Separatism - The Selling of Khalistan - IIPM Press Article
Khalistan remains a saleable idea for Sikhs overseas, many of whom also use it for political gain, writes Vishal Rambani
Even though most people in Punjab have rejected the
idea of a sovereign Khalistan – it has never been an election issue – there are radical pockets in Canada, Europe and the US that continue to battle for “the cause”. In all three countries the pro-Khalistan movement remains alive through rallies and conventions, and the Internet has copious material on the controversial subject.
Indeed there has been no year since the movement was crushed when hardliners have not raised funds to revive it. Millions of dollars have poured in down the years, and this year, which marks the 25th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, this camp is all the more active.
One can expect more dollars falling into the Khalistani kitty as also pro-Khalistan marches, conventions and conferences. A grand Khalistani convention was recently held in the UK to celebrate the silver jubilee of the separatist notion that was born in Punjab in 1986. For years it exerted a fanatical pull on even a large number of previously moderate Sikh youth, who till then had been happy to coexist within a constitutional framework.
The UK convention was organised in style. The Sikh diaspora was connected via smart telephone link-ups; there was robust reaffirmation of the idea; and members demanded speedy resolution of the “Indo-Sikh conflict”. Going by the members’ rhetoric, there was very much a Khalistan in exile – its jurisdiction being the “true” Sikh heart.
What was especially disquieting about the convention was that it found a rapt audience in even Naga, Kashmiri and Assamese leaders. They were all for a separate state for themselves and the pro-Khalistan proponents. Similar conferences have been reported from Calgary, London and parts of Canada and the US.
Of course there are mercenaries in it as well; while others use the Khalistan bait to get votes. For as Sikhs form large communities in both the UK and Canada, few politicians wish to antagonise them over an issue that does not directly impact on the natives. “This has turned the idea into an excellent tool to make money and attain political power,” says a Punjab Intelligence official, adding that the government was keeping tabs on the movements of pro-Khalistan leaders in foreign countries. But he didn’t seem in the least alarmed, seeing almost no possibility of a resurgence of the movement that had been widely rejected in the state of its origin.
Those who have kept a track of it overseas say each year during the Baisakhi festival pro-Khalistan slogans resound in Pakistan. They report seeing pro-Khalistan literature being exchanged between the radicals and visiting jathas of Sikh pilgrims. Pro-Khalistan hardliners like Wadhwa Singh Babbar and Paramjit Singh Panjwar – both in the list of 20 most wanted criminals of India – are currently based in Pakistan.
In the past two years many pro-Khalistan militants who were trying to cross the border to reignite insurgency in Punjab were arrested. Arrests were made even by the Punjab Police, which found some of the men dealing in drug money for luring youngsters into the pro-Khalistan fold.
In India, fortunately, the pro-Khalistan movement is as good as dead, with the ballot convincingly triumphing over the bullet. Contestants like Atinderpal Singh, Wassan Singh Jaffarwal and Simranjit Singh Mann, who took the hard line, were routed. Yet that hasn’t prevented some Khalistan dreamers from retaining their constituency, however slight; one, moreover, that still has the power to sway gullible and impressionable youngsters. “Who says our freedom struggle is over? The idea is very much alive. Only, now we are trying to achieve a Sikh homeland through peaceful means because the people have rejected the armed movement,” insists Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwarpal Singh Bittu. He and 53 others were accused of sedition after they unfurled the Khalistan flag 2005.
Pro-Khalistan material (printed and on the Internet) has proliferated hugely over the past few years. Booklets containing separatist literature are displayed even in kiosks – all with the same message: the dream of Khalistan will not die. Only the means to turn it into a reality have changed.
But the pain associated with Operation Blue Star simply refuses to go away. Organisations like Dal Khalsa and Damdami Taksal are deeply upset with the SGPC for failing to erect a memorial for those who perished inside the shrine complex during the intensive operation.
"While the SGPC has passed a resolution to that effect, it has not cared to implement it. This is because it has bowed to pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party, an alliance partner of the Akali Dal in Punjab. Having a memorial outside the complex, which is controlled by the SGPC, cannot do justice to the martyrs," says Kanwarpal.
There are now also plans to prepare a comprehensive directory containing the names of all those who were killed inside the shrine. They included many innocent civilians who were stranded inside it when the army moved in. Every year, the first week of June is observed as ghallughara (genocide) week. Although terrorism in Punjab was crushed years ago, radical organisations have never failed to observe the anniversary of the operation that the Golden Temple's misuse by the militants provoked.
Even though most people in Punjab have rejected the
idea of a sovereign Khalistan – it has never been an election issue – there are radical pockets in Canada, Europe and the US that continue to battle for “the cause”. In all three countries the pro-Khalistan movement remains alive through rallies and conventions, and the Internet has copious material on the controversial subject.Indeed there has been no year since the movement was crushed when hardliners have not raised funds to revive it. Millions of dollars have poured in down the years, and this year, which marks the 25th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, this camp is all the more active.
One can expect more dollars falling into the Khalistani kitty as also pro-Khalistan marches, conventions and conferences. A grand Khalistani convention was recently held in the UK to celebrate the silver jubilee of the separatist notion that was born in Punjab in 1986. For years it exerted a fanatical pull on even a large number of previously moderate Sikh youth, who till then had been happy to coexist within a constitutional framework.
The UK convention was organised in style. The Sikh diaspora was connected via smart telephone link-ups; there was robust reaffirmation of the idea; and members demanded speedy resolution of the “Indo-Sikh conflict”. Going by the members’ rhetoric, there was very much a Khalistan in exile – its jurisdiction being the “true” Sikh heart.
What was especially disquieting about the convention was that it found a rapt audience in even Naga, Kashmiri and Assamese leaders. They were all for a separate state for themselves and the pro-Khalistan proponents. Similar conferences have been reported from Calgary, London and parts of Canada and the US.
Of course there are mercenaries in it as well; while others use the Khalistan bait to get votes. For as Sikhs form large communities in both the UK and Canada, few politicians wish to antagonise them over an issue that does not directly impact on the natives. “This has turned the idea into an excellent tool to make money and attain political power,” says a Punjab Intelligence official, adding that the government was keeping tabs on the movements of pro-Khalistan leaders in foreign countries. But he didn’t seem in the least alarmed, seeing almost no possibility of a resurgence of the movement that had been widely rejected in the state of its origin.
Those who have kept a track of it overseas say each year during the Baisakhi festival pro-Khalistan slogans resound in Pakistan. They report seeing pro-Khalistan literature being exchanged between the radicals and visiting jathas of Sikh pilgrims. Pro-Khalistan hardliners like Wadhwa Singh Babbar and Paramjit Singh Panjwar – both in the list of 20 most wanted criminals of India – are currently based in Pakistan.
In the past two years many pro-Khalistan militants who were trying to cross the border to reignite insurgency in Punjab were arrested. Arrests were made even by the Punjab Police, which found some of the men dealing in drug money for luring youngsters into the pro-Khalistan fold.
In India, fortunately, the pro-Khalistan movement is as good as dead, with the ballot convincingly triumphing over the bullet. Contestants like Atinderpal Singh, Wassan Singh Jaffarwal and Simranjit Singh Mann, who took the hard line, were routed. Yet that hasn’t prevented some Khalistan dreamers from retaining their constituency, however slight; one, moreover, that still has the power to sway gullible and impressionable youngsters. “Who says our freedom struggle is over? The idea is very much alive. Only, now we are trying to achieve a Sikh homeland through peaceful means because the people have rejected the armed movement,” insists Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwarpal Singh Bittu. He and 53 others were accused of sedition after they unfurled the Khalistan flag 2005.
Pro-Khalistan material (printed and on the Internet) has proliferated hugely over the past few years. Booklets containing separatist literature are displayed even in kiosks – all with the same message: the dream of Khalistan will not die. Only the means to turn it into a reality have changed.
But the pain associated with Operation Blue Star simply refuses to go away. Organisations like Dal Khalsa and Damdami Taksal are deeply upset with the SGPC for failing to erect a memorial for those who perished inside the shrine complex during the intensive operation.
"While the SGPC has passed a resolution to that effect, it has not cared to implement it. This is because it has bowed to pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party, an alliance partner of the Akali Dal in Punjab. Having a memorial outside the complex, which is controlled by the SGPC, cannot do justice to the martyrs," says Kanwarpal.
There are now also plans to prepare a comprehensive directory containing the names of all those who were killed inside the shrine. They included many innocent civilians who were stranded inside it when the army moved in. Every year, the first week of June is observed as ghallughara (genocide) week. Although terrorism in Punjab was crushed years ago, radical organisations have never failed to observe the anniversary of the operation that the Golden Temple's misuse by the militants provoked.
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curve, many companies jumped onto the bandwagon of establishing their ‘presence’ on Second Life. This amounted to little more than just a nice-looking static 3D space, very much resembling an extension of themes and concepts used in the companies’ existing 2D websites. The expectation was ‘if we build it… people will come’, completely ignoring the basic fact that a user needs a compelling reason to visit a virtual location just as he does to visit a company’s website. This saw many major companies like American Apparel, Wells Fargo, Armani, Dell, et al launch huge campaigns and see them fail.
beautiful. Natural ingredients used in our products are sourced from all corners of the earth to bring our customers the very best to enhance their natural beauty. The beauty industry has seen a shift, with consumers wanting more naturals in their skin care and make-up products. As knowledge & information becomes more accessible, consumers are more aware of the benefits of natural ingredients. They have also become more conscious of their health and have become more selective of the type of cosmetics and skin care products.
t source of inspiration was the fiery power of Imran Khan. In those days, I did not begrudge Pakistan its victories over India, as long as my hero had done well. There were times I wished I were Muslim, in the hope that a shared faith might result in shared ability. Since then, I’ve sought and found both warmth and love amongst Muslims, some of whom I count amongst my dearest friends. And yet...
sermon had received a favourable reception. Only, I was not convinced. And, perhaps noticing my uneasiness, the Arab approached me and launched forth in colloquial Arabic that I could barely comprehend. And it was no loss either – for his ideas interested me not one bit.
seeks to address Muslim extremism. Who else but the collection of states with the broadest mandate, most members, and loftiest goals could tackle this perversion of civilised society and threat to world order? So, when I was hired in January 2006 for a project to devise a United Nations response to the so-called clash of civilisations, it seemed to be a pretty worthy way to consider this challenge on a global scale. At the urging of the prime ministers of Spain and Turkey, the then Secretary-General of United Nations, Kofi Annan established the Alliance of Civilisations with the primary goal of identifying the roots of the divide between Western and Islamic societies and, ultimately, to find ways to curb religious violence.
gradually waking up to the realisation that they might finally lose their so-called long term competitive edge in the short term itself. This loss is primarily because of the Middle-East’s thorough incapability in encouraging youths to take up higher education and in boosting their entrepreneurial spirits in the new age era.
that sweet correlation – however much I personally might want to the contrary – does not apply to car purchases. And probably, this is the reason why many women, especially in India, are not seen driving cars [Of course metros are an exception; though even in these areas, purchase patterns of women are no relative matches to those of men]. As a matter of fact, there aren’t many cars that are manufactured exclusively for women in India. And if you’re a car manufacturer, about to tempestuously experiment with a plan for the fairer sex, perish the thought Jim, women in India more often than not take the back seat!
and marketing spends significantly. For instance, HUL increased its spending by almost 30%, and Britannia Industries Ltd. went up by 26.82%. N. V. Sivakumar, ED, Consumer & Industrial Products & Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India says, “FMCG majors have been embarking upon increased print and TV campaigns in an effort to differentiate products, create brand awareness and increase brand recall.” Companies like Godrej are in fact doing it to the point of compromising on bottom lines in the near term. The most interesting case recently is that of GCPL, which increased its advertising spends by 44.65% on a y-o-y basis (it roped in Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador for Cinthol), even as it recorded a y-o-y fall of 4.21% in net PAT for quarter-ended June 2008.
which are imprinted on the minds of every politically active Israeli. The first was a poster displaying the faces of two Israeli soldiers, captured by Hezbollah fighters during the Israel’s disastrous campaign of Lebanon in 2006; with Olmert proclaiming, “Thy children shall come again to their own border” in somewhat prophetic gesture. The second is a front page photo on Jerusalem Post with a visibly ashen Olmert puffing a cigar after the first round of interrogations related to graft charges. In a way, these pictures sum up his turbulent career too. Therefore, in the last few months, the incidence of an abortive end to his career was not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’. Noted political expert from Israel, Gideon Doron told B&E, “For him, it was getting difficult to dispense his duties. Even if the graft charges are baseless, he’ll have to fight it out till eternity. You simply can't rule after you lose your base of legitimacy.”
selling Indian drug, is banned in that country!” Uh, alright, that was a bad joke. But seriously, recently Pakistan banned a proposal for importing 400 medicine brands from India as Indian drugs are 10 times cheaper than those manufactured in Pakistan by the same MNCs. Local entrepreneurs assert that the suggested imports would threaten the employments of over one million people, spoil annual exports worth more than $120 million and compromise the availability of medicines during emergencies.
other reasons I shall explain below, market participants have remained, while not exuberantly bullish, so at least complacent and optimistic about an economic and corporate profit recovery in the second half of the year and in 2009. According to a recent survey by Barron’s, institutional investors are heavily leaning toward the positive side. 50% of the respondents were either “very bullish” (7%) or “bullish” (43%) about the US stock market whereas only 12% of respondents were “bearish” (nobody was “very bearish”).
bid for a 51% stake in South Africa’s largest telecom player, MTN at $21.7/share, implying a fair price of $20.7 billion (and a premium of 20% higher to MTN’s shareholders). A $50 billion dream-deal (in-principle a Bharti-controlled structure as decided on May 26, 2008) was in the making. Two weeks later, the dream has literally become “sour grapes”! Surely, Bharti has done more than just read BCG’s July 2007 report that proved “how M&As valued beyond $1 million destroy twice as much value”! So, what’s there in the secret cellar that urged Bharti to back out?
anguish that can be caused by an image of a dying rhino, its horn hacked off, it is perhaps the reassuring words of a man called MC Malakar, the chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Assam. Hounded by the public and Press alike, he has decided to go on the offensive. “What makes you even think that the gene pool of rhinos in Assam may be unsafe?” he shoots back, even before one can finish a question on whether the rhino is safe, given the department’s efforts to take it to the 3,000 mark by the year 2020, as stated in the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 plan. The tirade continues: “At a meeting recently, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) demanded that I agree that we had failed in protecting the rhino. Why should I? Hasn’t the population of rhinos gone to over 2,000 at Kaziranga from a few dozens at the turn of the 19th century?”
headed into a recession? (Rob Chiuch, Toronto, Canada)
orilla! While economists and experts are lavishing praise on India’s capability to attract capital flows resulting in India’s tremendous economic progress, it’s surprising how these experts have quite succinctly ignored debilitating warnings released by global advisories and even IMF, which commented as recently as in February 2008, “Large capital inflows are complicating the conduct of monetary policy, creating excess liquidity and pressuring the rupee.” Morgan Stanley’s clear warning advisory mentions that even as private capital expenditure has picked up significantly to an estimated 13.7% of GDP in FY 2006-07 from 5.9% in FY 2002-03, capital expenditure on infrastructure has improved at a relatively slower pace to 4.2% from 3.5% during the same period. But the pathetic part is that in order to sustain a GDP growth of 9%, or 10%, infrastructure spending should have been 7-8% of GDP, and not the much achieved 4.2%.
master. In case any hack needs a comment or two on seemingly controversial macro issues, his or her first reaction is to call up Rahul Bajaj, Chairman, Bajaj Auto. Invariably, Bajaj will make a crisp and cutting remark. The reason: Bajaj is probably one of the few Indian industrialists who are not afraid of anyone – neither policy makers, cabinet ministers, nor other promoters. He has the ability to criticise anyone – if he thinks it’s right to do so.
seem to be doing these days. Raison d’être, driven by huge surge in both business and leisure travel, the industry is on a roll. And with over $2 billion waiting to be roped in the next three years, the sector seems hot among investors. However, interestingly, most of the treasure hunt happens to be in the mid-size and low-budget segments.
sector company,” argues K. K. Sharma of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) while speaking to B&E. Yes, it is a fact that Essar, Jindals & Posco have all been obliged with mining rights to extract iron ore but the government not granted this privilege to Rs.91.26 billion strong Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). Now, in order to protect the public sector unit, the workers belonging to 19 different trade unions have dissolved their differences to project a united front to put forth their demand to the government. RINL, which gets the raw material from National Mineral Development Corp. (NMDC) is facing the crunch because the NMDC has hiked the iron ore prices, plus they now have to face enhanced competition. The trade unions fear that such a situation will eventually sound the death knell for the company.
for the Congress. Moreover, it has been forced upon the party,” says a political commentator, who has worked for the party for years. What he is talking about is the fact that the Congress today has no option but to fight on the growth and development planks. In a sense, aam admi, ‘inclusive growth’, and building an efficient and effective delivery system are critical for the future electoral success of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
boiling point. The Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is openly advocating the “merchants of death” theory to show the true colours of Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Modi on the other hand, is relentlessly pursuing his agenda to ensure that his Hindu vote bank backs him to the hilt in the ensuing elections to the state assembly. The Elections Commission has asked both the parties to explain their conduct during the election meetings.
the Millennium Developmental Goal (MDG) by 2015. Beats the wit out of anyone that how on Earth will it be possible with only 25% of all schools in Ghana being government schools, 34% of such schools in Lagos state of Nigeria and only 35% such schools in slum area of Hyderabad and equally contemptible percentage of government schools in other underdeveloped countries! So does that mean that the UN MDG is wearing that confident look only because it banks on the private schools? Private schools might charge more fees, but that again is only because they deliver quality. And why are private schools subjected to such badmouthing, anyway when even the not-so-well-to-do families choose private schools over government schools? Seriously, the umpteenth claims of “education for all” which try and promote public schools do not hold any water … because education in true sense owes gratitude to private schools only.
more mobility, variety and protective data storage media will undoubtedly become increasingly essential. The growth in the storage devices is breathtaking. Customers will be demanding simple, comprehensive & secure storage solutions. For the consumer segment, Seagate will soon come out with Seagate Digital Audio Video Experience (D.A.V.E.™), which will be based on wireless storage (using Bluetooth or WiFi ) technology. This will enable data transfer on a centralised device from any mobile handheld device, digital or video camera and portable player.
are engaged in the task of providing these next to real-life experiences, this industry is nothing less than a hot pot of gold. Almost half of the Uncle Sam’s land and more than 90% of kids falling in the age group 2 to 17 are dissolved in the world of video games. Annually, Americans splurge more on gaming than they do on movies. According to PwC, the industry is expected to become an action-packed game of $48.9 billion by 2011 (currently $35 billion) at a compound annual growth rate of 9.1%. Consumers are always wanting more. And for Sony, Nintendo & Microsoft, it’s like a never ending marathon to bring the gaming experience more & more closer to reality.
re-rated any time soon? “In such a scenario, it will be difficult to find multi-baggers to show extra-ordinary performance over the next six months,” agrees Ashok Jainani, an analyst with KSL India. So, when equities are likely to remain in a range-bound move, reacting to global and domestic events, the challenges before mutual funds are to generate absolute performance, not only to garner additional subscriptions (growth in AUM), but also to retain existing AUMs. Further, their inability to pass on the burden (rising input costs) to consumers (due to government interventions) is expected to make them bleed more.
has led to positive sentiments in the market about ‘stability’ factor in the sector. Moreover considering a longer time frame, the prices are highly profitable as Susil Dungarwal, Analyst, Real Estate sector asserts, “In the last few years, the land prices have seen an unprecedented raise, which has invited various overaseas and domestic PE firms to venture into such deals...” This being said, the PE giants are however not ‘action sans caution’ with only 2 deals recording more than $100 million in transaction value during March-April, as compared to 4 during the corresponding period last year. “We can see more deals in the small and mid-sized segments, but the PE players are on a watch right now,” adds Pankaj. Even as a disappointed Anubhav Gupta, Analyst, Kiemeng Securities explains reasons for fall in interests in PE deals as, “The slowdown in the economy, the stock market crashing & fall in valuations of the company are the reason why companies are not preferring PE deals currently.”
the reasons are not hard to find. The oldies (read 50-plus) of the earlier generations were truly different because they were defined by the times and circumstances they lived in. Mostly, he lived in a joint family – in his prime – had parents to look after, kids to educate, sometimes, even aged relatives to care for. Security and future were his main, over-riding concerns and priorities. Today’s 50-plus is young at heart, financially comfortable with techno-savvy kids doing well in cool jobs and (sometimes) even a portfolio manager to oversee his investments. Further, myths like ‘the older you are, the lesser brand adventurous you become, lesser responsive you are to advertising, lesser willing you are to spend’ have been hurled to the trash can! Hawk-eyed marketers are going beyond financial and Insurance products to energetically woo this target base. Says the ad-watcher, “In today’s battle for Gen Grey’s wallet, a Rifle not a Shotgun, is the need of the hour.”
instant brain transplant perceive advertising to be the unsoiled harbinger of truth or relentless brand ambassador of reality. Advertising is after all (first and last) a crucial marketing tool mandated to do a job as effectively as possible. Toward achieving this end (like Bollywood) magnifying, hyping, dramatising, exaggerating and colouring comes with the territory. “Agreed,” says the hugely respected Asia Pacific President of Leo Burnett, Michelle Kristula-Green, “but are we reading the writing on the wall correctly?” In a hard-hitting presentation made a while ago in Delhi, titled MIS UNDERSTOOD-WHY SHE’S NOT BUYING YOUR AD’S, she let fly some disturbing whoppers based on her findings on an extensive survey across Asian markets – China, Japan and India. Woman, she said, accused advertisers of portraying them in a man’s version of what they should be like. Further, she added, the basic communication slant was way off on five solid counts: money, sexuality, humour, emotion and authenticity. The survey also revealed that unlike the West, woman here weren’t comfortable with blatant portrayals of sex. It was more an internal paradigm shift where they’ve learnt to handle and appreciate sex appeal as part of their intrinsic feminity rather than an exhibitionistic, brazen and titillating man-baiting USP. Finally, in Asian society, “girls are taught to view emotions as their strength NOT weakness hence they seem to respond to a message that is authentic & real – warts and all – more positively than one that is beautifully packaged but phoney.”
series Iron Man, is in many ways similar to Laxmi Mittal, the steel empire builder. Both men were relentless empire builders even in the wake of adversity and reservations. Neither was ever affected by complacency. The moniker of Iron Man is best suited for a Marvel universe inspired socio-economic structure. But we may still conclude that the Iron Man of the real world is indeed living up to his name. Not satisfied by his multibillion dollar bid to merge the world’s largest steelmaker with his own company back in 2006, Mittal is back for more. Obviously when you have $105.2 billion worth of revenue, complacency is well just another impediment.
become the flavour of the year at some point in time and others occupy those slots at some later stage. At present, PE players are gung-ho about investments in infrastructure. At a recent seminar, Shivani Bhasin, a Principal in IDFC private Equity, said that India will invest nearly $450 billion in infrastructure over the next five years, and thanks to several incentives given by the government to private players, investment in the sector will double to 8% of the country’s GDP in the same period.
in functions such as aircraft maintenance, engine storage and landing/take-off. With an impressive list of satisfied customers, that include corporations like Taikoo Aircrafts Engineering and Airport Authority of India, Bry-Air is surely going places. Surprisingly, even after setting up an additional plant in Malaysia, to cater to the fast-expanding South-East Asian market, the company was not satisfied with its expansion spree. So, it acquired Germany-based, A+H Hamburg, to become the first Indian HVAC&R (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration) company to acquire a foreign company. According to Pahwa, “We are actively looking at a couple of other acquisitions in Europe. With a licensee in Brazil and an associate plant in the US, we have our network all over the world.” Not bad for a company that expects to touch a turnover of Rs.230 crore in the FY-09 and Rs.400 crore by 2010-11.
professionals. He divulges to 4Ps B&M that although the company is neck deep in providing T&D programmes to almost the whole of the BPO industry, but managing the HR function within the organisation is a different ball game altogether. George feels that the biggest challenge at HMIL is to retain quality manpower that can further impart the much needed training services. At HMIL, the HR Manager plays an integral role in the organisational success via his knowledge and advocacy of people. George elaborates, “This advocacy includes creating an environment that motivates people. To deal with the challenges, we are fostering effective methods of goal setting, communication and empowerment through responsibility and building employee-ownership towards the organisation.”
latest luminary on the block - the new Executive Chairman of Lowe, Balki, who has his very special take on Creativity. The Director of 2007’s acclaimed film Cheeni Kum – all set to put together another film, PA, starring both, the Big and Small Bachchan- strongly believes that creativity is not necessarily about humour or popular hindi street-speak, but engagement and interest-value based on basic consumer insights. “For me, creativity in advertising is anything that is interesting and engaging… anything that kills boredom. Creativity is the biggest currency that drives effective and memorable advertising. It is not strategic inputs, marketing warfare, business plans or gimmicks, but how interesting you are as a person, brand, commodity of organization. Creativity need not – as some believe – only follow the haha (entertainment) route. It can make you cry, think, be scared, anxious, romantic, nostalgic… anything that connects. The idea is to see creativity as a powerful instrument that engages the reader /audience /consumer to reach a new level of empowerment”.
companies are setting up shops on the Chinese mainland, especially when it comes to the IT industry, is because of the government allowing huge incentives for investments in these areas, which includes tax holidays and reduced land rentals and import charges. And these advantages are not something which the pharma industry is devoid of too. Talk about Ranbaxy which has decided to convert China into a major manufacturing hub and a market as a whole – in other words, a complete make and sell model in place! Ramesh Adige, Executive Director, Ranbaxy, while commenting on the same pronounces, “China is emerging as a good destination to source cost-effective ‘Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients’ and intermediates which will allow companies like Ranbaxy to economise its cost of production…” And its not just Ranbaxy wanting to gain control over Chinese drugs, but also Dr. Reddy’s, which besides buying cheaper raw materials from China has also set up a JV in Shanghai where it employs about 100 people who develop drugs for the Chinese market and conduct pilot tests for drug sales in China as well.
sector that’s fighting back against global players. In the late 90s when Korean & Japanese players came into India we never thought that they could capture the market. We were wrong. But now, we are trying our level best to revamp our portfolio and image. We’ve roped in Preity Zinta as our brand ambassador to focus more toward generation next. We’ve also launched a new range of products called the eon range, which offers the widest range of colours in refrigerators. This has boosted our turnover by 30%. In 2008, we will be launching the same range for washing machines.
acclaim as the man behind Microsoft is known no less for his acts of philanthropy. He along with his wife Melinda, have donated close to a mind-boggling $30 billion to their Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, which is dedicated to the social cause of improving health and education facilities for the needy. The foundation is driven on two core values, something which Bill can swear by as his personal values too. First, all human lives have equal value and second, much can only be expected only when much is given. Commitment of more than $3.6 billion to organisations working on health issues and more than $2 billion towards quality education are some key initiatives taken up by the foundation. The foundation has spread its operations in more than 100 countries and its aggregate grant commitments since inception stands at a staggering $14.4 billion! Speaking of Bill Gates, a HelpAge India spokesperson says, “He is indeed the epitome of philanthropy. The world needs more people like him. Most importantly, he is investing money where there is a genuine need – in developing nations and in areas of prime importance like health and education. His voluntary participation in time and monetary resources is what deserves credit. He is indeed some example to emulate.”
confined to just few products, with HP dominating printing & imagining market and Xerox the vendor-supplier market. The two companies have left no stone unturned in overpowering each other in terms of market share. In order to challenge Hewlett-Packard, Xerox recently launched its new solid-ink line of printers. This launch seems to be an answer to HP’s launch of Print 2.0 series of printers coupled with a whopping $300 million marketing campaign.
once said that online gaming is a real industry, which will make real money. He also claimed that there are a lot of companies working very hard to make this industry grow quickly, which will help to move things along faster than many of us expect.
known for roping in Bollywood stars and creating massive ad-campaigns. And the company believes such ad-campaigns helps to convey the distinguishing attributes of the product. In the year 2006, they became the pioneer in unleashing men’s fairness cream – Fair & Handsome. Later, big daddy HUL entered the segment but, in spite of such a shark Fair & Handsome did a fair business of Rs.40 crore in 2006. But the game in 2007 was no longer limited to a duopoly as more and more players (like Nivea) have jumped into the fray. So the company resorted to its time-honoured strategy of resorting to the oomph of Bollywood avtars and this time they roped in King Khan. “Our internal research showed that we need a strong brand ambassador to promote men’s cream. And when it comes to looking beautiful and fair, the man has to be from Bollywood. Specially, if you want to associate fairness with looking handsome, it has to be said by some one like Shah Rukh,” reasons Mohan Goenka, MD of Emami.
