Shangai: Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, took the unusual step on Monday of apologising to Chinese customers over the company’s warranty policy and said he would improve customer service in the country.
Apple’s apology Monday was the latest twist in a strange spectacle that has unfolded in recent weeks in China over Apple’s warranty policies and underscored the challenges the company is facing as the country becomes an important market for its products. Apple’s problem began on International Consumers’ Day, when China’s biggest state-run television network, as is its tradition, broadcast an investigative report on how companies operating in China cheat or mistreat consumers. This year, on March 15, one of the targets was Apple. China Central Television criticized the American company’s after-sales iPhone customer service in China because it gave only a one-year warranty, while in China the law is two years. It also said that phone owners had to pay about $90 to replace a faulty back cover. Apple did not immediately respond to some of the accusations, but other state media outlets stepped up their criticism over the next two weeks, raising the stakes for Apple in China, which is now the company’s second-biggest market after the United States….
Manoj Kumar has sued Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan for allegedly defaming him in their film ‘Om Shanti Om’. Filr Pic
Yesteryears actor Manoj Kumar on Tuesday filed a criminal case against Shahrukh Khan and choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan in a local court for allegedly defaming him in their film ‘Om Shanti Om’.Kumar sought registration of FIR against the duo for alleged offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, defamation and conspiracy. The case dates back to 2007 when ‘Om Shanti Om’ was released with a scene in which Khan had allegedly “mimicked” the veteran actor. It was allegedly shown in the movie that Kumar was prevented from entering an auditorium during a show. However, Kumar had in 2008 objected to the scene and filed a defamation suit but he withdrew the case after Khan had apologised to him personally and assured that the scene in which he was mimicking Kumar would be deleted. The city civil court had also in 2008 directed Khan to delete the scene allegedly ridiculing Kumar before the movie was slated for telecast on TV channels. Kumar, in the complaint filed on Tuesday in a court of Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate through his lawyer Ashok Sarogi, said the movie was released recently in Japan after which he started getting telephone calls saying it still contained the controversial scene depicting him in allegedly poor light. “The complainant (Kumar) had been made to believe that the scene was deleted from the film. However, it was not deleted and accused (Khan and Farah) have made an attempt to gain cheap popularity and business for the film and made money out of it,” alleged Kumar in the complaint….
Calling Indians creative and innovative, US astronaut Sunita Williams Tuesday said that an international space programme was the “right way to go”. “What I see when I come to India is that there are a lot of creative and innovative people who are ready and willing to jump ahead and be entrepreneurial and add to any programme out there,” Williams said at a media conference at the Science City auditorium in Kolkata Tuesday. “I have had a real honour and privilege to be a part of a space programme that is not only US but also international. That is the right way to have a space programme, international, because it is our planet, not one country. I see myself as citizen of the universe and I think we are all lucky,” Williams added. Williams, 47, who holds the world record for the most spacewalk time — 50 hours 40 minutes — by a female astronaut, is in India on a week-long trip. “The international space programme is alive and kicking and is wanting more and more people,” said the US-born Williams, whose father is from Mehsana in Gujarat. “Once we leave our atmosphere, we have to seriously think about being protected from radiation. Even just going to the moon… there is increase in radiation,” said Williams, who also holds the record for the longest spaceflight time by a female astronaut — 322 days in space on two missions….
The US has started accepting petition for the much sought H-1B work visas, amidst fear from industry experts and officials that the Congressional mandated quota of 65,000 might get filled up in the first week itself. Officials said the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would not issue daily update on number of applications received, but will make an announcement when the cap is reached. According to Congressional approved mandate, USCIS can reward a maximum of 65,000 H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2014 beginning October 1, 2013. In addition, the USCIS can also reward 20,000 H-1B visas for those having masters or higher degree from US academic institutions. This limit on H-1B visas has been in place for more than two decades now. The USCIS received H-1B petitions at its two centers — the Vermont Service Center and the California Service Center – where its officials described business as usual. Last week, USCIS had said based on feedback from a number of stakeholders, it anticipates that it may receive more petitions than the H-1B cap between April 1, 2013 and April 5, 2013….
An Air India official today denied before a special court here the claim of December 16 gangrape accused that the coffin in which the body of the victim was flown back to India did not contain “human remains” and was loaded with “other things”. “It is wrong to suggest that instead of human remains some other things were loaded in the box (coffin). The coffin was in sealed condition and in my presence no one has opened it,” the AI official said while deposing as a prosecution witness. The AI official is posted at the IGI cargo terminal and in his presence the coffin carrying the victim’s dead body was unloaded on December 29, 2012. He was being cross-examined by accused Mukesh and Akshay’s counsel who claimed in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna that the coffin which arrived from Singapore Hospital did not contain the victims’ body. “As per the documents, the coffin carried human remains. The weight of the box was 140 kg, a consolidated weight of the coffin and the human remains,” the witness said. The counsel also put a question to the official as to why the coffin was not checked through X-ray machine, to which he replied there was no such machine at the bay and after checking the necessary documents, the box was received by the victim’s father and the police and loaded in an ambulance….
Press Council of India (PCI) chairperson Justice (retd) Markandey Katju has teamed up with eminent citizens and launched an organisation to fight for those who are unjustly languishing in jails. In a statement released here, the former Supreme Court judge said many such persons in jail belong to minorities who have been accused only on suspicion and on pre-conceived notions that all persons of that community are terrorists. Whenever a bomb blast or such other terrorist event occurs, the police often are unable to trace the real culprit and often rushes to implicate youths of minority community on mere suspicion, Katju said. He said it had been decided by a group headed by him, which included lawyer Majeed Memon, film producer Mahesh Bhatt and others to set up an organisation called ‘The Court of Last Resort’….
The drug scandal surrounding Vijender Singh on Tuesday took a new twist with one of his fellow pugilists Dinesh Kumar disputing the claims of Punjab Police even as the sports ministry explored ways to subject the star boxer to a heroin test despite NADA’s refusal to do so. Almost a month after the scandal broke out, Dinesh, an Asian Games silver medallist, claimed that Punjab Police planted Vijender’s car outside the flat from where heroin was recovered. Contradicting the Punjab Police version, Dinesh said that he and one of his friends had accompanied Ram Singh at the police station but the policemen asked them to go and leave the car behind which was later found at Zirakpur. “Me and a fellow boxer Bunty accompanied Ram Singh to Fatehgarh Sahib police station in the car which the police claim was found outside the flat. When we reached there, the police told us that Ram would have to be questioned,” Dinesh told PTI….
An advisor is someone who suggests things. He/she may suggest a complete solution, they may suggest a different way of looking at a problem, or suggest sources where you can get solutions. The key is, an advisor is hands off, they give you the information, and you are responsible for making things happen.
By Farida Hasanali
“I need to lose 20 pounds, what do I do?” “I hate my life, what do I do?” “Will you find me a job?” I get asked these and many other questions almost on a daily basis. For some, I have an immediate answer and I see the person follow through with my suggestions, and then with others I just get frustrated. I get frustrated because it seems like people ask for advise or help but they don’t really want it. I came across one such person today that got me thinking about how I could be more effective as a coach and an advisor. I would like to share some of my research with you because I am sure you either ask questions or answer other people’s questions; in both cases this should help.
Before we go any further, let me point out the differences between a coach, an advisor and a know-it-all. The Know-it-All is neither a coach nor an advisor, they have an opinion and regardless of whether you ask for help or not, they are going to give it to you.
An advisor is someone who suggests things. He/she may suggest a complete solution, they may suggest a different way of looking at a problem, or suggest sources where you can get solutions. The key is, an advisor is hands off, they give you the information, and you are responsible for making things happen.
A coach is much more hands on. A coach makes suggestions and then gently nudges you to follow through. According to M. Farouk Radwan, MSc. a coach should consider the following guidelines:
• Don’t always believe what they tell you—sounds weird right? Truth is people’s opinions are biased by their perception of reality. A good coach would first make sure he has validated the opinions for himself before giving out any advice or suggestions.
• Don’t prove them right—I come across this behavior all the time when asked how to lose weight. People will ask for advice because they want to prove they cannot be helped. Once they rationalize they cannot be helped then they can continue living their lives without guilt. A response might sound like “see, I told you my body is different, I took your advice and it didn’t work. It’s useless for me to try to lose weight.”
• Open their eyes to self-deception—the previous example works great for this one. “If only I could wake up in the morning, I could workout and I would lose weight.” Actually their mind prevents them from waking up because of their fear that they will not lose weight. It’s important to address the self-deception at the start.
• Show them reality—easier said than done! But it’s very important to show the person the results that will surface if only they follow through. For instance, in the weight-loss example I would explain the difference between dieting and life-style changes and how life-style changes are a permanent change versus dieting which is short-term satisfaction of losing a couple pounds and then gaining back 10.
• Show them the way first, then motivate them—give actual solutions not suggestions. With the person trying to lose weight, help them breakdown their daily calorie consumption, tell them what they should and shouldn’t eat and then motivate them to follow through to get the best results. If you give actionable advice, you will help build trust and the person will make an effort to listen to you more.
One important point to remember is for you to be open to learning whilst coaching others. Every time you ask someone to do something or say something, think about applying it yourself and whether or not you had some biases that led you to say something or lead some one along a certain path. No one can be bias free, every experience in our lives teaches us something and we look at life through those lenses. The key as a coach and even as an advisor is to be aware of your own biases and not to instill them on the person asking you for the advice.
Farida Hasanali is a freelance writer for several Indo-American publications. In her day job, she works as a Knowledge & Program Manager for BP’s Remediation Management Division.
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani president, addressed supporters in Karachi on Sunday upon his return from a self-imposed exile.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s onetime military ruler, Gen.Pervez Musharraf, ended four years of self-imposed exile on Sunday in hopes of carving out a political future, but he received an unremarkable welcome as he landed at the airport in Karachi. General Musharraf, who resigned as president in August 2008 under threat of impeachment and left the country the following April, arrived early Sunday afternoon on a flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A small crowd gathered at the airport and shouted slogans in his support. Mr. Musharraf appeared upbeat as he arrived. “I respect your emotions,” he said, waving to the crowd. “Thank you, thank you,” he said as his supporters shouted, “Long live Musharraf!” “I have returned. People used to think that I would not return, but I have come back,” Mr. Musharraf said. “I am not scared of anyone but God.”…
Five men in Madhya Pradesh, India, were led to court this week to face charges in the March 15 gang rape of a Swiss tourist.
NEW DELHI — India’s Parliament passed a comprehensive bill on Thursday to impose stronger penalties on men who attack women and to criminalize offenses like stalking and voyeurism.
The bill passed quickly in the upper house of Parliament on Thursday; the debate in the lower house on Tuesday was longer, lasting seven hours. President Pranab Mukherjee is expected to sign it into law shortly. “I think this is an important moment,” said Vrinda Grover, a women’s rights advocate and lawyer. “We have taken quite a few steps forward.” The passage of the bill comes less than three months after a New Delhi physiotherapy student was gang-raped on a moving bus and later died from her injuries. The assault drew widespread outrage and prompted protests across India, some of them violent, over the issue of women’s safety….
Here comes India’s first ZomCom. Illuminati Films & Eros International present “Go Goa Gone”. Catch the exclusive theatrical trailer of the most awaited film Go Goa Gone featuring Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das & Puja Gupta
Produced by: Saif Ali Khan, Dinesh Vijan & Sunil Lulla
Directed by: Raj Nidimoru & Krishna DK
Written by: Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK, Sita Menon
Music:by Sachin-Jigar
India’s finest directors: Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee have come together to tell you a story like never before. A film about love, sorrow, pain and desire. A film to celebrate the emotion of Cinema. Bombay Talkies: Releasing this May. Directed By: Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee
Produced By: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
From the makers of Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda, Turbo is a high-velocity 3D comedy about an underdog snail who kicks into overdrive when he miraculously attains the power of super-speed. But after making fast friends with a crew of streetwise, tricked-out es-car-goes, Turbo learns that no one succeeds on their own. So he puts his heart and shell on the line to help his pals achieve their dreams, before Turbo-charging his own impossible dream: winning the Indy 500.
Those were the good old days when the governors were men and women of letters and of unimpeachable integrity. Women like Sarojini Naidu, Vijayalakshmi Pandit and Padmaja Naidu performed their gubernatorial duties with much dignity. And great men like KM Munshi, Sir HP Mody, VV Giri, Sir Girja Shankar Bajpai, Dharam Vira and Govind Narain walked like Colossus in their respective Raj Bhawans. But alas there has since been much devaluation in the calibre of the governors who subsequently held gubernatorial positions or are currently occupying many a stately Raj Bhawan.
Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first woman governor of Maharashtra then known as Bombay.
By Raj Kanwar
IAN India Correspondent
Who is qualified to become a state governor in India? The Constitution says that “he must at least be 35 years of age and a citizen of India.” It doesn’t lay down any qualifications as to education or experience. By this yardstick, almost every third Indian is constitutionally eligible to be appointed a governor. To the best of my belief and memory however, no one below the age of 60 or so has ever been made a state governor. Ironically, this relatively young age of 60 is intended for those bureaucrats who had managed to earn such a highly prized sinecure for the “services rendered” in the course of their careers. The politician, who is past his or her ‘use-by date’, too is a favorite for the tenancy of a Raj Bhawan. At times, retired army generals or their counterparts from Navy or Air Force also get a look in and given the gubernatorial assignment.
Thus the appointment last week of four governors once again brought to the fore the controversy relating to the ‘qualifications’ of a governor. It is no secret that the governors are appointed purely on the whims and fancies of the powers-that-be at that point of time. More often some of the choices come as a surprise but a little digging would show a ‘godfather’ lurking somewhere in the background. Fortunately, the choice of the governors in the first two decades after 1947 broadly fell on eminent public men and women. Note that the first Uttar Pradesh governor was no less a person than Sarojini Naidu, famously known as the ‘Nightingale of India’; in fact, she was the first woman president in 1925 of the Indian National Congress. It was unfortunate that she did not live to complete her tenure and died in 1949. Other equally eminent women who were privileged to adorn gubernatorial office were Sarojini Naidu’s daughter Padmaja (West Bengal), Vijayalakshmi Pandit (Maharashtra) and Sharda Mukherjee (Gujarat) wife of Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee.
Aziz Qureshi is the Governor of Uttarakhand.
In the next round of woman governors, Ram Dulari Sinha (Kerala), Rajendra Kumar Bajpai (Puducherry), Sheila Kaul (Himachal Pradesh), Rama Devi (Himachal Pradesh & Karnataka), Pratibha Patil (Rajasthan) and Kamla Beniwal (Gujarat) were Congress leaders of lesser prominence who then needed to be rehabilitated. They neither distinguished nor disgraced themselves and quietly demitted their posts when their term ended. Sarla Grewal née Khanna was perhaps the first woman civil servant to have been made a governor. She was in fact the second woman in the country to have joined IAS in 1952 and had retired as the Cabinet Secretary. I had known her briefly when she was the deputy commissioner in Shimla. The appointment of VS Ramadevi as governor of Himachal Pradesh in 1997 too had attracted unseemly attention since earlier she had held, albeit briefly, the office of the chief election commissioner of India.
Gradual erosion
Unfortunately, there has been gradual erosion in the “qualifications” of woman governors after the first two hoary decades. Imagine the likes of the lucky Pratibha Patil who even later rose to become the President of India. She did not distinguish herself as a governor. The less said the better about her performance as the President. Happily, Margaret Alva is the only current governor among the women who has bestowed much dignity and grace upon her office. Kamla Beniwal (Gujarat) was in the eye of storm in Rs. 1000-crore Jaipur Development Authority land scam.
62 year old Former CBI Director, Ashwani Kumar is appointed as Governor of Nagaland.
The choice and the “qualifications” of governors of late have become very questionable since these appointments are not strictly made on merits; the only criterion is the “loyalty and the services rendered” by a favourite, and the need to reward and rehabilitate him or her. Even though the office of governor, by and large, is symbolic, yet its importance simply cannot be sidelined. Governors have to possess high educational qualifications and innate charm and grace; they also must be men and women with poise and of unimpeachable lineage and need to conduct themselves with dignity and grace. Fortunately, our current governor Dr. Aziz Qureshi is a suave man of letters with a dignified demeanour. He has been gracefully conducting himself and has made many friends.
Highly educated governors
Those earlier governors were refined and highly educated men of great distinction. Consider stalwarts like KM Munshi, Sir HP Mody, VV Giri who acquitted themselves with much grace and dignity during their tenures as the governor of Uttar Pradesh. Munshi was the most profound of the lot and did his best in promoting excellence in the universities in the state. He was instrumental in introducing the concept of “Inter-university Chancellor’s Camp” in June 1953 at which outstanding students were invited to spend a fortnight with him at Raj Bhawan, Nainital. Some of the students in the camp like KC Pant, Mahesh Prasad, Otima Mukherjee rose to greater heights in their later career. I too was at the camp as a representative from Agra University which at that time was perhaps the largest affiliating university in the country.
Some other notable governors in those early years were civil servants of the eminence of Sir Girja Shankar Bajpai, Dharam Vira and Govind Narain. There were also many outstanding leaders such as MM Pakwasa, Sri Prakasa, Raja Maharaj Singh, Pattabhi Sityaramayya, Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, Kailash Nath Katju, Asaf Ali, Sadiq Ali, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Bhim Sain Sachar et al. Other equally well known governors were Gurmukh Nihal Singh, Sampurnanand, Sardar Hukam Singh, Balram Jakhar and some more of equal calibre.
Ashwani Kumar’s choice unfortunate
The appointment of Ashwani Kumar, a former CBI director, as the new governor of Nagaland has been described by many critics as “unfortunate and improper”. Almost all the opposition parties have accused CBI of being “a handmaiden and B team of the government”. Thus the choice of Ashwani Kumar falls flat on the yardstick of “propriety”. Interestingly, Ashwani has taken over from Nikhil Kumar, a fellow police officer. Nikhil has a highly pedigreed lineage. His grandfather Dr. Anugrah Narayan Sinha and father Satyendra Narayan Sinha were both notable leaders and MPs for multiple terms. His mother Kishori Sinha and wife Shyama Singh too were members of the Lok Sabha. What an incredible hereditary wonder !! For Nikhil who was himself one time a police commissioner of Delhi, it surely must be a big rise.
It is thus important that some sort of “code of selection” be put in place for governors. Looking at the “qualifications” of about 100 past and current governors, it looks that anyone of us would easily “qualify” to be appointed as a governor. In fact, the qualifications of many of us are far superior to those of some of these “worthies” except that we would lack a “godfather”.
Raj Kanwar is a Dehra Dun based freelance journalist and writes columns on current affairs for local and national newspapers. He is also the author of the official history of ONGC, which is one of the top three companies in India in terms of market capitalization. Kanwar is also associated with World Oil as its Contributing Editor for South Asia.
Casual restaurant-goers enjoy great service over a quiet lunch
By Parth Dwivedi
NEW YORK, NY: Walking up to the corner of 28th St. and Lexington Ave. in New York City, a grey banner in stylized white lettering lets you know you have arrived at Chote Nawab, the latest talk of the area.
Shiva Natarajan, owner of Chote Nawab and other popular Indian restaurants in the area, explains that the name, or “little prince,” is intended to represent the Hyderbadi style of cuisine that they offer.
Walking in, one is met with a strong smell of masala and a hand painting of the eponymous movie poster. Grey and yellow earth tones bounce off of one another to create a well lit but relaxing lunchtime ambience, perfect for dinner as well. Depictions of quiet life in India accentuate the modern décor, adding to the laid back atmosphere.
Sitting down in one of the wooden chairs, you notice a selection of down-tempo Bollywood songs playing lightly in the background as your waiter brings out a glass jar, not a cup, full of water. It is all very quaint.
The Hyderbadi presence on the menu does not stop one from noticing a variety of dishes uncommon to Hyderbadi cuisine, like an entire seafood section.
Your plates arrive promptly, enveloped in a very strong aroma, enhancing the flavor; after all, smelling is half of tasting. Presentation is done well, with decorative tulsi leaves and thinly cut strips of ginger placed atop each of the dishes.
Their saag paneer is easy on the taste buds, with just enough spice to emphasize the saag in the dish without overpowering it. The chicken makhani is well-buttered and is so tender that it requires no knife to cut. It smells strong, but the taste is subtle, a great combination for any non-vegetarian food-lover. The chicken kabob is rich with texture, having a crispy exterior, with the same juicy succulence on its interior as the chicken makhani, and is complemented wonderfully by a squirt of lemon. Finishing strong with mango lassi, a strong burst of sweetness greets your palate—smooth enough to sip through a straw.
The devil is in the detail, and dining at Chote Nawab is a case study in subtlety.
Appropriately, restaurant-goers present cite the rich assortment of flavors as their own reason for coming and bringing newcomers along as well, explaining ChoteNawab’s rapid growth via word of mouth, as nearly fifty percent growth is projected within the next year. This growth has occurred amidst a relative vacuum of publicity aside from standard local directory services like Yelp, as Chote Nawab has never been reviewed by any major publication.
Natarajan explains his philosophy on establishing the restaurant, saying that he merely has a passion for food and wants to create an affordable and enjoyable experience for Chote Nawab’s patrons. Found in an area alongside many other Indian restaurants, some of which are also owned by Natarajan, Chote Nawab is intended mostly to satisfy a demand for specialized Indian food that one walking through the area would have anyway. Rather than competing with neighboring restaurants, he sees his restaurants as merely contributing to the neighborhood’s ethnic appeal. He says, “I don’t want to reinvent anything. India already provides such a large variety of cuisine that that in and of itself is enough to satiate any of our customers.”
All in all, the strong aroma walking into Chote Nawab grabs you, but the charming quaintness of the food and feel is what holds you.
