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 CURRENT
ISSUE DECEMBER 09, 2002 |
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IN THE NEWS
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Worth the Accolade
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| Designer Rajni Malla (left) with Carpenter |
What
was prescribed as the dress code for the evening could easily have been
supplanted on the organisation that was being celebrated, with minor alterations,
of course. As trays carrying clear glasses of mango lassi laced with vodka
were passed around the Cinnamon Club in Westminster, the 50 specially
invited guests-adhering to the "Indian Glam" theme-cheered the
awards recently bagged by Jaisalmer in Jeopardy (JIJ), a British charity
dedicated to the preservation of the 12th century fortress city in Rajasthan:
the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Honourable Mention award and 2002 British
Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award winner in the Built Environment category
for the renovation of two landmark historic streets in Jaisalmer Fort.
The sartorially impeccable gathering included Sue Carpenter, JIJ chairman;
music producer Biddu; former high commissioner to India Sir Nicholas Fenn
and Lady Fenn; and the Maharani Kumari Karuna Devi of Burdwan. Carpenter
spoke about the dangers facing the desert city, due to over-consumption
of water and inadequate infrastructure, and the strides made by JIJ to
arrest the damage. The fundraiser, organised by London's finance firm
City Index and meant to highlight the need to restore the prestige of
Jaisalmer, should appropriately have had "Jaisalmer Glam" as
its theme. Guess it was a holistic approach.
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| Big
Boss |
Letters
from India |
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A dance session at Reel India |
| Sanjay
Kumar of Computer Associates International (CAI) has taken over as the company's
chairman. The transition took place after Charles B. Wang, CAI founder,
stepped down and relinquished his board slot. The 40-year-old Kumar will
continue to serve as president and chief executive officer. However the
Wang family retains control as the new chairman is none other than Wang's
son-in-law. A family affair, eh? |
Reel
India" in Austin, Texas, opened up a cultural window to mainstream Americans.
The handiwork of expat students, who came together under the aegis of the
Indian Cultural Association in the University of Texas in Austin, it was
a huge success drawing nearly 2,000 people, of which 30 per cent were mainstream
Americans. The cultural programme took the audience through a tour of Indian
culture: from A for Ashoka Chakra to B for Bollywood right till Z. This
was interspersed with sessions of dance choreography and of course food
courts with Indian cuisine. The young students have over the past two years
perfected this spectacle into an art and plan Rasoi for the spring festival.
Is anybody in the diplomatic corp listening?
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Visual
Feast
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a |
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| Queen and Baroness Flather meet veteran
soldiers; the Memorial Gates |
Enshrined
A
long journey, some hiccups and inordinate delays later, the dream
has finally taken shape. As the Queen unveiled the Memorial Gates
(MG) in London's Hyde Park-dedicated to the 2.5 million soldiers from
the subcontinent who sacrificed their lives for the Empire in the
world wars-she recalled the "magnificent contribution" of
the troops, especially those who laid down their lives fighting for
Britain. Said Baroness Flather, the chairperson of the mg trust, "We
need to inform the ethnic minority children about this contribution.
We need to inform everybody else as well." In that sense, the
57-year-long wait seems worth the effort. |
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| Hatch with Indian-Americans at the breakfast
meeting |
Power
Meals
The
newly formed US-India Political Action Committee has kicked off a
series of power breakfast meetings on Capitol Hill, termed "Breakfast
on the Hill", to acquaint leading senators and Congressmen of
both parties with issues relevant to the Indian-American community.
The first of these featured Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican from Utah
and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee who welcomed the Indian-American
community's growing involvement in shaping public policy. Power to
the tricolour. |
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| Indian
men may largely be mama's boys but what could be the binding fibre between
the process of an Indian mother making samosas and the sexual fantasies
of the Indian man? Incongruous as it may sound, the two themes come together,
albeit as separate entities, in the three-day Festival
of South Asian Documentaries at the University of Westminster's Harrow
Campus. On view later this month will be some of the best new documentaries
by Asian filmmakers, including the best films from the Kathmandu Film South
Asia Festival. Documentary makers and producers will also share their experiences.
Get ready for some of your own. |
A poster of Colours Black |
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The Mess
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