Mood IndicoDECEMBER 2005 | www.MoodIndico.com
The Young Turk What is he upto? Making The Difference One genius kid and one confident woman at a time
Interview with director, radio host Harish Saluja
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SOM SHARMA - DIGITALVISION Chidu Rajghatta, Shirish Nene, Kokila Agarwal, [email protected] calendar call 1-703-880-4854 or Vivek Hajela, Sanjay Bhandari COVER STORY Please do not send attachments send e-mail to [email protected] 8 Making the Difference . Our fax number is 1-646-607-7999 CUSTOMER SERVICE AND . Or you can send your letter to: Rennu Dhillon prepared for two years before MOOD INDICO (ISSN 1559-2456) is published six times a SUBSCRIPTION year by Cerebral Works, Inc. Principal office: 2537 Banshire Drive, MOOD INDICO Magazine . For 24/7 service, please use our website launching NRI Global Pageant - a five day contest full Herndon, VA 20171. Copyright © 2005 by Cerebral Works, Inc. Letters to Editor www.moodindico.com/subscription 8 All rights reserved. Mood Indico is sent to qualified subscribers of workshops to groom and develop contestants not 2537 Banshire Drive ENNU HILLON for free. Single copy price $4.95 including first class postage. Herndon, VA 20171 EDITORIAL SUBMISSION R D One year subscription rate US $14.00; Canada/Mexico $18.00; only for the show but also for the life. Multi-faceted . Editorial contributions may be Community Activist, International $21.00. All orders must be pre-paid. We periodically . Letters should include the writer’s full Rennu has undertaken many projects that are making make list of our subscribers available to carefully screened mailers name, address and home telephone submitted by mail or email (not by fax) Entrepreneur of quality goods and services. If you do not want to receive such and may be edited for the puposes of . For our writers guidelines please visit the difference one person at a time. mailings please let us know by writing us at Customer Service MOOD INDICO Magazine, 2537 Banshire Drive, Herndon, clarity and space www.moodindico.com/subsmission VA 20171. Printed in the U.S.A. 9 Miss NRI Global 9 Mrs. NRI Global Pakistan born Mehru Khan won Software engineer Mikki Singhal the pageant and wants to change SOM SHARMA tries to do something different, like SOM SHARMA the image of Pakistani women winning Mrs. NRI crown
INTERVIEW TOPIC A: 4 Harish Saluja Director and radio host Young Turks 10 Bubbling With Creativity talks about his movies, his Anand Chhatpar was named as one paintings, Saeed Jaffery and of five most innovative entrepreneurs Roshan Seth COURTSEY NEW RAY FILMS in the US and for good reasons, he is a fountain of youthful creativity. FRONT ROW COURTSEY BRAINREACTIONS LLC 5 Milestones, In the Numbers 11 Rhodes Scholar They Said It Rahul Satija of Duke is one of three South Asians named Cover: in the Rhodes Scholars list of 32 RENNU DHILLON: Som Sharma, 7 From the History Digitalvision Portguese in Ceylon; Partition of Bengal; HARISH SALUJA: New Ray Films Akbar’s Death BILL GATES: Microsoft BUSINESS ANAND CHAATPAR: 12 Essay 11 Investment Rush to India BrainReactions, LLC Is high school graduation only India is moving up the food-chain as Bill Gates, John related to what seniors do in their Chambers and Craig Barrett go to New Delhi to announce young lives? billion dollars expansion plans
MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com FACE TIME a better place. When I first came here, there were no radio stations playing Indian music. FRONT ROW So I developed huge collection HARISH SALUJA just to share it with fellow MILESTONES Indians who had been here for Inside the Numbers regarious and charismatic Harish Saluja is a multi-faceted man who has blended 10-20 years and had not heard DIED. BRIJ LAL, 81, jour- DIED. GOPAL VINAYAK Sehgal or Lataji or Mukesh for art and science, East and West. A graduate of IIT Kharagpur, Harish found his nalist, radio and TV host, was GODSE, 86, brother of Na- a longtime. calling as a movie director, producer, painter and radio-host. Not only that he is born in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, thuram Godse, who shot Ma- 2 Times approximately the 80,466 Students entered area of Pakistan compared to U.S. from India in 2004/05, also a publisher of magazines. We recently spoke to him. You are also involved with India and moved to US in 1951 hatma Gandhi, the Father of that of California most from any nation TiE. What initiatives are you to work for Voice of America. the Nation of India in 1948. GYou are an engineer so how Later, he worked for ABC Ra- A Hindu Mahasabha leader working on? TiE’s main aim 4.5 Times approximately the 62,523 Students from come you became a produc- dio News and hosted “Bharat and author of “Gandhi Hatya is to promote entrepreneur- population of Pakistan to that China, the second leading er, director, radio-host and Vani”, a Aani Me”, Godse served a 16 ship. Although we welcome of California nation painter? I wanted to make FILMS COURTSEY NEW RAY radio and years jail sentence for his part everybody, we are particularly movies, write and paint since TV pro- in the assassination of Gandhi. happy when a person of Indus childhood. But in my genera- gram. In He remained unrepentant for origin comes to us. We are tion to get into IIT or medical 1993, he the killing that shook the na- also working on a project million approximate Foreign students college was considered such a r e c e i v e d tion and called Gandhi a “very 25 565,039 called I-Port. We want it to worldwide population of entered U.S. in 2004/05 wonderful opportunity that Ellis Island cruel person for the Hindus”, be the first place people go to nobody would allow you to go Sikhs JAY MANDAL - ON ASSIGNMENT JAY Medal of in a 2003 AP interview. if they want to do business in 191,321 U.S. students, to Bombay and make movies. Honor for India. 15 million approximate who went abroad in 2004/05 It took me a while to get to exception- AWARDED. Dr. SHASHI worldwide population of Jews decrease in foreign stu- this point. You are from Punjab known al humanitarian efforts and PHOHA, by IEEE-Computer 1% million approximate dents enrollment in U.S. than for agriculture and settled in outstanding contributions to Society with its 2004 Techni- 4.5 How did you prepare for worldwide population of Jains previous year Pittsburgh known for steel. America. cal Achievement Award in movie-making? I took a proj- Is there any connection? November 2005. The award ect implementation approach 2.6 million approximate 8.5% increase in number [Laughs] We lived in cities in REELECTED. UPENDRA recognizes as I would do for an engineer- worldwide population of of American students going Punjab and in Delhi, so you CHIVUKULA, 55, for the individu- ing project – do due diligence, Zoroastrians abroad during the same period more savvy and sophisticated. you guys are doing and have know, I have exposure to both third term to the New Jersey als with research, assemble team and I was trying to explain that some fun. It was absolutely city and rural life and then State Assembly. He beat GOP outstand- raise money. I prepared by I know people who know wonderful to work with him. in Nainital, which is in the challenger Salim Nathoo, an- ing and reading books, magazines and five languages [but] are not mountains. I spent five years other Indian American and SASHICOURTSEY PHOHA innovative attending seminars. Even after Many of your paintings are 2.4% World’s Land area 225 Members of Parliament savvy with technical things. It in Kharagpur doing engineer- dental surgeon, for the 17th work in that I could not get practical based upon ragas. Why? I supported by India in Sri Lanka doesn’t make them idiots. He ing and four in Dhanbad in district. First Asian Indian fields of experience so I bought my have been listening to ragas was not revolting in any way. coal mines. So the only con- elected to the New Jersey As- computer, 15% World’s population 435 Members in U.S. House way into an associate produc- for 40 years and have a strong We would have a discussion nection is that Pittsburgh is a sembly, Chivukula gradu- informa- supported by India of Representatives er’s job with a friend. emotional connection with and in the end he would say steel city with coal mines. ated from tion science and engineering fine we would do it your way. them. I actually visualize Chennai’s with in the past fifteen years. How did you get the idea for Source: Background notes US State Dept.; Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Year abstract things. When I listen What is your next project? G u i n d y book; Institute of International Education; U.S. House of Respresentatives your first film, “The Jour- I How was it to work with to ragas, I actually see images, am working on a film festival Engineer- CROWNED. NATASHA ney”? I have had ideas since Saeed Jaffrey? He is unbe- colors, patterns and things. called Silk Screen – www. ing Col- MOHAPATRA as Junior Miss childhood for stories. They lievably wonderful. We had I am trying to portray my silkscreenfestival.org. We lege and Teen America 2005. Thirteen come to me floating in hun- They Said It assigned rooms so that they emotional reaction. are organizing a high profile later ob- year old dreds and dozens. I have a file could have their privacy. Asian film festival, bringing in tained MS s t u d e n t with about 200 or so ideas for You are hosting a radio I Everybody would go to their 30-40 films from India, China ASSEMBLYMANCOURTSEY CHIVUKULA in Electri- of For- “ movies. It was one of them. program since 1972. How think someone like Muhammad rooms while we spend 3-4 cal Engi- est Ridge would you describe that ex- and Japan along with directors Yunus, who founded the Grameen movement, hourse putting cables and and actors to come and spend neering from New York’s City S c h o o l During filming you had perience? Absolutely fantastic. should be TIME’s Person of the Year for pioneer- fixing things and Saeed would ten days in Pittsburgh, show College. He joined Democratic in Seattle difference of opinion with I am one of those people who ing micro-financing for poor women, helping keep on following me. I their movies and meet local Party in 1992 and was elected won the Roshan Seth. Why? Roshan somehow got convinced that dramatically reduce poverty would ask Saeed do you need population. I am also working to the Franklin Town Council c o n t e s t , ” confused, in my opinion, the something, he would say, it is their responsibility to job with his own individual on two movies; one is called in 1997 and Mayor of Frank- which is make the World a better place. CALIFORNIAJOSEPH PIER - A VISUAL GRUP, ‘No’. So why are you follow- Chasing Windmills, set in lin Township in 2000. He was the part of ego. He felt that a man as I think that if more music, art, Corazon Aquino, Former President of the Philippines as ing me around. He would say Nainital, in my school, 7,000 first elected to New Jersey State Continental Miss Teen Ameri- cultured and knowledgeable movies and cultures are shared told to TIME magazine. what else would I do sitting in ft above sea level. . Legislature in 2002. ca Scholarship Program. . from India would be much my room. I want to see what then it would make the World
MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com FRONT ROW FROM THE HISTORY BOOKS
years ago Akbar – full name Abu-Ul-Fateh Jalal-Ud-Din Muhammd Akbar – died in Agra on October 27, 1605. Born BusinessBusiness LoansLoans 400 at Umarkot in Sindh province of present day Pakistan on October 15, 1542, Akbar was a descendent of Turks, Mongols and Iranians. His ancestors included Timur or Tamerlane and Genghis Khan. Akbar succeeded his father, CashCash ManagementManagement Humāyūn, who died suddenly, as the ruler of an unstable and weak Mughal empire in
1556. He inherited a very small kingdom but expanded it in all direction eventually NEEMA NENE - PERFECT IMAGES leaving an empire that included major parts of Malwa, Gujarat, Bengal, Kabul, Kashmir, Rajasthan and Khandesh in Deccan or Southern India. An illiterate, Akbar was a very PrivatePrivate BankingBanking able ruler and instituted many long lasting reforms that helped his administration and subjects. He was a strong patron of arts and literature and promoted tolerance of all religions. During the end of his reign, Akbar faced rebellion from his son Prince Salim, who eventually succeeded Akbar as Emperor Jahăngìr. . EquipmentEquipment LeasingLeasing Fatehpur Sikri Fort. The Buland Darwaza or the Gate of Magnificence. Akbar built this Built by Akbar following 1573 victory over Gujarat maginficent capital years ago in MortgageMortgage LoansLoans 23 miles west of 1905 Lord Curzon, Agra. Built between the Viceroy of 1571 and 1585, it 100 India, partitioned Bengal. It soon Reston Vienna/Tysons Chantilly had to be abon- became a rallying point for the freedom doned soon due to movement. Initially introduced as a way 703-871-7374 703-871-1800 703-871-7390 water shortage to improve the administrative efficiency, the Partition of Bengal was seen as a NEEMA NENE - PERFECT IMGAES ‘Divide and Rule’ policy to increase Online at years ago in 1505 on 1502 Vasco de Gama reaches Calicut imperial control. With a population his way to Maldives, 1505 Francisco de Almeida named first of 85 million spread over 189,000 sq. www.AccessNationalBank.com 500 Portuguese sea captain viceroy miles, Bengal was too big for efficient Lourenco de Almeida got stranded in 1505 Lourenço de Almeida reaches administration. However, Lord George Ceylon and was received well by the Ceylon Nathaniel Curzon’s plan created a Muslim Sinhalese king Vīra Parăkrama Băhu 1518 Portuguese permitted to build a majority province of Eastern Bengal and of Kōtte. Almeida, the son of then fort at Colombo Assam and a Bihărì and Oriyă speaking Portuguese Viceroy of India in Cochin saw 1521 Three sons of Vijayabăhu put him Hindu majority province in West Bengal. the commercial and strategic importance to death This left Bengali Hindus without a of the island. Portuguese established a 1543 King Băhu signs treaty with majority in either new Bengal province. contact with the king of Kotte and were Portuguese for their protection “Bhadralok” or intellectual Bengalis, permitted to build a fort at Colombo in 1557 Kotte king Dharmapăla coverts to who were more outspoken, thought this 1518. In 1520’s war between the sons of Christianity move to marginalize them. Their initial then king of Kōtte, Vijayabăhu, broke out. 1593 King Rajasinha dies and Portuguese rhetorical protests soon translated into With the help of Portuguese, Bhuanaika capture much of Kōtte boycott of British-made goods. This Băhu, the oldest son of Vijayabăhu, was 1612 King Senarat of Kandy concludes a ‘swadeshi movement’ was later embraced able to establish his kingdom but became treaty with Dutch by Indian National Congress and turned greatly dependent upon Portuguese. 1619 Kingdom of Jaffna annexed by into a potent non-violent weapon by The successive rulers were even more Portuguese Mahatma Gandhi. After his first term as dependent upon Portuguese and by the 1638 A treaty gives Dutch trade viceroy from 1899 to 1904, Lord Curzon end of the century they were firmly in monopoly was offered a second term. However, control of the island. The rival king of 1645 Truce in Europe between Dutch His partitioning of Bengal along with Kandy then sought help from the Dutch and Portuguese Universities Act of 1904 to reorganize and by the middle of next century they 1656 Portuguese surrender Colombo to governing bodies of Calcutta University had replaced Portugeuse as the masters of Dutch generated so much heat that he had to coastal Ceylon. . 1658 Dutch take Jaffna resign within a year of second term. .
MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com Source: Encyclopedia Britannica SOM SHARMA - DIGITALVISION Mehru Khan - Miss NRI Global 2005 Pakistan born, Mehru Khan says that winning the Miss NRI Global pageant has changed her life SOM SHARMA - DIGITALVISION in “a really positive way”. Not only has she got the recognition that L-to-R: Rennu Dhillon, Rimi (USA) 2nd runner up, Kanchana (Malaysia) 1st runner up, Mehru (Pakistan) winner - Miss NRI, she wanted but also it has given Mikki (Bostwana) winner - Mrs. NRI, Nikhat (USA) 2nd runner up, Vidushi (West Indies) 1st runner up, Jay Patel her confidence to put her talents to good use. ONE CHILD, ONE WOMAN, she founded Genius Kids – a contest. So, Rennu included Beauty pageants are still taboo in school for kids. While teaching grooming workshops for five ONE SENIOR CITIZEN AT A TIME Pakistan – its government once tried her kids to read, she realized days covering topics like pub- to dissuade Miss International Beauty that she had stumbled upon lic speaking, how to dress, how pageant from allowing Neelam Noorani RENNU DHILLON IS something worthwhile. So she to present yourself on the stage to compete as Miss Pakistan. So it is not sur- developed a reading curricu- and yoga. prising that Mehru is proud of her accomplish- lum, a book and a CD-ROM. She also invited many ment and wants to change the image of Pakistani women. Now her six years old school is professionals from such diverse She is changing it one step at a time. First she won Miss AKING HE getting great testimonials. fields as entertainment and Congeniality award at Miss Asia USA pageant, then Miss NRI M T Rennu also wants to do a medicine to give the contes- Global and coming next is a career in entertainment industry. lot for our senior citizens. She tants pointers about how to A criminal justice graduate of Loyola University, Mehru thinks that our temples are too make a career in their respec- works for a law firm in Chicago and is actively pursuing a career IFFERENCE focused on religious events and tive fields. D in entertainment industry. At the moment she is focusing on the expatriate community well, which is don’t do much for seniors. She The outcome was highly modelling, doing promotional shows and producing a music reflected in many of her projects. wants to change it. Through effective, as Mikki Singhal, Generations of Indian settled in dis- CD – a fusion of pop, R&B and Indian. On the side she is Sikh community centers she winner of Mrs. NRI Global also moonlighting as an actress in Hollywood movies. She has tant places show amazing diversity and organizes events to help seniors Pageant, says, ‘It made me feel common connections. Most Indian immi- already done bit roles in couple of Jennifer Ansiton movies, in- and youth get more involved more confident about myself cluding Derailed, in which they both hop into a train together grants to Africa were businessmen. There with the community and the – just being able to present at Chicago’s Union Station. . they became big economic force and po- main-stream. myself in front of so many – it litically influential. Many of UK’s NRIs She had also not forgotten was not an easy task.’ SOM SHARMA - DIGITALVISION are business people and professionals too her initial dream of a beauty The tasks Rennu -Dhil ( n o n - but a significant number is from villages. pageant for NRI women. She lon has taken up are also not Genius resident The growing Indian immigration to USA produced one this year. Those easy, but then she sums up her Kids School Indian) wom- consists primarily of professionals. who have seen Michael Kane philosophy quite well, “you Students in en that would These migrating Indians took with prepare Sandra Bullock for the can’t change the masses, but if Action go beyond fashion, them an image of their homeland arguably beauty pageant in Miss Conge- I make the difference with one glamour and Bollywood. stuck in time. Over the years they evolved, niality know that it takes a lot or two persons then it will be a It took a while but got integrated with natives and developed of efforts to prepare for such a good start.” . SOM SHARMA - DIGITALVISION . BY SUNIL SHARMA she has done it. After two years their own distinct community identity, she tried to of planning and groundwork, Rennu which differs in many ways from each launched Miss NRI Global pageant in other. These differences have influenced Mikki Singhal - Mrs. NRI Global 2005 enter Miss San Francisco. As promised, it contained Rennu’s passions and work. When you think about a software engineer from tion about people living in trees in Africa. She also had Kenya pag- all that she had said and then some more, She found the NRI community in IBM in Austin then the image of a beauty queen to travel to far away places looking for better quality of When probably would not come into your mind, but that education, including for high-school to England and eant, Rennu Dhillon was told that which is not quite surprising considering Africa to be most broad minded. She grew she could not because she is not that she is a remarkable woman of many up in a Sikh community in Mombassa, is what Mikki Singhal is. She had heard about many for graduate degree to USA, though, she skipped going talents. Kenya where the Gurudwara shares the women who won such competitions and then went to South Africa for under-graduate degree preferring African even though she was born on to do wonderful things in their life. So she took to stay with her parents and doing it in Botswana. A pharmacist by education, Rennu boundary wall with the Arya Samaj tem- SOM SHARMA - DIGITALVISION in Kenya and is a Kenyan citizen. found her calling in areas quite different ple. Compared to that she has found NRIs the challenge. It sounded like a great idea but as Mikki says that she always had an urge to do some- Then she tried to enter Miss Femi- from medicines. She calls herself a com- in UK and USA to be old fashioned and she says it’s not an easy task. “I had to put in lot of thing different. She picked up badminton in Zambia na pageant in Bombay, India. They munity activist, children and their educa- intolerant of religious and political differ- preparation before I went in”, says Mikki and then and became ladies champion in Botswana competing told her that she could not because tion are her passion, loves her fashion and ences amongst Indians. adds, “[but]… it was a wonderful experience.” at the international level. Then she became the first While growing up in Zambia and Botswana, woman to top engineering college. Now she is also she didn’t live in India. branded shows and is dedicated to orga- Rennu credits education to the broad nizing events for kids and senior citizens. mindedness of NRI community in Africa. Mikki has had similar experiences like that Rennu trying her hands at acting making use of Austin’s At that time Rennu decided that one A second generation NRI, Rennu has No wonder education for children is one had and, as she says, she also has to dispel this no- active independent movies industry. . day she would create a platform for NRI lived in three continents and has observed of her passions. It is also the reason that MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 TOPIC A: THE YOUNG TURK
bai, 24 years old Anand came Though he found life at UW have done very well using tech- spark innovation and creativity Anand. After all, this is how to the University of Wisconsin, to be quite active and the at- nologies developed in US but in their organizations. Appro- he got the idea for his current Madison, in 2001 to pursue a mosphere cordial and friendly they still think about how to priately titled, InnovationTrip, venture and when he found degree in computer science. he feels that deeper connec- employ these technologies to his initiative includes work- himself rooming with a British While doing an internship tions exist in India between get better contracts. US busi- shops and first-hand explora- exchange student who was a COURTSEY BRAINREACTIONSCOURTSEY stint at Pitney Bowes, he got a colleagues, friends, neighbors nesses like in Silicon Valley, tion of US research industry. snow-boarder he thought it to brainy idea, which eventually and family. on the other hand, want to Anand’s next stop is going to be a serendipitous opportunity culminated in the launch of He finds significant differ- innovate and introduce newer be Japan, where he has been to learn snow-boarding. BrainReactions in July 2004. ences in business thinking too. products, services and con- invited by JETRO, a Japanese What else would you ex- Since then his company has He says that in India the focus cepts to the world. government agency that pro- pect from a man who started been growing steadily and is on cost-cutting and the em- So what is Anand do- motes trade and investment in two businesses before he bagged many clients includ- ployees are considered almost ing to take advantages of this Japan. turned 20 and who is on his ing US Peace Corps, United as commodity, whereas in US, situation? To begin with he Seeing opportunities third startup before the age of Nations, and Fortune 500 the focus is on innovation and is working on an initiative to and taking advantages of 25? . companies like Intuit, Bank of creativity. Indian businesses help Indian business leaders them come quite naturally to America. After being named a finalist on BusinessWeek Online the future is looking RAHUL SATIJA - RHODES even brighter, as he said from INVESTMENT SCHOLAR Mumbai, that his company is INDIA MOVING UP THE FOOD CHAIN Rahul Satija wants to understand not only adding employees but how 3.1 billion nucleotides of human Indian technology industry has been plans with PM Dr. Manmohan Singh. also starting new initiatives in genome control our life at a fundamental hot for US businesses for quite some Indian economy has been growing India and Japan. level. He says that he caught the time. Outsourcing to India, setting up 7% or so for the past couple of years. The There is something about bioinformatics bug during his first year operations there and tying with Indian growth projected for OPIC HE OUNG URK In September 2005, Busi- Wisconsin that makes a Bad- . T A: T Y T at Duke University. Now that bug is service providers are not only competitive current fiscal year nessWeek conducted a nation- ger, Wisconsin Football and taking him to the University of Oxford advantages but for many US businesses a is more than 7%. wide search for best young Cheesehead fan out of you if as one of 32 American students selected strategy for survival. Despite such growth, entrepreneurs or as they put you come to live there. That as Rhodes Scholars. Still, the recent quick series of Wall Street Journal it, “We set out to find truly in- would happen even if you The oldest international study announcements of big investment by reports that foreign UBBLING ITH novative businesses that both grew up – like Anand – in the Barrett of Intel B W major US corporations and venture direct investment (COURTSEY INTELl) award for American students, Rhodes demonstrated clear potential cricket-capital of India. Scholarship was created by the Will of capitalists portends that even bigger and into India is less than for growth and established Anand is a proud UW Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist better things are going to come. Since 10% of that in China. That is why the the talent of the savvy, young Badger, who not only has a REATIVITY and colonial pioneer, in 1902. This October, six major US companies have expansion plans of major US companies C entrepreneurs behind them”. Anand Chhatpar of Malad, Mumbai was recently rated as one the fully developed opinion about year’s Scholars were selected from 903 announced various investment plans are making Indian political and business They asked their readers for whether the retirement of Best Entrepreneurs Under 25 by the BusinessweekOnline applicants endorsed by 333 colleges and totaling well over $8.8 billion. Wall Street leaders very happy. nominations and got names coach Barry Alvarez is good universities. Journal is also reporting that venture Success of of 100 entrepreneurs within a for the UW football team A native of Potomac, Maryland, capitalists too have increased their direct outsourcing to month. Then they short listed or not – he thinks it is – but BY SUNIL SHARMA Rahul, is doing investment in India. India is definitely . the pool down to 20 finalists. also who makes observations a double major Many top executives of big US making its high- Then they asked their readers like “Where else would you hat would you do if you were transplanted in biology and corporations have recently gone to India to sector ripe for to vote for the most promising find five Cheeseheads from from sultry Mumbai to the so called frozen music and meet with Indian leaders and to announce investment. Gartner amongst the short-list. Out five different countries sitting Gates of Microsoft tundra of Wisconsin? minor in math. far reaching investment plans. Inc., forecasts that (COURTSEY MICROSOFT) came the list of five, which the together feeling completely at W He wants While announcing a $1.7 billion plan within four years the If you are Anand Chhatpar then you would pick BusinessWeek calls “Best En- home.” in New Delhi, Bill Gates of Microsoft annual technology trepreneurs Under 25”. to become up snow boarding and wouldn’t mind the weather. The entrepreneurial spir- said, “We are keen to increase the growth spending by Indian companies would Anand Chhatpar is one of professor and Anand is one of five young Turks selected by Busi- its and the curiosity to try new of Microsoft activities in India”. top $43 billion, this elite group of young small a research things with open mind helped Craig Barrett, the Chairman of representing an nessWeek Online readers as the most innovative – and business leaders. He is the kind scientist in Anand in a smooth transi- Intel Corporation said in New Delhi annual technology youthful – small business leaders in the US. He is the of person who is highly ener- the area of tion from Malad, Mumbai to while unveiling his company’s $1 billion spending growth CEO of BrainReactions, LLC, a Madison, Wiscon- getic and bubbling with ideas computation Madison, Wisconsin. Still, he plan, “this demonstrates Intel’s long- of over 20%, even while giving a trans-con- b i o l o g y , sin based company that helps businesses launch new found many subtle and not term commitment and builds on the much higher than tinental telephone interview at g e n o m i c products, enter new market segments and improve so subtle differences. The big- foundation we have created during our 10 4.5% expected Chambers of Cisco 2:30 AM in the morning, not- and bio (COURTSEY CISCO) gest difference he noticed was years in India”. worldwide. . customer service by tapping into the creative, imagi- withstanding the jet-lag from informatics. . in people’s attitudes towards John Chambers, CEO of Cisco, native and unconstrained minds of college students the flight from USA to India. life, business and relationship. discussed Cisco’s $1.1 billion investment through brainstorming sessions. A native of Malad, Mum-
10 MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com RAHULCOURTSEY SATIJA MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com Can you really make a significant ESSAY difference to India’s problems? NISHKAM AGARWAL How CAUSALITY AND CORRELATION Is high school graduation only related to what seniors do in their young lives or does the chain of causality go all the way back to BIG BANG? Important s a long time student of Econometrics, I am very familiar and her admission to Harvard. Attempting to find conceptual with the notion that causality is much more elusive than underpinnings, I ran into causality and correlation. In a dialec- are you? correlation. In fact, pure theorists say that causality is tical fit of pique, I changed my speech at the last minute and nearly impossible to prove, which I generally accept. Ex- went into a philosophical discourse on causality. The essence of Consider this: The annual income of NRIs is Aceptions do, however, exist. my argument: Rome was not built in a day nor do high-school nearly equal to the National GDP of India! And A class of problems where one may find causality easier to graduates. “prove” is where interconnected events happen over time. My What comes before that? There are the usual suspects – the we pay 30% of our salary as taxes every year. daughter’s recent graduation from high school was an example parents, me and my wife – and the births and marriages in the of this class of problems. family signifying direct physical causality. Then there are the Imagine: If we donate even 1% of our income, Graduation from high school is a big event for children “silent” martyrs – the kinship group that sweats it out to create and for parents. At this time of the year, we may not yet be in the support network. Throw into this mix, the Pan Am flight what a difference it can make. the grip of next year’s ‘graduation that my parents took in 1948 fever’. Like cohabiting ducks in from Palam Airport, Delhi to San a lake, however, we will become Francisco, California. This is our collective potential.
silent, or not so silent, witnesses AJOY PHRABHU The story does not end to the frantic activities on home there but meanders through The onus for action lies on us. computers in basement under- the travails experienced by lives worlds where college essays will past. The grandparents, the great be crafted and re-crafted. Gradu- grandparents, and more generally, ating seniors will consider this the founding fathers, the Decla- Act Now. furious undercurrent of activity ration of Independence, Gandhi, to be devoid of antecedents. I, Christ, Buddha, and … the BIG however, postulate that it is only BANG! Making a Difference Join the efforts of a volunteer group like AID. the latest in a long series of steps How could the graduation that brought them to this point day of my daughter possibly have through AID Projects in their lives. arrived without any of these ante- Become a regular donor I wonder how many times cedents? Development projects taken up by AID are ONE dollar a day can build 20 watershed structures these seniors and their families How can we forget the causing real change at the grassroots. for soil conservation have stopped to ask how they ar- sacrifices of Mangal Pandey in ONE percent of salary per year can support an AIDS rived at this juncture. Do they the War of Independence of An example: After 1.5 years of a community really know what acts of omission 1857? Can we even begin to health care clinic for 3 months. Isha at her Dance Arangetram health program, there was a 25% improve- Visit OneforIndia.org or commission led them to where ignore the great philosophical ment in the malnutrition status of children. they are today? Do they really be- works of Shankara, Madhva and This Hundred Blocks Program (HBP) works lieve that it is only correlated to what these seniors did in their Ramanuja? What about the Golden Age of the Guptas and the Volunteer your skills & time young lives, or do they understand the chain of causality that Cholas or the suffering of the Buddha or the compilation of the in 1000 villages in Bihar & Tamil Nadu! goes back in time all the way to the BIG BANG? Rig Veda, the Upanishads or the great civilization at Harappa We meet every week in 35 chapters across the US. Let me explain. At my daughter, Isha’s Classical Dance Ar- and Kot Diji? By collecting individual donations, AID Become a part of AID volunteer force & contribute angetram and Graduation Party in Columbia, Maryland dur- My pithy advice to our future graduating seniors: There is supports 100 such projects every year. your expertise and enthusiasm. Write to ing the late summer of 2005, I was to give a speech after her cause for pride but no cause for hubris. The “butterfly effect” is Visit aidprojects.org [email protected] performance. I noticed how friends and family heaped praise alive and well. Always remember this, as we, the parents, begin on her for her accomplishments culminating in her impending the process of sending you off, in the words of Southey: departure for Harvard College. AID, I was proud of Isha’s three-hour long flawless Bharatnatyam Go little brooke from this my solitude; Association for India’s Development (AID) P.O. Box F, College Park MD 20741 Dance performance, her academic and social accomplishments, I cast thee on the water, go thy ways; - Projects in 20 states in health, education, micro-credit, And if, as I believe, thy tone be good; Agarwal is the resident scholar and economist of his household and hopes environment, rural technology and social justice. www.aidindia.org The world will find thee after many days. to figure out causality and correlation by the time his second daughter - Over 1000 volunteers and only 4% administration costs. For, the chain of causality goes on forever… . [email protected] graduates from high school. - AID full-timers and volunteers working in the field in India - Highest 4-star rating by Charity Navigator 1-888-TALK-2-AID 12 MOOD INDICO, DECEMBER 2005 www.MoodIndico.com Association for India’s Development, Inc. is a 501 (C) (3) organization with EIN 04-3652609. All contributions are tax-deductible.. Documents & information pertaining to AID can be obtained from Secretary of State for the cost of copies and postage. )&:7&3*;0/$6450.&34 5",&5)&$)"--&/(& $0.$"45 %*(*5"-70*$&
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