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REAL (Investments) ESTATE:Time to make a move?

Until a few years ago, the real estate market was abuzz with activity and investors were interested in every project — old or new. Prices, although unnatural, were at agonizing highs. Today, however, present market dynamics sings a different tune. Prices have at least stabilized across the region, if not reduced. For an investor with surplus money, this could very well be a much awaited cue. But, is it really the right time? If yes, then which areas should people invest in and can good returns be expected from the short term? Or should investors wait a little longer till the market hits a new low?

The majority of market experts believe that the time is ripe for real estate investment. Some experts have termed the present situation as the ‘best’ time to invest. People who make money in the market are those who buy property when the market is down, and sell when the market is lively again. It is a great time for purchasing for people who are looking for a space for self-occupation, and for those investors who can be in the market for a long period. For those looking at self occupation, this is also the right time to strike a good bargain with the sellers. Developers and builders are facing a demand crunch, and the longer this stagnation continues, the greater: the desperation will be and as a consequence builders will be willing to sell their products (even at lowered rates). It is unlikely that the market will see a price appreciation in the short term. The best returns will come in the long run as the economy grows, and the demand from the expanding IT sector materializes. If the buyer does not invest now, then when will he do so?

The recent reduction in home loan rates also makes this an opportune moment for investments in real estate. Though some experts believes that home loan rates do not make such a dent in the demand for housing as loans form a relatively small part of the total cost of a property.

It is not wise to invest blindly. All said and done, not everyone is in favor of investment at the moment. There are dissenting voices which are cautioning the investor to wait a little longer. This is the festival season when there is not only local demand but also demand from Non Resident Indians. It will therefore be better for investors to wait till the end of the festival season rather than competing with NRI money. So, make your move only if you think that the game is tilted in your favor. If not, wait and watch….

We are approaching that time of the year again, when its time to ring out the old, and ring in the new. The New Year is probably the oldest holiday of all time, and has been celebrated for almost 4000 years. The tradition of celebrating the New Year is believed to have originated in Babylon.

The New Year celebrations lasted for eleven days, and it was a time of grand feasting. It was celebrated with the first visible crescent of the New Moon, after the Vernal Equinox - which is the first day of spring. (This usually falls around the 21st of March.) Logically; choosing the first day of spring as the New Year makes a lot of sense, as spring signifies the beginning of life, the beginning of a new season and the end of the winter - which is the last season. Plants are being ‘Planted, flowers have just started to blossom, and everything seems to be slowly coming back to life.

The Romans too celebrated the New Year sometime around the last week of March. However, Roman emperors constantly changed the calendar around, with the result that the calendar became completely out of sync with the sun - so while March would be spring in one year, it could be winter in the next!Finally; 1st of January was officially declared to be the first day of the New Year by the Roman senate. The day is bang in the middle of the winter, and doesn’t really have any astrological or agricultural significance. It was just a date picked arbitrarily. However, this didn’t stop the Roman emperors from changing around the calendar again and again. They didn’t tamper with the New Year date though. Finally Julius Caesar set down the calendar as we know it.

According to tradition, the first day of the year signifies what the rest of the year is going to be like. Thus, if you are working on the first day of the year, you are likely to be working for the rest of the year. Thus it is customary to celebrate this day in the company of friends and family.

The Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year’s Day brings luck. This is because it is ring shaped, and any food in the shape of a ring shows that you have come full circle.

In some villages in Scotland, barrels of tar are set afire, and rolled down the streets to burn out the old year and bring in the new one. In addition, the Scottish people believe that the first person to visit your house on the New Year is a tall, dark-haired man; the year will prove to be a fortunate one.

In the United States, New Years Day processions fill up the streets. Decorated floats, dancers, musicians, singers… are all part of the procession.

The Nainital tourist district is the pride of the Kumaon region in Uttaranchal. While there are many other places equally beautiful, Nainital is certainly the most popular tourist destination in Kumaon. It’s a pleasant hill station. For tourists looking for hustle and bustle the best time to go is the summer months when a lot of traffic ascends from Delhi and the plains.

 The town gets equally crowded during the September/ October season which coincides with the Diwali and Puja holidays. However, like most hill resorts, it has its quite periods too. During the winter, Nainital is quite another beautiful experience when it reverts back to the local population and the crowds are absent. Peaceful, open   and invigorating. In Indian mythology, Nainital is regarded as one of the 64 “Shakti Peeths”. Legend has it that a grief stricken Lord Shiva was carrying Sati’s body and one of her eyes fell here. The Nainital Lake is shaped like an-eye and the town derived its name from the combination of Nain (eye) and Tal (lake). The Naina Devi temple is located at one end of the lake.

The place lay undisturbed till an English businessman chanced upon the location while hunting. The businessman, Mr. Barron, a sugar trader got enamoured of the place and decided to start a settlement on the side of the pristine lake.

The British had occupied the area in 1815 and the first recorded reference to the township can be found in a journal entry in 1841 in ‘Englishman Calcutta’ which mentions a lake being discovered in the area. The English settlement soon had lovely cottages on the hillsides around the lake. Sometime later, a number of wealthy Indian families from the old town of Almora shifted to Nainital and the town flourished. Nainital was, at one time, the summer capital of Uttar Pradesh.

PLACES OF TOURIST INTEREST:

 LAKES: Nainital has several lakes close by- Bhimtal, Sattal, Naukuchiatal, Khurpatal, Malwatal, Harishtal and Lokhamtal. SAT TAL (seven lakes) is 22 km from Nainital. Bhimtal is close by, almost the same distance from Nainital. Close to Bhimtal, 4 kms away is NAUKUTCHIATAL.

GUFA MAHADEV AND SEPOYDHARA: If you are not afraid of ascending and descending a hill you can enjoy Sepoydhara very well. Placed at an altitude of 6000 ft. one has to descend for 200 ft from the motor road. There is a natural spring pouring out volley of water through five pipes of four to, five inches in diameter. Adjacent to it there are few temples where you can worship the deity after a bath. It has 108 Haidakhan Baba (the older one) who used to pay at least a visit to this place every year during his life span. Previously known as Tara Lockup is now the district Jail of Nainital, which stands in the vicinity. It housed Moti Lal Nehru also for some time in pre-independence era.

SRI KRISHNAPUR: On your way back from Gufa Mahadev if you change your course a bit to the west you will reach Sri Krishnapur at a height of 6000 ft before you embark the main Kathgodam road, Sri Krishnapur was the seat of a great learned Sanskrit scholar Late Pandit Sri Krishna Joshi, Advocate and Head of the Department of Religious Studies Benaras Hindu University, etc. There are about 150 manuscripts and printed books to his credit on different topics in Sanskrit, Hindi and English. This is now a place from where people get Kurmanchaliya Saur Chandra Panchang (the almanac) and other religious books besides the tourist literature including that, which is in your hand. All the good things are bound to reach you from this place.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Location: Nainital is situated at 29 degree 24′ north latitude and
                     79 degree 28′ east longitude

Altitude: 1938 Meters or 6,360 ft, above sea level.
Temperature:    Summer: Max 27 C. Min 10 C.
                                Winter: Max 15 C. Min 3 C.
Best Season:      March to June
                                   &
                            September to November .

STOCK MARKET: BEARS’ FEAR EXAGGERATED

Now that the markets have accepted the P-Note norms fairly positively and appear to have moved on, the question is what happens in the interim, till P-Note users and sub-accounts get registered. One view is that the market becomes extremely range bound and lacklustre as flows dry up. Some believe that volatility may rise as trading volumes dry up. However, here is an alternative picture.

The basic assumption has to be that fundamentals remain intact. Earnings remain fine, no mid-term elections are called in the next two months and no sharp global meltdown happens. In such a steady state, let us discuss a somewhat different technical picture. Yes, hedge funds will not buy much in this period till they get clarity on the ‘regulated’ clause. It is suspected that their freeze is on. But equally they are not likely to sell anything. They are not required to, just yet and why would they want to sell down their only holdings in a market where they cannot buy any more, at least for the moment.

Generally speaking, there may not be much by way of selling in Indian stocks from FIIs now, as it is a scarce commodity which a lot of hungry people do not have access to. So we have a market which does not expect much selling and probably would see pent up buying in a bunched fashion when the registrations actually come through from SEBI. In such a scenario, domestic HNIs, operators and corporate investors may want to buy and hold, if only to front run this expected FII rush a couple of months down the line. Thus, despite a marked slowdown in hedge fund buying, the market technicals may not be so unsupportive, particularly if there are no fundamental setbacks.

Over a period of time though, ‘overseas’ versions of stocks will gain currency. ADRs will see more appetite, their premiums would increase. Part of the futures action will shift to the Singapore-based SGX, the dollar denominated Nifty futures. Over time, many firms may find ADRs and GDRs even more attractive as any foreign investor can access them with ease. To that extent, a part of our capital market will be ‘exported’. To avoid this, the only way is to take entry procedures to the next level, which is to allow free and unrestricted entry to any ‘foreign’ entity into our market as long as they register.

A concerted effort is being made by Kreeda, an organisation in Chennai, to revive the traditional games of India so that they do not die out. Through such efforts, Kreeda also hopes to give children and adults an alternative to electronic entertainment and a means to bond, while also exploring ways to use such games to teach, impart life skills and facilitate corporate training. 

The Kreeda team is leaving no stone unturned in its initiative to research, document, revive and popularise traditional Indian games among today’s youngsters, which it sees as the ‘make or break generation’. “If the children and young adults of today do not become aware of these games and realise their manifold values, there is a real possibility that they will be lost forever,” says Vinita Siddhartha  ( 40), the promoter and brain behind Kreeda (meaning ‘play’ in Sanskrit).

Games that have got a new lease of life due to this initiative include Pallanguzhi (cup and shell); Paramapadam (steps to the highest place); and Adu Puli Attam (goat and tiger). While the first game involves moving shells or stones from one ‘cup’ to another in a wooden frame and improves motor skills, the second is a board game in which a dice is rolled and players progress to the higher numbers. This game has proved valuable in teaching mathematics. The third-Adu Puli Attam-is a strategy game, needing skill, concentration, analysis, anticipation and planning. In this game, the opponents’ strength has to be assessed and both defensive and offensive tactics have to be employed. It can be played by two people or two teams. According to the rules, the tigers have to kill the goats, while the goats have to encircle their predators. Interestingly, Adu Puli Attam is popular with corporate houses during training sessions.

The Principal, Mahatma Gandhi School, Madurai, says that at her school they use Paramapadam and Pallanguzhi to teach mathematics to children between the first and the eighth grade. “Apart from simple arithmetic, complex concepts like fractions, integers and even probability can be picked up,” says Kreeda’s Vinita. In a bid to ensure that the games become a part of mainstream teaching, the school authorities recently organised a workshop for teachers. The workshop focused on using traditional games for making class work enjoyable. The school also held a carnival for children and grandparents with the theme, ‘Forgotten Games’, in order to help them bond.

A gentle lady, who spoke to me, said that she recently bought Pallanguzhi. Not having played such games during childhood, Rama as well as her eight-year- old daughter soon became totally hooked on the game. Now, the duo prefers spending their free time playing Pallanguzhi together rather than watching TV .or going out. In fact she was so impressed with this traditional game that when she organised a theme party for her daughter’s birthday, she bought traditional games for’ the party and as give-away gifts. “Strategy, motor skills, creativity and knowledge-all these things improve by playing the games. I wanted to introduce culture to children in a way that they can enjoy it,” she smiles.

The traditional games also have other interesting uses. For example, Pallanguzhi, besides being a great way to strengthen mathematical concepts, is an excellent Braille game as it involves ‘touching and feeling’, reveals Vinita. In fact, an ayurveda centre, even prescribes the game to improve arthritis.

Vinita has received plenty of positive feedback from clients on her endeavour, which she started almost four- and-a-half-years ago. She recalls how a widow from Singapore telephoned her especially to tell her that Pallanguzhi had helped her fill the long lonely hours after her husband’s death. Another senior citizen from the US sent her an e-mail saying that he did not know ways in which to engage his grandchildren until he came across these traditional games in - a store in Chennai and brought them back with him.

Incidentally, Vinita decided to focus on this aspect after seeing her octogenarian grandmother have a great time playing these games with her young grandchildren. In fact she found out about many games mainly by talking to the elderly. This research is on-going. Interestingly, she and her team found that similar games are played in other parts of India, of course, with different rules. For instance, in Andhra Pradesh, Pallanguzhi is called Vamanaguntulu and Adu PuIi Attam is Bhagbakri. Similarly, Dayakattu of Tamil Nadu is Chaupad of North India.

To make the games contemporary and competitive, Kreeda has taken the most exciting rules from the different variations and formed its own set of rules for each. After the rules are drafted, the design, colour schemes and gaming elements such as coins, dice and so on are finalised. Every stage goes through a rigorous process of testing by the children.

Under-production games are given to children in neighbourhood schools and feedback is sought.

Once finalised, the games are packaged in eco-friendly material, keeping an eye on easy use and reuse. They are priced at affordable rates for customers from different economic backgrounds. Pallanguzhi, for instance, is priced between Rs 50 and Rs 500, depending on where it is stocked. Adu Puli Attam costs Rs 200. The games are available at bookshops and can also be ordered online at www.kreedagames.com.

According to Sheela (46) of Kreeda, there is a wide variety of indoor games from which to choose, such as Puliangottai (a tamarind seed game for motor skills); Chirmi (a seed and sand game); Kalanay Belanay (facilitates colour coordination); Kattam Vilayattu (uses the tic-tac-toe strategy); and Nakshatra Vilayattu (with the five-pointed star). Some of the outdoor games on sale are Pandi, Gilli Danda and Bambaram. 

Interestingly, the games also help go-getter executives climb the corporate ladder. Many leading companies, including Microsoft, ABN Amro, Orchid Chemicals, ING Vysya and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), now make use of these games for their staff, either for leadership training or as ‘de-stressers’.

Others have another unique use for these versatile games. Ravi Viswanathan (43), vice-president and head of Chennai operations, TCS, reveals that the company uses these games to showcase Indian culture to foreign clients. When demonstrations are organised with the help of the Kreeda staff, “many start playing and remark that the games stimulate the thinking capacity”. At times, they end up buying them to take back home.

EKA: India’s Super Computer

It is indeed a proud moment for India as Tata’s Eka supercomputer has made a spectacular entry as the most powerful computer in Asia. It has also been ranked as the fourth fastest in the world in the Top 500 ranking of supercomputers. What exactly is a supercomputer, you might well ask. Well, it is a computer that works at many times the speed of normal computer and has immense power compared to the normal computers that we see.

The main use of supercomputers is to perform highly calculation-intensive tasks.
They would include problems involving quantum physics, analysing data to forecast weather, research on climate and global warming, molecular modelling, etc. No wonder such computers are to be seen at top universities, or with the defence services, or at research laboratories. In fact, the Top500 list is released twice a year by the University of Tennessee, USA; Mannheim University, Germany, and at NERSC Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory which together rank supercomputers worldwide. The test is based on the well respected Linpack N*N Benchmark, which checks processor speed and scalability.

The computer was built by Tata engineers at the Computational Research Laboratories (CRL) in Pune. It cost Rs 118.11 crore ($30million). The supercomputer was designed by Tata engineers and built with off-the-rack hardware sourced from Hewlett Packard that helped keep the cost of the supercomputer relatively low. Eka performs at 120 teraflops (trillion floating point calculations). The speed of floating point operations, or FLOPS, is of significance in scientific calculations, since it involves numbers with a floating or decimal point.

The top supercomputer, IBM’s Blue Gene/L, which has been installed in the US, beat others by a tremendous margin; it was almost three times faster than any other machine and four times faster than Eka. It performed at 478.2 teraflops. While American supercomputers have dominated the world, now there is a change in the pecking order, and India’s entry into the elite list is a matter of considerable significance.

Of course, a computer is only useful if it has applications that harness its power productively. It is here that Tata’s software muscle comes into play. CRL has said it is developing applications in as diverse areas as neural simulation, molecular simulation, computational fluid dynamics and crash simulation. S. Ramadorai, Chairman, CRL, highlighted the role of the system in earthquake and Tsunami modelling, as well as its usage in understanding the economy and designing drugs.
Earlier, Param supercomputers, developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), also in Pune, had propelled India’s entry into the supercomputer arena and Param Padma was ranked No. 171 on the Top500 list in 2003. The network-centric storage architecture of Param computers is based on state-of-the.-art Storage Area Network (SAN) technologies that ensure high performance, scalability and reliable storage.

There was a time when the US had refused to allow a Cray supercomputer to be sent to India. Today, India is in a position to not only make supercomputers but also export them, if it desires to do so. Eka means one in Sanskrit. It is the one that has showcased of India’s growing computer power to the world.

Spanish Chicken Casserole 

INGREDIENTS:

 900 gm diced, boneless chicken   
¼ cup olive oil                                     
2 medium onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed                             
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 ½ tbsp grated ginger 
 200 gm each, carrots and beans, chopped into chunks
2 cups, diced red and yellow peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp dry white wine (optional)
2 ½ tbsp cornflour

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Using half the oil; fry the chicken in one or two batchestill sealed but not fully cooked.
• Drain and transfer to an ovenproof casserole.
• Add more oil to the pan and sauté the onion and garlic until softened.
• Add ginger and stir for a few le minutes, followed by the carrots and beans.
• After tossing briefly, add the peppers and fry for a further 2 minutes.
• Remove the vegetables and place over the chicken pieces in the casserole.
• Pour 2 cups of water and the wine (if using), into the pan.
• Season lightly and thicken with cornflour, already

                                       RICH FRUIT CAKE

INGREDIENTS:
 
450 gm currants
175 gm each, raisins & sultanas
 50 gm each, glace-cherries & mixed peel
3/4 cup brandy
225 gm maida
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice
 225 gm butter
 225 gm sugar
1 tsp vanilla
 4 eggs, beaten
50 gm chopped almonds
1 ½ -2 tbsp milk
Grated rind of 1 lemon & 1 orange

METHOD:

THE DOLLAR IN DECLINE

For a quarter-century after World War IT, money was based on a loose version of the gold standard. The U.S. dollar was pegged to gold; other currencies were pegged to the dollar; stable prices underpinned the prosperity and soaring trade of the 1950s and 1960s. Then in 1971 Richard Nixon balked at the high interest rates necessary to maintain the dollar’s link to gold. For the rest of the decade, inflation ripped. The cure, starting in 1979, involved two recessions in the United States and the Third World debt crisis.

Now we face another potential watershed in the world’s system of money. Since the breaking of the gold link, the dollar has become the world’s primary measure of value, so much so that bank deposits in Uruguay and bribes paid in Russia are mostly denominated in dollars.

But the dollar, like the gold standard before it, is under pressure. Last week even Giselle Bundchen, the world’s top supermodel, was reported to be steering clear of greenbacks.
Inflation was the cause of the gold standard’s collapse as well as its main consequence. As long as the dollar was convertible, investors could choose between owning one dollar and owning one-35th of an ounce of gold; when inflation eroded the greenback’s.

Inflation was the cause of the gold standard’s collapse as well as its main consequence. As long as the dollar was convertible, investors could choose between owning one dollar and owning one-35th of an ounce of gold; when inflation eroded the greenback’s purchasing power, gold was the more attractive option.

Foreigners traded in their dollars until U.S. gold stocks were close to exhaustion. Higher U.S. interest rates could have lured foreigners back into dollars. But Nixon wouldn’t tolerate high rates the year before an election.

Today’s problem is different. The US Federal Reserve Bank has kept a lid on inflation, but the dollar’s vulnerability is caused by debt - the debt of the federal government and of American households. Year after year, foreigners have provided Americans with the savings that they refuse to generate themselves, and this stream of money has supported the U.S. currency. But if foreigners tire of handing over their savings, the unsupported dollar is almost bound to fall. That is what has happened recently.

You can hardly blame the foreigners. They sent their money to the United States because they thought the U.S. financial system was transparent and sound; the sub prime mortgage mess has forced them to think differently. They sent their money to the United States It because the greenback was expected to hold its value, but its purchasing power has fallen sharply against oil, metals and other commodities.
Once a currency ceases to act as a store of value, its days as a reserve currency that is, a currency in which foreigners are happy to hold savings for the long term may be numbered.

As in 1971, the Federal Reserve could do something. It could keep interest rates high enough to entice investors to hold dollars. But as in 1971, this is not an attractive option. The U.S. economy is reeling under the impact of an oil shock, a housing shock and financial turmoil. Forced to choose between upholding the dollar’s role as an international store of value and avoiding domestic recession, the Fed is likely to prioritize recession-avoidance. Nixon’s Treasury secretary, John Connally, told furious Europeans that the dollar was "our currency, but your problem." The same could be said for today’s dollar trouble, which is why French President Nicolas Sarkozy said plaintively last week that "the dollar cannot remain someone else’s problem."

For the United States, a falling dollar a means pricier imports but also an export c boom that could carry the U.S. economy through its housing bust. Yet for France and other countries that use the euro, a weak dollar means a loss of competitiveness - not only against U.S. producers but also against dollar-pegging Asian exporters.

The falling dollar is a headache for the dollar- peggers, too. Their problem is the mirror image of the European one: Countries such as China and the Arab Gulf states are already experiencing an export boom that is overheating their economies. As a falling dollar drags down their currencies, this overheating gets worse. Meanwhile, they have accumulated vast piles of dollar assets that are now losing value. Saving on America’s behalf turns out to be expensive.
So the world faces a dilemma. The last thing it wants is more dollar weakness, which is why central bankers in East Asia and the petro-states, which control most of the world’s official reserves, are not about to dump U.S. bonds and trigger a collapse in the greenback.

But the world may also draw the lesson that an alternative global currency needs to be the long-term goal. Households don’t like saving in a currency that won’t hold its value. Companies don’t like building global supply chains based on a unit of account that fluctuates unstably.

Most economists assume that the dollar will continue to act as the global currency because there is no alternative. But one of the experts at the Council on Foreign Relations, Benn Steil, has proposed another option - a privately created currency that would confer an inflation-proof claim on gold or a basket of commodities. Steil calls his idea "digital gold" which has a nice back-to-the future ring. The more the dollar slides, the less Steil’s suggestion sounds like a fantasy from a movie studio.

There is something about new beginnings, something about ushering in the New Year with family and friends in one’s own special way. Shake a leg, throw a party, guzzle on a heady concoction, and turn a gourmet. Some make prior bookings for a cosy corner in a restaurant; some want it to be an action-packed affair with a celebrated singer performing or a DJ belting out the music for the night. Some sit at home, cook up a nice meal, have their share of entertainment while flipping TV channels.“

I have plans to spend a cosy New Year eve at home. I have been out on an educational tour for many days and now, I am looking forward to be with my daughter. We will be organizing a rocking party at our home with friends coming over, with bonfire, barbeque and music spicing things up”, a friend of mine said.

“We have been blessed with a son, so we intend to stay home and we expect some friends come over and we plan to have a barbeque, drinks and later, cut a cake. Following which, we may go for a geri (stroll) of the town and may stop over at some cafe”, said Gurpreet, one of my colleagues. Rajesh Garg, an interior designer, is planning a cosy rendezvous with his wife: “This time, we plan to take off to an uphill destination. It will either be Timber Trail or Koti Resorts, as there are some interesting packages that the resorts have to make for three days and two nights. It’s inclusive of meals, accommodation and the NY party. Though it may sound unfair on our part to leave our kids with their grandparents, but once in a while it’s okay”. Being members, some always keep our date with their Clubs on New Year’s. “This time, its Gurdas Maan performing is performing here in Chandigarh club, so all the more reason to go! Also, if some friends invite us over, we’d definitely be honouring, the invitation. It’s a good idea to keep ourselves in an active mode. Come on, sitting at home on New Year’s Eve is the most boring thing to do”- this is how a party freak said

“It is my husband’s B’day after all. So for us, it should be an eventful day. We would be taking some friends out for dinner we have yet to decide on the place. All we want is a pleasant environment ‘ with some like-minded folks”, my wife answered to one of her friends.

When asked a young girl, she said, “Our elders would like to spend the evening at Golf Club while we have plans to hit a safe discotheque within City limits and then later join the folks at the club for drinks and snacks. Later, we might also go for drive along with cousins for some more fun”. 

It’s the final countdown. With a few days to the New Year, the fun has already begun. But the question here is: how does one decide where to go and what to do? We list the options.·       

*Good hotels offer special menus which you may check. Expected budget Rs.4000/- per couple. Drinks may be complimentary and house guests may get a 25 per cent discount.  
*Some hotels even go for different celebrations under one roof.·       
*If you are looking for a calm serene atmosphere, you may get a New Year dinner for all walk-in customers in some hotels, “With no extra charges”. It is a regular walk in thing where people dine and listen to live band and enjoy the meal without any rush or crowd.·        
*There are theme parties too with a particular décor. Like there may be a black and white retro theme. The decor will be of the ’70s. Hotel staff would be dressed in bell-bottoms, hats, large collar shirts, etc and DJs from Mumbai will play for the guests throughout the night. There may be a karaoke competition and some games as well. 

For people looking for a new love …but maybe year-end parties are not the best hunting grounds. Or are they? Folks dig parties at this time of the year. Looking forward to meet someone special, make new friends or just have fun? Or is it catharsis? Losing yourself to some swinging times, a blaring trance, hard core partying - disc-hopping, lounge parties… well, we wonder what reason folks party for…

For some, these parties are just about having great fun - unadulterated. They don’t care what others think, say or do. Laughs a university student: “We don’t scout for beautiful girls to woo them. Certainly no ‘desperate attention seeking techniques’. Clean, unadulterated fun is all we want”. His girlfriend finds her raison d’être in dance: “Most people, especially girls, are very inquisitive over what the others around do. They want to know who has come with whom, who is wearing what, who are they looking at. I am not into this. Once, I hit the dance floor, everything else takes a backseat. No second glances at the hunks trying to woo me, no eyeing anyone, no flirting. Parties are fun - be it X’mas, New Year or birthday. Idea’s to dance, dance & dance”.

Knocking on a stranger’s door?

Many hit the floor to look for that beautiful stranger who can be a good ‘time pass’. This is a typical trait of almost every second party goer boys look for dates; girls look for guys. Ek raat ke liye sab chalta hai (on night stand). Everyone is open to flirting at parties, even those with partners. A guy who broke up with his girlfriend last month: “I am desperately looking forward to New Year party”. 

Once bitten twice shy?

Dance parties could also turn into a timeless tale of heartbreak. Parties have been a fiasco for him. Once he met a girl at a City Halloween party, fell in love but then he discovered she was married. When I asked one of my friends about his plans for this year, he said, “……Then, last year I met yet another beautiful girl. We exchanged phone numbers & addresses, but they were fake. Now I know better-not to trust anyone I meet at these parties. This time I’d play safe”. He’s quick to add, “but of course, party I will.”

We can add   ’Live for today, plan for tomorrow. .. and party tonight’. Preparations to ring in the New Year in style have started. With parties and parties all around.

              Drink, dance and laugh and lie
              the reeling midnight through
              for tomorrow, we shall die
               (But, Alas we never do)

 So we talk to members of Gen X on their ‘ kind of New Year celebrations. If it’s some ’strict!-y wild’ fun for the boys with stag parties and night out with friends, then for the pretty girls, Its all-girls parties where they too plan to go really wild!

Where a girl can say, “I’m glad my parents are in London for some relative’s marriage. My cousins, my friends and me have decided on an all-girls party where we are going to do everything– from watching Hollywood flicks and party in the skimpiest of clothes. In fact, we have decided to give away a prize to the girl wearing the shortest dress.” The boys find fun when they plan for something like Ajay who said, “For the New Year, my friends and me are going uphill where we are going to join our other friends for a night-long party(and there are strong chances of dope as well… with some girls also joining  them). It would only end after we have had our first breakfast of 2008.”

RELIGIONS IN INDIA

The land of spirituality and philosophy, India is the birthplace of some religions, which even exist today in the world. Hinduism is the most dominant religion in India today. About 80% of Indians are Hindus. Hinduism is a colorful religion with a vast gallery of Gods and Goddesses. Hinduism is one of the ancient religions in the world. It is supposed to have developed about 5000 years ago. Later on in ancient period other religions developed in India.

Buddhism and Jainism developed around 500 BC in India. Today only about 0.5% of Indians are Jains and about 0.7% are Buddhist. In ancient times Jainism and specially Buddhism were very popular in India. Indians who accepted Buddhist philosophy spread it not only within the Indian sub-continent but also to kingdoms east and south of India. These three ancient religions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, are seen as the molders of the India philosophy. In ‘modern’ period new religions were also established in India.
Sikhism is comparatively new religion in India. It was established in the 15th century. About 2% of Indians are Sikhs. There were other attempts to create new religions in India but they did not always succeed. For example, a Moghul emperor, Akbar, who reigned between 1556 - 1605, tried to establish a new religion, Din- E- Elahi, but it did not survive. There are other religious philosophies whose believers see themselves as a separate religion, but they do not always get this recognition. For example Lingayat of south India see themselves as a different religion, while others see them as a sect of Hinduism. There are also some tribal communities who demand to be recognized as separate religion from Hinduism. In the 19th century some Hindu reformers tried to remodel Hinduism to adjust it to modern period.
Along with the religions that developed in India, there are followers of non- Indian religions. The largest non-Indian religion is Islam. They are about 12% of India’s population. Christians are more then 2% of India’s population. There are also Zoroastrians who even though make less then 0.01% of India’s population, are known around India. There are also a few thousand Jews in India. Judaism and Christianity might have arrived in India before they arrived in Europe.

The Jews of India aren’t one singular community. Among themselves they are divided into different communities. Each community has its own different culture, background and origin. Each community claims its arrival in India in different ways and it is not always clear how they really came to India. The three main Jewish communities of India are: Bene Israel, Cochini and Baghdadi. Besides there were  Ashkenazi Jews and a community in east India which claim Israeli origin and call themselves Bne Menashe. The first three communities had some social religious connections with each other but most of the social religious connections of each community were within their own community and they regarded the other as ‘outsiders’

• JUDAISM - about 0.0005%

PEAS AND MACARONI

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp. onion, minced
1 tbsp. Italian oil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 sm. can of tomato sauce
1/2 can of hot water
1 sm. can of green peas
1/2 lb. sm. shell macaroni

METHOD:

Place all ingredients in sauce pan EXCEPT for the peas and macaroni.
Use the ½ can of hot water to rinse out the tomato sauce can, and pour the mixture in with ingredients.
Bring to a boil. (Medium/High Heat). Simmer 10 minutes, and empty liquid from peas into sauce.
Simmer 5 minutes and add the peas. After peas have been added, simmer for 5 more minutes.

MACARONI:

• Boil water (4 quarts), add a palm full of salt to water.
• While boiling, add shell macaroni.
• Cook for about 14 minutes, taste for tenderness.
• Pour sauce over macaroni, save some for individual dishes.

TUNA FISH, PEAS, MACARONI AND CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. macaroni & cheese dinner (any brand)
1 can chunk light tuna, packed in water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. frozen green peas

METHOD:

• Prepare macaroni and cheese dinner according to package directions.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Add tuna and cream of mushroom soup.
• Stir. Add frozen peas.
• Continue to cook until peas are defrosted

PEAS AND MACARONI SALAD

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. macaroni
2 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. pimentos, diced
2 pkgs. peas, frozen
1 c. Hellmann’s mayonnaise

METHOD:

• Add macaroni to boiling salted water
• Cook until tender
• Drain and cool.
• Defrost peas (do not cook).
• Blend all ingredients together

With degrees in disciplines including constitutional law, media, psychology, human rights, social work, music and theatre, add to that a good measure of motivational public speaking and civil service work and we have in Sudhakar a veritable knowledge bank.

Seventy-four university degrees at the age of 50 seems an unattainable task. Dr. Patnala Sudhakar not only has these many degrees under his belt; he is also looking at making it a 100 before he hangs up his boots.

He is a living testimony to the fact that nothing can come between an unwavering will and one’s goal. A victim of child labour, who had little formal education, now holds an astounding 76 degrees. Dr Patnala Sudhakar, currently the News Director of Hyderabad Doordarshan, is a man with a mission to spread the importance of education because “many ills plaguing the society can be cured by education.”

A maverick with a penchant for exams, a numbers man with an eye on the Guinness book of records, an inspired soul who wants to demonstrate how the limits of human endeavour can be stretched - Sudhakar is all this and more. What makes him more of a phenomenon is that he accomplished all this the hard way.

Taking about his degrees, Dr Sudhakar said that he was not contend with 76 degrees and was keen to complete a century. “My goal is to get a hundred degrees,” he said. His first degree was BA (Economics) in 1970, and the latest is MA (Sanskrit) in 2007. All his degrees have been acquired through distance education.

Born to illiterate Dalit parents who worked as landless farm labourers in Andhra Pradesh and unable to afford a formal education, Sudhakar washed utensils at a roadside eatery and worked as a construction labourer to finance his education through distance learning programmes. “My mother Kanthamma inspired me to believe the most impossible of dreams can be actualised,” he says.

He passed on this motivation to two sisters and a brother, and financed their education. All of them are now Masters and doctorate degree holders in more than one discipline.

Along the way; he delved into the life and philosophy of Babasaheb Ambedkar, immersed himself in Telegu Dalit literature and imbibed strength from motivational writers like Dale Carnedgie, Norman Vincent Peale and Napolean Hill. 

Sudhakar sat for the Indian Information Service exam, worked for AIR and the Press Information Bureau, and also as the Defence Ministry’s PRO, He authored 10 books (there are 10 more in the pipeline), delivered innumerable lectures and engaged in social work. He heads the voluntary organisation Bharat Manav Sewa Samaj, which works for the rehabilitation of widows and the economically weaker sections. Recently, the University of Italy honoured him with a doctorate.Today, the boy from Andhra’s ‘Dalit Basti’ stands shoulder-to-shoulder with top-notch intellectuals and professionals. But he says he has miles to go yet. “My task has just begun. I need to educate and empower my Dalit brethren and touch their lives to the extent I might be capable of.” As for himself, he aspires to be elevated to a constitutional post some day.  

 THAT’ 70s SHOW

Think of an era that had it all- romance, action, thrillers and plenty of masala. Think of an era that gave Bollywood its biggest grosser of all times - Sholay. Think of an era that gave the industry its biggest superstar – Amitabh Bachchan. A time when films underwent a change because of social upheavals, when budgets doubled, when movies became bigger and better and life became a little larger.

The Seventies are not just part of our movie-going experience; they’re part of our collective consciousness. The decade might have lacked the gravitas of the Fifties, the innocence of-the Sixties and the mature elegance of the 21st century, but without its (often) loud and thoroughly entertaining films, fabulous music and fashion, our lives would have been so much more drab.

It’s no surprise then, that choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan was so enamoured by this glamorous decade that she decided to make Om Shanti Om (OSO), a tribute to the Seventies, to a decade that seemed to have it all. "It was wonderful to be a part of a decade where you could work according to your passion. Where everyone would pitch in to make their films better," says Ramesh Sippy, director of Sholay. There was a - great feeling of camaraderie and path-breaking movies such as Zanjeer, Pakeezah and Amar Akbar Anthony were made.

For yesteryear actress Zeenat Aman, the Seventies was a period of innocence, when everyone was at ease interacting with each other. "There were no cell phones, no intrusive television channels and even no vanity vans, we all just had to work together." The decade launched the-careers of many stars. Though Rajesh Khanna was still around, the Seventies saw the rise of another star, who would go on to rule the box office for the next 30 years - Amitabh Bachchan.

People took notice of him as a sombre doctor in Anand. Though he played the supporting role, his performance was as impressive as the then reigning Rajesh Khanna’s. Zanjeer (1973) catapulted him into the successful league of actors, and he gave hit upon hit thereafter. He went on to signify the frustrations of the middle class, fighting corrupt forces and thus became the first action hero aka the Angry Young Man of the industry.
On the other hand, Rishi Kapoor ruled with his boyish charm and the suave Vinod Khanna could knock the wind out of you. Bobby made Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia stars overnight. Dancing star Jeetendra came into the limelight. Shatrughan Sinha emerged as a villain.

So, what made the era so special? India was going through a very difficult time politically, which in turn affected Bollywood as well. It was a sort of renaissance for the film industry and a lot of creativity emerged along with pure masala movies. All efforts were made to make movie-watching a wholesome experience. There was romance, melodrama, elaborate action scenes, villains, twists, comedy and loads of sexy heroines. It was an outstanding decade, where films were very commercial and the music was stupendous. It was a time when stories mattered as much as songs and actors. Though it got a little monotonous towards the end. There were serious films like Abhimaan and rib-tickling comedies like Amar Akbar Anthony and Golmaal. Filmmakers, each with a distinctive style of filmmaking, shone in this decade.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee delivered hits with Anand and Guddi, Prakash Mehra was responsible for a turning point in Indian cinema. He gave birth to the Angry Young Man in Zanjeer. Yash Chopra carried the trend forward in Deewar and Manmohan Desai gave hits like Sacha Jhoota, Chacha Bhatija and Rampur Ka Lakshman.
The sad part was that the content got a little monotonous, but looking back, one feels that we had phenomenal filmmakers who did tremendous work despite the lack of technology.

The projection of women and their characters also underwent a metamorphosis. An overt sexuality that had never been projected before became a big part of the cinema of this decade. Asha Parekh was still around. Hema Malini was a big star. But the decade introduced movie-going audiences to the sultry Zeenat Aman, modern Parveen Babi, fresh Dimple Kapadia and bubbly Neetu Singh. The younger actresses changed the way Bollywood looked at women. It actually broke the mould of stereotypical women. Earlier, there were only two kinds of roles for women - sati savitris or vamps.

 The divas of this decade created a glamorous image because of their earthiness. Filmmakers had begun to realise that sex and sensuality had become big selling points. Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi and Neetu Singh oozed sexiness and that’s what made the films a little more women-centric. It was time to change with the times.

It was a golden period of Bollywood Fashion. The Seventies were the most fashionable years in Bollywood. The Eighties were garish and disco type. The Nineties, when Sridevi and Madhuri reigned, were nothing to talk about. But the clothes of the Seventies - chiffons, transparent sleeves, tight kurtis, straight hair, flowers, big collars - have stayed with us. What made fashion so great then was the fact that we had actors like Amitabh Bachchan who could carry off bell-bottoms with panache. Feroze Khan looked great in shorts and Mumtaz could carry off even tiger pants.

But it’s not easy to pinpoint what really characterized the fashion trends of that decade. Because there were many actresses and actors, all of whom had a distinct style of their own. Asha Parekh was still around, mostly traditional, like Hema Malini. Mumtaz followed modern and traditional trends with ease. Then there was Neetu Singh, who carried off western and Indian clothes, from mini skirts to patialas, with equal élan. Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi broke the mould of the typical traditional heroine with their Westernized, glamorous looks.

Actors too set trends. Amitabh Bachchan, with his high-waisted bell bottoms, tight shirts and big side burns, ruled.  Rishi Kapoor had a boyish charm. Feroze Khan and Vinod Khanna were sexy. But what set all of them apart from their predecessors was the fact that they made everything they wore into fashion statements.

Though considered the golden period of Bollywood fashion, you can’t reproduce the entire look today.

Six visionary directors, ten spectacular stories, twenty-five actors and one feature film - Sanjay Gupta’s Dus Kahaniyan promises a cinematic feast for movie buffs. The movie includes ten short films by directors such as Sanjay Gupta, Apoorva Lakhia, Hansal Mehta, Jasmeet Dhodi, Meghna Gulzar and Rohit Roy.

STORY#1: RISE ‘n’ FALL

Starring: Sanjay Dutt & Suniel Shetty
Director: Sanjay Gupta
Through an internal conflict between an underworld don and his best friend, we witness a stylish game of friendship and betrayal in the Rise and Fall. Dus Kahaniyaan’s Rise and Fall is a story of two friends united as brothers and divided by power.

STORY#2: SEX ON THE BEACH

Starring: Dino Morea and Tarina Patel.

Director: Apoorva Lakhia.

Dino picks up a worn-out book on the beach and its character comes alive into a breathtaking woman. They have a great time. But then everything changes. Does this mystery woman have some surprises for Dino?

STORY#3: MATRIMONY

Starring: Arbaaz Khan, Mandira Bedi and Sudhanshu Pandey.

Director: Sanjay Gupta

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Sarin. They are a happily married couple. The devoted wife goes every Thursday to visit her ailing Aunt, or does she really? Is everything good in paradise? Is someone betraying someone?

STORY#4: LOVEDALE

Starring: Aftab Shivdasani, Neha Uberoi and Anupam Kher

Director: Jasmeet Dhodi

When Anuya met an old woman wearing a single earring in a train, little did she know that this chance meeting was about to change her life. ‘Lovedale’ is about fate, destiny and about one moment that changes a life forever.

STORY#5: GUBBARE

Starring: Nana Patekar, Rohit Roy and Anita Hassanandani.

Director: Sanjay Gupta.

After an argument with her husband in a bus, Anita sits next to an intriguing man holding 14 red balloons. Then unfolds a journey within a journey into this man’s past, unraveling the key to one of the most important lessons in life. What is the mystery behind these balloons?

STORY#6: RICE PLATE
Starring: Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi.

Director: Rohit Roy

When a hungry devout Hindu woman’s only meal is claimed by a Muslim man, what will she do? Will she snatch or share it? Will she defy her beliefs? Rice Plate promises an irresistible treat about the moments that bring us together

STORY#7: HIGH ON THE HIGHWAY

Starring: Jimmy Shergill, Mausmeh Makhija

Director: Hansal Mehta

The highway symbolises their companionship: Their unspoken love. But the highway’s unpredictable and volatile turns would radically change their lives. Does freedom has its boundaries? Does the recklessness of life have an end?

STORY#8: ZAHIR

Starring: Manoj Bajpai and Dia Mirza

Director: Sanjay Gupta

A writer is driven to madness after he makes a startling discovery about the woman he loves. Is everything always as it seems? Does mystery lie underneath the surface of life?

STORY#9: POORANMASHI

Starring: Amrita Singh, Minissha Lamba and Parmeet Sethi

Director: Meghna Gulzar

A doting mother’s only daughter is about to get married. She would do anything to make her happy. But an impulsive act of hers is about to lead their lives into drastic consequences.

STORY#10: STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

Starring: Neha Dhupia, Mahesh Manjrekar

Director: Sanjay Gupta

Every anniversary, they told each other a secret of theirs. This year, it is the wife’s turn. She begins narrating an interesting encounter with a stranger at the railway station waiting room. But then, are all secrets meant to be shared?

It is said too many cooks spoil the broth. In multi-story movies, however, one cook (read director) is not enough at times. Nikhil Advani made a hash of single-handedly narrating six love stories in Salaam-e-Ishq, one of the year’s biggest failures. On the other hand, Darna Zaroori Hai (2006) saw the collaboration of seven filmmakers, including Ram Gopal Varma, yet it failed to repeat the success of Darna Mana Hai, which had only one (Prawal Raman).

Being part of such a film is a big challenge for directors in more ways than one. They have to contribute with their distinct style of storytelling while exploring the common theme. Fifteen or 20 minutes of screen time is all they get to make an impact. Also, they need to be at their best because their performance is inevitably compared with that of the others.

“Unity in diversity” is the key factor. The various parts should not only be engrossing individually but also add up to an impressive whole. Dus Kahaniyan is unique in the sense that half of the stories have been handled by Sanjay Gupta, who is also the producer. One each is directed by Meghna Gulzar, Jasmeet Dhodi, Hansal Mehta, Apoorva Lakhia and Rohit Roy. These are all stories of common people, their secrets and lies, their hopes and fears, the twists and turns in their lives. It’s easy for the viewers to sympathize or empathize with most of the characters. However, the quality of the stories and the direction are rather uneven.

Multi-director films are a new territory for Bollywood, and it remains to be seen if Dus Kahaniyan can set a trend. Such movies have also been a rarity in world cinema. Four Somerset Maugham stories were compiled in Quartet (UK, 1948), with the men behind the camera being Ralph Smart, Harold French, Arthur Crabtree and Ken Annakin. It was a star- studded cast of directors in O. Henry’s FULL HOUSE (USA, 1952)- Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King, Henry Koster and Jean Negulesco. However, the first film was much more successful than the second, signifying the triumph of team work over individual brilliance.

Six French New Wave directors- Eric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, Jean-LucGodard, Jean-Daniel Pollet, Jean Douchet and Jean Rouch- came together for Paris Vu Par (1965), which had six contemporary stories set in the “City of Lights”. RoGoPaG (1962) was a joint effort between Frenchman Godard and Italians Roberto Rossellini, Ugo Gregoretti and Pier Paolo Pasolini (incidentally, the film’s title was formed by taking the first one or two letters of the directors’ names). Both productions were interesting but not outstanding. The three heavyweights involved in New York Stories (1989) were Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Francis Ford Coppola. Allen’s amusing story Oedipus Wrecks was the pick of the lot, while Scorsese’s Life Lessons and Coppola’s Life Without Zoë were just above average.

Easily the most significant and ambitious of these multi-director films is 11 ‘09″01 September 11 (2002), for which 11 internationally acclaimed filmmakers joined hands - Mira Nair (India), Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran), Shohei Imamura (Japan), Amos Gitai (Israel), Ken Loach (Britain), Claude Lelouch (France), Danis Tanovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Idrissa Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Youssef Chahine (Egypt), Sean Penn (USA) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Mexico).

Each short film shows in its own way how the 9/11 attacks changed the lives of people worldwide. Nair tells the story of a missing Muslim youth who’s initially branded as a terrorist but later turns out to be a martyr who died while saving several lives. In Makhmalbaf’s film, an Afghan teacher tries in vain to make a class of children understand “what happened there”, even as their parents build clay-brick shelters to protect themselves from American air raids. Ouedraogo’s bittersweet tale revolves around a youngster who believes he has seen the much-wanted Osama bin Laden in his village and dreams of winning the whopping reward.

The wide range of perspectives and the variety of filmmaking styles have made 11 ‘09″01 September 11 the perfect movie for a global audience. Taking a cue from this contemporary classic, top Hindi film directors ought to work together on an omnibus of tales about epoch-making events, such as the Partition or the India-Pakistan wars. Another idea can be to adapt the stories of legends like Premchand and Tagore for the big screen, akin to what Gulzar did for TV in the 1990s.

It wasn’t a battle of masks. It was a battle of props: Narendra Modi had -an uncomfortable label on his forehead. The Congress party had blinkers on its eyes. Described as “dictator”, “merchant of death”, and promoter of “Hindu terrorism“, the Gujarat chief minister stunned his opponents to win the most sharp-edged Indian election in years, with a simple, straight-forward message from voters.
Gujarat rewarded Modi for good governance, and even if many disagree, its people do not want to be seen forever through the prism of the 2002 religious riots.

With that verdict, India’s voters left pundits and punters gaping in astonishment for; the second time this year, months after the unexpected sweep in May by Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh. The ripples reached national politics: it gave the BJP a boost as it prepares for national elections, and gave Modi a huge leap within the leadership rungs of the party.

“This historical verdict will bring a qualitative transformation in the prevailing political trend of the country,” Modi said after the verdict. “The people have reaffirmed their faith in a stable, efficient and transparent government.” The Congress party struggled to explain the defeat, calling it a victory of the politics of religious polarisation. But the answers lay elsewhere. Even as it faced the slur of the government alleged inaction during the riots, Modi’s government transformed several key sectors of the state in five years, holding out examples in governance for the rest of India - and the voters rewarded him. While his opponents pointed the other way; Gujarat’s voters were looking across the vast hinterland, where stunning changes have taken places over the past years in rural infrastructure, agriculture is booming, industrial growth is accelerated, and power is supplied 24 hours a day in village homes, though not yet in farms - an achievement even the national capital cannot boast of. Compared to the national average of three per cent in agricultural growth, Gujarat has clocked ten per cent.

The Congress reluctance to counter Modi’s charges of it being soft on terrorism, and of New Delhi discriminating against Gujarat, added to the woes of the demoralised opposition party; which banked only on the charisma of its President Sonia Gandhi and her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi to do some last minute magic - which was not to be.

The BJP got further help from some ill-advised criticism, which critics said had little connection with ground realities. The Congress alleged, for example, that 80,000 small industrial units have shut down in the state. Small industry groups said that except in plastics and textiles, most small industries were booming and those that had shut down had reorganised due to global competition from China and other competitors. Globalisation, not Modi, was causing the churning and Gujarat’s industrialists were swiftly adapting, they said.

Even a sting operation a couple of months ago that showed some leaders belonging to VHP and BJP admitting their role in the post-Godhra riots on hidden camera, turned out to be dubious.

On whether the victory would lead to a power struggle in the BJP itself, Modi said: “The entire credit of the victory is neither mine nor of the BJP part, but it is the victory of the people of
Gujarat. The people of Gujarat have shown the power of popular will.”  At the end of the day, the sweetest revenge for Modi came from several predominantly Muslim areas where the BJP won. Gujarat’s 45 lakh Muslims, form over 9 per cent of the state’s population.

In criticising Modi, his critics have long painted Gujarat’s Muslims as little more than second class citizens, although the community has a literacy rate of 73 per cent - higher than the national average for all communities, and fares better than the national average for all religions on several counts including sex ratio and work participation.

In the key region of Saurashtra, the Congress exaggerated the scale of the so-called Patel community anger against BJP; and it misread the mind of the region’s farmers, who had bristled under the tough crackdown on power theft some years ago, but had since tasted the gains of uninterrupted power supply. Both BJP and Congress were concentrating in rural areas, as the writing on the wall was clear in urban areas - it was BJP all the way.

The Congress had given up the fight even before it began in majority of the 12 seats in Ahmedabad city itself. The party was convinced that it would not be able to change the mind of urban voters, who were clearly and solidly behind Narendra Modi’s Vibrant Gujarat slogan. There were voices of dissent, but these were confined mainly to Muslim areas. The BJP had swept Ahmedabad in 2002 elections, in the aftermath of the post-Godhra riots, winning 10 of the 12 seats. This time the party was showcasing its development plank, boasting that their city was now on the world map. Even so, it managed to hold on to eight of the seats.

The story was slightly different as one stepped out to Central Gujarat. Development was an issue here, but it was perhaps the only region in the state where BJP appeared to be on the defensive. Sure enough: the BJP lost a whopping 19 seats in Central Gujarat, down from 38 of the 42 it won in 2002.

In South Gujarat’s 28 seats, the Congress expected to do better than in 2002. The Congress party’s hopes were raised after Sonia Gandhi’s rally in the tribal district of Dangs attracted a huge crowd and Rahul Gandhi’s road-show in Surat brought out thousands of people. But the BJP not only retained its hold over its 17 seats from last time, but gained two. The Congress won 10, losing two since 2002.

The Congress was heavily banking on BJP’s rebel candidate and top diamond merchant Dhirubhai Gajera to guide them to a victory in urban Surat. Gajera, BJP’s sitting MLA, had won the seat thrice and was expected to retain it. He lost, in spite of allegations that the Surat-based diamond business was funding the anti-Modi campaign. The Congress’ campaign in Surat city argued that the state government did little during the devastating floods of 2006. The campaign failed to influence voters.

The BJP had also swept through the southern tribal belt in the 2002 state elections - but had swung towards the Congress in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. They defied Congress hopes this time and voted the BJP.