Girish Karnad delivers the 26th Jawaharlal Nehru IFFCO memorial lecture

Cooperatives can help bring cinema closer to masses in rural India

Dr Awasthi: Cooperatives can play a big role in making Indian cinema truly ‘Glo-cal’

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Nov 16:

Eminent cinema and theatre personality, Dr. Girish Karnad, has said that cinema and society were closely interlinked and the basis of society is cooperation.

Giving a refreshing perspective to cooperatives, Dr Girish Karnard, said though the connection between cinema and cooperative may generate mirth, but it gave him his first lesson in cooperatives while making of “Manthan”, a one of its ‘cooperative’ film project envisioned by Dr Verghese Kurien and Shyam Benegal in Indian cinema.

Delivering the 26th Jawaharlal Nehru IFFCO memorial lecture here on Saturday, he recalled “we had calculated that the film would cost Rs 10 lakh and we took Rs 2 from each farmer to make the film. The film was based on the story of famous Dr Vergese Kurien and won many national awards.”

He stressed on the need of many such projects in the future.

Tracing the role of cinema in society, Dr Karnard explained how the Tamil identity was shaped through cinema by the likes of Anna Durai, MGR and Jayalalitha.

Dr. Karnad gave umpteen examples of how cinema mirrors the society and how different elements of a film are perpetually undergoing a paradigm shift bringing to fore many moorings of the society.

He mentioned three elements in Indian cinema that has helped make Indian cinema a major agent in nation building. These are national scope of its market, language and music. He, however, added that Hindi film industry has kept away from is politics.

He also pointed out the special position that that art form has in the upbringing of an ordinary Indian. It is more than any other art form – be it painting, dancing or architecture. It is music that has come to define the Indian sensibility.

Besides this, he highlighted how technology is changing cinema and appraised the audience about the abysmally low number of cinema screens in India as a major challenge for Indian cinema today.

Throughout his lecture he spoke about the history of Indian cinema from pre-independence till date and gave many examples from the Indian regional cinema and how it has helped bring more vibrancy in the Indian cultural landscape in general and Indian cinema in particular.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. U. S Awasthi, Managing Director of IFFCO, said that cinema is one of the popular art forms in India and IFFCO has been patronizing Indian art and culture since its inception and with a distinguished personality like Dr. Karnad here to deliver this years lecture, which also happens to be the centenary year of the Indian cinema, makes this years lecture even special for us.

He went on to say that cooperatives can play a big role in making Indian Cinema truly ‘GLO-CAL’ i.e globalization but with a local touch and make mainstream and regional films reach even the remotest corner of India.

This he said will play a big role in addressing various sociological problems plaguing the nation and will also bridge the ‘cultural’ divide that still exists making Indian cultural truly vibrant.

Elaborating on the role the first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru played towards the growth of the cooperative movement, Dr Awasthi said “at the time of independence Nehru felt that cooperative movement alone could ameliorate the socio-economic conditions of the time.”

Nehruji saw a dream of converting Indian villages into self-reliant entities with the help of cooperative. The concept of cooperative was far removed from politics but with the passage of time ideas get distorted. Some of the cooperatives have done well while others have not been so lucky, added Dr Awasthi.

IFFCO, has kept Nehru’s words close to its heart – be it the opening up of SEZ or a global venture, it always remembers to put the farmer at centre-stage.

At the occasion two awards namely ‘IFFCO Sehkarita Ratna’ and ‘IFFCO Sehkarita Bandhu’ were given to Mr. E. Chandrasekharan Nair and Mr. Khemabhai Hirabhai Patel respectively for their outstanding contribution in the cooperative sector and societal development.

These awards carry an amount of Rs. 5 lakh each and recipients are selected from the recommendations received from State Cooperative Unions, NCUI and IFFCOs’ board of Directors.

While IFFCO Chairman, Mr N P Patel, welcomed the guests, Mr G N Saxena, Director Cooperative Development, read the massages from the President, Mr Pranab Mukerjee, the UPA Chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and Union Ministers Mr Sharad Pawar and Mr P Chidambaram.

IFFCO Joint Managing Director, Mr Rakesh Kapoor, introduced the main speaker Dr Girish Karnard. A vote of thanks was proposed by Mr B S Nakai.

Mr E.Chandrasekharan Nair, recipient of IFFCO “Sahakarita Ratna Award” for the year 2012-13 is an eminent cooperator from Kerala. He started his carrer as a Director in the Kollam District Cooperative Bank. He was elected Six times to the Kerala Legislative Assembly and was the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies for three terms. His prestigious contribution to the Cooperative Sector in Kerala is the Deposit Mobilisation Campaign. While working with cooperatives, he initiated many plans through Primary Cooperative Societies. Quilion District Cooperative Bank was the first District Cooperative Bank to get RBI licence and Kerala State Cooperative Bank was the first State Cooperative Bank to get RBI license in his leadership as a Chairman. He served Cooperatives in various capacities and introduced reforms in cooperatives. He was elected as Vice-Chairman of National Cooperative Union and was elected as a Working Member in International Cooperative Movement.

Mr Khemabhai Hirabhai Patel the recipient of IFFCO “Sahakarita Bandhu Award” is a renowned Cooperator from Gujarat. He is a dedicated cooperator, a farmer and an industrialist. His association with cooperatives started with his active participation in various cooperative societies at the village level. He has made intense efforts to uplift the economic conditions of the farmers and has held various positions in cooperatives at senior levels. He was Director on various State level cooperative institutions such as Gujarat State Cooperative Bank, State Cooperative Marketing Federation, Gujarat State Cooperative union, State Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation etc. and was the Director of National Cooperative Dairy Federation. Apart from cooperatives, he has been active in Social and Political spheres also. He was associated with Taluka and District Panchayat in different capacities and he has been connected with educational institutions of his area. Presently, Mr Patel is a Chairman of Sabarkantha District Cooperative Purchase and Sale Union and Sabarkantha Cooperative Cotton Union Ltd., Ahmedabad.

UK must remove students from Net Migration Target: Lord Swraj Paul

LONDON: Leading NRI industrialist and educationist Lord Swraj Paul has said that Britain must remove students from the Net Migration Target as the current immigration system has affected UK's higher education market, with competition emerging from countries like India and China.

"London continues to attract many of the most able international students but the challenges posed by changes to our immigration system mean the numbers are falling in comparison with the United States, India and China," Lord Paul, Chancellor Wiolverhamption and Westminster Universities, said while participating in a debate in the House of Lord on the contribution of high quality education to economic growth.

"The changes to the immigration system is affecting our Higher education market - currently valued at 5 billion to the UK economy and forecast to rise to 16.9 billion (pounds) by 2025. Therefore, I believe we must remove students from the Net Migration Target as most are here for only a short time," he said on Thursday evening.

Noting that the opportunity to participate in education, and gain skills, must be available to all, Lord Paul said, "this will help grow the economy and ensure that we have a skilled workforce ready to meet the challenges ahead."

Other countries, he said, are accepting this challenge.

"The government of India has set a target to have 40 million students in higher education by 2020, when it is forecast that India will supply 12 per cent of the world's graduates. China is expected to produce 29 per cent of all higher education graduates by then."

Higher education, he said, is now a bigger industry in the UK than the aircraft industry, agriculture or even the pharmaceutical industry.

"Universities generated 59 billion to the UK's output in 2009 during the first year after the Recession and created 670,000 jobs either directly or indirectly. Yet the UK is still placed by the OECD at 7th place for the skills level of its general population, which indicates that we need to provide more resources for adult learners," he added.

R K Dubey inagurates new premises of SIBSTC

BANGALORE, Nov 30:

Southern India Bank’s Staff Training College (SIBSTC), Bangalore, moved to its new premises here on Monday.

The Canara Bank Chairman & Managing Director of Canara Bank, Mr R K Dubey, inaugurated the new premises.

Mr Ananthkrishna, Chairman of Karnataka Bank & Chairman of Governing Board of SIBSTC, presided over the function.

Other faculty and dignataries were present on the occasion.

Canara Bank honours Bharat Ratna CNR Rao

BANGALORE, Nov 28: Canara Bank, a leading nationalized Bank, on Thursday honoured Bharat Ratna Prof CNR Rao. The Canara Bank Chairman and Managing Director, Mr R K Dubey, facilitated Prof Rao at a simple function here.

Canara Bank Executive Director, Mr V K Krishna Kumar, and General Manager of Bank’s Bangalore Metro Circle, Mr Ravindra Bhandary, were present on the occasion.

Prof Rao is an eminent Scientist and a well recognized international authority on solid waste and materials chemistry.

He is also the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.

In the enclosed photo is seen Shri R K Dubey, Chairman & Managing Director of Canara Bank, felicitating Prof. CNR Rao; flanked by Shri V K Krishna Kumar, Executive Director, Canara Bank and Shri Ravindra Bhandary, General Manager of Bank’s Bangalore Metro Circle.

Canara Bank bags Best Bank Award

NEW DELHI, Nov 21: Canara Bank, a leading nationalized Bank, bagged Best Bank Award in RSETI Movement.

The Award was given away by Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development, at a glittering function held here at Vigyan Bhawan.

Canara Bank RSETIs have bagged the highest gradation (A/AA), during the evaluation by the Ministry of Rural Development.

The Award was received by Mr R K Dubey, Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank.

Mr S S Bhat, General Manager of Canara Bank Head Office, Bangalore, was also present on the occasion.

ABC Australia broadcasts from Kingdom of Dreams

By Deepak Arora

GURGAON, Nov 18: One of Australia’s favourite talk shows -- Q&A -- of ABC Australia was broadcast live from the spectacular venue of Kingdom of Dreams here on Monday. It was hosted by one of Australia’s most respected journalists Tony Jones in front of a large studio audience made up of both Australian and Indian citizens.

Audience members asked their questions live on television across India and Australia, with a star-studded panel, which included the Minister for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor, political commentator Swapan Dasgupta, award winning TV journalist and Host of Devil’s Advocate Karan Thapar, the Managing Editor of Tehelka Shoma Chaudhury and Australian-born Bollywood star Pallavi Sharda and former Australian spin-bowler Stuart MacGill.

ABC Australia will begin broadcasting from India next week.

Q&A is a unique format that gives citizens the chance to ask questions of a high profile panel of politicians, experts and opinion-makers on important domestic and international issues. In Australia we like to call it democracy in action!

Discussions were ranged across a host of topics, included: Australia’s relationship with India, India’s rapid economic growth and even cricket!

Executive Producer Peter McEvoy said: “We’re thrilled to be taking Q&A to India and to have the opportunity to bring Australian viewers an insight into India’s vibrant political culture.”

Dance Café’s Talent Express Jibes

By Deepak Arora

GURGAON, Nov 17: With age no bar, over 100 people participated in the Dance Café’s Talent Express that gave them a chance to sing and dance.

Kanika Sharma, the lady behind the Dance Café, said the show was solely dedicated to boost the morale of the enthusiasts’, building confidence in them, and helping them overcome stage fright.

Kashmira Irani, the famed Princess Sonali of Zangoora, was the chief guest at the show held at Showshaa Theatre, Kingdom of Dreams. She wished good luck to the entire troupe.

Over 100 participants performing from different genre and multiple age groups commencing with tiny taughts, teenage twirls to very lively grannies.

More than 300 people attended the show that included the thrilling Bollywood Masala, Salsa and all that jazz by firangs and Indis. The audience made the event a success with their support and vigour.

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that brings everybody a great deal of good and this has made the Dance Café more than just daily dancing. One can learn Latin dances (Jive, Cha Cha, Meringue, Lambda & Salsa), Contemporary Bollywood, Classical and Semi-Classical, Aerobics, Power Yoga and lots more, according to Kanika Sharma.

What’s exciting about this place is that it’s not just about dancing, she said there is music too. It offers you courses in Guitar, Piano, Violin and Drums and offers various attractive packages to individuals, couples and groups.

 

Kanika Sharma said the Dance Café believes in catering to the needs of one and all and lays specific emphasis on personal attention. Through its dedicated team of instructors, it offers group as well as personal classes for the same.

To add drama and masti into your wedding, she said the Dance Café offers wedding choreography, which is custom made for each wedding. To break the monotony of everyday work, it offers Corporate Dance workshops as well.

The founder of the Dance Café, Kanika Sharma is a highly experienced dancer, both in the Western and Indian Classical dance forms. She started learning Bharatnatyam at the tender age of four under the tutelage of guru Yamini Krishnamurti. She continued the journey in the form of Latin American and Ballroom from late Kiran Kalanuria and not to forget our very own Bollywood and Contemporary dances.

Canara bank celebrates Children's Day

BANGALORE, Nov 14: Canara Bank organised a funtion here to mark the Children's day. The function was held at Bangalore Press School, Chamarajpet, here.

Mr BNS Ratnakar, Chief Customer Service Officer of Canara Bank and Mr Ravindra Bhandary, General manager, Bangalore Metro Circle participated in the function.

The prizes were distributed to childeren on the occasion.

Wall dedicated to India's Nobel Laureates unveiled

GURGAON, Nov 9: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Embassy of Sweden on Saturday jointly unveiled a 'NobelMemorial Wall' at a metro station in Delhi to spread awareness about Nobel Laureates of India, with a focus on Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.

The wall at the Huda City Centre station was unveiled by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's Managing Director Mangu Singh and the Ambassador of Sweden Harald Sandberg.

Rabindranath Tagore is the focus of the wall with a bust of the poet against the original text of his nobel prize nomination, procured by the embassy from the Swedish Academy.

The wall has been created as part of celebrations of Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week that started on Friday.

This year, the week is dedicated to Tagore to mark the centenary of his Nobel Prize in literature.

"The contribution of his work has given India recognition all over the world. The Nobel Wall is a unique way to honor him. It also gives an opportunity to our youth to know about Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore while they are on the move," Mangu Singh said.

"Not only was he the first Indian but, importantly, also the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in literature and for this reason, he has a special place in the long history of relations between Sweden and India," said Sandberg.

The wall will be on display till November 15.

Poor want life of dignity not charity: Desmond Tutu

NEW DELHI, Nov 6: Speaking at the Inaugural Janaagraha LC Jain Memorial Lecture, co-organised by ActionAid India, Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu paid tribute to LC Jain, a noted Gandhian activist.

Introducing the event and inviting Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu to the podium, Swati Ramanathan, Co-Founder, Janaagraha described L.C. Jain as a moral compass, who fearlessly stood for the well-being of others. She added, "Desmond Tutu is a giant of our times having overcome apartheid right by Mandela’s side, chairing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal the scares of apartheid."

Archbishop Tutu began the lecture by reminding the audience of India's role in South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle. "Nelson Mandela and others walked out of prison because of what you (India) did," he said.

“South Africa has made strides observing how in his native Cape Town there are now more mixed couples while earlier there were only white couples. Mixed couples now have babies of ‘indeterminate hue'!” he added in his trademark humour.

Archbishop Tutu, a passionate crusader for human rights and social justice, raised worries about South Africa's growing inequality adding "We have come a long way. But if we do not narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, (the country) will all go up in flames." He said, "South Africa has the distinction of having the widest gap between the rich and the poor. This cannot be good for the poor or for the rich."

He urged India to learn from South Africa's example. "Poor people do not want handouts. They have pride and want to be treated as proper persons who are able to think for themselves,” he shared. Tutu also quoted Martin Luther King Jr "We can choose to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together.”

Devaki Jain, wife of LC Jain, said "The inaugural lecture called attention to the dangers of perpetuating economic inequality and therefore the importance of concentrating on removal of poverty. This resonated with LC Jain’s passion for removing poverty through livelihood protection.”

Shabana Azmi, Chairperson of ActionAid, India said “It was most befitting that Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the first speaker at the Inaugural Lecture.” She described it as a memorable evening “tempered with humour and made all humane.”

The memorial lecture is instituted by Janaagraha, a Bangalore based NGO and co-organised by ActionAid India and other organisations, that LC Jain and his wife, Devaki Jain have been closely associated with. The Public Lecture at the auditorium of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, was packed with an audience comprising of eminent names from the civil society, media, students, researchers and other dignitaries.