“There are many ways to describe Dantewada. It’s an oxymoron. It’s a border town smack in the heart of India. It’s the epicentre of a war. It’s an upside down, inside out town. In Dantewada, the police wear plain clothes and the rebels wear uniforms. The jail superintendent is in jail. The prisoners are free (three hundred of them escaped from the old town jail two years ago). Women who have been raped are in police custody. The rapists give speeches in the bazaar.”
Los Angeles, CA – PERI Software, based in New Jersey announced today it has open new offices in the Wells Fargo Tower in the business district of downtown Los Angeles to offer its advanced global business solutions to a high demand market
in Southern California.
“After servicing clients in California and on the West Coast,
we realized it was vital to bring our services closer to a
rapidly growing technology market,” explained President
and CEO Sarav Periasamy, PERI Software. “We have just
opened an office here, because we believe Los Angeles
leads the Pacific Rim in just about every industry and
we want to help business grow to meet the technology
needs of regional and international markets.”
A recent SoCal economic forecast finds that technology,
tourism and international trade will be the leading industries
to the economic recovery. Research reveals that the business
demand for technology products was very weak in the first
three quarters of 2009, when businesses were reducing costs
drastically in order to survive the recession. But, demand
picked up noticeably during the fourth quarter and sales
of technology products held up better on the consumer side.
“PERI delivers technology-based business solutions to help
organizations worldwide control costs and cultivate growth
by drawing on our deep industry expertise,” said Periasamy.
“We help companies facing growing pains by blending a
strategic design, proven technology, and timely delivery
of creative solutions that brings the best returns on IT
investments.”
PERI is a global consulting and technology services
company specializing in industry-specific solutions,
strategic outsourcing and integration services. The
company was founded in 1999, and has grown to more
than 700 employees worldwide. In addition to the new
Los Angeles office, it also has offices in San Jose,
offshore facilities in Chennai, India and the PERI
headquarters in Newark, NJ.
“Technology will be one of the strongest industries
to lead the recovery,” said Periasamy. “PERI is
confident that we can play a vital role in meeting the
technology industry business solutions needs, which is
why we have expanded in Los Angeles.”
Sales of technology products held up better on the consumer
side according to published reports. Purchases of products like
computers, flat TV, and cell phones increased last year despite
the recession and will continue to grow in 2010.
“There’s always demand for the well-designed personal
gadgets like iPods and smart cell phones with media players,
but business is in transition to smart technology products, too,
of which we produce so business can cut costs and get the job
done in less time,” said Periasamy.
“We are constantly hiring software engineers and employees
to meet growing technology demands.”
About PERI
Founded in 1999, PERI is a global business solutions company,
which has grown to more than 700 plus employees and delivers
a high value-cost effective technology based business solutions
along with software and smart-intelligent hardware products.
PERI Draws on deep industry expertise and has a portfolio of
interrelated consulting, business processes and application
development. PERI blends strategic design, proven technology,
and timely delivery of solutions that maximize customers return
on IT investment.
For more about PERI visit: www.PERIsoftware.com
[Editors: For media interviews and images contact
Aida Mayo or George Mc Quade at 818-340-5300
or 818-618-9229 or
email: Publicity@mayocommunications.com.]
Aggregates are useful, because they hide essential things. The Indian economy grew by 6.1% in the past year. Indian agricultural output, on the other hand, has fallen by $7 billion in the same period. The soaring manufacturing growth rate pushes the aggregate high enough to conceal the fall in agricultural output. If we see the tonnes of food produced in India, then starting from the year of 2001-02 till date, there has been an 18% fall in quantity produced PER YEAR. 2001-02 showed food production of 212 million tonnes of food, 2002-03 showed 174.2 million tonnes, and the trend seems to have continued. If you ever make the effort of finding nominal GDP growth rates in agriculture from 2001 to 2009, and the consumer price inflation for each of those years, and then adjust each of those figures for inflation, you will find something interesting. Real growth rare in agriculture has shown a fall of 12% in 2009, a fall of 10% in 2008, a fall of 3.1% in 2007, a fall of 0.4% in 2006, a fall of 2.6% in 2005, a fall of 4.8% in 2004, a rise of 7.4% in 2003, and a fall of 4.5% in 2002. I really hope I have made an error of principle here, because these basic calculations reveal a 27% fall in agricultural output from 2001 to 2009.
Growth is taken for granted, because it tends to be typical in most nations; only concern being whether it is slow or whether it is fast. However, retrogression, instead of growth, is also very common. Retrogression happened in Uganda after Dada Idi Amin threw the Indian industrialists out. Retrogression happened in Argentina which fell from being a First World nation to a Third World nation in the 20th century. Various industries can show retrogression, even if the whole economy does not. Agriculture in Soviet states has shown retrogression, especially in Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, and others – the long lasting effects of central planning policy. Indian agriculture now shows classic retrogression.
Retrogression itself is just a fall in economic activity, but it’s related to aggregates. It still doesn’t reveal how much is being produced per worker, because having more workers for more output doesn’t tell whether each worker is able to produce more. If there is an increase in what is produced per worker, we call that development, which is different from growth. And when the opposite happens, we simply call it backwardness. By and large, agricultural growth has been meager and less significant in total GDP across the past few decades, even with a rising agricultural population. So there is less increase in agricultural production, and more increase in number of agricultural workers.
When we consider these basic facts, we arrive at the chilling conclusion that India’s agriculture has become more and more backward since Independence, and hasn’t merely just been falling in the last decade. The nation’s poverty rate was falling drastically in the 1950s, but doubled across the 1960s and 1970s, before it started falling again in the 1980s thanks to urban migration. These facts should contradict the fact that we have had huge food surpluses and have better fertilisers and seeds after the Green Revolution. And yet here it is. Considering the fall in what is produced per worker, we arrive at the other chilling conclusion that our agriculture has been sent back by more than a hundred years, and is at the level of feudal era agriculture. No doubt that there is no comparison – we grow a far wider range of food grains and commercial crops in this era, but there is less produced per worker and less to be earned per worker.
You can’t avoid the laws of diminishing returns, which is why labour needs to be combined with more capital in order to produce more per worker. But capital is the exact thing lacking in rural India. Foreign investment is not allowed, “exploitative” middlemen are to be prohibited, large land ownership is not allowed, agricultural property rights are severely restricted, and no liberal markets may exist in food grains. The intention of India’s agricultural policy was to liberate enserfed farmers, but the farmers are nothing but serfs now, who are votebanks for policies of price supports and subsidies, while all other agricultural allocation of resources is strictly controlled by government, and still under central planning.
INDIA
According to IBEF (India Brand Equity Foundation), India healthcare industry which comprises hospital and allied sectors, is projected to grow 23 per cent per annum to touch US$ 77 billion by 2012 from the current estimated size of US$ 35 billion.
The sector has registered a growth of 9.3 per cent between 2000-2009, comparable to the sectoral growth rate of other emerging economies such as China, Brazil and Mexico. According to the report, the growth in the sector would be driven by healthcare facilities, both private and public sector, medical diagnostic and pathlabs and the medical insurance sector.
Healthcare facilities, inclusive of public and private hospitals, the core sector, around which the healthcare sector is centred, would continue to contribute over 70 per cent of the total sector and touch a figure of US$ 54.7 billion by 2012.
Adds a FICCI-Ernst and Young report, India needs an investment of US$ 14.4 billion in the healthcare sector by 2025, to increase its bed density to at least two per thousand population.
According to a latest report by McKinsey, driven by strong local demand, Indian healthcare market is expected to continue growing close to previously projected rates of 10 to 12 per cent. With average household consumption expected to increase by more than seven per cent per annum, the annual healthcare expenditure is projected to grow at 10 per cent and also the number of insured is likely to jump from 100 million to 220 million.
India Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2010
India’s US$14.71bn pharmaceutical market is in a state of transition. As the country’s economy grows, foreign firms are increasing their presence, the government is spending more on healthcare and local firms are looking abroad for new growth opportunities. Through to 2019, BMI is forecasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.77% for medicine sales in India.
India’s attractiveness to multinational pharmaceutical has increased over the past quarter. The country’s score on BMI’s Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings has risen from 48.2 in Q409 to 52.8 in Q110. This has also resulted in India moving up to 9th in the proprietary rankings system. The main driver of this improvement was a re-assessment of both the size and growth of the pharmaceutical market. India’s Pharma rating is just below the regional average (53.2), but above the global average (51.5). Over the medium term, we fully expect India’s ranking to improve significantly.
India’s rural market represents an enormous opportunity for drug-makers and medical device firms. Although anticipated margins are slim, volumes of units sold will be large. In an effort to become the leading pharmaceutical firm in its domestic market, Ranbaxy revealed in December 2009 that it intended to penetrate the challenging rural market. Other companies with a similar strategy include Fortis Healthcare, Novartis, Elder Pharmaceutical and GE Healthcare.
BMI’s Burden of Disease Database (BoDD) reveals that non-communicable diseases – such as diabetes and cancer – have a slightly greater burden in India than non-communicable diseases – such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. In 2008, a total of 99,892,742 diability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were lost to communicable diseases, while 116,772,455 DALYs were lost to non-communicable diseases.
JAPAN Japanese healthcare industry is ranked second in the world, with its main challenge being the aging population.
Complete coverage of medical expenses by insurance adds a point to its rank. Thus, changes in the economy are likely to have little effect on the industry – even with the current decline in labor force and with increasingly aging population.
The pharmaceutical and drugs industry of Japan is challenged with issues pertaining to the launch of blockbuster drugs, sales and marketing productivity, and structural reforms. Bungyo – the separation of prescribing and dispensing drugs by doctors and pharmacists, – is soaring, and expected to reach 80 percent in the next five years.
With 100 percent insurance coverage for medical expenses and in view of the fact that physicians across the country charge a fixed fee irrespective of their qualification and experience, patients are choosing to go to bigger hospitals for treatment.
The medical devices industry is also highly competitive and is a trade hub for countries such as the United States and Europe. Demand from the growing population of aged people for better medical facilities is one of the reasons for the increasing volume of imports in this industry.
With the opening up the Japanese economy with less regulations across industries and sectors, the Government’s initiative to develop standards and encourage best practices across the healthcare industry is likely to enhance Japan’s global competitiveness. The country’s medical facilities are also expanding to meet the long-term goal of promoting development, raising the standards of living, and narrowing the gap with developed countries. This opens up plenty opportunities for more adventurous players.
Japan Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q2 2010
BMI forecasts Business Monitor International that the value of Japanese pharmaceutical market at retail prices will increase at a very modest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.25%, as measured in local currency. However, when calculated in US dollars, growth will fall into negative territory. The market will reach a value of JPY9,619bn (US$87.45bn) in 2014, up from of JPY9,040.1bn (US$95.16bn) in 2009. Over our longer, ten-year forecast, we expect the growth rate to drop to under 1% as public purse-strings are tightened further.
Japan is looking to triple its generics sector by 2012. In 2009, generic drugs represented an estimated 9.4% of the total market by value, with BMI forecasting this share to increase to 15.5% in 2014, and further to 23.5% by the end of 2019.
Despite the low annual growth rate expected in the coming years, the Japanese drug sector continues to benefit from a large relative (per-capita consumption was estimated at almost US$750 in 2009) as well as absolute – with its population numbering over 127mn – usage of medicines, Indeed, in our updated Q210 Business Environment Ratings (BERs) table for the 15 key markets in the Asia Pacific region, Japan regained its pole position, previously held by Australia. Globally, Japan is ranked as the fourth most attractive market for multinational drugmakers, after the US, Germany and Canada.
Opportunities in the generics sector are to be increasingly explored by foreign companies, with Israeli generics specialist Teva and traditionally research-based Pfizer recently reporting their plans for entry into the market. In terms of other notable company news over the past quarter, Teva-Kowa Pharma, a 50:50 joint venture (JV) between Teva and Japanese drugmaker Kowa, entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Taisho Pharmaceutical Industries. The acquisition will help Teva-Kowa to achieve its growth plan in Japan by bringing in local expertise and know-how.
Earlier in the year, Teva- Kowa announced its plans to start selling generic cancer drugs from January 2010. Leading Japanese drugmaker Takeda revealed that it would enter the South American drug market via the acquisition of a generic drugmaker in the region, though the company is yet to elaborate on any potential targets. Over the coming five years, pharmaceutical imports will grow at a faster rate than exports – benefiting from regulatory and pricing environment improvements – and result in an expanding trade deficit through to 2014, with generic medicines making a major impact in volume terms. The competitive nature of the multinational sector’s hi-tech imports will add to pressures on the pharmaceutical trade balance, especially as the level of domestic research and development (R&D) industry activity lags behind that in other major markets.
MIDDLE EAST Middle East healthcare market estimated over $100bnAccording to a recent study, population in the Middle East has exceeded 370m and is estimated to reach over 520m by 2030.
Growing population, mainly dominated by the expatriate community in most of the GCC countries, has given rise to the a rapidly growing market for healthcare and its associated industries, which is now touching $100bn mark in the Middle East alone.
Healthcare markets in the Gulf region are changing quickly. Due to the huge increase in the expatriate population, it is also one of the fastest growing regions with an estimated annual growth of 15%. Business opportunities in the import-dependent marketplace of the five main countries in the region have dramatically increased from where they were a few years ago.
Saudi Arabia, as the richest regional market, has planned to increase the numbers of hospitals from 264 to over 500 in next 7 years. United Arb Emirates (UAE) is also setting trends in providing best healthcare standards on public & private level not only for the growing population within the country but also for patients from across the region seeking the best medical facilities. The UAE healthcare market is projected to rise from $3.2bn in 2005 to $11.9bn in 2015.
The market in the Middle East countries, however, is heavily reliant on the fluctuating price of oil, which dictates the strength of the economy and, in turn, reflected in healthcare provision and the pharmaceutical market. This trend necessitates a global interactive platform for the healthcare industry and medical community to explore the latest advancements, compare alternates and reach mutually beneficial conclusions.
SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2010
source: http://www.marketresearch.com
In BMI’s Q1 2010 Business Environment Ratings, Saudi Arabia is ranked fifth of the 17 Middle East and African (MEA) markets. This is a drop from the country’s previous second place in Q409 and is due to a drop in its score for limits of potential returns. From 2009 to 2014, the pharmaceutical market is expected to post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.44% in both US dollar and local currency terms. Council of Co-operative Health Insurance (CCHI) secretary general Dr Abdullah Al Sharif has said that the council has plans to develop a comprehensive healthcare management system centred on health economics and pharmacoeconomics in conjunction with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.
Since Saudi Arabia has both the largest population and the highest level of pharmaceutical spending in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) there is a strong possibility that the Kingdom could itself become a medical tourism destination to rival Jordan. Saudi Arabian consumers will spend 4% of their GDP on healthcare by 2013 and the government is currently constructing more hospitals and recruiting more healthcare professionals to address issues with access to healthcare services in the country.
Chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity are forming an increasingly large portion of the region’s epidemiological profile. Domestic drugmakers in the region, such as Gulf Pharmaceuticals Industries (Julphar) in the UAE, are using exports to reach other GCC states; however, international accreditation for manufacturing practice would allow firms like this to target more lucrative global markets.
Saudi Arabia is highly reliant on foreign doctors for the provision of healthcare. An estimated 78% of the Kingdom’s 43,000 doctors are expatriates. Recently, Saudi Arabia recruited 500 doctors from Bangladesh for the 2,000 health centres across the country. In total, 4,000 doctors had been recruited to 150 new family health centres by early 2008. A further 7,000 should be recruited over the next few years in an attempt to bring the doctor:patient ratio down from 1:4,000 to 1:400. Many of these extra doctors are expected to come from abroad – mostly from less wealthy Arab countries such as Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
The shortage of nurses in the country has initiated an international recruitment drive to make up the deficit. In 2008, the Kingdom recruited 8,000 nurses, with a quarter of these from the Philippines. The government still holds long-term ambitions to decrease dependence on foreign staff, with places on specialist nursing courses reserved for Saudi women.
The country is in dire need of over 4,000 more medical staff. BMI would encourage Saudi Arabia to provide better training and incentives to provide more native doctors, while only using foreign staff as a temporary measure.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) United Arab Emirates Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2010
source: http://www.marketresearch.com
In November 2009 the UAE government announced that an independent federal authority will be established to regulate the quality and safety of food and drugs entering the country.
BMI believes that the successful implementation of this body – essentially a UAE version of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – will be attractive to multinational drug-makers operating in the country.
We expect the total drug market to increase in value from US$1.31bn in 2008 to US$1.5bn by 2009. Thereafter, we expect the drug market to reach US$2.65bn by 2014, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% in US dollar terms.
Our extended 10-year forecast indicates that the market will reach US$3.4bn by 2019, showing a slow CAGR of 5.2% from 2014 onwards. We believe that as the second largest pharmaceutical market in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region after Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s introduction of a proper regulatory body is a wise move.
Saudi Arabia already has the SFDA, which affiliates testing laboratories for drugs and food products. We note that recently the fluctuations in medicine prices in the UAE have led to greater pressure on the government to import and manufacture more generic drugs. This is yet to happen due to the lack of testing facilities in the country. Bioequivalence and other quality control analyses are not consistently carried out for foreign medicines entering the UAE. Instead, medicines come from the EU or US where strict regulations are already in force.
Healthcare sector advertising in the GCC region during January-September 2009 was worth approximately US$162mn, according to the findings of UAE-based research group the Pan Arab Research Centre. The group has revealed that total 2009 spending on advertising for the industry could reach US$215mn. BMI believes that since the member states of the GCC are undergoing healthcare reform or promoting medical tourism (in the more developed countries), the increased spending on advertising is to be expected.
The creation of the Healthcare City (HC) in Dubai has yet to fulfil its potential for attracting international patients. BMI believes the Dubai government has to promote its medical tourism benefits more widely in order to gain considerably from its substantial investment. At present, the HC has 80 English-speaking clinics, with highly qualified doctors, cheaper prices per procedure than the US, no waiting times and the close proximity of holiday areas already renowned for luxury and relaxation. Construction of the second phase of the HC’s complex will include spas and other ‘wellness’ facilities. The completed complex will form the largest medical tourism centre between Asia and Europe.
For detailed reports, please go to Business Monitor International (BMI) http://www.marketresearch.com
Business Monitor International
Business Monitor International (BMI) publishes specialist business information on global emerging markets for senior executives in more than 125 countries worldwide. A wholly independent, London-based company, BMI has specialized in the analysis of global emerging markets since its foundation in 1984. BMI’s comprehensive range of weekly, monthly and annual reports contains the latest available data, forecasts and analysis on political risk, economic performance and outlook, the business environment, finance and leading industry sectors.
For those who don’t know, momos are TIbetan/Nepali dumplings. They can be filled with either finely chopped cooked vegetables (often cabbage) or meat and can be either steamed or fried. They are usually eaten by hand, smeared in a spicy chili dip and perhaps a little salt. Delicious. As Nepali food is notoriously dull, momos are the food I missed most after my first trip to India, and I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment.
I eat momos several times a week, but there is one momo memory that still haunts me: the thulo, or giant, momo. My memory of my first encounter with it is at once vivid and vague, blurred by the doubts of others. Sometime right at the end of my stay in Kalimpong two years ago, I went with a friend to a favorite spot of his, tucked in the below ground floor on the main road. There he, and then I, ordered what turned out to be a fucking enormous momo, as big as a large hamburger with a pastry skin more than half an inch thick.
When I move back to Sikkim some months ago, I recalled the dish being called “ti po” or “thai so” or something, but no one I asked seemed to know what I was talking about. Some recommended tee-momos, which are just wads of steamed dough, but this was not the satisfaction I sought. I googled it, to no avail. I popped into restaurants to ask for thulo momos, caressing the invisible dumpling with both hands, but all I got was empty stares.
Then this weekend I went back to Kalimpong for a two night holiday. I didn’t end up staying long, as I quickly joined a group of British gap year students that I met on the street and went back with them to where they were teaching English in the nearby village of Pedong. But before we left, we decided to get some tea. Knowing this may be my chance, I search my memories and lead the group to what I believe is the place I had dined at two years earlier. Inside I ask the proprietor if “thulo momo” was available. He nodded, and I did a mental fist pump.
It was brought out just a few second later, and it was even bigger than I remembered, or imagined. And it was very tasty. I ate it with a fork, cutting it into chunks and then spooning up the fallen veggie filling. One could, if one were daring, eat it by hand, picking it up and biting into it like a sandwich. The trick would be to keep it steady at an angle that prevents the filling from falling out.
According to the restaurant owner, the dish is called “da pow.” Arthur speculates that the cook must have studied under a renowned Chinese family in Kathmandu.
Check out the photos below PROVING once and FOR ALL to all DOUBTERS that the thulo momo truly does exist.
I got on a plane and went to India. It was a wild week: two days of travel, my arrival to this dusty, hot place, autorickshaw rides, the Taj Mahal, interviews, my head full of honking, streets filled of people and cars, markets full of sounds, smells and shiny jewellery. Glorious spice. Two days home again and I feel asleep like a baby. Hours later, at 3:34 a.m. on February 27, the country woke up with a bang. It’s been a rollercoaster ride ever since.
Like concerns over Pinera’s ties to Pinochetistas and big business, nearly everything before that moment was forgotten. For now. Thankfully, however, I took a few photos; it wasn’t just a dream.
Is it me, or does George look not quite “all there” in this pic? Still, it’s a very neat and unusual presentation;I like it.
In other exciting news,I’ve seen people griping elsewhere about watermarks and wanting credit for scanning photos from a book. People, unless you are the individual who snapped or originally published the photos, zip it.
This is another excellent post from fellow member Qorax from Canadavisa.
Hi friends,
As these queries keep coming repeatedly in this forum (& I get many PMs as well), I thought to summarize all into one thread. This post shall quench most of our doubts. I hope it helps…
WHEN SHOULD WE ‘LAND’:
After getting the PR visa, we are supposed to complete our ‘record of landing’, on or before the Visa Expiry Date [mentioned on the visa]. The visa Expiry Date is related to EITHER*:
a) 1yr. from the meds, or
b) Passport expiry date of the PA or anyone of his/her accompanying Dependents
*Whichever of the above 2 is earlier.
WHO SHOULD LAND FIRST:
It is the obligation of the PA to ‘land’ first. Which can be ‘alongwith’ one or more or all the accompanying family members. Let it be clear that the PA’s dependents CANNOT land first.
PROCEDURE AT THE POE:
Irrespective of which city we chose to land, the ‘landing’ per se, is a simple process. Before debarking the a/craft we’ll be provided with a ‘Disembarkation Card/Form’. We take that form & first go to the ‘Passport Control’.
At the Passport Control:
Here we need to inform the IO that we have come to do our ‘landing’. The IO will check our Disembarkation Card and our passport/s & visa. S/he will then direct us to “Newly Landed Immigrants’ Counter”.
At the Immigration Counter:
The IO here will scrutinize our Passport/s & COPRs. He would [sometimes may not] ask to see our POF. Most of the times the officer will not count the ‘actual’ money & accept what we say. But, no false pretensions there. S/he will then fill some portions of the COPR & ask us to sign it, wherein it’ll be attached on our passport. We’ll be asked to fill-in the ‘PR Card Application Form’ & give an address where our PR cards will be forwarded within 3-6 weeks. Thereby, s/he would ‘Welcome us to Canada’ and direct us to another office.
At the Services Canada Office:
The Services Canada section is for assisting the Newcomers’ settlement moves. Here we’ll get lots of books/pamphlets, that’ll provide all the crucial info on Canada and our Settlement plan here. From here will be directed to the CBSA counter.
At the CBSA [Customs] Office:
This is an important location. We are required to present (1) List of Items Accompanying; (2) List of Goods to Follow; (3) Currency Declaration [We'd have to 'declare' any amount of $10K or more]. Lists-1 & 2 must be brought in 2 copies, one would be retained by CBSA and the 2nd copy will be returned back to us. We’ll need the 2nd copy when our shipments come-in.
Note: [1] If we are not bringing-in any goods later, we don’t need the ‘goods to follow list’. [2] At a random the CBSA might ‘actually’ check the POF here. Thus, no complacency is acceptable. [3] If there are ‘jewelry’ involved, do not forget to bring ‘Printed Photographs’ of the same (details later).
BTW: All the officers are extremely friendly, very understanding, cheerful and helpful. We’ll encounter ‘Welcome to Canada’ many a times. If all the docs are pre-printed & available with us; and there is not much of a queue, we will be out of the a/port in 40mins-1hr. flat. Which includes the walk-distance, baggage collection etc.
FORMS REQUIRED FOR THE ‘LANDING’:
Even if you stay ONLY for a day at Canada, you will need the following:
1. Passport with stamped Visa. -off course
2. COPR (IMM 5292B)
3. POF. [for cases "without" AEO & family class] (details below)
4. Passport size photos. -2 or 3 for PRC (may not be needed, but good to have)
5. PR Card Application (IMM 5444E). -carry it filled pre-printed, for ease
6. Goods to Follow List (Form B4 / B4A). -carry it filled pre-printed, for ease
7. Goods Accompanying List. -as above, a table of things u r carrying on person (value & Totaled)
Forms required later
8. SIN Card Apps Form (NAS 2120). -Not Needed at the A/port [later at Services Canada]
9. Kids Immunization Record. -Not Needed at the A/port [later for School Admission]
10. If you are Driving your Car. -read below
NOTE: The more you are organized before hand, the better 1st impression you deliver and the IO/CBSA officer shall be happier. (BTW: smooth & fast processing). U’ll be out faster. Go to your accom & relax for the day, you had a long journey, haven’t you?
SHORT STAY ACCOMMODATION:
For sure you must arrange a ’short-stay’ accommodation prior to your landing. The necessity of which cannot be overemphasized more. If you have friends/relatives, they can be approached for the same, if you do not have anyone, the following is recommended:
Toronto:
1) http://www.safehomestay.com/
2) http://www.staystudio6.com/
*Both provide a/port pick-up services. The places are used by many satisfactorily.
Calgary:
Not much such places are available. However, this ad by a service-provider caught my eye…
“Furnished rooms with high speed internet are available for newcomers & immigrants. Close to all aminities. Pick up & drop off services also available. Call Girish # 403-255-8582 [or email: taradale @ live.ca] for more info”.
Source: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/shared-accomodation-in-calgary-ne-t31430.0.html
Vancouver:
a) http://www.budgetpathotel.bc.ca/
b) http://www.ywcahotel.com/
Some other important sites on Vancouver are:
1) http://www.welcomebc.ca
2) http://www.rentbc.com
NOTE: Except for ppl with enough $$$ to spend, avoid Hotels & Motels. They are far costlier. Also, if you must take a hotel, avoid the ones close to the A/port -for obvious reasons.
HOUSE RENTAL:
The best way to do house hunting [long-term accom.] is to land at Canada & then start searching. Word of mouth & Bulletin Boards are a great ‘real-time’ source. However, we cannot condone the importance of the web. Some of the good sites [there are many] could be:
a) http://www.hometrader.ca (Good site)
b) http://www.capreit.com (Property Management Services)
c) http://www.kjiji.ca/ (Good Classifieds site)
d) http://www.mls.ca (Mother of all)
MONEY: PROOF OF LANDING FUNDS:
What Proofs Are Acceptable?
If you are carrying more than C$10,000, tell a Canadian official when you arrive in Canada. If you do not tell an official, you may be fined or put in prison. These funds could be in the form of:
• Cash
• Securities in bearer form (for eg, stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills) or
• Negotiable instruments in bearer form (for eg, B/drafts, Cheques, TCs or MOs).
Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/funds.asp
How Much Funds Can I Carry?
There is no Max limit… we can take Millions, if we can prove its legitimate source & declare anything at/or more than $10,000 [that's the CBSA regulation]. There is a Minimum limit though… we must carry at least or more than what CIC requirement states, vis-a-vis for the no. of pax in the family [accompanying].
Tax & Duties Component:
The funds we bring inside Canada are Non-Taxable. It is only the ‘interest’ earned on that which is taxed. The moment our funds start accruing interest [while lying in a Canadian Bank a/c] the bank will start deducting tax ‘on source’. The same applies for any ‘investment’ in Canada that we make with these funds.
BANKING:
Though most international banks operate in Canada, the 3 main Canadian Banks are presumably the best, in terms of their presence, availability & location of ATM machines, branches etc.:
1) Scotiabank,
2) TD Bank, &
3) CIBC
Besides, you can also pre-open a Canadian Bank a/c from your home country [not all, Dubai, India etc.] thru Scotiabank, SBI & *ICICI Bank. I have posted details about it earlier here:
*ICICI Bank offers one of the cheapest a/c charges. But unfortunately, both ICICI & SBI have very limited presence in Canada.
AIRLINE RECOMMENDATIONS:
Usually BA & KLM change places frequently for their “lowest fares” to Canada. More often it’d be BA [especially from the UK, Dubai, Europe & the Gulf sector]. U can also ask your travel agent to select between multiple carriers to provide multiple-halt choices. But, from the UK actually that might not be required. Check BA today, it’ll do the trick… Dubai-Heathrow-Toronto : AED 3,860/pp return.
However, personal choise prevails. Sometimes other carriers place envious promotions too. Emirates has recently commenced the A380 [Dreamliner] service. And their all flights are ‘long-haul’ -Non Stop.
NOTE: If our $$$ are a consideration, avoid ‘non-stop’ flights. They obviously are costlier. A single-stop flight is highly recommended. Also, we might avoid travel agents as well, the ‘online’ reservation of all the prominent carriers are absolutelt good. I did mine thru BA & it was fantastic. Paid, printed and became an ‘Executive Club’ -all thru the net. The e-ticket shall be delivered, on-the-spot, in your email in-box.
PR CARDS (PRC):
Your PR Card application (IMM 5444E) shall be done at the POE itself. It is part of the PR package [free] and the photos & details will be the same as you supplied for the PPR. Our PR Card/s come back to us via regular post mail, in 3-6 weeks, avg. 4 weeks. It is ‘advisable’ to stay in Canada for at least 45 days, collect our PRC and then return back [if you must].
If you leave the country before it arrives, u’ll have to make arrangements for its collection & forward delivery to you, overseas, thru a friend/relative [Not a Recommended Action], however, done all the time by ppl. But there is a danger of losing it in transit. And if that happens, we’ll have a tedious process to get new ones made.
How To Enter Canada W/Out A PR Card:
As per IATA & CBSA regulations, we cannot enter Canada w/out a PRC. However, if we are entering thru a Border Post by road, it doesn’t matter -our COPR is enough for entry/exit. But, if we are travelling by an airline & boarding/entering thru an a/port we will Not be Permitted. At the embarkation port itself we will be Stopped by the airline staff.
The process in such cases is to apply for a ‘PRTD-A31 (3)’ [Temporary 'PR Travel Document'] at the local CHC [abroad]. It costs Ca$50. Details of it is provided at the ‘Manual for Permanent Resident Card’ (ENF 27).
NOTE: The PRC is probably the ‘most important’ document after we are thru with our PR application process. This is valid for 5 yrs. First time: Free; Renewals cost $50/card.
SIN CARDS:
After ‘landing’ we’ll have to visit the nearest Services Canada Office for the SIN Card. We get the SIN No. immediately as a ‘print-out’ -signed & stamped upon applying, the same day, the same time. That’d suffice for all our further actions in Canada, viz Job Search, Bank a/c, House Hunting etc. The card shall come to us in approx 3 weeks. For its collection -ditto applies as above, for the PR Cards.
NOTE: Remember, we don’t need the SIN Card for anything. Only the SIN No. Which we’ll get the same time as we apply for it. It’d be wise to visit Services Canada Office the very next day upon arrival.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Both PR Card & SIN Cards are Federal documents. Meaning? One card for the entire nation -Canada.
HEALTH CARDS:
Health is a provincial matter. It is NOT FEDERAL. Thus, if you change provinces, u’ll have to AGAIN get that province’s Health Card. And again the waiting period* shall apply. Off course, a previous province’s health card remains valid for few days/months in another province, but not all benifits could be availed.
*The Waiting Period:
As I know, Alberta [eg. Calgary, Edmonton etc] & Manitoba [eg. Winnipeg] are the Only provinces where there is NO WAITING period for the Health Insurance. Rest in all provinces there is some waiting time to get the Health Benifits. In Ontario [eg. Toronto, Ottawa etc.] it is 3 months.
Eg.: If Calgary Is My Destination Should I Get The H/Card In Toronto?
If Calgary is your Final Destination, but you are ‘initially’ landing in Toronto for a few days stay [Permitted action], I suggest you should first land in Calgary [get the health card] and then visit Toronto. Why? Mainly ‘coz, you can get the Calgary health card immediately, but in Toronto you’ll not. That Calgary health card will be valid in Toronto for a few days. Not the vice-versa. Secondly, if you land first in Toronto, you’ll be staying w/out any health coverage.
Temp. Health Coverage:
It’s wise to obtain a ‘temporary’ health coverage before you fly. Off course not required if you are going to Alberta or Manitoba. That temp. coverage shall come in the way of “Travel Insurance”, which you can obtain from ANY insurance company in your homeland. The costs depands on the length of coverage. Usually we should take it for 3-4 months, as that is the waiting time in all provinces.
NOTE: It’ll be a good idea to obtain the Travel Insurance from home country. For 2 reasons: [1] You are covered from day-1 even before landing. [2] In Canada it will be costlier & you’ll be covered only from the day you apply. What if you get to do it later, as you’ll be busy in the initial days? What if something goes wrong in between?
DRIVING LICENSE:
There is a way to obtain at least the Ontario G2 Driving Lincense immediately, if not the G1. For that some pre-arranged actions are needed, before you fly. I’ve written in detail on it. Check out this link:
HOW TO BRING CARS INTO CANADA:
Firstly, it is Not wise to bring-in Cars from any other country into Canada. Why? Cars are quite compititively priced in Canada. It’s only its maintenance & the cost of Gas that’ll kill you. Secondly, Canadian models are made specifically to withstand the ‘extreme’ cold conditions there. Our imported cars might not [less the ones from Europian or similar countries].
Thirdly, there are laws for Tire, Radiator etc. modifications, before we can register it in Canada. Why would we like to take that trouble? Fourthly, the transportation costs? It might just not be worth to bring-in cars from far-flung countries.
Import Cars From The Us:
Yes, be free to bring your car/s from the US by all means. But ‘remember’, we need to first ‘export’ the car from the US and again ‘import’ it into Canada, after we get-in. Documentations… documentations… However, quite a good detail about it is provided in this website:
ITEMS TO CARRY FROM HOMELAND:
Very debatable… I would say, do your maths first. Is the extra baggage costs worth the effort? Most items are readily available in Canada, also at very reasonable price.
Ditto for Indian Food & Spices [Rice, Dal, Pickles, Papad (?) etc.] And ditto for Italian [Pasta, Lasagna etc.], Japanese [Sushi, Tapanyaki, Teriyaki etc.], Tex-Mex, you name it.
Besides, many items are also not permitted entry. And there is otherwise a quality restriction as well. Check the CBSA website for those. Moreover, hiring a container full of goods? I’d say No… No. It may not be worthwhile at all.
What To Take? [Purely My Advise]:
1. Personal effects [for imdt use, large quantities... No]
2. General clothing [some warm ones also]
3. Laptop [no desk top, printer etc.]
4. Digicam / Camcorder
5. Heirlooms [heritage collections, murals, artifacts etc.] -Check CBSA rules.
6. Original Certificates / Documents
7. Prescription Medicines
8. Books & DVDs
9. Mobile Phone* [non CDMA] -a NA charger will be needed
*Only GSM850-1900MHz models [that's the Canadian frequency -not all countries have that]
What “Not” To Take? [Purely My Advise]
1. Furniture [whatever, small or big]
2. TV [even if it's an LCD], Fridge, Washing machine etc.
3. Curtains, Bedspreads, Pillows & linens
4. Cars, Bikes etc.
5. Large-sized Toys of kids
6. Food [Perishable or Non-perishable] items
7. Over-the-Counter Medicines
8. Meat or Meat products [including Fowl, Fish etc.]
NOTE: Asian make electronic/electrical items won’t work in Canada. [read 230 vs 110 Volts]
GOODS LISTS [FORM B4 / B4A]:
All goods that we carry, either ‘on person’ or ‘following’ needs to be ‘listed’ in form B4 / B4A, separately. These forms are available in the CBSA website, link given below:
It is the same form for ‘Goods Accompanying’ & ‘Goods to follow’. We should club similar items in groups [eg. DVDs: Qty-98, Books: Qty-42 etc.].
The entire list should be priced against each group & totalled in the end. We should carry ‘original’ invoices for high-end items [Diamonds -MUST]. Others can be broadly/generally priced, but appropriate.
Jewelry items MUST be listed [each item wise]; and should carry their “photographs”. We should print-out the pics under similar groups [eg. Rings -all in one or more pages, Necklaces -in another page etc.]
We’ll need 2 copies of each form, as one would be kept by the CBSA & one would be returned to us, for ‘customs’ clearance. This 2nd copy will be signed & stamped by the CBSA at the POE.
NOTE: All goods brought for ‘landing’ are non-taxed. If we were to bring-in goods ‘later’, either by personal carriage or thru a transporter, this list MUST be stamped on the 1st Landing. Else, they will be ‘dutiable’. No compromise on that is possible. That’s the law.
ABOUT KID’s SCHOOLING:
Canada has 2 types of schools -the ‘Public Schools’ & the ‘Catholic Schools’. There are some ‘ethnic’ schools as well, but not for regular education. Most of our kids [say 70%] go to the Public Schools -this education is FREE. The Catholic Schools are Fee-Paid [payable by us].
Usually, our kids will be accepted imdtly into the *neighborhood school, whether we arrive mid-term or during a new session. Their can be an ‘entry test’, but that’s not for rejection -but for assessment of the extra care that the school need to provide to a kid.
Even if our kids are not very good in either of the 2 Canadian official languages -English &/or French, by law a school is required to provide admission to our kids.
*Each neighborhood will have their own Public School/s; and our kids are required to ONLY be admitted there. We have no choice on that. The only way out [if we think that a particular school is better] is to move our residence to that area [neighborhood]. We have to provide our ‘residency contract’ for this purpose.
School Websites:
Each province [& some cities] has its own ’school District Board’. All information can be viewed in those websites.
1) An example is the ‘Toronto Dist. School Board’, check this link:
http://www.tdsb.on.ca/
2) For a ‘ranking’ overview of Canadian schools, you may like to check the following link:
NOTE: Do not be hooked by the thought that the Catholic Schools are better than the Public Schools. Both are equally compititive in Edu-care. In fact some of the Public Schools are ‘excellent’ & remember, 70% Canadian kids study in them.
***
I hope I’ve addressed most issues, if not all… to ease the process of our landing. If I missed out anything or if something is wrongly put, plz notify. Also other members who have more info to add may kindly post theirs under this thread, for the benefit of everyone.
How many nations of our times are based purely on a religion and recognized by other nations as independent nations? Only two – the Vatican City and Pakistan. Ironically they share in common some traits. Both have helped in the unravelling of the USSR but not of Communism – for it still survives behind the People’s Republic of China and is working towards global dominance. Both have been courted by the USA in its Cold War struggles. Neither has disappointed. Both exert influence on the global politics disproportionate to their actual size, economy, military capabilities, and the capacity to contribute in any meaningful way towards a modern, knowledge based, technological and information society. Both manage to do so by manipulating their historical images as projections into the future.
But there the similarities end. The Vatican’s leadership has made amends to its historical victims, and has shown its flexibility and readiness to change with the times. It has steadfastly refused to underwrite radicalism of the theological variety [the severe castigation of the Liberation Theology for example]. This might change in the future. But the leadership of the Vatican have proved themselves consummate statesmen in the concessions and compromises that they have made while never abandoning the fundamental objective of total global ideological domination. This is an objective that would have been a crime if not from the “one and only true message” for any other “religion” in the times when the Church ruled supreme. But now in the days of “total religious tolerance”, there is nothing wrong in having a declared agenda of “harvesting all souls”. In fact, legal and state coercive machinery can be used to guarantee protection of any proselytizer – even someone swearing by texts that recommend putting the unrepentant unbeliever to the sword.
Where Pakistan differs is not in its protection of organizations claiming the right to practice “Dawa” or spreading of the Islamist beliefs – but in its total lack of statesmanship. Unlike the Vatican, the Pakistani leadership never apologizes to the victims of its Islamists, never acknowledges that it has nurtured Jihadis in its madrassahs, never concedes to modernization in education and social practices, never really allows any land reforms or dismantling of feudal exploitation in its backyard.
Pakistan is basically an anachronism, a nation whose only foundational claim for identity is a religion – in a historical period where the world is leaving behind, exclusive and historical claim based religions. Moreover, that religion is not even unique to the country – it is shared by a host of other nations, some of whom have louder and more well established claims of being the centre for that religion. So Pakistan is based on a type of ideology increasingly irrelevant globally as national foundation, and moreover on an ideology based identity shared with other “nations” – and therefore has no real claims of distinction from other nations. It cannot look at history and culture, for in spite of the best sadistic efforts of generations of “mullahs” – elements of pre-Islamic cultures lie firmly interwoven in the national fabric, and those elements are shared by its imagined nemesis – India. In fact the pre-Islamic cultural element proved so strong that a part of it broke away in reaction in 1971 as Bangladesh.
So now Pakistan finds itself in a terrible dilemma. To strengthen and give uniqueness to its national foundation, it has to become more Islamic than “others”. Becoming more Islamic means more and more unquestioning obedience to a strict and literal interpretation of the core texts. That in turns means more Jihad with violent means which accelerates the competition between the ruling feudal elite, the army, the mullahs, the commons, the militants – to become “purer” than the others. That means an almost perpetual state of national Jihad. Purer Islam can only be maintained by preventing modernization – in education, productivity, technology and above all the questing mindset. Which means Pakistan will become more and more dependent on largesse from interested external sources and be a drain on the global economy as the sources would spread the cost around.
So the West and the global community should perhaps start thinking of dissolving the entity called Pakistan. Here are the brief reasons :
(1) Dissolving Pakistan saves the West (and therefore the world economy )a huge amount of money and resources needed to keep the state afloat, and a total drain, because none of that capital goes into productive capacities.
(2) Even though the Chinese are now playing second fiddle to the West, it is uncannily similar to the Ribbentrop-Molotov handshake where both sides appear to be buying time. Eventually, Russia and China could come together with Iran (or whatever is left of it even if a so-called revolutionary liberalization and democratization takes place there under non-theologians) to which the CAR will lean. As long as Pakistan remains an independent entity, it can play the prostitute and threaten to kiss the higher bidder or the one more willing to pay. That is both a security risk and a potential disaster, if everything given to Pakistan lands up in Russian, Iranian or Chinese hands and the West’s presence is virtually terminated in the Afghan-Pakistan frontier. Dissolving Pakistan takes away this worry.
(3) Dissolving Pakistan and putting up new independent states actually creates new multiple centres where Jihad can be protected and nurtured. One Pakistan becomes many and the western problem multiplies. One of the best bets is to allow India to absorb the populations and the territories. India is a growing economy which can absorb the costs. It has the capability and the will to manage multicultural groups and religious animosities. Culturally Indians of the western part of the country will be closer to the Pakistanis across the border [Punjab for example shares the language across the border in spite of the state sponsorship of Urdu] compared to any other external ethnicity or country. Moreover the costs of developing infrastructure and the economy or carrying out necessary social reforms will be borne on indian shoulders and not on the west.
(4) As the price for non-intervention in the absorption, the West could extract concessions from India that it will have assured access and facilities to reach the CAR through channels and routes maintained and developed through Pakistani territories connecting the Karakorum Highway and other CAR approach routes.
(5) The Taliban lose their foster home, and are buffered off from the crucial supply routes of Karakorums and the Arabian Sea. The so-called Kashmir problem vanishes as the Pakistani military and ISI mechanism to foment terrorists inside India vanishes. So one of the greatest excuses for maintaining Jihad from the Pakistani side vanishes.
India, because of linguistic and unique cultural history, will remain firmly in western and specifically the Anglo-Saxon or Atlanticist orbit for generations to come. There are sufficient fissures in the Indian ruling class for the west to exploit and protect western interests.
It is worth a try – at least the largest source for generating terror of the Jihadi and allied kind (through international crime and other non-religious or ethnic militancy) will be effectively liquidated. At one stroke West no longer has to face Islamist terror, pay for upkeep of Jihad, and instead can profit from a growing economy which bears all the costs!
I don’t think I am overstating it when I say that Ann, Julia, and I were in awe of the Golden Temple. It is a peaceful place with such a spirit of community about it. None of us really knew too much about the Sikh faith and we walked away absolutely in love with its ideals.
The fact that they have such a commitment to reach out to those in need is amazing. Our guide told us that, beyond each gurudwara having a kitchen to feed those who are hungry, the Golden Temple also sponsors between 200 and 300 young women each year for their weddings. They select girls who cannot afford dowries and the temple sponsors them. (And, yes, it would be great to get rid of the whole dowry system but it is a reality and every year hundreds of girls can get married who might not have without the temple’s help.)
Another lovely aspect of Sikhism is that they do not believe in the caste system – every one is equal. Someone told me once that every Sikh has Singh in their name and that Singh means lion. I was also told it means brother, signifying that they are all connected to each other. This concept was in practice at the Golden Temple. So many people come to volunteer their time and they all seemed pretty happy about it. (By the by, supposedly the women all have Kaur in their name which means princess. I could totally get used to that. Just call me Princess A Reason To Write.)
The Sikhs have some lovely cornerstone ideas for their faith. According to Wikipedia, there are 10 beliefs in Sikhism. They are:
1. Believe in one God.
2. Treat everyone equally.
3. Live by the 3 main tenets - Practice constant meditation and prayer.
Make an honest income and do it honorably.
Share earnings and selflessly serve others. 4. Avoid the 5 sins of ego
Pride, Lust, Greed, Anger, and Attachment 5. Get baptized. 6. Keep the code of honor by abiding the gurus teachings.
7. Wear the 5 symbols of faith: uncut hair, wooden comb, dagger, proper undergarments, silver bracelet. 8. Follow the 4 commandments:
Do not dishonor the creator’s intention by cutting the hair.
Do not harm the body with tobacco or other intoxicants.
Do not eat sacrificial meat.
Do not commit adultery. 9. Recite prayers daily 10. Take part in fellowship Worship together and sing God’s praise.
Cook and eat together.
Serve each other.
Sometimes things just don’t make sense until you hear and see them first hand. I never really understood the whole growing the hair thing, honestly. But now I totally get it. If God meant for hair to grow – let it grow. It seems very symbolic of really turning things over to God. I am not going to stop shaving my legs but I totally get it!
And this is it – the Golden Temple. It is beautiful. The founder of Sikhism was Guru Nanak whose father wanted to raise him according to strict Hindu beliefs. However, Guru Nanak rejected the idea of the caste system and preached that all humans were equal. He believed that life was given as an opportunity to get closer to God and that all humans were afforded that same opportunity.
Sikhism is said the be the youngest of the world’s religions. It is only 500 years old. But the Sikh’s have reportedly already grown into the world’s fifth largest religious group. The word Sikh means disciple. Guru comes from two words – Gu meaning darkness and Ru meaning light. So a guru helps fellow believers turn darkness into light. It is estimated that there are about 26 million Sikh’s in the world.
Guru Nanak was the first Guru and 9 others followed behind him. The last human Guru was Gobind Singh and he named the holy scriptures as the 11th and final guru – the Adi Granth which then became known as the Guru Granth Sahib. There are over 50 places throughout the temple where passages from the holy book are continuously being read. We were told that priests can wait up to 20 years to have their turn at reading scripture at this Temple. We were also told that women can be priests and are able to take part in the readings. Equality reigns.
The temple is an active place of worship and people of all faiths are welcome there. We saw Muslims, Hindus, and even Christians in reverent prayer throughout the temple. We even bowed our own heads in silent meditation when we sat a top the Golden Temple and listened to the prayers. The air was unbelievably still and we felt so a part of the worship ceremony. We weren’t allowed to take pictures of any part inside the actual Golden Temple but it probably really is better if you just imagine a light breeze blowing thru a picture perfect sky, us on our knees with eyes closed with hands in our laps, our hearts beating slowly, prayers humming in the air, and everyone quiet together except for the very young child playing with the donations box. Normal Rockwell would have painted it for sure.
The day was truly magical. Our hearts opened to a faith we were not familiar with and stereotypes of brutes came crashing down. Beneath the warrior persona lives men who are compassionate about humanity and dedicated to their faith.
And, if you go to the Golden Temple during the day, make sure you go back at night. You will not regret it.
Whenever I drive around the city, I consider that the legislation can do lot better than what’s always said in rhetoric about development. When I witness the traffic chaos, the hawking beggars, the overflowing sewers, the traffic-rule offenders, it boils my blood to do something to the people, to instill better sense, to let display humanity and empathy. At times the rage builds in me giving thoughts that my dear country could better be ruled by a tyrant/dictator.
When I was a child, I heard that the trains ran punctual during the emergency period imposed by Mrs. Indira Gandhi. If this was to be true then we’re better off governed/ruled by a tyrant or a dictator rather than an elected representative/legislative. Now, as I enter into my third decade of survival, I truly wish to contribute towards my fellow Indians, to add a sense of trust towards our politicians and the political system; above all an image makeover of India.
I know that India is not what we witness in the cities and the urban space. I was lucky enough to witness first-hand, thanks to the political roots of our family. It’s a long history that my grand father had partook in the Indian Independence movement and was regarded a great figure in the local community. Though, he was not a greater aspirant, he remained in active role for almost thirty years serving the near-by villages. The next generation of my family, my maternal uncle stood against my grand father’s close friend and mentor to enhance himself into a grander role.
He rose in stature to influence at the state-level politics and shone as a star for over two decades. A few miscalculations though quiet expensive, put him in the back seat and simultaneously my cousin has taken lead. All these don’t speak of any credentials about me but through this I gained an immense exposure and experience: an experience of the people, their troubles, their aspirations, their contentment and also the mistakes my own family members did.
I’ve had quiet an expensive and modern education to take up some of the exciting/interesting corporate jobs. As I ponder upon my future, I increasingly nurture my aspirations in politics and my observation led me to believe that most of our politicians never really understood the role. I reckon that most never had seen it as a career and so made some damaging moves that dearly hurt them.
In corporate we would look at each role to shape up/enhance our career and never make moves that are unaligned with the larger part, I guess most politicians hurt their careers with hind sighted approach. My exposure during the elections at varying degrees of the electoral strategy, election campaigns at ward, village, constituency level and interactions with the campaigners to the foot soldier provided me a greater insight into the aspirations at each layer.
The fortunes of a leader depend on balancing these with his personal ones, where it is difficult to bring in the consistency. This blog is to reach out in exploring much beyond these… and achieve the balance.
“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” ~ Plato.
In the video you can see Hans Rosling predicting when it’s going to happen.
My view of India, from my 9 month as an volunteer in Tamil Nadu, is partly contradicting to the one seen in the presentation above. I’m glad to get an more positive picture of India presented to me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see India in an negative way. Most of my time was in a rural aria giving another perspective or/and point of view. I think it is very interesting that Kerala (state in India) has longer life expectancy then Washington DC.
Looking at the development of the world today, the question is rather, when will Asia rise?
So this blog post is an attempt at hindi poetry. As a non-native speaker of Hindi, it can be a difficult language. I remember those days before the Xth Standard Hindi Board examination, to get that over with was to unchain yourself from the shackles of a foreign tongue. Read and Criticize …
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
यह देश जहां हिन्दू मुस्लिम भाई भाई
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
यह देश जहाँ हिन्दू मुस्लिम कभी आँख में न देखी
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
यह देश जहाँ बहता गंगा, जमुना
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
यह देश जहाँ गंगा में बहता सुवर का दंगा
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
यह देश जो है अन्य भाषाओँ का समूह
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
अगर यह अंग्रेजी में होता, तो क्या ये देखता तू
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
जहाँ लोग बने विस्वप्रिया इंजिनियर वे डॉक्टर
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
बन्नने के बाद, देश न देखे, बने अमेरिका के सर
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
जहाँ मेहमान भगवान् के सम्मान हो
यह देश है महान लोग बोलते हैं
उनके सामने हम हस्से, और पीछे दे गाली
तो यह देश है महान, वोह बोलेंगे लोग
दिखाए तो सही, पर उसके लिए तो चाहिए प्रयोग
If there are any grammatical errors, please correct me. Dont ask me how I wrote in Hindi- Its one of the few good things in this post. Until we meet again – Cheers.
Lifetimes ago, under a banyan tree in the village of Hasnapur, an astrologer cupped his ears- his satellite dish to the stars- and foretold my widowhood and exile.
Jasmine is the story of an Indian girl who is widowed at 17 and comes to America on a mission to find her identity. Jyothi, a young village girl, is married to Prakash, a forward-thinking city-dweller, who renames her ‘Jasmine’. When her husband is killed by Sikh terrorists, Jasmine ventures to America on her own to accomplish her husband’s dream and escape the typical fate of a widow. She has to deal with a difficult journey, rape, and murder before she finally ends up in NYC. As a day nanny for a young couple, she becomes ‘Jase’, the confident and happy caretaker. But a sudden appearance from her past forces Jasmine to relocate, this time to Iowa. There she becomes ‘Jane Ripplemeyer’, her assimilation almost fully complete.
The only thing I don’t like about this book is that it feeds common misconceptions about India and immigrants in general. Like the villagers having backward customs and misogynistic views that make them hate the fact that they have daughters. I mean, I know it is like that in some parts, but it is so easy to read a book like this and think that such descriptions apply to all parts of India. And the idea that in order to fit in, an immigrant needs to abandon their past. Even though I know her writing is fueled by her own experiences as an immigrant, I really don’t agree with Mukherjee’s idea of assimilation or fusion or whatever she calls it. There’s so much culture lost even from one generation to another (like from my immigrant parents to me) that I think even if the easier or preferred route is to conform, you should do whatever it takes to retain the other culture inside of you. After all, it’s the past that makes you who you are. Even with Jasmine’s multiple rebirths, I think she finds it difficult to let go of her former self; forgetting your past, traumatic or not, is never easy. But maybe I’m just overanalyzing the author’s intentions .
Overall though, this is a pretty good read. It has a fast pace, a gripping plot, and a unique writing style. The use of different names for the main character effectively portray her rebirths and her changing self. The circular narrative structure works really well since you start out wondering why the hell Jasmine is called ‘Jane’ and lives in a farm town, and by the end, you are left with a satisfying (if somewhat abrupt) ending. Jasmine is a fascinating character, a survivor of horrors I can’t even begin to imagine. With her strength and independence, she is able to take charge of her life and find what she is looking for. And that, I think, is something everyone can get out of this book.
There could be as much as 600 million metric tonnes of water ice in the dark craters near the moon’s north pole, say scientists after analysing data brought back by the Chandrayaan-1 moon mission.
“The new findings show that the moon is an even more interesting destination than people previously thought,” said Paul Spudis, principal investigator for the project and a scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Texas, US.
A tiny radar sensor, Mini-SAR, discovered the caches of frozen water.
Mini-SAR was created by the United States-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The sensor weighs less than 10 kg, six times lighter than an unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. Mini-SAR arrived at the moon aboard Chandrayaan-1.
The sensor circled the lunar poles — the darkest, coldest and least explored parts of the moon’s surface — for three months in early 2009. Mini-SAR fired a series of radio pulses at the moon. Near the North Pole, the feedback from the surface — the radio waves that bounced back — suggested the presence of water ice.
“The finding will give future missions a new target to explore and exploit,” said Jason Crusan, programme executive for the Mini-RF Program for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington.
The new findings are part of a flood of recent discoveries of lunar water. Together, the findings have revolutionized the way scientists look at the moon.
In November, NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) discovered water vapour near the Cabeus crater at the moon’s south pole. The Cabeus crater lies under a deep and permanent layer of shadow.
“The moon is alive!” crowed principal investigator Anthony Colaprete, chief scientist for LCROSS, upon announcing the discovery. Colaprete held up 95 litres of water, the amount discovered by LCROSS.
Scientists have long suspected that if there is water on the moon, it is hidden at the poles. Astronauts who have visited the moon have brought back kilograms of samples and elaborate maps of the lunar equator, but the poles remained shrouded in mystery.
Over the past few months, scientists have been chipping away at that mystery, looking at data brought back by the 11 instruments aboard Chandrayaan-1.
In September, scientists from India and the US announced the discovery of water molecules on the moon’s surface.
It will take scientists two years to sort through all the Chandrayaan-1 data. But the results have already gotten researchers fired up.
The Mini-SAR findings, authored by Indian and American scientists from more than 13 agencies, appeared Tuesday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
When I see silver, I drool. When I think silver, I start dreaming. And when I wear silver, I feel complete. There really are few things that fascinate me as much as silver!
As promised, featured below are few of my favourite pieces of silver that I picked from my holiday in India and also the ones I was gifted. You’ll find pieces from Kolkata’s Chambalamba, Mumbai’s Silver Streak and Hyderabad’s Cauvery pearls and from various exhibitions I went to. I have tried to include most, but you know photographing these are very time consuming. So for now savour these. I’ll keep adding my picks to Silveratti, as and when I take time to photograph them.
Also, below are three collages, dedicated to three very special pals. They’ll know which ones, when they see .
My favourite pick from Silver streak, Mumbai
Chambalamba magic
Loops n Studs
Loop Love , Silver Streak, Mumbai
Antique finish danglers, a beautiful gift, from Anu
Jade bracelet, from NZ, with sheer love, from Jaya
Neck-things from Kolkata, Chambalamba
Dainty, beautiful and my absolute fav, from Silver Streak, Mumbai
Keepsake pendant, from a fav gal pal , Maya
makes me happy ear-things
More neck accessories from Hyderabad and Kolkata
Like them? Love them? Want them?
Do lemme know.
Until next time, wear a lil silver, you’ll feel great!
Mobile. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told how important mobile will be in Asia.
At conference after conference, the mobile vendors are there explaining why mobile is so important. Why internet penetration is being driven by mobile phone usage in markets like India, China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Why mobile offers the chance to target emerging consumers in geographically vast countries. Why these consumers are more receptive to mobile marketing than most others. And it all makes sense. But for a variety of reasons (lack of co-ordination, lack of metrics, all the usual stuff) nobody seems to be making big money out of it.
But there seems to be something stirring in India. There was a really interesting article in today’s FT about the Bollywood mogul Amitabh Bachchan and his new vlog. Every day ‘Big B’ will record an audio blog. Nothing unusual there, perhaps. But the way consumers will be able to access this blog is by dialling into it. So that’s a marketing channel and a means of monetising your audience all in one.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen India going its own way in the mobile sphere. At last year’s Spikes Asia, I moderated a session on mobile at which Nokia’s Sandy Agarwal talked extensively about Nokia Life Tools, a mobile phone service launched in 2008 for rural customers in India and now being rolled out elsewhere. The features are pre-loaded onto an entry-level handset and work via text message (no point making it internet-based as its target consumers are out in the middle of nowhere). It gives users information such as weather updates and market prices. He made the point that there were huge opportunities for brands to get involved in these services (though I guess he would say that).
Why is there so much innovation around mobile in India? It is huge, obviously, and internet penetration has been much slower to gain ground than in China, meaning that the gap between mobile penetration (413m) and web penetration (33m) is vast (figures for early 2009 from the ADMA Yearbook). That means mobile is almost a standalone medium, rather than an adjunct to digital, and so is more likely to develop its own marketing ecosystem. At the same time, it’s now a market with enough scale to make money out of using some sort of micropayments model. That makes it a good testbed for these types of service. Then there’s good old-fashioned Indian entrepeneurialism – as the FT story makes clear:
The Tata Strategic Management Group, a consultancy, estimates that the number of what it classifies as middle-income households – those earning between Rs110,000 and Rs240,000 per year – in India will rise from 75m today to over 103m by 2015. This would make middle-income consumers the biggest group in Indian society for the first time in the country’s history.
Products, such as Mr Bachchan’s vlog, are aimed directly at this group. In a country where internet penetration remains low but mobile phone use is burgeoning – India now has 550m mobile phone users – the vlog unites India’s fascination with celebrity and its growing communications revolution.
Going back to the FT story, it’s interesting that it’s a celebrity taking this step rather than a brand. But marketers in India should certainly be watching out for the results of ‘Big B’s’ vlogging venture. Mobile in India may not have the bells and whistles of the iPhone-crazed markets in the West, but for anyone interested in connecting with emerging consumers it is probably far more relevant.
Thiruvananthapuram: The premises of the Central Jail at Poojappura here wore a festive look on Wednesday noon. Prisoners and jail authorities were busy making arrangements to receive a ‘VIP’ visitor.
A ‘pandal’ was erected in the open ground inside the prison and colourful flags fluttered atop poles erected from the massive wooden doors at the entrance of the venue. Shortly after 1.30 p.m., the VIP visitor wearing an orange salwar kameez with an overcoat, walked up to the dais in a hurried manner. On the way in, she paused to have a word with the prisoners who stood up to receive her.
Noted prison administration reformist Kiran Bedi was all smiles as she took her seat on the dais. The brief function was organised to inaugurate a prison intervention project launched by the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC)-India.
When her turn came, Ms. Bedi, who spoke in English, requested a Malayalam translation for the benefit of the prisoners. Inspector General of Police A. Hemachandran came forward.
In her address, Ms. Bedi exhorted the prisoners to make use of their time to learn English and vocational skills. “That is the way to reform,” she told them. “It is never too late to learn. Learn whatever you can. Spend time in the jail library. Do not learn laziness, or you will find yourself in trouble,” she said.
She urged the jail authorities to arrange English classes for all the inmates. Ms. Bedi distributed mementos to the doctors and voluntary workers involved in the intervention project. She, later, received a memento from veteran freedom fighter K.E. Mammen. Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, Alexander Jacob, Director of Information and Public Relations Department M. Nandakumar, stage director Soorya Krishnamoorthy, Chief Welfare Officer, Prisons, K.A. Kumaran and ADIC adviser Ravi M. Nair were present.
It is only when you remove your shoes that you realise how hot it is around Bikaner. The incessant heat of India in August becomes bearable with time, but when your feet are not shielded by shoes and you are forced to pick your way through the detritus on the bald ground you appreciate how the midday sun has penetrated the earth as the heat creeps through your socks.
There is a slight queue for the temple and I wish that my feet were on its cooler marble floors. But once I get inside I realise that it is impossible to tread a clear path through the Karni Mata Temple; or, to give it its other name, Rat Temple.
There is faeces everywhere; its dark, decaying omnipotence is outnumbered only by the volume of rats. They drink from bowls of sweet milk, fight on the steps, and sleep as they hang off railings.
Rats drinking sweet milk at Karni Mata temple
Rats scamper around the temple, traversing across the bony feet of the man in front of me who does not flinch. Instead, he squeaks excitedly; the rat is a Hindu god, and the crowds are enthralled by the cluster of rats lazing in the shade of the temple walls.
Two rats fight - or are they kissing and making up?
Outside, I get my shoes back. Carefully, I peel off my socks – heavy now with hundreds of rat droppings compacted into them – and my bare feet touch the warm earth. There is an audible intake of breath around me as I deposit my once-white socks into the bin.
I look down, and realise that none of the Indian men and women are even wearing socks. Hiding my embarrassment, I force my feet quickly into my shoes and move away. What were moments ago just a shield against the warmth of the ground become another reminder of a cultural barrier.
India, China and other developing countries face “the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains” unless they step up action to collect and recycle e-waste, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned.
As sales of electronic products in India, China and other developing countries are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, these “e-waste mountains” would have “serious consequences for the environment and public health”, said a report released here during UNEP’s governing council meeting.
The report, “Recycling — from E-Waste to Resources”, used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation — which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and television sets.
The report estimates e-waste generation in India now at over 100,000 tonnes a year from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones
Electronic waste from old computers will jump 500 percent in India, and between 200 and 400 percent in South Africa and China by 2020, the report predicts.
By that same year in India, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about 18 times higher than 2007 levels and, in China, seven times higher.
By 2020, e-waste from televisions will be 1.5 to 2 times higher in China and India while in India e-waste from discarded refrigerators will double or triple.
Most e-waste in India is incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold — practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.
UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner said: “India, Brazil, Mexico and others may face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.”
The report was co-authored by the Swiss EMPA, Umicore and the United Nations University (UNU), part of the global think tank StEP (Solving the E-waste Problem).
An excerpt from the Rebuttal by Eminent Historians of Hindu Fundamentalist, Shri Murli Manohar Joshi’s “Preamble to the Manifesto” of BJP. While one is skeptical of claims by Political Parties, the Hindu culture ingrained in us takes the “Guru” at face value. But we are taught new lessons every day. The lesson that this episode teaches us is take nothing at face value. When you read your News paper be armed with as much tools that you can lay your hands on – encyclopedias, reference books and what not. For every one has his turf to protect. The politician his vote bank and the eminent historians ?
Shri Muli Manohar Joshi
It has been established beyond doubt by the several reports on education at the end of the 18th Century and the writings of Indian scholars that not only did India have a functioning indigenous educational system but that it actually compared more than favourably with the system obtaining in England at the time in respect of the number of schools and colleges proportionate to the population, the number of students in schools and colleges, the diligence as well as the intelligence of the students, the quality of the teachers and the financial support provided from private and public sources.
Contrary to the then prevailing opinion, those attending school and college included an impressive percentage of lower caste students, Muslims and girls.
Eminent Historians
There were no schools or colleges as we know them today in ancient India. Upper caste children were educated in mathas, agraharas and sometimes monasteries. Children following a profession were apprentices in that profession. Lower castes and women were not educated generally. In Sanskrit plays they are the ones who speak the vernacular language Prakrit whilst the upper caste, educated persons speak Sanskrit.
I would have looked into Shri Dharampal’s “The Beautiful Tree-Indigenous Indian Education” to find the truth on the above controversy. But we have demeaned our quality of discussion so much that Scholars are first categorized into Hindu Fundamentalist or Marxist Secular even before the lay public like us get to read what they write. The only choice is to look at what an independent source untouched, unlabelled Scholar Will Durant says.
“When the British came there was, throughout India, a system of communal (My note: Communal here means “common” and not “Religious” as we seem to have corrupted the word) schools managed by the village communities. The agents of the East India Company destroyed these village communities, and took no step to replace the schools; even to-day, after a century of effort to restore them, they stand at only 66% of their number a hundred years ago. There are now in India 730,000 villages, and only 162,015 primary schools. Only 7% of the boys and 1 ½ % of the girls receive schooling; i.e., 4% of the whole. Such schools as the Government has established are not free, but exact a tuition fee which, though small to a western purse, looms large to a family always hovering on the edge of starvation……
In 1911 a Hindu representative, Gokhale, introduced a bill for universal compulsory primary education in India; it was defeated by the British and Government-appointed members. In 1916 Patel introduced a similar bill, which was defeated by the British and Government-appointed members; the Government could not afford to give the people schools. Instead, it spent most of its eight cents for education on secondary schools and universities…..
Hence the 93% illiteracy of India. In several provinces literacy was more widespread before the British took possession than it is now after a century and a half of British control; in several of the states ruled by native princes it is higher than in British India. “The responsibility of the British for India’s illiteracy seems to be beyond question”
An Aside:- Going by Will Durant’s words the British not only destroyed the Education system but also encouraged drink. “When the British came, India was a sober nation. “The temperance of the people,” said Warren Hastings, “is demonstrated in the simplicity of their food and their total abstinence from spirituous liquors and other substances of intoxication……Miss Mayo tells us that Hindu mothers feed opium to their children; and she concludes that India is not fit for Home rule…….She does not tell us that the opium is grown only by the Government, and is sold exclusively by the Government…..that the Central Legislature in 1921 passed a bill prohibiting the growth or sale of opium in India, and that the Government refused to act upon it;……..She does not tell us that Burma excluded opium by law until the British came, and is now overrun with it; that the British distributed it free in Burma to create a demand for it; that whereas the traffic has been stopped in the Philippines, England has refused, at one World Opium Conference after another, to abandon it in India;…. She does not tell us that the health, courage and character of the Hindu people have been undermined through this ruthless drugging of a nation by men pretending to be Christians.”
The eminent historians obviously have an agenda and so does Murli Manohar Joshi. But the Eminent Historians cannot fight an inconvenient truth with well-intentioned lies.
Next : Famines in India – Will Durant and Amartya Sen
I have been here in Ladakh for 3 days already but today was the first day I’ve actually managed to get out and do a bit of sight-seeing. This has been due to the inevitable bout of altitude sickness that has inflicted me these past few days like many people who travel here directly by aeroplane from Delhi, some ten and a half thousand feet beneath us. In fact, the last time I came here, shortly after I arrived I was ill in bed for almost two weeks, so I’m actually quite pleased with my recovery this time round.
I’m here to hook up with our Rivers team who have been traveling with a Ladakhi family across the mountains in Zanskar, to the south of the provincial capital Leh where I am staying at the moment. Unfortunately, they have been somewhat held up by bad weather and consequently our rendezvous has been set back by 5 days meaning that I will be waiting here in Leh for another few days before I set off to trek to the meeting point.
I’ve never been to Ladakh in the winter time before, an experiential short falling that I evidently share with much of the travelling community as I can report back that there is hardly a foreign soul to be seen anywhere around here right now. There are reasons for this of course. Ladakh’s summer tourist season is a short 3 to 4 month affair, due in the most part to the fact that the only two roads into the area, via Srinagar in the west and Manali in the south, remain closed and impassable for much of the year. In winter the only way in is by plane so the number of foreign visitors declines drastically, especially of Ladakh’s backpacking community who prefer the cheaper routes in by road. Couple that with the fact that it’s very cold and that most of Leh’s guesthouses and cafes are closed and you are left with a travellers’ consensus opinion that this part of the Himalayas does not make a particularly enticing tourist destination at this time of the year.
Well, I have something to admit to you. Having now been out and about a little, I must say that this is most definitely a great time of the year to visit Ladakh, and that coming off-season will probably give you the most rewarding experience you could ever have up here. OK, it’s going to be a little harder than in the summer. If you turn up unannounced, you’ll probably have to knock on a few doors before you find a cheap guesthouse that will take you in, and don’t bargain for the smell of freshly baked croissants wafting past your window from Leh’s German bakery first thing every morning. However, what you can expect are beautiful snow dusted landscapes, quiet monasteries and beaming locals who appear genuinely pleased to see you braving the winter temperatures.
Winter in Ladakh. Not a foreign soul to be seen
Being stuck in Leh is no bad thing for me, even if my favourite coffee shop is closed. Last time I came here I spent 2 months riding a motorcycle through this amazing landscape which is something I would heartily recommend to anyone who really wants to have a good look around this astonishing corner of India. Back then, I bought an old Royal Enfield Bullet from an American couple in Leh for about 400 dollars and promptly sold it at the end of my trip to a Swiss couple for exactly the same amount of money. During my 2 month adventure I managed to take a peek at most of Ladakh’s quieter corners including a myriad of local festivals, isolated glacial lakes and even a rare chance to see the Dalai Lama give teachings in the remote Nubra Valley, accessible only by negotiating a somewhat light headed drive over the infamous Khardung La pass, currently the highest motorable ‘road’ in the world at 18 380 ft.
Taking a breather atop Khardung La
Prior to that trip, I had never ridden a motorcycle before, so don’t think that you need to be an experienced rider to travel the Himalayas on a motorbike. Yes, the first few days in the saddle were scary, but then again it wouldn’t be such a rewarding challenge without a little fear to propel you along. In fact, I would say that of all the places to start riding a motorcycle in India, Ladakh is probably the safest due to the limited volume of traffic on the roads compared to the rest of the country. The main things to watch out for are sand and potholes in the road plus the occasional unbarriered extreme drop off you find flanking a few of the roads, all three problems being easily solved by just driving slowly. It’s important to plan your trips well too, measuring precise distances on maps before you set off since there are only a few petrol stations in Ladakh. You will need to carry extra fuel with you on your panniers, especially if you plan to explore Zanskar, which had no functioning refuelling station when I was there 3 years ago.
Many people who visit Ladakh by bike travel here from Delhi along the notorious Manali road which has become somewhat of a rite of passage for motorcyclists throughout India. It’s a tough two or three-day journey including no fewer than four over 16 000 ft passes, countless water crossings, glaciers and some stomach turning sections of high altitude sandy desert.
Oh... did I mention the hairpin bends?
There is no way to describe in words the feelings you experience cruising down a deserted mountain road alone in the saddle flanked by some of the world’s tallest snow-capped peaks, wind in your hair, a huge smile plastered from ear to ear. For me, riding a motorbike rates as one of the best ways to move through a landscape briskly whilst remaining connected with it and as a photographer it is such a brilliant way to explore a remote environment like Ladakh, giving you the freedom to stop at will and check out every little unmapped road to nowhere you might discover. One day I pursued such a road that went on for absolutely ages. Determined to find out where it went, after nearly three hours I was about to turn back when the faint cry of a young lady on a distant ridge caught my attention and lead me to the end of the track, and her fantastically hospitable family farming cashmere goats at a sensational spot in the middle of nowhere.
The farm at the end of the road
I ended up staying there for 2 days, working with the family by day, and sleeping with them on the roof of their house under the stars by night. It was a truly memorable experience, the likes of which I would never have been gifted were it not for my trusted Enfield.
My adoptive family on the farm
. . .
This morning, I found myself sitting around in the hotel twiddling my fingers so I had a little root around in my laptop and to my surprise I found an old iView MediaPro catalogue file from that last trip to Ladakh. So, as an ode to my previous summer bike tour around these parts, here are a few pictures from that journey.
The view from the roof of Thikse Monastery
A village celebration
Descending from Diskit Monastery
Nuns at Shey Monastery
High fashion in Hundar
The view from some road, somewhere
Monks celebrate the 800 year anniversary of the Drukpa Lineage
The lush summertime Nubra Valley
Monastery dharma
Local public transport
Cashmere goats at the farm
Crowds listening to the Dalai Lama
Beautiful Ladakhi traditional dress with turquoise
The town of Lamayuru tucked away in the mountains
Myself and my friend Ankit Goyal at Pangong Lake. I rode with Ankit for many days in Ladakh including our numerous failed attempts at reaching the Siachen Glacier. Next time mate!
Los Angeles, CA – PERI Software, based in New Jersey announced today it has open new offices in the Wells Fargo Tower in the business district of downtown Los Angeles to offer its advanced global business solutions to a high demand market
ory of an Indian girl who is widowed at 17 and comes to America on a mission to find her identity. Jyothi, a young village girl, is married to Prakash, a forward-thinking city-dweller, who renames her ‘Jasmine’. When her husband is killed by Sikh terrorists, Jasmine ventures to America on her own to accomplish her husband’s dream and escape the typical fate of a widow. She has to deal with a difficult journey, rape, and murder before she finally ends up in NYC. As a day nanny for a young couple, she becomes ‘Jase’, the confident and happy caretaker. But a sudden appearance from her past forces Jasmine to relocate, this time to Iowa. There she becomes ‘Jane Ripplemeyer’, her assimilation almost fully complete.
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My favourite pick from Silver streak, Mumbai
India, China and other developing countries face “the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains” unless they step up action to collect and recycle e-waste, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned.
