e High Commission of Ghana in India receives with sincere thanks, a copy of NRI Achievers I particularly enjoyed the article on the late president, His Excellency Abdul Kalam Keep up your wonderful work.
Akweley Ar yee, First Secretar y (Admin), Ghana, via e-mail
Sharq Taronalari Festival, held ever y two years, is a major cultural event of Uzbekistan. is year, once again, the Festival was organized in a ver y impressive way We also had participation of a group led by Ustad Vajahat Hussain Khan from India India and Uzbekistan have centuries-old cultural linkages and people-to-people contacts. Indian dance and music is widely appreciated in Uzbekistan. Festivals such as Sharq Taronalari give us an opportunity to showcase the similarities and linkages between our cultural traditions
Vinod Kumar, Ambassador, India in Uzbekistan
Hi I am an Indian from Uzbekistan who has received your magazine by mail It was quite interesting compared with other magazines I like the cover page of your magazine. Content is really ver y nice and the sections you give in your magazine are knowledgeable. is time you have given a short photo essay on Uzbekistan. Aahhh... it’s ver y colourful You presented photographs of markets, train, B ollywood film craze, fruits as flavour of Uzbekistan all are ver y beautiful In some photographs colours are light but it not a big problem. Nice idea, nice presentation overall its ver y good photo-essay. ank you for sending me the magazine All the best for future A n ony m o u s , v i a c om m e nt p o s t e d
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Septemb er proved to b e a b eef y month indeed, in all asp ects and s ens es of the word. A he av y, tou g h to d i ge st p arc el of t i me, w h i ch s aw a w hol e l ot of activity b oth go o d and bad. With the r unup to the Bihar elections, satraps of a l l p ol it i c a l hu e s and sha d e s to ok to t he c amp ai g n t r ai l, e ve n as a l i g n me nt s and realignments to ok place via backro om parlays and netas chameleon-like changed allegiances all for p ercie ved p olitical gain Religious intolerance to o reared its dark head, as caste and vote bank p olitics play out their charades. B eef bans and statutes to pre vent cow-slaughter apar t, the state and p olitical par ties vie with each other to determine what you or I should and should not eat. That apar t, the foregone month was an e ventful month indeed
Coming to our current issue, our Cover Stor y is on Uzbekistan, and the hugely popular “Sharq Taronalari” (melodies of the orient) international music festival that concluded end August. Indian Achievers brings you profiles of a handful of countr ymen who have contriburted in their own ways to the economy and arts. R aman Swamy, our Realpolitik columnist, tells us its break time for politics, and instead brings you a piece in Op-Ed Heritage, Real Estate, Travelogue, Silver Screen etc all our regular column are their for your infinity reading is time we have a new introduction- Diaspora News. To feature you and your communities. Do contribute.
We are at your ser vice as ever, and yes, we would like to remind you, this is an anniversar y issue. Yes, we bagan exactly three years ago, and it is you, our readers, who have kept us going Do read our short statement of intent on the note we have included as par t of the content on our anniversar y wish list, and it is you who can make all that happen with your tangible and intangible contributions Give us your feedback! Send them to us, irrespective of whether they be constructive, or even if they be rants on what we are not offering you. Having said that, please do be somewhat charitable to us, transitions needs to be more in the nature of slow-dissolves rather than be a brusque cut-to-cut In the meanwhile, we wish to continue hearing more from you– do keep writing to us your views, posting on social media, and reaching out to us with your own content. And many many best wishes to all of you on the forthcoming festive season. Cheers !
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e Tenth World Hindi Conference (çßE çã Îè â× ÜÙ) took place at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, last month, with the theme of Hindi Jagat-Vistar and Sambhavnayen e three-day conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was organised in Madhya Pradesh for the first time, and is being held in India aer 32 years e event was organised jointly by the Union Ministr y of External Affairs in partnership with the state Government is edition of conference hosted scholars f rom 39 countries who discussed issues like Hindi in administration, foreign polic y and law An exhibition showcasing assimilation of Hindi with modern techniques was also set up at the conference venue e first ever World Hindi Conference was organized in Nagpur, by the then Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi It was held from the 10th to the 12th of Januar y in the year 1975. Since then, ever y year 10th Januar y is being obser ved as World Hindi Day. For the first conference, the then Prime Minister of Mauritius Seewoosagur R amgoolam was the Chief Guest and it was attended by 122 delegates f rom 30 countries e ninth edition of the World Hindi Conference was held in the year 2012, at Johannesburg in South Africa.
On September 11, 2015 one of the most prestigious beauty pageants “Vibrant Mrs Delhi/ NCR” occurred in Tivoli Garden Resorts, Chattarpur, New Delhi e event aimed at bringing opportunity to married women to prove their talent and claim their fame e event witnessed the presence of some of the most prominent faces who have done great work in the field of beauty, fitness and lifestyle On this event, Jyotish Dr Jyoti Vardhan Sahni was honoured with Vibrant India Achievers Award 2015. He was also honoured by "Hind Gaurav Award 2015" in June this year.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on 6th Oct while addressing a press conference said that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) C onference 2016 will be held at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi from 8th to 10th Januar y e PBD Conference 2016 is being planned differently with an objective for developing a new paradigm for engagement with the Diaspora over the next decade. Participation in the PBD C onference will be through invitation only and not through the on-line registration as in earlier PBDs. Swaraj added that an online Diaspora Quiz will be organized for the benefit of Diaspora Youth, and that winners will be called for the next PBD e Quiz will be thrown open to ever yone but only NRIs and PIOs between 18 – 35 years will be eligible for prizes. e 20 finalists – 10 NRIs and 10 PIOs each will be brought to Delhi for the final round of the Quiz and 3 + 3 winners each will be felicitated in the PBD C onference 2016 B esides the above, there will be other prizes and benefits to be given to the 20 finalists of the Diaspora Quiz, such as certificates of appreciation and mementos of the occasion. A separate Know India Programme for this categor y would be organized so that they are given an opportunity to see the countr y Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on 9th Januar y ever y year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. Januar y 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever
JYOTI S H AC H A RYA D R . JYOTI VA R D H A N S A H N I G E T S AC H I E V E R S AWA R D
A rou n d 1 5 bi l l i on Eu ro s ( U S $ 1 6 9 bi ll i on ) w a s w ip e d of f t h e m ar ke t v a lu e of Vo l k s w a g e n AG i n o n e g o, f o l l o w i n g r e v e l a t i o n s a b o u t G e r m a n c a r m a k e r V W h av i n g r i g g e d U S e m i s s i o n s t e s t s for more t h an 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 of it s d i e s el c ars B y e a r l y n e x t a f t e r n o o n t r a d i n g i n F r a n k f u r t , Vo l k s w a g e n ’ s s h a r e p r i c e w a s d ow n a s t u n n i n g 2 0 . 4 % , a f t e r h itt i n g a t h r e e - y e a r l o w o f 1 2 5 . 4 Eu r o s .
It s d r a m a t i c f a l l w e i g h e d h e a v i l y o n G e r m any ’ s m ai n s t o c k i n d e x , t h e DA X , w h i c h u n d e r p e r for m e d it s p e e r s i n Eur o p e w i t h a 0 . 6 % d e c l i n e . I n I n d i a , a p r o p o s , c a r m a k e r G e n e r a l Mo t o r s I n d i a w a s f o u n d g u i l t y o f a s i m i l a r p r a c t i c e i n r e l a t i o n t o i t s m u l t i u t i l i t y v e h i c l e Tav e r a , w h i c h s aw t h e h e a d s of it s s e v e r a l s e n i or of f i c i a l s ro l l i n g .
Dr R akesh chopra, CEO of Artemis hospit a l organize interac t ive s ession wit h cancer specialist in e Taj Mahal Hotel, Ne w D el hi on 11 S eptemb er. Dr Peter Paul Yu, Immediate Past President ASCO, Mr. R aj Mantena, B o ard memb er C onquer Cancer Foundation ASCO, and Mr Doug Pyle, senior director international affairs, ASCO were invited there for interacted with different doctors from different hospit a ls, wit h NGOs and many ot her hig h profi le d p e ople and dis c uss about cancer
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd , India’s leading SUV manufac turer, unvei le d its much awaite d sp or ts ut i lity vehicle (SUV), t he TUV 300 in D el hi recently Designed in house and built on an all new platform, the design of the TUV 300 is inspired by a battle tank which gives it a tough, bold & stylish character. According to Dr. Pawan Goenka, executive Director, M & M Ltd. said,” launch of all new TUV 300 is a proud moment in the automotive journey for Mahindra.
MMTC L imite d has b e en awarde d t he Top Exporter's Gold Trophy (Merchant Enter pr is e) for the year 2013-14 by the Engineering Export Promot ion C ounci l (EEPC) of India at t he 46t h Nat iona l EEPC Awards for E xp or t E xcellencence.
Amitabh Mathur, 57, has assumed charge as Director (Industrial Systems & Products) of the Maharatna Public S ector engineering and manufacturing enter pris e, on his app oint ment as a Dire c tor on t he B o ard of Bharat He av y E le c t r ica ls L imite d. Pr ior to t his, he was he ading t he comp any ’ s Powe r S e c tor E a s te r n R e g i on (PSER), Kolkata as an Executive Director. A Me chanica l eng ine er f rom D el hi C ol lege of E ng i n e e r i ng an d a M BA f rom Fa c u lt y of Man a ge m e nt Stu d i e s D e l h i, Mat hu r has more t han 34 ye ars of r ich professiona l e x p e r i e n c e i n h an d l i ng d ive rs e f u n c t i ons i n B H E L l i ke m ar ke t i ng , bu s i n e s s d e ve l opm e nt , c or p or ate af f ai rs , proj e c t management & exe c ut ion
RINL continues to improve its production performance during August this year Sales volume has gone up to 3 06 lakh tonnes, up by 50 percent over sales of the previous month and expor ts of INR 176 crores in August represents a growth of 46 percent over the corresponding period last year Correspondingly, the cumulative sales volume of 12 42 lakh tonnes has recorded a growth of 27 percent. P Madhusudan, CMD RINL, obser ved that steel consumption is likely to grow with the government's announcement of 'Smar t City Mission,' with 100 Smart Cities and other initiatives which are expected to revive the investment cycle and growth.
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The spec tacular and g rand biennial peagent of the inte r nat i onal mu si c fe st iv al “S harq Taronalari” ”Melodies of the East” is held onc e e v e r y t w o y e ar s at S amar kand in Uz b eki stan , and ha s g aine d the stat u s of b e ing one of the mo st p anorami c and e nchant ing e v e nt s in the c u lt ural c al e nd e r of Central Asia. The cur rent Sharq Taronalar i Festival was held and took place dur ing the l a st w eek of Aug u st thi s y ear at the ce nt ral S amar kand s qu are c al l e d the “R e g i stan . ” Par t of an ancient and splendid medieval en-
s e mbl e of or i e ntal b e aut y, the R e g i stan S qu are in S amar kand i s a w or l d he r itag e site. Travellers of yore passing S amarkhand on the Great Silk Road have called thi s cit y a “Pearl of the Or ient” for its beautif ul and mag nif icent palace architec ture. As the capital of the spraw ling me di e v al e mpire of Taimur l ane , S amar kand at t rac te d s ome of the best mind s and talents of that time s cienti sts, ar ti sts, architec ts, poets. And each of the m have done the ir bit to g lor if y thi s legendar y or iental cit y in their ow n ways.
enturies came and went, and Samarkand sur vived them with aplomb Today, the Registan S quare is where the haunting melodies of the orient find breathtaking expression in the pan-global musical event of “Sharq Taronalari” once ever y two years towards the end of the hot summer season e festival brings together hundreds upon hundreds of talented singers, dancers and musicians to take part in the showcasing of the vast musical spectrum of skills and creativity, and present to their peers and appreciative audiences the hoar y musical traditions of the world’s nations. e Registan Square is equipped for the event with a mammoth open-air stage, replete with sophisticated lighting and excellent acoustics, right in the midst of the Square surrounded on all sides by the edifices of the magnificent monuments of medieval islamic oriental architecture. e organizers do their best the best decorations are chosen, interesting exhibitions and conferences are timed to synchronise with the festival, and a whole slew of foreign guests are catered for participants, dignitaries, photographers, cin-
ematographers and audiophiles, not to mention the world media.
is time round, quite a majority of people who came for the festival found themselves in Uzbekistan for the first time, including me. I for instance, had no idea of what actually Samarkand was, apar t from information gleaned from the public domain Seeing the city and feeling it’s ambience first hand was a revalation in itself
And like me, most first time visitors had the organisers to thank, who ever so thoughtfully arranged it that we could get
acquainted with this city with a 27 centur y-old histor y. Walking around Samarkand, we visited the tomb of Taimurlane, great grandfather of Z aheeruddin Babur Fascinating too were the Shah-i-Zinda complex, where the spirit of a saint is believed to still live there according to legend; the ancient settlement of Af rosiab; the mausoleum of Prophet Daniel; the Madarasa of Ulugbek an eminent medieval scientist and patron of arts and science and grandson of Taimurlane; the Bibi-Khanum Mausoleum and several
I t i s s u r e l y n o a c c i d e n t t h a t t h e U z b e k N at i o n a l A n t h e m b e g i n s w i t h t h e w o r d “ S e r k u y o s h . ” B ec a u s e a s s o o n a s I e n t e r e d t h e C u l t u r e a n d R e c r e a t i o n p a r k “ S h a b o d a” I s a v o u r e d a n a m a zi n g f l a v o u r a n d a r o m a a s s a i l i n g m y s e n s e s . I n t r i g u e d , I f o u n d i t a s a n a m a z i n g f l a v o r o f R a y h o n ( B a s i l ) . P r o b a b l y, t h e p l a n t s e x u d e t h i s f r a g r a n c e w h e n s a t e d w i t h s o l a r h e a t . ”
other wonderful architectural monuments of Samarkhand.
Various exhibits of the national Uzbek dress, traditional musical instruments, artbazaars and music conferences are also held during the festival. e Sharq Taronalari Festival this time lasted for almost a whole week, culminating with the finale of a grandiose super-concert in which nominees and winners of the festival also participated Towards the end of the show, a spectacular and breathtaking display of fireworks lit up the silky indigo Samarkand sky, lighting up the monuments in multihued colours and bidding a colourful ‘fare thee well’ to the gathered audiences as well is year, representatives had arrived from upwards of 66 countries to partake in the festival, with the event beiong covered by a press corp of more than 200 local journalists and several invitee foreign media houses. e Assistant D G for External Relations & Public Information of UNESCO, Eric Falt, was the guest of honour e festival “Sharq Taronalari,” which is befittingly in the UNESCO list of international cultural events, also demonstrates its significance apart from being one of the most liked music events of the region. e
I am a Roman, and especially because of that, I had always wanted to travel to Samarkand a city oft called the Rome of the East. Now I must say that I am indeed very glad to have reached here. I am passionate about music, and have spent a lot of time analysing western music from the scientific point of view. But now after this experience I have had at Sharq Taronalari I am going to learn Eastern music, as I firmly believe that I can find harmony between western and eastern music.”
Paolo Petrocelli, Euro-Mediterranean Music Academy (Italy)
President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, declared the festicval open aer welcoming guests and participants:
“I believe no one can deny the idea that music is an immense divine power which constantly motivates us for kindness, awakens the most gentle and sincerest feelings in any person ’ s heart I am sure all of you will agree that the magical ar t of music is capable to bind the people of var-
ious countries and ethnic groups, languages and beliefs to one another without any translation, and unite them towards the achievement of common objectives is year marks the jubilee celebration the tenth International Music Festival Sharq Taronalari. Since the foundation of the festival in 1997, the geography of its par ticipants has considerably expanded, their numbers have doubled f rom 31 to 66, and I think that this fact speaks volumes. e participation of renowned masters of ar ts and creativity teams f rom dozens countries of the Asian, Af rican, European and American continents, different regions of the East and the West in this year ’ s music festival suggests that our festival has been gaining popularity and recognition around the world, enhancing its prestige and credibility e success takes roots primarily from the humanistic ideas of Sharq Taronalari, which are close and clear to all people. S o, we are surely pleased that the concept of ‘the spirit and philosophy of Samarkand’, which is filled with a deep sense and was born owing to our festival, further strengthens the bonds of friendship between nations, promotes the development of cultural dialogue and preser vation of traditions of classical music We know well and highly appreciate the commendable contribution to the noble mission of the true masters of culture and art, the active participants of the festival, international organizations, UNESCO first and foremost, as well as our people, who have been wholehear tedly supporting this musical forum ”
Ever since the attainment of independence, Uzbekistan has attached great importance to the preser vation and revival of national values, development of Uzbek musical art and its promotion globally Anniversaries of great ancestors are celebrated, and their scientific and spiritual
heritage is studied e international community too has recognized the pivotal roles played by the city-states like Bukhara, Khiva, Termez, Shahrisabz, Karshi and Margilan in the world civilization of yore, and Samarkand is quite aptly called the ‘heart’ of the Great Silk Road As per ancient sources, Central Asia’s oldest musical instrument was found in Samarkand. Perhaps this is one reason why “Sharq Taronalari” is symbolically held in Samarkand, and in one of its oldest monuments the majestic complex of Registan. As People’s Artist of Uzbekistan Munojat Yulchieva notes: “ e music forum ranks among the greatest achievements of our independence, as it opens up massive opportunities for creativity, and introduces many nations of the world with our art. Its title, vector and subject have incorporated the true folk tunes, collected folk heritage from the whole world, and have given a chance
for the people to get acquainted with different musical traditions.”
E ach day of the festival presented unique patterns of eastern music art at the Registan Square, in the parks and palaces of the city, and in seven districts of Samarkand region, all of which truly won the hear ts of thousands of fans. Par ticipants f rom C osta Rica sparked quite a furore, and representatives of Azerbaijan, who rank among permanent participants of the Samarkand festival, enchanted guests with the deep and soulful performance of the traditional mugham, a classic folk song. Recitals of musicians from Peru and Madagascar were temperamental, and the Finns took the stage down with a ver y interesting performance indeed e allwomen orchestra from China looked dolllike and their music touched our hearts. Troupes from Italy, Great Britain and others too gave spellbinding performances
The first thing that struck me when I landed on the soil of Uzbekistan, was the calmness and peace all around. Soon I was made comfortable by the warm, smiling and friendly faces who were always eager to help me with anything that I required. Another fascinating fact I noticed was that this country has the most beautiful and gorgeous looking women in the world! Two years ago in August, 2013 I had the privilege to participate and perform at the world’s most magnificent and majestic venue, The Registan Square a competition where more than 50 countries from all over the world participated. To sum it up I will quote Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, who, in her speech on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony so rightly said “Cultures do not grow in isolation they prosper through contact, they flourish through exchange”. How true!”
I a m v e r y h a p p y t o b e i n U z b e k i s t a n , a n d w e w e r e i m p r e s s e d w i t h t h e c e r e m o n i a l w e l c o m e w e w e r e a f f o r d e d . A p a r t f r o m b e i n g a n a n c i e n t c i t y t h a t h a s s e e n t h e m a n y s t r e a m s o f h i s t o r y f l o w a l o n g i t s t i m e l i n e , S a m a r k a n d i s a l s o a r e a l c r o s s - c u l t u r a l c e n t r e . I s e e t h a t m a n y d i f f e r e n t k i n d s o f a r t f o r m s t h r i v e h e r e , a n d t h e y d i s t i n g u i s h t h e m s e l v e s w i t h t h e i r u n i q u e s p e c i f i c i t i e s . ”
Hyung Suk, Chief Secretary IOV Asia (South Korea)
In short, each participating troupe succeeded in surprising, amazing and pleasing their audiences no end. e winners were announced on August 30th, the last day of the festival, at the grand closing ceremony Methinks it was indeed a tough task faced by the International Jury, to select a winner from among so many eloquent and original performances. e Jur y this year was
headed by a Professor Gen’ichi Tsuge of the Tokyo University of the Arts. e famous musicologist, researcher and professor of music theor y Otanazar Matyokubov, and People’s Artist of Uzbekistan Munojat Yulchieva represented Uzbekistan in the jury. e Jiangsu All-Women’s Orchestra of China was crowned the winner of the Tenth International Music Festival Sharq Taronalari, and become the holders of the Grand Prix. A cheque for US$ 10,000 was also presented to them as an appreciation. e first prize was taken by the Japanese group Shamisen, and the second prize was shared by the Poland and Estonia Masters of Arts from Costa Rica won the third place. e Aykulash Yulduzlari group from Karakalpakstan was awarded a UNESCO’s special prize
Exhibitions of national musical instruments, handicra products and historical costumes were organized as part of the festival. e traditional scientific and practical conference on the ‘e similarity of musical cultures of the East’ aimed at seeking ways of preser vation and development of the musical culture of the East Speaking at the
I come from Israel. For the first time in Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan is the first country that united a multitude of people of different national cultures, at the same time preserving all their ancient flavours. They are preserved in ancient customs, rituals and traditions, which is of great interest to our country. This festival is very popular in Israel And to top it all, there is this prevailing mood of great international improvisation by voice and music, that nurtures the creative impulse.”
Ilana Eliya, Musician (Israel)conference, the UNESCO Assistant DG for External Relations and Public Information
Eric Falt emphasized that the events taking place within the framework of the festival are making an invaluable contributions to the preser vation of non-material cultures of human civilization Conference participants also noted the involvement of talented representatives of the younger generation, who conduct a comprehensive research in musical art of the East, as a distinctive feature of the forum
The for um was attende d by s cient ists and ar t histor ians f rom a lmost 30 count r ies Azerb aijan, t he Unite d Kingdom, G e r m any, C h i n a , S out h Kore a , Ru s s i a , t he Unite d St ates and many ot her count r i e s T h e y m a d e i nte re s t i ng pre s e nt at i ons on t h e h i s tor y, t h e or y, pr a c t i c a l demonst rat ion and prosp e c ts of musica l traditions of the E ast, held master classes an d d i s c u s s i ons on i ns t r u m e nt a l an d performance art The festival culminated i n a bi g g r an d s up e r- c on c e r t i n w h i ch m a s te rs of ar t s an d you ng p e rfor m e rs f rom Uz b e k i s t an p ar t i c ip ate d. Un i qu e 3 D - m appi ng i l lu m i n at i on an d the music show were the sensation of the d ay as t he fest iva l dre w to an end Proj e c te d on a l l t he t hre e madaras as of t he Registan, the illumination and the music p e r for m an c e w a s b a s e d on h i s tor i c a l facts and events. Music was composed by wel l-known comp os ers Alisher Ikramov an d D m it r i Yan ov - Yan ov s k y, an d p e rfor me d by t he Yout h Symphony Orchest r a of Uz b e k i s t an an d t h e S o gd i an a chamb er orchest ra.
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ere will hardly be any people in the worlfad who might be happier than us at this moment its just impossible to convey our excitement through words,” said the Jiangsu Women’s Orchestra singer Zhang Jing. “We are ver y happy to win the main prize of this renowned and prestigious festival We express our sincere gratitude to President Islam Karimov for initiating a wonderful event like this, for the attention to the development of ar t and culture, and huge contribution to strengthening peace and harmony throughout the world We are looking forward to performing on this beautiful stage once again. May the melodies of ‘Sharq Taronalari’ glorif y the peace, f riendship and kindness forever!”
“ T he s c i e nt i f i c and pr a c t i c a l c on fe rences under the International Music Festival Sharq Taronalari help to strengthen the links between science and music educ at ion, w hich is an imp or t ant comp one nt of nu r tu r i ng a har mon i ous p e rs ona l it y, ” b el i e ve s t he Pre s i d e nt of Mi n - O n C onc e r t Ass o c i at i on of Jap an , Profess or Hiroyasu Kob ayashi. “We appre c i ate t he work Uz b ek ist an has b e e n d oi ng on promot i ng t he i nst r u me nt a l and p erformance ar ts, esp ecially among the younger generation The preser vation of cl ass i c a l mus i c t r a d it i ons for f utu re generations ranks among the key object ive s of t he s c i e nt i f i c for u m It is e sp ecially symbolic that this event takes place in Samarkand, one of the key crossroads of t he Si l k R o a d, w h i ch a ls o promote d the cultural enrichment of peoples.”
Our S enior E ditor of NRI Achie vers Rajee v Gupta, g rasped hi s chance as the only Indian journalist to embark on a shor t jour ne y to Uzbeki stan as a state g uest last month, and par take in a celebration the mu sical under pinning s of Central Asia the Inter national Mu sic Festival “Sharq Taronalari.” He also had the oppor tunit y to v i sit s ome of the most well know n places there. Summing up his exper iences and blending it w ith this repor tage, he brings you v ig nettes of thi s mag nificent countr y and its people, culture, ans its song and dance, its hoary heritage, age-old architectural ensembles and the moder nity of its main cities. Here i s hi s mini-feature on the Festival, followed by a couple of supplementary articles that could possibly titillate your palates and maybe leave you wanting more ...
Uzbekistan is a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic It is famous for its mosques, mausoleums and many places of yore that fall on the old Silk Road an ancient trade route that once stretched from China to the Mediterranean. Samarkand, a major city on the route, is home to a landmark ensemble of Islamic architecture the Registan a plaza bordered by three ornate, majolica-covered madrasas dating back to the 15th and 17th Centuries
AD e region’s cradle of culture for more than two millennia, Uzbekistan is also home to a spellbinding profusion of architecture and ancient citadels, all subtly infused with the fascinating and bloody history of the Silk Road. Just in terms of sights alone, Uzbekistan is said to be Central Asia’s biggest draw and most impressive showstopper Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva never fail to impress the avid traveller with their fab-
ulous mosques, madarasas and mausoleums, while its more eclectic attractions like the fast disappearing Aral S ea, the fortresses of remotely aloof Karakalpakstan, the boom-town capital of Tashkent, and the natural beauty of the Nuratau Mountains mean that even the most diverse tastes of wanderers may easily be catered to And despite its deeply conser vative political climate, Uzbekistan is for all intents and purposes a friendly countr y where hospitality is an essential element of daily life
e Uzbekis come across as a ver y hospitable race, taking pride in and feeling passionate about all things that concern their way of life, their leaders and politics, and their relationship with neighbours ey simply love their country and are fond of their president, Mr. Islam Karimov, who has ser ved them long, from times Soviet. While there, I had noticed that many people wear gold and silver fillings in their teeth like it were a fashion statement the young and the old, the guys and the gals, men, women, housewives, working people, propel from all walks of life. Curious, I got to talking with some Uzbekis at random, and asked about this practice and yes, I did come back with the impression that toothy grins with abundant glint of gold/silver was not only a fashion statement, it was considered to make them look more beautiful … and different from others
In more than one way, Uzbeki culture is not dissimilar to our own Indian culture, especially that of northern India. Daughters tend to get married off when 22 to 23 years
of age e view is that earlier the better you would get a better groom. Youth seem respectful of elders and come across as well cultured, well mannered, and to put it in typical bollywood fashion they respect everything ‘DIL SE’ Just like India where in the smaller cities and villages of rural India early marriages are a common enough happening, the same way it is in the Uzbeki countr yside I am told girls get married even when they are just about 17-18 Uzbekistan has a love-affair with India Films and T V S erials Indian, R adio Plays there is indeed a huge fan following fortem all I experienced this love affair ever y single time I interacted with Uzbekis they tell many do not sleep without watching a Hindi movie, and their collections of Indian movies’ CDs are extensive. Whenever in response to where I was f rom, when I said India smiles on their faces simply widened, giving me more than just a warm feeling in the cockles of my heart.
Even in other aspects of life, I found many a thought and attitude of the people from our side and theirs to be in sync especially when it comes to the travails of parents seeking a good education for their children… just in the same way our gen-
eration dreamed about going abroad and studying in UK, USA, Australia and Eurpoe, the Uzbekis too aspire to go abroad
and study, and India is on their radar…
The Internet is not ver y widespread in Uz b ek ist an , and a c c e ss to t he web seemed limited I had noticed that email is not as ubiquitous as it is here in India, and w as su r pr is e d to ge t to k now t hat many of t heir citizens do not e ven hold email accounts They are not so much on the Facebook-Whatsapp things as the Ind i an web - us age is fo c us e d up on f rom mobile devices … but I did see some people using mobile apps.
People are generally tall and handsome, and the women breathtakingly beautiful Respect for others is a common culture ey are also a ver y lively people When it comes to hospitality, the Uzbekis do know a thing or two about how to make their
guests feel right at home. In fact, right from the day of our landing till the ver y last minute when it was time to depart the countr y, I literally felt quite at home, and never felt or faced any negative vibes, or feelings of indifference or dislike.
Quality of life in the cities is overall good, traffic is smooth throughout, there is good respect for road safety and rules are followed ey give way to pedestrians, and are sticklers for lane discipline … crossing red lights are an absolute no-no, nor do vehicles stop in haphazard fashion across stop lines or drive on wrong sides e cities are kept absolutely neat and clean. eir municipal system is such that buildings, roads, footpaths, parks and markets are cleaned-up throughout the day.
ere are not too many flyovers or high-rises in the city, but spaces look well laid out, expansive, green, open and free At the time of our visit, the weather was so pleasant that there was in fact no need at all to switch on the air conditioners in the cars It was simply not needed I found the R ailway station at Samarkand and Tashkent to be much more impressive than even their air por t. Inf rastr ucture
deficits might be there, but since Independence Uzbekistan has progressed impressively, with high speed trains, road networks and other infrastructure steadily coming up to cover more regions.
Nig ht life is interesting, wit h loads of people out aer workdays, enjoying their shopping, the eating and dancing, and so-
I am very glad to be visiting and to be here in Uzbekistan. This is not my first time though, I have been here twice, having come for the first time in 2011. “Sharq Taronalari” is not merely a music festival, it is also a musical celebration of life We as musicians are getting closer and acquainting ourselves with the nuances of World music. What else makes it different? Personally, the President of Uzbekistan participated at the opening ceremony of the festival, and I found that an apt expression of the highest level of support in this nation for music.”
Clima (Madagascar)
cialising. Many shopping districts, markets etc are open from 11 oo in the night to up to e ven 6 00 in t he mor ning Dr y and f resh f r uits, veget ables, and a hundre d ot her typ es of fo o d pro duc ts are available. While the predominant staple in Uzbeki cuisine is meat and other nonvegetarian products, vegetables and fruits, b a ker y pro duc ts etc are avai lable abundant ly, s o a veget ar ian li ke me did not have any maj or problem wit h fo o d. e Uzb ekis ma ke big huge round bre ads, w hich is simply delicious and may b e eaten without any accompaniment
Also got the chance to visit some houses and residences houses are indeed big, and farming, even if it were only a small kitchen garden, is practiced in almost ever y home Once on visiting a local house, I got to see some people also having cattle cows, goats, etc Houses I saw were made in a rectangular shape, where the central portion was used to grow a whole variety of vegetables & f r uits Inside the houses, I found them to be Spartan, with a minimum of things beds, car pets, a few paintings and picture frames, otherwise austere.
Ihave toured several countries for concerts so far, but Sharq was a unique opportunity, and occassion to represent my countr y India as a Sufi Singer there Just unforgettable, incredible and full of experience. e hospitality of the Uzbeks was of the highest order e reception was on top with a ver y disciplined protocol My group enjoyed the full trip and gave the best possible as musicians and performers. We did five concer ts, of which our Registan S quare Performance was the main. e vicinity, decoration, ornamentation, the sound system and the presentation, by all means and measures it was an extraordinar y arrangement. Our Performance was applauded ver y highly, and for me it gained me a great fan following I wish I could attend the Sharq Festival again and again I salute the great cultural, scientific, technological, literar y, musical, poetical and Islamic historical heritage of Uzbekistan and the other surrounding countries.
“ e great stalwar t saints and doyens like Hazrat Amir Khusrau, Maulana Romi, Maulan Jaami, Shaikh Saadi, Haafiz Shiraazi, B oo Ali S eena, Alfaaraabi, Al-
bairooni, Shakhir Zinda, Alisher Nawayi, Amir Taimur, Mirza Ulughbek, AbuMohammad Ruduki, Bedam Warsi, Jaabir Bin Hayyan and many others from these great prestigious and historical lands cannot ever be forgotten Uzbekistan has the same rich cultural and musical heritage like our countr y India. In one word if I were to describe the extreme beauty of Uzbekistan I will say its "REHMAT"
Such shows are very popular in New Zealand, they are demonstrated in several sites in Adelaide and Canberra. However, all of them focus on entertainment, leaving the cognitive component aside. Uzbekistan has gone the other way it has built the show on the history for the first time in the world: there are no inventions, there is much to learn about great historic personalities and evolution of the unique culture of the East.”
Nikola Paseni (Australia)“A C o m m e r c e g r a d u at e , I h av e h a d t he for tune to have b e en ass o ci ate d w it h s ome of t he most prest ig ious t radit iona l mu s i c i a n f a m i l i e s o f l e g e n d a r y In d i a n G h a r a n a a s l i k e At r au l i - Ja i p u r, K hu r j a a n d A g r a My f at h e r G ay a n S a m r at Us t a d A z m at Hu s s a i n K h a n D i l r a n g ( 1 9 1 1 - 1 9 7 5 ) , w a s o n e o f t h e t o p - m o s t and l e ge nd ar y mu s i c i ans , mu s i c ol o g i st s and p o ets of Indi a He s er ve d t he nat ion w it h h i s ar t t i l l h e bre at h e d h i s l a s t Hi s c o nt r i b u t i o n , a l o n g w i t h o t h e r a n c e st o r s , t ow a r d s t h e d e v e l o p m e nt a n d prop agat ion of Indi an C l assic a l Music is m o nu m e nt a l . I i n i t i a l l y l e a r nt mu s i c f r o m my f at h e r a n d l at e r f r o m t h e r e n ow n e d mu s i c i a n - c o mp o s e r Us t a d As l a m Hu s s a i n K h a n , w h o i s a l i v i n g l e ge n d. For m e mu s i c , p o e t r y an d l ite ratu re are m ore or l e s s h e r i d it ar y l i ke a prove r bi a l f i s h t a ke s to w ate r
“I have a numb er of music a lbums to my c re d it an d l i ke my fore f at h e rs I am te aching classica l music to youngsters as well. Its my profession and I strongly feel
Vajahat Khan & Group, also know n as Dilrang Sufi Musicians, had par ticipated in the 10th “Sharq Taronalar i” International Music Festival at Samarkand in Uzbekistan, representing India. NRI Achie vers Editor Rajee v Gupta, who was covering the festival as the only jour nalist f rom India, touched base w ith him aer the festival had r un its course, and inv ited his inputs on the festival and his thoughts on the Indian musical tradition, and public patronage. Here are some excerpts from the talk our editor had w ith Ustad Vajahat Khan, a sufi musician, singer and musicologist ...
t hat t his g re at ancient ar t (t he Music of t h e O r i e nt ) s h ou l d b e s u s t ai n e d, pres er ve d and promote d. G over nments and cor p orate hous es shou ld come forward to t a ke care of t hes e music inst itut ions, organis at ions, and academies Big Inte r n at i on a l Mu s i c Fe s t iv a l s l i ke “Sharq” shou ld f re quent ly b e organis e d by India as wel l.
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.
is October, we at NRI Achie vers mark the third anniversar y of our publication, having successfully brought out 36 consequtive issues so far from the time we star ted in October 2012. We would like to take this oppor tunity to fer vently thank our readers, well w ishers, f r iends, colleagues, peers and peer-groups, and last but not least, our patrons and all those of you who have stood by us steadfast, nur turing our psyches and idiosyncracies with all the constructive criticisms and suggestions for making our product even better. And as the festive season starts dawning upon us, our senior editor Rajeev Gupta writes an open letter to you be you in India or in lands foreign as a member of the great Indian Diaspora ...
Dear friends, colleagues and team members, contributors, well-wishers of NRI Achievers, advertisers and patrons, critics and peer-group members from the journalistic profession, and most of all our readers both here in India as well as those who are part of the great Indian diaspora the world over I am writing this open letter to each and ever yone of you this day, even as we complete three short (and in many other ways three long) years of our magazines existence We, the NRI Achievers ' team, would like to ' grasp this day' to wish you a great festive season ahead, and bring you up to date on what's going on in our minds about building more and more bridges between the diaspora and the home countr y on a people to people level So we chose to use this platform and this occasion to share our plans with you, and ask you to continue supporting us in our endeavours each in his or her own way
As a media vehicle that has the Indian as its constituenc y, we at NRI Achievers would like to aver that from our humble point of view, we are seeing our role in this
overall context as ser ving a role to build stronger and closer people-to-people contacts between our diaspora and their domestic counterparts.
For doing this meaningfully and with a modicum of success, we have some plans in the pipeline which we would like to share with you here and ask for your views, opinions and of course your support.
To en hance t he ac tua l spre ad of t he physical magazine so that it reaches ever y p ossible land w here our diasp ora live On this front, we would urge our patrons and readers to subscribe in large numbers to either our print issue or to the online edition or both even. is will go a long way in ke eping t he fires in our b el lies burning brighter to bring you the magazine in prog ressively b etter and more comprehensive avatars ...
In effect, we are desirous of building a new platform f rom which our diaspora could share quality rich content for dissemination, as well as reach out to the most apt resource through which they could post experiences for sharing, post
problems/grievances for redressal, seek a matrimonial connection, and so on ...
On the India side of the matrix, we intend to institute a few programmes that will broadbase this outreach that we seek to extend. On the cards are a a handful of serialised television programmes we are planning, on Indians abroad and their achievements, on region-specific diaspora issues and their possible solutions, on diaspora music, fine and performing arts, etc. ...
For the furthering of people-to-people links between domestic business and countries with large diaspora populations, we intend to have an ongoing programme where we will facilitate Indian business delegations be it sector wise or omnibus, to travel and interact with their counterparts among the diaspora with a view to enabling and facilitating the formation of business ventures that could be of mutual benefit to both constituencies ...
And now that we are three years young, we have set in motion an effort to design, plan and institute an 'Achievers' Award,' as yet unnamed, to thank and honour the contributions and achievements of both meritorious Indians in India and those residing outside India. More on that soon ...
It is also our intent to involve more and more of our diaspora brethren from across the globe in a par ticipator y mechanism that could not only enrich the overall content mix of our media products, but also assess and suggest future directions for the enterprise For this purpose, we welcome so-inclined diaspora members to become our overseas advisors and partake in helping us run this show ...
Car pe Diem! Rest in the next, ladies and gentlemen, I close this letter here and once again wish you a great festival season ahead
Rajeev Gupta, Publisher & Editor
Few people may be aware that Swami Dayananda Saraswati, who breathed his last at Rishikesh on the 23rd of September, had in his youth been a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force, a journalist in Chennai and a company executive w ith Voltas. Similarly, not many know that Pope Francis has worked in his early years in a fascinating variety of jobs as a laborator y assistant in a food diag nostic clinic, a psycholog y teacher and even as a tango dancer and night-club bouncer. Raman Swamy takes you on an as-yet untrodden path on holy men who have been multifaceted personas ...
Swami Dayananda Saraswati was born in the year 1930, in the iruvar ur district of Tamil Nadu, as Natarajan Gopala Iyer He was influenced by the teachings of Swami Chinmayananda at the age of 23, and went on to become a renowned Vedic scholar and founded the Arsha Vidya Gur ukulam in Coimbatore, Nagpur, Rishikesh and also in Pennsylvania, USA
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Italian parents. At 23, he was deeply drawn towards religion and enrolled as a novice to become a Jesuit priest But he fell in love with a girl and was almost expelled from the Society of Jesus seminar y. It was only aer he took a solemn vow of chastity, obedience and life-long poverty that he was allowed to continue with his theological studies He rose rapidly and ser ved in many countries including Germany, Spain and Chile, but was always under close scrutiny due to his unorthodox views on issues like social justice, migration and poverty
Dayananda Saraswati and Pope Francis lived worlds apart, with few things in common except that they were both ordinar y
and normal young men before donning the raiment of religious robes B oth, however, seem to have some similarities in their approach to society and spiritualism One of Dayananda Saraswati’s favourite quotes used to be that “ ... a man can only become good by helping others”. is was comparable to what the Pope told Americans during his recent five-day visit to Washington, New York and Philadelphia “Do unto others what you would have done unto you ” .
Just like Pope Francis the Roman Catholic Pontiff, Dayananda Saraswati the Vedic gur u f rom India preached love, compassion and tolerance. But Guruji was fond of saying: “Have you ever thought about the word C ompassion ? Have you ever noticed that there is no verb for Compassion ? You only have an adverb I find that ver y interesting You act compassionately. But then, how to act compassionately if you don't have compassion ? Does that mean you have to start pretending to act compassionately ?”
Even though many of his devotees and even his students found it ver y difficult to understand what the Swamiji was saying,
it made them think deeply to solve the puzzle and search for the inner meaning at is exactly what he wanted to them to do he wanted them to ponder over the mysteries of life instead of blindly claiming to have faith.
Pop e Francis’ own way pl e t h i n k i ns te a d of l e b o ok s by rote an d pr deeply spiritual is strikin his s er mons dur ing his f tour, including at the Un C at h ol i c Pont i f f v i r tu a Hindu Ve dic phi los ophe s ayings are li ke a bitter m a lt hou g h t he y may br i n for t, are go o d for e ver yo dicate that the Pope’s spe caus e s ome dis comf iture t he Sp e a ker of t he US H gress, sat through the Po w it h te ars i n h i s e ye s a s u r pr i s e d e ve r yon e t h e m or n i ng by an n ou n c i his resig nat ion
Political commentat claimed he had been pla ning to quit in any cas
and his decision was not directly linked to his contact with the Pope. B oehner himself confirms this up to an extent, admitting he was getting increasingly frustrated at the way political leaders from both the two major par ties were behaving in the House and he was finding it impossible to control them
But he added that listening to the Pope talking about the real role of politics and politicians to help the weak acted like a catalyst. “L ast night I star ted thinking about this and this morning I woke up and I said my prayers and I decided today's the day I'm going to do this As simple as that" He also recalled a private interaction with the Pope when they found themselves alone. "e Pope puts his arm around me and kind of pulls me to him and says please pray for me Who am I to pray for the Pope ? But I did"
Genuine spiritual leaders do have a profound impact on people
exudes an irresistible charisma that defies logical explanation. But not ever yone thinks that way ere were many in India, including many other men in saff ron robes, who did not see eye to eye with Dayananda Saraswati. Nor did ever y American politician fall for the Pontiff ’ s magnetic charm No less a leader than Jeb Bush, a leading candidate seeking Republican par ty nomination for the 2016 US Presidential Election had this to say : “ e Pope is not a scientist, he’s a religious leader. I don’t get my economic polic y f rom my bishops or my Pope ” What he was referring to was Pope Francis’s strong pitch on climate change, which Bush says he is opposed to because it will curtail the ability to re-industrialize America. It is a different matter that he is unaware that the Pope does have a science background, having graduated with a chemical technician's diploma and actually worked for a few years as a technician in a large food
tual and individual freedoms, calling for tolerance towards immigrants and even describing the profits made from weapons sales as " money drenched in blood"
On the other hand, he has been called into question about his silence on some key issues that are high on the agenda in current-day social and political discourse
One columnist wrote: “ e Pope gave a semi-apolog y for the slaughter of Native Americans who were the ab-original inhabitants of this continent. He conferred sainthood on a man who was the worst perpetrator of genocide by brutally massacring the Red Indians” Also, he launched a thinly-veiled attack on the lesbian and gay community by saying, "Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the ver y basis of marriage and the family" At a time when the world is slowly veering towards greater acceptance of the rights of lesbians and gays, this shows that the Catholic Church is still practicing discrimination towards transgender people, say the Pope’s critics
Another commentator said: e Pope champions the poor while his doctrine would force millions of women into pover ty and ser vitude. He champions equality while his doctrine denounces LGBTQ people for simply being who they are He is so good He is so bad”
During his life as a spiritual teacher, Swami Dayananda Saraswati too had his share of critics and skeptics, and his political views were o-times controversial He once said: “My ideas are like a bitter medicine Some people may not like the taste of it. But I am satisfied if it makes people think more deeply about what is good and what is bad”
Raman Swamy
e author is a veteran journalist, political commentator & satirist.
Ashok Alexander Sridharan, mayoral candidate of Chancellor Angela Merkel led CDU (the Christian Democratic Union), secured an absolute majority by polling 50.06 percent of votes and won the mayoral election in Bonn, becoming the first person of Indian-origin to occupy the mayor ’ s office in any major German city. 49-year-old Sridharan’s victor y marks the end of more than 21 years ’ rule of the city by the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Sridharan, whose father was a migrant from India and whose mother is a German, will take over the reigns of the city administration from the outgoing SPD mayor Juergen Nymptsch on October 21 this year. Until now, he has ser ved as the treasurer and assistant mayor in the municipal administration of neighbouring town Koenigs winter
3-year-old Indian-origin British MP has been ppointed as the shadow chief secretary for Treasury newly elected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Seema ra became the MP for the London seat of Feltham Heston in 2011 in a by-election following the death Alan Keen (Conservative) In August 2014, she was given the newly-created role of shadow minister for preventing violence against women and girls by the then Labour leader Ed Miliband.
In a first, a team including an Indian origin as tronomer has found evidence for intermediate-mass black hole ab 5,000 times the mass of the Sun discover y, made by Dheeraj Pasham f rom the University of Mar yland (UMD) and scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, adds one more candidate to the list of potential medium-sized black hole while strengthening the case that s objects do exist. “ e result provid por t to the idea that black holes exist on all size scales When you describe something for the first time, there is always some doubt,” says Pasham, post-doctoral associate at the joint space-science institute, a research partnership between UMD and NASA Goddard
15 -year-old Indian-American Swetha Prabakaran, whose parents immigrated from Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli in 1998, is a junior at omas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology She has recently been selected by the US White House for the prestigious “Champions of Change” award for empowering the community by imparting Internet coding through her nonprofit organisation. B orn in Indianapolis, Swetha is among eleven young women selected by the White House as ‘Champions of Change’ She is the founder and CEO of Ever ybody Code Now!, a non-profit body working to empower the next generation of youth to become engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs “Under Swetha’s direction, Ever ybody Code Now! has taught hundreds of students how to code and has raised thousands of dollars for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) activities in schools,” a White House communique said.
Five Indo-Canadian high school students have received this year ’ s prestigious S chulich Leader S cholarships. Nimra Dar, Manpreet Deol, Aditya Mohan, Aishwar ya Roshan and Simranjeet Singh were among 50 high school graduates who were awarded the scholarship to enrol in science, technolog y, engineering or mathematics (STEM) undergraduate programmes at participating universities in Canada and Israel, reports schulichleaders.com. e scholarship is awarded to the most promising students in Canada and Israel to encourage them to become pioneers in global scientific research and innovation
Renu Khator, the Indian-American University of Houston president and Chancellor, has been honoured with the ‘Excellence in Leadership Award’ by the United States Hispanic Chamber of C ommerce. e Excellence in Leadership Award pays tribute to an extraordinar y woman who has devoted her professional career and personal life to revolutionizing the world of business, education, philanthropy, or government. Previous honourees include US House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nanc y Pelosi, iconic journalist and talk show host Cristina Saralegui and seven-time Grammy-Award winning artist Gloria Estefan.
An Indian-origin entrepreneur in the United States has developed a new ‘ app, ’ which features short fiction for young adults who are hooked to their smartphones Prerna Gupta from California describes her app, called ‘Hooked’, as “books for the Snapchat generation.” Hooked will feature short fiction for young-adult readers, 80% of whose reading habits are on digital devices So the teen-set seem like the most natural audience Each book will be roughly 1,000 words and is designed to be read in about five minutes e stories will be told entirely through dialogue and read like texts Messages show up on screen when readers click the option ‘Next’. Gupta envisions the app as being like a ‘ Twitter for fiction’, CNN Money reported. Initially, the app will only feature content from screened contributors.
Jagdeep Grewal, a 57-year-old Indian-American has been elevated to the post of a Postmaster in Sacramento in the US state of California, becoming the first ever woman to occupy the post in 166 years. Grewal was sworn in as Sacramento’s first woman postmaster on September 3, according to the US Postal Ser vice “Following in the footsteps of Sacramento’s first postmaster, Henr y E Robinson Esq (1849), Jagdeep Grewal will be the 29th Postmaster to ser ve the city,” the US Postal Ser vice said in a statement. She will oversee 1,004 employees who process and deliver mail on 537 city routes and 94 rural routes and fill nearly 20,000 post office boxes.
Since its inaugural edition held at London in 2010, 'e Sikh Awards,' conceptualized by Sardar Navdeep Singh B ansal, has b e en championing t he caus e of re cog nizing achie vements of Sikhs highlighting successes, energ y, drive and passion behind the Sikh community in all sectors is year, the coveted awards night made its maiden entr y into India and was held at e Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi. e Award ceremony was aimed at celebrating and recognizing pivotal contributions made by Sikhs across var ious fields li ke business, char ity, e ducat ion, enter t ainment, media, professional ser vices, selfless ser vice and sports
Like previous ceremonies, dignitaries from across the world including UK, India, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia attended the event. In the past, some of the individuals who had received this prestigious award include Jazzy B in 2010, Analjit Singh and Harbhajan Singh in 2011, L akshmi Niwas Mittal in 2012, Former British Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013 and Malvinder Mohan Singh in 2014. e winners of e Sikh Awards 2015 were: Kulwant Singh (UK) Sikhs in Charity ; Dr Par vinder Singh Pasricha (India) Sikhs in S eva; Sundeep Singh Sandhu (UK) Sikhs in Sports; S Mohinder Singh Sarna (USA) Sik hs in Enter tainment; B al Singh Samra (UK) Sikhs in Media; Dr.R aghbir Singh Bains (Canada) Sikhs in Education; Karan Singh Bajwa (India) Sikhs in Profession; Ajinder
According to Mr. Navdeep Singh Bansal, Founder : “I am delighted to host the sixth edition of the Sikh Awards in India, the homeland to Sikhs and Sikhism. As a Sikh, I have taken this responsibility to recognize, honour and celebrate the achievements of the successful, hard-working and ambitious Sikhs of the World Sikhs worldwide are not only tirelessly contributing socially, culturally and economically to society but are also making a difference to people’s lives through philanthropy. I would also like to congratulate all the winners who have proved to be the beacons that shine on our future generation and will encourage them to continue to strive for excellence in their respective fields ” Sardar Navdeep Singh is dedicated towards ser ving and connecting businesses around the world Former Prime Minister Sardar Manmohan Singh had honoured him for his ser vices to the Sikh community throughout the world. Navdeep Singh has created three established and trusted global brands “ e Sikh Director y ” , “ e Sikh Awards” and “ e Sikh 100” He is one of the most networked among our Diaspora and is extremely active in the Asian business community
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What w ith weddings getting more and more bigger and spectacular w ith every passing season, the escalating pomp and splendour is bound to find reflection in wedding attire as well. Keeping in mind Indian sensibilities and yens, designer duo Rav inder and Tejinder Singh launched their new wedding collection under their banner “ukral's Ethnic”, which showcased unique and creative desig ns in bright and v ivacious colours. For g rooms to be and their relatives, their classic blacks, timeless whites and shimmer y golds that added a touch of class to the other w ise elegant look of the festive stood out. Embelli shments were sleek and subtle, colors ranged from reds to g reens and from gold to silver, just the way traditional outfits ought to be. e collection reflects contemporar y desig ns and motifs but also has traditional embroider y.
This new line for men ranges f rom kur t a pyjama, pr ince suits, t raditional dhotis, pathani suits, sherwani, and jodhpuri suits to some fusion i nd o - we ste r n su it s as wel l S ome e ve n have alluring Swarovski elements embedded, zardozi work, resham and silk em-
broi d e r y, bu g l e b e a ds , c ol or f u l stone work & int r ic ate t hre ad work. The NRI Achievers team attended the launch, and i n t he s i d el i ne s of t he e ve nt , c au g ht up w it h t he desig ners to c apture t heir t a ke on t he Ind i an we d d i ng f ash i on s c e ne. Here goes …
What factors do you keep in mind when you get into designing a collection?
“Entering the already bursting-at-theseams market of designing clothes was not an easy task for us when we star ted but, with our avante garde designs and the vision of trends the journey became smooth and successful. ere has been no looking back for us since then ”
“B eing comfor table while at the same time feeling stylish in whatever you wear is the true meaning of fashion for us Our work epitomizes simplicity yet revealing the obsessive attention to detail We believe that Fashion has the power to transform an image and make a social statement. With our hard work, capabilities and trust in God, we aim for the sky and hope to contribute to the prestigious Fashion Industr y of India ”
What do you d o to mak e your outfits unique as comp ared fr om other designer s?
“Presence of rare eminence and design sense of richness, a success story created by us together is packaged in a contemporar y way. e wear-ability of our designs be it wedding wear and clothes for different occasions makes them beautiful and delicate Our collection is also easily affordable for its target audience. We believe in customizing the outfits to our clients’ need and tastes Our highly skilled and talented team is creating masterpieces which are ver y suitable for various occasions and parties as they are both bespoke and ready-made, for ever y mood and personality from
wildly sensual to serenely graceful for wedding occasion, cocktail or corporate get together we have it all for you
Trends according to you which will hit the coming season?
It i s t i m e t o b e e x p e r i m e n t a l a n d it’s t i m e t o re v o lut i on i z e c o l or s of I n d i a n w e d d i n g w e a r a n d m o d i f y o l d t r a d i t i o n a l I n d i a n w e d d i n g out f it s i nt o c ont e mp or a r y c o l or s , s t y l e a n d s i l h ou e t t e .
What ne w do you have for g rooms this season ?
A lot actually f rom formal to the ethnic ready-to-wear or bespoke. Our range which includes sher wani, bandhgalas and a ch k ans us i ng hand c r af te d te ch n i qu e s adorned with embellishments like beads, intricate hand embroideries, patchworks, and interest ing colors cor resp onding to Indian wedding sensibilities. A Minimalist appro a ch and a d d e d e mb el l ish me nt fur thers the elegance of the outf its
What is your vision?
To provide a 360 degree design solution, which calls for an exquisite and out of the box range
What kind of accessor ies do you recommend for grooms?
He should go for jewel or golden buttons, hand embroidered pocket square, a
royal kamarbandh, sombre dyed saafa, juttis with intricate embroider y
What is your signature style for grooms?
B eautifully embroidered achkan paired with churidar to enhance the look or a royal sher wani
Do you pay special attention to wedding accessories and assemblage as well?
We have a unique line of stunning head gears, saafas, and men ’ s accessories pertaining to wedding occasions, which is an extension of our wedding line It is a most vivacious and stunning assemblage, utterly enticing and magnificent.
How did you beg in desig ning wedding wear?
From the humble beginning with the business of readymade garments. We launched our label at a time when there
was serious lacuna in the categor y of men ’ s wedding wear, we tried filling the gap and thus began our journey by establishing our fashion L abel under the name “ THUKRAL'S ETHNIC ” We always had a desire to change drab dressing. Our first plunge into designing was with our men ' s Wedding Wear Collection
What is the USP of your brand?
It is packaged in a contemporar y way. e wear ability of our designs, be it wedding wear and clothes for different occasions makes them beautiful and delicate Our wedding and ethnic Collection is easily affordable for its target audience We believe in customizing the outfits to our clients’ need and tastes. Our highly skilled and talented team cras master pieces which are ver y suitable for various occasions and parties as they are both bespoke and ready-made, for ever y mood and personality f rom the wildly sensual to the serenely graceful for wedding occasions, cocktails or cor porate get together we have it all covered for you
How has your journe y in the industr y been so far?
It’s still evolving
A
Barkha Arorae writer is an experienced brand & image consultant and writes on Lifestyle, Fashion & Beauty regularly.
With g reat power comes g reat responsibility, and to paraphrase the adage even fur ther, a lot of clout, and a corresponding quantum of accountability as well … Shripal Rathore is a man who has scripted his ow n success stor y, and in a way epitomises the ver y adage in practice. NRI Achievers had a tete-a-tete w ith him recently, and our team has put this feature together to acquaint our readers with the man who is today one of the leading and respected hoteliers in the NCR …
Rathore’s stor y begins with his own Travel Agenc y After working for leading hotel chains across India, he today owns the hotel he once worked at as Sales person He has been through t he st age s of hardsh ip and st r u g g l e daily sales calls, attending rigorous sales me et ings, bui lding t he image of t he organization among customers, putting up e f f i c i e nt s a l e s and marke t i ng pl ans , c ar r y i ng out marke t re s e arch , work ing towards pro duc t de velopment, c amp ai g n i ng , f i nd i ng ne w marke t s e gments, bringing business and helping out t he f i nanc e d e p ar t me nt to a ch i e ve s e t targets He worked his way up to own the s ame prop e r t y to d ay It is i nd e e d a remarkable journey
A diligent ambassador for the hotel indust r y, he is ne ver t imid to t a ke on any role. He has assimilated all the skills necessar y over a extended period of time that s ep arates him out as at t he top of his game His devotion to staff development is well-known and he subsequently enjoys immense loyalty from his team. Shripal Rathore today is a highly regarded man in t he hospit a lity indust r y, not just for his long-est ablishe d and reliable hig h st andards of management, but also for the extensive time and contribution he makes to
the key issues of the wider hospitality industr y He is big-hearted with his knowle dge, exp er ience and t ime. He not on ly operates an open-door style of headship which his staff recognises, appreciates and b enefits f rom, but a ls o involves hims elf outside t he office in init iat ives for t he go o d of t he indust r y at large t hat helps improving qua lity for t hos e w ho p ay to stay in hotels.
Here are some excerpts from the tete-atete we had with the man
How did you get interested in this profession and what were the first steps you took to pursue this dream?
e hospitality Industr y had always fascinated me since I was a student. I always wanted to explore the world, and as a destiny I got into Hospitality and started my
Travel Agency aer working with various hotel chains.
How do you sense pulse of people and deliver accordingly?
People today want good great food, good events, outstanding décor and ambience, and we ensure to rope in the best concepts and provide all with panache Trend wise, we have evolved and it’s becoming better with ever y passing day. I care about the industr y that has given me such a fulfilling career. We ensure to exhibit a strong attention to detail and are willing to impar t knowledge to staff
Today Atrium By Goldenberr y, Surajkund & e League, Gurgaon are testimony of the trust posted by our privileged guests in us Goldenber y is the first choice in NCR for doing weddings, events, corporate events, dining, stay etc
Growing up in a joint middle class family as a child, I was supposed to be exposed to a surplus of mentors and people around to guide me In reality, through, ver y few people have managed to enter my life and stick around through the ups and downs; I could probably count them on one hand
I tr y to keep my day ver y much planned, in order to get what all I have today, and planning to achieve in future.
What challenges did you have to face initially and how did you overcome them?
When I star ted it was a matter of survival, but with all the hardship, honesty and bl e ss i ng s of my me ntor I ke pt on going I am not scared of the challenges and have t he ge t - up - and - go att itu d e to d e a l w it h e ve r y s i d e of t he i ndust r y. I have excelled in the cor porate side of the
c omp any, maste re d nu anc e s of d e a l i ng w it h F & B, and pl a c e d my fo c us on dif ferent projects Excess of work has always has kept my days occupied and kept me on my toes
My only belief is “Don’t just follow the trends Set them” I always welcome fresh ideas no matter where it is coming from
e Biggest Achievement is the hap-
pening of “ e Atrium” where I have started my career as a Sales Trainee, and today I am running this Hotel
Future goals? Expansion plans?
My only Goal is to expand my Brand as much as possible. Not only are we just building new properties but our existing proper ties are really getting a renewed look and reinventing We are doing farfetched, fantastic concepts.
nriachievers in
e festive season may not give a much needed desired boost to the real estate sector this time, which is facing a slowdow n for the last two years. e residential component of real estate, reeling under weak sales due to liquidity crunch, unaffordable pr ices, high interest rates and large scale deliver y defaults, seems quite unlikely to see any wor thwhile re v ival dur ing the upcoming auspicious festival per iod spread over the Nav ratras, Durga Pooja, Diwali and then leading up to Christmas & New Year. In NRI Achievers this issue, Vinod Behl posits an analysis to suppor t his reading of the sector ...
During good times, the festive season is considered auspicious for home buy i ng and of fe r i ng b argains, and contributes to over 30 percent of annual realty sales. But this year, with t he pre v ai l i ng d e pre ss e d marke t s e nt ime nt , t he s e c tor has b e e n w it ne ss i ng mute d s a les since t he last fest ive s e as on of 2014, when less than one lakh housing units were sold in the top 8 cities, record-
ing 30-40 percent less sales compared to t he he a lt hier p er io d of 2010-11 Af ter a slu g g ish 2 0 1 3 , d e spite hop e s of marke t sentiment improving following the installation of a new reform-oriented governme nt , hous i ng s a l e s d i d not pi ck up du r i ng t he fe st ive s e as on l ast ye ar S o much so that the efforts of the developers to extend the festive season of 2014 into the new year, right up to the festive sea-
s on of 2 0 1 5 of fe r i ng v ar i ous i nc e nt ive s and promotional schemes to boost sales, has draw n a bl an k What more, t he upc om i ng fe st ive s e as on has more or l e ss lost its novelty?
e caus e of re a l concer n t his t ime is that even the luxur y housing sector, so far considered recession-proof, and has been hit hard by the slowdown. e situation is f ur t her ag g ravate d as e ven end-us er
driven markets like B engaluru have been b ad ly affe c te d. It's a double w hammy while end users have deserted the market due to unaffordable pr ices and lack of safety of their investments due to projects delays, investors too have withdrawn due to low price appreciation and exit hurdles.
Hig h inventor y le vels are anot her big dampener for residential real estate, with one i nte r nat i ona l prop e r t y c onsu lt anc y putt i ng it at ove r 7 l a k h u n it s ( NC R , Mumbai, and B engaluru being worst hit) w it h t h re e ye ars of ab s or pt i on p e r i o d. T h e g r av it y of t h e s itu at i on c an b e g au ge d f rom i n du s t r y s t at i s t i c s w h i ch put t he va lue of uns old hous es in t he afford abl e an d m i d s e g m e nt c ate gor y i n the top seven cities at ab out INR 400,000 Crore, wit h an addit iona l 100,000 Crore v a lu e h i g h - e n d h om e s ly i ng u ns ol d Proj e c t delays of up to 3-4 ye ars in many c a s e s , e s p e c i a l ly i n t h e ab s e n c e of re a l e s t ate re g u l at i on , i s d e nt i ng buy i ng s e nt i m e nt . Inve s tor s pi r it i s a l s o l ang u i s h i ng du e to L an d & G ST bi l l s stuck in Parliament, apar t f rom the stock market tur moi l and fe ars over t he Black Mon e y Bi l l. Hi g h i nte re s t r ate s are f u r t h e r d e pre s s i ng t h e re a lt y s e c tor, esp e cia l ly as e ven t he 75 bps rate c ut effe c te d e arly t his ye ar has on ly b e en p art ia l ly p ass e d on to t he consumers
Home buyers, especially the end-users, are facing a pricing dilemma. While RBI has b e en pro dding de velop ers to go for pr i c e - c ut s to push s a l e s and cl e ar h i g h inventor y, developers have been dragging t he i r fe e t s ay i ng pr i c e s have a l re a dy corrected and there's no fur ther scope of re du c t i on du e to t i g ht marg i ns . S ome d e vel op e rs pre fe r to ne got i ate d is c ou nt deals with real estate funds instead of offe r i ng pr i c e d is c ou nt s to re t ai l buye rs w ho are m iss i ng out on att r a c t ively priced new project launches (experienc-
ing a 50 percent drop) which are a major attraction in the run up to and during the festival season Also, some developers are quietly putting discounted proper ties for sale through secondar y market channels i nste a d of of fe r i ng upf ront d is c ou nt on primar y sales.
One maj or re as on for not exp e c t ing any ext raordinar y resp ons e dur ing t his year ' s festive season is that over the past one year, the real estate companies have exhauste d a l l market ing t r icks to wo o home buyers. B esides offer ing st andard f re ebies li ke p arking and club faci lity, mo du lar kitchen, air condit ioners, f urnishings, car, foreign trip, gi vouchers, t he y have e ven t r ie d flexible p ayment plans wit h subvent ion s chemes wit hout much success For the first time ever, develop ers are t a king just 5-10 p ercent of house price as booking amount and that too in installments, with balance payment on possession. Also, it is for the first time t hat de velop ers of luxur y homes have been resorting to possession-linked subvention schemes, besides giving offers like 3 bedroom apartments at the cost of a 2 b e dro om ap ar t ment. e y have b e en themselves holding property exhibitions in India and abroad, besides participating in the ones organised by big brokers Even t heir attempts to t ie-up wit h prop er ty por tals and e-commerce sites have been of limite d help and t hat to o in cas e of boosting sale of affordable homes.
But then, all is not lost there is an upside to this as well Ready-to-move-in properties have shown good response as these do not carr y the risk of deliver y defaults. Many of these properties are being offered even at discounted rates NRIs are also showing interest due to rupee depreciation turning homes cheaper and developers are reaching out to them with overseas exhibitions. Real estate compa-
nies have also devised a marketing strateg y to reduce average apartment sizes to make the ticket size more affordable and attractive, besides offering wider choice to home buyers in terms of sizes and price points. In the NCR, the waiver notification on Okhla ESZ has come as a big boon to home buyers of Noida around this zone, where about 3 5 lakh flat bookings were stuck due to National Green Tribunal ban is is expected to boost the market sentiment with substantial increase in home sales during the coming weeks
Real estate de velop ers have als o got a shot in the arm with RBI's latest policy review bringing in an reasonably good interest rate c ut as announce d on S eptember 29. is is likely to boost the fest ive s ent iment and push home s a les e y, toget her wit h b an kers, are a ls o pleading with RBI to revive teaser home lo an rates to g ive a fi l lip to home s a les. ey believe that prospective home buyers will take the plunge during this festive s e as on as residential re al est ate is at t he bottom of the market c ycle and this is actua l ly t he r ig ht t ime to buy homes. But t hen re a l est ate ana lysts and market experts are of the opinion that unless there is a trigger in the form of price cuts, the festive season may not bring much cheer to re a l est ate comp anies by way of substantial pick up in home sales.
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
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When Tamerlane aka Taimur was done and finished with largest mass-massacre in known and recorded Indian history, he decided to do some site-seeing. He explored the Mosques built by Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah Tilangani in Delhi during the reign of Feroz Shah Tughlaq. Aer admiring Jami Masjid of Kotla-i-Ferozshahi near present day Old Delhi, he went to the Begumpur Village, situated in today’s South Delhi. He was so mesmerized by the grandeur of the Begumpur Mosque that he decided to replicate it in Samarkand. He shangaied masons captured from Delhi those who had not been summarily executed during his ‘cleansing’ drive and took them back to the land we now know as Uzbekistan. ey were supposed to get inspired by the then biggest mosque of world, the Begumpur Marvel. Masons and Architects obeyed their new master and the similarity is ever so evident.
So what was so special about Begumpur Mosque of Delhi? Khan-i-Jahan Junan Shah Tilangani, the Prime Minister of Emperor Feroz Shah Tughlaq of Delhi, was a great architect. He decided to pose a challenge to architects of mosques across the globe He built the first large covered mosque, and the six others each with something special within. e B egumpur Mosque was one of those six, a single sto-
ried str ucture that measures 308 feet by 289 feet It has total 68 domed compartments and a huge open cour t e main Pishtaq (central arch), the most prominent feature of the building, is flanked by sloping buttresses each containing a winding staircase leading to the roof ere is an attached Mallu Khana, which is an independent mosque for ladies and also has a Taikhana. Mallu khana is accessible from a ver y small opening in the Nor th wall,
where you have to kneel to get through. I have not seen or heard of any other mosque from that era that contains such a huge and beautifully decorated mosque for women, which is attached to the main mosque. Mallu Khana is approximately 1/ 4th of the size of B egumpur Masjid and has beautiful Mehrabs and Windows
Ver y few people are aware that there used to be a Village settled inside B egumpur Mosque. I was once par t of a
Heritage Walk in the B egumpur area. When we reached the Begumpur Mosque, we saw a small gathering around the miniexhibition of archival pictures that ASI had arranged for us is exhibition had historic photographs of this entire area, including the B egumpur Mosque. We could see old houses inside the Mosque and fields around it S o this group of locals gathered around the exhibition had few old people, who recognized their huts in those pics from early 1900s. It was a great nostalgic moment and ever yone was getting Goosebumps e old man took me around and explained ever y corner He told about people who used to live there He also told about farms and trees. He told how they did minor modifications in windows when some thief struck through it But the most interesting part was, how this village got settled in here is old fellow told me, they belonged to some remote village in district Jhajjar of Har yana. In late 1800s, the soldiers of the Nawab of Jhajjar came to collect tax Women told that men are out in field working and since there has been no rain this year, can they be exempted from tax this
one time. But the soldiers barged into the homes and looked into every corner to be sure that there is no hidden money or crop
When men came back from field in evening and learned about the stor y, they sent a message to soldiers to come back and collect the tax. ey said, they are ready to give away everything but face humiliation
Next day, when soldiers came to collect money, entire village was ready for an ambush. All the soldiers were killed and according to t he pre-plan, a l l vi l lagers moved out of Jhajjar. ey came to Delhi and st aye d as nomads for fe w days in Ki lokr i are a en s ome one told t hem about an empty mosque called Begumpur So ever yone moved there.
ey divided the mosque into half. In one portion, all the villagers settled and in another, they built huts for helps ey invited cobblers, undertakers for their animals, priest, doctor, blacksmith and all other experts that are needed for a village to function. Outside the mosque were huge fields, which would give these villagers their daily bread and butter
In 1928, a few domes of the mosque collapsed. British officers decided to move
everyone out of this structure, as it was now declared dangerous for living. ese families were given few hundred rupees per house to move out and settle elsewhere But the land around this area was so costly that this small amount was no good for shiing. So these families decided to utilize their farms ey built their homes in their small fields and also gave space to those who were not having land there is resulted in a much congested Begumpur Ghetto. British and the later Independent Indian Governments took measures to restore the mosque and improve roads in this ghetto While streets are still very congested, the mosque appears like a wonder out of the rubble
is mosque was built in Feroz Shah Tughlaq’s reign, during the second half of 14th centur y Taimur had invaded Delhi within two decades of its construction, and the Mosque must have been in its full glory at that time, and no wonder it inspired him to replicate it in Samarkhand…
Vikramjit Singh Rooprai
e writer is a self-made IT entrepreneur, who is also a passionate heritage & history buff.
Prakash Jha has recently concluded shooting GANGAAJAL 2, a film he announced over a year ago with Priyanka Chopra in the lead. But just when he is now getting ready for release, Reliance Big Entertainment Pvt Ltd, along with Phantom Films Pvt Ltd, have claimed ownership of GANGAAJAL as Manmohan Shetty’s company had sold all its rights to Reliance, who has further tied up with Phantom for their films e legal notice has made Prakash Jha change the title of his film to ‘JAI GANGAAJAL’ Talking about his reasons, he said, “I am completely shocked on their claim that they own GANGAAJAL.
Anupam Kher was presented with a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ in Las Vegas, by Nevada Senator Ruben Kihuen who praised the 60year-old veteran thespian for providing quality entertainment Kher has been honoured with various awards and recognitions for his contribution to cinema and art, following the resounding success of a repeat show of his play MERA MATLAB WOH NAHIN THA in Las Vegas and back-to-back shows in 20 other US cities and in Canada
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has taken up an initiative to help drought-stricken farmers. Considering the worsening situation in the Marathwada region, Khiladi Kumar has pledged an amount of INR 90 lakh for the families of drought affected farmers who’ve committed suicide. is amount will be dis-
Avani, who also learnt how to wear a burqa and tie a hijab for her character Nazneen Khalid, says, “Wearing a bikini is no big deal A lot of actresses wear a bikini just to show off I am playing one of the Calendar girls and my character required me to wear it. It’s not shown in a sleazy way Also, I feel that wearing bold outfits and doing intimate scenes have now become a part of our films ”
bursed over the period of next six months As a part of the initiative, an amount of INR 15 lakh was given out on the 15th of September 2015 in Beed district. Aurangabad range IG of Police, Vishwas Nangre Patil coordinated the entire event scheduled at Beed district police headquarters
Sp u nky n e w c o m e r R u hi S i ng h t al k s t o o u r B o l lywood mave n Jyoti Ve nkatesh about how she bag ged the coveted role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s latest f ilm CALENDAR GIRLS.
Did you hav e to str ug g le to g et your big break with Cale ndar Girl s?
Not really e word str uggle irritates me a lot because life is full of ups and downs. So I don’t know what struggle is all about. I just know that there were many battles that I have fou eventually it’s all abou ning a war and not batt motto is to never give up I really enjoy doing that
Whi ch we re the battl e that you had to fig ht?
Along with a professional life you have a personal life as well and you have a family B eing a single girl in Mumbai I miss my parents a lot. ere is homesickness and
sometimes some audition doesn’t go well and in some competition you do not win. at is when you want your pare with you Iniauditioned for 2 to 3 ads body does that I was fortunate to p with my agenc y. I love beauty nts. I love being on stage. When was a child I use to participate in the competitions whether it was dance or poetr y I love the feeling of having the spotlight on me
ow did you bag Madhur’s project? e saw my documentar y film ORLD BEFORE HER and had the acter sketches of his 5 girls in his d. He is a perfectionist. He knows haracters. He is not someone who
will cast a person and make him act like a caricature Madhur was ver y chilled out I think I was the third to be cast. I play Mayuri Chouhan from Rohtak. I got a call from his office, He met and told me nice things about my film WORLD BEFORE HER I never expected that he will offer me his film I got a call again and they said they are starting your acting classes from now. I was done with the look test the next day aer our meet
Describe your role in Cale ndar Girl s?
I play a calendar girl called Mayuri Chavan, who is full of spunk. I could relate
myself. I think I have played myself. She hails from a small town just like me, but does not restrict herself f rom dreaming big just like me again She wants to be a inspiration She shares a good bond with her father. e film is about how my life changes aer I become a calendar girl.
I have completed my second film ISHQ FOREVER by Shabbir B oxwala. It has Nadeem- Shrawan’s music. I play the protagonist of the film. e movie is about a girl and her quest for freedom I have been cast opposite a new boy called Krishna Chatur vedi I got to dance a lot Vishnu Deva is our choreographer. He is a perfectionist. I used to think I am a good dancer. But then aer dancing with him I felt I was just ok ere was a moment I cried, when
I could not do a particular step for 3 hours. When I saw the song I had tears in my eyes I was grateful to Vishnu Deva for making me work so hard I haven’t seen myself look so good
How comfor table were you when you were asked to wear a bikini?
I think I am most comfor table in a
bikini and it is not only now, its always been like that. I have always loved to travel I have seen the world except for few continents I have lot of friends and I love beaches I remember I had this friend who was from Greece – she was beautiful with most amazing body. I started working out. is friend of mine made me fall in love with my feminist side of me I was always a tomboy For me swimsuits were never a glamour, it was a basic thing you need to wear. I love scuba diving. I have always been a water baby.
Name the directors you want to work w ith?
Rohit Shetty, Imitiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra.
A
My first v isit to Jaipur was when I was a 15-year old. Until then, I had not v isited any of the other planned cities of India be it a Rourkela, a Bokaro or a Chandigarh. I remember hav ing instinctively liked the city! Compared to my hometow n, Ludhiana, I found Jaipur cleaner and better laid out. is love for Jaipur has not diminished. I regularly visit the city even now sometimes for a reason and sometimes even without one! Agreed that it has g row n and has become chaotic now, but the charm still remains.
It is said that while Jaipur was planned, Vaastu Shastra principles were explicitly kept in mind For a heritage hunter, this 285-year old city offers an extensive fare With its vast array of forts and palaces, the aura of a princely state lives on. Amber Fort as it exists today has been
built over the remains of a more-modest palace that was built in 967 CE. Jaigarh
For t was built in 1720s as a shield for Amber For t While Nahargarh For t was the outermost shield!
e city has ver ve and zest. From a quiet, quaint capital city of Rajasthan, the
desert state of India, it has grown to be a bustling Minipolis with a population exceeding 6 million Today, this 10th largest city of India boasts of two UNESCO World Heritage sites the Jantar Mantar and Amber Fort; albeit Amber Fort sharing the honours with 5 other hill forts of
When planned, the city's centrepiece was the City Palace Quarter, with five other similar sized quar ters surrounding it on the E ast, S outh and West sides. ese surrounding quarters today are globally famous centres for Jeweller y, R ajasthani Juttis (traditional leather footwear), Bandhini or
Bandhej (Tie & D ye printing on cotton cloth), L akh ki Chudiya (Bangles made from Sealing Wax), Aari-Taari work (precious metal wire work on cloth), Marble Statues and Blue Potter y
As a s e at of t h e R aj a s t h an s t ate gove r n m e nt , it a l s o h a s s om e m a g n i f i c e nt s t r u c tu re s t h e Vi d h an S abh a , A l b e r t Hall (now a Museum), the Old Assembly Ha l l, City Pa lace, etc The city has b e en given added colour by many newer, more modern buildings like World Trade Park, t he Shre e C ements He adquar ters, Mot i-
s ons bu i l d i ng , e t a l. S ome of t he more iconic st r uc tures include R aj Mandir, a landmark movie hall that still stays with the glorious cine-era tradition of the curtain raising, Birla Mandir a white marble structure, the Charles Correa designed Jawahar Kala Kendra, etc.
Another attraction, not too far f rom Jaipur, is Sambhar Salt Lake (Shakambari L ake) Here, if you are in luck, you may spot thousands of pink flamingos (we did!). En route to Agra, in a small village called Abhaneri near Dausa, there is a 12-
centuries old stepwell
Its architecture and geometric symmetr y can put modern structures to shame.
When you plan a trip to India next, do go over the famous beaten path called the Golden Triangle and rediscover the mystique called Jaipur!
Ajay Sood
e 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
