News Updates World

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Movie review

2013-07-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

He is a Sikh and is in Pakistan, which has just been formed and Pathans have attacked his village and kin. The kid's father screams, run Milkha run.Some time later, the kid returns to his burnt down but somehow wet house. He slips on the blood-ridden muddy floor and tumbles through a weak wall. Here, he finds dead bodies piled up. They are of his mother, father and the rest of the family.
The kid screams and runs towards his mother but slips. He runs again with all his might but slips again. After this,
Milkha runs again, slips again at an important moment as the incident in Pakistan forces him to turn around. This tragedy ends in Pakistan when his friend tells him that its not people but circumstances which are bad. His friend's son asks him if he is the same Milkha who runs.
Then Milkha runs his final race and Pakistan runs with him in this madness. He is given a name: The Flying Sikh.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the story of that same 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh. The film goes into too much detail in the first half and feels slow here and there. The second half eliminates this issue. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is the same genius who gave us Rang de Basanti and comes across as the director who livens up every moment. Prasoon Joshi's script reaffirms the belief that when a poet narrates a story, it feels as if the story is full of emotion.
Farhan Akhtar's acting makes one rejoice. Go watch Bhaag Milkha Bhaag as it is a film that justifies your life and experiences.
If we go into the flashback of the story, we find a Sikh boy growing up in Multan. Due to partition, he has to come to Delhi, leaving his family back. In Delhi, he lives with his sister. He steals cola to make a living and then falls in love with Biira, who lives in a refugee colony in Shahdara. He makes up his mind to win her and gets enlisted in the Army.
Here begins his race. At first for the greed of an extra glass of milk and escaping parade, then to wear India's blazer and subsequently to get the world at his feet, by running. This race comes to an important turn in 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where he is unable to survive in the first round of the 400m sprint. He understands that the race is not as simple as it seems.
Then comes the drive, which he lives with and four years later, he reaches 1960 Rome Olympics after winning the Asiaad and Commonwealth Games among many other championships, and all eyes are on him. After all, he holds the world record. But here, amid the noise of that bloody evening, he turns around and loses.
But life does not end at the loss. Milkha overcomes this fear in a race in Pakistan.
The film is 3 hours 7 minutes long. In the beginning, one thinks how will the time pass by. Some scenes in the first half could have been easily removed, but perhaps filmmaker's stubbornness and his attachment with everything becomes evident.
Even the songs like Mastoon ka Jhund and title track power the film and its reason for existence. Some songs, if removed, could have reduced the film's length though. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music provides soul to Prasoon Joshi's lyrics.
Go and run with Milkha.

Zimbabwe advertise for new coach

2012-11-16T06:58:00.001-08:00

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has advertised for the job of national coach, starting next April. By implication, current coach Alan Butcher's contract will not be renewed.
"ZC wishes to advise that the position of national team coach will become vacant on April 1, 2013 ... ZC is therefore inviting applications for the position," the Zimbabwe board said in a release.Former England batsman Butcher, 58, was appointed coach in February 2010, replacing Walter Chawaguta. While not yet officially confirmed, the advertisement would suggest that the away series against West Indies in March 2013 will be Butcher's last in the role.

The board set November 30 as the deadline for those interested in filing their applications. It said that all candidates must have played first-class cricket, must have at least a recognised Level 3 coaching certificate, and must have at least five years of coaching experience at the senior level.

Zimbabwe are also looking for a new coach for their Under-19 team, to replace former New Zealand allrounder Chris Harris, who stepped down from the position in October following the U-19 World Cup. The team didn't have much success at the tournament, finishing in 15th place, above only Namibia.

‘1920: Evil Returns’ REVIEW

2012-11-02T11:20:00.003-07:00

‘1920: Evil Returns’ has all the ingredients which make it somewhat similar to its ‘prequel’ that had Adah Sharma and Rajneesh Duggal as the main leads. This one features Tia Bajpai and Aftab Shivdasani and has a tormented heroine, an evil spirit, her lover who saves her and of course the picturesque locations of England that are presented as an Indian hilly town of the pre-independence era.

Now the question is what is different this time? The answer lies in the movie’s story written by Vikram Bhatt. ‘1920: Evil Returns’ begins with Smriti (played by Tia Bajpai) pining to meet her lover Jaidev, a famous poet (played by Aftab Shivdasani) but she is under house arrest by a jealous evil spirit (played by Sagar Saikia) who does not want the two love birds to unite. Apparently, Jaidev and Smriti have not met each other even once in the two years that they been together and have only communicated only through love letters. While the lovers are desperate to meet, the evil spirit ensures all possible ways to thwart the impending union.

While the first half of the film keeps the viewers desperately waiting to get scared in the real sense of the word, it is the second half which has moments which run a chill down your spine. In fact, the second half of the film is what keeps the viewers hooked on to the big screen for it has all the elements that makes for a good horror film.

However, the film is not free of the glitches. It has its typical stereotypes. Like the zombie-like man who speaks to the graves and evokes more humour than chills. Funnily, in the movie this man has played the part in helping the hero in saving the heroine.

As far as performances are concerned, Tia Bajpai shows a marked improvement in her acting skills since the last time she worked with Vikarm Bhatt in ‘Haunted’. She scores much more for playing a possessed woman and she has done complete justice to her role in the movie’s second half. On the other hand, the leading man, Aftab Shivdasani is a disappointment. The actor has worked earlier in some good films with Vikram Bhatt but this time he has given a lackluster performance and appears drab in certain scenes. Vidya Malvade (she plays Aftab’s sister) and Sagar Saikia give able support to the film.

Debutant Bhushan Patel’s direction is not exceptional; there is still room for improvement. Directing a horror film is not an easy task. But when the script is written by a veteran in this genre, it can be improvised to great extent.

The special effects are captivating and lend a realistic look to the film’s sequences.

Overall, ‘1920: Evil Returns’ makes for a good watch and promises to keep you hooked and booked with all its frightening moments. Yet it is not as good as '1920'. Horror movie lovers may go and watch it for a healthy dose of it. It won’t let you down.

Kamaal Khan feels bad for Karishma Kotak

2012-11-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

He's saddened by the fact that his favourite Bigg Boss contestant Karishma Kotak is out of the show because of her father's death. There's genuine concern in his voice, as actor-producer-director Kamaal R Khan says: "I'm feeling very bad for her! I really liked her and the dignified way she carried herself and I pray that she gets enough courage to face this tragedy in life.

who had appeared in one of the earlier seasons of Bigg Boss, had tweeted sometime back that he was finding the Bigg Boss-6 quite boring. To this, he says: "Yes, I did feel like that initially. But now, things are getting very exciting. Bigg Boss ne jhagde karwa hee diye akhir! Ab log ek doosre ki maa bhen kar rahe hein! It's really worth watching now! Urvashi Dholakia is giving a lot of masala too!"

Watch out for Sampat And who according to him, is the most shrewd character in the celebrity house? "I feel Sampat Pal is the most dangerous person out there! Seeing her fibs and cunning act, I feel she must have been a big 'chapter' in her hey days! She must be fooling so many women to run her Gulabi Gang," says he and adds, "She's all about TRP, that's why she has not been evicted and Aseem has gone! He couldn't compete with a chapter like her!"

Sana Khan's engaged Sana Khan is one contestant, whom KRK likes to watch. He reasons it thus: "She's my friend and my dear friend's fiancee for the past 10 years. They are in a committed live-in relationship and as good as man and wife."

Elephantine Delnaz What does he have to say about Rajiv Paul and his flirting ways? He says: "With an ex wife like Delnaz, what else will he do? Poor Delnaz doesn't have money or looks. I think Rajiv's flirting with elephantine Delnaz for TRP only! There's no other explanation for that!"

Shah Rukh Khan's 47th birthday

2012-11-02T05:43:00.001-07:00

Bollywood's Badhshah, Shahrukh Khan turns 47 today, the superstar's hugely anticipated birthday will be a low-key affair this year, following the recent demise of veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra. But that disin't stop fan frenzy to hit an all time high, as family, friends and fans went all the way to make the actor's birthday a memorable one.

The entrance of SRK's bungalow in Mumbai was adorned with garlands and people from all walks of life waited outside his residence to catch a glimpse of the charming actor. Khan came out of his house, much to their happiness and waved at his fans from the terrace.

"iPhone 5 India" from today; prices start at Rs. 45,500

2012-11-01T23:14:00.002-07:00

New Delhi: Apple's India partners have confirmed that the much awaited iPhone 5 will be reaching India today. Apple is likely to make an announcement shortly.
Lack of compatible networks notwithstanding, the starting price for an upgrade will be Rs. 45,500 for the 16 GB variant getting higher with a model with higher storage.

In the US, the iPhone 5 is of course priced $649 for the 16GB version, 32GB at $749 and 64GB at $849. This translates to around Rs. 34,830 for 16GB version, Rs. 40,195 for 32GB version and Rs. 45,560 for the 64GB version, at the current exchange rate. Of course that does not include the import duties, currency fluctuations and local taxes.

Apple partner Redington has confirmed the iPhone 5 will retail at Rs. 45,500 for 16GB variant, Rs. 52,500 for 32GB and Rs. 59,500 for 64GB, which is not too far from the iPhone 4S pricing, and, thus, unlikely to cause major outrage over pricing that typically accompanies iPhone launch in India.

One concern some have around the iPhone 5 is the presence of a nano-SIM in the device. While users have reported success cutting a regular SIM/ micro-SIM into a nano-SIM, not everyone my be adventurous enough to do a DIY operation. A Vodafone spokesperson confirmed to NDTV Gadgets that they have nano-SIMs ready in stock, whenever Apple decides to launch iPhone 5 in the country. Airtel did not get back with a comment in time for this story. However, Airtel has starting taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5, which indicates it should be ready with nano-SIMs on its part.

In other Apple news, the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad are now available for pre-orders in select countries. The company has also introduced local currency pricing in its App Store in India and seven other countries.

Sun TV's Hyderabad IPL franchise expects to break even in second year

2012-10-31T13:45:00.001-07:00

CHENNAI: The Kalanithi Maran-owned Sun TVBSE 3.34 % expects its newly-acquired Hyderabad IPL franchise to break even in the second year but not before incurring a likely Ebitda loss of Rs 25-30 crore in the first year, said a report by brokerage Enam.

The report said Sun expects an annual cash outflow of Rs 140-150 crore for the next five years in managing the as-of-now unnamed Hyderabad franchise, which it bagged last week in a BCCI auction after bidding Rs 425 crore for five years.

The forecast means Sun's franchise won't be too far from rivals such as Chennai SuperKings, which in 2012, coinciding with the fifth season of the IPL, fetched owner India Cements an income of Rs 137 crore.

The auction amount, paid yearly, constitutes the biggest expenditure component. Sun's bid amount for the Hyderabad franchise is roughly double of what Deccan ChronicleBSE -4.11 % had bid for in 2008, the inaugural year of IPL.

So those who entered the fray in 2008 - the likes of Chennai SuperKings and Mumbai Indians - pay far less as yearly fee than the later entrants. Sun's payout will still be only half of what Sahara bid for (about Rs 170 crore a year) in the heady days of IPL in 2010, which helped it bag the Pune franchise.

The Sun group CFO SL Narayanan had in an earlier interview with ET indicated that it would make ""solid profits"" from year three.

Of the projected Rs 145 crore cash outflow, Rs 85 crore would go toward auction payment, about Rs 40 crore toward player cost and the rest toward overheads such as stadium rent, event management expense, travelling and other admin expenses, it said.

It also listed possible revenue sources as media and sponsorship rights (50% revenue contribution), local sponsorships (25%), and ticket sales (25%). "While the deal will be EPS dilutive in the near term, we expect Sun TV to benefit in the medium term from synergies with its television and radio businesses," it said. Though Tamil is its bread-and-butter, Sun TV has significant presence in the Telugu language media market (for which Hyderabad is the hub) with a slew of TV channels and radio stations.

Enam also revised Sun's 2014 earnings estimate to Rs 20.3 a share from Rs 21 a share earlier and also its price target to Rs 366 from Rs 378 on the stock.
Sun TV's 2012 total income was Rs 1,847 crore, with profit after tax of roughly a third of that.

IPL 6: Pune Warriors may release Jesse Ryder

2012-10-31T13:41:00.001-07:00

Delhi: The Pune Warriors India are all set to release burly New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder who now goes back to the auction pool while Delhi Daredevils will also release a few of their foreign recruits from last season including Ranji Trophy's highest run-scorer Robin Bist.

Most of the franchises are keeping cards close to their chest and are set to retain all the big names.

Current IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders are not releasing any of the big names while Daredevils are set to retain their top six foreign players Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen, Morne Morkel, David Warner, Andre Russell and Ross Taylor.

Bist, who has been a part of Daredevils set-up but hasn't got a single game has always been earmarked as a man for the longer version.

While youngsters like Yogesh Nagar, Puneet Bisht, Shahbaz Nadeem and Manpreet Juneja were the additional four players apart from the squad of 15 who went to South Africa for the Champions League Twenty20, Robin's omission from the touring party was a clear indication about what the management feels about him.

South African opener Ghulam Bodi and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, both of whom joined as replacements will go back to the auction pool along with New Zealand pacer Doug Bracewell who is unlikely to find a place with likes of Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar already there.

Sourav Ganguly has already declared that he won't play in IPL 6. Ryder didn't do too badly during Pune Warriors' disastrous campaign last year but he hasn't played a single competitive match after the last edition of IPL.

"He hasn't been playing much cricket so at this point it doesn't make sense to include him," an insider stated.

The high profile Mumbai Indians side will also like to reduce a bit of flab as far as their foreign recruits are concerned.

While the likes of Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Smith, Mitchell Johnson, James Franklin, Richard Levi are certainties to be retained, the axe might fall on the fringe foreign players like Clint McKay, Aiden Blizzard and Davey Jacobs to name a few.

Dropping a few of these foreign recruits would ideally give MI a chance to buy some quality domestic players depending on their performance which will be tracked by former India pacer Paras Mhambrey who travels across the length and breadth of the country in search of quality Indian performers.

IPL: Mumbai Indians looking to revamp team

2012-10-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians (MI), probably the biggest under-achievers of the five-year-old IPL, are now seriously looking at revamping their team for the sixth edition. It's understood that the team management has released at least six players from the roster - a mix of Indian and foreign players. Some of the players rumoured to have been released by MI are Richard Levy, Thissara Perrera, Davey Jacobs, Aiden Blizzard and Clint McKay.

While Levy, who scored the fastest T20 century in international cricket, was a big buy for Mumbai last season, the franchise coughed up $650,000 for Perrera. A couple of other players like Herschelle Gibbs might be exchanged once the trading window opens later this month. "We have to be judicious in our approach," an MI source said. Wednesday was the last day for the submission of the lists - will be made public by the BCCI soon -by the teams.

There was intense speculation on Tuesday that MI skipper Harbhajan Singh is on his way out, but the franchisee scotched these rumours. "These were baseless rumours and Harbhajan was and is still a part of this side. He has been with MI from the first season and brings in a lot of value to the team. There was never any doubt about his future with MI," an IPL official said.

Chennai Super Kings are also looking to release a couple of their foreign recruits. Doug Bollinger, who was instrumental in their IPL triumphs in 2010 and 2011, was way below-par last season and returned home midway due to personal reasons. The pacer and Australia's T20 captain Geroge Bailey are likely to be released by CSK.

Ravindra Jadeja was the costliest buy for CSK last season. But he was a disappointment and some CSK officials want him to be released to use the money for buying some players. However, there was no confirmation on Jadeja from the franchise.

Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi loses appeal against 90,000-pound compensation to Chris Cairns

2012-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi has lost his appeal against the 90,000 pound libel award to former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns over unfounded accusations of match-fixing.

The Guardian reported that three judges in the Court of Appeal, headed by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, said the "awards were proportionate to the seriousness of the allegation and its direct impact on Cairns himself -- and would serve to vindicate his reputation".
The 42-year-old Cairns had sued Modi over an "unequivocal allegation" on Twitter in January 2010. Modi had tweeted that the New Zealander was removed from the IPL auction list because of his involvement in alleged match-fixing. Cairns said that Modi's tweet turned his achievements to "dust".
Earlier this year in March, Justice David Bean gave the verdict in favour of Cairns, saying Modi had "singularly failed" to provide any reliable evidence of Cairns' involvement in match-fixing or spot-fixing.

Indian Grand Prix 2012: Vettel win again!

2012-10-28T12:21:00.002-07:00

Driving like a champion, Sebastian Vettel on Sunday notched up a start-to-finish victory at the Formula One Indian Grand Prix to extend his lead over Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso to 13 points in the overall championship table.

Vettel got away from the rest from the start and widened the gap further to claim his second consecutive win at the Buddh International Circuit. This was the fourth win in a row and fifth overall for the season for the Red Bull driver. Alonso, running a close second in the drivers’ standings and starting fifth on the grid, displayed his fighting abilities to claim the second spot. Mark Webber, the other Red Bull driver, staved off a strong challenge from McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton to take the third place.

The win took Vettel to 240 points and helped Red Bull, now 407 points, cushion its place further at the top of the table. Ferrari, on 316, and McLaren, on 306, were at second and third slots with three races to go. Vettel drew satisfaction from the fact that the teamwork took him to a perfect triumph, in which he used the one-stop strategy to finish nearly 10 seconds clear of the second-placed Alonso. “It was a result of all of us working hard together over the weekend…It was a perfect strategy from the team,” said the German. Alonso, needing to stay as close to Vettel as possible in order to keep his chances alive for the championship, gave a valiant performance. He overtook Hamilton after the first corner of the opening lap and used the DRS to get past the other McLaren driver Jenson Button three laps later.

The Spaniard moved ahead of Webber with 12 laps to go as the Australian faced some problems with his KERS. He pushed hard in the closing stages but Vettel was too fast for him. “I think I can win the championship. I will not give up,” said Alonso. Webber, who went one place up to be fourth overall, was happy to keep the third place. Force India drivers gave a creditable performance in their ‘home’ race. Nico Hulkenberg improved from his 12th spot on the grid to grab the eighth position. Paul di Resta, who started 16th, managed the 12th place.

HRT driver Narain Karthikeyan completed his second consecutive race to end up 21st. Three retirements, including that of his team mate Pedro de la Rosa and Michael Schumacher, helped the Indian.He has done it again. After beginning the year on a low note facing lots of ups and downs, 25-year-old Sebastian Vettel has silenced his critics with four successive GP titles after winning the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) for the second time in a row. This is the first time in his glittering career that Vettel has claimed four consecutive wins. No driver since Button in 2009 had managed to do so. Vettel has now extended his lead to 13 points ahead of Ferrari’s Alonso and has also tightened his grip on securing a third successive world title.

It was chaos all around post the inaugural Airtel Indian Grand Prix last year. Most of the drivers were back in their pits and were too tired to appear before the media after a tiring day. Not Sebastian Vettel, though. He looked as fresh as he did before the race, and happily answered the barrage of questions thrown at him after winning the race. Moreover, he was quite used to facing the media in 2011 when he had cruised to back-to-back victories, taking his tally to 11 with the Indian GP.

The defending champion didn’t have a great start to 2012 and he deserves full credit for the stellar comeback. He was lagging 40 points behind Alonso at one point in the beginning of the year. But the champion that he is, Vettel, prior to the Indian GP was leading by 6 points ahead of Alonso which has now been extended to 13. The world title hasn’t been sealed yet, thanks to Alonso, who raced his heart out as he finished second after beginning from the fifth place.

The German dominated in both the practice sessions on Friday. On Saturday, Vettel once again led the proceedings as he bagged the pole position. The two-time world champion has once again shown that he is an expert when it comes to leading from that position.

Analysts believed that the Indian track at the Buddh International Circuit is quite similar to that of the Korean one. It has long straights in the early part of the lap followed by more twisted, technical sections. After winning his second Indian Grand Prix, Vettel has now moved a step closer towards his third successive world crown. As predicted, the track at the Buddh International Circuit once again suited the Red Bull drivers as Mark Webber came third giving Red Bull two podium finishes.

On Friday, while Vettel clocked the fastest time with 1 minute 25.283 seconds to grab pole, his teammate Webber finished second with a timing of 1:25.327; and thus Red Bull started as clear favourites on Sunday with two of its drivers in the top three.

It’s the end of another successful Indian Grand Prix. India has been lauded for the improvement it has shown as compared to last year. There have been a lot of changes since the inaugural race. But the result has been the same. While all the drivers once again tried to win their maiden title here, we saw Vettel, the champion, drenched in Champagne at the top of the podium on Sunday this year too.

Windows 8: not same as a windows 7 its next zen OS,but its pricing little high in india

2012-10-28T08:35:00.002-07:00

If you are planning to get Windows 8, you should read them and then decide whether you want or not. But just to recap, here are a few points that may help you reach a decision:

1-Windows 8 has some learning curve associated with it, but once you get hang of how it works (it will take around a week or two), you will find that Windows 8 is overall much simpler to use and is much better looking compared to earlier Windows.

2-Windows 8 works best if you have computer or laptop with a touchscreen.

3-If you like the simplicity and user interface of tablets, you will likely love Windows 8.

4-Overall, Windows 8 is faster and smoother compared to Windows 7.

5-Microsoft has tried to simplify the OS. In some cases this means lots of options used by power users are buried deep inside the system. For example, even Start button has been removed. You may not like Windows 8 if you are a power user.

6-Currently, the Windows Store doesn't have many apps that you may use on daily basis. But whatever apps it has are beautiful and simple to use. Though some users may find the apps too simple.

So, after carefully weighing everything you decided to get Windows 8? Ok. But before we talk about availability, let's take a look at different versions of Windows 8.

Windows RT: Pay special attention to this version. A consumer won't be able to buy it in the open market but it is important that you know about it. Windows RT is the most basic version of Windows 8. It is meant ONLY for computers or tablets that run on ARM processors. This means, if a tablet or computer runs on AMD or Intel processor it can't be powered by Windows RT. At least, not at the moment.

The difference between Windows RT and other versions of Windows 8 is that on the device powered by Windows RT, you will not be able to run legacy apps. If you are a geek, here is a better explanation: Windows RT can't run X86 programmers Only compatible programmes sold or distributed through Windows Store will run on devices powered by Windows RT. This means if you buy Microsoft Surface, a tablet which is powered by Windows RT, you can't download and run VLC Player or Picasa or Firefox on it.

To be specific, Windows RT is meant for tablets. It will offer probably better battery life and will be much simpler to use, but in terms of functionality, it is likely to be limited compared to a proper computer.

Windows 8 Enterprise: This version is for customers who want volume licencing. The enterprise version has several specific features that are important for system administrators in large companies.

Windows 8: This is the vanilla version of the new OS. And it lacks features like Encryption and Windows-To-Go. Currently, Microsoft has not announced any pricing for it.

Windows 8 Pro: This is the version of Windows that Microsoft is pushing in the market at the moment. It has almost all the features of Windows 8. The only bits missing are the ones used by enterprise customers. If you are buying a computer with Windows 8 or want to update the OS on your existing machine, this is the version you should buy.

Hardware requirements: Microsoft has said that any computer that is running Windows 7 can run Windows 8 with ease. If you want to be specific, the company says that a machine should have:

1GHz or faster processor, 1GB RAM (32-bit) or 2GB RAM (64-bit), 16GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20GB (64-bit), DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. For Modern UI apps a screen with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels is mandatory.

Now, let's talk about how you can get Windows 8.

Microsoft believes that most people will get the new OS when they buy a new computer. So, it is focussing a lot on making sure that Windows 8 runs on all new computers sold in the market. According to the company, from today onwards over 250 models of Windows 8-powered computers and tablets will be available in Indian market.

But if you are someone who wants to buy Windows 8 for your existing computer, you have three options at the moment.

If you bought your computer after June 2, 2012 you can pay Rs 699 to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. This offer will last until January 31, 2013.

If you use Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro after paying Rs 1,999. This offer will last until January 31, 2013. One important thing to note here is that this offer is applicable only if you download the installation disk of Windows 8 from Microsoft website.

If for some reason you cannot download the OS and need the retail box, you can buy Windows 8 Pro at a price of around Rs 4,000. This offer too is valid until January 31, 2013. After that the OS is likely to cost above Rs 11,000.

iPhone 5 starting price is Rs 45k in India.Its available november 2 in local market

2012-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Apple iPhone 5 launch in India has been delayed by a week to November 2, but several Apple partners in India have confirmed that the starting price for the much-awaited phone will be Rs 45,500.

one of two distribution partners of Apple in India. the basic 16 GB version of the iPhone 5 will be priced at Rs 45,000 and the 32 GB and 64 GB will be priced Rs 52000 and Rs 59000 respectively. On Friday, Ingram, the other Apple India retailer, confirmed that Apple is set to launch the iPhone 5 on November 2, 2012.

Both black and white versions of the phone are expected to go on sale. But still stocks are extremely limited considering the global demand for the device.

Apple’s iPhone 5 has been one of the fastest selling smartphones ever as the company sold nearly 5 million devices in the first weekend itself. India might not be on the top of the list as far as Apple is concerned but the launch of the iPhone 5 has been much awaited.

Key features of the iPhone are: a 4 inch screen with a higher screen resolution of 1136×640 pixel which comes to around 326 ppi. That’s Retina Display quality for you.
The iPhone 5 has the quad-core A 6 chip, an 8 megapixel rear camera with a sapphire crystal lens cover for ‘clearer pictures’ and a 1.2 megapixel front camera. The dock connector is now called Lightning, and is an eight-pin plug.

President Of India: manmohan singh accepts resignation of 7 union ministers

2012-10-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Ahead of Sunday’s reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers, seven ministers resigned from the central government on Saturday and President Pranab Mukherjee has reportedly accepted their resignation. The Congress’s message is clear: strong party, young government. Sources also tell CNN IBN, that Shashi Tharoor might make a comeback.

Incumbent minister of state for rural development of the Nationalist Congress Party Agatha Sangma and MoS for Water Resources and Minority Affairs Vincent H Pala submitted their resignations on Saturday evening.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik and Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay and MoS Justice and Empowerment Mahadev Khandela met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submitted their resignations earlier in the day. President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the resignations of all seven union ministers. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna quit the government earlier, on Friday.

Sources also told CNN IBN that Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is likely to be the next External Affairs Minister. According to NDTV, HRD and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, who was earlier being considered for the post, is now out of the race, but he could also lose the HRD ministry. Union Minister for Law Salman Khurshid may also lose his minority affairs portfolio, while Andhra Pradesh MP Daggubati Purandeswari is likely to get the Commerce Ministry . Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath is likely to get additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs while Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia might get independent portfolios. They are currently ministers of state. Ajay Maken is likely to join Cabinet, while CP Joshi is expected to retain Railway Ministry.Even KH Muniyappa may be upgraded.

SM Krishna had on Friday resigned as the External Affairs Minister ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik and Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai and MoS Justice and Empowerment Mahadev Khandela met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submitted their resignations.

The ceremony for swearing-in of new ministers is scheduled at 11.30 hours at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday when a number of new faces are likely to be inducted.

Prominent among them are actor-turned politician Chiranjeevi from Andhra Pradesh and A H Khan Chowdhry, MP from West Bengal, who is also the brother of the late Ghani Khan Chowdhry.

Sahai’s name had cropped up in a controversy following media expose that he had recommended for allocation of coal block a company in Jharkhand in which his brother was a director.
Offering their resignation, Soni, Wasnik and Sahai said they will work for the party. Soni was Congress general secretary for several years and was political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi while Wasnik was handling the dual responsibility of Congress general secretary as well as Union minister.

Before meeting the prime minister, Sahai said on Saturday that Congress president Sonia Gandhi called him to draft him for party work.

“It is an honour to work for the party. I am offering my resignation to Prime Minister. Party president (Sonia Gandhi) and others want me to work for the party so I will be working to strengthen the party as the party is supreme. We are in the government because of the party. Party is supreme and will always be supreme,” he said.

Soni said, “I have taken prime minister’s permission to resign. It is not appropriate if I do it on my own so I have taken his permission and explained it to him”. Asked if she was willing to work for the party, she said, “I think it is an honor.”Wasnik said, “I have been working for the organisation for the last several years and I would like to work for the organisation.”The reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, which could be the last before 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is expected to see induction of new faces in the government.

Chiran jeevi is being rewarded for his help in ensuring stability of the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh by lending the support of 18 of his MLAs after the merger of his party PRP.
The other changes could include ministers holding dual portfolios shedding one of their responsibilities.

Catarina Migliorini Auction: Brazilian Student Sells Virginity To Japanese Man,For $780k

2012-10-26T18:35:00.002-07:00

Migliorini recently defended her decision to the press.

"I have the opportunity to travel, to be part of a movie and get a bonus with it,' she told Folha newspaper, according to Metro News. "If you only do it once in your life then you are not a prostitute, just like if you take one amazing photograph it does not automatically make you a photographer."

The student also told the press that she plans to donate the money to help build homes for the poor.

"The auction is just business, I'm a romantic girl at heart and believe in love, she told Folha newspaper, according to the Daily Mail. "But this will make a big difference to my area."

But this proclamation was the source of some controversy last month. Filmmaker Justin Sisely, who organized the virginity action, told the Huffington Post that in his dealings with Migliorini, she claimed her participation was solely about publicity and profit.

"Now, given how big this story is in Brazil, she's trapped," he said at the time. "If she doesn't give any money to charity, she's going to look bad."

Migliorini will reportedly be delivered to her buyer via plane and will be interviewed before and after the intercourse. However, the actual sexual act will not be filmed for the video, and Natsu will be allowed to remain anonymous, according to the Daily Mail.

Natsu also will be tested for any sexually transmitted diseases before the intercourse takes place, and he will be also required to use a condom. Migliorini also has said she is willing to prove that she is in fact a virgin.

Catarina Migliorini, a 20-year-old student from Brazil, sold her virginity online for $780,000, according to the Daily Mail.

The website reports that 15 men from around the world bid on Migliorini, including several men from the United States. The ultimate winner was a man named Natsu from Japan.

Rajat Gupta not deserve jail for an ill-defined crime

2012-10-25T13:21:00.002-07:00

On 8 January 2013, Rajat Gupta, former head of McKinsey & Co, will go to jail for two years and pay a fine of $5 million after being convicted for insider trading. His basic crime was not that he made money from insider information, but that he passed information on to Raj Rajaratnam, who was convicted earlier in October 2011, and began his 11-year prison sentence the following month.

Only one part of the two sentences – the financial penalties – makes any sense, for insider trading is actually an esoteric, victimless crime. No one should be going to jail for making money – or not losing money – merely on the basis of access to information.

Let us first understand that insider trading really is, and why there are no victims in this crime.

Using a commonsense meaning of the term insider, it means anyone working for a company, or an associate or a vendor or even an analyst with access to non-publicly available information on a company that could, theoretically, impact the stock price one way or the other.

When an insider trades on the information he or she has, the assumption is that the other party to the deal – the one who buys or sells shares to him or her – is an innocent who does not have the same privileged access to information.

This is very dubious logic for the following reasons.

First, the insider himself may or may not make a profit or avoid a loss, since the stock market does not move on the basis of a single piece of information. Many factors go into the making of a price, including market sentiment, demand and supply of stock, industry and economic trends, and stock-specific developments. There is no one-to-one correlation between insider info and an insider’s gains or losses.

Second, the insider may have an advantage in terms of information, but markets always have two parties to the deal: buyers and sellers. If an insider buys a share with the benefit of inside info, one can say that the sellers are disadvantaged, but all unwitting buyers – the ones who were not insiders on the day an insider bought the shares – would also have benefited. So the balance of losses and gains from inside information are not that skewed. Insider info also benefits some categories of investors, especially in these days of algorithmic trading and technicals-driven trading, where a spike in shares tends to draw more investors into a stock.

He said in his judgment: “While insider trading may work a huge unfairness on innocent investors, Congress has never treated it as a fraud on investors, the Securities Exchange Commission has explicitly opposed any such legislation, and the Supreme Court has rejected any attempt to extend coverage of the securities fraud laws on such a theory…”.

So if loss to investors, or fraud, in not the basic reason for convicting Rajat Gupta, what is? Says Judge Rakoff: “The heart of Mr Gupta’s offenses here, it bears repeating, is his egregious breach of trust. Mr Rajaratnam’s gain, though a product of that breach, is not even part of the legal theory under which the government here proceeded, which would have held Gupta guilty even if Rajaratnam had not made a cent.”

(Rajaratnan was convicted last October for buying and selling Goldman Sachs shares based on information provided by Rajat Gupta, who was on the investment banker’s board.)

The judge is effectively saying that Gupta’s real crime was that he disclosed what was discussed on Goldman Sachs’ board to outsiders – which was his breach of trust.

If this is the case, it should be Goldman Sachs suing Gupta, and not the Securities and Exchange Commission or Uncle Sam.

The judge says as much: “In the eye of the law, Gupta’s crime was to breach his fiduciary duty of confidentiality to Goldman Sachs; or to put it another way, Goldman Sachs, not the marketplace, was the victim of Gupta’s crimes as charged. Yet the (sentencing) guidelines assess his punishment almost exclusively on the basis of how much money his accomplice gained by trading on the information. At best, this is a very rough surrogate for the harm to Goldman Sachs.” (As an aside, we may add that Goldman Sachs did not lose anything by this).

The larger point is this: given the fact that the market always reacts to trading trends and volumes, is insider trading all bad? When an insider trades and sends prices up (or down), the market takes note. If an important bit of news is going to impact the stock, is it better for the market and investors to wait for a formal announcement on the same, or is it better to figure out something is afoot based on the hidden signals of the insider traders?

The central argument for punishing insider traders is information asymmetry – one man has info which other don’t. If we use this logic, we should ban all branded products. For example, a generic drug is sold at one price, while a branded product made from the same active pharmaceutical ingredient is priced several times higher. But this is legal.

A Tiruppur-made hosiery product is rebranded by an international textile label and sold at several times the basic market price. The consumer pays more because he does not know that the same manufacturer makes the vest sold for Rs 100 in Tiruppur as the one sold by, say, Tommy Hilfiger, for two-and-a-half times the price. The margin comes from information asymmetry – the same way it does for insider traders.

As we noted earlier in the Raj Rajaratnam case, the case for hard treatment of insider trades is based on flaky premises. This writer does not believe that Rajaratnam deserves 11 years in prison for his insider trades, just as he don’t agree that Gupta deserves his two years in jail.

Jindal’s Zee TV sting The Media Strict On Corruption

2012-10-25T12:25:00.002-07:00

Naveen Jindal’s press conference in the context of the allegations that Zee TV executives attempted to negotiate a deal—tantamount to blackmail—to back off on a story which, ostensibly, could damage Jindal Power and Steel Limited (JSPL), in exchange for increased advertising has done media—and society—yeoman service.

For years, even decades, there have been rumours about newspapers and TV channels bartering ‘silence’ or favourable coverage in exchange for lucrative advertising deals.
Unfortunately, they have remained rumours, with no one coming forward to formally allege, charge or present proof that such an attempt at blackmail was, indeed, made.

Today’s press conference ends the silence.

What Jindal has done, in the context of possible blackmail, is to send a signal to all those who have been, or could be in the future, victims of such practices. They could follow Jindal’s lead, risking the possibility of negative or damaging stories appearing in media, rather than to yield to blackmail threats.

The Jindal expose also serves to put unscrupulous journalists or marketing/advertising sales executives on alert: what happened to Zee and the executives concerned today, could happen to you tomorrow. As this is written, it must be underlined, Zee TV representatives have denied all the allegations made by Jindal at the conference.

Zee TV has alleged that JSPL attempted to tempt the channel by offering large advertising business in exchange for favourable coverage. According to Zee executives speaking on the Zee Business channel, JSPL executives were first offered a bribe of Rs 25 crore, and later offered a dummy advertising contract through which Zee TV would receive Rs 100 crore from JSPL on condition that the investigation into JSPL is stopped immediately.

Finally, it will be up to the courts to decide on whether it is Jindal or Zee TV which is right or wrong.

But, of greater importance, is the principle of what Naveen Jindal has discussed. There have been whispers, rumors and innuendo about deals between individuals or corporate s and media outlets to ensure favorable coverage or stop the flow of damaging news. Not all such rumored deals are results of blackmail; some of them are just sweeteners.

Naveen Jindal alleges that this is blackmail at its worst. If such incidents are, indeed, taking place, and targeted victims and the blackmailers arrive at deals, news regarding the individuals or corporate concerned automatically become less than credible – and that is patently cheating consumers of the truth.

What the Jindal-Zee TV controversy has done—whatever the final outcome—is to force a discussion on practices that are unquestionably reprehensible.

Incidents in the recent past have exposed unhealthy and nosy relationships between media and corporate India, media and politicians, politicians and corporate India, the issue of paid news under the guise of editorial, and so on.

This incident will take time to play out. The big plus is that, whoever is in the right, things will not be the same for blackmailers and blackmail victims – which means that the consumer will be the beneficiary, receiving news that is closer to unbiased and closer to the truth.

Funny Comedian Jaspal Bhatti dies in road accident

2012-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

CHANDIGARH: Film actor and comedian Jaspal Bhatti died in a road accident near Jalandhar early today.

The car in which the 57 year old actor, director was travelling hit a roadside tree near Shahkot in Nakodar area of the district around 1 am, Bhatti's associate Vinod Sharma told PTI here.
Sharma said that Bhatti was going to Jalandhar from Bhatinda for the promotion of his Punjabi film 'Power Cut' scheduled to be released tomorrow.

Bhatti's son Jasraj, who was driving the car and film's heroine Suril Gautam were injured and rushed to a hospital at Jalandhar sharma said that Bhatti had been traveling during past few days for the promotion of his new film.

The cremation is expected to take place later this evening after his body is brought here after completion of various legal formalities, including post-mortem, Sharma said.

Bhatti leaves behind his wife Savita, a son and a daughter.

Letter: 4-H no longer just for farm kids, and is an option we need to keep

2012-10-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

On Nov. 6, Genesee Co. voters will be asked to approve a millage to support the MSU Extension. Most people's reaction to an increase in taxes is "NO"! But this increase, 0.02 mills, amounts to about $1.00 on a property with a taxable value of $100,000.

Please consider just some of the benefits the MSUE provides: health and nutrition classes in schools and for the public, food preservation workshops, serv-safe certification, support for 182 gardens, practical garden advice, backyard fruit tree pest management, crop and pest management, soil testing, master gardener certification, etc.

But most important to me is the 4-H program. Without the MSUE, 4-H in Genesee Co. will no longer exist.

Are you aware that 4-H no longer is just for farm kids? Today's projects include: rocketry, pocket pets, home design, photography, gardening, flower arrangement, shooting sports, arts, crafts, as well as the traditional projects like sewing, baking, food preservation, needlework, crops and animal projects.

In a 4-H club kids learn leadership and about government by holding a club office and participating in local, county, state and national citizenship events. 4-H'ers learn self confidence and public speaking by giving talks and demonstrations on the local level, being interviewed about their projects and club activities and by working with adults on community projects.

The more you wear or model the outfit you made in front of others, or show the animals you raised, the more self confidence you develop. These are just some of the benefits of 4-H.

In a county where FFA is no more, and few schools offer home economic classes, 4-H is an option we need to keep. For less than the cost of a cup of coffee on a home tax valued at $100,000 we can keep the 4-H program and the MSUE. Please vote YES.

Apple iPad mini Live Event Online

2012-10-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

Rupee gains,around 52-54 this Month

2012-10-22T16:17:00.001-07:00

The rupee today appreciated by 9 paise to 53.75 against the US dollar in early trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange on selling of the American currency by exporters and banks. Besides, a lower opening in the equity market and strengthening of the euro against the dollar overseas also supported the rupee, forex dealers said. The BSE benchmark Sensex fell by 81.43 points, or 0.43 percent, to 18,600.88 in the early trade today.

As global economic risks continue and FII investments in the country becoming volatile, the rupee is likely to remain under pressure and hover around the 52-54 level against the US dollar in the next 10 days, forex market experts feel.

“Rupee looks to remain under pressure during the coming days. With global risks prevailing and FII (foreign institutional investors) fund inflows slowing down, the local currency is likely to move around the crucial 54-54.30 level during the coming days of this month,” HDFC Bank chief dealer Ashtosh Raina told PTI.

Echoing similar views, N S Venkatesh, Head (Treasury) IDBI Bank, said: “The rupee is still expected to remain under pressure. Trade flow has to be present. There will be holidays as well, which will also affect the local unit”.

The rupee is likely to move in the 52-53.80 range as the results season might boost the equities market and that would cap the currency’s losses against the Greenback, he added.

The rupee touched a one-month low of 53.84 against the dollar on Friday, logging a loss of 43 paise due to heavy demand for the American currency from oil importers and defence companies.

FIIs made investments worth a meagre $14.89 million (Rs 80 crore) on that day. They have made a total investment of around $17.30 billion this year.

“Heavy dollar buying by oil companies in the last two days of the week (ended October 19) has badly hit rupee. In the remaining days of this month, the rupee movement will depend on Q2 results of various companies,” Dhanlaxmi Bank Executive Vice President Srinivasa Raghavan said.

Gopi Says to Saina’s Bindas ‘maar doongi’

2012-10-22T16:11:00.002-07:00

All of India was not watching, like it was in August. There were no frantic cries of ‘Go Saina Go’. Television channels were not focussing on her. And newspapers behaved as if it was just another day in office for Saina Nehwal, playing another Super Series tournament in a town called Odense in Denmark.

Till Saina breached the Great Wall of China. Also known as Wang Yihan, world number one in women’s singles.

Before the team left for Denmark, Gopi had spent quality time on the court, engaging Saina in several singles encounters.

Celebrations and felicitation ceremonies had taken away four weeks after London but the six weeks after that were spent focusing on the task at hand at Denmark. “She was playing well. I just told her to relax and play her game,” he says.

Knowing Saina, she would derive immense satisfaction from her victory over Wang Yihan. She had lost to her in the semis at London 13-21, 13-21 on a day when, as Saina admitted later, her legs simply refused to move. The Chinese proved “too fast” for Saina as the Hyderabadi shuttler “struggled to read her serve properly”.

It was as if Saina was determined to make amends in Odense. Coaches and fellow players have pointed out that what stood out in Saina’s temperament right from her younger days was her “maar doongi” attitude.

Which would be to go all out to defeat a rival who has triumphed in a previous match. Though Saina has matured with age, her hunger to win and not give an inch on court are her greatest virtues as a sportsperson.

However, in the euphoria over the Denmark Open title, what should not be ignored is that just about every player is not in peak fitness after a major event like the Olympics.

Gopi points out that just about every player had some part of the body in bandage. Understandable in a sport that is extremely demanding, where the body is pushed to the limit. Saina’s former coach SM

Arif therefore cautions that the next time Wang Yihan meets Saina, it could well be a different Yihan. “But what is important from Saina’s point of view is the huge psychological advantage this victory will give her,” he says.

For Gopi, there are important takeaways from the performance of his two leading girls. Both Saina and P V Sindhu have beaten top Chinese players this year,

which will only give more courage to fellow players. Impossible is nothing is indeed the mantra that these wins will drill into more young Indian minds.

Kingfisher Airlines crisis: employees demand four months salary immediately

2012-10-22T16:01:00.005-07:00

In a last ditch effort to end the impasse with its employees, Kingfisher Airlines today has offered to pay its staff three month salaries in installments. While the first month’s salary will be paid within 24 hours, the second month’s will be disbursed in a week and the third month’s wages will come post Diwali, the management said today.

The Kingfisher Airlines has not paid its staff for seven months. While the KFA management meet with its employees is still underway, sources told IBN Live that the latter are unhappy and have rejected the offer. If the talks fail today,

the employees will launch a nationwide protest and confront Vijay Mallya at the F1 track in Greater Noida, where the races are slated to begin on 26 October .

Kingfisher’s licence was suspended after it failed to address the regulator’s concerns about its operations, forcing the debt-laden carrier to stop taking bookings.

In another related development, at least 15 planes which had been leased to the airline, were stripped clean, the leasing company’s sources told CNN-IBN. The 15 aircraft were stripped of crucial parts at various airports and were declared not fit to fly.

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had said on Saturday: “If they are not able to provide any concrete revival plans on how to restart operations and to pay their employees, then the DGCA may cancel their licence.”

The employees went on a strike Oct 1 demanding payment of their salaries by Oct 5, which have been pending since March.

They also claimed that non-payment of salaries has affected their morale and built up stress levels that can also affect operational safety.

The management said that the company intends to get workers in a few days. The management has said that out of 4000 workers, 3200 will get back to work. The management has assured that suspension will be revoked once the airline submits a revival plan.

However, irate employees have asked Vijay Mallya to talk to them directly and not through video conferencing. They also demanded four months salary immediately and said that the meeting with management was inconclusive.

“The management playing with our sentiments, families lives. We are miserable and are unable to pay for our basic needs,” said an employee.

CNN IBN has reported that lockout will be extended till 25 October.

Kingfisher Airlines CEO Sanjay Aggarwal refused to divulge details about how the funding was being organised for clearing of the salary dues. Aggarwal expressed hope that “all employees will accept our proposal. The representatives will discuss the proposal with the and get back to us by Thursday”.

Airline sources said the management would issue an appeal to all employees with the offer by tomorrow following insistence by their representatives on a written assurance alleging that the management had earlier backtracked.

The airline is saddled with a loss of Rs 8,000 crore and a debt burden of another over Rs 7,524 crore, a large part of which has not been serviced since January. It currently has only 10 operational aircraft compared to 66 a year ago.

The meeting was the first after Kingfisher’s flying was suspended by DGCA last Friday following its failure to come up with a viable plan of financial and operational revival. Noting that the airline had not addressed any issue raised in its show-cause notice of October 5 and in meetings with top officials, DGCA suspended its Scheduled Operator’s Permit till such time Kingfisher submitted “a concrete and reliable revival plan ensuring safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable Scheduled Air Transport Services to the satisfaction of DGCA”.

Suspension of flying licence led to an immediate halt to all flying operations, which in any case were grounded since October 1 when the lockout was declared. It also resulted in stoppage of all ticket bookings on the entire network as well as through travel agents.

Kingfisher was issued an airline licence on August 26, 2003, which is valid till December 31.

With inputs from PTI

Yash Chopra The ‘King of Film maker Romance ’Death At 75

2012-10-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Yash Chopra, who passed away on Sunday evening at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital, will be cremated on Monday afternoon.

"From 9 a.m. to 12 noon, people can come in at the Yash Raj Films studio in suburban Andheri to pay their condolences. He (Chopra) will be cremated at 3 p.m.at Chandan Wadi," a YRF spokesperson told reporters.

Chopra had been in Lilavati Hospital since October 13 after he was diagnosed with dengue. The 80-year-old director died today following multi-organ failure.

"He passed away due to dengue and multiple organ failure today evening. He was in the ICU," Lilavati Hospital spokesperson Dr Sudhir told reporters.

Yash Chopra, an institution in himself spent a life doing what he loved and that was to spread romance through some of his masterpieces he created in the form of love epics like ‘Silsila’, ‘Chandni’, ‘Lamhe’, ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ and ‘Veer Zaara’.

Yash Chopra's career spanned over five decades with more than 50 films under his belt. Yash Chopra had won several film awards, including six National Film Awards and eleven Filmfare awards including four Filmfare Award for Best Director. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

The legend was working on his last film called ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ which is scheduled to release this Diwali. During the shooting of JTHJ, Yash Chopra’s trip to Switzerland with SRK and Katrina (lead actors in the film) had to be cancelled after he was admitted to Lilavati hospital.

Post his illness, the director handed over the mantle to his son Aditya Chopra to shoot few last portions of the film.

A string of celebrities including Dilip Kumar and his wife Saira Banu, Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor, visited the hospital to pay their last respect to the legendary director.

India's political fraternity also paid homage to the departed filmmaker.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Chopra as an "icon of Indian cinema" who entertained generations with his rare creativity.

"He had an aesthetic talent to make his films look larger than life. His flourish to essay romance and social drama was unmatched. He established the popularity of Indian cinema internationally and was honoured by many governments.

He will be remembered by millions of his fans around the world and his work as a director and producer will be treasured by the nation for many more generations," Singh said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said: "Today Indian cinema has lost one of its iconic personalities and a creative genius. Through films, Yashji connected generations together. His idea of portraying love as the essence of life and relationships will fondly be remembered by all movie lovers. His death is a void which will be difficult to fill."

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla: "I am saddened by the passing away of Yash Chopra. Today we all pay tribute to him and I feel not only the Indian film industry has lost a shining star but also the world film industry.

A railway station in Switzerland is named after him. He took the Indian film industry to the world. His contribution, the Indian government and neither the Indian people will ever forget."

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha said: "I am shocked to hear about the passing away of Yash Chopra ji. I had got to know him personally and he was a great friend. One enjoyed his company immensely. When I was growing up in my younger days I remember the best films that I saw were films made by him. He was a legend; his passing away is a great loss not only to the film industry but also to the country as a whole."

Film director Ramesh Sippy said: "We have stayed together with each other. I was shocked by the news."

Another film director Madhur Bhandarkar said: "A few days ago news had come in that he was recovering and he would be back to work. Everyone was waiting for his film to release. It has been quite shocking for all of us."

Actor Jackie Shroff said: "It is sad that Yashji has passed away. He was one of the biggest directors of our industry. After coming here I got to hear the news. I express my condolences to his family, and I shall go there straight from here."

Fashion designer Nita Lulla said: "It is a great loss to the industry and to all of us whose lives Yashji has touched. I think we are going to miss him a lot because he was one of the biggest mentors of the film industry. And he has been a father to lot of us technicians and to a lot of fabulous films, and it is definitely a great loss. And I pray for him and his family."

Model Lisa Haydon said: "I think it is always sad when you lose a creative genius and someone who has done so much for our country and our films and changing the ways that people perceive Indian cinema. So it is a very sorry thing that he passed away. I actually haven't had a chance to put on the TV, but my friends here told me about it. So my best wishes to him and his family."

Actor Vidyut Jamwal said: "I think in the recent times this is the biggest loss for Bollywood. Apart from him being a legend and a genius, he was one of the nicest people that I have been told about. The kind of loss that Hindi cinema has sustained from this, I think it is difficult for such a man to be born in India again."

Not enough: Robert Vadra and the Imelda Marcos syndrome

2012-10-21T08:11:00.001-07:00

In 1986, when a ‘people’s power’ revolution in the Philippines toppled Ferdinand Marcos from power, ending a 21-year dictatorial reign, the dirty unwashed masses, who had been robbed blind by Marcos’ corrupt ways for a generation, got a chance to see what had been going on behind the high walls of Malacanang Palace.

They learnt, for instance, that during those 20-plus years in power, he and his diva-esque wife Imelda Marcos had embezzled public funds running to billions of dollars and channelled them into accounts and investments in Switzerland, the US and elsewhere.

While that was, of course, scandalous, it merely validated long-held suspicions – and, to that extent, did not induce much of a shock.

What did, instead, induce shock – and a sense of puzzlement – was the realisation, when the wide doors of the palace were pulled down, that inside the gilded palace in which she lived, Imelda Marcos had stashed away 2,700 pairs of shoes.

Even today, it boggles the mind why anyone who is not into monomaniacal acquisition of fetishist footwear would want 2,700 pairs of shoes. As Time magazine columnist Lance Morrow observed at that time (after doing a bit of mental arithmetic), if Imelda Marcos had changed her shoes three times a day, and never wore the same pair twice, it would have taken her more than two years and five months to work through her shoe supply, as it existed on the day she fled Manila. “And since she undoubtedly would continue to buy new shoes even while trying to do justice to the old supply, it is clear she could never wear all of her shoes.”

Much the same can be said of the frenzy of land acquisition by our politicians – and, at least in one case, a politician’s son-in-law – the sordid details of which have been tumbling out of cupboards in recent days.

In almost all the cases that have come to light, the modus operandi for instant fortunes is simple: corner large plots of agricultural land, bought on the cheap from farmers, change the land-use pattern (which those in positions of power can get done in double-quick time), and sell it to real-estate developers for windfall profits. It’s the alchemy of the new age, only it comes with infinitely better return on investment.

Of course, if you’re someone as privileged as Sonia Gandhi‘s son-in-law Robert Vadra, you don’t have even have to make the initial investment: an excessively generous real-estate developer like DLF will lend you the money for the land purchase – and buy back the land at many multiples of the purchase price. And governments in States under the rule of the party that your saas lords over will grease the tracks for your personal fortunes to grow at exponential rates – without doing a stroke of honest work.

The latest revelations of Vadra’s land purchases in Bikaner in Rajasthan (another State that is under Congress rule) are illustrative of how breezily the land deals were consummated – and windfall profits were made. From all accounts, Vadra acquired large tracts of land in places where he (being who he is) had inside information on upcoming industrial projects. And once the projects were announced, and land prices shot up, he booked supernormal profits – up to 40 times the purchase price – in just a matter of months.

It’s a classic example of what stock market regulators call “insider trading” or “front-running“: of undue benefits being derived from privileged access to information, in the way that Robert Vadra had.

In his case, Vadra had it even better: the Congress government in Rajasthan actively directed investments to the areas where Vadra had bought land. As Devi Singh Bhati, six-time MLA of Kolayat where most of the land deals in Bikaner took place, told DNA newspaper: “Vadra clearly misused his position as the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi. The land was purchased either in the knowledge that industrial projects would be announced, or circumstances were created to bring projects to the area.”

The oil baron J Paul Getty, who was in his time the world’s richest private citizen, used facetiously to describe his formula for success: “Rise early, work hard, strike oil.” On the strength of available evidence, Vadra appears to have worked out an even better winning formula, which does away with the element of luck you need to strike oil: buy land, using money that was gratuitously lent to him because of who he is, and set off a self-propelling series of land transactions, whose land-use could be changed virtually overnight because of his political influence.

Of course, more recent revelations show that it isn’t just Vadra who has leveraged this banana republic’s status as a ”land of opportunity”. But it’s fair to say that in terms of political influence to get governments to fast-track applications for land-use pattern change, and get the entire Union Ministry to cover for him when embarrassing details surface of his business fortunes built on gratuitous interest-free loans from corporates, Vadra is uniquely placed.

But when will this perpetual motion machine that feeds off shadowy land deals, this ceaseless accumulation of unearned fortunes, this gluttony of easy riches built on influence-peddling and insider trading, end? When he looks at a map of India, does Vadra only see a prime bit of real estate that he can buy – with unsecured loans – and sell for 40x?

There’s no knowing how many more pairs of shoes Imelda Marcos would have accumulated if she hadn’t been hounded out of Malacanang Palace. Likewise with Vadra, if he cared to peep beyond the palace walls, he will see the enraged dirty, unwashed masses standing outside with pitchforks. And the hinges on those gilded palace doors are fast coming loose.