book news

book News, Video News

Bollywood and movie merchandising - still a long way to go
NAT1National/Business/CinemaBollywood and movie merchandising - still a long way to goBy Jivraj BurmanMumbai, Oct 6 IANS Inspired by Hollywood, the Hindi film industry is beginning to go into film merchandising - introducing dolls, masks, key chains, school bags and T-shirts - and hopes to one day reap millions like in the West.In the US, manufacturers and retailers collectively earn $16 billion annually from Hollywood movie merchandise. According to a Hollywood trade report, the studios also earn close to what their movies fetch from the box office and home entertainment market from their film's merchandise.The success stories are far too many in Hollywood. Director George Lucas earned about $9 billion from merchandising and sequel rights of "Star Wars". Producers of the 'Harry Potter' series have so far collected $11.8 billion from different contracts. Merchandise from the "E.T." fetched filmmaker Steven Spielberg over $1 billion.Though Bollywood has started to realise the potential of movie merchandising now, the revenues it has been able to earn from it are paltry."The Indian market is yet to catch up with movie merchandising. But there is great potential for the movie merchandise business to grow," Saurabh Varma, chief marketing officer of Reliance BIG Pictures, told IANS.Right now all eyes are on "Drona" merchandise brought out by Zapak. These include a combination of games and toys, comprising two sword packs - Drona and Ritz - Magic Busters, Mind Masters, Mystery Shockers and Bully Zapper pack.A series of comics are also being published based on the key characters of "Drona", which stars Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra. The first in the series - "The Adventures of Drona" - has already hit the stands. The series are being marketed by Euro Kids."If you look at a Hollywood movie, the revenues are split evenly between theatre ticket sales, home entertainment and merchandise. In India, cinema merchandise at the moment generates nothing. That is going to change with malls and multiplexes and a middle class of hundreds of millions," said Andrew Heffernan of Eros International, the producers of "Drona".In the merchandising sector, Bollywood has had very few successful deals so far. One of them was producer-director Rakesh Roshan's deal with Pantaloons for his 2006 movie "Krrish" - it proved to be fruitful for the maker as well as the retail chain."The range of 'Krrish' merchandise, consisting of dolls, masks, key chains, colouring books, watches, rainwear, school bags and T-shirts evoked good response from children, more so because the movie was a success," said Sanjeev Agrawal, president marketing of Pantaloons.Another example is Farah Khan's tie-up with Shoppers' Stop. The clothing line made most of the mutual benefits by entering into a marketing agreement for the apparel right of her film "Om Shanti Om".But the sale of licensed products of a movie, as Aggarwal said, is directly linked to its box-office performance. He cited Harry Baweja's "Love Story 2050" as a good example.Though Cartoon Network Enterprise had brought out a range of retail products of the movie, the sale dropped after its lacklustre box-office performance across the country.The same happened with "Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal". Reebok had tied up with UTV Motion Pictures to release merchandise based on the film, but the demand dipped when the Arshad Warsi-John Abraham starrer slumped at the box office.But Varma of Reliance BIG Pictures doesn't agree and said: "Sometimes, a movie may be a failure, but some of its components stay in mind and that helps the sale of its merchandise. Like spy gadgets, hovercrafts, interactive robots and the boo doll, which were key features of 'Love Story 2050', sold well even though the movie might not have been a great success."Rajjat A. Barjatya, managing director of Rajshri Media, added: "It is only lately that the marketing of movie merchandise has been done in an organised way with the entry of pan-Indian retail chains. But the problem of piracy still remains."He said that Rajshri Films had brought out a limited range merchandise of their superhit movie "Hum Aapke Hain Kaun", but pirated copies arrived in the market soon, affecting the sale of the original products."The problem, of course, still remains," he rued.Despite the not so encouraging results, merchandising in India is poised to grow. Recently, entertainment, media and communications company Percept announced a 50-50 joint venture with the Future Group. Called Bollywood Retail, the joint venture will invest Rs.500 million initially to sell Bollywood merchandise.--Indo-Asian News Servicejb/ar/mv/ky803 Words**06100813
2008-10-06 00:00:00
A famed policeman gives in to his literary heart
NAT4National/Education/Literature/CrimeA famed policeman gives in to his literary heartBy Darshan DesaiLucknow, Oct 6 IANS He has been a police officer for over 30 years, but Vibhuti Narain Rai, well known in Uttar Pradesh for his literary works and social activism, says he has finally got the job he yearned for.In a week's time, 51-year-old Rai will take over as vice-chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha, Maharashtra, leaving behind all the frills of being a senior Indian Police Service officer."I have got the job I yearned for," Rai, now an additional director-general of Uttar Pradesh police, told IANS at his spacious government accommodation in Lucknow even as he asked his driver to go home as it struck 6 p.m., the official time to relieve staff."My communist leanings don't permit me to retain the official driver beyond his time!" grins Rai, who hails from Jokhera village of Azamgarh, the same district whose name has been dragged in the mud for suspected terror links.A 1975 IPS officer, he is an acclaimed Hindi fiction writer whose work is deeply connected to contemporary challenges facing the country."My 33 years of ground policing have taken me to both sides of reality, the behaviour of the government and the perception of people," Rai tells IANS.Rai shot to fame with his book "Shaher Mein Curfew". It has been translated into English, Punjabi, Urdu, Marathi, Bengali and Kannada. It speaks about the plight of the minority community during communal riots and how the state and its representatives display a grossly partisan attitude towards them.His notable books also include, "Combating Communal Conflicts: Perception of PoliceNeutrality During Hindu-Muslim Riots in India", "Kissa Loktantra Ka", and "Tabadala"."My association with Hindi literature started before I joined the police force and continued. And my association with the services has provided me the administrative acumen needed for being a vice-chancellor or leader of any institution."The university in Wardha is perhaps the only one of its kind in the country dedicated to the Hindi language and its promotion and was set up by the central government in 1997 along with the Maulana Abul Kalam Urdu University in Hyderabad with a similar motive."The Hindi university in Wardha has hardly served its purpose and that's the challenge I want to take on."He writes fiction but laces it with the poignant realities of time gleaned from the first-hand experiences of a police officer. His writings also reflect strong objective opinions.Rai is an activist in his own right, often taking up issues of secularism.His zeal to initiate social change saw him open a library in his village Jokehra to inculcate reading habits and spread knowledge among residents, especially women and Dalits.Jokehra is a village of some 5,000 people, the majority of whom are Dalits and belong to backward classes. Rai himself belongs to the high caste of land-holding Bhumihars who are traditionally considered exploiters in the rural economy of the state.Set up in 1994, his library Sri Ramanand Saraswati Pustakalaya, whose first librarian was a Dalit, has become a catalyst of change in that it has helped break the caste barriers in this village."The caste animosity in rural Uttar Pradesh could be understood from the fact that our Dalit librarian would sit on the floor when a high caste person came looking for a book and the latter would find it embarrassing accepting a book from a Dalit," says Rai.All that has changed now. The library has now turned into a cultural centre of sorts and has established meaningful relationships with the National School of Drama, the Sahitya Akademi and the National Book Trust."The library was just a starting point for overall capacity building of the villagers. The small backward village has produced good theatre artistes and singers with the help of the National School of Drama," he says."Our boys have started doing well on state-level sports events like volleyball and football, just with a little bit of encouragement in terms of some sports kits and personal support," Rai says.The village is on the road to economic empowerment, with the library project finding some funding for the socio-economic development of women and Dalits."Multiple micro-empowerment initiatives can perhaps change India's development map," says Rai, as he gets into his small Maruti car to head for a talk on terrorism in India.-Indo-Asian News Servicedd/pg789 Words**06100936
2008-10-06 00:02:06
BSNL launches mobile backup system in two states
BUS13Business/NationalBSNL launches mobile backup system in two statesBhopal, Oct 5 IANS State-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd BSNL has launched "mobile backup system" in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, a top company official here said.The new system would help BSNL subscribers retrieve their contact numbers in case of losing the cell phone. "More than the cost of the handset, what hurts a person the most on losing a mobile phone is the loss of his or her contacts. But they don't have to bother any longer if they subscribe to our newly launched service, provided at a nominal cost of Re.1 a day," BSNL general manager of Bhopal circle Mahesh Shukla told IANS."The loss in terms of the cost of handset may pinch you, but you don't have to worry about your important contact numbers if you subscribe this service as it would help BSNL subscribers to retrieve their phone numbers," he added. Most of the mobile service providers are now focusing on value-added services to attract maximum number of customers, and this is one of them, he said. "However, they would be able to retrieve only phone book numbers at present, and not the other things like music, photos and videos," Shukla said.To activate the service, GPRS subscribers would be required to send an SMS typing 'SUB' or 'HELP' to 58989 or they can also access it at "http//minv.bsnl.onmobile.com". BSNL has set a target of providing 80,000 new GSM mobile connections, 10,900 landline connections and 9,500 broadband connections by March 31, 2009. --Indo-Asian News Servicess/sj/vt281 Words05101831
2008-10-05 09:03:09
Memory of Sourav winds up Shane Warne
INT20International/SportsMemory of Sourav winds up Shane WarneBy Dipankar De SarkarLondon, Oct 5 IANS Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, taken back into the team after being dropped, is among 11 Indians named by Australian spinner Shane Warne in his list of 100 greatest cricketers. But the Indian clearly irks Warne - enough for the Aussie to claim India's famous Test series win against Australia in 2000 was due to cricketers other than skipper Sourav. The list of greats, which forms a new book called "Shane Warne's Century", is headed by Sachin Tendulkar and includes all members of the famed Indian batting quartet dubbed the Fab Four - Sachin, Sourav, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman. The other seven Indians in Warne's list are: Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and Harbhajan Singh. The chapter on Sourav looks set to add the long-running public row between the Indian batsman and Warne - the Indian has got under the skin of every cricketing captain, and Warne doesn't look to be an exception. Warne describes Sourav as "an intelligent bloke, with some interesting ideas on all sorts of subjects" and pays tributes to Sourav's batting, fighting qualities and self-confidence. "But he did have the knack of rubbing up opponents and even teammates when he went to Lancashire the wrong way without seeming to try very hard. If this was part of a deliberate strategy, then he got it bang on at times." When Australia arrived in India for the 2000 series, Sourav said the team had only beaten weak teams in the past, Warne recalls, adding: "Funny, that, as India were one of them." "He would also be late for the toss and then walk off on his own without waiting for Steve Waugh, our captain. To be a minute or so behind because an issue crops up is one thing, but more than that is just taking the mickey. "He will say that the results are in the book and, yes, India did beat us in that series - thanks, I would say, to a great stand between Laxman and Dravid at Calcutta now Kolkata and Harbhajan's bowling rather than any tactical genius on Ganguly's part. On this, as on practically everything else, Ganguly splits opinion." The comments came after an altercation between Sourav and Warne during the IPL tournament this year when the Australian criticised the Indian for questioning a catch claimed off his batting. Although the verdict went in favour of Sourav, the Australian complained that he had violated the spirit of the game, prompting the feisty Indian to respond: "Look who's talking!" Both were fined 10 percent of their match fees. --Indo-Asian News Servicedds/mv/dg494 Words05101447
2008-10-05 07:02:07
Can Reading Help Kids Lose Weight Time.com
Time.com - Reading a book may not burn many calories, but the right material may help kids shed pounds...
2008-10-05 04:10:50
`30 Rock' star Tina Fey to write humor book AP
AP - Tina Fey, already the busiest of stars thanks to her Emmy-winning role in &quot30 Rock" and definitive impersonation of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is working on ...
2008-10-05 04:09:53
Sri Lanka peace process R.I.P. IANS Book Review
INT6International/Terrorism/BooksSri Lanka peace process R.I.P. IANS Book ReviewBy M.R. Narayan SwamyBook: "My Belly is White"; Author: Austin Fernando; Publisher: Vijitha Yapa Publications, ColomboThis is a revealing book on Sri Lanka's now dead peace process, written by one who was in the thick of it all. Austin Fernando was Defence Secretary when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe signed the Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement CFA with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam LTTE in February 2002. In no time, critics, dominantly from the Sinhalese majority, began to accuse the government of betrayal.The opposition and the media viciously targeted Fernando, whose job was to ensure that neither the military nor the Tigers spiked the prospects of long-term peace. He had no direct control over the LTTE. But he could influence the military. Critics thought he was stifling the armed forces while allowing the Tigers to blossom. In this packed-with-information 927-page volume, he argues that the allegations against him were mostly false, at times bordering on fantasy and libel.Fernando has written the book so that the "misconceived notions" about and derogatory attacks on the Wickremesinghe government's actions do not "become historical truths". He admits there was "evidence based criticisms too", especially in the English media."The much maligned government paid a huge political toll because of its commitment to the peace process," he moans. "Superficial and sometimes immature rationalization of highly complicated, intricate and sensitive issues was routinely used by political opponents and the media for hypocritical advantage."The reference is to the defeat Wickremesinghe's United National Party suffered in April 2004, coinciding strangely with an event that severely dented the Tigers from within: an unprecedented split in the LTTE, led by Karuna, the group's then eastern regional commander.But unlike many who whitewash their errors, Fernando comes across as one of those rare individuals who admit that he and his government also slipped on occasions. He is bitter vis-Ã -vis President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who came from the SLFP. She tried to score brownie points over Wickremesinghe and eventually undid the sagging truce by virtually sacking the prime minister in November 2003.By then, the LTTE had walked away from the peace talks. Fernando's grouse is that for all her bluster, she did nothing concrete to weaken the LTTE. "Our approach was different. It was to corner the LTTE through negotiations and international pressures."As one who was left wing in his student days, Fernando thought that peace could be brought to Sri Lanka through give-and-take, without compromising the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. But making peace was no easy task. The military, he says, had no faith in the LTTE; the ceasefire pact was not a perfect instrument; the Sinhalese radicals were opposed to truce; the militarist LTTE would not trust the government; the media did not give the government breathing space. Thus the search for the elusive peace took place "under great difficulties, complexities and under great stress".Why did Sri Lanka sign the truce in 2002 One key reason was that the war was bleeding Colombo. One sortie attack by the air force costs Rs.2.5 million, and "we fire 5 to 10 of these attacks per day on the average when the war is on". When he took charge, the defence ministry did not have pellets for training. Add to it, the LTTE would just not give up.Fernando is no admirer of the LTTE. He calls them "unpredictable", "stubborn" and "ruthless" and accuses them of trying to have their way at every turn, of creating "many-faceted problems". For one accused of appeasement, his understanding is revealing: "LTTE cadres suspected everybody, and breaking into their hearts was extremely difficult. The outer rim of the LTTE mind was very thick and rigid and also the core. Their hearts were of hard rock." But the Tigers "had a long range vision, mission, strategizing and action planning." Fernando however contradicts himself. "LTTE cadres would not change their stripes just because their leader has signed on a dotted line." Eighty pages later, he says: "They changed their stripes so fast that one cannot place trust on promises made by the LTTE."Fernando has a grouse against Erik Solheim, Norway's first Special Envoy to Sri Lanka. He calls him "stubborn" and accuses him of "favouring the LTTE for some unknown reasons." In the same breath, he gives credit to the Norwegians for persisting and coming up, in December 2002, with what came to be called the Oslo declaration, in which the LTTE agreed to explore a possible federal solution to the ethnic conflict. But what is the point of giving out Solheim's phone number in the bookAmong the reasons the peace process failed, he says, were shortcomings in the CFA as well as "negative media reporting", which turned many against the truce. He admits that both "the government and the LTTE ... were guided by military considerations".Fernando candidly admits that the government he worked for followed a strategy: "giving a sense of dignity, a relatively free hand to the LTTE other than in HSZs high security zones, building an international safety net for further stabilization of the peace process, strengthening of confidence building measures to consequently lock the LTTE to peacemaking."And "compromises were possible if properly approached, planned and executed, even with the LTTE". But critics saw "such close understanding and public relations by us as our sympathy towards the LTTE! In both parties there were individuals or groups who would consider that war was the panacea to every illness." No wonder, the peace process kept getting weakened. "Its abrogation in January 2008 by the present regime sounded like issuing a delayed Death Certificate to a decomposed corpse!--Indo-Asian News Servicemr/jg1013 Words05100800
2008-10-05 00:02:07
Balancing films, homework and friends - 10-year-old shows how
ENT1Entertainment/CinemaBalancing films, homework and friends - 10-year-old shows howBy Subhash K. JhaMumbai, Oct 5 IANS This 10-year-old carries school books to film sets and studies between shots. Swini Khara, the girl who shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in "Cheeni Kum" and is now seen in "Hari Puttar", says she somehow manages to balance movies, homework and friends."It's not really that hard," Swini told IANS. "I agree I don't get to do the normal things girls my age do. But I enjoy what I'm doing."As for time with friends and studies, Swini makes the required adjustments."I carry my books to the sets and study between shots. It's not that difficult. I've got used to it by now. I do get time for friends. But I do miss the time alone. And I do get tired. But my work is a lot of fun. I don't mind missing out on other activities," she said."Hari Puttar" is her latest release, which has 16-year-old Zain Khan playing the lead. For Swini, it was good to work with people nearer her age for a change."'Hari Puttar' was so much fun. In 'Cheeni Kum' I was working with people far older than me Amitabh Bachchan, Zohra Sehgal and Tabu. In 'Hari Puttar', I had Zain Khan as my co-star. We had a ball, although I must say Sarika aunty and Jackie Shroff uncle were also a barrel of fun," the child actor said.According to her, Zain grew from super-brat to solemn teenager during the making of the film."Because of the animation scenes, 'Hari Puttar' took a long time to make. In fact, I went to London in between for another film, came back and then shot again for 'Hari Puttar'," said Swini."Zain was very naughty when we shot the earlier portions. But as the film progressed, he grew older and became very serious. I liked that. I don't like doing too much masti fun on the sets."Swini seems delighted by the vagaries of showbiz and is now looking forward to more work on her plate."I do my best. Recently I was shooting for a dance-based reality show and that was also fun. I'm doing one more film 'Kaalu' where I play the main role. And there's a witch chasing me throughout the film. Please see this film. It will scare the hell out of you. I get to do a lot of dangerous stunts in this film all on my own. There are rocks falling on me. But not to worry. The rocks were made of thermocol," she explained.Swini was happy to meet her former co-star Amitabh Bachchan recently."I met Amit Uncle at an awards function. He was very sweet. I enjoyed playing Sexy in 'Cheeni Kum'. But now I've moved on to 'Hari Puttar'," she quipped.--Indo-Asian News Serviceskj/mv/jg529 Words05100731
2008-10-05 00:00:00
Nirad Chaudhuri honoured by Oxford, his adopted home
INT36International/Diaspora/Literature/BooksNirad Chaudhuri honoured by Oxford, his adopted homeBy Dipankar De SarkarOxford, Oct 4 IANS A blue plaque was put up Friday at the Oxford home of the late Indian writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri, who spent his last 17 years in the leafy suburbs of this English university town. Chaudhuri, author of the seminal "Autobiography of an Unknown Indian", lived at 20 Lathbury Road from 1982 to 1999, when he died at the age of 101. The blue plaque, a singular British honour that commemorates famous figures, will say, "Nirad C. Chaudhuri, 1897-1999, writer, lived here 1982-1999." Chaudhuri, who described himself as an Englishman and a Bengali, wrote the second volume of his autobiography, "Thy Hand, Great Anarch!", published in 1987, at the double-story brick-coloured Oxford home. At the age of 100 he also published his last book, "Three Horsemen of the New Apocalypse" - also written at the Oxford house - becoming possibly the oldest man to write and publish a book. The plaque was unveiled by Bengali writer, Amit Chaudhuri, a great admirer of Nirad Chaudhuri, and the event was attended, among others, by his granddaughter Satarupa Chaudhuri, who flew in from India. Chaudhuri was awarded a CBE and in 1992 given an honorary degree by the University of Oxford. He joined a long list of people to be honoured with a blue plaque in Oxfordshire county, including authors Elizabeth Goudge, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Oxfordshire Blue Plaque Board, which has honoured 41 other people, said: "Nirad C. Chaudhuri, a distinguished Indian writer and remarkable personality, was an internationalist, in the sense of one who takes the best of all cultures but never loses his own, and published many works on Indian and European civilization."He was an original thinker, forthright in his opinions, and a passionate admirer of western culture who decided to make his home in Oxford in 1970 when he was over seventy. He was a familiar and arresting sight out and about in Oxford, a diminutive figure, always impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit, although he wore Indian attire at home."Niradbabu also wrote acclaimed books in Bengali at his Oxford home, including "Aaji Hotey Shotoborsho Aagey" a hundred years ago and "Amaar Debottor Shompotti" my bequeathed property. --Indo-Asian News Servicedds/am413 Words*04101633
2008-10-04 07:01:12
Understated prose brings out the angst of the immigrant IANS Book Review
NAT2National/Diaspora/Immigration/BooksUnderstated prose brings out the angst of the immigrant IANS Book ReviewBy Shubha SinghBook: "The Immigrant"; Author: Manju Kapur; Publisher: Random House India; Price: Rs.395 The story is set in the mid-1970s. It is about Nina, a lecturer in Delhi University's Miranda College like the author, who lives with her mother in strained circumstances, slowly growing older and watching the faint wrinkles appear on her face while her body clock ticks louder.The death of her diplomat father has left Nina and her mother struggling to make ends meet in a small flat in Delhi's Jangpura neighbourhood. A visit to a bureaucrat-cum-astrologer sets her life into a different path through an "arranged introduction" with an NRI dentist, who arrives from Halifax, Canada, for the viewing ceremony and the decision to get married.The book runs through the last days of the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. It describes the general feeling of malaise and frustration, the sense that nothing is right with the country, when the brightest are looking at ways to escape abroad.Nina's visa would take three months and her newly wed husband Ananda has to leave without her. Ananda's brother-in-law, Ramesh, a bureaucrat on the fast track, is keen to use his contacts to hurry up the visa but Ananda is positive this would backfire, while his sister Alka implies that they didn't know the extent of Ramesh's contacts.Nina goes back to her college and experiences the respect that comes with marriage. It is a tiny shift of focus, Kapur writes, and there it is - Nina Sharma is an accepted member of society, married and respected for she is bound for the Western big time.Meanwhile election fever is in the air in Delhi; the Janata Party has been formed, but the forces of dictatorship seemed so firmly entrenched that Nina votes for the Janata party in despair rather than hope.Manju Kapur's descriptive powers bring the story alive; there are vignettes that sound familiar. In London Nina sees a "sweeping woman, long handled mop, salwar kameezed with gold hoop earrings. Fellow country woman, we are sisters, you and I. The woman looks up, but so blankly, it is obvious that the sari clad lady in front of her strikes no chord, her kindly gaze, her twitching, ready to smile lips mean nothing."The episode with the grim immigration officer rings so true and describes the middle class Indian's reaction to being questioned by a grim-faced woman immigration officer. Nina is asked when Ananda first came to Canada, about his relatives in Canada, in India, what he did, the name of his partner in the dental practice, her details, her professional qualifications."Nina has no idea why this is happening to her - she has a valid visa. She is decent, respectable, god-fearing and worthy. She feels edgy; she is alone with a woman who makes no eye contact, for whom she is less than human. Though she was addressed as ma'am no respect is conveyed. Nina has been used to respect. It came with her class, her education, her accent, her clothes."Manju Kapur's meticulous details describe the alienation and isolation of living in and adjusting to a new milieu, coping with a husband's sexual dysfunction while hoping to get pregnant.Vegetarian Ananda is easily converted to meat-eating Andy, but Nina believes using the word Andy in her home is to carry alienation into the bedroom. Nina's own slow process of assimilation means changing from an easily recognisable Indian woman in an oversized overcoat to a student of library science at the local college.It is a process that eventually allows her some space and a sense of freedom. But an unsatisfactory relationship, coupled with their insecurities and complexes, leads both of them to stray into extramarital affairs resulting in the slow disintegration of the marriage."The Immigrant" is set in the era when the great migration to North America had just started after the US and Canada changed their immigration policies for Asians. But the feelings of isolation and dislocation that Manju Kapur describes in her simple prose would strike a chord with present-day Indian immigrants trying to adjust to life in the west. Shubha Singh can be reached at shubhasingh101@gmail.com--Indo-Asian News Serviceshub/jg753 Words**04100922
2008-10-04 00:04:06