BUSINESS OF BOLLYWOOD - Kamal Hassan

By M H Ahssan

Versatility is an easy synonym to use for dancer, singer, director, producer and, of course, actor Kamal Haasan. Millions across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and even Bengali cinema have cheered the man in these avatars over the past three decades. Although modesty, the industry says, is not a Haasan attribute, HNN caught this quick-witted actor in a mood of humility

As he draws gently into his cup of tea, Kamal Haasan displays a composed look. His last movie to hit the screens, Dasavatharam, that was released nearly a year ago, set the cash registers ringing and Haasan’s satisfaction with its success is evident. “It was made with budgets that were unheard of in the Tamil film industry and it made four times the kind of money that was possible,” he says matter-of-factly of the movie that cost producer, Oscar Ravichandran Rs 60 crore and is said to have raked in over Rs 200 crore with a Hindi version ready for release.

Yet, this was one of the rare successes in a bad year for Tamil cinema, though Haasan dismisses the recession by attributing the failures solely to bad content.

A RECESSION FOR FILMS?
Haasan is not in any mood to agree with the notion that the film industry has been hit. “I have a legitimate suspicion that we are reacting in a knee-jerk manner to what is happening globally. We do not export our films like China does its furniture. Our films are largely for local consumption,” maintains Haasan, confident in the Indian cine fan who has not yet abandoned the theatres. Even if Dasavatharam was released before the socalled slowdown set in, what would people attribute the success of the Aamir Khan-starrer Ghajini to, he asks. “The question is about reacting practically to a situation. Have all sectors been affected or have food portions become smaller?” asks the actor who abhors complacency and advocates constant practice and introspection to move ahead in life. “I hope no one rationalises our prices. I live well!”

From the Tamil film industry’s point of view, times have been rough. Success rates have dropped and producers are doing a rethink on budgets. According to estimates, of 115 films that hit the theatres in 2008, as many as 100 flopped. Consequently, a lot rides on 2009 content. Even the first quarter of 2009 has not been anything to write home about with films like Villu and 1977 bombing. Tamil cinema follows the Telugu film factory in size in the South. “While the recession does not directly affect the industry, it does have an impact on collections. To a lot of people, spending on a movie ticket is not an essential expenditure,” says AVM Studios CEO SC Babu.

In fact, two of Haasan’s proposed magnum opuses, the Rs 120-crore budget Marmayogi and Marudhanayagam, another historical big ticket, have been affected. While Pyramid Saimira pulled out of the first film, the second has been in the planning for over four years. Haasan acknowledges that Marmayogi had to be shelved but clarifies it is only till he can rustle up resources. “Marmayogi is a period film and it can go on floor anytime while Marudhanayagam has the potential of a Crouching Tiger and will stand the test of time,” the star says. This confidence in his content at whatever cost of money and time is why Haasan has insisted on autonomy for his banner, Rajkamal Films. And his confidence hasn’t so far been misplaced. Of the 23 films he has produced, 21 have been hits (10 superhits). “We are ready for any scale but we are keen on maintaining our autonomy,” says Haasan emphatically.

FILMS, MENTORING ET AL
For someone who made his film debut at six, Haasan’s enthusiasm for the medium is almost infectious. “All I know about the world came to me through cinema or moving images,” says the man who religiously devotes a minimum of half a film a day, including a large chunk of world cinema, and confesses to have been deeply influenced by the works of Kurusawa, Chaplin and Truffaut.

Haasan was still in his teens when he starred as the gawky, aspiring medical student in K. Balachander’s Arangetram— a movie which sowed the seeds of a relationship which was a turning point in Haasan’s career. “Teaching is a great sacrifice. You stay in one place while the student keeps moving on. I am like a student all the time — greedy, avaricious and always eager to learn. I feel through my acting, people get a glimpse into my soul babbling away the secrets of my life. I was 18 when I joined Balachander. We have done about 35 films together though we still disagree on the numbers,” says Haasan, his laugh filling the hotel room.

Among those that stand out are Aval Oru Thodarkathai, Moondru Mudichu, Manmatha Leelai and Avargal. They also came together for the 1981 Hindi smash hit, Ek Duuje Ke Liye which was first made in Telugu. “He would produce at least 2-3 films each year. He was incredible since he was writing and directing at the same time,” says Haasan.

Haasan also acknowledges the role of TK Shanmugham, the doyen of theatre and cinema, who was the inspiration for his Avvai Shanmukhi which was later remade in Hindi as Chachi 420.

Haasan has essayed a plethora of roles in his long career. He has played a ventriloquist, an underworld don, a Bharatanatyam dancer, a dwarf, a woman, a patriot, a drunkard, a teacher healing a mentally challenged girl – the list is endless. If that was not enough, he has produced and directed films apart from being a singer on more than one instance.

NEXT?
Haasan is a man full of ideas who admits his hands are full. On the anvil is a remake of A Wednesday in Tamil — Thalaivan Irukindran, scheduled for release in June. “Walt Disney has approached me for 19 Steps and we start shooting in July,” he says. How do you choose favourites from such a multitude of roles? But Haasan makes an honest attempt. “Saagar, Hey Ram, Sagara Sangamam, Nayagan and some scenes in Virumandi,” he says. There is no best as that means complacency. “I hope I am constantly improving as an actor. What is best is passé,” he says in all humility. The bar just got higher for this quintessential performer.

Analysis: Is free trade dying?

By M H Ahssan

The US should be more concerned about a quantum leap in the production and specialisation of idea-based goods. It will be unbecoming of the US to drown itself in an unwarranted din of protectionism.

Self-interest had been the driving force behind the opening up of trade between and among nations — not altruism to do good to others. It was pure and simple, perceived and revealed, self-interest. The English classical economists put it in a philosophical manner called utilitarianism, which attached significance to something that reduced pain and increased pleasure. Nations did trade and still do it because it increases the mass of commodities and the sum of enjoyment. However, instances surfaced when some nations deviated from free trade and did something opposite of it. For instance, despite their vigorous advocacy of the merits of free trade, one of the classicists, namely, David Ricardo, continued his support of the Corn Laws, brought in the wake of the Continental System simply because it raised the share of landed interests in Britain against other income groups till they were repealed in 1846.

The first opposition was voiced by the German economist Friedrich List in his celebrated work The National System. In this he argued that trade should be between and among equals. A nation not matching another should not take to free trade because it might lose. Accordingly, the former should strive to develop its productive potential under tariff protection, match the level of the other nation, and engage in trade. This stipulation has some grain of truth in that it speaks of an unequal situation and seeks to rectify it in a time-bound manner. The United States argued for moving away from free trade because it thought it might harm the ‘community of interest’ between industry and agriculture vis-à-vis the economy. Japan sought development under an inward-looking policy, avoiding trade initially. The US, again during the Great Depression of the ’30s, imposed the Smoot-Hawley Act hiking some 900 tariffs. It clamped the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act incorporating Super and Special 301 provisions declaring nations unilaterally as practitioners of ‘unfair’ trade according to it.

To cap it all, now it has promulgated the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act withdrawing some 1 lakh H-1B visas. Obama has even suggested that any firm practising outsourcing will be treated with harsher measures of taxation. The US policy responses — including that of protectionism — arise from short- to medium-term concerns such as protecting employment. But what about an appropriate and rational long-term response? America must re-orient its thinking from short-run exigencies to long-term development imperatives. In that lies the key to the resolution of its present predicament and future prosperity.

In the ‘50s of the last century, the world economy confronted the issue of the long run dollar problem. The problem was, every country needed dollar and ran a surplus trade with the US so that it could get it. This was because dollar provided infinite possibilities to its owner in terms of material benefits. The more significant and overpowering reason was the high productivity level of the US economy. It is the high productivity of the US that made dollar so strong and also coveted. Riding on the waves of this high productivity, the US reigned supreme in a most positive manner for two decades since the end of the Second World War.

We quote Jagdish Bhagwati to bring home this point: ”Free trade comes naturally to countries that possess actual or perceived competitiveness”. This competitiveness stems from productivity growth within countries and also from productivity growth differences in comparable products between and among countries who wish to do trade relatively free from restrictions. And it is this productivity growth difference that explained the relative superiority enjoyed by the US in production and trade after World War II and also the long run dollar shortage. This was pointed out by Thomas Balogh and reiterated by J H Williams in his Stamp Memorial Lecture in 1952.

It is this productivity growth difference that has swung back with venom to hit the US economy in a different situation that witnesses both the decline of US productivity and the rise of the same in other countries. This productivity slide coupled with visible inability of policymakers to arrest wage rise has adversely affected the US and rendered it into a diminished giant and afflicted it with what Bhagwati calls the ‘diminished giant syndrome’. It is this that bursts into restrictions on trade of all forms and magnitudes. If the US is capable of overcoming this smallness in productivity growth someday it will not only be able to roll back its protectionist policies but also be able to create a Brave New World based on free society and free markets. How that conjuncture can be created will measure up the potential of the US and its ability and genius to translate it into a possibility.

Paul Romer explains the matter in a persuasive manner. According to him there are two types of goods — physical goods and idea-based goods. While the former can be produced by any country depending on its facilities and opportunities, the latter are the preserve of those having good stock of knowledge and knowledge workers. All idea-based goods depend for their production on an elastic supply of updated knowledge and education standards with appropriate upgradation of the syllabi and their contents. This process of updating is a continuous one and needs large investment in human beings and their development.

Professor Schultz has written extensively on this and also about its importance in economic development. The importance of investment and innovation in knowledge and education becomes all the more important because growing nations previously looked down upon, are catching up with their developed counterparts as never before. This makes an additional demand on the development of knowledge on the part of the developed countries like the US. Today the US should, therefore, be more concerned about a quantum leap in the production and specialisation of ideabased goods. It will be a disservice done to the US economy and also unbecoming of it to drown itself in an unwarranted din of protectionism for smaller causes.

Political parties eye IT springboard for poll success

By Ruchi Kumar

There is a new weapon in the arsenal of political parties for Election 2009. Even as the scramble for a wider vote-bank gains momentum, they are embracing information technology (IT), not just to get their word across to the man on the street, but to also showcase their prowess in the field.

As part of its online campaign, the Congress party is setting up around 600 internet kiosks countrywide to showcase its achievements. A dedicated IT team set up by the Congress is putting up these kiosks, which will feature customised interactive software, sources told HNN. The kiosks will be used to register youth members on the party’s website and will also beam excerpts from the speeches of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi, among others.

Not to be outdone, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also going the whole-hog and has formed an IT cell.

An official pointed out that not only is the party keen to automate its offices throughout the country, it has appointed over 15 state IT conveners to oversee regional operations.

The Congress manifesto specifically mentions that should it come to power, it would connect all villages to a broadband network in the next three years. As part of its preelection plan, around 50 internet kiosks are to be set up in Gujarat alone, where the party is making concerted efforts to topple the BJP’s Narendra Modi government.

According to the party’s manifesto, ‘‘The Indian National Congress pledges to bring the fruits of the IT revolution to more cities and towns. It also pledges to connect every village to a broadband network within three years. This will help locate new, non-agricultural jobs in villages and open new opportunities for our rural youth. Already, information technoligy is being used in areas like computerisation of land records but we now promise a bolder, time-bound initiative.’’

On its part, the Bharatiya Janata Party is intent on connecting all state headquarters and districts through WAN (wide area networks) and has plans to opt for ‘‘cent per cent open source technologies’’. While the party is keen to explore the benefits of infotechdriven solutions in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it is eager to dissimilate technology through a localised approach.

The BJP has spelt out its vision in its information technology and telecom vision document, which pinpoints how the party plans to use infotech as an important tool for change, if voted to power. This is a first of its kind sectoral poll manifesto.

AP Border villages may lose double voting privilege

By M H Ahssan

They are neither here nor there. Or rather, at both places. These 12 villages between Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh enjoy the power of voting in both the states due to a border dispute between the two states.

But now, the villagers are all set to lose this privilege. District returning officer Pradeep Kalbhor has promptly brought the issue to the notice of election commission, and orders allowing the villagers to vote in only one of the two states are expected to issued before the polling.

The 12 villages are Paramdoli, Paramdoli Tanda, Padmavati, Antapur, Indiranagar, Lendijada, Yesapur, Shankarlodhi, Maharajguda, Kotha (Bujruk), Kotha (Khurd), Mukuddamguad and Lendigunda. All are located exactly along the Maharashtra-AP border in Jiwti tehsil of the district and are matter of unresolved dispute over possession between the two states since two decades.

While Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are in a tug-of-war, the two governments over period of time went on to endow the villages with necessary amenities under various government schemes. Thanks to two-way flow of favours, these villages have two schools, two fair price shops, and people here avail advantages of government schemes from both the sides. These villages also have two gram panchayats of both the governments and have elected sarpanches and gram panchayat members for either side. Moreover, the voters here have two voting cards - one of Maharashtra and other of Andhra Pradesh, and power to vote on either sides. Since the general elections of 1991, they have been voting for parliamentary and assembly elections of both the states.

Earlier, these villages were part of Maharashtra, but the government gave up these villages in the year 1989 and handed them to AP government, which included these villages in its Adilabad district. But as it was brought to the notice of Maharashtra government that the decision regarding such handing over of its territory to other state could not be made at state level, the earlier decision of transfer of villages to AP was stayed in 1995. During the BJP-Sena government in Maharashtra in 1996, the cabinet revoked the decision of transfer of these villages to AP. Against the decision of the Maharashtra government, the AP government moved its High Court, and later this move of AP was challenged by the Maharashtra government in the Supreme Court. The apex court had ordered the Union government to take final decision in this regard, and the matter of ownership of these villages still lingers in balance.

Now that polling date for first phase of general election is a mere two weeks away, the total of 2,120 voters (Male-1083/ Female-1037) in these 12 villages are geared up to cast three votes, as the Legislative Assembly elections of AP is being carried out with general elections. The candidates of Chandrapur parliamentary constituency of Maharashtra, along with the candidates of Adilabad parliamentary constituency and Khanpur assembly constituency in AP, are wooing the voters here through election campaign. With no final instruction in this regard issued yet, Maharashtra has proposed five polling booths, while AP has proposed three polling booths in the disputed villages. Voters exercising franchise for candidates of Maharashtra will be inked on the index finger of their right hand, while the same voter will be inked on the index finger of the left hand after casting the vote for AP candidates, as had been done in the past.

“We have repeatedly brought the issue to the notice of the election commission and it too is trying to resolve this problem. The issue once again cropped up in the meeting of election commissioner with the returning officers on Wednesday, and higher-ups have assured to issue concrete instruction in this regard in coming days,” said Pradeep Kalbhor, district returning officer.

SP Chhering Dorje, who also was present in the meeting said, “It is expected that the Election Commission might issue instruction to resolve the problem in all such cases.”

AP MINISTER 0N NEW TURF - Tough task for Fareeduddin in Amberpet

By M H Ahssan

Minister Pitted Against Sitting BJP MLA Kishan Reddy Faces Uphill Task In New Constituency

“Do you expect us to drink water which stinks? For the last one month, this is our situation. If this is not rectified, we will not cast our votes,” Vonteddu Shakuntala of Mandula Basthi, Bagh Amberpet thundered on Tuesday. The man at the receiving end of Shakuntala’s ire was Mohd Fareeduddin, minister for cooperation and Congress nominee from Amberpet assembly constituency.

Amberpet constituency is the new avtar of what was once Himayatnagar, represented by BJP’s G Kishan Reddy in the last assembly, against whom Fareeduddin is competing now. Kishan Reddy has begun campaigning much before Fareeduddin, who held the Zaheerabad assembly seat in the last assembly, stepped into the constituency for the first time

No sooner than Fareeduddin had begun his campaigning, he met with inconvenient questions like the one from Shakuntala. But the minister clarified that this could not be rectified rightaway due to the election code. In the meanwhile, he wrote his name and mobile number on a piece of paper and told her, “Call me after the elections and the problem will be solved.”

Yet Shakuntala was not convinced. “You politicians make promises now and do not even recognise us after elections. Are we asking you for money? We are only asking you to solve our genuine problem,” she fumed. Another woman G Saraswathi of Kummariwadi said she had not been getting widow pension and was not even given a white ration card.

Fareeduddin then moved on for door to door campaigning at Bharat Nagar, Amberpet, Bagh Amberpet, Ashur Khana and other areas, accompanied by party workers donning party caps and a brass band. At Bagh Amberpet, Fareeduddin stopped to talk to Ameena Begum, an 81-year-old woman. “Apki Vote ke sath sath apki dua deejiye (Give me your blessing along with your vote),” he requested her.

However not all Congressmen are indulging in this sort of a positive campaign. A local leader Narayana Swami told a resident of Bharatnagar, B Laxmi: “If the Congress does not come to power you will lose your white ration card and there will be no Arogya Sri.”

Apart from its pet schemes, the Congress is banking heavily on the 18 per cent Muslim voters for winning the seat. “Yes, there is a considerable number of Muslim votes but I am not banking only on those votes. All people, irrespective of their religion or caste, are with Congress party,” Fareeduddin told TOI.

The Congress nominee said he was also trying to woo Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, who had been unhappy at his candidature from thisconstituency. He hopes to get Rao’s support in the elections.

Meanwhile, BJP’s Kishan Reddy who had completed his first round of campaign in the constituency urged the people to vote for him considering the developmental works he had taken in the area. “Last time you voted for me because of my party, this time give your votes to me for my development works and for my party affinity,” Kishan Reddy urged the voters in Tilak Nagar.

The TRS has fielded K Jagadeshwar as its nominee from this segment. The Mahakutami candidate who began his campaign a few days ago is hopeful of getting elected on the Telangana sentiment along with the support of TDP and Communist parties.

CONSTITUENCY PROFILE
Total Voters: 1,91,053
Male voters: 98,600 | Female voters: 92,453

Assembly segments: Kachiguda, Barkatpura, Golnaka, Nallakunta, New Nallakunta, Central Excise colony, Bagh Amberpet, Amberpet, Tilaknagar, Lingampally, Nimboli Adda, New Patel Nagar, Patel Nagar, Chappal Bazar and Rahmath Bagh

Last Nizam’s son tries hand at politics

By M H Ahssan

Imdad Jah Bahdur, one of the three surviving sons of the last Nizam, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, an otherwise quiet person who prefers to stay away from public affairs, has now entered a new phase in his life. Last week he filed his nomination to contest for the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, under the banner of a little-known political outfit, Ambedkar National Congress.

You don’t hear of this kind of candidate often. With just 13 days to go for elections, Jah, wearing a white kurtapyjama, is sitting relaxed at his house on Road No. 13, Banjara Hills. He is waiting for the founder president of Ambedkar National Congress, Kazim Ali Khan, who would be holding a press conference and introduce him to the public soon.

It is evident from his talk that he does not appreciate either the turbulent ways of politics or the intricacies of fighting an election. “I have always wanted to serve people, reach out to them. But somehow I could never do that. No political party ever sought me out. If I had gone to some political party on my own offering my services, it would have appeared as if I was seeking a favour. I would never like that. After all I have to respect the name of our father, the late Nizam,” he told HNN.

Kazim Khan had requested him to contest from Secunderabad, he said. “Kazim said that people would vote for me because of the good name of my father. He also said his party has fielded six candidates for the assembly. He has also promised to bear all the election expenses,” Jah added. Now that’s a peculiar statement at a time when most candidates claim to have bought party tickets.

Perhaps that is because like many other Nizam family members, and quite unlike most other political candidates in the fray, Jah is cash-strapped. A few months after the death of his father in 1967, Jah had started a hotel Race View in the palatial house he had inherited from his parents. The business had been good for two years until it ran into trouble and Jah had to sell the property. He shifted to Banjara Hills much later, in 1996.

Though he realizes that the chances of his victory are remote, he plans to serve people, in case he is elected, like his father who had considered Hindus and Muslims both equally important, like two eyes.

Jah is one of the 16 sons and 17 daughters born to the Nizam from different wives. Born in 1944, Jah is the only issue of his mother Jaani Begum, also a scion of Nizam’s family. His surviving half-brothers are Prince Nawazish Jah and Prince Fazal Jah and halfsisters Sahebzadi Basheerunnisa Begum, Sahebzadi Mashhadi Begum and Sahebzadi Sayeeda Begum. Jah has 10 children - five sons and five daughters.

Silence of Maoists baffles cops in AP

By M H Ahssan

Elections are close at hand but the silence of Maoists is deafening. While the sounds of AK-47s are muffled in naxal-dominated districts all along Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra borders, AP police are worried it’s only a lull before the storm.

“The unusual lull is strange. The Maoists may resort to ambushes and stray attacks to bamboozle the cops and disrupt the poll process,” an apprehensive police officer told TOI. Heavy Maoist presence is evident in 10 to 15 assembly constituencies that share border with Orissa, 20 to 25 constituencies along the Chhattisgarh border and about 40 in Telangana districts that have borders with all the three states.

Top cops said that Maoist action teams could well aim at specific targets this time. Reports indicate that armed militia are already moving in companies (each comprising 90-100 members). Corroborating this, a DIGlevel officer said the elections are the only means to strike terror and make their presence felt. “They may resort to tactical counter offensive by striking where it hurts the most,” an expert said.

Sources said with assembly polls having been over in Chhattisgarh, Maoists would be more than keen to disrupt the AP assembly polls. “We have specific information that the rebels are holding regular meetings in Khammam-Chhattisgarh border areas to foment trouble,” a senior cop said. Sources said local guerrilla squads (LGS) could enter from the Andhra Orissa Board (AOB) and Chhattisgarh and cause widespread destruction. Regrouping of Maoists in north Telangana districts has also not been ruled out. The massing (over 250 armed men) of Maoists in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra is another major concern.

While paramilitary, CRPF, APSP, Greyhounds and local police have been conducting extensive combing in the forest areas to flush out the rebels, field craft operations are being hampered because of the tough AOB terrain. “Coordination with neighbouring states and sharing of information on movement of naxals has been intensified,” a Maoist-hit district SP revealed.

Police are not only keeping track of movement of couriers and Maoist sympathisers in deep forest tracts but they are also binding over tribal youths having links with Maoists.

The most vulnerable districts in AOB are Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Ganjam, Visakha Rural, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, while the Khammam-Chhattisgarh border is another hot spot. Boycott calls have always been a feature of every election and the naxals coerce people against voting, but this time, the Maoists haven’t spread terror like they did prior to 2004 polls.

Women In Metros In India

By M H Ahssan

Indian women living in India have come a long way from being the homemaker to being a pivotal player in charting the success of the company they work for. It is inspirational and interesting to learn how these women have overcome arduous struggles, and ventured out of their homes to move to bigger metro cities in order to explore their hidden capabilities. This has been a commendable decision not just for them, but also for the professions they excel in. More importantly, they bring about a sense and sensibility to the corporate world in a way only a woman can.

Aspirations. Dreams. Self esteem. Satisfaction. Independence. These terms are associated with developing your own identity, but were definitely not associated with women some years back. In the past decade, women in India have leap forwarded tremendously and one sees noticeable changes in the desires of a woman to make a mark for her. This is reflected through her choice of attire, or shifting home base to pursue her career, or speaking up confidently in the boardroom of her organization. This is just one part of the story that will unfold in the following paragraphs to come. The other part is that in order to walk closer to their goals, women in India are increasingly moving to metro cities – mainly Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore to carve a niche for themselves.

The interesting thing is that this migration to bigger cities is not just limited to popular careers like photography or entering the well acclaimed Bollywood, but is seen across various professional streams like modeling, graphic designing, IT, print and electronic media, education and academics. Women in mini-metros or other smaller cities are not inhibited by the fact that they will leave the sheltered cocoon of their parents and live by themselves in a metro city’s world of its own.

Life in a metro and a smaller town has a huge difference and can be quite a rude shock when you have just begun life in a big city and trying to settle down as quickly as possible. The contrasts in culture, sense of dressing, language used, working at odd hours, nightlife as well as attitude towards life can be as vast as the ocean. Despite prior knowledge to all these factors and more, the fairer sex (well, not accurate anymore in today’s world of metro sexuality and fairness creams for men!), chooses to take the bold decision of moving from the kitchen to the boardroom.

COMMON TEETHING PROBLEMS
To be a part of this mammoth change, Radhika did not have to try hard to convince her parents to let her go to Mumbai to realize her dream of becoming an actor. Hailing from another of the country’s metro cities – New Delhi, Radhika took her own time to adjust to this city of dreams. Coming from an influential political family did not make things easy for her, as she did not want to use her father’s name at every place and make the going easy for her. She wanted to learn things the hard way. Through a friend’s friend, finding her first home was not difficult at all; blissfully unaware of what was in store for her half a year down the line.

Radhika had agreed to battle these nitty-gritties on her own as she knew that no other city in India would give her the kind of opportunity that this metropolitan city offered. As much as she thought of New Delhi every single day and the time she spent there, she knew that it was only in Mumbai that she could realize her dream of being known as an actor. And the very fact of achieving something in life and making herself and her family proud made her keep ticking through the tough initial phase of knocking the doors of producers’ offices, working for lesser money than the market conditions, delayed paychecks and much more.

Around the time that Radhika was getting her way through crowded local trains and serpentine queues for buses, Anushka packed her bags to be known for her writing talent and be a journalist. With a bagful of faith in herself, she too entered the mammoth city. But it was not entirely unknown to her, having come to Mumbai every summer vacation to be with her grandparents. She at first stayed at her relatives’ place and when things didn’t work out in her favor, Anushka moved to a paying guest accommodation. Not once did she feel that she was leaving the big house where she grew up to a smaller apartment. It was at this apartment that Anushka and Radhika met.

Driven by a desire to achieve their goals professionally, Anushka and Radhika learnt not only various new aspects of the other’s professions, but their talks were also a lesson of how professional Mumbai a city is and practical tips to make the teething problems seem easier. Practical tips like not being soft-spoken, being able to negotiate salary, leaving home more than an hour before the scheduled appointment to account for the traffic, keeping make-up and perfume in the purse were really helpful. These things are not a part of any book, but are important in a big city where being presentable is really important, which is not always the case in smaller cities.

If Anushka had decided to continue pursuing her career in her hometown where she had obtained her professional degree in journalism, it was clear that her options were limited to the two big dailies of the state. Nothing more, nothing else. While the scenario in Mumbai, or any other similar metro for that matter, would be entirely different. “I not only had a variety of newspapers to choose from, there were other journalistic options that I had as well. Equally interesting options would have been working at a magazine or as a website content developer or working as an ad copywriter. I knew that there would be no dearth of choices to select from in these big cities. Maybe that is why they are called metro cities,” opined Anushka when asked about her move to Mumbai city.

WANTING TO GO BACK HOME
Meanwhile, as Anushka and Radhika took their first steps in the direction of where they wanted to be, Mili was nervous to step in to this western India’s metro city. From birth, she had always lived in a very small town of Gujarat, another state in western India. Though confident about her talent and work as a graphics designer, she was nonetheless jittery about how she would sustain herself in such a big city that looked exponentially more complex than her hometown. The sheer size of the city with the largest population was enough to make her more timid that what she already was.

Being used to reach any place within five minutes from her home, using three different modes of transport only to reach her work place irked her initially. What made her hold onto staying in Mumbai was the sheer work satisfaction she was getting and the number of different jobs she could hop onto when she felt the need to leave a particular job to climb up the professional ladder. That apart, she was being groomed naturally to a more confident person. A very natural, sub-conscious improvement was her getting better at spoken English.

SOUTHERN MINI-METRO
Moving from the western metro city to an almost southern metro city, there are many who go to Bangalore for their career aspirations to come true. Bangalore, popularly known worldwide as the Silicon Valley of India, is a booming city for Information Technology (IT). Again, there are a large number of options that one can choose from. If you are qualified and lucky, you may land up a job at an IBM or an Infosys. Other job opportunities are that of a call center, or IT solution provider companies as well, or similar professions given a boost by the huge outsourcing wave from foreign-based companies.

“After finishing my masters in German language, I got an offer from a German BPO and now I am working with them. I chose to come to Bangalore as it has more options to choose from than the small city I come from, which is based in western India,” said Harini on the reason she opted to come to Mumbai. For others, who are certain that they are meant to fit themselves in the IT world, then coming to Bangalore is a wise decision as more and more companies are investing their money to set up base in Bangalore, despite the traffic conditions and the city getting over crowded with every passing day.

CAPITAL CITY
Having covered southern and western metros, it’s now the turn of the north Indian metro and the nation’s capital – New Delhi. Like Mumbai, here too one can make a mark for themselves in any field. Being the country’s capital, most news channels have their studios here and it is also home to one of the biggest newspapers of the country – The Hindustan Times. Thus, if you are an aspiring journalist or a media person, then opting for New Delhi is not a bad idea at all.

“I opted to come to New Delhi after my first job stint in Hyderabad because the professionals there lacked in proper attitude and professionalism, which is not the case in a big metro city like Delhi. Plus, I get automatically molded to a stronger person by nature, as we girls brave everyday situations like being eve-teased or being taken for granted in office, or on the roads,” voiced Natasha Mittal from New Delhi, who is a hardcore workaholic who believes in working hard and partying harder.

Tarana too, a Lucknow-based girl, who had graduated in Hotel Management opted to move to New Delhi as she bagged a couple of job offers from some of the biggest names in the hotel industry. When asked if she willingly migrated from home to her paying guest accommodation, she said, “Why not? The idea of living in a metro appealed to me immediately for the main reason being that these big hotels would look very impressive on my resume and it would eventually help me do better when I want to start my own restaurant.” For these ladies to protect themselves from the somewhat uncouth crowd of the capital city, they both learnt basic self-defense techniques in case of any kind of harassment. And these lessons did not go waste when Natasha was being harassed in the bus in Delhi.

What you have just read are stories that give a peek in the life of only a handful of successful women who are treading the path of their dreams and for that have willingly stepped out of home to come out of the protective cocoon and explore the harsh realities of the world. And it is these women who have made aspirations, dreams, self-esteem, satisfaction and independence come true.