I have been getting your e-magazine I am in Saudi Arabia since last 20 years and hence seen Saudi growth and development ver y closely. I want to contribute in your efforts in which way you feel appropriate mainly contributing as your representative in KSA reflecting the issues of 2 million NRI
Viral S. Shah, via email
Your monthly magazine is ver y interesting. I suggest you add tourist attractions by including one state ever y month When NRIs visit their homeStates, they will be encouraged to visit nearby attractive places and thus encourage knowledge of the State and grow tourism Well doing Keep it up Cheers !!!!
Naresh Bansal, Delhi
I happened to get hold of an old issue of your magazine I would like to congratulate you for a beautifully printed out and elegant magazine. As you are aware Kerala is an NRI infested market with NRI remittance propelling the state’s finances
I would like to find out whether I can manage your magazine in Kerala Kindly tell me your terms and conditions Dinesh S Nair, Kerala
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May came and went, with the natural disaster in Nepal dominating the headlines and news coverage on the idiot box. India once again proved that it has the most competent disaster response force in the neighbourhood, though the superfast reaction to go to the aid of our Himalayan neighbour and all the good work was in a way tainted by the imprudence, lack of brevity and sagacity, not to mention an overdose of hubris from our own media hyping it up to such an extent that it has in fact prompted many a negative reaction. But that said, India did prove its mettle over the past few months via a chain of such operations starting with Iraq, followed by Yemen and culminating in Nepal.
Back home in parliament, the budget session ended with not less than 24 Bills passing muster through both houses the ‘best of budget sessions in the past six years, ’ says NDA e icing on the parliamentar y cake proved to be the Bangladesh Land B oundar y Agreement, passed unanimously without acrimony.
On the international scene, China flouts protocol according Modi ‘the highest level reception, ever ’ as he arrives at Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, home to Chinese President Xi Jinping Mr Xi, who seldom hosts foreign dignitaries outside the capital, accompanied Modi throughout his sojourn in Xi’an
is issue of NRI Achievers goes off the beaten path, with our Cover Feature focusing on one Indian Diaspora persona who has really made it big, rags to riches stor y. Realpolitik audits one year of NDA in government, while we also accommodate a guest column on the economy within it Indian Achievers, like our cover, also features one Indian conglomerate that has innovated the staid and traditional iron & steel business to make its mark on the sector Ah yes, you will not miss any of our regular features either, they are there as well.
ough we are quite happy with the growing community of readers we have managed to garner until now, we too are expansionist in our dreams, and look at ‘ comprehensive connectivity’ with our Diaspora community worldwide e magazine could do with a lot more content about you and your communities, and we would like you to overcome your preoccupations a mite, and take time to connect with us via our website, email or even snail-mail! As we are hungr y of bringing to you somenew always, so we are coming up with a T V SHOW on Indiaspora ver y soon. great vacations ahead !
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Facebook has tied up with nine publishers, including the New York Times, BB C, t he Guardian and Buzz Fe e d, to launch ‘Inst ant Ar t i cl e s ’ , w h i ch w i l l l e t t he m publish reports directly on the social network’s mobi l e ne w s fe e d. T he ne w pl atform, initially launched for iPhones, will load ar ticles on Facebook’s app 10 times faster than before Ar ticles typically take 8 s e c onds to l o a d on mobi l e web P ublishers can either sell and embed advert is e me nt s i n t he ar t i cl e s and ke e p t he re ve nu e, or a l l ow Fa c eb o ok to s el l a ds . ‘Instant Articles lets them deliver fast, interactive ar ticles while maintaining cont rol of t he i r c onte nt and bus i ne ss mo d els , ’ s ai d Fa c eb o ok C h i e f Pro du c t O f f i c e r C h r is C ox i n a promot i ona l v i d e o T he Fa c eb o ok mobi l e pl at for m has 1 25 billion users
Accelerat ing its proj e c t exe c ut ion momentum as par t of its six p oint agenda for dynamic growth, Bharat Heavy Elect r ica ls L imite d (BHEL) has sur p ass e d t he cap acity addit ion t arget, s et by t he Government for utility projects, by 19% Sig nificant ly, BHEL has commissione d 8,230 MW of utility sets against the target of 6,914 MW for 2014-15. BHEL has a ls o made maj or cont r ibut ions to anot her 1,600 MW by commissioning 2 boilers of 800 MW each during the year
To be considered a serious luxur y carmaker, just making superlative sedans and saloons won’t do e portfolio must include thoroughbred sports cars, roadsters, convertibles and coupes e Audi T T is the Ingolstadt-based car maker’s one such luminescent car that looks delicious and screams performance Especially when it’s red. A wheelbase of just 2.5 meters makes you wonder why Audi even bothered with the 2 extra seats. Unless of course they wanted you to keep them folded to enjoy the generous 712 litre of boot space! e T T comes in India with a single-engine option ‘2 litre turbocharged direct injected petrol’ that makes 230 PS power and 370 NM of torque
In addit ion, s ets wit h a c umu lat ive of 2,000 MW have been synchronized and are ready for capacity addition. A
e Tata Group is scaling up innovations across the US$ 100-billion salt-to-soware conglomerate and hopes to double its patent base to over 4,000 in the next three years e group ’ s top 60 projects under the innovations categor y are expected to deliver a financial benefit of US$ 1.1 billion (INR 7,040 crore) annually. “We have 2,000 published patents in the Tata Group and there has been a dramatic increase in the last couple of years
e population of Hindus in the US has registered a significant increase of over a million in the last seven years, new research study has shown. e number of American Hindus rose from 0 4% in 2007 to 0 7% of the total US population in 2014, a rise of over a million in real terms, according to a latest Pew research study
e Cabinet approved some amendments, including changes in definition of NRI, to be incorporated in the FDI policy. “Investment by NRIs under Schedule 4 of FEMA (Transfer or issue of security by persons residing outside India) Regulations will be deemed to be domestic investment at par with the investment made by residents.” an official statement said
America should rename Merriam-Webster to Shivashankar-Venkatachalam English Dictionary, went a widely distributed joke on social media aer two Indian American kids blew past the competition to be declared joint winners of the 88th US National Scripps Howard Spelling Bee championships It marked the eighth successive year that Indian-American students have taken the title, extending a winning streak that began in 2008. Vanya Shivshankar and Gokul Venkatachalam, both 13, spelled every word thrown at them with aplomb till the judges ran out of time and words and declared them joint winners
Britain's House of Lords will discuss one of the most prominent new trends in British politics -the growing clout of the Indian vote as seen in the recently concluded British parliamentar y elections. Eminent political theorists of Indian origin Lord Bhiku Parekh chair the first debate on May 27 e 6 94 lakh strong Indian-born population was the largest foreign born group in the countr y that voted Lord Parekh told: “We want to use the elections as a mirror of deeper political trends among the British Indians.
oug h decades of f ro ntline journ alism both in print and the electronic media has made me something of a cy nic and one who prefers to call a glass half-empty rather than halffull, it is not very oen that I take a liking to p eople on first meeting. But Rajesh Ram S atiija is someone whom I took an instant liking to. His simplicity, earthy demeanour and modest y apart , he exudes an aura of po sitiv ism that tend s to dissolve the negative feelings in those around him. As our NRI Achievers editorial team interac ted more with him, multiple other facets of a remarkable persona sur faced, o leav ing us surprised. In this special feature about this self-made t ycoon, we bring you his p erceptions and world -v iew, intersp ersed with our ow n reflections of him as an indiv idual, weav ing his world as hi s v ision makes it to be.
f metals were to human civi lizat ion w hat go ds are to pantheons of various sets of b eliefs, t he y wou ld inde e d be centerstage with mankind's endeavours in s o ciet a l de velopment classifie d into successive met a l ages. And met a ls, from the lowly iron and copper to the precious gold, plat inum and t heir i l k, have had a cent ra l role to play in t he lives of p e ople, f rom r ites and r itua ls harking back to the dim past to modern day hightech industrial activities. Rajesh Ram Satiija, w hos e mett le has a lot to do wit h met als, is a mining magnate w hos e empire spans three continents Asia, Africa and L at in Amer ica. One among t hos e owning t he world’s largest res er ves of gold, uranium and rare minera ls, he is also a top investor in the Dark Continent, w here he commands resp e c t f rom Premiers and Presidents alike. An electrical engineer by training, Satiija landed up in L agos, the financial hub of Nigeria, in the year 1993 to work for a local Indian procurement authority Reminiscing about it, he avers: “I had t his foresig ht t hen t hat Africa would evolve into one huge market, and I ver y much wanted to be part of it when it did emerge ”
Aer that, there has been no looking back for Satiija, whose global businesses have had a ver y good year in 2014-15 indeed, with soaring revenues and good appreciation in mining assets. He has substantial private assets, including homes in prime locations around the world, which place him high in Asia's roll call of the richest with his wealth notching up a conser vative UK£ 850 million. Apropos, while we know that ever yone loves a rags to riches stor y, we start with a ver y brief walk down memor y lane, going on a short biopic journey of R ajesh R am Satiija's childhood, boyhood and youth, before we
delve deeper into the nuts and bolts of Satiija's for tune and how he wins over people from across the world
Born into simple, middle class family of Haryana to principled god-fearing parents, Rajesh's father was a middle level government ser vant while his mother was a simple school teacher Growing up in an simple, nondescript house markedly devoid of creature comforts, the austere setting and the piety of his parents more than made up for the lack of luxuries, building up in the mind of the young Rajesh a complex underpinning of 'sanskars' and an abiding faith in god Sonepat on the Har yana-Delhi border was where R ajesh
went through schooling, followed by an degree from the nearby Government Engineering College, from where he came out with a BE in electrical engineering Aer graduation, his effort in building a career netted him the role of a Government contractor and supplier, which, soon enough, he realised that it wasn't really his 'cup-oftea,' pushing him to explore other options
e India of the late 1980s and the early 1990s not presenting that many opportunities, he chose to take up a job offer in Africa and explore opportunities for trading from there in his quest for a viable alternative ImpEx was big business those days, and his keenness to check out
ground realities in Af rica for himself clinched the deal. S oon aer joining his job, he began to dabble in trading various goods and commodities “God was with me, ” he says, “and my meditation, my unshakeable commitment to my sanskar and the values instilled by my parents all bore fruit Even I cannot believe where my life has reached today "
S o on after, Satiija established the Sun & Sand Group of C omp anies in Af r ic a, with his 52 acre factor y at Ogun, Nigeria, ma k i ng fe r rous and non - fe r rous me t a l ingots widely in demand in the global automobile industr y His company became t he f irst in Af r ica to supply such g lob a l l e a d i ng br ands as Toyot a , R ol ls R oyc e, Honda and Nissan. Later he branched out i nto gol d, c opp e r and u r an iu m , t hus transforming the fortunes of metal industries across the continent His command ove r a l arge chu n k of worl d re s e r ve s of many precious and non-precious metals, including rare ear ths and elements such as u r an iu m automat i c a l ly ma d e h i m a key mover in the countries where his operations are present Satiija's f irms today employ more than 6,000 people, and his ventures in Africa work closely with local c om mu n it i e s , c ont r ibut i ng i n no s ma l l me asu re tow ard t he i r d e vel opme nt Af fectionately called “Lucky” by f riends and business par tners, Satiija has forged many a mutu a l ly b e ne f i c i a l st r ate g i c c omp a c t , and has e volve d e xc el l e nt commerci a l rel at ions in Af r ic a t hroug h his personal rapport with political leaders of the continent
“Whoever l have worked with in the past 25 years, not one has lost even a single dollar," he says matter of factly “Many presidents of Af rica, they call me when they have a problem ey say to me, 'Lucky, come and sit with us, and our problems will be solved'.”
e engineer in him adeptly combining his acquired expertise in metal extraction, processing and then manufacturing and trading, with his vision and acumen for agri-business and cor porate farming, he has so far successfully helmed his Sun & Sand Group to metamor phose f rom a nondescript though successful trading house into a formidable conglomerate with an ever-expanding supply chain, where Satiija has aptly harnessed foresight to transform disadvantages and challenges into oppor tunities. Today the products from his metals businesses, in demand by various prestigious organizations worldwide, are aluminium, copper, lead, stainless steel and tin ingots and alloys, with a capacity of 30,000 to 150,000 metric tons.
Despite his trading raking in profits worth several millions of dollars, Rajesh Satiija Raj, once he had clinched the Toyota contract and subsequently large scale orders from Rolls Royce, Honda and Nissan, began downscaling his trading activities, tapering it down to a full-stop since this business offered him an identity that the Impex and trading businesses did not In 2004, all trading activity in Sun & Sand ceased and his concentration focussed fully on metals. By then he had gone into production of alloy ingots and metals other than aluminium, and this shi in focus brought such manifold returns that the group today is a valued member of the London Metal Exchange. “Today my company is a name to reckon with in Japan, and is the only one from India and from the whole of Africa to be listed on the London Metal Exchange,” says Satiija with some pride...
“I am the first person in all Africa, including S outh Af rica, who star ted shipping engineering products to Japan " Lady Luck, as alluded to earlier, has the habit of smiling on him augmenting his engineering and entrepreneurial skills, so much so
“WHOEVER I HAVE WORKED WITH IN THE PAST 25 YEARS, NOT ONE HAS LOST EVEN A SINGLE DOLLAR," HE SAYS MATTER OF FACTLY. “MANY PRESIDENTS OF AFRICA, THEY CALL ME WHEN THEY HAVE A PROBLEM. THEY SAY TO ME, 'LUCKY, COME AND SIT WITH US, AND OUR PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED'.”
that during his trading days, not a single transaction bore him any losses.
We queried him about his USPs in running his businesses so successfully in Africa, a place not all that easy to do business in. His response was surprisingly indicative of a CEO or industr y captain with a spiritual bent of mind, one who staunchly believes in people-centric policies and good corporate governance centred upon responsibility to society and the communities that surround his business: “Any organization needs to grow and sustain itself, and that can happen if and only
a proposal of going around their area collecting scrap and then bringing it to us for money Today some of these Area B oys have cars, houses, are married and settled, they are applying their minds to make a better life for themselves.
“If l am in Nigeria and in the plant, I do not think twice about going to the shop floor and talking with the workers As my setups enjoy a high loyalty factor, I know many workers by name. At times, someone may hand me a petition, or come up
has definitely had an adverse fallout with some pockets of society wanting to make easy money, just as it is the case with numerous other developing countries also coming to grips with such new challenges One night in 1996, hearing some unusual noises, Rajesh awoke to find someone tr ying to break into his house Five persons outside had a gun trained on him He calmly let them in, asked them to put the gun down and help themselves to whatever they wanted. He went on to offer them food and liquor, inviting them to sit down and have a drink and eat On the
if it adopts and implements employee f riendly policies All my organizations enjoy high loyalty factors and we ensure that each individual gets an opportunity to develop and grow within an environment of belonging "
“We employ 6000 plus persons, and it is not all that easy to r un an industr y or a business there, so in order to divert those involved in petty thes for sur vival, we created teams of Area Boys ese are typically young boys who have no work and generally join in riots on the roads besides indulging in petty crime, just to get some money to feed themselves. We gave them
to talk about a problem I always listen intently but do not respond, for that would mean breaking the protocols we have set. Yes, the problem will be dealt with, without bypassing the systems in place."
Talking about the ease or unease of doing business in Af rica in general, and especially Nigeria in par ticular, he avers that globalisation, new businesses and industrialisation are surely bringing prosperity and alternate means of livelihood, but this movement away from traditional modes and means of sustenance in a society that is but partly ready for rapid industrialisation and new ways of work ethos
morrow, this had a somewhat unexpected outcome e would-be thieves came back to return all they had taken.
“Nobody is good or bad, circumstances make them so. If a child steals bread, it is because they don‘t have food to eat, so what is the alternative ? In India, especially in the larger cities, the difference in lifestyles today between the rich and the abjectly poor is so vast that soon a time will come when a child who grew up in deprived circumstances will not hesitate to use a gun to get what he wants lt is us who must make the difference while it can have an impact to stem this trend towards vio-
lence, nipping it in the bud. ere may be some hardened persona inclined to take the easy route with violence and robber y amongst the poor, but 90% of the people whom we tend to group as 'bad' would respond positively to being treated decently.
Spirituality is equated with purity, according to R ajesh Satiija, and does not occur automatically by turning into a 'brahmachari' or 'sanyasi' renouncing family and home. Taking oneself off to the mountains to meditate does in no way guarantee purity. “Practicing spirituality is somewhat like cooking a meal," R ajesh
three jewels, and just as we bathe to wash off external dir t, so is a cleansing of the mind and soul necessar y to combat extraneous influences f rom taking root Yoga helps clear and control our inner systems and the mind while mediation does the same for our souls, so one ought to go through this threefold exercise ever y day " R ajesh is not only a practitioner of yoga and meditation, he has also been organizing camps and programmes on Reiki, as the Founder Trustee of the Reiki Healing
of Reiki and the same aer being systemized and codified by Japanese teachers who named it Reiki, it has been re-sent to us ” Satiija points out that if not for their harnessing and utilising of these united energies, the Japanese could not have coped with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or the rampant destruction caused by earthquakes and other natural disasters “ eir resilience can actually be attributed to the system of Reiki, which shows us a way to unite multiple energies for a greater cause.
Satiija's belief that a sound mind can be encouraged through calming and serene
avers “You ensure the foodstuffs are washed; the water used is clean and follow hygiene in the kitchen while preparing the food. Likewise, while conducting commercial activities, one needs to retain purity in the manner of managing business, by following principles not through taking shor t-cuts, and delivering promised quantity and quality. Just as we make daily effor ts to keep ourselves clean and presentable, so is a similar effor t needed to keep your souls pure ”
“ is ultimately finds its true reflection in business dealings, keeping transparency. B ody, mind and soul are akin to
Foundation Tr ust, the world’s largest group working towards an awakening for personal and global transformation, at the same time promoting it as an alternate source of healing and brotherhood. “Reiki is basically energ y to heal In Japan the average life expectanc y is 95 years Even though the Japanese do drink and smoke quite a bit, yet, even at 75 and above they are active, carr ying on with their activities," says Satiija
“As a matter of fact, Reiki is said to have originated from India Saibaba was healing through Reiki in ancient times Buddhist travellers took with them the science
surroundings, his ability to listen to others and make people feel extra special is aptly translated through his business approach to creating environs in which people can flourish and reach their highest potentials.
Satiija is of the view today that London is the best hub for growing his businesses, which are getting increasingly global in nature. He says, “I could stop working and continue to develop my passion and hobby for breeding horses and farming " However, at 47, Satiija is today a man with a larger mission, who wants to expand his metals and mining business, in particular gold and uranium mining around the world. Satiija’s
extensive interests in Africa have yielded him great rewards and he is today one of the continent's largest individual owners of gold reser ves, a holding that in itself has given him tremendous influence in the countries where he operates.
Satiija has been honoured with the 2014 'Entrepreneur of Year' Award at the Af rica International Business For um (AIBF), in recognition of his leadership as a change-agent for Indian companies investing in Africa. While he is committed to developing the mining sector and infrastructure in Africa and meeting the world's growing demand for raw materials, he is also ver y serious about reducing the adverse impact of his own industr y sector on the environment. is conviction has seen the group incorporating a 'business for social change' model, enhancing human development through technolog y transfer, access to renewable energ y, and sense of responsibility towards the well-being of society.
Satiija is a strong networker and understands the power of international relations he has built links with the UN and has been involved in global charitable endeavours that have earned him attent ion and resp e c t He has b e en honoure d by Human Achie vers Foundat ion (HAP), in ass o ciat ion wit h Indian C ounci l for UN Relat ions (lCUNR) and Af r ica India Premiership Association (AIPA) in 2012 for his ende avours in inter nat iona l business, and his cont r ibut ions in t he field of mining, manufacturing, imports and exports of metals.
B ehind his seemingly simple personality is a steely determination to make a difference to society and a plan to accomplish it In the past year, he set up Sun & Sand Foundation, a not-for-profit entity mandated with the provision of
high quality education to poor children in India, and there are plans afoot to expand this programme to Africa as well
Satiija's own children have set out to go about their lives without being "spoilt" by his immense wealth. His daughter is studying Law in London while his son is an undergraduate student in the US Family is a ver y special institution for Rajesh Satiija: “Like all parents, I adore my children So when it is family time I let them choose the activity. When my wife and children want to see a movie to a theatre we go and once inside I switch off my phone so that all my attention is focussed on enjoying the movie with them At times my kids will decide I should cook them breakfast, or sometimes it is dinner, and l am quite happy to go into the kitchen and delight my children with a
dinner turned out without domestic help. Apropos, I am a good cook too! “So when it is family time I spend it the way they want if they wish to play chess it is not much use my saying we go for a walk instead. But I and my wife have brought up our children to be well-grounded in our 'sanskar' Prayers and meditation form an essential part of their routine too
Talking about his personal likes and dislikes, he says that, “When I have the time I watch the news on TV. Sometimes it does irritates my wife when late, and I switch to something light hearted or romantic I think it’s always better to go with the flow
Reading is another means of updating myself with info necessary for my work and the world political scenario, as that does have an impact on our businesses As for
“THIS IS MY 'GOLD TO GOLDEN APPLES' PROJ-
ECT … MY WAY OF ENSURING THAT VARIOUS DELICIOUS APPLE GENERA ARE NOT MERELY CONSERVED AND PROTECTED, BUT ALSO BECOME PART OF THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THIS FAUNA, IN THE FORM OF A GENE-BANK.
my favourite drink, in the mornings it’s a nice cup of tea ! In the evenings, I enjoy a scotch with soda and ice I am a single-malt man and have a collection of limited edition single & triple malts ere is nothing as nice as being at peace with oneself and the world sipping single malt ... and that is my only indulgence
“I feel it is important to enjoy each and ever y day with all it brings, ever y hour, ever y day of my life, I want to live it to the hilt. Not ever y day turns out to be wonderful, but then you have to get on with it, deal with it without regrets I for one am happy when I feel I have managed to lead a well balanced life, keeping in mind my workers, staff, family, brothers, my commitments to society AND to myself.”
Sp e a k i ng ab out t he st age of l i fe he is i n to d ay, he s ay s : “I am c u r re nt ly i n t he four th phas e of my life as you might b e aw are t he re are fou r phas e s i n a p e rs on ‘ s l i fe a s a ch i l d you are g u i d e d by you r p arents, t hen it is yout h, fol lowe d by t he f am i ly phas e and it s re sp ons ibi l it i e s In
t he fou r t h phas e you r e ye s are op e n and you r d e c is i ons are b as e d on e x p e r i e nc e My fou r t h phas e is ve r y i nte re st i ng and e x c it i n g , a n d I h av e a l ot t o a c c omp l i s h i n bu s i n e s s , i n s o c i e t y, f or my w or k e r s , f or my f a m i l y, a l on g w it h
br a n c h i n g out i nt o re a l e s t at e i n In d i a and L ond on ”
One of his biggest and most innovative projects in the hospitality and real estate sectors in Guyana and in India is the construction of new homes with a difference, through his Aqasia Homes Business Satiija is looking to create “geopathic stressfree areas " . is means paying particular attention to the surroundings of the home and making it as attractive and as peaceful as possible
It's cr ystal clear that Satiija has big dreams, big promises to keep and maintain the continuous faith in him by his employees and business par tners. “I don’t want to merely make more money, I want to do something different I find that society, especially my society in my home countr y, is turning more and more materialistic, and greed seems to be the name of the game While greed is good if put to achieve overall positive outcomes and objectives, it is indeed despicable if put to selfish pur poses, and leads to the detriment of a majority.
As a path-finder and innovator of the Indian Diaspora community, Satiija by default plays an active role in the community, as a leader and a key bridge to access knowledge, expertise, resources and markets not only for the development of India, but also for the rest of the world. A noticeable and laudable effor t he has taken on this direction by setting an example himself is his predilection today to expand into agri-business, and harness his energies and vast wealth to make a positive impact on the sector. While thinking big is second nature to the tycoon, his plans are impressive indeed He has already kicked this off with an initiative to acquire more than 2.000 acres of land, in Canada in North America and in the Republic Georgia that straddles the cross-roads between Western Asia and Eastern Europe, for the agricultural development of apple orchards. Satiija has set up two controlled atmosphere cold storages in northern India for preser ving the apples grown in Canada and Georgia to market them across India
In C an a d a , h e h a s z e ro e d i n on t h e Pr i n c e E dw ard Is l an d ( a k a P E I ) , a prov i n c e i n t h e s t ate of Ha l i f a x for h i s ag r i-venture, w here he is lo oking to acqu i re approx i m ate ly 2 5 0 0 a c re s of lu s h g re en ag r ic u ltura l land, for g rowing various var iet ies of apples hit her to uns e en in Indian markets. Once established, this wou l d prob ably b e t he bi g ge st su ch orch ard i n t h e wor l d. Ta l k i ng ab out t h i s ne w venture of his, Sat iija s ays, “ This is my ' G ol d to G ol d e n Appl e s ' proj e c t My w ay of e ns u r i ng t h at v ar i ou s d e l ic i ou s appl e ge n e r a are n ot m e re ly c ons e r ve d an d prote c te d, but a l s o b e c om e part of the genetic diversity of this fauna, i n t h e for m of a ge n e - b an k T h e re are several varieties of the fruit that have immense rejuvenation and medicinal proper ties … t houg h I supp os e I would make
m on e y i n t h i s ve ntu re a s we l l, it i s n ot my pr i m ar y m ot ive b e c au s e any we l l r u n bu s i n e s s w i l l tu r n i n a prof it , I am not worried about that One of my intentions is als o to combat this advers e trend i n c om m e rc i a l f ar m i ng wor l dw i d e, w hich is r ing ing a de at h knel l for diversity and killing off many astounding gene r a t h at n atu re of fe rs u s a s p ar t of it s b ou nt y t h e b e n e vol e nt appl e ge n e r a I am t a l k i ng ab out g row i ng i n my orchards is among t hem as wel l t here are su ch v ar i e t i e s of appl e s t h at are s i mply fabulous like t he proverbial apples t hat wi l l ke ep do c tors away I wi l l br ing such v ar i e t i e s to In d i a , an d onw ard s t a ke t hem to ot her p ar ts of t he world as wel l In C an a d a , Pr i n c e E dw ard Is l an d i s an i d e a l s itt i ng for t h i s proj e c t , g ive n it s
wondrous p astora l endow ments and its ide a l climat ic condit ions.”
He says the Canada part of his 'Gold to Golden Apples' project will kick in once he is successful in tying up all loose ends and the Canada Halifax Prince Edward Island venture starts bearing fruit. One thing at a time, he says. Simultaneously, Satiija is also mulling the expansion of his trading activities in the agri-business industr y further by accessing the cashew and cocoa markets in Nigeria and Côte d'lvoire. We at NRI Achievers do wish him all success in his endeavours
…
Chakravarthi Suchindrane writer is an technocrat who dabbles in journalism print & broadcast photography & creative visual ar ts.
e f ranchising route to inject rapid g row th into a business has oen been opted for by retailers, of products as diverse as clothing, je weller y, watches and fashion accessor ies, and of course coffee shops, ice-creams, burgers and pizz as, as well as other ty pes of QSRs (Quick Ser v ice Restaurants). But have you heard of a company taking the f ranchise route to g row a network of mini-steel plants in the secondar y iron & steel industr y? And setting up a whole chain of exclusive stores that sell TMT rebars, coloured sheets and paint? Kamdhenu Ispat, a company that has a modest beginning in 1995 as a star t-up in the secondar y steel sector w ith a plant in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, took a leaf out of the retail f ranchising book, and has built a network of more than 50 plants that span the leng th and breadth of India ! e y are al so today among the largest producers of TMT rebar in the countr y, w ith a pan-India presence. NRI Achie vers features Kamdhenu Ispat and its tr iumv irate of entrepreneurs that have built it to what it is today …
Tr a d it i ona l ly, s e tt i ng up a ste el manufacturing business usually st ar t s w it h t he bu i l d i ng and c om m iss i on i ng of a ste el pro c e ss i ng and production unit and then sequentially building the marketing and sales i n f r ast r u c tu re and ne t work of out l e t s etc , for re aching p otent i a l consumers and s el ling t he pro duc t Q uite in contrast to this, there is this one company i n t he s e c ond ar y ste el manu f a c tu r i ng sector in the countr y that has innovated its business by putting this process bang on it s he a d, by a d opt i ng an u nusu a l strateg y setting up the manufacturing unit after the marketing, sales and distribution network has been put in place. T h is is t he stor y of Kamd he nu Isp at L i m ite d, a k a K I L S e e n i n re t ro sp e c t , Kamdhenu lspat had taken quality time out to put in place a robust market network p an - Ind i a , b e fore i nve st i ng i nto t he phy s i c a l pl ant s . A f r anch is i ng approach borrowed from the annals of retailing then did the rest, and the stor y is i nd e e d wor t h tel l i ng T h is s i mpl e
twist of franchising in the tale has today e ar ne d K I L a l e a d e rsh ip p o s it i on i n TMT manufacturing
Today, KIL is reckoned to be the largest manufacturer of international quality steel bars in the countr y. e company is present in three segments steels, power, and paints ey employ CRM technolog y from Belgium to manufacture their string of products, such as CID bars, thermo mechanical treated (TMT) bars, TMT-Gal bars and stainless steel eir structural steel products include angels, channels, flats and beams e company was the first in the sector to get the prestigious ISO 9001:2000 certification. eir manufacturing facility is located at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. Kamdhenu Paints, a new unit of the company, also has a production unit nearby that manufactures and markets paints under the brand “C olour Dreamz.” e company has on offer an entire range of decorative designer products like emulsions, enamels, distempers, textured finishes, primers and ancillar y products
Kamdhenu Ispat Ltd. was incor porated on 12 September 1994 as a public limited company 1995 saw the company establishing a single reinforcement steel bar manufacturing unit in Bhiwadi, and commenced commercial production in October the same year. O ver two decades since, KIL has grown manifold f rom a small star t-up to become a benchmark for TMT makers across India via its reach and branding. e group now has interests in steel, wires, paints, ply wood and colour coated sheets, among others
This s e condar y TMT ma ker to day is m a k i ng m ore s te e l t h an s om e of t h e pr imar y ste elma kers li ke TISC O, SAIL an d J S W. B e h i n d t h e ‘Kam d h e nu ’ br and is a re a l ly wel l - k n it p an - Ind i an of more than 50 mini-steel units spread a c ro s s m o s t In d i an s t ate s Aprop o s , K I L h a s n e it h e r bu i lt a l l t h e s e pl ant s nor owns them outright they have inste ad chos en to caref u l ly pick exist ing plants, sick units etc , as franchise partners, and has help e d t hem rebui ld, re-
st r uc ture and reto ol t hem The y have done this by identif ying the hidden pote nt i a l of t h e s e s i ck u n it s , prov i d i ng t h e n e c e s s ar y fi n an c i a l b a ck i ng , t h e te ch n i c a l k n ow h ow, m an a ge r i a l a c um e n an d m e ntor i ng , to tu r n t h e s e N PAs i nto p e r for m i ng a s s e t s T h i s u n i qu e f r an ch i s e m o d e l a d opte d by KIL is the key to their success and phenomena l g rowt h.
T h e N R I Ac h i e v e r s e d it or R aj e e v G u p t a s ou g ht out M r. S at i s h Ag a rw a l , t h e C M D of Ka m d h e nu Is p at
L i m it e d , t o l e ar n f i r s t h an d ab out t h e G roup a n d it s u n d e r pi n n i n g s , a n d w h at e n s u e d w a s a f re e w h e e l i n g d i al o g u e f rom w h i c h w e pre s e nt e d it e d e x c e r pt s h e re f or y ou t o o t o u n d e rst and t he e t ho s of t he f i r m t hat has i n a w ay re v o lut i on i s e d t h e s e c on d a r y i ron a n d s t e e l pro du c i n g s e c t or w it h it s i n nov at ive appro a ch to g row i ng an e nte r pr i s e on an a c c el e r ate d t i mel i ne w it hout c omprom is i ng on t he qu a l it y of s e r v i c e to t he c ustome r He re is t he s nap shot , i n t he C M D’s ow n words :
“We lo ok at ours elves as g rassro ots people who have risen to where we are from a ver y humble and down-to-earth midd le-class fami ly b ackg round. O ur fat her was a mere 3-ye ar old to dd ler w hen our g randp arents p ass e d away, and an uncle took him under his wings, giving him the much needed parental shelter unt i l he re ache d t he age of around 12 13 ye ars. When he tur ned 13, our father was given five rupees and asked to take charge of his own life and
look aer himself on his own. Our fat her, w ho was a ver y p osit ive p ers on and a dre amer, did not g ive up He studie d on ly upto hig h s cho ol on his own, and nurtured this dream of making e ver y child of his an engineer. He b egan his pro duc tive life with finding hims elf a j ob in a c ycle shop and towards t he end re ache d t he le vel of a b an k manager. He st r ug g le d a lot but made his children me and my brother Suni l eng ine ers. at has s omehow made a last ing impression on us, s o
much so that even I have ensured that my two sons become engineers ”
“C oming to me, I went to a government school where the fees were quite nominal. But my teachers say that my i ntel l i ge nc e and my pre d i l e c t i on to hard work was an asset that worked to my a dv ant age, and I w as abl e to p ass muster for admission to s e vera l eng ineering colleges after I cleared school. But I chose to go to the Banaras Hindu Un ive rs it y for my me chan i c a l e ng ine e r i ng d e g re e, w h i ch I p ass e d w it h
f lying colours in the year 1970. When I passed out of University, I nur tured a dream, a dream of fulf illing my father wishes S o as soon as I got my degree, I joined my father’s small business. I am a ver y quality conscious person, and I have always felt that in order to reach t he st atus of numb er one in w hate ver business I do, I ought to be totally nonc omprom is i ng w it h t he qu a l it y, s e r vices and the business ethics.
“It was in 1994 that we established the Kamdhenu Company, and our choice of name was influenced by the symbolism of prosperity assured by the eternal mother depicted in the form of a divine cow as Kamdhenu Also, at that, Dr Manmohan Singh was the union finance minister, and we were reasonably sure that india was on the verge of a sweeping economic revolution. And so it was in that mood of an impending reform and growth of our economy in the air that we established our ver y first automatic rolling mill in Rajasthan, with a small investment. By the grace of God, today we have grown f rom that initial foray into the number one f ranchise company in our chosen field of endeavour, making our mark on the sector we are in. ose days, ver y few people were aware about how important the quality of iron & steel used in the making of houses was So to start with, we put a lot of our focus on creating a brand that exhudes quality, and also to make this business more glamorous. We also took a leaf out of the book of retailers in developed countries, creating the concept of franchised production in the sector
And we feel proud to tell you that in the beginning when we incitiated this concept of franchised production, ever yone was sceptical and had major doubts if this would successful but we had a dream and we implemented it. We had focus and we had reason and rationale too And touchwood, it worked, and today we are the No 1
“Like I had mentioned earlier, I have two sons who are both engineers. My eldest son Saurav is responsible for Khamdhenu Paint, our foray into high quality paints for industrial and housing
make people aware of the importance of different materials in the building of homes like iron, steel, bricks, cement etc , and we became an instant hit with customers. In retrospect, I would say that this outreach programme has stood us in immense good stead, as people started talking about it and started taking it ver y seriously that over time we have built a ver y strong constituency for not only our own brand and products under it, but also overall for the whole sector We conducted workshops in almost all parts of North India We invited people to get their materials tested by our labs f ree of cost, and this concept became a really super duper hit. Today we have total combined capacity of around 20 lac metric tons, we have 3,500+ steel dealers, around 4,500 paint dealers. Our direct staff strength today stands at around 1,500, and our total franchisee production network has almost 30,000 people Ever y single person associated with us is proud to profess himself as: I Am Khamdhenu And if you ask us, this emotional bonding is our greatest achievement.
applications, and my younger son Sachin, who is an MBA as well, looks aer the marketing and sales of our steel products. My younger brother Sunil heads our steel franchisee network, and all of them are directors in the company. My job is to keep ever y pearl together with love, respect and affection ” Sunil Agarwal, the younger brother of Satish Agar wal who looks aer f ranchisee network says: “Aer establishing the Kamdhenu brand firmy in the marketplace, we initiated a whole bev y of consumer awareness programmes to
“By this time we had become a household name in Iron & Steel, and then we launched our franchise model to speed up growth and expansion across geographies. e creation of this model and route for growth came about when our team wasbrainstorming and working towards formulating a business model whereby with minimum investment and through par tnerships with companies and individuals already having appropriate production infrastructure whether sick or not, we could achieve a wide presence, and this led to
...OUR FATHER WAS GIVEN FIVE RUPEES AND ASKED TO TAKE CHARGE OF HIS OWN LIFE AND LOOK AFTER HIMSELF ON HIS OWN. OUR FATHER, WHO WAS A VERY POSITIVE PERSON AND A DREAMER, DID NOT GIVE UP...
the creation of our franchise model in the year 2004 Our franchisee concept meant in essence that people who already have plants, either sick ones or not performing up to the mark can associate with us, put up a small investment, and revitalise as well as modernise their units We would par tner them in restar ting their existing or setting up their greenfield factor y, and we give the brand value of our name, R&D, publicity, sales and marketing knowhow, stockyard facilities etc
“Unlike other MNCs we hold-back only a ver y reasonable f ranchisee charge, where more than 70% goes to the manufacturer, and we keep no more than 15-20 percent Today, in 2015, we have more than 50 franchise units panIndia, in different segment categories
We have excellent Q&A in ever y plant, we are ver y strict about keeping to our production and quality norms. All our mills aproposs have ISI approval
“If you ask us about the composition of ou r c ombi ne d ne t work output , we are to d ay ge t more t han 9 0 % output f rom our f ranchis ed plants. In retrosp ec t, let me share wit h you t hat while this f ranchise model was really a tur ning p oint for t he company, it was by no means easy.
Now, this innovation in growing our bus i ne ss and br and has help e d ou r group reach the production capacity of approximately 2 4 MT of TMT, which is t hen dist r ibute d by our de a ler network of more than 8,000 associates all over the countr y.
“Of late, Als o, we ’ ve adde d anot her pro du c t to ou r p or t fol i o, namely, colour coated sheets, and 6 production
u n it s are a l re a dy op e r at i ona l i n India under our network Like we did in the TMT market space, here too we are pl an n i ng to d e vel op a ne t work of 30-40 similar plants.
e Group, apart from the manufacture, marketing, branding and distribution of the already broad spectr um of construction products like TMT, Structural Steel, ply wood and several other constr uction materials, also chose to branch off into paints. With an aim to deliver the best quality at the best possible price to consumers, Kamdhenu Paint has an impeccably modern, stateof-the-ar t manufacturing unit located not far f rom kamdhenu Ispat’s steel manufacturing unit in Bhiwadi Kamdhenu Paint has on offer a whole range of products that promise you ever y concievable shade and hue. Or even a tex-
ture you can formulate using your own design, and a quality that you always dreamt of and is comparable to the best in the market, at a more reasonable price. Exterior and Interior Emulsions, Acr ylic Distempers, Enamel Paints, Cement Paints, Wall Primers and Putty, not to mention the Texture and De-
signer Finishes, Stainers, P U Wood Finishes and Metallic Finishes that ensuring adherence to its spirit of guaranteeing “Dil Ke Rang Deewaron Par”.
We asked Saurav Agar wal, who looks aer the group ’ s paints business to brief us on how t he brand is prog ressing: “We are now within the top 6 in the in-
EVEN OUR PEON GETS THE SAME LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE BECAUSE HE IS THE HEAD OF HIS FAMILY AND ENJOYS THE SAME IMPORTANCE AND RESPECT AS I ENJOY IN MY FAMILY OR YOU ENJOY IN YOUR FAMILY.
sustr y, and we are into decorative paint manufacturing, where we fulfil more to the needs of middle and lower middle class consumers and homebuilders. We are ver y cons cious ab out qua lity, and that is one main reason why we have installed machiner y worth INR 60 L akhs t hat do es t he ent ire tests li ke a hine,
p ap di, f ungus, etc , and tel ls you t he quality it will maintain for the next 6 to 8 years, all within 48 hours is financial year the turnover of our paint comp any is INR 200 crore and we are t arget ing to achie ve 350 crore in t he next O ur combine d work is around INR 1000 crore and if we include a
f ranchis e e network, it is around INR 8000 crore Pres ent ly we are concent rate d in Nor t h India but now we are entering Into South India in a big way.
Satish Agar wal, CMD of the group, says that: “Our USP is the level of most intimate relationship we keep between us and our franchisees, the quality, ser v-
It’s about walking that extra mile on a predetermined course of steering a commercial enterprise in the creation of wealth Reaching the end-user directly helps in building up a long-lasting relationship But why for a product like TMT you may ask B ecause TMT, “ once used, cannot be replaced ” e concept of the ‘Exclusive Shoppe’ adds another layer of brand recognition to Kamdhenu lspat. ese retail outlets sell what’s produced exclusively by the Group and establishes the presence of the company in various locales, connecting the company directly to consumers ese activities knit the whole business framework of the company together and synhronise the long-term goals of the enterprise
e strategem of decentralised stockyards and deliver y systems in Kamdhenu Ispat ensures timely deliver y anywhere in our countr y From a network of production centres and distribution channels spread across the length and breadth of our countr y, we can offer an exceptionally efficient deliver y time 24 hours is all they require to render the order anywhere in India.
ices, and respect for each other at may be said to be the primar y reason why in a short span of around three decades, we have grown to become the No. 1 in this franchisee based network. We have equality among all our staff, dealers, and direct or indirect associates Even our peon gets the same level of importance because he is the head of his family and enjoys the same importance and respect as I enjoy in my family or you enjoy in your family So why discriminate? In fact, you will be surprised, we feel var y gratified and happy when whosoever joins us, works with us for long-term. Most of our people have been associated with us since many many years is is directly or indirectly a ver y big motivation for us to grow and prosper jointly
When we aske d him w hat t he most i mp or t ant t h i ng t hat has t he m w he re t h e y are to d ay, h e s ai d : “ T h e re i s n o on e re a s on for t h i s . F i rs t of a l l I h a d t his overarching life-go a l to do s omet hing big S e cond ly, our fami ly va lues an d re s p e c t for a l l n e e d s m e nt i on I wou ld s ay t he re as ons b ehind our success are t he te am work, t he mora l and e t h i c a l v a lu e s we uph ol d, an d t h e t ransp arenc y we adopt fe arlessly in a l l t he work we under t a ke We t hin k t hat we have around 15-20% market share today and a growth ratio of around 2025%. To a l l t hat, I wou ld a ls o add our phi los ophy of lo oking at our business relat ions wit h p ar t ners and ass o ciates l i ke f am i ly t i e s , an d ou r te n d e n c y to shap e it more li ke a fami ly b onding
When we asked him about their group ’ s faith in astrolog y and vaastu, he had this to say : “Yes we do, but I would like to make a point here When we built our first factor y, we did it without consulting vaastu experts. But it so turned out that our factor y is one of the most vaastu compliant factor y ”
Asked about overseas ambitions, he said: “At the moment we have no immediate plans to enter overseas markets, but yes, we do have a presence in our brand Kamdhenu being well known in neighboruring countr y markets like Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.”
e Kamdhenu Group has been a player in the steel sector for over 2 decades now, and their expansion across India has indeed been a more than rapid exercise. eir Franchised production model of business has not only merely allowed them to be a large decentralise network, but has also helped them diversify into many other other segments related to building materials and the construction industr y. With a fast growing economy, the government’s intention to build 100 smart cities and revitalise the real estate sector, the key focus and thrust that is being given to affordable housing et al., the future is indeed bright for a group like Kamdhenu, who is already focused on many an ingredient that is instrumental to making these targets of the government a reality
e author is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience. Had been associated with many Electronic Channels before star ting NRI Achievers magazine
One of Narendra Modi’s least talked-about but perhaps most intrig uing relationships during his first year as Prime Minister has been his equations with the only man more power ful than him - President Pranab Mukherjee. Coming as they do f rom diametrically opposite sides of the political spectrum, it would not have been ver y sur prising if India’s Head of State and Head of Government had had an uneasy equation over the past 12 months. But, at least on the sur face, the two have till now have not only steered clear of any over t f riction or controversy, but seem to enjoy a warm and cordial rappor t.
India may have had one or two docile “rubber stamp” Presidents in the past, but Pranabda does not fall into that categor y He is known to have a mind of his own and an awe-inspiring political bio-data. He has been a die-hard Congress leader for his entire political career spanning almost half a century (except for a brief bout of rebellion during the Rajiv Gandhi era when he launched his own party)
In contrast, Narendra Modi has been a hard core RSS man throughout his life, decidedly right wing in his political, cultural and economic views and driven by a passionate distaste for what he considers the C ongress mindset. In fact, when Pranab Mukherjee contested the Presidential elec-
tion three years ago in July 2012, it was Narendra Modi, then the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who worked over time to get him defeated Out of the 182 MLAs in the Gujarat Assembly, 123 cast their vote against Pranab and only 59 voted for. If Pranabda eventually won by a massive margin it was only because the BJP and its allies at that time had less than one-third weightage in the national electoral college
But since 2014 Lok Sabha election, both leaders appear to have buried the past and let bygones be bygones e spectacular oath taking ceremony on the forecourts of Rashtrapathi Bhawan on May 26 last year was evidence of a new understanding. In the months that followed, the Prime Min-
ister, despite his stated intention to achieve a Congress-mukt Bharat, has clearly been taking care not to rub the President in the wrong way Just as he turns on his charm while meeting foreign leaders, Modi has worked hard to be in Pranabda’s good books and heaped praises on the veteran Congress leader at ever y opportunity
Indeed, Narendra Modi has gone to extraordinar y extents to extol the virtues of Prababda. He once said: “Pranab da has given his life to India. Few people can match his political experience and stature We are honoured to have a president like him” He went even further by saying: “It takes just one interaction with Pranab da to mar vel at his intellect, sharp mind, deep
knowledge and insight on a wide range of issues”. Another quote that the R ashtrapathi’s aides are fond of referring to is Modi’s quip on Pranabda’s birthday on December 13 last year “ Talking to Pranabda for halfan-hour is like reading a good book”.
Knowledgeable sources say that while the President is very flattered to receive such lavish compliments, it has not come in the way of exercising what he considers his constitutional duty as head of State and guardian of the Constitution. For instance, when the Modi government issued as many as eight controversial Ordinances at the beginning of this year, the President did not hide his displeasure Even though he went ahead to sign them, it was not without a cautionary warning against taking the “Ordinance route” instead of normal legislations He publically conveyed his view that Ordinances are meant “to meet an extraordinary situation under extraordinary circumstances”.
Again, when the Prime Minister was toying with the idea of convening a joint session of Parliament to pass pending legislations in view of the deadlock in the Rajya Sabha where the BJP-led NDA is in a minority, Pranab Mukherjee is believed to have put his foot down. In fact, he spoke his mind on public forums too In a question and answer session during an address to Central universities and research institutions, the President said: “ e joint session route cannot and should not be taken for normal legislation …. because I have seen from 1952 till today only four times laws have been passed by joint session”
Even more recently, the President is repor ted to have summoned three senior Ministers of the Modi sarkar, including Finance Minister Ar un Jaitley, and asked blunt questions about what the urgenc y was to issue an Ordinance relating to acquisition of land. He gave his assent to it only aer he was given detailed and pre-
sumably convincing explanations. None of such instances of presidential disapproval, however, appear to have led to any strain in the relationship between President and Prime Minister On the contrar y, there have been a few occasions when Pranab Mukher jee has spoken about what he thinks of Narendra Modi He publically stated that he appreciated Modi for having commenced his innings in Parliament as leader of the majority par ty by bowing down in front of its steps and paying homage to this “great institution”.
When Pranabda under went a coronar y angioplasty some months ago, Modi made it a point to visit him in hospital, enquire about his health and spend some time with him. Although this is a normal courtesy, it was conveyed to the media through the PM’s aides that Modi wanted it to be viewed as a sign of the warm and cordial relations between the President and Prime Minister of the countr y.
On financial reforms policy matters, on which Pranabda is considered an expert, there was some anxiety when he asked the Finance Ministr y to explain the inordinate delay in implementing the recommendations of the Srikrishna committee. is was an unusual request because Presidents normally do not make such direct inter ventions or ask such queries At that time, the added complication was that the Reser ve Bank chief Raghuram Rajan was strongly against the proposal and Arun Jaitley’s advisors were showing disinterest in pursuing the recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Committee It was at this juncture that President Mukherjee made his unconventional inter vention and also raised the issue with Narendra Modi ose familiar with the development say that the Srikrishna committee had suggested back in 2013 some dramatic changes to the financial sector’s regulatory architec-
ture. ese include putting in place an Indian Financial Code that will replace the bulk of existing laws and creating a single regulator for pension, equity, insurance and commodities markets e RBI would continue with its present mandate of deciding the monetar y policy and monitoring and super vising banks and payment systems
Principal Secretar y in the Prime Minister’s Office Nripendra Mishra wrote a letter to the Finance Ministr y saying that the President had spoken to the Prime Minister about the import of the FSLRC’s recommendations which would do away with a multitude of laws, usher in consumer protection and create a single agenc y to manage government debt. Pranabda was believed to be somewhat annoyed that 18 months had passed with little or no progress on the implementation front
On his part, Modi made it a point not to ig nore t he President’s vie ws. He has effectively asked the Finance Ministr y to explain why there is such inordinate delay in implementing the recommendations of the committee
Meanwhile, President Pranab has stood his ground on some other issues. He has refused assent to 10 pending State bills. Reports say he has given the nod to 28 Bills pending with the States including the contentious Gujarat Lokayukta Bill When Modi was CM of Gujarat he had been at loggerheads with then Governor Kamla B eniwal over this Bill.
Despite such episodes, both the President and the Prime Minister have clearly taken care to ensure that equations between Rashtrapathi Bhawan and the PMO remain far more cordial than might have been expected
A
Raman SwamyIt i s indeed an ideal time for global investors to tur n their attention to the Indian economy, and the many my r iad sec tors that are opening up w ith a plethora of oppor tunities for investments, and the ensuing higher retur ns these inv e st me nt s are likely to fe tch , g iv e n the p e rce pt i on that Indi a i s sl ated to b ecome one of the fa ste st g row ing economies in the near f uture. Avdhesh Kumar G oel, CA, Cost Accountant and Entrepreneur in India's budding real estate sec tor, explain s why to readers of NRI Achie vers in thi s ke y note ar ticle ...
Histor y shows us that all great world-straddling empires and global economies of yore have risen, f rown, peaked, and finally have slowed down. Greeks, Romans, the Austro-Hungarians, the Ottoman, the Spanish, the Brits, and last of all the United States all have had the fortune of enjoying roughly a centur y each of rapid economic growth, which in turn created massive wealth-creation opportunities for many About a hundred odd years ago the best place to invest in was the US, but it is no more so today, with its economy in quite a bit of trouble. Aer sur viving the
collapse of the dot com bubble, there was a real estate bubble, which collapsed too, the ramifications of which are still being felt. Rise in oil & gas prices and other commodities had put US into a recession.
e Americans did pull themselves out of that and invested heavily into shale gas, but that bubble too seems to be on the verge of bursting. Now only time will tell what shock comes next? e US economy today, apropos, is old and rigid in many ways, just as England’s was 100 years ago True that thousands became enormously wealthy by getting into oil & gas and rail roads and other industries back then. But
with the world transforming itself at breakneck speed, new technology and advances in communications have permanently altered the way wealth is and will be created.
Just as one moved out looking for greener pastures in past, this present day is precisely the time to rethink. Current trade scenario in India is looking up and is much better than in many of the developed countries in the world, with the advent of future-oriented policies like 'Make in India', the emergence of a renewed thrust on external relations and a focus on
global reach of Indian businesses advocating an inward flight of investments.
Furthermore, the perfect timing of the second tranche of reforms like the renewed focus on industrial development, creation of new infrastructure, single window clearances and the banishment of redtape, not to mention building 100 smar t cities, are all like manna from the heaven anks to its geo-political position, India has a natural advantage vis-à-vis many other countries. Add to it the vast bank of resources and skilled manpower, and India stands out as the next big investment destination of the world Rising incomes are expected to create a strong 600 million middle class in the next 10 years, a force that none with a sound business mind can afford to miss A win-win for investors ?
Frankly, opportunities galore manifest themselves when rapid growth of an economy takes place, and you really do not have to be a genius to make money in that scenario all you need to ensure is to be at the right place at the right time With Prime Minister Narendra Modi focusing on our Diaspora, popular connect in this region is expected. e feedback received from his US, Canada, Australia and Japan visits is encouraging (to put it mildly), leading to a big boost in trade relations with many
Second tranche of Reforms Relaxed FDI, L and Acquisition Bill, C oal & Power sector reforms, direct transfer of subsidies, streamlined tax regimes.
Higher GDP Growth World Bank, IMF indicate India is expected to have fastest GDP growth in emerging markets, likely to sur pass China with growth rate of 7.9 %. Centre has budgeted for growth to be in region of 8.1 % 8 5% for 2016
Prudent Central Bank RBI focused on managing inflation and growth at the same time. Recent easing of interest rates and future economy prospects keeps it in 'A' league much ahead of most other economies
Strong Earnings India Inc’s corporate earnings growth rate is expected to average 7% this year, better than the average across the world. Further, rate of growth in earnings pegged at 18%
E arly Bird Advantage It’s not too late to buy into India Current for ward valuation levels point to sustainable growth at a reasonable price over the long term
countries. Looking inwards, there are at least a million families in India whose income is above US$ 100,000 a year at’s a ver y substantial chunk of society, many of whom are entrepreneurs and investors as well. Taking all these together, India’s positive investment climate and vast consumer markets will, there is no gainsaying, result in possibly more than a decade of phenomenal growth
is can also be seen as an auspicious beginning of an era, with India growing at least twice as fast as the United States. China has a huge, fast-growing economy as well But India has an advantage over its neighbour as the world's largest democrac y, a more homogeneous population, and the English language.
In last 10 years India has garnered a high amount of FDI According to UNCTAD figures released in September 2014. e steady progress in economy and reforms have played major role in attracting FDI which is at least 10 times more than any other country in the neighbourhood except China. And with further reforms push by the new government led by Narendra Modi, the Indian picture is all set to turn even more rosy While launching his flagship ‘Make In India’ campaign he had stressed upon the need to understand the FDI cycle and develop the countr y on the modern lines. He has urged investors not to look at India merely as a market, instead they should see it as an opportunity resulting in all round holistic growth
Today India is the only countr y in the world which offers the magically unique combination of democracy, demography, and demand. And the new government is indeed taking serious initiatives for skill
development to ensure that manpower is available for modern manufacturing Coupled with the renewed thrust on government-industr y par tnership, and a keen
focus on inducing clarity on polic y issues the coming centur y is most likely going to be Asia's, and by corollar y India's centur y. It might be a tiny baby step, but
the initiative on self-certification of documents is illustrative of how much the government is willing to trust its citizens
e PM too, on number of occasions has made it clear enough that if there is an issue, government would inter vene to further simplif y r ules and procedures. In summar y, the 21st centur y indeed belongs to India in a sense, and the Indian entrepreneurial community, not to mention foreign investors, will have ample opportunities to create wealth and encase on this growth stor y of India.
Avdhesh K. Goele author is Joint Managing Director of Earth Infrastructures Limited, and may be contacted via avdhesh.goel@earthinfra.com
From day one Modi’s victor y brought a new sense of optimism and pride amongst Indians eir confidence touched new heights not seen in decades eir morale and confidence was felt across the world especially amongst the huge Indian Diaspora scattered in over 150 countries of the world. Modi mania has created confidence, respectability and pride in Indians about their culture, civilization and capability Modi is reaching out to the NRIs to develop the Indian economy as never before. where in the world.
In t he first ye ar t he Mo di G ovt has demonstrated that it is an outward looking government wishing to play an import ant role on t he g lob a l st age. S o on aer taking office, Modi has visited numerous count r ies f rom t iny ones in t he Indian Ocean to giants like C anada, USA, G ermany, China, Japan, etc to connect with the people and the govt of those countries as wel l as to inf us e pr ide in t he Indian population settled there in numbers.
e world is looking to India as a partner capable of playing an important role in global politics to bring economic stability and growth. O n t h e d e f e n c e a n d e c on o m i c f r o nt , P M Mo d i i s g e t t i n g 3 6
e last Indian election surprised ever yone just as the recent one in Britain. No one could imag ine in their w ildest imag ination that the BJP would be v ic tor iou s let alone w ith an absolute majority like the Conser vative w in in the UK. Both elec tion s caught pollsters and pundits by sur pr i s e. ey had predicted hung Parliaments in both the countries w ith no par t y enjoy ing an abs olute major it y. e elec torate proved them w rong on both occasion s. We can safely say that both v ictories are the result of the charismatic leadership of Modi in India & Cameron in the UK.
R a f a e l j e t f i g ht e r s f r o m Fr a n c e , 3 , 0 0 0 m e t r i c t o n s o f u r a n i u m f r o m C a n a d a and 500 tons of uranium f rom Aust ra lia Ru s s i a h a s a g re e d to bu i l d te n m ore nuc l e a r r e a c t o r s i n In d i a . A m e r i c a w i l l s u p p l y In d i a w i t h a n a i r c r a f t c a r r i e r e qu ipp e d w it h t he mo st mo d e r n st ate of t h e a r t m i s s i l e g u i d a n c e s y s t e m In d i a an d Is r a e l i n p ar t n e rs h ip w i l l bu i l d t h e m o s t a d v a n c e d a nt i - w a r s h i p m i s s i l e s .
Mo d i i s p a r t i c u l a r l y k e e n t o b o l s t e r In d i a ’ s d e fe n c e w it h 8 bi l l i on d ol l ars s e t a s i d e f o r c o n s t r u c t i o n o f w a r s h i p s T he re w i l l b e s i x nu cl e ar submar i ne s for t he Indi an Nav y to comb at t he inf luence o f t h e C h i n e s e Nav y i n t h e In d i a n O c e an . T h i s d e m ons t r ate s Mo d i’s c omm i t m e nt t o m a k e In d i a s e l f - r e l i a nt i n d e fe nc e e “Make in India” campaign is aimed at making India a manufac tur ing hub, bring billions of dollars in investment and make India self-sufficient in the field of manufacturing.
T h e Mo d i G ov e r n m e nt i s bu i l d i n g ro a ds i n t he Hi ma l ay as and c on ne c t i ng t he ext reme ends of India It has ple dge d t o i n c re a s e i nv e s t m e nt i n t h e r a i l w ay s a n d a i r t r av e l n e t w or k . Mo d i h a s i d e nt i f i e d t h at f or In d i a t o h av e a s t a b l e f ut u re it mu s t h av e s o l i d b a s e f or t h e i n c re a s e i n e c on om i c a n d i ndust r i a l a c t iv it y
e task ahead is a hurricane but Modi as Prime Minister of India, we can hope for the best
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Rami Rangere author is a well known NRI based at UK.
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Notwithstanding the positive reformist policies of the progressive & for ward looking government, the initial euphoria has died down with expectations getting moderated.e current real estate scenario is a matter of concern with both investors and end- users deser ting the market due to high property and lending rates e unsold inventor y is rising sharply across the countr y with Mumbai recording the highest 2 lakh units, followed by NCR with 1.7 lakh units Going by the industr y statistics, NCR , Mumbai, B engalur u will respectively take about 54 months, 34 months and 28 months to clear the inventor y. Another worr ying factor is the high debt to equity ratio of real estate companies which are finding it difficult to reduce debt due to high interest outgo and poor cash flows
But several reform initiatives undertaken by the Modi government in its first year have raised high hopes of real estate turnaround e government has initiated reforms to boost FDI to overcome fund crunch By clearing decks for Real Estate Investment Tr usts (REITs),the government has provided new funding option for developers and investment avenue for retail investors ere is another major initiative by way of allowing foreign investments in Alternate Investment Funds.And in a recent twin measure, the
government has eased FDI norms for overseas Indians and liberalised rules for allowing offshore loans in rupee Further, single- window FDI nod and regulation of norms per taining to foreign individuals and firms purchasing property in India are under way B esides these reform measures, the government is creating policy environment that is predictable and transparent and for this measures like expeditious and timely approval processes, progressive tax regime, rationalisation of labour laws and ease of doing business are being taken
Considering that lack of transparency and regulation is one of the biggest reasons for the turmoil in real estate triggered by credibility crisis, the government has come up with an amended Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA) Bill, making it more broadbased by bringing commercial real estate and property agents under its ambit.e bill currently before the select committee of Parliament is expected to be passed in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament
While charting the reform path, the government is taking measures to check cash transactions and the circulation of black money in property transactions.e B enami Transaction Bill will also come handy to check the circulation of black money in real estate e two major policy initiatives of developing 100 smart cities and 'Housing for All by 2022' are quite significant
though not much headway is made about spelling out how the massive funding required for these initiatives will be arranged
Politics has taken toll of the most crucial reform initiative- L and Acquisition Bill, with the opposition dubbing the revised bill introduced by Modi government as anti- farmer However, the stalled bill is expected to be passed in the joint session of Parliament which will prove to be a game changer for the real estate sector.
All these reforms and policy initiatives which bode well for the real estate sector , have already created a positive sentiment ough residential sector is still under strain and may take few more quarters to recover, the commercial office segment has already shown the signs of turnaround with deals worth $ 1 84 billion in 2014 and 33 msf of Grade A office space across 7 top cities getting absorbed, registering 11 percent growth.
Considering all this, the prevailing crisis may prove to be a blessing in disguise as aer number of reforms and policy initiatives of the government fructify in the months ahead, real estate will emerge more regulated and much stronger and sustainable.
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Vinod Behle author is a senior media professional, with long-standing experience in the real estate sector. he may be reached at: vbehl2008@g mail.com
ough aer the completion of one year of NDA government, the initial euphoria has died down and high expectations have moderated in the absence of swi relief, yet for real estate, there is a strong hope of revival with sustained growth.
In D elhi’s s outher n r idge, there i s a Hunting Lodge built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 14th century. is is the largest Shikargah built during this architecture lov ing ruler’s reig n. It is a square structure of 30 mts leng th on each side, built on a high mound near the Delhi Ear th Station. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai takes a look at what’s s o special about this place for the readers of NRI Achievers. Two siblings, who claim to be the descendents of the royal family of Awadh, live in this structure. Without any electricity, reg ular water supply or even the most basic of amenities. So how come they ended up in this dungeon? We tracked the stor y for you.
In D el hi’s s out her n ridge, there is a Hunting Lodge built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 14th centur y is is the largest Shikargah built during this architecture loving ruler’s reign. It is a square structure of 30 mts length on each side, built on a high mound near the Delhi Earth Station. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai takes a look at what’s so special about this place for the readers of NRI Achievers Two siblings, who claim to be the descendents of the royal family of Awadh, live in this structure. Without any electricity, regular water supply or even the most basic of amenities So how come they ended up in this dungeon ? We tracked the story for you.
Princess Wilayat Mahal, the B egum of
Oudh, was the great granddaughter of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Oudh Nawab Wajid Ali was deposed by the British more than a centur y ago and their proper ties were seized. B egum Wilayat Mahal was fighting with the Govt. of India to get her property back, which is now being used as a pharmaceutical research centre To humiliate the government, she housed herself in the VIP lounge of the New Delhi Railway Station with her two children and her dogs for a considerably long period. In May 1985, the govt finally decided to allot Malcha Mahal to this royal descendant But placing a royal family in such a ghostly abode wasn’t really a good idea. On December 10, 1993, out of pain, mental
agony and stress, B egum Wilayat Mahal committed suicide, by consuming crushed diamonds. She le behind her two children, Princess Sakina and Prince Riaz, a few Dobermans & German Shepherds, and some royal treasure Her body was found lying on her study desk aer 10 days, and her children were found dazed with mourning and grief e night before Prince Riaz buried her, both her kids slept next to her dead body And since her mother’s painful death, the Princess Sakina has worn only black.
On the 24th of June 1994, some miscreants had attempted to ransack this haunted place in their greed for the treasure said to be hidden within e terrified young siblings had to dig the grave of their deceased mother and burn her body to save her grave from being desecrated and vandalized, and today, her ashes rest in a cr ystal vial ey were given a revolver and permission to shoot in self-protection by the Lt. Governor of Delhi. Today, this dungeon-like place is guarded by over a dozen ferocious dogs, unkempt high shrubs that surround it moat-like, and grills around the premise ey once had 27 dogs, but today only 9 are le Others have been poisoned by local thieves, who also succeeded in looting the place of a huge silver table and also some gold and silver tableware
Prince Anjum Quder, the present head of Oudh Royal family, wrote a letter to prime minister, several government bodies and other ministers in April 1975, stating that the claim by Begum Wilayat Mahal is a hoax He had explained that according to the Muslim tradition, the title of ‘Mahal’ was always awarded by the King to his wife, that too only when the first male child was born So according to him, under no circumstances can the title of ‘Mahal’ be given to a daughter or grand-daughter. Since Bahadur Shah Z afar was exiled to Burma, no lady in India was given the title of Mahal is can be cross verified with the last 150 years of Indian Histor y He has moreover given confirmed proof of the entire genealog y of the Oudh Royal Family, from Nawab Wajid Ali Shah onwards.
During the several visits I have made to the place, I was able to talk to a few people
there On one of my visits, I was able to meet and have a few words with the local forest officials What they had to say was that it indeed is a false claim that Begum Vilayat Mahal was allotted this palace permanently by the government, and that it was more of a make-shi temporar y arrangement to pull her out of the New Delhi Railway Station. ey further went to the extent of averring that in the initial days of Begum Wilayat Mahal coming to take up residence at this palace, they used to hear sounds of loud music and dance from the palace ey even told us that they fear some illegal activities are going in there. ey even recalled a couple of incidents where 1-2 reporters had attempted to breach the defences and get inside the Mahal, never to come out again However, I was not really able to find any proof or corroboration to this claim and it appears to be either a hoax or merely hearsay to me.
Anot he r t i me, I manage d to have a c onve rs at i on ab out t he Ma l cha Ma ha l w it h t he C I SF g u ards st at i one d at t he D el h i E ar t h St at i on . T he y tol d me t hat t he y have ab s olutely no clu e as to w hat goes on in there All they know is that if anyone t r ies to appro ach t he pl ace, t his guy unleashes his dogs and points a gun at the intruder. And then I was even luckier w hen I got to t a l k to one of t he em-
pl oye e s at t he E ar t h St at i on , w ho has been working there for decades accordi ng to h i m , t h is p a l a c e, w h i ch is just a me re hand f u l of y ards aw ay f rom t he Station, once used to be their badminton c ou r t But s i nc e t he s e p e opl e have come, the y have not b een allowed to go near the palace
During one of our photo walks there, conducted under the auspices of the Delhi Heritage Photography Club, when I, along with several of our members were tr ying to locate the entrance to the palace, we encountered a person, who we later realised was the prince himself We were amazed by his command over English We tried to start conversation with him but he quickly jumped into the bushes and disappeared.
I had originally written this as a blog article at http://vikramjits wordpress com, and many people had sharing their views and experiences as well on it If this mysterious place interests you, you could go to the link and search for ‘Malcha’, to get a deeper insight on the subject
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Vikramjit Singh Roopraie writer is a self-made IT entrepreneur, who is also a passionate heritage & history buff.
Slovenia, a Central European countr y nestled in eastern Julian Alps towards the nor thern end of Adr iatic S ea, i s a member of the EU, par t y to S chengen Ag reement and i s a sig nator y to NAT e countr y i s bordered by Au str ia to the nor t Italy to the west, Hungar y to the nor theast, an Croatia to the southeast. Eastern Alpine Slovenia though small, control s s ome of Europe's major tran sit routes. Its recent legac y as one of Yugoslav ia's six constituent republics, historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democratic polity have contributed to Slovenia's metamorphosing into a modern state. Present-day Slovenia attained Independence in the year 1991. Her Excellency Mrs. Darja Bavdaz Kuret, Sloven ian ambassador extraordinar y and plenipotentiar to India, shared thoughts about her countr y an Indo-Slovenia relation s w ith ass ociate editor o NRI Achievers, S andip akur...
Slovenia is a fair y-tale land sited at the crossroads o European cultural and trade routes, a mountainous t mostly with a climate continental in nature. With mor 60% of the countr y under forests (some dating back to pri times), it is the third most forested countr y in Europe aer F & Sweden Lush green grasslands, fertile agricultural fields, mention numerous orchards and vineyards constitute the the countr y. Apart from rich biodiversity, the countr y is al of the most water-rich on the continent, with a dense netw rivers, a rich aquifer system and the wondrous 'karst' underg watercours es, a limestone wonderland of underg round gorges, and caves that stretches from Ljubljana, the nation's c city, to the Mediterranean.
e word “Slovenia “ invokes visions of natures bewitching beauty. A countr y with the most exhilarating emotion embedded right into its middle Love has great power here, it links the sea with the mountains, the forests with the waters, the fields with the vineyards and orchards, and the secrets of the dark underworld with the brilliant light of the sky.
Madam, you have had quite a long stint in India now, share your vision for strengthening economical, cultural, political and people-to-people ties between our two countries
It is indeed an immense privilege for any Slovene diplomat to ser ve in India, and I am happy to be one of them. India is known to us since many centuries “India Koromandia “ was o pictured as a land of abundance in old Slovene folk songs. e stories of missionaries, sailors, soldiers and adventurers have kept alive these perceptions about India even today Our countr y is tr ying its level best to take our contemporar y and mutually beneficial partnership to higher levels, through high-level political interaction, robust people-to-people contact and intensive intergovernmental co-operation Indo-Slovene co-operation quite a wide range of sectors In sum, I would say that today relations between our two countries are ver y friendly, with great potential to grow in the fields of culture, science, economic cooperation and particularly people-to-people contacts.
Not too many Indians know much about Slovenia. So could you g ive us a snapshot of your countr y, and also tell us something about yourself?
Slovenia is a stunningly beautiful countr y with a population of two million. We cater to ever y segment of tourists and the countr y is an epicurean paradise for food and wine lovers, for sports & adventure enthusiasts and much more We did lot to bring both the nations closer, but will also promote the trade and tourism
ties – and will also open up a window of opportunity for Slovenians to visit your really “Incredible India “ . Concerning me, my parents fought for Slovenia's freedom, my father was a freedom fighter, who sadly though is no more I would like to call myself a patriot, with ver y strong feelings and love for my countr y I have a son who lives in the United Kingdom, in London, and has visited India. I love Indian people, Indian food and find Indian marriages especially fascinating
What are Slovenia's economic underpinnings? And why is it that Slovenia's FDI (Foreig n Direc t Investment) le vel s are among the lowest in Europe?
Slovenia's most important sector of the economy is Industr y, which contributes to 33% of our total GDP Apart of this – wholesale & retail trade, transport, housing and food make up another 20 4% Public administration, defence, education, health & social ser vices from 17.8%, and the tourism sector bring in 13%. Our main trading partners are Germany, Italy and Austria. FDI, incidentally, is gradually on the rise
How successful has Slovenia been in promoting the tourism sector in terms of drawing large number of inbound tourists?
I think that tourism is an area where a lot more could be done in Slovenia. We have vast scope to attract more tourists and earn more We have tremendous potential still waiting to be exploited, a whole bouquet of natural assets, and areas of breathtaking beauty Today, a mere 13% of GDP comes from tourism
Many tourists do come from nearby countries like Germany, Italy, Austria etc., but tourists from farther lands are few and far between It is only now that our government is laying emphasis on tourism and prioritising the sector, with plans afoot that will require concerted marketing, promotional activities and events
One of the main assets that our countr y possesses is climate Slovenia is in the temperate latitudes, and climate is influenced by the variety of relief, and the influence of the Alps and the Adriatic Sea In the Northeast, it is continental, while the littoral (or coastal) regions are sub-Mediterranean We also have alpine climates, in the high mountain regions. In general, throughout the year temperature is ver y moderate and pleasant from the point of view of tourist locales
What are the Vi sa for malities an Indian has to go through to visit Slovenia?
Slovenia is part of Schengen system and follows Schengen reg-
ulations for issuance of visas. Residents in India and Bhutan who wish to apply for a visa to travel to Slovenia can apply on line. e visa applications can be submitted at the Embassy or at the Slovenian counter of VFS Global C entres ey are present in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai, and of course in New Delhi. All applications are assessed by our Slovenian Embassy in New Delhi.
Slovenia is anticipating its inclusion to e-Tourist Visa facility by the Indian Government for travellers from Slovenia to India
What trajector y do you see bilateral relations between India and Slovenia taking in the coming times?
Relations b etween India and Slovenia are clos e and f r iendly. An imp or tant milestone in bilateral relations was the state visit of our Pr ime Minister, Mr B or ut Pa hor, to Indi a in June 2011 T he v is it i n f us e d ne w dy nam is m i nto ou r e qu at i on w it h Ind i a a n d e n c ou r a g e d c l o s e r e c on om i c c ont a c t s at g ov e r n m e nt a l l e vels as wel l as Indust r y and pr iv ate s e c tor l e vel. Pol it i c a l d ia l o g u e b e t w e e n t h e t w o c ou nt r i e s i s b e i n g s t re n g t h e n e d t h rou g h t he e xchange of v is it s and re g u l ar p ol it i c a l c onsu lt at i ons b e t we e n t he Mi n ist r y of Fore i g n Af f ai rs of Sl ove n i a and you r Mi n ist r y of E x te r na l Af f ai rs i n Ind i a . L ast ye ar, t he Ind i an Mi n iste r of St ate for D e vel opme nt of Nor t h E aste r n R egions, Exter nal Af fairs & O vers e as Indian Af fairs, G eneral VK Si ng h , ha d v is ite d Sl ove n i a mark i ng t he f i rst e ve r v is it s of a hig h-le vel repres ent ative of t he ne w Indian gover nment to any of t he Europ e an Union memb er st ates This conf ir me d t he exc e l l e nt bi l at e r a l re l at i on s b e t w e e n In d i a a n d S l ov e n i a . T h e M i n i s t e r h e l d bi l at e r a l d i a l o g u e w it h ou r P re s i d e nt Mr B or ut Pa hor, t he Pr i me Mi n iste r D r Mi ro C e r ar, and t he Fore i g n M i n i s t e r M r Ka r l E r j av e c In s u m m a r y, I a m v e r y c on f i d e nt i nd e e d t hat t h is u n i qu e rel at i onsh ip w i l l on ly g row bi g ge r i n t he f utu re.
You can reach out to the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in New Delhi at,
A - 5/4, Vasant Vihar New Delhi 110 057, India
T: + 91 11/ 41662891 visa section: T: + 91 11/ 41662893 F: + 91 11 /41662895
E: vnd(at)gov.si
It’s b e e n re p or t e d l at e l y a b out E kt a Kap o or d i kt at on t h e ‘ nu d it y c l au s e ’ a s a m a n d at or y c l au s e i n a l l h e r c ont r a c t s a n d d i re c t or S a nj ay S h a r m a i s t h e bi g g e s t s upp or t e r of t h e i n it i at i v e t a k e n by t h e C z a r i n a S a nj ay S h a r m a w a s s o a g h a s t at t h e at t it u d e of h i s l e a d i n g Pa k i s t a n i h e roi n e S a d i a w h i l s t s h o ot i n g t h e f i l m DU N N O Y 2 L I F E I S A MOM E N T a n d w i s h e d h e t o o w ou l d h av e h a d t h e l i b e r t y of s u c h a c l au s e . S a d i a re f u s e d t o k i s s Kapi l S h a r m a i n t h e f i l m , a n d b a c k e d out i n t h e l a s t m om e nt a s s h e w a s s c a re d of t h e b a c k l a s h i n Pa k i s t a n .
Swiss watchmaker OMEGA formally opened its first boutique in Pune, bringing the total number of exclusive OMEGA boutiques in the countr y to 9. Located on MG Road in Pune, the boutique boasts a prime address with several commercial establishments and high-end shopping destinations. Brand Ambassador Abhishek Bachchan threw the same open to the public with Manager Narayanan, by
cutting the ribbon and said, ‘Watch lovers will now get to experience real watch making and finest timepieces created in the world ’
Juhi Chawla and Shabana Azmi along with Z arina Wahab and Div ya Dutta joined hands to suppor t renowned makeup ar tist Subhash Singh’s maiden production, CHALK N DUSTER. The mahurat of the movie was an extravagant af fair The ensemble cast also included actors Ritu Shivpuri, who looked a million dollars in her embroidered sari, while Samir S oni looked suave in his white shir t-jeans avatar. Gavie Chahal was seen having a good time with the repor ters Upasna Singh was chir py as ever. Also present at the occasion were directors R ajkumar Santoshi, Prakash Jha and beauty pageant winner Navneet Kaur Dhillon, who kick star ted the shoot with the clapper. Producers Subhash Singh, S onali Singh and Amin Surani bonded well with all the actors and director Jayant Gilatar
Superhero sequel to megahit THE AVENGERS aka AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON released recently is creating quite a frenzied excitement globally and in India too. Our own B-Town folks too seem to have caught the AVENGERS fever, as is evident from Aditya Roy Kapur’s statement that he wouldn’t mind even doing the movie for free if re-made in India ! Aditya Roy Kapur says: “I’m really excited about AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. If a film of this magnitude gets made here I’d do it for free! Hulk is my favourite character; I love how he’s sensitive and so at heart but “Hulks out” into this unstoppable force if the enemy threatens his environment.”
e stunningly
shor tly,
excer pts of her
Is it true that you didn't want to take up acting in films initially?
It is tr ue that initially I only wanted to take up modeling but when I
w ith
made the rounds of auditions, people asked me to tr y my luck in films and aer acting in plays, I decided to migrate to Mumbai.
Are you related to Huma Qureshi in any way?
No, I am not related to Huma Qureshi in any way, but I am flattered since she
is a good looking girl who is also a great actress.
How did you bag the offer to play the leading lady in producer Ronnie Rodrig uez's film which is yet to be titled?
It was just by sheer luck that I bagged the film I was sitting at a KFC outlet in L ok handwa la just a mont h ago, w hen Ronnie had wa l ke d in wit h his f r iends one evening. When he saw me, he immediately sent a friend of his to ask me if I were contemplating on taking up acting in fi lms When I s aid yes, I was int roduced to Ronnie and the ver y next day he called me to his office and I was signed for my ver y first film.
Have you been sig ned for just one film or more as is the practice today?
Ronnie has sig ne d me not for just one but t h e re f i l ms , w h i ch h i s pro du c t i on hous e PB C Mot ion Pic ture Pr ivate limite d i s goi ng to l au n ch t h i s ye ar. I am g l a d t hat t hou g h I c ame f rom Jaipu r i n s e arch of t h e r i g ht of fe r a s a h e roi n e, I didn't f lip for e ach and e ver y f i lm t hat I w a s of fe re d i n t h e l a s t c oupl e of ye ars and waite d for t his prest ig ious proj e c t.
Does it mean that you didn't have to struggle to get a break?
No, I didn't have to struggle in the conventional sense to get a break, but was preparing to be an actor by watching films and obser ving actors and how they interpret their roles.
Did you succumb to the temptation of making money by ag reeing to work in T V serials?
Why just T V serials, I flatly said no to offers to play insignificant roles in big films as well as main roles in insignificant films because I knew that I am destined for bigger films and a great future in Bollywood
Was it easy for you to convince your conser vative parents to agree to let you act in films considering that you belong to a Muslim family? I had to surmount a lot of objections from my family but I managed to win over my parents, especially my father, b ecaus e by nature I am quite ziddi and they had no other alternative but to let me pursue my ambitions
Did your boy f r iend readily ag ree to let you take up a career in films?
I do not have any boyf riend because I
am of t he opi n i on t hat a b oy f r i e nd is not h i ng buy a g re at h i nd r anc e i f a you ng g i rl w ant s to pu rsu e a c are e r as an actor in f ilms
What is your concept of Mr Right?
ough I do not believe in having boyfriends, I will never indulge in flirting with boys and lead them up the garden path I am serious about marr ying someone and settling down like Madhuri Dixit did aer establishing herself in films as a sought-aer actress. I'd opt for a love marriage with a guy who is not only understanding but also not domineering
What would you have become if you did not take up acting?
If I had not taken up acting, I'd have been a housewife
A
e writer is a well-known & established film critic.
You would be alltoo-familiar w ith the traits of a ty pical w ildlife enthusiast. Hi s ears pricked like an Als atian’s, for a real or imag ined call of a monke y or a swamp deer ;while his eyes would dart around like a sleuth’s, spotting slightest movement in the env irons.
You would be all-too-familiar with the traits of a typical wildlife enthusiast. His ears pricked like an Alsatian’s, for a real or imagined call of a monkey or a swamp deer ;while his eyes would dart around like a sleuth’s, spotting slightest movement in the environs
His tongue, dry and lips chapped, but he is unlikely to even notice that. His skin, sen-
sitive to the gentlest brush of a grass blade, yet immune to the extremes of elements.
His speech, limited to sudden inhibiting shush once in a way, while his instinct would make him analyse all random pugmarks and incoherently whisper to no one in particular “Last night’s!”
He is happy to retire in a claustrophobic tent with a dim flashlight, or in a camouflage hide that has none ough I love wildlife, I do not belong there. In fact, all that and more kept me away from most National Parks in India.
More likely you would be interacting with an animal’s poop here, with long odds of spotting him go aer a prey
e parks of choice for me have been Masai Mara, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Pilanesberg, Seal Island (S. Africa), Phillip Island (Australia), and the likes.
Characteristically, they spoil you by abundance of the exotic During the day, be surrounded by large herds of the bizarre giraffes, zebras, ostriches, wildebeests; comfortably spot the majestic cheetahs, lions, rhinos and hippos; and once in a way cross paths with the rare porcupines, pythons, crocodiles and leopards
Evenings at a resort here offer spa treatments, Jacuzzis swirling with water at ‘just right’ temperature, a choice of game meat and crackling, fragrant bonfires
U n d e r s t a n d a b l y , mention of a visit to Satpura found me perfunctorily nodding at the prospect While the Corbetts, Kanhas and Kazirangas were o referred in my circles, my memor y failed me regarding any allusion to Satpura.
Carr ying that mindset, I travelled to Satpura. A hellish train journey on a wintr y night notwithstanding, initial impressions during my approach to this destination did little to cause excitement Road leading to the resor t challenged one ’ s driving skills; the journey itself was rather dull; and the reception area of the resort nothing to write home about.
property that further added to the charm of the surroundings.
at aernoon, we went for the jeep safari. We crossed over to the core zone in a boat, all set with hats and cameras But we faced the usual, our interaction with wildlife limited to false alarms and pugmarks. On our return, we realised ours was the only jeep to have not spotted a leopard,
yards of a tiger hunting down a langur! We did not have any time for clicking an image but the incident gives me goose bumps while I recount this for you
Our planned second safari (a boat safari) went down the tube since bureaucrats still control and overrule a tourist’s rights and hijack the boat when needed by them
Secretar y Tourism, MP, did the same with us as her friends and family took precedence over our right to the only boat that was available. High time such bureaucratic high-handedness is addressed. While being deprived of our rightful access to the boat safari le a bad taste in mouth, Satpura National Park le us fascinated!
As and w hen you pl an a v isit, do ensure booking a f light to Bhopal and make
But once we were ushered into the resort, I started to wonder if my first impressions were well-founded. Denwa Backwater Escape, a Pugdundee Resort, is spread over 10 acres in buffer zone of Satpura National Park River Denwa separates it from the core area of the park.
While the food was ordinar y, the ambience was luxurious Our cottages at the resor t were well appointed e resor t landscaping jelled with the rugged looks of the jungle and its buffer zone. ere were natural backwaters ponds in the
or a tiger, or both. But then, that is luck!
In the evening, the resort was romantically lit with streetlights of kerosene lanterns And the calls from the wild provided congruous music! Next morning, we discoveredthat Satpura National Park offered 5 types of safaris jeep, boat, walking, elephant and night. A boat safari here gives you an opportunity to spot crocodiles on the banks of Denwa
We had time for 2 more safaris We availed of one by going for a walk in the park, where our group was within 150
online bookings for your safaris to avoid he ar t a che s t he re ( by t he w ay, t he y d o NOT a l l ow an on l i ne b o at s af ar i b o ok i ng as of now ) A ls o, t hou g h summers here will be unbearably hot and u nc om for t abl e, pl an you r t r ip t he n for best wildlife sightings.
A
Ajay Soode author is an accomplished travel photographer and travelogue writer who has been to more than 20 countries in search of the unusual.
Postal regd No. dn/297/2013-2015
Date of Publication: 5th of ever y Month
Date of Posting: 8th & 9th of ever y Month
