Saturday, December 13, 2008

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The desert - breeding ground of India's billionaires.

‘This is backwoods, really backwoods,’ says Aditya, as the rackety, jam-packed bus pulls into Rajgarh, a small town in the north-west of Rajasthan, India’s desert state.
‘This is backwoods, really backwoods,’ says Aditya, as the rackety, jam-packed bus pulls into Rajgarh, a small town in the north-west of Rajasthan, India’s desert state.
Aditya is the only person on the bus who speaks any English, and the goggle-eyed stares and toothless grins of many of his fellow passengers bear him out. They are clearly wondering what on earth a foreigner is doing in their out-of-the-way part of India and it’s only when I mention the name of Lakshmi Mittal that it clicks. Surrounded by sand dunes, without adequate water for drinking let alone for agriculture, Rajgarh is far from prosperous. But it is here that Lakshmi Mittal, whose $32 billion fortune makes him the fifth richest man in the world, was born in 1950 and spent the first nine years of his life.
Last January, I’m told, he came back. One of the jostling villagers pulls a handful of laminated newspaper cuttings from his pocket and shows me the man they call ‘Steel King’ in procession through the town on the back of a pick-up, surrounded by cheering crowds, brandishing an outstretched arm in triumphant greeting.

‘We’re very proud of him,’ says P.S. Saini, the site engineer for the Mittal Community Centre, which the tycoon was in town to inaugurate. One of his colleagues adds: ‘He’s the richest man in UK and the richest man in India ... but also the richest man in Rajgarh.’
But what is most astounding about Shekhawati, this arid region of Rajasthan, is not that it has produced Mittal but that he is not even exceptional. This small area, where it is a struggle to produce basic foods, has an extraordinary ability to produce billionaires. For more than a hundred years the local trading class, the Marwari Seth, have shown an unerring talent for amassing riches. Four out of the top ten Indian billionaires in the Forbes rich list for 2007 were Marwari. An hour’s bumpy ride to the south-east of Rajgarh is Pilani, home of the Birla family, whose richest member Kumar Mangalam Birla ranks seventh of the ten. To the south west is Ramgarh, the home of Shashi and Ravi Ruia, whose steel, oil and shipping business ranks in eighth place. Lakshmi Mittal’s namesake Sunil Mittal, founder of the telecoms and supermarket group Bharti Enterprises, is in sixth place.
The list goes on: south of Pilani is Bagar, home of the Piramal family, who own the fourth-largest pharmaceutical company in India. In Nawalgarh to the south it’s the Poddars. Spread around other nearby towns are the home villages of the Bajaj family (who own a scooter and motorcycle empire) and the Goenkas, the Oswals, the Agarwals and the Dhoots, to name just a few. In 2000 the Indian author Gurcharan Das cited a study showing that Marwari groups owned half of India’s private industrial assets.
Indians from other communities talk about a legendary Marwari capacity for stinginess, about how commerce is taken in with their mothers’ milk. The explanations in local
legend are more colourful. Girish Sooni, a business student, tells me the story of how Narayan Baba, a monk in Pilani, blessed the Birlas to become billionaires. There’s a similar legend about Lakshmi Mittal’s father, Mohan Lal Mittal. His local Baba told him to look into a magic pot to divine his future. Inside he saw massed piles of gold and silver.

Sooni thinks the desert might have something to do with it: ‘We have a scarcity of water here. There’s an old saying that how we learnt to use water is how we learnt to use money.’ There might be some truth to that. The barren landscape forced these towns to live off the major trade route that passed through north Rajasthan; local traders became prosperous financiers, acting as bankers to the Great Mughal himself. When the British began asserting control over the region the Marwari were quick to ally with them against the region’s Rajput rulers. Soon Marwari traders were spread across India’s towns and cities, acting both as traders in their own right and as brokers to the British. By the late 19th century the largest Marwari firms, such as Tarachand Ghanshyam Das, founded by Bhagoti Ram Poddar, rivalled British companies in size.
Their riches have left Shekhawati the lavish havelis, or mansions, that cluster in even the smallest towns. Marwari who made their fortunes in Bombay and Calcutta competed to build the most opulent palaces back in their home villages, complete with garish murals depicting the India of the late 19th century. There are British redcoats, steam trains, even flying machines — everything that the newly sophisticated Marwari urbanites wanted simple country folk of the region to understand.

The Mittal haveli — built with the relatively modest fortunes of Lakshmi’s ancestors — is one of the humblest in Rajgarh. There are no murals and most of the eggshell-blue paint that once covered it has long since worn away, exposing pinkish brown plaster behind. In place of traditional carved wood haveli doors, the Mittal house has a crude corrugated iron gate. It’s difficult to equate this with Lakshmi’s 12-bedroom mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens — the world’s most expensive home when he bought it in 2004. But the family still uses the Rajgarth house. Lakshmi’s aunt Saraswati lives here: in her early fifties, with a beaming smile, she is tickled enough by a rare visitor to Lakshmi’s birthplace to show off the well swept, whitewashed courtyard from which arched doors lead to two downstairs bedrooms, one of which is where Lakshmi was born. To the side is a garden where a calf, tethered to a tree, picks half-heartedly at some hay. Saraswati has few complaints about her lot, but not everyone in Rajgarh feels the same way.
Aditya Choudhary, a computer programmer from the Jat farming caste, says: ‘Lakshmi Mittal isn’t so much respected. In India to be a really big person, a really respected person, he has to do public work.’ In Pilani, for example, much of the town is taken up by schools, universities, ashrams and museums set up by the Birla family, who also have an airstrip for their private planes. Lakshmi is investing $20 billion in giant steel plants elsewhere in India but by comparison with other Marwari families, the Mittals have left their home town alone. When Lakshmi did come in January he was clear about the limits of his generosity: ‘He said he will help everybody who works hard,’ said one villager. ‘He said he doesn’t want to give charity.’

Nevertheless, the beautifully designed community centre he opened, in memory of his mother Gita Devi Mittal, cost about £600,000. It sits incongruously in the town centre among the small merchants’ shops. It has an air-conditioned, acoustically perfect, 129-seat auditorium, a room crammed with computers, and a gym that wouldn’t look out of place in a London health club. But it’s easy to argue the Mittals should have first provided roads and drains. Inside the centre, that’s exactly what P.S. Saini, the site engineer, and Kamal Singh Shettia, the centre’s manager, are busy working on. Laid out on tracing paper in front of them are plans for a concrete road costing £7,000, and a new drainage system costing £1,400. There are bigger plans for a regional hospital. Saini, a former railway engineer, gives me a tour of the centre, complete with a little ceremony in its temple to Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god. He is forthright about the problems facing the town. ‘There are sand dunes all around us. There’s no water for agriculture, there’s a scarcity of drinking water, and even the ground water is of a saline nature.’
Mittal’s aid may be late in the day, but it is welcome. And one of the comforts of living in Rajasthan’s billionaire belt is that even if this tycoon’s generosity dries up, there is every chance that the town will produce another one.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/business/142611/the-desert-breeding-ground-of-indias-billionaires.thtml

Saturday, November 1, 2008

HAPPY DIWALI !!!!






the bestest( and i know that's not even a word) DIWALI ever... with all the loved ones around... :))

Friday, October 31, 2008

Though something insignificant...


Though something insignificant... but i kinda liked it at the very first instant...



Ok, i'll acknowledge the fact that i REALLY REALLY ADORE YOU!!!!

:)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Hard Kaur!

Taran Kaur Dhillon never understood what it was to be a twelve-year-old. Traumatic experiences took her to a cold U.K., where she was bullied around for her skin colour. Today, she is defining hip hop in India and the U.K."Nobody can bully me into singing what I hate. I eat, sleep, s*** hip hop and I want to keep it just that way", says the U.K.-based star popularly known as Hard Kaur, who is now defining hip hop music in India. Her frankness is the result of many nightmares she lived. You can't separate her bittersweet experiences from her lyrics.
In India to promote her solo album Supa Woman (Saregama), she doesn't mince words about her difficult past. "Musically, the album defines what I have grown up listening to. It's a collection of what I am about. Everything is original and sets new standards. Lyrically, Supa Woman is about life, about what to expect while growing up", says Hard Kaur.
While growing up, she never imagined she would perform hip hop. The image of a salwar-kameez clad girl with a flower in her hair ruled Hard Kaur's imagination. Life is not a bed of roses, she learnt quickly. Her mother, after being kicked out of her in-law's place, refused to take things lying down. She moved to a cold England after her husband's death in the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms in India.
At school, Hard Kaur was referred to as a "freshie" from India. She proved more than a point when she began dancing. Today, she is one of Britain's foremost women rap artistes.
"It's the best way to express things close to one's heart. Tell people what you have been through. I don't accept anything lying down. Rap was my way out of the cage. It gave me a voice, power... an identity".
Saregama made a brilliant choice when they came across Hard Kaur. However, Kaur also has her own label.
"I have always done things independently and took care of my management. Striking a deal just for the sake of it never interested me. Unless I like what I see, how can take it up? Music is about enjoying creative freedom. On my label you do your kind of music. There are labels for bhangra artistes. But what if a desi living in the UK wants to record urban genres? Which label will sign him or her up? For them, there is my label. I develop artistes, turn them into hummingbirds".
She is the same person whose "Move Your Body" (Johnny Gaddar) is on air. Hard Kaur has worked on her music independently and featured on global club hits including "Ek Glassy", which is still the number-one club anthem of India.
Her songs are about a woman's place in a male-dominated world, with the urban desi experience thrown in. She is associated with Breakthrough, an organization working on HIV and domestic violence issues, and has written a song for women's empowerment. After singing on the Bollywood soundtrack for Johnny Gaddar, she is working on other projects with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. She even got the opportunity to share the stage with stars like Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams!
On her first solo record, Supa Woman, she works with promising international producers including 45 WAX, D-Boy, Urban, AC Burrell, Asif (Fusing Naked Beats) and Tigerstyle. The album is supported by three videos - Look For Me and Mumbai Deewana are directed by Sumit Dutt of Mise En Scene, while My Girls features Meera Sayal of Kumar's At 42 fame. Prior to the album, she released a four-track EP in the U.K.
"Everything changes you. Watching my mother work hard has been a gruesome experience. Since the age of thirteen, I have been working with her. I am happy that I was bullied. It made me a tough person. I still work with my mother and clean the floor. Always remember where you come from".
Hard Kaur is already touring the U.K. to promote her album. Soon, she will back in India to host a series of concerts. A U.S. tour is being planned for late November.
[Courtesy: The Statesman]

www.sikhchic.com

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Just a thought..

khoya hai... khud ko ya, sab kuch paya hai... just like a drop of water looses it's identity to become the ocean...

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Ecstatic....

When i started off with gardening, i did so because i needed to do something... and now it feels great when i see a flower bloom every morning... I have always loved flowers but every single bud that comes up in the garden gives such immense pleasure, only because i took pains for it and the flower seems even more appealing beacuse you have seen it grow from day one.
Sigh...I think i have gotten addicted to it!!!
:)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

It's not like that i have taken a hiatus from writing for the blog, had written a few posts but din't really bother posting them.
Well,this morning has been great for a number of reasons... Firstly have picked up on my daily dose of excersing again. Have managed to get a lot of things in order starting from the office work to things at home. Also, the gardening that i had picked a month or two back has started bearing flowers and not just one but today there were around five of them and quite a few more buds that shall bloom in the coming days... :))



The Blushing Red color Roses




















The Jasmines have come out well too...







The lazy crazy Aloe Vera's have been there for a while. Lazy cause even a lazy person can have them in his garden without taking much pains and i have been crazy about them for a long time.

Some white Petunia's in my Aunt's garden. Theses flowers can be found in lovely vivid colors everywhere in the Emirate of Dubai, and surely the government shells out a bomb on maintaining them and replanting every 6 months.
Summers seem to have kinda moved as its getting cloudier during the day. Hopefully monsoons will come a little early this year.
So work will get hectic from now on, as june's approaching. June's going to be a big month with some friends going out of bombay and some coming back almost after a year. The best part being that i shall have to attend a training program with collegues in mid July in Gujrat, so really looking forward to have a blast then.
As for now a lot of collegues have gone out and there's barely anyone at office, so have to look into a lot of small issues too, which becomes annoying especially if you aren't used to. It will be so for a week.

Will write soon. :)

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

"Everytime i look at you, i see
the glint in your eye as bright as dew...
Your smile which mesmerises me, Phew!!
Reminds me the naughty side of you,
And compels me to think...
"How would it be without you??? "

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Agra Trip









































































the most beautiful flower

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown
For the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren't enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose And declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too.
That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead.
No vibrant colors: orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower and replied. "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it mid-air without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.

And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life,
And appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy,
Another weed in his hand,
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

- Unknown

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Love Struck!!!!

I like your brilliance, i love your shine...
I fall for you evey once in a while.
Diamonds are a girl's best friend they say...
I don't know how far it's true...
All i know is that i am enchanted by YOU.
Mwwwaahhhh!!!!
:)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

CONFUSED (Part-2)

At times i wonder if you do things because it is a duty, or is it because you want to????

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Happy Anniversary....

Dear Blog,

It's been a year that we have been together.
The first post was marked with a trip to jaipur. Now, the 1st Anniversary shall be celebrated with a trip to Agra. :))
Shall be leaving on the 10th. Hoping to have a great time and yeah some lovely pics with my new di-gi.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!

Mwwaahh!!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

CON-FUSED

Almost all blogs have started off as online journals... atleast 8 out of 10, have. This too started off... as a journal, or a place where i could just jot what i have felt, to straighten things, to analyse them, or at times just because i wanted them to be there. After a period of journal writing there comes a point when you are excited about what you have written and want to share it with the world around... for that you let your friends know about 'UR' blog, leave comments on other people's posts, invite readers, request them to leave in a line or two for the posts or the blog... and try all the possible ways to achieve maximum publicity for your newfound excitement. Then there comes a time when you have got enough of people reading them and knowing about your private life, and that's just when you start to get possessive about things. This happens not only with relationships. It's like a cycle, like the cycle of life and death. You die only to be born again, till you attain nirvana.
Today i am not sure why but then i want the anonymity of this blog to be preserved, i want it to be there just for myself- to read, write or scribble anything that i feel. I just don't want to share it with anyone... maybe because of this fleeting feeling that i have, that there is atleast something which absolutely belongs to me. Off late, i have become finicky about things and the way they should be done... i am confused an wonder as to why this is happening??? Maybe i know why. But, i let it happen... knowing this cycle will complete itself someday... and i shall slowly learn to share things again....

Friday, January 11, 2008

HOW sweet I roam'd from field to field,
And tasted all the summer's pride,
'Till I the prince of love beheld,
Who in the sunny beams did glide! -
He shew'd me lilies for my hair,
And blushing roses for my brow;
He led me through his gardens fair
Where all his golden pleasures grow. -
With sweet May dews my wings were wet,
And Phoebus fir'd my vocal rage;
He caught me in his silken net,
And shut me in his golden cage. -
He loves to sit and hear me sing,
Then, laughing, sports and plays with me;
Then stretches out my golden wing,
And mocks my loss of liberty.

- William Blake.


Friday, January 4, 2008

Musings...


Our Sun is a Star. Millions and trillions of such small and big stars form a galaxy. Millions of galaxies comprise a nebula and many nebulae’s come together to form a single UNIVERSE. There are many such UNIVERSES…( science has discovered only 7 till now) .

In all this….
Who am I??? Where do I stand???

Thursday, January 3, 2008


this was what i ended up doing on a evening when i was getting bored...