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Established 1993
Letters to the editor
independent India have politicians
been on the run. The last edition of
Prep Talk came out with a thoughtprovoking article on Lokpal Bill and
the corrupt who are occupying centre
stage in the Indian political
firmament.
Corruption is the Scourge in
Indian perspective
One cannot be on the wrong side
of the law at all times. Sooner or later,
law catches up with the offender.
Politicians in India have learnt this in a
disgraceful way. Kalmadi and
Yeddyurappa are just two of the many
faces which have surfaced from the
morass. The Lokpal Bill is one of the
sincere efforts put in to check
corruption. The last issue of July 2011
gave an in-depth coverage of the issue,
which is uppermost amongst Indians.
What I liked particularly was the
write-ups on repo rate, mechanisms
and happenings in real estate and
automobile industry. It refreshed my
knowledge, apart from giving me
fresh insights. Likewise, profiles of
Nicholas Sarkozy and Gulzar proved
to be inspiring.
The issue contained interesting stuff
on waterfalls, which I love to visit and
spend time seeing them. As always,
Prep Talk motivates me to read and
absorb the printed matter.
– Garima Budhwani, Ludhiana
Café Coffee Day is here to stay
Each one of us would have visited
the joint and had a sip of the
refreshing beverage some time or the
other. But few would be aware of the
basic information relating to it. It was
only when I read about Café Coffee
Day in the last edition of Prep Talk
that I realized that the joint is making
a significant presence among brands.
Next time when I have the cup of
02 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
Coffee, I would relish it with this
understanding. Issues of corruption,
ministerial accountability and
economic trespasses have been
exhaustively dealt with in the edition.
Phobias have been beautifully
described. Articles on Qantas Airways
and Sharm el-Sheikh are rich in
content. Profile personalities like
Gulzar give out good food for thought
and are inspiring. Before I read the
article on Aristotle, I had misplaced
notions of the Greek hero. I thank Prep
Talk for the illuminating article.
– Rais Abbasi, Udaipur
Politics is never a clean
business
The issue of Lokpal Bill
spearheaded by the activist Anna
Hazare, has made the lives of politicians
cutting across all party lines uneasy. At
no other time in the history of post-
The issue also carried interesting
articles on Phobia, Repo Rate, Real
Estate Industry and the Automobile
Industry. The section on words in
English, which could be a slippery
ground for users in areas of spelling,
was beneficial for me. Likewise,
articles on brand icons like Future
Group and Café Coffee Day, Qantas
Airways and Indian Companies were
enriching. I found the description of
Sharm el-Sheikh and waterfalls
interesting. The articles are wellresearched and the language simple.
– Clara Dewasahayam, Kochi
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Take Quote
Dear Readers,
Politicians of all hue and colour have been on the defence. They never had such
trying times as the present one, with public awareness on the ascendance with each
passing day, as regards their corrupt acts. The torch lit by the activist Anna Hazare
has spread its effulgence to the nook and corner of the country. Activism, be it
judicial, civil and social, caused the arrest of politicians like Amar Singh,
businessmen like the Reddy brothers of Karnataka and resulted in the nearimpeachment of Justice Sen. The electorate has woken up, the vox populi
becoming stronger, with a grim warning of peril if it goes unheeded. After all, every
hubris has its nemesis. That has been the under current in the history of every
nation, world over.
At the other end, we have people who have strutted across like a colossus,
making Indians proud of both their presence and performance. Chanda Kochhar
and Anna Hazare deserve special mention for being in news, the former for
splendid performance in business and the latter for making Indians sit up and take
notice of severe issues that have caused a dent to the national growth.Students have
lent support to the movement against corruption, thereby signifying the
importance of harnessing Youth Power for constructive purposes.
Many among you would have geared up your preparations to face CAT 2011 and
other examinations. While hard work is the core, strategization is its able
complement. Make the best use of the resources at your disposal to be in a
commanding position. Listen to and imbibe the tips given by the faculty from time
to time. They would stand in good stead in critical moments.
Failures are common, needing to be taken light-heartedly, though not casually.
Learn from past errors, ensuring that they do not get committed in future. Revise
and brush up your concepts. With perseverance and practice, improve your score in
Mock Tests, which get conducted periodically. The josh-filled mantra of Kar Ke
Dikhayenge should be recited and lived upon. With dogged
spirit, preparations need to be made, along with valuable
inputs given by the faculty and experts from time to time.
Here’s wishing each one of you stupendous success.
Manish Saraf
COO, PT education
“The best and most beautiful things
in the world cannot be seen or
touched...but are felt in the heart.”
– Helen Keller
“Fourscore and seven years ago our
fathers brought forth on this
continent a new nation, conceived in
liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created
equal.”
–Abraham Lincoln
“Because man and woman are the
complement of one another, we
need woman’s thought in national
affairs to make a safe and stable
government.”
–Elizabeth Cady Stanton
“You are the people who are shaping
a better world. One of the secrets of
inner peace is the practice of
compassion.”
–Dalai Lama
“It is a wholesome and necessary
thing for us to turn again to the earth
and in the contemplation of her
beauties to know of wonder and
humility.”
–Rachel Carson
“Change your thoughts, and you
change your world.”
–Norman Vincent Peale
“To me every hour of the light and
dark is a miracle; every cubic inch of
space is a miracle.”
–Walt Whitman
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 03
Contents
Simplifying knowledge dissemination
Managing Editor
Sandeep Manudhane
Manisha Manudhane
Executive Editor
Manish Saraf
Editorial Correspondents
Vinay Goyal
Correspondents
Tarin Mehta
Nimesh Upadhyay
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Volume 10. Edition 02. August 2011
Cover Story:
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Post-Anshan Scenario ...........................................................
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Current Events
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India ........................................................................................
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World ......................................................................................
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Business and Economy..........................................................
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PT Panorama
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Killings and Killers - Part II .................................................
27
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Phobias - Part II ....................................................................
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Chanda Kochhar ...................................................................
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Reproduction or translation in any language in whole or in
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shaping careers through innovative products and
services & the use of human technologies.”
Regulars
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Managing the Challenge of e-service ................................
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If you are with the Anti-Corruption Campaign then it is
24
time to Brush up ....................................................................
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Album Quiz ..........................................................................
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Brand Icon : Boeing ..............................................................
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Music: Indian Music Instruments (Part I) ........................
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Fortune 500 : Mission Statement ......................................
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Brand Icon : Eureka Forbes .................................................
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Word Power ..........................................................................
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Peru ........................................................................................
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Book Review : Animal Farm ................................................
63
Cover Story
Post-Anshan Scenario
M
embers of the joint committee constituted to draft
the Lokpal Bill, (top row) Union Ministers Pranab
Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, M.
Veerappa Moily and Salman Khursheed; (bottom row) Anna
Hazare, Shanti Bhushan, Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan
and Arvind Kejriwal.
The kind of response that the Anna Hazare Movement
against anti corruption received from people across the country,
particularly the urban middle class, shows that there is
enormous disquiet and anger among them about corruption,
which they now see as a very serious problem. That is why Anna
Hazare’s fast resonated with them, particularly when they saw
that this fast was undertaken by a person with spotless and
selfless image. They also saw that other participants associated
with Anna Hazare in this struggle were people who had a clean,
selfless kind of image. What it really demonstrates is that if
public opinion gets aroused and mobilised, then it can exert
significant pressure on the government. However, it certainly
does not mean that it is the beginning of any revolution in this
country. If that has to happen, it would have to involve an
organisation which is very carefully and assiduously built up and
which has a clear political understanding of all the major issues.
Secondly, this demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill will only tackle
one part of the problem of corruption, certainly not other
problems. One part that it is designed to tackle is to create an
effective institution to check the supply of corruption and to
create disincentives for corruption. Unless we simultaneously
deal with a bigger problem – the kind of policies which are
creating a huge demand or incentives for corruption – we will
not be able to successfully tackle this problem. Policies – of
privatising natural resources, public resources and natural
monopolies, without any transparency, public auction, etc.,
through secret MoUs, or the way in which former
Telecommunications Minister A. Raja allegedly did in the 2G
scam – are allowing the loot of enormous resources by the
corporates and sharing some of that loot with public servants,
who have begun to act like the agents of corporates. These
policies are creating and have created a corporate mafia, which
has become so powerful that it is above all structures of
authority. If we allow these policies, even the Lokpal will not be
able to withstand the onslaught and the power of this corporate
mafia. So, unless we simultaneously tackle this problem, we will
not be able to successfully tackle corruption, even with a Jan
Lokpal.
Moreover corporate mafia has to be tackled by changing
these policies that are allowing this loot of public resources and
creation of private monopolies so that corporations with such
enormous money are not able to overpower all public authorities
and institutions.
The mafia, exemplified by the Reddy brothers of Karnataka,
which controls today all the authorities, including the Karnataka
Assembly, where they can buy and take away the majority of the
legislators. So, even the Chief Minister is unable to control
them. Unless these policies, which are allowing such mafia to be
created, are reversed, that is policies which allow them to take
away natural resources worth lakhs and lakhs of crores which are
needed to set up private monopolies like airports, water
distribution, electricity distribution, etc., we will not be able to
control corruption.
Ultimately, of course, the Lokpal will be appointed by some
authorities. The whole environment has become such – when
you have just a few corporations which enjoy and together have
more financial resources than those held by the bottom 80 per
cent of the country's population put together, obviously, all
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 05
democratic institutions will get subverted, because these
corporations control the media, they can manufacture consent,
they can bribe their way through, and all institutions start
shaking. However credibly one tries to create a Lokpal, it cannot
withstand the onslaught.
Not only this, the bulk that goes by corruption is corporate
corruption. Corruption is always a top-down phenomenon.
What happens is when you have large-scale, high-level
corruption, where lakhs of crores are given away to corporates
for a pittance, whether it is land or mineral resources, or oil and
gas, then that money gradually begins to trickle down – say 10
per cent is given to the Minister, another 10 per cent to the top
officials, and some per cent trickles down to the lower officials,
etc., etc. That is where corruption really originates. Of course,
that has the effect of corrupting the entire hierarchy, and
thereafter, other people start indulging in petty corruption also
because they cannot be checked by people who have the power to
check them.
Obviously, corrupt people who are taking advantage of the
corrupt system are not going to and will not have the capacity to
check corruption below them. That is why, the bulk of the
corruption is at the top and we have corporations today with
more resources. The largest 20 corporations in this country
would have more resources than the bottom 50 per cent of the
people.
The Jan Lokpal will target every kind of corruption,
including corporate corruption, provided one also
simultaneously changes the policies, which is not happening.
Corporate corruption always operates through public
officials. If one does not change the policies that are creating
huge incentives and demand for corruption, and in the process
are creating these monster corporations, then the Lokpal is also
likely to wilt under the onslaught of such monster corporations,
which have a huge vested interest in corrupting public officials
in order to make huge amounts of money. So, therefore, one has
to simultaneously tackle the demand side of corruption or the
incentives of corruption. The Lokpal only tackles the other side
– the supply side. That is, it sets up an institution which can
effectively choke the supply side of corruption by taking action
against corrupt officials, but such an institution will not be able
to withstand the onslaught of monster corporations. The
demand side of corruption will overwhelm the Lokpal also. The
Lokpal itself will become either corrupt or be intimidated by
these corrupt corporations.
government policies as well.
So far Anna Hazare has not addressed this issue, and he will
address this issue in time to come. He is addressing another
exceedingly important issue – to make democracy more
participatory and to decentralise it.
But one would expect the need for the simultaneous reform
of policy areas and the creation of the Lokpal institution, to have
formed part of discussions within the movement.
Anna Hazare has been involved with this issue of corruption
and Lokpal for a long time. Arvind Kejriwal and his group
Parivartan have also been involved in this issue. However, these
organisations have not really focussed on the demand side of
corruption, perhaps because of a lack of complete
understanding of the whole problem of corruption. They are
small organisations which have not really grappled with larger
political issues of our times other than issues of transparency
and corruption. Anna Hazare has grappled with local selfgovernment issues or issues of water management and issues of
corruption and transparency. But he has not so far grappled with
some of the other political issues of our times.
The issues of communalism and secularism are scarcely
addressed. That is why he sometimes makes or issues
statements without having a full understanding of the political
implications. He would not have issued them had he had a
complete grasp of the other political issues, especially issues of
communalism. He didn't really have the full understanding of
what really transpired in Gujarat. This is a State where the entire
Muslim population has been reduced to penury. Even
Scheduled Castes and Tribes and the depressed sections in the
State are in a very bad state. There is growth for only the
corporations and the upper middle classes.
Anna Hazare's statement praising Gujarat's record on rural
development reflects an incomplete understanding of what
really happened in the State. But he has no linkages with the BJP
[Bharatiya Janata Party]. He is not fully tuned into the kind of
politics which has gone on in a State like Gujarat.
With this begins the story of the aftermath. There are still
innumerable issues going on in the country which have a deeprooted vein of corruption. Not just corruption but a legion of
tainted people and personalities.
KING OF THE STING OPERATION NOW FALLS TO ONE
It would be simplistic to think that the Lokpal institution by
itself will be particularly effective in stopping corruption. This is
certainly one reform that is urgently required. But both the
reforms need to take place simultaneously in the form of
06 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
The corporate-turned-politician, who scared the world by
taping conversations, fell to a similar operation which exposed
his aides on video, 'buying' MPs to back the Congress
government in the trust vote in Parliament in 2008..
The unravelling of the Singh saga ends an incredible journey
where the Thakur from Azamgarh walked the fine edge for so
long, proving observers wrong at every step. None saw him going
too far when his main weapon became public – taped
conversations or stings for every occasion, good or bad.
If Vishwanath Chaturvedi alleged corruption against
Mulayam Singh Yadav, there was a tape with him bragging to
manage the post-retirement life of the adjudicating judge. When
Anna Hazare aides cornered the Centre over Lokpal bill, Singh
played out a purported conversation which had Shanti Bhushan
assuring the SP chief that his son Prashant would manage the
concerned Allahabad judge for a handsome fee. Even actor
Sanjay Dutt claimed to have 'stung' then law minister H R
Bhardwaj on Singh's bidding, when he went to meet him about
his TADA case. The split with SP in February 2010 came with
threats that he had 'Netaji's' secrets in his cupboard, which he
would not reveal.
The stings were not that many, but fear of what Singh could
do built his aura. "Sting is king" was the mantra.
Colleagues said Singh's fall was long seen as coming but it
took really long. "He really survived well with all the
controversies," a leader said.
It has been a long journey for the son of a hardware store
owner in Kolkata who networked well and progressed fast. His
first job as liaison man for a Delhi corporate house took him
close to Madhavrao Scindia, starting his life in power.
Finding his feet, Singh's big break came when he switched to
Mulayam's camp. For the rising star of Mandal politics, he
positioned himself as the perfect complement to network in the
corporate world and media. The partnership took wings. The
Etawah strongman who drew sniggers of 'pehelwan' and
'casteist' from the ‘chatterati’ was soon shaking hands with big
businessmen and getting photographed with A-list glamdolls
and the Big B. Singh came to be known as the socialist's alter ego.
The Thakur was on the fast track with his brazen ways but,
observers say, he erred in working on the premise that politics
had short memories.
REDDY BROTHERS
Two days after the arrest of former tourism minister G.
Janardhan Reddy, the mining czar’s kin and die-hard supporters
have reason to smile, as the BJP leadership looks set to give in to
their persistent demand for a berth in the cabinet of Chief
Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
Leaders of the ruling party
have blinked despite the raids and
arrest of their high-flying leader
by CBI officers, factoring in
potential short-term and longterm perils involved in keeping the
Reddy brothers and their campfollowers out of the ministry. The
“peace plan” was approved during a meeting chaired by BJP
president Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur. It was also cleared by RSS
Chief Mohan Bhagwat, ahead of his arrival in Bengaluru to
preside over a two-day brain-storming session with senior
ministers of Karnataka and office bearers of all organisations of
the Sangh Parivar. Sources in BJP said the names of B.
Somashekar Reddy (Bellary city), one of the Reddy brothers and
the youthful Suresh Babu (Kampli), nephew of former minister
B Sreeramulu, figured during discussions on the third phase of
expansion, as neither figure in the Lokayukta’s report.
JUSTICE SEN’S RESIGNATION
Controversial Calcutta High Court
judge Justice Soumitra Sen sent his
resignation in writing to the President,
raising fresh questions whether
impeachment proceedings against him
in Lok Sabha would go on as scheduled.
“A lawyer on behalf of Justice Sen
has handed over a resignation letter to the President. The
President is perusing it,” a Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesperson
said without disclosing details. Sources said the resignation was
“in order”.
A constitutional entity is free to tender his resignation on his
own volition and action and there is no acceptance involved, the
sources said, adding that it comes into effect immediately if the
resignation is in order.
In the Constitution, there is no acceptance involved and the
resignation given by a constitutional entity under hand and
addressed to the President comes into effect immediately.
Sources said that the President, after perusing the letter, will
hand it over to the department of justice for further appropriate
action. A judge may by writing under his hand addressed to the
President resign his office.
After reports that Justice Sen had sent his resignation by fax
to the President, Attorney-General Mr. GE Vahanvati opined
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 07
that the impeachment process should continue. The
government's top law officer pointed out that since the
resignation letter is 'not in proper format', it could be rejected by
the President and by stopping impeachment proceedings at this
stage, would allow Justice Sen to continue.
The Attorney-General advised the government that it was
too late to stop the process since it had already commenced.
Highly placed sources said that Mr Vahanvati has opined that
"the impeachment motion against Justice Sen must go on as per
the schedule in the Lok Sabha".
Justice Sen (53) was found guilty of misappropriating Rs
33.23 lakh under his custody as a court-appointed receiver in the
capacity as a lawyer, and misrepresenting facts before a Calcutta
court in a 1983 case. The impeachment motion against Justice
Sen was passed with an overwhelming majority by the Rajya
Sabha on 18 August, 2011.
Sources said that Mr. Vahanvati has based his opinion by
referring to Article 124 (4) of the Constitution dealing with the
procedure for removal of judges of higher judiciary. He said that
Mr Justice Sen should have resigned before the Rajya Sabha took
up the impeachment proceedings.
a
Hip-hop
Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily danced to hip-hop
music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. This includes a
wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping, which
were created in the 1970s by African Americans. What separates hiphop dance from other forms of dance is that it is often freestyle
(improvisational) in nature and hip-hop dancers frequently engage
in battles – formal or informal freestyle dance competitions.
Informal freestyle sessions and battles are usually performed in a
cipher, “a circular dance space that forms naturally once the dancing
begins.” These three elements – free styling, battles, and ciphers –
are key components of hip-hop dance.
More than 30 years old, hip-hop dance became widely known after the first professional breaking, locking, and popping
crews formed in the 1970s. The most influential groups are the Rock Steady Crew, The Lockers, and the Electric Boogaloos,
who are responsible for the spread of breaking, locking, and popping respectively. Parallel with the evolution of hip-hop
music, hip-hop dancing evolved from breaking and the funk styles into different forms: moves such as the “running man”
and the “cabbage patch” hit the mainstream and became fad dances. The dance industry in particular responded with a
studio based version of hip-hop – sometimes called new style – and jazz funk. These styles were developed by technically
trained dancers who wanted to create choreography for hip-hop music from the hip-hop dances they saw being performed
on the street. Because of this development, hip-hop dance is now practised at both studios and outside spaces.
Internationally, hip-hop dance has had a particularly strong influence in France and South Korea. France is the birthplace
of Tecktonik, a style of house dance from Paris that borrows heavily from popping and breaking. France is also the home of
Juste Debout, an international hip-hop dance competition, and Battle of the Year, the largest team-based breaking
competition in the world. South Korea is home to the international breaking competition R16, which is sponsored by the
government and broadcast every year live on Korean television. The country consistently produces such skillful b-boys that
the South Korean government has designated the Gamblerz and Rivers b-boy crew official ambassadors of Korean culture.
To some, hip-hop dance may only be a form of entertainment or a hobby. To others, it has become a lifestyle: a way to be
active in physical fitness or competitive dance and a way to make a living by dancing professionally.
08 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
Current Events
India
THE STORY IN SHORT- ANNA AND HIS FIGHT FOR LOKPAL
Mr. Hazare, a 73-year-old Gandhian activist, had persuaded
a legion of young and middle-class Indians to back his demands
for an agency to prosecute corruption cases against public
officials. He has tapped into growing rage in India after a series
of corruption scandals in the past year.
Early on 24th August 2011, it appeared that the two sides had
made considerable progress in negotiations on what the
structure and powers of the Lokpal agency should be. They had
agreed, for example, that the agency need not have powers to
investigate judges, so long as the government enacts a separate
“judicial accountability” bill soon.
Speaking at New Delhi’s Ramlila grounds, Mr. Hazare,
visibly weakened, told the tens of thousands of gathered
supporters that some of his key remaining demands were that
the legislation also put in place anti-corruption bodies in each of
India’s states, and that the Lokpal be empowered to prosecute
low-level officials in the bureaucracy, not just high-ranking
officials.
“The bill should take government officials at every level
within its ambit,” Mr. Hazare said, standing up briefly to hold
the microphone. “I’ll fight for my countrymen till I breathe my
last.” Mr. Hazare also said he wants the government to commit
to a quick deadline to pass the Lokpal legislation.
After a large police buildup at the protest site, the activists
grew concerned that the government might move to arrest Mr.
Hazare early 25th August, 2011. Addressing his supporters, Mr.
Hazare said, “Don’t stop them if they lift me up from here,”
adding “I will be pained if there is violence.”
After various political parties convened on 24ht August, 2011
at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, they
issued a joint statement that appealed to Mr. Hazare to call off
his fast and promised “due consideration” would be given to the
activist’s proposals as final legislation to create a “strong and
effective” Lokpal agency is written.
Time had becoming a major factor: Mr. Hazare’s doctors,
who were assessing his status hourly, said that his vital signs
were worrying, though on 24 August 2011, they said that he had
improved and was out of immediate danger. The Congress party
risked a major political backlash, and perhaps mayhem in the
streets, if something happened to Mr. Hazare, analysts said. At
the same time, Mr. Hazare’s supporters felt the pressure to
make headway quickly in the government talks so their leader
did not become a victim of
their struggle to rid India of
corruption.
“If something happens to
Anna, the government will be
directly responsible,” Arvind
Kejriwal, one of the chief
organizers of Mr. Hazare’s
campaign, had told
supporters.
Even if Mr. Hazare’s team
and the government had
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 09
reached a deal on the substance of Lokpal legislation, it wasn’t
clear how long it would have taken to slink through India’s
Parliament. New Delhi, like Washington, has a reputation as a
black hole where complex and controversial policy proposals get
swallowed up in endless Parliamentary debates or get referred to
“expert committees” that take months to provide input.
Pradip Datta, Head of the Political Science Department at
Delhi University, said that the government “couldn’t afford to
just buy time” with stalling tactics, given the widespread popular
support for Mr. Hazare and the political risks. “The Congress
(party) is in disarray and corruption has become a focal point of
anger against the Congress, cutting across all parties,” he said.
At Ramlila grounds on 24ht August 2011, about 40,000
supporters were out in force. Young boys had their faces painted
with the colors of the Indian flag—saffron, white and
green—and “Anna” scrawled on their bare chests. One sign
read: “Corruption: Fight it. Beat it. Kill it.”
Some of Mr. Hazare’s supporters were already uneasy about
news that he had apparently settled for a Lokpal agency that
wouldn’t have powers to investigate the judiciary.
“We should get the Lokpal bill just as Anna had written it,”
said Naveen Kumar, 26, a freelance graphic designer. He then
paused, and added, “But we are also worried about the health of
Anna, so maybe some compromises are necessary.” He said he
would protest again if the government doesn’t pass a Lokpal bill
within weeks.
Parliament Passes Resolution
Both Houses of Parliament passed a resolution conveying the
sense of the House on the Lokpal Bill, paving the way for Anna
Hazare to break his fast.
On a motion moved by Pranab Mukherjee, Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha passed a resolution conveying the sense of the
House on the Lokpal Bill.
After the passage of the resolution, Speaker Meira Kumar
adjourned the Lok Sabha.
There was some confusion over whether the resolution was
passed by a voice vote or not.
Apparently, no voice vote took place.
“Thumping of the desk is akin to passing a motion by voice
vote,” Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar told reporters.
After the passage of the Lokpal resolution in Lok Sabha,
Rajya Sabha also passed the resolution.
“Team Anna welcomes the passage of the Lokpal
resolution”, Kiran Bedi said.
Some of the important points of the Lokpal resolution
passed by Parliament include:
Harish Mandal, 36 years old, who runs a garment business in
Delhi, had two sticks of sugarcane slung on his shoulders. A
notice pasted on his shirt read: “We will squeeze the corrupt
politicians like the sugarcanes.”
1. An effective Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in
states be set up;
2. Employees of centre and state governments to be brought
under purview of Lokpal and Lokayuktas respectively;
3. All government departments to have citizen’s charter with
timeline.
Sangeeta Sharma, 24, a Sanksrit student at nearby Delhi
University, was holding a sign that read “Arise, Awaken and Stop
Not Till the Goal is Reached.” She said, “Until we get what Anna
wants, the movement will continue. We have been
compromising for too long.”
With a copy of Lokpal resolution and a letter from PM
Manmohan Singh, Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh went to
Ramlila Maidan to meet Anna Hazare.
Speaking to the reporters after the meeting at the Prime
Minister’s residence, Sushma Swaraj, the Opposition leader
from Bharatiya Janata Party in the lower house of Parliament,
called the government’s Lokpal bill “toothless” and said that it
should be withdrawn. Ms. Swaraj said that some aspects of Mr.
Hazare’s proposal and other viewpoints should be brought
together and a new bill should be drafted.
10 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
Earlier, Team Anna said that they had received a
communication from the government that a resolution carrying
their demands on Lokpal Bill would be put to a voice vote, a move
which they termed as a “very happy” development.
Fresh trouble emerged after government decided only to
convey sense of House to Team Anna and not put the resolution
for voting; the activists hardened their position saying that it was
“betrayal” and only a resolution which will be put to vote will be
acceptable.
This forced the government to change its stand.
The activist’s camp said that they had received the
communication from the government about its decision to put
the resolution to voice vote.
The 74-yr-old Gandhian then broke his fast at 10am on
Sunday, 28th August, 2011, demanding the passage of the Jan
Lokpal Bill by Parliament.
During the agitation at Ramlila grounds, Mr. Puri and Ms.
Bedi had allegedly targeted politicians in their speeches.
In the Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan told
the agitated members that the Privilege notices given by
Ramgopal Yadav, Sabir Ali, Jesudasan Seelam and Mohd Adeeb,
an Independent member, were under consideration of the
Chairman.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, Mr.
Yadav said that the film actor dubbed Parliamentarians as
“thieves” and “incompetent” while addressing the people at
Ramlila ground on August 26, 2011.
PRIVILEGE NOTICES
He said that such a statement by the actor is a privilege of
MPs and requested the Chair to refer his notice to the Privilege
Committee, amid thumping of desks by members from all
parties.
In the meantime, Om Puri expressed regret over his remarks
and said that the choice of words was inappropriate. He has said
that he was ready to appear before the Parliament and explain, if
called to do so. The actor said that he should have used
appropriate language for description of the political class.
Ms. Bedi also has said that her action mocking the MPs went
against her grain but she did not mean to hurt anybody. However,
she told: “I will respond to it when I receive it. I have neither
received nor been informed of it. I cannot go by news reports.”
Members of Parliament on 29th August, 2011 gave Privilege
notices against actor Om Puri, civil rights activists Kiran Bedi,
Prashant Bhushan, and Arvind Kejriwal and CEO of Star News
for using “derogatory and defamatory” language against the
MPs during the campaign on Lok Pal issue led by Anna Hazare.
The matter is under consideration of the Chair in both the
Houses.
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar said that she had
received notices for moving a Privilege Motion against Om Puri
for “allegedly” using “derogatory and defamatory” language
against members of Parliament and also casting reflections on
the House.
Ms. Kumar said that she had received notices from P. L.
Punia, Jagadambika Pal, Ramashankar Rajbhar, Lalchand
Kataria, Mirza Aslam Beg, Praveen Aron and Shailendra Kumar.
“The matter is under my consideration,” the Speaker said.
Mr. Yadav said that lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan had
told that “Bills are passed in Parliament by taking bribe” while
Ms. Bedi had ridiculed MPs which amounted to contempt of
Parliament, he said.
Mr. Khan, who was in the Chair in the Rajya Sabha, assured
the members that he would convey the sense of the House to the
Chairman.
Taking strong objection to Ms Bedi calling politicians
“illiterate,” Mr. Yadav said such statements eroded the dignity of
Parliament. “More than 80 per cent members in this House are
graduates and those who are not educated are also more
competent than many educated ones,” he said citing examples.
Under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in
Lok Sabha, the Speaker can dismiss the notice, refer the matter
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 11
to the Privileges Committee or get the sense of House before
taking any decision. Many times, the members do withdraw
their notices after due apology has been tendered by those
against whom the notices are moved.
YEDDYURAPPA IN THE SPECIAL LOKAYUKTA COURT
Karnataka High Court rejected his plea in one of the cases of
land de-notification that had allegedly resulted in pecuniary
benefits to his family members.
Justice L. Narayana Swamy said that even though no further
investigation was required in the particular case (related to three
instances of de-notification at three locations in Bangalore), the
possibility of his influencing witnesses could not be ruled out.
The court noted that the “same government, even after he [Mr.
Yeddyurappa] demitted office as Chief Minister, is in power.”
It said: “A large number of witnesses, according to the
complainant in this case, are government servants, including
IAS officials, working in various capacities. They may not be in a
position to depose freely.”
The High Court also refused to accept Mr. Yeddyurappa’s
argument that the Special Lokayukta Court had already formed
an opinion against him; hence he did not approach it for
anticipatory bail.
The former Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa, made his first
appearance in the Special Lokayukta Court on 29th August,
2011, after the Karnataka High Court rejected his anticipatory
bail plea earlier in the day. Though he had been asked to appear
on Saturday, 3rd September, 2011, he sought exemption on
health grounds.
Mr. Yeddyurappa filed a bail petition before the court, along
with the other accused, including his sons B.Y. Raghavendra,
MP, and B.Y. Vijayendra; son-in-law R.N. Sohan Kumar; and the
former Muzrai, S.N. Krishnaiah Setty. The court will hear the
bail plea on September 7.
Referring to Mr. Yeddyurappa’s argument that the Governor
had accorded sanction for his prosecution with the mala fide
intention of tarnishing his image, the High Court examined the
Governor’s sanction and the three instances of de-notification
as mentioned in the complaint and found “it cannot be in any
way termed mechanical or mala fide sanction accorded by the
Governor…,” and “it cannot be said that there is no prima facie
case against the petitioner.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Yeddyurappa withdrew his petition in the
High Court challenging his indictment by the Lokayukta on the
charge that he had received illegal gratification from a mining
firm.
FODDER SCAM
By choosing to honour the summons, Mr. Yeddyurappa
became the first former Chief Minister ever to appear before
this court, in a corruption case.
The court had summoned Mr. Yeddyurappa and others in
connection with two cases, filed by legal activists Sirajin Bhasha
and K.N. Balraj, involving six instances of alleged land grab and
misuse of power. The two have filed five such cases containing a
total of 15 instances of corruption and illegality against Mr.
Yeddyurappa, his kin and associates.
Earlier, stating that Mr. Yeddyurappa “could definitely
influence the witnesses if he was granted anticipatory bail,” the
12 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad, along with the
former Bihar Chief Minister, Jagannath Mishra, appeared
before a special CBI court in the multi-crore fodder scam case.
Mr. Prasad and Mr. Mishra are among the prime members of
the 34 accused in the case, which has dragged on for more than a
decade-and-a-half.
All the accused are charged with fraudulent withdrawal of
Rs. 47 lakh from the treasuries in Banka and Bhagalpur districts,
from where allegedly forged and fake bills were drawn by the
State Animal Husbandry Department in 1995-96.
Reliance ADA Group, who set up Swan Telecom, applied for
UAS licences to gain a foothold in GSM technology; and another
stream, which began in May 2007, when A. Raja became the
Telecom Minister.
Mr. Lalit said that these two streams merged on October 19,
2007, when the process of offloading stake in Swan to Shahid
Balwa and Vinod Goenka began. On October 18, 2007, Reliance
Communications, until then a CDMA service provider, got an
in-principle approval for dual technology, rendering the Swan
Telecom entity “useless” for them.
Designated CBI judge B.K. Jain, however, did not take up the
framing of charges after six of the accused, including Mr.
Mishra, moved a petition praying that they be allowed to
challenge the CBI court’s August 18 directive, which rejected
their discharge petitions, in the Patna High Court.
The petitioners have been granted time till September 21 to
challenge the CBI court order.
The special CBI court had earlier rejected the petitions of
Mr. Prasad and Mr. Mishra, besides nine others, which sought to
exonerate them of charges in the multi-crore case.
The court had then dismissed similar petitions filed by nine
others, including the former RJD Minister and ex-MP, Vidya
Sagar Nishad; the Janata Dal (United) Lok Sabha member from
Jehanabad, Jagdish Sharma; and the former Bharatiya Janata
Party legislator, Dhruv Bhagat.
On the manifestations of the conspiracy in the latter stream,
Mr. Lalit said that the Department of Telecommunications
(DoT) initiated a note that suggested October 10, 2007 as the
cut-off date for accepting UAS licence applications, but Mr. Raja
used his discretion, to first alter this to October 1, 2007.
In this regard, Mr. Lalit mentioned the information sought
by Mr. Raja’s private secretary R.K. Chandolia on September 24,
2007 on whether Unitech Wireless’ applications were received.
Regarding the former Telecom Secretary, Siddhartha
Behura’s role, the public prosecutor said that though he joined
the DoT only on January 1, 2008, the manifestation of his role in
the conspiracy was his note on January 9, 2008, “approving
Swan’s application despite serious differences within the DoT.”
While Mr. Lalit alleged that Unitech Wireless was ineligible
for UAS licences, “having the same set of objections as some
other companies which were rejected, we, however, are
conscious that as far as Unitech Wireless is concerned, there is
no quid pro quo or money trail”.
2G SPECTRUM
The special court hearing the 2G spectrum allocation case
has reserved its order on framing of charges against the 17
accused for September 15, after the prosecution completed the
rebuttal of defence arguments.
Rejecting the submissions of defence counsel that there was
no conspiracy, Special Public Prosecutor U.U. Lalit said that
though some of the accused joined the criminal conspiracy at
different periods and at various levels, all that mattered in the
eyes of the law was that their intent was common.
Mr. Lalit said that there were two streams in the conspiracy
— one that began in February-March 2007, when officials of the
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 13
Regarding Swan, Mr. Lalit narrated the CBI’s uncovering of
monetary transactions that began from December 2008 from a
DB Group company after Etisalat obtained stake in Swan. He
said that the gain obtained by Swan through offloading of stake
to Etisalat was evident from the fact that “when incorporated, it
was only a shell company, with no profile to boast, or past
activities to justify securing of licence.”
On Mr. Raja and Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi’s
counsel’s charge that sanction was not sought for prosecuting
them, Mr. Lalit said that Mr. Raja had demitted office as
Minister and was at present only an MP, and hence no sanction
was required to be taken. On Ms. Kanimozhi, he said that she
was charged with being a conspirator and not for an act she
committed misusing her position as MP.
Defence counsel alleged that the CBI was suppressing a
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Report on loss suffered
by the government exchequer, which it received but has not
submitted it in court. Mr. Lalit responded that he would enquire
on this with CBI officials and present a written note to the court.
HIGH COSTS STALL ON CHINA BORDER
The massive military modernization along the China border,
including the setting up of the country’s first Mountain Strike
Corps, has run into a new hurdle, with the government raising
questions about the high capital expenditure involved in it.
Sources said that the Defence Ministry has returned the
Army proposal to set up the strike corps, and two independent
brigades along the China border. The MoD raised detailed
queries about the high capital costs projected by Army
headquarters. The Army has projected an expenditure of over Rs
12,000 crore for the entire proposal, which is part of New Delhi’s
efforts to catch up with China, which has steadily built up
outstanding military capabilities and infrastructure along the
disputed Sino-Indian border.
The Army had sent the proposal to the MoD sometime in
early 2010, for putting it up to the Cabinet Committee on
Security, for approval. In April, 2010, the PM had offered all
government support for Army modernization along the China
border, during a presentation to him by the Army top brass. The
Army leadership apprised the PM about the overwhelming
capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army along the border
with India, during the presentation.
Despite the PM’s assurance, the MoD has now raised
questions about the Army’s assessment of Rs 12,000 crore
needed to set up the new formations, and sent back the file to
Army headquarters. “The concern is about the high capital
expenditure projected by Army headquarters,” senior sources
said.
The Army proposes to set up the country’s first Mountain
Strike Corps and two independent brigades, along the border
with China. The corps would be India’s fourth strike corps, and
the first one for dedicated offensive operations in mountainous
terrain. This is besides the two mountain divisions already being
raised along the China border.
One of the independent brigades is to be stationed in
Ladakh while the other would be based in Uttarakhand. The
proposed corps could be headquartered at Pannagarh in West
Bengal, a recent report said.
Sources said once the Army headquarters replies to the MoD
query and other clarifications are settled, the file would be
processed for final approval. “We are hopeful that it can be
cleared this financial year,” a senior source said.
Since the humiliating defeat in 1962, India has been on an
extremely defensive posture along the China border, including a
deliberate decision not to develop border infrastructure. In the
process, as New Delhi stood by, China built up an impressive
border infrastructure and capability to mobilize almost 500,000
troops, in a matter of a few weeks, to the Line of Actual Control
with India.
a
14 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
Current Events
World
MANHUNT FOR GADHAFI
Intelligence Agencies Believe They Have Identified Possible
Hiding Places; a Plan to Safeguard Chemical Weapons, Missiles
The U.S. and its allies are joining the rebel-led manhunt for
Col. Moammar
G a d h a f i ,
repositioning
intelligence agents
and targeting
sur veillance
equipment to narrow
the search for the
elusive Libyan
strongman, U.S.
officials said.
The Central
Intelligence Agency and other spy services are also putting their
muscle behind the effort to safeguard mustard gas and other
chemical-weapons- agents that the colonel’s regime had
stockpiled at sites around the country, the officials said.
U.S. intelligence agencies say that they believe Col. Gadhafi
slipped out of his main security compound in Tripoli, ahead of
the rebel advance into the capital. But officials believe that they
have identified several possible sites where Col. Gadhafi could
be hiding.
The hunt for Col. Gadhafi has become a top priority because
of concerns that the six-month conflict won’t end as long as the
man who has ruled the country for 42 years remains at large and
can threaten a comeback.
“Clearly, locating Gadhafi is important for closure, so it will
be one of several key collection priorities in this next phase of the
conflict,” said a U.S. official.
CIA operatives on the ground in Libya have been supporting
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s air campaign, as well as
the rebel leadership, the National Transitional Council. Those
intelligence operations are supplemented with other collection
methods, including satellites and unmanned surveillance
aircraft.
Libyan rebels patrolled near a building in Tripoli after
hearing rumors that one of Moammar Gadhafi’s sons was hiding
inside. The U.S. said that it had no evidence that the colonel has
left the country.
If Col. Gadhafi’s location is pinpointed, the response could
take any number of forms depending on the situation, said U.S.
officials. Among the options: The position could be bombed
from the air, the CIA could send its own operatives, or Special
Forces from Britain and France could move in.
The U.S. doesn’t have
military personnel on the
ground inside Libya, and
President Barack Obama has
made clear that situation won’t
change.
In addition to chemicalweapons agents, Tripoli also
maintains control of aging
Scud B missiles, U.S. officials
said, as well as 1,000 metric tons (1,100 tons) of uranium
yellowcake and vast amounts of conventional weapons that Col.
Gadhafi had, in the past, provided to militants operating in such
hot spots as Sudan and Chad.
The Obama administration considers securing those
weapons and materials a clear priority now that Col. Gadhafi
appears to have lost his grip on power.
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that
the U.S. has been monitoring the known missile and chemicalagent storage facilities since the start of the conflict. “We believe
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 15
Western targets. They also fear that Col. Gadhafi, in
desperation, will either use the weapons himself or sell them to
America’s enemies.
With the rebels solidifying their hold on Tripoli, the U.S.
believes, Col. Gadhafi is quickly losing day-to-day command and
control of his forces. “What is clear is that the whole Col.
Gadhafi apparatus is crumbling,” a senior Obama
administration official said.
“Right now, Gadhafi’s No. 1 concern is probably selfpreservation, not commanding whatever remains of his
regime,” another U.S. official said.
that these known missile and chemical agent storage facilities
remain secure, and we’ve not seen any activity, based on our
national technical means, to give us concern that they have been
compromised,” she said.
Taking lessons from the chaos that followed the 2003
toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the U.S. and its allies
have been advising the
Libyan rebel council on
detailed plans to prevent
revenge killings and looting
of, among other things,
weapons depots and
chemical storage facilities.
W h i t e H o u s e
spokesman Josh Earnest
said that the U.S. is
concerned about Col.
Gadhafi’s weapons falling
into the wrong hands. The administration, he said, is consulting
with the rebel leadership about those concerns.
Col. Gadhafi agreed in 2003 to scrap his weapons-of-massdestruction program, but is thought to have kept several tons of
mustard gas and large supplies of precursor chemicals that
could be used to create chemical weapons.
Col. Gadhafi apparently abandoned his Bab al-Aziziya
fortress compound in Tripoli up to “several days” before the
rebels overran it, a senior U.S. defense official said. Other
officials said that the intelligence was far from clear-cut.
While the U.S. hasn’t pinpointed Col. Gadhafi’s precise
location, officials say that intelligence agencies have identified
several places inside and outside of Tripoli where the leader may
be seeking refuge. Those sites, which officials declined to
identify, are the focus of the intelligence-gathering efforts aimed
at finding Col. Gadhafi.
“We have some ideas” about where Col. Gadhafi is likely to
be hiding, a senior U.S. defense official said. The U.S. is sharing
the information it collects with NATO allies and rebel
representatives, and vice versa, officials said.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe Col. Gadhafi has been
seriously considering abandoning Tripoli for several months
and has established several safe-houses outside of the capital
where he could hide in the event Tripoli was overrun by the
rebels.
Still, officials are keeping an open mind about where he
might seek refuge.
Intelligence agencies have long believed that al Qaeda and its
allies have been seeking such materials for use in terror attacks.
“Gadhafi’s options are more limited each passing day,” the
U.S. official said. “But as history suggests, people who don’t
want to be found can be pretty resourceful, so it makes sense to
keep an open mind on where he might be.
U.S. intelligence agencies worry that al Qaeda-affiliated
militants, operating in North Africa, could take advantage of the
post-Gadhafi chaos to try to secure new weapons to use against
Mr. Earnest, the White House spokesman, said that the
administration still has “no evidence” that Col. Gadhafi has left
Libya.
16 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
APPLE MORE THAN STEVE JOBS
Apple fans and
w o u l d - b e
customers would
agree that while
Steve Jobs’
charisma and
innovative genius is
one-of-a-kind, the
company he built
will survive without
him.
After he resigned as CEO of the iconic gadget maker, Jobs
was not the topic of conversation among shoppers, browsers or
the blue-shirted employees at the Apple store on Manhattan’s
swanky Fifth Avenue. On the display on computers set up
around the store, people scrolled through Facebook photos,
looked up bank account balances and watched videos on
YouTube. They weren’t, from the looks of it, reading news
stories about Jobs.
promise you she doesn’t know who Steve Jobs is.”
Apple may be known for its rabid fan base, but the company’s
creative genius lies in being able to attract a mass-market
audience. These are the folks who may only vaguely know that
Steve Jobs, the guy in the black mock turtlenecks, is the force
behind the iPhone in their pocket or the iPad in their hands.
Walking out of an Apple store in Phoenix, 49-year-old Jim
Zanzucchi said that he’d never heard of Jobs, and he didn’t
believe the CEO’s departure would mean less innovation for the
company.
“I don’t know if he’s the person who thought of it all. I’m sure
he wasn’t. I’m sure there’s a host of people below them,” he said.
He added he doesn’t use Apple products because of Jobs.
Unless prompted by reporter, customers didn’t seem to be
discussing Jobs’ departure in the Fifth Avenue Apple store.
Instead, they were asking employees about the products and how
much each cost. A woman flipped through Facebook pictures on
a MacBook Air. To her right, a man checked his bank account
balance on another MacBook Air. Business flowed as usual.
“Apple’s created an identity for themselves that is well above
and beyond Steve Jobs. People don’t think of Steve Jobs when
they think of Apple, they think of a sexy brand,” said Jared
Karlow, 23, who works in information technology for the
financial services industry. “You could say the same thing about
Microsoft. They have outlived Bill Gates.”
“He has so much charisma, I’m curious if they can keep it up
because there is kind of this cult around him,” said Selim Sevinc,
25, a medical student from Germany.
Jobs resigned as CEO, saying that he could no longer handle
the job. He said that he will continue to play a leadership role and
was elected Chairman of the
Board. He has been on medical
leave since January.
“When Dell catches up, I would switch to Dell,” he said.
“May be.”
Apple’s Chief Operating
Officer, Tim Cook, who has
been filling in for Jobs, was
named as CEO.
Karlow, 23, was shopping with his girlfriend, Maegan
Tabbey, 21, on the evening that Jobs resigned. They didn’t know
about the news until being told by a reporter. But both believe
that the company will be fine and that Jobs’ role likely became
less integral as the company grew.
But Sevinc said it was Apple’s products, not Jobs that
influenced him to get an iPhone and switch from PCs to Macs.
PLANET MADE OF DIAMOND
Astronomers have
spotted an exotic planet that
seems to be made of
diamond, racing around a
tiny star in our galactic
backyard.
“There are thousands of employees who do the work that
brought Apple to where it is,” Karlow said. “It’s not just one
man.”
The new planet is far
denser than any other known
so far and consists largely of
carbon. Because it is so dense, scientists calculate that the
carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of this strange world
will effectively be diamond.
Added Tabbey: “My sister just bought a Mac laptop and I
“The evolutionary history and amazing density of the planet
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 17
all suggest it is comprised of carbon -- i.e. a massive diamond
orbiting a neutron star every two hours in an orbit so tight it
would fit inside our own Sun,” said Matthew Bailes of
Swinburne University of Technology, in Melbourne.
Lying 4,000 light years away, or around an eighth of the way
toward the center of the Milky Way from the Earth, the planet is
probably the remnant of a once-massive star that has lost its
outer layers to the so-called
pulsar star which it orbits.
Pulsars are tiny, dead
neutron stars that are only
around 20 kilometers (12.4
miles) in diameter and spin
hundreds of times a second,
emitting beam of radiation.
In the case of pulsar J17191438, the beams regularly sweep the Earth and have been
monitored by telescopes in Australia, Britain and Hawaii,
allowing astronomers to detect modulations due to the
gravitational pull of its unseen companion planet.
The measurements suggest that the planet, which orbits its
star every two hours and 10 minutes, has slightly more mass than
Jupiter but is 20 times as dense, Bailes and colleagues reported
in the journal Science.
In addition to carbon, the new planet is also likely to contain
oxygen, which may be more prevalent at the surface and is
probably increasingly rare toward the carbon-rich center.
Its high density suggests that the lighter elements of
hydrogen and helium, which are the main constituents of gas
giants like Jupiter, are not present.
Just what this weird diamond world is actually like close up,
however, is a mystery.
“In terms of what it would look like, I don’t know I could even
speculate,” said Ben Stappers of the University of Manchester.
“I don’t imagine that a picture of a very shiny object is what we’re
looking at here.”
OBAMA’S ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett will
boost President Barack Obama’s re-election bid next month, by
18 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
appearing at a New
York fund-raiser that
will charge as much as
$35,800 per guest, for
the Obama campaign.
The September
30, 2011, fundraiser,
billed as an Economic
Forum Dinner and Discussion with Warren Buffett, signals the
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman’s support for the
Democratic incumbent. Obama spoke with the “Oracle of
Omaha” for advice on how to invigorate the U.S. economy and
spur job creation, a linchpin for Obama’s re-election prospects.
Obama, with his approval ratings hovering at roughly 40
percent, is set to propose short-term measures to boost hiring
and call on a congressional panel to deliver more than the $1.5
trillion in savings, partly through increased tax revenue.
Former White House economic advisor Austan Goolsbee
also will be at the fund-raiser at the Four Seasons Restaurant in
New York City, according to the event’s invitation.
Tickets run $10,000 to $35,800 per guest. The top-dollar
donation “includes VIP pre-reception with Warren Buffett,”
according to the Obama campaign website.
The cash will go the Obama Victory Fund, a joint account
benefiting the President’s re-election campaign and the
Democratic National Committee.
Buffett has been a long-time Obama supporter, donating to
his campaign and the Democratic National Committee during
the 2008 presidential race.
Buffett has supported Obama’s policy decisions. Obama
referred to an Opinion Column written by Buffett, as he made
the case to about 500 people at a town hall meeting in rural
Minnesota that any attempt to close the U.S. deficit gap should
include tax increases for the rich as well as spending cuts.
Buffett’s New York Times piece was criticized by Obama’s
Republican challengers, such as Michele Bachmann, who
suggested during a stump speech in Iowa that Buffett simply
write a check to the federal government rather than subject the
wealthy to higher tax rates.
a
Current Events
Business and Economy
DIP IN CIRCULATION OF FAKE NOTES
The Reserve Bank
of India released data
showing that the
proportion of
counterfeit currency
detected in the notes
in circulation has
marginally declined
from eight out of
10,000 notes two years
ago to less than seven
per 10,000 in 2010-11.
In terms of number of fake notes seized, there has been a rise
of 8.5% to 4.36 lakh in 2010-11, compared to just a little over 4
lakh in the previous year. Nearly 90% of these notes were
detected in bank branches using specialized machines.
RBI sought to suggest that various measures had been
initiated - from polymer notes to additional security features and
sorting at the level of banks. Further, the home ministry has
agreed to designate at least one police station in a district to
register cases of forged note offences. Additionally, banks would
designate an officer in a district to register cases with the police.
The reporting system for fake notes is also being updated. At
present, the home ministry has decided in principle to ask banks
to register one FIR at the designated police station in case four
pieces of counterfeit currency is found in a transaction. If there
are five or more such notes, then separate FIR would be filed.
“While several states have designated nodal police stations,
simplification of reporting system is under consideration of the
central government,” RBI said in its annual report. At present,
banks are required to impound counterfeit notes and send them
to the police for lodging an FIR.
Over the years, the flow of counterfeit notes has increased
and often intelligence agencies have blamed Pakistan for the
menace. As a result, the government, RBI and banks have
launched special drives to check fake notes.
Often,, agencies have cited import of paper as one of the
prime reasons for the rise in counterfeiting.
INTEREST SUBSIDY FOR SME SECTOR
The small and medium industry could, for the first time, get
credit at lower rates through an interest subvention scheme,
which the government is considering for the sector.
Small and medium enterprises selling both in the domestic
and foreign markets, would be eligible for the subsidised loans,
according to a Commerce Department proposal.
“The small and medium sector faces the toughest time in
accessing credit and they get it at the highest rate. With rising
interest rates, there is a need to help them out,” a Commerce
Department official said.
The department is discussing the proposal with the Finance
Ministry and hopes to get a favourable decision on the issue
soon.
Large exporters, however, will be kept out of the ambit of the
scheme. “Exports have been doing quite well. We do not have a
case for extension of the scheme for exporters in general,” the
official said.
This is the first time that a pitch has been made for
subvention for the entire SME sector. The subvention scheme
for exporters that lapsed on March 31 covered only SME
exporters, in addition to export sectors such as carpets,
handloom and handicraft. The scheme offered a 2% discount on
the interest rate charged by banks.
The subvention rate for SMEs could be higher. “Banks give
credit to SMEs at rates much higher than what is offered to large
producers. We have not yet arrived at the subvention rate that
would be offered to SMEs, but we are trying to get them a higher
discount,” the official said.
According to Anil Bhardwaj of the Federation of Indian
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, interest rate charged by
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 19
banks from the
SME sector ranges
between 13% and
15% while it is
between 10% and
11.5% for the rest
of the industr y.
“We not only want
subvention, but
also access to
finance,” he said.
Although the SME sector is included in the priority sector
lending directive by RBI to banks, it is clubbed with other
sectors such as housing that is more attractive for banks. “There
should be sub-limit mark on priority sector lending to the SME
sector clearly earmarking funds,” Bhardwaj said.
Small exporters say the sop was long due. “We have been
saying for a long time that the sector needed special attention. It
is good that the government is trying to do something for them,”
said S P Agarwal of the Delhi Exporters Association, a forum of
mostly small and medium exporters.
Large exporters,
h o w e v e r, f e e l t h a t
subvention should be
offered to all exporters from
labour-intensive sectors to
help them fight competition
from other countries,
including China.
“In the last nine months,
interest rates have gone up
by 61%. If labour-intensive
sectors like leather and
textile are not given some
support, it will be very
difficult to fight competition,” Ramu Deora, president, FIEO,
said.
Under the subvention scheme, banks give credit to the
identified sectors at lower interest rates (depending on the rate
of subvention), which is later reimbursed by the government.
PHARMA SECTOR MUST COMBAT DRUGS MENACE
The President, Ms. Pratibha Patil, said that the country’s
drug and pharma industry needs to set up a wing to assist the
20 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
a
agencies in ensuring quality drugs, as Government alone cannot
identify unscrupulous producers.
“It is the responsibility of every healthcare provider to ensure
that the quality and safety of medicines are not compromised.
There are instances of spurious drugs, which are harmful to
health, being produced. This is a crime and an unethical
practice,” she said.
The Indian pharma industry has become the third biggest in
the world by volume and is poised to touch $20 billion mark by
2015, up from $12 billion. The domestic industry players have a
major role in ensuring safety and quality and providing drugs at
affordable prices.
“The Indian pharmaceutical companies have an extensive
presence in many parts of the world, and our pharmaceutical
products are known to be of good quality, safety and efficacy.
Indian generic drugs have helped in bringing down the cost of
treatment of various diseases worldwide, which includes
HIV/AIDS,” she said, inaugurating the 71st FIP World Congress
of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The event was held in India for the first time in its 100 years
of existence.
With its proven IT sector, demonstrated leadership in
biotechnology, a vast trained personnel and cost advantages,
India can emerge as a significant layer in global pharmaceutical
research.It already has the largest number of US FDA-approved
plants outside the US and is expected to be amongst the world’s
top five innovative hubs, with contributions of around 50 per
cent to drugs discovered worldwide, the President said. Dr.
Michel Buchman, President of FIP, said pharmacists must
distance themselves from easy dishonest trading activities.
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD
“To the extent there is a
shift from household savings
in financial assets towards
gold, which we know has been
happening, it would lead to
some loss in the GDP
growth," said Indranil Pan,
Chief Economist, Kotak
Bank, "although it's hard to
gauge the magnitude of the loss." Gold imports are up nearly half
a percentage point of the GDP in the last three years, implying
that much more of savings is getting locked up in an
unproductive asset.
That much of the gold is imported also worsens the current
account deficit. The hunger for gold seems to have been
triggered by increased risk aversion after the global financial
crisis. Surprisingly, the soaring prices of gold, now at threedecade highs, haven't driven buyers away.
The glitter of gold is taking the shine off India's growth story.
According to World Gold Council, India's gold imports rose 60%
in April-June 2011, from a year ago, as people snapped up the
time-tested hedge against inflation. India has always been a
huge gold consumer, but the yellow metal is now our secondbiggest import, behind crude, up from fifth place in 2007-08.
But, this fascination with gold could be a reason why growth
seems to be flagging. Money locked up in the yellow metal
effectively disappears from the economy to become jewellery or
sits idle in bank lockers.
“Money spent on gold is mostly
wasted because it's only hoarded and
simultaneously excluded from the
financial inter-mediation system,"
said Abheek Barua, chief economist,
HDFC Bank.
As money has flowed into gold, India's household savings
have moved away from productive financial assets, falling to
9.7% of GDP during 2010-11, compared with 12.1% in the
previous year. This shift away from financial savings can dent
growth, but it's hard to say by exactly how much.
Of course, national accounts do not consider gold as physical
saving - gold imports are considered as consumption - but, as far
as buyers are concerned, gold buying has a high savings
consideration. "Gold is the preferred form of savings for people
and there's nothing one can do about it.
It is, therefore, important
to make financial savings more
attractive," said C Rangarajan,
chairman, Prime Minister's
Economic Advisory Council.
The fact that India doesn't
produce much gold but
imports most of the stuff
increases leakages from the
economy.
"If instead, the same money was spent on other assets like
homes, the money would have circulated in the economy," said
Sunil Sinha, Senior Economist with Crisil, a ratings agency.
Pronab Sen, Member, Planning Commission, agrees with the
argument that high gold imports are not good for the economy,
but he doesn't feel it is material in the current economic
environment. "Since investments aren't really taking off at the
moment, to talk about this in terms of inadequate savings isn't
necessarily true," Sen said. "This shift to gold could become a
problem over time, as household savings in productive assets
fall, but not right away.”
a
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 21
Profile
Chanda Kochhar
J. N. Bose Gold Medal in Cost Accountancy for highest marks in
the same year.
PROFILE
1984–1993
In 1984, Chanda Kochhar joined “The Industrial Credit and
Investment Corporation of India Ltd” or ICICI Ltd. as a
Management trainee after her Masters. In her early years in
ICICI, she handled Project Appraisal and Monitoring and
projects in various industries like Petrochemicals, Textile, Paper
and Cement.
1993–2006
C
handa Kochhar (born November 17, 1961) is currently
the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of ICICI Bank. ICICI Bank is India’s
largest private bank and overall second largest bank in the
country. She also heads the Corporate Centre of ICICI Bank.
In 1993, Kochhar was sent to ICICI bank as part of a core
team to set the bank. She was promoted to Assistant General
Manager in 1994 and then to Deputy General Manager in 1996.
In 1996, Kochhar headed the newly formed the Infrastructure
Industry Group of ICICI, which aimed “to create dedicated
industry expertise in the areas of Power, Telecom and
Transportation”. In 1998, she was promoted as the General
Manager and headed ICICI’s “Major Client Group”, which
handled relationships with ICICI’s top 200 clients. In 1999, she
also handled the Strategy and e-commerce divisions of ICICI.
Under Kochhar’s leadership, ICICI bank started the Retail
business in July 2000 and emerged the largest retail financer in
India, in the next five years. In April 2001, she took over as
Executive Director, heading the in ICICI Bank.
2006–Present
Chanda Kochhar was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and raised
in Jaipur, Rajasthan. She then moved to Mumbai, where she
joined Jai Hind College for a Bachelor of Arts degree. After
graduating in 1982, she then pursued Cost
Accountancy(ICWAI). Later, she acquired the Masters Degree
in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of
Management Studies, Mumbai. She received the Wockhardt
Gold Medal for Excellence in Management Studies as well as the
22 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
In April 2006, Chanda Kochhar was appointed as Deputy
Managing Director of ICICI Bank. She managed the Corporate
and Retail banking business of ICICI Bank. From October 2006
to October 2007, she handled the International and Corporate
businesses of ICICI Bank. From October 2007 to April 2009,
Kochhar was also the bank’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO),
Joint Managing Director (JMD) and the official spokesperson.
She also headed the Corporate Centre of ICICI Bank. She is also
a director of different ICICI group companies. She is the
Chairperson of ICICI Bank Eurasia Limited Liability Company
and ICICI Investment Management Company Limited.
Kochhar is the Vice-Chairperson of ICICI Bank UK PLC and
ICICI Bank Canada. She is a director in ICICI International
Limited and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd.
and part of the Governing Council in 1964. She is the-Member
of the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth.
Kochhar is CEO and MD of ICICI Bank from May 2009 for a
period of five years. She succeeds K. V. Kamath, who was CEO of
the bank since 1996.
HONOURS
Under Kochhar’s leadership, ICICI Bank won the “Best
Retail Bank in India” award in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and
“Excellence in Retail Banking Award” in 2002; both awards were
given by The Asian Banker. Kochhar personally was awarded
“Retail Banker of the Year 2004 (Asia-Pacific region)” by the
Asian Banker, “Business Woman of the Year 2005” by The
Economic Times and “Rising Star Award” for Global Awards
2006 by Retail Banker International. Kochhar has also
consistently figured in Fortune’s list of “Most Powerful Women
in Business” since 2005. She climbed up the list, debuting with
the 47th position in 2005, moving up 10 spots to 37 in 2006 and
then to 33 in 2007. In the 2008 list, Kochhar features at the 25th
spot. In 2009, she debuted at number 20 in the Forbes “World’s
100 Most Powerful Women list”. She is the second Indian in the
list behind the ruling Indian National Congress party Chief
Sonia Gandhi at number 13. She is honoured with Padma
Bhushan Award, the third highest civilian honour by the
Government of India for the year 2010, for her services to
banking sector.
Kochhar has also consistently figured in Fortune’s list of
“Most Powerful Women in Business” since 2005. In 2009, she
debuted at number 20 in the Forbes “World’s 100 Most Powerful
Women list”.
a
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy,
consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe.
The roe can be “fresh” (non-pasteurized) or pasteurized, the
latter having much less culinary and economic value.
Traditionally, the designation caviar is only used for
sturgeon roe from the wild sturgeon species living in the
Caspian and Black Sea (Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga caviars).
These caviar varieties, according to their quality (based on
flavour, size, consistency and colour), can reach prices
between € 6,000 and € 12,000 per kilo (February 2009), and are
associated with gourmet and Haute cuisine environments.
Depending on specific national laws, the name caviar may
also be used to describe the roe of other fish such as salmon, steelhead, trout, lumpfish, whitefish, and other species of
sturgeon. The term is also used to describe dishes that are perceived to resemble caviar, such as “eggplant caviar” (made
from eggplant / aubergine) and “Texas caviar” (made from black-eyed peas).
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, roe from any fish not belonging to the
Acipenseriformes species (including Acipenseridae, or sturgeon stricto sensu, and Polyodontidae or paddlefish) are not
caviar, but “substitutes of caviar”. This position is also adopted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the United States Customs Service, and the Republic of
France.
Caviar is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread; for example, with hors
d’œuvres.
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 23
Managing the Challenge
of e-service
INTRODUCTION
T
he growth of the web and Internet as
new channels, the growth in their use
by customers, and the flood of
companies entering the market, present a series
of key challenges to companies. It is easy and
cheap to put up a website. But to create an
environment delivering effective service on the
web to a significant proportion of your customer
base requires an e-service strategy.
Any strategy must be based on
understanding customers and markets. This
means having arrangements for collecting data
to help understand customers, to track their
preferences, and to improve segmentation.
Technology provides the opportunity to
track and interact with anyone contacting an
organisation via the web and to explore customer needs and
expectations in new ways.
r Customer expectations, in terms of service delivery and
other key factors, have increased dramatically in recent
years, as a result of the promise and delivery of the Internet.
Even after the 'dot-com crash', these raised expectations
linger.
r The growth in the application and acceptance of Internetdriven technologies means that delivering an enhanced
service is more achievable than ever before. However, it is
also more complex and is fraught with potential costs and
risks.
r The Internet introduces customers to a new perception of
business time as always 'on', available 24/7, and demanding
an urgent and rapid response..The challenge for managers is
to reconcile their business and their own personal
perceptions of time, with the perceived reality of Internet
time.
r The Internet has decisively shifted the balance of power to
24 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
the customer – who can, for example, readily search for the
cheapest price or quickest delivery.
r The Internet is revolutionising sales techniques and
perceptions of leading brands, and is intensifying
competition in all its forms.
r Companies are continuing to use the Internet to add value
for their customers: but in order for this to work effectively –
maximising opportunities, reducing risks and overcoming
problems – an e-service strategy is required.
Techniques for Implementing an E-service Strategy
The challenge is to develop a strategy for the right
combination of value-added, personalised, and pro-active
service. Keeping e-service customers will require high levels of
service, a positive experience, and trust in the organisation.
How can these be delivered? A strategy for e-service should be
part of the overall electronic commerce strategy of the
organisation. In preparing for e-service, there are nine key steps:
1. Upgrade current service interaction.
2. Understand your customer segments.
3. Understand your customer service processes and
interactions.
4. Define the role of live interaction (and hence areas for
automation).
5. Make the key technology decisions.
6. Prepare to deal with the tidal wave of increased customer
interaction.
7. Train customers and create incentives for them to use the
appropriate channel.
8. Address the issue of channel choice and 'brick versus click'.
9. Exploit the web to create relationships and a real customer
experience.
MEETING THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES –
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHANNEL
For many companies, the toughest stage is: technology. As
one company said to researchers: ‘one of our biggest
implementation issues is the integration of web-enabled
technology with our legacy systems, both technology and
business processes’. Technology is moving rapidly, so tough
decisions need taking:
r Does one learn and invest later, risking loss of position, or
move quickly and risk major problems to gain market space
today?
r Does one go for full integration, and, if necessary, throw
out today's legacy systems?
There are two crucial questions regarding channel choice.
The first is whether to offer the customer options, for example,
face-to-face, post, phone, and web. In any industry, there may be
a variety of different approaches. For example, many retail banks
allow the choice of managing current accounts through the
branch, post, or on the web. Others have single channel
accounts – for example, phone only. Others allow constrained
choice, for instance, phone and web, but enrol new customers
only via the web.
The difficulty in getting high levels of service when adding
new channels has led many in the past to start new ventures
separate from existing channels and systems. In forming this
decision are included both the costs of the different channels,
and importance of customer relationship management (CRM)
databases. In most customer service environments, the quality
and scope of the CRM database is central to the successful
delivery of service. There is pressure therefore not to operate
new channels separately, but to integrate existing channels
around a single CRM database.
IMPLEMENTING AN E-SERVICE STRATEGY AND BUILDING
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
No strategy can be effective without attention to
implementation. Two of the main lessons from our research are
as follows:
r Business process and transaction analysis is essential for
effective e-service design.
r One must get implementation right first time. If not, people
will revert to the phone.
Important areas for implementation include organisation
and culture. Just as e-commerce changes the organisation and
power in markets, it can do the same within organisations.
Another aspect of organization and culture is the need to realise
that in the new environment, alliances and partnerships play a
much-increased role.
r Companies need to develop key metrics to set standards and
measure performance in the following areas:
r Security/Trust, measured through surveys and focus groups.
r Response Time: Internet customers may expect faster
response.
r Response Quality: difficult to measure.
r Navigability: one of the most important determinants of
service.
r Download time: the maximum time that a user will tolerate
for any page may be less than 30 seconds!
r Fulfilment; is it fast and are the promised goods delivered?
r Up-to-date/out-of-date information may quickly turn off
users.
r Availability: Can the user reach the site 24 hours a day, seven
days a week? Is the downtime minimal? Can the site always
be accessed?
r Site effectiveness and functionality: Is the web page intuitive
and easy to use? Is the' content written in the user's
language? What is the effectiveness of the site from the
user's point of view?
BUILDING AN INVESTMENT CASE
Many companies have found building a case for investment
in e-service and e-commerce extremely difficult. This difficulty
arises from a number of factors – uncertainty over the data and
trends, using the wrong baseline, lack of vision, and lack of
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 25
Organisations must view their investment in e-service not
just in cost/benefit terms, but also in comparison with doing
nothing. By putting oneself in the shoes of a potential entrant,
one can gain major insights into what might comprise a service
vision.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
knowledge and skills of senior management.
In building an investment case against a baseline of today's
business, the investment costs are often high, whereas the
returns are often not visible in the short term. There are two
alternate baselines:
1. Buying an option on the future. In an uncertain world,
investment in new media and channels could be viewed as
buying an option on entry to future markets and in mastering
future technologies. In the short term, this allows a company
to build expertise and infrastructure without major
investment or structural change. However, to profit from
this, the option must be exercised before it expires.
2. What will happen to the business without investment – the
costs of not investing. If the market is being attacked by new
players, using new technologies and with different cost
structures and not bound by legacy systems or policies, then
the baseline case for investment may be much lower than
extrapolation of today's business. In every market from
utilities to banking, it was found that organisations were
wanting to break into the market or change the way the
market operated, by using new technologies. These
organisations are quick to see both the weaknesses of the
current marketplace and new ways of doing business, and to
challenge underlying assumptions about customer
behaviour. Too often, the ability to change is constrained by
an organisation's unwillingness to make tough decisions
about its legacy systems and procedures. That is no way to
exploit the available dot.com strategies. Instead:
r ignore unattractive, expensive channels
r cherry-pick segments, differentiate segments
r pick products/services where Web adds value
r offer services worldwide
r capture or create intermediary roles
r use strength of portal
r create affiliated programmes, selling products via other
people's websites
r use incentives
26 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
r Use technology to track and interact with anyone contacting
the organisation via the Web and to explore customer needs
and expectations in new ways.
r Ask 'What is our strategy for e-commerce and e-service and
how should it be implemented?', not 'should we invest in eservice?'
r Develop a strategy for the right combination of value-added,
personalised, and proactive service
r Train customers and provide them with incentives to switch,
or disincentives to continue using existing channels.
r Create relationships via tailor-made sites for customers;
proactive service offerings; communities of users; and
extension of relationships beyond the firm.
CONCLUSION
The Internet makes it easier to achieve three key elements of
customer loyalty:
It makes it easy for customers to do business with satisfying
customers, and keeping them coming back to the business.
Furthermore, these can all be accomplished at a fraction of their
normal cost, and by building greater customer loyalty, sales costs
will often be reduced.
Customer care includes routine or mundane features (such
as the need to provide a variety of payment methods), through
more significant issues (such as responding to queries reactively
or up-selling and cross-selling products proactively), to the
downright vital – ensuring that customers' security and privacy
are respected. Critical among these factors is the need to
support customers and to instil confidence, and these can be
achieved by:
r Managing customers in a subtle and flexible way, for
example, by offering a variety of delivery options.
r Ensuring adequate (meaning both capable and everpresent) customer support so that consumers and
businesses find online shopping stress-free.
r Providing security and privacy for online transactions.
a
PT Panorama
Killings and Killers - Part II
Word
Definition
q
mariticide
killing or killer of one's husband
q
matricide
killing of one's mother
q
menticide
reduction of mind by psychological pressure
q
microbicide
killing or killer of microbes
q
miticide
agent which kills mites
q
molluscicide
killing of mollusks
q
muscicide
substance for killing flies
q
neonaticide
killing or killer of a newborn infant
q
ovicide
killing insect eggs
q
ovicide
sheep-killing
q
parasiticide
killing of parasites
q
parasuicide
harmful act appearing to be an attempt at suicide
q
parenticide
killing or killer of one's parents
q
parricide
Killing of parrots
q
patricide
killing of one's father
q
perdricide
killer of partridges
q
pesticide
killing of pests
q
prolicide
killing of offspring; killing of the human race
q
pulicide
flea-killer
q
raticide
substance or person who kills rats
q
regicide
killing of a monarch
q
rodenticide
killing of rodents
q
senicide
killing of old men
q
serpenticide
killing or killer of a snake
q
siblicide
killing or killer of a sibling
q
silvicide
substance that kills trees
q
sororicide
killing of one's own sister
q
speciocide
destruction of an entire species
q
spermicide
killing of sperm
q
sporicide
killing of spores
q
suicide
killing of oneself
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 27
q
taeniacide
killing of tapeworms
q
tauricide
killing or killer of a bull
q
trypanocide
killing of trypanosomes
q
tyrannicide
killing or killer of a tyrant
q
urbicide
destruction of a city
q
ursicide
killing or killer of a bear
q
utricide
one who stabs an inflated skin vessel instead of killing someone
q
uxoricide
killing of one's own wife
q
vaticide
killing or killer of a prophet
q
verbicide
destroying the meaning of a word
q
vermicide
killing of worms
q
vespacide
substance or person who kills wasps
q
viricide
killing of viruses; killing of men or of husbands
q
virucide
killing of viruses
q
vulpicide
killing of a fox
q
weedicide
something that kills weeds
a
MINERVA
Minerva was the Roman goddess whom Hellenizing Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek
goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic, and the
inventor of music. She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl, which symbolizes her ties to wisdom.
This article focuses on Minerva in ancient Rome and in cultic practice. For information on Latin literary mythological
accounts of Minerva, in which there was heavy influence of Greek mythology, see Pallas Athena, where she is one of three
virgin goddesses along with Artemis and Hestia, known by the Romans as Diana and Vesta.
ATHENA
In Greek mythology, Athena, also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene, is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration,
civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, female arts, crafts, justice and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies
similar attributes. Athena is also a shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patron
of Athens. The Athenians built the Parthenon on the Acropolis of her namesake city, Athens, in her honour (Athena
Parthenos).
Athena's veneration as the patron of Athens seems to have existed from the earliest times, and was so persistent that
archaic myths about her were recast to adapt to cultural changes. In her role as a protector of the city (polis), many people
throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena as Athena Polias. Athens and Athena bear etymologically connected names.
28 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
If you are with the Anti-Corruption
Campaign then it Time to Brush up
PREAMBLE
STATE POLICY, as their Rights or Dues, or ask the
Courts to enforce them.
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, have solemnly
resolved to constitute India into a SOVERIGN
SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith
and worship;
EQUALITY of status and opportunity; and to
promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and
unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth
day of November 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND
GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
Apart from the PREAMBLE, the Constitution has 22 main
Parts with 23 Chapters, 395 Articles and Nine Schedules. These
provide to every citizen many Rights and Freedoms. And
naturally with Rights and Freedoms come many Duties.
Rights and Duties of Individuals
Rights of Individuals
1.
2.
Citizenship of the Country
The hopes and expectations that flow from Part IV
DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY
However, the Constitution Part IV on DIRECTIVE
PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY, is only a Directive and
guideline for the State, Parliament and Legislatives, Political
Executives, Governments, the Bureaucracy and Planners, and to
the People. The DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE
POLICY do not give any direct rights and powers to the
individuals. People cannot, in the normal circumstances, go to
Courts to demand any of the DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF
Apart from these, there are specific Fundamental
Rights.
They are large, specific, significant,
essential and important to any Citizen in any part of
the Country. In fact, most of these are needed by any
Citizen of any Nation, living in any part of the World.
The Fundamental Rights are contained in
exclusive Part III of the Constitution. They are the –
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Right to Equality – Articles 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18
Right to Freedom – Articles 19 to 22
Right against Exploitation – Articles 23 and 24
Right to Freedom of Religion – Articles 25 to 28
Cultural and Educational Rights – Articles 29 and 30
Right to Constitutional Remedies – Articles 32 to 35
Right to Property, and the concerned Article 31 relating to
Compulsory acquisition of property, was omitted and repealed
by the Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act 1978.
Saving of Certain Laws, with related Articles 31A to 31 D
were added by various Constitutional Amendments. However,
Article 31 D, with respect to Saving of Laws in respect of AntiNational Activities, was subsequently repealed by the
Constitutional (Forty-third Amendment) Act of 1977.
Rights have no meaning at all, unless one can force those
others, or authorities or the Governments to give the Rights
being denied, withheld or delayed, deliberately or otherwise, to
yield and give the rights. Or one should be able ask or force the
Government and other authorities to intervene, and ensure or
force those who are denying, withholding or standing in the way
of the Rights, discipline them, and get the Rights. Hence, the
Constitution provides, vide Article 32, remedies for
enforcement of Rights conferred by this Part. This Article 32, in
fact, is the most important provision of the Constitution,
forming part of Part III on Fundamental Rights. It provides
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 29
every Citizen and every individual, the Right to move the
Supreme Court by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement
of the Rights.
Duties of Individuals
The Duties of individual Citizens of India have been laid out
in Article 51A, Part IVA of the Constitution, as Fundamental
Duties. These were not there in the Original version of the
Constitution framed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly.
These were inserted by the Constitution (Forty-second
Amendment) Act passed by the Parliament in 1976. They read
as –
Fundamental Duties
It shall be the duty of every citizen of India –
1. to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and
institutions, the National Flag and National Anthem;
2. to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our
National Struggle for Freedom;
3. to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity
of India;
4. to defend the Country and render National Service,
when called upon to do so;
5. to promote harmony and the spirit of common
brotherhood amongst all the people of India
transcending religious, linguistic and regional or
sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to
the dignity of women;
6. to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite
culture;
7. to protect and improve the natural environment
including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have
compassion for living creatures;
8. to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit
of inquiry and reform;
9. to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
10. to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual
and collective activity so that the Nation constantly rises
to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.
All Rights and Duties always remain as silent Provisions
interned in the Constitution. It is unto the People to realise
them. They have to make the Governments to work, and ensure
that they do their Duties and they get their Rights. Where
necessary, they have to fight for them, go to the Courts to agitate
for them, and struggle in the Society to retain them. As Baba
Saheb said in his last speech in the Constituent assembly on
25th November 1949, while moving the Draft Constitution for
adoption,” the success or effectiveness of any Law and
Constitution depends upon those who work them.”
Small Facts
Better can sometimes be just not good enough. A recent study on global neonatal mortality from 1990 to 2009, spearheaded
by the World Health Organization, shows that in India, there has been a 33 per cent drop in deaths of babies of not more than
three weeks old. Even then, nine lakh babies, less than a month old, died in India in 2009, and this is the highest figure in the
world. The context will indicate the enormity of this failure for a nation supposedly growing into a powerhouse. In the last 20
years, the global neonatal mortality rate has declined, but more than half of all such deaths occurred in India, Nigeria, Pakistan,
China and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Africa as a continent is not doing well in this regard anyway; in some places,
newborn babies are dying in greater numbers than before. But comparisons with African countries cannot provide excuses.
The report shows that four per cent of all babies born and living in India in the last 20 years, died within a month.
Experts have recommended three simple ways to reduce neonatal deaths by one-third immediately — improved hygiene at
birth, breastfeeding and keeping the baby warm. In India, access to basic health is still poor in vast rural tracts. Added to this,
drinkable water may be scarce, nutrition poor — especially for women, deliveries at home quite common, and education
regarding the proper protection of mother and child pathetically lacking. Government intervention in health services delivery
has simply not been aggressive enough. Then there is the dominant mindset to contend with. Indian society has traditionally
been callous to both women and children, and the neonatal mortality rate, just like the imbalance in sex ratio, is another
outcome of that. The disgrace of this is not felt strongly enough. The report also raises a question. Is the calculation correct?
Can it have taken into account the thousands of newborn girls quietly killed at birth?
30 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
a
Album Quiz
1. This ball is used to play a game. It is a popular game in
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines and India. Name the
game.
4. He and his staff created various fictional characters,
including a very famous character, for which he himself
gave the voice. Identify him.
2. He is rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation".
In the early part of his career, he was an extremely quick
bowler, but a number of stress fractures in his back almost
ended his career. Identify him.
5. Identify the plant and what is its speciality?
3. He is a business magnate and inventor. Identify him
6. He was charged with manslaughter by Indian authorities. An
arrest warrant was issued against him on July 31, 2009. The
United States has declined to extradite him, citing a lack of
evidence. Identify him.
PT's PrepTalk – August 2011 31
7. “The Man Who Would Be King” is from his pen. Identify
him.
10. Which game is played here and what do we call it.
8. Identify this cartoon character.
11. It is the first and the second longest sea bridge in India. In
which city is it located?
9. A place where disaster occurred. Where is this place?
32 PT's PrepTalk – August 2011
12. Where is this suspension bridge located? (Give the name of
the city)
13. It is a Buddhist pilgrimage site. Why is it famous? Identify it.
14. He is an American film Director, Screenwriter, Film
producer and Video game designer. Identify him.
16. The construction of which famous tunnel is shown here.
17. Meaning of the name of this Indian folk dance is ‘beauty’.
Identify it.
Answers to Album Quiz
15 She is an English actress, born in India. Identify her.
1. Sepak takraw
2. Dennis Lillee (Australia)
3. Steve Jobs (co-founder and chief executive officer
of Apple)
4. Walter Elias "Walt" Disney
5. Pitcher plant. It is an insectivorous plant
6. Warren Anderson
7. Rudyard Kipling .“The Man Who Would Be King”
(1888) is a short story written by him
8. Snidely Whiplash
9. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine
10. Track cycling. Velodrome
11. Pamban Bridge, Rameshwaram
12. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
13. Lumbini, Nepal (The Birthplace of the Lord Buddha)
14. Steven Spielberg
15. Vivien Leigh (Lady Olivier)
16. Channel Undersea Tunnel (Between UK and France)
17. Lavani
a
PT's PrepTalk – August 2011 33
Brand Icon
Boeing
occurred on July 8,
2007, with the first
flight taking place on
December 15, 2009.
Boeing also
received the launch
contract from the US
Navy for the P-8
Multi-mission
Maritime Aircraft, an
anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft. Several orders for the
Wedgetail AEW&C airplanes are expected as well.
T
he Boeing Company is an American multinational
aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by
William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has
expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in
1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago,
Illinois since 2001. Boeing is made up of multiple business
units, which are Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA); Boeing
Defense, Space & Security (BDS); Engineering, Operations &
Technology; Boeing Capital; and Boeing Shared Services
Group.
Boeing is among the largest global aircraft manufacturers by
revenue, orders and deliveries, and the third largest aerospace
and defense contractor in the world, based on defense-related
revenue. Boeing is the largest exporter by value in the United
States. Its stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial
Average.
COMMERCIAL
Boeing has achieved several consecutive launches,
beginning with the formal launch of the 787 for delivery to All
Nippon Airways and Air New Zealand. Rollout of the first 787
34 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
Boeing launched the 777 Freighter in May 2005, with an
order from Air France. The freighter variant is based on the
−200LR. Other customers include FedEx, Emirates Airline,
and Air Atlanta Icelandic. Boeing has achieved above projected
orders for its 787 Dreamliner, outselling the rival Airbus A350.
Boeing officially announced in November 2005 that it would
produce a larger variant of the 747, the 747-8, in two models,
commencing with the Freighter model for two cargo carriers,
with firm orders for the aircraft. The second model, dubbed the
Intercontinental, would be produced for passenger airlines that
Boeing expected would place
orders in the near future.
Both models of the 747-8
would feature a lengthened
fuselage, new, advanced
engines and wings, and the
incorporation of other
technologies developed for
the 787.
Boeing has also introduced new extended range versions of
the 737. These include the 737-700ER and 737-900ER. The
737-900ER is the latest and will extend the range of the 737–900
to a similar range as the successful 737–800, with the capability
to fly more passengers, due to the addition of two extra
emergency exits.
The record-breaking 777-200LR Worldliner was presented
at the Paris Air Show in 2005.The 777-200LR Worldliner
embarked on a well-received global demonstration tour in the
second half of 2005, showing off its capacity to fly farther than
any other commercial aircraft. On November 10, 2005, the 777200LR set a world record for the longest non-stop flight. The
plane, which departed from Hong Kong traveling to London,
took a longer route, which included flying over the U.S. It flew
11,664 nautical miles (21,601 km) during its 22-hour 42-minute
flight. It was flown by Pakistan International Airlines pilots and
PIA was the first airline to fly the 777-200LR Worldliner.
On August 11, 2006, Boeing announced an agreement to
form a joint-venture with the large Russian titanium producer,
VSMPO-Avisma, for the machining of titanium forgings. The
forgings will be used on 787 program. On December 27, 2007,
Boeing and VSMPO-Avisma created a joint venture Ural Boeing
Manufacturing and signed a contract on titanium products
deliveries until 2015, with Boeing planning to invest $27 billion
in Russia over the next 30 years.
DEFENSE AND VARIOUS
Realizing that increasing numbers of passengers have
become reliant on
their computers to
stay in touch, Boeing
i n t r o d u c e d
Connexion by
Boeing, a satellitebased Internet
connectivity service
that promised air
travelers unprecedented access to the World Wide Web. The
company debuted the product to journalists in 2005, receiving
generally favorable reviews. However, facing competition from
cheaper options, such as cellular networks, it proved too difficult
to sell to most airlines. In August 2006, after a short and
unsuccessful search for a buyer for the business, Boeing chose
to discontinue the service.
Boeing maintains a large work force in Wichita, Kansas.
Boeing also developed the Boeing KC-767 aerial refueling
tanker. Italy ordered four KC-767s in December 2002, with the
first one scheduled to be delivered in November 2008. Boeing
and Italy are negotiating on the penalty for the late deliveries.
Boeing stated that the delay is due to such factors as design
changes, expanded US flight testing, greater-than-expected
challenges to software integration, and the complexity of getting
the tanker ready for certification by the Federal Aviation
Administration. Boeing’s late delivery of a tanker to Japan in
2007 incurred a penalty “well under $5 million”, according to
Boeing. Boeing delivered the third aircraft to Japan in March
2009 and the last aircraft was delivered in January 2010.
In February 2011, Boeing received a contract for 179 KC-46
US Air Force tankers, at a value of $35 billion. The KC-46
tankers are based on the KC-767.
Boeing, jointly with Science Applications International
Corporation (SAIC), was the prime contractor in the U.S.
military’s Future Combat Systems program. The FCS program
was canceled in June 2009, with all remaining systems swept into
the BCT Modernization program. Boeing works jointly with
SAIC in the BCT Modernization program like the FCS program
but the U.S. Army will play a greater role in creating baseline
vehicles and will only contract others for accessories.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ shift in defense
spending to “make tough choices about specific systems and
defense priorities based solely on the national interest and then
stick to those decisions over time” hit Boeing especially hard,
because of their heavy involvement with canceled Air Force
projects.
In 2010, the Boeing Company completed its acquisition of
Argon ST Inc. Argon ST, based in Fairfax, Va., develops C4ISR
(Command, Control, Communications, Computers,
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) and combat
systems. Boeing on June 30, 2010, announced its intent to
acquire Argon ST, as part of the company’s strategy to expand its
capabilities to address the C4ISR, cyber and intelligence
markets.
FUTURE
In May 2006, four concept designs being examined by
Boeing were outlined in The Seattle Times, based on corporate
internal documents. The research aims in two directions: lowcost airplanes, and environmental-friendly planes. Codenamed
after the well-known Muppets, a design team known as the
Green Team concentrated primarily on reducing fuel usage. All
four designs illustrated rear-engine layouts.
“Fozzie” employs open rotors and would offer a lower
cruising speed.
“Beaker” has very thin, long wings, with the ability to
partially fold-up to facilitate easier taxiing.
PT's PrepTalk – August 2011 35
“Kermit Kruiser” has forward swept wings over which are
positioned its engines, with the aim of lowering noise below, due
to the reflection of the exhaust signature upward.
“Honeydew”, with its delta wing design, resembles a
marriage of the flying wing concept and the traditional tube
fuselage.
As with most concepts, these designs are only in the
exploratory stage, intended to help Boeing evaluate the
potentials of such radical technologies.
ENVIRONMENT
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts had listed
Boeing as the thirteenth-largest corporate producer of air
pollution in the United States, based on 2002 data; although data
from 2008 shows that they have dropped off the list. According to
the Center for Public Integrity, the United States Environmental
Protection Agency has linked Boeing to more than twenty
Superfund toxic waste sites.
In 2006, the UCLA Center for Environmental Risk
Reduction released a study showing that Boeing’s Santa Susana
Field Laboratory, in the Simi Hills of eastern Ventura County in
Southern California, had been contaminated with toxic and
radioactive waste. The study found that air, soil, groundwater,
and surface water at the site all contained radionuclide, toxic
metals, and dioxins; air and water additionally contained per
chlorate, TCE, and hydrazine, while water showed the presence
of PCBs as well. Clean up studies and lawsuits are in progress.
The airline industry is responsible for about 11 percent of
greenhouse gases emitted by the U.S. transportation sector.
Aviation’s share of the greenhouse gas emissions is poised to
grow, as air travel increases and ground vehicles use more
alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. Boeing estimates
that bio-fuels could reduce flight-related greenhouse-gas
emissions by 60 to 80 percent. The solution would be blending
algae fuels with existing jet fuel.
Boeing executives said that the company is informally
collaborating with leading Brazilian bio-fuels maker Tecbio,
Aquaflow Bionomic of New Zealand and other fuel developers
around the world. So far, Boeing has tested six fuels from these
companies, and will probably have gone through 20 fuels “by the
time we’re done evaluating them.” Boeing is joining other
aviation-related members in the Algal Biomass Organization
(ABO).
Air New Zealand and Boeing are researching the Jatropha
36 PT's PrepTalk – August 2011
plant to see if it is a sustainable alternative to conventional fuel. A
two-hour test flight using a 50–50 mixture of the new bio-fuel,
with Jet A-1 in the number one position Rolls Royce RB-211
engine of 747–400 ZK-NBS, was successfully completed on
December 30, 2008. The engine was then removed to be
scrutinised and studied to identify any differences between the
Jatropha blend and regular Jet A1. No effects to performances
were found.
On August 31, 2010, Boeing worked with the United States
Air Force to test the Boeing C-17, running on 50% JP-8, 25%
Hydro-treated Renewable Jet fuel and 25% of a Fischer–Tropsch
fuel with successful results.
DIVISIONS
The two largest divisions are Boeing Commercial Airplanes
and Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS).
q
q
q
q
Boeing Capital
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Phantom Works
Engineering, Operations & Technology
q Boeing Research & Technology
q Boeing Test & Evaluation
q Intellectual Property Management
q Information Technology
q Environment, Health, and Safety
Boeing Shared Services Group
q Boeing Realty
q Boeing Travel Management Company
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
q
W. James McNerney, Jr. – Chairman, President & CEO
John H. Biggs
John Bryson
David L. Calhoun
Arthur D. Collins, Jr.
Linda Cook
William M. Daley
Kenneth M. Duberstein
Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr., U.S. Navy (ret)
John McDonnell
Susan C. Schwab
Mike S. Zafirovski
a
Profile
Anna Hazare
Parner taluka of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. He
was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian
award, by the Government of India in 1992, for his efforts in
establishing this village as a model for others.
Anna Hazare started a hunger strike on 5 April 2011 to exert
pressure on the Indian government to enact a strict anticorruption law, as envisaged in the Jan Lokpal Bill, for the
institution of an ombudsman, with the power to deal with
corruption in public offices. The fast led to nation-wide protests
in support of Hazare. The fast ended on 9 April 2011, the day
after the government accepted Hazare’s demands. The
government issued a gazette notification on the formation of a
joint committee, constituted of government and civil society
representatives, to draft the legislation.
Anna has been featured as the most influential person in
Mumbai by a national daily newspaper. He has faced criticism by
some commentators for his authoritarian views on justice,
including death as punishment for corrupt public officials and
his alleged support for forced vasectomies as a method of family
planning.
Born:
15 June 1937 (1937-06-15) (age 74)
Bhingar, Bombay Province, British India
Nationality:
Indian
Other names: Kisan Baburao Hazare
Known for:
Watershed development Programmes
Right to Information movement
Anti-corruption movement
Religion:
Hinduism
Spouse:
Unmarried
Parents:
Laxmibai Hazare (Mother)
Baburao Hazare (Father)
Awards:
Padma Shri 1990
Padma Bhushan 1992
Kisan Baburao Hazare (born 15 June 1937), popularly
known as Anna Hazare, is an Indian social activist who is
recognised for his participation in the 2011 Indian anticorruption movement, using non-violent methods, following the
teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Hazare also contributed to the
development and structuring of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in
ARMED FORCE
In 1962, events in South Asia
meant that large-scale army
recruitments were being
undertaken. Despite not meeting
the physical requirements, 25year-old Hazare was selected, as
emergency recruitment was taking
place in the Indian Army. After
training at Aurangabad in Maharashtra, he started his career in
the Indian Army as a driver in 1963. During the Indo-Pakistani
War of 1965, Hazare was posted at the border in the Khem Karan
sector. On 12 November 1965, Pakistan launched air attacks on
Indian bases, and all of Hazare’s comrades were killed; he was
the only survivor of that convoy. It was a close shave for Hazare, as
one bullet had passed by his head. He was driving a truck. This
led him to dwell on the purpose and meaning of life and death.
He came across a small booklet titled “Call to the youth for
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 37
nation building” by Swami Vivekananda, in a book stall, at the
New Delhi railway station. He realised that saints sacrificed
their own happiness for that of others, and that he needed to
work towards ameliorating the sufferings of the poor. He started
to spend his spare time reading the works of Vivekananda,
Gandhi, and Vinoba Bhave. During the mid-1970s, he again
survived a road accident while driving. It was at that particular
moment that Hazare took an oath to dedicate his life to the
service of humanity, at the age of 38. He took voluntary
retirement from the army in 1978.
RALEGAN SIDDHI
25% of the women in the village demanded it. In July 2009, the
state government issued a government resolution amending the
Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949. As per the amendments, if at
least 25% of women voters demand liquor prohibition through a
written application to the state excise department, voting should
be conducted through a secret ballot. If 50% of the voters vote
against the sale of liquor, prohibition should be imposed in the
village and the sale of liquor should be stopped.
It was decided to ban the sale of tobacco, cigarettes, and
beedies (an unfiltered cigarette, where the tobacco is rolled in
tendu, also known as Diospyros melanoxylon leaves, instead of
paper) in the village. In order to implement this resolution, the
youth group performed a unique “Holi” ceremony twenty two
years ago
GRAIN BANK
In 1978 after a voluntary retirement from the Indian army,
Hazare went to his native village Ralegan Siddhi, a village located
in the acute drought-prone and rain-shadow zone of Parner
Tehsil of Ahmadnagar district, in central Maharashtra. It was
one of the many villages of India plagued by acute poverty,
deprivation, a fragile ecosystem, neglect and hopelessness.
Hazare made remarkable economic, social and community
regeneration in Ralegan Siddhi. He reinforced the normative
principles of human development – equity, efficiency,
sustainability and people’s participation and made Ralegan
Siddhi an oasis of human-made regeneration in a human-made
desert without any inputs of industrialization and technologyoriented agriculture.
PROHIBITION ON ALCOHOL
Anna Hazare recognised that without addressing the
menace of alcoholism, no effective and sustainable reform was
possible in the village. He organised the youth of the village into
an organisation named the Tarun Mandal (Youth Association).
Hazare and the youth group decided to take up the issue of
alcoholism. At a meeting conducted in the temple, the villagers
resolved to close down liquor dens and ban alcohol in the village.
Since these resolutions were made in the temple, they became in
a sense, religious commitments. Over thirty liquor brewing
units were closed by their owners voluntarily. Those who did not
succumb to social pressure were forced to close down their
businesses when the youth group smashed up their liquor dens.
The owners could not complain as their businesses were illegal.
Hazare appealed to the government of Maharashtra to bring
in a law whereby prohibition would come into force in a village if
38 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
In 1980, the Grain Bank was started by him at the temple,
with the objective of providing food security to needful farmers
during times of drought or crop failure. Rich farmers, or those
with surplus grain production, could donate a quintal to the
bank. In times of need, farmers could borrow the grain, but they
had to return the same amount of grain they borrowed, plus an
additional quintal as an interest. This ensured that nobody in the
village ever went hungry or had to borrow money to buy grain.
This also prevented distress sales of grain at lower prices, at
harvest time.
WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Ralegan is located in the foothills, so Hazare persuaded
villagers to construct a watershed embankment to stop water
and allow it to percolate and increase the ground water level and
improve irrigation in the area. Residents of the village used
shramdan (voluntary labour) to build canals, small-scale checkdams, and percolation tanks in the nearby hills for watershed
development. These efforts solved the problem of water scarcity
in the village and made irrigation possible. The first
embankment that was built using volunteer efforts developed a
leak and had to be reconstructed, this time with government
funding.
Hazare has helped farmers of more than 70 villages in
drought-prone regions in the state of Maharashtra, since 1975.
When Hazare came in Ralegan Siddhi in 1975, only 70 acres (28
ha) of land was irrigated, Hazare converted it into about 2,500
acres (1,000 ha).
The Government of India plans to start a training centre in
Ralegan Siddhi to understand and implement Hazare’s
Watershed Development Model in other villages in the country.
REMOVAL OF UNTOUCHABILITY
MILK PRODUCTION
The social barriers and discrimination that existed due to
the caste system in India have been largely eliminated by
Ralegan Siddhi villagers. It was Anna Hazare’s moral leadership
that motivated and inspired the people of Ralegan Siddhi to shun
untouchability and discrimination against the Dalits. People of
all castes come together to celebrate social events. Marriages of
Dalits are held as part of community marriage program, together
with those of other castes. The Dalits have been integrated into
the social and economic life of the village.
As a secondary occupation, milk production was promoted in
Ralegan Siddhi. Purchase of new cattle and improvement of the
existing breed with the help of artificial insemination and timely
guidance and assistance by a veterinarian, resulted in an
improvement in the cattle stock. Milk production has increased.
Crossbreed cows are replacing local ones which gave a lower
milk yield.
EDUCATION
COLLECTIVE MARRIAGES
Ralegan’s people have started celebrating marriages
collectively. Joint feasts are held, where the expenses are further
reduced by the Tarun Mandal taking responsibility for cooking
and serving the food. The vessels, the loudspeaker system, the
mandap, and the decorations have also been bought by the Tarun
Mandal members belonging to the oppressed castes. From 1976
to 1986, 424 marriages have been held under this system.
GRAM SABHA
In 1932, Ralegan Siddhi got its first formal school, a single
classroom primary school. In 1962, the villagers added more
classrooms through community volunteer efforts. By 1971, out
of an estimated population of 1,209, only 30.43% were literate
(72 women and 290 men). Boys moved to the nearby towns of
Shirur and Parner to pursue higher education, but due to socioeconomic conditions, girls could not do the same and were
limited to primary education. Hazare, along with the youth of
Ralegan Siddhi, worked to increase literacy rates and education
levels. In 1976, they started a pre-school and a high school in
1979. The villagers formed a charitable trust, the Sant
Yadavbaba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, which was registered in
1979.
The trust obtained a government grant of Rupees 400,000
(US$8,920) for the school building, using the National Rural
Education Programme. This money funded a new school
building that was built over the next two months using volunteer
labour. Since then, the school has been instrumental in bringing
in many changes to the village. Traditional farming practices are
taught in this school, in addition to the government curriculum.
The Gandhian philosophy on rural development considers
the Gram Sabha as an important democratic institution for
collective decision making in the villages of India. Hazare
campaigned between 1998 and 2006 for amending the Gram
Sabha Act, so that the villagers have a say in the development
works in their village. As per the amendments, it is mandatory to
seek the sanction of the Gram Sabha (an assembly of all village
adults, and not just the few elected representatives in the gram
panchayat) for expenditures on development works in the
village.
In addition to the panchayat, there are several registered
societies that take care of various projects and activities of the
village. Each society presents an annual report and statement of
accounts in the Gram Sabha.
ANTI-CORRUPTION PROTESTS IN MAHARASHTRA
In 1991, Hazare launched the Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan
Aandolan (BVJA) (People’s Movement Against Corruption), a
popular movement to fight against corruption in Ralegaon
Siddhi. In the same year, he protested against the collusion
between 40 forest officials and timber merchants. This protest
resulted in the transfer and suspension of these officials.
In May 1997, Hazare protested against alleged malpractices
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 39
case of maladministration. The commission also concluded that
the maintenance of accounts of the Bhrashtachar Virodhi
Janandolan Trust after 10 November 2001 had not been
according to the rules and Rs.46,374 (US$1,030) spent by the
Sant Yadavbaba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal Trust for renovating
a temple was in contravention to its object of imparting secular
education.
RIGHT TO INFORMATION
in the purchase of power looms by the Vasantrao Naik Bhathya
Vimukt Jhtra Governor P. C. Alexander. On 4 November 1997,
Gholap filed a defamation suit against Hazare for accusing him
of corruption. He was arrested in April 1998 and was released on
a personal bond of Rs.5,000 (US$110). On 9 September 1998,
Hazare was imprisoned in the Yerawada Jail to serve a threemonth sentence mandated by the Mumbai Metropolitan Court.
The sentencing came as a huge shock at that time to all social
activists. Leaders of all political parties, except the BJP and the
Shiv Sena, came in support of him. Later, due to public protests,
the Government of Maharashtra ordered his release from the
jail. After release, Hazare wrote a letter to the then Chief
Minister Manohar Joshi demanding Gholap’s removal for his
role in alleged malpractices in the Awami Merchant Bank.
Gholap resigned from the cabinet on 27 April 1999.
In 2003, corruption charges were raised by Hazare against
four NCP ministers of the Congress-NCP government. He
started his fast unto death on 9 August 2003. He ended his fast
on 17 August 2003 after the then Chief Minister Sushil Kumar
Shinde formed a one-man commission, headed by the retired
justice P. B. Sawant, to probe his charges. The P.B. Sawant
Commission Report, submitted on 23 February 2005, indicted
Sureshdada Jain, Nawab Malik, and Padmasinh Patil. The report
exonerated Vijaykumar Gavit. Suresh Jain and Nawab Malik
resigned from the cabinet in March 2005.
Three trusts headed by Anna Hazare were also indicted in
the P. B. Sawant commission report. Rs.220,000 (US$4,910)
spent by the Hind Swaraj Trust for Anna Hazare’s birthday
celebrations was concluded by the commission as illegal and
amounting to a corrupt practice, though Abhay Firodia, an
industrialist subsequently donated Rs.248,000 (US$5,530) to
the trust for that purpose. The setting apart of 11 acres of its land
by the trust in favour of the Zilla Parishad without obtaining
permission from the charity commissioner was concluded as a
40 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
In the early 2000s, Hazare led a movement in Maharashtra
state, which forced the state government to pass a stronger
Maharashtra Right to Information Act. This Act was later
considered as the base document for the Right to Information
Act 2005 (RTI), enacted by the Union Government. It also
ensured that the President of India assented to this new Act. Law
professor Alasdair Scott Roberts said:
The state of Maharashtra – home to one of the world’s
largest cities, Mumbai- adopted a Right to Information Act in
2003, prodded by the hunger strike of prominent activist, Anna
Hazare. (“All corruption can end only if there is freedom of
information,” said Hazare, who resumed his strike in February
2004 to push for better enforcement of the Act).
On 20 July 2006, the Union Cabinet amended the Right to
Information Act 2005 to exclude the file noting by the
government officials from its purview. Hazare began his fast
unto death on 9 August 2006 in Alandi against the proposed
amendment. He ended his fast on 19 August 2006, after the
government agreed to change its earlier decision.
Regulation of Transfers and Prevention of Delay in
Discharge of Official Duties Act
Before 2006 in the state of Maharashtra, even honest
government officers were transferred to other places according
to Ministers’ wish, sometimes within months of being posted to
a place, whereas some corrupt and favoured officials were cozy in
their postings for many years, in some cases, even for 10 to 20
years and since there was not any guideline or law, many
government officials were reluctant to process files that
contained important public proposals and decisions. Anna
fought hard for a law whereby a government servant must clear a
file within a specified time and that transfers must take place
only after three years. After many years of relentless efforts of
Anna, finally on 25 May 2006, state government of Maharashtra
issued a notification announcing that the execution of the
special act, The Prevention of Delay in Discharge of Official
Duties Act 2006, aimed at curbing the delay by its officers and
employees in discharging their duties. This act provides for
disciplinary action against officials who move files slowly and
enables monitoring officials who stay too long in a post, or in a
department, and for involvement in a corrupt nexus. Within this
act, it is mandatory for the government to effect transfers of all
government officers and employees, except Class IV workers,
after the stipulated three years. The Act also prevents the
government from effecting frequent transfers of officers before
the stipulated three-year tenure, except in case of emergency
and under exceptional circumstances. Maharashtra is the first
state in the country to have introduced such act.
in making alcohol from food grains. Some of the main
beneficiaries of these licences include Amit and Dheeraj
Deshmukh, sons of Union Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao
Deshmukh, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde’s
daughter Pankaja Palwe and her husband Charudatta Palwe,
sons-in-law of P.V. Narasimha Rao, Rajya Sabha MP Govindrao
Adik. The government approved the proposal for food grainbased alcohol production in spite of stiff opposition from the
planning and finance departments, saying there is a huge
demand in other countries for food grain made liquor in
comparison with that of molasses. Anna filed a Public Interest
Litigation against the Government of Maharashtra for allowing
food-grains for manufacturing liquor, in the Nagpur bench of
the Bombay High Court. On 20 August 2009, Maharashtra
government stopped the policy. However, distilleries sanctioned
before that date and those who started production within two
years of sanction were entitled for subsidies.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST LIQUOR
LOKPAL BILL
HoweverOn 5 May 2011, court refused to hear a Public
Interest Litigation saying “not before me, this is a court of law,
not a court of justice” as a reason of not hearing the plea. One of
Principal Secretary in Maharashtra state C.S. Sangeet Rao,
enlightened that no law exists to scrap these licences, as this is a
government policy.
The Constitution of India, Article 47, commits the State to
raise the standard of living and improve public health, and
prohibit the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs
injurious to health.
In 2007, Maharashtra Government rolled out the grainbased liquor policy aimed to encourage production of liquor
from food grain, in the light of the rising demand for spirit –
used for industrial purposes and potable liquor- and issue 36
licenses for distilleries for making alcohol from food grains.
Anna Hazare opposed the government’s policy to promote
making liquor from food grains in Maharashtra. He argued the
government that Maharashtra is a food-deficit State and there
was shortage of food grains and it is not logical to promote
producing liquor from food grains. One of the State ministers
Laxman Dhoble said in his speech that those opposing the
decision to allow use of food grains for the production of liquor
are anti-farmers and those people should be beaten up with
sugarcane sticks. Hazare initiated fast at Shirdi, but on 21 March
2010, the government promised to review the policy and Anna
ended his 5-day long fast. But the government later granted 36
licences and grants of 10 (US$0.22) (per litre of alcohol) to
politicians or their sons who were directly or indirectly engaged
In 2011, Hazare initiated a Satyagraha movement for passing
a stronger anti-corruption Lokpal (ombudsman) bill in the
Indian Parliament, as conceived in the Jan Lokpal Bill (People’s
Ombudsman Bill). The Jan Lokpal Bill was drafted earlier by N.
Santosh Hegde, former justice of the Supreme Court of India
and Lokayukta of Karnataka, Prashant Bhushan, a senior lawyer
in the Supreme Court and Arvind Kejriwal, a social activist along
with members of the India Against Corruption movement. This
draft bill incorporated more stringent provisions and wider
powers to the Lokpal (Ombudsman) than the draft Lokpal bill
prepared by the government in 2010. These include placing “the
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 41
Prime Minister within the ambit of the proposed Lokpal’s
powers”.
HUNGER STRIKE
Hazare began his fast unto death on 5 April 2011 at Jantar
Mantar in Delhi to press for the demand to form a joint
committee of the representatives of the Government and the
civil society to draft a stronger anti-corruption bill, with stronger
penal actions and more independence to the Lokpal and
Lokayuktas (Ombudsmen in the states), after his demand was
rejected by the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. He
stated, “I will fast until Jan Lokpal Bill is passed”.
The movement attracted attention in the media, and
thousands of supporters. Almost 150 people reportedly joined
Hazare in his fast. Social activists, including Medha Patkar,
Arvind Kejriwal, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, and Prashant
Bhushan lent their support to Hazare’s hunger strike and anticorruption campaign. People showed support in Internet social
media such as Twitter and Facebook. Online Signature
Campaigns like avaaz got 6.5lakh signatures in just 36 hours. In
addition to spiritual leaders like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Swami
Ramdev, Swami Agnivesh and former Indian cricketer Kapil
Dev, many celebrities showed their public support through
Twitter. Hazare decided that he would not allow any politician to
sit with him in this movement. Politicians like Uma Bharti and
Om Prakash Chautala were shooed away by the protesters when
they came to visit the site where the protest was taking place. On
6 April 2011, Sharad Pawar resigned from the Group of
Ministers formed for reviewing the draft Lokpal bill 2010.
The movement gathered significant support from India’s
youth, visible through the local support and on social networking
sites like Facebook and Twitter. Protests spread to Bangalore,
Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl and
a number of other cities in India.
END OF HUNGER
On 8 April 2011, the Government of India accepted all
demands of the movement. On 9 April 2011, it issued a
notification in the Gazette of India on formation of a joint
committee. It accepted the formula that there be a politician
Chairman and an activist, non-politician Co-Chairman.
According to the notification, Pranab Mukherjee will be the
Chairman of the draft committee while Shanti Bhushan will be
the Co-chairman. “The Joint Drafting Committee shall consist
of five nominee ministers of the Government of India and five
nominees of the civil society. The five nominee Ministers of the
Government of India are Pranab Mukherjee, Union Minister of
42 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
Finance, P. Chidambaram, Union Minister of Home Affairs, M.
Veerappa Moily, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Kapil Sibal,
Union Minister of Human Resource and Development and
Minister of Communication and Information Technology and
Salman Khursheed, Union Minister of Water Resources and
Minister of Minority Affairs. The five nominees of the civil
society are Anna Hazare, N. Santosh Hegde, Shanti Bhushan
Senior Advocate, Prashant Bhushan, Advocate and Arvind
Kejriwal.
On the morning of 9 April 2011, Hazare ended his 98-hour
hunger strike. He addressed the people and set a deadline of 15
August 2011 to pass the Lokpal Bill in the Indian Parliament.
“Real fight begins now. We have a lot of struggle ahead
of us in drafting the new legislation; we have shown the
world in just five days that we are united for the cause of
the nation. The youth power in this movement is a sign of
hope.”
Anna Hazare said that if the bill does not pass, he will call for
a mass nation-wide agitation. He called his movement as
“second struggle for independence” and he will continue the
fight.
DIFFERENCES WITH THE GOVERNMENT
During the
meeting of the joint
drafting committee on
30 May 2011, the
Union government
members opposed the
inclusion of the Prime
M i n i s t e r, h i g h e r
judiciary and the acts
of the MPs under the
purview of the Lokpal
in the draft bill. On 31
May 2011, Pranab
M u k h e r j e e ,
Chairman of the joint drafting committee sent a letter to the
Chief Ministers of all states and the leaders of the political
parties seeking their opinion on six contentious issues in the
proposed Lokpal Bill, including whether to bring the prime
minister and judges of Supreme Court and High Courts under
the purview of the proposed law. But the civil society members of
the drafting committee considered that keeping the Prime
Minister and judges of Supreme Court and High Courts out of
the purview of the Lokpal would be a violation of the United
Nations Convention against Corruption.
Anna Hazare and other civil society members decided to
boycott the meeting of the joint Lokpal Bill drafting committee
scheduled on 6 June 2011, in protest against the forcible eviction
of Swami Ramdev and his followers by the Delhi Police from
Ramlila Maidan, on 5 June 2011 while they were on hunger strike
against the issues of black money and corruption and doubting
seriousness of the government in taking measures to eradicate
corruption.
On 6 June 2011, the members of the civil society of the joint
Lokpal bill drafting committee in New Delhi sent a letter to
Pranab Mukherjee, the Chairman of the committee, explaining
reasons for their absence at the meeting and also asked
government to make its stand public on the contentious issues
related to the proposed draft legislation. They also decided that
the future meetings will be attended only if they were telecast
live. On 8 June 2011 at Rajghat, describing his movement as the
second freedom struggle, Anna criticised the Government for
trying to discredit the joint Lokpal Bill drafting committee and
threatened to go on indefinite fast again from 16 August 2011 if
the Lokpal Bill is not passed by then. He also criticised the
Government for putting hurdles in the drafting of a strong
Lokpal Bill and its attempts to malign the civil society members
of the joint Lokpal panel.
INDEFINITE FAST
On 28 July
2011, the Union
Cabinet approved a
draft of the Lokpal
Bill, which keeps
the Prime Minister,
judiciary and lower
bureaucracy out of
the ambit of the
p r o p o s e d
corruption
ombudsman Lokpal. Hazare rejected the government version by
describing it as “cruel joke’’ and wrote a letter to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, and told him his decision to go on an
indefinite fast from 16 August 2011 at Jantar Mantar if the
government introduced its own version of the bill in Parliament
without taking suggestions from civil society members.
Why are you (government) sending the wrong draft? We have
faith in Parliament. But first send the right draft; our agitation is
against government, not Parliament. The government has
overlooked many points. How will it fight corruption by excluding
government employees, CBI and Prime Minister from the
Lokpal’s purview? We were told that both the drafts would be sent
to the Cabinet. But only the government’s draft was sent. This is a
deceitful government. They are lying. How will they run the
country? Now I have no trust in this government. If it is really
serious about fighting corruption, why is it not bringing
government employees and CBI under Lokpal?
- Anna Hazare
Within twenty four hours of Cabinet’s endorsement of a
weak Lokpal Bill, over ten thousand people from across the
country sent faxes directly to the government, demanding a bill
with stronger provisions. The Mumbai Taxi Men’s Union,
comprising over 30,000 taxi drivers have extended their full
support to Hazare’s fast by keeping all taxis off the roads on 16
August 2011. Lawyers of Allahabad High Court described
Lokpal Bill proposed by the government as against the interest
of the country and pledged their support to Hazare by hunger
strike at Allahabad on 16 August 2011. On 30 July 2011, Vishwa
Hindu Parishad supported Hazare’s indefinite fast by saying
movement for an effective anti-corruption ombudsman needs
the backing of people.
On 1 August, 2011, public interest litigation was filed in the
Supreme Court of India by Hemant Patil, a Maharashtra-based
social worker and businessman, to restrain Hazare from going
on his proposed indefinite fast. The petitioner demanded to
prohibit the fast alleging that Hazare’s demands are
unconstitutional and amount to interference in legislative
process.
ARREST AND AFTERMATH
On 16 August 2011, Hazare was arrested four hours before
the planned indefinite hunger strike. Rajan Bhagat, spokesman
for Delhi Police, said police arrested Hazare under a legal
provision that bans public gatherings and protests at the park in
Delhi, where he was planning to begin his hunger strike. Police
took that action after Hazare refused to meet the conditions put
forward by police for allowing the protest. The conditions
included restricting the length of the fast to three days and the
number of protesters at the site to 5,000. Later Anna was sent to
Tihar jail under judicial custody for 7 days. After
announcements by Prashant Bhushan (Hazare’s lawyer), local
television, and social media sites (including Facebook), a march
of thousands in support of Hazare began from the India Gate to
Jantar Mantar.
Along with Hazare, other key members of the India Against
Corruption movement including Arvind Kejriwal, Shanti
Bhushan, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia were also detained
from different locations. It was reported that about 1,300
supporters were detained in Delhi. Media also reported that the
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 43
arrest sparked off protests, with people courting arrests in
different parts of the country. The opposition parties in the
country came out against the arrest, likening the government
action to the emergency imposed in the country in 1975. Both
the houses of Parliament were adjourned over the issue.
Eventually, after being kept in judicial detention for 24
hours, he was released by police, but Hazare and his supporters
refused to sign bail bond and he was sent to Tihar Jail. They
demanded permission to observe a fast in support of the Jan
Lokpal bill, without any conditions. Hazare continued his fast
inside the jail.
After his arrest, Anna Hazare received massive support from
people across the country. There were reports of “nearly 570
demonstrations and protests by Anna supporters across the
country” against the government’s imprisonment of Hazare and
others. Due to the nationwide protests of millions, the Indian
government agreed to release Hazare from jail and allow him to
begin a public hunger strike of fifteen days. After talks with
public authorities Hazare decided to hold his protest at Ramlila
Maidan, New Delhi. On 20 August 2011, Hazare “left the Tihar
Jail for the Ramlila Grounds”. Hazare promised reporters “he
would fight to the ‘last breath’ until the government gets his
team’s Jan Lokpal Bill passed in this session of Parliament,
which ends on 8 September.”
ELECTORAL REFORM
In 2011, Anna Hazare demanded an amendment to the
electoral law to incorporate the option of “None of the above” in
the electronic voting machines during the Indian elections. The
“None of the above (NOTA)” is a ballot option that allows an
electorate to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in an
electoral system, in case of non-availability of any candidate of
his choice, as his Right to Reject. Soon, the Chief Election
Commissioner of India Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi
supported Hazare’s demand for the electoral reforms.
PROTEST AGAINST ATROCITIES AGAINST SWAMI
RAMDEV
On 8 June 2011,
Anna Hazare and
thousands of his
supporters
observed fast from
10 am to 6 pm at
Rajghat to protest
against the
m i d n i g h t
crackdown of 5
June 2011 by the Delhi Police on Swami Ramdev’s fast at Ramlila
Maidan, New Delhi. The fast was initially planned to be held at
Jantar Mantar, but the venue was shifted after the denial of
permission by the Delhi police. Anna Hazare held the Prime
Minister of India responsible for the atrocities and termed the
police action as a blot on humanity and an attempt to stifle
democracy. According to one of the Anna’s young supporters,
the large presence of youths in the protest was due to their
support to his use of non-violence means of protest, similar to
that adopted by Mahatma Gandhi.
Honours, Awards and International Recognition
Year of Award or
Honor
Name of Award or Honor
Awarding Organization
2008
Jit Gill Memorial Award
World Bank
2005
Honorary Doctorate
Gandhigram Rural University
2003
Integrity Award
Transparency International
1998
CARE International Award
CARE (relief agency)
1997
Mahaveer Award
1996
Shiromani Award
1992
Padma Bhushan
President of India
1990
Padma Shri
President of India
1989
Krishi Bhushana Award
Government of Maharashtra
1986
Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award
Government of India
44 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
a
Music: Indian Music
Instruments (Part I)
protected by a cover either made from wood, cloth or glass. The
harmonium is most commonly played while sitting. However,
one could also sling this instrument across their shoulder and
play it as they walk.
The following are the various Indian music genres that
require this instrument:
r
r
r
r
Bhajan
Folk Music
Ghazal and qawwali
Hindustani music variations
SITAR
HARMONIUM
Peti or baja are the Indian names for the harmonium. This
instrument has its origins in Europe, and ever since it came to
India in the 19th century, it has become an essential part of
Indian musical compositions. This musical instrument is a
blend of the east and west. Its keyboard is similar to that of the
piano and the body, with its other parts, creates sounds for
Indian classical compositions.
The harmonium is a portable instrument in the shape of a
rectangular box. The musician can sit comfortably on the floor
playing it, using both his hands. One hand dances along the
keyboard and the other is engaged in pumping the instrument.
The body of the harmonium houses bellows that are the
pumps, which push the air through the instrument. There are
external bellows that are pumped manually and the internal ones
that are reservoirs for the air pumped by the external ones. This
instrument has stops, which are a series of valves that controls
the way in which air flows. There are also drone stops that
determine the flow of air over the reeds that do not have keys.
The keys, called chabi in Hindi, are controls made from wood.
The keyboard, as mentioned earlier, is like that of the piano,
minus the chords. When the harmonium is not in use, it is
Sitar is said to be one of the prime musical
instruments of Indian music and the most
used of all the stringed instruments. It
has been almost 700 years since this
music instrument was introduced
to India. The word sitar
originates from the Persian
term sehtar, which is
broken into she,
meaning three, and
tar, meaning strings.
According to
historians, the
famed musician of the 13th century, Amir Khusrao, reversed the
strings of the veena, thereby inventing this instrument. Further
modifications to the sitar were made in the eighteenth century,
with the addition of three strings.
This popular stringed instrument of Indian classical music
consists of various parts, which are:
r Tumba: This is the lower hemispherical, hollow gourd.
r Dandi: This is the stem of the sitar.
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 45
r Gulu: This is the upper gourd that is used as a balance
for the musician as he or she plays the instrument.
r Kunti: These are the tuning pegs. They are of two sizes.
The larger ones are used to tune the main strings and the
smaller ones for the sympathetic strings.
r Tar: This is the string of the sitar. The sitar has three
types of strings, which are the drone strings, sympathetic
strings and the playing strings.
r Parda consists of frets that are metal rods tied to the stem
or neck of the sitar. They are adjusted by the musician for
the required pitch.
Basically, there are two types of sitars, which are
distinguished on the basis of the number of strings they have:
The history of Indian classical music claims that the famous
musician of the 13th century, Amir Khusrao had modified the
sarod, creating the sitar; and later Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
modified the shape of the original instrument thereby
improvising the tonal quality.
The sarod has a number of strings that are fixed onto the
instrument, in accordance to the roles they have to play. There
are basically three types of strings:
r
r
r
Four main strings
Six rhythm and drone strings
Fifteen sympathetic strings
All the strings are made from metal.
r The sitar with 13 sympathetic strings. This is tuned to
the notes of the raga. It has 3 playing strings to cover
three octaves; a fourth one reaching the bass octave and 3
rhythm strings.
r The sitar with 11 sympathetic strings. This smaller
instrument is specifically designed for high-speed
playing.
Generally, sitar is rested on the right shoulder, with the right
hand plucking the strings. The index finger of the left hand
travels up and down the neck of the sitar. Playing the sitar may
seem like an easy task to onlookers, but it does require a high
degree of concentration and co-ordination. Even one string
plucked out of sync will take the entire composition to a different
tune.
This instrument has gone through several modifications to
suit the needs of the varied musicians. Being one the prime
instruments of Hindustani music, the various gharanas added or
reduced the number of strings according to their musical needs.
For instance, the maihar gharana sarod had a larger number of
strings being strung at three levels, which were the upper,
middle and lower. Whereas, the traditional sarod commonly had
only two levels.
SARANGI
The name derives from Sau Rangi meaning 100 colors.
Sarangi is played with a bow and has four main strings and as
many as forty resonant strings. It is generally used to accompany
singers but can also be a solo instrument.
SAROD
The sarod is a stringed instrument that is
generally carved out of a single piece of
teakwood. Its belly is covered with
goatskin. This instrument is
played with plectrum made
from coconut shell.
T h i s
i s
probably one
of the oldest
instruments
of Indian
m u s i c .
Carvings of it have been found in the Champa temple that was
constructed in the 1st century. One also comes across paintings
and carvings of this stringed musical instrument in the Ajanta
caves.
46 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
A number of bowed instruments across the country base
their name on this instrument. It was commonly used by
musicians who created folk compositions. The following are
some of the varied sarangis found across
the country:
r
r
r
r
r
r
Sarinda
Chikara
Sindhi sarangi
Gujrtan sarangi
Dhadya sarangi
Dedh pasli sarangi
The instruments dilruba and esraj
have common physical characteristics
that make them resemble the classical
sarangi.
This instrument was played to the tunes of the khayal,
dhrupad and thumri vocals. However, as time went by, this
instrument gained prominence amongst courtesans and
musicians began to look towards other musical instruments.
However, this instrument has not lost complete existence
because of prominent musicians like Gopal Misra, Pandit Ram
Narayan, and Ustad Sabri Khan, who are regarded as sarangi
maestros.
In north India, this instrument is known by its actual name
being tanpura; however in the south, it is also called:
r
r
r
r
Ttambura
Tthamboora
Thambura
Tamboora
It is also available in three distinct styles being:
This bowed instrument is not too large as far as size is
concerned. It is carved from a single piece of wood. Its body is
hollow. At the top and bottom end, it is one-inch thick. The sides
are barely half-an-inch in thickness. The sarangi has a metal bar
placed along it. There are three main strings and one brass
sympathetic string tuned by four pegs in the lower part of the
instrument. The upper part has eleven pegs that tune the thirtyfive to forty sympathetic strings fixed there.
r The Miraj style: This is the typical north Indian version
of the instrument as discussed above.
r The Tanjore style: This is mainly found in the southern
parts of India and a favorite amongst the Carnatic
musicians.
r Tamburi: This is the smallest type of tanpura and is
popular amongst musicians who travel.
TANPURA
SANTOOR
The tanpura is a stringed Indian
musical instrument that produces
the drone, which is an essential
background, required for
all Indian music genres.
This instrument is
believed to have
been invented either
in the sixteenth or
seventeenth century.
The santoor is a musical instrument that originated in the
beautiful lands of Kashmir, also known as heaven on earth. The
ancient or rather original santoor had over a hundred strings and
was considered the forerunner of the piano.
This instrument was formerly known as the
Shatatantri Veena, since it had a hundred
strings.
The basic structure of a tanpura consists of:
r Tumba, which is the hemispherical base that functions
as a resonance chamber.
r Tabli, which is resonating plate covering the opening in
the tumba.
r Dandi is the stem that has a fingerboard.
r Gulu is the neck of the tanpura that connects the tumba
and dandi.
r Four tuning pegs of which two are placed on either side of
the top end and the other two at the forefront.
r Two bridges over which the strings are suspended. The
one on top is called meru or ara. The bridge at the lower
end is called ghodi or ghodaj.
r Silk or cotton pieces of thread which cushion the strings
r Four metal strings of which one is tuned to the lower
pitch and the other three are meant for the higher pitch.
The modern-day instrument has
eighty-seven metal strings that are
strung across a hollow
trapezoidal box, car ved
either from walnut or
maple wood. The top and
bottom of the instrument’s
framework is covered by
either veneer or plywood.
The strings are clubbed
together in sets of three,
thus there are 29 sets of
strings. Steel tuning pegs are fixed on the right side of the
instrument.
While playing the santoor, the musician is required to keep
the instrument in a particular manner. He or she has to bear in
mind that the wide side should be facing them and the narrow
end should be towards the audience or listeners. Also, the
musician could either place this musical instrument on their lap
or on a stand, which is of comfortable length.
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 47
The Indian santoor has counterparts that are played in
various parts of the world. These are:
r
r
r
r
r
r
Yang qin (China)
Zymbalon (Romania)
Cimbalon (Hungary)
Santoori (Greece)
Santoo (Iran)
Kanteli (Finland)
This instrument can be played solo or then can be
accompanied with other instruments. Initially, it was played as
an accompaniment for Sufi hymns. According to archeological
and historical findings, this instrument was made from dried
grass during the Vedic period.
VEENA
The veena is probably the
most ancient of all the
Indian stringed
instruments. It
basically has a large
body with a hollow
belly; a stem; and the
neck, which is
generally carved into
a strange figure that resembles the head of a dragon. This
instrument has seven strings. Four of them are the main strings
that are attached to the pegs, which are fixed on the neck. The
other three are attached to the side. They are used as rhythmic
accompaniments.
The musician plays this instrument by being seated on the
ground. They then place the instrument in front of them resting
the neck on one of their shoulders. The right hand is generally
used for plucking the main strings and the left hand for tuning
the pegs as per requirement.
Above is the description of the veena in general. However,
this instrument is available in a variety of modified versions,
each been given a title. These are as follows:
r Saraswati Veena: This probably the oldest of all the veena
types and has been given an important stature in Indian
society. This is said to have been the divine musical
instrument of Saraswati, the goddess of music. Its body
is generally carved from jack wood. Saraswati veena has
four playing strings and three drone strings.
48 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
r The Rudra Veena is commonly associated with the
Dhrupad type of Hindustani music. The body of this
instrument is basically a hollow tube carved out of
teakwood.
r The Vichitra Veena is a modified version of the rudra
veena. It has a broad stem with six main strings attached
to the wooden tuning pegs. A plectrum is used to string
this instrument.
The veena has been mentioned in most of the Hindu
scriptures, especially in the Vedas. The cave paintings of Ajanta
and temple art of the sixth and seventh centuries have
depictions of this archaic stringed musical instrument.
TABLA
The table, though
in the singular, is the
name given to the two
drums that are either
played as an
accompaniment to
other instruments or
vocalists; or as a solo
performance. This is
one of the essential
instruments of the
Hindustani music forms and is also regarded as the principal
percussion instrument of Hindustani music.
One of the drums is made to create high-pitched sounds and
the other one is used for low pitch sounds. Generally, the one
with high pitch is played by the right hand and the low-pitched is
played by the left hand. The right hand drum is also known as
dahina and then left one is known as bayan. One can make out
the difference between the two, as the dahina gives rise to a
number of resonant ringing and clicking sounds. Whereas the
bayan produces swooping bass sounds
Both the drums have a large black spot their playing surfaces.
These spots are made from a mixture of gum, soot and iron
filings. Their primary function is to bring about a bell-like
resonance, which is one of the outstanding characteristics of
this percussion instrument.
After the initial days of the tabla being invented, various
musicians created their own schools of playing thereby bringing
into being a number of tabla gharanas. Each one had a peculiar
style and form, which was carried forward for generations.
In general, a tabla solo performance is divided into 5 stages,
which are:
r Peshkar is the first performance of the concert. In this
stage, the musician is given an opportunity to warm up
for the rest of the show.
r Kaida is the central section or the part where the theme
is elaborated. This word actually means ‘rule’. The
musician generally begins this section with a
preconceived composition and as he or she goes through
it, they add improvisations.
r Tukda consists of small short compositions that follow
the kaida.
r Gata actually means gait and this stage marks the steady
movement of the rhythms emanated by the tabla player.
r Uthan or Mohra: This is the prelude or introductory
piece. It usually begins slowly and flows into a crescendo
to lay the ground for the next stage of performance.
Rela means rushing or flooding. In this section, the tabla
player plays rapidly non-stop till he or she reaches the final beat.
This is like the grand finale of every stage performance.
These include:
r
r
r
r
r
r
Delhi gharana
Ajrara gharana
Benares gharana
Farukhabad gharana
Lucknow gharana
Punjab
a
Salsa
Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point
of Spanish (European) and African cultures.
Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo
forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino", where multiple
couples exchange partners in a circle. Salsa can be improvised or performed
with a set routine.
Salsa is popular throughout Latin America as well as in North America,
Europe, Australia, and some countries in Asia and the Middle East. It is fast
becoming a global phenomenon.
Salsa dance movements originate from the Cuban Son dancing of the
1920s, more specifically through the beat of Son Montuno, with strong
influences from the dance of Danzon, Mambo, Guaguanco and other AfroCuban folkloric dancing.
Today, there are many various styles of salsa dancing because of geographical dispersion and cultural syncretism. The
most well-known styles are Cali-style (from Colombia), Cuban-style ("Casino"), LA-style, New York-style and Puerto Ricanstyle.
Salsa is typically a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms, line dancing (suelta), and Rueda de Casino,
where groups of couples exchange partners in a circle. Salsa can be improvised or performed with a set routine, choreography
and freestyle.
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 49
Fortune 500: Mission Statement
F
ortune 500 companies are the biggest and best run in the
nation. That's because they remain tightly focused on
delivering quality in a competitive market. If you want to
learn from the best, there are plenty of lessons waiting in these
mission statements.
1. Advanced Auto Parts, Inc
6443 Iron Bridge Road Richmond, VA 23234
Slogan / Motto
We're Ready in Advance
Description
Advanced Auto Parts, Inc. is a company that provides
customers with automotive products and services, which
include diagnosing vehicle problems and doing repair work
Mission Statement
It is the Mission of Advance Auto Parts to provide personal
vehicle owners and enthusiasts with the vehicle related products
and knowledge that fulfill their wants and needs at the right
price. The friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff will
help inspire, educate and solve problem for the customers.
2. Aflac
1932 Wynnton Road Columbus, GA 31999
Slogan / Motto
Aflac insurance policies may help you with those expenses
not covered by your major medical plan.
Description
Aflac is a supplemental insurance company in the US. Its
main business is into health and life insurance policies that
cover special conditions, particularly cancer. Aflac insurance
policies help customers with expenses not covered by the
medical plan. And unlike other health insurance companies that
pay out the money to the doctor or the hospital, Aflac can
reimburse the customer so that he is able to control the cash
settlement instead.
Mission Statement
We wish to combine aggressive strategic marketing with
50 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
quality products and services, at competitive prices to provide
the best insurance value for consumers.
3. AGCO
AGCO Corporation 4205 River Green Parkway Duluth, GA,
USA 30096
Slogan / Motto
A World of Solutions for your Growing Needs
Description
AGCO is the chief manufacturer and distributor of
agricultural equipment such as replacement parts, tractors, hay
tools, sprayers, forage equipment, and implements. Their brand
names include AGCO, Challenger, Fendt, Gleaner, Hesston,
Massey Ferguson, RoGator, Spra-Coupe, Sunflower, TerraGator, Valtra, and White Planters
Mission Statement
We ensure profitable growth through superior customer
service, innovation, quality and commitment.
4. Albertsons
Albertson's, Inc. 250 E. Parkcenter Blvd. Boise, ID 83706
Slogan / Motto
We Help to Make Your Life Easier.
Description
A supermarket and drugstore, Albertsons is a food and drug
retailer, located in Boise, Idaho. With a team of more than
200,000 in 2,300 stores all over America, Albertsons has over
2,500 locations in 37 states of the US.
Mission Statement
Guided by relentless focus on our five imperatives, we will
constantly strive to implement the critical initiatives required to
achieve our vision. In doing this, we will deliver operational
excellence in every corner of the Company and meet or exceed
our commitments to the many constituencies we serve. All of
our long-term strategies and short-term actions will be molded
by a set of core values that are shared by each and every associate.
5. Ameren
1 Ameren Plaza, 1901 Chouteau Ave. St. Louis, MO 63103
Slogan / Motto
An energy services company for electric and natural gas
customers in Missouri and Illinois
Description
Ameren is an energy services company, and as such, it
distributes both electric and natural gas in 70 counties
worldwide. Ameren's product offerings focus on preventive
maintenance and efficiency services, generation services, and
also on financial services.
Mission Statement
Ameren's mission is to generate electricity, deliver electricity
and distribute natural gas in a safe, reliable, efficient and
environmentally sound manner. Our vision is to be the
recognized performance leader of the U.S. electric and gas
utility industry. Being a performance leader means we will
achieve operational excellence, industry-leading customer
satisfaction and superior financial performance.
6. American Financial Group, INC
Great American Financial Resources, Inc. 250 East Fifth
Street Cincinnati, OH 45202
Description
American Financial Group, Inc., also known as AFG, is an
insurance company that deals primarily in property and casualty
insurance. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, AFG specializes in
commercial insurance products, supplemental and life
insurance products such as professional liability, ocean and
inland marine and multi-peril crop insurance, among others.
Mission Statement
Our purpose is to enable individuals and businesses to
manage financial risk. We provide insurance products and
services tailored to meet the specific and ever-changing
financial risk exposures facing our customers. We build value for
our investors through the strength of our customers' satisfaction
and by consistently producing superior operating results.
7. American Standard Company
American Standard Companies Privacy Inquiries One
Centennial Avenue Piscataway, New Jersey 08855-6820
Slogan / Motto
Raising the Standard
Description
The American Standard Company is into supplying air-
conditioning systems, plumbing products, and automotive
braking systems. Their products are well-known under the
brands Trane and American Standard for their air conditioning
systems, American Standard and Ideal Standard for their
plumbing fixtures, and WABCO for their electronic braking,
stability, suspension and transmission control systems.
Mission Statement
American Standard's mission is to "Be the best in the eyes of
our customers, employees and shareholders."
8. AmerisourceBergen
Corporate Headquarters 1300 Morris Drive Suite 100
Chesterbrook, PA 19087
Slogan / Motto
It's All Right Here.
Description
A pharmaceutical distributor in the US, AmerisourceBergen
delivers pharmaceutical and healthcare products, services and
solutions to hospitals, drugstores and nursing homes from
approximately 40 distribution establishments, throughout the
US. It not only distributes generic, branded and OTC
pharmaceuticals, but also offers toiletries, sundries, and
medical supplies as well.
Mission Statement
We wish to build shareholder value by delivering
pharmaceutical and healthcare products, services and solutions
in innovative and cost effective ways. We will realize this mission
by setting the highest standards in service, reliability, safety and
cost containment in our industry.
9. Anadarka
1201 Lake Robbins Drive The Woodlands, Texas 77380
Slogan / Motto
We Bring Excellence to the Surface.
Description
Anadarka's business involves exploring, developing and
producing gas, oil, and other similar products. They operate in
more than a dozen countries; at the same time, they comply with
environmental safety and health regulations.
Mission Statement
Anadarko's mission is to deliver a competitive and
sustainable rate of return to shareholders by developing,
acquiring and exploring for oil and gas resources vital to the
world's health and welfare.
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 51
10. Applied Materials
3050 Bowers Ave. Santa Clara, CA 95054-8039
Slogan / Motto
Apply It.
Description
Applied Materials is the world's largest semiconductor
equipment manufacturer. Aside from this, Applied Materials
also produces metrology and inspection equipment.
Mission Statement
Applied Materials' mission is to be the leading supplier of
semiconductor fabrication solutions worldwide-through
innovation and enhancement of customer productivity with
systems and service solutions.
11. ADM
4666 Faries Pkwy. Decatur, IL 62525
Slogan / Motto
Resourceful by Nature
Description
Having top-of-the-line ingredients and agricultural
products, ADM not only provides food with enhanced nutrition,
but also feeds ingredients for livestock, alternative fuel sources
and environmentally-friendly chemical products. ADM is
globally the number one processor of oilseeds, corn, wheat,
soybean, peanut and other similar products.
Mission Statement
ADM Mission: To unlock the potential of nature to improve
the quality of life.
12. Ashland
50 E. RiverCenter Blvd. Covington, KY 41011
Description
Originally a regional petroleum refiner, Ashland Inc. is a
company that deals with chemical and transportation
construction while providing innovative products, services and
solutions. Operating in more than 120 countries worldwide,
Ashland comprises four divisions: Ashland Paving and
Construction (APAC), Ashland Distribution, Ashland Specialty
Chemical, and Valvoline.
Mission Statement
We are a market-focused, process-centered organization
that develops and delivers innovative solutions to our customers,
consistently outperforming our peers, producing predictable
earnings for our shareholders and providing a dynamic and
challenging environment for our employees.
13. Assurant
1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, 41st Fl. New York, NY 10005
Description
Formerly known as Fortis, Inc., Assurant distributes
specialized insurance products and services. Headquartered in
New York, their policies include creditor-placed homeowners
insurance, manufactured housing homeowners insurance, debt
protection administration, credit insurance, warranties and
extended services contracts, individual health and small
employer-group health insurance, group dental insurance,
group disability insurance, group life insurance and pre-funded
funeral insurance.
Mission Statement
To be the premier provider of targeted specialized insurance
products and related services in North America and selected
other markets.
14. AutoNation
110 SE 6th St. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Slogan / Motto
Driven to be the best
Description
Previously going by the name Republic Industries,
AutoNation is at present one of the leading car dealers in the US,
selling new and used automobiles, car parts, vehicle insurance
and warranty, as well as doing repairs and other body work.
Mission Statement
To be America's best run, most profitable automotive
retailer.
15. Auto-Owners Insurance
6101 Anacapri Blvd. Lansing, MI 48917
Slogan / Motto
The "No Problem" People
Description
Auto-Owners Insurance is one of the biggest insurance
companies in the US that aspires to give only the best quality
service. In addition to vehicle insurance, Auto-Owners also offer
other products such as universal and whole life, homeowners
and long-term care insurance through its two subsidiaries,
Home-Owners Insurance Company and Property-Owners
Insurance Company.
Mission Statement
Our Goal is to provide the best claim service in the industry.
a
52 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
PT Panorama
Phobias - Part II
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felinophobia: -cats
Francophobia: -France, French culture
frigophobia: -cold
galeophobia: -cats
gallophobia or galiophobia: -fear France, French culture
gamophobia: -marriage
gatophobia: -cats
geliophobia: -laughter
geniophobia: -chins
genophobia: -sex
genuphobia: -knees
gephyrophobia: -crossing bridges
gerascophobia: -growing old
germanophobia: -Germany, German culture
gerontophobia: -old people or of growing old
geumaphobia: -taste
glossophobia: -speaking in public
gnosiophobia: -knowledge
graphophobia: -writing
gymnophobia: -nudity
gynophobia: -women
hadephobia: -hell
hagiophobia: -saints or holy things
hamartophobia: -sinning
haphephobia: -being touched
harpaxophobia: -being robbed
hedonophobia: -feeling pleasure
heliophobia: -the sun
hellenologophobia: -Greek terms
helminthophobia: -worms
hemophobia: -blood
herpetophobia: -reptiles
heterophobia: -the opposite sex (sexophobia)
hierophobia: -priests
hippophobia: -horses
hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: -long words
hobophobia: -bums or beggars
hodophobia: -road travel
homichlophobia: -fog
homilophobia: -sermons
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hominophobia: -men
homophobia: -homosexuality
hoplophobia: -firearms
hormephobia: -shock
hydrargyophobia: -mercurial medicines
hydrophobia: -water
hydrophobophobia: -rabies
hyelophobia or hyalophobia: -glass
hygrophobia: -liquids, dampness, or moisture
hylephobia: -materialism
hylophobia: -forests
hypegiaphobia: -responsibility
hypnophobia: -sleep
hypsiphobia: -height
iatrophobia: -doctors
ichthyophobia: -fish
ideophobia: -ideas
illyngophobia: -vertigo
insectophobia: -insects
iophobia: -poison
isolophobia: -solitude, being alone
isopterophobia: -termites
ithyphallophobia: -erection
Japanophobia: -Japanese
Judeophobia: -Jews
kainolophobia: -novelty
kakorraphiaphobia: -failure
katagelophobia: -ridicule
kathisophobia: -sitting down
kenophobia: -voids
keraunophobia: -thunder
kinetophobia: -movement or motion
kleptophobia: -stealing
koinoniphobia: -rooms
koniophobia: -dust (Amathophobia)
kopophobia: -fatigue
kosmikophobia: -cosmic phenomenon
kymophobia: -waves
kynophobia: -rabies
kyphophobia: -stooping
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 53
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lachanophobia: -vegetables
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molysmophobia: -dirt or contamination
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laliophobia: -speaking
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monopathophobia: -definite disease
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leprophobia: -leprosy
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monophobia: -solitude or being alone
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leukophobia: -the color white
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motorphobia: -automobiles
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levophobia: -things to the left side of the body
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mottephobia: -moths
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ligyrophobia: -loud noises
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musophobia: -mice
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lilapsophobia: -tornadoes and hurricanes
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mycophobia: -fear or aversion to mushrooms
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limnophobia: -lakes
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mycrophobia: -small things
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linonophobia: -string
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myctophobia: -darkness
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liticaphobia: -lawsuits
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myrmecophobia: -ants
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lockiophobia: -childbirth
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mysophobia: -germs or contamination or dirt
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logizomechanophobia: -computers
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mythophobia: -myths or stories or false statements
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logophobia: -words
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myxophobia: -slime (blennophobia)
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luiphobia: -syphilis
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nebulaphobia: -fog (homichlophobia)
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lutraphobia: -otters
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necrophobia: -death
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lygophobia: -darkness
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nelophobia: -glass
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lyssophobia: -rabies or of becoming mad
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neopharmaphobia: -new drugs
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macrophobia: -long waits
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neophobia: -anything new
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mageirocophobia: -cooking
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nephophobia: -clouds
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maieusiophobia: -childbirth
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noctiphobia: -the night
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malaxophobia: -love play
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nomatophobia: -names
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maniaphobia: -insanity
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nosemaphobia: -illness
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mastigophobia: -punishment
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nosocomephobia: -hospitals
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mechanophobia: -machines
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nosophobia: -disease
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megalophobia: -large things
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nostophobia: -returning home
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melanophobia: -the color black
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novercaphobia: -step-mothers
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melissophobia: -bees
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nucleomituphobia: -nuclear weapons
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melophobia: -fear or hatred of music
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nudophobia: -nudity
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meningitophobia: -brain disease
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numerophobia: -numbers
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menophobia: -menstruation
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nyctophobia: -the dark or of night
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merinthophobia: -being bound or tied up
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obesophobia: -gaining weight
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metallophobia: -metal
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ochlophobia: -crowds or mobs
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metathesiophobia: -changes
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ochophobia: -vehicles
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meteorophobia: -meteors
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octophobia: -the figure 8
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methyphobia: -alcohol
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odontophobia: -dental surgery
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metrophobia: -fear or hatred of poetry
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odynophobia: -pain
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microbiophobia: -microbes (bacillophobia)
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oenophobia: -wines
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microphobia: -small things
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oikophobia: -home surroundings, house
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misophobia: -being contaminated with dirt of germs
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olfactophobia: -smells
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mnemophobia: -memories
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ombrophobia: -rain
54 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
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ommetaphobia: -eyes
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philemaphobia: -kissing
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oneirogmophobia: -wet dreams
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philophobia: -falling in love
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oneirophobia: -dreams
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philosophobia: -philosophy
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onomatophobia: -hearing a certain word
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phobophobia: -one's own fears
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ophidiophobia: -snakes
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phonophobia: -noises or voices
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ophthalmophobia: -being stared at
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photoaugliaphobia: -glaring lights
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optophobia: -opening one's eyes
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photophobia: -light
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ornithophobia: -birds
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phronemophobia: -thinking
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orthophobia: -property
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phthiriophobia: -lice (pediculophobia)
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osmophobia: -smells or odors
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phthisiophobia: -tuberculosis
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osphresiophobia: -smells
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pinigerophobia: -smothering
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ostraconophobia: -shellfish
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placophobia: -tombstones
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ouranophobia: -heaven
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plutophobia: -wealth
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pagophobia: -ice or frost
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pluviophobia: -rain or of being rained on
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panophobia: -everything
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pneumatiphobia: -spirits
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panthophobia: -disease
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pnigophobia: -choking or being smothered
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pantophobia: -fears
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pocrescophobia: -gaining weight (obesophobia)
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Papaphobia: -the pope
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pogonophobia: -beards
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papyrophobia: -paper
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poinephobia: -punishment
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paralipophobia: -neglecting duty
q
poliosophobia: -contracting poliomyelitis
q
paraphobia: -sexual perversion
q
politicophobia: -politicians
q
parasitophobia: -parasites
q
polyphobia: -many things
q
paraskavedekatriaphobia: -Friday the 13th
q
ponophobia: -overworking or of pain
q
parthenophobia: -virgins or young girls
q
porphyrophobia: -the color purple
q
parturiphobia: -childbirth
q
potamophobia: -rivers or running water
q
pathophobia: -disease
q
potophobia: -alcohol
q
patroiophobia: -heredity
q
proctophobia: -rectum
q
peccatophobia: -sinning (imaginary crime)
q
prosophobia: -progress
q
pediculophobia: -lice
q
psellismophobia: -stuttering
q
pediophobia: -dolls
q
psychophobia: -mind
q
pedophobia: -children
q
psychrophobia: -cold
q
peladophobia: -bald people
q
pteromerhanophobia: -flying
q
pellagrophobia: -pellagra
q
pteronophobia: -being tickled by feathers
q
peniaphobia: -poverty
q
pupaphobia: -puppets pyrexiophobia
q
pentheraphobia: -mother-in-law
q
pyrophobia: -fire
q
phagophobia: -swallowing
q
radiophobia: -radiation, x-rays
q
phalacrophobia: -becoming bald
q
q
phallophobia: -a penis, esp erect
q
q
pharmacophobia: -drugs
q
ranidaphobia: -frogs
rhabdophobia: -being severely punished or beaten
by a rod
rhypophobia: -defecation
q
pharmacophobia: -taking medicine
q
rhytiphobia: -getting wrinkles
q
phasmophobia: -ghosts
q
rupophobia: -dirt
q
phengophobia: -daylight or sunshine
q
Russophobia: -Russians
a
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 55
Brand Icon
Eureka Forbes
Eureka Forbes Ltd
Inc.
Water Purifiers, Vacuum Cleaners, Washing
Machine
Founded:
1982
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Key Person:
Suresh Goklaney (Chairman&MD)
Products:
Aquaguard Household
Employees:
6000
Parent;
Forbes & Company Ltd.
Type:
Industry:
Suresh Goklaney
(Chairman & MD)
Eureka Forbes, part of the
Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s
Forbes Gokak, based in Mumbai,
is an Indian consumer appliances
company. Eureka Forbes was the
first to introduce domestic water
purifiers - the Aquaguard - model
- as well as vacuum cleaners to
India in the 1980s. The company
operates in over 92 cities in India
and employs over 6,000
individuals.
To introduce previously unknown products to a society in
which nationwide commercial campaigns were impossible, the
company pioneered direct selling. The corps of suit-clad Eureka
Forbes salesmen achieved tremendous success. They are now
Asia’s largest direct selling organization, with a 5,000 strong
direct sales force, touching 1.25 million Indian homes and
adding 1,500 customers daily.
Such was the success of Eureka Forbes that Aquaguard has
become a synonym for water purifier in India.
We are ‘Your friends for life,’ we are Eureka Forbes!
56 PT's PrepTalk – August 2011
It dates back to 1982, when health ambassadors from Eureka
Forbes, with a new concept of living in a clean environment and
drinking water in its purest form, knocked on the citizen’s door.
They called themselves friends for life and they proved that they
indeed were. Eureka Forbes continues to be the best friend in
Indian Households after three decades and the sentiments have
not changed.
Eureka Forbes is a part of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group and
today it is a 13 billion INR, multi-product and multi-channel
corporation. Incepted in 1982, they have put 29 years of
consolidated efforts to become the undisputed leaders in
domestic and industrial Water Purification Systems, Vacuum
Cleaners, Air Purifiers and Security Solutions. Being Asia’s
largest direct sales organization, the force of 7500 direct
personnel touches 8 million homes. They have one of the largest
networks catering to more than 145 cities and 398 towns across
the country. They also have a 15,000 strong dealer sales network
and over 58 distributor strong Industrial Sales Network.
Dedicated to the cause of providing healthier living, today
they have successfully established themselves as a business
super-brand and the dedicated team works around the clock to
make people’s lives healthier and more secure. They strive to
provide the best after-sales service, and to achieve the same,
they have over 1500 service centers and as many as 5800
company-trained technicians who visit over 25,000 Indian
kitchens daily!
Their efforts have borne fruits in the form of the numerous
awards that they have received from time to time:
q Winner of 5 Prestigious UNESCO Water Digest Awards
2010-11.
q Winner of the Frost & Sullivan Award for the Best
Company from the domestic point of use, Water
treatment systems and Customer Service Leadership
Award.
q They have been ranked amongst India’s Most Admired
Consumer Durable Companies.
q Awarded Best Employers 4 times in a row.
q Winner of ‘Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise’
MAKE- Asia Awards.
q Holds the distinction of being a case study at the
prestigious Harvard Business School.
Business Practice:
The customer is the sole focus of their business. They
constantly direct all their efforts towards achieving maximum
customer satisfaction by delivering products and services to the
best value and quality.
Group Companies
1.
SP Group
140 years ago, Mumbai
was largely an uninhabited
cluster of islands. To fulfill
the water supply needs of
the city, a reservoir was built,
in the famous Malabar Hills.
Not only did the reservoir sustain the needs of Mumbai for the
next 100 years, it also witnessed the growth of Mumbai as the
Commercial Capital of India.
The reservoir was built by a Littlewood Pallonji & Co., which
today is Shapoorji Pallonji Co. & Ltd., one of the leading
construction giants in India and abroad.
Over the next hundred years, the company’s expertise has
been repeatedly showcased on projects which involved a major
advance in construction technology or whose size was beyond
the capacity of most others. Blessed with a rich legacy and
heritage, it has marched into the new millennium, with modern
management skills, state-of-the-art technology and the ideals of
innovation and customer satisfaction, to the extent that when
the Sultan of Oman decided to build a palace around his throne,
he placed his trust in Shapoorji Pallonji.
Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd. is just one of the jewels in the
SP crown. It draws vital support from other group companies to
be able to execute turnkey projects swiftly and efficiently. These
include SP Fabricators, AFCONS, Forbes, Sterling and Wilson,
SP Construction Materials Group, SP Real Estate and
Samalpatti Power Company Private Limited. Together, this
conglomerate continues to strive towards perfection, quality and
commitment virtues.
2. Aquamall Water Solutions Ltd.
Aquamall Water Solutions
Ltd. came into existence more
than two decades ago to partner
with Eureka Forbes Ltd., in its
quest to bring pure, safe
drinking water to the Indian market. A wholly-owned subsidiary
of the company, it has proved to be an invaluable ally in the
leadership and domination of the category. The pioneer of water
purification manufacturing in India and now a virtual a one-stop
shop for point-of-consumption water purification systems, they
have a vision of becoming the most preferred global source of
water purification systems.
Today, over 600,000 units of 34 different models of water
purification systems roll out of the four Aquamall facilities. Its
current capacity can be scaled up to two million units p.a. The
‘Cell Concept’, on which it operates, facilitates higher
productivity, thus enabling it to maintain a high inventory
turnover.
The quality management procedure and systems at
Aquamall showcase the unwavering focus on quality. The team
is adorned by highly qualified professionals, with more than 210
man-years of water-related research and development
experience backing up their credentials.
Apart from excellent human resources, Aquamall is backed
by top class, state-of-the-art infrastructure. The jewel in the
Aquamall crown is its most recent facility at Dehradun which is
India’s first ‘green’ water purification factory. Its Environmental
Policy seeks not only to ensure total compliance with all
applicable environment, legal and other requirements, but
wherever possible, to exceed them. The company is in fact in the
process of securing the exacting LEED Gold Standard
certification.
Aquamall constantly strives for creative and innovative ideas
which add value to its customers, ably demonstrating its ability
to design and develop path-breaking new products.
3. Forbes Pro Solutions
Forbes Pro Solutions is a part of
Eureka Forbes Limited, ther onestop shop for Mechanized cleaning
solutions, Safe drinking water,
Facility management and Hospitality concepts , Water & Waste
water treatment plans & Railway solutions.
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 57
The commitment to customers is backed by over 25 years of
Eureka Forbes expertise, a nationwide service network and
strategic alliances with world leaders. Whatever business one is
in, its comprehensive range of solutions & services enables one to
maintain a hygienic, safe and productive work environment.
4. Forbes Lux
Lux International AG, Switzerland is an
organisation backed by over 100 years of experience,
over 20 million customers and Eureka Forbes Ltd.,
India, one of the largest direct selling company in
Asia, with an active database of over 5 million
customers and 25 years of developing relationships.
The Forbes and Lux Groups joined hands in their
expansion world over and laid the foundation for the
Forbes Lux Group, with its headquarters in Switzerland. The
new company, with a 50:50 shareholding between both
companies, aims to develop direct sales operations around the
world, operating with two strong brands, Forbes and Lux.
The two companies partnering to form Forbes Lux
Group are well-known market leaders in their respective
markets, sharing a common goal of understanding the
consumers, bringing to them high-quality solutions and
above all, developing lasting relationships.
Forbes Lux Group is about building healthy
relationships. With their range of water purifiers,
vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners, air purifiers and more,
the group offers innovations for a healthier, happier life at
home to people across the world.
a
The 20 Youngest Power Women of 2011
Forbes releases its annual list of the world’s 100 most powerful women, a ranking that spans countries, industries and spheres
of influence. Most interesting, these female leaders range in age from 25 (Lady Gaga) to 85 (Queen Elizabeth II). Although they
are concentrated in their 50s, with an average of 54 years under their belts, the 20 youngest on our list prove that power can be
attained well before middle age.
World’s Most Powerful Couples: The power of youth may be harnessed to gain an edge in certain industries. Entertainer and
political activist Lady Gaga, No. 11, is the youngest woman on this year’s list, and is well known for manipulating her appearance
in an industry that demands that your body be your brand. Joining her are fellow entertainers 29-year-old singer Beyonce
Knowles, No. 18, 31-year-old model Gisele Bundchen, No. 60, and 36-year-old actor Angelina Jolie, No. 29.
Youth also offers an advantage in manipulating technology – a la Gaga’s 12.9 million Twitter followers – and in building it.
Google’s 36-year-old Marissa Mayer, No. 42, joined the tech giant as its first female engineer and 20th employee in 1999 and is
now VP of all local and location-based products, its next key growth driver. Her Google colleague, 43-year-old advertising exec
Susan Wojcicki, No. 16, is another of the power list’s under-50 club. And of course, “Twitter Globetrotter,” 41-year-old Katie
Jacobs Stanton, No. 56, climbed to VP of international strategy at one of the world’s most successful tech startups.
Often, early success is simply a manifestation of super-sized drive and ability. Facebook COO, 41-year-old Sheryl Sandberg,
who this year shot to No. 5, served as chief of staff for the U.S. Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton when she was in
her 20s. Similarly, 46-year-old billionaire and Chinese real-estate Chief Zhang Xin, No. 48, co-founded her company, SOHO
China, at the age of 30. She got her start, working in factories by day and attending school at night, eventually earning degrees from
the University of Sussex and Cambridge University, and working for top companies like Goldman Sachs and Travelers.
While in many fields, youth can be an obstacle to overcome – battling bosses, co-workers and clients to be taken seriously – it
may also provide a leg up in trend-spotting. HBO president, 42-year-old Sue Naegle, No. 88, was the youngest agent at United
Talent Agency to make partner at the age of 29. While at HBO, she has nurtured cultural phenomena like Six Feet Under, Game of
Thrones, Boardwalk Empire and True Blood.
Although real power may be rare among the 20- and 30-something crowd, those that utilize rather than deny their prime are
likely to have long futures ahead in their chosen careers.
58 PT's PrepTalk – August 2011
Word Power
(3) Arthritis
(4) Sudden collapse
DIRECTIONS: Select from among the four choices, the word that
is closest to the question word.
1.
Insouciant
(1) Inane
(2) Discreet
(3) Blithe
(4) Savant
9.
Mumbo Jumbo
(1) Twins
(2) A bewildering situation
(3) Meaningless speech
(4) Extremely tired
2.
Trenchant
(1) Viscous
(2) Putrid
(3) Acrimonious
(4) Pungent
10.
3.
Sanctimonious
(1) Hypocritical
(2) Hallowed
(3) Pedagogic
(4) Sacred
Peeping Tom
(1) Who observes people in the nude or sexually active
secretively
(2) Espionage
(3) A cunning detective
(4) An inquisitive child
11.
Acumen
(1) Perspicacious
(2) Insightful
(3) Lucidity
(4) Obtuse
Water off duck’s back
(1) Losing a golden opportunity
(2) No effect of criticism on someone
(3) Plunge pool
(4) Aqua games
12.
Scrumptious
(1) Vitriolic
(2) Luscious
(3) Brackish
(4) Tongue-tingling
Be barking mad
(1) Bloodhound
(2) Sniffer dog
(3) To be crazy
(4) Very quarrelsome
13.
Making no bones about something
(1) To assert clearly one’s thoughts or feelings
(2) Own a voluptuous body
(3) Praise someone highly
(4) Not being cynical
14.
Paper tiger
(1) Who teaches crafts
(2) A country that seems powerful but is not
(3) Paper money in the stock market
(4) Good at academics
DIRECTIONS: Identify the meaning of the idioms.
8.
Knee-jerk reaction
(1) An accident
(2) A quick automatic response
a
Answers to Word power
Ans.(2)
Ans.(3)
Ans.(1)
Ans.(2)
High on the hog
(1) Living in luxury
(2) Wild species
(3) Climbing the corporate ladder
(4) Physical pleasure
11.
12.
13.
14.
7.
Ans.(4)
Ans.(1)
Ans.(2)
Ans.(3)
Ans.(1)
Chip on your shoulder
(1) The next generation
(2) A major responsibility
(3) A software
(4) Angry today about something that occurred in the
past
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
6.
Ans.(3)
Ans.(3)
Ans.(1)
Ans.(2)
Ans.(2)
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
4.
PT's PrepTalk – August 2011 59
Peru
P
eru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a
country in western South America. It is
bordered on the north by Ecuador and
Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by
Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the
Pacific Ocean.
Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico
civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the
Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian
America. The Spanish Empire conquered the
region in the 16th century and established a
Viceroyalty, which included most of its South
American colonies. After achieving independence
in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political
unrest and fiscal crisis, as well as periods of stability
and economic upswing.
Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25
regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific
coast to the peaks of the Andes Mountains and the tropical
forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country, with a
high Human Development Index score and a poverty level
around 31%. Its main economic activities include agriculture,
fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles.
The Peruvian population, estimated at 29.5 million, is
multiethnic, including Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, and
Asians. The main spoken language is Spanish, although a
significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua or other native
languages. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a
wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine,
literature, and music.
HISTORY
The earliest evidences of human presence in Peruvian
territory have been dated to approximately 9,000 years BCE. The
oldest known complex society in Peru, the Norte Chico
civilization, flourished along the coast of the Pacific Ocean
60 PT's PrepTalk – August 2011
between 3,000 and 1,800 BCE. These early developments were
followed by archaeological cultures such as Cupisnique, Chavin,
Paracas, Mochica, Nazca, Wari, and Chimú. In the 15th century,
the Incas emerged as a powerful state which, in the span of a
century, formed the largest empire in pre-Columbian America.
Andean societies were based on agriculture, using techniques
such as irrigation and terracing; camel husbandry and fishing
were also important. Organization relied on reciprocity and
redistribution because these societies had no notion of market
or money.
In 1532, a group of conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro
defeated and captured Inca Emperor Atahualpa. Ten years later,
the Spanish Crown established the Viceroyalty of Peru, which
included most of its South American colonies. Viceroy Francisco
de Toledo reorganized the country in the 1570s, with silver
mining as its main economic activity and Amerindian forced
labor as its primary workforce. Peruvian bullion provided
revenue for the Spanish Crown and fueled a complex trade
network that extended as far as Europe and the Philippines.
However, by the 18th century, declining silver production and
economic diversification greatly diminished royal income. In
response, the Crown enacted the Bourbon Reforms, a series of
edicts that increased taxes and partitioned the Viceroyalty of
Peru. The new laws provoked Túpac Amaru II‘s rebellion and
other revolts, all of which were defeated.
In the early 19th century, while most of South America was
swept by wars of independence, Peru remained a royalist
stronghold. As the elite hesitated between emancipation and
loyalty to the Spanish Monarchy, independence was achieved
only after the military campaigns of José de San Martín and
Simón Bolívar. During the early years of the Republic, endemic
struggles for power between military leaders caused political
instability. National identity was forged during this period, as
Bolivarian projects for a Latin American Confederation
floundered and a union with Bolivia proved ephemeral. Between
the 1840s and 1860s, Peru enjoyed a period of stability under the
presidency of Ramón Castilla through increased state revenues
from guano exports. However, by the 1870s, these resources had
been squandered, the country was heavily indebted, and political
in-fighting was again on the rise.
GEOGRAPHY
Peru covers 1,285,216 square km (496,225 sq miles). It
borders Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east,
Bolivia to the southeast, Chile to the south, and the Pacific
Ocean to the west. The Andes Mountains run parallel to the
Pacific Ocean, dividing the country into three geographic
regions. The costa (coast), to the west, is a narrow plain, largely
arid except for valleys created by seasonal rivers. The sierra
(highlands) is the region of the Andes; it includes the Altiplano
plateau as well as the highest peak of the country, the 6,768 m
(22,205 ft) Huascarán. The third region is the selva (jungle), a
wide expanse of flat terrain, covered by the Amazon rainforest
that extends east. Almost 60% of the country’s area is located
within this region.
Peru was defeated by Chile in the 1879–1883 War of the
Pacific, losing the provinces of Arica and Tarapacá in the treaties
of Ancón and Lima. Internal struggles after the war were
followed by a period of stability under the Civilista Party, which
lasted until the onset of the authoritarian regime of Augusto B.
Leguía. The Great Depression caused the downfall of Leguía,
renewed political turmoil, and the emergence of the American
Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). The rivalry between
this organization and a coalition of the elite and the military
defined Peruvian politics for the following three decades.
In 1968, the Armed Forces, led by General Juan Velasco
Alvarado, staged a coup against President Fernando Belaunde.
The new regime undertook radical reforms aimed at fostering
development but failed to gain widespread support. In 1975,
General Francisco Morales Bermúdez forcefully replaced
Velasco, paralyzed reforms, and oversaw the reestablishment of
democracy. During the 1980s, Peru faced a considerable
external debt, ever-growing inflation, a surge in drug trafficking,
and massive political violence. Under the presidency of Alberto
Fujimori (1990–2000), the country started to recover; however,
accusations of authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights
violations forced his resignation after the controversial 2000
elections. Since the end of the Fujimori regime, Peru has tried
to fight corruption while sustaining economic growth; since
2011, the President is Ollanta Humala.
Most Peruvian rivers originate in the Peaks of the Andes
Peaks of the Andes and drain into one of three basins. Those that
drain toward the Pacific Ocean are steep and short, flowing only
intermittently.
Tributaries of the Amazon River are longer, have a much
larger flow, and are less steep once they exit the sierra. Rivers
that drain into Lake Titicaca are generally short and have a large
flow. Peru’s longest rivers are the Ucayali, the Marañón, the
Putumayo, the Yavarí, the Huallaga, the Urubamba, the
Mantaro, and the Amazon.
Peru, unlike other equatorial countries, does not have an
exclusively tropical climate; the influence of the Andes and the
Humboldt Current cause great climatic diversity within the
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 61
art focused on religious subjects; the numerous churches of the
era and the paintings of the Cuzco School are representative.
Arts stagnated after independence until the emergence of
Indigenismo in the early 20th century. Since the 1950s, Peruvian
art has been eclectic and shaped by both foreign and local art
currents.
country. The costa has moderate temperatures, low
precipitations, and high humidity, except for its warmer, wetter
northern reaches. In the sierra, rain is frequent during summer,
and temperature and humidity diminish with altitude up to the
frozen peaks of the Andes. The selva is characterized by heavy
rainfall and high temperatures, except for its southernmost part,
which has cold winters and seasonal rainfall. Because of its
varied geography and climate, Peru has a high biodiversity, with
21,462 species of plants and animals reported as of 2003; 5,855 of
them endemic. The Peruvian government has established
several protected areas for their preservation.
Peruvian literature is rooted in the oral traditions of preColumbian civilizations. Spaniards introduced writing in the
16th century; colonial literary expression included chronicles
and religious literature. After independence, Costumbrism and
Romanticism became the most common literary genres, as
exemplified in the works of Ricardo Palma. The early 20th
century’s Indigenismo movement produced such writers as
Ciro Alegría, José María Arguedas, and César Vallejo. Modern
Peruvian literature is recognized, thanks to authors such as
Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, a leading member of the
Latin American Boom.
CULTURE
Machu Picchu
Peruvian culture is primarily rooted in Amerindian and
Spanish traditions, though it has also been influenced by various
African, Asian, and European ethnic groups. Peruvian artistic
traditions date back to the elaborate pottery, textiles, jewelry,
and sculpture of Pre-Inca cultures. The Incas maintained these
crafts and made architectural achievements including the
construction of Machu Picchu. Baroque dominated colonial art,
though modified by native traditions. During this period, most
62 PT's PrepTalk – August 2011
Catherdral Lima
Peruvian cuisine blends Amerindian and Spanish food with
strong influences from African, Arab, Italian, Chinese, and
Japanese cooking. Common dishes include anticuchos, ceviche,
and pachamanca. Peru’s varied climate allows the growth of
diverse plants and animals good for cooking. Peru’s diversity of
ingredients and cooking techniques is receiving worldwide
acclaim.
Peruvian music has Andean, Spanish, and African roots. In
pre-Hispanic times, musical expressions varied widely in each
region; the quena and the tinya were two common instruments.
Spaniards introduced new instruments, such as the guitar and
the harp, which led to the development of crossbred
instruments like the charango. African contributions to
Peruvian music include its rhythms and the cajón, a percussion
instrument. Peruvian folk dances include marinera, tondero,
zamacueca, and huayno.
a
Book Review
Animal Farm
Author:
Original Title:
Country:
Language:
Genre(s):
Publisher:
George Orwell
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story
United Kingdom
English
Classics, Satire, Educational Animation
Secker and Warburg (London)
Publication Date: 17 August 1945
Animal Farm is a dystopian allegorical novella by George
Orwell. Published in England on 17 August 1945, the book
reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before
World War II. Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of
Joseph Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism,
especially after his experiences with the NKVD, and what he saw
of the results of the influence of Communist policy (“ceaseless
arrests, censored newspapers, prowling hordes of armed police”
– “Communism is now a counter-revolutionary force”), during
the Spanish Civil War. In a letter to Yvonne Davet, Orwell
described Animal Farm as his novel “centre Stalin”.
The original title was Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, but the
subtitle was dropped by the US publishers for its 1946
publication and subsequently all but one of the translations
during Orwell’s lifetime omitted the addition. Other variations
in the title include: A Satire and A Contemporary Satire. Orwell
suggested for the French translation, the title Union des
Républiques Socialistes Animales, recalling the French name of
the Soviet Union, Union des Républiques Socialistes Animales,
and which abbreviates URSA, which is the Latin for “bear”, a
symbol of Russia.
Time magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best
English-language novels (1923 to 2005); it also places at number
31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels. It
won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996 and is also included in
the Great Books of the Western World.
possibility of a Utopia. While this novel portrays corrupt
leadership as the flaw in revolution (and not the act of
revolution itself), it also shows how potential ignorance
and indifference to problems within a revolution could
allow horrors to happen if a smooth transition to a
people’s government is not achieved.
BOOK REVIEW
The novel addresses not only the corruption of the
revolution by its leaders but also how wickedness,
indifference, ignorance, greed and myopia destroy any
“Power Corrupts, but Absolute Power Corrupts
Absolutely”-and this is vividly and eloquently proved in Orwell’s
PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011 63
expressed by the motto, “no animal must ever tyrannize over his
own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers.”
When the animals drive out Mr. Jones, they create their “Seven
Commandments” which ensure equality and prosperity for all
the animals. The pigs, however, being the natural leaders,
managed to reverse the commandments, and through terror and
propaganda establish the rule of an elite of pigs, under the
leadership of Napoleon, the most revered and sinister pig.
short novel. “Animal Farm” is a simple fable of great symbolic
value, and as Orwell himself explained: “it is the history of a
revolution that went wrong”. The novel can be seen as the
historical analysis of the causes of the failure of communism, or
as a mere fairy-tale; in any case it tells a good story that aims to
prove that human nature and diversity prevent people from
being equal and happy, or at least equally happy.
“Animal Farm” tells the simple and tragic story of what
happens when the oppressed farm animals’ rebel, drive out Mr.
Jones, the farmer, and attempt to rule the farm themselves, on an
equal basis. What the animals seem to have aimed at was a
utopian sort of communism, where each would work according
to his capacity, respecting the needs of others. The venture
failed, and “Animal Farm” ended up being a dictatorship of pigs,
which were the brightest, and most idle of the animals.
Orwell’s mastery lies in his presentation of the horrors of
totalitarian regimes, and his analysis of Communism put to
practice, through satire and simple story-telling. The structure
of the novel is skillfully organized, and the careful reader may, for
example, detect the causes of the unworkability of Communism
even from the first chapter. This is deduced from Orwell’s
description of the various animals as they enter the barn and take
their seats to listen to the revolutionary preaching of Old Major,
father of Communism in Animal Farm. Each animal has
different features and attitude; the pigs, for example, “settled
down in the straw immediately in front of the platform”, which is
a hint on their future role, whereas Clover, the affectionate
horse” made a sort of wall” with her foreleg to protect some
ducklings.
So, it appears that the revolution was doomed from the
beginning, even though it began in idealistic optimism, as
64 PT’s PrepTalk – August 2011
“Animal Farm” successfully presents how the mechanism of
propaganda and brainwashing works in totalitarian regimes, by
showing how the pigs could make the other animals believe
practically anything. Responsible for the propaganda was
Squealer, a pig that “could turn black into white”. Squealer
managed to change the rule from “all animals are equal” to” all
animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”.
He managed to convince the other animals that it was for their
sake that the pigs ate most of the apples and drank most of the
milk, that leadership was “heavy responsibility” and therefore
the animals should be thankful to Napoleon, that what they saw
may have been something they “dreamed”, and when everything
else failed, he would use the threat of “ Jones returning”, to
silence the animals. In this simple but effective way, Orwell
presents the tragedy and confusion of thought control to the
extent that one seems better off simply believing that” Napoleon
is always right”.
Orwell’s criticism of the role of the Church is also very
effective. In Animal Farm, the Church is represented by Moses,
a tame raven, who talks of “Sugarcandy Mountain”, a happy
country in the sky “where we poor animals shall rest forever
from our labors”. It is interesting to observe that when Old
Major was first preaching revolutionary communism, Moses
was sleeping in the barn, which satirizes the Church being
caught asleep by communism. It is also important to note that
the pig-dictators allowed and indirectly encouraged Moses; it
seems that it suited the pigs to have the animals dreaming of a
better life after death so that they wouldn’t attempt to have a
better life while still alive...
In “Animal Farm”, Orwell describes how power turned the
pigs from simple “comrades” to ruthless dictators who managed
to walk on two legs, and carry whips. The story may be seen as an
analysis of the Soviet regime or as a warning against political
power games of an absolute nature and totalitarianism in
general. For this reason, the story ends with a hair-raising
warning to all humankind:” The creatures outside looked from
pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but
already it was impossible to say which was which”.
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