14th. If you don’t like something, use diplomacy and make the changes necessary to avoid conflict. Choose intelligence over physical action. Renegotiate a deal that you feel is unfair on the 15th and 16th. Be prepared to walk away, if you cannot sort out your differences. Your strength is your belief in you and your abilities.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Look for opportunities on the 13th and 14th, and you will find something that intrigues you. Before you take a leap of faith, get the nitty-gritty regarding what’s involved. An emotional incident will develop on the 15th and 16th, if you or someone you know isn’t upfront or honest. Make a point to ask direct questions and give frank answers to avoid a dispute. Money matters will surface on the 17th and 18th.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Do whatever it takes to motivate and inspire others to help you reach your goals on the 13th and 14th. Engage in projects that require physical and emotional input, and you will excel. Tread carefully on the 15th and 16th when dealing with matters that can affect your home and domestic situation. Choose your words wisely.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Consider your options on the 13th and 14th, and make a move based on your needs. Pleasing yourself will improve your attitude and make it easier for you to deal with others. Change can be good on the 15th and 16th — especially if it prompts you to learn something new. A change of plans, location or a new friendship will be enlightening.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take a moment to go over your personal papers on the 13th and 14th. Having everything in order will help you move forward, when the opportunity arises. Deal with emotional issues that have the potential to disrupt your routine. Trusting someone else with your responsibilities on the 15th and 16th will be a letdown.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You will find a way to make personal improvements that will make you feel good, and in turn, excel on the 13th and 14th. Don’t be fooled by what others do or say on the 15th and 16th. Instead, gather knowledge and find out all you can about subjects, projects and destinations that interest you as well as contribute to the choices you make that will improve your life.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Don’t let emotions overrule making a good decision on the 13th and 14th. Be true to yourself and the ones you love, not someone trying to get a raise out of you. You can accomplish a lot on the 15th and 16th, if you focus on completing what you are responsible for and giving whatever you, do your own unique spin. Your efforts will be appreciated. Live and learn on the 17th and 18th. Listen to what others have to say.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Consider what you really want on the 13th and 14th, and engage in formulating a plan that will help you achieve your goals. Don’t shy away from doing things differently. The outcome will be better than you anticipate. Don’t share personal secrets on the 15th and 16th. Someone is waiting for you to show your vulnerability. Work quietly on your own, and be sure to take care of your responsibilities.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): On the 13th and 14th, feel out any situation you face before you divulge your thoughts or what you plan to do. Make a point to find unusual solutions and to make unexpected choices. Be careful how much you reveal on the 15th and 16th regarding your financial, medical or pending legal affairs. Someone will be quick to take advantage of any personal information you divulge. The little changes you make at home will count.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): On the 13th and 14th, revisit some of the activities or prospects you have had in the past, and it will give you an idea what you should consider doing in the future. Be careful not to let anyone take advantage of you on the 15th and 16th. Do your own fact-finding, and avoid situations that can lead to injury or illness. Protect against being misled. The future looks bright, if you let your intuition lead.
Astro advice EUGENIA LAST ARIES (March 21-April 19): Speak from the heart on the 13th and 14th, and you will be able to resolve personal issues regarding contracts, finances and health concerns. Overcoming anything you face will be much easier once you have a strategy in place. Romance or a gesture of kindness will help solve problems. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Put your energy into something you believe in on the 13th and 14th. Learn something new, or get involved in a project that will help you find skills and talents you didn’t know you had. Be careful not to let anyone take advantage of you on the 15th and 16th. Donations of any kind may not be justified, if you dig deeper.
wellness patriot
SHIP SHAPE
THE JAPANESE STANDARDS FOR FITNESS ARE NOW CHANGING. FROM LEAN BODY TYPES, JAPANESE MILLENNIALS ARE NOW DRIFTING TOWARDS MUSCLE BUILDING AND STRENGTH
NEW DELHI | THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
19
The Age of Resistance
AT A TIME OF FITNESS FADS LIKE PUNK-ROPE, HOT BARRE AND AERIAL YOGA, WE LOOK AT THE EASTERN TRADITION OF KAATSU TRAINING, THAT EXERCISES YOUR BODY BASED ON REGULATING THE BLOOD-FLOW TO YOUR MUSCLES. IT IS DERIEVED FROM JAPANESE WORDS KA (ADDITIONAL) AND ATSU (PRESSURE). WE REVEAL THE HIDDEN BENEFITS AND THE DANGERS
WASHBOARD ABS: Kaatsu is a novel form of training, which is performed under conditions of restricted blood flow
Drishti Vij
he had to kneel at a Buddhist ceremony for so long that the blood supTHE PARADOXICAL effect of time ply to his calves got cut off. He realised that the sensation in his has had somewhat of a negative effect on the well-being of an entire calves was similar to that he felt after training. That’s how he came up with generation. In an era where we’re the idea of training with restricted chasing lifestyles, fitness has to bear muscles. “Restricting the the consequences of the blood vessels is a fine art. lack of time. Discovered BAND OF TIME: When too much pressure more than three DISCOVERED is applied, the skin may decades ago by Dr. MORE THAN Yoshiaki Sato, Kaatsu is THREE DECADES turn pale, and if exercise is continued while too a Japanese form of AGO BY DR. much pressure is being training that solves this YOSHIAKI applied, thrombosis may dilemma. “A Kaatsu sesSATO, KAATSU occur. It is quite difficult sion takes not more IS A JAPANESE to reduce blood flow by than 15 minutes on the FORM OF the appropriate amount arms and 20 minutes on TRAINING THAT in order to achieve benthe legs, but 20 minutes SOLVES THIS eficial effects,” Sato of absolutely proper DILEMMA OF revealed. In 2003, he Kaatsu is great,” says TIME. developed the Kaatsu Steven Munatones, Master, a set of equipment, which President and co-founder of Kaatsu Global, Inc. “The system puts thin, allows more precise pressure control and safer training methods. computer-controlled, pressurised Why Kaatsu is ideal for city-dwellbands around your upper arms and ers is because it can be done in a tiny legs to reduce the amount of blood flowing back from the muscles in space, like at your desk at work or in a small apartment. Or while walking your extremities. Think blood preswith friends or in a gym with others. sure cuffs, but thinner, and detachBased on the method of moderating able once inflated to the correct the blood flow that involves exerting level,” reports the Military Times. Sato discovered Kaatsu in 1966 when compression on the vascular system,
FIT IN: Kaatsu boosts the metabolism this form of exercise can be achieved with the Kaatsu Master device. Other than being economic with time, Steven reasons why it’s also great with space. “People of any age, any walk of life, and any ability or
PHOTOS: KAATSU GLOBAL INC.
background can do the standard Kaatsu protocols at their homes or during travel by using our equipment (Kaatsu Master, Kaatsu Nano or Kaatsu Cycle) with the pneumatic Kaatsu Air Bands or Kaatsu Aqua Bands. This can be done in an economy class airplane seat within 10-15 minutes,” he explains. A Kaastu Master package comes at a huge cost of `3,32,102 and Nano package can be bought at `1,90,248. Healthy users should ideally follow these protocols at least two to three times per week, precisely following the standard recommendations. And, users who are injured and undergoing rehabilitation are recommended to do this more frequently, at least once a day. He also explains how this form of training has a positive effect on the metabolism, “When the capillaries and veins expand and contract with every heart beat while doing Kaatsu, it exercises the body from the inside out. Your veins and capillaries are muscles that we want to exercise using the Kaatsu protocols. Any form of exercise helps your metabolism and so does Kaatsu.” Kaatsu seems like somewhat of that secret ingredient that is known
MUSCLEtraining u WHO? People who use Kaatsu include professional athletes in all four major US professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL), NCAA champions, Olympic medalists in various sports, extreme sports athletes, NASA, the US military’s Special Operations Command (SOCOM), celebrities and corporate executives. u WHAT? Kaatsu consists of four pneumatic bands that are applied to the user’s upper arms and upper legs. The compression of these bands is controlled for safety by an easy-to-use, lightweight control unit with a touch screen panel and memory. to only a few. It has been used by Japanese athletes for decades, as well as pro-baseball players and golfers to Sumo wrestlers and martial artists. Steven believes, “Fitness is not about a fancy fitness club membership or hiring a personal trainer. It is not a luxury. It is a staple in our daily lives whether we live in a rural, suburban or urban environment.”
interiors patriot
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ARCHITECTURE DIGEST THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONNAUGHT PLACE IS INSPIRED FROM THE ROYAL CRESCENT IN BATH WITH THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING THAT THE LATTER IS SEMI-CIRCULAR AND THREE-STORIED
NEW DELHI | THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
IMAGINARY HOMELANDS 1942 LAUNCHED UNITED COFFEE HOUSE RUN BY THE THIRD GENERATION OF KALRAS HAS NOT LOST ITS PRE-INDEPENDENCE VICTORIAN VIBE COMPLETE WITH AN ART DECO FEEL, DESPITE A REVAMP Drishti Vij THE HISTORY of Connaught Place is rife with rich Anglo-Indian legacy, still existing in its alabaster white architecture — a tribute to this heritage is the all-day dining place, United Coffee House. The seed of its inception goes back to seven decades, when the founder, Lala Hansraj Kalra, a liquor baron, who had business interests in Sialkot, Lahore and Delhi had set up retail wine shops and bars during the World War II, to entertain the American GIs. “During the late 1930s, in one of his regular visits to Delhi, he saw the newer part of Lutyens Delhi then known as Connaught Place. It was a thriving, chic market with a promenade full of shops run by the British and their bored wives. There were English companies selling high-end bakery items, accessories, draperies and offering bespoke tailoring. There were also licensed gun shops, photo studios and imported crockery shops. He saw CP as a place where there was opportunity and the timing was right,” says Akash Kalra, Lala Hansraj’s grandson and the owner of the newly revamped UCH. Once frequented by many influential politicians, artists, travellers and prominent personalities like Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, MF Husain, Satish Gujral and Dharmendra, to name a few, UCH was like the Studio 54 (situated in Manhattan, New York) of Delhi at the time. The two concentric circles in Connaught Place have grown so much from that time, with a new bar, restaurant, café (drenched with quirky concepts and hip music) at every nook and corner. Regardless BRITISH OPULENCE: United Coffee House has majestic chandeliers, floral tapestries and Art Deco style interiors
THE ESSENCE OF THE MENU REMAINS IN ITS SIGNATURES, WHICH HAVE NOT GONE OFF SINCE THE DAY UCH OPENED ITS DOORS. Akash Kalra, OWNER, UCH
of this, UCH still remains relevant to the cosmopolis. Opened during a time when the nation was on the verge of being reinvented, Kalra’s grandfather found an interesting grocery shopcum-café, which was thrown open to the public as the United Coffee House, in 1942 with a distinctively Victorian décor and majestic chandeliers, that remain a permament fixture till now. Today, the essence of the coffee house still remains intact with a nostalgic pre-Independence setting. Designed by an unknown American architect, an eclectic mix of English orderliness and ornamentation paints a pretty picture, and it can accommodate as many as 175 patrons. Nestled in the inner circle of Connaught Place, UCH favours a warm and subdued colour palette with mustard-yellow walls, burgundy undertones, floor carpeted in velvety-florals, antique wooden furniture, Victorian tapestries and an Art Deco style bar area. “Except for maintenance and minor touch-ups, which we need to do from time-to-time, the place looks exactly
like it did seven decades back. Certain essence remains in its signatures and changes were bought in during the savouries, which have not gone off the ‘60s and ‘80s to match the current menu since the day UCH opened its trends, keeping in mind, the new clidoors.” A Modern School alumni and entele, ethos and mood graduate of Delhi of the decade,” reveals University, Kalra superVICTORIANA: Kalra. vised and oversaw the UCH FAVOURS A He further explains operations and policy WARM COLOUR how the iconic place has decisions of UCH till the PALETTE WITH evolved with time. time he took over the MUSTARD“With constant addireins in 1989. “It has YELLOW WALLS, tions to the menu and been a part of my life BURGUNDY sourcing the best chefs, while growing up. I was UNDERTONES, who would bring in lucky to be trained and FLOOR CARPETED nouvelle cuisine of developed in such an IN VELVET those times to researchinstitution. I have spent FLORALS, ing on recipes, UCH considerable time in ANTIQUE now has a strong global understanding the WOODEN menu with over 400 changing food trends FURNITURE, dishes including a repand decor requirements VICTORIAN er toire of regional in the F&B industry so TAPESTRIES AND Indian, Continental, the interest came natuAN OPULENT BAREuropean and Western rally to me,” he smiles. AREA. to Asian, Mediterranean The golden emblem and Indian cuisine. of the coffee house still Though the menu is reminiscent of emulates the classical aura it did back the current trends of culinary needs in the day. What’s interesting to note and trends followed by people, the is how this seminal savoury joint is
PHOTOS: UCH
keeping up with cut-throat competition in the hospitality business, while maintaining the essence of the place. “We, at the United Group saw UCH as a place, which has reached an iconic status because of many factors like the food, bustling location, famous patrons, which is quintessential to our brand. So, we are intentionally keeping UCH as the leading light in its genre of restaurants and do not plan on expansion in the same category. But, as Delhi multiplied into NCR, lot of people found it difficult to come to CP to enjoy our food. So, we decided to make the UCH experience available to them in a casual format in locations close to them. We opened United Coffee House Rewind in DLF Mall of India, Noida. The menu of UCH Rewind offers tea, coffee, savouries and the signature menu, which will always remind our patrons of the UCH experience. Now our plan is to go panIndia and begin with cities like Mumbai and Kolkata, which have a colonial past, as they would identify with our story,” concludes Kalra. n
sport patriot
THE MENACE CALLED SLEDGING >> pg 22
NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
LA LIGA, THE INDIA WAY
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at a glance
LIKE THE EPL, THE SPANISH ONE WISHES TO WOO THE SUBCONTINENT AUDIENCES
REAL, LEICESTER MUST WAIT TO QUALIFY Titleholders Real Madrid and English Premier League winners Leicester City must wait to take their places in the last 16 of the Champions League. Both could manage draws in their respective games, even as Germany’s Dortmund advance. Leicester, which had previously scored three wins in their debut season after their unlikely EPL title, could secure a goalless draw at Copenhagen. In Group F, Real Madrid was held 3-3 by Legia Warsaw despite a goal in the opening minute by the former’s Gareth Bale.
MAN UTD WOES CONTINUE IN EUROPA LEAGUE
CHANGING TIMES: The timings of the El Classico matches of La Liga has been changed to cater to the needs of the Indian market
Team Patriot ALL THE Spanish hotshots were there at the inauguration of the office of La Liga, the Spanish football league, in the Capital. There was its ambassador, Fernando Morientes, who had played for Real Madrid (Spain) and Liverpool (England), its president, Javier Tebas, and Joseph Maria Bartomeu, an entrepreneur and president of the mostfamous club in the league, Barcelona. In addition, there was the Spanish tennis superstar, Rafael Nadal. Tebas announced that the timings for this season’s ‘El Classico’ games – the ones between arch rivals, Barcelona and Real Madrid – will be preponed to 4.30 PM Spain time, i.e. 8 PM India time. This was a huge boost for the growing Indian fans, especially the youth, who had to wait till after midnight, or the next morning, to watch these neo-classical games. Now, why would La Liga do this? For the uninitiated, ‘El Classico’ is not merely about football, and the onground rivalry between two wellknown clubs. It’s about culture, poli-
tics, war, and deaths of thousands of people. The Spanish Civil War began in July 1936, and ended with Francisco Franco’s victory in April 1939. Barcelona was the last fortress to fall; in a single week, Franco’s troops killed 10,000 people, and retributions went on till the 1950s. Barcelona, which was part of Catalonia, never considered itself part of Spain. Franco’s club was Real Madrid; so, started the epic competition between the two football clubs. Over the decades, it has scarred and boosted the careers of players, fans and clubs’ administrators. Coming back to our question, why did La Liga change the timings? One
LA LIGA: IT IS POSSIBLY THE SECONDMOST WATCHED ONE, AFTER EPL. INDIA IS RANKED AMONG THE TOP FIVE NATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO BARCELONA’S FOLLOWERS ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM
was to woo the Indian audiences; many urban, middle-class youngsters enjoy global leagues. They know the current and past stars of several English clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal, Spanish ones like Real Madrid and Barcelona, and Germany’s Bayern Munich. Over the years, however, the young Indian audience has become more interested in the English Premier League (EPL), which has invested time, money and effort to woo the former. Now, La Liga wishes to achieve the same objective. La Liga has the right ‘viewers’ platform too. Among the global leagues, it is possibly the second-most watched one, after EPL. India is ranked among the top five nations when it comes to Barcelona’s followers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The club’s president, Bartomeu, told a Bengali newspaper, “We want to make our relationship with India stronger than before. We have opened two schools in India. If we get a chance to play a pre-season match in India we would definitely consider it.” (However, a
PHOTO: AFP
pre-season game in India implies a huge expense of Euro 200,000, or Rs 20 million.) Two, the ‘El Classico’ clubs are studded with icons and idols. Barcelona has Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez; Real Madrid has Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. In the two dugouts are the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid’s manager and a legendary French player who was nicknamed ‘Zizou’, and Luis Enrique, manager, Barcelona. So, the thinking is that more Indians will want to watch the Spanish clubs in action. Hence, the change in the timings. In the recent past, La Liga and Barcelona have spread their wings in India. “This is one of the most important days in La Liga’s history. Being present in India is very important to us. We have been working hard towards this… and have even made changes in kick-off times with Indian fans in mind,” Tebas explained. He added: “We want to share our knowledge with India’s young people and we will also be contributing to training coaches.”
Fenerbahce compounded the woes of Manchester United, and its manager, Jose Mourinho, with a 2-1 victory in the Europa League. Supported by the roaring and excited home fans in the 50,000 capacity stadium on the Asian side of Istanbul, Fenerbahce produced a stunning performance capped by a brilliant Moussa Sow’s bicyclekick goal, and a Jeremain Lens’ free-kick. Man U’s Wayne Rooney managed to score a goal to create tense final minutes. But it didn’t help. United now face a tense three-way battle for qualification from Group A, and will tussle against Fenerbahce and Feyenoord.
MESSI REACHES 500-GOAL MARK Lionel Messi, with his 500 goal for Barcelona, and Luis Suarez saved the Spanish champions from a second defeat in six days. Messi’s team came from behind to win 2-1 at Sevilla. Of the 500 goals, 320 were scored in La Liga, and 90 in the UEFA Champions League. The victory keeps Barca two points adrift of Real Madrid, which scored a 3-0 victory over Leganes, thanks to a double by Gareth Bale.
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PATRIOT|NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
Death of sledging?
Funny sledges
IT’S OLD, BUT VERBAL SLANGING CAN BE FATAL. SO, LET’S BAN IT Team Patriot
FOND MEMORY: A cricket bat of Hughes resting against his coffin
PHOTO: AFP
SLEDGING, OR VERBAL abuse, insult, taunt or intimidation, is as old as the game of cricket. On 25 November 2014, five days before his 26th birthday, Australian Philip Hughes, a left-handed opener, was hit on the neck by a bouncer in a local first-class match. Two days later, he died. Experts said that Hughes lost his concentration because of consistent on-ground sledging against him. Recently, the inquest report was released, which said it was an accident. However, Michael Barnes, the New South Wales coroner, asked “those who claim to love the game to reflect upon whether the practice of sledging is worthy of its participants. An outsider is left to wonder why such a beautiful game would need such an ugly underside.” This raised the same issue that sledging wasn’t essential, and should be banned. As we said earlier, sledging was always a part and parcel of the gentleman’s game. One of its earliest, and most efficient, proponents was none other than the ‘great’ WG Grace, an allrounder who played in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His best anecdotes related to intimidating the umpires. Once he was LBW, and given out. He stood his ground, stared at the umpire, and said: “They came to watch me bat, not you bowl.” He went on batting in nonchalant manner. He was once bowled, but confident picked up the bail, put it back, and blamed it on the wind. This time, the umpire disagreed. The best ‘Grace’ sledging was against him. Charles Kortright, a fast bowler, got him out several times but his appeals for LBW were turned down. Finally, he uprooted two of Grace’s three stumps. Grace grimaced, stalled, and waited for the umpire to signal a no-ball. When it didn’t happen, he walked back reluctantly, when Kortright’s words hit him. “Surely, you’re not going, Doctor? There’s still one stump standing.”
NO LOVE LOST: Steve Waugh and Curtly Ambrose got into an ugly spat in a Test match in Trinidad
PHOTO: AFP
Experts, who have studied the phenomenon, gave reasons for it. ‘Trashtalking’ results in an increase in anxiety in a player. Three models explained the negative effects on performance. The ‘self-focus’ one contended that a player tended to “consciously monitor and control movements”, instead of only “monitoring” them that leads to a substandard performance. The ‘distraction’ theory maintained that a player’s attention was diverted by “task-irrelevant cues”. The ‘mindfulness and acceptance’ theory said that an optimal performance required a “nonjudging moment-to-moment awareness”, and sledging impacted it. In practice, there are three kinds of sledging – directed towards the person, family, or his or her game. In a match between Australia and Zimbabwe, Aussie’s fast bowler, Glen McGrath, couldn’t get the wicket of Zimbabwean tail-ender, Eddo Brandes, who played and missed. McGrath was livid. “Why are you so fat?” he asked. Brandes was quick with his wit. In essence, he retorted that each time he went to the bowler’s house, while the latter wasn’t there, his wife gave him a biscuit. Even the fielders laughed. This one is between the ‘young’ Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan’s leg
ON-FIELD BANTER:
SLEDGING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF CRICKET. GENERALLY HARMLESS, AND AIMED TO CONFUSE, DEFOCUS AND FRIGHTEN THE PLAYERS, IT CAN SOMETIME BECOME UGLY AND DEADLY spinner, Abdul Qadir. It was the master-blaster’s debut series in Pakistan in 1989. The crowd held placards that read: “Dhoodh pita bachcha ghar jaake dhoodh pi (Milk-drinking child, go home and drink milk)”. Sachin hit Mushtaq Ahmed, another young leg spinner, for two sixers in an over. Frustrated, Mushtaq’s mentor, Qadir challenged the little master, “Bachon ko kyon maar rahe ho. Hamein bhi maar ke dikhao (Why are hitting a kid? Show me you can hit me).” Sachin obliged, and hit Qadir for four sixes in an over; the scorecard read: 6, 0, 4, 6, 6, 6. This incident took place during a county championship match between Glamorgan and Somerset. Glamorgan quickie, Greg Thomas, beat the renowned and feared West Indian batsman, Vivian Richards, a couple of times. To needle Viv, Thomas said: “It’s red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering.” The next ball was smashed out of the ground, and into the adjoining river. Richards answered: “Greg, you know what it looks like. Now go and find it.” 1992 World Cup. India versus Pakistan. A billion hearts thumped. Miffed by the sledging by India’s wicket keeper, Kiran More, the Pakistan ‘ace sledger’, Javed Miandad, complained, “Insaan khel rahe hain, janwaar nahin (Human beings are playing. not animals).” After India missed a sharp runout chance against Miandad, the latter distorted his face, and jumped incessantly, aka More, when he appealed.
MASTER ABUSE Australia’s speedster, Dennis Lillee, and India’s master batsman, Sunil Gavaskar, were involved in a war of words in the 3rd Test, MCG, February 1981. Gavaskar claimed he was abused by Lillee after the latter claimed his wicket. The Indian captain was so hurt and angry that he asked the non-striker, opening partner, Chetan Chauhan, to walk off the field. Gavaskar was on 70, when Lillee appealed for a LBW. Gavaskar showed his bat to indicate that he had ‘nicked’ the ball. Angry words were exchanged between the two, and Lillee even pointed the spot where the ball had hit the pads. The decision went in favour of the bowler, but as Gavaskar walked back to the pavilion, Lillee abused him. That was it. Gavaskar snapped. Years later, the Indian skipper wrote in his book, Idols: “That (the walkout) was the most regrettable incident of my life. Whatever may be the provocation and whatever the reason, there was no justification for my action and I realise now that I did not behave the way a captain and sportsman should.”
WATCH THE WINDOWS Tino Best, the West Indian pacer, always had a word or two to say to the batsmen when he bowled. However, he went in a kipper against England. As best prepared to face the English off-spinner, Ashley Giles, the all-rounder, Andrew Flintoff piped in: “Watch the windows, Tino!” The sledge had the desired effect; Best charged out of his crease, took a wild swing, missed, and was promptly stumped. Flintoff was in giggles for the next five minutes. Tino sat on the balcony, and looked, well, stumped.
SCORE IS STILL ZERO Gavaskar came in at no 4. The West Indian pacer, Malcolm Marshall, had got the solid Anshuman Gaekwad, and artistic Dilip Vengsarkar for ducks. The scorecard read: 0/2. Vivian Richards applied further pressure: “Man, it don’t matter when you come in to bat, the score is still zero.”
sport
PATRIOT|NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
INDIA’S AFFAIR WITH DRS
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shortcut
VIRAT K0HLI FEELS THERE IS NO ROCKET SCIENCE ON DRS, AND WE DON’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH A COURSE ON IT. BUT DHONI WAS ALWAYS WARY OF THE REVIEW
ANDERSON MAY PLAY SECOND TEST England pace spearhead James Anderson says he is hopeful of being declared fit to play in the second test against India, which will be held in the port city of Visakhapatnam. The 34-year-old paceman is coming off a shoulder injury, which ruled him out of the earlier matches. However, he sounded optimistic about his return. “I had a good week at Loughborough (Leicestershire, England) last week, bowling to get some overs under my belt. Hopefully, I can keep that going this week and get some miles into my legs to make sure I’m as fit as I can be and maybe be fit for the second Test,” he told Sky Sports.
ASHWIN’S SKY-HIGH CONFIDENCE
OVERTURNED: India has had a torrid run with DRS with an effective overall success rate of 22%
Team Patriot AFTER YEARS of indecision, India, the No. 1 test side, agreed to use the Decision Review System (DRS) in the ongoing series against England. The home captain, Virat Kohli, was casual: “Well there is no rocket science on DRS. As a cricketer you understand, you have a fair idea of where the ball has hit the pad, whether it has pitched in line or hit in line. Those are pretty basic things in cricket. You don’t have to necessarily go through a course for DRS.” The first DRS that India tried on the first day of the first test against England, it floundered. Fast bowler Umesh Yadav felt that he had got his man, Jack Root. The umpire turned
down the LBW appeal; Indians referred it upstairs. While Yadav was right that the ball would have hit the stumps, the decision went against him as less than 50% of the ball was hitting the wickets. It was the ‘marginal umpire’s call’, the not out one, which was upheld. Unlike what Kohli said, DRS isn’t about whether the ball was in line, and hit the stumps. It’s ironies, twists and mysteries are also based on what was the on-field umpire’s call. So, the captains and players have to regularly figure out when to go for the review, and in what circumstances. If the umpire has given out, a successful review against it implies that the ball should miss the stumps completely. And vice versa. The Indian team’s experience with
DRS, especially when MS Dhoni was the skipper, was quite dismal. It was introduced in test to make the life of an umpire easier, and remove the impact of the pressures on him by the fielders and bowlers. India was against the system right from the beginning, and rightly so. But it agreed to use it in the series against Sri Lanka in 2008. In the first Test, India made three reviews; none was successful. In the second, India used the system seven times; it only got one right. In the third test, India used ten reviews, and each was ruled in favour of the hosts (Sri Lanka). During the series, India used the system 20 times, with one favourable one. India’s next test with the DRS was with England in 2011, when the former
PHOTO: AFP
used one review in the first, and it was turned down. India did not use it in the second test. In the third, India uses it once without success. Fortunately, the tide turned towards India in the fourth; both its reviews were successful. Let’s now look at the country’s record in ODIs. At the ICC World Cup, 2011, the former World champions used 18 reviews. Only four went in their favour. But, during the Champions trophy, India’s record was 3/3. At the next World Cup in ODI 2015, the defending world champion asked for the review four times; only one for the TV umpire’s approval. Collectively, India’s success rate under DRS was 22%, possibly the worst among all the cricket nations. Thus, Kohli may be better off taking a few lessons!
India, England face off Press Trust of India THEIR MORALE high after back-toback triumphs over West Indies and New Zealand, World No.1 India would be odds-on favourites when they take on England in what is expected to be a gruelling five-Test series. The series will be the first fivematch affair on Indian soil in three decades and the opening clash will also mark the debut of Rajkot as a Test venue. It promises to be an engrossing contest between the world No.1 ranked India and the team that last beat them at home four years ago. In 2012, England came back from a game down to turn the tables on India and post a 2-1 win in a four-game
Test series. Superior spin bowling by Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, both of whom are no longer part of the squad, was a major factor in that English triumph over India. Also some excellent batting by current skipper Alastair Cook and the controversial Kevin Pietersen, who is no longer a part of England’s scheme of things, were the highlights for England. The current Indian team led by Virat Kohli, who was a member of the team that was vanquished four years ago and later in England (3-1) two years ago in a best-of-five contest, would not have forgotten the hard lessons. This time around, however, England have come into the series after a firstever shock defeat in a Test match at the
hands of Bangladesh in Dhaka to draw the two-match rubber 1-1. The tourists have also not played any warm-up game after landing in India a week ago. Add to that, their highest Test wicket-taker James Anderson is not available for at least the opening skirmish as he is yet to return to complete fitness from a shoulder injury. Both Cook and all-rounder Stuart Broad, who is to play his 100th Test, have talked about England being the clear “underdogs” going into the rubber, especially against an Indian side being led in aggressive style by Kohli. Kohli would be extremely keen to improve record with the bat against the visitors. On paper, India have a good chance to avenge their last three series defeats to England.
England captain Alastair Cook heaped praise on Ravichandran Ashwin, and said that the India’s premier off-spinner has become a world-class bowler. The former compared the bowler’s rapid rise to that of a former English offspinner, Graeme Swann. “One of his (Ashwin’s) obvious strengths at the moment is that his confidence is sky high (that’s natural) if you have taken the number of wickets that he has done over the last year or so in Indian conditions. Cricket is a funny game and a lot of it is played in the mind. He obviously must be flying (high),” said Cook.
FAMILIAR, BUT NEED TO BE CAREFUL England are familiar with the Decision Review System (DRS), but it has to be cautious while opting for referrals in the series against India due to different conditions here, the English bowler Stuart Broad said. The allrounder said the conditions in England and Bangladesh, where they drew the series 1-1 before coming to India, were different. “We had a lot of referrals over there. We have got to be quite clear with the communication, it’s a bit different with the ball spinning in India rather than it seaming and swinging in England, so it is a bit hard to judge,” Broad explained.
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PATRIOT|NEW DELHI|THURSDAY|10-16 NOVEMBER|2016
Game, set and match
MATCH POINT: Murray returns a serve on his way to becoming the World No 1
PHOTO: AFP
ANDY MURRAY BECAME THE WORLD NO 1 FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT ENDED NOVAK DJOKOVIC’S RUN OF 122 WEEKS AT THE TOP SPOT MS Kukereja AS ANDY Murray lifted the Paris Masters tennis title, after defeating the top seed and world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, the former upstaged the latter in the world rankings. Djokovic was at the Numero Uno position for a staggering 122 weeks. The British media went crazy. The British people went crazy. After a series of disappointments in other sports, like cricket and soccer, there was someone the British could smile and cheer about. Born to William Murray and Judy Murray on 15 May, 1987, Andy was known to be a shy and introvert boy. He attributed the split among his parents, when he was 20, as the possible
SERVE AND VOLLEY:
FEW WOULD KNOW THAT ANDY WON THE JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP TWICE; HE MATCHED THE FEATS OF LEGENDS LIKE JIMMY CONNORS AND MONICA SELES
reason for his high level of competitive spirit. Experts contend that the tragic massacre in the Dunblane Primary School had a role to play to steel the tennis star’s character. In an ugly incident in March 1996, when Andy was less than 10 years old, Thomas Hamilton, who was a student in the school, killed 16 children and one teacher, before he killed himself. This added a certain underlying and understated intensity in Andy. Andy started his tennis journey at a young age, and became British No. 1 in 2006. His mother, Judy, was the anchor and support for the young player. Herself a Scottish tennis coach, she encouraged both her sons, elder Jamie and Andy, to take the sport as a full-time job. Few would know that Andy won the Junior Orange Bowl championship twice; he matched the feats of legends like Jimmy Connors and Monica Seles. Andy had, and still suffers from, a rare ailment, Bipartite Patella, wherein the knee cap remains as two separate bones instead of fusing together in childhood. This was diagnosed when he was 16. The British, who had pinned high hopes on past players like Tim
Henman and Greg Rusedski, to end their drought at Wimbledon saw a ray of hope in Andy. The tennis players made waves, as he turned into a fitness freak. He first appointed American Brad Gilbert as his coach, and then created a stir when he appointed French women, Amelie Mauresmo, as his coach. However, the coach who gave him the confidence, and took him to ‘wuthering’ heights in his career was another past tennis great, the robotic and powerful Ivan LendI. Himself a great trier, who lost many finals, LendI taught Andy the art of seeing ahead after a loss. Andy clinched his first Grand Slam in 2012, when he won US Open at the age of 25. He was the first British to win the title since Fred Perry won it in 1936. The former added two more Grand Slam titles – two Wimbledon titles in 2013 and 2016. This time, he was the first British to win multiple Wimbledon titles. Andy become the darling of media and fans. In 2015, he won two Olympics Golds, and the Davis cup Title for Britain. He was the only player, male or female, to win two singles Gold medals. His brother Jamie was a
part of the 2015 Davis Cup. It was a great moment of pride for their mother. Andy won the BBC Sports Personality of the year twice. Holder of the record of most ATP World Tour titles in 2009, and the best ATP World Tour match in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He gives credit to Lendl. The coach was a fitness freak in his times, and changed Andy’s frail frame into a tough muscular one along with mental toughness. Who can forget LendI’s great come back over John McEnroe in the French Open after the former trailed two sets to love. With Roger Federer out of top 10 for the first time, and ‘Rafa’ Nadal not the same as he used to be, now the battle for supremacy will be between Andy and Djokovic. Both are tough; both are fighters, and unlikely to give up. It will be exciting to watch their furious tussles over the next few months, and possibly a few years.
Printed and Published by Ajai Chandra Upadhyay on behalf of United India Periodicals Pvt. Ltd. (Owner) and Printed at The Indian Express, A-8, Sector – 7, NOIDA, U.P and Published at 3, Link House, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002. EDITOR – AJAI CHANDRA UPADHYAY RNI NO: 7094/16