College Teens make Fashion Scene

By Golden Reejsinghani

Teen Fashions today cover everything from happening apparel to bizarre visible bra straps, loose drawstring pants, three fourth length trousers, and pierced eye brows, plenty of rings, bangles and glamorized chapels to dazzling colors. Vibrant rose, flaming orange, bright purple and solid blue. The colors are stunning with glitter and shine. No longer are the girls attired in loose flowing Kutras reaching up to their feet, they now display tight fitting Kutras which are worn three inches above the knees and even the saris are worn much above the ankles. The ankles are adorned with multi – colored and stylish anklets. But what stunned me was that everyone was into exposing some or the other portion of his or her body.

Kashish was wearing a stylish sari, “why are you wearing the sari high above the ankles”? “ this is an Indian-western fusion”, and this I said looking at the attire of her boy friend “ this too is the same”. He was wearing a denim pant with subtle intricate work done on the tapered ends of his pants. What ever any one might say they were looking real cool in these clothes.

What I learnt that day was that today’s youngsters were proud of their bodies and they wore clothes not only to show off their bodies but also to please themselves and not others. “I like to show off my midriff therefore I am wearing this dress, even my boyfriend likes to show off his mid riff. My boy friend loves to wear designer underwear on see through pants”, said Nita shah of Xavier’s college. “You know something said her friend Muskan, “I am getting married next month and I have asked my designer to make my wedding dress in such a manner so that some exposure of my body is seen, but I have made it clear to him that it should not appear obscene.

“If a person has the body then why shouldn’t we show it off” reasoned Karen who studies in Jai hind college “one should have the personality to carry it off. Am I not looking stunning in this dress”, she said pirating before me in her low cleavage short mini dress.

Not only girls but even guys are into real fashions, Rahul had a short t- shirt exposing his waxed naval and every young chic ooh! And aahed over it. Rahul’s friend Dean sported a loose pair of trousers cut off at the calves with criss- cross shaved head. “You look best in what you wear depending on how you carry it”, said Sabina khan.

Sabina’s friend Sara was wearing gaudy colored loose pajamas or casual pants. “I live in these clothes, especially the loose pajamas; they are so very cool and comfortable”. And the pajamas or casual pants as they are called are popular in every teen’s closet. A pair of loose draw string pant is far more comfortable then pair of tight pants or trousers and therefore the teens are all opting for it in a big, big way.

At Jai hind College I found a young chic wearing an off shoulder dress with the bra straps showing. “Shouldn’t they be concealed under the dress”? , I asked Raima “ No , peek a boo straps are totally in fashion and the straps come in all kinds of colors , even fabrics from transparent to detachable to colors matching your dress”.

Not only the dress scene is bizarre but even the accessories are stunning. Body piercing is the in thing and most collegians are having eye brows, noses, ears, navels, and even their tongues pierced. Raja Singh of National College Bandra wears long shirts, with two ear rings and plenty of rings adorning all his fingers the rings could be of any metal steel, gold, silver or even bronze depending on your pocket. His friend Dilip also wore chokers and rings on all his fingers and even thick bangles; he claimed he just loved any and all types of accessories. In footwear college girls are opting for slippers. Big and bulky shoes are out and slippers are in especially the OSHO sandals.

What was very interesting was that nobody showed off their skins even though they had well toned bodies and the makeup was the barest minimum which gave them a clean scrubbed look most of them only wore a little mascara, kaajal and lip balm. The collegians today have come into their own, they are very confident about their looks and sport fashions which they feel looks good on them, they are individualistic and very, very cool about it.

The Naked Truth: Is There Hope for Indian Handicrafts?

By Priyanka Gupta (Guest Writer)

I remember working as a volunteer in the International Trade Fair a few years back. Well known for instigating trade relations, it works as a wonder tool for ‘small-town’ artisans. I had never heard of Madhubani or Bandhej before, but state-wise exhibitions took me closer to the twisted threads of local India.

I was curious to see how these people do that with their hands! Those exquisite Madhubani and Warli paintings, graceful Bhagalpuri and Banarasi silk, sublime Pashmina, and not to forget the ethereal terracotta, their muse, our wares! But what intrigued me more was the buyer’s attitude towards this exceptional knack. Others were equally fascinated and laid their eyes on the exhibited artefacts but something stopped the patrons from buying them. Later I discovered it was the ‘price tags’.

INDIAN CIRCUS JUGGLING TO SURVIVE

Once a major mass entertainment, Indian circus is virtually on a tight-rope walk due to the difficulty in getting new talent to join the art and lack of institutional support for the profession.

A handful of circus companies now left in India are literally struggling to survive in the changed scenario, forcing most of them to cut short much of the pomp once associated with the art, according to managers of some companies that are still active.

However, contrary to popular notion, curbs on exhibiting animals and birds is not a big problem in the way of circus as the troupes still pulling on have adjusted to the reality, says M V Sankaran, founder of Jumbo circus.

"The biggest problem in our way is getting the artistes, who require constant and vigorous training from a very young age," Sankaran, from Thalassery in north Kerala, said.

The ancient mercantile town in Kannur district is considered the home of Indian circus as it provided most of the big artistes since the turn of the last century.

Martial arts trainer and gymnast Keeleri Kunhikkannan Gurukkal, hailing from Thalassery, is considered the pioneer of the modern Indian circus.

"Circus is widely seen as a dangerous profession. So most families, even those who find it difficult to make both ends meet, are unwilling to send their young ones to join it", said K P Hemraj, former manager of Amar circus.

They cannot be blamed as in real life a circus artiste is different from the vanity and glitter with which they turn up at the shows.

Circus companies had been demanding that the state and central government come out with some support to save the Indian circus from a gradual death. "We will be submitting a detailed proposal to the government to set up a modern circus academy. Though the idea has been accepted in principle long back, nothing concrete has been done so far", Sankaran said.

He recalled that his own life as a circus artiste was a long struggle ever since he joined the profession as a school drop-out, partly due to the circumstances of life and partly on account of love for the art.

Sankaran, who won applause for his performance as a trapeze artist with Boselian Circus in Kolkata, later joined the Great Rayman Circus. He had led the Indian team for the World Circus Festival in Moscow in 1964. He set up his own company in 1973.

Kerala has now six circus companies, all struggling to survive. A minimum of Rs 75 lakh is required to put together a circus troupe of moderate standards. Unlike other media of mass entertainment like cinema, it is difficult for the circus to get institutional credit support.

Life in the circus tent is steeped in uncertainties as the factors for its survival are quite unpredictable, he said. "A circus troupe is always on the move, shifting camps from town to town. A host of factors like the vagaries of the weather, financial state of the people in the town where the tent is pitched and their mood determine the success or failure of the camp in a town", Sankaran said.

Since they are on the move all through their life, it is difficult for circus artistes to have a normal family life, an artiste, on condition of anonymity, said.

There are a large number of cases where the artistes find their partners in the circus itself. Still, the education of their children is a big problem.

The most difficult phase in the life of a circus artiste is the old age. Once they lose their physical prowess and mental strength, they will have to recede to obscurity. A few lucky artistes can remain as trainers and some, retained as clowns.

Most of them in old age are either forced to lead a life of acute financial difficulties or eke out a modest living by doing menial jobs on the sidelines of the tents.

Though the Kerala Government has introduced a pension scheme for circus artistes, the amount given is too meagre to lead a decent life in advanced years, Sankaran said.

No wonder the misery of retired circus artistes has been the theme of some literary works and films in Malayalam.

Real Scenario
Hundred performers and over 40 different acts perfected after years of practice and performance. It's one of India's great entertainment traditions. Welcome to the world of circus. 

But who's watching? Today the circus barely has an audience. Even with tickets costing as little as Rs 25, the seats remain empty. The Indian circus is barely surviving. What made it go out of fashion? Why are people not queuing up outside these tents? What motivates circus artists to risk their lives for hundreds of empty chairs? 

Many of the artisits ran from home to join circus. They've spent a lifetime taking risks and entertaining others. What motivates them? Do they ever regret joining the circus? And what will happen when they're too old to perform? Beneath their smiling, painted faces are fears for their future and dreams for their children.

It's show time and Tulsidas Chaudhary is busy painting on a smile for his audience. At 13, Tulsi was tired of being called a dwarf and the circus became his escape route to a respectable life. 

Tulsi says, “We think that we are low people and if we work in circus we will get name and everything. Then I decided to become joker to make the world laugh.”

Today, at 62, Tulsi has mastered the art of putting on a disguise.

Monica, an artist of great royal circus, was pushed into circus by poverty. Joining circus meant sacrificing studies so her two younger sisters could do well. 

“I belong to a very poor family. My father is the only bread earner. So I decided to join him to earn some money, “ says Monica 

And 14 years later, Monica has fallen in love with the circus and learnt to be content. 

Artists are paid anything between Rs 2,000 to Rs 15,000 a month - depending on their skills and experience and food and accommodation are taken care of. But what's missing? Veterans like Krishnabhakt say it's respect for the artists and an audience to perform to. 

Krishnabhakt says, “Earlier people used to give much respect to circus people but now we seemed to have lost the attention.”

In 1957, 12-year-old Krishnabhakt came from Kathmandu to study in Darjeeling. The circus was in his neighborhood and soon Krishna was giving up his books to put on the clown's mask. But it was a decision his family never accepted.

“He asks me what I get from being just another circus joker waiting in line. Come here and do something. But what can I do. Circus runs in my blood. Unless we work in the circus, wear make up and entertain people, our kind can not be happy.” Krishnabhakt adds. 

Constant travel, risks to life and sometimes no support from loved ones - so what gives them the inspiration to go on?

Great Royal Circus gymnast Bhikhu Thapa says, “We watch good artist who are quite famous and one day we will be like them. “

Bhikhu Thapa is 20 and was enticed by the circus when he was 10 years old. He works hard on his gymnastics and loves to perform. But occasionally he regrets not having an education.

And even though they've spent their lives here, all of these artists have kept their children away from circus. 

Great Royal Circus Cyclist Subhash Jaisingh says, “We didn’t get good thing in life but we want our children to get all things. ”

The ring is theirs only till they can perform. Once age catches up, alternatives are hard to find. Many of them turn trainers for younger artists but most others fear the life outside circus.

“As long as there’s strength in the body, we can work hard. But once we are old, a circus artists is an insignificant person,” Subhash adds. 

Great Bombay Circus cyclist Subhash says, “Earlier all three shows used to be houseful but now all shows almost goe empty.”

The applause for circus has also died because the industry lacks infrastructure. Most circus companies are suffering losses and many are just about breaking even. A crunch of resources leads to substandard acts resulting in empty chairs. 

Ashok Shankar from Indian Circus Federation says, “Today the condition of the circus owners is not good enough to invest money. It is just hand to mouth. So once you are into the industry, it is difficult just to maintain it.”

And the empty chairs in turn further demoralises the artists.

Great Royal Circus gymnastics trainer Jayakumar says, “We enjoy performing to a full audience. We start lacking enthusiasm when the audience turn out is not encouraging. We feel bored even at the time of displaying our talent.”

Many of those who choose to watch the two-hour show are disappointed. 

Meena and the audience say, “The quality has gone down in circus.”

Jayakumar was awed by the circus when he was all of seven years. He ran away from home to join his uncle -- a circus manager. Today, Jayakumar is a gymnast, a flying trapeze artist and a trainer as well. He finds there are problems within the industry. Most young artists want to make a quick buck without the hard work. They are hired on contract for a short while and often choose to move on.

“Time has changed. During our time the training and everything was different. Now young people are not much interested in training and all,” Jayakumar adds. 

The law does not recognise children in circus as junior artists. Children under 14 years are in fact termed as child labourers even if they're gymnasts or acrobats and with age, learning the tricks just gets tougher.

Great Royal Circus trainer Das says, “Bada hone se fir jo apna kamar ka yeh sab karne ke liye, roll karne ke liye ho nahi sakega. Wo log ko taqleef hoga, yeh chhota hone se jaldi hum log kara sakta. Hum log sab chhota main he kiya. 

Circus artists feel their profession is no longer roaring with life because they are not permitted to keep wild animals. They say lions, tigers, leopards and bears were instrumental in attracting crowds. 

Great Bombay Circus owner Dilip Nath Nair says, “I don't want 40 tigers give me two each just two for showing the coming generation in smaller town where they don't have access to zoo. I don't want tiger to jump into the hoop. I don't want to lift his leg.”

But activists say animals are trained by the police, the army and the film industry among others and the least we can do is spare them from being used for entertainment.

Animal Rights Activists Norma Alvares says, “Circus companies are not at all equipped to maintain these animals. They cannot give them space, they've got to keep them chained, they keep them in small, closed conditions, in cages and so on.”

Circus owners also believe the public doesn't have the power or the inclination to shell out enough money on performing arts. 

“Where is the money power with the Indian audience? The best circus abroad is across $300 and $200 work that out for yourself – Rs 15,000 and Rs 12,000 you are paying me Rs 100. I can show you this much there is a limit where you can stretch Rs 100,” Nair adds. 

Owners feel they're going around in circles where the Government is concerned. Apart from entertainment tax exemption and concession on railways, they're offered little else. Grounds are usually on the outskirts, making circus inaccessible to a majority of the people. Ground rates in prime locations are simply not affordable.

Circus artists are not even recognised as skilled performers and as a result there is no formal training or academics for circus. 

But many say the crux of the problem is that Indian circus lacks innovation and vision. 

Theatre director Roysten Abel says, “The world has moved on, visual arts have moved on but the circuses are the same. The only place where they're trying to get some improvement is with the getting artists, acrobats from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan or you know these to come down and do another act within their own existing poor show and hoping that if they have a Russian artist, they will draw the crowd.”

Even the music in circus mostly consists of tasteless Bollywood film songs and musicians themselves are bored of performing. K V Lalji has been performing with circus orchestras for about 40 years now. He says technology has taken away the challenge from his job.

Lalji says, “Earlier the orchestrate style used to be different. The music used to be different. But time has changed everything is like automatic compose.”

Scarcity of funds, fading public interest, a ban on animals and a decline in the quality of artists are some problems that the circus is facing today. Once a popular and unique form of entertainment, today the great Indian circus is dying a slow death.

Myopia, Distortions and Blind Spots in the Vision Document of AAP

The Vision Document of the Aam Aadmi Party offers a simplistic understanding of the issues confronting Indian society, and confuses and confl ates symptoms with the disease.

The Vision Document of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)1 springs no surprises. It puts down in black and white what its main protagonists have been saying for the last two years. It contains the same unthinking hyperbole, self-righteous condescension, superficial reasoning, loud sloganeering and a good deal of reactionary politics that is sought to be smuggled under a veneer of sympathy for the aam aadmi.

It must be said to the credit of the authors that for once they have acknowledged that there is something like the Constitution of India whose preamble they have quoted with approval. But that should not mislead one into believing that they uphold the basics of the parliamentary democracy or democracy per se. Otherwise they would not have blatantly asserted in the very first section of the document: Hum satta ke kendroko dhvast karke rajnaitik satta seedhe janata ke hathme dene ja rahe hai (After destroying the centres of authority, we are going to hand over power directly to the people). Surely they are aware that the Parliament of India is a supreme centre of political authority under the Constitution. The authors of the document seem to be oblivious of a queer mixture of anarchism and Bonapartism that characterises their statement.

Simplistic Analysis
Their analysis of non-fulfilment of the vision of the preamble of our Constitution is simplistic and misleading. All the evils and shortcomings are attributed to the wholesale inheritance of “colonial laws and structures” by the indigenous rulers who, according to them, have simply substituted the erstwhile foreign exploiters. Leaving aside the half-truth of such a statement, what are the laws and structures that the authors are speaking about? They are concentrating exclusively on non-participatory and indirect features of our legislative and executive structures. It is one thing to argue in favour of more directly representative and participatory structures. It is entirely different to ascribe the “exploitative character” of the system to such features, which is what the authors do. They recommend more participatory legislative and executive structures through a more effective role to the gram sabha, greater accountability of the executives to the people whom they are appointed to serve, introduction of “referendums” and “initiatives” in the legislative process and “recall” of elected representatives. And the appointment of a Lokpal to oversee the executive and root out corruption. This is all fine. There has been a good deal of debate at the popular as well as the expert levels on these issues. This is not the place to enter into a debate on these specific suggestions. Suffice it to say that it is naïve to assume that the exploitative character of the economic system will simply vanish with the introduction of such administrative and legislative devices. Even more naïve is the supposition that the exploitative forces which form the bedrock of the system would not subvert the proposed more representative and participatory devices and simply allow a truly people-centric transformation of the economic system.

But the Vision Document is scrupulously silent on the core issue of the exploitative base of the system. It shies away from suggesting any measures intended to bring about a people-centric transformation of the economic system. Such silence is a blind spot of the Vision Document.

Neglect of Root of Problems
The Vision Document confuses and conflates symptoms with the disease. It talks of a growing divide between the rich and the poor, of the loot of natural resources by big business and politicians, of unemployment, of inflation, and, of course, corruption. Nowhere does it go to the root of the problem which lies in the adoption of the neo-liberal policies by the ruling classes, which include not only the ruling and the main opposition conglomerates of the political parties and big capital (indigenous as well as foreign), but also the affluent and better-off layers of the recently emerged middle class which has benefited from the neo-liberal policies, be they in IT and IT-related sectors, financial services, advertising and marketing, print and electronic media, land and real estate. (These sectors cater to the conspicuous consumption of the neo-rich and their imitators, or the praetorian guard of the higher echelons of the ruling classes.) Is it that a sizeable section of the followers of AAP belong to this section of our society and, therefore, the vision informing the document gets distorted and blurred?

The AAP document looks at the contemporary symptoms. It refuses to see the current situation as a part of a historical process which started long ago. Its concern is short term. Its focus is myopic. And it stops short of any radical analysis or measure.

Take, for example, its position on the issue of reservation for dalits, scheduled tribes and the Other Backward Classes. It is oblivious of the fact that the Constitution recognised special measures such as reservation in the context of longstanding social injustice to which some sections of our society were subjected. The criterion of long-standing social injustice cannot be bracketed with what is loosely described as “economic backwardness” which the document does. Such bracketing has been often the handle used by the opponents of reservations. The Vision Document has adopted this stance. The document also talks about denial of reservation on attainment of economic advance by the beneficiary. The concept of the creamy layer has been part of the reservation system right from the beginning. Why is it that the document repeats this as a new discovery and propounds exclusion on the specious ground that there are some who have somewhat benefited by reservations? Such facile arguments have been used again and again by the “upper” caste opponents of reservation and the document finds itself in agreement with that view. The fact of the matter is that the AAP has openly stood against the concept of reservation for promotions. All in all, it is not difficult to see through the lip service paid by the document to the cause of social justice and realise where the sympathies of the authors lie.

Or look at what the document has to say about education and health. It is not really worried about progressive commoditisation of health and education. The solution it proposes is that the standard of the schools run by municipalities and governments should be brought up to the level of the expensive, privately-run schools. Nowhere has such a dual system and commercialisation of basic human rights led to an upgradation of the worse-off section, which constitutes the major part of service provision. What is necessary is an immediate halt to commoditisation, large-scale expansion of public health services and compulsory institution of a common neighbourhood school system. Such demands have been in the public domain and there are powerful movements supporting them. Why is it that they are not visible to the Vision Document? Is this too due to the class bias of the AAP?

There is a brief paragraph in the Vision Document about the communal issue. It is worded in such a “goody goody” fashion that it ceases to have much meaning in the real political context. All that it says is that one should respect religious diversity and religion should not be turned into a political instrument. This is like apple pie and mother’s milk. The real issue today is that the minority, particularly the Muslim minority, has been largely alienated because of the overt or covert politics of the major political formations. Democratic freedoms and rights of the minority youth, in particular, are being suppressed ruthlessly. In the name of anti-terror action, innocent people are being targeted, tortured and incarcerated for long years. Islamophobia which is part of the US-Israel imperialist strategy has had an unacknowledged impact on our domestic politics as well. Such a situation cannot be remedied by resorting to wishy-washy statements. Because of its reluctance to go beyond the superficial and the obvious, the Vision Document suffers from inexcusable shallowness.

Similarly on the question of the large-scale, ruthless uprooting of adivasis from their land, livelihood and habitat, their fierce resistance to the process and the virtual war proclaimed by the Indian state against them in the name of defending the country against the so-called “security threat number one”, there is hardly anything except the indirect observation that acquisition of mineral and forestlands must have the consent of the local people.

On the Agrarian Question
On the agrarian question, the approach of the Vision Document boils down to two issues, quite important in themselves but again more symptomatic than basic. In essence, it says that land should not be acquired except with the consent of the gram sabha and that farmers should get a fair price which should be 150% of the production cost. Now, land acquisition is only a subset of the bigger set of the land question. One cannot find a solution to the subset without talking about the bigger set. And the gram sabha consent, whether in regard to forest, land, or environment has been manipulated any number of times, despite some apparently good legal provisions to that effect. Moreover, the market has deprived the peasantry of its land on a scale many, many times more than the land acquisition process propelled by governments. Has the document anything to say about this inexorable onslaught of the market? About the fair and remunerative price to farmers there cannot be two opinions. But how does one ensure it in a market that is being integrated with the global agriculture market? More important, do not the authors of the Vision Document know that a very small proportion of our peasantry produces marketable surplus? And that 92% of our peasantry consists of small and marginal peasants for whom farming is largely subsistence farming and clearly an unviable proposition? There are no easy solutions to the land question. In the ultimate analysis, “The question of land is the question of capital”. And one cannot find piecemeal, symptomatic, tokenistic solutions. The question of land or the agrarian question in India today calls for nothing short of a complete overhaul of the mode of production. But this obviously is another blind spot in their vision.

On the question of unemployment, all that the document envisions is a transparent, merit-based appointment to public service posts, provision of bank finance for self-employment in small businesses and, believe it or not, placing the responsibility of finding jobs for the unemployed on the gram panchayats! The jobless growth path that neo-liberal economics prescribes will not get wished away by the simplistic measures suggested in the document. And the growth model based largely on integration with the world economy and larger and larger inflows of capital, footloose or otherwise, is itself facing the prospect of failure. Unless there is a more thorough analysis and willingness to adopt radical measures, there is no possibility of the unemployment problem being tackled successfully. But such thinking is beyond the vision of the document.

A glaring shortcoming of the document is its parochial vision. The vision literally confines itself to a narrow and shallow focus. It speaks of the problems of the Indian polity as if India exists in a self-contained world of its own. Nothing seems to be of concern, if it lies apparently beyond the borders. Indeed it even shies away from many real problems of our own people residing in border states/areas. It is as if not only is there no world outside our borders, but our border areas and people too do not exist.

First, the question of border areas and people. On Kashmir, there is absolutely nothing in the Vision Document. Perhaps, the articulation of an honest but unpalatable position on this issue by a leading protagonist of AAP (known for his courage of conviction) and the quick, violent reaction it generated in the jingoistic, far right circles and the chauvinistic, adverse comments it faced even within the core of the erstwhile India Against Corruption parivar may have something to do with this silence. Perhaps, the crusade against corruption and the installation of participative and direct democracy in the rest of India is far more important to the AAP than the plight of the Kashmiri people. Whatever may be the reason, the parochial character of the Vision Document is difficult to conceal.

In the same vein, the document has little to say about the neo-imperialism of the US-Israel combine, its aggression threatening our borders, the turmoil in the whole of west Asia, and new experiments in more democratic politics being tried in the whole of Latin America. This is not to say that another chapter needs to be added to the document in due course. What is astonishing is that a political party hoping to take the reins of power is mute on the global processes, particularly those advancing the tentacles of neo-imperialism, which are inextricably influencing our politics and our society. Is it just a parochial vision or is it silent endorsement of those processes, which are welcome to the class base of the AAP?

With such complete silence on the basics, the compensation is found in excessive articulation of the trivial. How else can one explain an entire three pages of the 20-page document being devoted to spelling out how the party propaganda will be carried out, how the candidates for elections will be chosen, and how the elected members of the party will live or travel and such like details?

Exclusive: Bollywood Ramp Walks For Mijwan’s Legacy

SPONSORED: The 5th annual Mijwan Fashion Show by Manish Malhotra was a star studded event. Bollywood style icons walked the ramp in his designs that had been created by the Mijwan Welfare society, an NGO founded by noted poet Kaifi Azmi.

Since the theme for the evening was Mijwan - The Legacy, Bollywood parents turned up with their kids, the emerging new crop of the Hindi film industry.

Mijwan Welfare Society established by Kaifi Azmi in 1993, works towards empowering the residents of Mijwan village in Azamgarh UP, the poet’s birthplace. Since his demise in 2002 his daughter, actress Shabana Azmi has been its torch bearer along with her godchild Namrata Goyal.

::: ADVERTORIAL - Packaging Plus 2009 :::

By M H Ahssan

PackPlus 2009 will see the coming together of ten niche shows evolving into a mega event that encompasses all the segments related to packaging, processing and supply chain.

Cutting edge professionalism in organising industry shows
The success of India Label Show 2002, India Converting Show 2003 and India Flexo Show 2003 set the trend for dedicated shows on niche segments. It also firmly placed Print-Packaging.com among the top organisers of trade shows in the country.

Print-Packaging.com is the portal for the Indian printing, packaging and signage industries. Over the years, the portal has been working closely with event organisers and trade association in disseminating information.

The shows organised by the company so far have seen the coming together of the entire industry - the printers and converters, the suppliers and the packaging buyers on a single platform over the period of the event. The accompanying conferences have also helped in bringing the focus on to the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry. The portents are for bigger and more successful in their second editions of the India Label Show in 2004 and India Converting Show and Flexo Shows in 2005. The twin shows in 2005 are joined by another niche event at the India Corrugated Show 2005.

Spread over 10,000 square meters of exhibition space the India Packaging Show 2007, India Converting Show 2007, India Flexo Show 2007 and India Corrugated Show 2007 came together to make the largest packaging event seen in the country.

In 2008 India Packaging Show together with India Converting Show, India Flexo Show, India Corrugated Show, Food Technology Show, Pharma Technology Show, India Automation Show and India AIDC Show surpassed all previous numbers.

PackPlus 2009 will bring together all niche shows of 2008 and the additional strength of the India Retail Show and India Logistics Show making it the Total Packaging, Processing and Supply Chain Event.

Packaging: In the route of advanced technology
The highly fragmented packaging industry is estimated at Rs 8,000 crore.
The industry is growing at the rate of 22-25 per cent per annum.
In the next five years, the sector is expected to triple to around $ 60 bn.
The net profit of the packaging industry spurted 104.5 percentduring Q3 FY08, againsta growth of 29.5 percent in the December '06 quarter.
The large growing middle class, liberalisation and organised retailsector are the catalysts to growth in packaging.
More than 80 percent of the total packaging in India constitutesrigid packaging. The remaining 20 percent comprises flexiblepackaging.
There are about 600-700 packaging machinery manufacturers, 95percent of which are in the small and medium sector located all overIndia.
Indian packaging machinery imports are $ 125 million.
The import (customs) duty for packaging machinery is 25.58 percentfor 2007-08.
Germany and Italy are the latest suppliers of packaging machinery toIndia but focus is now shifting on Taiwan, Korea and China.
Indian packaging machinery exports are rapidly growing.
India's per capita packaging consumption is less than $ 15 againstworld wide average of nearly $ 100.
The total demand for paper is estimated to be around 6 mn tones, ofwhich about 40 percent is consumed by the packaging industry.
Laminated products including form-fill-seal pouches, laminated tubesand tetra packs are growing at around 30 percent p.a.

Food: A thriving industry with a large untapped potential
India is the world's 2nd largest producer of food next to China
It is the 2nd largest vegetable and 3rd largest fruit producer in the world
The growth of food processing sector has nearly doubled to 13.7 per cent during the last four years.
It ranks second only to Japan in inland sector fish production and produces about 6.57 million metric tonne fish every year.
Of the world's total annual spice trade of 850,000 tonnes, India accounts for 44 per cent in quantity and 36 per cent in value
The beer market in India is pegged around 12 million hectoliters.
Functional foods had the market earned revenues of over $ 185 million in 2007 and this is expected to reach $ 1,161 million in 2012.
Factors instrumental in driving growth and investment (FDI) in the Indian food industry are:
Effective distribution network and supply chain
Product range that is customized to suit local market requirements
Superior processing technology
Brand building and marketing

Pharmaceutical: Opportunities for growth in the post WTO regime
The sector is growing at a rate of over 13 per cent annually.
The sector is estimated to be worth $ 6 billion.
Indian pharmaceutical industry ranks 4th in terms of volume (with an 8 per cent share in global sales) globally.
In terms of value it ranks 13th (with a share of 1 per cent in global sales) and produces 20-24 per cent of the world's generic drugs (in terms of value).
India is one of the top five active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) producers (with a share of about 6.5 per cent).
The industry is in the front rank of India's science-based industries with wide ranging capabilities in the complex field of drug manufacture and technology.
Indian pharmaceutical companies supply almost all the country's demand for formulations and nearly 70 per cent of demand for bulk drugs.
Indian pharmaceutical market is a $ 7.3 billion opportunity with the domestic retail market expected to cross the $ 10 billion mark in 2010 and be worth an estimated $ 12-13 billion in 2012.
The industry ranks 17th with respect to exports value of bulk actives and dosage.
During April 2000 to October 2007, drugs and pharmaceuticals are the tenth largest FDI-attracting sectors in India.
Factors making the Indian pharmaceuticals an industry to reckon with are:
Self-reliance- displayed by the production of 70 per cent of bulk drugs and almost the entire requirement of formulations within the country
India has the largest number of FDA-approved manufacturing plants outside the US. The country has close to 100 such units.
Low cost of production
Low R&D costs
Innovative scientific manpower
Strength of National Laboratories
Increased outsourcing of manufacturing processes to India with supported clinical trials

Convert To Gain
The Indian economy is growing and so is the Packaging industry. As growth rides on increased industrial production and international trade, demands on package converters has become more demanding and sophisticated. There are close to 5,000 box plants scattered throughout the subcontinent in classic developing-country industry fashion: mostly fragmented and family-owned. So how does the country meet this ever increasing demand?

The larger Indian converters have been adopting the latest technologies and several high-end machines have been installed in the country in the past few years. These machines are largely imported from the western countries, with Germany and Italy accounting for almost 45% of the total packaging machinery imports. However, as the need to upgrade is felt by the smaller converters and corrugators and many commercial printers diversify into package printing, there is an increasing focus on machines made in Taiwan, Korea and also China. Meantime, the Indian machinery manufacturers have also geared up and are today making machines that are lapped up by the growing industry in India. Some of these machinery manufacturers are also making inroads in the export markets and are moving beyond the traditional Asian neighbours and the countries in the Gulf to South Africa, East Europe and even South America.

However, the present per capita consumption of packaging in the country is dramatically lower than the global averages. All the pointers indicate that the packaging industry is set to move to a higher level of growth between 20-25% from the present level of around 12-15 percent. The potential of growth is much larger and unrealized.

World over, Flexography has become the pre-dominant medium for package printing. The use of flexo has also been growing in India. Several sophisticated CI flexo presses have been installed in the past six months. The booming label industry is riding a narrow web flexo invasion as folding carton manufacturers also take a look at this technology. The Indian corrugators have been increasingly adopting flexo printing with water-based inks. The coming years should see a larger share of printing going to flexo in the converting and corrugating industries.

Corrugation: Future Trends
The packaging industry in India has been registering a constant growth rate of 15%. The Corrugated packaging industry is however finding itself at the crossroads.
Increasing prices of kraft paper, non availability of international standard papers at affordable prices, resistance of corrugated box user industry to offer sustainable prices, increasing competition, non viability of automatic plants are proving to be hurdles in the growth path.

Despite these adverse circumstances, the industry is all set to take on the challenges and look at the future opportunities.
As global companies set up their manufacturing bases in India to meet the growing demand for consumer and white goods – the need for high quality boxes is appearing evident.
Progressive Corrugators are setting up automatic board/box making plants to increase production and enhance performance of boxes. In house printing on corrugated is becoming imperative.
All this portends well for the industry. Insurgence of corrugated packaging machines from neighbouring China and Taiwan will prove to be a threat as well as a great opportunity considering the inherent capabilities and experience of Indian Corrugated Machinery Manufacturers. Strategic alliances with overseas machinery manufacturers is already happening and will soon become a norm.
Reflecting these trends at PackPlus 2009, India Corrugated Show 2009 will provide a platform for technologies that will trigger the future growth of the corrugated box industry.

Automation: Triggering growth
Technologies to improve business efficiencies and competitiveness…
The globalisation of the Indian economy has exposed the domestic companies to the free market dynamics. With no protection from the state, these companies are learning to be more efficient and are re-engineering the business processes to compete with the global businesses. Among other things, deployment of IT has been extensive in the better-managed companies and the one field where it is being successfully deployed is the management of the supply chain. This has brought the focus on the Automatic Identification and Data Capture technologies, which in several companies is integrated with the ERP/ EDI applications.

The entry of MNCs and the retailing shifts have also contributed to a higher use of barcoding and auto id technologies. The killer application for these technologies, however, is expected to be in the field of e-governance with not only the central and state governments adopting the technologies in ID projects and driving licenses etc., but also local administrations like municipal corporations and village panchayats expected to use the technologies to stream line administration.

The AIDC industry that includes Barcodes, smart cards, RFID, biometrics and EAS is probably the fastest growing segments of the economy anywhere in the world. Though the base is still small in our country, the over 40 percent growth that is taking place year on year is increasingly becoming significant. The incremental growth is large enough already to catch the eyes of the largest global players. The factors that drive the domestic requirements all indicate that the demand itself will ensure the present rate of growth in the years to come. If the Indian industry can leverage its IT strengths and grab the opportunities that are coming its way, it is not inconceivable that India can be a major hub to provide the software, integrated solutions and finished products in these fields to the entire world.

Barcodes
The barcode industry is around Rs. 2.5 billion and is growing at over 30- 35 percent every year. The hardware- Printers and scanners contribute equally to the 50% of this turnover while the consumables- tags, labels and ribbons contribute 35% and the services account for the rest. The industry has around 50 players with 5 large players having a turnover of over Rs. 100 million. There are other 10 companies that have turnovers of between 50 - 100 million. The major international suppliers- Symbol , PSC, Metrologic & Unitech for bar code scanners and Zebra, Intermec, Printronix, Sato, Toshiba & Datamax for barcode printers have their presence in India. Ean India, an affiliate of Ean International has played a large role in creating awareness about barcodes while developing and implementing standards across the industry. AIDC Technology Association has helped organize the industry by forming this association of all stakeholders of this technology.

Courier and logistic industries are the active user of barcodes. The auto industry uses barcoding for auto data capture of information about its materials and supplies during receipt, storage, Work in progress (WIP), dispatch and sales operations. In retail sales of auto parts spares and accessories, this is used to facilitate stock control, track and trace, consumption forecasting, etc. Pharma and healthcare are another large user of barcodes. They are used effectively to track distribution of the drugs in the market place and to recall them if necessary. They are also used provide quality service by tracking expiry dates of medical supplies, patient identification and billing, hospital stock management and order replenishment etc. The largest growth segment is however, organised retail. The use of barcodes is already well established in major retail sales institutions. The proliferation of malls and food bazaars is driving the growth in this segment. Logistics contributes around 10% of the barcode industry. Retail contributes around 40% and nearly 50% comes from all other industries like auto, pharma etc.

Smart Cards
Over the last few years, the awareness of smart cards and its applications have gradually increased among the potential users in India. Significant growth has taken place in wireless cellular applications, retail loyalty applications, healthcare applications and driving license and vehicle registration applications. Several pilot projects have also been implemented for multi-application campus cards, banking, ID, automatic fare collection, toll, healthcare, etc. With the smart card market expected to grow from the current base of 40 million cards to 400 million cards in the next few years, both Indian as well as foreign smart card companies are showing keen interest in this market.

Schlumberger, Gemplus, G&D, Obethur, VCT and Orga are the globally recognized card manufacturers who also dominate the Indian market. Shonkh, Rolta, Smartchip, CMS, Siemens (SISI), CA Satyam and E-Cube are the major system integrators. STMicroelectronics, Philips, Infineon, Reneseas and Atmel are the chip manufacturers who are already present in the the country.

Though the SIM card market has driven the growth in the last 5 years, the rate of growth in banking and retail sector is expected to be larger in the coming years. The usage in the transport and health care sectors is also expected to increase. However, the industry is looking at the government usage and the much-touted national ID project for a spiraling growth in the next few years.

Biometrics
As both the private and Government sector organisations search for more secure authentication methods, they increasingly become aware of biometrics as the killer technology for near foolproof security. It may not be long before all password and card based systems currently in vogue get replaced with biometric devices. The little over Rs. 1.5 bn market in India is growing at anywhere between 70- 100%. While there is a growing demand for both physiological and behavioural biometrics devices, fingerprint recognition is the current hot favourite. Lack of infrastructure, standardisation in the industry, high costs and duties are the impediments in the growth of the industry. Most of the biometrics hardware is being imported from USA, Germany, Israel and in recent times from China. Indian manufacturers are also getting into the act with some fingerprint scanners now being made available in the market.

RFID
Worldwide, RFID is being driven by an electric mix of researchers and businessmen of Indian origin and provides an unprecedented opportunity for the country to export services and software. The technology whose applications are limited by ones imagination is primarily finding use in fleet management, inventory and asset management, warehouse automation, asset tracking, quality control, packaging, security and access control, hazardous material management, advertising and promotion, delivery and smart card -based payment systems. The application is happening in many industry segments but still the areas of focus are retail and supply chain management. The technology has got a new impetus with the emergence of Electronic Product Code (EPC), a set of standards that weaves basic RFID technology into a numbering scheme as they move across the business supply chain. As the benefits of the RFID-EPC technology become evident, more industries are investing their research effort into product development to lower the cost of RFID tags and weed out the teething problems. With its highly skilled workforce and strong IT base, India is a natural choice for firms engaged in RFID product development. India is also being used as a center for executing RFID implementations for the entire Asia-Pacific region. The country by itself is also a huge market for RFID solutions. Already, the interest in the technology is evident with the Indian pharmaceutical, defense and export sectors being the early birds in exploring its use. As a part of the supply chain for multinational corporations, the Indian companies are also expected to adopt the RFID-EPC technology.

Logistics: Attracting investments
India’s logistics sector attracted investments worth Rs. 23,200 crore in first half of 2008.
It outclassed some of the major sectors including aviation (Rs 20,890 crore), metals and mining (Rs 8500 crore) and consumer durables (Rs 6000 crore) among others.
Mumbai has emerged as the preferred location for the development of logistics parks with an investment of approximately $ 200 million.
The development of seven to eight logistics parks are in pipeline on 600 acres around Mumbai.
A large number of upcoming SEZs have necessitated the development of logistics for the domestic market as well as for global trade.
Indian logistics industry is expected to grow annually at the rate of 15- 20 percent, reaching revenues of approximately $ 385 bn by 2015.
Market share of organised logistics players is also expected to double to approximately 12 percent during the same period.
About 110 logistics parks spread over approximately 3,500 acres at an estimated cost of $1 bn are expected to be operational and an estimated 45 mn ft2 of warehousing space with an investment of $ 500 mn is expected to be developed by various logistics companies by 2012.

Retail: Growing in leaps and bounds
Indian retail market is the fifth largest retail destination globally
The industry raked in $ 25.44 billion turnover in 2007-08 as against $ 16.99 billion in 2006-07, a whopping growth rate of 49.73 per cent.
The industry is estimated to grow from the $ 330 billion in 2007 to $ 427 billion by 2010 and $ 637 billion by 2015.
Modern retail is likely to increase its share in the total retail market to 22 percent by 2010.
India has one of the largest number of retail outlets in the world. Of the 12 million retail outlets present in the country, nearly 5 million sell food and related products.
Organised retail has increased its share from 5 per cent of total retail sales in 2006 to 8 per cent in 2007.
The fastest growing segments have been the wholesale cash and carry stores (150 per cent) followed by supermarkets (100 per cent) and hypermarkets (75-80 per cent).
The organised segment is expected to account for 25 per cent of the total sales by 2011.
There is a paradigm shift from traditional forms of retailing into a modern organized sector.
Mall space, from a meager one million square feet in 2002, is expected to touch 40 million square feet by end-2007 and an estimated 60 million square feet by end-2008.
The number of operational malls is estimated to be more than double to over 412 with 205 million square feet by 2010 and further 715 malls by 2015, on the back of major retail developments even in tier II and tier III cities in India.
India's luxury market, estimated to be the 12th largest in the world.
It is growing at the rate of 25 per cent per annum.
The Indian luxury retail market is estimated to leap-frog from around $ 3.5 billion to $ 30 billion by 2015.
The branded segment comprises $ 701.7 million of the total kids' apparel market-size of over $ 3 billion.
Kids' retailing segment is expected to touch annual growth of 30-35 per cent.
Internet promotes e-tailing-the online version of retail shopping.
An estimated 10 per cent of the total e-commerce market is accounted by e-tailing.
The e-tail market is estimated to grow by 30 percent to $ 273.02 million in 2007-08, from $ 210.01 million in 2006-07.
Retail franchising has been growing at the rate of 60 per cent in the last three years and is set to grow two-fold in the next five years.
Rural retail market is estimated to cross $ 45.32 billion mark by 2010 and $ 60.43 billion by 2015
India's vast middle class with its expanding purchasing power and its almost untapped retail industry are key attractions for global retail giants wanting to enter new markets.

WHO IS GUNNING FOR THE PRIME MINISTER?

By Rajinder Puri / New Delhi

The demand for Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s resignation is growing and with good reason. The PM’s accountability as Minister concerned for the corruption unearthed in the Coalgate scam cannot be ignored. However that does not quite explain the current outcry against him.

Were even the most basic democratic norms observed the PM’s resignation and the ouster of this government was long overdue.

::: Advertorial - THE GOLD STANDARD :::

By M H Ahssan & Neha Sharma

Flamboyant, fun, hip, glamorous, yet very old world - Dubai's charm lies in its contrast.

The mosques and the wind towers of the old city of Dubai are reflected in the flashy skyscrapers that are everywhere. Conservative Arabs in their 'abas' rub shoulders with fashionable Europeans and other expats in the fastest growing city in the world. Sometimes referred to as the 'largest construction site in the world', Dubai's leaders' unflinching ambition is paving the desert, colonising the ocean and reaching for the sky.

The experience of the city can be exhilarating, intimidating, stimulating or plain entertaining. Dubai is one of the world's most vibrant tourist destinations. Attracted to its year round sunshine and luxurious lifestyle, the number of tourists visiting Dubai is expected to reach 15 million by the year 2010. The options of leisure in this city go on and on. From historical monuments to over-thetop malls and entertainment districts, from the dazzling nightclubs to the traditional souks - there's something for everyone.

In fact, the first thing that strikes you about the city is its cosmopolitan mix - the stubbornly traditional and the proudly avant-garde.

As part of its effort to lure tourists from all over the world, Dubai hosts some major cultural and sporting events over the year. Spectators can enjoy a host of premier sporting events such as the world's richest horserace, the Dubai World Cup; the Dubai Desert Classic Golf Tournament, the Dubai Tennis Championships, Rugby Sevens, the Emirates Grand Prix power boating; the UAE Desert Challenge, and of course, camel racing.

Some of the cultural events include the International Jazz Festival, Dubai Desert Rock, Art Dubai, Dubai International film festival, and the hugely popular Dubai Shopping Festival.

Apart from these hosted events and the obvious attraction of shopping, there are many other world class entertainment options in Dubai:

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
For those whose balk at the idea of spending endless hours trudging with shopping bags, a different kind of tourist attraction in Dubai is adventure tourism. Adventure Tourism in Dubai consists of Desert Safaris, Mountain Climbing, Sky Jumping, Scuba Diving, Water Surfing, Sailing, Snorkeling, Swimming, Go Karting, Wadi Bashing, Sand Skiing, Crab Hunting, Dune Bashing and Sand Storming.

NIGHT BIRDS
Nightlife seems to be an integral feature of Dubai life and there are countless nightclubs in Dubai with music to suit even the most eclectic of tastes, whether you want to listen to Moroccan music, or the world's best DJs.

Alamo at the Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa; Atlantis, located right next door to the Hard Rock Café; Carter's; Hard Rock Café, Kasbaa, located at the amazing Royal Mirage Hotel; Planetarium; Tropicana, at the Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa, and Scarlett's, located at the Emirates Towers Hotel are just some of the popular nightspots in Dubai.

OUT AND ABOUT
The dhow cruises on Dubai Creek are a huge attraction, as is the promenade on the Bur Dubai side. The Jumeirah Beach is also quite a tourist magnet.

Many of Dubai's best hotels are located on or nearby Jumeirah Beach, including the unmistakable Burj al Arab, as well as leisure facilities like Wild Wadi Water Park and the more traditional attraction of Jumeirah Mosque. The Madinat Jumeirah development has become the focus of Jumeirah's eating and drinking scene. The newly opened Atlantis Hotel is also a huge attraction for international tourists and on everyone's must-see list.

A key attraction for the young and old is Dubai Aquarium. Over time, Dubai Aquarium will have more than 33,000 living animals, representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and rays combined.

SKI DUBAI
Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East and offers an amazing snow setting to enjoy skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing or just playing in the snow.

Dubai is well connected to most major metros in India. Some of the airlines that fly to Dubai are: Emirates, Etihad Airways’, Jazeera Airways, Air India, Jet Airways, Cathay Pacific, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Virgin Atlantic, etc. The respective websites of airlines give details of the best deals for the Dubai Shopping Festival for visitors.

Dubai is fast becoming one of the global centres of fashion, trade and finance, a city waiting to be explored and one that has the potential of becoming one of the most significant international destinations of the 21st century.

Not Living a Muslim Lifestyle?

By Samiya Anwar & M H Ahssan

There is more to a Muslim lifestyle, though, than glossy photographs in a magazine, no matter how attractive they appear. A Muslim lifestyle is altogether different from the ways of life of many of the people we live with. It is maybe because so many Muslims are living the kind of lives which are not really Muslim lifestyles, that the rest of the world so misunderstands Islam. Take, for example, the real case of the restaurant in North London. The sign over the door read, "Fully Licensed Halal Restaurant." In other words, the halal restaurant was licensed to serve alcohol! What sort of message does that give to non-Muslims?

Let us be quite clear. Islam is perfect and has nothing at all to be ashamed of. Nothing. Muslims, however, are not perfect at all. We all make lots of mistakes and we often settle for second best in the way we live our lives. Peer pressure is very strong and it is easy to give in to pressure from friends and others, who are urging us to relax the code of behaviour we learned at home or in the mosque. Very subtle advertising on the television or in the press shows us ways of dressing, for example, or styles of music that are not acceptable in Islam. Not going along with the crowd can make us feel left out and alone.

There are other behaviours, though, which go beyond this trend of fashions and music. Settling for that sort of lifestyle runs the risk of putting us outside the bounds of Islam. Every Muslim knows that drinking alcohol is haram. We all know, though, that some Muslims do drink, and some even drink alcohol to excess. Even worse, the trend of taking mind altering drugs, which is also haram, has become acceptable in some circles as just one of those things you do when you are growing up. Just as alcohol can lead to a lowering of our own self-control and, in its turn, lead us on to do other things that we know to be wrong, "mild" drugs can lead us on to more addictive drugs and to a lifestyle in which we need money to finance such an expensive habit.

In life, all people crave happiness and fulfilment. Some people will go to great lengths to achieve it. The great message of Islam is that true happiness can only be found in Allah. When we see football hooligans on television or read the alarmingly high levels of suicide or alcoholism or drug addiction in many countries of the Western, "developed" world, we see the results of people craving happiness where it cannot be found. Temporary "highs" will not answer the deepest needs of our hearts.

In the same way, relationships in Islam are governed by ways of behaviour. We have ways of being introduced to members of the opposite sex, for example. We have codes of behaviour for when boys and girls, men and women, are together. We have rules of courtship and ways of preparing for marriage. All of these are not just cultural baggage, as some would want us to believe. They exist for a very real reason. Casual sexual relationships may be quite common in some, non-Muslim societies, but Muslims have this code of behaviour to prevent such relationships. And it is not just to prevent freedom that we have such rules. Casual relationships do not bring happiness. Sexual activity before marriage, with one or many partners, of the same or the opposite sex, leaves people feeling used and taken advantage of. Films and soap operas may present such behaviour to us as normal, but it is not normal to behave in such a way, because using other people as sexual objects is to deny why they exist at all. It is to cheapen ourselves and to settle for second best in life.

Settling for second best is the worst trap we can fall into. Loving relationships are what we all hope to find in life. We all hope to find that special person we can one day settle down with and who will make us feel whole. That person will complete us and will complete our religion. Out of that union will come children, in sha' Allah. Settling for the kind of casual relationships we see on TV as normal, is not what Muslims want. It is not what you would want for your sister or your mother, is it? Islam has the highest respect for women. It also has the greatest respect for human beings and their bodies. Settling for second best and giving in to desires are not what will answer the deepest needs of our hearts.

Almighty Allah has given us, as Muslims, a way of life that does bring that happiness we crave. Islam teaches us that we must control bodily desires, like the desires for food and for drink and for sexual gratification, in order to become better people. Just remember, for example, how good it feels in Ramadan to fast for the sake of Allah and to deny our bodies the right to rule over us. Muslims are human beings like anyone else. They did not drop out of the sky. Sometimes it is really difficult to live a chaste and decent life, especially when all those around us are just doing whatever they want and behaving with no limits to stop them. Islam, though, is there to help us as much as to make rules to govern us. Islam brings the real happiness we are all after, if we will allow it to.

The consequences of living a non-Muslim lifestyle can be seen in any Western country. They can be seen in marriage breakdown and divorce figures. They can be seen in the number of unwanted pregnancies or in the high levels of crime and violence that exist in many of the world's big cities. They can be seen by the way people are discarded when they are no longer of any use. Islam, on the other hand, presents us with a different way of looking at life. It shows us that people are created by Almighty Allah and that they exist to serve Him and to find true happiness in doing so. Care for children and the elderly, respect for parents and for the place of women in society, all of these are what Islam holds up as being of importance.

“We are the world” is the voice of today’s young minds. They are comfortable with every thing of today and welcome the changes open heartedly. Religion is absolutely no bar. It is not that only a Christian or American drinks or night out often and not the other religions youth. Gone are those days when we hear any such news. Now, it is same with everyone. More to join this genre is the Muslims. Yes. In the present day of globalization and westernization, where everything is getting influenced and adapted, Muslims are no at the back. They are more of Muslims in every crime and hoax we find around us these days.

Now, more than ever, the youth is often regarded as the source of society's challenges and deficits. Who is responsible for all these parents, teachers or they themselves who are away from the true knowledge of the world? The underage drinking, drugs, sexual preferences and violence is what we find in the youth today

The decency and simple life of Prophet, the messenger of Allah is out of the brains and what is left is the new western culture. There are less of prayers (Ibadat) more of music in the houses. We are not addicted to reading The Holy Quran but hooked to the new gadgets. The Muslims are undoubtedly changed from years and welcome every change for the sake of entertainment and pleasure. It is all about making life’s simple and easy they say. But no they are heading life towards a baffled world where they are left muddle up.

I have seen many young men and women walk down parks and green lanes with earphones and portable music systems or cell phones, completely shutting out from the world. They don’t care of anyone or everyone. The lifestyle they portrays is only night outs, lounging in the pubs, tapping feet to the rocking music in discs, showing off 8 GB I-pods; N-Series mobiles, the latest bike, Levis jeans and Woodland shoes are the common lifestyle of the urban youth today. All these ’cool stuffs’ are essentials, if they don’t have it, then it will affect their “so called image” in college campus or their common hang-outs. This is the youth of today-unorganized with limited outlook and lack of aim in life.

The youth has forgotten that praying five times is a good exercise than any other weight loosing machines. A simple morning walk is better and outdoor games are much more vigilant than video games available in mobile phones and computers. No doubt, they are useful to us but Possessions and acquisitions may seem marvelous. But after a while, you do not own them, they own you.

Youth is getting a raw deal from the media, its entertainment industries and fashion designers who are said to be responsible to have created an image containing a more negative look for our youth occupying sexuality, violence, coarser language and revealing clothing. It is this which makes young minds turn to terrorist and cheat themselves in the name of religion. Is this true or another typecast question or anything else?

It won’t be anonymous to say that today the life has become a puzzle to many who doesn’t understand what is right and what is incorrect. They just move with the money. . It is not long ago India had several terror attacks and it is the youth behind every threat. It is only because they are confused. They don’t follow their heart but do what is wanted by others. “Anything for money” is the new slogan of every person.

We see these days youngsters running for IT jobs in spite of market being down, pink slips on rise. Everyone is ready to crush their minds for American labor. They are ready to miss the “good night sleep” of 5-6 days in a week and have snaps in the day but do their jobs honestly. There is a negative perception of this vibrant segment of our society, the American Muslim youth who work for American or abroad return or holding American Visas have to cope with threat of terrorism. Muslim youth often find themselves in unfriendly environments within their own communities, where activities and programs are not relevant to their needs, where their opinion doesn't count. They have to face the stereotype questions and where their voice is seldom heard.

What's wrong with today's youth is that the parent's are more interested in being their kids "friend" then being a parent. And this leaves them with more of freedom irrationally to do things they wish and every wrong becomes good as they feel of it being wanted. Wants are always unlimited. There is no limit to them. But it is important to fulfill the needs not wants. Today parents have no control over kids but kids do control them otherwise.

The recent beaten up girl by people in Mangalore pubs is no good to hear such a harsh humiliation from India. The women is said to be garment of men who is treated in inhuman way for catching up in pubs. Who is to blame here? Gals says they are above 18 and independent to hang out with guys and party at pub or whatever. Society has become more violent than it was, and young people are pushed towards adulthood faster than they were. This is Americanism not Indiana’s or Islam. The Muslims of today has left behind the religious books and teachings of Prophets and live life wishfully which is becoming more perplexed than ever. It is only we the youth responsible for all. Unless the Muslim youth realize that they are moving in a wrong direction, nothing can be done. There is a need to take initiative by every parent, every teacher to nurture best of religion and humanism in the mind of children so that they inherit the best of values which can only help us to see a better and change tomorrow in the coming years.

A New Indian Woman?

By Kusum Choppra

Have you ever heard of a woman called Sitaram ? Or Radhakrishna or Radheshyam? Why?

The names sound feminine enough. Then why does one only hear of men carrying those double-barreled names? Legend has it that these double-barreled names are the outcome of a "vardaan" from the Gods to two women, Sita and Radha: that their names would always precede the man's. This was because their steadfast loyalty and pure love had raised them head and shoulders above their communities, even their men, Ram and Krishna, respectively.

For Krishna had dallied with dozens and married two, but Radha, a married woman defied home, family and society, to abide by her steadfast love for her Lord.

Sita too proved her mettle, in banwas, in imprisonment, in the agnipariksha and ever after, to place herself a cut above the Maryada Purushottam, against whose later days and apparent lust for power, question marks still stand.

Yet it was the men who were named Radhakrishna, Radheshyam, Sitaram or Shivaramakrishna.

The issue here is the usurpation, by the male of the species, of the double-barreled name, which was the vardan of the Gods for the females of the species.
In earlier times, and often in our times too, men were conscious of the threat of being out shone by their women. Hence the girls are never christened Sitaram, Radheshyam or Radhekrishna; only plain Sita or Rama, Radha or Krishna. It is the boys who get the double appellation.

The oldest cultures saw the woman as the Life giver, the Nurturer. Hence the personification of earth, nature and the rivers etc. as female deities and the matrilineal communities. At some juncture, when a crisis erupted when the woman was going through her reproductive cycle, the Man used his brute physical force to meet the crisis and to take over.

What proof is there that the Cave Woman did not accompany the Cave Man on his hunting expeditions? Or that Cave Man actually slung Cave Woman over his shoulder to cut short the wooing process? Except the buffoonery of some Western writers? Where brute force takes the day. In the Orient, female deities held sway longer - in fact, almost until the precursors of the Occident arrived, after the Occident had outgrown its own female deities with the advent of Christianity.

The precursor of the ghunghat was the purdah of Islam, while ancient India celebrated its women in the carvings of Mohenjadaro and Khajuraho. Now Hindutva choses to opt for aping Christianity and Islam in imposing uniformity in organized religion, where rather than reap souls, religious leaders prefer reap real estate riches from their devotees.

In recent times a new Indian woman has emerged.

There are two ways of looking at it. The New Indian woman can be termed a very nebulous creature populating the hyper active mind of writers only; for there remain to this day millions upon millions of women who might dress like the new Indian woman but mentally and physically remain steeped in the post partition era and mentalities.

Or she can be a many splendored creature, super woman, ranging from the ‘done that, seen that, type of person’ to a well-rounded personality who combines profession with personal admirably. It all depends on the spectrum of society you interact with.

The New Indian Woman is in fact a many splendored creature, more educated and aware than her predecessor, although very large segments of the New Indian Woman seems to be losing out on the massive store we have as heritage. This is because parents, more especially mothers, push daughters towards careers so vigorously that earlier ‘feminine’ arts such as embroidery, knitting, cooking, more temperate housekeeping, even child and health care is left by the wayside as women climb rapidly up the career ladder. Housekeeping becomes cursory or relegated to a housekeeper who is also a professional, a career woman perhaps lower down the ladder than the corporate executive whose house she looks after. But then, the housekeeper too is a new Indian woman.

So it is, that you win some, you lose some for the New Indian Woman who scales new heights, crashing through all the glass ceilings. More than the urban woman whose heights were scaled even before Partition and regularly thereafter, in today’s India, it is the rural woman who is more deserving of the New Indian Woman categorization.

Statistics confirm that the number of families headed by women is rising dramatically, especially in the rural areas. And thousands of women are making their mark in panchayats and other local self-government bodies and organizations across the country working at the grass roots levels, with startling results.

Another aspect is the New Indian woman depicted in media, especially electronic media and films…generally a more feather headed person than may be actually the case. In the current crop of serials, the New Indian Woman comes across very sorry. Tulsi and Parvati are hardly new Indian women, for all their glamorous homes, they are as hectoring as any old time Nanad or Sasuma, and as regressive.

But for all the hectoring and the ruling that the women do, they will still do the perfunctory know-towing to the male and forgive them all their sins, although each and every single digression of the woman becomes an earth shattering event for the entire joint family.

Rare is the woman in any of those popular soaps ever does anything except dress to kill; even a supposedly professional like Prerna is never seen working as one, although she does dare to take on issues as rapid-fire marriages and divorces and recently, rape and marital differences. A symbol like Jassi, despite her hi-fi career and transformation remains a creature of her father, and then family, rather than her own.

Unfortunately producers are still rather shy of translating literary works into films, serials or plays. Heroine oriented, author backed roles are a rarity. I cannot recall a recent example, beyond Parineeta. Before the K serials of the Ekta Kapoor’s society women genre inundated TV, there was a very interesting series that translated short stories into single episode short TV plays. Some of them brought out the strengths of women much more powerfully than any of the big names in the K soaps. But if I recall correctly, again most were nostalgic rather than contemporary.

Feminism may be big headlines and page three chatter; but hard-core feminism where women think like women, not like men, is still struggling for a voice.

Novels would undoubtedly make an impact, if they managed to get read in the first place. Perhaps in the smaller towns and campuses, where reading has not yet gone out of fashion novels are devoured with some appetite.

In elite circles, it is no longer fashionable to read. And if anyone does read, it is totally incomprehensible for everyone why anyone should read an Indian author, except may be a Shobha De or Jhumpa Lahiri ?

Big-ticket authors find a wide readership. Those who come via an NRI tag enjoy an edge, no doubt. But the impact is limited to much the same elite circles that produce that limited edition of the New Indian woman who populates the soap operas on TV.

Who or what constructs this media image, or what are some of the factors that contribute to this construction?

Unfortunately the construction of the New Indian Woman, who is publicly projected, has been left more in the hands of persons who are out of touch with the reality of most of India. Writers of plays and serials and films today, even the more popular pulp fiction which finds publishers easily, are by and large persons from upper middles or plain wealthy homes, whose exposure to the Other India outside their world of internet cafes, international rock shows, malls, multiplexes and foreign holidays is very very limited. That is why perhaps that their characters act very out-of-character as women from homes other than those that are super rich.

Hence even so-called middle class heroines wear designer outfits and make up and are very rapidly propelled into the hundreds of crores category. Their concerns are rarely down to earth at all. Has anyone seen any really good middle middle class serial in the mould of Humlog or film like Chitchor or Gharonda in recent times? Has anyone seen a serial heroine dressed like the ordinary woman on the street in any of our non-metropolis or if not actually working professionally or at least keeping house like any normal “real life” woman?

Even writers, it is rather depressing to note, quickly hark back to early, post independence eras for a middle class touch, while most recent writing is devoted to multiplex ma’ams and their counterparts from smaller towns.

Chhote ghar ke log or chhote gaon ke log are a subject of derision, rather than an exploration of their emotions, problems, issues. Glamour, it is felt, sells and everyone goes all out for that glamour, and literature be damned. Kal kisne dekha? Is the attitude. For the big city slick writer, the new woman is a combination of the people he knows, is familiar with, therefore easier to depict in words or pictures.

It is ironic that modern Indian English writers often write in the nostalgic mode. Should it be interpreted that modern writers do not find too much worth writing about the modern miss. Or that the modern miss is already nostalgic about the past when she was not a cutting edge, gizmo driven DINK?

Apart from the nostalgia segment, we have an imitation of the west, whether it is post-Harold Robbins sex driven novels or the Harry Potter imitations. Where is the New Indian woman in these?

She scores, if at all, in the short story genre and in the regional languages. India is a vast country with countless talents waiting to tell their tales. Whenever they get the chance, they present a smorgasbord of the Indian woman’s experience in all her harrowing variety. Humor is usually in short supply. Every other emotion aplenty.

Writing in English does give the writer a snob value when interacting with readers of regional literature. Inversely, regional writers do often display an inverse snobbery when meeting writers in English…we’re in touch with the real India, tum to angrez ki juthan ho; sort of unspoken vibes are common.

In some ways, one may be tempted to accept the New Indian Woman is a political construction, viewed from the point of view as politics being relationships of power at all levels of society, and not just as government or party politics.
Writers sculpt this female political construction with an agenda dictated in very many cases, through suitable veils, by the presiding deities in India today, the political parties and the Sangh Parivar. Those who are aware of the nuances can recognize the guiding hand quite easily.

The day has yet to come when Woman Power will be truly womanpower and not a creature of its author. There are very few women who think like a woman and move forward. All too frequently, they succumb to that admonish “ think like a man”. Remember that famous quip about Indira Gandhi being the only Man in her cabinet. If women continue down that path already beaten by men, how will they ever bring the world back from the brinks that Men have brought it to?