IIPM- News Articles: January 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Will Christmas be merrier? Duh

Should the online advertising industry try to freeze the economic meltdown?! Dumb meets dumb...
To start on a positive note, the number of windows popping up aka

online ads are on a decline since the past few months. Positive for the surfer, given the irritant value that comes combined with pop up ads. According to ComScore’s AdMetrix data, internet surfers were exposed to 12% less display-ad impressions per page view than they were a year ago. Whether it’s a conscious decision of the advertisers present on the digital media or just a mere coincidence, the fact is that the falling growth rate of the online ad industry is good news for advertisers! Surprised? We called it, dumb meets dumb. Well, a study conducted by Dynamic Logic, Starcom and DoubleClick in 2007 found that a 15% increase in ads on a page results in about a 10% decline in click-through rates. Well, if that is not a positive correlation, read on to get confused a bit more.

The global online ad industry is supposedly valued at somewhere around $23 billion and has registered a double digit growth from the past five years. Fortune 500 companies like Google, with more than 98% of their revenues from online advertising, are leading examples of the power of this industry. Expectably, the tanking economy contributed towards the cutting of advertising budgets of many companies. But most interestingly, there was a set of companies who shifted to the digital media in the period of this economic meltdown. Before you award us the Pulitzer, do read the inference, which is quite simple. The group of companies were those who were earlier relying on the traditional mass mediums to keep their brands very much in the sight of the consumer. Simple analysis shows how, in order to save increasing advertising costs in traditional media, these companies moved their budgets more towards online advertising in order to equate brand recall with investments. But the question then comes, when – and if – the global economies start moving out of the negative phase and recessionary trends, would these companies withdraw their current budgets from the online space?

And if that will be the case, it would surely result in making times worse for the players in the online advertising industry. Anjali Hegde, Vice President, Interactive Avenues does confirm, “As the worldwide economies will stabilise, the online ad agency will see a fall in the growth rate.” However, Hegde takes no time to highlight the fact that smart marketers – given the positive feedback with their initial online advertising experiments – will still stick to digital arena in the long run. Talking on similar lines, Deepak Singh, Director, Young Turks asserts, “The online ad industry will see a fall in growth rate as the economies will recover from this downturn. However, the fall will not be very significant.” Clearly, the prevailing economic slowdown is perhaps a blessing in disguise for the online ad agencies and online advertising media as – given their relatively lower advertising rates – they seemingly have a sustainable and strong competitive advantage over their nearest rivals, namely print and electronic media. Also is the fact that once a client, who perchance had never tested and tasted the power of online advertising, does so, there is good enough chance that the client might just stick on, irrespective of the rival media offering similar rates of advertising. Well, Christmas is just around the corner and it just seems it’s the start of an unexpected war of the fallen worlds... Duh!

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

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Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
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IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

IIPM News - Who loves debt?

No one really, given the market sentiments after the global credit squeeze. But Cisco Capital begs to differ, finds out 4Ps B&M’s Savreen Gadhoke

Of late, there has been an upsurge in the small and medium business (SMB) segment in the country. And riding this high tide in the sector are

the various IT companies. A study titled ‘IT opportunity in the SMB sector’ by Zinnov Management Consulting reports that this segment in India spent nearly $6.6 billion during 2007-08, which is 30% of the total expenditure on IT in India during the year. Indeed great news for the IT sector, but what about a time when funds are quickly drying up? Indeed, for the SMBs, it is getting difficult by the day to maintain the expenditures for keeping pace with speed at which technology is getting upgraded, reinvented and reinnovated! And that’s where Cisco Capital comes in, to help solve the financial problems that the SMBs are facing to buy/utilise latest in the field of technology. Cisco Capital is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems and therefore a captive financing arm of Cisco. It however also deals directly with high-end enterprises and high end customers. It was incorporated in 2005, with an initial corpus of $150 million. It is dedicated to providing financing solutions and options to Cisco’s channel partners and its customers. In an exclusive interview with 4Ps B&M, Gautam Munish, Country Manager, Cisco Capital, discloses how Cisco Capital helps organisations derive maximum from investments in technology...

Why does Cisco need a financial services arm at all?
Cisco Capital deals in finance... rather a centre point between technology and finance. Cisco has two kinds of options whereby they invest their money – through equity investments (Cisco Venture Capital) and Cisco Capital (which is asset-backed lending practice). Cisco Capital is more focused on the debt side. We are more of a sales enabling arm rather than an entity which is focused on bottomlines.

How do you differentiate yourself from a standalone financier?
A standalone financier primarily takes only credit risk. But we, apart from taking a credit risk, also take what you’d call ‘market risk’, which is nothing but us assuming genuine residual position in the kits that we are manufacturing. So what we are offering are called Fair Market Value (FMV) leases, whereby companies who sign-on FMV leases significantly lower their total cost of ownership and also protect themselves from likely technology obsolescence issues. So if you look at the two paradigms of making any asset investment, you are firstly bothered about whether this asset will last you for the defined economic life that you have in mind. And secondly, it will help you to keep your total cost of ownership under control. Through the Cisco Capital involvement, by just getting an insurance cover on technology life cycle, they are also ensuring (because of the residual positions that we are assuming) that their total cost of ownership is also significantly lowered. These are the two tenets on which we distinguish ourselves from a standalone financier.

What are the main funding options that you provide to your channel partners & customers?
For our SMB customers, we run a special concessional scheme, whereby SMBs have the possibility of getting funding from us under our Easy Lease programmes at an interest rate of 7%. For the multi-year service contracts that Cisco offers, we also give our SMB customers funding at an interest rate of 0%. So with these options, we feel that we’ve hit the right places in the market places as far as SMBs are concerned.

Keeping in mind the original line of business of Cisco, how are Cisco Capital and the parent company finding symbiotic synergy?
By virtue of us knowing what the typical life span of technology looks like, the minute we start educating a customer, they see us more as business advisors rather than box-sellers. We are the ones who are holding the credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk and the asset risk. At the end of the day, the client also feels that he is the one who is getting all the benefits. He stops looking at us merely as vendors and takes us as business partners. So that is how we get more aligned to the practices that Cisco follows as an organisation. And because we are aligned, we share the same vision. We can educate the customer a lot better and be seen as the right kind of business advisor in the market place.

What is the total size of Cisco Capital in terms of business volume?
That’s something that we typically don’t comment on. But just to give you an idea – we have a CAGR of 80%. But we expect this to obviously slowdown because the base is getting to grow...

Are you planning to launch more funding options soon?
We realise that the advanced technology that we sell, has a longer deployment cycle as compared to foundation technologies. But an issue that our partners are experiencing is that while they need to pay Cisco for the purchase that they are making from us, they are being pushed back in realising their payments from their end customers. So we are coming out with a solution that will help our partners bridge that gap.

Cisco Capital, 2010! What will it be?
We have 14.5% penetration in the parent organisation and we expect this to move up by several percentage points by 2010. We will ensure not just business growth but also that per employee productivity rises. We see ourselves as a truly global financial services organisation and I can only see it getting better. As our businesses expand, as our portfolio gets to be bigger, how we monitor our bigger portfolio, how we stay on top of all the asset migration that our customers will end up opting for, how we will manage the entire life cycle of the asset for them – we feel that we will be in for a long haul, and we will be seen as a credible set up not just for now but for times to come.

Your experience with Cisco Capital...
I was the first person to join when Cisco Capital was formed. The entity was not even in existence though we had got the registration done. So I’ve seen Cisco capital through the last three and a half years from being a non-existent organisation to a feasible sized entity today. I’ve worked with big brands in the financial services. While those were very good, I think that this is a semi-entrepreneurial kind of a venture that has really tested my abilities. My experience with Cisco Capital has been extremely fulfilling.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Another ‘City’ ready to sleep! - "IIPM-News"

As if the debacle with financial services and auto sector wasn’t enough, here’s another one: Retail. With Circuit City filing for bankruptcy, one wonders who’s next by Pawan Chabra

They say that developing countries like India and China

need to maintain steady economic growth of 7-8% to lift millions out of poverty. Unfortunately, for countries like US, who are staring at prospects of economic degrowth, the challenge seems to be with respect to millions that are not in poverty yet. The challenge increasingly would be how to keep them there; as companies, one after another are sounding the alarm about not so impressive times ahead.

After the crunch in financial services and auto, retail is the next source of bad news. Circuit City, the second largest consumer electronics retail chain in US has recently filed for bankruptcy under chapter 11, which has created a chaos in US retail industry.

In a situation where analysts are quite sure of a dull Christmas season ahead for retailers this year, Circuit City’s bankruptcy has given signals of a very rough road ahead to the other retailers in US. As John Crossman, President Crossman & Company states, “Retailers are very desperate for a bright festive season ahead and the industry need a big holiday season. We will see some big winners and big losers this time.” Crossman’s prediction seems true enough as, in a letter posted on Circuit City’s website, Jim Marcum, VP & CEO, Circuit City Stores, Inc. said, “This (bankruptcy) filing will give us the time and resources to address our financial challenges.”

City’s filing for bankruptcy has given many sleepless nights to giants in the IT industry as almost all IT stocks fell down drastically as soon as news of the filing spread. HP is the biggest unsecured creditor of Circuit City as City owes $118.8 million to HP, followed by many others who’ll now have to reframe their strategies to stay profitable in these bad times.

The irony in this case is that Circuit City’s closest rival Best Buy (who has also eaten Circuit City’s share of earnings) recently registered $2.15 billion in operating income, maintaining a surplus due to which many market experts are considering that City’s quagmire is a case of internal mismanagement. But then there is an another set of market experts who still expect many more retailers to stand in the chapter 11 list in times to come. Doron Levy, President, Captus Business Consulting, who belongs to the latter category, asserts, “We will see some more bankruptcies in the near future, but I really see consolidation on the horizon for many chains. Some have really strong business models, but are not managed correctly. I do have some specific retailers that I could foresee going into bankruptcy and eventually disappearing form the retail landscape all together.” Talking on the same lines, David .J. Livingston, retail consultant, DJL Research points out, “I think we will see an onslaught of closings among the small specialty stores located in shopping malls. This will result in the downfall of several real estate investment trusts which own these malls.” Though unfortunate, but retail is always affected in some or the other way from the roadblocks in the growth of any industry for that matter. So, the position of the retailers in the economic chain today is simply determined by what they sell. The slowdown in spending, though, would have an impact virtually across the horizon.

It’s not only retail outlets who are tightening their belts; online retailers are also joining the bandwagon as they are cutting their marketing and promotional budgets to stay profitable. Adding to that, online retailers are using tactics like free shipping to attract more buyers. And the decision seems wise enough. As per a study by Hitwise, the click-rate of online retailers is going down drastically. But then, market experts are still very much in favour of growth in online retail in the coming times. The annual holiday survey by Deloitte, clearly showed that Online spending is the 2nd best shopping destination for consumers after discount departmental stores. And the sheer power of online retailing gets more clear if we go by growth figures as National Retail Federation has announced a 2.2% projected growth in overall retail sales, which stands too low in comparison to the 12% projected growth in the online sphere. So, we can be sure of one thing – online retail will grow in times to come due to the simple reason that the fundamentals are quite compelling at the moment.

But you can’t be that sure of the growth in the overall retail sector as the prevailing turmoil may not end in the short-run. The only point favouring the growth of US retail industry is that there are many big retailers like WalMart, Tesco et al who are still in an expansion mode. Livingston emphasises, “Even though the economy has been difficult, there are still many retailers expanding. Wal-Mart continues to build stores with varied formats. Target is building, Tesco is building. Perhaps not at a fast pace, but they are.” But we can expect many more not-so-huge retailers going out of business in times to come. This will surely be one Christmas that they won’t forget in a hurry.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Friday, January 23, 2009

ART V/S COPY! - "IIPM Article"

Monojit Lahiri attempts a checkout on a time-tested ‘war’ that frequently invades the ‘creative’ space of most ad agencies!
As every moron knows, an ad comprises of words and pictures.

The word component is the domain of the Copywriter and the visuals, the Art person. Interestingly, although their combined creativity, skills and craft went into the making/creation of the ad, they functioned separately. This meant that the Copywriter wrote his stuff and handed it over to the Art person – usually with some guidelines – who then proceeded to visualise it in an appropriately meaningful manner. The duo also (frequently) came from different ‘social’ stratospheres. The Copywriter, usually, came from a Convent/Public School background, was fluent in English and totally comfortable with both the command and nuances of the language. He was also heavily into what this world offered – theatre, poetry, literature, cinema, cocktail parties… this invariably made him the ‘spokesperson’ of the creative team and the front guy during briefing, interaction and presentations. The Art guy, a hugely gifted person, normally was an Art School/College product, not terribly comfortable either with the English language or its fancy manifestations. He/she was happy to do the work assigned to the best of his/her ability and go home, quite content to live in the shadows…

In the year 2008, does the Art-Copy divide still exist – in any form? Does the subliminal khunnas in the Art guys still remain with the Copy brats for constantly stealing their thunder, unfairly? Do the Copy-hotties still luxuriate in the old smugness… or in this new world-order, is all that a thing of the past with convergence finally replacing conflict?

Ogilvy’s talented Delhi-based Creative Director, Titus Upputuru takes first strike. “Weird as it may sound today, this kind of crazy division of labour did exist, once! Three things slammed it out. One, the concept of ideation [replacing the earlier juvenile words and pictures ying-yang] that demanded collaboration, shared thinking and brainstorming. Two, the tacit recognition by the Art guys that there is a world of difference between Art [aesthetics and design by-the-book] and Art Direction [creating powerful seductive communication that will sell in the market place] putting an end to the dreaded, old-fashioned Art College syndrome! Lastly, the entry and popularity of Design Yatra – an art-specific fest held every year, where hot-shot globally acclaimed Art and Design Gurus come down to India [Goa?] every year to conduct workshops with our art guys.”

Redifussion Y&R’s brilliant NCD, Sagar Mahabaleshwkar agrees. He remembers the time when there was a distinct LOC between the Copy and Art guys and believes that the globally renowned Young & Rubicam were the ones who demolished this divide and got them together. “In India, I think, Ogilvy followed this model early on with the Piyush Pandey-Sonal Dobral team leading the way. They were brilliant and successful all the way. Soon, others followed.” The creative honcho believes that this had to happen in response to the paradigm shift and changing contours of the new consumerscape as also the direction in which communication was headed.

“The era of smart words and pretty visuals were over. In a fiercely competitive market place, ads that were clutter-busting and powered with solid persuasion-quotient were the ones that were most likely to make a difference. Hence, joint brainstorming was the obvious solution. This resulted in the Art-College type Art guys recognising the significance of a well-argued, convincing communication capsule and the Copy guys recognising the fact that, many times, a powerful visual with minimum copy could do the trick. It was a learning curve for both providing a win-win situation for all concerned.” He cites the hilarious example of the globally revered creative Guru, Neil French, who once asked him if he knew why Art Directors went bonkers… and Copywriters didn’t! “Seeing my blank expression, he explained, that unlike writers who leveraged reason, argument and logic in their work, the Art person just freaked out on imagination, with all cylinders firing. This put so much pressure on one side of the brain that at one point, they flip their lid!” Ogilvy’s poster-boy Creative Director [impishly?] chooses to rain on this parade! Sumanto Chatopadhaya reckons that while the scary teller-system approach of Copywriters passing on copy to the Art person through a cubby-hole for visuals is over, the Copywriter still remains the public face of the team. “The reasons are obvious. English is the language of business communication and the writer is, mostly, more articulate and confident in that language than his Art partner. This allows for a higher degree of comfort level during interaction with clients. Also, for TVCs, usually script ideas emanate from the writer. Of course there are exceptions like my colleague Rajiv Rao, an Art person, who is brilliant and sufficiently articulate when he chooses to make a point. But then exceptions prove the rule, right? Hey, I hope my Art Director colleagues and associates don’t kill me after this sound byte!”

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Thursday, January 22, 2009

A bullet and mayhem

Those who had built Greece are setting it ablaze...

The forensic report of the death of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos,

who was shot down by a policeman in the Exarhia district on December 6, 2008, fortifies that he was killed by a direct shot and not otherwise. And the rest is still 'not' history. Within the first one-and-a-half-hour, the Greeks were on the roads of Athens, protesting and burning Greece. Later, all cities of Greece were engulfed in demonstrations and riots (similar to one in 1985). The noteworthy point is that this riot was just not confined to Greece and its vicinity, but spread across the whole of Europe (Paris, Rome, Berlin, Frankfurt, Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen et al).

The three-week long riot was not the result of a shootout, but it actually acted as a catalyst for the youth to raise their voice and gave them a chance to showcase their frustration against the government's lousy policies and bad governance. The Greek youths are suffering because of mass unemployment (unemployment rate in age group 15-24 stands at 22 per cent, as per OECD) and highly competitive exams that eventually and sadly do not promise a promosing future in the job market. The education system does not promote free thinking and civil participation. Even after Athens being the 29th most expensive city the salary levels (only for those who manage to get a job) is far too low as compared to other similar economies. The riot not only echoes the stagnant political system and weak economic condition of Greece but also the weak police force. After the fall of dictatorship the Greek Police never underwent any reform or received any kind of support from the politicos and are still deprived of professionalism and modern training (suffer from corruption and are trust deficit). The police are not even allowed to enter the campus of any educational institute, making them incapable of stopping protestors (who take advantage of this loophole).

These youths flooded the whole of virtual world with their messages against the government, eventually resulting in small riots all over Europe. The rioters, comprising anarchists and extremists, do not represent the entire population of Greece. The rioters, this time, are attacking banks and public institutions, instead of proposing alternative plan for the government.

Instead of burning their own country, wouldn't it be better if the youth participates in governance and politics to improve the conditions? These riots are actually acting as an opportunity for criminal gangs as they are busy looting banks and wealthy institutes. It's now time for not just Greece but many other European nations too to embrace the change the way India and China have. Or else thanks to Asia, jobs would continue to dry up and Europe might just turn out to be the next burning Africa in the making.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The legacy of Razaakars

To avoid joining India, the Hyderabad Nizam helped create a Muslim terror outfit in 1947, and unfortunately that communal divide in what is now Andhra Pradesh, lives on, says Naresh Nunna

His massive palace in the mien of that of the Shah of Iran is one of

the hottest tourist destinations in southern India. Now called the Salarjung Museum, it is fabled for its priceless artifacts, statues, jewellery, startling paintings, gorgeous chandeliers and yes, scores of chiming clocks. When they chime all together at noon, they create an ambience that is magically musical. Nizam’s Hyderabad was the largest princely state of India. And yet, though the clocks remained, time ran out for the Nizam’s in 1948.

In 1740s, the State of Hyderabad comprised most of the Deccan Plateau. Mir Qamar-ud-din Asaf Jah became independent of the Mughals and established his kingdom in 1724. Like all princely states under Muslim rulers, Hyderabad too had a Hindu majority. By 1798, the ruler seemed surrounded on all sides by hostile enemies and was forced to come under British protection, though the Nizam’s internal independence stayed guaranteed.

In 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad was Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, a man of vast wealth. Dreaming of an independent state, he sought Dominion Status from the British. But the idea was rubbished by Lord Mountbatten. The Indian government was averse to a forced takeover and agreed to conclude a Standstill Agreement. It was hoped that this would open negotiations and the eventual peaceful accession of the state. But the Hindu leadership went against this and the Congress fished in troubled waters.

“It was the Arya Samaj under Swami Ramanand Tirth which led the anti-Nizam movement. Most of his followers joined the Congress by 1946-47,” historian Vavilala Ramalinga Deekshithulu told TSI. According to him, Muslim elites, in turn, set up the Majlis-e-Ittehad ul-Muslimeen, or Organisation for the Unity of Muslims, and believed that Hyderabad's Muslims were its natural hakim kaum, or ruling race. It was deeply influenced by the work of the 19th century revivalist Sayyid Ahmad.

Besieged by the Congress’ demands for democratic elections and the Arya Samaj’s religious mobilisation, Osman Ali Khan responded to the growing violence by proscribing both organisations. He turned to the Majlis for support. In response, Qasim Rizvi, who was in the Nizam’s army, set up the Razaakars as a paramilitary Islamic force. Majlis leaders candidly stated their objective was to “keep the sovereignty of His Exalted Highness intact, and to prevent Hindus from establishing supremacy over Muslims”. In 1947, Rizvi unleashed his forces in support of the Nizam’s claims to independence.

“The leadership of the Arya Samaj also gave a communal colouring to the struggle, with a call for ‘liberation’ of Hyderabad,” an analyst on Telangana affairs, Kesava Rao Jadav told TSI. The acceptance of this term – liberation – by other political parties has lent indirect support to the interpretation of this period in Hindu-Muslim terms. Such an interpretation, which emphasises the religious aspect of liberation from autocracy, becomes a handy tool for sectional political mobilisation.

The Nizam's autocracy undoubtedly had an anti-Hindu streak. His administration was largely Muslim, Urdu was imposed on the people. The Nizam administered a system in which religious affiliation was a key source of legitimacy. Although Muslims made up just 10 per cent of the population, they held three-quarters of all state jobs. And of the seven major feudal estates, six were controlled by Muslim notables.

During the course of this struggle, the people built up a powerful militia comprising 10,000 village squads members and about 2,000 regular guerillas, defending the peasantry against the armed attacks of the Razaakars and Nizam's police. “However, Hindu landowners formed part of Nizam's support base. A section of Dalits joined the Razaakars, and a number of Hindu monasteries lent support to Nizam,” renowned journalist and Telangana expert Dr Ambati S Raju told TSI.

Ironically, thousands of Muslims along with Hindus, who collectively opposed Osman Ali Khan, were killed before the Indian Army swept in in September 1948. The surrender of the Nizam on September 18, 1948, did represent for the people of Hyderabad state liberation from the repressive hold of feudal autocracy, not communal supremacy, as some have interpreted. Historians also often suppress the fact that thousands of Muslims were massacred by Hindu communal elements after the take over. “Because of communal enmity towards Muslims, the heinous atrocities in Marathwada and Hyderabad-Karnataka region were buried on the sly,” Sangisetti Srinivas of Hyderabad Central University said. Several thousand Muslim men were killed, their women raped or forced to commit suicide. Muslim properties were burnt and their agricultural lands grabbed, forcing large-scale migration to Hyderabad city, he added.

Muslims suffered insecurity with the trifurcation of Hyderabad. The official language was no longer Urdu, so thousands of Muslim employees, who only knew that, became jobless. This deprivation, which began in the early 1950s, got accentuated with the systematic exploitation of Telangana. Rizvi was eventually captured and imprisoned. He was finally expelled to Pakistan – some say he fled – in 1957, but the story did not end there. The Majlis was reborn in 1957 under the leadership of the affluent cleric and lawyer, Abdul Wahid Owaisi. Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, his son, took over in 1976. Salahuddin sons, Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi and MIM floor leader in Andhra Pradesh legislative Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi are, in turn, now its most visible faces.

But repeated communal violence marred the Majlis’ repute. The decade of 1960s saw riots in eight years. After 1978, the trend took a turn for the worse. Except for the period 1986-89 (the NTR’s regime), riots took place virtually every year between 1978 and 1993, often many times in the same year. Majlis leaders had the resources to defend the city’s Muslims, and slowly became their sole spokespersons. With the Congress and the Majlis locked in political duel, Hindu nationalist forces were able to represent themselves as the sole credible defenders of their interests. Violence served the political interests of all sides, bestowing a unique inheritance of communal hatred in the minds of present generation.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
'This is one of Big B's best performances'
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Sunday Indian Story - Bhatkal: Islam’s dual face?

This quaint port-town is home to an ancient peace-loving Muslim community, but now jehadis are using it too, worries Satish Chapparike

If a historian, a linguist, a theologian and an architect want to go together on a vacation this tourist season, where do they go? Well, unless they want to completely stay away from work, and if they are willing to mix work and pleasure, there’s no place like the picturesque port-town of Bhatkal, on the National Highway 17, between Mangalore and Karwar. Home to an amazing community of Muslims, the Navayaths, it offers a startling mix of religions and cultures that is perhaps seen only there.

Bhatkal is a strange amalgamation of Hindu, Jain and Muslim cultures, languages and religions. Within a two square kilometer area in old Bhatkal town, there are more than 50 mosques, temples and basadis. Around 1,500 years ago, this natural port was a small village dominated by Jains and Hindus. During the reign of Vijaynagar dynasty’s ‘Pepper Queen’ Ambakka, an ascription given by the Portuguese whom she had defeated, Bhatkal became the main trade centre, and Persian-Arab traders started descending in hordes, bringing their horses and taking away the most valuable spices from these foothills of the Western Ghats.

Over time, Some Persian-Arab traders decided to settle here and that the Sunday indian

sect got the name ‘Navayaths’, or newcomers. Their roots were firmly anchored in the Arab world. But now Bhatkal and Navayath are synonymous and this community of around one lakh is distinct from other Muslim communities of the country. There were many theories about their actual place of origin and the process of settlement.

In the “History of Mysore, Vol I”, Colonel Wilkes says, “This sect belongs to the house of Hashem. During the early part of the 8th century AD, Iraq was under Caliph Abd-al-Malik Marwan and Hajaj bin Yusuf was the Governor. During the period of his notorious rule of Yusuf many people fled from the Iraq and followed the Arab traders and settled in the different part of the west coast of India.”

But the unique character of the Navayaths and their concentration only in and around Bhatkal refutes this theory. In his 1955 book “Navayaths of Kanara”, Victor D’Souza rejects the ‘single ancestor’ idea. One theory says Navayaths originated in Iran and another says they are from Yemen. "The Arab sailors and traders who came to India have generated Muslim communities in different parts of India. Among them, at least three different communities are known by the generic name of ‘Navayath’. It has been found that Navayaths are scattered in Pakistan, Srilanka, Hyderabad, Tamilnadu, Nellore, Arcot, Kolar, Hassan, Goa and Ratnagiri. These Navayaths, unlike the Navayaths of Bhatkal, have totally adopted the local culture,” says D’Souza.

Some believe that during the early days, some Arab traders who settled in Bhatkal also married local Jain women and the present generation is their descendent. There are many historical evidence of Jain influence in Bhatkal. The ruins of Jettappa Nayakana Chandranathesvara Basadi in the centre of old Bhatkal town tell numerous stories about Jain dominance. But Jain women spoke Kananada, and had this theory been correct, then their offspring would have spoken Kannad instead of Navayathi.

One spectacular aspect of the Navayath culture is their series of traditional houses on the side of old Bhatkal’s siens (streets). The cluster makes the ‘Navayath Keri’, and each house is an antique splendour. With around 20 feet frontage and 100 to 120 feet depth, the wooden houses are a treat to the eyes. Male guests are allowed only to the first room, called ‘vasro’. Beyond that the entire house belongs to family members. The origin of Navayathi language is also an interesting evolution. “Some say nine languages like Persian, Arabian, Urdu, Konkani, Kannada, Malayalam and others make up the language,” says Moulana Abdul Alim Qasimi, the Editor of Naqshe-E-Navayath, oldest Navayathi fortnightly news paper.

“From the last two decades, the entire sect has started giving importance to education. Before that, trade and services were our bread and butter,” says Parvez Kashimiji. No doubt about that. Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, the educational society that actually changed the face of Bhatkal and the Navayaths is a landmark in coastal Karnataka. “A few years ago, all the Navayath parents wanted their sons to go to the Gulf and send money back every month. Whereas now, most of them want their children to have good education and then go for job hunting,” says Kashimiji. “But recent developments are a little bit worrying,” he admits.

There is reason behind that worry. Once a famous and historic Arab trade centre, then the house of Navayat’s, Bhatkal is nowadays known as an epicenter of Jihadi movement in India.

Though Bhatkal is one of the communally sensitive areas in Karnataka and has been so for the last few decades, what is happening here now is unprecedented. The shocking Judicial Commission Report on the 1993 riots (by Justise K Jaganaath Shetty) reveals the other face of this lovely town. Investigations into the recent blasts and the latest attack of terror in Mumbai show that Jehadis are using this area frequently.

But the people are hopeful, yet. “May be there will be a few anti-national elements within us. Those are exceptions. Our community is living here for more than 1,500 years and we are Indians. We respect our nation and we are ready to protect it. People say we were born in the wombs of Jain mothers. We believe in peace like the Jains, and Bhatkal Navayaths are committed to this nation and this motherland,” says Moulana Abdul Alim Qasimi. Much reassuring words during the highly disturbed period!

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Friday, January 16, 2009

Why india needs this green movement

Just read these statements and ask yourself honestly if you have not uttered any one of them:
“Some of my best friends are Muslims, but…”
“Muslims always support the Pakistani cricket team”
“There is no historical record of Muslim invaders destroying any temple in India”
“Muslims are being systematically and deliberately discriminated against by both the State and the society in India”

Each one of these misleading, prejudiced and dangerous statements reflects the troubled nature of a special relationship between Islam and India, a relationship that could well be destroyed by the twin forces of bigotry and victimhood. Muslims and Islam in India are always seen through eyes that have been blinded by either prejudice, or denial. This has prevented a dispassionate discourse and is threatening to destroy a dispassionate discourse between the two largest communities of India – Hindus and Muslims. The future of India is tied inextricably with the future of Islam in India and it is time for both Hindus and Muslims to shed the rotting baggage of prejudiced history and look inwards. Without this, Islam in India will have an even more troubled future and India will then have no future.

Let''s start with the first two statements. Both are so laughably prejudiced that it should be easy for citizens of a modern, functional democracy to dismiss them outright. But the problem is that India is not a functional democracy in the true sense. Politics in India is still all about identities – caste, ethnicity, region and religion – while politics in a true functional democracy is about fulfilling the aspirations of citizens. The biggest challenge is for both Hindus and Muslims to transcend the politics of identity. And mere education will not suffice – some of the most bigoted Hindus and Muslims I have met are highly educated. As India keeps getting hit by terror attacks, it will be easy for bigoted Hindus to propagate the first two statements. But, the good news is that an overwhelming majority of Hindus have never subscribed to such views and it is for Muslims to recognise this as a fact when so called protectors of ‘Muslim’ rights push them further into imagined and real ghettos.

The partition of India and the creation of Pakistan has done virtually irreparable damage to Muslims who opted to stay back in India. As Pakistan descends even further into a vortex of neo-fascist and neo-military jehad, things will become even more difficult for Muslims in India. But there is nothing much that either Hindus or Muslims of India can do with Pakistan. What they can do is reaffirm in small simple ways the idea of India being an open society where all religions have an equal status. The bigger role in this task has to be performed by Hindus. It is only through repeated ‘actions’ that Hindus and the Indian society can convince the Muslim that the very talk of Islam being in danger in India is ridiculous.

If the onus is on Hindus when it comes to the first two statements, it shifts to Muslims when it comes to the later two. Denial and victimhood are two dangerous diseases that Muslims have to cure, albeit with the help of Hindus and Indian society. Thanks to a particular breed of Marxist historians (many of whom viscerally hate the very idea of India as a nation), the history of Islam in India is propagated as a glorious example of co-existence. Sure, co-existence has been the leitmotif for a larger share of India’s relationship with Islam. But it would be foolish to deny that the relationship also involved conquest, plunder and destruction of temples. Sure Islam in India as reflected through the Sufi tradition is a glorious legacy. But also sordid is the destruction of temples. That is a fact; a historical fact. Muslims must acknowledge that and both Hindus and Muslims must acknowledge that such practices (Babri Masjid being a modern day shame) have no place in contemporary India.

But the most pernicious and dangerous disease that Muslims need to tackle is a sense of victimhood. That is what led to the creation of Pakistan and that is what could destroy the future of India – including the future of the 160 million Muslims who live in the country. Even a child in India knows that the organs of the Indian state – particularly the police – are cruel, oppressive and brazenly undemocratic. For most cops, religion is less important than the status of the person they target. The police routinely pick up poor suspects and give them third degree even in cases of minor theft. If community-wise data on victims of police torture were kept, I wouldn’t be surprised if more than 80 per cent were Hindus. That’s a fact. What both Hindu and Muslim Indians need is police reforms. Sure there have been cases where innocent Muslims have been arrested and tortured after a terror attack. But to jump to the conclusion that there is a planned and systematic conspiracy by the Indian society to discriminate against Muslims is false and ridiculous.

Both Muslims and Hindus in India need to look more at Indonesia and Malaysia rather than Pakistan and West Asia.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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