Statesman (India) articles from May 2001

Statesman (India) archives from May 2001

Trinamul not power-hungry: Mamata.
May 31, 2001... KOLKATA, May 30. - Miss Mamata Banerjee left for Delhi today with a 20-member team of Trinamul MPs and MLAs. Asked whether the Trinamul would go back to the NDA, she said: "We don't have hunger for power." Of late, reports have...

Netaji probe panel to visit UK.
May 31, 2001... KOLKATA, May 30. - The Netaji Inquiry Commission will go to the UK to scrutinise 700 files on Subhas Chandra Bose and Indian National Army. Commission members are likely to leave for London on 7 July and complete their work by 27 July....

Sonia may ask Mamata to clarify stand.
May 31, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 30. - In her bid to rebuild bridges with the CPI-M, Mrs Sonia Gandhi may ask Miss Mamata Banerjee to clear the air on media speculations about her return to the NDA when the two meet in the capital. The Congress, which...

Bars no bar to matrimony.
May 31, 2001... DURGAPUR, May 30. - This story could well be made into a prime time soap opera. Sundar Chatterjee, a lifer in Alipore Central Jail, has been granted a month's conditional parole to marry Provati Goswami which he did on 28 May. The SUCI...

'Patch-up will harm state BJP'.
May 31, 2001... KOLKATA, May 30. - Mr Asim Ghosh, state BJP chief, today said the state unit felt that Trinamul's return to the NDA would hurt the party in West Bengal. "But I am duty-bound to implement the central leadership's decision," he added. Mr...

Indian lenders to DPC in trouble.
May 31, 2001... MUMBAI, May 30. - The Indian lenders to the US power major Enron-promoted $2.9 billion Dabhol Power Corporation's entire project, consisting of phase I and II, are wary of their foreign counterparts' reported move to enforce guarantees on...

ITC profit crosses Rs 1,000-cr mark.
May 31, 2001... KOLKATA, May 30. - Tobbacco major ITC Limited today reported a 27 per cent increase in post-tax profit to Rs 1,006.26 crore during the year ended 31 March 2001, against Rs 792.44 crore in the previous fiscal. The company's profit before...

What's new?
May 31, 2001... At the outset let me say that I do not subscribe to any newspaper. Newspapers subscribe to me. Asked what was the secret of the happiness of the people of his village whom he so often praised in his works, Max Mueller replied: "The absence of...

Military power-I: History Of Army Rule In Pakistan.
May 31, 2001... After the blast at a Bengali new year concert in Dhaka killing nine people, on 14 April, Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's Prime Minister, said: "Forces who opposed Bangladesh's independence want to destroy Bengali culture". General Pervez...

Mess in Manipur: Sum total of defection, greed and deja vu.
May 31, 2001... The BJP must blame itself for the political mess in Manipur. The manner in which the party's state unit increased its strength from the original six to 26 in the 60-member House in less than two months by encouraging defection indicated its...

Distributing hostility: Israeli publisher's offer to Arabs.
May 31, 2001... Arab writers refuse to be translated into Hebrew. Should one be published by the enemy? This is the question that has come up for a group of Arab writers from Morocco, Lebanon and Egypt to be published by Andalus, an Israeli publisher, in a...

Shelton visit likely in July.
May 31, 2001... New Delhi, May 30. - The Indian national security establishment was waiting for General Henry Shelton, chairman, Joint chief of staff, United States armed forces, but he has postponed his visit by a month. The reason for postponing his...

Musharraf six months late in 'homecoming'.
May 31, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 30. - Pakistan's chief executive officer, Gen Pervez Musharraf is some six months late in his "homecoming." Not that an earlier arrival would have facilitated resolving prickly bilateral issues, but it could have been...

Challenging the old order.
May 31, 2001... It does not take long for a new-ball partnership to take shape before the names of Fred Trueman and Brian Statham arise in conversation or print. The pairing is generally recognised as the finest to represent England since the war, but this...

Good times in Galudi.
May 31, 2001... "I have travelled far and wide to see seas and mountains, but I have not seen the beauty of a drop of dew on a blade of grass, just a step or two from my door," rues Rabindranath Tagore in one of his poems. How right he was, I concluded, when...

The many colours of enlightenment.
May 31, 2001... True to Dipankara's words, the Wise One was reborn. Again and again, sometimes as a deva, sometimes as an animal. The 550 rebirths of Sumedha are recorded in the Jataka Tales and even today, monks chant sutras and blow on bugles and conchs as...

Enron-DPC closes Guhagar plant.
May 31, 2001... MUMBAI, May 30. - In a reprisal move, the Enron-Dabhol Power Corporation today shut down its plant - a 740-MW facilities - at Guhagar to counter the Maharashtra State Electricity Board's decision yesterday to stop buying power with immediate...

Column one: Shelton trip put off.
May 31, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 30. - The joint chief of staff of the US armed forces, General Henry Shelton, has postponed his one-day visit to India scheduled for tomorrow by a month. The reason for postponing the visit wasn't clear.

Column one: Indo-Bangla talks.
May 31, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 30. - India and Bangladesh will be holding official-level talks here on 12 and 13 June. The discussions will be related to the 1974 Indira-Mujib land boundary agreement, an MEA spokesman said today.

Hurriyat may prove to be a ticklish issue.
May 31, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 30. - A ticklish problem which may arise in connection with the summit meeting between General Pervez Musharraf and Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee is the possibility of a polite diplomatic request from the General himself, or the...

Happy World No Tobacco Day.
May 31, 2001... KOLKATA, May 30. - Five thousand and five hundred Indians join the tobacco consumer's family every day. Twenty five per cent of the country's population consume tobacco. Two thousand and two hundred persons die of tobacco related diseases...

Buddha for Centre-state fight against extremists.
May 31, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 30. - Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharya today sought more BSF battalions and joint-working of the Centre and the state to combat extremism, especially against the ISI, PWG and Kamatapuri Liberation Organisation activities in North...

/net.news/.
May 31, 2001... Indian Arrival Day If you've heard too many sad stories of how Indians are treated abroad, read about a country where 30 May is celebrated as Indian Arrival Day. It commemorates the landing of the first indentured workers from India in...

Oppression of Udaynagar tribals belies CM's claims.
May 31, 2001... The media savvy Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister knows the relevance of mouthing platitudes about the overriding need to empower people, especially, the suppressed and vulnerable Dalits and tribals. Digvijay Singh is a past master at...

Legal notice served on BCCI.
May 31, 2001... MUMBAI, May 30. - A Mumbai marketing firm, Gayatri Arts, representing a major clothing company, which claims it was unfairly denied the sponsorship rights for the Indian team, has decided to file a court injunction against the BCCI over its...

'ACC was given green light'.
May 31, 2001... KOLKATA, May 30. - The Asian Cricket Council announced the fixtures for the four-nation Test Championships in Lahore after receiving the Indian Cricket Board's clarification on its Government's policies regarding cricketing ties with...

France start in style.
May 31, 2001... KASHIMA (Japan), May 30. - France opened its Fifa Confederations Cup campaign today by destroying the host South Korea 5-0 with a masterful display of pace and power. The French, reigning World and European champions made their Korean...

Our family has grown!
May 31, 2001... IN STATION 1. Averi Chakravarty, Modern High School 2. Sahana Ghosh, Modern High School 3. Sujoyini Mandal, Modern High School 4. Anjum Parveen, Saifee Hall 5. Tusha Mittal, La Martiniere For Girls 6. Madhuri Karak,...

All for the love of moms.
May 31, 2001... Is there any need to celebrate a particular day as Mother's Day? We, in India don't just love our mothers, we worship them. So I think every day is a Mother's Day for us. Madhura Mukherjee Class V, Loreto House A SPECIAL occasion...

What good is censorship?
May 31, 2001... The media has always existed, but its presence is being felt like never before. This becomes more relevant because the content presented by way of entertainment is triggering a very different kind of behaviour in children. The Central Board...

Read a book: Carpe Jugulum: Terry Pratchett.
May 31, 2001... For those of you who like alternative realities, you must delve into the Discworld series. Not only are they hilarious and incredibly imaginative and action packed, crawling as they are with werewolves, vampires, gnomes and trolls, but they...

Mamata to meet Sonia.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA,May 29. - Miss Mamata Banerjee will meet Mrs Sonia Gandhi during her Delhi trip with Trinamul MPs and MLAs. As decided earlier, Miss Banerjee would also meet the President, Prime Minister and the Union home minister with the...

Opp slams LF for retaining Deputy Speaker's post.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - The Left Front's decision to retain the deputy Speaker's chair has been severely criticised by the Opposition. As in the last Assembly, Mr Anil Mukherjee will continue to function as the deputy Speaker of the West...

CMDA seeks joint venture partners.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - The CMDA is seeking joint venture partners for infrastructure development projects, the state urban development and municipal affairs minister, Mr Asoke Bhattacharya, has said. He has taken over as the CMDA chairman. He...

Race for minister's rooms continues.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - The race for ministers' rooms continues at Writers' Buildings. Mr Kanti Ganguly, minister of state for Sundarban development affairs, today worked in the room of Mr Subhas Chakraborty, state transport minister while Mr...

The sorry tale of Ashutosh museum.
May 30, 2001... FUNDS FOR ART SURVEY, FIELD WORK NOT UTILISED KOLKATA, May 29. - For the cash-strapped Calcutta University, is the Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art - once a "pride" of the authorities and still showcased to foreigners - too much of a luxury...

Kin of Moghal murder accused being victimised.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - The police are yet to trace Daren Ahsan who allegedly engineered the murder of Congress leader Md Moghal on 11 February at Garden Reach. Meanwhile life has turned into nightmare for the eight brothers of Daren who are...

Roadblock.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - Local residents of Manoharpukur Road (Ward 85) staged a road blockade from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. today, in protest against stoppage of water supply. Calcutta Municipal Corporation officials said that the Palta...

2 killed in CPM-Cong clash.
May 30, 2001... BHARATPUR (Murshidabad), May 29. - Two persons were killed in a clash between CPI-M and Congress supporters yesterday evening at Shamunsherpur under Bharatpur police station, police said. Chand Manjhi, a CPI-M party supporter was hacked...

One held on murder charge.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - Aurangzeb Alam alias Guddu was arrested yesterday on the charge of killing Pulla Rao (13) inside the Calcutta Medical College complex in March. Police said Guddu had left the city and gone to Jahanabad, Bihar, after...

Chamling meets Buddha.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - The Sikkim chief minister, Mr Pawan Kumar Chamling, and some of his Cabinet colleagues met Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharya at Writers' Buildings today. The Sikkim chief minister sought the West Bengal chief minister's help...

KLO activist arrested in Cooch Behar.
May 30, 2001... SILIGURI, May 29. - Cooch Behar police has arrested Dinabandhu Barman, a "top Kamtapur Liberation Organisation activist", from Mathabhanga last night. "Barman was part of the second batch of KLO activists that underwent arms training at...

More disputes over CPP.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - Be prepared for another round of acrimony between basic and cellular operators. This time, on the proposal to permit the calling party pays regime (CPP) for cellular mobile subscribers. The private basic operators...

"CPM helped BJP grow in state".
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - "At a time when industrialists are meeting the West Bengal chief minister in the CPI-M party office, tribals are resisting the entry of MNCs in Bastar, Madhya Pradesh," Mr Varvara Rao, spokesman of the Committee in...

Sikkim opens up key sectors.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - Sikkim has emerged as an attractive destination for private investors, the Sikkim Chief Minister, Mr Pawan Chamling, said today. Speaking to the members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, Mr Chamling...

Orissa demands special status, loan waiver.
May 30, 2001... BHUBANESWAR, May 29. - The state government iterated its demand for special category state status at meetings held with a team of Planning Commission members who reached here yesterday. Orissa has voiced the demand since long and sought...

Gehlot-Centre heat over ammo fire.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - The ammunition-dump fire has gone out but the fiery exchanges between the state government of Rajasthan and the defence ministry is continuing. The Ashok Gehlot government has fired off its second letter to the Prime...

Cyclone threat blows over.
May 30, 2001... GANDHINAGAR, May 29. - Gujarat was spared of death and destruction and instead received showers in Saurashtra and Kutch, as the cyclone threatening its coast dissipated some 50 kms from Porbander over the Arabian Sea early morning today. ...

TDP demands waiver of central loans.
May 30, 2001... HYDERABAD, May 29. - The Telegu Desam Party has asked for a waiver of the loans the bankrupt Andhra Pradesh government took from the Centre and renewed its demand to allow the states to borrow directly from external agencies. The TDP...

Patwa draws flak over BHEL privatisation statement.
May 30, 2001... BHOPAL, May 29. - The Union minister for mines, Mr Sunderlal Patwa's statement that the privatisation of the profit-making public sector Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited is on the cards, has sparked a furore in Madhya Pradesh BJP circles with...

SJM plans stir against unfettered liberalisation.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - The Swadeshi Jagran Manch plans to draw its agitational plan and fine-tune strategy to oppose unfettered liberalisation by the BJP-led NDA coalition at its three-day national council meeting in Shimla from 1 June. ...

Submit fresh list, Governor tells Manipur Speaker.
May 30, 2001... IMPHAL, May 29. - The Manipur Speaker, Dr Dhananjoy Singh, will have to submit a fresh list of supporters by 5.30 p.m. tomorrow and resign his post as he has staked claim to form the next government. The Governor, Mr Ved Marwah,...

I-T swoop on Raheja firms.
May 30, 2001... MUMBAI, May 29. - In a nationwide swoop, the income tax department today descended on the premises of the Rahejas in Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi to conduct a survey-cum-search and seizure operation. The action was on till late evening on...

ED seeks I-T help to probe Zee owners.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - The Enforcement Directorate has sought Income Tax department's co-operation to probe the allegations of Fera violations against the Zee TV owners. ED sources told The Statesman: "The probe carried out so far by the...

ID cards for Tripura border villagers.
May 30, 2001... AGARTALA, May 29. - Photo identity cards will be issued to Tripura villagers living within a 20-km radius of the state's border with Bangladesh. This will distinguish Indian citizens from illegal immigrants. According to the proposal of...

Hindustan Cables Ltd divestment plan to hit Balco-like wall.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - Another high-profile disinvestment plan of the Centre - the proposed 74 per cent divestment of the Hindustan Cables Ltd (HCL) - is set to hit a Balco-like obstacle, literally. While the powerful NDA ally and Andhra...

Ministers to submit reports every six months.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - The state government has asked its ministers to submit progress reports of their respective departments every six months. Mr Nirupam Sen, industry minister, and Mr Asim Dasgupta, finance minister, held meetings with...

Musharraf accepts Vajpayee invitation.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - General Pervez Musharraf has formally accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to visit India for a summit. In his letter to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Pakistan Chief Executive said he was looking forward to...

Dabhol deadlock: Centre gives new proposals.
May 30, 2001... MUMBAI, May 29. - In a bid to end the deadlock over the Dabhol power project, the Centre's representative, Mr AV Gokak, today came up with a "set of proposals" at the talks between Enron-Dabhol Power Corporation and the Madhav Godbole...

Be an efficient employee & get your photo on board: Administrative Reforms dept throws bait to catch good fish.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - If you overhear some government employees discussing how to score better marks, don't be misled. For, most probably they would not be talking about their children's performance, but their own. And all of them would...

Nothing fails like failure.
May 30, 2001... KOLKATA, May 29. - And now, it can be said. With Baichung Bhutia popping up in Singapore, all the fuss the Indian Press made nearly two years ago over his controversy-strewn passage from East Bengal Club to the Bury FC camp can be said to...

No move to re-induct Mamata in NDA: PM.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - The Prime Minister today said there was no proposal to take Miss Mamata Banerjee back into the NDA fold. Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee will return to Delhi tomorrow afternoon. He will meet the West Bengal chief minister, Mr...

CINEMA: Must the anger survive forever?
May 30, 2001... EK RISHTAA Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Karishma Kapoor One had imagined that with Amitabh Bachchan getting on in years but retaining the power of his performances, Mumbai film-makers would have producing subjects to...

LoC to be a key issue in talks.
May 30, 2001... NEW DELHI, May 29. - When General Pervez Musharraf comes visiting, a key issue to be raised is the Line of Control, and amending it to make more geo-synchronous sense before agreeing to convert it into international border. As it stands...

Digest.
May 30, 2001... - Unsung genius Not many in the modern world of Rabindrasangeet might have heard of him. But mention Prafulla Kumar Das to an old-timer and memories of an authentic mode of singing will inevitably be revived. He belonged to an age when...

FOOD: Tales from the tawa.
May 30, 2001... In Sanskrit it is the kharpava, in Kannada the kavali, in Hindi, the tava and in English the griddle. All these terms refer to the thick, flat - sometimes slightly concave - iron plate which is ubiquitious to almost every culture across the...

CASSETTES: Into a world of legends.
May 30, 2001... CNBC India and Sony Music, have joined hands to provide audiences with Legends in Concert, an event held in Carnegie Hall in New York City during the "The Music Festival of India". That was on 13 September, 1997 and some of India's foremost...

The redoubtable RK & charades at ol' Bucks.
May 30, 2001... WHEW, what an awfully humid, sticky week that's been, and, of course, to make matters worse, the work pace never lets up, does it? It's as if the weather was commiserating too with the exit of that marvellous, versatile writer RK Narayanan....

Aesthetic expression of ideas.
May 30, 2001... The newest dance style which is fast becoming a regular presentation of Kalamandalam Kolkata is Kuchipudi - the dance form of Andhra Pradesh. It only goes to show the egalitarian nature of the institution which has the vision of the two great...

Faith, hope and... clarity?
May 30, 2001... LEFT Front celebrities and how they seek to win friends and influence people continue to dominate the headlines. The same intent is discernable in the way Asok Bhattacharya responds to questions, shortly after the Baam Front made short shrift...

In pursuit of a proud legacy.
May 30, 2001... While the recent exhibition of more than 80 restored oil paintings drew a keen response at the Victoria Memorial, the authorities are keeping a much larger collection under wraps. Members of the Calcutta Tercentenary Trust project have over...

With new eyes on Tagore.
May 30, 2001... Utpalendu Chakraborty had made it to the national scene with a film called Chokh which had fetched him the national award and several other laurels. That was nearly two decades ago. Since then his career as a film-maker has witnessed many ups...

Culture vulture.
May 30, 2001... "NOTHING to do". Yes, that was precisely the name of the film being screened at Nandan on the evening of the 15th. As part of the week-long festival of French films entitled "Women 2001". Providing the much needed distraction after the...

The Westside story.
May 30, 2001... This is not quite the Hollywood Westside Story. This one is the Bollywood blockbuster; now travelling to Tolly land; produced and directed by Simone Tata. The dramatis personae are elegant, stylish, trendy, with an "attitude" for all...

DISMAL NEWS: State of the economy.
May 30, 2001... THE news about the economy is threatening to go from average to appalling. April's combined growth figures for six infrastructure sectors is 1.1 per cent, more than six percentage points lower than the rate for April 2000. Not to put too fine...

Mindbender.
May 30, 2001... HE deals with space. Where there might be nothing much to see, he'll employ those long stretches of silence to take you on an inner journey, helping you map your mind and walk over its edges... forcing you to confront those subconscious grey...

CRISIS IN INDONESIA: Battle between Wahid and parliament.
May 30, 2001... Three years after Suharto made an ignominious exit, his democratic successor, Abdurrahman Wahid finds himself in more or less the same situation. Wahid refused to resign in March when parliament was seized of two bribery scandals that...

NOW & AGAIN: WHAT AN INTELLECTUAL SHOULD BE.
May 30, 2001... PATNA College was at the pinnacle of its glory in the first half of the last century. Jadunath Sarkar, the greatest historian of modern India, taught here for a quarter of a century. Beside him were the historians YJ Taraporvala (the "Unknown...

"I don't buy foreign coach theory".
May 30, 2001... After a long, long time we saw a new Indian football team - fresh in spirit, innovative in ideas and brave in approach. How has this transformation come about? It's a question of self-belief. There is a feeling among us after the...

IN BLAZER & TIE: Upholding good traditions.
May 30, 2001... A pleasure indeed it was to see photographs of Indian cricketers wearing blazer and tie on their arrival in Zimbabwe. There is no reason to go along with the now fashionable argument that such attire is a stuffy colonial hangover, the same...

WORLD SCAN: Bad boy.
May 30, 2001... ONE of the bad boys of tennis believes in living up to his image. Marcelo Rios, the moody, sullen and unpopular Chilean former world number one, has been charged with resisting arrest and attacking policemen in Rome during the ATP Masters...

The many colours of enlightenment.
May 30, 2001... TRUE to Dipankara's words, the Wise One was reborn. Again and again, sometimes as a deva, sometimes as an animal. The 550 rebirths of Sumedha are recorded in the Jataka Tales and even today, monks chant sutras and blow on bugles and conchs as...

Good times in Galudi.
May 30, 2001... "I HAVE travelled far and wide to see seas and mountains, but I have not seen the beauty of a drop of dew on a blade of grass, just a step or two from my door," rues Rabindranath Tagore in one of his poems. How right he was, I concluded, when...

Challenging the old order.
May 30, 2001... IT DOES not take long for a new-ball partnership to take shape before the names of Fred Trueman and Brian Statham arise in conversation or print. The pairing is generally recognised as the finest to represent England since the war, but this...