Monthly Archives: April 2005

A match made in marketing heaven

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Sanjay Kumar of UP is feeling very cool and refreshed these days. Grocer by day, this real life Apu has just won a unique prize. Tipster Deepa Menon forwards us this Times of India article:

When Kumar bought a bottle of Coke to quench his thirst he ended up becoming the regional winner for Coca-Cola’s under-the-crown promotion, Thanda Aish-Cash.

As the winner, Kumar takes the prize – a dream date with the beauty queen.

Wait, if Kumar is a grocer, why would he have to “buy” a bottle?

So what might Sanjay expect to do on his date? Well if this dream sequence (.zip file of commercial) is any indication, he is going to be having a memorable time.

The date will be in Mumbai, where he will spend an entire evening with Ash at the premiere of her upcoming movie.

For Kumar, who has idolised Ash for years, reacted in disbelief. “I just could not believe my luck,” he says.

And what’s more, Kumar could well end up travelling with Ash to a foreign location for the international premiere of the movie.

Who knows? This whole affair may end in an altogether unexpected way. The possibility reminds me of this General Electric commercial. If only…

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Sending jobs to America

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The F-16 debate to date has focused on the military balance between India and Pakistan. Many SM commenters have noted that even though India will be allowed to buy U.S. arms, it’s unlikely to do so because the U.S. has been an unreliable supplier.

Today a NYT story took the opposite tack: F-16 sales to India are good because they’ll keep the production line open in case the U.S. military ever places another order.

“The reopening of sales to Pakistan and the opening of sales to India extends the life of the production line, the Fort Worth operation and the entire F-16 supply chain throughout the country. It also provides the Air Force with a warm production line should it want extra F-16’s.”

Lockheed is talking like a business, not saber-rattling like the U.S. government:

“If India’s requirements are beyond any existing fighters, we are prepared to make upgraded F-16’s to India’s specifications with complete transfer of technology,” Mike Kelly, a Lockheed senior executive said in an interview last month with the Press Trust of India, a New Delhi news agency. “We have, in the past, taken up building of such exclusive fighters for the U.A.E. and we are prepared to manufacture F-16’s to India’s special requirements.”

India already writes software for Boeing and Lockheed :

Boeing… is already relying on Indian companies to provide software for its new commercial jet, the 787 Dreamliner…

The U.S. as hopeful suitor: it’s a newly respectful tone in the media’s handling of this story. Continue reading →

“Day to Day” interviews Amitabh Bachchan

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NPR’s “Day to Day” interviews actor Amitabh Bachchan about his career and the Bollywood film industry:

In a tribute later this month, the Film Society of Lincoln Center will bill Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan as “the Biggest Film Star in the World.” Madeleine Brand speaks with the performer, a major star in Indian cinema, about earning the superlative celebrity moniker.

NPR: Amitabh Bachchan, ‘the biggest film star in the word’ (Real Audio and Windows Media)
Previous post: Brief film updates

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alt.muslim.com

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Although some of you may not realize it, one of the most popular brown “Mom & Pop” websites out there is alt.muslim.com, which was founded by a married Indian-American business student who grew up in California. From the Information Warfare Site:

“My name is Shahed Amanullah, and I created the Website altmuslim.com. I started the site because I wanted to see some more open dialogue and discussion and debate about things that are happening in the Muslim world.

“Before the Internet came around, Muslims lived in relative isolation and obscurity from each other. They never had to deal with Muslims of different colors, of different schools of thought, of different political persuasions. And when the Internet came about and these people had to find each other and see each other for the first time, it was really jarring. I mean, Muslim discourse on the Internet for the first several years was nothing but fiery debates and insults and things like that. Muslims need to learn together in cyberspace in a way that’s civil and respectful.

“Only now are people starting to get together as Sunni, Sufi, Shia, without it automatically meaning, ‘let’s have a theological argument.’ And that change has been happening slowly over time. Friendships have been happening between these different people, between Muslims in the West and in the Muslim world, between Shia, Sunni, Sufi, even between Salafis and progressives.

“I think one person put it that the Muslim community has an ‘irony deficiency.’ Because of that, we wanted to interject humor and wit into all the work we did, because we felt that it was a really good way to defuse tension and make the pill easier to swallow, so to speak. So one of the things we do, at the top of our Website, is we have little taglines that describe who we are, ‘cleared by Homeland Security,’ ‘no assets to freeze,’ ‘all the news that’s not fit to print.’

Ahhh. That’s just the type of humor that hopefully turns SM readers on (well most of them).

Going over to alt.mulsim.com we see that in addition to running the site, Amanullah and his wife are bloggers. His wife Hina, blogs about her recent experience with motherhood.

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Go check out the main news site. There are lots of good and often controversial articles posted. Great brain food.

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ModiGate

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I know, I know. I too hate it when lame journalists decide to add a “Gate” at the end of a story just to capture attention and show that the story is about scandal. I would not have succumbed to this type of journalistic laziness were it not for the wire tapping. The BBC reports:

A police officer in India’s Gujarat state says the government there authorised the killing of Muslims three years ago. RB Sreekumar made the allegation in notes he kept at the time while serving as Gujarat’s intelligence chief.

The Gujarat government says the charges are baseless and untrue, instigated because Mr Sreekumar was not promoted.

Personally I think it would have been more efficient if Sreekumar had stayed anonymous and led SM bloggers to the truth by arranging a series of meetings in dimly lit parking garages, but I suppose my life was not meant for such excitement.

Mr Sreekumar has submitted his notes to India Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) which investigates complaints by civil servants.

He brought a case against the Gujarat government, saying he was denied a promotion for refusing to act upon the “illegal and unconstitutional directives” of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as well as the state government and senior state police officers.

In the notes, Mr Sreekumar alleges that the chief minister asked him to tap the telephones of Shankersinh Vaghela, who was then president of the Congress party.

He said that he was also asked to tap the telephone of cabinet minister Haren Pandya.

In the notes, Mr Sreekumar also says that senior government officials sent messages asking him to kill Muslim extremists who were involved in rioting.

In other news it is obvious that Mr. Modi is still bitter about last months events. Rediff.com reports:

Law and order situation in Gujarat is far more satisfactory than other states and even some other countries, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said in New Delhi.

He was speaking at the Chief Ministers Conference on Internal Security and Law and Order on Friday.

“The number of murders in Gujarat is 30 per cent lower than the national average and rapes 70 per cent lower. Compared to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the crime rate in the state is negligible,” the CM said.

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Sanskrit Rocks!

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As summer fast approaches we are all eyeing those concert schedules to see which one’s we’d like to attend. Here is one for the mix that I ask you to consider: Sanskrit Rock [thanks for the tip Dinesh Rao]:

Shanti Shanti is a performing group consisting of two young sisters, Andrea & Sara Forman. They are gaining worldwide recognition for their Sanskrit chanting as well as for their unique approach to New Age music. Sanskrit is the ancient language of India and is known for it’s tranquil and harmonious effects.

Andrea & Sara Forman have been chanting Sanskrit since they were nine and seven years of age, respectively, and are now considered among the top scholars in the U.S. in their field. The girls have performed Sanskrit nationwide, including appearances on PBS television programs, and on various radio broadcast shows.

Andrea & Sara have just released their fourth album, which steps into a whole new level of enchantment as they chant, in Sanskrit, the traditional Vedas from India, as well as perform ancient Bhajans. You will also enjoy the magic of their new, original songs, which are causing such a stir in the World Music community.

You’ve got to see the clip for yourselves. If they ever decide to add a band mate, I have a great suggestion for them. If any of you live in Colorado Springs go check them out next Friday and report back to us your impressions if you can. MP3’s of more of their music can be found here. They aren’t the Corrs sisters but I’d watch them. Incidentally, I also highly recommend Sheila Chandra for those that enjoy “Indian Gospel” music. Continue reading →

Bombay to close dancing-girl bars

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The other shoe has dropped — authorities will close approximately 600 dancing-girl bars in Bombay:

The crackdown was launched last month with the closure of bars in the rest of the state, but a decision has now been taken to include the state capital. The girls dance Bollywood numbers and clients often thrown them money. The government says the bars are a breeding ground for crime and prostitution. [BBC News]

First the casting couch, and now this. How the hell is Shakti Kapoor supposed to get laid in this town?

BBC News: Axe falls on Mumbai dancing bars
Previous posts: Maharashtra shutters dance bars, Casting couch caught on tape, and Updates on the Shakti Kapoor Scandal

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Religious ceremony buries children alive

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You’re in a restaurant or airplane, and someone’s rat-bastard tot will not stop crying at the top of their lungs. There’s something you can do about it, as long as you’re willing to risk arrest:

Indian police have charged 80 people for burying children alive in an ancient Hindu ceremony known as “the festival of pits.” The ceremony, in which children — some less than a year old — are buried alive briefly and then dug up, happened on Monday in southern Tamil Nadu state, The Asian Age reported on Thursday. [Reuters/Yahoo!]

Reuters/Yahoo!: Indians charged for burying children alive

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Los Angeles Times checks out Naz Cinemas

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The Los Angeles Times discovers the three-year-old Artesia branch of Naz Cinemas during a recent cricket match between India and Pakistan. What took them so long to notice? Hey, you try driving from L.A. to Artesia in under three years. It might be worth the trip:

The cinema draws expatriates from San Diego to Santa Monica, eager to see the colorful costumes and hear the lively songs that make Bollywood films famous. In addition to Indian movies, Jivani shows films from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Korea and the Philippines. But to South Asian immigrants, Naz cinemas is more than a movie theater. It also serves as a sort of community center and social club. Here they can comfortably gather and gossip, reminisce and reconnect. “It’s like a home away from home,” said (owner Shiraz) Jivani, 49. “By serving them Indian tea, Indian samosas, Indian snacks, they feel like they are back home.” Jivani, a Pakistani native with a degree from Stanford University, opened his first theater in the Bay Area city of Fremont in 1992, followed by another in nearby Sunnyvale in 1999 and the Lakewood theater in 2002. [Los Angeles Times]

Los Angeles Times: Indians and Pakistanis get together for cricket (free registration required)

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Effect of rising salaries on India IT

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India’s offshore dominance on the wane because of rising salaries? Hell no, says/hopes/prays Marc Hebert, the VP of a Silicon Valley company that has a branch in India:

Some even speculate that rising salaries in India will erode the cost advantage over U.S. IT workers, ultimately returning offshore jobs to American soil. But that’s only one side of the story. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reported death of Indian outsourcing is greatly exaggerated. The counterargument rests on two pillars: productivity and scale. Salaries may increase, but there are offsetting factors such as experience, infrastructure, high productivity levels and economies of scale to consider. Let me put it another way: The cost of doing information technology in India is falling, as the range and complexity of projects that can be offshored to India is increasing. [News.com]

News.com: The end of India’s offshore dominance?

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