BEIJING (TIP): Rejecting the Dalai Lama’s views on ending the system of reincarnated Tibetan spiritual head, the Chinese government on September 11 said it will preserve the centuries old tradition among Tibetan Buddhists, saying it has the powers to appoint the next Dalai Lama. “The title of the Dalai Lama is conferred by the Chinese government,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
China had a “set religious procedure and historic custom”, she said. “The 14th Dalai Lama has ulterior motives and is seeking to distort and negate history, which is damaging the normal order of Tibetan Buddhism,” Hua told reporters at a briefing. The Dalai Lama, 79, recently told German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag that the tradition of the spiritual and temporal head of the Tibetans could end with him. He said Tibetan Buddhism wasn’t dependent on a single person.
He had earlier said he won’t be reborn in China if Tibet wasn’t free and that no country, including China, had the right to choose his successor “for political ends”. The Dalai Lama’s latest statement about an end to the tradition appears to have hurt the officially atheist Communist Party’s plans to maintain peace and order in Tibetan-speaking areas, which is spread across five Chinese provinces. “China follows a policy of freedom of religion and belief, and this includes respect to and protection of Tibetan Buddhism,” Hua said.
In Tibetan Buddhism, senior-most Lamas can take years to identify a child deemed a reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama. The search is usually limited to Tibet. But there is fear in China that the next Dalai Lama may be identified from some born in a country other than Tibet or China, and possibly the US, which might further complicate the situation.
The reincarnation debate first surfaced in 1995 after the Dalai Lama named a boy in Tibet as the reincarnation of the previous Panchen Lama, the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, The boy has not been seen since although government officials say he is growing up like a normal Chinese kid. China chose another boy and appointed him the Panchen Lama. The Panchen Lama occasionally makes statements supportive of Beijing’s policy on religious affairs.
Month: September 2014
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China snubs Dalai Lama, says it can appoint his successor
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John Kerry downplays talk of ‘war’ against IS
WASHINGTON (TIP): US Secretary of State John Kerry warned against “war fever” on September 11 and said the new American campaign against the so-called “Islamic State” should be understood as a counter-terrorism mission. Speaking the day after President Barack Obama announced a “relentless” campaign of air strikes against IS militants in Iraq and ultimately in Syria, Kerry declined to call the operation a war.
“What we are doing is engaging in a very significant counter-terrorism operation,” Kerry told CNN in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during a tour of regional allies to drum up support for joint action. “It’s going to go on for some period of time,” he warned. “If somebody wants to think about it as being a war with ISIL, they can do so, but the fact is it’s a major counter-terrorism operation that will have many different moving parts.” Separately, CBS reporter Margaret Brennan tweeted that Kerry had told her: “I don’t think people need to get into war fever on this.” Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced that US warplanes would start using a base outside the Iraqi Kurdish capital Arbil, having previously been operating from airbases and carriers outside the country. -
Mary Kom
Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Sunil Thapa, Darshan Kumar
Direction: Omung Kumar
Genre: Biopic
Duration: 2 hours 3 minutes
Story: A Manipur rice farmer’s daughter charts her own success story as a five-time world amateur boxing champion. She also does India proud when she bags the bronze in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Review: When adapted for the big screen, a biopic has to tread its own path. Debutant director Omung Kumar’s Mary Kom is based on the incidents in the life of MC Mary Kom (Priyanka Chopra), India’s most high-profile female pugilist between the years 1991-2007.
The film has been shot for the better part in Imphal, Manipur, where the sportswoman was bred. Born in a humble home in Kangathei, Mary was only a teenager when she decided to pursue boxing, despite inviting her father’s ire. Literally starting with street brawls, Magnificent Mary, as she is nicknamed, blazes her path from ignominy to fame under the tutelage of her coach M. Narjit Singh (Sunil Thapa).
But wait, she also chooses to make way for matters of the heart, marriage and kids before coming back to winning global recognition again in 2008, 2010 and 2012. The filmmaker has captured her indefatigable spirit beautifully. He has also thrown light on the administration’s apathy towards sports and every time a film mirrors the red-tapism involved in the arena, you want to pick up the baton! Mary Kom is Bollywood’s answer to the Oscar-winner Million Dollar Baby (2004), where Hilary Swank plays an amateur boxing champ trained by Clint Eastwood. But the similarities are only because the protagonists in both films are female boxers.
The intention is definitely not to ape. One star in the rating is definitely reserved for Priyanka. She may not have transcended the physical attributes of the diminutive Mary in the actual sense (except adding a few obvious freckles to her face and slightly drooping eyelids), but she has brought the boxer to life convincingly enough, leaving you rooting for her, long after the end credits roll. Omung has a tight check on the proceedings postintermission. The emotional tracks between the boxer and her father (Robin Das), and Mary and her husband Onler (Darshan Kumar), leave you misty-eyed. But the main reason why Mary Kom appeals is because it doesn’t just give you a ringside view of boxing; it leaves you rooting for our sportsmen who have put India on the world map. -
VIDYA BALAN WAS ASKED TO GET A NOSE JOB FOR PARINEETA
Mrs Perfectionist of Bollywood Vidya Balan has played some outstanding unconventional roles in her career. But what people don’t know is that she was considered a jinx and was asked to get a nose job for Parineeta by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. This week on ‘Look Who’s Talking with Nirajan Iyengar’, Vidya Balan talks about trying times, her husband and who she is today. Incidentally, it was Niranjan’s mentor and friend Karan Johar who played cupid for the now married, Vidya and Siddharth Roy Kapoor. That was also the first time she met Niranjan. On being asked about her weight and fashion issues, she states, “For a very long time, I was constantly putting on/losing weight for movies until ‘The Dirty Picture’ happened. That was the moment I decided I didn’t care anymore and I was going
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SONAM KAPOOR TRIES TO OVERCOME HER FEAR OF ELEVATORS
Sonam Kapoor, who has a phobia of elevators, tried to conquer it sometime back in Bangkok. On the insistence of sister Rhea, the actress made it a point to ride up and down the 55 storeys of the hotel she was staying in, in an elevator. “I got into the elevator and when I came out, I felt I was going to faint. But I was fine,” she recollected. Sonam admitted that she is still not fully comfortable with elevator rides. “If I have to go up several floors, then I go right into the corner of the lift and stand there. Of course, when I’m stressed out, then I avoid it altogether and take the stairs instead,” she said.
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SUNNY LEONE BEGINS FILMING ‘MASTIZAADE’
Actress Sunny Leone has commenced shooting of her next film ‘Mastizaade’, which is being directed by MilapZaveri. The 33-year-old ‘Ragini MMS 2’ star will be seen opposite Tushar Kapoor and Vir Das in the sex comedy. “Morning! First day of ‘Mastizaade’ and starting with one of the most hilarious scenes. Nothing like going all for it on day 1. I am so excited about the film,” the three-film-old actress posted on Twitter. ‘Mastizaade’ has been produced by Pritish Nandy. Sunny made her Bollywood debut with Pooja Bhatt’s ‘Jism 2’ and has also starred in ‘Jackpot’ and Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Ragini MMS2’, besides doing item songs in several
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LINDSAY LOHAN ACCUSED OF LIFTING ‘VIRTUAL CLOSETS’ APPLICATION
Actress Lindsay Lohan and her younger brother have been slapped with a lawsuit alleging they stole the idea for their fashion site from a former business associate. Lohan, 28 and brother Michael Jr reportedly struck a deal last year with tech entrepreneur Fima Potik to collaborate on his startup, Spotted Friend, a mobile application that allows users to access celebrities’ ‘virtual closets’ to identify the designers and buy items from them. Lindsay also tweeted about Spotted Friend in July 2013, and its website said, “A Fima Potik & Lindsay Lohan Production,”, reported the New York Post. Now it is reported that Michael has been raising money for Lohan’s new online application Vigme, a social shopping community that will let fans find out where to purchase other people’s clothes, similar to virtual closets application.
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If I Stay
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Stacy Keach, Mireille Enos,
Jamie Blackley, Joshua Leonard
Direction: R.J. Cutler
Genre: Drama
Duration: 1 hour 47 minutes
Story: Mia Hall (Moretz) is in a coma after meeting with a car accident. While her body lies in stasis, her spirit lingers over memories and her loved ones and a decision she will have to ultimately take – should she fight for her life or shrug off her mortal coil?
Review: Mia is a cellist who, one fateful day, falls victim to a tragic and deadly car accident. Along with her family, she’s on the way to visit some friends. En route, the car hits an icy patch on the road and skids out of control. The paramedics arrive on the scene and go about swiftly treating the victims. Meanwhile, the perspective shifts to a disoriented Mia who, dazed and confused, tries to figure out what is going on?
With no place else to go, we then see her in the ambulance that makes its way to the hospital, where she is transferred to the intensive care facility. While the battle for her life in the physical world continues, she faces up to – quite literally – life-altering decisions and choices that belie her young age. A large part of her thoughts and emotions dwell on the bond she shared with her classmate Adam (Blackley). It is this aspect of the movie that actually prevents it from becoming too heavy.
In fact, their equation shared in the form of flashbacks comprises a huge part of the emotional tug of the film. Moretz manages to convey some of the delicate and bittersweet shades of love and romance with a maturity that prevents the movie from becoming a sob-fest. Therefore, the story moves at a brisk pace. However, what seems a bit heavy-handed are the images of Mia’s spirit hovering all over hospital corridors, as if Cutler is trying to emphasize the point that she is indeed disembodied and yet, sharing space with the living.
Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard perform their supporting roles with a deft touch. Stacy Keach, who plays Mia’s grandfather, also provides some of the more tender moments in this heartwarming film. -
CHARLIZE THERON LOVES GETTING OLDER
Oscar-winner Charlize Theron says she does not miss her “fat, plump face” of her 20s and loves getting older. The 39-year-old beauty, however, says she has her moments when she does not like looking in a mirror but has come to love her appearance now. “I’ve loved getting older; I really have,” the actress told Red magazine. “That doesn’t mean I don’t have moments when I look in the mirror and find myself going, ‘Oh my god,’ but I’m much more at ease looking at myself now than when I was 20 and I had gorgeous skin and a fat, plump face. I looked at myself then and I didn’t appreciate any of it. “Also, there was something about my beauty at that time that almost felt like it was waiting to be this age. I was so desperate to, like, have some kind of experience in my life, like not feeling that I came from the world of modeling. It was like I was waiting to look at
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SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB
CONTD FROM Vol 8 ISSUE 35
|| 2 || O mind, chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord; worship the Naam, night and day, and recite the Naam. Listen to the Teachings of the Holy Saints, and all fear of death will be dispelled. Those blessed by God’s Grace are attached to the Word of the Guru’s Bani.
|| 3 || Who can estimate Your worth, God? You are kind and compassionate to all beings. Everything which You do, prevails; I am just a poor child – what can I do? Protect and preserve Your servant Nanak; be kind to him, like a father to his son.
|| 4 || 1 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL, FIRST HOUSE, CHAUTUKAS: Praise the Guru, and the Lord of the Universe, O Siblings of Destiny; enshrine Him in your mind, body and heart. Let the True Lord and Master abide in your mind, O Siblings of Destiny; this is the most excellent way of life. Those bodies, in which the Name of the Lord does not well up, O Siblings of Destiny – those bodies are reduced to ashes. I am a sacrifice to the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, O Siblings of Destiny; they take the Support of the One and Only Lord.
|| 1 || So worship and adore that True Lord, O Siblings of Destiny; He alone does everything. The Perfect Guru has taught me, O Siblings of Destiny, that without Him, there is no other at all. || Pause || Without the Naam, the Name of the Lord, they putrefy and die, O Siblings of Destiny; their numbers cannot be counted.Without Truth, purity cannot be achieved, O Siblings of Destiny; the Lord is true and unfathomable. Coming and going do not end, O Siblings of Destiny; pride in worldly valuables is false. The Gurmukh saves millions of people, O Siblings of Destiny, blessing them with even a particle of the Name.
|| 2 || I have searched through the Simritees and the Shaastras, O Siblings of Destiny – without the True Guru, doubt does not depart. They are so tired of performing their many deeds, O Siblings of Destiny, but they fall into bondage again and again. I have searched in the four directions, O Siblings of Destiny, but without the True Guru, there is no place at all. By great good fortune, I found the Guru, O Siblings of Destiny, and I meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har.
|| 3 || The Truth is forever pure, O Siblings of Destiny; those who are true are pure. When the Lord bestows His Glance of Grace, O Siblings of Destiny, then one obtains Him. Among millions, O Siblings of Destiny, hardly one humble servant of the Lord is found. Nanak is imbued with the True Name, O Siblings of Destiny; hearing it, the mind and body become immaculately pure.
|| 4 || 2 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL, DU-TUKAS: As long as this person believes in love and hate, it is difficult for him to meet the Lord. As long as he discriminates between himself and others, he will distance himself from the Lord. || 1 || O Lord, grant me such understanding, that I might serve the Holy Saints, and seek the protection of their feet, and not forget them, for a moment, even an instant. || Pause || O foolish, thoughtless and fickle mind, such understanding did not come into your heart. Renouncing the Lord of Life, you have become engrossed in other things, and you are involved with your enemies.
|| 2 || Sorrow does not afflict one who does not harbor self-conceit; in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, I have attained this understanding. Know that the babbling of the faithless cynic is like wind passing by. || 3 || This mind is inundated by millions of sins – what can I say? Nanak, Your humble servant has come to Your Sanctuary, God; please, erase all his accounts.
|| 4 || 3 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: Children, spouses, men and women in one’s household, are all bound by Maya. At the very last moment, none of them shall stand by you; their love is totally false. || 1 || O man, why do you pamper your body so? It shall disperse like a cloud of smoke; vibrate upon the One, the Beloved Lord. || Pause || There are three ways in which the body can be consumed – it can be thrown into water, given to the dogs, or cremated to ashes. He considers himself to be immortal; he sits in his home, and forgets the Lord, the Cause of causes. || 2 || In various ways, the Lord has fashioned the beads, and strung them on a slender thread. The thread shall break, O wretched man, and then, you shall repent and regret.
|| 3 || He created you, and after creating you, He adorned you – meditate on Him day and night. God has showered His Mercy upon servant Nanak; I hold tight to the Support of the True Guru. || 4 || 4 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I met the True Guru, by great good fortune, and my mind has been enlightened. No one else can equal me, because I have the loving support of my Lord and Master.
|| 1 || I am a sacrifice to my True Guru. I am at peace in this world, and I shall be in celestial peace in the next; my home is filled with bliss. || Pause || He is the Innerknower, the Searcher of hearts, the Creator, my Lord and Master. I have become fearless, attached to the Guru’s feet; I take the Support of the Name of the One Lord.
|| 2 || Fruitful is the Blessed Vision of His Darshan; the Form of God is deathless; He is and shall always be. He hugs His humble servants close, and protects and preserves them; their love for Him is sweet to Him. || 3 || Great is His glorious greatness, and wondrous is His magnificence; through Him, all affairs are resolved. Nanak has met with the Perfect Guru; all his sorrows have been dispelled. || 4 || 5 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: To the happy person, everyone seems happy; to the sick person, everyone seems sick. The Lord and Master acts, and causes us to act; union is in His Hands.
|| 1 || O my mind, no one appears to be mistaken, to one who has dispelled his own doubts; he realizes that everyone is God. || Pause || One whose mind is comforted in the Society of the Saints, believes that all are joyful. One whose mind is afflicted by the disease of egotism, cries out in birth and death.
|| 2 || Everything is clear to one whose eyes are blessed with the ointment of spiritual wisdom. In the darkness of spiritual ignorance, he sees nothing at all; he wanders around in reincarnation, over and over again. || 3 || Hear my prayer, O Lord and Master; Nanak begs for this happiness: whereever Your Holy Saints sing the Kirtan of Your Praises, let my mind be attached to that place.
|| 4 || 6 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: My body belongs to the Saints, my wealth belongs to the Saints, and my mind belongs to the Saints. By the Grace of the Saints, I meditate on the Lord’s Name, and then, all comforts come to me. || 1 || Without the Saints, there are no other givers.Whoever takes to the Sanctuary of the Holy Saints, is carried across. || Pause || Millions of sins are erased by serving the humble Saints, and singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord with love. One finds peace in this world, and one’s face is radiant in the next world, by associating with the humble Saints, through great good fortune.
|| 2 || I have only one tongue, and the Lord’s humble servant is filled with countless virtues; how can I sing his praises? The inaccessible, unapproachable and eternally unchanging Lord is obtained in the Sanctuary of the Saints. || 3 || I am worthless, lowly, without friends or support, and full of sins; I long for the Shelter of the Saints. I am drowning in the deep, dark pit of household attachments – please save me, Lord!
|| 4 || 7 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL, FIRST HOUSE: O Creator Lord, You fulfill the desires of those, within whose heart You abide. Your slaves do not forget You; the dust of Your feet is pleasing to their minds.
|| 1 || Your Unspoken Speech cannot be spoken. O treasure of excellence, Giver of peace, Lord and Master, Your greatness is the highest of all. || Pause || The mortal does those deeds, and those alone, which You ordained by destiny. Your servant, whom You bless with Your service, is satisfied and fulfilled, beholding the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. || 2 || You are contained in all, but he alone realizes this, whom You bless with understanding. By Guru’s Grace, his spiritual ignorance is dispelled, and he is respected everywhere.
|| 3 || He alone is spiritually enlightened, he alone is a meditator, and he alone is a man of good nature. Says Nanak, one unto whom the Lord becomes Merciful, does not forget the Lord from his mind.
|| 4 || 8 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: The whole creation is engrossed in emotional attachment; sometimes, one is high, and at other times, low. No one can be purified by any rituals or devices; they cannot reach their goal. || 1 || O my mind, emancipation is attained in the Sanctuary of the Holy Saints.Without the Perfect Guru, births and deaths do not cease, and one comes and goes, over and over again. || Pause || The whole world is entangled in what is called the delusion of doubt. The perfect devotee of the Primal Lord God remains detached from everything.
|| 2 || Don’t indulge in slander for any reason, for everything is the creation of the Lord and Master. One who is blessed with the Mercy of my God, dwells on the Name in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy. || 3 || The Supreme Lord God, the Transcendent Lord, the True Guru, saves all. Says Nanak, without the Guru, no one crosses over; this is the perfect essence of all contemplation.
|| 4 || 9 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: I have searched and searched and searched, and found that the Lord’s Name is the most sublime reality. Contemplating it for even an instant, sins are erased; the Gurmukh is carried across and saved. || 1 || Drink in the sublime essence of the Lord’s Name, O man of spiritual wisdom. Listening to the Ambrosial Words of the Holy Saints, the mind finds absolute fulfillment and satisfaction. || Pause || Liberation, pleasures, and the true way of life are obtained from the Lord, the Giver of all peace. The Perfect Lord, the Architect of Destiny, blesses His slave with the gift of devotional worship. || 2 || Hear with your ears, and sing with your tongue, and meditate within your heart on Him. The Lord and Master is all-powerful, the Cause of causes; without Him, there is nothing at all.
|| 3 || By great good fortune, I have obtained the jewel of human life; have mercy on me, O Merciful Lord. In the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, Nanak sings the Glorious Praises of the Lord, and contemplates Him forever in meditation. || 4 || 10 || SORAT’H, FIFTH MEHL: After taking your cleansing bath, remember your God in meditation, and your mind and body shall be free of disease. Millions of obstacles are removed, in the Sanctuary of God, and good fortune dawns.
|| 1 || The Word of God’s Bani, and His Shabad, are the best utterances. So constantly sing them, listen to them, and read them, O Siblings of Destiny, and the Perfect Guru shall save you. || Pause || The glorious greatness of the True Lord is immeasurable; the Merciful Lord is the Lover of His devotees. He has preserved the honor of His Saints; from the very beginning of time, His Nature is to cherish them.
|| 2 || So eat the Ambrosial Name of the Lord as your food; put it into your mouth at all times. The pains of old age and death shall all depart, when you constantly sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe. -
THE RAMAYANA
contined from vol 8 issue 35
These are Queen Kaikeyi’s wishes, these are boons for which I pray, I would see my son anointed, Rama banished on this day!”
THE KING’S LAMENT
Is this torturing dream or madness,
do my feeble senses fail,
O’er my darkened mind and bosom doth a fainting fit prevail?
So the stricken monarch pondered and in hushed and silent fear,
Looked on her as on a tigress looks the dazed and stricken deer,
Lying on the unswept pavement still he heaved the choking sigh,
Like a wild and hissing serpent quelled by incantations high! Sobs convulsive shook his bosom and his speech and accent failed,
And a dark and deathlike faintness o’er his feeble soul prevailed,
Stunned awhile remained the monarch, then in furious passion woke.
And his eyeballs flamed with redfire, to the queen as thus he spoke: “Traitress to thy king and husband, fell destroyer of thy race,
Wherefore seeks thy ruthless rancour Rama rich in righteous grace,
Traitress to thy kith and kindred, Rama loves thee as thy own,
Wherefore then with causeless vengeance as a mother hate thy son! Have I courted thee, Kaikeyi, throned thee in my heart of truth,
Nursed thee in my home and bosom like a snake of poisoned tooth,
Have I courted thee, Kaikeyi, placed thee on Ayodhya’s throne,
That my Rama, loved of people, thou shouldst banish from his own?
Banish far my Queen Kausalya,
Queen Sumitra saintly wife,
Wrench from me my ancient empire,
from my bosom wrench my life,
But with brave and princely Rama never can his father part,
Till his ancient life is ended, cold and still his beating heart! Sunless roll the world in darkness,
rainless may the harvests thrive, But from ri~hteous Rama severed,
never can his sire survive, Feeble is thy aged husband,
few and brief on earth his day, Lend me, wife, a woman’s kindness, as a consort be my stay! Ask for other boon, Kaikeyi, aught my seagirt empire yields,
Wealth or treasure, gem or jewel, castled town or smiling fields,
Ask for other gift,
Kaikeyi, and thy wishes shall be given, Stain me not with crime unholy in the eye of righteous Heaven!” Coldly spake the Queen Kaikeyi: “If thy royal heart repent,
Break thy word and plighted promise, let thy royal faith be rent,
Ever known for truth and virtue, speak to peers and monarchs all,
When from near and distant regions they shall gather in thy hall, Speak if so it please thee,
monarch, of thy evil-destined wife, How she loved with wife’s devotion, how she served and saved thy life,
How on plighted promise trusting for a humble boon she sighed, How a monarch broke his promise,
how a cheated woman died!” “Fair thy form,” resumed the monarch, “beauty dwells upon thy face, Woman’s winsome charms bedeck thee, and a woman’s peerless grace,
Wherefore then within thy bosom wakes this thought of cruel wile,
And what dark and loathsome spirit stains thy heart with blackest guile?
Ever since the day, Kaikeyi, when a gentle bride you came, By a wife’s unfailing duty you have won a woman’s fame, Wherefore now this cruel purpose hath a stainless heart defiled,
Ruthless wish to send my Rama to the dark and pathless wild? Wherefore,
darkly-scheming woman, on unrighteous purpose bent, Doth thy cruel causeless vengeance on my Rama seek a vent, Wherefore seek by deeds unholy for thy son the throne to win,
Throne which Bharat doth not covet,- blackened byhis mother’s sin? Shall I see my banished Rama mantled in the garb of woe, Reft of home and kin and empire to the pathless jungle go,
Shall I see disasters sweeping o’er my empire dark and deep,
As the forces of a foeman o’er a scattered army sweep? Shall I hear assembled monarchs in their whispered voices say, Weak and foolish in his dotapre,
Dasaratha holds his sway, Shall I say to righteous elders when they blame my action done,
That by woman’s mandate driven I have banished thus my son? Queen Kansalya, dear-loved woman! she who serves me as a slave, Soothes me like a tender sister,
helps me like a consort brave, As a fond and loving mother tends me with a watchful care,
As a daughter ever duteous doth obeisance sweet and fair,
When my fond and fair Kausalya asks me of her banished son,
How shall Dasa-ratha answer for the impious action done,
How can husband, cold and cruel, break a wife’s confiding heart, How can father, false and faithless, from his best and eldest part?” Coldly spake the Queen Kaikeyi: “If thy royal heart repent, Break thy word and plighted promise, let thy royal faith be rent,
Truth-abiding is our monarch, so I heard the people say,
And his word is all inviolate, stainless virtue marks his sway,
Let it now be known to nations,–righteous Dasa-ratha lied,
And a trusting, cheated woman broke her loving heart and died!” Darker grew the shades of midnight,
coldly shone each distant star,
Wilder in the monarch’s bosom raged the struggle and the war: “Starry midnight,
robed in shadows! give my wearied heart relief, Spread thy sable covering mantle o’er an impious monarch’s grief, Spread thy vast and inky darkness o’er a deed of nameless crime,
Reign perennial o’er my sorrows heedless of the lapse of time,
May a sinful monarch perish ere the dawning of the day,
O’er a dark life sin-polluted, beam not morning’s righteous ray!”
THE SENTENCE
Morning came and duteous Rama to the palace bent his way,
For to make his salutation and his due obeisance pay,
And he saw his aged father shorn of kingly pomp and pride,
And he saw the Queen Kaikeyi sitting by her consort’s side.
Duteously the righteous Rama touched the ancient monarch’s feet,
Touched the feet of Queen Kaikeyi with a son’s obeisance meet, “Rama!” cried the feeble monarch,
but the tear bedimmed his eye,
Sorrow choked his failing utterance and his bosom heaved a sigh,
Rama started in his terror at his father’s grief or wrath,
TO BE CONTINUED -
CREATE ILLUSION OF SPACE IN YOUR SMALL HOME
Most people feel that when you live in a small room, it is impossible to decorate it well. But the truth is, despite having limited space, there are many a tricks you can use to make your house look spacious and pretty. It’s just how you use your interior decoration skills to give an illusion of more surface area. By using the right kind of furniture and the current amount of lighting, one can provide an illusion of space. Even, colours of rooms for that matter, can do the deed. Here are some tips to decorate you little room to make it look both spacious and pretty.
The right kind of lighting in rooms can help create illusion of space. When living in a relatively smaller room, avoid using ceiling lights. These light up such that they tend to cut the height of the room. Use lamps such that they do can eliminate shadows. Natural lighting is another great option. Keep your windows open during the day, as this will create a look of more space. If you can, try varying the sizes of the lamps used in the room. This will add a feeling of more space.
Furniture are a pivotal part of home decor. Using the wrong furniture can make your home look cramped. Avoid bulky furniture. For instance, large sofas, big chairs etc. are a no-no. Instead, furnitures like an ottoman (both multipurpose as it serves as a seating, a coffee table and a foot-rest) can be best used for small rooms. If you ant a sofa for the TV room, invest in one which has a bed as an extension. In this way you can use it whenever and fold it when not required.
Always place the bulkiest furniture of your home against the longest wall. Avoid placing furniture near to pathways, this can be inconvenient. In case you have wooden trunks which have an ancient feel to it, decorate them well. You can do this by either placing funky table lamps or vases on it, or by covering it with a prettilyprinted cloth. You can use it as aseating too.
Built-ins furniture is a must for small homes. For instance, having built-in cabinets is quite normal for houses be it small or big. You can have drawers, ookshelves which are also builtin. The idea is to avoid as many furniture on the floor space. -
Say goodbye to wrinkles
While wrinkles are a natural part of the ageing process, some people are more prone to them. There could be a variety of reasons for this, say experts. Causes range from bad habits like smoking, following a bad diet, not applying sunscreen to hereditary causes, stress, unexplained weight loss or pollution. Wrinkles happen when your skin loses collagen. Here are some simple ways to reduce the signs of wrinkles.
Take a banana and mash it up. Apply this mixture all over your face and wash it off after half an hour.
Packed with vitamin C, known to be good for the skin, pineapple pulp is said to be an effective way to reduce wrinkles. You can either massage your face and neck with pineapple juice or mash up the fruit and apply it on your face.
Not only is olive oil good for your health, it is also great for your skin and especially helpful when it comes to reducing wrinkles. Take a teaspoon of olive oil and add a couple of drops of lemon. Apply this mixture on your face and gently rub it in your skin.
Mix honey and lemon juice and use it as a face pack. Keep it on for about 20 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water.
Papaya is another fruit that is effective in reducing wrinkles. Mash it up, add a few drops of lemon juice and honey and apply it on your face once a week.
You could also try making a paste of honey, rose water and haldi and applying it on your face. -
WEIGHT LOSS: WAYS TO BOOST METABOLISM
Metabolic rate is based on age, height, weight and activity level. This will help to determine how many calories your body can consume and the number of calories you burn while eating and exercising. Metabolism is the process of breaking down carbohydrates, protein and fats to give your body energy. When you’re young, the muscle mass stores up energy, preventing weight gain. By the time you reach 30- 40, your metabolism starts to slow down. That’s why, fat gets accumulated and your weight increases.
Do not cut your daily calorie intake drastically, your body goes into starvation mode; this actually slows metabolism.
The best way to diet effectively is to cut out a small amount of calories.
Add more protein to your diet (Only if you don’t have any kidney problems). The digestion of proteins is the most time consuming. It takes over three hours to break down and assimilate proteins and burn calories.
Eat within an hour of waking up to keep your body from going into hunger overdrive and starvation mode. Eating also improves your mood and concentration.
Try to have three meals a day, plus two healthy snacks. This technique will help you stay full and avoid overeating.
You may try coffee or black tea for weight loss, due to the presence of caffeine, which boosts metabolism. However, be cautious while adding extra milk or sugar, to avoid extra calorie consumption.
Add green tea to your diet. Green tea helps in raising resting metabolism by 5%, and it does not have much caffeine. It also contains catechins, an antioxidant, which helps in maintain a healthy weight.
Dark chocolate also contains catechins and caffeine, which can help you lose weight. But, don’t go overboard, make sure that you are only eating about 28gm per day to limit the fat and calories.
Zinc reduces hunger by increasing your level of leptin, a hormone that gives you a feeling of satiety. Zinc rich foods /fruits are wheat, pumpkin seeds, cashewnuts, spinach, fish, mushroom, chocolate, pomegranates, dates, cabbage, potatoes and broccoli.
Cpsaicin, a chemical present in capsicums, gives the peppers their pungency. This chemical uses more energy for several hours after eating; which helps burn fat.
Do any kind of exercise .When you exercise, your muscles wake up, demand more calories and this helps burn calories faster.
Maintaining a good mood will help you stick to a healthy diet, it also makes you productive, and increases your confidence and personality.
Have any kind of fruit within an hour of waking up. Fruits are nutritious and healthy. Besides, they will keep you full for a longer time.
Eat small meals throughout the day. Include meals like salads, nuts etc, when you are feeling hungry.
Include good quality protein in your diet. Like eggs and meat, if you are a vegetarian then you can get good or completeprotein by mixing cereals and pulses together like khichadi. There are many other sources of protein like soya, nuts, whole grains, and sprouts.
Keep yourself very well hydrated, by sipping on water at regular intervals. Don’t confuse thirst with hunger.
Eat something before you exercise. Exercising on an empty stomach will ensure that your body uses a small amount of calories during exercise because you have fed nothing to the muscles. This leaves you feeling hungrier later, you may overeat.
Eat less, but never starve. Starvation can cause you to overeat and ruin your efforts to lose weight.
Try interval training, which will involve changing the intensity of your workout throughout each session. For example, if you walk for fitness, try jogging for one minute every five minutes.
Good metabolism cannot just be achieved by eating healthy food and exercise, you also need a goodnight’s rest. So, make it a point to sleep well
Limit is the key. Don’t go overboard with anything. This will just ruin your health. So, moderation and limitation are key for good health and successful weight loss. -
HOW MUCH COFFEE IS GOOD FOR YOU
In today’s jet set age where most of us have multiple roles, responsibilities and commitments, stress is inevitable. Coffee, to a lot of us, seems to be that one companion that helps us wake up and fight the `fatigue’ monster. The debate between caffeine addicts and health freaks, who stay away from it, is unending.So, I thought why not tackle the issue once and for all. Is coffee just bad, or too much of it is bad? To answer that, let’s ask a basic question…
WHAT IS CAFFEINE?
Caffeine is the most popular drug throughout the world for a couple of reasons – it is a stimulant to the central nervous system as it decreases the time taken by our mind to respond to some thing, thus increasing mental efficiency. It also increases the heart rate and impacts our breathing process positively, by relax ing the air passage in the respiratory system. It is also a di uretic as it increases the urine output and delays fatigue.
HOW MUCH IS SAFE?
Caffeine in right doses isn’t detrimental to our body’s functioning. Healthy adults, with no medical issues, can consume up to 300 to 400 mg of caffeine -approximately 3 cups (200 ml each) of coffee -per day, without any adverse effects. Some individuals are very sensitive to caffeine; even one cup of coffee (100 to 120 mg caffeine) hampers their sleep routine. Regular caffeine consumption reduces sensitivity to caffeine, and a higher intake is then needed to produce the same effects.
Thus, caffeine is con sidered an addictive drug. As you know, sleep is imperative for our body’s growth and wellbeing, any sub stance that hinders sleep should be avoided. This is why caffeine is not recommended for children under 12 years of age. With increasing demand on teens to perform well in studies as well as extra curricular activities, a caffeine has become their best friend; not to forget that coffee shop adda has become a part of an adolescent’s `cool’ lifestyle. But since teenagers undergo a constant brain development process, they should ideally keep their coffee consumption under 100 mg per day. Also, pregnant women and nursing mothers must consume as little caffeine as possible -a maximum of 200 mg per day -to prevent a negative effect on the developing foetus or the infant.
CAFFEINE IN TEA
Your daily limit of caffeine is the sum total of caffeine from your daily intake of coffee plus other sources, like black tea (47 to 60 mg per cup), green tea (25 mg per cup), energy drinks (80 to 100 mg per can) and aerated sodas (40 to s 50 mg per can). Also, remember that the type of coffee beans and methods of brewing also affect the overall caffeine content. A standard espresso contains 80 mg caffeine, while a cup of strong drip coffee has 140 mg.Generally, dark roast coffee has less caffeine content than lighter roasts as the roasting process reduces the bean’s caffeine content. -
Pervez Musharraf guilty of high treason, probe agency tells Pak court
ISLAMABAD (TIP): In a setback to Pakistan’s former president Pervez Musharraf, an investigation has concluded that the ex-military ruler imposed the 2007 emergency as army chief and was guilty of violating the constitution, the special court hearing his treason trial was told on Sept 11. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which probed the case informed the court that 71-year-old Musharraf must be held accountable for high treason.
A three-member bench headed by justice Faisal Arab heard Musharraf’s treason case in the Federal shariat court building. Khalid Qureshi, head of the FIA probe team who appeared in court as the prosecution witness, also said that Musharraf had issued the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) affidavit as president on November 3, 2007. The PCO is an emergency and extraconstitutional order that suspends either wholly or partially, the constitution of Pakistan.
Qureshi added that the FIA probe team had reached the conclusion that Musharraf was guilty of violating the constitution by suspending it. He informed the court that he had questioned Musharraf at his Chak Shahzad farmhouse on December 6, 2013 with Hussain Asghar another member of the FIA team. Qureshi said he showed Musharraf the November 3, 2007 emergency order, PCO and documents for the removal of judges which had his (Musharraf’s) signatures.
According to Qureshi, Musharraf refused to give his statement on these documents. He told the court that after hearing statements of numerous institutions, personalities and reviewing evidence, the probe team had come to the conclusion that Musharraf was responsible for these actions and should be held accountable. Musharraf was charged on March 31 for subverting the constitution by imposing emergency. In June, Pakistan’s supreme court overturned a high court ruling to lift a travel ban slapped on Musharraf last year.
Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan in March last year ahead of the general election ending his over four-year self-imposed exile, has faced multiple trials including the one under the high-treason act for which he was placed under house arrest and barred from travelling abroad. He is also facing trial in the murder cases of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto; Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and Red Mosque cleric Abdul Rasheed Ghazi. -
Floods, rain kill 260 in Pakistan, one million affected
ISLAMABAD: Nearly 260 people have been killed and more than one m (TIP)illion affected due to rain and devastating floods in Pakistan with authorities racing against both time and tide to limit destruction, officials said on Sept 10. The rain lashed vast areas of the country last week and has now stopped but the floods triggered by the heavy showers are still out of control. Reema Zubari of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 1,091,807 people have been affected by the floods in Punjab alone.
Another million people would be affected in Sindh province as the flood water has drained down to empty into the Arabian Sea, minister for water and power Khawaja Asif said. NDMA has warned that high to very high level flood would hit Sindh in the south of the country on September 13. Currently, southern part of Punjab has flooded due to water which has entered the region after wreaking havoc in northeastern and central parts of the province.
The deluge has destroyed crop in over 700,000 acres of land in Punjab. So far, 257 people have been killed across Pakistan in floods and rain-related incidents. Zubari said 179 people have been killed in Punjab province, 64 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and 14 in Gilgit-Baltistan. More than 6,000 houses have been damaged in Punjab. Chenab river is in high flood and raging down from central to south Punjab, leaving a trail of devastation. Today the authorities breached a major embankment along the river to save Jhang city and the Trimmu headwork on the Chenab. Efforts were also on to protect Multan city and already decisions have been made to cause artificial breaches at certain points to disperse water.
More villages could be inundated in addition to over 2,000 villages already affected by floods. Poor planning and lack of water management is visible in most places with officials struggling to limit the damage caused due to the floods. -
Shinzo Abe becomes first Japanese PM to visit Sri Lanka in 24 years
COLOMBO (TIP): Shinzo Abe on Sept 10 became the first Japanese prime minister to visit Sri Lanka in 24 years, on the second leg of a South Asian tour that sought to assert Tokyo’s interest in a region where it has ceded influence to China. Abe was greeted by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Colombo’s international airport, where a new passenger terminal will be built with the help of a $330 million Japanese development loan.
The two leaders struck “a new partnership between maritime countries” that reflects Japan’s interest in keeping open shipping lanes that supply oil and liquefied natural gas from the Middle East to feed its energydependent economy. “The president and I shared the view on building friendly ties and partnership between the two maritime countries,” Abe said after the meeting. Asian great-power diplomacy has stirred into life since the rise to power of Indian nationalist Narendra Modi, who announced his intent to play an active role on the world stage by inviting regional leaders to his inauguration in May.
Abe comes to India’s backyard after hosting Modi for summit talks that yielded a Japanese pledge to invest $34 billion in India and launched a “special, strategic global partnership” to deepen security cooperation. -
AL-QAIDA’S SHADOWY NEW ‘EMIR’ IN SOUTH ASIA HANDED TOUGH JOB
MULTAN, PAKISTAN (TIP): Pakistani militant Asim Umar has been handed a very tough job. Thrust into the limelight after being named leader of al- Qaida’s newly created south Asian wing, he has been entrusted with reviving the network’s fortunes at a time when Islamic State is generating grisly headlines and luring recruits.
Little is known about the man whose thinking was shaped in radicalised seminaries and madrassas of Pakistan and who will now spearhead al-Qaida’s activities from Afghanistan to Myanmar. In a video address aired last week, the group’s chief, Ayman al-Zawahri, named him as the “emir” of a new branch of the network that masterminded the 2001 attacks on the United States. Interviews with militant and intelligence sources reveal that Umar, thought to be in his mid-forties, has a reputation as an Islamist ideologue rather than a fighter, and is known in South and Central Asian Islamist circles as an intellectual and excellent orator.
One jihadist source in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas on the Afghan border who knew Umar personally said that Zawahri first caught sight of his talents around the time of the death of Osama bin Laden in a secret US raid in 2011. “After the killing of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida’s new chief al-Zawahri started the reorganisation of al-Qaida, with its main focus on South Asia,” the source said. -
Myanmar cancels planned parliamentary byelection
YANGON (TIP): Myanmar’s Union Election Commission, on Sept 10, said that it is cancelling byelections that were scheduled for later this year to fill 35 empty parliamentary seats. Commission chairman Tin Aye made the surprise announcement at a media briefing in Yangon.
Reasons he gave included preparations for the 2015 general election, Myanmar’s duties hosting the summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations in November, and an election law that political parties field at least 3 candidates or cease to exist, a requirement he described as burdensome for the country’s 67 political parties. Tin Aye also said that next year’s elections will most likely take place in November, the most specific time mentioned so far.
The commission had announced in March that byelections would be held later this year to fill more than 30 seats vacated for various reasons. One lower house member, Khaing Maung Yi, said he had not heard anything about the decision, and said the reasons given were just excuses. “They should hold the elections since they have already announced them,” he said. Nyan Win, a spokesman for the party of democracy icon Aung Sang Suu Kyi, said that while it wasn’t good that the commission had decided to cancel the elections, the results would not have had much political significance since 2015’s general elections are “very close”. -
SUZUKI TO MAKE INDIA A MANUFACTURING HUB FOR BIKES
NEW DELHI (TIP): Suzuki Motorcycles India is developing four new products, including a 100cc motorcycle, which would be rolled out over the next two years. The company plans to make India a manufacturing hub for motorcycles, which would be exported to countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, apart from neighbouring countries, Atul Gupta, VP (sales and marketing) for Suzuki Motorcycles India, said as the company launched a new 155cc bike ‘Gixxer’ for Rs 72,199. “Suzuki wants to boost its share in the Indian two-wheeler market.
Work is on at its headquarters at Hamamatsu in Japan for developing four new two-wheelers for India — two scooters and two motorcycles,” Gupta said. Suzuki has not been able to replicate the success of its car business (Maruti Suzuki) in the two-wheeler space and has decided to focus on introducing newer products. Sources said company chairman Osamu Suzuki recently visited the company’s two-wheeler factory in Haryana and took stock of the operations.
Suzuki has a little over 2% share of the Indian twowheeler market and sold 3.6 lakh units last fiscal, a small share in total industry volumes of 1.48 crore units. The twowheeler market is dominated by Munjals-owned Hero MotoCorp and Honda’s fully-owned subsidiary, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI). Suzuki has been able to make some inroads into the scooter market where it has around 8% market share with models like the 125cc ‘Access’.
However, it is very weak into the big-volume motorcycle segment, which commands as much as 70% of the two-wheeler sales. “We are hoping for a turnaround in our motorcycle sales with the Gixxer. The model will compete with the FZ from Yamaha, Apache from TVS and Pulsar from Bajaj Auto. The company, which signed up film actor Salman Khan as a brand ambassador, currently sells the 110cc Hayate. However, the model has not been able to deliver the desired volumes. Gupta also said that Suzuki will increase the number of dealerships that the company has in India. -
TIME’S OVER FOR HMT WATCHES AFTER 53 YEARS
NEW DELHI/ BANGALORE (TIP): A few decades ago, watches in India meant HMT. It was a prize gift, the sort of thing that parents would promise to give their offspring if they did well in board exams or that would be handed down from father to son, typically at the son’s wedding. It’s ad punchline portrayed it as “timekeepers to the nation” and nobody suggested that was hype. But time’s up for the iconic brand that was launched in 1961 as part of the government’s efforts to build a modern India.
Like the Ambassador, another marquee brand of the licence-permit era, its clock has finally wound down. Saddled with losses for more than a decade, the government is set to shut down HMT Watches, which was restructured in 1999 to stop the HMT companies from bleeding. But little has changed. During 2012-13, the latest period for which data is available, the ailing public sector company had losses of Rs 242 crore on revenues of Rs 11 crore. Data in the government Public Enterprises Survey shows, the company employed 1,105, which included 181 executives. In contrast, Titan’s watch business reported sales of Rs 1,675 crore during the year.
HMT virtually had a free run since it was set up in 1961 and set up the country’s first watch manufacturing unit in Bangalore in collaboration with Citizen Watch Co. In fact, it claims many firsts to its credit — the automatic day-date watch to the first Braille and quartz watches. But it was the quartz watches that proved to be its undoing along with the entry of several new players in the 1980s, who brought in newer designs and more modern production techniques.
HMT is said to have been hobbled by slow decision making, often associated with PSUs. As a result, several attempts to boost the company’s performance including capital infusion didn’t work. During UPA government’s term, HMT Watches was referred to the Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises, which recommended revival. While the UPA refrained from deciding on the issue, the BJP government decided to go ahead with a tough decision. -
AUDI LAUNCHES AUDI Q3 DYNAMIC PRICED AT RS 38.40 LAKH
CHENNAI (TIP): It’s launch time in Motown with the festive season just round the corner. German luxury car manufacturer Audi has announced the launch of the Audi Q3 Dynamic with Audi Drive Select in the Indian market. “The Audi Q3 is the largest selling luxury SUV in India, and this new addition will further strengthen the brand’s dominance in the luxury SUV segment,” the company said in a statement.
Loaded with new features and priced at Rs 38.40 lakh (ex showroom Mumbai), the Audi Q3 Dynamic is available for sale across all dealerships in India. “The Audi Q3 is the only true compact luxury SUV in India which offers quattro all-wheel drive. The legendaryquattro technology not only adds to the off-road capability of the car but also provides more traction and enhances driving pleasure. The Audi Q3 Dynamic with Audi Drive Select is yet another example of our customer centric approach. We have further fine-tuned the suspension to meet Indian road conditions and offer the right balance between ride and comfort.
With this new top of the line Audi Q3, we are further enhancing the appeal of one of the most successful SUVs in the Indian market. We are convinced that the Audi Q3 Dynamic will play a key role in our growth this year,” said Joe King, head, Audi India. With the Audi Drive Select, the customer now has the option of choosing from three different modes – comfort, dynamic and auto – for that true SUV experience. “The all new dynamic suspension for rough road conditions, clear lens tail lamps, 17-inch alloy wheels, offroad style package, panoramic sunroof, roomy interior, sporty exterior and quattro all-wheel drive makes this SUV stand out amongst competitors,” the company statement said. -
ITC, L&T can help govt raise over Rs 43k cr
NEW DELHI (TIP): The government has lined up big bang stake sale in blue chip public sector stocks — Coal India, ONGC and NHPC — to raise over Rs 45,000 crore but has so far done little to offload its shares in ITC and Larsen & Toubro, which can help it mobilize another Rs 43,500 crore. While the proposal has been on the table for over five years now, the finance ministry has repeatedly deferred a decision on sale of shares in these two private companies that have no promoter group at the helm, amid intense lobbying to prevent the government from offloading its stake.
At the same time, more shares of Axis Bank — the third prominent non-PSU in the portfolio — are expected to be sold in the market as the government chases record disinvestment receipts of over Rs 58,000 crore. Is there a reluctance to sell the ITC and L&T shares? Officials in the finance ministry said there are not holding back the sale and added that a decision will be taken at an opportune time. The government became the owner of these shares by accident when it decided to bail out the erstwhile Unit Trust of India to help the country’s first mutual fund repay its liabilities to retail investors.
As part of the deal, dues related to the non-net asset value (NAV) based schemes of the UTI were cleared by the government and after setting all liabilities, the assets, which mainly included shares of top-notch companies were left with the Specified Undertaking of UTI (SUUTI). Today, SUUTI owns around 11.3% stake in ITC, which is worth over Rs 31,500 crore, while its 8.2% in Larsen & Toubro is valued at over Rs 12,100 crore. Similarly, based on the current trading price, SUUTI’s 11.6% in Axis Bank (earlier UTI Bank) is estimated to be of the order of Rs 11,500 crore. So, the three stocks put together can help the government mop up over Rs 55,000 crore, which is more than all the disinvestment proposals cleared by the government so far this year add up to.
What it has monetized so far is a part of its holding in Axis Bank when it sold a 9% stake last March to raise around Rs 5,500 crore. In the past, however, there have been suggestions that the government may give up strategic interest by selling shares in the two companies. For instance, shares of ITC, it has been argued, may be acquired by foreign tobacco majors and can have health implications. In case of L&T, the argument is that the company has got into strategic areas, and is undertaking a lot of defence-related activity, which may be compromised if foreign investors bought SUUTI’s shares. -
Chinese billionaires list touches 300: Report
BEIJING (TIP): The number of billionaires in China has touched 300 by the end of 2013 mainly due to real estate boom, according to a new annual ranking of the wealthiest individuals in the communist nation, world’s second largest economy. The personal fortunes of 300 Chinese topped 10 billion yuan (USD 1.6 billion) in 2013, a new annual ranking of the wealthiest individuals by the Hurun Report of “China Rich List,” said.
The wealth of 160 of the multibillionaires is in the form of invisible assets, the report said. It also counted 8,300 Chinese with wealth reaching one billion yuan, 200 more than a year earlier. The number whose wealth tops 10 million yuan also surged by 40,000 to 1.09 million, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The Hurun Report, a monthly magazine best known for its annual rich list, attributed the increase to the country’s overall GDP growth and appreciation in the value of real estate. It forecast the number of people in China with personal wealth topping 10 million yuan would reach 1.2 million in the next three years, it said.