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This week's News Digest Of India-Bengal

Table Of Contents

  1. US asks India, Pak to end nuclear rivalry
  2. India has 61,000 millionaires: Study
  3. Anti-Tank missile Nag successfully test-fired
  4. Desi Nostradamus sees Modi axed, UPA Government fall by Sept 26th
  5. Aging Indian Air Force shoots down US Air Force top guns
  6. Indians must eye billion-dollar deals: Murthy
  7. Kolkata Diary

    (A)WB urged to develop friendly ties with Delhi, (b)Trinamul plans grand alliance with Cong, (c) Madhyamik grade system from 2006, (d) ISKCON Devotees throng streets on rath day, (e)Mughal Begum guns for Laloo, (f)Metro 'relief' notice baffles officials

  8. Kashmir Topic: Now, EU team for tripartite talks on Kashmir / Thousands of youth turn up in Kashmir for army recruitment
  9. Boeing, Indian Space Research to build communication satellite
  10. Sports: Wanted: New hairstyle for Sourav Ganguly
  11. Bollywood: Why is Big B pushing himself?
  12. Tollygunge: Rituparno to direct Bachchan & Tagore's offsprings
  13. Bollywood - When `Girlfriends' are more than just friends...`

    14. US asks India, Pak to end nuclear rivalry

    Tuesday, 22 June , Washington: The United States hopes India and Pakistan will take more concrete steps to reduce risk of using nuclear weapons after a weekend agreement to set up a hotline to avoid nuclear confrontation, the State Department said. "We do think this is an opportunity for them to make further progress and comprehensive engagement, while at the same time, agreeing on concrete steps to lower the risk of accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons," department spokesman Richard Boucher said. He was asked what message Secretary of State Colin Powell's wished to convey to India and Pakistan ahead of a landmark meeting of their foreign secretaries next weekend in New Delhi for negotiations to enhance peace. The talks would include the half-century dispute over Kashmir which has triggered two of three wars between the rival nuclear neighbours and almost led to another one in 2002. Boucher said the United States applauded efforts made by India and Pakistan to try to make progress in their bilateral dialogue backed by Washington, which he pointed out was continuing to have contacts with both governments. "We're glad to see that these are going forward and we really appreciate the efforts on both sides to reduce tensions," he said. Boucher said there were opportunities for India and Pakistan to lower the risk of using their nuclear weapons and "we are glad to see the parties are pursuing them." The South Asian neighbours agreed to set up a hotline to avoid nuclear confrontation and continue a ban on nuclear tests, saying they wanted to "promote a stable environment of peace and security." The South Asian neighbours had held nuclear tests two weeks apart in 1998. The hotline will link the top civil servants in their foreign ministries, according to a joint statement at the end of the two countries' first talks on nuclear risks since the 1998 atomic tests. It said an existing hotline between senior military commanders, who have conversations scheduled once a week, would also be "upgraded, dedicated and secured." The two countries also reaffirmed a 1999 agreement and said neither country would conduct another nuclear test "unless, in exercise of national sovereignty, it decides that extraordinary events have jeopardised its supreme interests."

    India has 61,000 millionaires: Study

    Wednesday, 16 June: India has 61,000 millionaires, while the United States has a whopping 2.27 million, according to a study. One in every 125 Americans is a millionaire -- reflecting a growth rate not seen since the late 1990s at the peak of the stock market bubble, said 2004 World Wealth Report by brokerage firm Merrill Lynch & Co and consultancy firm Capgemini Group. China reported 236,000 high-net-worth individuals (those with at least $1 million in financial or liquid assets), it said. The number of millionaires in the US was up 14 per cent since 2002, and the US and Canada together added more new millionaires last year than Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East combined. The study found that in the US and Canada, the number of ultra-rich - those with investment assets of more than $30 million - has reached 30,000. Wealthy individuals in most of the world enjoyed a strong 2003, ending two years in the doldrums, the study found. In the US, rising stock markets and wealth-friendly tax cuts combined to create strong returns for the wealthy. Globally, wealthy investors, after staying away from stocks in 2001 and 2002, re-entered the market aggressively in 2003, expanding their exposure to 35 per cent of their holdings from 20 per cent.

    Anti-Tank missile Nag successfully test-fired

    Tuesday, 15 June , Hyderabad: India's state-of-the-art anti-tank missile Nag has been successfully test fired for the first time from a vehicle that will actually be used in battlefield, a defence official said today. The missile was fired from BMP-II vehicle and scored a direct hit at a target two kilometers away, Nag project director S S Mishra told PTI. The test took place on June 10, he said. This is the 40th test of fully assembled Nag and the first to be fired from a platform that will be used during real battle, he said. Previous flights had taken place from make-shift launchers. Mishra said it was also the first missile to be test fired from the Shamirpet firing range near Hyderabad. Earlier tests were performed at Ahmednagar. Equipped with an infra-red homing sensor for day and night operation, the fire-and-forget missle can destroy a tank four kilometers away by diving into the tank from the top which is vulnerable.

    Desi Nostradamus sees Modi axed, UPA Government fall by Sept 26th

    TUESDAY, JUNE 22, NEW DELHI: The to-go-or-not-to-go drama over Narendra Modi may be a closed chapter down here, but stellar alignments in the skies above will have their own say. In west Delhi, a sprightly 82-year-old star gazer insists, "Modi has to go. He has no option." Five-star deliberations in Mumbai may not fetch such an emphatic statement as the BJP goes into a huddle. But it is likely that astrologer Lachman Das Madan's soft voice will reach across. The BJP is all ears when he speaks. Especially now. For Madan - who predicted before the closely fought election 2004 that neither Vajpayee nor Advani or even Sonia Gandhi would be the next Prime Minister – has the political world in a spin over his next prediction, "By September 26, this UPA government will go." And in the new equation, "the BJP cannot be left out." Astral gobbledygook? The believers – and Indian politics has many – would frown at that. Atal Bihari Vajpayee reads every word that Madan writes in his monthly magazine Baba Ji, published both in Hindi and English. They have been close since the 1960s. Then there is Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who has been consulting him for years, LK Advani, HRD Minister Arjun Singh, his predecessor Murli Manohar Joshi, former chief justice R S Pathak – a veritable who's who hangs on the astrologer's every word. When he was in a hospital bed this weekend recovering from exhaustion, he had VIP visitors and VVIP callers. But as he studies the stars in a small room crammed with books, predictions and memories, he is nonchalant about the other stars, the political variety that clamour for advice. Madan has predictions galore – some of his books and journals carry predictions for a 100 years or more. We dig into his store for some immediate ones. Madan on UPA government: "On 18 June, a bad period began for the UPA government. Within one month they will face serious obstructions. Within two months, some of their allies will leave them. Within a month thereafter, there will be agitations, I'll not be surprised if this government is defeated. By 26 September, the process will be through and the BJP will have to be part of the new coalition. There will be a split in the Congress, some BJP men may join the Congress." On Atal Bihari Vajpayee: In 1969, when the BJP was years away from being born, Madan told Vajpayee that he would be Prime Minister one day. Vajpayee laughed it away. Years later in 2004, the astrologer says, "The day Vajpayee said there would be anarchy after him, I wrote to him and told him he would be thrown out. But Vajpayee cannot be written off. He is not about to quit politics or retire." Sonia Gandhi: Madan says this was the closest the Congress chief came to being Prime Minister. She will never be PM, he insists. "Security has to be strengthened. There is a threat of physical danger, Sonia Gandhi has to take care." Gandhi GenNext: Priyanka, says Madan, has a fantastic horospcope. "She will always be a very charismatic leader. She will achieve good position in politics." He does not have Rahul Gandhi's horoscope, but says Varun Gandhi will have a spectacular rise. "He will be very successful politically." On Narendra Modi: Arrogance, says Madan, has been the downfall of many leaders, including Indira Gandhi, whose fall from grace post-Emergency he had predicted many years ago. India's horoscope is "wedded to democracy. Indian people may be silent for some time or be slow to rise but that could never be interpreted that they will tolerate a dictator." Now he says the Gujarat Chief Minister will not continue, all that the BJP leaders are saying notwithstanding. "Narendra Modi has to go. He has no option". Madan also cautions Modi about a threat to his life. On LK Advani: Perhaps the most interesting prediction is for the former deputy Prime Minister. "If Advani lets go of his role as Leader of Opposition and becomes BJP president, there will be a positive decision in favour of temple construction in Ayodhya. Advani is likely to make some bargain between 31 July and two months thereafter. He will bring Hindus and Muslims together in Ayodhya." On elections and a national government: Madan sees the impossible in his calculations. "The economy will suffer and the only option between the Congress and BJP will be to come together, though the difficulties will seem insurmountable. There will be fresh elections in 2005 unless a national government is set up." Some Madan predictions that clicked in the past: In 1969, told Vajpayee he'd be PM. In 1981, said Rajiv Gandhi would be PM. Indira Gandhi, Madan says, asked him "where am I going?" Wrote about Rajiv Gandhi's horoscope ending before August 1991. Rajiv died in May 1991. Predicted that "a serious earthquake or some similar explosion is feared" between June-July 2000 and April-June 2001. The Gujarat earthquake happened on 26 January 2001. Wrote for a one-year period beginning 21 March 2004: "The government will face acute problems and if elections are held it will be defeated." Predicted earlier this year that Vajpayee, Advani or Sonia would not be PM.

    Aging Indian Air Force shoots down US Air Force top guns

    FRIDAY, JUNE 18, WASHINGTON: Did the Indian Air Force really outperform American pilots and planes during recent India-US air combat exercises or is the USAF using the encounter to pitch for new generation fighter jets? That's the question buzzing around in strategic circles after a recent article in a limited access US Air Force magazine detailing the "surprising sophistication of Indian fighter aircraft and skill of Indian pilots" demonstrated at the Cope India air combat exercise at Gwalior in February this year. The exercise, in which US F-15Cs were said to have been defeated more than 90 per cent of the time in direct combat exercises against the IAF, "is causing US Air Force officials to re-evaluate the way the service trains its fighter pilots while bolstering the case for buying the F/A-22 as a way to ensure continued air dominance for the United States," a June 2 article in the magazine Inside the Air Force reported. The magazine quoted US officials who participated in the exercise as saying it should "provide a reality check for those who had assumed unquestioned US air superiority." On the face of it, the performance of the IAF, with its oft-reported air crashes in an aging, non-American fleet, might seem surprising. But US officials told the magazine that the Indians were much better than they had bargained for. "What happened to us was it looks like our red air training might not be as good because the adversaries are better than we thought," the article quoted Col. Mike Snodgrass, commander of the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, as saying. "And in the case of the Indian Air Force both their training and some of their equipment was better than we anticipated." "Red air" refers to the way the US Air Force simulates enemy capability in air combat training. US officials emphasised that such simulation deliberately handicap US planes and pilots against the enemy because the service has assumed for years that its fighters are more capable than enemy aircraft. In Cope Thunder, four F-15Cs were pitted against 10 or 12 of same model Indian fighters such as the Mirage 2000, MIG-27 and MIG-29s in offensive and defensive counter air scenarios. But the two most formidable IAF aircraft proved to be the MIG-21 Bison, an upgraded version of the Russian-made baseline MIG-21, and the Sukhoi SU-30K Flanker, US officials said. "What we faced were superior numbers, and an IAF pilot who was very proficient in his aircraft and smart on tactics. That combination was tough for us to overcome," the magazine quoted a US airman who took part in the exercise as saying. While acknowledging the performance of their Indian colleagues, who they will meet again in another air combat exercise in Alaska next month, the US airmen also made a major pitch for the F/A-22 aircraft that the US government has been slow to embrace because of its cost and lack of a perceived threat. "The major takeaway for the Air Force is that our prediction of needing to replace the F-15 with the F/A-22 is proving out as we get smarter and smarter about other [countries'] capabilities around the world and what technology is limited to in the F-15 airframe," Col. Snodgrass said. "We've taken [the F-15] about as far as we can and it's now time to move to the next generation."
    Indians must eye billion-dollar deals: Murthy
    Saturday, 19 June , New Delhi: Infosys Chairman N R Narayana Murthy said that the big challenge before Indian IT companies is to get invited to participate in billion-dollar deals. "With global delivery model and offshoring becoming mandatory offering in any sector, the next big challenge for Indian IT companies is to get invited to billion-dollar deals," Murthy said at an award function in New Delhi. The award, instituted by EMPI Business School and AMIC-India, was given to former Telecom Commission Chairman and Chief Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal. Indian IT companies should improve their brands and increase their productivity and try to be among the top 10 best governed and best employers in the markets they operate in, Murthy said. He said while the industry strives to achieve the size of $70 billion by 2008, the government too must concentrate on improving the infrastructure. Murthy said signs of progress must be visible. "When foreign buyers land in India and see the condition of airports and roads, they form an impression of the country and it becomes difficult for us to convince them otherwise," he said. He said apart from physical infrastructure, the government must also concentrate on improving infrastructure for education. "Last year, we at Infosys received close to a million job applications but could employ only 7,000. The education infrastructure in the country should be improved and private sector must play a role in this," Murthy said.

    Kolkata Diary

    WB urged to develop friendly ties with Delhi

    TUESDAY, JUNE 22, KOLKATA: Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee believes Bengal's industrial growth would be quicker if it became a fast friend of Delhi. Less than two weeks after state chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told a consular corps meet that he would call a halt to the Leftists' long-standing practice of engaging in public spats with the Centre, it was Chatterjee's turn on Tuesday to point out that the bonhomie was in Bengal's interest. "We (Bengal) can move much faster if we have a closer relationship with the Centre," Chatterjee said at a felicitation programme organised by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) for its former chairman. Pointing out that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) would last out its full term, Chatterjee said cosy ties with the Centre would dispel any apprehensions in the minds of entrepreneurs that the two sides did not get along and ensure that investments did not move elsewhere. The state had often complained in the past that an unfriendly Centre had prevented Bengal from getting its rightful dues. "West Bengal has the potential to again become the number one industrial state in the country," Chatterjee said. Chatterjee said the state should strive to "remain in the public eye all the time" so that Bengal was the first place investors thought of when they were planning to expand their operations. The WBIDC should also attempt to further win the confidence of businessmen. "People should come to trust the WBIDC and look upon it as a friend because its job is to make it easier for people to earn greater profits," he said. The WBIDC became a profitable organisation under Chatterjee. "We will try to build on what he (Chatterjee) had done during his tenure," state commerce and industries minister Nirupam Sen, who recently took over the WBIDC chairmanship, said. "We will hold roadshows to market the state," he added. Sen said the WBIDC was in the process of finalising the team that would travel to Italy in September to participate in an international seminar cum exhibition. The state government would soon close down five loss-making Webel subsidiaries, he added.

    Trinamul plans grand alliance with Cong

    SUNDAY, JUNE 20, KOLKATA: Possibilities of a grand alliance with the Congress against the CPM are once again doing the rounds if senior leaders of the Trinamul are to be believed. Party chief Mamata Banerjee, however, did not elaborate on it while talking about her latest researches at a public meet on Saturday. MLA Partha Chattopadhyay said he has circulated a note within the party asking Trinamul workers to develop a campaign strategy to woo the rank and file of the Congress for an understanding at the grassroots level. By joining hands, Congress and CPM leaders have forgotten their party workers who had died in clashes between the parties. "It suits the interest of the leaders, but workers at the grassroots are not able to accept this," he said. He said the Trinamul has now emerged as the only credible Opposition party against the CPM. But the party must be able to bring together everyone at the grassroots level who are opposed to the CPM. MLA Sadhan Pandey echoed similar thoughts. He said an understanding between the Congress and the Trinamul is needed to defeat the Left Front. "The Congress still enjoys 15 per cent votes. If we had left 10 seats to them in the last Assembly elections, giving tickets to their sitting MLAs, the result could have been otherwise," Pandey said. Both leaders, however, agreed that including the BJP in the alliance can be tricky. "We will have to identify which section of the BJP is acceptable and develop a working understanding with them," Chattopadhyay said. About including the BJP, Pandey said: "Why should anyone object if we give a few seats to the BJP from our share?" He said the coming municipal elections will show that such a grand alliance is possible. "There are municipal bodies at Malda and Taki, where the Congress, the Trinamul and the BJP are functioning together," Pandey said. Chattopadhyay said the Trinamul and the Congress are ready to share seats in Kaliaganj and Siliguri.

    Madhyamik grade system from 2006

    MONDAY, JUNE 21, Results of the state's biggest public examination - Madhyamik - will be out next week. West Bengal Board of Secondary Education president Dibyendu Hota tells Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey that students can expect good results, 'just' marking and fewer marksheet errors. What kind of result do you anticipate this year? For the past two years students have been happy with their results. I can only say that this year, too, there will be no change from. The quality of students in West Bengal at the secondary level is improving at a fast pace; the intellectual level of the Madhyamik examinee of today is more impressive than one even six years ago. Naturally, the results will keep improving by the year. Has the marking pattern changed? Not drastically. However, there was a time when examiners would be conservative about giving marks. As a result the score of even top bracket Madhyamik students looked poor when compared to, say, ICSE or CBSE. But this is unfair to our students. So we have asked examiners not to restrain themselves from giving the marks that our students deserve. Hence, you are seeing a growing number of students who score in their late 80s and 90s. What measures are being taken for an error free result? We have noticed that many mistakes creep in while marks are being copied from tabulation sheets to the computer, so we have extra personnel to crosscheck this step. We are isolating results where a student has got zero or abnormally low score in a particular subject, and are checking out his/her score in the other subjects. If we find some discrepancy, we send the answerscript for a thorough re-examination. Why did you decide to do away with the merit list? No national board gives out a merit list. The system is archaic as it celebrates the success of only a handful of students. We need to encourage everyone who succeeded in the first public examination of their lives. Moreover, this creates an atmosphere of unhealthy competition and depression among the youth. We are toying with the idea of giving the grand total of a student on the internet so that no one is able to create a merit list from the data available on the net. When will you switch over to grades? From the 2006 Madhyamik. We are sending instructions to schools so that at their level they can start grades from Class VI-IX and get students and parents used to it. This will be done following certain parameters set by the Board. Finally, from 2006, we will give grades in the Madhyamik marksheet too. However, we will also continue giving marks alongside grades for sometime before people accept the "only-grades" situation. There were several goof ups on the net last year.... We had toyed with the idea of not putting our results on the net, but we realised that cannot be done because all national and state boards post their results on the net. But we are devising a system whereby students would get their marksheets on the same day that results are announced so that the dependence on the net reduces. Will you be setting up helplines after results are declared? This year we will have a control room at the board headquarters with several phone lines and officers manning them to sort out students' problems. For outstation candidates, similar facilities will be available at our regional offices.

    ISKCON Devotees throng streets on rath day

    SUNDAY, JUNE 20, KOLKATA: Thousands of Lord Jagannath devotees came down to the streets on Saturday for the annual rathyatra , as chants of ' Hare Rama Hare Krishna ' filled the air. Organised by International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the yatra , by far the biggest in the city, commenced at Subodh Mullick Square in central Kolkata and culminated at TAI (Book Fair) grounds after passing through Ganesh Chandra Avenue, Central Avenue, Esplanade, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Park Street crossing, Outram Road and Metal Road. Chief guest Jagmohan Dalmiya sweeped the area in front of Balabhadra's chariot to mark the beginning of the journey. Numerous people accumulated by the wayside, waiting for an opportunity to pull the three chariots of Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath. Even a heavy downpour and traffic snarl in the evening could not dampen the spirit of the devotees. There was a question mark on the yatra because of a dispute between Iskcon and some decorators over non-payment of dues, but the matter was resolved in time. Swaminarayan yatra in Bhowanipore also drew a lot of people. Incidentally, Iskcon founder Sri Prabhupada started the Kolkata rathayatra in1972. The 'festival of chariots' is celebrated in some 100 cities the world over including countries like Russia, the USA and Indonesia, an Iskcon spokesman said. The purnayatra (return journey) will be held on Saturday, June 26.

    Mughal Begum guns for Laloo

    MONDAY, JUNE 21, HOWRAH: Laloo Prasad Yadav may not have taken his school lessons too seriously but now a humble tea seller from Kolkata - with a not-so-humble lineage - is out to give him a lesson in history. Sultana Begum, the great granddaughter-in-law of Bahadur Shah Zafar, is angry with the railway minister for calling the last Mughal emperor "communal". She has sent letters to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding a public apology from Laloo Yadav. She has also met Trinamul MP Mamata Banerjee, requesting her to raise the issue in Lok Sabha. Sultana had stirred up emotions nationwide recently with her pilgrimage to the Golden Temple in Amritsar to "atone" for the sins of her husband's ancestors, particularly emperors Jahangir and Aurangzeb who persecuted Sikhs. Laloo Yadav's reported comments were made in a television interview telecast on June 13 on a national channel and repeated the next day. According to Sultana, during the course of the interview the minister had called Bahadur Shah Zafar a "communal leader" and Atal Bihari Vajpayee his "representative". Ever since, Sultana has taken up cudgels against the railway minister. "Bahadur Shah Zafar was one Mughal ruler who always worked for peaceful co-existence between the Hindus and Muslims. Not a single historian has ever termed him communal. On what basis has the minister called him communal," fumed Sultana. "This shows his education or lack of it and his knowledge of history. Woh kya janega itihas," she said. She pointed out that Zafar celebrated Hindu festivals, especially Holi. He also started a social festival called Phoolwalonki Sair to promote communal harmony between the Hindus and the Muslims. "The festival was stopped by the British but Nehru started it again after India's independence," she informed. The widow of Bedar-Bahadur-Bakth, the great grand son of Zafar, lives in a Howrah slum, running a tea stall to eke out a living. "I will wait and watch for the time being. I will intensify my move if the railway minister does not apologise," Sultana said.

    Metro 'relief' notice baffles officials

    SUNDAY, JUNE 20, KOLKATA: Facing trouble in the Metro tunnel? Contact West Bengal relief secretary. At least that is what a handwritten notice on a ticket window of the Esplanade Metro station tells people. The notice also has the office and mobile telephone numbers of the West Bengal relief secretary as well as a fax number and an e-mail id. State relief secretary Trilochan Singh was taken aback by why the Metro authorities had decided to put up his numbers at the station. "I have no idea why the notice has been put up at the Metro station. We are called in whenever there is any natural calamity like floods or cyclones. Maybe there was some circular from the Centre to display the numbers at public places," Singh said. Though senior Metro officials were equally taken aback, the station manager of Esplanade had an explanation to offer. "In case of any emergency inside the tunnel, we would like the Metro staff as well as passengers to know the numbers of the government official to contact even though we are now well equipped to handle any contingency," said A K Chattopadhyay, station manager, Esplanade. Recently, Metro stations have begun stocking life saving equipment like gas masks and cylinders. "After incidents of trains getting stuck inside tunnels, we have decided to provide such equipment to the emergency staff," Metro officials said. However, there seems to be no relief in sight for those who plan to take the Metro ‘for a ride’. From July 1, the fine for travelling without a valid ticket will be enhanced from the existing Rs 50 to Rs 250. "Many people travel two or three zones with a Rs 4 ticket. At the end of the journey, they try to squeeze under the turnstiles. There are many who make a mistake while purchasing tickets," officials said.

    Kashmir Topic: Now, EU team for tripartite talks on Kashmir / Thousands of youth turn up in Kashmir for army recruitment

    Wednesday June 23, SRINAGAR: Days after European Union ambassador F. Camara Gomes drew flak for his statement that Kashmir was an integral part of India, another team of EU parliamentarians on Tuesday described Kashmir as an ``issue'' that could be resolved through tripartite talks. ``India, Pakistan and Kashmiris should resolve the Kashmir issue. We are concerned because it has been a nuclear flashpoint,'' John Cushnahan, the head of a six-member EU parliamentary delegation, told reporters after landing in Srinagar for a three-day visit. The delegation comprises two members from Britain and one each from Netherlands, Sweden and Italy. ``The people of Kashmir are the most important party to the issue because it is they who are suffering,'' he said. ``We want to see the situation in this part of the world and frame the policies of the EU accordingly.'' The EU team that visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in December 2003, will meet separatist leaders Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Mohammad Yaseen Malik and Shabir Ahmad Shah on Thursday. The team will meet hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Wednesday. Foreign delegations, especially from United States and European countries, have more or less ignored Geelani after the Hurriyat split last year. The moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference lost no time in describing Cushnahan's remarks as ``positive'' and a ``good sign'' for the dialogue process. The separatist leadership was recently jolted by the statement made by Gomes who called Kashmir an integral part of India. Bhat said the Hurriyat is looking forward to apprise the delegation of the situation in Kashmir. He said violation of human rights would also come up at the meeting. ``Human rights, the issue of detainees form the essential part of Kashmir struggle and will be discussed,'' he said. Geelani, on the other hand, said he would draw the team's attention to India's ``intransigence'' on resolving the issue despite promises made by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who took the issue to the United Nations. Geelani will also take up the issue of forcible land grabbing by the security forces in the hinterland. Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah echoed the concern on violation of human rights. The EU team will offer condolence to Mirwaiz on his uncle's assassination by militants. Mirwais, who is in Delhi to condole the death of Kashmir Democratic Forum chairman Bhushan Bazaz's son in Canada, is expected to return on Wednesday. The EU team will also call upon Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Governor Lt Gen S.K. Sinha and civil and military functionaries.

    Thousands of youth turn up in Kashmir for army recruitment

    Tuesday June 22, POONCH: About three thousand young Kashmiris turned up for an army recruitment drive in Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. The drive has been launched by the federal government to wean the youth away from militancy. The recruitment drive would also lessen the problem of unemployment to some extent in the troubled region, plagued by militancy for the last 15 years. More than 40,000 people have died in the revolt against New Delhi's rule in the disputed region. "The effort is to bring all these youth into mainstream, so that they do not get discouraged and to give them proper guidance. They will realise their potential once they join the army," said J.S. Yadav, deputy commander of K.G. Brigade. The aspirants were put through rigorous physical tests after their educational qualifications were checked by armymen. Most of the young recruits said they were eager to serve the country. Alkit Singh, a local who came to participate in the camp, said: "We are very happy and we are trying our best to be recruited in the army and fend off the enemy."

    Boeing, Indian Space Research to build communication satellite

    TUESDAY, JUNE 22, BANGALORE: Boeing and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are likely to jointly build a communication satellite for the global market, US and Indian officials said on Tuesday. Addressing an Indo-US Space meet here, US Under Secretary of Commerce, Kenneth I Juster, said the US government had recently approved a licence, authorising Boeing Satellite Systems to engage in discussions and share data with ISRO on the division of responsibilities for possible joint cooperation in the development and marketing of communication satellites. Asked by reporters about the proposal, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said the satellite would be similar to the two tonne class INSAT satellite. "We are discussing with Boeing on whether we can incorporate some of their payloads and have joint marketing of the communication satellite", he said. The satellite would be for the global market, he said, adding, if the agreement comes through, it would hit the market in two years. "If everything goes well, we will hit the market in two years". Nair said the composition of the satellite was yet to be discussed. It would have 15 to 20 transponders and if they were powerful ones, the required number would be 12.

    Sports: Wanted: New hairstyle for Sourav Ganguly

    Tuesday, 22 June , Chandigarh: It is not only the second opener's slot in Test matches that Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly wants to bring about a change into. And that has got nothing to do with cricket -- he wants a new hairstyle! Beauty expert Sylvie, who was here to open a franchise of chain of her beauty salons, said, "Sourav has expressed his desire to go in for a change of hairstyle and I am working on it." "We are experimenting on different hairstyles on Sourav's picture on the computer and we will show all those hairstyles that suit his personality to Prince of Kolkata. Whichever coiffure he will agree on, we will give him that,'' she told reporters. Sylvie is also styling the hair of former cricketer Ajay Jadeja for his forthcoming film 'Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas'. Sylvie had also worked with Shahrukh Khan's hair for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus 'Devdas'. Sylvie, who has beauty salons in Delhi and Chandigarh, also plans to open two more beauty salons in Amritsar and Ludhiana soon.
    Bollywood: Why is Big B pushing himself?
    Why is Big B pushing himself? TUESDAY, JUNE 15, Two years ago, I wondered whether I should address an open letter to Indian screen icon Amitabh Bachchan as I watched him having to rest briefly with the much younger Sanjay Dutt, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar during a live stage show in Durban. "Why are you pushing yourself to the limit and insisting on engaging in all these live appearances and performances, rather than taking it easy now and assuming a less strenuous role as an international ambassador for the Indian film industry through the speeches you deliver to rapt audiences?" I wanted to ask. But some industry insider information about Bachchan's frenetic schedule, including even a spate of product endorsements as manufacturers fell over each other to sign him up, made me delay the question. In Singapore last month, during the annual IIFA Awards, of which Bachchan is the Brand Ambassador, I finally got the answer to my question. Speaking candidly to the international media at the launch of a co-production his revived company AB Corp is involved in, Bachchan admitted to having been too ambitious the first time around, resulting in ABCL going bust. "In 1995 I started what was ABCL, which was going to encompass the entire entertainment vision that we were growing into. "We started well but we ran into trouble. The company went bankrupt and instead of closing the company down; against a lot of wishes of our advisers, I chose to keep it alive and worked hard to pay back all our debts and get the company back on its feet again. "I'm happy to say that after having taken care of that, with a lot of trouble, lot of assistance from friends and well-wishers, we are now back on our feet. But having learnt some bitter lessons in the sphere of management of entertainment companies, we decided that we would start taking very small steps forward." Bachchan said the company felt they needed to be less ambitious than they had been the first time round. "We feel that perhaps we should start by making films first. Even in that sphere, we wanted to hold hands with people who were conversant with the technology of production, with the idea of making films. "We were weak in that department. Production is not an easy job and we felt that we should hold hands with existing producing companies, giving them our assistance as far as our creativity is concerned." Bachchan pointed out that this creativity meant more than his agreeing to be in such films. "This creativity just doesn't restrict itself to offering myself or (my son) Abhishek or (wife) Jaya as artists in the film, but also to be able to sit in on stories and music or other aspects. "The idea really was that initially we were putting in 100 percent in the production. And perhaps making two or three per cent and sometimes not even that as profit. Now we've decided that we will share profit 50-50 or come to some kind of equation where the risk was divided and perhaps hope for a better profitability. "This has been our stand and our philosophy for the second time round of AB Corp. I hope that as we move forward gradually and slowly, we will be able to get back to our original concept of expanding not just in the area of filmmaking, but into other facilities as well, be it post-production, be it multiplexes, be it audio, events, endorsements - the entire gamut that the Indian film industry offers." The Hindi film Virodh and its English version Versus , to be directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, would be the first of the co-productions that AB Corp would venture into. The films will star Bachchan as a father who tackles the legal system after the death of his son, and wins. It will also feature veteran actress Sharmila Tagore. Bachchan said he was looking forward to working with Manjrekar on the project, which his son Abhishek had convinced him to take on. "I've been a great admirer of Mahesh and his directorial talent. Needless to say, he's also an extremely talented actor and that is perhaps one of the reasons why he's such a good director. "I've always believed that when a director knows aspects of acting as well, he makes an even more brilliant director. Mahesh and I have worked together on Kaante and Mahesh is a very, very accomplished actor."

    By Fakir Hassan, IANS Correspondence based at South Africa

    Tollygunge - Rituparno to direct Bachchan & Tagore's offsprings

    Tuesday, 22 June: Call it providential... But just when Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore are ready to come together for Mahesh Manjrekar's bi-lingual Viruddh/Versus at the end of this year, their respective offsprings are all set to co-star in what promises to be a stunning casting coup. The master-mind? None other than Bengal's most prized filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh who just completed his first Hindi film Raincoat featuring Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai and Mouli Ganguli (of the soap Kahin Kissi Roz Fame). Ghosh's next film, in Bengali, would feature Abhishek Bachchan and Soha Ali Khan in a story that's hypnotically passionate. Says Ghosh, "I wanted an actor who had the brooding intensity, bronzed appeal, penetrating eyes and silent smouldering personality of Mithun Chakraborty in Mrinal Sen's Mrigaya. Abhishek is perfect." The director recently met Abhishek over lunch at the Bachchans who loved the story. But how would Abhishek speak Bengali? Explains the director, "Abhishek plays a Bihari character (again, after Yuva!) . He doesn't have to speak at all. But the leading lady has to be fluent in Bengali. That's why I needed someone who knew the language. Soha Ali Khan is right for the role," says Ghosh who worked with the young actress' celebrated mother recently in Shubho Mahurat. With the film being in Bengali Ghosh would have to drop plans of signing Kareena Kapoor. "I can't have two non-Bengalis in the lead . And since Abhishek remains silent, there would be no problem with his speech. As for working with Kareena, I'd have to regretfully postpone plans for later. I was supposed to work with her in Raincoat as well. I'd love to work with her. She's a fabulous actress." Though Abhishek has played a small role in another Bengali film(Raja Sen's Des where he was cast as his own mom Jaya Bachchan's son) this would be his first full fledged foray into regional cinema as well as offbeat filmmaking. It also takes him his mother's land where Jaya started as an actress with Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar. He's naturally excited since his father too would be working with Rituparno Ghosh later during the year, albeit in a Hindi film. Papa Bachchan's films with Sharmila Tagore like Besharam, Faraar and Desh Premee haven't been too successful. But Ghosh is confident that Abhishek and Soha would make magic together. He'll shoot the Abhishek-Soha film in a 20-day schedule in September. He plans to go into his Amitabh Bachchan film by December. That means a total of 3 films from this prolific Bengali director this year!!! "I know," Rituparno Ghosh laughs. ``Aishwarya's mom told me I've become a do-mahine-mein-ek director.``
    Bollywood - When `Girlfriends' are more than just friends...`
    Monday, 21 June, Isn't it ironic that while press reviews of Girlfriend labelled it avoidable, and the movie failed to cause any movement at the Box Office, the controversy surrounding it when political parties tore its posters created more of a stir! So, are certain subjects still best left 'in the closet'? Indian cinema has always been known to expose the secrets of society by bringing well-guarded social issues out into the public eye. When Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan joked about homosexuality in Kal Ho Naa Ho, audiences laughed and accepted it for what it was - a light hearted parallel comedy track. But when an entire movie like Girlfriend is made, people proved to be not as accepting. Is the common Indian still in a state of denial where homosexuality is concerned? Is it still regarded a Western vice, something those crazy Americans do? Of course, the educated and more 'open-minded'have no problem accepting that their fashion designer friends, models, photographers and even hair stylists are gay. But it still hasn't crept into most people's lives yet, and with the kind of conservative upbringing we give our children it hopefully never will. Never mind that behind closed doors, young teenagers have unlimited access to girl-on-girl porn action on the Internet, and so many of their classmate are gay and proud to be so. So, for common folk to see two women seduce each other on screen comes as a rude shock. Especially since both girls in the film, Amrita Arora and Ishaa Kopikar, have a certain girl-next-door appeal, which makes the concept of lesbianism even more difficult to relate to. Nandini Sardesai, Professor of Sociology at Xavier's College explains why. `India is not ready to discuss such bold subjects yet, because when you talk about India you cannot consider the educated minority which might regard such relationships as normal. For the common Indian such relationships are taboo. We are socialised to think of marriage as important; and by marriage we mean heterosexual marriages where the purpose is to pro-create. Until some time ago a woman who could not conceive was looked down upon, even though she may have been the best wife, because she was not fulfilling the purpose of marriage. So how do you expect our society to be ready to accept homosexuality?` Sardesai continues, `Moreover, if a movie depicts such relationships tastefully people might still accept it. Though I haven't seen this movie, I believe it has angered not only the general audience but also the lesbian community who has been portrayed as some kind of abnormal psychopaths.` `I feel that if you are going to talk about such preferences then why make excuses for them by showing that the girl went through some kind of trauma in her childhood which is why she became homosexual. Because by doing so you are suggesting that homosexuality is abnormal, which is bound to anger people. In the movie Fire they made no psychological excuses for their behaviour but showed it as a result of boredom and dissatisfaction which was accepted by people.` Sardesai also points out that the gay movement has suffered a lot and is still struggling to come out into the open and be accepted in society. `Even in the West it is only in the last 50 years or so that things have become more open and that too after a lot of political rallying. Even today the American Army does not allow any soldier to proclaim openly that he is homosexual unless asked. They prefer to keep it secret. In fact until Bill Clinton's term, the America army did not recruit homosexuals. Even sociology books have started studying such relationships as normal only in the last 30 years. Earlier they were considered 'deviant behaviour'. Change has come with time and this generation is much more accepting,` she believes. This belief is reconfirmed by 19-yearold Kajal, `I did go to see the movie and though it wasn't very good, its commendable that someone finally made a movie on this subject. Though people do not prefer to come out and admit they are gay, you can always see the signs. Maybe such movies will make people more accepting of reality and that will encourage homosexuals to live their lives as they please." Her friend Shubha agrees that homosexuality does exist so what's the point in denying it. `It is scientifically proven that everyone gets attracted to someone from preference, so why not accept the fact and watch movies on the subject?` However people protesting against the film argue that the subject should have been dealt with more sensitively and not in the distasteful manner it has, making it more of a sex film that the producers could cash in on. `It is irresponsible on the part of the media to glamourise the concept without doing any proper research on whether or not the lives and actions of lesbians are any different from heterosexual girls. This film has depicted lesbians as aggressive and violent individuals, which isn't true, hence there is a need to protest,` says Nandini Sen, a housewife, who supports banning the film. However, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, actress and director of the famous 'Vagina Monologues' disagrees. `I think this is simply making an issue of a non-issue. How a filmmaker has handled his subject is no reason for anyone to protest and tear the posters and stop the screening of the film. After all nobody is being dragged to the theatres or being forcibly made to watch the movie. If you don't like the subject or its treatment don't watch the film, but don't stop other people from doing so.` She goes on to add that, "this form of protest is simply an unsophisticated display of muscle power, which is even more obscene than the movie itself and should not be permitted. We claim our culture is thousands of years old, then how do we justify this sort of 'goondagardi' and attention seeking behaviour as part of our culture? Someone's sexual preference is a natural phenomena and it isn't anybody's business", she insists. In conclusion, this entire fracas only goes to show that while we are willing to accept lesbianism in offbeat art films, plays, and books, we are still not ready to recognise it as an issue in commercial Indian cinema. Especially when a filmmaker appears to have sensationalised it to make a fast buck and grab the headlines.

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