SRK to be conferred honorary doctorate by Hyderabad-based varsity 12-26

Hyderabad: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is slated to be conferred with honorary doctorate by the city-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University tomorrow.  

President Pranab Mukherjee would be the chief guest at the sixth convocation of the university where nearly 48,000 students will be awarded degrees.

ADVERTISING

inRead invented by Teads

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan would be the guest of honour at the event to be presided over by the varsity’s Chancellor, Zafar Younus Sareshwala.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali will be the other guest of honour. 

Along with Shah Rukh Khan, Urdu aficionado and founder of Rekhta Foundation Rajiv Saraf would be given ‘honorius causa’ for their contribution in the promotion of Urdu language and culture, a release from the varsity said.

The university was established here in 1998.

About 2,885 graduates and postgraduates and 276 M.Phil and PhD scholars from various disciplines in regular courses will be awarded the degrees. Besides, 44,235 graduates and post graduates under the distance mode of learning would also be given degrees in absentia, the release added.

View at the original source

Why Bajirao Mastani has upset two families 01-07

Why Bajirao Mastani has upset two families,

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani has ruffled quite a few feathers among the descendants of the Peshwa and his Muslim wife.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's passion project has faced many a hurdle. Bajirao Mastani, the self-indulgent film maker's take on Peshwa Bajirao I and princess Mastani Begum, was envisioned with publicised excitement some 12 years ago. It quickly came to a dead end after lead pair Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai developed off-screen differences. When the idea was dusted off much later - this time with Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra - the film found it shared its release date (December 18) with Shah Rukh Khan's Dilwale. Another blow came more recently as the film's songs caused an outcry among the descendants of the Maratha warrior and his Muslim lover, who found them objectionable.

There is concern and dismay in the Bhansali camp, crew members admit. In the manner of most ventures under his banner, Bajirao Mastani is a costly affair: co-produced with Eros, it has reportedly been made for Rs 200 crore. The period story has all the trappings of a Bhansali product: forbidden romance, drama, scale and lots of finery. Some of that is glimpsed in the songs revealed so far: Pinga, a dance-off between Padukone and Chopra, and Malhari, a celebratory jig by Singh.

The tracks betray a thirst for mass appeal, but the ample use of catchphrases and the flamboyant dance moves have not gone down well with members of Bajirao's clan - his descendants from Mastani, the Nawabs of Banda, have filed petitions in the courts of Jabalpur and Indore, and his heirs from his first wife, Kashibai, spoke out in the media.

The families want Bajirao to be remembered as a peerless war strategist. He was born into a Chitpavan Brahmin family in 1700 and took over from his father as the Peshwa at the age of 19. He is known to have fought 41 battles without a single loss. According to historian Mandar Lawate, his strength was speed. For example, he struck by capturing the enemy's water bodies and fields, or pre-emptively hit the opposition's capital while they were making their way to his. Biographer Jayraj Salgaokar says he was instrumental in expanding the guerilla warfare techniques developed by Shivaji.
Kashibai was docile and personable. She suffered from arthritis and tuberculosis, which her descendants note would make it hard to dance fluently.

When Bajirao saved Bundela warrior Chhatrasal's territory from Muhammad Khan Bangash, he was rewarded with land and the hand of Mastani in marriage around 1730.

There are various stories about Mastani, who is also believed to have been a poet and Krishna devotee. The Begum, members of the Banda family say, was not a courtesan of Chhatrasal but a daughter from his Persian wife Ruhani Bai. Despite resistance from his mother and brother, Bajirao is said to have married her out of love.

Terms like vaat lavli (slang for destroyed) and rhyming words like chatak matak vatak cannot have been in the vocabulary of a warrior King in the 18th century, reckons Mahendra Peshwa, a consulting engineer and ninth-generation descendent of Bajirao, referring to the song Malhari.

Thus, open letters were written to Bhansali, demanding that he do his homework. The wives in royal families would never dance in public, notes Mahendra, especially not in midriff-baring saris. "They would be clothed from head to toe in those days. In front of strangers, they were required to cover their heads and wear shawls."

For the families, who feel they are uncared for in general, this seems to have been an opportunity to come to the fore. Standing in the ruins of Shaniwarwada, the Peshwas' ancestral home and headquarters in Pune, Mahendra and his wife, Sucheta, wonder if their cause will find political support. They are enthused by what they dub as hints of discomfort in the film maker. "Another song titled Fituri has offensive lyrics too but they have withheld the video so far, probably out of fear," he says, with a laugh. "They have not yet come to Pune for promotions either."

The Peshwas maintain that while Shivaji has been adequately glorified for his contributions to Maharashtra, Bajirao hasn't been remembered enough. "In the 40 years of his life and 20 years of his career as the Peshwa, Mastani was a part of the last decade. Why focus so much on the love story and not his laurels as a battle strategist," Mahendra's uncle, Udaysing, asks over the phone.

Equally incensed are Mastani's progeny, who are spread across Sehore, Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and work as social workers, teachers and government servants. "If some love story of historic figures fascinates the celluloid world, we have no problem. But should someone take liberties to insult those great people," asks an angry Tamkeen Ali Bahadur, sitting at his modest home at Sehore, some 50 km from Bhopal.

"Mastani Begum was not an ordinary dancer but a poet and war strategist who accompanied Bajirao on many occasions," adds Afaque Ali Bahadur, who recently retired as additional-CEO of the District Council. They are the descendants of Shamsher Ali, the son of Mastani, who became the Nawab of Banda. The family lost its riches when Nawab Ali Bahadur II fought against the British along with Laxmibai of Jhansi.

The family lives modestly, but its syncretic royal past shows up at times. While they are fond of Urdu poetry and the rare Nawabi delicacy ratan kalia, young Umar Ali Bahadur, who leads the charge in preserving the family history, also likes to chant Sanskrit couplets and carries a pocket-sized Gita in his bag.

Some years ago, Umar attended college in Pune and simultaneously made efforts to restore the grave of Mastani Begum at Pabal village near the city. Tamkeen too remains busy digging up government records of his family's property, belongings and jewellery impounded by the British.

Members of both the families jointly addressed the press in Mumbai some days ago. To allay their concerns, the film's makers declared they would include a disclaimer saying it is a work of fiction where any resemblance to real characters was coincidental. Still, the families have demanded a look at the script and the movie before release. "It is not a ban we are seeking but removal of what is objectionable. How can you disclaim it, when the names of all the characters are the same as in real life?" says Udaysing.

While it may not be firmly rooted in historical fact, the film's making did entail research. The film is based on fictional work Rauu, which draws from Bajirao's life but focuses on his love for Mastani. The writers, Bhansali and Prakash Kapadia, reportedly also consulted historian Ninad Bedekar. Research brought members of the crew to the two-storeyed Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Pune's crowded Shukrawar Peth. They visited twice, says the museum's director, Sudhanva Ranade, whose grandfather and founder of the establishment, D G Kelkar, wrote poems in admiration of Bajirao.

The museum's collection ranges from objects of everyday use to royal artifacts from the 18th to 20th centuries. Parts of the Mastani Mahal, believed to have been built by the Peshwa for his beloved, have been preserved here and became a reference point for the film's makers. It is a useful peek into the decor of that era: ornamental columns, arches, windows and seating areas all carved in dark brown wood as well as chandeliers and lamps.

Kapadia, who has the voice and inflection of a movie narrator, talks emotionally about the effort behind the film. In the years since its conception, multiplexes sprung up and audiences preferred shorter, youthful tales. His three-hour script was shortened to two hours. He combined the novel Rauu with knowledge from other books, maps and lectures by historians, cutting himself off from people for ten months to write the story.

Kapadia says he consciously stayed away from depicting the intricacies of Maharashtra culture that would have to be explained. Hints of it will be in the costumes and dialogues. "We wanted a universal flavour because this story could be anywhere. The focus is on the tremendous inherent conflict - a married Brahmin man's love for an outsider with Muslim roots."

Designer Anju Modi created around 80 saris for the film after studying museums in Mumbai and Pune, and visiting smaller towns like Paithan, Chanderi and Maheshwar. Along with Ranveer Singh on a trip to Nashik, she learnt how to fashion and drape traditional dhotis. In a remote area of Pune, Modi says she found a local to create typical turbans. She had two distinct styles to draw from - Maratha for Bajirao and his first wife, Kashibai, and Islamic for Mastani.

Another rich source of inspiration for Modi was Maratha paintings that helped her internalise the period. Paintings of Ravi Varma helped make-up artist Uday Shirali decide on a look for little-known Kashibai. He kept make-up to a minimum, using under-eye cream and foundation to give Chopra a younger look since women married early in those times.

If nothing else, Bhansali's films are known for their sets. Sriram Iyengar first heard of Bhansali's plan for a film on the Peshwas 12 years ago. Between assignments, Iyengar began studying Maratha forts and put together preliminary drawings of various sets. When the period film was revived, someone else was named art director. But a few meetings and twists of fate later, Iyengar and business partner Sujeet Sawant were taken onboard. Saloni Dhatrak joined them to offer expertise on Mughal architecture. Together they recreated Shaniwarwada with Kashi's villa and a mirror chamber.

Traditionally, the Marathas built simple forts with smaller rooms but Bhansali wanted everything to be scaled up. "He said he cannot have his protagonists in kholis," says Iyengar.

Bhansali is famously idiosyncratic. Bajirao's descendants point out that they were not approached in the run-up to the film and during most of the shooting. The Peshwas were invited on set once. Tamkeen says he tried to contact Bhansali to express his concerns over the depiction but received a lukewarm response, compelling him to move the courts for justice. Some aspects like an animated teaser on Bajirao were encouraging but the songs drew their ire.

The families are involved in regular fields like education and mechanics but routine lives have hardly dulled their pride in the laurels of ancestors. The Peshwas have to now buy Rs 5 tickets to see Shaniwarwada, a heritage site under the Archaelogical Survey of India. When it closes at 6 pm and they are herded out with other visitors, Mahendra laughs at the irony of being asked to leave "his own home".

Our anger must reach Bhansali, say both the families. This curious battle has allowed Bajirao's descendents to discover a dormant warrior spirit, at the receiving end of which is a headstrong Bollywood director.

View at the original source

Veteran comedian Deven Verma dies at 78! 12-02

Veteran comedian Deven Verma dies at 78!

Zee Media Bureau/Ritika Handoo

New Delhi: The popular face in Hindi cinema, known for tickling the funny bone of movie lovers during the golden period - Deven Verma - is no more. The 78-year-old actor suffered a cardiac arrest and succumbed to kidney failure, reports suggest.

Related Photo Gallery

Veteran comedian Deven Verma dies at 78

Verma breathed his last around 2 am at his residence in Pune.

The actor worked with some of the best filmmakers of his time, such as Basu Chatterji, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and the likes.

He graduated in politics and sociology before joining the film industry.Deven Verma was married to actor Ashok Kumar's daughter Rupa Ganguly.  

Reports further suggest that the cremation will take place today at noon, in Yerawada crematorium, Pune.

View at th original source

India Inc is an item number in a Bollywood film; the backbone of our economy is small biz 02-19

‘India Inc is an item number in a Bollywood film; the backbone of our economy is small biz’

In his book 'India Uninc.', IIMB's Professor R Vaidyanathan argues that the non-corporate sector constitutes nearly 45-50 per cent of GDP and therefore must be supported with less harassment from corrupt regulators and more access to credit

Did you know that both BCCI and Bollywood, magnificent Indian obsessions, belong to the unorganized sector? India Uninc., the book on India's large and productive informal sector by Professor Vaidyanathan, launched on Tuesday (Feb 04) evening at the IIMB auditorium not only redefines the Indian economic structure; it also puts the spotlight on the nation's 'unincorporated' sector and the problems dogging it.

Released by a galaxy of eminent persons, including

Mr. Rangachary, former chairman, IRDA; Mr. Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education Services, and Mr. Murali, Managing Director, Sriram Properties, the book delves into the non-corporate sector, explains how the many proprietorship and partnership firms, small manufacturing units, kirana stores, single entrepreneurs and household enterprises are the true future of the economy in the long term.

Published by Tata Westland, the book urges a wider view of the national economy, with Professor Vaidyanathan stating that the needs of small entrepreneurs should prevail over crony capitalism.

"Erudite yet accessible, and offering a wealth of information on an uncharted territory, India Uninc. is a must-read for anybody who aspires to understand the Indian economy -as well as India itself," declared Mr Rangachary.

Describing the birth of the book, Professor Vaidyanathan, revealed that 'terminology terrorism' had triggered in him a need to coin a new word - Uninc. He said, "I do not call the informal sector 'unorganized' as the word has a negative connotation. They are certainly better organized than some MNCs, believe me!"

He drew attention to the fact that this 'Uninc' that India must be proud and supportive of actually contributes 45-50- per cent of the GDP and therefore needs access to credit. "Instead what they find themselves dealing with is corrupt regulation," he added.

Highlighting the uniqueness of the Indian economy, he explained how the engine growth for India lies in the unincorporated sector, an idea seconded by Mr. Mohandas Pai, who suggested that the unincorporated sector be incentivized for growth and job creation.

Mr. Murali, who described Professor Vaidyanathan as his mentor, hoped that policies framed by government would show a real connect with real society.

Earlier in the evening, Professor Devanath Tirupati, Director Incharge, IIMB, welcomed the gathering of scholars, business heads and students to the book launch, describing Professor Vaidyanathan as a researcher whose work finds resonance with the common man. And true to character, Professor Vaidyanathan kept his audience engrossed with his wit and wisdom. "I was worried that the vegetable vendor, down the road where I live and who works from 7 am to 10 pm is described as unorganized but the Government is described as organized, and that's when I decided to research the subject," he said only in half jest as his audience erupted into wild applause.

He also laid bare the lopsided viewpoints of policy-makers and 'experts', and urged a broader vision of the country's economy.

View at the original source

Kamal Hassan's Speech at IIT Mumbai 05-05

Avenues 2010 Avenues 2010( 23rd and 24th October) revolved around the theme “Change, Evolve, Sustain”. This theme stemmed out of the fact that change is Constant and the day an organization or an individual chooses to resist change, the process of its ‘extinction’ is triggered. The evolution of an organization or individual facing the challenges bravely is of utmost importance in the fast-paced modern world. Again, neither change nor emergence is complete without being sustainable. Sustainability is not merely confined to the strategic functions of a business enterprise, but it is a paradigm shift in our view of running corporations, in that they also belong to Earth Inc., which has its assets and depreciations. The time has come to develop technologies, business models and financial instruments for environmental reasons, above all, if not for economic reasons.  Avenues 2010 saw stalwarts such as Mr. Adi Godrej, Mr. S. Gurumurthy, Mr. Satish Jha, Mr. Subroto roy Sahara, Mr. Kamal Hassan share their insights with the students of SJMSOM, IIT Bombay. Avenues 2010 was inaugurated by Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman- Godrej group, Mr. S. Gurumurthy, Dr. Devang Kakkar, Director- IIT Bombay and Dr. Karuna Jain, HOD – SJMSOM. Mr. Adi Godrej captivated the audience with his mind-blowing speech covering diversified topics ranging from equity, sustainability, inclusive growth, role of science and technology and entrepreneurship. He stated that India in the current state is in the throes of transformation in integrating itself with the world. Mr. Godrej felt that, India in trying to develop itself post independence neglected equity and sustainability, the two major areas of concern today. Mr. Godrej provided deep insights to the audience on how India is a land of contradictions in terms of its past and present performance. Further, Mr. Godrej spoke about the risk-averse attitude of the Indians where established rules and regulations are preferred over experimentation. He encouraged the younger generation to take up entrepreneurship as a career option and asserted that the future of India would depend on the quality of new businesses cropping up. Mr. Gurumurthy enthralled the young audience with his lively speech embellished with anecdotes and examples from his vast expertise. He spoke about the contribution of India to the world, India as an empire striking back and the importance of studying the history of a nation to understand the direction of change and sustainability. He mentioned that we should neither try to become the world, nor copy it, but deal with it. Here, he asserted that it is of utmost importance to study the history of a nation to understand the dynamics and economics. Mr. Gurumurthy drew out several differences between Indian economic performance in the beginning of the millennium and its current state. He compared and contrasted the reasons for the rise of the West and the downfall of the Asian countries. Mr. Gurumurthy urged the young Indian youth to empty their thoughts and begin thinking afresh in order to bring about change, evolution and sustainability. Sri Subroto Roy told that many people in life are looking for a feeling of security in terms of good life, material, health and respect and that all life decisions conclusions desires and planning are always oriented towards fulfilling these needs. He explained that perpetual dissatisfaction and craving for more is a trait of human beings. He further added that doing things for blood relations does not amount to sacrifice and that the ulterior motive behind this is personal and emotional satisfaction. He firmly believes that each person is the master of his own destiny and can imbibe these principles. The basic principles for achieving this is hardwork, honesty and discipline, followed by building knowledge of life, subject, workplace and behavior; and honesty. He added that a true leader never imposes his authority on his sub-ordinates. Sri Sahara also raised issues about the way the corporate houses are working in India and how they are more profit oriented rather than people oriented .He urged them to have  more inclusive growth plans in their companies. Mr. Jha enlightened the audience about the shortcomings of the existing education system and policies in India. He insisted that a transformation in education sector is imminent in order to surpass the educational standards of the West. Mr. Jha narrated the one of the most important lessons he had ever learnt in life was to grab a technology to be put to use, irrespective of the country in which the technology was incubated. He told that mobile phones have had the greatest impact on mankind past two decades. In addition, he told that there is a wide variation between learning and education and that learning includes absorbing things to reach a certain goal. He added that technology makes learning fun for children and overcomes infrastructure challenges. Mr. Jha advised that our view of life should not be a rear-view driving instead it should be that of assessing the opportunities for tomorrow without looking back at the past. Mr. Kamal Hassan shared with students his experiences in crossing the hurdles he faced to reach the zenith of success he is at today. He stated that movies should not be made only with the purpose of making it a commercial success but should have soul in it. He believes that cinema has a great impact on the society and is a great medium to put messages across. While discussing the theme of Avenues he said that there is nothing as permanent as change but one should never ask for change one should try to become the change one wants, evolve into it and then only one would be able to sustain it. Avenues also included many events with innovative concepts including Nirvikriti- an event to develop a marketing plan for sustainable tourism in Maharashtra. With MTDC taking a hand in the event- from active involvement in design as well as judging, this event was a large scale, real-life marketing exercise for all participants. Another popular event was Navonmesh, a business plan competition for real, up-and-coming innovations provided by the Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP). The B-plan presentations were on diverse innovations and were followed by analysis of these plans from a venture capitalists point of view. The competition concluded with a negotiation round, wherein the teams presenting B-plans attempted to gain funding from the Venture Capitalist teams. The judging panel, which included Mr. Kumar- VP, SIDBI, was very appreciative of the event. Pragyaan, the business quiz, was also a huge success, drawing a large crowd from corporate houses as well as from B-Schools- with over 250 team registrations from companies such as TCS, IBM etc, and institutes such as IIMs, SP Jain etc. The event opened to a packed auditorium, which greeted the arrival of the teams and the quiz-master enthusiastically and entered whole-heartedly into the spirit of the event, with tremendous participation. This year, another crowd puller was Ashwamedh, the championship event which opens only to a few top colleges. It concentrated on Private Equity firms- which have always been viewed by the public as mysterious. The event gave participants a chance to understand how these organizations work, and where crucial problems and opportunities for innovation exist, by inviting the participants to act as PE investors to create strategies and make decisions in a changing economic environment. A huge dose of entertainment at this event was provided by Mr. Kapil Sharma, a stand-up co-median and winner of ―The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. The auditorium was over-flowing, and the audience enjoyed every moment of the routine. Some lighter moments during Avenues 2010. View the video of Kamal Hassan's speech