…Being Shahid - "IIPM Press Release"

Acting is in your blood but when did you realise that it is your calling? Umm... I don’t know actually. It was a process. I think with time things just happened in a way where I got offered a few ads and I started doing them and I enjoyed doing them. And then I started thinking about the fact that it’s actually fun doing this. Then I got serious about it and I started assisting in direction so it just happened and it happened on its own. I didn’t really plan it as such. But I guess somewhere deep inside I was curious about it and so it interested me and once I got into it I fell in love with it.

How much support did your parents give you?

Oh they were completely supportive. The biggest support they could give me was that they gave me total freedom to decide what I wanted to do and they put their faith in me that my decisions would be something that they would back up and I think that was huge.

You once said that Aamir Khan is the person who inspires you and Shah Rukh Khan is the one you like. Enlighten us…

The kind of career chart that Aamir Khan has followed is huge. He has always tried to do something new, which is very inspiring for a newcomer. I think Shah Rukh is somebody who is completely self-made; he has made it on his own. Each and every regular guy on the street can stand up and say ‘you know what? If he can do it so can I!’ and I was one of them. These are the people you have looked up to and they are icons for you. They are very inspiring.

You’ve always played the quintessential lover boy or taken up roles like that.

But aren’t you afraid of being typecast?

I’m doing different films now. I have four films coming up this year and in all of them I’m playing different characters. So hopefully there should be enough variety for the audience to feel that they would like to see me doing different things.

You are doing your dad’s film. Are you looking forward to it because he is your dad and you have a certain comfort level with him?

No, not really. I’m really looking forward to it because to begin with he is a great actor, somebody whose work I have always seen and always wondered how he comes up with it and what goes on in his mind to conceive what he conceives. As an actor maybe I’ll get a little bit of a sneak peek into it when I work with him. So that is something which I’m very excited about and secondly, I think it took dad four years to actually say ‘yes’ that I have the subject that is right for you. So I have great faith in the fact that he is not doing it because we are father and son and I am not doing it because we are father and son. We are doing it because we feel it is right and that’s how it should be.

You’ve been linked with many of your co-stars but who is your favourite co-star?

I can’t name one, I’ll name a few on the basis of the fact that I think on screen our chemistry really rocked. “Ishq Vishq” and “Vivah” with Amrita, “Jab We Met” with Kareena and right now I really had fun working with Priyanka on “Kaminey”.

You’ve been both on stage and in front of the camera. How different are the two and which one do you prefer?

Honestly, I haven’t done too much of stage. I think both have their own appeal. Obviously there is an immediate acknowledgement of a performance when you are on stage and therefore there is that joy. But on 70 mm you get the opportunity to chisel what you are doing and you have to wait for the results to come out which has its own appeal in a different way.

Everything is also dependent on the director. So it’s more of a process rather than an individual performance. So yeah, it’s different.

“Kaminey” releases next week. Looks like it is going to be a banner year for Shahid Kapoor…

There are four films releasing this year, so it’s a busy year for me. There is obviously "Kaminey", there is a film with Yash Raj, there is a dance film with Ken Ghosh for which obviously Marty (James Martin Kudelka) had come down and there is a special appearance in a film in which I’m playing a teacher, which I thought was quite exciting because I’m only 27, which is a pretty young age to be playing a teacher but it was exciting, a different take. Our perspective towards teachers is only of old people and there are so many young teachers that one comes across.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
Read these article :-
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
IIPM fights meltdown

Better to jump than run...

The Dark Continent can improve, if they adopt the latest technology

Nelson Mandela, the last protagonist of African cause, observed after getting freedom from the apartheid – “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another”. True, Africa has freed itself from the yoke of colonialism, still ‘The Dark Continent’ lags behind in infrastructure, industries and technologies to say the least.

The Internet facility, which is the mainstay of globalisation, still eludes some African countries. East Africa for example, still does not have fiber optic cable; instead they rely on satellite links, making their Internet access very slow and highly expensive – thus unaffordable. However, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki’s proactive initiative have resulted in installing three fiber optic submarine cables, which will not only benefit Kenya, but the entire region. The Internet connections will be speeded up in Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and parts of Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. The venture costs $130 million and the money was spent from Kenyan exchequer.

Further down south, Zambia is also instating fiber optic link to improve the service, along with Namibia. It is a joint venture between Zambia Electricity Corp (Zesco), and South Atlantic West Africa Submarine Cable (SAT-3), a Namibian corporation. This will expropriate Nigeria as well, and has made it an Internet service provider's hub over there. The uncanny truth is that ever since SAT-3 entered the Nigerian market, it has thrown the local operators out of business. Notwithstanding the turn of events, sole dependency on SAT-3 may be over soon as there are couple of optic fiber projects coming up. Nigeria is determined to penetrate the Internet service deep into the hinterland, for improvement of communication, business efficiency, education and healthcare.

In the sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria has the highest number of Internet users, the figure being 10 million. In spite of the upstanding figure, the penetration is shameful 6.8 per cent. Nigeria is followed by South Africa, 4.5 million connections with 9.4 per cent penetration level. North African countries are better off in this respect. Egypt is leading the table with10.5 million users and Morocco with 6.6 million.

Although the great divide between the rich and poor countries on Internet penetration looks staggering, gradually and surely the gap would be closed by the developing countries. In an endeavour for digital advancement in developing countries, the universities of China, Malaysia and Hong Kong have come together to form a common forum. With a combined effort they will publish an online journal called 'Electronic Journal on Information System in Developing Countries'. Academicians, think tanks, and policy makers can use this journal free of cost. The funding is also coming thick and fast. A Japanese conglomerate, called Soft Bank is funding $200 million; where as World Bank International Finance Corporation is ready to shell out $500 million. According to World Bank president James Wolfenson, “Providing access to the Internet in developing countries is as important as securing housing and clean water”.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better
IIPM fights meltdown

Management of religion!

Haryana govt wades into Sikh shrine management issue

The notified historical Sikh shrines in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Chandigarh are managed by the Amritsar based SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) – a statutory body under the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925. SGPC – dominated by the Akali Dal – manages the gurdwaras in Haryana with an annual budget of about Rs 500 crore. Besides managing the shrines, this body plays a very significant role in guiding Sikhs on religious matters too.

Accusing the ‘poor’ management of gurdwaras in 2004, seven SGPC members from the state then had demanded a separate religious body for Haryana. A committee set up under Agriculture Minister HS Chatha submitting its report in February this year; and favoured a separate SGPC. But now, this move by the ruling Congress government in Haryana proposing a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for the state has rocked the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Akali Dal and the BJP have accused Congress of “meddling in the religious affairs of the Sikhs,” claiming that ahead of the assembly polls, the Congress is trying to get a toehold in Akali politics and to sway 1.3 million Sikh population in its fold. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal accuses without flinching, “It’s yet another conspiracy by the Congress to divide the SGPC and Sikhs”.

But Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda has seemingly been quite balanced on the issue, “I am willing to go in for a referendum. I am ready to abide by whatever the Sikhs decide. This has nothing to do with elections.” The fact also is that unlike what critics are claiming, the final decision rests not with the Haryana CM but with the Centre. A change can only be brought through an Act of Parliament. At the same time, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar also claims that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is actually against disturbing the present status quo. Makkar also wants that a legislation should be enacted to allow the SGPC and Sikhs of Punjab to take control of the main shrines.

But experts on Sikh affairs maintain that the Centre should instead go in for the All-India Gurdwara Legislation to solve the issue. Given the fact that gurdwaras in Delhi are managed by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (and not the SGPC) set up under a separate Act in 1971, it's now anybody's call.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

The patriotism Paradigm

The depiction of patriotism on the silver screen has metamorphosed from a portrayal of passion into a mere plot device finds Subhash K Jha

Face the farce. Mahendra Kapoor’s ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti’ and Manna Dey’s ‘Ae Mere Pyare Watan’ are dreams that have gone from the flag to flak. No one wants to watch films about a social awakening any longer. Raj Kumar Santoshi’s “Halla Bol” was proof of it. Films that once gloriously addressed the question of patriotism like Ramesh Sehgal’s “Shaheed” and Manoj Kumar’s “Upkar” are passé. Aggressive self-interest is in. “Rang De Basanti” marked the end of an Iraq.

‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti Sona Ugley /Ugley Heere-Moti…’ - the man, Gulshan Bawra, who wrote this paean to patriotism is no more. And what we do have, laments Manoj Kumar that one by one, they’ve all gone. The man who wrote this lyric, one-half of the duo Kalyanji-Anandji that composed this immortal song and also the man who sang it.

A sobering thought. This isn’t the passing of an era. It’s the passing of an aura. Gone are all those guys who we thought could change the world and the way we look at it. There was a time when Manoj Kumar churned out the flag-waving hits in a swirl of patriotism.

Besides “Rang De Basanti” the most patriotic film in the last 15 years was Mani Ratnam’s “Bombay”. I remember Shekhar Kapoor saying after the violence erupted over Mani Ratnam’s “Bombay” that Hindu-Muslim love stories are a no-no at the box office. Happily the parameters of the permissible are changing. And today who knows what works, what doesn’t? What we need to understand is a movie mogul’s need to address an issue that should concern all of us.


Today patriotism is aligned to terrorism. Terrorism and its distending dimensions have been a matter of grave concern for filmmakers. At the height of the Punjabi insurgency Gulzar came forward with “Maachis”. Who but the awesome Gulzar Saab could combine violence and poetry? Tabu looking into an unidentifiable horizon in the distance singing “Paani Paani Re” in the divine voice of Lata Mangeshkar remains one of the strongest images of a world overtaken by deathly strife. Gulzar Saab attempted to explore the parameters of terrorism a second time in “Hu Tu Tu”. Ominously he hasn’t directed a film after that. Somewhere he failed to connect the story of a human bomb (the gloriously resplendent Tabu) with the audience.

Santosh Sivan desperately wanted to cast Tabu as the human bomb in “Terrorist”. Since Gulzar Saab beat him to it he settled for Ayesha Dharker who gave a ball-of-fire account of the hardcore Sri Lankan suicide bomber who has a change of heart at the last minute.

Manisha Koirala blew up not just herself but also Shah Rukh Khan in Mani Ratnam’s “Dil Se”. Guess it comes from being brought up in the laps of luxury. Mani has his terror trilogy “Roja”, then “Dil Se”, finally topped by the finest of the trio, “Kannathil Muttamital” in Tamil. Recently Tulip Joshi played a suicide bomber in Pooja Bhatt’s “Dhokha”. One aspect of Hindi cinema’s current tryst with terrorism that invites attention is the sheer volume of ‘action’ that underlines the drama. Characters somersault nimbly into the horizon to beat the baddies. And you wonder if terrorists are the latest villains in masala kingdom after smugglers rapists and politicians.

Filmmakers in our country have always been more committed to winning laurels and making a name than carrying forward the social message of their films. Manoj Kumar's films have always been about patriotism. But does his personal conduct anywhere suggest he believes in the ‘Meri Desh Ki Dharti’ theory that he made into a booming formula?

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Consumerism - Enslaved by machines - "IIPM News"

India can disconnect with mechanical civilisation in a healthy, non-disruptive way

Prasanna

Noted theatre person and writer

The root cause of most contemporary ills is our deeply entrenched consumerist culture. Automated machines spread their wings in Europe and America some two centuries ago. It took a little longer for these to enter Third World countries.

As the machines started producing bulk goods, impoverished farmers migrated to cities; poor villagers became labourers; and cities witnessed an unprecedented expansion. Along with this, capitalism took birth. None of the opposition to capitalism could provide an effective alternative to this mechanical civilisation of ours. Not only several socialist nations, but we Indians who proclaim Gandhian thoughts, have also surrendered to this unbridled mechanisation.

It is true that machines have made our work a lot easier. They have lessened distances, delayed deaths, cooled us in the scorching summer, appreciably pushed up food production and enabled us to build our homes, streets and bridges. But when technology becomes profit-oriented and a source of economic power, it morphs into something that is anti-people. For instance, machine debris is piling up at an alarming rate, and overuse of fuels has resulted in global warming – with the result that environmental pollution has crossed acceptable limits. There is no balance between rain and crop yields. So there is no way out, other than detaching ourselves from machines. We have two options: either we reject modern technology or perish along with it.

But it is also of utmost importance to detach ourselves from machinery without causing any pain to mankind, which has definitely benefited to a certain extent from the use of machines. It is our over-dependence on machines that is so worrisome: For machines aren’t attached to us, it is we who are attached to machines. So the call is entirely ours. The process of detachment should take place in our lives and not in any factory. But many among us would rather reform this mechanical culture than do without machines altogether. Yet while this reform is possible, reforming mankind is not. Machines may go away, but human greed won’t.

Two-and-a-half centuries ago the industrial revolution changed the face of the world by changing the lives of human beings.

At that time humankind had warmly welcomed mechanical civilisation. It is this civilisation that ushered in the rational revolution, the democratic system, science, socialism, women’s emancipation, literature, art and more. Machines injected great dynamism into human lives and, as a result, many positives emerged from it.

But now in the first decade of the 21st century we are seeing another transformation. Mechanical civilisation is getting old; and man, supposed to behave rationally with the support of machines, has instead become gluttonous and hedonistic. If the ‘haves’ are ruining their lives in the pursuit of wealth, the have-nots are destroying life thinking about lack of wealth.

There is a life beyond money; there are human relationships, nature and environment. But this kind of thinking is becoming increasingly rare. When mechanical civilisation arrived, it impacted differently on different people. If this civilisation brought the ‘age of enlightenment’ to the Europeans, for countries like India it opened the dark era of colonial oppression. If the Europeans, with the help of machines, enlarged their territory as well as trade, we lost what we had in the name of colonisation. In just a few decades Indians, who were leading a respectable life exporting indigenous spices and handlooms, were compelled to import textile mill cloth. Indeed it took just two decades for us to come under the subjugation of the British. As I said earlier, it is possible for us to shed our machine addiction. All we need is determination. We have to stop imitating the West. It is possible for India to disconnect with machines in a healthy, non-disruptive way. It is indeed surprising that traditional farming, rural handicrafts, small industries and desi lifestyles – all of which were marginalised with the advent of this mechanical civilisation – are still around. Though beaten, exhausted and deprived – these are still active. The traditional industries represent the real richness of our country.

Look at the contradiction: the traditional production industries which have been blamed for the slow pace of development have survived the thump of recession. The politicians who had been talking about the industrial revolution, the green revolution and global marketing are once again singing the song of ‘inclusive growth’. Capitalists plan to produce a movie on Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital”! And western countries are chanting Gandhian thoughts. India had no role in fixing machines or laying the edifice of modern science; but it is uniquely placed to lead the ‘machine detachment movement’.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Kapil Dev - A Hurricane of a rebel - "IIPM Press"

The players involved with the Indian Premier League might be reaping the fruits of two successful seasons of the action-packed league and the frills that come with it, but they have one man to thank for it. No, it’s not Lalit Modi but the Haryana Hurricane, Kapil Dev who was, in a way, instrumental in the formation of the IPL. When Zee boss, Subhash Chandra decided to form a rebel league (ICL) Kapil stood by him, sending jitters through the rank and file of the most powerful cricket board in the world. The BCCI reacted by labelling him a rebel and alienating any player, past or present, associated with the breakaway league. Within a few days, the ‘Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century’ and India’s only World Cup winning captain (ODIs) turned into a villain. Though Kapil’s league may have lost out to a cash-rich board-backed IPL but it was he who actually ignited the idea of league cricket in India.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

IIPM News - In debt of microcredit

There are a handful people in this world who invest their time and effort in transforming lives through selfless single-mindedness. One of them is the recipient of the prestigious Grameen Foundation Humanitarian Award (2009), Marshall Saunders, a key ally in the microfinance movement towards eradication of poverty. In an interview with Spriha Srivastava, Saunders talks about his Mohammed Yunus-inspired microcredit initiatives in Mexico

How did you get drawn to philanthropy and micro-finance?

In 1988, I took a seminar where I opened myself to letting myself think about things and being touched by circumstances of other people and the world… all that I had avoided before. It became essential for me to do whatever I could to help my fellow human beings. Microcredit seemed to be the most powerful idea that I could find, and so I threw my heart and soul into it for the next two decades.

How did you get associated with Md Yunus?

I read about Dr. Yunus in 1989 and thought that the idea he was writing about was the most powerful and exciting idea that I had ever heard of. I read everything that I could find about him and then one morning I called him. It was the beginning of a two-decade long friendship. I don’t see him much but he is one of my heroes.

How difficult is it to deal with people when it almost always requires changing their mindset and introducing them to something new?

I have interviewed women who told me that their husband would not allow them to take a loan. And I have spoken to men who told our staff to leave their wives alone. But once the woman begins to generate an income and help with expenses, it’s welcome by all members of the family. In Mexico, many of our borrowers have been abandoned by their husbands. And many of them have children and have never been married. They have been in a relationship which they call “free association”, which doesn’t seem to work very well for the women.

In regard to micro-finance, how is the situation in India different from other countries?

My work in India did not involve going to the field and meeting people. I spent only two days in rural India talking to the poor. Only one time did I go to the field in Andhra Pradesh, and though it’s bad enough in rural Mexico, the women I met there were poorer and seemingly in more desperate circumstances than the women in rural Mexico.

What kind of progress – in terms of people being open to the idea of micro-finance and efforts in eradication of poverty – have you seen in India? How does it compare with other countries?

It’s obvious to me by the success of the microcredit programs in India that the idea is well-received. I was also impressed by the educational level of the bank workers in the programs that I saw. Many had advanced degrees in economics, sociology and NGO Administration. In Mexico, “Grameen de la Frontera” can only find high school graduates for this kind of work. So I guess having a social conscience has penetrated to more young people in India than in Mexico.

How would you rate the current propensity for philanthropy?

I believe that “sensate” is a good word to describe the vast majority of people today who could be philanthropists, that is to say those who have substantial money with which they could make a contribution. Many are chasing after the latest and biggest house, car, vacation, sumptuous dinner, etc. Those are fleeting experiences and the real joy in life is in contribution and creating a just, peaceful and sustainable world.

You’ve been committed to this cause for 20 years. What keeps you motivated? What roadblocks have you encountered?

The thing that kept me motivated has been visiting the women who receive the loans. When the money is in her hands, she sees a new possibility for herself, and especially for her children. That inspires me. It hasn’t always been easy though. The difficulties have been with managing people and, of course, the occasional scare regarding whether or not we would have sufficient money to fulfill our loan obligations to the poor women who were counting on us.

Now, what kind of change do you dream to bring about?

Ahh. This is the last epoch of my life… I am 70 now! But I do expect to see a major shift in humanity. I expect that there will be a breakthrough of enormous proportions and we will begin to see ourselves as one. I am building a national and, hopefully, international network of citizen teams that will lobby to create the political will in our governments for a stable and sustainable climate. This includes empowering ordinary people like me to actively exercise our personal and political power. It’s called Citizens Climate Lobby. www.citizensclimatelobby.org

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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