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ratan tata-a very happy b'day.
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Among Asia's business titans, Ratan N. Tata stands out for his modesty. The chairman of the Tata Group - India's biggest conglomerate, with businesses ranging from software, cars, and steel to phone service, tea bags, and wristwatches - usually drives himself to the office in his $12,500 Tata Indigo Marina wagon.

He prefers to spend weekends in solitude with his two dogs at a beachfront home he designed himself. And disdainful of pretense, he travels alone even on long business trips, eschewing the retinues of aides who typically coddle corporate chieftains.

But Tata also has a daredevil streak. An avid aviator, he often flies his own Falcon 2000 business jet around India. And in February he caused a sensation at the Aero India 2007 air show by co-piloting Lockheed F-16 and Boeing F-18 fighter jets.

One of India's most powerful and dynamic business tycoons, Ratan Tata, turns 70 today.
A man with a great business vision, he was instrumental in transforming the Tata Group into a global force. He represents the face of a confident India

December 28, 2007 | 2:47 AM Comments  0 comments

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'Pakistan is a dangerous and messy place'
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Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto's [Images] assassination is a significant blow to those -- including India and the United States -- hoping for stability in violence-torn Pakistan, feels Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York.

Addressing a media conference organised by the Council in New York on Thursday, Markey said, "Despite all her flaws, corruption and failed prime ministerships, Benazir was a legitimate civilian leader who could have played a significant part in taking the country forward, even if haltingly, towards a more manageable civilian-military partnership."
The Council is an independent organisation and think tank, dedicated to being a resource to help people better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.

Markey said there is a good chance that the January 8 election in Pakistan would be postponed.

The government, particularly President Pervez Musharraf [Images], had expressed concern about its capacity to hold violence-free elections.

"This is just another indication of what they are dealing with, and their lack of ability to control the situation even under what appeared to be a fairly tightly organised event," he said.

Many Pakistanis hold Musharraf and his government "accountable, or at least negligent for allowing this to happen," Markey said.

On whether he thought the US government would continue to support Musharraf, Markey said the former is divided on its support to the Pakistan president, but he had support in the circles that mattered most -- the White House, the vice-president's office, and top echelons of the defence and state departments.
-- by monika joshi from new york.
link--rediff.com
"There is general consensus that while he is not perfect and his country has failed to do a lot of the things they most wanted him to do, he is still a partner," he said, adding, "This latest tragedy is likely to reinforce beliefs within those offices that Pakistan is a dangerous and messy place, potentially very unstable and fragile, and that they need to cling to Musharraf even more than they did in the past."

There are other parts of the US government -- particularly those who have seen the Pakistani influence in Afghanistan and others who are sceptical of Musharraf's intentions -- that will continue to do so, Markey said.

"Probably not to the extent that they would believe he manufactured this latest crisis, but they would see he is still not a useful guy to work with," he observed.

The January election is important because it would allow the US to engage with a civilian government and not just Musharraf, who remains deeply unpopular in his country.

Bhutto being prime minister in the new government was often seen as a foregone conclusion, but if her party had won 30 or 40 per cent of the national vote, she would have been tremendously powerful -- the power behind the scenes if not the prime minister, Markey said.

A question that remains to be answered is who would be Bhutto's successor. The Pakistan People's Party leader has not anointed a successor, and that leaves the party vulnerable to jockeying or, in the worst case, disintegration.

Her husband Asif Ali Zardari has money, which puts him in an important position. However, he is said to be corrupt and has no broad political following of his own to be the leader.

Markey said it is tragic that Bhutto sidelined the most charismatic and effective among her party leaders because she considered them a threat. Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, head of the PPP-S, the faction that split from the party, and Aitzaz Ahsan, PPP leader who represented Pakistan chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in court, are among those to watch in the days to come.

Sherpao, a former interior minister, survived a bomb attack during the Eid prayers on December 21.

If the PPP suffers a setback, other parties will benefit, and that includes Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Sharif has announced that his party will boycott the election. But he will continue to be a power player, Markey said.


December 28, 2007 | 2:45 AM Comments  0 comments

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largest hindu temple in world
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On 17 December 2007, Michael Whitty, official world record adjudicator and member of the management committee of Guinness World Records travelled especially to India to present two new world records to His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, an international socio-spiritual organisation affiliated with the United Nations.
The Guinness World Records Book is the biggest selling copyright book in history, with more than 100 million books sold around the world in more than 25 languages. This is the first time, though, that a senior member of the Guinness World Records management committee has personally travelled to India to present a World Record certificate. The presentation came on the occasion of His Holiness’ 87th birthday being celebrated as the culmination of the four-day BAPS Centenary Celebrations in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi, India, is the world's largest comprehensive Hindu temple. It measures 356 ft. long, 316 ft. wide and 141 ft. high, covering an area of 86,342 sq. ft. The grand, ancient-style, ornately hand-carved stone temple has been built without structural steel within five years by 11,000 artisans and volunteers. His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, revered spiritual leader of BAPS, consecrated the temple on 6 November 2005.
Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi epitomises 10,000 years of Indian culture in all its breathtaking grandeur, beauty, wisdom and bliss. It brilliantly showcases the essence of India’s ancient architecture, traditions and timeless spiritual messages. The Akshardham experience is an enlightening journey through India’s glorious art, values and contributions for the progress, happiness and harmony of mankind.
The grand, ancient-styled Swaminarayan Akshardham complex was built in only five years through the blessings of HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and the colossal devotional efforts of 11,000 artisans and BAPS volunteers. The complex was inaugurated on 6 November, 2005.

Akshardham means the eternal, divine abode of the supreme God, the abode of eternal values and virtues of Akshar as defined in the Vedas and Upanishads where divine bhakti, purity and peace forever pervades.


December 28, 2007 | 2:43 AM Comments  0 comments

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wedding
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somebody told me that marraige is a tonic.i now believe in the saying fully a sit is working for me fully.wedding is the best thing that has happened to me.it has given me the desire to live life again fully and now i want to live for the happiness of my busband.nothing give sme more joy than waking up with love of my life.