07.31.08
Posted in Media Council at 1:34 pm by YUDHISTRA
There are four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism. They also had a vast influence on Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Traditionally the text of the Vedas was coeval with the universe. Scholars have determined that the Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas, was composed about 1500 B.C., and codified about 600 B.C. It is unknown when it was finally committed to writing, but this probably was at some point after 300 B.C.
The Vedas contain hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India. Along with the Book of the Dead, the Enuma Elish, the I Ching, and the Avesta, they are among the most ancient religious texts still in existence. Besides their spiritual value, they also give a unique view of everyday life in India four thousand years ago. The Vedas are also the most ancient extensive texts in an Indo-European language, and as such are invaluable in the study of comparative linguistics.
1) RIG VEDA: Vedic Hymns in honour of various gods;
2) SAM VEDA: A collection of hymns used by the priests during the Soma sacrifice.
3) The Yajur Veda (Taittiriya Sanhita): The Yajur Veda is a detailed manual of the Vedic sacrificial rites.
4) Atharva Veda : The Atharva Veda also contains material from the Rig Veda, but of interest are the numerous incantations and metaphysical texts, which this anthology (part of the Sacred Books of the East series) collects and categorizes. The Atharva Veda was written down much later than the rest of the Vedas, about 200 B.C.; it may have been composed about 1000 B.C.
5) UPNISHADS: The Upanishads are a continuation of the Vedic philosophy, and were written between 800 and 400 B.C. They elaborate on how the soul (Atman) can be united with the ultimate truth (Brahman) through contemplation and mediation, as well as the doctrine of Karma– the cumulative effects of a persons’ actions.
6) PURANAS: The Puranas are post-Vedic texts which typically contain a complete narrative of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology and geography. There are 17 or 18 canonical Puranas, divided into three categories, each named after a deity: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. There are also many other works termed Purana, known as ‘Upapuranas.’
a) VISHNU PPURANA: A primary text of the Vaishnava branch of Hinduism, and one of the canonical Puranas of the Vishnu category. Among the portions of interest are a cycle of legends of the boyhood deeds of Krishna and Rama.
b) The Garuda Purana: A Vishnu Purana with Dantesque descriptions of the afterlife, and details of Hindu funeral rites.
c) The S’rimad Devî Bhâgawatam: One of the Upapuranas, devoted to the Devi (Goddess).
d) The Devî Gita: The Song of the Goddess.
e) The Prem Sagur: a popular Hindi retelling of the Krishna cycle, based on the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana.
The Laws of Manu: Manu was the legendary first man, the Adam of the Hindus. This is a collection of laws attributed to Manu.
The Sacred Laws of the Âryas: Hindu law books written by the sages Âpastamba and Gautama, in the first millenium B.C.
The Sacred Laws of the Âryas, Part II: Hindu law books written by the sages Vasishtha and Baudhâyana, in the first millenium B.C.
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Posted in Media Council at 1:11 pm by YUDHISTRA
http://setubandha. blogspot. com/2008/ 07/replies- to-comments- of-uoi-counsel. html
Comments on the remarks of Mr. Nariman regarding destruction of Rama Setu by Lord Rama himself
By K.Gopalakrishnan (28 July 2008)
Mr.Nariman submitted on behalf of the Govt. of India to the Supreme Court on 24th July, 2008 that “As per Kamba Ramayana, the Superman Rama himself destroyed the bridge Rama Sethu that was earlier constructed by him and anything that was broken is not a bridge, and we can not worship something that has been destroyed”.
Mr. Nariman also said”Kamba Ramayana also expressly says the bridge was destroyed by Lord Ram so that no one can cross over to Sri Lanka and ships can sail through”.
Kamba Ramayana is one of the many vernacular versions of the original Ramayana by Valmiki in sanskrit language. Kamba Ramayana itself has got many versions in its publications.
The verse in question being quoted by Mr. Narman is verse No. 171 in yudda kanda published in a version edited and published by one Sri, V.M.Gopalakrishnama chariyar.
Rama, after killing Ravana and other rakshasas in the battle and after rescuing his wife Sita, was returning from Lanka to Ayodhya by Pushpaka vimaana (an aero-plane) with Sita. It is described that from the plane, Rama was showing Sita and giving details about various places en-route. The above verse in Gopalakrishnamachar iyar’s version forms one of the seven verses (166 to 172) describing the greatness and purity of Rama Sethu.
It is obvious that Rama could not have broken the bridge from the aero-plane. That means that Rama should have destroyed the bridge after winning the war and before boarding his vimaana/plane. There was no mention of such activity during this specific period anywhere in Kamba Ramayana. When Rama describes the greatness and purity of Rama Sethu in so many verses, it is not rational that he himself would have destroyed it. Besides, Goplakrishnamachari yar himself says in the explanatory notes for this verse that the break-up of this bridge was done from the western side and because of that reason, that place is known as Dhanushkodi. If that was the case, then Rama would have had to swim back to Lanka crossing the ship-sailable channel. Gopalakrishnamachar iyar’s text does not talk about breakage in three places (see the annexured text); but Mr. Nariman says that as per Kamba Ramayana, the bridge was broken in three places. Then Rama would have to swim not one channel but three to get back to Sri Lanka to board the plane with Sita and all others.
Another aspect of many versions of Kamba Ramayana is that at many places, man ylater insertions have been made to the original text of Kamban. Even in his version of Kamba Ramayana, Gopalakrishnamachar iyar himself had cited 43 such insertions between the above verses 166 and 172 (see enclosed annexures). Also, between verses 173 and 174, two more insertions are cited.
In another version of Kamba Ramayana edited by Poovannan, Srichandran and Manikkam, and published by Varthamanan publishers, there are only five verses describing the greatness and purity of Rama Sethu instead of the seven given in Gopalakrishnamachar iyar’s version (see annexures). The verses 170, and 171 quoted by Mr. Nariman are not found in the latter’s version. It is therefore more likely that the verse under question regarding the destruction of Sethu by Rama himself as well as the one preceding it (no.170) in the former’s version may also be insertions.
The other contention of Mr.Nariman that we can not worship some thing that has been broken is also incorrect. This type of argument may hold good for idols, but not for kshetrams and thirthasthanams. It is to be noted that even in the quoted verse, in the later part, Rama talks about the virtue of Rama Sethu stating that one who takes bath in the Sethu thirtham will be absolved of all his sins and will live like Devas for the next 21 births. Thus, even if one accepts the above verse as original for arguments’ sake, the Sethu will still be a place of worship, contrary to the assertion of Mr. Nariman.
ANNEXURES (Tamil texts with translations into English of relevant Tamil verses/comments)
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4202841/ VMG1 Annexure 1: From VMG’s version – 1
Translation of Verse 167: Rama tells Sita: Lady wearing golden bangles! To talk of the purity of the Setu is an impossibility for even Brahma, what can I say? Yet, listen to what I have to say: even those who have harmed parents, guru, and relatives will attain purity and become deva-s by the mere sight of the Setu.
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4202896/ VMG2 Annexure 2: From VMG’s version – 2
Translation of Verse 168: There are some who say that the purity of Setu is because of the association with Gandhamadana mountain. The legend is that when Indra broke the mountain slopes, some mountains feared Indra and hid under the ocean.
Comment of Verse 171: When Rama traveled on the Pushpaka Vimana, to move amidst wooden trawlers smoothly, it is incorrect to state that he tore the Setu. It is an incorrect translation. Here criminals who have committed panchamahapatakas (five grievous misdeeds) took a dip. Even in 21 births, they will be healthy without illnesses and will attain the appreciation of deva-s. (Thus, it is explained that the tearing of the Setu was to facilitate the samudra snaanam).
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4202953/ VMG3 Annexure 3: From VMG’s version – 3
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4203003/ VMG4 Annexure 4: From VMG’s version – 4
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4203153/ VMG5 Annexure 5 From VMG’s version – 5
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4203689/ VMG6 Annexure 6: From VMG’s version – 6
The three annexes – VMG3 to VMG6 explain Poojai padalam, that is, chapter of Setu worship.. (Note: The accent on the entire chapter on the sacredness of Setu and the procedures of worship).
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4203247/ Poovannan1Annexure 7: From Poovannan et al –1
Trans. Verse 4058 is titled: Showing Setu, explaining its greatness (cirappu) Translation of the verse: Rama said: ‘Lady with an exquisite countenance! After many days lapsed after I got separated from you, after I gained the friendship of Sugriva, the monarch of vaanara, after Hanuman met you in Lanka in the Ashokavana where you were held captive and relieved your anguish, after he informed us of your presence, to join battle with Ravana, to get you released from captivity, vaanarasena constructed this Setu to cross over the ocean. See this Setu.’
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4203379/ Poovannan2 Annexure 8: From Poovannan et al – 2
Trans. of verse 4059 (same as verse 167 in VMG1): Rama tells Sita: Lady wearing golden bangles! To talk of the purity of the Setu is an impossibility for even Brahma, what can I say? Yet, listen to what I have to say: even those who have harmed parents, guru, and relatives will attain purity and become deva-s by the mere sight of the Setu.
Trans. of verse 4061: If one immerses in sacred snaanam in Ganga river, Yamuna river, Godavari river, Narmada river, Kaveri river, evils will not be eliminated. By merely seeing the sacred waters of the Setu which takes on the incessant waves which throw the s’ankha onto the shore, all sins will be removed.
http://www.scribd. com/doc/4203435/ Poovannan3 Annexure 9: From Poovannan et al – 3
Trans of verse 4063. Rama carrying the powerful kodanda bow which vanquishes evil people explained to Sita while traveling on the Pushpaka Vimana, showed the specific spot where Varuna had s’aranaagati (adaikkalam or surrender).
NOTE: At the following blogspot post, verses from another Kamba Ramayanam edition have been analysed, again pointing out the comments made by the editors about interpolations. This edition is: Setu in Kamba Ramayana (First edition, 1976, published by Kamban Kazhagam, Chennai).
http://setubandha. blogspot. com/2008/ 07/rama-setu- hindu-cosmolog- sea-level. html
The interpolated verse for example iss 170-23.
kappai enum kanniyaiyum, kandanaar taataiyaiyum
appozhude tiruvanaikku kaavalaraay angu irutti
ceppa ariya cilaiyaale tiruvanaiyai vaay keeri
oppu ariyaal tannudane uyar cenai kkadaludane
Appointing a lady-warrior called Kappai and a warrior named Kandanaar to guard the Setu, using an arrow (cilai) marking a line (vaay keeri — line on the end of the Setu). This verse does NOT indicate that Rama destroyed the Setu. (Note: The word keeri has many meanings. In this context of engaging guards to guard the Setu, the line is drawn only as a demarcation of their zone of responsibility) .
In the original verses of Kamban, and in Valimki Ramayana, Setu’s beauty is described which makes Sita devi wonderstruck. The verses also extol the fact that pilgrms who see the Setu become blessed.. It is clear that even during the periods when the interpolations were made, Setu continued to be a place of pilgrimage and worship. (Sriram continues to cite verses which are interpolations pointing to the use of later-day Tamil words and poetry-styles not in tune with the original version of Kamban, citing verses from 162-6 to 162-8, 169-1 to 169-2, 170-1 to 170-12.)
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Posted in Media Council at 12:37 pm by YUDHISTRA
Sue Branford
The Guardian, July 30 2008
http://www.guardian .co.uk/environme nt/2008/jul/ 30/gmcrops. india
*Genetically modified cotton was to be the saviour of India’s farmers, but ill-health and financial worries are fuelling a backlash*
“My family was one of the first to stop using pesticides,” says Sattemma, a lively Indian woman in her mid-40s, confidently talking to a group of visiting farmers. “Three years ago, we realised we were spending over half our income on chemicals. It was too much. We were getting into debt and the pesticides were making us ill.” Sattemma is in the village of Lakshminayak Thanda in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh. The visitors are keen to know how she and other villagers are progressing after their decision to stop using pesticides and Bt cotton, the genetically modified variety manufactured by US biotechnology firm Monsanto.
Bt cotton was engineered to combat pests, with the introduction into the cotton seed of a gene from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which has a natural insect-killing poison called Bt-toxin. When it was introduced into India at the turn of the century, it was promoted as the “wonder product” that would solve the serious problem of pests, which many of India’s 17 million cotton farmers were facing.
Many of the farmers had not been growing cotton as a cash crop for very long. In the late 1980s, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund, India had opened up its strongly protected economy and encouraged its farmers to switch to modern farming, with its hybrid seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. The idea was to turn India into an important exporter of commodities, including cotton.
At first, cotton farmers did well. They got high yields and enjoyed a real increase in income. But then problems arose. The hybrid cotton proved susceptible to pests and diseases, and it was not uncommon for farmers to spray their fields up to 30 times in a single season. Production costs went through the roof and farmers got trapped in debt. They became desperate for a technical fix, and Bt cotton seemed to be the answer.
In its first year of sales, Mahyco-Monsanto sold its entire stock of Bt cotton. According to the company, the area in India under Bt cotton rose from 3.1m acres in 2005 to 14.4m acres in 2007. According to Sekhar Natarajan, regional leader of Monsanto India, Bt cotton yielded 700kg-900kg per acre, compared with 300kg-400kg an acre with conventional seeds.
However, some say that what has been happening on the ground has been very different from the official success story. Scientists Abdul Qayum and Kiran Sakhari assessed Bt cotton’s performance in the first three years and found that, despite claims by the company, farmers were not achieving big yields. This perhaps was to be expected, because Bt cotton had been engineered to reduce pesticide use, not to increase yields. But, more surprisingly, they found that pesticide use was not falling either, because farmers were facing serious problems with secondary pests. They worked out that, on average, the income of non-Bt farmers was 60% higher than that of Bt farmers. Monsanto contests these numbers.
There have been other, more alarming problems. In her chat with the visiting farmers, Sattemma says she had seen several of her neighbour’s goats die after spending all day grazing on post-harvest Bt cotton plants. Such a story could be dismissed as anecdotal, if it were not backed up by more solid evidence. In 2006, more than 1,800 sheep died in similar circumstances in other villages in Warangal district. The symptoms and post-mortem findings suggested that they had died from severe toxicity. Hundreds of agricultural workers had also developed allergic symptoms when exposed to Bt cotton.
Safety investigation
One might have expected such reports to have led to a thorough investigation into the safety of Bt cotton but, according to the US-based Institute for Responsible Technology, this has never happened. Again, Monsanto contests this account. According to Natarajan, Bt cotton was exhaustively tested for six to eight years before it was authorised for release and there were no reports of adverse impacts on the health of humans or animals.
Less controversial is the financial risk that Bt cotton, along with other hybrids, brings to small farmers. Farmers have traditionally saved seeds from one harvest to another, but this is not possible with hybrids, as they lose vitality. So farmers purchase on credit from middlemen a package of hybrid seed, fertiliser and pesticide, paying back the loan once the crop is harvested. The problems start when a farmer loses a crop through bad weather. Unable to repay, they can easily get caught in a debt trap. Problems were serious before Bt cotton but have got worse because Bt cotton seed is expensive.
Despite these problems, the Indian government believes that cotton has proved a success. In 2006, India overtook the US to become the world’s second largest cotton producer (after China). The biotechnology industry is taking the credit, though some farmers are reporting new problems, saying Bt cotton is highly susceptible to wilt. On one occasion a Mahyco-Monsanto representative was taken hostage by irate farmers demanding compensation. More difficulties could lie ahead: a recent study by the Nagpur-based Central Institute for Cotton Research showed that the main cotton pest, bollworms, is becoming resistant to Bt cotton.
Many farmers, like Sattemma, have not followed the debate around Bt cotton. She says it was practical considerations that led to the change in farming. “It was the 15 women in our village’s self-help group who got things going,” she says. “We were worried about the health of our children. We got the men on our side by showing them that they would save money.” Sattemma points to a chart on the wall of a nearby house, on which, with the help of a non-governmental organisation, they have recorded side-by-side the expenses of growing cotton with and without pesticides. Non-pesticide management (NPM), as the system is called, is clearly more profitable, not because yields are higher but because expenditure is so much lower.
In Yenabavi, about 30 miles away, the farmers have gone further, becoming organic and declaring their village GMO-free. Their conversion also began with dissatisfaction with pesticides, this time because they didn’t work. “Ten years ago, this field was covered with red-headed hairy caterpillars, ” says Malliah, the farmer who has led the change. “I kept applying more pesticides but I couldn’t get rid of them.” By chance, an organic agronomist was visiting. He showed Malliah how to set up solar-powered light traps and, to Malliah’s delight, they worked. Since then, he and the other farmers have developed other natural pest controls.
Other villages are following suit. Almost 2,000 in Andhra Pradesh have adopted NPM. Raghuveera Reddy, the state’s minister for agriculture wants 2.5m acres under community-managed sustainable agriculture within a few years. The long-term goal is for 10m acres, 45% of the state’s cultivable land.
Sustainable agriculture involves hard work and does not guarantee huge profits, but it will not harm the farmers’ health, brings personal satisfaction, and involves fewer financial risks. It is crucial to remember what is truly sustainable for small farmers.
“It is now 30 years since I have been confining myself to the treatment ofchronic diseases. During those 30 years I have run against so many histories of littlechildren who had never seen a sick day until they were vaccinated and who, in the severalyears that have followed, have never seen a well day since. I couldn’t put my finger onthe disease they have. They just weren’t strong. Their resistance was gone. They wereperfectly well before they were vaccinated.. They have never been well since. “—Dr. William Howard Hay
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07.24.08
Posted in Media Council at 4:50 pm by YUDHISTRA
Hinduism is often labeled as a religion of 330 million gods. This misunderstanding arises when people fail to grasp the symbolism of the Hindu pantheon. Hindus worship the nameless and formless Supreme Reality (Bramh) by various names and forms. These different aspects of one reality are symbolized by the many gods and goddesses of Hinduism. For example, Brahma (not to be confused with the over-arching Bramh) is that reality in its role as creator of the universe; in Vishnu it is seen as the preserver and the upholder of the universe; and Shiva is that same reality viewed as the principle of transcendence which will one day ‘destroy’ the universe. These are the Trimurti, the ‘ three forms,’ and they are not so much different gods as different ways of looking at the same God. Each emphasizes a particular aspect or function of the one reality. The forms are many, the reality is one; the principle is very deeply rooted in Hindu thought, and was stated at the very outset in the Rg Veda:
They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni
And he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman.
To what is One, sages give many a title:
They call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.
It is the same with all the gods and goddesses: they are not rivals but aspects of a single principle. Hindus have represented God in innumerable forms. Each is but a symbol that points to something beyond; and as none exhausts God’s actual nature, the entire array is needed to complete the picture of God’s aspects and manifestations. It has been said that images are to the Hindu worshipper what diagrams are to the geometrician. The Hindu devotee, while he will generally have one particular form of god – his or her ishta deva, or chosen deity – on whom his devotion centers, moves easily between one god and another. The same idea carries over into the human sphere. Krishna and Rama are not strictly speaking gods, but avatars, ‘descents’ – human incarnation of Vishnu – since he is the ‘upholder’ of the world. This idea is brought forth clearly in the following doctrine of the Artharva Veda:
” He is the one, the one alone, in Him
all deities become One alone.”
God’s innumerable forms, and the acknowledgment of His Presence in everything, are an expression of the extraordinary vitality of India’s collective imagination down through the ages. In no other religion does the Supreme Being wear so many masks and invite worship in so many different forms as the eternal religion of Hinduism.
“To conceive of Hinduism as a polytheistic system is in itself a naivete of which only a Western student, inheriting Graeco-Roman concept of “paganism” could be capable. The Hindu Ishavara (Supreme God) is not a jealous God because all gods are aspects of Him, imagined by His worshippers; in the words of Lord Krishna: “When any devotee seeks to worship any aspect with faith, and when by worshipping any aspect he wins what he desires, it is none other than Myself that grants his prayers. Howsoever men approach Me, so do I welcome them, for the path men take from every side is Mine.”
This was the Hindu method; Indian religion adapts herself with infinite grace to every human need.
According to the Bhagavad Gita, even those who worship other gods (anya-devatah), ancestral deities, elemental powers, if they do so with faith, then their faith is justified, for the Divine accepts every form conceived by the worshipper.
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07.16.08
Posted in Cultural Council at 12:59 pm by YUDHISTRA
one of the foremost dancer in this art form, in Abbiategrasso commune, Milano Provincia.
Location – Convento dell’ Annunziata, Via Pontida, 22, Abbiategrasso.
Time – 20.45, for start at 21.00. 23rd July 2008
Duration – 90 Minutes
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07.10.08
Posted in Cultural Council at 2:20 pm by YUDHISTRA
Shri 108 & Other Mysteries
The number 108 is very auspicious for Hindus. It is the number of beads of a rosary and of many other things in Indian cosmology. But why is this number considered to be holy?
The answer to this mystery may lie in the fact that the ancient Indians took this to be the distance between the earth and the sun in sun-diameter units and the distance between the earth and the moon in moon-diameter units.
Two facts that any book on astronomy will verify :
Distance between earth and sun = 108 times sun-diameter
Distance between earth and moon = 108 times moon-diameter
Indian thought takes the outer cosmology to be mirrored in the inner cosmology of the human. Therefore, the number 108 is also taken to represent the ‘distance’ from the body of the devotee to the God within. The chain of 108 ‘links’ is held together by 107 joints, which is the number of marmas, or weak spots, of the body in Ayurveda.
We can understand that the 108 beads of the rosary must map the steps between the body and the inner sun. The devotee, while saying beads, is making a symbolic journey from the physical body to the heavens.
108 is a number which resonates throughout the universe, as this shows. There are also several other numbers which are repeated throughout creation.
The reason why we do our mantra jap 108 times is because its a symbol of our journey towards our higher/spiritual self (sun) from our material self (earth).
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Posted in Media Council, Youth Council at 2:04 pm by YUDHISTRA
Can you visualise blind children learning tap dancing to perfection? This is exactly what one-time TV actor Kumar Bhatia has done in his forthcoming film ‘Seven’. And he has signed on seven kids who are actually visually challenged.
‘It’s an idea turned into a film that I lived and worked with for four years,’ said Bhatia, who played a junkie in Doordarshan’s soap ‘Subah’.
Bhatia ventured into direction with ‘Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge’ in 1998 and Naseeruddin Shah played the lead in the film that didn’t do too well at the box office. But he is now hopeful that ‘Seven’ will finding a viable market, going by the accolades films like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Black’ and Aamir Khan’s ‘Taare Zameen Par’ received.
‘My film doesn’t treat the children as physically challenged, marginalised children, but as part of the mainstream. When the idea of training seven blind kids to tap dance came to me, I decided I’d make it with kids who were really blind.
‘I visited several schools hunting for them until I came to the Happy Home School For The Blind. What I saw there changed my life. The children were so happy, so well adjusted to their routine and not at all defeated by their deficiency.’
Out of all the kids that the director met, he chose Gaurav, Mukesh, Rahul, Sanjay, Pradeep, Saif and Shrikant. Two of them suffered a terminal illness.
‘So we had to exercise that extra bit of precaution with them. They’re all between the ages of 6 and 10 – all very bright and natural performers. The school was initially hesitant to let the kids undergo the gruelling experience of facing the camera. But once my intentions were made clear, the kids became a part of my extended family.’
It took Bhatia a year to find the suitable children.
‘Then it took another year to teach them to tap dance. By the end of our workshops, the blind kids could ’see’ every frame in every shot. They performed completely oblivious of their handicap.’
Besides the children, ‘Seven’ features an impressive cast comprising Lilette Dubey, Kay Kay Menon and Makrand Deshpande. Farouq Shaikh plays the narrator while Nauheed Cyrusi is the one who teaches the children tap dance. Bhatia himself plays a brief role.
‘It has been a learning experience. And I hope ‘Seven’ gets an audience that would appreciate all the effort that has gone into it.’
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Posted in NEWS FROM INDIA at 2:01 pm by YUDHISTRA
New Delhi, July 10 (ANI/Business Wire India): Sanjay Gaikwad led Valuable Group (http://www.valuablegroup.com) today announced the acquisition of Movie Beam including all of its assets, trademarks, IPR, and alliances that Disney, Intel, Cisco and other private equity investors spent over 200 million dollars in creating. MovieBeam was a Push Video on Demand service launched by Disney in 2005 wherein movies were beamed wirelessly into customers’ homes to a set-top box.
Disney spun-off MovieBeam in January 2006 and in March 2007 Movie Gallery, Inc. acquired MovieBeam.
The Valuable group acquired MovieBeam through Dar Capital Limited which handled the complete acquisition process on behalf of Valuable Group.
The Valuable group, known for its trailblazing success in rapidly building and operating numerous media and entertainment initiatives also pioneered and runs the largest satellite based digital cinema network in the world (UFO Moviez).
UFO has been acclaimed by the film fraternity and has won several accolades and awards internationally including:
– IIFA award for Technology Innovation in Indian Cinema at Yorkshire 2007.
– Technopreneur of the year award at Global Entrepolis @ Singapore – a joint award by the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Government of Singapore.
– Nominated for the E and Y entrepreneur of the year award.
With multiple offices worldwide, Valuable has expanded its presence to include Los Angeles and a state-of-the art development facility in Seattle through this acquisition.
“This acquisition was a strategic fit in our global expansion strategy for our Media and Entertainment vertical. Through this acquisition Valuable will further establish itself as a leader in the media and entertainment space allowing us to deliver ethnic and Hollywood content to homes and the hospitality industry worldwide. Films will be delivered in High Definition and viewers will get access to library films as well as the latest releases on a first day first show basis. We have earmarked an investment of 100 million dollars over the next two years for the re-launch of this service in North America, UK and other overseas markets,” said Sanjay Gaikwad.
Ameya Hete, Executive Director, Valuable Group and CEO MovieBeam, who is spearheading this initiative, commented on the rollout plans stating, “This service will completely redefine the on-demand entertainment market. We have added some cutting edge features to the MovieBeam service that will bring additional and currently unrealized revenues back to the Entertainment industry and the deserving constituents. We will be rolling out the service by the end of 2008 in 3 markets.” (ANI)
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Posted in NEWS FROM INDIA at 1:57 pm by YUDHISTRA
Tightening the noose, the government has seized more aircraft of leading corporates like GMR, Oberois, India Bulls and has brought under scanner over 250 such planes acquired since 2007 to detect duty evasion. Any body found guilty of acquiring aircraft with duty exemption under Non-scheduled Operator Permit Scheme could be levied penalty up to five times the duty evasion, a finance ministry official said.
Sources in the Customs department said that as many as six aircraft were seized this month but released after the owners provided a bank guarantee and bonds in relation to the cost of aircraft. The issue had first come up with seizure of two aircraft of Reliance Industries, but now planes belonging to corporate bigwigs like Tata, DLF, Escorts, Kingfisher, Punj Lloyd have come under government scrutiny.
Though there is no official estimate of the duty evasion, sources in the know indicated that government could collect over Rs 10,000 crore by way of tax and penalty. PTI.
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Posted in Media Council at 6:11 am by YUDHISTRA
Months after the kidney racket was busted in Gurgaon earlier this year, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed stringent amendments to the Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994. Besides seeking to increase the punishment to offenders under the Act, the amendments also put curbs on foreigners who come to India for organ transplants.
The Ministry has proposed that foreigners who want organ transplants should be required to get donors from their country, with proof that the donor is a relative. “At times, it has been seen that they get Indian donors and vanish after the procedure is done. It will be made mandatory for them to get donors from their own country now,” said a senior ministry official.
According to doctors, foreigners account for 30-40 per cent of the transplants – usually kidney or liver – in India. There is also a proposal to increase the prison term for those booked under the Act from the present three-five years to five-10 years. For those found to be involved in a commercial kidney racket, the term has been increased from seven to 10 years, with the fine ranging from Rs 5 lakh-20 lakh.
The amendments, which will be sent to the Cabinet for approval, also put restrictions on organ donation by children. “The government will identify special cases, like where the bone marrow is required, in which such donations will be allowed. Otherwise, it will be completely restricted,” added the official.
All hospitals registered for the purpose of organ donation will have a transplant coordinator to interact with the donor and recipient’s family. The government is also planning to come up with a national registry of organs, which will have details furnished by various hospitals.
CRACKING DOWN ON ORGAN TRADE
The Govt is ready with amendments to give more teeth to the Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994.
• Foreigners coming to India for any organ transplant will be required to get donors from their country with the proof that the person is their relative.
• Quantum of punishment for removal of organ without authorization to increase: from five years to 10 years.
• For doctors, donors, recipients involved in unauthorized transplant: From 3-5 years to 5-10 years; Fine from Rs 10,000 to Rs 5 lakh.
• For those involved in trade: from 7 years to 10 years, fine from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
• Curb on transplant involving child donors.
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