One still recoils in horror when one comes across the picture of a 10-year old, naked Vietnamese girl who is running for her life, terror writ large on her face. It depicts the aftermath resulting from the use of Napalm bomb by the United States during the Vietnam War. Even after two decades, the clouds […]
Indian options on Pak N-capability
With the scrapping of the United States economic and military aid to Pakistan from October 1, Pakistan ha failed to clothe its nuclear weapons programme in the garb of peaceful intentions. Initially, Pakistan had hopes that after the General Elections on October 24, the USA will resume the aid flow, but the hopes have been […]
Building bridges
“Chinese premier Li Peng’s visit to India generates quiet optimism about improved relations” The ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, once said “De bu gu, bi you living” (a virtuous government won’t be in isolation. It will enjoy good neighbourliness). Apparently, not so long back, the Chinese could not care less about what ancient philosophers had to […]
India becomes top gold jewellery maker
Mumbai: India has surpassed Italy and is now officially the largest gold jewellery producer in the world. Confirming the development, Federazione Nazionale Orafi Gioiellieri Fabbricanti Aderente a Confindustria or Federorafi which is the federation of Italian jewellers said that India has relegated Italy to second place in gold jewellery production. In an interview to TOI, […]
Planning a shelter from the storm
“Disaster management is not just the responsibility of civic authorities, but also of families who must take care of their finances” Manik Dey, 55, a manager with Air India was a bit too optimistic in life. Dey hopes that nobody should suffer like him and pay through the nose the way he did. Floods ravaged […]
Mobile content market waiting to explod
Mumbai: Nothing sells better than sex and religion. In keeping with that maxim, mobile content providers are now looking at bolder revenue opportunities, beyond ringtones, contests and games, to grab the country’s 100 million cellphone users. So, by the beginning of 2007, Indians may lose their shyness in the bedroom-and the under-exercised couple may turn […]
Rising salaries may blunt India’s software edge
Mumbai: Is India’s software talent getting too expensive? Henning Kagermann, chief of SAP, the leader in client and server enterprise application software, believes so. His recent statement that Indian software developers are becoming expensive and SAP intends to look elsewhere for hiring, has sparked off a debate on whether India can retain its competitive edge […]
I have never invested and will never invest in shares
The Pioneer takes a close look at the personality of the newly appointed head of SEBI, the watchdog of the country’s capital markets For a person who is publicity-shy. Devendra R Mehta, the fourth chairman of the Securities and exchange Board of India (SEBI) has opted for a high profile job. The fact that he […]
I have a duty to perform
“Finance minister Manohan Singh says he will not quit “ He is the man that the Joint Parliamentary committee (JPC)-or, at least, some of its members-loves to hate. But finance minister Man Mohan Singh is not a man to be browbeaten by critics. Or, for that matter, forced out of officially forced by a somewhat […]
SOFT DRINKS Bottled up?
“Pepsi Foods submits a new set of proposals to the government and prepares to face competition from Coca-Cola “ Four years after Pepsi came to India, it isn’t sure if it made the right choice of terms and conditions. Under pressure from the government, the company finds itself bottled up by the clauses of its original […]
THE FINAL ACT
The ratification of the Dunkel Draft by India elicits mixed reactions Last week, P.V. Narasimha Rao surprised quite a few people in the commerce ministry. In a public speech in Rajasthan, the Prime Minister dwelt on the period after signing the Dunkel Final Act (DFA). And what he said was hardly calculated to raise the […]
OPERATION FLOOD
Fear was the key. And, by what the average tourist regarded as a defence against cholera, acquired snob value. A commerce built on fashion and fear had to succeed. So has the mineral water industry. This summer, the turnover has touched Rs.20 crore, with sales put at an awesome 2, 00, 000 cases (one case […]
Yes…no… maybe!
The final JPC report absolves Union finance minister Manmohan Singh, but fails to identify the real scamsters Ram Niwas Mirdha was a worried man on 8 December, when the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was to meet to approve the draft report on the security scam. He faced one of the most embarrassing moments of his […]
Thackeray says he believes in the rule of law
BALTHACKERAY has apparently climbed down. And how! He now says he believes “in the rule of law” and is now willing to fight his on going battle to absolve himself of any role in the 1992-93 riots in a court of law instead of the streets of Mumbai. “I ‘ll go right up to the […]
There is no threat to my government; Bal Thackeray is not above the law
From sarpanch of obscure Bhabalgaon village in Latur district to chief minister of Maharashtra, the 54-year-old Vilasrao Deshmukh has come a long way. He believes it was his density to become chief minister. Excerpts from a conversation The fortnight-old Congress NCP government seems to be in perpetual crisis. How will you keep the flock together? […]
How can you be effective without fighting?
FOR THE 24th time since he joined the IAS in 1967, St Stephen’s and Cambridge-educated Arun Bhatia has been transferred. The latest transfer came last week. He was shifted out from the post of Pune Municipal Commissioner after he ordered the demolition of illegal structures built by Pune’s rich and famous. Ketan Tanna spoke to […]
WE NEED DISCIPLINE MORE THAN FREEDOM
If there is one thing common between bal thackeray and Nani Palkhivala, it is their fear of India’s disintegration. One of the last surviving greats of the Tata empire, Nani Palhkivala, eminent jurist and India’s former ambassador to the united States of America, is convinced about the country’s all round degeneration. Indeed, when an eminent […]
Has Mumbai gone to the MAFIA?
Last fortnight has not been very kind of Maharashtra State and in particular the capital city of Mumbai. Life for the average citizen, which was anyway, nothing to write home about, is slowly moving from bad to worse. Bandhs have become the order of the day. It would not be an exaggeration to say that […]
I am afraid of only the police
In what was his last interview, to Ketan Tanna, before being arrested on the eve of the Bombay Municipal Corporation elections, underworld don, Arun Gawli spoke candidly about his past and future. Some excerpts: Why have you entered politics? I have many educated boys with me. Some of them are engineers and double graduates. They […]
We are nations of ‘ghulams’
When he was deputy municipal commissioner G. R. Khairnar fought the corrupt systems. As his hate list swells in numbers Q. It has been three years since you launched your crusade against corruption. How successful do think you have been? A. It is not a question of success or failure. I have tried to create […]
BJP made no promise to Shiv Sena
In course of an interview with Hindustan Times, the Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray accused the BJP of backstabbing and breach of promise. Lal Krishna Advani, Bhartiya Janta Party President, is wary about, making any comments to the press especially on the recent outburst by the Sena supreme, Bal Thackeray, that the BJP betrayed its’ […]
The BJP ‘black-stabbed us’ : Thackeray
“I have lost all enthusiasm. The death of my wife, and later my son has shattered me. Yet, I must live. I meet people, give interviews, but I will have to retire. I am thinking of my retirement from politics. God knows, what I will do after retiring. May be gardening,” smiled a fragile looking. […]
IT WILL TAKE FOUR YEARS
Space scientist Abdul Kalam on India’s ability to develop its own cryogenic rocket technology With the on-again-off-again status of the Cryogenic engine deal, nobody is sure of its status. The Russian Prime Minister, Victor Chernomyrdin, on this way to USA, is quoted as saying: “The Russian government has not taken a formal decision to freeze […]
Popular computer game for kids is hidden sex trip
Mumbai: The many joys of boyhood are directly linked to hoodwinking parents. And these are good times for boys chafing at the oppressiveness of parental ‘guidance’. The latest version of a popular computer game called The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) looks like any other action-packed 3D animation fare in which the player goes on a […]
Flood-hit village woman may get Rs 42 lakh relief
That’s The Price Of Losing 21 Male Family Members, But Female Relatives Want A Share By Ketan Tanna /TNN Mumbai: The recent monsoon onslaught in Maharashtra has taken a village woman close to an unexpected fortune. Twentyeight-year-old Sneha Sanjay Sakpal from Kundivati, a small hamlet in Raigad district, is likely to get Rs 42 lakh […]
Porn DVDs leapfrog govt block on net
Mumbai: In response to a demand made by the Indian Union Muslim League, the government has allegedly blocked access to a website accused of peddling a pornographic video called ‘Sex Life Of The Prophet’. But given that the hydraheaded internet is almost impossible to police, the offending DVD is still easily available at other leading […]
Priceless but uninsured
Some rare manuscripts may be secure in a bank vault but the Asiatic Society says it is not in a position to pay the high premium for its treasures By Ketan Tanna /TNN Mumbai: Talk about the Asiatic Society, Mumbai, and the first thing that comes to your mind is a priceless collection of rare […]
Spiral Binding
An increasing number of suspicious fathers are openly or secretly performing tests on their children to ascertain who the dad is. Ketan Tanna unravels a new Indian experiment that Lord Ram had once done differently A moment that most men fear. Even married men. The unemotional announcement of the woman, “I think I am pregnant”. But there […]
Pretty eunuchs and a secret trade
Scores of eunuchs will meet in a school. And behind closed doors, they will sell their lovely wards to the best bidders. Ketan Tanna finds a keyhole PHOTOGRAPH BY Prashant Nakwe Scores of eunuchs will meet in a school. And behind closed doors, they will sell their lovely wards to the best bidders. Ketan Tanna finds a […]
Film stars earn crores, but won’t pay for security cover
HE IS one of the highest paid stars in the Hindi film industry. He charges more than Rs one crore plus per film. Yet, when it came to paying a small sum for police security to the Mumbai Police, he simply refused to pay up. He is Shahrukh Khan, Bollywood’s number one star. He owes […]
89 charge sheets filed in Mumbai shoe scam
MUMBAI, June 12. “They are white collar chors (thieves). They have gobbled Rs 1,000 crore of public money totally. And they are moving around freely. It is time that economic offences committed by white collar chors were taken as seriously by India’s decision-making elite as criminal offences,” sighs police inspector S.G.Mahadik of the Mumbai Police’s […]
Trustee’s meet managed for Kiran
Is Mr. Dinesh Afzalpurkar, Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Government, lying when he said that it was “unanimous decision” of the Bombay Port Trust (BPT) trustees to rent prime office premises to Ms Kiran Choudary in south Bombay at throwaway price? More to the point, what exactly happened on the day when Mr. Afzalpurkar in pre-determined […]
No takers for Westland copters
THE GOVERNMENT is in a desperate dilemma on how to dispose of the 19 Westland-30 helicopters which have been gathering dust after they were declared unsafe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 1991 following two crashes. Last week, Air Commodore C M Singla, Chairman and Managing Director, Pawan Hans Limited, received an unusual […]
I never intended sacking Rajiv Gandhi: Zail
FORMER PRESIDENT Giani Zail Singh remarked that despite pressure from Congressmen and the Opposition, he did not dismiss erstwhile Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “I had no intension of dismissing him,” he said. In an exclusive interview to The Pioneer, the Giani remarked: “there were a lot of corruption charges against Rajiv Gandhi. I could have […]
A DEAL IN THE AIR
The inside story of how the civil aviation ministry got Indian Airlines pilots back to work When Indian Airlines (IA) pilots got back to flying on 24 January, nearly five weeks after they struck work, one question remained unanswered: how did the two sharply polarised camps, the IA management and the pilots, finally come to […]
BOFORS SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OTTAVIO QUATTROCHI
BOFORS SUNDAY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OTTAVIO QUATTROCHI AND HIS RELATIONS WITH THE GANDHI FAMILY It was billed as the smoking gun in the Bofors affair. For a fortnight before, New Delhi had reverberated with roumers to the effect that Chitra Subramaniam and the Indian Express were ready to publish a story, which would link […]
The old resting places of the beautiful
When she raised her arm in defiance and lip-synced parda nahi jab koi khhuda se to Lata Mangeshkar’s voice in Mughale-Azam, the entire nation heaved. Scores timed hours for a mere glimpse of her ethereal beauty. She never aged; death saw to it. Madhubala’s mortal remains lie today at the Santa Cruz Muslim cemetery. But […]
Not an IAS but a very civil servant
Like thousands all over the country, Vraj Patel wanted to join the Indian Administrative Service. And, like thousands (minus a few dozen every year), he failed to become one, instead managing to join the Central Excise and Customs as an inspector. But, unlike the faceless thousands like him, he has done much better. The Jetpur […]
The good will go on
Life is a beautiful day. But you need to wake up to see it. Right now, at this very moment, there may be scores of people standing on a stool with a cloth around their neck. A way of leaving Mumbai that is increasingly becoming popular. But for every stool that has fallen, several nooses […]
Gods who specialise
They are not run-of-the-mill gods. They function a lot like specialist doctors, whom a sick man approaches after the family doctor has washed his hands of the case. Devotees across the country are landing up in lakhs at these holy destinations with specific prayers, which they believe a general purpose god may be unable to […]
Colleagues as neighbours: Mumbai still does what Kolis did
Mumbai: What do established television actors and Andheri have to do with each other? Why would their struggling colleagues, still having some catching up to do, plump for a Saibaba Complex or a Gokuldham of Goregaon (E)? And why do you bump into so many BPO and call-centre employees in Powai, Andheri (E) or Malad’s […]
Not enough docs to take care of the mentally ill
Mumbai: Eighteen-year-old Kunal jumped to his death last August. The teenager’s middle-class parents did not know how to deal with his assertions that he was better than tennis player Leander Peas. Kunal withdrew into a shell and was put on medicines but that did not help. Edward D’Cunha’s father, Stanley, is now fighting against the […]
Why we keep our organs
The belief that organs will come in handy during afterlife is one of the many reasons why Indians are the worst body donors, says Ketan Tanna Shiva in his famous fury beheaded son Ganesha and then replaced his human head with an elephant’s, in what was perhaps the first recorded case of organ transplant in India. […]
Dreams in sound, not colour
At times, our dreams are vivid, colourful and imaginative, based on what we have imbibed and perceived in our dayto-day life. As common as dreams are for those who have vision, the visually challenged too dream. But what do they dream of, especially those who have been born visually challenged? Do they see colour? What […]
The cupids of Cusrowbaug
Elderly Parsis are contriving to make their 40-something singles fall in love, marry and hopefully procreate. Ketan Tanna follows their strategies Kety Daruwala is unable to contain herself. After all, she is reminiscing the paper dance game that she and other members of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat organised for the youth, during a get-together for marriageble boys […]
In joy and in coma
These are moving stories of men and women who have sacrificed all pleasures to care for their disabled spouses for years. Ketan Tanna reports Forty-three-year-old Megha Desai has stood by her 51-year-old husband Rasik’s bed for 11 years now. There is no fixed pattern to their life. Lights of their Andheri bungalow are switched on and off […]
No party, no politics. It’s a matter of conscience
THEY CALL themselves ‘conscience keepers’ of the voters. They are supporting not more then eight Independents. They are Bombay’s leading citizens-the much-hyped former Deputy Commissioner Govindrao Khairnar, supercop Julio Rebeiro, former municipal commissioners S S Tinaikar and J B Deouza and Hindustani Andolan chief Madhu Mehta. They loathe the word “party” so much, that they […]
Parsi angst over Zoroastrian initiation rite
ABOUT three months ago, 83-year-old Neville Wadia under went a traditional Parsi ceremony called “Navjote”. This scared Parsi ritual, which was a low-key affair, was held at his son Nusli Wadia’s (Bombay Dyeing chief) residence. By itself, there is nothing controversial about a Parsi having his Navjote ceremony performed. However, Neville Wadia’s ceremony has the […]
This bank gives little ones the kiss of life
PIYALI (not her real name) was barely a week old, she was brought to Bombay’s Lokmanya Tilak Hospital or the Sion Hospital as it is better known. The two persons who brought her claimed to be her relatives. The moment the opportunity came. Piyali’s so-called relatives disappeared. Hovering between life and death. Piyali, who had […]
Owners make a killing as pachyderms bear the brunt
GULABKALI IS 35years old. Malnourished and haggard, her moth-eaten ears are disfigured with numerous flea and parasite bites. Gulabkali has small wounds all over her body, some of them so fresh that blood still oozes out of them. Sitting ditch unable to move her chained legs, she winces occasionally and grunts in pain. “Arre dekho […]