Indian Premier League - South Africa as host

The Indian Premier League cricket tournament began its second edition in South Africa in April after organizers changed the competition venue from the South Asian Nation. Featuring eight teams, this five-week, 59-game event began on 18th April in Cape Town. South Africa, which hosted the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and beat the U.K. to the legal right to host the event. What does it reflect about security in India? How has the shift effected fans and revenue collection?

The IPL was shifted after some Indian state governments expressed doubts about providing adequate security as the tournament coincides with national elections.

Branding guru, Suhel Seth comments on this shift and if it reflects lack of security in the nation in any way.

"Our politicians lacked the courage and intellect to keep something like the IPL in India."

"I don’t think it’s a summary or a picture or a representation of our security weaknesses. It is more reflective of the political will to see things through. It is not that India is insecure its just that we don’t want to take any chances. We as a nation are risk averse, specially our political classes."

"We have had elections before alongside IPL last year. It wasn’t a decision based on rationality, it was a decision based on ego. It was based by the home minister and he exercised his power."

It is expected that the shift may also effect revenue collection. Seth says:

"We lost a lot of tourism and domestic revenue. There was a lot of politics and less cricket involved in this decision."

According to Economic Times in India, it is expected that this year’s tournament would yield 8 billion rupees ($160 million) in revenue. The first IPL match held last year yielded $200 million. Organizers raised $1.8 billion though sponsors, media rights and franchise fees. How has the crowd in India reacted to this shift. Abhishek Gupta an IPL fan in India says:

"There is a slight disappointment that we won't be able to watch it live."

Former Senior Editor Vijay Simha from Tehelka magazine in India comments:

"It was very sensible. Move was excellent from security point of view. There is a cricket benefit. The IPL is meant for young Indian talent to come up. None of them would have got a chance to play in the South African nation in the normal run of things. It is a special experience for the young cricketers."

Security indeed has been a concern after an attack in Lahore on the Sri Lankan cricket team which resulted in six police officers and two civilians dead and five Sri Lankan cricketers and a coach badly injured. This happened exactly 120 days after terrorist attacks to Mumbai which killed 164 people leading to cancellation of Pakistan tour by Indian Cricketers. Indian government has proved itself by taking precautionary measures by shifting the venue to the beautiful city of Cape Town with the grand finale on May 24 in Johannesburg.

By Nikki Rattan
Editor: Grahame Lucas
for Deutsche Welle Radio

Global Recession: For better or for worse

The global recession has resulted in recent increase in the number of people approaching Astroyogi.com asking for astrological assistance in matters related to their jobs or careers. Clearly a lot of people have been hit by the recession and many feel that websites like this one can offer them advice in times of crisis. While recruitment specialists have lots of ideas about how people who have lost their jobs can get back into employment, some prefer to believe that astrology really can help them.

Since the start of the global recession the number of questions put by the users of Astroyogi dot com about the way their future appears in the stars has shot up by 30 percent. Most of these callers work in the computer industry or are graduates of business schools, both of which have seen a lot of people being laid off in recent months. Not surprisingly 20 percent of the queries resolve around job prospects.

Astroyogi dot com was launched in 1999 and houses over 10,000 pages of unique content dealing with all areas of astrology and spirituality, including numerology, tarot, vaastu, fengshui and Chinese astrology. The site has a registered user base of a million people and the firm's popularity has increased sharply with the onset of the world recession.


Meena Kapoor, CEO Astroyogi dot com, comments on which segment of society are worst effected by recession.

"Its the young people who are emerging into the work force as they got used to high salary packages at entry level and suddenly due to recession they are finding it difficult to combat the situation. Job availability has gone down radically. There is a huge pool of qualified people who are now available who were not available before. It is important that employees are not just giving 100% output but 200% output."
Meena Kapoor explains what can be done to combat the situation:

"Astrology cannot combat recession but it can certainly provide guidance to people who want to make career moves. It can help give direction about what their next move should be or what are the wise investments they should make. It is a good guidance tool."


The site's callers are not only from India but also from countries like the US, U.K and Malaysia to name but a few.
At times of disappointment large numbers of people clearly hope that the movement of the planets will in some way indicate where financial markets are going to go in the future. Ginni Arora is a tarot card reader and panellist at Astroyogi. In her opinion astrology can help in the present recession scenario and help people to get on in their careers despite the poor prospects at the present time.



"It gives guidance and strength to face the problems. It can tell you the correct timings of events and guide in taking other professions as well."

Inner strength is of course important to face a crisis, but at the end of the day every individual has to decide whether to believe in the power of astrology or not.

Indian Fashion Goes Global

India has hit the international fashion headlines over the past few years because of unique creations and developments. Trendy fashion shows in India have attracted national and international attention. Moreover, some have chosen to focus on socio-political themes such as the global threat of terrorism and the current economic crisis.

There have already been several successful fashion shows this year in India -- the Wills India Fashion Week, Delhi Fashion Week and Lakme India Fashion Week to name but a few.
Jattinn Kochhar is a designer who has displayed his collections in numerous locations around the world, including Bangkok, Colombo and Johannesburg:

“It is handwork which makes Indian designs unique. Almost all the top designers of the world get their beading done in India. This has been happening for the past hundred years. American, European and British designers all look to India for inspiration. The roots all are here,” he says.
80 percent of Indian designs are sold to domestic fashion houses. These are growing by 10 percent annually. This year’s shows have seen vibrant colours such as blue and violet as well as softer pinks and whites. Skirts and printed tunics, floral patterns and quilted jackets in silk or leather have been showcased.

India is rich in culture and colour

Jattinn explains the chief reasons for the increase in demand for Indian designs: “India is rich in heritage, culture, fabric, motif, colour, embellishments and in terms of creativity, India and Indian designers have huge potential.”

Samant Chauhan started his designing career in 2006, and now retails his work in Russia, Switzerland, Italy, France, Israel and Singapore.

He displayed his new “Silk Route” collection at the Wills India Fashion Week in Delhi: “A lot of designers are taking inspiration from Indian crafts, textiles and colours. It is reflected in all major collections like John Galliano’s collection. Indian designers are now exposed to Western markets. European buyers are ready to buy Indian designer products. Indian brands are being sold in their stores. You can see the collections of top Indian designers in top international stores like Harrods etc.”

Fashion bazaar project

As Indian pret-a-porter and couture designs continue to set trends and gain popularity across the world, a project that would enable designers to have more freedom is being formed.
A so-called fashion bazaar will showcase collections throughout the year, allowing buyers to view designs without having to wait for particular fashion weeks or shows. However, the fashion community is still waiting for government support.

The Indian Associated Chambers of Commerce estimate investment in the Indian fashion industry to reach 7.5 billion rupees by 2012 as compared to the current 3 billion rupees.
As more fashion schools open up, fresh graduates are bringing in new ideas. Indian designers will probably seek to open more outlets in the West so that the latest Indian ethnic designs are available to a wider market.

By Nikki Rattan/DW