NEWS

Issue 174 | June 2013 MCI(P) 180/03/2013

Mr Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles (CITM), Mr Anand Industry and Textiles visited Singapore Sharma was in Singapore from 14-16 May to participate in the Investment Round Table. He was accompanied by a high-powered delegation from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), as well as senior members from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Invest India, and Indian business leaders.

The first part of the Investment Round Table was the business session, and it highlighted investment opportunities across sectors and states in India to a large gathering of high-level representatives from Singapore-based businesses and financial institutions. Speakers at this session included Sidharth Birla, Senior VP, FICCI, Tarun Mr. Anand Sharma speaking at the Investment Round Table Bajaj, MD, Harayana State Industrial

Chinese Premier Nalanda Gandhi heritage 7 tips for better Li Keqiang visits university sites to be monument India project moves preserved photography 04 05 ahead 07 11

A monthly newsletter by the indian High Commission, Singapore & MD, DMIDCD and Mr. Malvinder Mohan Singh, Executive Chairman, Fortis Healthcare who spoke about the opportunities in the fast-growing healthcare sector in India.

Mr. Amitabh Kant noted that the projects associated with DMIC would run across various regions of the country encompassing the power, water, road and rail network, educational institutions, skill development, airports, highways, logistic parks etc., and therefore present varied investment opportunities to financial institutions and private investors. and Infrastructure Development an 8-minute film on the Delhi-Mumbai The Guest of Honour, Minister Anand Corporation, and Talleen Kumar, Jt Industrial Corridor (DMIC), a project Sharma, summed up the plenary session Secretary, DIPP. spread over 7 states of India that with an overall perspective of an outward showcased the Dedicated Freight looking policy. He emphasized that the The presentations ranged from Corridor, the Golden Quadrilateral, the government is continually striving to Government interventions and reforms proposed investment regions and the make it easier to do business in India aimed at making India a more promising industrial areas. and is committed to reducing delays and destination for foreign investors to a very red tape. The volume of opportunities in specific look at the state of Harayana, India make it a very attractive place for with detailed information on various investors and the upcoming investment opportunities would like to accelerate the process of in sectors such as power, earmarked economic engagement with Singapore, Investment Regions etc. especially in the upcoming National Investment and Manufacturing Zones. Mr Talleen Kumar noted in his presentation that India was second in Apart from the Investment Round Table, Asia’s top 10 investing destinations in the Minister also held meetings with his 2011, attracting more than 800 projects, counterpart H.E. Mr. Lim Hng Kiang, second only to China. He summarized The second part of the Investment Minister for Trade & Industry, Singapore the major changes in the National Round Table was the plenary session, and with H.E. Mr. K. Shanmugam, Manufacturing Policy (NMP), which is presided over by Minister Sharma. Minister for Foreign Affairs & the Minister expected to lead to establishment of It focused on the vibrant investment for Law, Singapore to discuss matters of standalone industrial townships and climate in India through presentations mutual interest. ease the parameters of doing business in made by Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO India. Among the highlights were the 12 National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs). These are proposed industrial townships with world-class infrastructure that are planned for the near future. He also spoke about the constitution of an India-Japan working group for cooperation on NMP and took a detailed look at the initiatives taken in this regard by various Japanese companies. Looking at scale of the Indo- Japan collaboration, it was felt that there was huge potential for Singaporean companies and institutions to get into this space profitably.

The business session concluded with

2 india news June 2013 india news June 2013 CII-IBF Members Meet activities in engaging and financing the private sector in some Unilever COO and IFC of the region’s emerging markets. Country Manager Launch of Directory of Indian Companies in Singapore Following its successful launch in 2006, the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) released the second edition of the Directory of Indian Companies in Singapore. The High Commission of India in Singapore is a sponsoring partner for this publication.

The India-based business community in Singapore has seen significant growth in the last few years. The signing of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation The CII India Business Forum (IBF) members in Singapore Agreement in 2005 and its subsequent amendments have had an interaction with Mr Harish Manwani, Chief Operating provided incentives for an estimated 4,000 Indian companies Officer of Unilever, and non-executive Chairman of to set up operations in Singapore. This has created a strong Hindustan Unilever, during a meeting held on 27 May. The and positive impact on the Singapore socio-economic meeting was to felicitate Mr Manwani on behalf of the CII- landscape. IBF for being awarded Singapore’s Public Service Medal for making significant contributions to Singapore. SICCI made an extensive effort to identify and list many more Indian companies in this second edition. The directory Mr Manwani talked about “A New Model for Sustainable will have details of more than 2,500 companies, compared to Business” and explored how businesses can thrive in an 950 in the first edition. increasingly volatile and complex global environment by aligning their business strategies with a greater social purpose. He shared Unilever’s experiences and ambitions to double the size of its business, while halving its environmental footprint and increasing its positive social impact.

Mr Manwani explained in detail his philosophy of “4G”, which incorporates the traditional “3Gs” of doing business - consistent growth, competitive growth and profitable growth - with a 4th “G” i.e. Responsible Growth. He talked about the role each individual company can play in ensuring sustainable growth, and cited many examples Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Teo Ser Luck, from Unilever’s own experiences in this area, such as its was the guest of honour at the launch of the 2nd Edition membership of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, of the Directory of Indian Companies, in May 2013. Other the ’s New Vision for Agriculture dignitaries at the launch event included Mr TCA Raghavan, initiative etc. Committing to a ten year journey towards India’s High Commissioner to Singapore and Mr R sustainable growth, Unilever launched its Sustainable Living Narayanamohan, Chairman, Singapore Indian Chamber of Plan in 2010, which applies right across the value chain, Commerce & Industry under which the company takes responsibility not just for its own direct operations but for its suppliers, distributors and In his speech, Mr Teo emphasized the importance of trade - crucially - for how its consumers use its brands. The Plan associations and chambers in being a link between the involves improving health, hygiene and nutrition; reducing Government and businesses. He said that SICCI plays a vital environmental impact by halving greenhouse gas emissions, role in providing the necessary linkages and connections to use of water and waste; enhancing livelihoods through its members so that they are able to grow their businesses sustainable sourcing of raw materials and engaging small both locally and internationally. He also acknowledged farmer and distributors in its network. the role played by the organization in encouraging Indian companies here to build a strong understanding of Mr Tunde Onitiri, Country Manager (Singapore) for the Singapore’s cultures and norms, and foster mutual respect International Finance Corporation (IFC) followed up on within the local community and urged that SICCI continue to Mr Manwani’s comments with a talk on the IFC’s role and work closely with its members to perform this important role. india news June 2013 india news June 2013 3 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Visits India

China’s new Premier Li Keqiang visited that the leaders of both countries have he said. India on his first foreign trip since taking agreed to raise the ties to a new high. office in March this year. During his visit, “China and India are important neighbors The choice of India as the first stop of Premier Li met with Indian Prime Minister and two most populous emerging Li’s maiden foreign tour indicates the , and President Pranab economies. Our relations are of strategic great importance Beijing attaches to its Mukherjee among others. significance,” said Li. relations with India. “We think very highly of this gesture because it is our view that In a written statement on his arrival high-level political exchanges between in New Delhi, Li said China regarded our two countries are an important India as an important partner and aspect and vehicle for our expanded friend and expressed the hope that his cooperation,” India’s External Affairs visit would inject new vigor into their Ministry spokesman, Syed Akbaruddin. cooperative partnership. He said both The Chinese Foreign Ministry said China China and India were speeding up their hoped the visit could further cement development and making steady efforts the strategic cooperative partnership to boost their economy and improve between the two countries, strengthen people’s lives. The statement said the cooperation in such fields as investment, major markets of India and China could trade and infrastructure, explore complement each other and fulfill the For his part, Prime Minister Manmohan complementary advantages, and achieve need for common development with win- Singh said there is enough space in the mutually beneficial results. win results. world for the common development of India and China, adding that the two Bilateral trade between China and India Li also expressed confidence that his countries are partners, not opponents. has grown strongly in recent years, visit would strengthen mutual trust, Cooperation between India and China with a total volume reaching 66.5 billion deepen cooperation, expand common has much significance for world peace U.S. dollars in 2012. China has become interests and consolidate bilateral and prosperity. India highly values its India’s second largest trade partner and friendship, which would inject new vigor ties with China and is ready to work India is China’s largest trade partner in into the China-India strategic cooperative with China to advance their practical South Asia. The two sides aim to expand partnership for peace and prosperity. cooperation, manage and control bilateral trade to 100 billion dollars by He hailed the progress made in the border disputes, and lift their strategic 2015, a goal set by the two countries’ bilateral relations in recent years, adding cooperative partnership to a new level, leaders.

4 india news June 2013 india news June 2013 Revival of Nalanda University Artist’s impression of the proposed university campus

This May, another major step was taken in 2 years. scattered across its vast grounds. The towards the realization of the ambitious library was located in a nine-storied Nalanda University project – the re- Padma Shree awardee BV Doshi, the building where meticulous copies of texts establishment of the historic and famed founder and senior principal architect of were produced. Nalanda flourished as Nalanda University in Rajgir Bihar, just Vastushilpa Consultants, said they based an important centre of learning for about 12 km away from the ruins of the original their design in such a way that “it would 800 years drawing scholars from all over ancient seat of learning. give a glimpse of what Nalanda stood for Asia before being destroyed by invaders - as a centre of knowledge, a centre of in 1193. Plans to build the new campus took understanding life and its processes”. shape mid-May, when an international The idea of Nalanda as a modern jury comprising four architects from Rajeev Kathpalia, the other principal international centre of learning was Singapore, Japan, China and India and architect of the project, said the originally conceived in 2006 by a group three members from the University chose university buildings were designed of statesmen and scholars led by Nobel the winning design from 79 proposals with the aim of “net zero energy prize winning economist, Amartya Sen. that were submitted from all over the consumption”. The university would India, China, Singapore, Japan and world. generate its own energy, using photo Thailand announced the plan to revive voltaic cells. It would also collect the the university based on the vision of The winning entry was selected from a bio-mass of neighbouring villages to the old Nalanda. In 2007, the proposal final shortlist of eight, including five from generate its own electricity and harvest received backing and financial support outside India. The jury’s final choice was rainwater for its water supply. The overall at the Second East Asia Summit, which the design by Vastushilpa Consultants, aim is to create an integrated ecosystem included Australia, New Zealand, Russia a well-known architecture firm based in where flow of air, water and energy and the US, apart from the South East Ahmedabad for its “conceptual planning, are channeled in as natural a way as Asian countries. clarity of thought and ability to take possible, taking inspiration from the forward the vision of Nalanda.” original historic site. Australia is funding a dean-level chair of ecology and environment. Singapore The new Nalanda University, The ancient university of Nalanda was will design, build and donate a library conceptualized as a standalone the first great university in recorded costing up to $7 million.Thailand will international institution, would be history. It was an eminent centre of contribute $100,000 (£65,000), and constructed on a 455-acre site and will learning long before Oxford, Cambridge China has announced $1 million in aid accommodate 2,500 students and 500 and Europe’s oldest university Bologna for construction. teachers. The University has proposed were founded. In its heyday, Nalanda seven schools of learning including accommodated over 10,000 students The new Nalanda International University Historic Studies, Buddhist Studies and 2,000 teachers. The university was will focus on the humanities, economics and Information Technology, but only considered an architectural masterpiece and management, Asian integration, two of them — Historic Studies and with eight separate compounds, ten sustainable development and oriental Environment Studies — would be built in temples, several meditation halls and languages. the first phase, expected to be completed classrooms, and lakes and parks india news June 2013 india news June 2013 5 Incredible India at Singapore Aims for 1 million Cannes Film Festival IndianTourists

India promoted as incredible filming destination

Several Indian tourist spots were showcased as ‘Incredible Filming Destinations’ at the Cannes international film festival in France, with a view to attracting top international filmmakers Focus on attracting tourists from Tier-II Indian Cities and production houses. The Singapore Tourism Board is aiming 17 million international visitors to Indian locations have been in the news to welcome close to a million Indian Singapore with a S$30-billion tourism as the visually stunning Oscar-winning visitors during the current calendar receipts contributing to 5-6 per cent of film Life of Pi was shot extensively in year. the country’s GDP, they are working Pudducherry and Munnar in Kerala. The on multiple programs to meet these Tourism Ministry is taking advantage of 2012 has been a good year for numbers across the region. the international success of the Ang Lee Singapore tourism, with international directed movie and is promoting those tourist arrivals of 14.4 million and In India, the Singapore Tourism locations globally as the ‘Land of Pi’. It tourism receipts of S$ 23 billion. Board is working in tandem with the has signed an MoU with the Information Singapore witnessed 670,000 Indian travel trade to help sell the country’s and Broadcasting Ministry to promote visitors with tourism receipts S$ 809 attractions that extend beyond Changi Indian cinema as part of the Incredible million during January-September 2012 Airport. Mr Srithar said, “This year we India campaign at various international are working closely with the Indian film festivals. Mr Chang Chee Pey, Executive travel trade to promote Singapore as Director – South Asia, Middle East, a constantly evolving destination with India is the guest country at the 66th Africa, Singapore Tourism Board said its new attractions as key focus. At Cannes film festival, which is celebrating that India is a high-potential market present, we are paying a lot of attention 100 years of Indian cinema. Along with and stands fifth after Indonesia, China, on promoting the country in Tier-II showcasing India’s film heritage, the Malaysia, and Australia in terms of cities of India by organizing training delegation also held an exhibition at tourist arrivals, and third when it workshops and meets in Kolkata, the Incredible India Pavillion, that was comes to tourism spend. He revealed Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kochi, inaugurated by former actor and Union a three-pronged approach to promote Coimbatore and Chandigarh. We see Tourism Minister K . Singapore as an events destination. a lot of traffic from these cities. The The three themes being promoted are recent opening of new attractions like The Information and Broadcasting Sports Tourism, Entertainment Tourism, River Safari and Gardens by the Bay Ministry also unveiled a Single Window and as a winter destination with the are expected to boost tourist arrivals Clearance System for accessing tourist theme, ‘Christmas in the Tropics’. from India”. locations and production facilities in India. The single window system aims Mr GB Srithar, Area Director – South At present, eight international airlines to provide a single stop for all shooting Asia, Singapore Tourism Board said operate 430 flights with 40,000 seats needs in the country. This will cut down India’s tourism value for Singapore a week between India and Singapore. on red tape and eliminate the multiple remained very high and expected Srithar said the board was planning to clearances that foreign filmmakers need China, India and Indonesia to be work with SilkAir to try and see what to seek before being allowed to shoot in Asia’s top 3 outbound markets by kind of travel opportunities it could India at present. 2020. Since the board is targeting further provide to Indian tourists.

6 india news June 2013 india news June 2013 Great Eastern Hotel Reopens Gandhi Heritage Sites after 7-Year Facelift Mission

39 Gandhi-Related sites to be preserved

The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission with the objective of conserving and restoring heritage sites associated with the Father of the Nation.

The mission will aim at preserving for Almost 50 years older than Singapore’s Raffles Hotel, posterity, 39 core sites as well as other the 173-year old hotel is being revived by the Lalit Group 2,000 important sites earlier identified by the Gandhi Heritage Committee, In antiquity and grandeur, the Great Nikolai Bulganin were also guests in under the chairmanship of Gopalkrishna Eastern Hotel of Kolkata once mirrored the late 1950s and before that, Ho Chi Gandhi, a grandson of the Mahatma and Singapore’s Raffles Hotel, and when it Minh, Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling a former Governor of West Bengal. reopens later this year, the 173-year-old were among the hotel’s illustrious heritage hotel will be hoping to replicate patrons. Kipling even included a There is a lot of Gandhi memorabilia the successful revival of its iconic description of the Great Eastern Hotel in in various forms like books, letters, counterpart. his short story City of Dreadful Night. photographs, personal items, and gifts etc. that is spread around India and the Just as Raffles Hotel was known as the Passed down from its English owners world, many owned by private citizens. Grand Lady of the Far East, the Great to their Indian partners when the British Over the last few years, several such Eastern was referred to variously as the left India, the hotel had fallen on hard items have been showing up at auction Savoy of the East and the Jewel of the times in the 1970s and was eventually houses around the world and being sold East. Both these heritage hotels have a taken over by the state government of to private collectors. fascinating colonial history, were used West Bengal. to billet British troops during World War The Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission II and have hosted a long list of famous In 2005, control of the Great Eastern has been tasked with identifying, personalities. Hotel was handed to a private hotelier, authenticating and assessing these and the Lalit group, which plans to reopen other types of memorabilia and Gandhi Opened by a British baker in 1840, the the hotel later this year after seven Heritage material in order to manage, Great Eastern is almost 50 years older years of renovation. preserve, and deploy them properly. Its than Raffles Hotel and is thought to task would also include the determination be India’s first luxury hotel. The entire Much like the iconic Raffles Hotel of conservation methodology and premises of the hotel were electrified in in Singapore, which is a national priorities for documents and objects, 1883, making it possibly the first hotel in monument, the Great Eastern has been particularly from the point of view of India to be illuminated by electric lights. recognized as a heritage building. The archival storage and museology and renovations, while extensive, would for physical structures and sites, as In its heyday, the Great Eastern Hotel take care to retain its original Victorian also guidelines for their subsequent was a popular yet exclusive haunt façade and the overall character of the maintenance. for the city’s elite as well as foreign building. Its new management says visitors and dignitaries. Britain’s Queen much of the interior decor would also be A team is also working on the Gandhi Elizabeth II stayed at the hotel in 1961. designed to maintain and highlight its Heritage portal that would be something Russian leaders Nikita Khrushchev and old-world ambience. of an open source archive online. india news June 2013 india news June 2013 7 Indian Naval Ships India and Singapore sign visit Singapore bilateral defence agreement

Participate in Singapore Navy’s Open House

Indian Naval Ships Satpura and Kirch Extends earlier agreement by five years visited Singapore from 13 – 19 May. India and Singapore signed a bilateral Defence, Singapore and was witnessed Commissioned in 2012, INS Satpura is defence agreement on 03 Jun 2013. by Shri AK Antony, Defence Minister of one of the newest ships of Indian Navy. This extends an earlier one, allowing India and Mr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for The ship was indigenously designed and the Singapore Army to conduct training Defence, Singapore. built by Mazagaon Dock Ltd. and is fitted and exercises in India for a further five with the latest weapons and sensors. It years. The agreement was signed by With this agreement, the defence also incorporates state-of-the-art stealth Mr Radha Krishna Mathur, Defence cooperation between India and technology that allows it to operate Secretary of India and Mr Chiang Chee Singapore has been further without detection by by other ships. INS Foo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of consolidated. Kirch was indigenously designed and built by Garden Reach Shipyard Limited, Kolkata, and was commissioned in 2001. High Commission staff participate in cultural exchange The ships were in Singapore on a routine overseas deployment. During the visit ships participated in activities connected with the International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) 2013 and India – Singapore bilateral exercise (SIMBEX) 2013.

Apart from these professional interactions the ships also participated in the ‘Navy Open House’ held by the Republic of Singapore Navy. During this event, ships remained open for visitors for three days from 16 – 19 May 2013, during which ‘Little by Little’ program fosters cross-cultural time thousands of curious visitors, young and old, visited the ships. understanding Staff and family members of the Indian The Singapore International Foundation The ship also hosted a reception which High Commission joined Temple of Fine (SIF) partners the international was attended by most heads of navies Arts’ dance teacher Ms Kalaivani in a community in Singapore to promote from various countries participating in cultural exchange – Little by Little - with understanding and appreciation of IMDEX 2013 apart from a large gathering the students of the Little Arts Academy different cultures towards bridging of people from Singapore. Dr TCA on 18 May. Singaporeans and world communities. Raghavan, High Commissioner of India, Singapore visited INS Satpura on and The students shared information about Little by Little is a collaboration between was briefed on the capabilities and role of Peranakan culture after Ms Kalaivani’s the SIF and the Little Arts Academy. the ship. demonstration of the Odissi dance.

8 india news June 2013 india news June 2013 Kaveri River at Shrirangapatnam

Streams of Bliss - Part 3

In our final instalment on the great rivers Mythology in the area explains the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and of India, this month we travel with the origins of the river - “A sage named Andhra Pradesh. Kaveri and the Krishna as they traverse Agasthya, the father of the Tamil different parts of the country and learn language, came to this area and asked The fable of the birth of the Krishna river fascinating tales associated with their Kavera for his daughter (Kaveri’s) hand is fascinating. Dating back to the time origins. in marriage. Kaveri agreed to marry him when the Earth came into existence, on the condition that Agasthya should Lord Brahma is said to have been Kaveri never be away for more than 40 minutes mesmerized by the landscape of the The 785 km course of the Kaveri, at a time. Back then, there was no water Earth, as he saw it from the plateau of regarded as the sacred Dakshin Ganga, on this side of the mountain, so Agasthya Mahableshwar. He decided to hold a is dotted with historic and religious sites. went to the other side of the Brahmagiri. yagna or ritual of offering to celebrate As the Kaveri winds south-eastwards, He kept Kaveri in the form of water, in the occasion. To dissipate any hurdle, through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu a jug. After the 40 minutes were over, a he first scuttled the might of the Mahabal towards the Bay of Bengal, a number surge of water came from the jug and demon, and invited the Gods for the of tributaries, such as the Hemvati, that is how the Kaveri river emerged...” rituals. When the rituals began, the Kabini and Aiyar, invigorate its flow. priest asked Lord Brahma to call his At Poompuhar, on the Coromandel Krishna wife, Savitri, to join in. Brahma called out coast, the fresh water of the Kaveri for her, but Savitri did not reply and his spills into the salt-laden sea. Before second wife Gayatri was called to sit in that, after passing the temple town of the puja instead. Tiruchirappali, the Kaveri begins to dissipate into a delta system which The sight of this angered Savitri when spans more than 80 km from north to she reached there and she shouted at south. all present, including the Lords Shiva and Vishnu. Retaliating in anger, Shiva At Talakaveri, the Kaveri trickles into a directed a curse at her saying, “Women trough in front of a small shrine. Pilgrims have become very arrogant. I curse that head to Talakaveri all the year round, you both will turn in to water bodies and though most visit during October to From the time it springs from the the three of us will never meet again”. In November when the river, revered as a mouth of a cow (carved in stone) in response, Savitri cursed back, “the three goddess, celebrates her birthday. Known the picturesque hill station plateau of of you, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, will as Tulasankramana Day, it is marked by Mahableshwar in western Maharashtra, also take the form of water”. So the five a brief surge in pressure at the river’s until it merges into anonymity in the rivers were born from the mouth of the source Bay of Bengal, the mighty Krishna river cow located at the Panchganga temple travels 1300 km as it passes through the in Mahableshwar. india news June 2013 india news June 2013 9 Art with Attitude

The fifth edition of the Indian Art Fair work for existing collectors”, said Neha present and future. Buildings from New 2013, organised February 1-3 in New Kirpal, founding director of the India Art Delhi were photographed, then re- Delhi, offered everything one could Fair. imagined by the artist in 3D forms and anticipate. Contemporary, dynamic and recreated with steel. They were then enjoyable, it was undeniably a fitting The interesting aspect of the fair was suspended as part of a large rotating tribute to experimental avant-garde that it was not restricted to the display mobile windchime structure. art that could draw admiration even of paintings and sculptures but included from the most unyielding sceptics. ingeniously made art objects from Launched in 2006, with a borrowed With the primary objective to spread recycled items such as cans. The heart- sum of Rs. 6 million, to offer impetus deeper awareness and create wider shaped artworks made with cans of to the emerging art market, The India access to art in the country, the India Heineken, Coca-Cola and red Bull by Art Summit by 2008 had 34 local and Art Fair showcased a diverse set of Alfredo Longo had the imprint of a genius international galleries. This progressively galleries that displayed a plethora of at work. increased to a whopping 104 this year, modern art practices by established and said Kripal. The enthusiasm of the emerging local and international artists, Among the interesting works were a participants and the spectators is a fair ranging from paintings, sculptures and fog screen projection of the historic index of the course it will take in the installation to performance arts. The 3 ‘Covering Letter’ written by Mahatma future. So far, it’s main objective, to day art fair also included informative Gandhi to Hitler in 1939, Paresh Maity’s provide a platform of art to be seen and sessions, art projects, book launches depiction of Delhi’s seven-fold history appreciated and provide an interface and instructional tours. and bronze artefacts by sculptor K.S. between the artist and the buyer, is being Radhakrishnan. Gigi Scaria’s Windchime well served. The 40 international galleries, featuring project was a visualisation of the past, 106 exhibitors from 25 countries, presented art works from countries such as Argentina, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Turkey and Russia, which had not participated in any earlier events.

“The focus of the art fair is on developing new audiences and initiating new energy in the Indian market. While it gives those with limited knowledge of art an opportunity to see a diverse spectrum of it, it offers a brand new line-up of exciting

10 india news June 2013 india news June 2013 7 Tips for Better Monument Photography

The great thing about visiting involves manually changing the flash lovely panorama! monuments is that they offer so setting from ‘auto’ or ‘off’ to ‘on’. Thus, much scope for taking exceptional when you take a photo, the flash will 5. Follow the ‘rule of thirds’. Try to get photographs. They don’t wiggle about fire as well, somewhat reducing the your family to one side of the photo, like children or freeze into grotesque harshness of the shadows. You may about 1/3 of the way from the edge ‘camera smiles’ like those of your friends need to try this a few times from different rather than in the middle. The monument and family – and they certainly don’t distances to get it right. Too close and in question should fill up the background complain that you’re taking too long over the photo will be over-blown, too far and or be positioned towards the other side. your shot! the flash will not have the desired impact. A distance of 10-15 feet may work well. 6. The interiors of monuments are Monuments are timeless. And they usually lovely but you are often not make superb subjects for your camera 3. Don’t just try to capture the entire allowed to use a flash for fear of if you take care of some of the basics. structure in every photograph. damaging delicate colours. Without the What follows are a few practical Experiment with zoom and you may end flash, photos tend to come out blurred. monument-photography tips based on up with a surprisingly attractive close-up Since you are most likely not carrying our experience taking thousands of a tripod, use your camera’s manual photographs at heritage sites in India 4. If the structure is too wide for a single settings to select a film speed (ISO) of and the world. photo, try shooting a panorama. Some 800 or 1600. Before taking the shot, cameras come with built-in panorama check your shutter speed. If it shows a 1. Diffused light is the camera’s best functions that guide you through the value higher than 100 your photo will friend. So try to make your trip on a shot. If you don’t have the feature, you probably be fine cloudy day or early morning or early can do it manually. Stand so you are evening on clear, sunny days. As an roughly in line with the centre of the 7. Finally, have patience. If there are added bonus, the timing will help you scene you want to shoot. Keep your legs people cluttering up your shot, position void the mid-morning heat and crowds at apart to balance your body. Rotate from yourself, look through the viewfinder and the more popular sites! the hip to shoot the extreme left of the wait. Keeping your other eye open will scene. Then rotate towards the right in give you a sense of when people may be 2. If you are taking photographs on a series of measured steps (kind of like dispersing. As soon as you find the coast a bright day, you may find that harsh how a robot might do), taking shots at clear – shoot! shadows are ruining the intricate each step. Make sure the shots overlap details of the lovely sculpture and about 20-30% with each other. At home We hope you find these tips useful. Let ornamentation. If they are close enough use any free or cheap photo-stitching us know if you get a chance to use them to the camera, try using ‘fill-flash’. This utility to splice the shots together into a on your next trip! india news June 2013 india news June 2013 11 ratha yatra singapore 2013 by sri krishna mandir

An ancient colorful chariot festival of Lord Jagannatha, a hallmark of Indan heritage and culture, encompassing all the facets of the ancient and profound Vedic civilization, namely music, dance, food, art, colors, apparel, poetry, architecture, grandeur, wisdom and compassion, all of them harmoniously culminating in glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Jagannatha (Krishna) comes to the heart of ultra-modern Singapore.

Programs: - Chariot Procession - The world’s largest balloon form of Lord Jagannatha! - Sankirtana (Musical congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra) - Prasadam Feast (Sumptuous 10-course pure spiritualized vegetarian meal for everyone)

Venue: Toa Payoh Stadium Date and Time: Jul 7 2013, 5.00 - 9.30 pm Entry: Free Contact: In case of queries, call 6250 2280

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