Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Abu Dhabi takes the lead in showing the world the true meaning of ‘going green’!

The sun was always an element of discomfort for those living in the desert and bearing the scorching heat. But now the very same heat is being used to the advantage of the city. Every technological gadget is proposed to work on solar energy and good care is being taken to create a cushion of comfort around the citizens. Residents will also enjoy a cool environment from the wind towers that are being built for natural breeze. Abu Dhabi, which was proved to have one of the largest per-capita carbon footprints, in the next eight years, would make the world kowtow to its efforts, with designers Foster and Partners leaving no stone unturned to gift the world the most desirable destination to reside in. When questioned about exploring the possibility of a zero-carbon city in India, Alka sounded positive but also brought forth the roadblocks. “The problem in India is population. It’s difficult to clear out a city to make something like Masdar. Such experiments have been conducted in Pune, but that was in tiny townships on a small scale,” she said. Population apart, what about factors like acceptance of the idea and expenditure? Says Alka, “Oh, change of mindset is not a problem with our people. Indians are pretty much aware of global warming and have been contributing their bit; besides, who wouldn’t want to live in an environment that is greener, cleaner and healthier? Cost, of course, is the biggest problem for constructing a Masdar in India.”

Proposed to accommodate 50,000 people and 1,000 business centres and universities, in eight years from now will perhaps exist one of the most sought-after tourist destinations. Certainly a shining example of what the world can achieve through technology and sheer will, Masdar is truly a breakthrough to a very real global problem!


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Monday, August 13, 2012

1848 Princess Tui Inn, Samoa

Lavishing luxuries galore, 1848 Princess Tui Inn is nestled at an ideal location facing the South Pacific Ocean. Serving pure pleasure on a platter to its customers, the 1848 Princess Tui Inn has always been the epitome of warmth and hospitality. The resort provides the most scenic view of the glistening sun, dusty golden sand and not to mention, the azure waters. Blending tradition with culture, the 1848 Princess Tui Inn provides one wholesome experience of sheer bliss! 1848 Princess Tui Inn is a paradise for travellers – those who like to take it easy and also who like to be on the move 24x7 and prefer to go backpacking...

The View: It’s a marvel to watch the refreshing and energising sunrise and the picturesque golden sunsets from the various terraces and patios at the 1848 Princess Tui Inn. The resort, besides offering a spectacular view of the ocean, and with all the natural beauty surrounding it, also presents the visitor with the opportunity of being one with nature.

Archi Type: This luxurious resort has been built with a deliberate reflection of its tradition and a hint of its culture in its otherwise contemporary interiors. The designs and decorations have been aesthetically chosen to suit the taste of its guests from around the world. With beauty, fitness and spa facilities and with choicest elements – best quality woodwork, subtle colour schemes and interesting artifacts – the resort caters to the needs of one and all…

Bon Appétit: 1848 Princess Tui Inn invites its guests to try the various creations of its chef known to blend classic and exotic flavours. Crabs, prawns and shrimps are a delicacy and blend well with the well-known chilled Vailima beer.

Around the Corner: 1848 Princess Tui Inn is conveniently situated in this miniature paradise with almost all fabulous hideaways at a reasonable distance. The spectacular island of Savai’i is just a stone's throw away from Princess Tui, and is the perfect base for visiting Papaseea sliding rocks, Papapapaitai Waterfall, Mataerva Beach and the markets of Apia.

From Under the Carpet: For those who wish to see everything in one place or those who suffer from lethargy, 1848 Princess Tui Inn may not be the best bet.


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Saturday, August 11, 2012

“It’s a misnomer that organized retail will have a negative impact”

S. Viraraghavan, Director, Sales and Marketing, Cargill India shares nitty gritties in an exclusive interview to B&E

Cargill India is an active player in food, agricultural sourcing and commodities trading in India. S. Viraraghavan, Director, Sales & Marketing, Cargill India has some unique yet significant points to make about the sector’s present and future



B&E: How do you think the government should deal with a fragmented supply chain which escalates costs of food processing in India by 15-30%?

SV: The biggest challenge is to build overall supply chain infrastructure, namely, augmentation of warehousing & storage capacity (especially, cold storage), reduction of wastages due to multi-point manual handling and inadequate primary & secondary packaging of basic food grains, better transport infrastructure and seamless linkages between farm and retail.

B&E: With different policies, high excise duties and lack of coherence in doing trade between various states in India in processed food, how does Cargill India deal with the situation and how can it be improved?

SV: We’re part of food processing business at a mass level with major participation in the cooking & refined oils business. We have been able to, more or less, nullify the impact of different taxes & duties by operating at standard operating prices for consumers and to a great extent for trade as well. Situation can be further stabilized by having a common VAT structure across the country. GST would be a significant step in improving business environment here.

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Friday, August 10, 2012

SHEILA DIKSHIT, CM, DELHI

“Delhi suffers from multiplicity of authority”

Runner-up in the TSI-C Voter survey, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit speaks to Khurram Raza

In a nationwide survey conducted by TSI, Narendra Modi has emerged as the best chief minister. Any comments?

No doubt he is a good administrator but I don’t agree the he is the best chief minister. A chief minister should be good in totality. He is kind of an autocrat. What he did to Gujarat, psychologically and sociologically, can’t be forgiven. I am not saying this because I have come second. In my opinion, Nitish Kumar is doing very good work in Bihar. You can’t see it right now but theway he is managing things is amazing.

You have been voted the second best CM. Don’t you think you deserve the first position?

How can I say that? I can’t have a perception. I can’t perceive what others may feel about me. Someday, we will be placed in the third position, someday we will be on the top and who knows, may be even the tenth position.

What is your opinion about governance in Delhi?

Delhi faces a peculiar constraint, that of land. Other states can spread their cities out and we can’t. In spite of that, we have invented ways to grow the city and given it a facelift as well.

There is a view that the government is not as efficient as it was during the first two terms. What you have to say about it?

Basically, efficiency is not a question. The government is working efficiently because it now knows how to get work done smoothly and quickly. Expectations of the people have increased. Apart from this, several key issues directly related to common people like the power situation have been resolved. Another factor is that the government is focussed on the upcoming Commonwealth Games this year.

Questions are being raised over the BRT corridor and CWG projects are running late.
Other states are emulating our BRT project. And all CWG projects are now in place and we will manage well before time.

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Sutanu Guru gives 5 reasons why india cannot afford his ideology, politics, economics and legacy

Party & ideology over nation

Most will remember the visceral and unflinching manner in which Prakash Karat and his fellow comrades opposed the nuclear deal between India and the United States. During the official visit of George Bush to India, they even forgot courtesy while abusing and heckling him (one wonders how many people would have been killed in police firing if demonstrators had abused and heckled Chinse Supremo Hu Jintao during a hypothetical state visit to Kolkata?) But not many will remember that Marxists like Basu always blamed India more than China for the 1962 debacle. Just consider this: The CPI, mentored by the Soviet Union, supported the Emergency because Indira’s India was a Soviet ally; the CPI(M) opposed it vehemently because China was not very fond of Indira’s India. Of course, both supported the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and kept quiet on the Chinese invasion of fellow Marxist state Vietnam in 1979. Under Jyoti Basu, West Bengal always gave more importance to ideology over public interest. Anything that the United States did was wrong, sinful, imperialistic and evil. Anything that the former Soviet Union and China did was far above criticism. This was all right till the ‘ideology over national and public interest’ line was largely symbolic. But, it had terrible consequences for the state when dogma invaded realpolitik and started affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of citizens. Mercifully for India, voters now seem far less swayed by ideology and identity politics than they were in the recent past; that perhaps was the biggest message sent out by voters during the 2009 general elections when both the CPI(M) and the BJP were humiliated and humbled.

Intolerance & authoritarianism

Strange as it may sound, this is a trait that Marxists seem to share with Fascists. And like the Fascists, the Marxists have an uncanny way to ruthlessly weed out dissent and free speech even within their own ranks. Many of you know how Prakash Karat and comrades expelled fellow Marxist Somnath Chatterjee for behaving like the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and refusing to vote against the Manmohan Singh government. But much before Somnath Chatterjee became a victim of such classic Marxist intolerance, comrades like Jyoti Basu had set wonderful precedents.

Senior Marxist leader Benoy Choudhury was ruthlessly sidelined during the hey days of Basu when he criticised the government for encouraging traders and businessmen at the expense of the poor. He died a forgotten man. Another Marxist leader and former MP Manoranjan Hazra had to leave the party after accusing fellow comrades of promoting “promoter Raj”. His daughter - despite several High Court orders - simply failed to get even a school teacher’s job in Basu’s Bengal. Some of you might have heard of Nripen Chakraborty, a Marxist who became the chief minister of Tripura. He was perpetually sidelined after publicly criticising Basu’s policies.

If Basu and his acolytes could treat ‘family members’ so ruthlessly, imagine the fate of citizens and activists who were not Marxists. Police firings, custody deaths and ‘raids’ organised by party workers were actually the order of the day in Basu’s Bengal. One of the worst is the Marichjhapi massacre where more than 3,000 Dalit protestors were killed. It is only during the Singur and the Nandigram agitations that the sheer ruthlessness of the Marxists and their police machinery came to light and became the staple for media. But it was perfected during Basu’s regime when any villager daring to vote against the Marxists automatically became a target for the Marxist goons. That kind of authoritarianism is now coming back to haunt the successors of Basu. And ask yourself honestly: with so many grievances, injustices and inequity, will India survive if the State displays such authoritarianism?

Murder of Entrepreneurship

Till the late 1960s, Bengal was one of the most industrialised states of India. Many prominent Marwari business families who found their early fortunes during the British Raj had made Calcutta their home. One of the most respected of the lot is B.K. Birla, almost 90-years-old, and a man who personally witnessed interactions between his father G.D. Birla and Mahatma Gandhi. Of course, he has also witnessed the destruction of West Bengal as an industrial hub. He says, half in sorrow and half in mockery, “What can businessmen expect but unions, strikes, threats and God knows what else. Tell me, which businessman will invest there. You know, when they are out of Bengal, the people are the most hard working, industrious and enterprising. But inside the state…you can see what happened to Bengal over the last 40 years. I don’t need to elaborate. Of course, I have always considered Calcutta my home and always will. But frankly, I don’t see a bright future for the state.”

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

BARACK OBAMA

Obama’s mysterious Asian policies seem more conspiratorial than what meets the eye. Is his current silence an omen? Managing Editor Sutanu Guru investigates expected future US policies towards Asia in this issue of B&E

Till the later part of the 20th century, America tacitly stifled democracy in much of Asia because it did not want anti-American Communist regimes to come to power. In this day and age, it is stifling democracy because it does not want anti-American Islamic regimes to come to power. But by doing that, it is actually encouraging the culture of jihad to flourish because citizens have not much else to look forward to.

The defining moment and test for Obama will not be economic engagement and managing the rise of China and India. It will be his and his administration’s willingness to let Iraqis vote freely in an election that could end up electing a regime that is not pro-American. If he can do that, Obama will surely be remembered in history as the agent of change. If not, the dynamics of Asia will drown his poetic rhetoric.


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