NET'S POSTER BOY: Bhatia loses one

Delhi: Things turned from bad to worse in the dotcom world as hopes of an early revival fainted across all businesses in cyberspace. An icon of India's Internet business and co-founder of the hugely successful Hotmail, Sabeer Bhatia gave a quiet burial to his second venture Arzoo.com. Meaning "heart's desire" in Urdu, the dotcom turned into an unfulfilled wish for the 32-year-old Bhatia. Downsizing and closure stalked both big and flashy dotcoms like indya.com and small Net businesses like kabadibazar.com. The survivors went through mutations. Many e-commerce portals became part-offline by taking orders on phone or selling merchandise through retail outlets, like fabmart.com. Some free portals become subscriber based. As the churning continues, some winners may emerge in 2002.

LIGHTS OUT: The Dabhol Power Company stopped work

Dabhol: For the Dabhol Power Company (DPC), 2001 was a year of high-voltage drama. In May, DPC served a pre-termination notice on the MSEB saying it had not paid for the electricity drawn and stopped supplying power to the board. Stung, the MSEB suspended the power-purchase agreement with DPC for its failure to supply it power.

As the two got entwined in a legal battle, Enron Corp, the $101 billion US parent of DPC, announced in July that it wanted to sell its 65 per cent stake in DPC. Even as the Indian Government and DPC's lenders examined ways to revive the project, energy major Dynegy decided to shelve its takeover of Enron, forcing the debt-laden company to file for bankruptcy. Ironically, Enron's collapse is a positive sign for DPC. Though work has stopped on the project, many believe an Indian company may buy its stake. And DPC may see light.

Grain Drain

Delhi: When it was all over, they decided to holler. MPs and others who love to hear their own voices created much sound and fury over the Basmati battle with the US after India had won it. In August, the US Patent and Trademark Office drastically curtailed the scope of a patent granted in 1997 to RiceTec, a Texas-based company, to prevent it from marketing Basmati rice as its "invention" in the US. The war isn't over: India still has to fight similar cases in 25 other countries. Patent negligence, what.

IN THE NET: The mobile phone is suddenly everywhere

Delhi: The telecom revolution truly arrived in India in 2001. In the first quarter of the financial year 2001-02 (April-June 2001), the number of new cellular connections provided (5.01 lakh) surpassed the number of new basic telephone connections given (4.89 lakh). Between January and October 2001, the number of cellular subscribers swelled from 31.07 lakh to 50.11 lakh, an average annual growth of over 85 per cent. Key to the demand spurt, after a virtual stagnation in 2000, is a 30-50 per cent cut in tariffs. The introduction of Calling Party Pays, which will make incoming calls to a cellular phone free, early next year could further fuel the mobile mania. Such growth in cellular subscribers in a year during which most consumer products were faced with a demand slowdown reflects the ubiquitous spread of telecommunication and a shift in consumption patterns.

Pet Pose

Is Sunny Leone a bad girl? Sure she's done a few adult shoots and, okay, she did flee from home and move in with her boyfriend at an age when physics should have occupied her, not physique. But Leone, all of 20, made history in March 2001 by becoming the first Indian model to become a Penthouse Pet. Next she appeared in Club International and Cheri. She generated a carnal buzz as the cover face-and bod-of Hustler's Holiday 2001 issue. Leone, Punjabi by nature and Californian by naturalisation, didn't mind: "I love pictures. This one simply involved doing it without clothes." When is she coming home...

Preity Zinta would have ended 2001 with happy thoughts of her brother's wedding and of Dil Chahta Hai. Thanks to the attack on Parliament on December 13, she didn't. An e-mail address-prepzainta@tango.com-found written on a note in one of the slain terrorist's pockets was widely reported to be hers. She denied it. But the questions began doing the rounds. Was the terrorist an obsessive fan? Did he plan to extend filmdom's infamous extortion net to the zestful Zinta? For the actor, her friends and followers the questions never seemed to end.

Kay Two

Raj Kapoor's granddaughter, Karisma Kapoor's kid sister; and starting 2001 pin-up girl of the Mauryan epic. Kareina Kapoor-the spelling change from Kareena was as difficult to miss as her clothes in Asoka-survived Shah Rukh Khan's mega-failure and walked right into the (at least initial) success of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. When has lack of commercial success stopped critics and movie buffs and sundry fans from salivating? Suitably imperious, Kareina is Bollywood's Babe with Attitude. If only the box office agreed.

Gun molls are no stranger to Indian moviedom though they generally appear on-screen. Monika Bedi made notoriety by being publicly identified as gangster Abu Salem's girlfriend, the woman who was in his intimate company when the police walked in Dubai. Salem subsequently got away-and the Maharashtra and Union governments exchanged words at the failed extradition. And Monika dah'ling?