For those who assume that "foreign" means "better" products, a test report on compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) released in February should come as a revelation. Of the 23 imported brands tested by the Consumer Education and Research Center (CERC) at Ahmedabad, none gave the desired light, some not even half that claimed by the label.

CFLSs (cost: Rs 40-350) are overtaking conventional bulbs (cost: Rs 10) even in middle-class buyers' preferences because they promise lower energy consumption (an important consideration when electricity tariffs keep rising) and longer life (6,000 to 12,000 hours, against 1,000 hours for bulbs). Tested against their own label claims, however, the 23 brands showed up to be "dismally below standard", according to the report.

Following the recent opening up of Indian markets to goods from overseas, a lot of substandard "foreign made" products are being dumped on us, taking advantage of the fact that there are no checks on the entry of such goods in spite of laws which require that all rules governing Indian products shall also be applicable to imported items. "Such laws remain on paper and are not enforced," says cerc, adding that this is unfair to both Indian consumers (who get substandard products) and Indian industry (which suffers unfair competition).

The light output of the brands tested-they included imports from China, South Korea and Taiwan-ranged from as low as 13.6 per cent to 88.9 per cent. (Asram, for instance, promises the equivalent incandescent wattage of 100 but gives only 15). European standards specify a minimum of 90 per cent of the output claimed by the label. Only two samples (out of 23) satisfied this limit. Clearly, manufacturers are taking advantage of our craze for things "phoren".

-Sakuntala Narasimhan

A Kitsch Break

For most part dancer Sukanya Rahman lives in a small fishing island off Maine in the US, and she attributes the success of her book Dancing in the Family to her peaceful seclusion. "It gives me space to dream," she says. (Fresh lobsters are the other advantage.) But she balances her dream world with a lot of travel, earlier for her dance tours and now as a painter and installation artist (she studied art at Paris before dancing). "Recently I've been doing these multi-media constructions, incorporating a lot of kitsch and street art." An exhibition is currently on at New York, Boston's next. A huge relief after the "torturous process" of writing about her family, which she says makes her feel like she is "out of the psychiatrist's chair". The lobsters are a welcome break too.

-Anshul Avijit

Quota Gone Mad

A recent Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission recruitment ad created a furore. It offered 100 per cent reservation for Scheduled Tribes for 10 posts of deputy collectors, violating the Supreme Court limit of 50 per cent. The reason proferred was that the huge backlog of reserved posts left no room for backward or general category aspirants. Though the high court granted a stay order the Government wants to ensure Dalit rights are not ignored. So apart from the 20,000 jobs on offer this year the 5,500 posts to be filled through promotions will also be reserved. Those objecting to reservation maintain that this will lead to a situation where the entire administration will be run by reserved quota recruits. The court order is awaited.

-Neeraj Mishra

OBITUARY

Karim Lala, 90, who died of a heart attack on February 18, was the last of a troika of vintage Mumbai dons, including Haji Mastan and Varadarajan Mudaliar, that ruled the city's crimescape in the 1960s-70s.
Born Abdul Karim Sher Khan in Afghanistan, the tall Pathan with the booming voice came to Mumbai, began by dealing in illicit liquor and later moved on to loan recovery. By the late '60s, the city was neatly diced up by the trio who lived by a code of conduct, and smuggled gold, textiles and electronics-the underworld's innocent phase before the D Company took over.

Lala is said to have inspired Pran in Zanjeer and Kader Khan in Angaar, but he never got the attention that Mastan's character did with Deewar or Mudaliar's with Nayakan. He spent his last days in Mumbai, stricken by diabetes and failing eyesight.

-Sandeep Unnithan