Mukta Darera
U've got 2 find what u love.... If u haven't found it yet, keep looking and don't settle -STEVE JOBS, CEO,APPLE INC. Dream on
PASSIONS Entrepreneur Mukta Darera helps people find their groove
MISSION VISION Mukta helps those who want to be what they want to be
She is an engineer with a degree in Kathak. An entrepreneur who moonlights as an RJ. When Mukta Darera was in high school, she with a group of friends, gathered interesting material from the Internet and elsewhere to draw up a newsletter. The youngst ers then set about printing copies of the same and convinced their peers to buy it, rather than read it for free.
“Maybe, it’s in my blood” says 24-year-old Mukta, of this entrepreneurial streak. Like many academically-proficient students, Mukta, who hails from a business family, started off on the conventional route. First-rate marks in school, an engineering degree and a dream posting with an IT major. Two years into her job, and despite being part of many activities at her workplace, she felt the experience was not fulfilling in terms of “all the things I wanted to do in life”. “I also saw peers not living the dreams they had always had,” she observes.
The customary next step at this stage was to try and get into a B-school and Mukta succeeded here too. The thought of doing an MBA however, didn’t really excite her. The school, which had offered her admission, also offered a programme for those wanting to start their own business and this is when Mukta felt something click. While it was too late to apply for this particular programme, a search led her to the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore’s program for women entrepreneurs, and she enrolled. When it was time to come up with a business plan at the end of the course, Mukta presented an idea which had sprung up from her days at the tech firm.
Rebooting lives
Hence was born iReboot. According to Mukta, iReboot is about “helping people live their dreams, even if it is only for two days”. One of the services iReboot offers is workshops and counselling for those who want to asses the pros and cons of taking up a new profession. To begin with, a quick survey gave Mukta an idea of the top dream jobs today, with careers like travel writing, photography, and restaurateur figuring prominently on the list. The young entrepreneur then set about looking for experienced professionals in these fields. “I look for someone with an ability to connect with the audience”, says Mukta of her constant search for mentors to guide the many enthusiasts who attend her workshops. But the overriding criterion, she says, is the passion the mentors display for their work.
Mukta is also extremely passionate about providing students with the exposure they need to make career choices. “When I was a student, nobody guided me”, she notes, “I was good academically and took engineering like everybody else”. And Mukta’s own dream job? “This is my dream job” she retorts, of her work at iReboot. The ex-techie understands well what a career change brings with it. While her family was initially hesitant, she says, they came around after she explained to them that this was what she wanted to do, and this was the best time in her life to do it. But Mukta admits that in the beginning it was difficult to adjust to life without a monthly pay check. “I couldn’t just go into a mall and pick up what I wanted” she points out. “But I am much happier now”, she counters.
Drawing from all this, Mukta does not recommend an immediate career change for those who attend her workshops. “There are families to go back to, EMI s to be paid”, she notes. The process, according to her, is a gradual one.
For more information about iReboot. visit www.ireboot.in or call 9886295353. If you want to listen to Mukta the RJ, tune into FM Rainbow 101.3 Tuesdays, at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track.
Dr.B.Narayan Vishwanath
‘Terrace-farming’ of a different kind
| Scientist grows healthy vegetables in house |
Forever green: B. Narayan Vishwanath working on a terrace garden in Bangalore. —
BANGALORE: How many of us in the city only dream of having a garden full of vegetables and flowers? But here is someone who single-mindedly has done it before, and is all set to do it again.
B. Narayan Vishwanath, a former lecturer with the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, says anyone with even a tiny patch can do it. With a Ph.D in Agriculture, Dr. Vishwanath has authored Organic Terrace Gardening, a slim book in which he has penned his experiences and successes while growing his own patch of greenery. Through his book, he urges everyone to grow plants in their homes, no matter how small the available space is.
Rise in pollution“With a drastic increase in all sorts of pollution, especially in the cities, there is a greater need for people to grow plants in their homes to keep healthy,” says Dr. Vishwanath.
He is particularly keen that chemicals — be they fertilizers or pesticides — be kept away from such terrace gardens. Instead, he advises people to opt for compost and bio-fertilizers. The rampant use of chemicals, banned elsewhere in the world, bothers him. “The only reason for permitting their use in India is the political system as well as the extreme lobbying at the Centre. People are making millions in the absence of a ban on these chemicals.”
These chemicals have permanent effects on us, says the energetic 65-year-old: “It is a well known fact that the excessive use of chemicals in vegetables and fruits harms our health. If one is not cultivating large-scale, I believe everyone can grow enough to feed at least themselves and their children.”
To propagate his views, Dr. Vishwanath gives lectures and conducts workshops on organic gardening. He has a diploma in television production, and has made a number of documentaries in support of his views.
He did have a glorious terrace garden in a house he recently vacated in Kengeri. Having moved to a new house in Jayanagar Fifth Block, he has set to work with full enthusiasm on yet another garden, starting out with tomatoes and chillies on his terrace. He does not mind starting afresh, although he grumbles that squirrels seem to be reaping too much of what he has sown. He is also experimenting with growing a garden only in compost minus the soil.
So when did he start feeling so passionately about organic horticulture? He says he was inspired by Rachel Carson’s seminal work Silent Spring. The book, as far back as 1962, had warned the world about the hazards of the use of DDT, and criticises the American chemical industry for spreading disinformation, as well as public officials for accepting industry claims uncritically.
Dr. Vishwanath can be contacted on 9845627217 or vishy_kadur@yahoo.co.in
Other Individuals
A Penniless Man Becomes a Billionaire
in Twenty Years
by Rev. Shokai Kanai
A little boy of a billionaire ran away from his father and became homeless for many years. Meanwhile his father had trading business with foreign countries and made innumerable treasures and wished to inherit all his treasures to his son.
The homeless son wandered about all directions to beg food and tried to get odd jobs for many decade years. One day he happened to stand at a gate of the rich man’s estate.
The rich man recognized him at first sight as his son and immediately dispatched a man standing beside him to quickly bring back the poor man standing at the gate. The messenger pulled him by force. The poor son thought, “I am caught though I am not guilty. I shall be killed,” and fainted and fell to the ground.
Seeing the frightened son who was too base and mean to meet a noble man, the father said to the messenger, “I don’t want him any more. Pour cold water on his face and let him go!”
The rich man dispatched another messenger in secret to bring him back for a work to clear dirt with double day’s pay in advance.
Many months passed. The father took off his garment and jewels, and wear worn-out defiled with dirt and dust to approach his son and said, “Man! Stay here and work hard. I will pay you more.
Many years passed. The rich man gave him a name and more higher pay to take care the storehouses.
Thus, twenty years have passed. The father told his son to call in the king, ministers and householders. When they all gathered, he said to them, “This is my son, my real son. All my treasures are his.”
This story of a penniless man becomes a billionaire is revealed in Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith of the Lotus Sutra. It says, “We have obtained unsurpassed treasures although we did not seek them.”
The Buddha and deities are always trying to save us from misery; however, we do not understand their intentions.
You may think that the poor son inherits his father’s treasurers because he is the real son of the rich man. The Buddha says, “All living beings are my children” in Chapter 3. We all are able to inherit the Buddha’s treasurers (Buddhahood) when we trust in the sacred title of the sutra, “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.” Thus, we will realize reality of all things without notice and have peaceful mind.
List of Korean billionaires and multi-millionaires
Problems in determining wealth in Korea
Sociological research in Korea into the great families of wealth and privilege has not been forthcoming, so much more work has been done abroad by American and European publications such as Forbes, The Asian Wall Street Journal, and The Economist magazine as well as merchant banking units from Merrill Lynch and other holders of massive private fortunes. Internally, Korean newspapers have exercised great caution, and declined to compile lists of the rich, how they became rich, or mapped great holdings of wealth; this changes as foreign banks publish such material abroad, and articles then find their way back into Korea through the internet and foreign banking and financial publications.
Corporate wealth and rich lists
Most Korean corporations, even public ones, do not as a habit list salaries of chief executives, presidents, or stock benefits to members of their boards. Individuals rarely disclose salaries, or bonuses, and there is no real attempt to open corporate books to the public, or to shareholders to indicate substantial shareholders so determining the hierarchy of the rich is difficult.
It may be assumed that a yardstick to compile salaries of corporation heads is to go down the middle between American and Japanese salaries for comparable industries, based on gross volumes of sales, number of employees, and job title.
This benchmark would suggest at least 1000 employees of major companies making more than $1 million a year of salary; and perhaps 500 earning more than $2 million based on Korea's commercial success.
Political wealth and rich lists
Elected and appointed politicians rarely if ever file disclosure of assets, investments, or family links to corporations. It is generally assumed in Korea that any senior politician is a millionaire, and long term politicians as a family are multi-millionaires. At times of contention, public disclosures validate this.
Foundations wealth and ranking by assets held
The use of foundations to sequester assets again has not be studied at length, and foundations are not required to disclose all assets, investments, or profits; and in many cases hold, or are believed to hold, or handle trillions of won of investments that are controlled by very few people with great power and limited scrutiny or public oversight. Disclosures are usually triggered by political scandals with little public accountability in place or sociological analysis of influence.
Non-profit and church or religious group holdings
While the wealth of Sun Myung Moon is often mentioned, and is said to be in the multiple billions, non-profit church groups and religious corporations are known to have extensive landholdings both in Korea and extremely large investments in securities and land abroad.
Occasional disclosures in the media indicate the huge amounts of wealth owned, and transferred abroad by churches, religious holding companies, lesser cults, and other missionary groups.
These have their origins going back to the great Buddhist monastic orders which had incredible economic power, controlled essential resource exports (rice and ginseng), and which had huge plantations with extensive numbers of slaves as early as the Korean three kingdoms time and as late as the declining years of the Joseon dynasty; with gains coming back under the Japanese occupation through fundraising for Korean independence movements.
Spectacular showcases of Korean Christian wealth have been displayed in huge cathedrals and church-building, and at times a lifestyle of conspicuous consumption and profligate spending by church leaders, or church cult leaders, when financial irregularities or scandals have been made public.
Estimates on financial holdings of the richest churches often exceed billions in assets and investments.
Gross income of chaebols and the top 50 Korean companies
The relations between chaebols and the Korean power elite are now studied more closely as the elite itself showcases wealth and power more publicly than before as Korea places itself in the community of successful countries.
Internationally known Korean billionaires (Forbes)
Known Korean billionaires according to Forbes analysis units include:
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Icon | Description |
| ▬ | Has not changed from the list for 2007. |
| ▲ | Has increased from the list for 2007. |
| ▼ | Has decreased from the list for 2007. |
Internationally known wealthy Korean individuals (Forbes)
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Citizenship | Residence | Source(s) of wealth | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| &0000000000000013.00000013 | Chung Yong Jin | $975 million | South Korea | South Korea | Shinsegae | [citation needed] | |
| &0000000000000014.00000014 | Shin Chang Jae | $950 million | South Korea | South Korea | Kyobo Life | [citation needed] |
Chang Pyung Soon $945 Million Kyowon Group
Choi Jin Min $930 Million Kiturami
Chey Tae Won $810 Million SK Group
Kim Seung Yoon $800 Million Hanwha
Yoon Seok Keum $790 Million Woongjin
Kang Young Jeong $720 Million Daekyo
Lee Jay Hyun $715 Million Cheil Jadang
Hong Ra Hee $700 Million Samsung
Koo Bon Mo $670 Million LG Group
Chung Mong Jin $665 Million KCC
Shin Kyuk Ho $660 Million Lotte
Park Moon Deuk $650 Million Hite Brewery
Chung Mong Gyu $645 Million Hyundai
Kim Nam Goo $640 Million Korea Investment
Koo Bon Neung $620 Million Heesung Group
Kim Jung Joo $590 Million Nexon
Chung Eui Sun $560 Million Hyundai
Lee Joon Yong $540 Million Daelim
Koo Bon Joon $500 Million LG
Kim Jeong Hoon $500 Million Yurie
Koo Bon Sik $495 Million LG
Moon Kyu Young $480 Million Aju
Lee Ho Jin $475 Million Taekwon
Chung Yoo Kyung $470 Million Shinsegae
Lee Boo Jin $410 Million Shilla
Lee Seo Hyeon $410 Million Cheil
Cho Yang Rai $405 Million Hankook Tire
This benchmark would suggest at least 1000 employees of major companies making more than $1 million a year of salary; and perhaps 500 earning more than $2 million based on Korea's commercial success.
Rich List according to Chaebul.com
Chaebul.com is a local source that evaluates the fortunes of Korean businesspersons. According to its analysis of listed stock value as January 2008, the top 20 known Korean share-rich individuals are the following.
Chung Mong Joon $3.8 Billion Hyundai Heavy
Chung Mong Koo $3.2 Billion Hyundai
Lee Myung Hee $2.2 Billion Shinsegae
Shin Dong Bin $2.0 Billion Lotte
Shin Dong Joo $1.9 Billion Lotte
Lee Kun Hee $1.8 Billion Samsung
Huh Chang Soo $1.4 Billion GS
Koo Bon Moo $1.4 Billion LG
Nicholas Park $1.3 Billion Lee
Suh Kyung Bae $1.2 Billion Amorepacific
Chung Yong Jin $1.1 Billion Shinsegae
Chung Mong Gyu $1.1 Billion Hyundai Development
Chung Mong Jin $1.1 Billion KCC
Koo Bon Joon $1.0 Billion LG
Kim Seung Youn $1.0 Billion Hanwha
Yoon Seok Keum $0.9 Billion Woongjin
Chung Eui Sun $0.9 Billion Hyundai
Kim Nam Koo $0.8 Billion Korea Investment
Lee Soo Young $0.8 Billion DC Chemical
Kim Jun Ki $0.8 Billion Dongbu
Kim Nam Ho $0.8 Billion Dongbu
Kim Young Sang $0.6 Billion Daewoo
Evaluating wealth and power
The Sunday Times Rich List, published annually by the Sunday Times cites a complicated means by which it both establishes and guesses at real and hidden wealth by the nation's richest families. Researchers in Korean media have used this as a means of establishing wealth.
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Twenty22-India on the move
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance."-Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
14.3.09
The Billionaire's List changes
The toll on the markets has not only shrunk the wealth of the world’s billionaires, compiled every year by Forbes, but also changed the pecking order. Bill Gates is once again the world’s richest, and Mukesh Ambani has replaced Lakshmi Mittal as the richest Indian. Leading the pack among India’s richest and ranked seventh in the world is Reliance Industries (RIL) chief Mukesh Ambani. His net worth is down to $19.5 billion after the RIL stock plunged about 40% in the last one year. The next Indian on the list is Anil Ambani. Ranked 34, the Reliance ADAG chairman, who was the biggest gainer last year, lost $32 billion, or 76% of his fortune, in the last one year as shares of his group firms — Reliance Communications, Reliance Power and Reliance Capital — declined. Other Indians on the list include DLF’s KP Singh ($5 billion), Kumar Birla ($4.2 billion), Adi Godrej ($3.3 billion), Dilip Shanghvi ($3 billion) and Savitri Jindal ($2.7 billion). Brothers Malvinder and Shivinder Singh also feature in the list, with a net worth of $2.6 billion. According to Forbes, there are now 793 billionaires globally, down from 1,125 a year ago. India not only saw its share of the wealthiest plummet, it also gave up its position as home to most billionaires in Asia to China, which has 28.
Labels: Forbes Billionaires List India World
1 comments:
- Jagatheesan said...
-
May you be ever happy, well and secure
May you live long
May all sentient and non-sentient beings in this universe be ever happy
May all be calm, quiet, alert, attentive and have equanimity mind
With a clear understanding that nothing is permanent
In order to build a strong Jambudvipa, that is, a Great Prabuddha Bharath, it is very important to inspire and train young entrepreneurs (aboriginal inhabitants of Jambudvipa, that is, the Great Prabuddha Bharath).
To spread Dhamma, it is time to inspire and train young entrepreneurs to do business based on the principles of Buddhism, so that they can earn more money to do more Dana to build Monasteries and to improve all the Buddhist monuments spread throughout this great Prabuddha Bharath.
Therefore, we request you to be a part of this venture and give us your valuable suggestions and help to build a society of young entrepreneurs who could stand on their own legs to fulfill this wholesome desire of spreading Dhamma.
With lots of metta
Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan
#668 5th A main Road, 8th Cross, HAL 3rd Stage,
Bangalore-560075
Karnataka State
INDIA
Telephone No. 91-080-25203792
Mob: 9449260443
www.buddhismandbussiness.webs.com
Email: chandrasekharan.tipitaka.jagat@gmail.com
Twenty22
Twenty22 stands for the year 2022 when India will be 75 years old.The story of a young and energetic nation on the move,having her foundation in an ancient civilisation.From a glorious past to a glorious future.Our flag's Orange colour symbolizes courage and sacrifice, White stands for peace and truth, Green is for faith and chivalry and Blue represents the color of the sky and the ocean. The central motif is a Chakra, or Buddhist spinning wheel. The 24 spokes of the wheel correspond with the 24 hours of the day, implying that there is life in movement and death in stagnation.http://wisdomquarterly.blogspot.com/2009/05/billionaire-buffett.html
http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/107029/Business-Musings-From-Woodstock-for-Capitalists
Business Musings From Woodstock for Capitalists
by Scott Patterson and Alistair BarrTuesday, May 5, 2009provided by
Buffett and Munger Play the Main Stage: Views on Newspapers, Triple-A Ratings, Complex Math and More
Here are some highlights of Warren Buffett's and Charles Munger's remarks at the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shareholder meeting this past weekend.
Mr. Buffett on Newspapers
Mr. Buffett has long held himself out as a newspaper man. As a child, one of his first jobs was delivering newspapers. An Omaha newspaper Berkshire owned, Sun Newspapers, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1973 based in part on a tip Mr. Buffett provided. One of Berkshire's biggest investments in the 1970s was the Buffalo News, which it still owns.
But his view on the future of the newspaper industry is dismal. "For most newspapers in the United States, we would not buy them at any price," he said. "They have the possibility of going to just unending losses."
As long as newspapers were essential to readers, they were essential to advertisers, he said. But news is now available in many other venues, he said.
Berkshire has a substantial investment in Washington Post Co. He said the company has a solid cable business, a good reason to hold on to it, but its newspaper business is in trouble.
Mr. Munger called newspapers' woes "a national tragedy....These monopoly daily newspapers have been an important sinew to our civilization, they kept government more honest than they would otherwise be."
A Washington Post Co. representative couldn't be reached for comment.
Mr. Buffett on Insurance
In response to a question about the worst possible development for Berkshire Hathaway's vast insurance operations, Mr. Buffett responded: nationalization.
If inflation jumped and insurance policies became extremely expensive, pressure could rise on the government to nationalize the insurance industry, he said. "When people get outraged, politicians respond," Mr. Buffett said. It's highly unlikely that such a development would happen, he added. But he did note the example of Social Security, which is a form of a nationalized annuity.
Mr. Buffett on Housing
"In the last few months you've seen a real pickup in activity although at much lower prices," Mr. Buffett said, citing data from Berkshire's real-estate brokerage business, HomeServices of America Inc., which is one of the largest in the U.S.
In California, medium and lower-price homes -- under $750,000 -- have been selling more, though there hasn't been a bounce back in sale prices, Mr. Buffett said. "We see something close to stability at these much-reduced prices in the medium to lower part of the market."
Mr. Buffett on Moody's
Mr. Buffett was asked about Moody's Investors Service, which gave a triple-A rating to billions of dollars of mortgage securities that subsequently lost value. Berkshire has a 20.4% stake in the company.
"Basically, four or five years ago, virtually everybody in the country had this model in their heads, formal or otherwise, that house prices could not fall significantly," Mr. Buffett said. He later added that "it was stupidity and the fact that everyone else was doing it."
He said that if Moody's had started to take a negative view on residential real estate, the ratings provider would have been hauled before Congress to testify about why it was hurting the U.S. economy with its bearish ratings. "They made a huge mistake, and the American people made a huge mistake," he said.
A Moody's representative couldn't be reached for comment.
Mr. Buffett on Treasurys
Berkshire Hathaway had only one slide at this year's annual meeting. It displayed a Dec. 19 trade ticket showing a Berkshire sale of $5 million of Treasury bills. They were coming due on April 29 this year, roughly four months after Berkshire sold them. Berkshire sold the bills for $5,000,090.70. If that buyer had instead put their money in a mattress, by April 29 they would have been $90.70 better off, he said. Negative yields on Treasury bills show how tumultuous last year was, Mr. Buffett added. "We may never see that again in our lifetimes," he noted.
Messrs. Buffett and Munger on Math and Theories
Messrs. Buffett and Munger made clear their complete disdain for the use of higher-order mathematics in finance.
"There is so much that's false and nutty in modern investing practice and modern investment banking, that if you just reduced the nonsense, that's a goal you should reasonably hope for," Mr. Buffett said. Regarding complex calculations used to value purchases, he said: "If you need to use a computer or a calculator to make the calculation, you shouldn't buy it."
Said Mr. Munger: "Some of the worst business decisions I've ever seen are those with future projections and discounts back. It seems like the higher mathematics with more false precision should help you, but it doesn't. They teach that in business schools because, well, they've got to do something."
Mr. Buffett said: "If you stand up in front of a business class and say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, you won't get tenure....Higher mathematics my be dangerous and lead you down pathways that are better left untrod."
Mr. Munger on the Future
"As I move close to the edge of death, I find myself getting more cheerful about the economic future," Mr. Munger said.
Mr. Munger sees "a final breakthrough that solves the main technical problem of man," he continued.
By harnessing the power of the sun, electrical power will become more available around the world. That will help humans turn sea water into fresh water and eliminate environmental problems, Mr. Munger explained. "If you have enough energy you can solve a lot of other problems."
Write to Scott Patterson at scott.patterson@wsj.com and Alistair Barr at alistair.barr@marketwatch.com
Copyrighted, Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.Topshop billionaire's £20m 'garden party'
by NATALIE CLARKE
Last updated at 11:42 17 March 2007
Topless dancers, a 35ft granite Buddha, 30 bottles of vintage bubbly for each guest, and cabaret courtesy of George Michael on a private island ringed by armed guards. Just another common or garden birthday bash for Topshop's Philip Green
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Billionaire Sir Philip Green, the stunning party venue and guest J-lo
The two great deities sat facing one another, each a colossus, gazing serenely down at the mortals in their midst. At one end was a solid granite statue of the Buddha, 35ft-tall, smiling benignly over the party guests as they drank vintage Pol Roger champagne and helped themselves to lobster thermidor.
At the other end was Sir Philip Green, resplendent in a crisp white linen Thai tunic trimmed with silver brocade. If the Buddha was serene and mysterious, Sir Philip was rather more ebullient.
The billionaire tycoon was in fine fettle hosting his most jaw-droppingly showy party yet - a five-day extravaganza on a tropical island which he has taken over in the Maldives for himself and 100 friends to celebrate his 55th birthday. It is impossible to say just how much it has cost, but £20 million cannot be an outlandish estimate.
Some 500 cases of vintage champagne - that's 3,000 bottles, 30 per guest - caviar, lobster; dancers flown in from around the world; fireworks shooting upwards to form the shape of palm trees before melting into the night sky; supercharged searchlights which seemed to touch the stars.
The star turn is George Michael, who is believed to have received £750,000 to go on stage. And, if the rumours are to be believed, the American singer and actress, Jennifer Lopez.
The birthday boy surpassed himself this time, and it wasn't even a major milestone.
But while the guests guzzled champagne and danced the night away in paradise without a care in the world, the Maldivian islanders were not quite so taken with the spectacle.
The construction of the Buddha, in particular, has troubled the locals, who are devout Muslims.
"The islanders are obviously used to tourists, and Christianity as well, but they are not used to such overt signs of Buddhism and this has unsettled them," said one local source.
"The blocks of granite were shipped over from somewhere and the locals had to construct the Buddha with their own hands, which they were not at all happy about, but they didn't want to complain."
It does make you wonder: if you want to have a Thai-themed evening with Thai attire, pad Thai noodles and a giant Buddha on display, why not have the party in Thailand? But that would probably be cheaper than this lavish playground of the rich, and you certainly can't accuse Sir Philip of hanging on to his pennies.
As well as the controversy over the Buddha, there has also been consternation among the locals at the more decadent displays over the past few days, in particular a troupe of topless dancers.
For while going topless isn't banned in the Maldives, it is frowned upon by the Muslim community and all tourist literature asks holidaymakers to refrain from removing their tops.
A source said: "The staff were told before the party that they might see things that might shock them but they must not take offence.
"The women who drive the buggies around the island were told that if they came across any of these topless women, they must avert their eyes to protect their modesty, turn the buggy around and go in the opposite direction."
There are dark mutterings among the deeply suspicious Maldivians all over Baa Atoll (there are 19 atolls stretching across 800km) that Sir Philip's birthday party has brought a curse to the region north of the capital, Male, where the Soneva Fushi Resort stands on the island of Kunfunadhoo.
But Sir Philip, who owns the Arcadia fashion group comprising Topshop, Bhs and Miss Selfridge among others, and employs 38,000 staff, is oblivious to such talk. Having received a £1.2 billion dividend in 2005 - adding to the £4.85billion fortune he was estimated to have before the windfall - he wanted to make sure this party was even more monumental than his 50th.
On that occasion he flew out 200 friends to an exclusive resort in Cyprus for a £5 million toga party. Green was dressed as the Roman Emperor Nero in an embroidered toga and gold laurel leaves. Rod Stewart - £1 million for a 45-minute set - and Tom Jones provided the entertainment.
As a surprise, his wife Tina, 57, hired Michael Aspel who appeared with his red This Is Your Life book to look back at the entrepreneur's life. Her present to him was a solid gold Monopoly board, made by Asprey's to represent all his real High Street assets.
There was even a follow up-party in Monaco to watch the video of the Cyprus beano.
There have been other flash dos, such as the barmitzvah he threw for his son Brandon on his 13th birthday in 2005, which reportedly cost £4million, and was held in one of the swankiest hotels in the Cote d'Azur. The family had their own synagogue built in the grounds.
Sir Philip and his wife Tina, who were married in 1990, definitely enjoy the finer things in life. They own an £8 million villa in Monaco overlooking their £7 million yacht (being resident in Monaco cuts down the tax bill considerably, of course).
They have a private jet and 'his and hers' Bentleys. His office is a beige and black penthouse in the West End where he works from 6am to 10pm weekdays. His weekends are spent in Monaco often playing tennis with Prince Albert.
And besides, there was another cause (or excuse) for celebration this week - the knighthood he received last year. If you've earned all this money by old-fashioned graft - and Sir Philip is a workaholic - why not spend it?
So it was that Green, who was raised in Croydon and North London by his electrical retailer father, Simon, and mother, Alma - who owned and ran a launderette chain - decided to take over Soneva Fushi.
Villas cost up to £2,000 per night, and Green has hired the entire resort for five days. The resort motto is: 'No news or shoes - you're here to chill out.'
But over the past week, things have been frenetic on the island. More than 500 people were brought in to deal with the construction of Buddhas, pagodas and three stages. Hundreds more have been working on the catering, flowers flown especially into the Maldives, security and fireworks.
Sir Philip wanted the location to be a surprise for his guests and told them simply to pack their beachwear and go to Stansted Airport on Tuesday evening.
There has been much speculation as to who was on the guest list. Kate Moss, Simon Cowell and Jemima Khan were mentioned, but did not show up.
Elizabeth Hurley and her husband, Arun Nayar, are believed to be honeymooning in the Maldives after their own marathon wedding celebrations, but there was no sign of them, either.
The actress Jenny Seagrove and her theatre producer partner, Bill Kenwright, are among the guests along with former model Jilly Johnson. The Scottish millionaire Sir Tom Hunter is here; Formula One boss Eddie Jordan is also believed to be on the list of attendees.
But if A-list celebrities were invited, they appear not to have been tempted by the freebie to beat all freebies.
For when the three private jets carrying the guests arrived at Male airport on Wednesday morning, there were hardly any famous faces to be seen. The 'VIPs' - most of them pushing Louis Vuitton luggage - were then taken by seaplane to the resort.
That night, Sir Philip treated his guests to a pre-party bash with a performance by a group of Indonesian dancers flown in especially, as well as traditional Maldivian dancing by performers from another island.
On Thursday, as Sir Philip's guests sunbathed on the terraces of their luxurious villas, the final preparations began. Checks were made on the three concert stages - yes, three - on the northern and southern tips of the island, and in the middle of the resort.
At a right angle to the side of the main stage stood the largest Buddha, on either side of which were two pagodas. Two smaller Buddhas were erected nearby.
Vases filled with exotic flowers flown in from some far-flung destination were placed all over the island. Meanwhile, teams of chefs were busy in the kitchen. There was one team for the seafood buffet, another for the Thai buffet.
A separate team put the final touches to Sir Philip's 8ft by 4ft dark and white chocolate and cream birthday cake, thought to have been inscribed simply: 'Philip Green 55'.
More guests arrived by seaplane including a group of men in white linen suits. A fevered rumour began circulating that Britney Spears was on the island, but this was not confirmed.
According to one source, J-Lo was seen wandering around the resort surrounded by her burly entourage. It's thought she was planning to give a performance last night.
Moored a little way out were two 100ft sailing yachts and a 150ft motor yacht. You could smell the money.
It is one of those strange paradoxes that a man determined to stage one of the most ostentatious spectacles on the planet should be seemingly obsessed that the details remain a secret.
Thirty security cameras were installed around the island on Thursday; three security boats patrolled the island.
Aboard one of them was a high profile police chief, a sort of Sir Ian Blair in shades and funky T-shirt.
The staff on the island were also tightly controlled. The stage crew and security staff all wore T-shirts with a 55 logo, and staff were told they must not reveal a thing, and to switch their mobiles off so no contact could be made with the outside world.
The main party of the week began at 8pm on Thursday, when spotlights - powered by generators shipped in for the occasion - were turned on, stretching up and out for miles across the Indian Ocean.
All the guests - men included - wore the same white linen Thai tunics, embossed with the 55 logo. The number 55 was also emblazoned across the stage.
You would have to have been really dim - or the worse of all that champagne - to forget which birthday Sir Philip was celebrating.
There were more dancers - including the topless ones who had affronted the modesty of the locals - more Pol Roger bubbly, caviar, lobster any which way you could choose. Also on the bill was heartthrob singer Ricky Martin.
George Michael came on last of all, singing old favourites such as Careless Whisper and, finally, Freedom, which seemed to go down very well with the mostly 30 and 40-something guests.
Sir Philip is said to have issued strict instructions that George wanted to leave the island as soon as he came off stage, but then these days he is a bit of a recluse.
After George's performance, Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday To You came blaring through the speakers and Sir Philip's enormous birthday cake was wheeled to the front of the stage.
Shy and retiring are not words in this man's vocabulary. Once he had cut the cake, the fireworks began, launched from two barges anchored a couple of hundred yards from the shore, and greeted with gasps of admiration.
Then it was time for the disco and, loosened up by all the free booze, most of the guests took to the dance floor and partied until well after 4am.
The following day the revellers stayed in bed till late, emerging around lunchtime to get ready for Sir Philip's bikini party in the afternoon.
Again, the bikini dress code is felt to be in bad taste by the locals - due to their Muslim beliefs. Happily for them, Sir Philip and his pals are due to fly back to Britain tomorrow.
What they and everyone else would now like to know is: what on earth is he going to do with his giant granite Buddha? Not even his office is big enough to accommodate this.
For a change Billionaire Sir Philip Green, I suggest to host a party following all the 5 precepts that his 35ft granite Buddha taught to this world and also follow his eightfold path which will further enrich him both morally and physically and increase his happiness multifold. And also share such an experience with all sentient and non-sentient beings. I wish to join such a party.
Suggestion by Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan
#668 5th A Main Road
8th Cross HAL 3rd Stage
Bangalore-560075
Karnataka State
India
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Email;; preceptsandtrade@gmail.com
Lantau Island BuddhaThe home of Hong Kong DisneylandVisit online to discover the magic.www.hongkongdisneyland.com
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PowerProof Multi-Billionaires Thai Buddha WEALTH AmuletBlessed by 17 top monks focusing on WEALTH&LUCK ONLY!!! |
For me, knowing the amulet is real is not enough
How much Power it has, is my most concern
After testing, I found this amulet has Ultimately Extremely High Supernatural Power (6.93 STARS)
(Since I keep on improving the accuracy of my power measurement, the above power rating figure might be adjusted sometime to give most accuracy)
“Sethi Nawagote” (Multi-Billionaires) Amulet
Blessed by 17 Top Powerful Magic Guru Monks in this era
(
Ultimately strong power focusing only on Wealth & Luck Increasing
Lead good luck to you, Bring success to your career & business
** Guaranteed Real, Supernatural Power Proven **
(Micron gold necklace is optional with $15 extra cost)
If you want to include the necklace: 1. After you click Bid or Buy-It-Now on this item please inform me by mail to include necklace 2. Make payment AFTER you get my invoice
This “Sethi Nawagote” amulet is truly real acquired directly from Wat Hnar Phra
I have spent more than 4 years time to find an effective method to sense and measure the magnitude of Supernatural Power which exists only in real amulets. I am 50-year-old, native Thai Buddhist, master-degree engineer, living in
The name “Sethi Nawagote” means “Multi-Billionaire” which indicates that this amulet was blessed with specific objective to increase Wealth & Luck of the wearer. The amulet has 9 faces which represent 9 ancient top richest millionaire in the Buddhism history. The names of those millionaires are as follows:
1. Thanunchai Mahasethi 2. Yatsa Mahasethi 3. Sumna Mahasethi 4. Chalilatsa Mahasethi 5. Anathabinthiga Mahasethi 6. Mainthaga Mahasethi 7. Sumangkalatsa Mahasethi 8. Chotiga Mahasethi 9. Maha Ubasiga Wisaka
The 17 monks blessed the amulet and invited the power from those ancient millionaires to increase the Wealth & Luck of the wearer. The blessing ceremony was done this year at Wat Hnar Phra Main. All the monks are very well-known in
1. LP Tim (Wat Phrakao) 2. LP Chalerm (Wat Phrayard) 3. LP Pol (Wat Indraram) 4. LP Pien (Wat Griengrathin) 5. LP Euan (Wat Wangdangtai) 6. LP Jamlong (Wat Jaedeedang) 7. LP Piem (Wat Pomgaew) 8. LP Wael (Wat Panunchieng) 9. LP Ruay (Wat Tago) 10. LP Poon (Wat Banpaen) 11. LP Na (Wat Nongbua) 12. LP Sao (Wat Dornyanang) 13. LP Grieng-grai (Wat Prachasan) 14. LP Amnuay (Wat Saenasaram) 15. LP Pard (Wat Rai) 16. LP Chamnarn (Wat Bangguthithong) 17. LP Sawat (Wat Salapoon)
After testing, I found this amulet has “Ultimately Extremely High” supernatural power with exceptional supreme high power rating (6.93 stars). Moreover, it is has very outstanding beautiful design which certainly making you more attractive with stunning look of this amulet. With this kind of necklace that comes with the amulet, you will feel very comfortable after wearing it since it is very light and soft. In summary, if you feel that your career or your business is not running good as it should be or you want to make it more success and want to increase your wealth & luck, this amulet is the superb choice for you.
PLEASE NOTE: Please do not compare the item price with fake amulet which has no any value. In
IMPORTANT NOTE: Truly speaking, I will never sell fake amulet as I am strict Buddhist who seriously believe in the Law of Karma. Doing so equals to stealing and telling a lie and that will bring unhappiness to my life. The real item looks much more impressive than what you see in the picture and I am sure that you will be more than happy when you get the item. However, please let me know if you have any disappointment and if you experience with surprising good things happened to your life after wearing the item, please also kindly share to me. Also, please take good care of the amulet, avoiding putting the item lower than desktop level since there is holy image on the item.
RETURN POLICY: I guarantee you not only for your SATISFACTION, but also I guarantee the AUTHENTICITY of this amulet (2 kinds of guarantee not only one). I am sure that this amulet is 100% real acquired by myself directly from temples or trustworthy sources. However, if you don't want to keep the item, please contact me and if nothing that I can do for you then you can ship back the item to me on your own cost within 7 days after receipt. I will refund to you within 7 days after I get the item back in original condition and the amount refunded to you would be FULL AMOUNT (no any deduction even for shipping cost shipped to you or my listed fee, but not include your tax and your shipping back cost). THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST DEAL THAT YOU CAN GET ON EBAY AND I CAN AFFORD THIS BECAUSE OF MY CONFIDENCE IN MY ITEMS AND BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL BE HAPPY WHEN YOU GET IT. BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY UNSATISFACTION, PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING YOUR FEEDBACK. I'M PLEASED TO ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS AND TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY ON THE ITEM.
PLEASE NOTE: If you cannot find amulets that you are looking for, please contact me. Following are some of items that I can source for you: Thai / Thailand Buddha amulets, talisman , medal, Luang Poo , Luang Por ,Luang Phor, LP Kalong , Ajan , Arjan, Ajahn Ord, LP Thaweesak, LP Hong, LP Sakorn, LP Tim, LP Pae, LP Derm, LP Poon, LP Koon, LP Piem, LP Pern, LP Parn, LP Sothorn, LP Tae, Ajahn Chum, Arjan Nong, LP Lingdam, LP Thuad , LP Tuad, Somdej Toh, Kruba Kristsana, Jatukam , Jatukarm Ramathep, takrud, takrood, takkrut, hoon pa yon, ring, palad khik, khun paen, hanuman, singha, eye of naga, rare antique phra, phra pidta, phra kring, phra pickanetr, gold pendant, necklace, charm, magic knife, amulets for home decoration or car decoration, amulets for lady, for kid, for student, amulets which have supernatural extraordinary power in protection, wealth, enhance public relation, leadership, luck, lucky, fortune.
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Test method for measuring Supernatural Power
Actually, I would like to explain the method in full details, unfortunately, the method is too complicated and need some time to practice. However, just to give you some idea, the method uses pendulum dowsing as the main tool. You can get a lot of information about dowsing in many websites but none is the same as my research. By putting the amulet that you want to test at some specific angle near a reference amulet that works as a benchmark and use a pendulum dowsing at the center between both amulets, you can compare and know whether the power of tested amulet is higher or less than the reference amulet. Furthermore, if you put many units of reference amulets which are identical together, you can then measure the power of the tested amulet just like the way you use the old balance-swing two-arm weight measuring tool. In the past, I used a kind of amulets which I had many identical pieces to work as a standard unit. One piece means Power Rate is equal to 1. By this way, after testing with real amulets of different kinds for more than 500 pieces, I found that the power magnitude ranging from less than 1 to more than 170 which I classified into five groups as follows:-
Power Rating Classification of amulets
· >=200 : Ultimately Extremely high power (>=5 STARS)
· 160 to 199 : Extremely high power (4 to 5 STARS)
· 140 to 159 : Very high power
· 120 to 139 : High power
· 100 to 119 : Medium power
· <100 : Low power or may be fake amulet
From my past 4 years experiments, I found that amulets with Power Rate higher than 120 is difficult to find and higher than 140 is rare and, needless to say, above 160 is extremely rare. For the criteria of all my amulets listed on eBay or in my store, I require that the amulets must have power rate equal to or above "High Power" level.
Here, I would like to share some findings found from my research on the Supernatural Power in amulets during past 4 years:
- Supernatural Power in a real amulet can propagate like wave through any kind of substances, ie. amulet case, necklace, to the bearer but cannot be permanently absorbed by the bearer. So, a real amulet can benefit you most only when you touch or hold or wear the item and if you in-turn touch your friends, they will get the power too.
- Supernatural Power can propagate through air like wave but will rapidly be exhausted within a few meters depending on the magnitude of the amulet power. So, if you don’t touch a real amulet, you will still be protected providing that you are near and the item has enough high power to reach you. That’s why, many Thais like to put amulets in front of their car console.
- If you bear many pieces of real amulets, you will be benefited by the sum of the power from all real amulets that you touch. That’s why, many Thai people like to wear a necklace with many amulets. Don’t be surprised, if I tell you that I am now wearing a necklace with 7 amulets and there are 6 amulets in my key chain.
- To be effectively benefited by your real amulet, you should imagine that the Supernatural Power of the amulet is pouring into your body at the same time that you are going to wear it. Thai people call this process as Ar-Rath-Thar-Na-Phra. This is to open up your mind and if you do not believe in the power then your mind will be shut and you will not benefit anything from the amulet.
- Wearing amulets is not the best way to protect and lead your life to happiness. Amulets work like
All my amulets here are very well selected
"Not only real, but must be powerful and beautiful"
The test result indicates that this amulet set has Ultimately Extremely High Power (6.93 STARS)
(Since I keep on improving the accuracy of my power measurement, the above power rating figure might be adjusted sometime to give most accuracy)
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“The Third Front is going to do well; if you take into account the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) also, we will match the Congress or the BJP easily.”
Congress, BJP are haunted by past misdeed
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Rahul Gandhi's excessive enthusiasm for winning new friends for the Congress has landed his party in some trouble.
Several constituents of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Congress have not been amused by this search for partners since it suggests that the party no longer has much faith in the alliance.
True, the UPA is not in the pink of health. Its prominent members like Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and Mulayam Singh Yadav have set up a mini-front in the Hindi belt. They are fighting both the Congress and their main adversaries, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in Bihar and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh.
Speculation is also rife about Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar's prime ministerial ambitions.
None of this can be comforting for the Congress since these developments deepen its doubts about the UPA's cohesion as well as its ability to cross the half-way mark of 272 MPs.
Since the UPA will need outside support if it falls short, there is nothing surprising about Rahul Gandhi's expectations. But what was odd was his casting of a very wide net. Not only did his praise of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar signify overt courtship, he also expressed the hope about the Left returning to the Congress camp.
What was even more curious was his laudatory reference to Telugu Desam leader Chandrababu Naidu and oblique hints about a tie-up with AIADMK leader Jayalalitha.
Not surprisingly, this long list upset a number of the Congress's present allies. They included Lalu Prasad and Paswan, who evidently could not accept the overtures to their arch-adversary in Bihar, Nitish Kumar.
In West Bengal Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee was unhappy about a possible patch-up between the Congress and the Communists, who are her main opponents in the state.
In this atmosphere of disquiet and resentment among the UPA's members, Sonia Gandhi's cancellation of her proposed joint meetings with the DMK in Tamil Nadu, ostensibly because of Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi's illness, was linked to the possibility of the Congress ditching the DMK in favour of the AIADMK.
It has to be noted that except for Naidu and Jayalalitha, the chances of the Congress coming closer to Nitish Kumar and the Left have been mentioned earlier. Among others, Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar and Lalu Prasad have all said that a post-poll scene may no longer see a continuation of the estrangement between the Congress and the Left.
Similarly, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was the first who said that the Congress and Nitish Kumar may come closer together. She has also expressed similar hopes about Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Arguably, some of these remarks can be seen as the kind of mind games which the parties play to unnerve each other. The references to Nitish Kumar are particularly relevant because he has undoubtedly been carving out a separate space for himself in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
First, his focus on development after the 15 wasted years of Lalu Prasad's rule as chief minister has established his reputation as a doer in Bihar. Second, his rising personal popularity has put his partner, the BJP, very much in the shade in the state. Third, Nitish Kumar has successfully eased out the former JD-U chief and convener of the NDA, George Fernandes, from the party. Fernandes was known as a close supporter of the BJP.
All these developments mark out Nitish Kumar as a person whose present links with the BJP are tenuous. He has also said that although he is in the NDA at present, he cannot say anything about the future. He has also refused to share the stage with Narendra Modi and ruled out supporting him as a prime minister, as some in the BJP want.
It is easy to understand, therefore, why both the Congress and the Third Front have been eager to enlist the Bihar chief minister in their ranks. It is the same with Patnaik, who recently severed his ties with the BJP, as did Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.
The BJP, on its part, is banking on a good showing in the states where it is in power on its own, such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka. Where the NDA is concerned, it should do well in Bihar though perhaps not in Punjab.
But what has been hampering its campaign is that, unlike the past, it does not have an emotive issue to propagate. It tried the "weak" prime minister line against Manmohan Singh for a while, but quickly dropped it when Manmohan Singh hit back by underlining L.K. Advani's vulnerabilities.
The BJP then took up the issue of recovering the black money stashed away in foreign banks by politicians and businessmen, hinting at the Congress's complicity in this matter. But it obviously does not have the kind of impact which the party's temple and terror planks earlier had.
However, the Congress has shot itself in the foot by the curious decision to withdraw the name of the controversial Italian businessman, Ottavio Quottrocchi, from Interpol's wanted list. Although the decision was the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI), there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the government had influenced this supposedly autonomous body.
The Quottrocchi episode could not but revive memories of the Bofors scandal with which the Rajiv Gandhi government was associated. If the Babri Masjid demolition and the Gujarat riots haunt the BJP, it is the Bofors scandal which continues to hang like an albatross round the Congress's neck.
What is more, the worst affected by it is the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Its reputation for probity is hampered both by the scandal and the suspected manipulation of the CBI to provide reprieve to suspects like Quottrocchi, who is believed to be one of the recipients of the kickbacks from the purchase of the Bofors guns in the mid-1980s that was then distributed among key Indians.
Both the two main contenders - the Congress and the BJP - are hobbled, therefore, by their past and present misdeeds that they may have to pay a price for as they both strive to form a government post-May 16.
(09.05.2009-Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached at aganguli@mail.com)
Nine multimillionaire candidates in Himachal
Shimla, May 9, Erstwhile royal and five-time former chief minister Virbhadra Singh of the Congress leads the pack of nine rich Lok Sabha candidates in Himachal Pradesh who have assets worth Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million) or more.There has been an average increase of 557 percent in the individual assets of eight candidates since they contested the 2004 elections, claims the NGO National Election Watch.
The NGO studied the affidavits of all the 31 candidates in the four parliamentary constituencies - Shimla, Kangra, Mandi and Hamirpur - in the state that go to polls May 13.
“Nine candidates have assets worth Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million) and above, while five have liabilities of more than Rs.20 lakh (Rs.2 million),” Anil Bairwal, national coordinator of the NGO, told IANS.
“Congress leader and five-time former chief minister Virbhadra Singh leads the pack of the rich. His assets are over Rs.20.5 crore (Rs.205 million),” he said.
Virbhadra Singh belongs to the former royal family of Bushehr state.
According to Bairwal, the average asset value of a Congress candidate is Rs.60 million, while that of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is Rs.20 million and of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is Rs.79,000.
“There has been an average increase of 557 percent in the individual assets of eight candidates since they contested the last parliamentary elections in 2004,” Bairwal said, adding that Virbhadra Singh’s assets show an increase of 58 percent.
The analysis further revealed that five candidates, including Virbhadra Singh and Anurag Thakur (the BJP candidate for Hamirpur), have liabilities of more than Rs.2 million.
Regarding educational qualifications, 17 candidates are graduates or have higher degrees. The state has just 3.3 percent candidates with a criminal record against the nationwide average of 15.47 percent.
The fair sex may constitute 49 percent of the electorate in the state, but the Rashtrawadi Sena is the only party which has fielded a woman candidate - from Kangra. No woman figures in the candidates list of the two prominent parties - the BJP and the Congress, notes the NGO.