Gurgaon drives Haryana’s growth graph

Gurgaon is the leading contributor towards Haryana's economic development, say industry experts.

According to information provided by research firms such as the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India

(ASSOCHAM) and CRISIL Research, the city accounted for 23% of the total tax worth Rs 8,044 cr realised from 1.7 lakh assesses under the Haryana VAT Act 2003 during 2009-10. Gurgaon also accounted for 7% of the total tax realised under the Central Sales Tax Act 1956 with a share of Rs 285 cr of the total Rs 4,063 cr.

"Gurgaon accounts for a sizeable proportion of the total number of large, medium and small units operating throughout Haryana, total investment made in these units and employment generated by these units, thereby making the city as one of India's fastest growing commercial hubs," said D.S. Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM.

According to an analysis done by ASSOCHAM, Gurgaon also accounted for 15% of the total tax collected under the Passenger and Goods Tax Act 1952 with a share of about Rs 51.88 cr.

Over 2.93 lakh people were employed in Haryana's organised private sector in 2009-10 and Gurgaon accounted for about 30% of the total workforce with over 86,200 workers.

Experts believe that by the end of this decade, Gurgaon will develop as an international financial platform to serve India's growing needs and increase its voice in global financial markets. High infrastructural growth with vast pool of IT and ITeS industries, investor-friendly policies, and highly skilled IT labour force will help the city prosper.

Sprawling shopping malls, skyscrapers comprising commercial and residential complexes together with modern infrastructure are also some factors contributing to Gurgaon's growth.

"Gurgaon accounts for a significant share of 52% of NCR's upcoming commercial office space. The percentage of planned commercial office space supply coming up in other parts in NCR will be Greater Noida with 18%, Noida with 16%, New Delhi with 6%, Faridabad with 5% and Ghaziabad with 3%," said Sudhir K. Nair, head customised research, from CRISIL Research.

Haryana also attracted 73 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects worth about Rs 9,500 cr between April 2005 and December 2010 and Gurgaon accounted for about 80% of this FDI with a share of 38 projects worth over Rs 7,300 cr.

23 October 2011 in The Sunday Guardian.

Hermes sari flops in India

Even the richest Indians are reluctant to purchase for Diwali the new line of Hermes saris priced between Rs 4-10 lakh. The French luxury brand has managed to sell only six of its 28 limited edition saris launched a month ago. The saris are available exclusively at Hermes' Mumbai store. When correspondents from this newspaper visited Hermes' stores at the Horniman Circle in Mumbai and at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi, where orders are taken for the saris, they found them empty.

Hermes is not the only high-end foreign brand that is staring at a bleak Diwali. Other high-end brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Boggi Milano and Steve Madden, with products ranging between Rs 7,000 and Rs 1 lakh are not doing great business. A visit to their showrooms in malls such as DLF Emporio, Ambience and Select City Walk in New Delhi during peak evening hours showed that they were fairly empty. Customers were not splurging the way they would normally do during Diwali.

When contacted by this newspaper, the companies refused to disclose their sales figures for the season by saying that their figures will be available when this quarter ends, that is the end of December. Their cumulative Asia figures excluding Japan are available till August. But these numbers do not quote Indian sales anywhere.

Off the record, shop assistants in many of these stores admitted that sales had not picked up. "You can see for yourself. The mall is empty," said one salesman at DLF Emporio.

Even stores belonging to high-street brands such as Paris Hilton, DKNY, Zara, Mango, Aldo and Guess, with products ranging between Rs 3,000 and Rs 50,000 were relatively empty when compared to other stores.

Will "Indianising" their products help these high-end brands capture the market? "I am not convinced that international companies will be able to attract more buyers by 'Indianising' their products. For example, we already have a successful jewellery and luxury domestic market, which cannot be replaced by foreign brands," said Abheek Singhi, retail analyst with Boston Consulting Group.

Status symbol is not enough to bring in customers. "These brands make their line of clothing and jewellery for the elite. But at the same time, an elite Indian customer is also looking for products that offer visible value, which is missing (in these products)," said Sonal Khare, merchandiser with Impulse India.

Indian designers welcome the new entrants, but believe that they will experience slow growth. "These brands have a 0.01% clientele, which is only helping them build their brand name but not helping them grow. I agree that the real market belongs to the masses, but luxury brands do not cater to them," said Anju Modi, a Delhi-based designer.

According to a recent study by CII-A.T. Kearney, the luxury market is expected to reach a value of $5.8 billion by 2015. It has witnessed a growth of 20% in 2011 compared to 2010. But experts say that this projection seems ambitious as the key challenge of reaching the target consumer has not been tackled. "High-end brands cater to a very niche market, which comprises only 2-5% of the elite class in India. We do expect a 20-25% growth rate for luxury brands. But they do not sell in India as much as they do in China," said Abheek Singhi.

Purnendu Kumar, retail analyst with Technopak India said, "Today, luxury goods are a necessity for the affluent segment in India, with a marked shift in mindset. But 20 million people buying from high-end stores does not account for even 5% of the Indian population."

The other big challenge for the Guccis and Versaces of the world is that they cannot set up mono brand outlets because of the 51% cap on FDI in single brand in retail.

Poor infrastructure is another big dampener for luxury brands. One DLF Emporio in New Delhi is nowhere close the umpteen stylish malls and high streets in China. "With taxes on luxury goods above 35% in India as opposed to just a 15% levy in China, the Indian luxury consumer would normally pick up the same product from abroad than here," said an official from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

(With inputs from Mamta Sen in Mumbai)

23 October 2011 in The Sunday Guardian.

Shops expect Diwali surge in chic brands

International garments and accessories brands are expecting a 30% surge in sales during this festive season. Experts say that India has become the most "happening" place for foreign brands.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) said that ad spends in TV and press will be up by 45% during 2011 compared to festive 2010. This will surge sales by 30-40% for foreign brands that offer home and electronic appliances, automobiles, textiles, gems and jewellery, luxury products and home essentials.

"During this festive season, especially Diwali, foreign brands are expected to register almost 30-40% of their yearly sales. Most of the international brands operate at a gross margin of 60%. Tommy Hilfiger, Marks and Spencer, Levis are some brands that have opened Indian offices which has paved a growth path for international brands. Close to 20 million people are buying products from foreign brands at the premium they offer," said Purnendu Kumar, retail analyst with Technopak, a consulting firm.

International players are happy with the way sales have increased since the last week of September.

"Diwali sales this time has picked up after the traditional shraddh period from 28 September. The one month period will contribute in excess of 10% of the year's revenue for the second quarter. Profits double for our retail segment for this period which account for more than the year's average profits," said Sooraj Bhatt brand head of Allen Solly India.

"Consumers splurge during festival season and retail growth will be one of the best during Diwali. Louis Philippe expects a minimum 12-14% of overall sales to come during this Diwali. Profits during this season will be the best as sales will come from full price merchandise," said Jacob John brand head Louis Philippe India.

"Considering it is the festive season and people indulge in exchanging gifts or buying new items for themselves, sales are bound to spurt. We expect 25% of annual sales during Diwali season for Police watches," said Haresh Chainani, managing director, Ganga Watches, which has a franchise of Police in India.

Even online portals say that International brands are attracting more people. "We have a 50-50 profit ratio for foreign and ethnic brands. We provide foreign brands which are not easily available in stores. This helps in building a strong customer base. However, during Diwali we see a surge in sales for home essentials and decor," said Trivikram Thakore, head marketing, Fashion and You, a luxury fashion portal and Deals and You.

16 October 2011 in The Sunday Guardian.

Industry calls for a reliable public transport

Travelling by buses and metro will help control traffic and pollution in the country, says the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) in its recent study titled Vision 2030 for Emerging Cities of India. A network of organised mass transport systems is essential as the number of cities with more than 10 lakh people will increase from 48 to 68 in the next two decades.

"There will be a huge demand for mass transit rail as the number of cities with population of 40 lakh and above will increase from seven to 13 by 2030. The subsequent growth explosion in these cities will account for almost 70% of India's GDP," said D.S. Rawat, general secretary, ASSCOHAM.

According to the study, Mumbai is likely to have a population of 3.3 cr by 2030, Delhi 2.6 cr, Kolkata 2.3 cr, Chennai 1.1 cr, Bangalore and Pune 1 cr each. India's total urban population is already 37.7 cr and may exceed the earlier projection of 59 cr by 2030, states this study.

Among all forms of public transport, the Delhi Metro has helped reduce over five lakh vehicles on city roads since its inception. "Metro rail has the potential to bring all-round benefits to businesses, the environment and people from all walks of life. It is evolving as an industry on its own, and creating space for new services and jobs," states the report.

"The metro rail's contribution in reducing carbon emissions in cities like Delhi and Kolkata has been immense. Reduced traffic congestion on the roads, easy connectivity to commercial hubs and office complexes and reduction of pollution will be the most evident benefits from organised mass transport," said Chandan Choubey, senior analyst of transportation and logistics from KPMG.

The ASSOCHAM study also states that the Central government should move quickly to establish the Metro as the best mass transport means.

9 October in The Sunday Guardian.

‘India is good to gifted children’

Dr Laurie Croft, a professor from the Belin Blank Center for Gifted Education, US, honours advisor and a research guide, believes that India's growth story with gifted children (she hates to refer to them as disabled) will be more successful than China's. She was in India to attend the annual general meeting of Mensa, an NGO working towards the cause of educating gifted children, and was visiting special schools in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Nasik.

"I can applaud the way India has worked towards this cause. It is better than what China has done. In 2008 Dr Nayaran Desai, an executive council member from Mensa, an NGO, had come to the University of Iowa for a scholarship on campus. From then onwards the University of Iowa has formed a partnership with Mensa to support them with ideas and techniques to make life less complicated for gifted children. I contribute with scholarly articles and improvised plans. Our association with Mensa guarantees a scholarship for these students to study an honours programme in several subjects from the University of Iowa," Dr Croft told The Sunday Guardian.

According to her, different Indian states have different needs: "We have started stressing on local communities so that we can plan study material and teaching methods according to their needs as talent development is immense in India."

Dr Croft herself is the mother of two gifted children who inspired her to learn more about special children: "It wasn't easy for me to consider this option until my elder daughter turned eleven. At such a young age she was learning a new language — Russian, which amazed me because she was faster than others. At 15 she left school and started college. She is a linguist and is now pursuing her PhD. Later we got to know that our younger one has brain tumour. I decided to pursue a PhD in educational leadership specialising in gifted education from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma." "My job profile includes working with gifted children in classrooms and teaching teachers how to train them. I am also an honours advisor and help develop ideas at the University of Iowa. I have been in touch with different educators across the world trying to brainstorm and get new ideas to train these special children. I have been working for almost 13 years now," she said.

Dr Croft believes that in many ways she has the easiest job. "Many of these special children in the 4th grade in America are performing better than an average 8th grader. But they have been repeatedly told that they are gifted, which implies that things come easily to them. Unfortunately, at some point they will realise that life is tough," she explained.

She says she had a dream fulfilled during this India visit. "I saw and touched an elephant. I have always wanted to see one. And I get to see monkeys every now and then," she said with utmost excitement, almost jumping out of the sofa.

"I would recommend teachers to get appropriate training to teach gifted children. I see a lot of potential in India as the IQ level is much higher than students from other parts of the world," she concluded.

2 October in The Sunday Guardian.

Intellectual JNU hostels in sin-along mood

Live-ins are "in" for Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students. Officially, JNU has separate hostels for men and women and live-ins are illegal, but tell that to the students who have been living together "openly", with even hostel wardens sometimes looking the other way, or fining them Rs 200 when they catch them. But the students are "scared" about giving their real names. "Do not name us or else we will be detained," was the common refrain. Some senior students had been detained in the past. So most of the names have been changed in this article.

"What is the harm in living together in the same room? We are adults. We are not twelve anymore and are capable of taking our lives' decisions. Plus this has been quite common here," said Janakya, who has been in three live-in relationships with three of her classmates over a period of one and a half years that she has been in JNU and is on the verge of leaving her third partner.

JNU has 18 hostels on campus, including a working women's hostel. Out of these hostels only six are for girls and the other 11 for boys.

"Hypocrisy is evident in JNU as the girls are allowed to enter boys' hostels, but the boys are not allowed to enter girls' hostels. Even some faculty members had objected to this discrimination, but no action has been taken so far. Living together is very common on our campus but it is not really allowed. However, our faculty is particular about these rules. If they find students fooling around they impose a fine of Rs 200 on them, especially when they are on attendance rounds at night," said Abhi, who is not in favour of the idea of live-ins but does not dare to say anything because of peer pressure.

"JNU has always been a world-renowned university. Why should we bother about such petty issues? We are happy with the advanced thought process we have. It is no big deal if students are staying together. We are intellectuals, unlike other college kids. We can differentiate between what is wrong and right. We even have boys staying with their male partners in the same hostel. And let's not even talk about how many one-night stands we know of," said Amrita, who has the reputation of being in the know and is said to be one the biggest gossipmongers of JNU.

The most famous in-house couple (we are allowed to give their real names), profiled by various publications, is Sree, 27, who is finishing his PhD at JNU and his girlfriend Gargi Bhattacharya, 26, who is a lecturer at St. Stephen's College. "For the past six years we have practically been living together in Sree's hostel room," said Gargi.

Sree and Gargi say that they never want to get married as they do not want to bear the burden of in-laws, children and "grief".

Other students share similar thoughts and are happy that they get to live with their partners and decide about their relationship's future based on their experience. They say that JNU makes life less complicated for couples as it gives them the "option" of living together. But they firmly believe that this does not affect their studies because they are studying in JNU to fulfill their respective goals.

2 October in The Sunday Guardian.

Difficult to fill vacancies, say firms

Only 25% of India's professionals who have already been hired are of any merit, the rest lack the skills to do their job well. This is the finding of a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Ernst and Young. With school dropout rate as high at 57%, employers are finding it difficult to fill skilled job vacancies. The report says 90% of the country's total workforce lacks skills for gainful employment. Four out of every ten people are in the working age group.

The report says that over 40 million people are registered in employment exchanges but only 0.2 million get jobs annually; almost 80% of the workforce in rural and urban India does not have marketable skills; and the difficulty of employers in India to fill job vacancies has increased to 67% in 2011 compared to 16% in the previous year. Almost 93% of the Indian workforce is in the unorganised sector with no formal training.

"There is a critical need to upgrade the skills of India's workforce, like in Germany, which is doing well compared to the highly depressed economies of the Eurozone, primarily because of its skilled workforce," S. Ramadorai, advisor of the Prime Minister's National Skill Development Council, told The Sunday Guardian.

"It is imperative for society to legitimise vocational education and training as an equally attractive alternative to conventional degree-based education," said R.V. Kanoria, managing director of Kanoria Chemicals and Industries Limited, Delhi.

Analysts believe that India needs to gear up for internal challenges like inconsistency in infrastructure and delivery mechanisms and a larger role for sector-wise skills councils. "There are six basic steps for better implementation of skills development. They are pre-training assessment, training obtained from working on the job, certification, which guarantees that you have received skills training, placement and on the job mentoring, which leads to better productivity. Embedding appropriate training at the source will help in achieving targets and providing jobs," Pooja Gyanchandani, director, FICCI Skills Development, told this newspaper.

There are 17 Central ministries, along with the National Skill Development Corporation and State governments who provide skill development programmes. "National level strategic collaboration and co-operation of existing bodies will increase hiring levels. Skill enhancement at the individual level will lead to better trained manpower, lower attrition rates, and better matching of aspirations," added Gyanchandani.

Dilip Chenoy, CEO of National Skills Development Corporation said that the industry is coming forward to enhance awareness on skill development. While referring to organisations like Tata Steel and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, he highlighted the impact and reach that an organisation can have towards contributing to skill development.

28 September in The Sunday Guardian.

British lady lobbies for UK apology on Amritsar

Caroline Jaine, a British artist, writer and former diplomat is trying to get her government apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919. Her application to e-petition the UK Foreign Office has been accepted and if she can get 100,000 British signatures for her cause by next August, she will be successful in getting the matter debated in Parliament. "I had never heard of the Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh) massacre before," Jaine told this newspaper over the internet. "I wrote a blog (on Pakistan newspaper Dawn's website) about the summer riots in the UK and commented that I had been surprised that some South Asian friends appeared smugly happy with the unrest. Another blogger picked up on this and wrote a rather amusing tongue-in-cheek blog post listing the many reasons that Indians in particular might enjoy an ailing Britain. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was mentioned and I began to research it and realised what a terrible thing had happened," she explained. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in a public garden in Amritsar when 50 British Indian Army soldiers commanded by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer shot dead over 1,000 people. Jaine believes it is unfair that Britain was able to apologise for events like Bloody Sunday in Ireland, but not for what happened in Amritsar. "Google revealed how many appeals had been made to the British to issue an apology. I think the Queen even visited the site, but stopped short of saying sorry. I knew about the e-petition system and thought it was a good democratic way to demonstrate that the people of Britain would like to issue an apology." "I am hoping this campaign will be viral and that I will not be at the heart of it, as each of the signatories is as important as the other. The driving force will be the 100,000 signatures that we raise in support of the statement." Author of the book, A Better Basra based on the time she has spent in Iraq, Jaine also writes academic texts, and blogs for Dawn and World Bank. She also runs Cambridge Advanced Strategic Training (CAST) and Askance Publishing and lectures on Public and Cultural Diplomacy at London Metropolitan University. She has also taught at summer schools in both Oxford and Cambridge. She is a portrait artist and uses mediums like film, story-telling and oil paint. India has played an important role in helping Caroline select her surname "Jaine" after she was divorced. As she puts it, "Jains are known for their compassion for animals and dedication to a pacifist path in life. And I made a decision there and then on the surname. I would insert an 'I' at the very heart of Jane to make it mine." 18 September 2011 in The Sunday Guardian.

Now buy mobile apps from retail stores

Smartphone users can now walk into a retail store and buy their mobile applications offline.

Mobile retail company Onward Mobility has started selling mobile applications at retail stores in over 100 cities including Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

At the stores, users can buy and install applications through USB drive or Bluetooth.

The model plans to capitalise on the ever-growing market of mobile applications. Industry reports suggest that the overall market for mobility software and applications in Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a CAGR of 35% from 2011 to 2015.

Arun Menon, CEO of Onward Mobility said, "The response has been fantastic as we have sold more than 1,00,000 apps in the last six to seven months. The do-it-yourself concept hasn't gained momentum in India as many are still handicapped in terms of technology. You have to push the need to the retail counter and its customers." Till now the company has launched only six-seven apps across 100 cities and plans to go pan India soon.

Planet M is also planning to launch offline app stores in September. "Our formal launch will be done by September end during Navratri. The main idea is to give customers the taste of apps," said Sanjay Karwa, CEO of Planet M. Planet M has more than 200 stores across 32 cities in India. "With this kind of reach, we can become the go-to offline store for apps," added Karwa.\

4 September in The Sunday Guardian.

Stamp issued to remember freedom fighter Pt. Santanam

After 50 years of struggle Madhuri Santanam Sondhi, daughter of noted freedom fighter Pandit K. Santanam (1885-1949) was able to release a commemorative stamp to honour her father's fight for India's independence. She has been trying to get a postage stamp issued since Pt Santanam's 75th birth anniversary in 1959.

The function held on Thursday at the India International Centre, New Delhi was inaugurated by Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar and Radhika Doraiswamy, secretary to the government in the Department of Posts. The opening speech was given by Pt Satanam's grandson Professor Shivaji L. Sondhi.

"The Department of Post has always honoured men and women who have fought for the country. These stamps will be sold at the national and international levels," said Radhika Doraiswamy.

Pt Santanam, originally from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, settled in Lahore after returning from England where he had gone to study law at Kings College, Cambridge and became a barrister in 1910.

"He took up the defence of those implicated in the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. During that period nobody was allowed to travel outside Amritsar under Martial Law then in effect, but my father managed to slip out and brought the atrocities taking place in Punjab to the notice of the Viceroy's Executive Council. After resigning from his legal practice he built a strong political foundation under Lala Lajpat Rai. He was considered as Lalaji's right hand. He even assisted Gandhiji in drafting the enquiry report by becoming an integral part of the Congress Punjab Enquiry Committee and was involved in the non-cooperation movement," said Madhuri Sondhi.

"We need to keep alive the memory of fighters responsible for the economic and political prosperity of our country. Pt Satanam had formed a company in 1924 named Laxmi Insurance under Lala Lajpat Rai's guidance. To accommodate the employees they built Laxmi Mansions. This building still stands tall in Lahore, Pakistan and interestingly there have been no efforts to change the name or demolish it," said Mani Shankar Aiyar.

Pt Santanam was arrested on 2 December 1921 along with Lala Lajpat Rai. He held several posts in the Congress Committee and also took part in the Salt Satyagrah Movement. He lived for two years after Independence and helped refugees as the member of the Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation.

28 August in The Sunday Guardian.

‘Brand image influences fresh job seekers’

The brand image of a company and the opinions of seniors are key factors that influence students during campus placements, shows the "Firstnaukri.com Employer Preference" survey.

The survey undertaken by Firstnaukri.com, a job search network for college students and recent graduates, questioned 4,500-plus engineering and graduate students about their employer preferences and the basis on which they decide to appear for interview for a company during placements. Most respondents ranked brand image of the company as their first choice and growth prospect in the company as their next preferred option, followed by job profile.

Deepali Singh, business head of Firstnaukri.com said, "It is interesting to note that students hardly have any information about career opportunities or work culture in organisations. This is the reason why students rely heavily on feedback from seniors and friends. Organisations need to spread awareness about the same, so that students can make well informed decisions during their campus placements." When the students were questioned about the biggest influencer during campus interviews, 35% respondents said seniors. Approximately 22% of them said parents and 19% opted for batchmates.

21 August in The Sunday Guardian.

Didi celebrates Tagore death, Delhi bemused

The national capital did not pay much attention to Rabindranath Tagore’s 70th death anniversary on Monday, 8 August, but in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made up for that by “celebrating” the poet’s death. She launched a year-long programme on that day to mark his 150th birth anniversary. Tagore’s birthday was on 9 May, but the Left Front government was in power in West Bengal at the time.

Trinamool Congress MPs’ plea for a holiday in both Houses of Parliament was turned down by Speaker Meira Kumar, who said that Parliament did not have a tradition of commemorating death anniversaries. “The Speaker has asked us to celebrate Tagore’s birth anniversary. We are discussing how to organise it in Parliament by month-end,” Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development, told The Sunday Guardian.

The Central government organised two functions in the national capital to remember the poet. The Ministry of Culture organised a programme of music and poetry at the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

It was inaugurated by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Culture Minister Kumari Selja and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi. The ministry also organised a seminar, “Remembering Rabindranath Tagore” at the Lalit Kala Akademi, to highlight the diverse aspects of Tagore’s vision, creativity, and contribution.

The Geetanjali Troupe, a non government cultural organisation, staged a dance drama, Shrabandhara, at the Sriram Centre Auditorium, leaving a group of students wondering what the function was all about. “Oh, I didn’t know it is Tagore’s death anniversary,” said one student sitting outside the auditorium.

S.N. Banerjee, one of the organisers, said, “Delhi has not forgotten Tagore. But it is not appropriate to ‘celebrate’ someone’s death. For the first time in history grand celebrations were held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for his birth anniversary in May. That was our biggest achievement.”

The Sriram Centre function presented odes written by Tagore dedicated to the monsoons.

In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee took to the streets with thousands of schoolchildren, singing Rabindrasangeet. She urged Finance Minister Amit Mitra to sing a song when she saw him humming with the crowd and asked Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu to announce another holiday the next day for schoolchildren who had braved the rain to participate in the street celebrations.

In the evening, cultural luminaries were invited for a musical soiree at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

All this was a clear departure from the sombre mood of earlier years. But then the Chief Minister had promised that she would celebrate the poet’s birthday on Baishey Srabon (22 Sravan, 8 August), the day he passed away in 1941.

The national capital did not pay much attention to Rabindranath Tagore's 70th death anniversary on Monday, 8 August, but in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made up for that by "celebrating" the poet's death. She launched a year-long programme on that day to mark his 150th birth anniversary. Tagore's birthday was on 9 May, but the Left Front government was in power in West Bengal at the time.

Trinamool Congress MPs' plea for a holiday in both Houses of Parliament was turned down by Speaker Meira Kumar, who said that Parliament did not have a tradition of commemorating death anniversaries. "The Speaker has asked us to celebrate Tagore's birth anniversary. We are discussing how to organise it in Parliament by month-end," Trinamool Congress' Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development, told The Sunday Guardian.

The Central government organised two functions in the national capital to remember the poet. The Ministry of Culture organised a programme of music and poetry at the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

It was inaugurated by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Culture Minister Kumari Selja and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi. The ministry also organised a seminar, "Remembering Rabindranath Tagore" at the Lalit Kala Akademi, to highlight the diverse aspects of Tagore's vision, creativity, and contribution.

The Geetanjali Troupe, a non government cultural organisation, staged a dance drama, Shrabandhara, at the Sriram Centre Auditorium, leaving a group of students wondering what the function was all about. "Oh, I didn't know it is Tagore's death anniversary," said one student sitting outside the auditorium.

S.N. Banerjee, one of the organisers, said, "Delhi has not forgotten Tagore. But it is not appropriate to 'celebrate' someone's death. For the first time in history grand celebrations were held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for his birth anniversary in May. That was our biggest achievement."

The Sriram Centre function presented odes written by Tagore dedicated to the monsoons.

In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee took to the streets with thousands of schoolchildren, singing Rabindrasangeet. She urged Finance Minister Amit Mitra to sing a song when she saw him humming with the crowd and asked Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu to announce another holiday the next day for schoolchildren who had braved the rain to participate in the street celebrations.

In the evening, cultural luminaries were invited for a musical soiree at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

All this was a clear departure from the sombre mood of earlier years. But then the Chief Minister had promised that she would celebrate the poet's birthday on Baishey Srabon (22 Sravan, 8 August), the day he passed away in 1941.

Shared by-line with Susenjit Guha on 14 August in The Sunday Guardian.

Cell phone addiction leads to orthopaedic problems

Doctors say that with the excessive use of smart phones, people are likely to get carpal tunnel syndrome — fibromyalgia, also known as the De Quervains disease. The early signs of this disease can be thumb and finger soreness and formation of calluses and numbness. Constant texting or browsing not only affects the patient's wrists and thumbs, but also strains the neck and shoulder area.

"Your condition can get as bad as having a cervical disc prolapsed with neurological deficit. There is a significant growth in the number of patients getting affected by this disease. There has been a 100% rise in the last five years. These patients mostly belong to the younger age group between 15-30 years, and this has become a common phenomenon in the metros because of easy access to several smart phones," said Dr I.P.S. Oberoi, senior orthopaedic consultant with Artemis Health Institute, New Delhi.

According to psychologists, cell phone addiction is mostly prevalent among the unsociable, unconventional and non-confident groups, and young individuals in particular. Then there are people who try to create a professional image of high efficiency with the help of a cell phone. "People start getting irritated more often and concentration level decreases. Depression is the most common and persistent problem among cell phone addicts. This addiction can also lead to brain tumour as revealed by studies," said Dr R. Chandra, a psychiatrist.

Dr Rajesh Verma, consultant orthopaedic with Gurgaon's Artemis Health Institute, who sees at least 30 cell phone addicts every month, advises regular exercise. "A few precautions and exercises can help your hands in the long run, like taking breaks from the phone every few hours or the use of Bluetooth while working and while driving, or even phones with larger keypads and other convenient phone accessories. Make sure that you exercise the affected muscle groups including both stretching and strengthening ones. Gentle massage and physio modalities also help," he said.

14 August in The Sunday Guardian.

Lose weight under knife, without scars

Scar-less weight loss surgery has become popular amongst the age group of 15-40 years recently. Scar-less surgery or single incision surgery is a technique by where the scar gets concealed in the umbilicus (naval).

Doctors say that women in the age-group of 20-30 years are keener to get this surgery done. "This surgery has gained popularity among young adults especially women. Over the past two years we have treated almost 50-70 patients for scar-less weight loss surgery. This surgery started in Ahmedabad two years ago, but has become popular in the northern areas recently," said Dr Mahendra Narwaria, bariatric surgeon at Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon.

23-year-old Shipra (name changed), who got this surgery done a week ago from Artemis Gurgaon, shared her experience with The Sunday Guardian. She was 89 kg when her surgery was done and after the surgery she has lost close to 10 kg. "Now I can attain my goal of weighing between 50-60 kg. I had lost all hope earlier after trying almost everything. But nothing worked because I have been suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (a condition in which there is an imbalance of a woman's female sex hormones) which added more weight. This made me extremely lethargic when I finally decided that I had to get a surgery done," said Shipra. She will be on a liquid diet for a month post her surgery.

Doctors believe that lately weight-loss surgeries have become essential. "Obesity has become a global epidemic and more so in the adolescent population. More than 40% of children in India are obese. Within the first month of the surgery more than half of the unwanted fat is reduced and after three months the body loses almost all of the unwanted fat. Personality change is the most immediate after effect as people become more confident after shedding the extra weight," said Dr J.P.S. Beed, a bariatric surgeon with Nova Medical Centres, New Delhi.

"Risks from the surgical process are negligible and subject to the clinical condition of the patient. But if a procedure is not performed well or a patient continues to take soft calories, then 10-15% weight gain can be expected. This will need diet modifications or under severe conditions another surgery," said Dr K. Lakshmi, senior consultant and laparoscopic bariatric surgeon of Global Hospitals.

Doctors add that patients can resume work 10 days to two weeks post surgery. "The duration of the ­surgery varies from five to ten hours and the cost ranges from Rs 4-5 lakhs. There are no ­complications as such but for the first two or three days we recommend ­taking multivitamins in case of ­deficiency," added Dr ­Mahendra ­Narwaria.

7 August in The Sunday Guardian.

Indian tourists are new holidaying superstars

Indian tourists are going abroad in droves. The percentage of tourists travelling to Europe, the United States and the Mediterranean countries has grown by almost 25% this year, compared to 2009-10.

Statistics provided by the Ministry of Tourism show that Indian tourism in Egypt has grown at the rate of 30% year-on-year, with 1,14,000 tourists visiting the country from January this year in spite of the unrest.

Singapore receives nearly 5,00,000 Indian tourists a year. Spain saw around 75,000 visitors from India last year, and is expecting almost double the number this year after the success of the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, shot in Spain. The most popular places so far have been Barcelona and Madrid where Indians prefer to stay for eight-nine days.

New Zealand statistics show that almost 30,000 Indian travellers visited the country until May 2011, almost 13% more than last year.

According to the UN's Madrid-based World Tourism Organisation by 2020, over 50 million Indians will be travelling abroad each year.

"Bollywood has always been an ideal tool to promote a new foreign destination among Indians. Hong Kong, Australia, the Netherlands and British tourism boards in association with Indian movie development councils are working on strategies to attract Indian film producers to promote tourism," said an official from the Ministry of Tourism. "India is considered to be a goldmine. 'Have money, will travel' is the new mantra among the new generation. Frequently visited areas are Thailand, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Macao, Hong Kong and even China. Thailand is a short holiday destination which costs up to Rs 20,000 per person," said Rajji Rai, president of the Travel Agents Association of India. He added that economically well off Indians have started looking at places such as France and Kenya as well.

"Some domestic destinations, such as Kerala and Goa, have been sidelined because they are equally expensive. Italy, Switzerland, South Africa and Belgium are some newfound holiday places. Bollywood plays an important role in making Indians choose their holiday spot," said Rai.

Travel portals too believe that international travel is on an upswing. "Our outbound bookings have seen a growth of almost 20% over last year. The reason for the demand is manifold, but mainly it is the influence of the media in terms of movies, TV serials, print medium and also easily available travel deals. Holidays are no longer a rich man's prerogative. With the increase of affordable travel packages, low cost airlines, middle class families are also beginning to travel abroad," said Neelu Singh, COO of Ezeego1.com, a travel portal.

"The growth has been very encouraging and it is estimated that 11 million Indians are going to travel abroad by 2011. We have seen a growth of about 50% over last year, triggered by the economic well being of Indians," said Manoj Gursahani, founder and MD of Vamoosevacations.com.

31 July in The Sunday Guardian.

Canola oil is the new healthy cooking medium

Canola oil is the new favourite medium of cooking for chefs, in both five star hotels and street side eateries. Canola oil, a byproduct of mustard oil, reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases better than other oils, say neurologists.

"Canola oil has the best ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 as compared to all cooking oils. Eating around 1-1/2 tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil every day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease," said Ravinderpal Singh Kohli, director of Jivo Wellness, a promoter and marketer of canola oil. Canola oil has the lowest percentage of saturated fats as compared to all other common oils such as coconut, groundnut, olive oil, soybean, sunflower, sesame, safflower and other hydrogenated vanaspati oils.

The oil has a premium of 20% over other oils. Five litres of canola oil will cost Rs 790, which makes it Rs 123 per litre. "Kolkata and the Northeast have seen a drastic shift from mustard to canola oil. As per market figures, almost 70% of people residing in these places have shifted to canola oil. We can help change around the health charts with canola oil because other oils have high Omega-6 concentration, which leads to coronary heart diseases and depression," Kohli added.

Doctors say that of all vegetable oils, canola oil has an excellent fatty acid profile. The content of unhealthy saturated fat is minimal and it is a rich source of healthy fat derived from different acids. "The oil has cardio protective properties that help reduce cholesterol and control diabetes. There have been cases where people have applied canola oil on their skin allergies and seen immediate healing. It also reduces aggression and irritable behaviour among children," said Dr Neelam Kaur, consultant and dean, faculty of health sciences, Akal University, Himachal Pradesh.

Canola oil is formed after mustard/rapeseeds are hybridised to reduce the levels of toxic erucic acid. Mustard oil contains 42% of erucic acid — reported to raise liver and heart lipid levels. Cases of dropsy have been reported in epidemic form due to adulteration of mustard oil with argemone oil. In case of canola oil, no cases of dropsy have been reported so far.

"Earlier we were using olive oil in each Gourmet but now we use canola oil. We are getting a good response from customers. Canola oil makes cooking easier as this is the only edible oil which has the highest smoke point of 450°F, ideal for deep frying. This results in lower oil retention in fried food," said chef Nataloni from Flavors of Italy in New Delhi.

31 July in The Sunday Guardian.

Doctors use new therapy to cure brain stroke

Indian doctors have started using "Bridging Thrombolysis" therapy to treat complex brain stroke patients, who otherwise can't be treated with conventional therapies. Thrombolysis is the breakdown (lysis) of blood clots by pharmacological means, also referred to as clot-busting.

The use of Thrombolysis came to light when Uday Singh, 50, was admitted to a hospital on 15 June after he suffered a brain stroke which normally leads to a partial paralysis. When he didn't respond to conventional method of treatment, the interventional cardiology team performed a different kind of operation "Bridging Thrombolysis" to clear the blocked arteries in the brain. Singh has now recovered completely. "I am leading a normal life again," said Singh. Dr Praveen Gupta, senior neurologist with Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon who performed this operation believes that treatment of a stroke victim in the first three-five hours is most effective and improves the chances of reversing its effect on the brain.

"It is now one of the most common causes of disability with more than 70% of stroke survivors remaining vocationally impaired and approximately 3% requiring assistance with daily activities. There are risks involved with thrombolysis like bleeding in the brain tissues and 50-70% chances of paralysis only if the patient is not treated on time," added Dr Gupta.

Doctors say that awareness about strokes and its symptoms among physicians and commoners are essential.

"Patients do not realise that they are encountering a stroke and start eating self prescribed medicines. That is unsafe and finally when the patients come to us, after almost 10-16 hours, we lose the window in which we could have saved him from getting paralysed. Due to unhealthy lifestyle and health issues such as blood pressure, physical inactivity, smoking and high alcohol consumption strokes have become common," he said.

The cost for three types of thrombolysis, namely intra-venous, intra-arterial and mechanical, in the National Capital Region , range between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,50,000.

24 July in The Sunday Guardian.