Innocence, Indira and India Inc.

* Children of Heaven
I had heard about this Persian movie, and finally got a chance to see it this weekend. Simple, Sweet, Innocent. Really an awesome make. Loved it. The two siblings, their small world of school-studies-friends, the poor hapless parents, the stark contrast between the poor families and the richer ones - all of it is so nicely shown. Looking at those two innocent kids is a matter of sheer joy. The school Physical Training periods look funny, and took me back to good old primary school days :) Remembered Amelie - one more place where I found innocence so nicely pictured. Much has been said about this movie already, so let me just say it's a must watch.

* "My Years with Indira Gandhi" - Dr P C Alexander
Recently I got to read the Marathi translation of this book, by Ashok Jain. The book is about Dr Alexander's stint as the principal secretary to Indira Gandhi, from 1980 to 1984. It throws light on her personality - as a tough PM of India, and also as an enthusiastic, multidimensional lady. This was the very first book I have read about her. Dr Alexander narrates how he got a chance to be involved in not only the government affairs but also some of the political, party, and even personal matters. A chunk of the book deals with Indira Gandhi's efforts to establish good relations with other countries. It displays her as a matured politician, a seasoned expert on Foreign Affairs. Dr Alexander also mentions how Indira Gandhi treated her colleagues who deserted her when she lost her power, how she had once considered giving up the PM post and going for the Presidential seat.
The things which struck me the most were her acute understanding of foreign policy as portrayed here, her perfectionist nature, her enthusiasm, organized way of doing things, her relations with her colleagues, regional leaders like the then CM of Tamil Nadu - M G Ramchandran, and some international leaders like Ms Thacher.
I have very little knowledge to form a binary opinion about Ms Gandhi, and I do not want to form such an opinion either. This book surely throws light on some of the interesting aspects of her personality, which is inspiring. It's worth reading :)

* India Inc - on a shopping spree !
Go back to year 2000 - and you find Tata Tea venturing out to aquire the Tetley brand in the UK. Since then, so many Indian companies have gone out and bought foreign ventures. This has started to give us a stronger position in the global scenario. It is very interesting to look at those deals and aquisitions, and all the discussions which follow. Recently after the TATAs won the Corus deal, there were cries of joy and warnings both - some people saying this is a big positive steps for India Inc, and the nay-sayers blaming Indian companies for improperly handling their money. I am very much a beginner in the topics like global trade, economics and business practises; but I am just trying to follow what is happening.
Got to read these interesting articles:
-- The great shopping spree !
-- Karuturi Networks, a little-known Bangalore company, is making a big move in the $80-billion floriculture space which will make it the largest rose grower in the world ! It is close to aquiring Holland based Sher - the world's largest producer and supplier of roses, for $40 million. Sher's greenhouses in Holland, Kenya, and Ethiopia produce 600 million roses annually. It all began on Valentine's Day, 12 years ago, when Karuturi, a mechanical engineer was sniffing around Bangalore for roses to take to his wife ! It's amazing. Find the full story here.
-- Suzlon Energy Ltd : the Pune-based company which bought the Belgian "Hansen Transmissions International" - it was a more-than-half-a-billion-dollar deal ! It is the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world. They have developed some of the largest wind parks, while creating global presence - including Europe, Australia and America. Read the story of the man behind Suzlon - Tulsi Tanti here.

-- Mandar Gadre.