PUBLICATION OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA IN DUBAI VOL. 2 ISSUE 10 | OCTOBER 2010 INDIA’S MOMENT OF GLORY Indian athletes put up their best ever performance even as the country hosted the biggest ever Commonwealth Games C FROM THE CONSUL GENERAL’S DESK O Dear Reader, Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of N victory in my left… – A mantra in the Atharva-Veda T The Commonwealth Games has been a stu - US President Barack Obama’s historic visit to pendous success. It was the largest internation - India is something to look forward to, in the al multi-sport event to be staged in India, since coming month. Also our President, Honorable E the Asian Games in 1982. The Games overcame Smt. Pratibha Patil, will be visiting UAE at the concerns about security and infrastructure and end of next month for the launch of the Indian we proved worthy hosts. Jawaharlal Nehru’s Workers Resource Centre amongst other events. N famous words come to mind: “Success does not Our radio show will be back on air soon as come suddenly or without setbacks”. the station is undergoing a technical upgrade. It was also a matter of pride for us that we Look forward to a new and improved format of managed to secure 38 gold medals, putting us India Matters on air. T in the 2nd place in the overall rankings. Here’s And last but not the least… India Matters to a new dawn for India in sports! has undergone a makeover. From a brand new Thanks to Theatrewallas for putting up an masthead to a completely new design, with new S excellent show ‘Mahaprayan’ on the occasion of fonts and colours, India Matters has sought a 4 India’s moment of glory Gandhi Jayanti celebrations at the Consulate. It blend of the classic and the contemporary. With Indian athletes put up their best ever performance even as the country hosted was a well-scripted play that depicted the last this issue, we bring you additional features that the biggest ever Commonwealth Games day of Bapu’s life. Gandhiji’s favourite songs I am sure will delight you and enrich you. and the open house on Gandhiji’s relevance rounded up the celebrations. Happy Reading Sanjay Verma BUSINESS 12 Penguins in the desert! INDIA MATTERS ON AIR An Indian company has helped build a $100 million ice-themed water park in the emirate of Ras Al Khaima 14 SUPERBRANDS The winner of the Anchor INTERVIEW | SUHAS GOPINATH September 2010 19 The World’s Youngest CEO monthly quiz contest is BOOKS 18 Eatables have Mr. Rakesh Bohra TRAVEL He wins a gift hamper. a story to tell 20 Knotty Are you a guilt-ridden unhappy reader? Read Destinations... The Consulate General of India in Dubai has re-launched Ratna Rajaiah’s ‘How the Banana Goes to Plan your wedding hotspot its weekly radio programme, India Matters, with the Heaven’ to discover the nutritional and purpose of informing the public about various Consular s! medicinal value of common foods... services, events relating to India and about what matters gratulation to Indians in the UAE. Con India Matters is aired every Saturday between 6 pm and 7 pm on FM 105.4 Radio Spice and repeated every Friday India Matters is a monthly publication of the Consulate General of India (CGI) in Dubai . All rights reserved. No part of this journal may be produced, stored between 5 pm and 6 pm. or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the CGI Dubai . FM 105.4 Radio Spice caters to the South Asian commu - Editorial correspondence and manuscripts can be addressed to [email protected] nity in the UAE, broadcasting mainly in Hindi and English. Content and design by IANS (www.ianspublishing.com) on behalf of Consulate General of India in Dubai. 2 ISnEPdTEiMa BMER a20t0t9 ers| October 2010 October 2010 |IndiSa EPMTEaMBtEtR e2r00s 9 3 THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES The grand opening ceremony of 19th Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi on October 3, 2010. vocalist hariharan, sang out “Su Swagatam” in welcome. the children formed a “namaste”, the age- old indian greeting with hands folded, in the vast field. A collective roar echoed as the par - ticipants, in a rapid fluid movement, held aloft white sheets to splash red paint and show up intricate henna designs. All through the ceremony, the moving lights on the helium balloon continued to change their hues, projecting life size revolv - ing images of the action on the ground. INDIA’S From the guru-shishya tradition to classical dances to folk, with the tenor changing from the serene to riotous joy and back again, the ceremony had the crowds enthralled. Whether it was the azaan, the muezzin’s call MOMENT to prayer, Buddhist chants or the joyous strains of Bollywood number “Chaiya, Chaiya”, this was a celebration of all that is india. there was magic as the strains of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite hymn “Vaishnav Janato” OF GLORY filled the air and the familiar outline of the bent head and the horn rimmed glasses lit up. Music maestro Allah Rakha Rahman sang out the anthem for the Games “Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto” (Live, rise, grow, win) and moved on to his Oscar winning chant “Jai ho”. But even as the cultural colours of india Indian athletes put up their best ever performance even as the country hosted unveiled, the underlying theme was sport and the sportsperson spirit — best illustrated in the biggest ever Commonwealth Games the athletes parade. Lines blurred and overlapped as the 71 teams, led by indian girls showing 71 ways of ith song and dance, colour Prime Minister, were indian President the people of india are delighted to host the wearing a sari, filed past the appreciative and culture, a touch of tradi - Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Commonwealth Games in this historic city,” crowd. if England doffed a hat to india by tion and a dazzling display of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Britain’s Prince the Prime Minister told the teams and other wearing a Nehru style sleeveless jacket over a Wtechnology, the rich tapestry Charles, and ruling United Progressive guests to thunderous cheers. white ensemble resembling a kurta pyjama, that is india unfurled before millions world - Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi. “We will see human endeavour at its best,” indians reserved the loudest cheers for wide as the 19th Commonwealth Games were Fireworks lit the cool night sky and the President Patil said while Prince Charles, who Pakistanis. declared open in New Delhi on October 3 — stirring strains of the national anthem read Queen Elizabeth’s message, was sure the New Zealand journalist Joseph Ramonos celebrating the spirit of sport and the “Jana Gana Mana” set the mood for what was Games would be “an experience of a lifetime”. added emphatically: “i have covered the sportsperson. to come as india greeted 6,700 athletes from the spectacle unfolded with electrifying Commonwealth Games for 25 years, but the anticipation and anxiety of the months 71 countries and Commonwealth territories energy through a meticulously segmented there is no doubt this was the best opening preceding the biggest sporting event india to the 19th edition of the $6.8 billion Games ceremony that rejoiced in the ‘Rhythms of ceremony ever.” has hosted faded as the ceremony, deeply — mostly limited to former British colonies india’, sang out ‘Swagatam’ (Welcome), emotive for millions of indians glued to tele - and the second biggest multi-discipline showcased its ‘tree of Knowledge’, displayed It raIned gold for IndIa vision sets to witness their country’s moment extravaganza after the Olympics. the ancient wellness regime of ‘Yoga’, traced As the ceremony ended in a blaze of colour of glory, proceeded for three hours to encap - the 71 teams comprised 19 from Africa, six the ‘Great indian Journey’ and recreated the and sparkle, it paved the way for two weeks of sulate 5,000 years of indian history. from the Americas, eight from Asia, 15 from joie de vivre of a village fair. sporting action in 11 spanking new venues. Amongst the 65,000 people packed into the Caribbean, 10 from Europe and 13 from Puppets danced in the air to the beat of indian athletes were geared up with a new the main venue of the Games, the Jawaharlal Oceania. thousands of drummers, schoolchildren gath - spirit to perform their best at the home turf. Nehru Stadium named after india’s first “Welcome to india, welcome to the Games, ered in the centre and, led by well-known they showed it and how! india won the high - 4 ISnEPdTEiMa BMER a20t0t9 ers| October 2010 October 2010 |IndiSa EPMTEaMBtEtR e2r00s 9 5 est number of gold at 38, took the second spot in the medal table for the first time in the Commonwealth Games history as the medal tally read an impressive 38 gold, 27 sil - ver and 36 bronze for a total of 101. the Games will be remembered for the splendid show by women shooters, wrestlers, paddlers, archers, weightlifters and bad - minton players. Krishna Poonia sent india into ecstasy with her gold winning discus throw. harwant Kaur and Seema Antil fol - lowed her with a silver and bronze for a stun - ning 1-2-3 finish for the first time by indian women in the Games. A.C. Ashwini, Manjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose lifted the gold in the 4x400 metre women’s relay. And then the historic firsts by indian women came in bad - minton — Saina Nehwal getting the gold in the singles and Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in the doubles.