Rotary Club of Chennai Mid City

e-CHAKRA

Volume II Issue 31 April 5, 2008

The Four-Way Test "Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"

Rotary Club of Chennai Mid City meets 1 p.m. Saturdays at the Boat Club, Chennai

	Globalisation of Indian Cinema On Sat.March 29, Mr.Kandaswamy of ‘Kavithalaya Productions’ who have contributed immensely to the Tamil film world and TV serials with their quality productions, addressed MidCity on the globalization of Indian Cinema. Indian films have a global footprint today with the increasing popularity of our films and stars in the international arena. A few interesting facts to highlight the impact that Indian films have made globally: The term Bollywood is familiar to 8 out of 10 Americans.... this is confirmed from a study done by America India Foundation (AIF) Amitabh Bacchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai are well recognised by global audience as much as Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Richard Gere and Jackie Chan!  15% of box office sales in UK and Germany are attributed to foreign audience. Rajinikanth is as popular as Jackie Chan in the Far East and in particular Japan. Globalisation in the context of Indian Films can be analysed in the following context. a) Globalisation of Production- Production of films takes place in different countries and continents based on locations, incentives offered by Govts of different countries and the localised nature of the content/script. b) Globalisation of Technology - Digital cinema has come of vogue in many studios in the US and is bound to catch up in India in the next two or three years. Also, CGI (computer graphic interface) is now a common feature in all Indian films. CGI helps in the following situations-doing the impossible.... the hero has to fall off an aircraft and parachute half way down; doing the dangerous...fix it in Post production... changes in lighting, showing twilight effects or changing the look and feel of the scene depending on the mood etc. c) Globalisation of Markets:  The market for Indian films have become truly global in the recent 5-6 years. Japan has emerged as a good market for Tamil films with Muthu titled Dancing Maharaja which became a huge box office hit. US, UK & Germany have also become very significant markets and Europe in particular have many Indian Film Festivals exclusively planned in the summer months. Crossover films are also making a mark with art audiences in US and Europe lapping up good content – ex. Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding’, Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’, etc. Events hosted by NRI's starring leading Indian stars have helped to popularise Bollywood more in the eyes of the international community. Mr. Kandaswamy peppered his talk with interesting titbits about the tinsel world that made for a very enjoyable afternoon.

	Interview with Rtn.Isaac Since when have you been a Midcitian? Who introduced you to the club?  I have been a Mid-Citian for around two years. My old friend and classmate Ram, the present  Secretary, introduced me saying  ‘Come and meet a crazy bunch of people, who like to do things while having fun’.  What is your vocation?  I am a part time biologist and a full-time entrepreneur. My wife and I started a small biotech Company in 1991, which managed to survive, inspite of our ministrations. I currently head the Company – ‘ABL Biotechnologies Ltd’, listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Your family?  My wife Rosemary  jumped ship and went into editing books, my son Thomas aka Aditya,  just finished his 12th and wants to be an engineer and my daughter, Susan aka Archana, in the 8th standard wants to be a singing, dancing Doctor.  What do you enjoy doing outside your work/ hobbies? I am an amateur photographer and currently preside over the Photographic Society of Madras. I also love rambling in the outdoors, mainly mountains and the jungles; love books, music and good company.  Can you name 3 of your favourite people? My wife and my children  Is there someone you hero worship or whom you would like to emulate? I guess I would like to emulate certain parts of people, like the vision of JRD Tata, the stoic persistence of my Father, the simplicity of Mother Teresa, who I traveled with and who opened my eyes to a few truths that I carry with me, the courage of Jack Welsh, the former Chairman of GE to name a few.  Where did you grow up and what do you like the most of your childhood?  Since my father’s job was a transferable one, I did a majority of my schooling in Bombay and in Karwar, my graduation in Mangalore and my Masters in Cochin. So I grew up in a little suburb of Bombay called Chembur and learnt to make friends with everyone, from the street children who lived in the slums nearby right upto people who lived in the bungalows. That taught me about different perspectives of humanity. When we shifted to Karwar, a sleepy hamlet on the northern coast of Karnataka, our bungalow was nestled in the Western Ghats. I loved jumping over the fence and rambling in the hills and forests, jumping into the streams and climbing trees. I also had rabbits and wild birds and deer as pets. It instilled in me an abiding love and understanding of nature. I guess this was also responsible for my entering into the field of Drug Discovery from microbes that I collect from the wild.  Are you a quiet person? Don’t see you making too much noise… My family and friends certainly don’t refer to me as quiet. But I guess, as one ages, it isn’t really relevant as to how much noise you make. I certainly love good company and I am enriched every time I meet people.  Any lessons you have learnt in life?  If you target and plan and then pursue these with all your heart, then any thing is possible. However, in the end, it’s the simple little things in life that make the big difference. Interview by Rtn.Dharma Raman

	The Husband Store A brand new store has just opened in New York City that sells Husbands. When women go to choose a husband, they have to follow the instructions at the entrance:- "You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are 6 floors and the value of the products increase as you ascend the flights. You may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you CANNOT go back down except to exit the building! So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the 1st floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs. The 2nd floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids. The 3rd floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids and are extremely good looking. ‘Wow’, she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the 4th floor and the sign reads: Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Handsome and Help with Housework. ‘Oh, mercy me!’ she exclaims, ‘I can hardly stand it!’ Still, she goes to the 5th floor and sign reads: Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Handsome, help with Housework and Have A Strong Romantic Streak. She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the 6th floor and the sign reads: Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opens a New Wives store just across the street. The 1st floor has wives that love sex. The 2nd floor has wives that love sex and have money. The 3rd through 6th floors have never been visited!!

	PICTURE OF THE WEEK