Volume 7 Issue 09

YSR Reddy dead • 55th National Awards • Cloud Computing • Profiles : Sunil Mittal •Brand icon: Reebok • Book review – A Suitable Boy

Volume 8 Issue 03

16 Sep –15 Oct 2009 www.PTeducation.com Rs. 40 The monthly news magazine of the PT education family

the life
and times
of the
dragon
China, also called 'The Dragon',
has exhibited exemplary growth, material progress and
technical advancement. Winds of change have swept
this eastern nation and brought changes unimaginable.
Know how an ancient civilization transformed
into a mighty nation capable of taking on the world.
 Contents
Major news stories
Simplifying knowledge dissemination
q YSR Reddy dies in chopper crash ....................................... 05
Editor-in-Chief : Sandeep Manudhane q 55th National Awards ........................................................... 09

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Manish Saraf - 97555-99509 Cover Story
Volume 8. Edition 03. September2009 q Flight of the dragon out of the great wall ............................ 10
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Opp. Railway Station Indore - 452001 Current events
Ph : 0731-307 00 00
Fax : 0731-3070099 q India ........................................................................................ 16
E-mail : preptalk@PTeducation.com q World ...................................................................................... 24

© 2008 All rights reserved.

q Business and Economy.......................................................... 28
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Unaccepted articles may not be returned.
q Sunil Mittal ............................................................................ 40
q M .S. Oberoi .......................................................................... 41
Published by Manish Saraf on behalf of
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Opp. Railway Station, Indore 452001. PT Panorama
q Cloud Computing .................................................................. 39
Disclaimer :
The information given in this magazine is true to the best
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will not be responsible in any manner for inadvertent
News in brief
errors that may have crept into this publication. PT does
not take responsibility for returning unsolicited q India ........................................................................................ 58
publication material.
q World ....................................................................................... 61
q Business and Economy ......................................................... 65
q Sports ..................................................................................... 69

Regulars
q Opinion .................................................................................. 42
q Brand icon: Rolex................................................................... 44
“To be a world class training and education q Logo Quiz .............................................................................. 45
organisation shaping careers through innovative
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q General knowledge ............................................................... 48
q Brand icon: Reebok .............................................................. 71
q Book review: A Suitable Boy.................................................. 72
 Dear friends / PTzens,
Take Quote
In a pond no dragon is meant to lie; “The secret of success is to know
He will ride the thunder to the sky! something nobody else knows.”
– Luo Guanzhong, Three kingdoms – Aristotle Onassis

Asia is on the rise and the world seems to be in awe of the emerging prowess of “The optimist proclaims that we
China- the rising dragon and India on the move. The whole world is talking about live in the best of all possible
the success of the two nations. These two are being hailed as the next power worlds, and the pessimist fears this
centres of the globe. is true.”
– James Branch Cabell
Our cover story provides snippets of China. China has been consistently
growing since late 1970s and its all round development has started challenging the “If everything seems under control,
position of the only superpower on the globe. The spectacular show by China at
you're just not going fast enough.”
the Beijing Olympics, both in organizing the event and in performance, has
– Mario Andretti
emboldened its image of being the next superpower. It has given clear indications
that it is moving steadily on the path of success on all the economic parameters
“Discontent is the first necessity of
with strong growth fundamentals. It now seems to be a developed country with a
progress.”
tag of a developing nation.
– Thomas Alva Edison
China is reckoned as economically, militarily and culturally robust and has
tried to become the cultural fulcrum of Asia. “When you blame others, you give
up your power to change.”
China's military muscle is now at par with the developed world nations like – Robert Anthony
USA and India lacks on many fronts to match it. It is imperative to study its
hegemonic intentions through its territorial claims in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim “The problems facing the world
and Aksai Chin, a part of western Jammu and Kashmir. today are not susceptible to military
solution.”
China plays a leading role in the outsourcing of manufacturing and is making – J F Kennedy
strong headway in IT industry and may soon pose a threat to India's supremacy.
China's domestic market is estimated to be four times the size of India's. Looking “You must do the things you think
at the export and import sector sans IT service, it has overtaken the US also. you cannot do.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
There also has been a paradigm shift in the priorities of its foreign policy and it
has focused on forging working relationships with as many states as possible “An expert is someone who knows
especially in its neighbourhood.
some of the worst mistakes that can
be made in his subject and how to
While China remains a formidable competitor, the opportunities of a peace
process far outnumber the threats. India needs to adopt a policy of engagement avoid them”
rather than a policy of isolated approach. At the same time we need to remember – Karl Heisenberg
what Napoleon said “When China awakes it will shake the world”.
“Retirement kills more people than
Manish Saraf hard work ever did.”
COO, PT education – Malcolm s. Forbes

“Success usually comes to those

who are too busy to be looking for
it.”
– Henry David Thoreau

02 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

 Letters to the editor
Swine Flu
The article Swine Flu rightly gave
an insight into the pandemic that has
rocked our nation.
The deadly disease swine flu is,
without a speck of doubt, causing a
massive havoc among the common
people of India and has created panic
across the various strata of the society.
Whether a three year old kid or a
septuagenarian, whether a
businessman or a construction
worker, people from all walks of life
are getting affected by the swine flu
virus, directly or indirectly.
The Government has strived to
mobilize resources and treat the
affected but there have been certain
loose ends. Firstly, the inadequate
stock of Tamiful, the drug used in the
treatment compounded the problem
and then the government had to
grapple with the problem of scarcity of
masks and the inadequacy of testing
laboratories. The Government at this
juncture needs to think of an
alternative medical system. There is
a need to pay greater attention to
issues relating to basic hygiene that
would ensure a disease – free life for
all. Government has to exercise
caution in preventing the disease
from spreading to villages as it would
be more difficult to control then.
If the Government follows the
above measures diligently, then swine
flu can be kept at bay in India.
– Rajesh Chouhan, Ajmer
Profile: Nandan Nilekani
The profile of Nandan Nilekani was
very informative. As the Chairman of
'Unique Identification Authority of
India, he has an onerous responsibility
to shoulder. This project is indeed
touted as a revolutionary change for our
nation and this project will assume
global importance when stalwarts like
Bill Gates too would join hands with him
in the scheme.
It is really good to know that a person
with a vision is overseeing this project.
This project will not only help channel
the resources to the targeted people but
will also be a tool to detect the large
illegal immigrants who cause numerous
problems in India. Moreover, it makes a
giant step towards meaningful e-
governance in the largest democracy in
the world.
Though Mr. Nilekani faces
daunting challenges in implementing
the system as it is a colossal exercise
yet given his past track record he is
sure to be a resounding success.
Kudos to our Prime Minister for
appointing a man of mettle who could
give a facelift to the identity card
system.
The appointment of Infy's
Nandan Nilekani as the head of
India's UID project did not come out
of the blue. It seems PM got the wind
of NN's own writings that talked about
providing Unique ID to all Indian
citizens. It is not surprising that UPA
government is linking the UID to the
better delivery of social programs.
– Abhijit Dube, Nasik
FEEDBACK !
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are needed to help
Us make it better.
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like to read regularly?
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the magazine?
Which are not?
How to improve?
Send feedback to:
preptalk@PTeducation.com
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 03
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E s t a b l i s h e d 1 0 th J u l y 1 9 9 3

YSR Reddy dies in chopper crash
hief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y. S.
C RajasekharaReddy, known better as YSR, died
in a helicopter crash, on September 3, 2009.
Four others were also killed in the helicoptercrash.
His helicopter was traced in mangled state on
Rudrakonda hill, 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool, 24
hours after it went missing over a dense forest area
dominatedby Maoist rebels.
The state-owned twin engine, seven-seater
helicopter, Bell-430, he was flying in disappeared over
the Nallamalla forest area in heavy rains at 9.35am on
September 2, about an hour after it started, state
officials said.
The chief minister was on his way from Hyderabad to
Chittoor in Rayalaseema region in southern Andhra Pradesh on
an official programme.
Reddy, 60, a powerful politician who had never lost an
election during his 30-year political career, led the Congress
party to victories in both state and Parliament elections in May,
and was just months into his second term as chief minister.
He had won his first term as chief
minister in 2004, defeating N.
Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu
Desam Party, or TDP, son-in-law of the
popular actor-politician and former
chief minister, N. T. Rama Rao.
Reddy, a second generation Roman Catholic Christian, was
born on 8 July 1949 in Pulivendula, a small town in the Kadapa
district. Before taking a plunge into politics in 1978, Reddy
served as medical officer at CSI Campbell Hospital in
Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district after graduating in medical
science from the MR College of Gulbarga.
The four-time Lok Sabha member had served in various
capacities both in the state government and in the Congress
party. He served the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee as its
president twice, once in 1983-85 and then in 1998-2000.
Major news stories
Between 1999 and 2004, he was the leader of the Opposition
in the eleventh State Assembly. And earlier, from 1980 to 1983,
YSR had also served as a minister in the state government,
holding portfolios of rural development, medical and health and
education.
Becoming chief minister was a long cherished dream for
YSR. Prior to the 2004 state elections, he led an unprecedented
1,400km-long paadayatra covering all the backward areas in the
state. He said he was on a mission to understand the ground
realities of the people.
YSR DREAM PROJECT LIKELY TO COME UP BEFORE
CABINET
The national project status for the Polavaram multipurpose
irrigationproject on the Godavari,the most importantpart of Y S
Rajasekhara Reddy's ambitious Jalayagnam irrigational
programme, is likely to come up before the Cabinet for
clearance.
With the project caught up in inter-state tussle after its
launch in 2004, YSR had been trying to revive it by securing
national project status which would have enabled the Centre to
fund up to 90 per cent of the project. While the Centre was till
now undecided on according it national project status due to
objections raised by neighbouring Orissa, sources in the Union
Water Resources Ministry said they were thinking of placing it
before the Cabinet soon.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 05
 YSR had performed bhoomi pooja of the Polavaram project,
estimated to irrigate 7.21 lakh acres in the upward areas of West
Godavari, Krishna, East Godavari and Vishakhampatnam
districts, generate 960 MW of power and also provide industrial
and drinking water to these districts, in November 2004, soon
after he came to power dislodgingthe TDP.

But YSR wanted the project to be accorded national project

status, so that the Centre could provide funding of up to Rs 6,000
crore. Orissa, however, has been protesting against any such
move by the Central government, with Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik writing to Prime Minister ManmohanSingh objectingto
the national project status. Patnaik said the project would
inundatemany of its villages without any benefit to Orissa.
However, there was no independent confirmation of this.
However, sources in the Water Resources Ministry said that The police said they did not have any figures to confirm this
while pushing for national project status YSR had offered to report.
construct embankments on either side of the reservoirs in
Orissa side from Andhra Pradesh's funds to prevent villages in This is the first time in the state's history that such a large
the neighbouringstate from being submerged. number of people have died over the death of any political leader.

OVER 100 DIE AFTER YSR'S DEATH
As many as 122 people across Andhra Pradesh reportedly
died of shock or committed suicide after the death of their chief
minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, prompting his MP son Y.S.
JaganmohanReddy to appeal to the people to be stoic and brave.
'I appeal to all of you to be stoic and brave in this hour of
tragedy. He (YSR) wanted to see a smile on the faces of all and if
you resort to such things (suicide) this will hurt him,' said
Jaganmohan,trying hard to control his tears.
A large number of those who died of shock included young
supporters of YSR and the beneficiaries of the various welfare
schemeslaunchedby him in the last five years.
“ YSR dedicated his life to people, I am dedicating my life to
him,”
– a youth wrote in his suicide note before consuming
pesticide.

Profile
YSR Reddy: an astute politician
r. Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly After completing MBBS, he served

D known as YSR, was an astute politician and a

charismatic mass leader who had carved for himself a
niche in State politics by his exemplary devotion and dedication
to the upliftmentof the downtrodden and neglected segments of
society. Born on July 8, 1949, in Pulivendula in the backward
Rayalaseema region, YSR had always struggled to secure the
rights of the poor and the underprivileged.
Son of late Sri YS Raja Reddy, a dynamic leader in his heyday,
Rajasekhara Reddy evinced interest in politics right from his
student days. While studying in MR Medical College, Gulbarga,
Karnataka, he served as president of the Students union. He was
elected leader of the House Surgeon's Association in SV Medical
College,Tirupati.
as Medical Officer at the
Jammalamadugu Mission Hospital for
a brief period. In 1973, he established a
70-bed charitable hospital, named after
his father late YS Raja Reddy at
Pulivendula. His family established one
polytechnic and one degree college in
Pulivendula, which were later handed
over to the well-known Loyola group of
institutions.
Rajasekhara Reddy's sound business acumen,
entrepreneurial skills, and, above all, his transparency brought
him laurels in the business arena. On the flip side, his success

06 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

also brought him many adversaries, political and otherwise, who
were desperately looking for a shred of evidence to prove
umpteen charges against him. In the end, their mud-slinging
did not yield a single point that could paint the mass leader in
bad light. In fact, his detractors became red-faced, as they had to
swallow their words.
Groomed by a family deeply involved in public service, YSR
entered active politics in 1978 and contested elections, four
times to enter the State Legislative Assembly and an equal
number of times to enter the Lower House of Parliament. A
winner in all that he does, YSR won all the elections he
contested. Even today his admirers exclaim: "He (YSR) defeats
defeat."
During his 25-year-long political career, YSR has served the
people in multiple capacities, both in Government as well as in
Party. He was President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress
Committee (APCC) twice - 1983-1985 and 1998-2000. During
1980-1983, he was a minister holding
important portfolios related to Rural
Development, Medical & Health and
Education etc. From 1999 to 2004 he
was the Leader of Opposition in the
eleventhstate assembly.
As a champion of the masses, his
stentorian voice in the assembly,
raised particularly during debates
that sought to lend voice to the
voiceless millions, forced the
Government to retrace several anti-
people steps it contemplated.YSR has
been instrumental in orchestrating
several mass struggles, while
highlighting issues facing peasants,
weavers,Dalits, youth and women.
His relentless fight for clearance
of pending irrigation projects, particularly in the backward
Rayalaseema region, has earned for him a special place in the
hearts of millions of farmers. His unremitting struggle against
certain anti-people economic measures that were sought to be
introduced in the name of "reforms", including the frequent
increases in power tariff and indiscriminate privatization of
public sector units, exalted him far above the street smart
politicians.
Even as a novice in the legislature, YSR rallied all the
Congress MLAs from the Rayalaseema region and led an
indefinite hunger strike demanding solution to the water crisis.
He also led a Paadayaatra from Lepakshi to Pothireddipadu in
Kurnool district. The 14-day hunger strike of legislators under
his leadership in August 2000 to register protest against the hike
in power charges is still fresh in the memory of people. By
systematically exposing the misdeeds of the then Government,
both inside and outside the Assembly, YSR was playing his
political role to the hilt.
During mid-summer in 2003, he led an unprecedented 1400
Km long Paadayaatra covering all backward areas in the state to
understand the ground realities of living conditions of the
people there.
Amidst a bewildering number of turncoats among
politicians, who thrive in "shifting loyalties", YSR stands out as a
sterling exampleof the old guard in pristine Indian politics.
YSR'S PERSONALITY
A MODEST PERSONALITY:
Dr.Reddy, unlike most politicians,
reflects the spirit of a true Indian who
walks his talk.While his thought was
dressed with all that is modern and
ennobling, Dr.Reddy's person was
invariably clothed in traditional
costumes that include dhoti and a
shirt made of handloom cloth. In all of
his public and private conversations,
he spoke from the core of his heart.
Naturally, he hate hypocrisy.
As a demanding chief minister,
YSR expected bureaucrats to do their
job meticulously, and present before
him only facts that are shorn of all
publicity-oriented and manipulative
figures. He did not tolerate hype and
extravaganza in communicating
official messages. He wanted incontrovertible facts stated in a
simple language that is intelligible even to the unlettered,
because taking administration to the people was an article of
faith for him.
HIS PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE:
Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy strongly believed that the human life
is a boon provided by the Almighty to share one's blessings with
others, while serving less privilegedhuman beings.
"Don't count the years you want to live. Ask yourself how
much you have done for society at large with whatever
opportunities the Almighty has provided you", was Dr. Reddy's
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 07
word of advice for those who have excuses for not doing even
what is within their means. It is this humane principle that
prompted him to take pioneering steps to ensure delivery of
social security pensions to the needy in the first week of every
month.
HIS STATURE:
Though measuring 5'7", Reddy looked majestically simple in
his appearance with an ever-smiling genial countenance. This
in fact overshadowed his unfailing willpower to achieve his
targets with the resilienceand tenacity of a spider.
When YSR undertook his unprecedented 1500-KM-long
Padayaatra (march on foot) in scorching sun during summer in
2003, covering backward areas of the state in particular, few
people could discern the underlying motive: knowing first-hand
the real problems of the people in their own language and their
doorstep.
HIS MISSION:
As around 75% of the population in India depends upon
agriculture for livelihood, most administrative efforts should be
focused on the rural economy, he believed.
Citing renowned economists, Dr. Reddy regreted that
neglect of the agriculture and irrigation sectors in recent years
have become the bane of rural economy. As a proactive chief
minister, he embarked upon a massive programme of executing
26 major irrigationprojects to create 65 lakh acres of new ayacut.
HIS MOTTO:
Dr. Reddy's motto was that the ultimate objective of any
program executed under a democratic set-up should be prompt
and dependabledelivery of sevices to the commonman.
With this as the guiding principle, YSR had advised
bureaucrats at all levels to help revive the functioning of the
administrative system at all levels without habitually looking for
autocratic 'diktats'. 'Decentralisation of administrative power
within the guidelines of the policy framed by the government
reflected the true spirit of democratic governance", Dr. Reddy
argues.
HIS STRENGTH:
Dr Reddy's strength lay in his stature as a mass leader since
his advent in politics. Whether in or out of power, he had always
championed the cause of the common man. This had endeared
him to all segmentsof the Congress party as well.
08 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
Even after becoming the Chief Minister in May 2004, Dr
Reddy made it a point to address all the problems that were
brought before him directly by people, cutting through
bureaucratichurdles, every day.
If any scheme or programme under formulation was placed
before him for approval, its outcome was a foregone conclusion
that was dependent on Dr. Reddy's invariable query: "How best
will it benefit the people at large or ensure good governance?"
HIS 'PASTIME':
A curious 'pastime' of Dr Reddy was to feel the pulse of
people in rural areas on Sundaysthrough the Rajiv Palle Batta.
The Rajiv Palle Baata was a novel mass contact programme
under which the Chief Minister reached out to even
unmotorable areas in the rural areas for personally collecting
feedback on the implementation of various programmes. This
programme had become extremely popular, because it
highlighted not what the Chief Minister did in the glare of
official publicity, but what his officials may not have done in the
people's own words.
In view of the rational changes brought about in
administrativematters followingthe success of Rajiv Palle Baata,
the Chief Minister now extended the programme to urban areas
through Rajiv Nagara Baata.
HIS APPROACH:
The chief minister's emphasis on development of the rural
economy did not presuppose a blinkered approach towards new
and emerging technologies.
Dr.Reddy was committed to a balanced approach towards
giving thrust to information technology, bio-technology and all
sectors that enhance industrial and agricultural production. His
watchword was total
transparency in all transactions
and deals that envisage public-
private partnerships or involve
private investments. Because,
YSR believed he was simply a
custodian of people's trust that
is invaluable.
It was not a coincidence
that he loved the company of
children and often "got lost" in
their World that was founded
on trust of the highest order.
 Major news stories

55th National Awards:

Prakash Raaj Bags Best Actor
T he National Film Awards for
2007 were announced on
September 7, 2009. It is neither
Shah Rukh Khan nor Aamir Khan but
Tamil actor Prakash Raaj who has won
the best actor award for 2007 for his
p e r f o r m a n c e i n Ta m i l f i l m
"Kanchivaram".

Raaj had earlier won the best

supporting actor award for his film
"Iruvar" in 1998 and a special jury award
in 2003.

Umashree got the best actress

award for her performance in Girish
Kasaravalli's Kannada film "Gulabi
Talkies".
"Kanchivaram" has also been chosen as the best film for
2007. Directed by Priyadarshan, the film depicts the lives and
times of silk-weavers of Kancheepuram in pre-Independent
India.
Renowned Malayalam director Adoor Gopalakrishnan has
been adjudged best director for "Naalu Pennungal".
The best child actor award went to Sharad Goyekar for his
role in the Marathi film "Tingya".
Lyricist Prasoon Joshi got the award for the best lyrics for
"Maa" from "Taare Zameen Par". The song also got Shankar
Mahadevan the National Award for best playback singer.
Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om bagged the best art direction
award for Sabu Cyril while choreographer Saroj Khan won an
award for the song 'Yeh Ishk Hai' in Jab We Met.
Bhavna Talwar's directorial debut Dharm, which deals with
communal harmony in the religious city of Varanasi, won the
Nargis Dutt Award for best film on national integration.

Darshan Zariwala got the best supporting actor award for
his role in "Gandhi My Father". Feroz Abbas Khan, the director
of the film, bagged the National Award for best screenplay.
There was also a special jury award for this film, which
explores the troubled relationship between Harilal Gandhi
and Mahatma Gandhi.
The Indira Gandhi Award for best first film of a director
went to Shivajee Chandrabhushan for Frozen, which also won
the best cinematography award.
Foto (Hindi) won the best children's film award, while Inimey
Naangathaan (Tamil) won the best animation film award.

Best Supporting Actress award went to Shefali Shah for her
performance in The Last Lear.
But the Khans were not disappointed with Aamir Khan's
directorial debut “Taare Zameen Par” made the 'Best Family
Welfare Film' and Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Chak De India”
taking home the trophy for 'Best Overall Entertainer'.
Hindi film 1971 won the best audiography award and it also
won the award for best film in Hindi under the language
specified in schedule VIII of the Constitution category.
The jury was headed by Sai Paranjpe; other members
included Ashok Viswanathan and Namita Gokhale. About 102
films and 106 non-feature films were considered.

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 09

Cover story

Flight of the dragon out of

The Great Wall
S ince man has learnt to live
as a society his innate
hunger for power and
greed for questionable luxury has
MODERN HISTORY
In the year 1910 ,young
officials, military officers,
forced him to wage wars against
and students, inspired by
his own kind. One country which
the revolutionary ideas of
has seen this happen on its land
Sun Yat-sen, began to
time after the other is China. It is
advocate the overthrow of,
the land that has seen rise and fall
then ruling, the Qing
of civilizations and dynasties as
Dynasty and the creation of
that of tides in a full-moon night.
a republic. Slavery in China
was abolished in 1910.
HISTORY
A revolutionary military
Chinese civilization uprising, the Wuchang
originated in various city- Uprising, began on Oct. 10, Sun Yat-sen,
states along the Yellow River 1 9 1 1 i n Wu h a n . T h e founder and first president of
valley in the Neolithic era. The provisional government of The Republic of China.
written history of China begins the Republic of China was
with the Shang Dynasty formed in Nanjing on March 12, 1912 with Sun Yat-sen as
(1550BC - 1046 BC). The President, but Sun was forced to turn power over to Yuan Shikai,
origins of Chinese culture, who commanded the New Army and was Prime Minister under
literature and philosophy, the Qing government, as part of the agreement to let the last
developed during the Zhou Qing monarch abdicate (a decision Sun would later regret).
Dynasty (1045BC - 256 BC) Over the next few years, Yuan proceeded to abolish the national
that followed the Shang. It was and provincial assemblies, and declared himself emperor in late
the longest lasting dynasty and 1915. Yuan's imperial ambitions were fiercely opposed by his
spans the period in which the subordinates; faced with the prospect of rebellion, he abdicated
written script evolved from in March 1916, and died in June of that year. His death left a
ancient oracle script to the beginnings of modern Chinese power vacuum in China; the republican government was all but
writing. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang united the various warring shattered. This ushered in the warlord era, during which much
kingdoms and created the first Chinese empire. Successive of the country was ruled by shifting coalitions of competing
dynasties in Chinese history developed bureaucratic systems provincial military leaders.
that enabled the Emperor of China to directly control the vast
territories. Hence a major civilization came into being. In 1919, the May Fourth Movement began as a response to
the insult imposed on China by the Treaty of Versailles ending
The conventional view of Chinese history is that of a dynasty World War I, but quickly became a protest movement about the
alternating between periods of political unity and disunity and domestic situation in China. The discrediting of liberal Western
occasionally becoming dominated by foreign Asian people, most philosophy amongst Chinese intellectuals was followed by the
of who were assimilated into the Han Chinese population. adoption of more radical lines of thought. This in turn planted
Cultural and political influences from many parts of Asia, the seeds for the irreconcilable conflict between the left and
carried by successive waves of immigration, expansion, and right in China that would dominate Chinese history for the rest
assimilation, merged to create modern Chinese culture. of the century.

10 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

 In the 1920s, Sun Yat-Sen established a revolutionary base in
south China, and set out to unite the fragmented nation. With
Soviet assistance, he entered into an alliance with the fledgling
Communist Party of China (CPC). After Sun's death from
cancer in 1925, one of his protégés, Chiang Kai-shek, seized
control of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party or KMT) and
succeeded in bringing most of south and central China under its
rule in a military campaign known as the Northern Expedition.
Having defeated the warlords in south and central China by
military force, Chiang was able to secure the nominal allegiance
of the warlords in the North. In 1927, Chiang turned on the CPC
and relentlessly chased the CPC armies and its leaders from
their bases in southern and eastern China. In 1934, driven from
their mountain bases such as the Chinese Soviet Republic, the
CPC forces embarked on the Long March across China's most
desolate terrain to the northwest, where they established a
guerrilla base at Yan'an in Shaanxi Province.
During the Long March, the
communists reorganized under
a new leader, Mao Zedong or
Mao Tse-tung. The bitter
struggle between the KMT and
the CPC continued, openly or
clandestinely, through the 14-
year long Japanese occupation
(1931-1945), of various parts of
the country. The two Chinese
Mao Tse-tung parties nominally formed a
united front to oppose the
Japanese in 1937, during the
Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), which became a part of World
War II. Following the defeat of Japan in 1945, the war between the
KMT and the CPC resumed, after failed attempts at
reconciliation and a negotiated settlement.
By 1949, the CPC had occupied most of the country. At the
end of WWII in 1945 as part of the overall Japanese surrender,
Japanese troops in Taiwan surrendered to Republic of China
troops giving Chiang Kai-shek effective control of Taiwan. When
Chiang was defeated by CPC forces in mainland China in 1949,
he fled to Taiwan with his government and the remnants of his
army, along with most of the KMT leadership and a large
number of their supporters.
With the CPC's victory, and their proclamation of the
People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, Taiwan was again
politically separated from mainland China, and continues to be
governed by the Republic of China to the present day. No peace
treaty has ever been signed between the two opposing parties.
Hence China of what we know today is actually People's Republic
of China or PRC. Taiwan, on the other hand is Republic of
China.
China, today, is the largest country in East Asia and the most
populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately
one-fifth of the world's population. It is a socialist republic
(specifically a people's democratic dictatorship according to its
constitution) ruled by the CommunistParty of China under a
single-party system, and has jurisdiction over twenty-two
provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and
two largely self-governing Special Administrative Regions
(Hong Kong and Macau). The PRC's capital is Beijing.
China's importance in the world today is reflected through
its role as the world's third largest economy (second largest by
PPP) and a permanent member of the UN Security Council as
well as being a member of several other multilateral
organizations including the WTO, APEC, East Asia Summit,
and Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In addition, it is a
recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world's largest
standing army with the second largest defense budget.
EFFORTS TO PAINT THE WORLD RED
The dragon has unfolded its
wings and is ready to fly big!
With one simple mission in
mind, i.e. to sore high in the skies
of international diplomacy and to
gain new grounds…….literally!!!
With Beijing committed to
keep its people occupied with
some or the other agenda, so that
they do not repeat incidents like
the one in Xinjiang and show no
disregard towards their
compromised RIGHT TO
SPEECH, China is taking well calculated steps. Be it time to
time incursion into the Indian territory (which, by the way,
China claims to be her own) or be it forceful suppression of
protest in Tibet which now is under Beijing's control and a part
of China's mainland. This is done also to show the world and
USA what it is really capable of. Signs are pretty clear. Dragon is
set to paint the world-red. How far does China gets with this
intention, only time will tell but this is surely going to affect its
present relationship with many-a-countries.
SINO-INDIA RELATIONS
Sino-Indian relations, also called India-China relations,
refer to the ties and relations between China and India. The
economic and diplomatic importance of People's Republic of
China (PRC) and the Republic of India, which are the two most
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 11
populous states in the world, as emerging economies, has in
recent years increased the significance of their bilateral
relationship. Historical relations between Beijing and New
Delhi can most accurately be described as being controversial at
best. Their relationship has undergone times of both war and
peace. It has been characterized by both border disputes,
resulting in military conflict, and by economic cooperation. The
dispute over the border is because of difference in the stands of
governments at both the sides. The McMahon Line is the
effective boundary between China and India.
The line is named after Sir Henry McMahon, foreign
secretary for the British-run Government of India and the chief
British negotiator of the convention. It came into being as part of
Shimla Accord; a treaty signed in 1914 and was agreed upon by
British India and Tibet. Although its legal status is disputed, it
extends for 550 miles (890 km) from Bhutan in the west to 160
miles (260 km) east of the great bend of the Brahmaputra River
in the east, largely along the crest of the Himalayas. The
McMahon Line is
regarded by India as the
legal national border. The
Dalai Lama's Tibetan
government-in-exile also
accepts the line as an
official border. China
rejects the Shimla Accord,
contending that the
Tibetan government was
not sovereign and
therefore did not have the power to conclude treaties. Chinese
maps show some 56,000 square miles (150,000 km2) of the
territory south of the line as part of the Tibet Autonomous
Region, popularly known as South Tibet in China. Chinese
forces briefly occupied very small portions of this area during
the Sino-Indian War of 1962-63. China does recognize a Line of
Actual Control (LAC) which includes the "so called McMahon
line," according to a 1959 diplomatic note by Prime Minister
Zhou Enlai.
There have been times when relationship between India and
China have been sour. Giving shelter to Dalai Lama is one of the
reasons. China wants India to refrain from giving shelter to this
Tibetan religious and political figure whereas India advocated
that since Lama has come to India as a refugee, he can stay as
long as he wants. Recently, even as India prepares to celebrate 50
years of friendship with China next year, China in-turn has
increased activities along the LAC, be it invasion of Indian air
territory or writing CHINA on Indian mountains or
construction of road along the Himalayan range.
But why does Indian government pay no real heed to all these
incidences? The answer is simple. China not only houses
12 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
world's largest army with over 7 million arms personnel in all,
which outnumbers India by almost double, but also has a wide
array of military equipments all being state-of-art, thanks to her
defense budget which is more than 70 billion US$, again more
than twice of that of India. Practically speaking a war of any scale
with China at this juncture will prove fatal for India.
SINO-AMERICAN RELATIONS
Most analysts have
characterized present Sino-
American relations as
complex and multi-faceted,
with the United States and the
People's Republic of China
being neither allies nor
enemies. Generally, the
American government and
military establishment do not
regard the Chinese as an adversary, but as a competitor in some
areas and a partner in others. At the same time, it is
acknowledged that the nature of Sino-American relations will be
a major factor in determining the fate of the world in the 21st
century.
The U.S. has the world's largest economy. China's economy
is the second largest. The two countries are the two largest
consumers of motor vehicles and oil. They are the largest
emitters of greenhouse gases and thus have a disproportionate
impact on climate change.
Relations between the People's Republic of China and the
United States have generally been stable with some periods of
tension, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union, which
removed a common enemy and ushered in a world characterized
by American dominance. There are also grievances which relate
to human rights in the People's Republic of China and the
political status of Taiwan.
While there are many irritants in Sino-American relations,
there are also many stabilizing factors. The People's Republic of
China and the United States are major trade partners and have
common interests in the prevention and suppression of
terrorism and in preventing nuclear proliferation. While the end
of the Cold War removed a common enemy, the War on Terror
has produced a new common enemy, which has stabilized
relations to some degree.
In addition, while there is still a great deal of Chinese
mistrust at American intentions, there is also the realization that
the United States will likely remain a sole superpower for a great
deal of time, and any direct challenge to the United States'
position is likely beyond PRC's capability for several decades.
There is also a realization that most of PRC's challenges and
difficulties are internal, and therefore there is a desire on the
part of the PRC to maintain stable relations with the United
States. The Sino-American relationship has been described by
top leaders and academics as the world's most important
bilateral relationship of the 21st century.
Americans tend to see China as a far off and distant land.
Since the 19th century, there has been a missionary impulse in
American dealings with China, and the United States often
believes that as part of its mission to advance freedom and
democracy, it has the duty to advance the cause of human rights
in China. Over the past 150 years, Americans have also tended to
see the Chinese people as oppressed and abused by either the
Japanese in World War II and more recently by the Communist
Party of China. Americans do not generally accept the notion
that many Chinese support the PRC government, because of its
authoritarian nature, and are critical of the non-democratic
government's ability to make decisions to benefit the Chinese
people. Americans tend to believe that any authoritarian
government is necessarily intolerable — a viewpoint not shared
by most Chinese. As a result, Americans tend to be baffled by the
suggestion that most Chinese people find American criticism of
human rights "abuses" to be hypocritical and meddlesome.
CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS
Cross-Strait relations refers to the relations
between mainland China and Taiwan or the
relations between their respective
governments, the People's Republic of China
(PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC).
In 1949, with the Chinese Civil War turning decisively in the
Communists' (CPC) favour, the ROC government led by the
Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taipei, in Taiwan, while the
CPC proclaimed the PRC government in Beijing. Since then,
the relations between mainland China and Taiwan have been
characterized by non-contact and animosity. In the early years,
military conflicts continued, while diplomatically both
governments competed to be the legitimate government of all
China. More recently, the legal and political status of Taiwan has
become more controversial, with the expression of Taiwan
independence sentiments in Taiwan which were formerly
outlawed. At the same time, there has been increasing non-
governmental and semi-governmental exchanges between the
two sides. From 2008, negotiations began to restore the "three
links" (transportation, commerce, and communications)
between the two sides, cut off since 1949. Party-to-party talks
between the CPC and the KMT have resumed and semi-official
negotiations through organizations representing the interests of
their respective governments are being scheduled.
The politically correct term "cross-Strait relations" has been
adopted by the two sides concerned and many observers so that
the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan would not
be referred as "China–Taiwan relations" or "PRC–ROC
relations". The former term implies the exclusion of Taiwan
from China, and is considered non-neutral. The latter term
implies the co-existence of the two governments as states, and
does not reflect the official positions of either government.
There is also no commonly used Chinese language term
equivalent to the latter two terms.
PRESENT STATUS
On September 2, 2008,
the ROC President Ma
Ying-jeou was interviewed
by the Mexico based
newspaper Sol de Mexico
and he was asked about his
views on the subject of 'two
Chinas' and if there is a
solution for the sovereignty Ma Ying-jeou
issues between the two. The ROC President replied that the
relations are neither between two Chinas nor two states. It is a
special relationship. Further, he stated that the sovereignty
issues between the two cannot be resolved at present, but he
quoted the '1992 Consensus', currently accepted by both sides,
as a temporary measure until a solution becomes available. The
spokesman for the ROC Presidential Office Wang Yu-chi later
elaborated the President's statement and said that the relations
are between two regions of one country, based on the ROC
Constitutional position, the statute governing the relations
between the peoples of the Taiwan Area and Mainland Area and
the '1992 Consensus'. On 7 October 2008 Ma Ying-jeou was
interviewed by a Japan based magazine “World”.
He said that laws relating to international relations cannot be
applied regarding the relations between Taiwan and mainland
China, as they are parts of a state. This statement though, as
many others in the world diplomatic arena, is open to one's own
interpretation.
CHINA JAPAN RELATIONSHIP
China and Japan are
geographically separated by only a
narrow strip of water. China has
strongly influenced Japan with its
writing system, architecture,
culture, religion, philosophy, and
law. When Western countries
forced Japan to open trading in the
mid-nineteenth century, Japan moved towards modernization
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 13
(Meiji Reformation), viewing China as an antiquated
civilization, unable to defend itself against Western forces
(Opium Wars and Anglo-French Expeditions from 1840s-
1860s). Japan's long chain of invasions and war crimes in China
between 1894 and 1945 as well as modern Japan's attitude
towards its past are major issues affecting current and likely,
future Sino-Japanese relations.
Japan and China are
respectively the world's second
and third-largest economies. In
2008, China-Japan trade grew to
$266.4 billion, a rise of 12.5
percent on 2007, making China
Japan's top two-way trade
partner. China was also the
second biggest destination for
Japanese exports in 2008 with Japanese exports to China totaling
$124.2 billion, up 13.8 percent.
But there are some grey shades to this story as well. The
relationship commercially does in no way reflects the true state
of relationship politically.
There are some issues that this relationship faces the wrath
of. The PRC joined other Asian countries, such as South Korea,
North Korea and Singapore, in criticizing Japanese history
textbooks that whiten Japanese war crimes in World War II. They
claimed that the rise of militarism became evident in Japanese
politics. Much anti-Japanese sentiment were raised, and this
had been exacerbated by burgeoning feelings of Chinese
nationalism and former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's
visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. There also remains the dispute
over the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Islands), which has resulted
in clashes between Taiwanese (Chinese) protesters and the
Japanese government.
The latest disputes, in April 2005, have led to anti-Japanese
protests and sporadic violence across the PRC, from Beijing to
Shanghai, later Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shenyang.
Furthermore, the PRC and Japan continually debate over the
actual numbers killed in the Rape of Nanking. The PRC allege at
least 300,000 civilians were murdered while Japan argues it to be
far less. Some questions if the Rape of Nanjing even occurred; a
Japanese-produced documentary film released just prior to the
60th anniversary of the massacre, titled The Truth about
Nanjing, denies that any such atrocities took place. These
disputes have stirred up enmity against Japan from the global
Chinese community, including Taiwan. There is a Japanese
newspaper article from 1937 that reports a murdering contest
between two Japanese officers who killed more than 200
Chinese civilians combined. Both soldiers survived the war and
were executed by the Chinese government after extradition.
14 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
CHINA–RUSSIA RELATIONS
Sino-Russian relations have never been better. But despite
some significant successes, their bilateral engagement
continues to be partial and ambivalent.
Russia and China have
contrasting world-views,
different approaches to
foreign policy and
sometimes conflicting
priorities. There is no
genuine 'China card' in
Moscow's energy relations
with the EU. The threat to
divert Russian gas
eastwards is bogus. The
Sino-Russian partnership does not threaten western interests.
Moscow and Beijing are more interested in engaging with the
West than with each other.
Over the past two decades, a once acrimonious relationship
has evolved into one of the success stories of the post-Cold War
era. This startling transformation has provoked polarized
reactions. Unsurprisingly, Moscow and Beijing celebrate the
progress in their relationship, both for its own sake and as an
influential factor in world politics. But many outsiders see this
apparent confluence of values and interests as inimical to the
West.
Although the Sino-Russian partnership has elicited growing
interest in recent years, it continues to be more a subject of
polemic than reasoned analysis. This policy brief aims to set the
record straight and to do so in the form of ten defining
propositions. Each proposition focuses on a key aspect of the
complex dynamic between Moscow and Beijing. Taken together,
they encapsulate an interaction that is at once co-operative,
ambivalent and much misunderstood.
Relations are better than at any time in history. Russian and
Chinese leaders routinely claim that bilateral relations have
never been better. They are right. In every dimension, there has
been significant progress over the past 20 years. The 4,300
kilometer border was agreed in its entirety in October 2004,
thereby resolving a territorial dispute dating back more than
300 years. The Chinese still lament the "lost one-and-a-half
million square kilometers transferred to the Russian Empire as a
result of a series of 'unequal treaties' in the nineteenth century.
But there is no interest in regaining these territories, least of all
by force. With the frontier now settled, there are no
outstanding bilateral disputes. The once controversial issue of
Chinese 'illegal migration' into the Russian Far East has been
largely defused. Trade is booming.
 After a period of stagnation in the 1990s, there has been an
eight-fold increase over the past decade, from $5.7 billion in
1999 to $48 billion in 2007. This is projected to increase to $60
billion by 2010.The two countries are in substantial agreement
on many international issues. Moscow subscribes fully to the
one-China policy and supports Chinese mediation efforts in
the Korean peace process. Beijing has consistently backed
Russia on a long list of regional and international issues:
Chechnya, Iraq, missile defense, NATO enlargement, Iran,
Kosovo, the Middle East peace process. China poses no military
or demographic threat to Russia. One of the paradoxes in the
Sino-Russian relationship is the contrast between
the talking-up of strategic partnership and the
persistent under-current of a 'China threat'.
Russian commentary is much more
positive than in the 1990s, but this threat
remains implicit.
But then there are differences
here as well. Russia and China
have very different visions of a
post-unipolar world. Moscow
aspires ultimately to a tripolar
system in which the US, Russia
and China are strategic equals
and where Russia acts as the
natural bridge between East and
West. In the meantime, it strives to recreate
the nineteenth century concert of great powers in
place of the western-dominated institutions formed at the end
of the Second World War. Like the original, such a concert would
be a de facto condominium of great powers - 'a multipolar world
order' - that would collectively manage the world's affairs. Russia
would reclaim its 'birthright' as a leading global player.
Beijing, on the other hand, believes that the US will remain
the sole superpower for the foreseeable future and that a
multipolar world is a distant prospect. Iraq and Afghanistan have
inflicted severe damage on American prestige, but there is still
no centre of power remotely comparable to Washington.
Ironically, the current global financial crisis reinforces this
point: when America sneezes, the world catches cold. Beijing
also sees the concert of great powers as a largely western
construct. The G-8 exemplifies this: it includes Russia and
Japan (an honorary western power), but excludes China, India
and Brazil. Moscow's lack of enthusiasm for expanding the G-8
into a G-13/G-14 highlights the western-centric essence of
concert ideas even today.
Another area of divergence arises from the rapidly
changing balance of power within the bilateral
relationship. Beijing scarcely envisages Russia as a
strategic equal in a future world order. Its longer-
term vision is based more on a new bipolarity
between China and the US -
e i t h e r a
condominium or a
growing rivalr y.
Russia will continue
to occupy an
important place in
international
affairs, but as a
secondar y great
power, along with
Japan, India and the
EU. Russia s ambition to become the "interface" between
East and West is dismissed as fantasy.
Driven with the urgent need to become the world power
China may come up with acts and ideas that may one time again
write history but in the near future even she knows that throne is
still a long way to go. How long will that be is something that only
time will tell.

Facts and Figures of Beijing Olympic Games

Items Description Rank Countries/
Sports/ events 28/302 Regions G S B Total
Gold Medals 302
1 China 51 21 28 100
Athletes 10,708
2 USA 36 38 36 110
Competition Venues in Beijing 31
Competition Venues outside Beijing 6 3 Russia 23 21 28 72
Accredited Written Press & Photographers 5,600 4 UK 19 13 15 47
Rights Holding Broadcaster staff 12,000 5 Germany 16 10 15 41
BOB staff 4,000
Olympic Games Volunteers 70,000

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 15

Current events
India
ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS IN MAHARASHTRA, HARYANA,
ARUNACHAL PRADESH ON OCT.13
Election Commission of India (ECI)
announced Electronic Voting Machines
will be used in all the three States–
Maharashtra, Haryana, and Arunachal
Pradesh – that undergo elections on
October 13.
The single-phased elections will be held for total 438 State
Assembly seats – 288 (Maharashtra), 90 (Haryana), and 60
(Arunachal).
Addressing a press conference, Chief Election
Commissioner Naveen Chawla said that the three States of
Maharashtra, Haryana, and Arunachal Pradesh will undergo
Assembly elections of October 13 and the counting will be held
on October 22.
He added that the decision has been taken after
considering the all the factors including public holidays,
academic calendar, climatic conditions, time required to
deployment of forces etc.
The voting will be done through Electronic Voting Machines
(EVMs). Use of any religious place for election campaigning and
seeking votes on the basis of religion or Jaati will amount to
violation of code of conduct for elections, the CEC said.
The notification of the election would be issued on
September 18, the last day for filing of nomination will be
September 25, scrutiny of nomination will be held n September
26, and the last day for withdrawing of nomination will be
September 29. The election process will complete on
October 25.
Chawla also said a camera will be installed in each and every
polling booth and the CD will remain with the custody of the
District Election Officer (DEO). Any individual, who would like
to have a copy of the CD, can get the same from the DEO by
paying the prescribed fee.
16 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
He also asked the DEO to retain a master copy of the CD, so
that it will help the commission to produce the details in case of
any writs were filed in the court relating the election disputes.
tututu
INDIA BEAT SYRIA TO WIN NEHRU CUP TOURNAMENT
Defending champion India beat Syria by 5-4 in a penalty
shootout in a
thrilling final match
to win the ONGC
Nehru Cup football
tournament held at
the Ambedkar
Stadium.
The win came
after a nail-biting
finish as no goals
could be scored in the normal time, and had to be decided on
penalty shoots, where India missed just two shots, while Syria
missed three of the seven shots.
Goalkeeper Subroto Paul was awarded the man of the match
for his superb performance in the match.
Led by its star striker Bhaichung Bhutia, India entered the
third consecutive final of the Nehru Cup and anticipations were
high, as they had defeated Syria in the 2007 final.
Indian team had strikers in the form of Bhutia and Sunil
Chettri, while Anthony Pereira, N.P. Pradeep, Climax Lawrence
and Steven Dias handled midfield.
Defence was well held by Mahesh Gawli, Anwar, Gourmangi
Singh and Surkumar Singh.
The tournament had been quite difficult for the home team,
as they had won two and lost two league matches, including one
against Syria. On the other hand Syria, with a strong defence,
had won all their league matches.
 CBSE SCHOOLS TO HAVE GRADING SYSTEM FROM
ACADEMIC YEAR 2010-11
The Government announced
that it will introduce grading
system in all Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE)
schools and make Class X board
exams optional from coming
academic year (2010-11).
Union Human Resource
Development minister Kapil Sibal, during a press conference in
the national capital, said: "Central Advisory Board of Education
(CABE) supports making Class X examination optional in
CBSE system."
"There is a pan-India consensus over the issue. So we have
decided to go ahead with this," Sibal said.
The Class X board exams will become optional in all CBSE
schools from the coming academic year (2010-11).
As per sources, the CBSE has prepared the format of an
aptitude exam which schools can use to test Class X students on
their level of understanding in each subject. The emphasis,
however, will be on continuous and comprehensive evaluation
(CCE) through the year instead of a single public exam at the
end of Class X.
tututu
CCEA REVIEWS PRICES OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES
The Cabinet Committee
on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
reviewed the prices of
essential commodities and
observed that the major areas
of concern were prices of
pulses and sugar.
FIRST ROUND OF INDO-SWISS TALKS ON BLACK MONEY
TO BE HELD IN DECEMBER
The first round of consultations
between New Delhi and the Swiss
Government on tracing the black
money deposited in tax havens in
that countr y will be held in
December.
However, there is no guarantee of
prosecution of offenders on the basis of information secured
from them.
According to Finance Ministry sources, Indian officials will
have their first round of discussions with officials of Swiss
government to evolve a legal system that will enable India to
trace black money.
They said that such a system could be evolved through a
Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty (DTAT) with Switzerland on
the model of the agreements reached with countries of the
Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD).
Although, the DTAT could lead to information being
secured from Switzerland in specific cases (in which individuals
would have violated laws in India), but it cannot guarantee that
such persons could also be prosecuted for that offence, they
pointed out.
Getting information from the Swiss banks was not an easy
task, and Indian government will have to become eligible to ask
for such information under a proper bilateral treaty.
Recently, the US government successfully tracked some
cases of American citizens stashing away their money there. The
US could even prosecute them.
tututu

The CCEA has said that

several steps have been taken to increase the availability of
pulses and sugar, which would help in controlling the price
increase.
The need to enforce stock limits, carry out de-hoarding
operations and use the powers available under the Essential
Commodities Act and the Prevention of Black-marketing and
Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act have
also been emphasised.
VICE ADMIRAL NIRMAL VERMA TAKES OVER AS NEW
NAVY CHIEF
Vice Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma took over as the new Navy
Chief.
Vice Admiral Verma has succeeded Admiral Sureesh Mehta
who retired on August 31, 2009. Born on November 14, 1950,
Vice Admiral Verma was commissioned on July 1, 1970, into the
Executive Branch of Indian Navy.

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 17

 During his long and distinguished
service spanning nearly 39 years, he has
served in a variety of Command, Staff and
Instructional appointments.
Vice Admiral Verma's Sea Command
includes Leander class Frigate "Udaigiri",
Guided Missile Destroyer "Ranvir" and
the Aircraft Carrier "Viraat".
Before taking over as FOC-in-C, Eastern Naval Command,
he was Vice Chief of the Naval Staff at the Naval Headquarters.
Vice Admiral Verma is an alumnus of Royal Naval Staff
College, UK and Naval War College, USA. He has instructional
experience at National Defence College as Senior Directing
Staff and at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He also
commanded the Naval Academy at Goa.
Vice Admiral Verma was decorated with Param Vishist Seva
Medal (PVSM) and Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM). He is one of
the Honorary ADCs of the President of India.
tututu
FORMULA ONE IS NOT A SPORT INSISTS SPORTS
MINISTER GILL
Union Sports Minister MS Gill
stuck to his remarks over Formula
One (F1), and said that it is a source
of entertainment and the Ministry's
focus is on other sports.
Addressing media in the national
capital Gill said: “I will stand by my earlier comment that F1 is
not a sport. Our view on F1 not being a sport was taken months
ago. This is the most expensive entertainment event in the west.
The technology used for the same is far beyond anything here.”
“We are focused in promoting other sports. What they want
to do is their business, we are nowhere concerned with that,” he
added.
Gill's comments were a snub to Force India owner Vijay
Mallya, who had said that F1 was indeed a sport and was a viable
sport in India. “When hundreds of millions of people worldwide
follow it as a sport, what makes them believe otherwise?” Mallya
had said.
It is believed that Sports Minister's comment would have a
significant influence on Mallaya's dreams of bringing F1 to India
in 2011.
18 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
According to reports, JPSK Sports, promoter of the event in
India, has already acquired land for construction of a F1 track in
Greater Noida and have started building the track.
tututu
INDIA AND NAMIBIA SIGN TWO BILATERAL
AGREEMENTS ON ENERGY
India and Namibia on August 31, 2009
signed two bilateral agreements on Pan-
Namibian Network project and three
Memorandum of Understandings
(MoUs).
The two bilateral agreements were in
the field of communication and
cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of
nuclear energy.
The memorandums related to exemption from Visa
requirement for diplomatic and official passports holders,
Geology and Mineral Resources and cooperation in the field of
defence.
After signing the bilateral agreements, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said that India is committed to help Namibia
in all spheres.
Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba said that he was
completely satisfied with the talks that he had with Manmohan
Singh.
Both the countries were committed to Non-Aligned
Movement and wanted continuation of reform process of United
Nations, particularly democratisation of United Nations
Security Council.
tututu
PAKISTAN MODIFYING US MISSILE POSED A DANGER
TO INDIA, SAYS SUREESH MEHTA
Outgoing Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta alleged that
Pakistan's attempt to modify Harpoon missile posed a danger to
India's interest.
As per media reports, the Obama administration have
protested to Pakistan for illegally modifying U.S.-made missiles
to expand its ability to hit land-based targets.
Citing senior administration and Congressional officials,
the reports said the charge came in late June through an
unpublicized diplomatic protest to Prime Minister Yusuf Raza
Gilani and other top Pakistani officials.
The accusation, made amid
growing concerns about Pakistan's
increasingly rapid conventional and
nuclear weapons development,
triggered a new round of U.S.-
Pakistani tensions, the report added.
Reacting to the same, Mehta said that US authorities are
constantly being told that their aid to Pakistan is not necessarily
used for self-defence.
A senior Pakistani official called the accusation "incorrect,"
saying that the missile tested was developed by Pakistan, just as
it had modified North Korean designs to build a range of land-
based missiles that could strike India, according to the Times.
U.S. officials said the disputed weapon is a conventional one
based on the Harpoon antiship missiles that were sold to
Pakistan during the Reagan administration as a defensive
weapon, the newspaper reported, but the charges come as the
Obama administration is seeking Congressional approval for 7.5
billion dollars in aid for Pakistan over the next five years.
U.S. military and intelligence officials suspect Pakistan of
modifying the Harpoon sold to them in the 1980s, which would
violate the Arms Control Export Act.
Pakistan denied the charge and said it developed the missile,
the media report said.
According to experts, the missiles would bolster Pakistan's
ability to threaten India, stoking fears of heating up the two
nations' arms race.
tututu
ISRO TO LAUNCH MARS MISSION BY 2013
Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G.
Madavan Nair said that India would launch a mission to Mars by
2013.
The ISRO has begun the preparations for sending a
spacecraft to Mars.
Earlier on Aug 13 the Union Government sanctioned seed
money of Rs 10 crore for Mars project, to carry out various
studies on experiments to be conducted, route of the mission
and other related details necessary to scale the new frontier.
On August 30, ISRO called off
the maiden lunar mission after
Indian Deep Space Network at
Byalalu near Bangalore lost control
over the Chndrayaan -I spacecraft.
Though Chandrayaan- I was
slated to be a two-year mission,
Nair claimed that ISRO scientists have achieved nearly 95% of
Chandrayaan's scientific goals in less than a year.
tututu
MANMOHAN SINGH WARNS OF ALARMING
MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the multiple
environmental crises that confront our country have created in
many ways an alarming situation.
Addressing at the National Conference
of Ministers of Environment and Forests,
Dr. Singh said: "Climate change is
threatening our fragile ecosystems. We are
staring at the prospect of an impending
drought. Water scarcity is becoming a way
of life. Pollution is a growing threat to our
health and to our habitats.”
"We have to make fundamental choices
about our lifestyles," he said, assuring his audience that the
"challenges are not insurmountable".
Terming climate change as a major global challenge, he said:
"We are conscious of our responsibilities to both the present and
the future generations. We seek to enhance the ecological
sustainability of our development path.”
The Prime Minister sought the cooperation of all State
Governments to implement the eight missions that the Centre
has outlined under the National Action Plan on climate change.
"I would urge each State Government to create their own
State level action plans consistent with the strategies in the
national plans," he added.
Speaking on need to modernize the existing Forest and
Wildlife management system, he said that there are a large
number of positions of frontline personnel lying vacant in many
states in the Forests and Wildlife sector.
Underlining the need to ensure that local communities
benefit from forest, conservation, he said, Tribals have guarded
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 19
our forests for centuries. The Tribal Rights Act was the best way
to guarantee these rights.
The Prime Minister expressed concern that rivers all over
India were still being degraded. He referred to the increased
allocation in this year's national Budget to clean rivers, and asked
state pollution control boards to curtail release of industrial
effluents into waterways, "which account for 25 per cent of total
pollution in rivers".
Drawing attention to the view that environmental clearances
have become a new form of Licence Raj and a source of
corruption, he said that this is a matter that needs to be
addressed head-on.
"There are trade-offs that have to be made while balancing
developmental and environmental concerns. But the procedures
must be fair, transparent and hassle free. Decisions must be
taken within a specified time," he said.
On discrepancies in the Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) Reports, he said: "I would urge all the States who have not
yet established State EIA Authorities to do so at the very earliest.
Effective coordination between the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests and the State Ministry is vital if we are
to build a credible and efficient system of assessment and
clearance.”
"The recent introduction of the National Green Tribunal Bill
in Parliament is a positive step forward. This will strengthen
environmental adjudication and settlement of disputes. We
should consider setting up a National Environment Protection
Authority supported by regional Environment Protection
Authorities," the Prime Minister added.
tututu
SECURITY STEPPED UP FOR COUNTRY'S BIGGEST
HYDRO POWER STATION IN HIMACHAL
Security has been beefed up around India's biggest 1500 MW
Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station as a precautionary measure
to avert any terrorist attack.
The central control of the Nathpa-Jhakri Power Station
(NJPS) is under Central Industrial Security Force (CSIF). The
station is now equipped with Close Circuit TV cameras, metal
detectors and a bomb disposal squad.
"After the Bombay attack (26/11) we got the information that
many hydro power stations are on terrorists' list. Keeping this
threat in mind, we have decided that all the sensitive places in
the 1500MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro power project will have CCTV
cameras, which are now functional. The central control of it is
20 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
with the Deputy Commandant of
CSIF and one channel is in my office
so that we can keep an eye on all the
people coming here," says N C
Bansal, General Manager of NJPS.
To enter the power station one
has to go through three-tiered
security check, which is managed by CISF (Central Industrial
security Force). There are a total of 52 cameras installed in all
the key points to check the movement of people working and
coming to the station.
The station usually produces 6.6 billion units of power a year
but this year it produced a record 1.14 billion units of power in
the month July alone despite the drought-like condition.
The power station generates the electricity worth 1400 crore
Indian rupees annually. This year this power station has
generated the highest ever power Units despite the drought in
the country.
NJPS provides power to the entire north Indian states of
Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,
Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
Nathpa-Jhakri Power Station (NJPS) is the biggest
hydropower project, which produces 6.6 billion units of power a
year. The power plant in Rampur, nearly 140 kilometres from
capital Shimla in the Himachal Pradesh state, is under a close
surveillance to thwart any terrorist attack.
tututu
ISRO LAUNCHES DESI VERSION OF GOOGLE EARTH
Isro took a leap into satellite imagery of geographical regions
with the launch of 'Bhuvan', a mapping application website like
Google Earth. The day marks the 90th birth anniversary of the
father of Indian space programme Vikram Sarabhai.
Top space scientists were present at the launch ceremony at
a workshop organised by Astronautical Society of India in New
Delhi. Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Agency
(NRSA), a part of Isro, had a lead role in designing and
developing 'Bhuvan'.
NRSA director V Jayaraman told TOI that in November 2008
he picked up young scientists from Isro to work on the project.
''They were extremely enthusiastic and right from the word ‘go’
our focus was that it should be useful to users in India,'' he said.
NRSA scientists developed the content using data provided
by Indian satellites like Resourcesat-1. 'Bhuvan', which in
 Sanskrit means the earth, also
focus on rural and thematic
applications like wasteland
mapping and terrain profile. It
contains weather details like
humidity levels. The new portal
shows data which has been
approved by the government of
India. ''Sensitive information has
been kept out of the public domain,'' said Jayaraman.
Isro chief spokesperson S Satish said compared to Google
Earth, 'Bhuvan' is more ''versatile'' and provides data about
different Indian cities. ''It's more viewer-friendly,'' said Satish.
Space officials requesting anonymity said viewers can zoom
into 'Bhuvan' maps up to 10 metres compared to Google Earth's
200 metres and Wikemapia's 50 metres. The website can be
accessed on http://www.bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in.
tututu
INDIA TO LAUNCH OCEANSAT-2
India would, by the second-half of September, launch
Oceansat-2 into the space, Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
The integration of the spacecraft,
Oceansat-2, designed to identify
potential fishing zones, assist in sea state
forecasting and coastal zone studies and
provide inputs for weather forecasting
and climate studies, has been completed,
Nair said.
Oceansat-2 is in-orbit replacement to
Oceansat-1, launched by the space
agency in May 1999 to study physical and
biological aspects of oceanography. It
would blast off on board India's home grown workhorse Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota on the East
coast.
The spacecraft would carry an Ocean Colour Monitor
(OCM) and a Ku-band pencil beam Scatterometer - for the first
time, besides a Radio Occultation Sounder for Atmospheric
Studies (ROSA), developed by the Italian Space Agency - ASI.
The Scatterometer with a ground resolution cell of 50 kms x
50 kms is expected to provide the wind vector range of four to 24
metres/second with better than 20 per cent accuracy in speed
and 20 deg in wind direction.
"The Scatterometer is a very good instrument for getting
surface wind on the sea. It again requires for sea state
forecasting. And for maritime navigation, the wave height and
disturbance is also important," Nair said.
The eight-band OCM is similar to the one in Oceansat-I
with appropriate spectral bandwidth modifications based on the
experience gained. OCM, with 360 metres spatial resolution and
a swath of 1,420 kms, would provide two-day receptivity, he
added.
The rocket would also carry six nano satellites from Europe
as piggybacks, Nair, also Secretary in the Department of Space,
said.
Considering that Oceansat-2 is a continuity mission to
Oceansat-I, the same polar sun-synchronous orbit of 720 kms
has been retained, he said adding data from Oceansat-1 was very
widely used by fishermen.
tututu
RAHMAN TO OFFER FREE PEACE CONCERT IN
AUSTRALIA
Oscar winner musician A. R.
Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)
will deliver a free concert in
Sydney (Australia) to make a
“statement of peace” in view of
recent racial attacks on Indian
students in Australia.
He reportedly said that this
concert, to be held at Parramatta
Park on January 16, 2010 was an
attempt to “reunite culturally and
spiritually” in view of the recent
bad vibe. He hopes that it creates a “bridge of understanding and
love” and breaks down “cultural misunderstandings”. Premier
Nathan Rees of New South Wales has congratulated Rahman for
this offer.
Prominent Australian entertainers should respond with a
similar gesture of a free concert in a major city of India, said
Indian American leader Rajan Zed.
Rahman, who has reportedly recorded sales of over 300
million, was called “Mozart of Madras' by Time magazine. Pop
icon Michael Jackson reportedly approached him before his
death to partner on a peace anthem on the lines of “We are the
World”. Rahman sees music as a “way to connect to spirituality
and embrace it”.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 21
 JASWANT SINGH RULES OUT WALKING AWAY FROM Madhav Kumar Nepal held discussions with Mukherjee
about developing economic ties between both countries.
POLITICS
" We h a v e a l r e a d y
Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party identified certain projects
(BJP) leader Jaswant Singh ruled out which can be taken up
walking away from active politics, immediately. We have made
saying he will continue to remain in commitments of making
public life. our contribution about
rupees 2000 crores for
He also said that he would implementing these
continue with his literary and creative projects, including Terai
pursuits while being in politics. ro u t e p ro j e c t , p o l i c e
academy, integrated check
In a meeting held immediately after the debacle of the party post, railway links,”
in the elections to the Lok Sabha in May, Singh is said to have Mukherjee said.
written a note titled Inaam (Award) and Parinaam (Result).
He added that both countries have decided to undertake
Singh said he has never associated himself with the projects on a need basis, and a joint committee consisting of
Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS), nor violated any officials from both sides would be set up to monitor the project
ideological stand of the party. and also to tackle issues arriving on hand.

"I have not violated the ideology of the party; I don't know Nepal also held discussions with Union Home Minister P.
which core ideology of the party they are speaking about. I don't Chidambaram regarding the joint border monitoring and other
want to explain any conduct," he said. security- related issues.

Singh also criticised the BJP's comparison of vote and vichar tututu
(thinking).
'NUTRITION PROGRAMME FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS'
Commenting on the banning of his controversial book
"Jinnah, India- Independence, Partition" by the Gujarat State APPROVED
Government, Singh asked "Where I made derogatory remarks
about Sardar Patel in that book? Whether they read the book The Cabinet Committee
before banning? on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
gave its approval for
A spokesperson of the Gujarat Government announced that continuation of the 'Nutrition
the state is banning the publication of the book because of Programme for Adolescent
derogatory remarks made about India's first Home Minister Girls' in 2009-2010 in 51
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. “Banning the book means shutting the districts as per existing
door for thought" Singh said. guidelines till the Rajiv
Gandhi Scheme for
"If any individual or organisation stops reading, writing, Empowerment of Adolescent
debating, thinking, and reflecting then it is heading towards Girls is approved.
darkness," Singh added.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the CCEA, Union
tututu Home Minister P Chidambaram said.

The CCEA also approved the releasing of funds as

MUKHERJEE REITERATES INDIA'S COMMITMENT ON
NEPAL DEVELOPMENT
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee assured visiting
Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal of India's
commitment to provide economic assistance for developmental
projects in Nepal.
22 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
central assistance (100 per cent grant basis) to States/UTs
out of the allocated amount of Rs.162.77 crore for the year
2009-2010.
With the implementation of this project, it is expected that
the nutritional status of the adolescent girls in the selected
districts would improve.
 INDIAN MISSIONS TO HAVE INDIAN COMMUNITY
WELFARE FUND
The Union Cabinet approved setting up the Indian
Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in the Indian Missions in 17
countries to meet contingency expenditure incurred by them for
carrying out various onsite welfare activities for overseas Indian
citizens who are in distress.
The proposed ICWF is
aimed at providing several
services. They are boarding
and lodging for distressed
overseas Indian workers in
household/domestic sectors
and unskilled labourers;
extending emergency
medical care to the overseas
Indians in need; providing
air passage to stranded overseas Indians in need; and providing
initial legal assistance to the overseas Indians in deserving cases.
Other objective is expenditure on incidentals and for
airlifting the mortal remains to India or local cremation/burial of
the deceased overseas Indian in such cases where a sponsor is
unable or unwilling to do so as per the contract and the family is
unable to meet the cost.
Overseas Indian workers duped by unscrupulous
intermediaries in the host countries, runaway house maids,
those who become victim of accidents, deserted spouses of
overseas Indians or undocumented overseas Indian workers in
need of emergency assistance or any other overseas Indian
citizens who are in distress would be the main beneficiaries of
the Fund.
The Fund will also be utilised to meet the expenditure for
airlifting the mortal remains of overseas Indian citizens to India
on the recommendation of the respective Heads of Missions.
tututu
SEVEN INDIAN CRICKETERS DOMINATE ICC 2009
AWARDS LIST
Seven Indian cricketers dominate this year's various LG ICC
Annual Awards for 2009 to be announced in Mumbai later on.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, openers Gautam
Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh,
middle-order bats V V S Laxman and Yuvraj Singh and fast
bowler Zaheer Khan feature in the list.
Dhoni, Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh have made the cut for
the Cricketer of the Year award.
The trio has also been nominated, in the initial list, for the
Test player of the year award along with stylish V V S Laxman.
For the coveted One-day International player of the year,
skipper Dhoni, prolific batsman Yuvraj Singh and opener
Virender Sehwag have made it to the initial list of nominees.
Indian pacer Zaheer Khan is a strong contender for the T20
Performer of the Year award.
Indian opener Virender Sehwag and former cricketer Ravi
Shastri announced the names of the nominees along with the
Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council, Haroon
Lorgat.
The sixth ICC annual awards ceremony is to be held at
Johannesburg during the ICC Champions Trophy.
There are eight individual prizes, including the Sir Garfield
Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year. The winners of
seven individual awards would be chosen on the basis of voting
done by a 25-person panel from around the world made up of
former players, media personnel and an elite umpire and match
referee.
Another 16-person group featuring former players and other
experts on the women's game would vote the nominations for
the Women's Cricketer of the Year award.
The other three awards are reserved for the Test Team of the
Year, the ODI Team of the Year and the Spirit of Cricket award.
Performances of players in the period between August 2008
and August 2009 would be taken into account for deciding the
awards, according to the ICC website.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 23
Current events
World
GOOGLE UNVEILS SPEEDIER SEARCH ENGINE
Google Inc is working on a new test version of its search
engine, which the company claims will be faster and more
relevant than ever before.
The company has dubbed the new search engine "caffeine".
Look-wise, the new engine doesn't appear different, but its
developers hope that the technology they have used will
noticeably index new content faster.
Google engineers are said to have invited web developers to
test the new search engine, and give their feedback.
Matt Cutts, a principal engineer at Google, and Sitaram Iyer,
a staff software engineer, have posted an entry on the company's
webmaster central blog, appealing to the developers to try the
newly improved service and send them some feedback.
"For the last several months, a large team of Googlers has
been working on a secret project: next-generation architecture
for Google's web search. It's the first step in a process that will let
us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy,
comprehensiveness and other dimensions," the Telegraph
quoted them as having written on the blog.
24 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
"The new infrastructure sits "under the hood" of Google's
search engine, which means that most users won't notice a
difference in search results. But web developers and power
searchers might notice a few differences, so we're opening up a
web developer preview to collect feedback," they said.
Google spokesperson added: "Google is always working on
new technologies to improve the quality of our search services.
We hope this new system will improve search in the areas of
speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness."
Martin McNulty, director of search marketing specialist,
Trafficbroker, who has tried the new version, said: "Google's
caffeine is undoubtedly faster, almost twice as fast at times. It's
like a Google GTi. Caffeine may be 'under the hood' but with this
noticeable injection of speed it won't remain under the radar for
long.
As for accuracy, it's hard to say at this early stage but Google
is clearly upping its game by including real-time results and
more breaking news, as well as updates from the likes of
Facebook and Twitter.”
tututu
ANGELA MERKEL STILL WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL
WOMAN: FORBES
German leader Angela Merkel
and businesswomen dominate
Forbes magazine's new list of
powerful women, while First Lady
Michelle Obama and secretary of
state Hillary Clinton didn't break
the top 30.
Merkel headed the list,
published on August19, 2009 for
the fourth year running, with the
magazine highlighting her role as
leader of the huge German economy and her likely re-election in
September.
 Reflecting the world's focus on recession and the struggle to
keep the financial markets afloat, Merkel was followed almost
exclusively by businesswomen.
In second place came Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corp, which insures US banks.
Third was Indra Nooyi, chief executive at PepsiCo, then
Cynthia Carroll, the chief executive of mining giant Anglo
American, and Ho Ching, chief executive at Singapore's
government investment company Temasek Holdings.
Hillary Clinton slipped from 28 last year, when she was close
to winning the Democratic presidential nomination to 36,
despite heading the powerful US State Department.
Michelle Obama came into the list for the first time.
Although she has the ear of the US president around the clock,
she ranked only 40.
Below her, at 42, came Britain' Queen Elizabeth II.
Herewith the full top 10 in the list:
1. Angela Merkel, chancellor. Germany
2. Sheila Bair, chairman, Fed. Deposit Insurance Corp. US.
3. Indra Nooyi, chief executive, PepsiCo. US.
4. Cynthia Carroll, chief executive, Anglo American. UK.
5. Ho Ching, chief executive, Temasek Holdings. Singapore
6. Irene Rosenfeld, chief executive, Kraft Foods. US.
7. Ellen Kullman, chief executive, DuPont. US.
8. Angela Braly, chief executive, WellPoint. US.
9. Anne Lauvergeon, chief executive, Areva. France
10. Lynn Elsenhans, chief executive, Sunoco. US.
tututu
MISS VENEZUELA WINS CROWN, INDIA OUT
Indian hopes were dashed
when Miss India Ekta Choudhry
failed to make the top 15 in the
Miss Universe 2009 contest.
Miss Venezuela Stefania
Fernandez, named winner of the
2009 Miss Universe pageant.
Miss Australia, Rachael Finch
and Miss Puerto Rico, Mayra
Matos Perez were the first
runner ups, while Miss Kosovo,
Gona Dragusha was second
runner up.
The pageant, held in Nassau, Bahamas was hosted by Billy
Bush an actress and former Miss Rhode Island USA Claudia
Jordan.
Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza, also of Venezuela,
crowned her successor.
tututu
INTERPOL ISSUES NOTICES AGAINST ZARAR SHAH, ABU
AL-QAMA
Hours after Pakistan
rejected India's 6th dossier
on the Mumbai terror
attacks, sources told that
the Interpol has issued more
Red Corner Notices against
two more 26/11 accused.
This comes a day after they
issued RCNs against
Lashkar-e-Taiba founder
chief Hafiz Saeed and
mastermind of Mumbai
terror strike Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Sources have said that the Interpol has issued notices to
Zarar Shah and Abu al-Qama for their involvement in the
November 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which killed over 180
people.
India had earlier sent proof and requested for issuing a
similar warrant against Lashker commander Zarar Shah and
Abu Al Qama, to which the Interpol has said that it was analysing
the evidence against them.
The Interpol has issued these notices after a Mumbai court
issued a non-bailable warrant against the LeT operatives for
their role in the November 26, 2008 attacks.
Besides Saeed and Lakhvi, two other top leaders of LeT –
Haji Muhammad Ashraf and Zaki-ur-Bahaziq – have also been
declared as terrorists by UNSC.
India had sought a ban on JuD after LeT was blamed for the
terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
The United States had sought a ban on Lakhvi, operations
leader of LeT, who is suspected to have planned the Mumbai
attacks, Ashraf, a JuD financier, and Bahaziq, an India-born
Saudi national who was suspected of collecting funds for the
banned organisations in Saudi Arabia.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 25
 “GREEN DAM YOUTH ESCORT” SOFTWARE WAS 'NOT
HANDLED WELL' IN CHINA
A senior Chinese government official has said that the
implementation of the "Green Dam Youth Escort" software,
which filters online pornographic, was "not thoughtful enough".
The government had
demanded in May, through a
directive issued by the Ministry of
Industr y and Information
Technology (MIIT) that all
personal computer manufacturers
should ensure that the filtering
software was included with all
computers sold in China by July 1.
It was intended to offer PC owners the opportunity to screen
Internet sites featuring pornography and violence, it was also
supposed to protect minors from such content and need not
have been used by other users.
"The choice of words in the directive was not clear enough,
which led to people's misunderstanding of why the Green Dam
software was ordered to be available on all computers," The
China Daily quoted Li Yizhong, Minister of MIIT, as saying.
UN APPOINTS FIRST SPECIAL ENVOY FOR
HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS FOR PAKISTAN
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed French
UN ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert
as the first Special Envoy in charge of
humanitarian affairs for Pakistan.
Ban's spokeswoman, Michele
Montas, said Ripert would assist the
Pakistan Government and the
international community to respond
to the current humanitarian crisis in
the country.
“Ripert is to assist the government of Pakistan and the
international community in responding to the present
humanitarian recovery and reconstruction needs related to the
country's displacement crisis,” The Dawn quoted Montas, as
saying.
Ripert, who will step down as UN ambassador at the end of
this month, would be on the post for an initial period of six
months. Ripert, 56, has addressed humanitarian issues
concerning several countries such as Myanmar, Darfur and Sri
Lanka in the Security Council in the past.

Yizhong has also said that the software would now be tututu
"voluntary", providing users an opportunity to decide if they want
to install it or not. WIKIPEDIA TO RESTRICT EDITING BIOS OF LIVING
PEOPLE
"When users buy computers, they will be provided the
software disk. It is up to the buyers to decide use it or not," said Wikipedia, the free online
Yizhong. encyclopedia to which anyone can
make contributions, will soon be
Yizhong, however, added that China would still push ahead introducing restrictions on editing
with the installation of Green Dam in schools and public information about living people.
Internet cafes. The encyclopedia, better known
for allowing users to edit and
"We will install it in computers located in schools and contribute to articles, would be
Internet cafes. We entirely respect customer’s benefit and bringing in the restrictions only for
freedom. We will definitely not make installation compulsory for bios of living people, which are at
all computers on sale," he said. high risk of being vandalised.

Yizhong further explained that MIIT wanted the software to
be included with PCs sold in China, but it was never the
ministry's intention to demand that the software be pre-
installed.
He also said that the ministry wanted PC makers to include
the program's setup files on new PC's hard drives or provide CD-
ROMs containing code with PC packages.
"This (restrictions) is a two-month trial. It will probably be
in place in the next few weeks – we are doing final testing now," a
Wikipedia spokesperson said.
As per the plan, a set of experienced users of Wikipedia
would have to approve the changes made to the bios of living
people before a casual reader can see it on the site. These would
be termed as "flagged revisions".

26 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

 According to the official, the restrictions would not be
applied on all living bios but only on the ones which could be
targets of vandalism.
"Anything in a living bio that is dubious, needs a good source
and evidence of relevance, or it can be summarily removed," the
spokesperson noted.
Currently, Wikipedia, which has over three million articles,
keeps away from "abusive or libelous information" in a living bio
by locking it – whereby the user would not be able to make any
changes.
About 1,000 out of 400,000 living bios including that of US
President Barack Obama and former President George W Bush
are locked at any time, the official said.
"With 'flagged revisions', a version can be flagged as 'good'
and will be visible to casual readers. Editors can still edit the live
version.
"So, we have the visible result of locking the page, but now,
we will be able to improve the article as well," the spokesperson
noted.
Regarding people who would be approving the versions, the
official said that in the beginning there would be 1,500 of them.
"There will be about 1,500 people who can approve versions
at the start, we expect to add lots more fairly quickly. Keeping the
time for approval, short, is very important," the spokesperson
added.
About the idea of "flagged revisions", Wikipedia in a recent
posting on the site said only a small percentage of cases would
require changes to be patrolled before becoming the default
view for readers.
"The proposal is to do so initially in the case of articles at high
risk of vandalism, including high risk biographies of living
people, where false information can do the most serious harm to
an individual," according to the posting.
The "flagged revisions" are already in place for the German
language Wikipedia for more than a year now.
tututu
FIJI SUSPENDED FROM THE COMMONWEALTH
The Commonwealth has fully suspended the South Pacific
Island of Fiji after it failed to meet a deadline to set a 2010
election date, according to a statement released from London.
Commonwealth Secretary-
General Kamalesh Sharma said
the decision was made with deep
regret and sorrow.
"Following the militar y
overthrow of civilian government
in December 2006, sustained
efforts have been made by the Commonwealth to engage the
interim government, so as to promote a return to constitutional
democracy," Sharma said.
The failure by Fiji's military commander and interim prime
minister Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama to commit to credible
elections, meant his country had been suspended, effective
immediately.
The Commonwealth's deputy secretary-general, Masire
Mwambe told Radio New Zealand that Fiji would not be able to
participate in intergovernmental meetings at a head-of-
government or ministerial level.
Technical assistance has been suspended, and Fiji is not
allowed to participate in the Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, who sits on
the Commonwealth's ministerial action group, told Radio New
Zealand that his country's current sanctions against Fiji's
regime would not change.
Earlier, Bainimarama told Radio Australia that his regime
would not budge from the 2014 election date he has set.
Fiji is now the second country to be suspended from the
Commonwealth, after Nigeria.
Fiji : Facts at a Glance
r Population as at 31 December 2007, stood at 837,271. Of
this total, 475,739 are Fijians; 313,798 are Indians and
47,734 are classed as Others.
r Suva is the country's capital city and is one of the two
cities in Fiji. The other city, Lautoka, is also located on
the country's main island of Viti Levu.
r Fiji lies in the heart of the Pacific Ocean and has an
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) containing about 330
islands, of which one third are inhabited.
r Fiji's total land area is 18,333 square kilometers. Viti
Levu and Vanua Levu are its two main islands. Other
main islands are Taveuni, Kadavu, Gau and Koro.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 27
Current events
Business and Economy
AIRTEL'S $500M OUTSOURCING DEAL UP FOR GRABS
India's largest telco Bharti
Airtel will outsource the
management and maintenance
of its 80,000 km-plus inter-city
optic fibre cable network in a
deal estimated at around $500
million over a five-year period,
two executives familiar with the development said.
Bharti has sounded out several telecom equipment majors
about the contract that will be issued soon, said an executive
privy to the development. The deal is in line with the company's
policy of outsourcing non-core activities to save costs and
become a telecom marketing company.
Inter-city optic fibre cables, or transmission network in
telecom industry parlance, carry voice (STD) and data
(internet) traffic across the country. In revenue terms, Bharti is
the largest carrier of voice and data traffic across the country and
many of the smaller telcos use Airtel's inter-city network for
carrying their STD calls.
Bharti has made outsourcing the cornerstone of its business
strategy, and has signed multibillion dollar contracts with
network vendors such as Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens, which
build, operate and manage its mobile network.
It pioneered the network outsourcing model in 2004 by
awarding contracts to Ericsson and Siemens (which later
merged with Nokia Networks) and this business model has now
been replicated by over 100 operators globally. Bharti was also
the first to outsource its IT requirements when it was awarded a
10-year $750-million contract to IBM, which is now worth $2.5
billion. Another billiondollar pact exists with six BPOs, which
collectively handle Bharti's customer services for a 10-year
period.
The Alcatel-Lucent-Bharti JV is the front runner to manage
and maintain the telco's inter-city networks, said another
industry executive aware of the development. In April 2009,
Bharti Airtel entered into a joint venture with Franco-American
28 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
telecom gearmaker Alcatel-Lucent to manage its landline and
broadband business.
Bharti is the minority partner in the 26:74 joint ventures, and
is paying the JV Company about $500 million over a five-year
period for managing its landline and broadband business in
about 100 cities for the next five years.
tututu
READER'S DIGEST TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY
The publisher of the world's largest-circulated magazine,
Reader's Digest-sold across dozens of countries including
India, has decided to file for
bankruptcy in the US, but its
operations in rest of the world
would remain unaffected.
The filing for bankruptcy protection by Reader's Digest
Association (RDA), the company said in a statement, is aimed at
reducing its debt burden by 75 per cent and to strengthen its
future financial position.
RDA, a global multi-brand media and marketing company
based in the US, has offices in 44 countries and sells books,
magazines, music, video and educational products reaching a
customer base of 130 million in 78 countries.
It publishes 94 magazines, including 50 editions of Reader's
Digest, the world's largest-circulated magazine and sells
approximately 40 million books, music and video products
across the world each year.
The company said it has reached an in-principle agreement
with its lenders to reduce its debt from $2.2 billion to $550
million and its 'Debt-for-Equity Restructuring Plan' is
supported by a majority of the lenders.
The restructuring agreement provides that the company's
senior secured lenders will exchange a substantial portion of the
company's $1.6 billion in senior secured debt for equity and provide
foratransferofownershipofthecompanytothelendergroup.
 ONGC EYES GAS DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS
After oil exploration, Oil and Natural Gas
Commission (ONGC) is all set to enter the
city gas distribution business as well. "We have
already signed a MoU with GAIL and we are
also working for gas distribution... Hopefully
in the coming years ONGC will fulfill its
dream" ONGC chairman and Managing
Director R.S. Sharma told mediapersons in the capital.
"Gas," he added, "is going to play vital role in the times to
come." Sharma was in city on the occasion of 53 years of
formation of ONGC. Even in the time of global meltdown, the
public sector company has performed well, he said.
tututu
RETURNING TO 9 PCT GROWTH BIGGEST CHALLENGE:
Manmohan Singh
Returning to a high growth rate is the greatest challenge
facing India, with a weak monsoon making the task harder, but
the economy may improve by year-end, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said in his Independence Day speech.
India's economy is likely to grow by 6.5-7 percent in the year
to March 2010, a top policy advisor said this week, matching the
6.7 percent growth in 2008/09, and well below the growth rates of
9 percent or more in the previous three years.
"Restoring our growth rate to 9 percent is the greatest
challenge we face," Singh said in his annual address from the
ramparts of Delhi's historic Red Fort.
"We expect that there will be an improvement in the situation
by the end of this year," he said, after unfurling the Indian
tricolour to the sound of the ceremonial 21-gun salute.
Monsoon rains in India, Asia's third-largest economy, are 29
percent below average so far, raising concerns of weaker farm
output and inflation. Economists say a bad monsoon could
knock as much as 2 percentage points off growth.
But India has adequate stocks of foodgrains, and the
government will keep food prices in check, Singh said.
"All efforts will be made to control rising prices of
foodgrains, pulses and other goods of daily use," he said,
speaking from behind a bullet-proof enclosure.
"The goal is 4 percent annual growth in agriculture, and I am
confident it will be achieved in the next five years," he said.
INDIA RECEIVES FIVE TIMES MORE FDI IN APRIL-JUNE
QUARTER: RBI
Signs of India's economic recovery appear
to have lifted confidence levels among foreign
investors, as the country received a foreign
investment flow that was five times more in the
in April-June quarter this year.
According to data released by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI), in the preceding quarter of January- March,
the country received three billion US dollars worth of foreign
investment, while in the April-June quarter it received 15-billion
US dollars in foreign investment.
The data further showed that of the total investment flows
during the quarter, portfolio investments accounted for 8.270
billion dollars, while direct inflows contributed 7.016 billion
dollars.
tututu
CHINA REPLACES US AS JAPAN'S LARGEST TRADING
PARTNER
China has become Japan's biggest
trading partner, replacing the
recession-hit United States, in the first
six months this year, the Japan External
Trade Organisation (JETRO) said.
Though Japan's export to China fell 25.3
per cent from last year to USD 46.5
billion and imports from the country dropped 17.8 per cent to
USD 56.2 billion, trading with other countries, including the
US, showed larger declines, JETRO said in its report.
It is the first time exports to China surpassed those to the
US, Xinhua said, citing the report. In the January-June period,
while the trade with China accounted for 20.4 per cent of total
trade volume of Japan that with the US amounted to 13.7 per
cent and that with South Korea 6.1 per cent.
tututu
FORTIS TO BUY 10 WOCKHARDT HOSPITALS IN RS
909-CR DEAL
In the largest acquisition in the Indian healthcare
businesses, Fortis Healthcare, promoted by the former owners
of drug maker Ranbaxy, has acquired some of rival Wockhardt
Hospital's assets comprising eight operational and two
greenfield projects for Rs 909 crore.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 29
 The deal will help Habil Khorakiwala-promoted Wockhardt
Hospital repay its entire debt of Rs 500 crore. The remaining
amount is to be used to expand 10 facilities and set up new ones.
Before this deal, the largest
healthcare acquisition was the
Rs 650-crore acquisition of
Escorts Heart Institute, also by
Fortis Healthcare, in 2005.
The acquisition of the 10 hospitals by Fortis will help the
company, promoted by the Singh family, add 1,902 beds to its
current capacity of 3,278 beds.
A Business Transaction Agreement (BTM) was signed and
the deal will be concluded by December, Fortis and Wockhardt
Hospitals said in a joint statement.
Fortis will finance the acquisition through a mix of debt and
equity. It will use Rs 350 crore from an earlier initial public offer
(IPO) and proceeds from a proposed Rs 1,000 crore rights issue
in a few months to fund the acquisition.
Talking to reporters at a press conference in Mumbai, Fortis
Healthcare Managing Director Shivinder Mohan Singh said the
acquisition would help the company move closer to its current
target of reaching 6,000 beds and revenues of $1 billion (around
Rs 5,000 crore based on current exchange rate) by 2012.
“With the acquisition of Wockhardt Hospitals, we will revise
our target," he said.
Singh told Business Standard that Fortis would not retain
the identity of Wockhardt Hospitals and would rename the
facilities Fortis Hospitals.
The acquisition will include four hospitals in Bangalore, two
in Mumbai and three in Kolkata. This includes two projects
under construction at Yeshwantpura at Bangalore and Anandpur
in Kolkata, which together will have 534 beds.
The acquisition includes Rs 190 crore earmarked towards
capital work-in-progress for these two projects under
construction.
The top management of Wockhardt Hospitals – including its
chief executive Vishal Bali – will also move to the Fortis fold after
the acquisition, along with 650 doctors and 1,300 other medical
staff. The acquisition is free of debt and all the movable and
immovable assets and manpower of the 10 hospitals will move to
Fortis.
The acquired hospitals accounted for 85 per cent of the
revenue for Wockhardt's chain in 2008-09. The deal leaves
30 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
Wockhardt with 10 hospitals, including seven super-specialty
hospitals in Rajkot, Surat, Nashik, Nagpur and Hyderabad. In
most cases, these hospitals are run by Wockhardt, but not owned
by them.
Khorakiwala put the 10 hospitals on the block as part of a
move to bail out the listed pharmaceutical company, Wockhardt
Ltd, which has accumulated debt of over Rs 3,400 crore. The
company, which borrowed heavily over the last few years to
expand its global footprint, recently announced the sale of an
overseas subsidiary and its nutrition business to rise around Rs
900 crore. Khorakiwala's healthcare business came under
pressure after Wockhardt aborted its Rs 800-crore public offer
plan in February 2008. The Khorakiwala family was earlier
trying to sell the entire chain for a valuation of Rs 1,200 to
Rs 1,500 crore. The suitors had included Fortis, Apollo, Manipal
Group and some private equity players.
“This has been a fair agreement for us. We believe Fortis will
continue to deliver quality care and patient safety,” said
Khorakiwala.
tututu
INDIA-NEPAL BILATERAL TRADE TO TOUCH US THREE
BILLION DOLLARS
Commerce and Industry Minister
Anand Sharma has stressed on the need
for increasing bilateral trade between
India and Nepal to energize economic
development in the region.
He revealed this during his
interaction with Rajendra Mahato,
Nepal's Commerce Minister. Senior
officials of both countries were also present.
Both Ministers discussed the proposed revised Treaty of
Trade and Agreement of Co-operation.
Sharma hoped the proposed treaty would lead to a furthering
of economic engagement by increasing the mutually agreed
points of trade and result in both investment and employment
generation.
The present trade between India and Nepal during the year
2008-09 (April-Feb) is 1862.02 million dollars and is expected to
touch over three billion dollars.
Nepal's major exports to India consist of vanaspati ghee,
yarn, textiles, GI sheet and other wires, juice, sacks, twins and
chemicals.
 Nepal depends upon India for most of its essential foodgrain
supplies like rice, medicines, and petroleum products,
infrastructure items such as cement and steel, transport
vehicles, spare parts, machinery equipment, chemicals,
electronic and agricultural equipments.
India is also a major investor in Nepal. Currently, it is
estimated that there are over 400 Indian-sponsored projects.
Over 44 per cent of Nepal's FDI is contributed by India.
tututu
BANKS TO RATION FREE USE OF OTHER ATMS
Barely five months after the
s e r v i c e c h a rg e o n u s i n g
automated teller machines
(ATMs) of other banks was
scrapped, it will be re-introduced
if someone uses this facility more
than five times a month, a high-
ranking banking sector official
said. Also the Reserve Bank of
India has said that not more than
Rs 10,000 can be withdrawn each
time they are used.
The apex bank has sent a communication in this regard to
Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and this is expected to be
implemented shortly, IBA Chief Executive K Ramakrishnan
said.
The Indian Banks Association (IBA), the representative
organisation of private and public sector banks in India, has
proposed that instead of allowing an unlimited number of free
transactions at another bank's ATM, there should be a limit of up
to five free transactions a month.
"Beyond five transactions, we propose to levy a transaction
fee of Rs.20 per transaction for using another bank's ATM," said
IBA deputy chief executive K Unnikrishnan.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has accepted the IBA
proposal, but it will be implemented only by October,
Unnikrishnan said.
An RBI spokesperson confirmed the development.
"It will be optional on the part of the banks to levy this charge
on customers. We have not made it mandatory but left it to their
(banks') discretion," Unnikrishnan said.
He explained that since the RBI's permission has been
taken, it would not be improper on the part of banks to levy the
charges if they wanted.
There are a little over 40,000 ATMs in India, of which nearly
30,000 are in urban centres and metros. The remaining 10,000
are in semi-urban centres with only a sprinkling in rural areas.
There are around 80 public sectors, private, cooperative and
foreign participating banks in the ATM network in the country.
After the ATM transactions fees on using other banks' ATMs
was scrapped in April, the IBA studied the entire gamut of ATM
transactions.
"We found that a majority of the ATM transactions were in
the range of average withdrawals of Rs.3, 500-4,000, and 90
percent of all transactions were below Rs.10,000. Hence, the
intended purpose to serve the common man was achieved,"
Unnikrishnan said.
However, there was a small minority of users who withdrew
very large sums on account of high card limits given by some
banks to privileged customers.
At the other extreme, there were some customers who
withdrew miniscule amounts, or made other kinds of inquiries.
This created several logistics problems causing avoidable
expenditure for banks at the cost of the common user, he said.
Taking into account these and related aspects, the IBA
submitted a proposal to RBI last month.
“We shall give sufficient notice to the customers before
implementing it, and individual banks can also inform their
customers about the proposal and whether or not they would
charge their customers. It will give time to affect suitable
modifications in the ATM programmes to implement it,"
Unnikrishnan said.
tututu
NETAPP, TATA COMM UNVEIL NEW SERVICES
As per the new initiative Tata
communication will use NetApp
technologies to provide cloud-based
services to monitor the infrastructure
and manage the IT requirements of
the customers.
The new technologies provided by NetApp will help Tata
Communication to provide customers easy and cost effective
services and also to address various challenges like
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 31
infrastructure requirements, opined Tata Communications
Vice-President (managed service& Marketing) Alok Bardiya.
NetAPP also announced the launch of Data ONTAP-8 a new
platform that will serve as foundation to address various needs of
the customers.
tututu
INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT RISES 7 PC IN JULY
“The index of industrial production for the month of July has
shown a growth rate of 7 per cent and the core sectors have also
demonstrated an upward trend,” Commerce & Industry
Minister Anand Sharma said while unveiling the Foreign Trade
Policy.
The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had recorded a
growth rate of 7.8 per cent a month ago in June. It had posted a
growth rate of 7.1 per cent a year ago in July 2008.
tututu
FORD TO LAUNCH SMALL CAR IN 2010
US-based carmaker Ford said it will launch its new small car
during the first half of next year and was planning to start
exporting the product by the end of 2010. The company said the
sub-B segment car would be made
to meet the statutory requirements
of having an engine capacity of 1.2
litre petrol engine and 1.5 litre
diesel engines.
"Our planned small car will be launched in India in by early
2010. We also plan to export it to markets in Asia Pacific and
Africa by the end of next year," Ford India President and
Managing Director Michael Boneham told reporters on the
sidelines of the Annual Siam Convention.
He said the company was looking at exploring the overseas
market for the new car, but did not give details about the number
of units planned.
Ford India has recently launched new advanced version of its
SUV Endeavour.
Boneham, meanwhile, said that the company has no plans to
phase out its existing small car Fusion from India at present.
The company is also planning to start exporting diesel and petrol
engines from its Chennai plant by early 2010. The company
hopes to maintain a sales figure of 30,000 units this year, similar
to last year's figure.
32 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
ANITA DAS JOINS ONGC BOARD
The government has appointed former bureaucrat Anita
Das to the board of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp
(ONGC) as an independent director. A veteran administrator
and a 1972 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh Cadre, Das
retired as Secretary, AYUSH in the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare in October last year, a company press release
said.
With Das' nomination, the ONGC Board now has 13
members, including seven functional directors (including
chairman and managing director) and six non-executive
directors. The six non-executive directors are made up of two
part- term government nominee directors and four part-time
non- official directors.
Besides, the Managing Director of ONGC Videsh Ltd, the
overseas subsidiary of the state-run firm is an invitee to the
meetings of the board. "She (Das) has vast experience in the
field of industrial promotion as the Additional Director and
Deputy Secretary Industry and later as Principal Secretary Rural
Industry at the state level," the release said.
tututu
GOVT LOOKS TO IMPLEMENT NEW I-T LAW FROM 2011
The government unveiled the draft
of a brand new direct tax law, which will
replace the four-decade Income-Tax
Act, "... to improve the efficiency and
equity of our tax system by eliminating
distortions in the tax structure,
introducing moderate levels of taxation
and expanding the tax base", said
finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The tax code makes radical changes
in all areas of taxation: it lowers the incidence of tax on corporate
and individual incomes but reintroduces wealth tax and capital
gains tax, albeit at lower levels. It also proposes to bring a
uniform pattern of taxation on all long-term savings in the form
of EET– exempt at the stage of contribution, exempt during
accumulation and taxed during withdrawal.
Releasing the draft direct taxes code, Mr Mukherjee said if a
reasonable level of discussion happens on the code, a bill could
be placed in the winter session of Parliament. The government
is hoping to implement the new code from 2011.
Home minister P Chidambaram, who during his tenure as
finance minister had initiated work on the Code and was
intensely involved with its drafting, said this was a brand new
Code written from scratch. Mr Chidambaram also said the
underlying philosophy behind the Code is the philosophy of the
government, which is wedded to a well-regulated free market
system.
The code proposes to exempt income up to Rs 1, 60,000 a
year from tax. Income up to Rs 10 lakh will be taxed at 10%, 10-25
lakh at 20% and beyond Rs 25 lakh at 30%. Currently, there is no
tax till Rs 1, 60,000 of income in a year. However, there is a 10%
tax on income between Rs 1, 60,000 and Rs 3 lakh, 20% between
Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, and 30% beyond Rs 5 lakh.
But under the new tax law, an individual's gross salary would
also include perquisites such as value of rent-free
accommodation, medical reimbursements and leave travel
encashment. Taxpayers will also not be able to claim tax benefit
on interest repayment on housing loans. However, the benefit
would be available if the house is rented.
All savings schemes would also come under EET, implying
that they would face tax at the time of withdrawal. However, tax
exemption would be available to the Public Provident Fund and
other pension fund schemes on withdrawals of amounts
accumulated up to March 31, 2011.
The Code further proposes abolition of STT. Capital gains
on shares and securities have been proposed to be taxed as
income, added to other income after indexation with base year
2000. “The capital gains regime is proposed to be simplified by
eliminating the distinction between long-term and short-term
capital assets,” Vikas Vasal, executive director, KPMG.
Wealth tax provisions are proposed to be overhauled. Net
wealth, which would include all wealth of an individual in excess
of Rs 50 crore, will be chargeable to wealth tax at the rate of
0.25%. One of the key changes suggested by the Code includes
giving supremacy to the Indian tax law in case of a dispute
between provisions of a tax treaty and the Code, and introduction
of a general anti-avoidance rule to combat tax avoidance.
This would help the tax authority's deal with cases such as
Hutch-Vodafone, where if they infer that a tax treaty was being
abused for tax benefits, those cases are denied.
Besdies, a massive overhaul is suggested for corporate
taxation besides slashing the corporate tax rate to 25%. The new
rate would not have any surcharge or cess unlike present.
Moreover, the current profit-linked tax incentives for
businesses will be replaced with investment-linked incentives.
To put it simply, a company would be able to enjoy tax benefit
only to the extent it invests. But, all the tax exemptions such as
those available to Special Economic Zones would be given time
to adjust to new regime. A minimum alternate tax on assets of
companies is being proposed as it provides incentive for
efficiency at the rate of 2%. It also proposes rationalisation of tax
provisions for amalgamations and demerger so that tax remains
neutral when businesses reorganise.
Dividend distributed by companies would be taxed at the
rate of 15%.
In move that would have major impact on foreign companies
or companies that have made investments in foreign countries,
the code is proposing to treat a company as an Indian resident
even if it is partly controlled in India. Presently, a company is
treated as an Indian resident and taxed, only if full control of that
company lies here. the measure is primarily aimed at preventing
escape of any income from taxation.
“The thrust of the code is to improve the efficiency and
equity of our tax system by eliminating distortions in the tax
structure, introducing moderate levels of taxation and
expanding the tax base,” Mr Mukherjee said.
tututu
INDIA'S GDP RECORDS 6.1 PERCENT GROWTH IN FIRST
QUARTER
India managed a reasonable economic
growth of 6.1 percent during the first quarter
of the current fiscal despite the global
financial crisis impacting manufacturing and
services sectors.
Country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate
during April-June 2009 at 6.1 percent was higher than 5.8
percent in the previous quarter.
India witnessed a 7.8 percent economic expansion during
the corresponding period of the last fiscal.
According to sources, mining and electricity in industrial
sector, and financing among services sector posted higher
growth of 7.9, 6.2 and 8.1 percent, respectively, in the first
quarter of this fiscal, against 4.6, 2.7 and 6.9 percent a year ago.
Infrastructure development and community services also
managed to register a growth of 7.1 and 6.8 percent against 8.4
and 8.2 percent, in the last fiscal.
However, agriculture and manufacturing industry expanded
at a slower rate of 2.4 and 3.4 percent respectively.
The growth of hotels, trade, transport and communication
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 33
was significantly lower at 8.1 percent against 13 percent in the
last fiscal, sources said.
Earlier, speaking in a function of the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in Bangalore,
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Montek Singh
Ahluwalia said drought situation prevailing in the country might
prevent from achieving seven percent growth this year.
"Seven percent growth rate this year is unlikely. People are
talking about six and six-and-a-half percent growth, which we
agree and I think is reasonable,"Ahluwalia said.
Ahluwalia expressed confidence that "The economy should
be able to rebounce by 2010. It would be normal in the 12th
Plan.”
tututu
TATA WANTS COMPENSATION FOR SINGUR LAND
Almost 10 months after pulling out of
Singur, Ratan Tata has declared that he is
ready to vacate the 997 acres of the
aborted Nano plant, provided he is
compensated for his investment.
“We do not wish to sit on the land. We
will give it back if the state compensates
us,” said Tata when asked about Tata
Motors' plans with the land of the aborted car project. However,
he didn't comment on the quantum of compensation he was
expecting.
In October 2009, before pulling out Tata had said they had
sunk about Rs 1,500 crore for the project.
As soon as Tata's comment spread, Trinamool Congress
leaders raised their claim of the land being returned to the
government and the unwilling farmers. “Let them first return
400 acres that belong to unwilling farmers, then they can do
whatever they like with the rest,” said Trinamool Parliamentary
Party chief Sudip Bandopadhyay.
Mamata Banerjee had launched a strident campaign in
Singur in 2008 against acquisition of land from farmers, which
eventually forced Tata Motors to vacate the site and relocate to
Sanand in Gujarat.
Tata, who had come to attend Tata Tea's annual general
meeting, said “Bengal still remains in our heart,” and added that
his company has no intention of being an impediment to the
overall development of the state.
34 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
To another query if Tata would meet Banerjee, given her
keenness to do something in Singur, Tata said: “Why should I
meet her? The land doesn't belong to her.”
tututu
HYUNDAI LAUNCHES NEW SANTRO
India's second largest car maker
Hyundai Motors India launched a
new range of its flagship Santro car,
priced between Rs 2.63 and Rs 3.48
lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
"Santro has been a phenomenal
success in India right from the
launch till now. The new Santro has been designed with
luxurious interiors and improved exterior features to further
enhance its appeal to the customers" Hyundai Motors India
(HMIL) Managing Director H S Lheem said in a statement.
The company has so far sold about 15 lakh units of Santro in
the country. The new model under Santro Non-Ac are priced at
Rs 2.63 lakh, while Santro GL and GLS are priced at Rs 3.28 lakh
and Rs 3.48 lakh respectively.
The LPG variant of Santro GL is priced at Rs 3.49 lakh,
whereas the LPG variant of Santro GLS is priced at Rs 3.69 lakh.
tututu
TELECOM REGULATOR AMENDS VALUE ADDED
SERVICES RULES
India's telecom regulator made it mandatory for operators to
twice seek confirmation from cell phone users before they
subscribe to value-added services (VAS).
Under the amended rules, subscribers will be required to
first confirm their subscription by pressing any cell phone key
other than '*' (star) or '9'.
The second time, the subscriber will have to reconfirm the
VAS subscription by pressing either '*' or '9', the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement.
'TRAI considered the matter, and worked out a solution
which shall address the concern of the industry as well as protect
the interest of consumers about ease of subscription to value
added services and prevention of unintentional or accidental
activation of value added service,' it said.
 The amendment also mandates service providers to
intimate the subscriber, at least three days before the due date of
renewal of a subscribed value added service, the due date for
renewal, the charges for renewal, and the toll-free telephone
number for un-subscribing such value added service.
TRAI April 27 had directed operators to seek written consent
from subscribers to VAS such as call ring back tone and hello
tunes to prevent accidental activation of such services.
However, industry associations and operators such as the
Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Association of
Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) and Bharat
Sanchar Nigam, told TRAI that the directive could slow the
growth of VAS on account of the multi-stage activation process.
tututu
ADLABS FILMS TO BE RENAMED RELIANCE
MEDIAWORKS
Adlabs Films, India's leading film and media Services
Company, and a member of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
Group, announced that it
proposes to change its name to
Reliance MediaWorks Limited,
subject to shareholders and
other requisite approvals.
For the year ended March
31, 2009, the Company delivered total revenues of Rs. 733 crores
($152 million), reflecting a Compounded Annual Growth Rate
(CAGR) of 80 per cent in the last three years.
The original name, Adlabs Films, was reflective of the
company's initial business as a film processing laboratory.
Pursuant to the Reliance ADA Group acquiring the controlling
stake in Adlabs in the year 2005, the company has witnessed
transformational growth in the canvas and scale of its
operations.
Commenting on the development, Anil Arjun, Chief
Executive Officer said, “The name Reliance MediaWorks
Limited more accurately reflects our identity as a diversified
film and media services company with a global presence. We are
privileged to draw upon the international recognition of the
Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group brand, to further
strengthen our leadership position in the media and
entertainment business. ”
The company has a presence in the film exhibition business
in India and internationally; and has entered new segments of
the film production value chain including digital post-
production, digital cinema mastering studios/shooting floors
film and TV equipment rentals, visual effects and image
enhancement, film restoration BPO and other value added
services.
Adlabs' television venture, BIG Synergy is among the leading
players in India in the television programming industry.
The company's operations include a 100 per cent owned
facility in Los Angeles, California - Lowry Digital - which is
universally regarded one of the premier digital restoration
facilities in the world.
tututu
INDIA HAS QUIT IRAN GAS PIPELINE DEAL: REPORT
India has exited from a gas pipeline deal it earlier planned
with Iran and Pakistan, Mehr news agency reported citing a
Pakistani diplomat.
"India definitely quitted the IPI
(India-Pakistan-Iran) gas pipeline deal,"
the report said citing Pakistani
ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Bux
Abbasi, as saying.
Abbasi added that Pakistan plans to
increase its crude oil import from Iran. Iranian officials,
however, said India has not yet officially declared its intention.
In May this year, Tehran and Islamabad signed a $7.5-billion
deal to supply gas from Iran to Pakistan. As per the deal, Iran
would initially supply 30 million cubic meters of gas per day to
Pakistan which would be later increased to 60 million cubic
meters per day.
Iran, Pakistan and India had conceptualised the project in the
1990s to help boost peace and security in the region, besides
mitigating the power crisis. India stopped negotiations on the
project due to tension with Pakistan, although Iran repeatedly
encouragedNewDelhitorejointheprocess,accordingtothereport.
The pipeline would run 2,775 km when linked with the three
countries. The project would have greatly benefited India, which
do not have sufficient natural gas to meet its rapidly increasing
domestic demand.
Pakistan has been facing electricity shortfall of more than
3,000 megawatts and plans to generate 4,600 megawatts from
Iranian gas. Islamabad has been under pressure from
Washington to abandon the deal.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 35
 GK Bytes
r Konark Beach is located on the
coast of Bay of Bengal in the
eastern part of Orissa. The 13
JD
Century Sun temple is situated 3
kms from sea coast.
r Meenakshi Temple, a fine example of Dravidian
architecture, is a popular tourist attraction in Madurai.
The temple situated in an area of six hectors was designed
in 1560 AD and was built at the reign of Thirumalai Nayak.
r A prized tourist destination for travelers around the world,
Kochi offers variety of attractions such as St. Francis
Church, Vasco House, Santa Cruz Basilica, and Cherai
Beach.
r Almora is a hill station in Uttar Pradesh houses the temple
of Kaushiki Devi on the Kashyap Hill. According to the
Puranas, Kaushiki Devi appeared from the body of
Goddess Parvati to kill the demons Shumbh-Nishumbh.
r A city of seven islands, Mumbai
had the honor of hosting the first
I n d i a n N a t i o n a l C o n g re s s
meeting in 1885. It was also the
place from where the Quit India
campaign was launched.
r Surrounded by Tibet to the east, Kinnaur in Himachal
Pradesh is home to three mountain ranges i.e.
Dhauladhar, GreatHimalayas and Zanskar. Chandika
temple and Mathi temple are some of its famous pilgrim
centers.
r The Mazar of famous Sufi saint Waris Ali Shah is situated
at Dewa, about 40 kms from Bara Banki in UP. A fair is held
every year in the month of Kartik on the occasion of his
annual 'Urs'.
r The Sweet Falls also called 'Weitden,' in
the native dialect is the most beautiful of
all the waterfalls in Shillong. It lies
about 5 kms from the Happy Valley and is
about 96 m in height.
38 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
r Digha, Bakkhali Sea Resort, Bandel, Tarakeswar,
Kamarpukar, Gadiara, Bakreshwar, Mukutmanipur and
Vishnupur are the places of tourist attractions in West
Bengal.
r Lonavala, a hill station set amongst
the slopes of the Sahyadri
mountain range and situated 106 km
southeast of Mumbai at an altitude
of 625 m above sea level, was an
important Buddhist center in the
2nd century BC.
r Perched at an altitude of 2,510 m above sea level amongst
the foothills of the Himalayas, Kufri near Shimla has other
attractions such as Himalayan Nature Park and Indira
Tourist Park.
r Jain Temples, Nakki Lake, Toad Roak,
Gau Mukh temple, Om Shanti
Bhawan and Sunset Point are
popular tourist attractions in Mt.
Abu.
r Ujjayanta Palace, which was built in the Indo-Saracenic
style in 1901 by Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya is the
major place of tourist interest in Tripura's capital Agartala.
It is a two-storied mansion, with 28 hectares of parkland.
r Lansdowne is a picturesque hill station in Uttaranchal
which houses the command office of the Garhwal Rifles
of the Indian Army.
r The Kerala town of Alappuzha was founded by Divan of
Travanacore - Raja Keshawadasan in 1762. Major places
of interest are Kuttanad, Champakulam Church, Light
House, Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple and
Karumadikuttan.
r The Taj Lake Palace, located in the middle of Lake
Pichola (Udaipur). The palace was built in 1746 by
Maharana Jagat Singh II, 62nd successor to the royal
dynasty of Mewar – believed to be descendants of the Sun
God.

Cloud Computing
A revolution in IT
I n the beginning computers were human. Then they took the
shape of metal boxes, filling entire rooms before becoming
ever smaller and more widespread. Now they are
evaporating and becoming accessible from anywhere.
Computing is taking on yet another new shape. It is
becoming more centralized again as some of the activity moves
into data centres. But more importantly, it is turning into what
has come to be called a “cloud”, or collections of cloud.
Computing power will become more and more disembodied and
will be consumed where and when it is needed.
In cloud computing, a company can store information and
applications in data centres located outside the customer's
internal network, rather than on local server. The source of data
called “cloud” can be tapped remotely through a personal
computer, cellphone or other device.
CLOUD COMPUTING COULD BE A GAME CHANGER
Cloud computing could be a game changer for the IT
professionals because out o the total budget allocated for the IT
in an organization, 70% of the budget goes towards maintaining
status quo and rest 30 % goes towards innovation and this is
where virtualization can play role. It has been assumed that
computing can save up to 50-60% in capital cost, 25% in
operational cost and 33% human energy.
Many chief information officer would love to take their IT
infrastructure out to sea and perhaps drown it there. Even as
demand for corporate computing continues to increase, IT
budgets are being cut. At the same time many firms' existing
infrastructure is bursting at the seams.
Cloud computing will be a huge opportunity for business not
only in IT but also in R&D areas such as aerospace, nuclear,
mechanical and chemical engineering. By offering computer
power over the internet, the companies could free up their
customers from having to pay for their own hardware and
facilities.
One of the advantages of cloud computing is, that both small
and medium sized businesses can instantly obtain the benefits
of the enormous infrastructure without having to implement
and administer it directly. This also permits accessibility to
multiple data centers anywhere on the globe. It also means that
as the need for resources increases, companies can add
PT Panorama
additional service as and when needed from the cloud
computing vendor without having to pay for additional hardware.
another incentive to opt for cloud computing is that it is
more environmentally friendly. Reducing the number of
hardware components and replacing them with cloud
computing systems reduces energy costs for running hardware
and cooling as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions and
conserving energy
In a cloud computing system, there's a significant workload
shift. Local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting
when it comes to running applications. The network of
computers that make up the cloud handles them instead.
Hardware and software demands
on the user's side decrease. The
only thing the user's computer
needs to be able to run is the
cloud computing system's
interface software, which can be
as simple as a Web browser, and
the cloud's network takes care of the rest
WORRY OF “CLOUDS”
Perhaps the biggest concerns about cloud computing are
security and privacy. The idea of handing over important data to
another company worries some people. Corporate executives
might hesitate to take advantage of a cloud computing system
because they can't keep their company's information under lock
and key.
Privacy is another matter. If a client can log in from any
location to access data and applications, it is possible the client's
privacy could be compromised. Cloud computing companies
will need to find ways to protect client privacy. One way is to use
authentication techniques such as user names and passwords.
Another is to employ an authorization format – each user can
access only the data and applications relevant to his or her job.
The rise of the cloud is more than just another platform shift
that gets geeks excited. It will undoubtedly transform the
information technology industry, but it will also profoundly
change the way people work and companies operate. It will allow
digital technology to penetrate every nook and cranny of the
economy and of society, creating some tricky political problems
along the way.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 39
Profile
Sunil Mittal
Chairman & Managing Director, Bharti Group
S unil Mittal can be called as originator of cellular phone
revolution in India. He is the founder, Chairman and
Managing Director of Bharti Group and runs India's
largest GSM-based mobile phone service. Sunil Bharti Mittal's
father was an MP. Sunil did not follow his father's footsteps.
After graduating from Punjab University in 1970s, he set up a
small bicycle business in Ludhiana in partnership with his
friend.
By 1979, Sunil Mittal realized that his ambitions could not be
fulfilled in Ludhiana, so he moved out to Mumbai from
Ludhiana. He spent a few years in Mumbai and
in 1982; Sunil Mittal started a full-fledged
business selling portable generators imported
from Japan. This gave him a chance to acquaint
himself with the nitty-gritty's of marketing and
advertising. His business was running smoothly
but later on the government banned the import
of generators as two Indian companies were
awarded licenses to manufacture generators
locally.
Sunil Mittal got interested in push button
phones while on a trip to Taiwan, and in 1982,
introduced the phones to India, replacing the old
fashioned, bulky rotary phones that were in use
in the country then. Bharti Telecom Limited
(BTL) was incorporated and entered into a technical tie up with
Siemens AG of Germany for manufacture of electronic push
button phones. By the early 1990s, Mittal was making fax
machines, cordless phones and other telecom gear.
The turning point came in 1992 when the Indian
government was awarding licenses for mobile phone services for
the first time. One of the conditions for the Delhi cellular license
was that the bidder has some experience as a telecom operator.
Mittal clinched a deal with the French telecom group Vivendi.
Two years later, Sunil secured rights to serve New Delhi. In
1995, Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL) was formed to offer
cellular services under the brand name AirTel.
Within a few years Bharti became the first telecom company
to cross the 2-million mobile subscriber mark. The company is
also instrumental in bringing down the high STD/ISD, cellular
40 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
rates in the country by rolling the countries first private national
as well as international long-distance service under the brand
name ‘IndiaOne’. In 2001, the company entered into a joint
venture with Singapore Telecom International for a $650-
million submarine cable project, the countries first ever
undersea cable link connecting Chennai in India and Singapore.
Always on the move and making an impact and excelling in
whatever he did, this clear thinking risk taker has changed the
face of the Indian ICT space. For his contributions he has been
honoured with several awards. He was chosen as one of the top
entrepreneurs in the world for the year 2000
and amongst 'Stars of Asia', by 'Business
Week', he received IT Man of the Year
Award 2002 from Dataquest and CEO Of
the Year, 2002 Award (World HRD
Congress).
He is the member of National Council
of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),
Federation of Indian Chambers of
C o m m e rc e & I n d u s t r y ( F I C C I ) ,
Chairman, Indo-US Joint Business
Council, Member, Advisory Committee
constituted by Ministry of IT. Mittal has to
his credit the breaking up of the 100 year old
monopoly of state run companies to operate
telecom services in India.
Now he heads a successful empire focused on different areas
of business through independent Joint Venture companies with
a market capitalization of approximately $ 2 billion, employing
over 5,000 people and still growing. Bharti Foundation has
funded over 50 schools in Madhya Pradesh and also donated Rs
200 million to IIT Delhi for building a Bharti School of
Technology and Management.
In spite of his deep involvement in work, Mittal the man is
calm, seldom ruffled and very down to earth. He says he achieves
a sense of detachment and peace with regular practice of yoga.
He is thankful for a supportive family including a daughter and
twin sons, with whom understandably he doesn't get much time
to, spend. His brothers Rakesh and Rajan are with him in the
business.

M.S. Oberoi
Father of 20th century India's hotel business
M .S. Oberoi Known as the Grand Old Man of the
Indian Hospitality business, Rai Bahadur Mohan
Singh Oberoi was the founder of the well known
Oberoi Group which today owns several luxury hotels, resorts
and a luxury cruise line. His tireless efforts helped mark India as
a major site for world tourism.
Mohan Singh Oberoi's life is a literal rags-to-riches story. He
was born on August 15, 1898 in Bhaun, a small village in
erstwhile undivided Punjab. His father Attar Singh Oberoi was a
small time contractor in Peshawar. Unfortunately the young
Attar Singh soon died because of a cholera
epidemic, leaving behind his 18 year old
widow Bhagwanti and small six month old son.
They returned to Bhaun where he and his
mother were sheltered by his grandfather.
After completing his basic education in
the village school, he matriculated from DAV
School in Rawalpindi. He then passed his
intermediate examinations from Lahore. His
first job was as a supervisor in a shoe factory.
However the factory closed down and he was
left unemployed. It was at this time that he was
married to Ishran Devi from his native village.
In 1922, he decided to apply for a
government job in Simla. He did not get the
appointment but with typical panache, he
approached Mr. Grove, the manager of the luxurious Hotel Cecil
and was hired as a clerk. Mr. Grove was succeeded by Mr. Clarke,
who promoted the young man to the post of cashier and
stenographer. Pandit Motilal Nehru, who was a frequent guest at
the hotel was impressed by his dedication and hard work and
rewarded the young Oberoi with the princely sum of Rs.100. By
thistime,theOberoishadtwochildrencalledRajraniandTilakRaj.
In 1924, when Mr. Clarke decided to go into business for
himself, he invited the industrious Oberoi to join him. The first
business venture was a catering contract for the elite Delhi Club.
The next project was leasing an old Simla hotel called the
Carlton. Renamed to Clarke's Hotel, it was soon a raging
success. After five years, with the retirement of Mr. Clarke,
Oberoi took over the business. It was the first of the hotels that
Oberoi eventually acquired.
Profile
In 1938, he leased the Grand Hotel in Calcutta for a sum of
Rs. 7000 every month. He turned around the fortunes of the
ailing hotel with a brilliant move. World War II was on and
Calcutta was teeming with soldiers. Oberoi completely
refurbished the hotel and set up facilities to accommodate 1500
beds, which he then offered to the British army for a sum of Rs.
10 each. Oberoi was not just rewarded by success but he was also
given the title of Rai Bahadur by the British Government for his
efforts.
In 1943, he took over Associated Hotels of India Limited and
gained control over hotels located in Delhi,
Lahore and Rawalpindi. He then gradually
added more hotels to the group beginning
with establishments in Darjeeling and
Orissa. Under his leadership, the company
diversified restaurants and tour services.
Oberoi Group was one of the first
companies to have women employees in the
Hospitality Sector. He also founded the
O b e ro i C e n t re o f L e a r n i n g a n d
Development.
He also had a successful political
career. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha
twice, in 1962 and 1972. He became an
elected member of the Lok Sabha in 1968.
MS Oberoi has won several honors over his
lifetime. He was chosen as an "Elite Winner of 1978" by
Newsweek Magazine and honoured by the Government of India
with the Padma Bhushan in 2001.
Today, The Oberoi Group owns or manages 37 luxury and
first class international hotels in seven countries.
He passed away at the age of 103 on May 3, 2002.
M.S. Oberoi was a quick learner and shouldered many
additional responsibilities along with the job of desk clerk. M. S.
Oberoi's diligence prompted Mr. Clarke to request Mohan
Singh Oberoi to assist him when he acquired Clarkes Hotel. At
the Clarkes Hotel, M.S. Oberoi gained first hand experience in
all aspects of hotel operations.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 41
 opinion
“We will remove all our troops from Iraq by the
end of 2011. For America, the Iraq war will end.”
– Barack Obama, said in his address to the
Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in
Phoenix, Arizona
“(L.K.) Advani created an ideological confusion
by lauding Jinnah. Jaswant Singh has added to
it.”
– Bal Thackeray, said in an editorial in Sena
mouthpiece 'Saamana’
“There is credible information of ongoing
plans of terrorist groups in Pakistan to carry out
fresh attacks.”
– Manmohan Singh, said while addressing
the Conference of CM in New Delhi
“I was asked bizarre questions by the airport
officials. It wasn't a drama. I don't want
publicity. But, I feel routine procedure was not
followed there. We should not be treated on the
basis of our colour or nationality.”
– Shahrukh Khan, Bollywood superstar
addressed mediapersons after his detention at
Newark International Airport in the US
“It is a universal rule that the young generation
must replace the old generation.”
– Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief told television
channel 'Times Now' when asked about the
aging top leadership of the BJP
“The recovery has started. Sustaining it will
require delicate rebalancing acts, both within
and across countries.”
– Olivier Blanchard, chief economist, said
in an IMF's article
42 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
“Once I was portrayed as Hanuman of the party,
now I am treated as Ravana.”
– Jaswant Singh, after his expulsion from
BJP
“I know that some Americans fear that greater
partnership with India will mean lost jobs or
falling wages in the United States. But if we
manage our relationship well, both sides can
benefit from India's economic progress.”
– Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, said in
response to a question which was texted to
her during her trip to India last month
“If required, the government would not hesitate
to undertake open market intervention and
release of wheat and rice under the open market
sale scheme.”
– Sharad Pawar, Food and Agriculture
Minister said that 246 districts in 10 states
have been declared drought hit
“I lost the (semifinal) bout. It would have been
nice to have won and ensured that India's first
Olympic medal in boxing was gold.”
– Vijender Singh, Indian boxer
“India has not responded to Pakistan's request
for intelligence-sharing on New Delhi's
concerns about terrorist attacks being planned
from Pakistani soil.”
– Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign
Minister Pakistan
“Hindi is necessary for students to integrate
with the rest of the country.”
Kapil Sibal, Union HRD minister said while
addressing the Council of Boards of Secondary
Education, New Delhi
 Guestroom

‘Situation’ Writer
Lt. Col P. Deogirikar (Retd.)

We can hear the songs through out the 24 hours and at any place, especially after the mobiles have infiltrated our
lives. And these songs could be anything, old or new, classical or jazz, Bhajans or ghazals. While these songs may
have been written for some reel-situations, we could invent some interesting real-situations given in these songs. If
only a part of this song is taken, we could imagine a dozen interesting situations. Shall we try this “reverse
engineering”?

1. A youngster is at the ground floor of a multistorey building
considering whether to take the lift or use the stairs when a song
comes alive - “Jeena nahin tere bina”. He realizes that his
girlfriend is not with him and coolly takes the lift for the
second floor!
2. If an overweight youth was taking the stairs as per doctor’s
advice, the song ‘Aaj phir jeene ti tammanna hai, aaj phir
marne ka irada hai’ could well be played in the background.
3. Another person, typical one with his mouth full of ‘paan’ is
in dire need to spit it out. But he is taking the stairs and finds the
God’s photos pasted at the appropriate corners. (Wonder how
the God would react if he knows - which he must as he is the
‘know-all’- that one of his primary duties is to ensure no spitting in
the multistoried buildings!) The man takes a good aim and
‘shoots’ between two such photos. Fachhak! And the radio
starts, “Dekh tere insaan ki haalat kya ho gayi bhagwan,
kitna badal gaya insaan..”! Unfortunately, a building
occupant, inspired by Lage Raho Munnabhai, may not be
expected to be cleaning the stains which would remain for long.
(By the way, we are so smart that we would spit on the walls if the
notice says, ‘Deewar par thukna mana hai’.
The same song can also be useful to the traffic police man in
Indore. He could help the two-wheeler riders beat the traffic jam
by indicating towards a by-lane.
7. When a young man is appearing in an important
examination and knows nothing about the subject, he would be
desperate to copy from other student who might be scared of
allowing for the fear of getting caught. The background should
have this song blaring, “Tujhme rab dikhta hai, yaara main
kya karun?”
8. If a boy comes back after ‘seeing a girl’ and is humming
‘Tere judwa naina’, it means that so far he was shown only
those girls who did not have twin (identical) eyes! and are not
“looking London talking Tokyo!”
Let us invent some more situations not involving youth.
9. If a mali (gardener) is working in the garden while the
owner is reading the newspaper and the song in the background
is “Bagon mein bahar hai, kaliyon pe nikhar hai”, the mali
might confront the owner, “Well, that was the performance
appraisal, now where is the increment?

4. One dutiful brother is late for Rakhi and is desperate to
catch the train from Bhopal while taking a bus from Indore to
Bhopal. It appears that he might be late reaching Bhopal railway
station. Which song should he listen to then? “Tu bas de de
mera saath”! The same song would also be useful when his
girlfriend is in the bus and he is not sure that he would be able to
board it through a huge rush.
5. While on Rakhi, another song “Bhaiyya mere Rakhi ke
bandhan ko nibhana” would be apt when Elesh Parujanwala
is walking around.
6. If a boy is in his hostel room and radio sings “nikal bhi ja,
patli gali se nikal bhi ja”, it could be a hint that the house
owner is downstairs gunning for his room rent.
10. If an old man like me gets excited on his 25th wedding
anniversary and dances with the song, “Dard-e-disco”, next
day the doctor may diagnose the pain to be “Dard-e-khisko’,
for some bone (although well padded by the meat around) would
have shifted.
11. While a salesperson is in the process of displaying the socks
on the pavement, “Mauza hi mauza’ in the background may
not be a bad idea.
12. When a tournament is going on and the foreign team is
contemplating leaving for threat of disease or terrorism (as it
happened in World Badminton tournament at Hyderabad
recently), the loudspeaker in stadium must play, “Pardesi,
pardesi jana nahin..”

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 43

Brand icon
ROLEX
I n 1905 Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis
founded "Wilsdorf and Davis" in London. Their main
business at the time was importing Hermann Aegler's Swiss
movements to England and placing them in quality watch cases
made by Dennison and others. These early wrist watches were
sold to jewellers, who then put their own names on the dial. The
earliest watches from Wilsdorf and Davis were usually
hallmarked "W&D" inside the case back.
In 1908 Wilsdorf registered the trademark "Rolex" and
opened an office in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The
company name "Rolex" was registered on 15 November 1915.
The word was made up, but its
origin was obscure. Wilsdorf was
said to want his watch brand's
name to be easily pronounceable
in any language. He also thought
that the name “Rolex" was
onomatopoeic, sounding like a
watch being wound. It was also
short enough to fit on the face of a
watch.
In 1914 Kew Observatory
awarded a Rolex watch a Class “A”
precision certificate, a distinction
which was normally awarded
exclusively to marine chronometers.
In 1919 Wilsdorf moved the company to Geneva, Switzerland
where it was established as the Rolex Watch Company. Its name
was later changed to Montres Rolex, SA and finally Rolex, SA.
The company moved out of the United Kingdom because taxes
and export duties on the silver and gold used for the watch cases
were driving costs too high.
Upon the death of his wife in 1944, Wilsdorf established the
Hans Wildorf Foundation in which he left all of his Rolex shares,
making sure that some of the company's income goes for charity.
The company is still owned by a private trust and shares are not
traded on any stock exchange.
During the period when Rolex introduced wristwatches, the
pocket watches were more popular. However, it was the
farsightedness of the founders that the pocket watches would be
eventually replaced by the wristwatches.
44 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
Rolex also came up with certain trend setting
innovations like:
r
r
The first waterproof watch case
The Datejust (1945), the first wristwatch with an
automatically changing date on the dial
r The first watch to show two time zones at once
r The first watchmaker to earn chronometer certification
for a wristwatch
Significant events in Rolex history
r Rolex is the official time keeper of Wimbledon and The
Australian Open tennis grand slams.
r Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and other members of the
Hillary expedition wore Rolex Oysters in 1953 at
altitude 8,848 m on Mount Everest while there are
attestations and speculation that Sir Edmund Hillary
either carried a Smiths Deluxe or a Rolex to the
summit, or both.
Since its birth at the turn of the century, this powerful brand
has become an icon of sophistication and a possession revered by
the world's high achievers (a point nicely illustrated by Sir
Edmund Hilary, who took his to the summit of Mount Everest).
But today's desire for digital consumerism and the mass-market
medium of the world wide web has meant a host of new
challenges for luxury goods, and many brands are struggling to
retain exclusivity when transferring their products to the net.
As a part of its brand development strategy, Rolex does not
allow the sale of its watches in the virtual world. There are
several instances of counterfeiting goods and in no way Rolex
wants to lose its reputation of making world class, reliable,
quality watches. Rolex fears that if the watches are sold in second
life, there may be duplications and this might in turn lead to
customer confusion and dissatisfaction.
It believes that the watches will speak for it. Rolex has
carefully and strategically lived up to its brand image. Rolex is in
fact the only company to have shelled out a wide range of watches
as compared to any other company. The uniqueness manifested
in its watches sets it apart from the rest of the crowd. In order to
develop its brand, it manufactures goods after extensive
research.
 Logo Quiz
Identify the brands/companies/mascots from the following logos

1. Credit and debit 2. Indian public-sector 3. Global telecom. corp. 4. Banking Services
cards brands petroleum co. solutions & services

5. Private sector 6. One of the earliest 7. News service 8. Widely accepted

Banking Services banks in South India broadcasters payment cards brands

9. Automobile 10. Banking Services 11. Networking 12.

mfg. company Computing Tech.

13. Mobile services 14. Largest gas 15. Pharma and 16. Cable and
transmission co. healthcare products satellite TV

17. India's leading 18. Leaders in 19. Diverse fields 20. Pharma &
industrial conglomerate Agriculture goods healthcare products

Answer key on page 64

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 45
 Business Trivia
r Aditya Birla Nuvo was incorporated
in 1956 as Indian Rayon by M Vaidya
which was later acquired by the Birla
Group. Indian Rayon transferred the
cement business to Grasim and
acquired Madura Garments & IT companies PSI Data
Systems & TransWorks in the 1990s. In 2006, Indian
Rayon merged its businesses, Indo Gulf Fertilizers and
Birla Global Finance, with itself and changed its name to
Aditya Birla Nuvo. Its businesses include: garments, VFY,
caustic soda ash, allied chemicals, carbon black and textiles
and telecom (IdeaCellular)
r Sao Paulo, Brazil has more private helicopters than any
place else in the world.
r “The future is now” is a slogan used by Microsoft.
Philosopher JidduKrishnamurti coined this phrase.
r Two of Henry Ford's last possessions were a test tube and
a theatre seat. The test tube is said to preserve the last
breath of Thomas Alva Edison, and the theatre seat was the
one on which Abraham Lincoln was sitting when he was
shot.
r Federal Express actually saved
millions of dollars by just
shortening its name to Fed Ex and
saving on the paint cost. In fact,
that was one of the reasons for
shortening the name.
r John Wanamaker created the first department store in
1876 in US and was the first to issue moneyback
guarantees for retail products. He also pioneered the use
of newspaper ads to advertise his retail goods.
r Cosmopolitan' magazine is called the “Women's bible”.
r One of the largest Indian contractor in the private sector for
offshore drilling, Aban Loyd was promoted by M A
Abraham in 1986 as a tie-up with India Offshore Inc, US.
46 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
r ABB India, a p o w e r
equipment and automation
technology company, was
incorporated in 1949 as
Hindustan Electric Co
Ltd (HEC). It entered into a collaboration with Brown
Boveri Co Ltd, Switzerland in 1962 and was renamed
Hindustan Brown Boveri Ltd in 1965. A merger with Asea
Electric Ltd in 1989 led to the formation of Asea Brown
Boveri Ltd.
r Abbott India Ltd (Abbott) was incorporated in 1944 as
Boots and renamed Knoll Pharmaceuticals in 1995 and
Abbott in 2001. Major brands include Brufen, Digene,
Cremaffin and Norvir.
r Agro Tech Foods is an ITC Group company Its brands
include Sundrop, Sudham mustard oil, Crystal and Rath
Vanaspati, Healthy World Atta and Dried Green Peas,
Act II popcorn and JustFries snacks.
r The Oldest Joint Stock Bank of the Country,
Allahabad Bank was founded on April 24,
1865 by a group of Europeans at Allahabad.
The Bank became a part of P & O Banking
Corporation's Group in 1920.
r In international post the words Par Avion indicate
transportation by Aeroplane.
r In 1979, UK businessman Mohamedal-
Fayed bought the Ritz Hotel in the Place
Vendôme in Paris.
r Colonel Mustard is a suspect in the
game of Cluedo who holds a military
rank.
r A cruciverbalist likes to solve CrosswordPuzzles.
r On a standard British Monopoly board, Mayfair is the
most expensive property to buy.
r US mathematician Edward Kasner introduced the word
Googol for the number made up of one followed by a
hundred zeroes.
r Superbowl was first held in 1967 when it was won by the
Green Bay Packers.
r The stethoscope was invented in
France in 1816 by René-Théophile-
Hyacinthe Laennec. Rappaport
and Sprague designed a new
stethoscope in the 1940s which
became the standard and was made
by Hewlett-Packard.
r HP's medical products division was spun off as Agilent
Technologies.
r Yahoo! is an acronym for 'Yet another Hierarchal
OfficiousOracle'.
r PhilipB Crosby wrote 'Qualityis Free'.
r Instead of reacting defensively, The Dutch giant, Philips
Electronics chose to cooperate with a community of
hackers who were interested in tinkering with the software
of Pronto–an intelligent remote control's embedded
software.
r Polyester was called “Chamak” and Reliance Industries
founder Dhirubhai Ambani was called “Chamatkar” in
the textile market of Mumbai.
r Aer Rianta International, a subsidiary of Dublin Airport
Authority, wasworld's first duty-free airport store or
facility.
r Sales feedback from men's wear showrooms of an exclusive
brand for men showed that there was a great demand for
trousers in sizes 26-28, from women. This led the company
to introduce a range of garments for women too. Allen
Solly, owned by Madura Garments, launched the brand's
women's wear range.
r The world-famous candy bar
Snickers, which is more than 70
years old, was named after a horse
owned by the Marsfamily.
r Colonel Sanders, the mascot of US fried chicken
restaurant chain KFC. The image covers 87,500 sq ft in the
Nevadadesert. KFC claims that it is the first brand visible
from space.
r The numeral “9” appearing in all Bata pricing is linked to
the company's founder, Thomas Bata. He was a ninth
generationshoemaker, determined to become the “King
of Shoemakers”.
r Mahindra & Mahindra launched
Scorpio in Europe and South Africa
under the name MahindraGoa.
r “If people find the No. 2 so good, they
will believe the No. 1 to be even better!” said Ardeshir
Godrej. He launched No. 2 soap in 1919 and No. 1 soap in
1920.
r The name Bon Marche, regarded as one of the first true
departmentalstores, means 'Goodbuy' in French.
r The logo of HSBC Bank signifies that
the doors of the Hong Kong and
Shanghai Banking Corporation are
openfor business.
r Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was the president of a
tradeunion for eight years of TataSteel.
r The bar code, invented by Joe Woodland in 1949 is a
technology that revolutionised the retail industry.
r Before it became a part of Hindustan Lever, Brooke Bond
India acquired Karnataka ScootersLtd in the early 1980s.
r Tactical Mobile Robots have performed tens of
thousands of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and are
credited with saving scores of soldiers' lives. Pacbots made
by the iRobot company, USA. Over 700 of them are now
deployed worldwide.
r VAIO is a sub-brand for many of Sony's
computer products. It was originally an
acronym for Video Audio Integrated
Operation, but since 2008 amended to
Vi s u a l A u d i o I n t e l l i g e n c e
Organizer to celebrate the brand's
10th year anniversary.
r The branding was created by Timothy Hanley to
distinguish items that encompassed the use of consumer
audio and video, as well as being conventional computing
products.
r The VAIO logo also represents the integration of analog
and digital technology. The 'VA' represents an analog
wave and the 'IO' represents digitalbinary code.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 47
 General knowledge
1. In the UK sporting circles, which form of racing is 8. Which 1974 Charlton Heston film saw an earthquake of
informally referred to as 'The Dogs'? unimaginable magnitude hit Los Angeles?
(1) Dog cart Racing (1) Richter Hit
(2) Cart Racing (2) Earthquake
(3) Car Racing (3) The Hit
(4) Greyhound Racing (4) Magnihit

2. Which Oscar-winning British actor and writer played 9. Who was vice-president of the US from 1989 to 1993?
Kilwillie in the TV series 'Monarch of the Glen'? (1) Richard Nixon
(1) Julian Fellowes (2) John Adams
(2) Robert Pattinson (3) Jimmy Carter
(3) Robert Tillman (4) Dan Quayle
(4) Niel Patrick Harrison
10. In radio terminology, what do the initials 'DAB' stand for?
3. Edele & Keavy Leach were members of which 1990's Irish (1) Digital Air Broadcasting
girl group? (2) Detected Audio Broadcasting
(1) Spiced Gals (3) Digital Audio Broadcasting
(2) B*Witched (4) Detected Air Broadcasting
(3) Bitches and Witches
(4) None of the above 11. Which instrument is traditionally played by the leader of an
orchestra?
4. The overthrow in 1989 of the communist regime in (1) Violin (2) Harp
Czechoslovakia is known as what revolution? (3) Mouth Organ (4) Nothing
(1) Velvet
(2) Operation underground 12. On 14th November 1973, which member of the Royal
(3) Velvet Underground Family was married at Westminster Abbey?
(4) Velvet cushion (1) Princess Anne
(2) Prince Williams
5. Which bird, a member of the Columbidae, is used as a (3) Princess Diana
symbol of peace? (4) Prince David
(1) Pigeon (2) Dodo
(3) Dove (4) Ostrich 13. Tipperary, Meath & Kilkenny are countries in which
European country?
6. In which BBC TV spy drama is Adam Carter played by (1) Germany
Rupert Penry-Jones? (2) Republic of Ireland
(1) Spooks (3) Netherlands
(2) Monarch of the Glen (4) Poland
(3) Dalziel and Pasco
(4) The chase 14. Which playwright was killed in a fight in a tavern in
Deptford in 1593?
7. Which British Rock star duetted with Tina Turner on the (1) Jenise McLevin
1990 UK chart hit, 'It Takes Two'? (2) Josh Bernard
(1) Elvis Priestly (2) Rod Stewart (3) Christopher Marlowe
(3) Michelangelo (4) None of the above (4) None of the above
48 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
15. Which shellfish are used in the French dish 'moules 24. Who wrote Tarzan of the Apes in 1912?
marinieres'? (1) Richard Attenborough
(1) Oyster Shells (2) Ben Kingsley
(2) Mussels (3) Edgar Rice Burroughs
(3) Mushells (4) Simon Napes
(4) None of the above
25. Which Japanese martial art translates into English as
16. What is the common name for the large bird that is "empty hand"?
sometimes called the South American Ostrich? (1) Taekwondo (2) Judo
(1) Rhea (2) Dodo (3) Karate (4) Hyuki
(3) Khea (4) Emu
26. Who played the Toymaker in the 1968 film 'Chitty Chitty
17. By what name is a five-sided polygon more commonly Bang Bang'?
known? (1) Roger Moore
(1) Pentax (2) Pentahex (2) Bill Riley
(3) Pentacon (4) Pentagon (3) Benny Hill
(4) Henry Thurman
18. In October 2006, the historic cricketing trophy known as
'The Ashes' left for a three-month tour of which country? 27. Who wrote the novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang : The
(1) England Magical Car?
(2) Australia (1) David Husselman
(3) India (2) Neigella Atherton
(4) West Indies (3) John Caren
(4) Ian Fleming (he was more famous for James Bond)
19. Which German composer's work includes nine
symphonies, thirty-two piano sonatas and one opera? 28. What is the chemical symbol for Copper?
(1) Michelangelo (1) Cu (2) Co
(2) Banatas (3) Cp (4) Cr
(3) Hublot
(4) Ludwig Van Beethoven 29. In what year was Margaret Thatcher elected as Britain's
first female Prime Minister?
20. Jerome K Jerome's book 'Three Men in a Boat' is an account (1) 1979
of a boating holiday on which English river? (2) 1969
(1) River Thames (3) 1976
(2) River Nile (4) 1981
(3) River Ganges
(4) Pacific ocean 30. Which of these countries does NOT border the Russian
Federation?
21. Who played JR Ewing in the TV series Dallas? (1) Georgia
(1) Rud Kurtson (2) Armenia
(2) Larry Hagman (3) Azerbaijan
(3) Jamie Kings (4) Latvia
(4) Robert Deniers
31. What number is represented by the Roman numeral XLV?
22. How many wives of Henry VIII were beheaded? (1) 45 (2) 25
(1) 2 (2) 3 (3) 35 (4) 50
(3) 5 (4) 8
32. In which field was Frenchman Eugene Ferdinand Victor
23. Where were the 1992 Summer Olympic Games held? Delacroix famous in the 19th Century?
(1) Athens, Greece (1) Poetry
(2) Barcelona, Spain (2) Drama
(3) Morocco (3) Painting
(4) None of the above (4) Architecture

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 49

33. In physics, what letter is used to represent to fundamental 41. In which battle was Richard III slained?
constant that is equal to "9.80665 metres per second (1) Waterloo
squared"? (2) Qubus Raid
(1) E (3) Bosworth Field
(2) Mc (4) Trafalgar
(3) G (constant is Earth's gravity pull, the acceleration of
free fall) 42. Which is the longest river in Great Britain?
(4) None of the above (1) The Thames
(2) Mary
34. What is the capital of the US State of Florida? (3) Abbey
(1) Tallahassee (4) The Severn
(2) Freehut
(3) Florence 43. What is the patella bone better known as?
(1) The shin
(4) St. Luis
(2) The kneecap
(3) The Rib
35. What sport is played in the USA by the Minnesota (4) None of the above
Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets?
(1) Baseball 44. Which book features the characters Passepartout, Mr. Fix
(2) Ice hockey and Aouda?
(3) Basketball (1) Around The World In Eighty Days
(4) Soccer (2) French on Tour
(3) France: In & Out
36. What is the orbital period of Halley's Comet? (4) Francois
(1) 65 years
(2) 86 years 45. In the song, Solomon Grundy was born on Monday, what
(3) 71 years happened to him on Thursday?
(4) 76 years (1) Died
(2) Took Leave
37. In which battle on August 1st 1798 did Nelson destroy the (3) Nothing
French fleet, 7 years before doing it again at the Battle of (4) Took ill
Trafalgar?
(1) Battle of the Nile 46. Who was the leader of the USSR during World War Two?
(2) Battle of the Nieafra (1) Karzov Mitzy
(3) Battle of the Troy (2) Gorshov
(4) Battle of the Kruacus (3) Joseph Stalin
(4) James Stalin
38. Which football club plays its home games at Brunton Park?
(1) Brunton United 47. What is the fourth planet from the Sun?
(2) Carlisle United (1) Earth (2) Mercury
(3) Vextor (3) Mars (4) Venus
(4) Ajax
48. Which game's name comes from the French for "little
wheel"?
39. Which US state's flag has a Union Jack in the canton?
(1) Roulette
(1) Illinois
(2) Dart
(2) Ohio
(3) Fortune
(3) Hawaii (4) Kido
(4) Florida
49. Which gas is the most abundant in air, making up over
40. From which plant do we get Vanilla? 77%?
(1) Vanillium (1) Oxygen
(2) Vanum (2) Nitrogen
(3) Orchid (3) Carbon Di Oxide
(4) Eggplant (4) Hydrogen

50 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

50. Which of William Shakespeares' plays has the most lines? 59. Who released the album "All That You Can't Leave Behind"
(1) Macbeth in 2000?
(2) The Twelfth night (1) Backstreet Boys (2) Blue
(3) Hamlet (3) Boy zone (4) U2
(4) None of the above
60. Who won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as
51. What country has an area of approximately 7.7 million Judah Ben Hur in the 1959 epic Ben-Hur?
square kilometres, a population of 18 million and her flag (1) Charlton Heston
comprises the colours red, white and blue? (2) Ben Rolcer
(1) Australia (3) Daniel Wiseley
(2) America (4) Jacob Dumas
(3) England
(4) None of the above 61. What country owns the Canary Islands?
(1) Seychelles
52. Who wrote the classic thriller 'The Thirty-Nine Steps'? (2) Spain
(1) David Grather (3) Mauritius
(2) John Buchan (4) Hawaii
(3) Harren silvio
(4) Rubious Ciso 62. What river flows through the Grand Canyon in the USA?
(1) Nevada
53. Which religion features 'The Four Noble Truths'? (2) Afficus
(3) Colorado
(1) Hinduism
(4) Oakley
(2) Islam
(3) Buddhism
63. Which English football club won the League and FA Cup
(4) Jewish
"double" in 1986?
(1) Manchester
54. Who designed the spectacular Church of the Holy Family
(2) Chelsea
and the Casa Mila block of flats, both in Barcelona?
(3) Arsenal
(1) Fabio Guardo
(4) Liverpool
(2) Caesar Cavalli
(3) Antonio Gaudi 64. What is the lightest of all the elements and has the atomic
(4) None of the above number 1?
(1) Oxygen
55. What type of animal is the oriole? (2) Sodium
(1) Reptile (3) Hydrogen
(2) Amphibian (4) Helium
(3) Bird
(4) None of the above 65. Before the French Revolution in 1789, who is reported to
have said "Let them eat cake"?
56. In which US state are the cities of Las Vegas and Reno? (1) Mark Antoinette
(1) Texas (2) Florida (2) Mary Antoinette
(3) Nevada (4) Ohio (3) Marie Antoinette
(4) Marquee Antoinette
57. Who defeated the Persian king Darius III in the Battle of
Issus in 333 BC? 66. Which 'note' does an orchestra tune to?
(1) Porous (1) A (2) A*
(2) Alexander the Great (3) E (4) E*
(3) Napoleon Bonaparte
(4) None of the above 67. What is the capital city of Morocco?
(1) Sicily
58. What is the chemical symbol for sodium? (2) Krijack
(1) Na (2) Sd (3) Rabat
(3) S (4) So (4) Turad

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 51

68. In the world of weaponry, what do the initials ICBM stand 76. Which mountain range runs along the west coast of South
for? America for over 4,000 miles?
(1) Inter-camp Blast Missile (1) Alps
(2) Inter-coast Ballistic Missile (2) Bures
(3) Inter-continental Ballistic Missile (3) Andes
(4) None of the above (4) None of the above

69. In the medical world what do the initials ENT stand for? 77. What is the SI unit for time?
(1) Eyes Nose and Tongue (1) Minutes
(2) Ear Nose and Throat (2) Hours
(3) Eyes Neck and Throat (3) Second
(4) None of the above
(4) Days
70. Which country has an area of approximately 3.85 million
78. For which two films did Steven Spielberg win the Best
square miles, a population of 29 million and her flag is
Director Oscar?
coloured red and white?
(1) ET and Transformers
(1) Russia
(2) Japan (2) AI and Star Wars
(3) Canada (3) Indiana Jones and The Temple of Dome
(4) Korea (4) Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan

71. Which author and comedian has released the novels "Time 79. Which male athlete won 4 gold medals at the 1984 Los
for Bed" and "Whatever Love Means"? Angeles Olympics for the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400
(1) David Baddiel metre relay and the long jump?
(2) Benny Hill (1) Usain Bolt
(3) Ben Arthur (2) Mark Lewis
(4) Russell Peters (3) Carl Lewis
(4) None of the above
72. Which Commonwealth country had the Prime Ministers
Bill McMahon, Edward Whitlam and John Frasier in the 80. Who wrote the novel Black Beauty, first published in 1877?
1970s? (1) Richard Goweth
(1) Britain (2) Hannah Bourdain
(2) Austria (3) Billy Reidner
(3) Australia (4) Anna Sewell
(4) None of the above
81. Which metallic element has the chemical symbol Pb and
73. What colour light is displayed from the starboard side of a atomic number 82?
ship? (1) Plutonium
(1) Green (2) Red
(2) Lead
(3) White (4) Orange
(3) Platinum
(4) Palladium
74. Who was the leader of the USSR when Yuri Gagarin
became the first man to go into space?
(1) Yvek Krusvek 82. The Gobi desert covers territory in which two countries?
(2) Nikita Krushchev (1) China and Tibet
(3) Niytak Khomonv (2) Tibet and Mongolia
(4) Gistov Richards (3) China and Mongolia
(4) None of the above
75. Who played Edmund Blackadder in the BBC comedy series
Blackadder? 83. Which American city is known as 'the city of brotherly love'?
(1) Ben kingsley (1) New York
(2) Benny Hill (2) Houston
(3) Rowan Atkinson (3) Philadelphia
(4) Bob Carney (4) Florence

52 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

84. Who preceded Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the 92. Which Welsh city is called Abertawe in Welsh?
United Kingdom? (1) Swesity
(1) William Carter (2) Welshity
(2) James Rupert (3) Swansea
(3) James Callaghan (4) None of the above
(4) David Blair
93. What is the longest river in Asia?
85. Odin, a one-eyed bearded old man was the most powerful (1) Yangtze
god in which mythology? (2) Ganges
(1) Persian (3) Narmada
(2) Norse (4) Sindhu
(3) Chinese
(4) Roman 94. With which instrument is American B B King chiefly
associated?
86. What country did ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce (1) Violin (2) Guitar
Grobbelaar represent? (3) Flute (4) Harp
(1) Germany
(2) Holland 95. Who won the 1992 FA Cup Final?
(3) Denmark (1) Manchester united
(4) Zimbabwe (2) Chelsea
(3) Liverpool
87. What flag does a ship traditionally fly to indicate it is about (4) Arsenal
to set sail?
(1) The go green 96. In Greek mythology, who killed Achilles?
(2) The black jack (1) Tussads (2) Paris
(3) The Blue Peter (3) Cathilus (4) Famicus
(4) The white cross
97. Who plays Mike Baldwin in the soap opera Coronation
88. What is the capital city of Iran? Street?
(1) Tehran (1) John Travolta
(2) Baghdad (2) Mickey James
(3) Istanbul (3) Johnny Briggs
(4) None of the above (4) Tony Calra

89. If diamond is for the 60th and gold for the 50th, what is used 98. Which racecourse in the Republic of Ireland is also a
to celebrate the 20th wedding anniversary? palindrome?
(1) China (1) Cavan
(2) Platinum (2) Navan
(3) Silver (3) Raven
(4) Bronze (4) None of the above

90. Which English scientist discovered Sodium, Potassium, 99. What town was the birthplace of William Shakespeare?
Barium, Calcium and Magnesium? (1) Paris
(1) Madam Marie Curie (2) Vatican city
(2) Stephen Hawkins (3) Stratford-upon-Avon
(3) Sir Humphrey Davy (4) Port Louis
(4) Dennis Cuman
100. Which fruit is also known as the 'Love Apple'?
91. What term is used for the male voice higher than bass and (1) Tomato (2) Pear
lower than tenor? (3) Plum (4) Pomegranate
(1) Vociferous
(2) Basstuner 101. What is the name of the Israeli Secret Service?
(3) Baritone (1) KRG (2) MI5
(4) None of the above (3) Mossad (4) Mustaid

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 53

102. Adam West was most famous for playing which comic book 111. If you suffered from 'arachnophobia', what would you have
character on television? an irrational fear of?
(1) He-man (1) Spiders
(2) Superman (2) Lizards
(3) Batman (3) Snakes
(4) Ninja Turtles (4) Heights

103. What sport is contested between the United States and 112. What city does Sugar Loaf Mountain overlook?
Great Britain for the Walker Cup? (1) Jakarta
(1) Polo (2) Brisk walking (2) Rio de Janeiro
(3) Golf (4) Snooker (3) Sao Paolo
(4) Santa Maria
104. How many squares are on a chessboard?
(1) 32 (2) 72 113. What was the name of the time machine Doctor Who
(3) 64 (4) 16 travelled in?
(1) TIMA
105. How was Eric Hugh Blair, born in 1903, better known? (2) AHEADO
(1) Mark Twain (3) RAPTURED
(2) Charles Dickens (4) TARDIS
(3) George Orwell
(4) None of the above 114. How many players in total are on the field at the start of a
regular game of Gaelic Football?
106. Who was the American president when Neil Armstrong first (1) 30 (2) 22
walked on the moon? (3) 24 (4) 32
(1) Dan Quayle
(2) John Adams 115. What is Britain's largest freshwater fish?
(3) Richard Nixon
(1) The Spook
(4) Jimmy Carter
(2) The Reno
(3) The Pike
107. Which cast member of the TV comedy show Friends also
(4) The Quilo
starred in the movie Scream?
(1) David Schwimmer
116. What is the chemical symbol for Sodium?
(2) Courteney Cox
(1) So (2) Sm
(3) Mathew Perry
(3) Na (4) Nu
(4) Lisa kudrow

108. In North America, what sport is played by the New Jersey 117. How many stars are on the flag of the United States?
Devils and the Florida Panthers? (1) 50 (2) 51
(1) Basketball (3) 53 (4) 55
(2) Ice Hockey
(3) Air Hockey 118. Which actor has played Ken Barlow on Coronation Street
(4) Baseball for over 40 years?
(1) Rick Afferson
109. What was the former name of the country Mynamar? (2) William Roach
(1) Vietnam (3) Buick Quanterly
(2) Indonesia (4) Rodrick Fumbley
(3) Burma
(4) None of the above 119. What country is completely landlocked within the Republic
of South Africa?
110. Which author wrote the "Foundation" series of science (1) Kumbwa
fiction novels? (2) Quavaba
(1) Isaac Asimov (2) Roger Nikson (3) Lesotho
(3) Marie Foster (4) Isaac Kyuzikov (4) None of the above

54 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

120. What is the first part of JRR Tolkien's "The Lord of the 128. Anubis is the god of funerals who transports the souls of
Rings" trilogy called? the dead to the other world in which ancient civilization?
(1) The Fellowship of the Ring (1) Greek
(2) The Resurrection (2) Roman
(3) The Reinstated Rings (3) Egyptian
(4) None of the above (4) None

121. What European capital city stands on the River Tiber? 129. What is the chemical symbol for Potassium?
(1) Berlin (1) K (2) P
(2) Athens (3) Ps (4) Pm
(3) Rome
(4) Brussels 130. Which renaissance artist painted Primavera and The Birth
of Venus?
122. Who was disqualified and stripped of his gold medal for the (1) Michelangelo
100 metres at the 1988 Olympic Games? (2) Leonardo D Vinci
(1) Ben Johnson (3) Dumas
(2) John Mason (4) Botticelli
(3) David Gehlet
(4) Gustov Chvosky 131. The island of Bahrain is connected by a causeway to which
country?
123. What American author wrote the classics "East of Eden", (1) Qatar (2) Saudi Arabia
"Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath"? (3) Somalia (4) Jordan
(1) Isaac Asimov
(2) Roger Nikson 132. Which country's flag (bizzarly) has a garden hoe and a
(3) John Steinbeck Kalashnikov rifle inside a star?
(4) Marie Foster (1) Nigeria
(2) Namibia
124. In which US State is Kilauea, the world's most active (3) Mozambique
volcano? (4) Somalia
(1) Alabama
(2) Arkansas 133. Which Italian author published Pinocchio in 1880?
(3) Hawaii (1) Raymond Cavalli
(4) Utah (2) Valentino Vetra
(3) Carlo Collodi
125. In distance, which planet is sixth farthest from the Sun? (4) None of the above
(1) Saturn
(2) Earth 134. Which scientist published the ground breaking book
(3) Jupiter "Principia Mathematica" in the 17th Century?
(4) Neptune (1) Thomas Jefferson
(2) Isaac Newton
126. What is the well known Japanese word for "empty (3) Robert Hooke
orchestra"? (4) Blaise Pascal
(1) Genre
(2) Karaoke 135. Who was the last Tsar of Russia, who was murdered along
(3) Kliedo with all his family by Bolshevik guards?
(4) Lido (1) Nicholas II (2) Nicholas III
(3) Nicholas IV (4) Rasputin
127. What is the official name of the bottom 9 miles (15 KM) of
the Earth's atmosphere? 136. What is the more common name for ascorbic acid?
(1) Stratosphere (1) Vitamin D
(2) Biosphere (2) Vitamin K
(3) Troposphere (3) Vitamin C
(4) Lithosphere (4) Vitamin B

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 55

137. In computing, what does RAM stand for? 146. Which country's flag consists of just the colour green?
(1) Read Access Memory (1) Pakistan
(2) Random Accessible Memory (2) Bangladesh
(3) Random Access Memory (3) Libya
(4) Right Access Memory (4) Iran

138. By area, what is the largest country in Africa? 147. Who played Vivien in the BBC comedy The Young Ones?
(1) Namibia (2) Sudan (1) Benny Hill
(3) Zambia (4) Nicaragua (2) George Hopkins
(3) Adrian Edmondson
139. What American band has released the albums "Out of (4) Henry Sopers
Time" and "Automatic for the People"?
(1) Linkin Park 148. In which European country is Transylvania?
(2) ACDC (1) Czechoslovakia
(3) R.E.M. (2) Germany
(4) Metallica (3) Romania
(4) None of the above
140. Which country won the football World Cup in 1934 and
1938? 149. Who wrote the novel Jurassic Park, which the Spielberg film
(1) England (2) Italy was based on?
(3) Argentina (4) Mexico (1) Michael Crichton
(2) Mikhail shvosky
141. How many minutes of play are in an American football
(3) Emily Dickinson
match?
(4) None of the above
(1) 60 (2) 45
(3) 90 (4) 120
150. How many 'dimes' are in a US dollar?
(1) 10 (2) 9
142. Which company produces the computer operating system
(3) 11 (4) 16
Windows?
(1) Microsoft
151. What is the chemical symbol for Gold?
(2) Apple
(3) IBM (1) Au (2) Gu
(4) Non of the above (3) Go (4) Av

143. Which novel, first published in 1719, is based on the real- 152. Which television character has the car registration plate
life exploits of Alexander Selkirk? FAB1?
(1) Alexander (1) Peter Parker
(2) Elixir (2) Batman
(3) Robinson Crusoe (3) Lady Penelope
(4) None of the above (4) None of the above

144. What is the deepest lake in the world, with depths over 153. Which king was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field in
1,600 metres? 1485?
(1) Lake Superior (1) Richard III
(2) Lake Victoria (2) Richard IV
(3) Lake Tanganyika (3) Richard V
(4) Lake Baikal (Baykal) (4) Richard VI

145. Complete this advertising slogan "Murraymints, 154. Who composed the ballets "The Nutcracker" and "Swan
Murraymints..."? Lake"?
(1) Murraymints (1) Peter Kuisko
(2) Mints (2) Peter Teraky
(3) Too good to hurry mints (3) Peter Tchaikovsky
(4) Free Mints (4) Peter Swarosky

56 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

 Brand Trivia

Ashok Leyland
r The genesis of Ashok Leyland lies in a young nation's quest for self-reliance. On Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's persuasion,
RaghunandanSaran entered automotive manufacture and set up Ashok Motors in Madras for the assembly of Austin cars,
in 1948. Later, in 1955, with equity participation from British Leyland, Ashok Leyland commenced the manufacture of
commercial vehicles.

r A turning point in Ashok Leyland's history came in 1987 when Land Rover Leyland
International Holdings Ltd (LRLIH), the holding company of Ashok Leyland was taken
over by the transnational, multi-billion dollar conglomerate, the Hinduja Group, along with
IVECO, the European trucking giant.
r Since July 2006, the Hinduja Group has become a 100% share holder of LRLIH. Ashok
Leyland is the largest supplier of logistics vehicles to the Indian Army supplying a host of
modern special purpose vehicles such as the Stallion 4x4s. 'Engineeringyour tomorrows'
has been Ashok Leyland's punchline.

r Ashok is the name of the company's founder Saran's son. When India reached out to Pakistan at Wagah in February 1999, it was
an Ashok Leyland bus that took people across the border. Ashok Leyland buses have also been the choice for the
Srinagar–Muzzafarabad and the Poonch-Rawalkot cross-overs.

Answers to General knowledge

1. Ans.(4) 23. Ans.(2) 45. Ans.(4) 67. Ans.(3) 89. Ans.(1) 111. Ans.(1) 133. Ans.(3)
2. Ans.(1) 24. Ans.(3) 46. Ans.(3) 68. Ans.(3) 90. Ans.(3) 112. Ans.(2) 134. Ans.(2)
3. Ans.(2) 25. Ans.(3) 47. Ans.(3) 69. Ans.(2) 91. Ans.(3) 113. Ans.(4) 135. Ans.(1)
4. Ans.(3) 26. Ans.(3) 48. Ans.(1) 70. Ans.(3) 92. Ans.(3) 114. Ans.(1) 136. Ans.(3)
5. Ans.(3) 27. Ans.(4) 49. Ans.(2) 71. Ans.(1) 93. Ans.(1) 115. Ans.(3) 137. Ans.(3)
6. Ans.(1) 28. Ans.(1) 50. Ans.(3) 72. Ans.(3) 94. Ans.(2) 116. Ans.(3) 138. Ans.(2)
7. Ans.(2) 29. Ans.(1) 51. Ans.(1) 73. Ans.(1) 95. Ans.(3) 117. Ans.(1) 139. Ans.(3)
8. Ans.(2) 30. Ans.(2) 52. Ans.(2) 74. Ans.(2) 96. Ans.(2) 118. Ans.(2) 140. Ans.(2)
9. Ans.(4) 31. Ans.(1) 53. Ans.(3) 75. Ans.(3) 97. Ans.(3) 119. Ans.(3) 141. Ans.(1)
10. Ans.(3) 32. Ans.(3) 54. Ans.(3) 76. Ans.(3) 98. Ans.(2) 120. Ans.(1) 142. Ans.(1)
11. Ans.(1) 33. Ans.(3) 55. Ans.(3) 77. Ans.(3) 99. Ans.(3) 121. Ans.(3) 143. Ans.(3)
12. Ans.(1) 34. Ans.(1) 56. Ans.(3) 78. Ans.(4) 100. Ans.(1) 122. Ans.(1) 144. Ans.(4)
13. Ans.(2) 35. Ans.(3) 57. Ans.(2) 79. Ans.(3) 101. Ans.(3) 123. Ans.(3) 145. Ans.(3)
14. Ans.(3) 36. Ans.(4) 58. Ans.(1) 80. Ans.(4) 102. Ans.(3) 124. Ans.(3) 146. Ans.(3)
15. Ans.(2) 37. Ans.(1) 59. Ans.(4) 81. Ans.(2) 103. Ans.(3) 125. Ans.(1) 147. Ans.(3)
16. Ans.(1) 38. Ans.(2) 60. Ans.(1) 82. Ans.(3) 104. Ans.(3) 126. Ans.(2) 148. Ans.(3)
17. Ans.(4) 39. Ans.(3) 61. Ans.(2) 83. Ans.(3) 105. Ans.(3) 127. Ans.(3) 149. Ans.(1)
18. Ans.(2) 40. Ans.(3) 62. Ans.(3) 84. Ans.(3) 106. Ans.(3) 128. Ans.(3) 150. Ans.(1)
19. Ans.(4) 41. Ans.(3) 63. Ans.(4) 85. Ans.(2) 107. Ans.(2) 129. Ans.(1) 151. Ans.(1)
20. Ans.(1) 42. Ans.(4) 64. Ans.(3) 86. Ans.(4) 108. Ans.(2) 130. Ans.(4) 152. Ans.(3)
21. Ans.(2) 43. Ans.(2) 65. Ans.(3) 87. Ans.(3) 109. Ans.(3) 131. Ans.(2) 153. Ans.(1)
22. Ans.(1) 44. Ans.(1) 66. Ans.(1) 88. Ans.(1) 110. Ans.(1) 132. Ans.(3) 154. Ans.(3)

PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 57

News in brief

India
r The Union Cabinet decided to set up a Group of Ministers r Even as Prime Minister
to assess the impact of the high price of Aviation Turbine Manmohan Singh has
Fuel (ATF) on the aviation industry and suggest steps to promised that “nobody will go
reduce the burden on airlines. The decision to set up the hungry” in the country, the
GoM came within days of the chiefs of major private Centre is asking the States to
airlines as well as Air India apprising Mr. Patel of the put a ceiling on the number of
financial crisis caused by the high ATF prices, steep airport Below Poverty Line (BPL)
charges and low volume of passengers at a time of global beneficiaries under the
downturn. Targeted Public Distribution
System for the purpose of the
r The United States Commission on International National Food Security Bill that
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on its is in the making. The Union
“Watch List” for 2009 because it found the Central government wants to limit the “targeted” BPL
government had failed to take effective measures to ensure beneficiaries to 5.91 crore as per 2009 population
the rights of religious minorities in several States. estimates, instead of the present 6.52 crore. The majority
of the States have disputed the Centre's poverty estimates
r India and the Association of South and demanded “food for all” under the Bill.
East Asian Nations signed a Free
Trade Agreement, which took nearly r Almost at the fag end of the kharif sowing season, the
six years to negotiate. The FTA, Centre has announced an increase of Rs. 100 a quintal in
relating only to goods, was signed by the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy and a hike
Union Commerce and Industry of Rs. 300 a quintal for arhar (tur) dal over last year. The
Minister Anand Sharma and his MSP for moong dal was raised by Rs. 240 and for sesame by
ASEAN counterparts at a ceremony in Rs.100 a quintal. The move is aimed at encouraging
Bangkok after the two sides held annual consultations. farmers to sell their produce to official procurement
agencies for the central pool.
r The rate of inflation dipped further to minus 1.74 per
cent for the week ended August 1 from (-)1.58 per cent r The Interpol issued Red Corner Notices (RCN) against
despite soaring prices of essential commodities such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder chief, Hafiz
cereals, pulses, sugar, fruits and vegetables. Muhammad Saeed, and mastermind of the Mumbai
terror attacks, Zaki-ur-
r The truce between the former Rehman Lakhvi. The
Rajasthan Chief Minister, warrants were issued by
Vasundhara Raje, and the BJP a Mumbai court on June
leadership remained shortlived as 23 against Saeed and 22
the party suspended two of her others, including
most vocal supporters among the Lakhvi and suspected
MLAs charging them with military official Colonel
“indiscipline.” The orders R. Saadat Ullah, for
suspending Rajendra Singh allegedly hatching a
Rathore, former Minister and party Whip in the Assembly, conspiracy to carry out
and Gyandev Ahuja were issued by the State unit. Both have the attacks in Mumbai
been asked to reply in seven days. last November.

58 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009

r The former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje
is likely to maintain her profile as Leader of the Opposition.
Ms. Raje, who returned after reportedly tendering her
resignation from the post on the directive of the Bharatiya
Janata Party leadership, presided over a joint meeting of
Opposition MLAs, being held on the eve of the session to
decide on floor strategies.
r India called on China to increase its efforts to clamp down
on trade in tiger parts even as Beijing mulls lifting a trade
ban, a move conservationists say will deal a fatal blow to
India's wild tigers. Much of the poaching in India is driven
by demand from China, which has the world's biggest
market for tiger parts.
r Over tele-link from New Delhi, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh inaugurated the new campus of
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology
(IIST), an institution moulding the next generation of
space scientists for the country, at Valiamala, near
Thiruvanthpuram.
r The judges of the Supreme
Court, including Chief Justice of
India K.G. Balakrishnan, will
make public the statements of
assets they declared at the time of
their appointment to the Supreme
Court and subsequent additions, if
any. This decision was taken at a Full
Court meeting, presided over by
Justice Balakrishnan.
r The UPA government raised reservation for women at
all tiers of the panchayat raj system from 33 to at least 50
per cent. The Cabinet, presided over by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, also cleared the proposal to amend
Article 243(D) of the Constitution for the purpose. The
Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been directed to draft a bill
for making the amendment.
r Ending all confusion over the pricing of
spectrum for 3G services, the empowered
Group of Ministers (e-GoM) finalised the
reserve price for auction of radio waves for next
generation mobile services at Rs. 3,500 crore.
The e-GoM, headed by Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee, decided to allow a maximum of five 3G
operators per telecom circle, including a government-
owned company (BSNL or MTNL). It fixed the base price
for pan-India WiMAX spectrum for wireless Internet at Rs.
1,750 crore, and decided to sell only three slots initially.
r The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to set up seven
Indian Institutes of Management in Tamil Nadu,
Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. Four of the IIMs – in Tamil
Nadu, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh – would be
set up this year and become operational from the next
academic year. The others would be set up next year and
become operational in 2011.
r After wrapping up a comprehensive review of the security
cover provided to about 435 VIPs, the Home Ministry has
decided to withdraw the X-category security given to 30
persons. With this, the list of the protectees under the
category has shrunk to 20. It is learnt that the list includes
names of mostly politicians and some former judges.
r Hundreds of farmers from Dadri in Ghaziabad district of
Uttar Pradesh, whose land was
acquired for building a gas-based
Reliance power project, staged a
dharna in Lucknow to protest
against what they alleged was the
“forcible acquisition of fertile
land.” They have demanded that
the land be returned to them and an alternative site in
Dadri allotted for the mega power project. About 2,500
acres had been acquired for the power project.
r Telecommunications Secretary Siddharth Behura
has asked the chiefs of the country's top mobile operators
to adopt a policy of self-regulation in sourcing telecoms
equipment. Operators including Bharti Airtel, Reliance
Communications, Vodafone and Idea have been asked to
come out with guidelines on sourcing equipment but a
decision on whether to ban Chinese equipment was
pending.
r India started field trials to buy 126 fighter jets, moving
forward on a $10.4 billion deal to modernise the air force.
Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, France's Dassault Rafale,
Lockheed Martin Corp's F-16,
Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Saab
JAS-39 Gripen and the
Eurofighter Typhoon, produced by
a consortium of European
companies, are in the race for the
contract, one of the biggest in play.
r Even after the start of this year's academic session, the
Basic Education department is still to distribute around
94,000 Urdu workbooks to the students –45,000 Class I
and 49,000 Class II students.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 59
r India and Nepal signed a
trade treaty to allow
Nepalese goods duty-free
access to India and agreed to
bolster security along their
border to thwart militant
attacks. India will allow
Nepal to use the southern
port of Vishakhapatnam for foreign trade, Indian officials
said. Trade between the two neighbours stood at $1.9
billion and they hope it will more than double in a few years
time. India is Nepal's sole fuel supplier and is the
Himalayan nation's main foreign investor.
r The Cabinet cleared a proposal on providing full interest
subsidy on education loans from scheduled banks to
economically backward students. "Any student whose
parents' income is below Rs 4.5 lakh a year is entitled to
the subsidy, provided he is doing a professional course from
a recognised institute," Union Human Resources
Development Minister Kapil Sibal said. The schemes
will apply from the current academic year 2009-10.
Students can avail of the interest subsidy scheme once –
either for the first undergraduate degree course or the
postgraduate degrees/diplomas.
r Haryana will be the first state to use satellite maps for
urban planning, under a MoU signed by the Survey of
India, a mapping and surveying organisation, and the
Haryana Space Applications Centre.
r Seven legislators of the Jharkhand assembly lost their
membership under the anti-defection law. This is perhaps
the first time after the introduction of the Tenth Schedule
that so many MLAs have been disqualified in a single day in
such a small assembly. The Jharkhand assembly has 81
legislators.
r IT czar Nandan Nilekani
intends to deliver the first unique
identity number within the next
18 months and cover half the
country's billion plus population
in four years. The Prime
Minister's Council on Unique
Identification (UID) Authority
approved Nilekani's strategy paper
at its first meeting.
r Prime Minister Manmohan Singh brought back noted
economist, C. Rangarajan as head of his five-member
Economic Advisory Council, for the second time.
Rangarajan, 77, resigned as Rajya Sabha MP, and took over
as chairman of the important council.
60 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
r Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport is now
equipped with thermal scanners to screen passengers
arriving from swine flu-hit countries. Four thermal
scanners have been installed at the airport. The scanner
helps in detecting passengers with high fever, which is a
symptom of the flu.
r Olympic heroes boxer Vijender
Singh and wrestler Sushil
Kumar, along with four-time
world champion woman pugilist
M C Mary Kom, were conferred
the prestigeous Rajiv Gandhi
Khel R atna award in a
glittering ceremony . For the first time in the history of
national sports awards, three sportspersons were
individually bestowed India''s highest sporting honour,
which comes with an enhanced cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh
and a newly-designed statuette.
r The government is understood to have decided to infuse
additional equity in Air India and give a soft loan to
counter the financial crunch, as a high-level Committee
asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to move a note on the
issue for consideration of the Union Cabinet. There were
indications that its equity base, which now stands at only Rs
145 crore, would be enhanced by at least Rs 2,500 crore.
r A newspaper which has become the voice of the lower class
women in Bundelkhand has been chosen for the
prestigious King Sejong Literacy prize instituted by
UNESCO. Run by all-women staff, 'Khabar Lahariya'
was launched in May 2002. The eight-page Bundeli
fortnightly has a circulation of almost 25,000, with a
readership that spreads across 400 villages in the
Chitrakoot and Banda districts of the state.
r Laishram Sarita Devi, a seven times
gold medallist in various international
women's boxing tourneys has been
bestowed with the Arjuna Award, India's
prime honour for sportspersons. Sarita
Devi (24) hails from Thoubal in Manipur.
r Jaswant Singh, expelled leader of India's main opposition
BJP approached the Supreme Court over a ban on his
controversial book in the BJP-ruled Gujarat. Gujarat
government said it would reply after a notice is served to it.
r Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora
described the activation of the Mangala Processing
Terminal ( MPT) as a historic achievement, as the crude
oil production from this block will meet about 20 percent of
the nation's current crude oil production.

World
r Leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada gathered
to present a united front to try to limit the spread of the
H1N1 swine flu , but there is less unity on simmering
trade issues.
r U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
arrived inAngola in a bid to bolster
opportunities for U.S. business in the
major oil producer . Clinton said the
United States wanted to strengthen
relations with Angola, from which the
United States imports 7 percent of its oil
and which rivals Nigeria as Africa's
biggest oil producer.
r Billions of dollars have been invested by major oil
companies Chevron and Exxon Mobil in recent years to
increase production in Angola – both firms pump over half
of the country's daily oil production.
r Iran ready for nuclear talks with West. U.S. President
BarackObama has given Iran until September to take up
a six-power offer of talks on trade benefits if it shelves
sensitive nuclear enrichment, or face harsher sanctions.
r Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad has submitted a list of
his proposed new cabinet to parliament,
nominating current Commerce
Minister Massoud Mirkazemi as the
new oilminister.
r North, south Sudan agrees on implementing peacedeal.
Representatives from Sudan's north and south have agreed
to implement several disputed or neglected elements of a
2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of
fighting.
r Don Hewitt CBS News'
, the creator of ground-breaking
"60 Minutes" program and one of the most influential
behind-the-scenes figures in television journalism, died at
the age of 86.
News in brief
r A 400 billion euro plan to power Europe with Sahara
sunlight is gaining momentum, even as critics see high
risks in a large corporate project using young technology in
North African countries with weak rule of law. Desertec, as
the initiative is called, would be the world's most ambitious
solar power project. Fields of mirrors in the desert would
gather solar rays to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a
new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East
and North Africa.
r Saudi Arabia has stopped United
Arab Emirates citizens entering the
kingdom using identification cards it
says show Saudi territory as part of the
UAE. Riyadh has suspended the
mechanism of using national IDs for
moving between the two countries," the
Interior Ministry's Passport Authority
informed at the Foreign Ministry's website.
r Japan gave Kenya 587millionshilling($7.69million)
a
grant to buy food in response to an appeal by the east
food shortage
African country's president who declared a
a national disaster.
r African leaders will ask rich nations for $67 billion per
year to mitigate the impact of global warming on the
world's poorest continent, according to a draft resolution.
Ten leaders are holding talks at African Union (AU)
headquarters in the Ethiopian capital to try to agree a
common stance ahead of a U.N. summit on climate change
in Copenhagen in December.
r President Obama has condemned
Aung Sun Suu
the sentence given to
Kyi by the ruling military junta and
joined the international community in
calling for her immediate release.
Burmese democracy icon Suu Kyi will
be detained for a further 18 months
after she was found guilty of violating
the terms of her house arrest.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 61
r World Bank President Robert
Zoellick p l e d g e d t o b o o s t
development aid to Rwanda to help
rebuild the country ripped apart by
genocide. The tiny landlocked east
African state is reviving its economy
by spending on tourism.
r Iran's Supreme Leader appointed
Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani as the new head of the
country's judiciary. Larijani, a brother of parliament
speaker Ali Larijani and a member of Iran's hardline
constitutional watchdog the Guardian Council, replaces
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi whose 10-year
term has ended.
r Afghanistan went to the polls to elect a president for just
the second time in its war-torn history with a sweeping
security clampdown in force to prevent threatened
Taliban attack.
r One of the best known figures in American politics -
SenatorEdwardKennedy- has died aged 77 after a long
battle with cancer. After following his brothers into politics,
he eventually became the most senior representative of
Massachusetts . He backed Barack Obama to win the 2008
election and was working closely with the President to help
him push through his liberal healthcare reforms.
r Russia is worried about North Korean missile and
nuclear tests and has deployed sophisticated air defences
in its Far East region to protect against any potential test
mishap, informed Russia's top general. They have an S-400
division there," informed General Nikolai Makarov, chief of
staff of the Russian armed forces, confirming that Russia
had deployed its most advanced anti-missile defence
system near the border with North Korea.
r Pakistani helicopter gunships stepped up attacks on
Taliban positions in the South Waziristan region
, a day
after militants confirmed that their leader was dead and
announced his successor.
r Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez has warned he will break off
diplomatic ties with Bogota over a
controversial US deal to use
Colombian military bases, which he
termed a "declaration of war." Chavez
was speaking just three days before a
regional summit of South American
leaders in Argentina called to discuss Bogota's agreement
to allow US troops to operate at seven of its bases.
62 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
r An expensive satellite launched by South Korea's first
space rocket is thought to have burned up in the Earth's
atmosphere after missing its designated orbit. The nation
had invested more than 500billion won (£245.3m) into the
failed project. The extra weight prevented the rocket from
achieving enough thrust to place the satellite in orbit. Its
speed fell to 6.2km per second instead of an optimum 8kps.
r South African President Jacob Zuma travels to
Zimbabwe in a bid to ease tensions
within the strained unity government,
though analysts held out little hope for
a breakthrough. During his two-day
visit, Zuma met with long-ruling
President Robert Mugabe and his new
partner in government, Prime
MinisterMorganTsvangirai .
r Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou and his government
had agreed to allow Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai
Lama to visit the typhoon-hit island. They have decided to
(agree to) the Dalai Lama's visit to pray for the souls of the
deceased and seek blessings for the survivors of the
typhoon.
r Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set
to discuss peace efforts with German leaders and made an
emotional visit to the place where Nazi leaders plotted the
"final solution". The hawkish Israeli leader was to meet
German Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks focused on the
latest US-backed drive to revive the Middle East peace talks
as well as attempts to halt Iran's disputed nuclear
programme.
r Iran's hardline President MahmoudAhmadinejad called
for the first time for the punishment of opposition leaders
over the street unrest unleashed by his disputed re-election
in June. Ahmadinejad also renewed the Islamic republic's
allegations that Britain sought to overthrow the regime. It is
the first time Ahmadinejad has made such a call against his
political opponents, who have charged his re-election was
fraudulent.
r Icelands' parliament has voted in favour of a bill to pay
back Britain the billions of pounds lost in the collapse of
online bank Icesave. The Icelandic
£3bn
government will pay more than
to the UK and Netherlands in a
move that may pave the way for
further international aid to repair the
island's hard-hit economy. The bill
authorises repayment to the two
countries over 15 years.
r Afghanistan's bitter presidential
election, tainted by vote-rigging
allegations, has become a pivotal
issue in increasingly frosty ties
between Kabul and Washington.
As concerns mount about the
extent of fraud in the August 20
elections, a US official said
Wa s h i n g t o n ' s e n v o y t o
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, raised
concerns about irregularities with President Hamid
Karzai.
r Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a Saudi royal family
member who heads the kingdom's anti-terror fight,
escaped little harmed from a suicide bomb attack in
Jeddah. The deputy interior minister suffered only
superficial injuries after the suicide bomber got close to
him and detonated his explosives . The Saudi wing of Al-
Qaeda was swift in claiming responsibility.
r One of Iraq's top Shia leaders Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim
, ,
died of lung cancer in Tehran, at a time when Iraq is
threatened with fresh political instability. Mr. Al-Hakim
was the head of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (ISCI)
since 2003, after his brother, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad
Baqer Al-Hakim, was killed in a deadly car bombing in
Najaf.
r Nepal's Vice-President Paramananda Jha said he
would rather quit his post than retake
his oath. The Supreme Court has
asked Mr. Jha, who took his oath in
Hindi, to take it again in Maithili, his
mother tongue. The Supreme Court
has given him two options and Mr. Jha
told representatives of the Linguistic
Rights Joint Struggle Committee
Nepal that he will quit than retake the
oath.
r A meeting in London between U.S. President Barack
Obama's special envoy George Mitchell and visiting
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was
reported to have paved the way for resuming the stalled
peace process in West Asia. The meeting, which took place
a day after Mr. Netanyahu's talks with British Prime
Minister Gordon Brown, was said to have been aimed at
preparing the ground for Mr. Obama to announce a
Palestinian-Israel peace deal next month either during the
annual U.N. General Assembly session in New York, or at
the G20 summit in Pittsburgh.
r Hardline pro-Israel groups in the U.S. are confronting
President Barack Obama's demands for a halt to
settlement expansion by accusing him of promoting the
ethnic cleansing of Jews and jeopardising Israel's security.
Members of Congress allied with Israel and powerful lobby
groups in Washington are also trying to shift the focus of
administration policy from the Jewish settlements –
arguing they are not an obstacle to peace – to demands for
Arab governments to recognise Israel.
r Issuing a set of guidelines for the use of drugs against
swineflu, the WHO has said patients with uncomplicated
illnesses do not need to take antiviral drugs. Worldwide,
most infected patients continue to display typical influenza
symptoms and fully recover within a week without any form
of medical treatment, the WHO said.
r Even asChina continues to reject accepting a time-frame
greenhouse gas emissions
for reducing , a report by a
government panel called for the country to set a 2030
deadline for its emissions to peak. This is the first time a
government body has hinted at a possible time-frame for
reducing emissions. With only four months to go before the
climate change summit in Copenhagen begins the
question of whether China will agree to a near-term cap in
its emissions remains crucial to a deal being struck.
r High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Alok
Prasad handed over to the U.N. Resident Representative,
Neil Buhne, and the fourth consignment of relief goods
from India meant for the war-displaced population in
northern Sri Lanka. The 600-tonne consignment, valued
at over $3-million, arrived in Colombo on August 8. It
consists of more than 6,00,000 packages of grocery items,
utensils, plastic mats, clothing materials including
children's clothing, footwear, jerry cans and personal
hygiene items.
r Sri Lanka signed two key developmental projects worth
$350 million with the Exim Bank of China.The Sri
Lanka Board of Investment
informed that Secretary to
t h e Tr e a s u r y S u m i t h
Abeysinghe signed the
agreements relating to the
construction of the
Colombo-Katunayake
Expressway and the
Hambantota Bunkering
Project with Vice-president
Zhu Xinqiang of the Exim
Bank of China.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 63
r Oxford University's first overseas r South Korea pressed North Korea to hold regular
campus in India, which is going to be set reunion of families separated for half a century, after the
up in Lavasa near Pune, has been two sides agreed in rare talks to host the next event this
embroiled in a land grabbing row, with autumn.
accusations of human rights violations
against the land developers. r Over 100,000 Indians , including former test cricketers
and chief justices, have signed a mercy petition addressed
r Indonesia's seismology agency said on August 9, it had to PresidentAsif Ali Zardari seeking clemency for Indian
recorded a powerful 7.3 earthquake near the main island of prisonerSarabjitSingh, who is on death row in a Pakistani
Java. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake with a prison.
magnitude of 7.4 at a depth of 37 km (23 miles). Its
epicentre was 142 km (88 miles) southwest of r Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Tasikamalaya in West Java, the Indonesian agency said. praised leading Iraqi Shiite politician Abdel Aziz al-
Residents in the capital Indonesia reported buildings Hakim as the symbol of the struggle against Saddam
shaking and some offices were evacuated. Hussein's regime as Iranians mourned his death.

r US officials are stepping up pressure on Israeli Prime r U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy , a
Minister BenjaminNetanyahu to cut a deal on curtailing towering figure in the Democratic Party
Israeli settlements, and they're holding out a prize that who took the helm of one of America's
both Netanyahu and President Barack Obama badly most fabled political families after two
want; strong ties between both leaders. older brothers were assassinated, died at
age 77, his family said.
r Amnesty International said that even though Iraq has
addam Hussein's regime
been free from S for six years, r Chinese vaccine maker Sinovachas received approval from
more than 1,000 prisoners are still facing death penalty in Chinese health authorities to mass produce the vaccine,
the country. Panflu, for the H1N1 flu
. The State Food and Drug
Administration gave the green light for the vaccine, which
r The Dalai Lama, on a controversial Sinovac says needs only one 15 microgram dose to be
humanitarian visit to flood-ravaged effective.
Taiwan denounced by China, steered clear
of talking about Tibet but said he was r Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon was sentenced to
dedicated to the promotion of democracy. a minimum of 59 years in prison for
sexually assaulting aspiring models as
r Australian scientists have set out on a research for the young as 14, the Los Angeles County
proteins that cause multiple sclerosis
(MS). The District Attorney's Office said. Jon, 35,
research will be coordinated by Adelaide University along who had dressed socialite Paris Hilton
with other researchers from Perth, Brisbane and and singer Janet Jackson before his arrest
Melbourne. in 2007, was last November found guilty
of 16 counts, including rape, sexual
r After weeks of denial, the Pakistani Taliban battery and performing lewd acts on a
acknowledged for the first time that their chief Baitullah
Mehsud has died of wounds sustained in a US drone strike Logo Quiz: Answer Key
in the country's lawless tribal belt. Top militant
commanders Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman 1. VISA 11. Sun-microsystems
confirmed that the Taliban leader is dead. 2. Indian oil 12. Steel Authority of India
3. alcatel-lucent 13. Vodafone
r Disgraced Pakistani scientist, A Q 4. Andhra-bank 14. Gas Authority of India
Khan , who ran a clandestine nuclear 5. Yes Bank 15. Wockhardt
proliferation network, filed a petition 6. deutsche bank 16. DirectTV
in a court seeking the removal of the 7. Reuters 17. RPGGroup
protocol accorded to him by the 8. MasterCard 18. Kisan Group
government, saying that it made him 9. Hindustan-Motors 19. Bharat electronics
feel like a"prisoner" . 10. Indian Bank 20. Unichem

64 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009


Business and Economy
r Britain will pledge 340 million pounds in loans to plane-
maker Airbus to make sure a part of its upcoming A350
passenger jet is built in the UK. Business Minister Peter
Mandelson said at an Airbus plant in Filton, Bristol that
the support would create and sustain more than 1,200 jobs
within Airbus at its sites in Filton and Broughton in North
Wales, as well as over 5,000 jobs within the supply chain
across Britain.
r India's Tata Motors said it no
longer needed UK guarantees
on loans for its Jaguar Land
Rover (JLR) unit as it had
secured private funding and was
close to finding a commercial
backer for a European
Investment Bank (EIB) loan.
r Microsoft and Nokia announced an alliance to bring
advanced business software to smartphones in a bid to
counter the dominance of Research in Motion's Blackberry
device. The alliance between the world's largest software
firm and the largest mobile phone maker means the latest
online versions of Microsoft's Office suite of applications,
including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, will be available on a
range of Nokia handheld devices.
r General Motors has finalised an
agreement to sell the car
manufacturer Saab to a consortium
which includes the head of the
Swedish sports vehicle firm
Koenigsegg. The US car giant GM
is in bankruptcy protection in the US
and put Saab up for sale in February
in a bid to slim down its range of
brands and become profitable again.
r Australia and China struck their biggest trade deal ever,
as the world's two most valuable listed oil companies,
Exxon Mobil Corp and PetroChina , reached a $41
billion (25 billion pound) liquefied natural gas (LNG)
agreement.
News in brief
r India's top mobile firm Bharti Airtel hopes to conclude a
merger deal next month with South Africa's MTN to create
a telecom giant and has no plans to sweeten its bid. Talks
between the two companies that were prolonged until the
end of September, are focused on "administrative issues".
r Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo! is
planning to join a coalition of library
associations and non-profit groups in
opposing Google's ambitious book
scanning project. The settlement,
which gives the Internet search and
advertising giant the rights to
commercialize digital copies of
millions of books, is already facing anti-trust scrutiny from
the Justice.
r Cairn Energy, the exploration group would begin
pumping its first oil from a huge field in western India this
week, a decade after taking a gamble on the area.
r Russiaand Mongolia signed a deal to form a joint venture
to exploit the Dornod uranium deposit in the resource-rich
former Soviet satellite state. The agreement between
Russia's state-owned nuclear energy giant Rosatom and
Mongolia's Mon-Atom is also potentially controversial as a
Canadian company, Khan Resources, still has a 58 percent
stake in the licence to the Dornod area.
r China's goods exports edged ahead those of the world's
largest exporter, Germany, for the first time ever during
the first half of 2009, according to World Trade
Organisation data. Chinese goods exports reached 521.7
billion dollars over the first six months of the year, while
Germany's reached 521.6 billion dollars.
r Australia approved a massive energy project that will
supply natural gas worth tens of billions of dollars to China
and India, but laid down extra environmental conditions.
The project is a joint venture by Chevron, Shell and
ExxonMobil, which has signed a record 41 billion US
dollar contract with Chinese giant PetroChina and another
worth 21 billion dollars with India's Petronet.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 65
r Tata Steel, the world's No.8 steelmaker by output,
posted a consolidated June quarter loss as poor demand at
its European unit Corus and lower steel prices weighed on
earnings. Tata Steel, which bought Corus, Europe's
second-largest steelmaker, in 2007,said that the
consolidated April-June net loss was at 22.39 billion
rupees, (282.6 million pounds) compared with 39.15 billion
rupees profit a year earlier.
r Dell reported stronger-than-expected quarterly profit,
showing it was better able to cut costs and protect prices on
its products than analysts, or its own executives, had
predicted. Shares of
the world's No. 2
personal computer
maker rose 7 percent
after the earnings
announcement,
which preceded the close of stock market trade by a few
minutes, as investors welcomed signs that its business
could be stabilizing.
r Japanese core consumer prices fell at the fastest annual
pace on record in July and the slide broadened on weak
final demand, potentially putting pressure on a reluctant
Bank of Japan to rein in a deepening deflation. The
politically sensitive jobless rate also hit a record high 5.7
percent.
r US high-tech giant Apple and China
Unicom announced they had reached a
multi-year deal to launch the widely
popular iPhone in the world's largest
mobile market later this year. They have
signed a multi-year deal with China
Unicom to bring iPhone to China, and expect the launch to
be in the fourth quarter of 2009.
r The public sector Coal India Ltd (CIL) is planning to
import around four million tonnes of coal within this fiscal,
CIL Director, Marketing, A. K. Sarkar, said. Given the
lower calorific value of Indian coal, the proposed quantum
is equivalent to six million tonnes of domestic coal.
r MphasiS, the Bangalore-based IT
and business process outsourcing
(BPO) company, is acquiring AIG
Systems Solutions Pvt Ltd
(AIGSS), an Indian captive back
office arm of the insurance major,
American International Group
(AIG).
66 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
r The board of Adlabs Films has
approved the raising of an amount
of up to Rs. 600 crore by way of
rights offer of equity shares to
the shareholders, subject to
necessary sanctions. The funds
raised through the rights issue
would, according to a company statement, be utilised for
expansion and growth opportunities, including investment
in various projects in India and abroad.
r The Volkswagens ' supervisory board approved absorbing
Porsche into VW by the end of 2011, with an initial stake to
be acquired this year for euro 3.3 billion ($4.72 billion).
Under the agreement, the merger is to be fully completed
in the next two years, and Volkswagen's solid financial base
and Porsche's independence will be preserved.
r JP Morgan Asset Management India
has launched its first investment
confidence index (ICI) in association
with ValueNotes. It will be published
on a quarterly basis. The key objective
of the ICI is to quantify confidence in
the investment environment among
investors and advisors.
r Stung by the front page advertisements in newspapers
issued by Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Natural
Resources Ltd. (RNRL), questioning the role of the
Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry and the Empowered
Group of Ministers (EGoM) on the gas price, a divided
Petroleum Ministry is contemplating various options
including looking closely at the issue of advertisement code
violation to nail RNRL in its ad blitz.
r India's foreign exchange reserves eased by $616
million to $271.025 billion during the week ended
August 14 from $271.641 billion a week earlier, the Reserve
Bank of India informed.
r SBI Life Insurance has emerged as number one life
insurer across the
globe in number of
Million Dollar Round
Table (MDRT) members.
Over the last three years
SBI Life has steadily
moved up the MDRT ranks with 2,677 members in 2009.
The MDRT membership is an exclusive honour that is
achieved by less than one per cent of the world's life
insurance and financial services advisors.
r L&T has bagged four EPC orders from Qatar, UAE and
Oman aggregating $217.45 million (Rs. 1,040 crore) for
constructing electrical substations for
customers such as Qatar Petroleum,
Kahramaa, Dewa and OETC. These
projects will be executed by Electrical &
Gulf Projects Operating Company
(E&GP OC), part of L&T's
Construction Division.
r IBM has signed a multi-year service agreement with
Nomura Services India, a subsidiary of leading financial
services group based in Tokyo, Japan. Nomura will
implement IBM's end-to-end business continuity and
resiliency services to bolster its business continuity,
disaster and system failure response strategies. IBM will
also provide Nomura with an in-city work area recovery
solution.
r R amalinga R aju f a m i l y
promoted Maytas Infra Ltd
reported a net loss of Rs 489.79
crores for FY''09 and attributed
the poor showing to what it
called "unprecedented events"
linked to Satyam Computer.
r Toyota Motor Corp will end production at a California
plant it has shared with General Motors for 25 years,
prompting regret and criticism from labor and politicians
facing more job losses in an industry and a state pummeled
by recession.
r HCL Technologies has raised 5 billion rupees through
bonds, two sources with knowledge of the deal said. The
company sold two-year bonds carrying a coupon rate of
7.55 percent and three-year bonds yielding 8.20 percent.
The coupon payments will be made quarterly.
r U.S. motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Inc is
optimistic about a recovery in the U.S. economy but would
continue to tread carefully by adopting cost-saving
measures. Milwaukee-based Harley-
Davidson also said it plans to start
selling its motorcycles next year in India,
the world's second-largest market for
bikes. It is betting on a rising middle-
class population in the world's second-
fastest growing major economy to create
a demand for its large and powerful
machines.
r Citigroup plans to sell 20 businesses in consumer finance
area, many of them located in Europe, its Chief Executive
Vikram Pandit said. He said
the move was due to the shift in
the consumer finance market
where "there is less funding
availability and they are probably
less robust as businesses.”
r Home appliances manufacturer Whirlpool Corporation
will close its manufacturing facility in neighbouring
Indiana by next year, resulting in approximately 1,100 job
cuts, as it seeks to cut costs and trim excess capacity.
r A member of German chancellor Angela Merkel's
conservative party has pushed for a delay of the decision
about the fate of General Motors' European unit Opel
until after Germany's federal elections.
r Ireland's government opposes nationalising top banks
Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Banks as it would hit their
funding and "torch" shareholders, Finance Minister Brian
Lenihan said.
r Lloyds Banking Group has
offered to sell Scottish branches
of Lloyds TSB as well as its
Cheltenham & Gloucester
network to ease European
Commission concerns over state
aid and market share. Lloyds and
RBS , which was bailed out by the
British government in the wake of
the credit crunch, has to come up
with restructuring plans to comply with EU antitrust
regulations.
r The European Commission approved Lufthansa's
takeover of Austrian Airlines (AUA) but said the
German flag carrier must make promised changes to
resolve competition concerns. Lufthansa swiftly accepted
the conditions to seal a deal which makes it the
uncontested leader in the European airline industry.
r The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
has transferred surplus funds to the
tune of Rs. 25,009 crore to the Union
Government during 2008-09. This is
about Rs. 10,000 crore more than what
it had transferred in 2007-08,
according to RBI annual report.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 67
r State-run Gas Authority India Ltd has signed a contract
to buy natural gas from Reliance Industries for
production of LPG. GAIL signed a Gas Sales and Purchase
Agreement (GSPA) for buying 2.6 million standard cubic
meter per day of gas from RIL's KG-D6 fields at
Government approved price of USD 4.2 per million British
thermal unit.
r India has finalised negotiations for a
$1.2 billion loan from the World Bank
to help recapitalise state-run banks.
Last year, the World Bank's India head
said the bank agreed to increase lending
to $14 billion for three years, including
loans for recapitalising state-run banks.
r General Motors has agreed to set up a light commercial
vehicle production venture with major Chinese automaker
FAW Group, with total investment of 2 bn yuan ($293 mn).
The 50-50 joint venture, based in the northeast China city
of Changchun in Jilin province, will make light-duty trucks
and vans.
r Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has
decided to get the security covers from the Central
Industrial Security Force (CISF) for its Jamnagar refinery
in Gujarat. RIL's Jamnagar refinery is world's biggest
Greenfield refinery.
r Sejal Architectural Glass Limited
(SAGL) plans to invest Rs 1,500 crore to
meet the increasing demand of float glass
in the country, a top company official
said.
r The Reserve Bank of India fixed the
Reference rate for the US currency at Rs 48.88 per dollar
and the single European unit at Rs 69.81 per euro from Rs
49.06 per dollar and Rs 69.78 per euro respectively.
r India's financial hub Mumbai is emerging as one of the
"world capitals of the future", with an expanding
industrial base, the world's largest movie industry and a
burgeoning middle class making the city globally
prominent, a latest study has said.
r Auto component manufacturer,
Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd,
has joined hands with four domestic
and international companies for
producing car parts and will set up
four manufacturing units for the
purpose.
68 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
r Amazon.com Inc joined the opposition to Google Inc's
plan to digitize millions of books, saying
that the proposed deal would
fundamentally change copyright law
and violate antitrust law.
r The government exempted business auxiliary services
provided by sub-brokers to stock brokers, or by anybody
to someone engaged in manufacturing of excisable items
like pharmaceuticals, medicines and perfumes from
paying service tax.
r China's threat to put ban on the seafood import from India
has caused worry to exporters of Veraval in Gujarat since
fishing is one of the biggest export businesses of the state.
r IT Company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said it
was hoping to implement the Centre's ambitious Rs 1,000-
crore 'Passport Seva Project' at six pilot locations in October
this year and will take this number to 77 by June 2010.
r The presidents of Russia and India
have pledged to increase the volume
of trade between their huge nations
to $10 billion next year. Russia's
Dmitry Medvedev and India's
Pratibha Patil met in the Kremlin
during Patil's fist visit to Russia.
r In a bid to support drought-hit farmers, State Bank of
India launched a bouquet of measures for farm loan
borrowers including interest rate reductions on irrigation
and crop loans. SBI reduced interest rates for minor
irrigation loans upto Rs 25 lakhs to eight per cent in the first
one year and nine per cent in the second and third years.
The existing rates in this category are 10.5 per cent-13, 25
per cent.
r Competition watchdogs of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and
China) countries sought co-operation in tackling cartels
and anti-competitive agreements and said they would
promote fair and free practices in the market by proper
enforcement of competition laws.
r The government has formed a five- member committee
headed by Kirit S Parikh to suggest reforms in pricing of
auto and cooking fuels. "The Expert Group headed by
Parikh will submit its recommendations in three months,"
Petroleum Secretary, R S Pandey told reporters.
r Market regulator SEBI has notified the ICDR guidelines
setting new disclosure norms for companies wishing to
raise funds from the capital markets.

Sports
r The England badminton team has withdrawn from the
World Championships in India due to "a specific
terrorist threat." They took this decision based on their
own assessment of the situation on the ground, having
takenintoaccounttheFCOTravelAdvicewarningofahigh
threat from terrorism in parts of India, including
Hyderabad.
r Andy Murray defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 7-6 (10/8)
in the semi-finalsof the ATP Montreal Masters to rise to
secondintheworldforthefirsttimeinhiscareer. TheScot
will replace Rafael Nadal in the slot behind Roger Federer
whenthenewrankingswillbereleased.
r Britain's 2005 marathon world
champion Paula Radcliffe won
theNewYorkhalfmarathon.The35-
year-old - a world silver medalist at
10,000 metres in 1999 - has been
struggling for several months with a
foot injury whichhad cast doubtover
herparticipation.
r Wayne Rooney scored the winner as Manchester
United began their bid for a fourth consecutive Premier
League title with a 1-0 defeat of Birmingham City but
Liverpoolcrashed2-1atTottenhamHotspur.
r Britain's Jessica Ennis won her
country's first-ever world
heptathlontitle afterdominating
the gruelling seven-discipline,
two-dayevent.Enniswentintothe
final event, an energy-sapping
800m,171pointsaheadofPoland's
Kamila Chudzik and produced a
run of 2min 12.22sec to ensure her place atop the podium
with a world leading total of 6,731 points. The 23-year-old,
who had the best personal best around two laps of the top
eight competitors, went out hard, overtaking Ukraine's
Olympic champion, Nataliya Dobrynska almost
immediatelyandbuildingupa15-metrelead.
News in brief
r Andy Murray has seized the
momentum a fortnight before
the US Open , the Scot
exploding into form with his
fifth title of the season at the
MontrealMasters.
r Dean Richards has been banned from any involvementin
the Heineken Cup for three yearsafter beingfoundguilty
of organising the fabrication of a blood injury and a
subsequent cover-up when he was director of rugby at
Harlequins.
r Jamaica's Usain Bolt shattered his own 200 metres
world record to win gold at the world championships in a
breathtaking 19.19 seconds and secure his place as the
greatestsprintereverseen.Oneyearexactlyafterheposted
19.30 seconds at the Beijing Olympics to beat Michael
Johnson's "untouchable"19.32 from the Atlanta Games, he
sliced another 11 hundredths of a second off just as he did
inSunday's100whenheran9.58.
r The Indian team received an 8-2 plastering at the hands
of Spain in its first hockey Test. The Spaniards, who are
World No. 3, simplytoyedwiththe Indians,pumpingin five
goals in the first half before adding three more in the
secondsessiontocompletetherout.
r India let in an early goal and then failed to convert the
scoring chances to lose 0-1 to England in its first medal
round Group E match of
the women's Junior
World Cup. India, which
has carried forward three
points to the second phase
after topping the group,
now needs to win both its
matches against Chile and
Korea in order to make it
to the semifinals. India
began strongly earning two penalty corners, but both were
wellanticipatedbyEnglandgoalkeeper,GemmaIble.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 69
r S p a - Fr a n c o r c h a m p s
(Belgium), Force India's
Giancarlo Fisichella created
history by giving India their
first-ever Formula One race
point, finishing a sensational
second in the Belgian Grand
Prix, even as Ferrari's Kimi
Raikkonen overtookthe Italian,
who started from the pole, to
wintherace.
r Domestic cricketers have reason to be more motivated
when they play the Ranji Trophy this season. The Board
of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at its working
committeemeetingraised the prize moneyfor the national
champions to Rs 2 crore, from 60 lakh in the previous
season.Therunners-upwouldbericherby a crore withthe
losingsemi-finalistsgettingRs50lakheach.
r TheBoard of Control forCricket in India(BCCI)willwrite
to the Attorney-General Goolam E. Vahanvati on the
controversial "whereabouts" clause of the World Anti
Doping Agency (WADA) code adopted by the
InternationalCricket Council(ICC).
r What is it about Twenty20 leagues and controversy? Not
long ago the Karnataka State Cricket Association
announced that it was launching a franchise-based T20
state league with eight teams taking part from the
different districts of Karnataka. The proposed model was
a low-cost, low-return version of the Indian Premier
League.
r Shiv Kapur played his best golf of the
year, with no less than 21 birdies and an
eaglein fourrounds,butat theendof the
week, his double bogeys, two of them on
the final day, pegged him back to tied
sixth at the Johnnie Walker
Championships at the Gleneagles
HotelGolfcourse.
r Somdev Devvarman, who became the first Indian in
seven years to qualify for the Grand Slam singles main
draw, making to the US Open, hopes to become a regular
feature in all the four Majors. In a rain-interrupted final
qualifying match, Somdev defeated Poland's Jerzy
Janowicz 6-3, 6-2 to enter the main draw. He now plays
110th-ranked Frederico Gil of Portugal in the first round
of the US Open.
70 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
r The Indian Premier League II (IPL)
hosted in South Africa earlier this year
helped Cricket South Africa (CSA) record a
turnaround of over 80 million rands (1
rand=US 13 cents) for the 2008-09 season
after budgeting for a loss of 75.9 million
rands.
r Muhammad Shabbir and Muhammad Munir of
Pakistan created history by taking their team to their first-
ever appearanceat the Omega Mission Hills World Cup
as they finished in the top-three at the Asian Qualifiers.
Pakistan's golf community erupted into celebration when
the national team qualified for the Omega Mission Hills
World Cup for the first time after finishing in the top three
attheAsianQualifierinMalaysia.
r Pakistan is eyeing a compensation package of around $18
million in exchange for dropping its legal proceedings
against the International Cricket Council (ICC) over
staging the 2011 World Cup. Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan
Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said in Lahore that in
addition to the $10.5 million that is guaranteed to Pakistan
as the hosting fees of its share of 14 World Cup games, the
PCB is expecting to receive around $8 million more from
theICC.
r New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori
has joined the ranks of Test cricket's elite
all-rounders, becoming the eighth player
to completethe doubleof 300 wickets and
3,000runs. Vettori beganthesecondTest
against Sri Lanka here needing two
wicketstotakehistallyto300.
r Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia celebrated his 100th
international appearance in style, slotting home a goal in
India's 2-1 victory over Kyrgyzstan in the ONGC Nehru
Cupfootball attheAmbedkarstadium.
r India's Sania Mirza crashed out of
the US Open second round after
being handed one of her worst
career defeat by Italian Flavia
Pennetta 6-0, 6-0 at Flushing
Meadows. The 10th seed Italian
took just 50 minutes to complete
thewhitewash. Sania, who had
reached the fourth round of US
Open in her breakthrough year in 2005, committed 28
unforcederrorstoheropponents10.

REEBOK
Celebrate Individuality in Sport and Life
R eebok International Limited, a subsidiary of German
sportswear giant Adidas, is a producer of athletic
footwear, apparel, and accessories. The name comes
from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope
or gazelle. The company, founded in Bolton, England in 1895,
was originally called J.W. Foster and Sons but was renamed
Reebok in 1958. The company's founders, Joe and Jeff Foster,
found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a
boy; the dictionary was a South African edition, hence the
spelling.
Reebok surged in
popularity in 1982 after
the introduction of the
Freestyle athletic shoe,
which was designed for
women and came out
when the aerobics craze
started. Not only was the
Reebok Freestyle popular as athletic wear, but also as casual
wear. As a result the Freestyle became an icon of the 1980s
fashion scene with hi-top versions (including two velcro straps
at the top) and colors, including white, black, red, yellow, and
blue. Reebok continues to produce the Freestyle as it is popular
with cheerleading, aerobic dancing, the gym and consumers.
Following the Freestyle success, Reebok also introduced an
athletic shoe for men, called the Ex-O-Fit. Similar to the
Freestyle, it came in low-top and hi-top versions; however,
unlike the Freestyle hi-top with two velcro closure straps, the
Ex-O-Fit only had one strap. One of the designers of this early
footwear was the founder's son, David Foster.
In the late 1990s, Reebok made a strategic commitment to
align its brand with a select few of the world's most talented,
exciting and cutting-edge athletes. Since then, the company has
focused on those athletes who represent the top echelon of
sports and fitness.
In 1992, Reebok began a transition from a company
identified principally with fitness and exercise to one equally
involved in sports by creating several new footwear and apparel
products for football, baseball, soccer, track and field and other
sports. That same year, Reebok began its partnership with golfer
Greg Norman, resulting in the creation of The Greg Norman
Collection.
Brand icon
Reebok's global marketing
campaign, 'Your Move' launched in
March of 2008 and evolved Reebok's
positioning as the brand that
celebrates individuality and supports
those who choose to do things their
way. Expressed as a global brand
campaign, 'Your Move' was an invitation to people to do it their
way in sport and in life. The 'what's your move?' ad was a literal
expression of this philosophy: key assets including Thierry
Henry and Alexander Ovechkin showed us their moves and
invited consumers to show us theirs.
Reebok understands that people are, above all, unique.
Reebok's positioning reflects this; celebrating the distinct
qualities that make people who they are - their unique points of
view, their individual style and their remarkable talents and
accomplishments. Reebok celebrates their individuality, their
authenticity and the courage it takes to forge their own path to
greatness. While some may call them crazy or eccentric, Reebok
calls them visionary and original.
Commitment to Corporate Responsibility is an important
legacy and hallmark of the Reebok brand. For two decades,
Human Rights, through the Reebok Human Rights program,
was the primary focus of this effort. Reebok has expanded on
what had been built and created a Global Corporate Citizenship
platform with a purpose for the brand that will help
underprivileged, underserved youth around the world fulfill
their potential and live healthy, active lives.
Endorsements
Cricket teams with kits manufactured by Reebok
Football clubs/leagues with kits manufactured by Reebok
Rugby League
Colleges
Reebok is dedicated to providing each and every athlete -
from professional athletes to recreational runners to kids on the
playground - with the opportunity, the products, and the
inspiration to achieve what they are capable of. We all have the
potential to do great things. As a brand, Reebok has the unique
opportunity to help consumers, athletes and artists, partners
and employees fulfill their true potential and reach heights they
may have thought un-reachable.
PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009 71
Book review
A Suitable Boy
by Vikram Seth
A Suitable Boy is the story of several Indian
families whose paths intersect continually
over a period of about a year. India has only
recently gained its independence from the British,
and in his lengthy tome, Seth takes us through all the
phases of that momentous change, from the modern
city to the backward country, and from the political to
the intensely personal. But, as the title suggests, A
Suitable Boy never strays far from the subject of love
and marriage–indeed, the book both begins and ends
with weddings.
Winner of 1994 commonwealth Writers Prize, Vikram Seth's
A Suitable Boy is a novel very realistically depicting the social and
political life of post independence India.
The story revolves around four families-the Kapoors,
Mehras, Chatterjis and Khans. The backdrop of the story is the
political upheaval in the post independent and post partitioned
India of the 1950s. Particularly, the story deals with the life of
Mrs. Rupa Mehra (a widow) and her youngest daughter Lata for
whom Mrs. Mehra is looking for a suitable boy. Lata is of
marriageable age but quite an independent and rebellious kind
of a girl who is already in love with a Muslim boy. Mrs. Mehra's
sole aim in life is to look after and take care of her family,
especially finding a suitable match for her youngest daughter.
The background of the novel is the underlying
Hindu/Muslim conflict which flooded the period immediately
after independence of India and Pakistan, and which is even
today a threat to the South Asian subcontinent. The novel shows
a conflict between Hindus and Muslims in the fictional city of
Brahmpur, where the story is primarily set. One of the main aims
of the novel is to infuse the spirit of religious tolerance among
the Hindus and Muslims.
The story begins with Savita (Lata's elder sister and Rupa's
daughter) and Pran Kapoor's wedding. It is here that Lata
decides and makes it vocal that she will not go in for an arranged
marriage like her sister. With time passing by, three suitors come
in Lata's life, all from diverse backgrounds. Lata likes a Muslim
boy who was her classmate and is a writer, but her mother has
chosen a self-made business man for her. Life moves on and
72 PT’s PrepTalk – September 2009
Savita and Pran start their family life after marriage.
Pran's brother Maan falls in love with a girl from an
unsuitable family and his whole life gets
transformed. On the other hand, Lata's brother has a
fight in Calcutta. The story delves into the normal
and day to day routine life activities of India in
1951-52.
Seth also does an admirable job handling the
enormous cast of characters. Even the most minor
characters are easily distinguishable from each other,
and by the end of the book it is hard to avoid the
feeling that you know these characters intimately (in some
cases, quite literally so). Even more impressively, Seth deals
deftly with the dizzying complexity of India's historical
background.
The novel is basically a love story and efforts of Lata's mother
to find a suitable boy for her daughter. There are four families
involved in the story and the backdrop is the newly independent
India of 1950s still struggling and grappling with the aftermath
of partition. The author weaves a compelling tale revolving
around these four families and their love, hatred, sadness, daily
chores, lives, etc. the novel deals with the common man in times
of crisis and a society that is a mix of different cultures,
communities, and castes undergoing a change. These ordinary
people are busy and trapped in the web of their own complex
social and personal relationships, having their own prejudices
and ambitions.
This is one of the longest novels published in literature and
it proves you wrong if you think lengthy novels are boring!!
About Vikram Seth
Vikram Seth was born in India. He was
educated here and in England, China and
the USA.
He has written great books in every genre:
verse novel (The Golden Gate), travel
book (From Heaven Lake, the winner of
the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award),
and epic masterpiece (A Suitable Boy).