IIPM Business School: September 2013

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Nawaz's task is cut out

Of all the problems facing Pakistan that Nawaz needs to tackle during his initial days in office, dealing with the energy crisis appears to be the priority, says Saurabh Kumar Shahi

When Nawaz Sharif took oath as Prime Minister for the third time, he turned a chapter in Pakistan’s political history. It was for the first time that an elected political dispensation took power directly from the outgoing government.

But the euphoria needs to give way to some serious governance, something that was in short supply in the last five years. After a short delay and power-haggling, the cabinet was also sworn in. A cursory look at the list of ministers, both cabinet as well as the MOS, indicate that PML(N) has balked at offering a revolutionary lot.

The list indicates that pragmatism and experience have won the day over political correctness. Therefore, unlike the previous ministry, one can just see two female ministers, both of them MOSs. Also, Nawaz has chosen efficiency and ability over regional considerations. Nawaz seems to have sent the message loud and clear that merit will be given the utmost priority.

Also, unlike PPP’s cabinet, Nawaz does not have the problem of plenty. He has won a lion’s share of his seats from Punjab while picking a couple of them from here and there, unlike the PPP of 2008 that almost swept Southern Punjab apart from its bastion of Sindh. However, that does not mean that there are no representations from other provinces. PML(N) bagged a lone seat from Karachi. Abdul Hakeem Baloch, the greenhorn winner, was awarded with an MOS berth. Sardar Yusuf has been made minister from KPK quota, whereas Abdul Qadir Baloch represents Balochistan. Similarly Pir Sadruddin Rashdi and Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi, both veterans from Sindh, have found their way to the cabinet. Kamran Michael, the minister of Minorities Affair, completes the rainbow. The other berths are almost equally divided among Northern, Central and South Punjab MNAs.

This includes political bigwigs who have supported Nawaz and the Party through thick and thin. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan as the possible Interior Minister, Khawaja Asif as Minister of Water and Power, Ahsan Iqbal as Minister of Planning and Development and Information Technology and Ishaq Dar as Finance Minister are good news. All of them are qualified and old hands in Pakistani political landscape.

Tariq Fatemi looks all set to work as advisor to the prime minister on foreign affairs whereas Sartaj Aziz will work as an advisor on the economy. However, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as Minister for Petroleum, Oil and Gas can be considered bad news considering his reputation.

The single biggest challenge that Pakistan faces today, apart from terrorism, is the perennial power crisis that has affected the economy severely in the last few years. Pakistan has a current installed power generation capacity of around 24,000 megawatts (MW). However, the total generation is in fact less than 10,000 MW. The primary reason is attributed to Rs 1 trillion circular debts, which prevents the government from making payments to independent power producers on time.

“The new government is going to be ruthless in its management of all the public-sector energy companies,” says Zafar Iqbal Sobani, who headed Hub Power Company very recently and looks all set to become one of the advisors soon. “Expect to see many people summarily fired from these organisations as well as the ministry of water and power."

There are other serious concerns as well. Nawaz Sharif is close to the US and Saudi Arabia. Both these countries are trying to undermine Iran for strategic gains. The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline that President Zardari championed amidst pressures of all kinds might face hurdles. The pipeline is essential for the survival of Pakistani economy. But if Nawaz decides to accommodate the wishes of his American and Saudi friends, it will become an issue of contention. “Here comes the test for the new government as to how well it can advocate its cause and the urgent need of energy to sustain the economy as well as quell growing social unrest. It would require even more vigorous diplomacy with the US. Our national interest must precede all other imperatives,” says Raza Runi, director of Jinnah Institute.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri – A Man For The Society….
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman

ExecutiveMBA

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Made in China, and works!

I’m a sucker for quick fixes! I’m on that tightrope called the thirties and I know that my choices today will go a long way towards ruining or empowering the decades hopefully to come. Of course I want to drag and stretch what remains of my youth as far into my middle age as possible. My wife says my teens have so far bypassed my twenties and thirties as far as maturity and a sense of responsibility is concerned but what of the body?

Is there a way to stay fit and strong and youthful? I’m not happy with washboard abs and bulging biceps alone. I mean, sure I want them too, but I don’t want to end up like Don Youngblood, you know…

Don was an inspirational figure on the bodybuilding circuit in the early 2000s. having spent his youth setting up a successful trucking business, Don took up bodybuilding when he was 34. Don took to the gym like a fish takes to water and soon grew bigger than some of the trucks his company owned.

In 2002, Don won the Mr. Olympia in the masters category. He was huge, about 111 kgs at 5’9”. Though he looked the very picture of health, strength and youthful vigour on the surface, inside his body was crumbling. His muscles and bones were like those of an immortal titan but inside, his organs were ageing, burning out before their time. At 51, three years after winning the Mr. Olympia title, Youngblood died of a heart attack, leaving a shocked family and incredulous fans searching for answers to questions they had never imagined they would ask. Don after all was the super strong, super fit hero who was supposed to stick around long after everybody else had gone.

Evidently, building strong muscles alone wasn’t what it took to live a long and youthful life. And when I say youthful, I don’t mean a lithe gym-toned body topped off with a wrinkled face fighting a losing battle with gum disease, cataracts, male pattern baldness and goodness knows what else, either.

Health ought to flow from inside out. So, where are we to find the guide-map to the fountain of youth that keeps the organs healthy and the skin glowing?

A few weeks ago, I had mentioned the Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation that promise health and youthful vigour. Not only is this system of balancing our chakras effective and potent but is also extremely efficient. In fifteen minutes a day, the body, promise the rites, turns back the clock bit by bit, and restores balance within the body.

But what about people whose physical limitations wouldn’t allow them to perform the five rites? Or what about people who need a little more variety in their workout? Is there a system that is as powerful and as efficient that can rival the Tibetan system? Hatha Yoga and even Tai Chi Chuan are amongst the most complete systems of health and longevity but the practice is elaborate, complicated and needs the guidance of a qualified teacher.

But there is one set of rather accommodating exercises within the greater system of qigong that is pretty much the king of health quick-fixes.

They (in this case, the Chinese) call it Ba Duan Jin. Ba means eight, for the number of exercises in the set. Duan denotes continuous practice (or that’s what I understood of it) and Jin stands for silk brocade for the system envelops the body like exquisite silk.

I chanced upon this qigong practice many years ago while doing some research about longevity practices.
Though not certified by Guinness officials, if one were to accept the records of the longest surviving civilization in the history of man, the oldest man to have ever lived would have to be Li-Chung Yun, a tall Chinese Taoist who was born in Kuei-chou, in the mountains of south-western China, in 1678 and whose death was reported by an envoy sent to look for him by Chiang kai-shek in 1930. His legend is rather popular with venerable martial artistes and healers all across China.

Stuart Olson, a westerner who studied tai Chi with the great T. T. Liang, who himself lived to be 104, wrote a book about Li-chung Yun’s incredible longevity practices. And the cornerstone of Olson’s book and his recommendations was Ba Duan Jin.

Olson said that in all his interviews, Master Li had always maintained that he practiced Ba Duan jin every day. Eight exercises, practiced seated or standing for just about 20-25 minutes a day, promise to heal illnesses and ailments triggered by energy blockages and rejuvenate the whole body.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

ExecutiveMBA

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Of gardens and grandeur

With its rich museums, expansive gardens and history at almost every nook and corner, Teheran offers a lot for every kind of traveler, says Saurabh Kumar Shahi
It is surprising, and rather sad, that how the perception built in the media actually helps or hampers the chance of a city or a country to emerge on the international tourism map. The country that has suffered the most from this propaganda war is undoubtedly Iran. A country with a rich tradition of culture, heritage and literature, Iran has hardly figured on the radars of international tourists with the exception of Shia pilgrims who flock to Qom and Masshad.

However, lately, western tourists have started to see through the propaganda web of their respective governments and have started visiting Iran. It is expected that this trickle will only turn into a tide in days to come. And the destination that is expected to host the maximum tourists is capital Teheran.

Teheran (also written as Tehran sometimes) is a bustling city of 14 million Iranians and is situated at the foothills of the mammoth range, aptly named, Al Borz Mountains. In fact, the city was built in a grid from north to south and hence there is a significant altitude variation in different parts of the city. But that also means that on a same day and at the same time, different parts of the capital register a temperature difference of as high as 6 degrees.

Teheran has a dry, semi-arid climate with moderate temperature. February to June and September to early November are the best times to visit the city. There is an evident dryness in the air and the absence of trees intensifies it, therefore winters is not the best time to plan a visit.

Start with the basics. The Iranian Embassy in Delhi issues the visa and take a couple of days. One does not need a guided tour booking to get a visa but an advance booking in a hotel is desirable. Mahan Airways, a private Iranian airline, flies four times a week from Delhi whereas Iran Air flies from Mumbai. One has the option to take either the Dubai or Abu Dhabi route. The flight time is close to three-and-a-half hours. Imam Khomeini International Airport caters to all international flights and is situated 30 kilometers outside the city linked by an expressway. One can decide to hire a taxi or take a bus.

Inside the city, there is an envious network of public transport systems that leaves you with lots of choices. The city roads are clogged with traffic during office hours, therefore it is preferable to take public transport. The city has a swanky and efficient metro system that crisscrosses the city. The murals and bass relief at the metro stations are a sight in itself. When you are traveling by the metro, keep plenty of time in your hand to fully enjoy these murals that depict incidents from Islamic history as well as the history of Iran from the pre-Islamic days. The sheer scale of these murals and the use of colours will leave you stunned.

You can choose BRT buses for fast movement. The prices of the tickets are cheap and if you take seven days or one month cards, the cost in Indian rupee turns out to be negligible. The announcement in Metro system is in English and Persian. But if you feel lost, just approach someone in his teens or early youth. They are expected to be well versed in English and considering how warm Iranian people are, they will go out of their way to help you.

Iran is a city of palaces, museums and parks. The sheer numbers of all of them will leave you overwhelmed. For example the city has over 800 well maintained breathtaking parks. It is therefore advisable to make a proper itinerary before setting out. Irrespective of what kind of sight seeing you prefer, allow at least 3 to 4 days in the capital before venturing out.

Of the city's main attractions, Azadi square and Azadi Tower comes right on the top. Constructed to mark 2,500 years of the Persian empire, the structure is a sublime mix of Sassanian and Islamic elements of architecture, thereby actually representing the zeal of Iran. The structure is surrounded by a park where families are seen spending time. This is also the site of several political marches and rallies.

Milad tower is another must-visit destination. This TV tower is the fourth tallest tower and 12th tallest freestanding structure in the world, and one can see it from practically everywhere in in the city. The tower boasts off a restaurant and an observation deck nestled near the top and offers a sweeping view of the city and beyond.

Among palaces and museums, there is nothing to Match Golestan Palace complex. The complex houses as many as 19 palaces, gardens, museums and grand halls. Once residence of Qajar dynasty, the palace has a breathtaking museum that has several exhibits of historical Iran on show. It also displays exhibits representing lives from all the provinces of Iran and is very interesting. It gets crowded with children in the weekends. Reserve an entire evening for this.

Another place unique to Iran is the very famous Treasury of the National Jewels near the iconic Ferdosi Street. The museum boasts of a collection of some of the most expensive jewels in the world including the world's largest uncut ruby, the world's largest pink diamond, and a golden globe made from 34 kilograms of gold as well as over 50,000 precious stones of all make and sizes among others.

The National Museum of Iran, on the other hand, will not just give you a peep into the history of Iran but also of the nations where the extent of the Persian empire reached in its hey day. The museum has two huge buildings displaying pre-Islamic and post-Islamic Iranian collections. A trip to this museum cannot but make you stop and ponder how history shaped this region.

It is difficult to make a choice among hundreds and hundreds of beautiful parks in Iran, but if one were compelled to do it, then the Jamshidieh Park, which is in the Niavaran district at the base of the Kolakchal Mountain, can be voted as the most picturesque of them all. Allow yourself to submerge into the world of green shrubs, trees and fountains of varied shapes and sizes. Niavaran park, which is nearby, is also worth visiting.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

ExecutiveMBA

Deaths in farms, again!

Farmer suicide has more to do with agriculture policies

Agriculture is the bed rock of Indian. But the sector has been besieged with a number of problems that has become an ignominy and blight to our country’s progress chart. One such acute agrarian crisis is of farmer’s committing suicide. Despite media outcry and expressed concern by our policy makers, there are no signs of the suicide rate dropping. Experts have revealed that over 17,500 farmers committed suicide between 2002 and 2006 – a figure that largely mirrors an upswing of the trend that started in the early 1990s.

According to the latest NCRB report, the five states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, account for two-third of farm suicides in India. The situation in these states has worsened, with the farmers’ suicide rate increasing from 15.8 per 100,000 in 2001 to 16.3 in 2011. This rate is very high if one considers the average suicide rate in our country that stands at 11.1 per 100,000. And what is most alarming is that while the new Census 2011 data reveals a shrinking farmer population, the number of suicides has upped!

Successive governments have come and gone, but their apathy toward the agricultural sector continues. With urban development taking precedence, modern farming techniques have not penetrated our farms leading to over-dependence on monsoons. There is no sight of any financial inclusion for our farmers who have to depend on the merciless loan sharks for their financial needs. And when the farmers are unable to repay the loan, they make the dreadful choice of committing suicide.

The aftermath of the economic meltdown also saw a ‘reverse migration’ where farmers from the urban centers went back to cultivation.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

ExecutiveMBA

Friday, September 6, 2013

Where the past breathes again

For a decade now, the past has been coming alive every May on the Croisette, with the Cannes Film Festival showcasing restored prints of cinematic masterworks in its Classics section. So, even as the glitzy French Riviera event celebrates the finest and the most provocative of contemporary films, it also turns the spotlight on the steadily spreading global campaign to save world cinema heritage through the systematic restoration and digital re-mastering of old movie negatives.

The festival, in its 66th edition, has expanded the scope of the Cannes Classics sidebar to include 20 full-length features films and three documentaries. Among these films is Satyajit Ray’s iconic Charulata (1964), based on a Rabindranath Tagore novella. Its screening will be part of the Cannes celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Indian film industry.

Many landmark films like Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s Cleopatra (1963); a 3-D restored print of Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (1987); and a mint-fresh print of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) will be unveiled in the course of the festival, which runs from May 15 to 26.

Also in Cannes Classics this year are two French Nouvelle Vague (new wave) path-breakers – Alain Resnais and Jacques Demy. The latter’s Palme d’Or-winning 1964 film, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the restoration of which was supervised by his 84-year-old widow, celebrated filmmaker Agnes Varda (herself a Nouvelle Vague pioneer), her daughter, Rosalie Varda Demy, and son Mathieu Demy.

Resnais, 90, competed for the Palme d’Or last year with You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet and is set now to start shooting a new film, Aimer, boire et chanter, based on British playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s Life of Riley.

Hiroshima Mon Amour, made in 1959, was Resnais’ first fiction film and a major catalyst for the French New Wave. The film, “reborn in sparkling digital form”, will be a major highlight of Cannes Classics 2013.

So will Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast), which was selected for the very first Cannes Film Festival in 1946. A digitally re-mastered print will be screened to mark 50 years after the death of the influential writer, poet, filmmaker and painter who had an active association with the festival in the 1950s.

“As cinema’s link to its own history was about to be turned upside down by the arrival of digital and because films from the past are an integral part of the Festival de Cannes, 2004 saw the creation of Cannes Classics, a programme presenting old films and masterpieces from cinematographic history that have been carefully restored,” the festival’s website declares.

“A natural, vital part of the Official Selection – and an idea which has made its way into other international festivals – Cannes Classics is also a way to pay tribute to the essential work being down by copyright holders, film libraries, production companies and national archives throughout the world. Thus, Cannes Classics lends the prestige of the Festival de Cannes to great works from the past, accompanying their release in theatres or on DVD.”

The screening of the four-hour-plus Cleopatra will be hosted by Hollywood star Jessica Chastain (Coriolanus, The Tree of Life, Zero Dark Thirty) and attended by Richard Burton’s daughter Kate Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s son, Chris Wilding. The restored print of the film goes into distribution from May 22 in the US and elsewhere in the world.

Eighty-year-old Kim Novak is slated to be a guest of honour of the 66th Cannes Film Festival for the screening of Vertigo, a film that is generally regarded as the defining work of Hitchcock’s career. She will also attend the closing ceremony of the festival and give away one of the awards.

Legendary Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu died 50 years ago, in 1963, but that isn’t the anniversary that Cannes Classics is observing this year. Instead, the screening of his 1962 film Sanma No Aji (Autumn Afternoon) commemorates the 110th year of his birth.

Autumn Afternoon was Ozu’s final film – he died the following year. But his reputation has continued to grow over the years thanks to the many formal innovations he made in the art of cinematic storytelling and in the use of a stagnant camera often looking up at the actors.

Autumn Afternoon featured Ozu regular Chishu Ryu in the role of a widowed patriarch supervising the wedding of his daughter.

Cannes Classics will also honour 83-year-old Joanne Woodward (although her participation in person has not been confirmed yet) with a screening of the 2012 documentary, Shepard & Dark. The film about American playwright and actor Sam Shepard’s 50-year friendship with comedian Johnny Dark was produced by Woodward, renowned actress and wife of Hollywood icon Paul Newman from 1958 until the actor’s death in 2008.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri

and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

ExecutiveMBA