The Planning Commission may have had a lot on its plate, but the new NITI Aayog has an equally overwhelming task list to achieve. Will it deliver? Or will it become one of the many think tanks?

HarsH sHrivastava // The formation of the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog is a positive first step for sure. It can definitely do better than the Planning Commission, simply because the latter was trying to do too many things at the same time. Among other things, it was taking care of money allocation as well as giving technical advice. The Commission was not being able to do both together primarily because of the people it had – mid-tier government officials who were running the government way.

The Planning Commission had two constituencies. One was the Government of India, and the other was state governments. Allocation of money is now with the finance ministry, which is excellent. There was no point of it being with the Planning Commission in the first place. The ministers simply had the attitude, “We know what we want; who are you to tell us?”

With the focus on state governments with NITI Aayog, things can change drastically for the better. The Aayog will help state governments focus better on their development goals. The state governments have no one who argues and lobbies their point of view. The NITI Aayog can play that role. Small states have small, persistent issues and they need advice on them. Also, they can share best practices with other states and can learn from each other, who can help them perform better. In fact, NITI Aayog can be the place for idea exchange and how to make things happen.

Money has not been a problem with states of late. A number of them might still know what to do, but it’s the how to do and what not to do that can now come into play with NITI Aayog stepping in. But to make that happen, it needs a different category of people, a different level of officials. The organisation will have to work like a think tank.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Planning Commission was its long procedures and the seniority row that more often than not came into play. “You are a 1995 batch pass-out and I am a 1988 batch pass-out and thus know things better”; all this complicated a lot of things in the Planning Commission. Now if the NITI Aayog is also run like just another government department, then there will be a problem here, too.

One of the biggest drawbacks with The Planning Commission was that it had become a parking place for senior IAS officials. When one didn’t know what to do with a senior official, he was simply put in the Commission. While I was a consultant for the Twelfth Planning Commission, I had an excellent boss in Arun Myra. Montek Singh Ahluwalia also had some superb ideas, but which could not be put into practice because of red tapism.

Looking back, nobody was happy with the Planning Commission. State governments used to complain, the Government of India didn’t like its ministers being told what to do, the finance ministry didn’t like its power of finance being taken away and so on.

The internal arrangement needs to dramatically change. I wish all that changes with the NITI Aayog. I certainly see a big chance for that happening, now that the basic structure will hopefully be changed.

Now is the perfect time to make it a flat organisation, an organisation where only goodwork is what should matter. How does it matter what batch you are, how senior you are? What should matter is how well you work. How well do you listen to other people is what will make the change. At the same time, NITI Aayog has to win the trust of state governments. It can’t just direct and dictate. What also need to change are the payouts and the attitude. If we need to get the best people, we also need to be flexible.

The goal is right and the goal is clear. The state governments need all the support. The formation of the NITI Aayog is definitely a step in the right direction and I am sure, it will work out well, provided we change the basic structure.

prakasH bHandari // The Planning Commission, which for more than six decades planned the development and growth process of the country, was the Nehruvian era’s gift to the nation. It was founded with Nehru’s socialistic idea meant for commanded economy. The Planning Commission enjoyed the power to allocate funds to various ministries and state governments.

But the states in the now-defunct Planning Commission had no say and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who as Gujarat’s chief minister had to beg the Planning Commission for fund allocations. It forced him to redefine the role of the Planning Commission and instead set up an advisory body or a think tank. Thus, the NITI Aayog that has come to replace the Planning Commission would not have the power to allocate funds and the fund allocation power would rest with the finance ministry.

The inclusion of all state chief ministers and Lt Governors in the Aayog, which will have the Prime Minister as the chairman and Arvind Panagariya, an Indian economy expert as the deputy chairman, has given a psychological boost. There is also a perception change that has been made where the states would have a larger say in the development and growth process. The government’s move to set up the NITI Aayog was opposed by the Congress, which wanted to know whether the reform introduced by the BJP-led government would give the country any meaningful programme. The Congress felt that the new commission was set up only to wipe out the idea of Nehruvian approach to the socialistic ideas. There may be some truth to that.

On the other hand, the states are happy as the new set of changes would them a greater role to play and they would be able to take independent steps for development.

The NITI Ayog is being touted as an institution that would propagate liberal economy and Modi has decided to follow the model that US-based Indian origin economist Jagdish Bhagwati’s school of thought has suggested. The appointment of Arvind Panagariya, a disciple of Bhagwati, proves the point. Bhagwati’s model is make the states a stakeholder in formulating a vision for the development, thus replacing the old system of a handful of the Planning Commission members preparing the vision document, which was accepted in toto by the National Development Council.

The agenda in front of the NITI Aayog, however, will not be an easy one to fulfil. It is hoped that the Aayog will be able to provide a critical directional and strategic input into the development process, leaving behind the old legacy of the centreto- the-state one-way flow policy of the Planning Commission. One also wishes the new think tank will put an end to the slow and tardy implementation process by fostering better inter-ministry coordination and better coordination between the Centre and the states. NITI Aayog should emerge as a think-tank to will provide governments at the Centre and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy.

However, this will be achieved only by setting up strategic policies where the states ruled by different political parties with different political agenda think uniformly in the true interest of the nation. Isn’t that a bit too ambitious? The NITI Aayog will also have to cater to the needs of the states and will have to watch out for falling into the trap of losing sight of woods for the trees. One only hopes the NITI Aayog will be able to make the government an enabler, rather than a provider.

Sport must strive to be better than a microcosm of a flawed world. Yes, that's a lot to expect, and want, but isn't that why we place sport on such a pedestal?

Martina Navratilova, probably the first sports superstar to, at the height of her stardom, come out, declare herself bisexual. Her forthrightness cost her millions of dollars in endorsements in the early 1980s. Corporate homophobia. Back in 1987, she won the US Open mixed doubles title with Spain’s Emilio Sanchez. I remember the chatter at the time when a picture of the two holding the trophy was published: Navratilova’s biceps bulged as she gripped the silverware, Sanchez, his long, curly hair falling around his face, almost dwarfed by Navratilova because of the angle the picture was taken from. I don’t remember the caption word-for-word, but I recall it being something along the lines of who’s the man and who’s the woman.

Thoughts, and memories, of Navratilova, and her struggles to live a life of professional dignity, came back recently when news of her marriage to long-time partner, Russian businesswoman and former Miss USSR Julia Lemigova, floated in late in December.

The chatter about Navratilova had started much before the Sanchez picture, of course, especially since her greatest rival was Chris Evert, that all-American baseline beauty.

Evert was the one everyone loved; she was pretty, the length of her skirt had camerapersons clicking away, she wore her hair long … she was the “women’s” champion. Navratilova wore short skirts too, but she wasn’t the beauty tennis fans wanted their female stars to be. She was East European to start with, an outsider. And she played too rough. Also, it didn’t matter — Navratilova had lost 21 of the first 25 games the two played against each other. Chrissie was queen. But, by the end of their rivalry, Navratilova had gone 43-37.

From Greg Louganis to Billie Jean King to Ian Thorpe — top athletes all — none of them came out while they were still active.

When it comes to King, it was a palimony suit filed by her partner — Marilyn Barnett — that forced her to come out in 1987. And, “within 24 hours, I lost all my endorsements; I lost everything. I lost $2 million at least, because I had longtime contracts,” she told Boston.com.

Louganis came out in in the mid-1990s, also disclosing his HIV+ status and the fact that he had been diagnosed prior to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where he had banged his head and lost consciousness, as well as a lot of blood. There was a lot of uncalled-for outrage about the hypothetical (and HIV specialists say, implausible) threat posed to others in the pool.

And Thorpe — it was in 2014, two years after his aborted comeback, that he came out. Having denied his homosexuality for years, Thorpe said on ABC News, “I am telling the world that I am gay… and I hope this makes it easier for others now, and even if you’ve held it in for years, it feels easier to get it out.”

Then there was Justin Fashanu, the footballer — the one that did come out. He killed himself at age 37 after being charged with sexually assaulting a teenager in America. Fashanu denied the charges, but said in his suicide note that he didn’t expect a fair trial because he was gay.

We aren’t comfortable with him in the locker room, they say. Or, she’s stronger than us, stronger than a woman, you know.

Sport, it’s widely held, is a microcosm of life. And sport’s reaction to people across the LGBTQI spectrum — well, a neat mirror to what we see around us, isn’t it?

There’s a curious story that might tell us a bit more about sport and life and microcosms. It was in 1977 that the Lionel Cup (tennis) was held in Texas. The tournament organisers were under fire for allowing the transgender athlete Renée Richards to take part. King decided to play, a decision roundly criticised by Evert. Guess who else was angry with King? Navratilova. “All of the women should stick together,” said Navratilova to San Antonio Light at the time.

King came out in 1987. In 1988, she said in an interview that Navratilova wasn’t supportive of her when she came out, the relationship (with Navratilova) had a “very bad five years”, she said. A surprising revelation, given that Navratilova had made public her bisexuality in 1981. Navratilova later identified as lesbian.

Now, there is no reason why our sporting icons must come out. Certainly no one else should be outing them (or anyone). With sportspersons, it’s not only the locker-room gossip and stone-faced parents that you and I have to deal with. Apart from the intangibles of fame and popularity, they stand to lose a lot of money, too. Even today, corporate wisdom says that a non-straight athlete is a risky proposition. That’s what impels Louganis or Thorpe, by far the best in their sport in their era, to keep quiet. And who can blame them?

The world of men’s sport is a macho one, with all the attendant prejudices about masculinity and what makes a man. And while women’s sport encourages power and places the strongest ones on a pedestal, things are hardly better there.

Witness only the outcry over Dutee Chand here in India recently, or with Santhi Soundarajan and Pinki Pramanik earlier. Or what Caster Semenya, the champion South African athlete, had to deal with. In a world where sense was at a premium, these women were called “male”, “not quite female” and so on. The official version is that they have higher testosterone levels than the average woman and, therefore, shouldn’t be allowed to compete against other women. The solution offered? That these athletes surgically or medically ensure their testosterone levels are at par with other women. Isn’t that like saying everyone should be the same weight, or have the same body-mass index or the same muscle density? Unarguably, human bodies, like human sexualities, are wonderfully complex and diverse.

“Who is a woman and who is a man isn’t as easy as we think it is, especially when it comes to sports,” said Juliet Macur, the New York Times journalist who met and profiled Chand, late last year to Bill Littlefield of Only A Game.

Ultimately, it is a simple matter. Sport must strive to be better than a microcosm of a flawed world. Yes, that’s a lot to expect, and want, but isn’t that why we place sport on such a pedestal?

Oxfam India Trailwalker is not just a walking event for enthusiasts but also an opportunity to raise money for various welfare activities

The December morning last year, at 04:30 am at Garudmachi, amidst the lap of nature in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra was nothing less than being vibrant. The silence of the night was broken with the chattering of the trail walkers getting ready for their big walk and a band playing on one side. It was the first morning of the Oxfam India Trailwalker 2014. Oxfam India is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organisations.

There were around 135 teams (over 500 walkers) who had come together for a good cause — ‘Walk for Equality’ and to physically challenge themselves to walk 100 kms within 48 hours on a route that included tar road, mud path, open fields, stones strewn roads and forest routes. While The Mumbai Trailwalker concluded on December 6 2014, the one held in Bengaluru concluded on January 25 2015.

Oxfam’s target from Mumbai and Bengaluru Trailwalk is to raise approximately Rs 4 crore. Of this, they expect Bengaluru to contribute Rs 2.5 crore and Mumbai, Rs 1.5 crore.

The adventure race while is physically and mentally demanding, the best part and the most difficult aspect of this race is that each team participating has to raise a minimum of Rs 50,000 that would be deployed towards a cause. And there can be no other better motivation than this to do this race. It is the only event in India that one can participate only if they raise funds.

Like Dr. Nisha Agrawal, CEO of Oxfam India, puts it, “Our vision of ‘right to life with dignity for all’ begins at the grassroots level, and this event will demonstrate Oxfam’s commitment to create a more equal, just and viable world.”

What is interesting is how the walk has made it to India, just like it has become popular in many other countries. Trailwalker event began in 1981 in Hong Kong as a training exercise by the Queen’s Gurkha Signals, part of the Brigade of Gurkhas of the British Army, which was at the time based in the British colony. In 1986, teams of civilians were allowed to take part and Oxfam Hong Kong was invited to co-organise the event.

Oxfam Trailwalk is an international property and is considered one of the toughest team challenges. It is said that the Oxfam’s Mumbai Trail Walker iis one of the world's three most difficult and beautiful trail. This trail walker in the Sahayadri hills was nothing but pure trekking. For mountaineers and trekkers this would be a known playing field but for many out there it was an absolute blind trap. The 100 km trail walker in my sense is a test of your endurance, physical fitness, team spirit, leadership skills, crisis management and the power to make the right decisions.

What was fascinating was to see the enthusiasm in the participants. “Considering the fact that India is not such a philanthropic nation, this is a good way to get people to donate for a good cause,” says Amisha Jha, who participated for the first time in the Mumbai Trailwaker and completed it in 42 hours.

Whether one is taking part in Oxfam Trailwalker or donating to a team, in both the cases he or she is making a significant difference to the lives of others. The money raised builds the lives of some of India’s most disadvantaged communities but people who are being supported don’t want to survive on aid and assistance forever. They have the right to lead a dignified independent life.

Oxfam India works in partnership with over 130 grassroots NGOs to address root causes of poverty and injustice in the four areas of: gender justice, essential services, humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction and economic justice. It is supporting six NGOs working in these areas towards which the trail walker funds would be deployed to.

In India Oxfam started their first trail walker event in Bengaluru three years ago and since then have completed five trail walkers. This year in January, The Bengaluru Trailwalker event saw the participation from 210 teams which amounts to over 800 walkers. Bengaluru gets a lot of corporate teams participating and raising funds.

According to many, this trail walk is a great event to do charity, which otherwise most would not think of. Also it is a team event and, therefore, fun. Fund raising is a big challenge. Internationally, participants of the Trailwalker conduct fund raising events within their community or office, family etc. But, in India people have not got down to doing so much. However, people have had small fund raising events to collect money.

“People don’t just give to the cause but to the people associated with it. There are many charitable causes around the place. But, when you approach and you ask. People give YOU,” says Ranjan Pal, who has participated in the Trailwalker.

“It is a challenge to raise funds but people are doing it,” affirms Agarwal. Oxfam India is looking to help teams with raising funds. Basically it might give them ideas and directions on how they can go about raising funds. Agarwal says they plan to launch Asia Circle in India, too, like it is in the UK, where women of Indian descent come together and organise fundraising.

With corporate teams participating, many corporations themselves commit a certain amount of funds and have their own teams participate or ask their people to participate and tell them to raise funds. To further motivate them, the company matches the amount of funds raised by them. So, if a team has managed to raise Rs 75,000. The corporate adds another Rs 75,000 to make it Rs 1.5 lakh.

An interesting aspect of 2014 Mumbai Trail walk was the partnership with GOQii Inc., an innovator in the wearable technology industry. GOQii was the leading sponsor of the program, “From Couch to 100 km” which intertwove GOQii’s mission to improve lives through social causes with Oxfam India’s drive to overcome and raise awareness of global poverty. GOQii as the lead sponsor provided onsite assistance for all participants on event days in Mumbai as well as an extended free three-month training period. The company also conducted training sessions prior to the actual D-day.

The GOQii Band is the most unique development of the wearable technology industry. What makes GOQii wholly unique is that it integrates a wrist-worn device with a day-to-day personal relationship with an actual coach who will interpret the data, set goals, identify challenges and motivate the users to reach permanent and healthy lifestyle changes.

The GOQii-Oxfam Trailwalker partnership for the Trailwalker events in India is an extension of the existing partnership, the two organizations have already formed, for the GOQii Karma platform, which enables GOQii users to support various social causes.

Vishal Gondal, CEO and Founder of GOQii Inc. who has been participating in the Oxfam Trailwalk challenge ever since it started in Bengaluru first says, “This event raises awareness of Oxfam India’s mission to eliminate poverty worldwide. At GOQii, we believe that everyone possesses boundless potential for healthy, sustainable living, which aligns with Oxfam’s mission to create better lives for everyone around the world”. GOQii as a company had 16 teams participating in the Mumbai Trailwalker.

An honest book on the life in Delhi, the highs and the lows, all packaged extremely interestingly

AFTER A long time I read something that made me smile to myself. Yes, ‘DilliLeaks’ is a fun read and many a times it would make you feel as if you are reading a ‘Dilli-ites’ diary.

If you are a Dilli-ite yourself, then Heaven save… as you can completely relate to this and maybe it will help you discover yourself.

Written in a simple yet satirical way, this book is a sneak peek into the ‘socially wannabe’ world of Delhi.

All types make the world and in Delhi, you can actually catch a glimpse of them all!

Farmhouse parties, hen parties, bachelor parties, the insomnia buddies, the Naarad Muni… all in ‘Punjabi ishtyle’ will keep you grinning; as you can’t help walking down memory lane as you faintly recall some of these parties that you too were a part of.

The city has a perfect compendium of “single – not ready to mingle”, typical Dilli girls to the “married darlings”. Not to forget the uncanny resemblance of many situations in the typical ‘Dilli’ way – “What is your mobile number?” to “on a Jatt plane” and more.

So, who is a ‘typical Dilli guy’?

Well, Delhi guys come in various colours, shapes, sizes, bank accounts, hair styles, addresses and are known by the car they, or their chauffeurs drive.

Stating this, author delves further and analyses all the kinds of Dilli guys from rich ones to the ‘single ready to mingle’ ones and also the wannabes.

Are Dilli girls class apart?

Oh yes! They sure are and can be recognised from afar. Slim, petite, fair, long black hair (the straightening iron is a must on the vanity counter). God help us if the bottle blond fad kicks in again with more LBDs than an entire army on Indian designers can create annually.

The book will also be your secret to succeed if you want to hook the boy or girl of your choice as it talks at length about the symptoms of each breed and gives tips on where to find them and how to recognise them.

Hola! Looks like very soon this book would earn the status of becoming a Dating Guide or maybe even better – Dating Guide for Dummies in Delhi!

Srishti has definitely surpassed expectations with this ironical piece. A quick and light read but a lot of punches that can’t go amiss! Those residing in the Capital city would enjoy it if taken with a pinch of salt and for those from other cities, this book would give you the much needed kick as every species of Dilli-ites are scrutinised and talked about. Happy reading!

“The air is thick with rumours. Reports speak of the molesting of Pundit girls and the killing of Pundit men. Kashmiri Pundit families are fleeing the valley in wave after wave. But one man stands unmoved, refusing to give in to this mass frenzy.”

RAvi dhAR’s debut novel Orphans of the storm may be a quick read, but it is full of loose ends. For a book that begins on a powerful note – being a Kashmiri Pundit and the violent uprooting that the existence involves – the book fizzles out as the pages progress.

The only thing that makes one want to be kind to the book is the similarity of Siddhartha, the protagonist, to numerous young Kashmiri Pundits ousted from their homeland. The narrative spread over 29 chapters is the story of a Kashmiri lad whose family is uprooted by the outburst of militancy in Kashmir valley. It is about his efforts to support his father’s efforts to eke out a living in the migrant camps of Jammu and to educate himself. In the inhospitable environment of Jammu, he sees no hope of settling down, despite earning a master’s degree in English. The protagonist moves to Nagaland University as a lecturer in English, and falls in love in the midst of an overwhelming environment of political intrigue and racial conflict. The abrupt end of this love affair, however, hits him hard. As if that was not enough, he gets isolated in the campus politics that views him with suspicion for his proximity to both the groups of faculty. The murder of the college dean draws him into a shell.

Life begins to smile yet again when he completes his doctoral thesis and happens to travel together with his future wife from Nagaland to Delhi. The breakdown of the train by which they are travelling gives them time to come close and by the time they are travelling back from home, the bond between them is already sealed. Through the book, the author provides a quick look at the Kashmiri food, culture, language and, most importantly, the problems faced by the innocent people who have been driven away from their land. Orphans of the Storm takes its readers through the realities of brutality in Kashmir valley and how people struggle every moment to be at par with other countrymen.

Borrowing its title from the 1921 DW Griffith film of the same name, Dhar’s book has ambitious plans but seems half-baked in its efforts. The novel only begins the saga of the unequal struggle of a Kashmiri Pundit family to rebuild its world after the exodus from the valley, blames it all on politics, but without taking any stands. In that sense, it appears unconvincing.

Here’s the lowdown on a lonely island in the middle of the India Ocean. It’s quiet and cut off from the rest of the world, making it the ideal getaway

How remote is remote? If you are on an island in the middle of the ocean, with no one else around you, just a white beach, calm blue waters lapping gently on the shore, a hammock gently swaying in the breeze and a glass of iced mojito in your hand to sip occasionally, wouldn’t that be ideal? It’s possible if you plan your trip to Singapore a little carefully. Of course, you can always take a flight from Singapore to the much more happening city of Bali, with its night clubs and beach parties or even closer, to Bantam Islands, which have their own share of the Bali party culture.

But there’s nothing more exciting than going to an island that has no one else but you!

Indonesia is an archipelago of over 14,000 islands, starting from close to Malaysia and stretching all the way to Australia. It has many uninhabited islands that host resorts. Several of these are close to Singapore and you can access them within three hours.

To steal a quiet weekend out of your hectic business/sightseeing trip, look at going to one of the small Indonesia islands within easy access from Singapore. After doing some research on the Net, I chanced upon Telunas, a small island resort about twoand- a-half hours by ferry and power boat from Singapore. We booked a four-night stay at the resort for Rs 5,500 a night (approx.) through online booking before we left from New Delhi.

After our mandatory tour of Singapore, we headed for this magical island. A fast ferry from Singapore to Sekupang in Indonesia costs about Singapore $48 and for a return ticket, took us there in under an hour. The swanky ferry terminal in Indonesia is well-maintained and hassle-free. Once you land, they offer you a visa on arrival ($35), which is processed quickly and smoothly, unlike the visa experience in India.

The resort takes over from hereon. A guest relations officer is assigned to you and is waiting at the ferry terminal to pick you up. Ours was a young girl, Amsalia, who was patient and never stopped smiling. For the next four days, Amsalia made sure we got whatever we need.

Once you leave the ferry terminal, a short walk along the coast takes you to the power boat terminal. Here the noisy scenes remind you so much of home: boat owners yelling out loud to attract customers (this is the main mode of transport to any of the Indonesian islands), just like any of our bus addas. But you don’t have to deal with them as the resort has its own speed boat. It takes close to one-and-a-half hours to crisscross through various islands and zip through the ocean to finally bring you to this secluded island.

The island itself is not large, but has a really thick jungle and mountains, just like the opening scene of Jurassic Park or even the mystical isle that Pi gets stranded on in the book Life Of Pi. The island is part of Sugi, which is part of the Riau Islands, the south-east part of Indonesia. The Riau Islands is a group of 2,000 small islands, covering 252 sq kms, of which Telunas is a part. The resort is run by three foreigners, who bought this island on a whim of setting up an ideal resort in 2000. They have another smaller but more expensive property across from this one, called the Telunas Private Island that has chalets built over the sea.

The speed boat from Sekupang will dock at the front deck, and as you alight you get the warm Indonesianstyle welcome, with a garland of flowers and fresh juice. The rooms are built on stilts, Malay style, with fantastic sunrise and sunset views. You have a choice of deluxe rooms or chalet. The chalets are slightly larger than the rooms with an additional private balcony with a sitting area and hammock.

The beach itself is a large cover of white sand and the water is serene. In fact, during low tide, the water is only waist-deep for at least 500 metres, so you can swim around, as if it’s your own gigantic personal swimming pool! The rooms are simple, with wooden floors, comfortable beds and thatched roofs. At night, when everything is silent, the gently slapping of the waters against the supporting structure is soothing. During the day, you get a glimpse of the sea under you through the gaps in the wooden floor slats. The resort has a ring-free policy: no Wi-Fi or phone service. So you can disconnect completely from the rest of the world.

The food is served in the dining hall and meal times are signed by the striking of a traditional gong, the kenthongan. For vegetarian Indians the food can be a bit problematic since they mostly serve international non-vegetarian cuisine. But if you let them know your food preferences when you book, they will make sure to keep vegetarian food for you. There is a mandatory charge of Singapore $50 a person for your meals.

In the resort itself, there isn’t too much to do other than laze on the beach, swim and then laze some more. But then isn’t that what you are there for? For the footloose, there are options such as a visit to the local village and a waterfall walk, but since the costs are high its best to club it with other guests to share the costs. For the period we were there, there were only two other guests for two days; for the rest of the two days, we were on our own. There are beach activities such as beach volleyball and a lowrope course. You can also do some deck jump during high tide, which is exciting.

Our four days went by in a blur of lazing on the beach, swimming all day and reading on the deck. It was like being marooned on an island, of course with all the comforts of a room and food. I’d trade a noisy beach holiday for this luxurious and quiet hideaway in the middle of the ocean any day. It’s what heavenly holidays are made of.

One visit to The Chocolate Box is sure to leave you asking for more says PRACHI RATURI MISRA

If the love month is making you feel all starry eyed, here is a suggestion that is sure to delight. Head straight to ‘The Chocolate Box’. A designer pastry and Boulangerie lounge, at Radisson Blu MBD Hotel , Noida, this one is a sheer delight.

And when I say delight, I mean it in every sense. But a word of caution here: Enter at your own risk. For when you go to The Chocolate Box, one thing that you surely must forget is any guilt. For the treats are sure to make sway completely from any resolution on chocolates.

Designed like a chocolate box, the lounge has all the elements that will make you go back to the simple happiness chocolates can bring.

At The Chocolate Box, as the name suggests, the interiors are inspired by the components of a box of chocolates.

And the inspiration has been carried forward in the not just the colours but also shapes and textures. The colours, a mix of rich dark chocolate brown, gold and white, have all put together such that the place actually resembles a “chocolate box”. While parts of it resemble a box, the gold used in the elevations and equipments are inspired by the wrapper of a box. The ceiling will remind you of chocolate sticks and the blinds are the inspiration from a butter paper wrapper in a box.

The interiors created by Ms. Monica Malhotra Kandhari (Director, MBD Group), are sure to take you back to childhood memories of the sweet treasures. And once you’ve started feeling the warmth of comfort, it’s time to taste the delicious chocolates from the winner of the Times food Guide Award for the best pastry shop in Noida for consecutive years, 2011-12, 13 & 14

Almost all the ingredients used at The Chocolate Box have their origin in Belgium, Switzerland and France. What is more, the chocolates are done in the most innovative forms, textures and of course, taste.

There are coloured chocolates, sugar free chocolates, designer chocolates, truffles and soft center pralines. Some of the interesting offerings are the “Spice collection” chocolates, passion fruit chocolates, Baileys, green tea chocolates.

Head for the lounge and you are sure to get a treat for your taste buds.

I settled for The Cheese Board and the designer chocolate platter, a signature assortment, which one must sample. Of course I didn’t finish it all (I couldn’t!) but every one of them surely deserves a nibble. Both of these exquisite creations are also a foray into a tantalizing palette that The Chocolate Box Lounge cultivates.

In fact, even the traditional cakes are served with a twist. The delectable slices of cakes such as date and cashew or almond cheese are paired with fresh sorbet like ginger and passion fruit. There are 33 different types of chocolates to sample and an extensive range of chocolate drinks.

If you are still craving chocolates, it’s worth trying the signature chocolate delights like the Iced Cococcino (An amalgamation of melted chocolate Coconut cream, Espresso and Pineapple Juice, served on ice) Spiced Choco Punch (Mix of chocolate, vanilla ice-cream and milk infused with clove and cardamom, poured over ice), Immortal Memory or Dark Temptation.

Since I’d had my fill of chocolates for then, I decided to look at the gorgeous selection of teas. The varieties of teas have been handpicked by tea connoisseurs. The tea come aesthetically arranged on a silver platter with a paired chocolate amuse-bouche to taste. A palate cleanser offered in the tea set up helps one to explore the tea.

And if you’d like your taste buds to break the sweet feeling, don’t think you can’t do it here, just because the place is called, The Chocolate Box.

I went in for the Wild And White Rice Galette, which is served with an addictive Roasted Pepper Pesto, Pine- Nut And Gruyere Stuffed Mushroom With Tropical Fruit Vinaigrette. The stuffed mushrooms are filled with awesome Gruyere and pine nut topped off with inventive tropical fruit vinaigrette. For the adventurous there is also Grilled Prawns with barbeque sauce. The duet of hot and sweet throughout the menu play with the nuances of European and Indian that are consistent with the lounge feel. The unique facet of The Chocolate Box lounge is noticeably its unique dishes, a baguette of Shredded Chicken Tikka and Caramelized Onion being a rather fine example. You could also try the scrumptious offerings like Smoked Salmon on Granary bread, the gluten bread and the high fiber bread, Whole bran bread, Multigrain and three seed bread. The chocolate box also offers Pistachio and orange cookies Date and walnut and mocha cookies are great munches for those in-between times.

True to the traditional offerings of an English afternoon tea the lounge offers an English Charlie which has a selection of finger sandwiches, Warm Raisin and Plain Scones with clotted cream and preserves and freshly made Crumpets. And if you the desi in you peeping out, go ahead and get comforted with fresh pakoras and samosas.

If you still want to savour the chocolaty feeling later, it’s good to know that you can have the chocolates customized to your individual taste for that exceptional indulgence!

Something to carry back? The Chocolate Box promises to surprise you with the art of their designer sculpted Cakes. Some signatures include the sinful Frosted red velvet Tiramisu and the original Schwarzwaelder Kirschen torte (Black Forest Cake), Almond Prunes Ring ,seasonal fruit cake and Chocolate Mud Cake to name a few.

What is more, you can help the passionate chefs help you to design your own cake

So go on, indulge, I did and am still smiling!

IT LEFT ME shaken, just like it must have left you. The December 16 attack on school children in Peshawar was one of the most ghastly attacks against humanity that I can recall in recent times. What else can you call it?

The lives of 145 children and teachers of Army Public School, Peshawar, were snuffed out by terrorists from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Ironically, the dark, dark day must have begun like any other. The mothers of the children must have hurriedly packed tiffin boxes with warm food, ironed their clothes and kissed their foreheads as they left. Not even in their worst nightmares could they have imagined their children would come back in coffins.

What happened in Peshawar should not be considered an attack on Pakistan; it should be taken as an attack on humanity, an attack that each of us should condemn. And yet, it is a fear that we fight every day of our lives.

It is also the time to draw strength from the pain and decide to not give in to despondence, hopelessness and fatalism. It is the time to channelise that anger and hurt into something more positive. For frustration and anger when channelised into the right direction can not only help one deal with pain and hurt, but also make something bigger for others to draw strength from.

This is also a reason why we ring in the New Year with the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Maharaja of Jodhpur, Gaj Singhji, on the cover of DW. That is because his story is of pure grit and courage in the face of pain and tragedy. It was in 2005 that his son, Yuvraj Shivraj Singh, had a near-death experience after being crushed under a horse while playing polo.

Shivraj Singh is still recovering from the accident.

What did the father do? Lose hope? Of course, there must have been a phase of that too, but he fought back with negative feelings. He looked beyond the tragedy and decided to turn his pain into a mission to help others like his son.

Today, Gaj Singhji is using the same game that hurt his son to help many others like him. The polo weekend that he hosts with UK-based British Polo Day every December is one step in the direction of healing many. Through the course of the three-day extravaganza, a reception held at Gaj Singh’s residence, the Umaid Bhawan Palace, sees a live auction for the benefit of The Indian Head Injury Foundation and Head Injury through Sport.

His story is one of faith personified. Faith can transform lives. Another story where faith becomes the guiding hand is in our Looking Back section, which covers author Amish Patel. Once an atheist who was defined by his arrogance, competitiveness and materialism, the author today is a devotee of Shiva and a more positive person.

So go on, keep the faith and start the New Year on a fresh note, a note to fight bitterness, to move on and do your bit. Here’s to a world of hope and love in 2015.

THE WAY GAJ SINGH II OF JODHPUR HAS LIVED HIS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIFE GO ON TO SHOW WHAT IT TAKES TO BE THE REAL KING WHO PROTECTS HIS PEOPLE AND HIS LEGACY

When I first met the Maharaja of Jodhpur, I had read his full title as Maharaja was: His Highness Raj Rajeshwar Saramad-i-Raja-i-Hind Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Gaj Singhji II Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Marwar.

During our conversation, I confess I was bound by this weird sense of propriety and kept addressing him as “Your Highness”. Most erstwhile rulers prefer that. But I was intrigued by how people around him addressed him as “Bapji” (father in Marwari). More than a decade, and several meetings in between, convinced me that he is indeed deserving of the affection. India’s royal families may have lost their titles, privy purses and privileges long ago, but this 64-year-old Maharaja of Jodhpur has retained the love and adoration of the people of the blue city.

Maharajas, or great kings, once controlled huge swaths of India. For centuries, their patronage of artworks was only restricted to rivalries with other rulers. After the democratic Indian government ceased to recognise their titles and cut their government subsidies, or privy purses, in 1971, Gaj Singh refused to be a has-been royal. Instead, he chose for himself “a role that was modern enough for me to uphold the ideals that are handed down as legacy in our family”. Not many amongst India's erstwhile royals managed to make contributions to modern times in a way that Gaj Singh has, making him invaluable, if not indispensable.

Gaj Singh’s quality of giving back to the society was amply visible even on the day of his coronation. As Rajmata Krishna Kumari, Gaj Singh’s mother recalls her son’s coronation as the ruler of Marwar-Jodhpur when he was just four years old. Family elders gave the little boy a gold sovereign or two as a mark of respect and blessed him when they came to greet him. The crown prince kept putting these sovereigns in a wooden box. “After some time, someone saw him gifting the coins as a thank you gesture from the very same box — it was as if he already had the quality of distributing his wealth among his people,” she says proudly.

Gaj Singh remembers others things from the day. After his father died, Singh says he has faint memories of being dressed up and placed, barefoot, upon a marble throne at Mehrangarh, surrounded by a horde of unfamiliar men in turbans. One of the chief clansmen pricked his own thumb on a sword and anointed Singh’s forehead with blood. Singh was told he now had “more responsibilities.”

From history books to living heritage Gaj Singh’s passion for heritage is evident in how he established Jodhpur as the cultural capital of Rajasthan. The 38th successive ruler of an ancient Indian clan, Gaj Singh II harbours deep connections to the past, and his innovative approach to protecting his family's historical treasures is providing his country with a model for the future. Heritage hotels, a trend he set rolling by converting his sprawling Umaid Bhawan Palace into a leisure destination that continues to draw global conservation only during his student days in Britain. At the age of eight, Gaj Singh was sent first to Cothill House, a prep school in Oxfordshire, England, and then to Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he obtained a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. “People there have real love for tradition. It was amazing to see how the Europeans protected war-ravaged monuments. It was a big motivation,” he says.

But when Gaj Singh returned to India in the early 1970s, he found everything around him collapsing. It was a turbulent period with the abolition of privy purses and privileges extended to royalty. “But the emotional resonance associated with royals was intact. I was moved by the reception given to me by the people of Jodhpur. I had a deep feeling of attachment and responsibility for them. Their affection gave me the courage and encouragement to start afresh and keep my head above water,” he recalls.

Gaj Singh was only 22 when the government cut off celebrities, is his way of engaging the past with the present. “When we founded the Heritage Hotels Association of India in the early 1990s, there were only 14 members. Now we have 170 members, with six from Tamil Nadu. Rajasthan leads the pack with 90. Palaces, forts, houses or havelis built before 1950 with a distinct architectural style encourage heritage tourism and make people aware of our rich past. Heritage hotels enrich the ethnic experience in a special way,” says Singh.

After inheriting vast properties from his father at the age of four, Gaj Singh became interested in heritage conservation only during his student days in Britain. At the age of eight, Gaj Singh was sent first to Cothill House, a prep school in Oxfordshire, England, and then to Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he obtained a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. “People there have real love for tradition. It was amazing to see how the Europeans protected war-ravaged monuments. It was a big motivation,” he says. But when Gaj Singh returned to India in the early 1970s, he found everything around him collapsing. It was a turbulent period with the abolition of privy purses and privileges extended to royalty. “But the emotional resonance associated with royals was intact. I was moved by the reception given to me by the people of Jodhpur. I had a deep feeling of attachment and responsibility for them. Their affection gave me the courage and encouragement to start afresh and keep my head above water,” he recalls. Gaj Singh was only 22 when the government cut off his subsidies. He could have chosen the easy way and done what the other maharajas were doing — profiting from the sale of their properties — or letting them crumble to dust. Instead, he launched a conservation programme in 1972, which has since become a national model. Singh started humbly by hiring workers to muck out the bat droppings piling up in Mehrangarh, which had been closed since his family moved out in the 1930s. Then he added an entrepreneurial twist by selling that guano to local farmers as fertiliser and adapting the fort into a museum. After a brief ambassadorial assignment in the West Indies in the late 1970s, Singh returned home determined to build his reputation on conservation causes, not political ones. Since then, his projects have only grown to become self-reliant models.

Today, his second fort in nearby Nagaur, called the Fort of the Hooded Cobra, is a timewarp marvel, a sprawling complex of 18thcentury palaces, temples and pools that look cared for, but not overly polished. The 12thcentury wall encircling it has been repaired with a traditional paste made from sand and sheep’s hair. Its gardens are lush with plants Singh’s conservators have identified in Mughalera miniature paintings. In the Sheesh Mahal, or mirror palace, murals of girls dancing in the rain look cleaned, but not repainted, although their original vegetable dye has faded. “There is so much history to remember and protect luxury hotels. He lives with his family in the southern wing of the Indo-deco palace behind a door draped with an auspicious garland of ashoka leaves.

For him, his efforts are also a way of propagating traditions so they don’t die ignominious deaths. “There's a lot of intangible heritage that we are letting go in the name of modernisation. Our spoken word, our music, poetry are all vanishing rapidly. We launched the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) to put local artists on a global platform and give them an opportunity to perform alongside topnotch musicians. Our Sufi Music Festival too has become a major draw.”

So when you attend a langa performance at Mehrangarh, rest assured that Gaj Singh has seen it before you have and has okayed the artistes. Maintained by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust here,” sighs Singh.

In addition to Mehrangarh and Nagaur, Singh also oversees several other palaces, 5,000 paintings and a museum’s worth of eclectic heirlooms — from his great-great grandfather’s elephant-riding chaise, to his grandmother's Rolls-Royce Phantom II. Singh also found creative ways to fund the refurbishment of his properties. He also turned a portion of the second fort in Nagaur and the 347-room Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur — both ancestral sites — into that is managed by Maharaja Gaj Singh II, this 1459 AD structure also houses a museum exhibiting the heritage of the Rathores and Marwars. There’s a display of arms, costumes, paintings, palanquins and furniture. At the Culture Gully at Mehrangarh, craftspeople are allowed to exhibit and sell their wares without any fee. And Mehrangarh, the monumental sandstone fortress, looms over the city's chalky blue buildings, evoking the country's ancient and otherworldly history.

Nawab Khan, one of the performers, whose family has seen world fame, thanks to the encouragement from Gaj Singh, narrates an incident that goes on to establish what Bapji, as Gaj Singh is referred to, means to them. “I once told my grandfather that we should go to Sonia Gandhi for opportunities. The name drew a blank. Whenever we need anything, we always go to our king,” says Khan. People arrive in throngs from all over the globe because the RIFF — and the maharaja who hosts it — blends old India so deftly with new.

By first rescuing his properties and then catering smartly to the tourists that have followed, Singh is offering India a new way to think about its historic spaces, his success stories gradually becoming case studies.

Finding healing in his pain

Polo is another cause close to Gaj Singh’s heart. And this despite the near-death experience that his son, Yuvraj Shivraj Singh, had in 2005, after being crushed under a horse — an accident from which he hasn’t yet fully recovered.“It was near critical,” Singh remembers with a shudder. “In Jaipur, where the accident happened, he was in hospital for a few days; then in a Bombay hospital for two months, after which we took him for rehab to Mount Sinai (Medical Center) in New York.” Singh reveals that while the doctors in Jaipur did stabilise him, the pressure (in Shivraj’s brain) continued to grow and they had to put in a stent by drilling a hole. In Bombay they removed part of his scalp to allow the brain to expand, so that the pressure did not damage the brain cells. “Since then it has been a slow uphill process. If you don’t take the right steps at the right time, the result could be very different.” Gaj Singh is using the experience of that harrowing time in an international effort to build a comprehensive system for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury and to provide neuro-rehabilitation to such patients.

He holds numerous fundraisers to support the foundation that he set up in 2007. Gaj Singh wants trauma centres to be set up in hospitals all over India and some on highways as well, so that the brain-damaged can receive the correct initial treatment within the “golden hour” after the accident.

He has mobilised several big names for the cause. Sir Bob Geldof has pledged his support as a patron. Sting held a concert in Umaid Bhawan Palace, where touchingly, Shivraj Singh gently swayed to the rhythm, causing his father to get teary-eyed. The Vienna Philharmonic has also played at Mehrangarh. Singh, 65, actively participates in all the events pertaining to his causes, although post-event, his line of well-wishers and admirers is longer. The foreigners slap Singh on the shoulder and shake his hand but the locals, who know the lineage better, choose to genuflect, stooping to touch his shoes.

The polo weekend, which Gaj Singh hosts with UK-based British Polo Day, every December, is a much-sought-after, by-invitation-only event. On the first evening, a cocktail and sit-down dinner was arranged in the fort, after which we walked up to the ramparts in a procession. Lining our route were dancers and fire-eaters, acrobats and musicians from Rajasthan. With the polo games, glittering socialites, and a heady dose of who's who, it would have been easy to be fooled into believing that the polo weekend was all about fun and games, but nothing could be farther from the truth. There is a serious purpose that came out in the talks we listened to on head injuries and in Bapji’s own speech at the dinner in Umaid Bhawan. Through the course of the three-day extravaganza, a reception held at Gaj Singh’s residence, the Umaid Bhawan Palace sees a live auction for the benefit of The Indian Head Injury Foundation and Head Injury through Sport. With lots ranging from seven days on the edge of wildness at exclusive retreat Nihiwatu, Sumba; a week in one of the three Home’s luxurious properties; a Holland & Holland shooting lesson, followed by private dinner at Royal fine wine merchants Justerini & Brooks; bespoke Brompton Bicycle and very special Royal Salute Hundred Cask Whisky Selection, British Polo Day raised significant funds for these worthy causes, and made Edward Olver, one of its founding members, a lifelong friend and admirer of Gaj Singh. In his words: “Our association with Maharaja Gaj Singh has been extremely rewarding and it is always a pleasure to be a part of something like the work he is doing — whether it is in terms of conservation of his rich heritage, or promoting the wonderful game. I personally admire his spirit and love of the game of polo and how he channels it for a good cause. We are proud of this annual event that celebrates the finest minds in culture, music, art, philanthropy and science in aid of the foundation.”

One of the most important strides made in the fight against brain trauma was the establishment of the state of-the-art Yuvraj Shivraj Singh Trauma Rehabilitation Centre at Rajdadisa Hospital in Jodhpur. “The Rehabilitation Centre, funded by The Sainsbury Family’s Monuments Trust was inaugurated by Yuvraj Shivraj Singh in September 2009, with an aim to provide state-ofthe- art comprehensive trauma care services to severely injured patients — from the pre-hospital (ambulance) phase through to acute care at the centre’s emergency room,” says Gaj Singh, adding, “My son’s accident opened my eyes to the lack of facilities available. This mobilisation stemmed from the trauma that my family and I went through.” Expert trauma care at the centre is defined by the immediate availability of specialised surgeons, physicians, anaesthesiologists, nurses, and life support equipment on a 24-hour basis.

Devoted family man

Despite the clout that this modern Maharaja enjoys, Gaj Singh is not keen on taking the plunge into politics. “I've been on the fringes of politics by serving as an MP. But it's not in me to get into active politics because of the special relationship I share with my people. They are family to me. I don’t want to take sides with political parties. I prefer to do social work and be involved with NGOs. It’s more direct and rewarding,” asserts Gaj Singh.

He might have an array of interests and commitments, but he continues to be a family man at heart. The father’s deep-set eyes are filled with emotion at the mention of his son, who, once India’s most roguishly good-looking bachelor, has still not recovered from his polo accident. But Gaj Singh concedes that Shivraj’s recovery is nothing short of miraculous. “My wife, in a particular moment of weakness, asked the American doctors by when would our son recover. They simply said ‘Get him married’. We both were shocked. But now I see the progress he has made. That gives me enough reason to believe all will be well,” says Singh.

Gaj Singh’s daughter, Baiji Lal Sahiba Shivranjani Rajye, educated at the Welham Girls High School, Dehra Dun; Bryanston College, Dorset; and New Hall, Cambridge; helps her father manage the Maharaja’s publishing company, Mehrangarh Publishers.

Maharani Hemlata Rajye, known for her proclivity for fun and laughter, and for her generous hospitality, also shares Gaj Singh’s passion for development. She is often seen counselling young women on family planning or touring a drought stricken district or making the growth of The Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls Public School in Jodhpur, her focussed aim.

But the special lady in Raj Singh’s life remains his three-year-old granddaughter Vaara. “I see the world in her, I see promise in her, and hope,” gushes the doting grandfather. The sun is not going to set on this monarch anytime soon.

terrorism// December 16 saw a dark day in human history. Eleven militants of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. They entered the school and opened fire on school staff and children, killing 150 people, including 132 school children, ranging between eight and eighteen years of age.

A report, prepared by Anti Terrorism Squad and police, said only seven militants out of the 11 went inside the school campus while four stayed outside to assist them.

The terrorists began the bloodbath in the school with a suicide blast followed by lethal firing on children, it said.

The four attackers outside the school campus remained there throughout the day and assisted those inside. They eventually managed to escape the scene, according to the report.

The report said the 11 militants were brought to Peshawar early morning on December 16 from Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber Agency to carry out the deadly attack on Army Public School (APS) that killed 150 people, most of them children.

The terrorists entered Peshawar district through Ghundi Camp, a camp for Afghan refugees, situated behind the APS.

The report added that the militants spent the night before the attack at a nearby mosque and used a ladder to jump into the school building.