While most dotcoms are going bust, one it forerunner is standing tall amidst the rubble. Ashok Soota, who became the first Confederation of Indian Industry president from the service sector, has added another feather to his cap. His firm, MindTree Consulting Pvt Ltd figures among the best 100 companies in the US to work with-in fact, it ranks 66th in the list.

The leading techie journal, Computerworld, picked the firm co-headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey and Bangalore after it measured up well in several categories including diversity, training, career development, benefits, hot projects and retention. Soota is an electrical engineer who started his career with the Shriram Group in 1965 and in 1984 took over as president of Wipro Infotech before founding, in August '99, MindTree-the firm that boomed while others bombed.

The Last Straw

The Hinduja brothers are again in the news for all the wrong reasons. The passport scandal refuses to die and now Foreign Secretary Jack Straw may get dragged into it. Ombudsman Sir Michael Buckley has complained that his attempts to access key papers relating to calls made by ministers during attempts by the brothers to get British citizenship were blocked. Buckley identified Straw, who was home secretary at the time, as the one who blocked the information. For Straw, who is flying to the subcontinent as war clouds gather, this is definitely bad news.

Mixed and Matched

With My Beautiful Launderette, author Hanif Kureishi made it clear that Asians are not allergic to being gay. In his latest work, The Mother, he is set to stir yet another hornet's nest. His protagonist, a grandmother, has an affair with her daughter's boy friend.

But then Kureishi likes to shock people, to explore new emotional frontiers. His quirky novels, blunt in style, provide interesting insights. No wonder they make for good television as well. BBC is producing a film based on this latest novel. With Anne Reid in the lead role, it is being directed by Roger Mitchell of Notting Hill fame. In a society that has still to get used to the idea of older women marrying young men, The Mother is bound to make waves, both literary and controversial.

Sweet Charity

Bombay Dreams might realise much more than Andrew Lloyd Webber's theatrical ambition of bringing India to British stage. It will be a dream come true for over 200 girls in Rajasthan. Social activist Surina Narula plans to raise over £2,500 for Balika Vihar from the show, which will help finance the girls' education. Says Narula: "The girls are smart. They will go back home and educate their mothers and sisters." Narula is careful not to neglect her home either. She has tied up with Prince's Trust Charity and is scouting for Asian mentors who will help young Asians set up new businesses.

-Bureau reports