Microfinance, India and I.P.O.s

Mallick Ghat: Flower Market - ARTstor

The New York Times reports on the initial public offering of SKS Microfinance and the controversy attending this move : Rich I.P.O. Bring Controversy to SKS Microfinance.

More on the microfinance model, Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank.

BBC: Small Loans Making a Big Difference in South Asia

Water Dispute between India and Pakistan

The New York Times reported on a water dispute between India and Pakistan.

"Water has become a growing source of tension in many parts of the world between nations striving for growth.Several African countries are arguing over water rights to the Nile. Israel and Jordan have competing claims to the Jordan River. Across the Himalayas, China’s own dam projects have piqued India, a rival for regional, and even global, power."

Water Dispute Increases India-Pakistan Tensions  from the New York Times
Henry L. Stimson Center Indus Water Treaty Summary, 
Oregon State University's Program in Water Conflict Management Case Study :
Security Research Review of the Indus Water Treaty
Indus Water Treaty - Text

Balaji Temple Visit

JJC Cohort Visit to Sri Venkateswara Temple of Greater Chicago in Aurora, IL.The temple is also known as the Balaji Temple.

From left to right: Roxanne Munch, Rama Raghuraman, Kueiming (Max) Lee, Ram Raghuraman, Eileen McKee, Julie Delfinado, Nataliya Marchenko, Berta Arias, Jim Ethridge, Gisele Atterberry.  Not in picture but part of this grant cohort: Tamara Brattoli, Meaghan Callan, Roya Falahi, Fred Miller,  Susan Prokopeak and Bill Yarrow.The picture is courtesy of Dr. Arias.

Indian Slang and Google Maps

I have a Slang O' the Day gadget on my iGoogle site and I thought you might enjoy the Indian Slang portion of it.
Mapping Arunachal Pradesh  became an issue for Google Maps when it was (temporarily) labelled as Chinese.  The Agnostic Cartographer (from The Washington Monthly website) talks about this and other political missteps.

Bringing Indian Popular Music to the States

It appears that the success of Slumdog Millionaire and its soundtrack has become a tipping point of sorts. The New York Times reported that Universal will be partnering with DesiHits! to create a new label dedicated to East Asian artists.

"Indian-Pop entered American movies with the movie, Moulin Rouge!. Its main number, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend (Hindi)", featured Alka Yagnik's song "Chamma Chamma" from the Indian movie, China Gate (1998)," according to Wikipedia's Indian Pop article.  I have to say "Diamonds" was the first time I remember immediately recognizing the Indian backbeats and musical underpinning.  (The original version of “Jai Ho” was in Hindi, and a remix version was released in English and performed by the Pussycat Dolls.) The “Slumdog” soundtrack sold nearly 400,000 copies, and “Jai Ho” won a Grammy in addition to an Oscar.

Lest we forget where is all came from, NPR offers Indian Classical Music with Ravi Shankar and  Asha Bhosle is featured in NPR's 50 Great Voices series as the "Voice of Bollywood".

Resources:
A New Label's Mission: Indian Music from the New York Times
 Indian Music: The Indipop from Culturopedia
Indian Pop from Wikipedia
Although a bit outdated the 2008 Consumer Profile from the RIIA (Recording Industry Association of America) is still an interesting look at where music listeners spend their money. Pages 10-11 of the IFPI Digital Music Report 2010 offers a summary of the digital content sales worldwide.

Indian Movies on the Big Screen

Hello all,

I recently discovered a small multiplex devoted to Indian films (both "Bollywood" and from other regions) in Niles, just outside of Chicago. The theater itself is quite nice -- very recently refurbished, with both popcorn and samosas available at the snack bar.

There's also an Indian restaurant connected to the theater that I haven't tried yet...

One warning -- I learned the hard way that not all their films have English subtitles (typically, only the Hindi-language ones do)...

http://us.bigcinemas.com/cinemas.asp?cid=1013

Follow the link to check it out!

News of India

Here are a few links to media outlets Times of India, The Hindu, ZeeNews, The Telegraph (India), DNAIndia, BBC News - South Asia, HindustanTimes, Reuters - India

 IBN, NDTV, and a bit more on popular culture IndiaFM (Bollywood)