The proposed legislation, titled 'Call Centre Worker & Consumer Protection Act’ also requires the Secretary of Labour to maintain a list of employers that locate call centres overseas and provide a 120 day advance notification before moving a call centre overseas.
A bipartisan bill tabled in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday to make companies that move call centres overseas ineligible for grants or guaranteed loans from the federal government, is expected to affect call centre employees across the globe, including centres in India.
Under the protectionist legislation, customer service representatives working overseas for US corporations will also have to disclose their locations upon request and offer callers the option of being transferred to call centres back in America.
The proposed legislation, titled 'Call Centre Worker & Consumer Protection Act’ also requires the Secretary of Labour to maintain a list of employers that locate call centres overseas and provide a 120 day advance notification before moving a call centre overseas.
Reacting to the US move Nasscom Vice-President Ameet Nivsarkar said: “This Bill is basically aimed at retaining jobs and creating more employment in the US, as the call centres have been doing the same in the outsourced nation.”
In a statement, he said, “It is indeed disappointing to see US adopting ‘protectionist’ measures like these that restrict free trade and establish discriminatory trade practices.”
Mittal felt that the bill could hurt the US economy.
The provisions will clearly hurt American companies operating call centres in countries like India. While Indian companies don't foresee too much of an impact, the IT industry is concerned.
“This is definitely a concern but I think these are sort of protectionist measures that they are being built up in run up to the presidential elections next year in United States. It will not have a significant impact on Mphasis,” said Ganesh Murthy, CFO of mphasiS. He further said that this was a build up ahead of presidential elections next year.
Moreover, he feels that the move will not affect BPO companies like Mphasis, which does not have many contracts with international call centres.
Unemployment in the US has eased from above 9 per cent now. But strong backing from the Communication Workers of America – a union that represents 150,000 call centre workers in the US quashing this renewed wave of protectionism will not be easy.
In a report, issued recently by the CWA, the union alleged that outsourced call centres, including some based in India, pose a serious security threat as there are insufficient safeguards in place to deter fraud.
The report titled 'Why Shipping Call Center Jobs Overseas Hurts Us Back Home' cited several examples of security breaches involving outsourced call centres, including in India.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
US Call Centre bill to affect Indian BPOs
The proposed legislation, titled 'Call Centre Worker & Consumer Protection Act’ also requires the Secretary of Labour to maintain a list of employers that locate call centres overseas and provide a 120 day advance notification before moving a call centre overseas.
A bipartisan bill tabled in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday to make companies that move call centres overseas ineligible for grants or guaranteed loans from the federal government, is expected to affect call centre employees across the globe, including centres in India.
Under the protectionist legislation, customer service representatives working overseas for US corporations will also have to disclose their locations upon request and offer callers the option of being transferred to call centres back in America.
The proposed legislation, titled 'Call Centre Worker & Consumer Protection Act’ also requires the Secretary of Labour to maintain a list of employers that locate call centres overseas and provide a 120 day advance notification before moving a call centre overseas.
Reacting to the US move Nasscom Vice-President Ameet Nivsarkar said: “This Bill is basically aimed at retaining jobs and creating more employment in the US, as the call centres have been doing the same in the outsourced nation.”
In a statement, he said, “It is indeed disappointing to see US adopting ‘protectionist’ measures like these that restrict free trade and establish discriminatory trade practices.”
Mittal felt that the bill could hurt the US economy.
The provisions will clearly hurt American companies operating call centres in countries like India. While Indian companies don't foresee too much of an impact, the IT industry is concerned.
“This is definitely a concern but I think these are sort of protectionist measures that they are being built up in run up to the presidential elections next year in United States. It will not have a significant impact on Mphasis,” said Ganesh Murthy, CFO of mphasiS. He further said that this was a build up ahead of presidential elections next year.
Moreover, he feels that the move will not affect BPO companies like Mphasis, which does not have many contracts with international call centres.
Unemployment in the US has eased from above 9 per cent now. But strong backing from the Communication Workers of America – a union that represents 150,000 call centre workers in the US quashing this renewed wave of protectionism will not be easy.
In a report, issued recently by the CWA, the union alleged that outsourced call centres, including some based in India, pose a serious security threat as there are insufficient safeguards in place to deter fraud.
The report titled 'Why Shipping Call Center Jobs Overseas Hurts Us Back Home' cited several examples of security breaches involving outsourced call centres, including in India.
A bipartisan bill tabled in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday to make companies that move call centres overseas ineligible for grants or guaranteed loans from the federal government, is expected to affect call centre employees across the globe, including centres in India.
Under the protectionist legislation, customer service representatives working overseas for US corporations will also have to disclose their locations upon request and offer callers the option of being transferred to call centres back in America.
The proposed legislation, titled 'Call Centre Worker & Consumer Protection Act’ also requires the Secretary of Labour to maintain a list of employers that locate call centres overseas and provide a 120 day advance notification before moving a call centre overseas.
Reacting to the US move Nasscom Vice-President Ameet Nivsarkar said: “This Bill is basically aimed at retaining jobs and creating more employment in the US, as the call centres have been doing the same in the outsourced nation.”
In a statement, he said, “It is indeed disappointing to see US adopting ‘protectionist’ measures like these that restrict free trade and establish discriminatory trade practices.”
Mittal felt that the bill could hurt the US economy.
The provisions will clearly hurt American companies operating call centres in countries like India. While Indian companies don't foresee too much of an impact, the IT industry is concerned.
“This is definitely a concern but I think these are sort of protectionist measures that they are being built up in run up to the presidential elections next year in United States. It will not have a significant impact on Mphasis,” said Ganesh Murthy, CFO of mphasiS. He further said that this was a build up ahead of presidential elections next year.
Moreover, he feels that the move will not affect BPO companies like Mphasis, which does not have many contracts with international call centres.
Unemployment in the US has eased from above 9 per cent now. But strong backing from the Communication Workers of America – a union that represents 150,000 call centre workers in the US quashing this renewed wave of protectionism will not be easy.
In a report, issued recently by the CWA, the union alleged that outsourced call centres, including some based in India, pose a serious security threat as there are insufficient safeguards in place to deter fraud.
The report titled 'Why Shipping Call Center Jobs Overseas Hurts Us Back Home' cited several examples of security breaches involving outsourced call centres, including in India.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Singapore SMRT breakdowns douse Christmas cheer
SINGAPORE | Sat Dec 17, 2011
SINGAPORE - Singapore, which prides itself on efficiency, was hit by its third train breakdown in a week on Saturday, frustrating the public on one of the biggest shopping days of the year and adding to calls for a review of its public transport system.
The city state's transport minister Lui Tuck Yew said there was some instability in the train network and has called for public transport provider SMRT Corp Ltd (SMRT.SI) to do "complete health checks", Channel News Asia reported.
Train services on Singapore's north-south line, which connects the north of the island to the city centre and is operated by SMRT, were disrupted early on Saturday morning.
The breakdown affected Singapore's main Orchard Road shopping belt at a time when many people were expected to be hitting the stores just a week before Christmas.
Saturday's disruption came after a five-hour breakdown on the same line on Thursday left 127,000 commuters stranded.
"For a world-class transport system, three disruptions in a week is not acceptable," said 27-year-old finance industry worker Chew Kuan Yee.
"This is three times too many to be a coincidence and points to an insufficiency of maintenance and possibly shortage of investment," Chew said.
Train services on another central line also broke down on Wednesday, with services restored after a five-hour delay.
The breakdowns on SMRT train services have added to discontent over the rising costs of public transport. A protest was planned for later on Saturday in a central Singapore park.
SMRT recently said it planned to raise taxi fares from December 20 because of rising costs. Rival cab operator ComfortDelGro (CMDG.SI) has also moved to hike charges.
During Singapore's last general elections in May, the opposition Workers' Party called for the public transport system to be nationalised.
Opposition MP Lina Chiam demanded a comprehensive review.
"Public transport can paralyze the entire nation from what we have seen a few days ago," Chiam said.
SMRT came under heavy criticism when it sent a message to its taxis during Thursday's train disruptions, telling drivers the breakdown was an "income opportunity".
"I think that as a public good, the company should activate their fleet to help those in need rather than to try and profit from it," said 27-year-old Maximilian Chng.
Transport Minister disappointed with SMRT
Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew expressed his disappointment on Friday with how SMRT handled Thursday's massive breakdown of the North-South line, saying that it is an 'extremely serious disruption that comprised commuters' safety.'
Speaking to reporters at Changi Airport after cutting short a work trip to Cambodia, he made clear that he wanted no effort spared in getting to the bottom of what has been called the worst MRT shutdown in 24 years.
"I don't see this as a typical service lapse. This is a very, very serious disruption and better take heed, learn the lessons improve on the systems.
"Therefore, I've told SMRT chairman Koh Yong Guan when I spoke to him that I hold the board and the management team responsible for making it right," said Mr Lui.
He acknowledged that commuters are angry and concerned, and justifably so, because their well-being was at risk.
Train services were disrupted for five hours on Thursday night, affecting services at 11 stations and stranding thousands of peak hour commuters.
This comes after the recent fare hikes in public transport and two taxi operators.
"We need to go down and determine the root cause of this. What is it in the maintenance regime that can be improved, that can be made more robust and comprehensive, so that if this is indeed a preventable incident, how could we do so," said Mr Lui.
He said he had spoken to SMRT board chairman Mr Koh about the government's concern over the handling of the incident. Mr Lui also said he is convening a panel of relevant experts to do a thorough review of the MRT system, especially the lines run by SMRT.
At a press conference held on Friday afternoon, SMRT said that the disruption was caused by a misalignment of electrical connections between four trains and a 40m section of the tracks between Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall stations.
However, transport analysts are questioning if the higher frequency in breakdowns lately are due to population growth adding to wear and tear.
Mr Lui expressed his concern over commuters who were stranded in the four affected trains and who were kept uninformed about the situation.
Hardly any updates were given until after 30 minutes from the shutdown. Some commuters fainted, lights were intermittent, and one man even used a fire extinguisher to smash a train window for ventilation.
SINGAPORE - Singapore, which prides itself on efficiency, was hit by its third train breakdown in a week on Saturday, frustrating the public on one of the biggest shopping days of the year and adding to calls for a review of its public transport system.
The city state's transport minister Lui Tuck Yew said there was some instability in the train network and has called for public transport provider SMRT Corp Ltd (SMRT.SI) to do "complete health checks", Channel News Asia reported.
Train services on Singapore's north-south line, which connects the north of the island to the city centre and is operated by SMRT, were disrupted early on Saturday morning.
The breakdown affected Singapore's main Orchard Road shopping belt at a time when many people were expected to be hitting the stores just a week before Christmas.
Saturday's disruption came after a five-hour breakdown on the same line on Thursday left 127,000 commuters stranded.
"For a world-class transport system, three disruptions in a week is not acceptable," said 27-year-old finance industry worker Chew Kuan Yee.
"This is three times too many to be a coincidence and points to an insufficiency of maintenance and possibly shortage of investment," Chew said.
Train services on another central line also broke down on Wednesday, with services restored after a five-hour delay.
The breakdowns on SMRT train services have added to discontent over the rising costs of public transport. A protest was planned for later on Saturday in a central Singapore park.
SMRT recently said it planned to raise taxi fares from December 20 because of rising costs. Rival cab operator ComfortDelGro (CMDG.SI) has also moved to hike charges.
During Singapore's last general elections in May, the opposition Workers' Party called for the public transport system to be nationalised.
Opposition MP Lina Chiam demanded a comprehensive review.
"Public transport can paralyze the entire nation from what we have seen a few days ago," Chiam said.
SMRT came under heavy criticism when it sent a message to its taxis during Thursday's train disruptions, telling drivers the breakdown was an "income opportunity".
"I think that as a public good, the company should activate their fleet to help those in need rather than to try and profit from it," said 27-year-old Maximilian Chng.
Transport Minister disappointed with SMRT
Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew expressed his disappointment on Friday with how SMRT handled Thursday's massive breakdown of the North-South line, saying that it is an 'extremely serious disruption that comprised commuters' safety.'
Speaking to reporters at Changi Airport after cutting short a work trip to Cambodia, he made clear that he wanted no effort spared in getting to the bottom of what has been called the worst MRT shutdown in 24 years.
"I don't see this as a typical service lapse. This is a very, very serious disruption and better take heed, learn the lessons improve on the systems.
"Therefore, I've told SMRT chairman Koh Yong Guan when I spoke to him that I hold the board and the management team responsible for making it right," said Mr Lui.
He acknowledged that commuters are angry and concerned, and justifably so, because their well-being was at risk.
Train services were disrupted for five hours on Thursday night, affecting services at 11 stations and stranding thousands of peak hour commuters.
This comes after the recent fare hikes in public transport and two taxi operators.
"We need to go down and determine the root cause of this. What is it in the maintenance regime that can be improved, that can be made more robust and comprehensive, so that if this is indeed a preventable incident, how could we do so," said Mr Lui.
He said he had spoken to SMRT board chairman Mr Koh about the government's concern over the handling of the incident. Mr Lui also said he is convening a panel of relevant experts to do a thorough review of the MRT system, especially the lines run by SMRT.
At a press conference held on Friday afternoon, SMRT said that the disruption was caused by a misalignment of electrical connections between four trains and a 40m section of the tracks between Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall stations.
However, transport analysts are questioning if the higher frequency in breakdowns lately are due to population growth adding to wear and tear.
Mr Lui expressed his concern over commuters who were stranded in the four affected trains and who were kept uninformed about the situation.
Hardly any updates were given until after 30 minutes from the shutdown. Some commuters fainted, lights were intermittent, and one man even used a fire extinguisher to smash a train window for ventilation.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Congratulation Virender Sehwag Breaks record 219 in ODI
Virender Sehwag smashed a world record 219 to become only the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the 200-run landmark in ODIs as India posted their highest One-day total of 418 for five in the fourth match against the West Indies , in Indore, on Thursday.
Sehwag surpassed Tendulkar's 200 not out made from 147 balls against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24 last year when he square-cut Andre Russell for a boundary in the 44th over of the Indian innings to go past the 200 mark at the Holkar Stadium.
Sehwag joined his idol Tendulkar in the record books as the only other cricketer to score double hundred in the limited overs game.
The 33-year-old Delhi marauder, who is leading the team in the absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also became the highest individual scorer in the 40-year-old history of One-day International.
Sehwag, who cracked his second three-figure knock against the Caribbean islanders and 15th overall in 240th matches, slammed 25 fours and seven sixes during his 147-ball blitz.
He also reached his double hundred in fewer balls (in 140 balls with the help of 23 fours and six sixes) than Tendulkar, who took 147 for his 200 not out.
Sehwag continued to plunder runs against a hapless Windies attack on a perfect batting strip, having opted to bat, as India raised their highest-ever total against the West Indies in ODIs, overtaking their previous best of 341 for three in Vadodara in January 2007.
Sehwag, who was caught in the deep straight field in the 47th over while attempting another huge heave off Kieron Pollard, also added century stands with fellow-opener Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina , who both got individual half-centuries and were both run out.
Sehwag got life twice during his masterly knock -- once on 20 when he escaped a run out chance after being stranded mid-pitch and then on 170 when rival captain Darren Sammy dropped an easy catch at extra cover.
When India commenced their innings, the decision of the Indian team management to tweak the top order paid rich dividends as Sehwag and Gambhir, who replaced Parthiv Patel after the latter had opened in the first three games, ripped apart the Windies bowling attack.
Sehwag, who said after the Ahmedabad tie that the top order needs to fire, led from the front by greeting the first ball he received from Sunil Narine and Darren Sammy for big sixes.
Sehwag surpassed Tendulkar's 200 not out made from 147 balls against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24 last year when he square-cut Andre Russell for a boundary in the 44th over of the Indian innings to go past the 200 mark at the Holkar Stadium.
Sehwag joined his idol Tendulkar in the record books as the only other cricketer to score double hundred in the limited overs game.
The 33-year-old Delhi marauder, who is leading the team in the absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also became the highest individual scorer in the 40-year-old history of One-day International.
Sehwag, who cracked his second three-figure knock against the Caribbean islanders and 15th overall in 240th matches, slammed 25 fours and seven sixes during his 147-ball blitz.
He also reached his double hundred in fewer balls (in 140 balls with the help of 23 fours and six sixes) than Tendulkar, who took 147 for his 200 not out.
Sehwag continued to plunder runs against a hapless Windies attack on a perfect batting strip, having opted to bat, as India raised their highest-ever total against the West Indies in ODIs, overtaking their previous best of 341 for three in Vadodara in January 2007.
Sehwag, who was caught in the deep straight field in the 47th over while attempting another huge heave off Kieron Pollard, also added century stands with fellow-opener Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina , who both got individual half-centuries and were both run out.
Sehwag got life twice during his masterly knock -- once on 20 when he escaped a run out chance after being stranded mid-pitch and then on 170 when rival captain Darren Sammy dropped an easy catch at extra cover.
When India commenced their innings, the decision of the Indian team management to tweak the top order paid rich dividends as Sehwag and Gambhir, who replaced Parthiv Patel after the latter had opened in the first three games, ripped apart the Windies bowling attack.
Sehwag, who said after the Ahmedabad tie that the top order needs to fire, led from the front by greeting the first ball he received from Sunil Narine and Darren Sammy for big sixes.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Kabil Sibal ignites Sensor war
Censor war: Online India vs 'Big Brother' Kapil Sibal
New Delhi: If past incidents and people's reactions are an indicator, then those who frame India's Internet strategies seem to be flummoxed by the Web and don't really understand how the online world behaves.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal's suggestion that social networking websites screen content before publishing has triggered widespread anger amongst Indian Internet users. In fact, the hashtag #IdiotKapilSibal is one of the top Twitter trends in India on Tuesday.
The government is asking leading Internet companies such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook to screen alleged derogatory, defamatory and inflammatory content about religious figures and Indian leaders.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal's idea of screening content on websites has triggered widespread anger in the online world.
Reuters
Popular technology blogger Amit Agarwal terms the government's idea as "unbelievable" and ponders over Kapil Sibal's awareness of the humongous amount of content generated every day on social networking websites and blogs.
Blogger and journalist Shivam Vij on Kafila confronts Sibal in a post titled 'Kapil Sibal is an Idiot' in which he urges Internet users to "write KAPIL SIBAL IS AN IDIOT as your Facebook status message, use the hashtag #IdiotKapilSibal on Twitter, and write a blog post with the above title, because there may soon be a day when he may prevent you from doing so."
Sibal attempted to clarify his stance in a press conference on Tuesday stating that the government is advocating supervision and not censorship, but that doesn't seem to pacify the Internet anger against him on the issue. He also refuted that the government is trying to enforce censorship because of Team Anna's popular Internet campaign.
Much of what Sibal is suggesting is not exactly new and is covered under the Information Technology Rules 2011 released earlier in the year. The new set of rules gives the government the authority to prohibit content of specific nature on the Internet. PRS Legislative Research's analysis of the rules highlight that "the Intermediary Guidelines Rules that allow blocking of content on the internet may violate the right to free speech. These Rules differ from the requirements governing content of other media like newspapers and television."
Most of the popular Internet services such as Facebook and YouTube have built in mechanisms to flag and filter objectionable content, but the government seems to want to take it a step further.
Facebook, in statement in response to the developments, said, "We want Facebook to be a place where people can discuss things freely, while respecting the rights and feelings of others, which is why we have already have policies and on-site features in place that enable people to report abusive content. We will remove any content that violates our terms, which are designed to keep material that is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity off the service. We recognise the government's interest in minimising the amount of abusive content that is available online and will continue to engage with the Indian authorities as they debate this important issue".
While Kapil Sibal may continue to stress that the Indian government doesn't believe in censorship, the government's efforts at controlling content on the Internet has been drawing China comparisons and India also has a long and not-so-illustrious history of Internet censorship. The Information Technology Rules 2011 gives the government more power to have its way.
India's robust Internet community is always on its toes to catch and publicise incidents of government censorship of the Internet.
By trying to enforce self-censorship by websites the government also opens the definition of what is objectionable to a variety of individual interpretations and will definitely stifle the rights of users of expressing themselves.
India is among the top countries in the number of requests received by Google for removal of content and access to users' private data. Google does not comply with all government requests, but the government is trying to change that.
A PC World article on the top 10 Internet scandals of all time seems to point to the fears underlying the Indian government's latest Internet censorship efforts, "the Internet isn't a dump truck, it's a series of tubes. And many a reputation has gone swirling down those tubes, thanks to the Net's ability to expose scoundrels, scalawags, liars, cheats, and fools - and then broadcast the scandal to a billion glowing screens."
New Delhi: If past incidents and people's reactions are an indicator, then those who frame India's Internet strategies seem to be flummoxed by the Web and don't really understand how the online world behaves.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal's suggestion that social networking websites screen content before publishing has triggered widespread anger amongst Indian Internet users. In fact, the hashtag #IdiotKapilSibal is one of the top Twitter trends in India on Tuesday.
The government is asking leading Internet companies such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook to screen alleged derogatory, defamatory and inflammatory content about religious figures and Indian leaders.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal's idea of screening content on websites has triggered widespread anger in the online world.
Reuters
Popular technology blogger Amit Agarwal terms the government's idea as "unbelievable" and ponders over Kapil Sibal's awareness of the humongous amount of content generated every day on social networking websites and blogs.
Blogger and journalist Shivam Vij on Kafila confronts Sibal in a post titled 'Kapil Sibal is an Idiot' in which he urges Internet users to "write KAPIL SIBAL IS AN IDIOT as your Facebook status message, use the hashtag #IdiotKapilSibal on Twitter, and write a blog post with the above title, because there may soon be a day when he may prevent you from doing so."
Sibal attempted to clarify his stance in a press conference on Tuesday stating that the government is advocating supervision and not censorship, but that doesn't seem to pacify the Internet anger against him on the issue. He also refuted that the government is trying to enforce censorship because of Team Anna's popular Internet campaign.
Much of what Sibal is suggesting is not exactly new and is covered under the Information Technology Rules 2011 released earlier in the year. The new set of rules gives the government the authority to prohibit content of specific nature on the Internet. PRS Legislative Research's analysis of the rules highlight that "the Intermediary Guidelines Rules that allow blocking of content on the internet may violate the right to free speech. These Rules differ from the requirements governing content of other media like newspapers and television."
Most of the popular Internet services such as Facebook and YouTube have built in mechanisms to flag and filter objectionable content, but the government seems to want to take it a step further.
Facebook, in statement in response to the developments, said, "We want Facebook to be a place where people can discuss things freely, while respecting the rights and feelings of others, which is why we have already have policies and on-site features in place that enable people to report abusive content. We will remove any content that violates our terms, which are designed to keep material that is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity off the service. We recognise the government's interest in minimising the amount of abusive content that is available online and will continue to engage with the Indian authorities as they debate this important issue".
While Kapil Sibal may continue to stress that the Indian government doesn't believe in censorship, the government's efforts at controlling content on the Internet has been drawing China comparisons and India also has a long and not-so-illustrious history of Internet censorship. The Information Technology Rules 2011 gives the government more power to have its way.
India's robust Internet community is always on its toes to catch and publicise incidents of government censorship of the Internet.
By trying to enforce self-censorship by websites the government also opens the definition of what is objectionable to a variety of individual interpretations and will definitely stifle the rights of users of expressing themselves.
India is among the top countries in the number of requests received by Google for removal of content and access to users' private data. Google does not comply with all government requests, but the government is trying to change that.
A PC World article on the top 10 Internet scandals of all time seems to point to the fears underlying the Indian government's latest Internet censorship efforts, "the Internet isn't a dump truck, it's a series of tubes. And many a reputation has gone swirling down those tubes, thanks to the Net's ability to expose scoundrels, scalawags, liars, cheats, and fools - and then broadcast the scandal to a billion glowing screens."
Monday, December 5, 2011
Flash Mob Hits Mumbai
Two hundred dancers took commuters at Mumbai’s hectic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station by surprise on Sunday, when they broke into dance accompanied by the title track from Bollywood hit Rang de Basanti.
The Mumbai Flash Mob, as it was dubbed, threatened to become a viral phenomenon in India by Tuesday evening, as videos of the performance rocketed through the Twitter universe, were posted on Facebook and liked on YouTube.
While the video looks spontaneous, the act was carefully planned.
“One of the top items on my travel to-do list, which I never got around to in Europe, was to be a part of a flash mob,” one of the organizers of the mob, Shonan Kothari, formerly a researcher for Harvard Business School, said in a telephone interview. “Since India didn’t have anything of the sort, I figured I’d do it myself,” she said.
Getting over 200 people to participate in a choreographed dance in the middle of Mumbai’s bustling central railway station required a month of planning, including visits to three different departments at the station for security clearance. Atul Rane, senior divisional operations manager at Indian Railways, helped coordinate with other departments to organize the lighting, ladders and camera placements, Ms. Kothari said.
Then Ms. Kothari had to coordinate the dancers. “I had 325 people sign up within two days of sending out the e-mail,” she said. She didn’t spread the word on any social networking Web site, fearing too many people would show up. The dancers were taught the choreography in small batches over the course of two weeks in a Malabar Hill park.
While so-called flash mobs have been popular in the United States and Europe for years, the phenomenon has not really caught on in India. That may be about to change, judging by the amount of attention the video has garnered. A video of the dancing, put up on YouTube early Tuesday morning, had already been “liked” by 1,435 people by 6:30 in the evening.
The Mumbai Flash Mob, as it was dubbed, threatened to become a viral phenomenon in India by Tuesday evening, as videos of the performance rocketed through the Twitter universe, were posted on Facebook and liked on YouTube.
While the video looks spontaneous, the act was carefully planned.
“One of the top items on my travel to-do list, which I never got around to in Europe, was to be a part of a flash mob,” one of the organizers of the mob, Shonan Kothari, formerly a researcher for Harvard Business School, said in a telephone interview. “Since India didn’t have anything of the sort, I figured I’d do it myself,” she said.
Getting over 200 people to participate in a choreographed dance in the middle of Mumbai’s bustling central railway station required a month of planning, including visits to three different departments at the station for security clearance. Atul Rane, senior divisional operations manager at Indian Railways, helped coordinate with other departments to organize the lighting, ladders and camera placements, Ms. Kothari said.
Then Ms. Kothari had to coordinate the dancers. “I had 325 people sign up within two days of sending out the e-mail,” she said. She didn’t spread the word on any social networking Web site, fearing too many people would show up. The dancers were taught the choreography in small batches over the course of two weeks in a Malabar Hill park.
While so-called flash mobs have been popular in the United States and Europe for years, the phenomenon has not really caught on in India. That may be about to change, judging by the amount of attention the video has garnered. A video of the dancing, put up on YouTube early Tuesday morning, had already been “liked” by 1,435 people by 6:30 in the evening.
Two weeks later Govt Freezes the FDI retail proposal
NEW DELHI: A day after the Cabinet cleared a proposal allowing foreign retailers to own multi-brand stores, a contingent of Indian industrialists met industry and commerce minister Anand Sharma and thanked him for pushing through the much awaited proposal.
Two weeks later, the same bunch of industrialists are a nervous lot, after an UPA ally indicated on Saturday that the government would defer its ambitious retail liberalisation plans until a political consensus emerged. This sudden shift in government stance could wreck the plans of India's top retailers like Future Group, Bharti Retail, Spencer's Retail and Next, all of which were banking on foreign capital for their expansion and expertise to run a complex business like retail.
Senior executives of these four retailers said ever since the FDI announcement, they had stepped up their liaison and discussion with foreign retailers, with the hope that they would soon be able to bring the much required funds. Says Kishore Biyani, the chief executive of India's largest retailer, Future Group: "FDI would have provided a fresh lease of life." But now growth will slow down as funds are freezing up.
"We were growing at 25%-30% and foreign investment would have increased the growth rate to 40-50%. Currently, we are working hard on cash flows for generating investment." The group has been reportedly negotiating with multiple partners, including Carrefour.
Sumantra Banerjee, president (retail) at RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, which runs the 230-plus Spencer's stores across India, says FDI in retail is a must as the sector needed fresh funds. "Foreign investment in the business would have accelerated Spencer's expansion plans." Spencer's is banking on retail FDI to attract funds to grow and break even by attracting investment in the back-end operations.
"We are in talks with multiple partners and expect to retain majority holding in the retail business. Investment from the foreign partner will help us to break even faster," chairman Sanjiv Goenka had said at a press conference the morning after the FDI announcement.
The group's retailing business logged revenues of Rs 1,056 crore and a loss of Rs 286 crore in 2010-11. Even Bharti Retail had announced its intention to partner with Walmart to set up multi-brand stores. "It is a bold move. We will start negotiations with Walmart soon," Bharti Group's vice-chairman and managing director Rajan Mittal had told ET.
Mittal was among the industrialists who met Sharma after the Cabinet approval. On November 24, the UPA cabinet had allowed foreign entities to own up to 51% stake in multi-brand retail and raised FDI in single-brand to 100% to boost foreign inflows into the sector and improve its infrastructure.
The government had argued that move will create lakhs of jobs, boost the agri sector and reduce wastage besides providing a better deal to the consumer. However, UPA allies Trinamool Congress and DMK vehemently opposed the move. TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had given her a commitment that the government would not to go ahead with the FDI decision until a consensus emerged on the issue.
Foreign retailers, who have been equally keen to get a slice of India's Rs 20 lakh crore retail market, have also begun to make enquiries about the latest development.
Reports
Two weeks later, the same bunch of industrialists are a nervous lot, after an UPA ally indicated on Saturday that the government would defer its ambitious retail liberalisation plans until a political consensus emerged. This sudden shift in government stance could wreck the plans of India's top retailers like Future Group, Bharti Retail, Spencer's Retail and Next, all of which were banking on foreign capital for their expansion and expertise to run a complex business like retail.
Senior executives of these four retailers said ever since the FDI announcement, they had stepped up their liaison and discussion with foreign retailers, with the hope that they would soon be able to bring the much required funds. Says Kishore Biyani, the chief executive of India's largest retailer, Future Group: "FDI would have provided a fresh lease of life." But now growth will slow down as funds are freezing up.
"We were growing at 25%-30% and foreign investment would have increased the growth rate to 40-50%. Currently, we are working hard on cash flows for generating investment." The group has been reportedly negotiating with multiple partners, including Carrefour.
Sumantra Banerjee, president (retail) at RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, which runs the 230-plus Spencer's stores across India, says FDI in retail is a must as the sector needed fresh funds. "Foreign investment in the business would have accelerated Spencer's expansion plans." Spencer's is banking on retail FDI to attract funds to grow and break even by attracting investment in the back-end operations.
"We are in talks with multiple partners and expect to retain majority holding in the retail business. Investment from the foreign partner will help us to break even faster," chairman Sanjiv Goenka had said at a press conference the morning after the FDI announcement.
The group's retailing business logged revenues of Rs 1,056 crore and a loss of Rs 286 crore in 2010-11. Even Bharti Retail had announced its intention to partner with Walmart to set up multi-brand stores. "It is a bold move. We will start negotiations with Walmart soon," Bharti Group's vice-chairman and managing director Rajan Mittal had told ET.
Mittal was among the industrialists who met Sharma after the Cabinet approval. On November 24, the UPA cabinet had allowed foreign entities to own up to 51% stake in multi-brand retail and raised FDI in single-brand to 100% to boost foreign inflows into the sector and improve its infrastructure.
The government had argued that move will create lakhs of jobs, boost the agri sector and reduce wastage besides providing a better deal to the consumer. However, UPA allies Trinamool Congress and DMK vehemently opposed the move. TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had given her a commitment that the government would not to go ahead with the FDI decision until a consensus emerged on the issue.
Foreign retailers, who have been equally keen to get a slice of India's Rs 20 lakh crore retail market, have also begun to make enquiries about the latest development.
Reports
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