Even marriage has its costs

piralling inflation has forced across-the-board compromises on the scale of marriage ceremonies. Parents, brides and bridegrooms, and other family members have to now plan meticulously to ensure that weddings do not wipe out bank balances.

Shantha Sridhar, whose son got married seven months ago, is now planning her daughter’s wedding. “From the rent paid to the mandapam and the cook’s charges to the photo-video costs to even the flower garlands, everything has become very expensive,” she says.

With just about a fortnight left for the wedding, the family is trying to cut down on last-minute expenditure. “As parents, we want to give our best and make the wedding as grand as possible since this is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for our child,” she says.

The price rise has hit everyone hard. “The beautician charges a lot more today,” says Sharon Sangeetha, who is getting ready for her wedding. “In fact, my sister, who got married recently, decided to do away with bridal mehndi because it cost so much,” she says.

“Thankfully, we purchased my wedding saris and jewellery in advance, during discount sales. Otherwise, it would have been too much pressure to handle.”

Imtiaz Basha agrees that is it indeed a lot of financial pressure on families. When he started planning for his brother’s wedding two months ago, he had decided to invite the guests personally. Now, he has sent the invitations through post and is following up over telephone. “Petrol costs so much more than it did two months ago. Moreover, many bunks don’t sell ordinary petrol. They only have the premium variety that is even more expensive,” he says. Due to the various additional costs, he also had to cut down on the gold jewellery gifted to the bride.

Inflation hasn’t spared the much awaited wedding feasts, too. Mr. Basha says the price of mutton has drastically gone up in the last couple of months, from about Rs. 180 a kilo to Rs. 240.

“Mutton biriyani is the main dish in our weddings. Now, we have no choice but to reduce the quantity of mutton in the biriyani and compensate it with a chicken dish as the rise in the price of chicken is relatively less,” he adds.

And for businesses that depend on weddings, it’s a tough time. K. Manohar, who has a flower garland store in Pondy Bazaar also says that passing on the costs to the customer at this point would ruin his business. “This is off-season for us, anyway. About 300 gms of jasmine that cost Rs. 20 a few months ago now costs Rs. 80. If we decide to price our garlands higher, we might lose existing business. But yes, many are thinking twice before buying fancier flower garlands. Only very rich families go for garlands made of just petals, because they are expensive. The others are switching to the cheaper varieties,” he says.

Budget for monarchy

The Queen and the royal family cost taxpayers 40 million pounds in 2007-08, a rise of two million pounds from the previous year, Buckingham Palace has said. The annual report into the royal finances showed that the Queen was not immune to the rising costs that have hit millions of her subjects in the last year. It warned that cuts to the royal property budget have created a backlog of urgent works that will cost 32 million pounds within 10 years.

Outstanding projects include: Replacing the lead and slate roofs at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. (Cost: £ 16 million); Updating the heating and electrical systems at Buckingham Palace. (£ 2.4 million); Replacing the 19th Century iron and lead water pipes at Windsor. (Three million pounds)

Palace officials said a drive to conserve energy at palaces and other royal buildings had helped to cut costs and reduce environmental pollution.Electricity usage fell 7.3 percent in 2007-08, helped by the introduction of low-energy light bulbs. Water from a borehole in Buckingham Palace was used to cool the wine cellars and water the gardens.

Travel costs rose to 6.2 million pounds in the year to March 31 from 5.6 million pounds in the previous 12 months.During the year, there were State visits to the United States, Uganda, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. The Queen had 440 engagements across Britain and entertained 38,000 guests at garden parties in Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.The money, which also paid for royal staff wages, amounts to 66 pence per taxpayer each year.

Spokesman Graham Smith said the Queen should receive a fixed salary managed by the government and that parliament should set an annual budget for the monarchy.

Truckers go on countrywide strike as talks fail

Truckers went ahead with their countrywide strike to press their demands ranging from review and roll-back of hiked toll tax to rationalisation of high duty on diesel.

Initial reports indicated mixed response from different parts of the country on the opening day to the strike call given by the All-India Motor Transport Corporation (AIMTC). There were reports of crippling of industrial activity in some States, including Kerala.

An early end to the stir was nowhere in sight as at the end of the day as the second round of talks at the Transport Bhawan also failed and the AIMTC, which is spear heading the transporters’ struggle, declared that their strike would continue.

“We want a complete roll-back of the increase in toll tax, but we are also open to a middle path,” Gurinder Pal Singh of the AIMTC told journalists after the second round of meeting with Transport Ministry officials here.

The mass protest crippled industrial activity in many parts of the country and hit food supplies to Kerala, which depends on neighbouring States for staple edibles.

However, transporters maintained supply of essentials such as fuel.

The strike began from Tuesday midnight with truckers stopping ferrying of goods other than fuel and other essential commodities. The essential items have been kept outside the purview of the strike for the time being.

The impact of the strike in terms of disruption of supply chain as a result of non-movement of the goods was not felt immediately as the trucks started going off the roads from midnight only. However, the truckers said that the real effect of their agitation would be known after sometime.

The earlier round of talks between Highways and Road Transport Minister T. R. Baalu and the AIMTC representative too did not yield anything. The Minister is reported to have taken a tough stand. “Yes, the hike in toll tax in February was too much, but it was through an Act of Parliament... it is not possible to roll back the hike,” Mr. Baalu told them.

Mr. Baalu, however, said that his Ministry has talked to the Petroleum Ministry on the truckers’ demand for levying fixed duty on per litre of diesel instead of the prevailing ad valorem duty and that a clarification was expected soon.

Transporters would be provided whatever variety of diesel they want at normal rates, he said and asked them to end their strike.

The Finance Ministry too held discussions with the AIMTC delegation in relation to service tax and other issues falling under its purview. It was indicated that the Ministry was open to offering concessions on service tax.

So far as the issue of removing speed governors from roads were concerned, Mr. Baalu said it was a State subject and he would hold a meeting with the Transport Ministers to resolve the issue.

“We will continue with the indefinite strike,” AIMTC president Charan Singh Lohara said.

Mr. Lohara said: “We are running on losses... the Minister is saying that if you are going on losses, then stop your business. So, we are stopping our business and continuing with the strike.”

Central Board of Excise and Customs member V. Sridhar said the government was ready to consider the demand of goods transport agencies for enhancing the abatement rate from 75 per cent.

Sikh student's turban set afire in NY

The Sikh community in New Jersey has demanded a full fledged inquiry into an incident in which a high school student allegedly set afire the "patka" or small turban worn by a fellow Sikh student, in an unprovoked attack.

The student suffered minor burns but it has raised outrage in the Sikh community which has also asked the school to do more to combat discrimination.

The culprit, identified as an 18-year-old Hightstown senior Garrett Green, was arrested hours later and charged with arson and criminal mischief. He has also been suspended from the school.

Police is investigating the incident which occurred on May 5 in Hightstown High School in Mercer County in New Jersey during a fire drill.

The Sikh student, who is a teenager and would not like to be identified, was chatting with a fellow student when Green, whom he did not know, came up from behind and set "patka" on fire using a lighter.

A teacher helped him to put out the fire. The "patka," shown by his relatives, had at least two big burn holes.

"No mother should have to worry that her child could be hurt at school because of the way he looks," said Sukhjot Kaur, the teenager's mother.

The Sikh Coalition, a community organisation, urged the School to take immediate steps to address the concerns of the community.

US govt sues company for not hiring Sikh for his looks

A Texas company has been sued for religious discrimination by the US government after it did not hire a Sikh who refused to shave his beard and take off his turban.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is seeking punitive damages for Sukhdev Singh Brar, a certified security officer in the Dallas area, apart from back pay and compensation for pain and suffering caused to him.
Brar applied for a job at the Champion National Security Firm in Richardson in October 2005.

"When I finished applying, she (company representative) called me for an interview, and told me, 'I'm going to hire you, but you have to shave and take off your turban,'" he was quoted as saying by CBS.
Brar says he told the representative what she was saying was against federal law and his religion. "I cannot cut my hair. I cannot take off my turban," he said.

"She told me, 'This is our company policy and we cannot change our company policy.'"

The government wants the court to order the company to change its hiring practises.

"Essentially, they're asking, demanding someone give up their deeply held religious beliefs for a job. In that regard, I think it's very egregious," said Bill Backhaus, EEOC.

Before the EEOC filed the lawsuit against Champion National Security, it tried to resolve the case. But the government said the company wouldn't budge.

A company attorney said they haven't seen the lawsuit yet. But he says they don't discriminate, and have a good track record of hiring a diverse workforce.

Since the 9/11 terror attacks, the government says there have been more than 1,000 cases involving people from the Mid-East or South Asia, the CBS reported.

Baby comes alive 10 hrs after declared dead

Call it a miracle or a medical mystery. A baby declared dead by a doctor returned to the mother’s lap after 10 hours - alive and breathing.

Sangita Das (32), a Howrah resident, gave birth to the "stillborn" male baby at midnight on Sunday at the well known Belle Vue Clinic. It was a premature baby of 25 weeks. Three nurses present during the normal delivery found it was a "stillborn case" as there was no sign of life in him. They then conveyed the sad news to the mother.

But Sangita’s husband Manas Das found the baby breathing when doctors did a last moment examination before releasing the "body" on Tuesday morning. Doctors on duty found signs of life in the newborn and immediately sent him to the Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) for critical care treatment.

Manas lodged a complaint with the Shakespeare Sarani police station on Tuesday, demanding an inquiry into the negligence of the hospital doctors and nurses. He said no doctor was present during the delivery and that nurses did the job.

Manas said, "The nurses asked my wife to convey the message to me. On Tuesday morning I rushed to the hospital to collect the body. The nurses asked me to arrange for a Hindu Satkar Samiti vehicle to carry the body for cremation. Even the doctor, Gautam Khastagir, informed us around 9.30 am that our baby was dead.”

Khastagir said, "It is a miracle for me and my colleagues. I have never experienced such a case in my 25 years in the profession. The baby was only 800 gm. There was no sign of life like heart-beats, pulse and breathing. That is why the sisters verbally declared him dead. Even the following morning it was stillborn."

Pradip Tandon, CEO of Belle Vue Clinic, said there was no mistake or negligence on the part of doctors and nurses in his clinic. Initially, there was no sign of life in the baby, he said.

City paediatrician Dr Supratik Dutta said there is every possibility of signs of life within a few hours after the birth of a stillborn baby. But he had never heard of such a case as in Belle Vue Clinic.

TCS courts young in new succession plan

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest software firm by revenues, has kicked off a succession plan as it wants to elevate younger executives into the top management cadre. Under the plan, the company has started a new leadership programme for executives in the age bracket of 35-43.

The executives, who are now being groomed to take up bigger roles through extensive training programmes, will be given important roles in the company’s five verticals. TCS divided its operations into five verticals in February this year, moving away from an organisational structure linked to geography and services.“It’s an attempt to create a second layer of leadership,” said an official close to TCS, requesting anonymity.

Ajoyendra Mukherjee, the new HR head, is understood to have conceptualised the leadership training programme. A TCS spokesperson declined to comment.

"We are looking at some extremely focused leadership training programmes for a set of people in the age range of 35 to 43. This is a vital initiative and there are exciting roles that people are going to play for a very long time," S Ramadorai, MD and CEO of TCS had recently said in an interview in the group’s website.

The new exercise will bring about opportunities for many middle to senior level executives who are now struggling to find their feet in a large oraganisation like TCS, according to analysts.“Middle level management people were stagnating at TCS. This must be one of the reasons for the company to introduce the leadership programmes," said a Mumbai-based analyst working with a global consultancy firm.

TCS, which is battling a decline in large outsourcing orders due to the economic slowdown in the US, has implemented a major operational revamp. Operations of the company are now divided into the industry solutions group, major market group, new growth markets group, strategic initiative group and organisation infrastructure group. The new verticals will be headed by a director each.

Earlier last year, software major Infosys had undertaken a similar restructuring exercise. The company broadened its senior management team and reorganised its business units. Two months ago, Wipro, too, reorganised its business heads

Younis takes Pak to a big win

Pakistan batted with supreme authority in a must-win game, and beat India by eight wickets chasing 309, and avenged the thrashing India had given them in the previous game, where they chased 300 runs in just 42 overs.

The home team needed to win this Karachi fixture by a big margin to stay alive in the Asia Cup. Thanks to Younis Khan's 123 not out - his second century against India in a month - Pakistan needed just 45.3 overs to win.

It was advantage India going into the game. Pakistan lost the services of their captain Shoaib Malik, who collapsed from exhaustion in a pre-match fitness test and had to be rested.

India elected to bat and blazed away. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 88 in just 10.3 overs, while fifties from skipper MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, who has been out of touch, and a quick 38 from Irfan Pathan, took India past 300.

Pakistan's openers, Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed, batted like men possessed and took Pakistan to 65 runs in the first eight overs.

Butt, who has five ODI centuries against India, was the first to go. He was run out for 36.

Jamshed attacked India's seam bowlers and reached 53 from 43 balls before he retired hurt due to exhaustion.

Piyush Chawla has been targeted repeatedly by Pakistan's batsmen and today was no different. Today, he switched to bowling around the wicket - something Anil Kumble has tried against Pakistan and had moderate success - and managed to bowl Mohammad Yousuf around his legs.

Thereon, the stand-in captain Misbah-ul Haq stitched a 144-run partnership in just 20.2 overs with Younis and took Pakistan home.

Mid-innings collapse cost India vital runs

After the opening partnership, India had a mini collapse, where they lost four quick wickets to the seam bowling of Abdur Rauf and Rao Iftikhar, who took 3-51.

Gambhir made 35 (32 balls, 4x4) before holing out to cover to give Iftikhar his first wicket.

Sehwag went four balls later, caught behind off Rauf for 49 (33 balls, 6x4, 2x6).

In the same over, Suresh Raina, who had come out one-down, played a rash shot to deep mid wicket and was out for 1.

Yuvraj Singh began to repair the innings with skipper M.S. Dhoni but he edged one behind to Sarfraz Ahmed, who dived to his left to take an acrobatic catch.

Rohit got out trying to hook Iftikhar and top-edged a catch to Rauf.

Yusuf Pathan, sent ahead of his more experienced brother Irfan, made 0 before he holed out to long off trying to up the run rate.

Dhoni, who batted 96 minutes in sapping heat, finally played a tired shot in the penultimate over. His runs (96 balls, 4x4) had been made with some furious running

Left sends mixed signals on N-dea

The debate on when the Left intends to withdraw support to the government just got a lot more confusing.

After suggesting that they may withdraw support if the PM goes to the G8 summit, the Left or at least senior leader A B Bardhan appears to have toned down the rhetoric a touch.

Now, A B Bardhan has indicated that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh travelling to the G8 summit may not be the trigger for the Left to pull the plug.

CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat says the Left will take a final decision on July 4.