Worldwide swine flu toll over 2,100: WHO

Geneva: Over 2,100 people worldwide have died from the influenza A(H1N1) since the virus was identified in April, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
All the six WHO regions have reported deaths from the pandemic, with the Americas reporting the largest death number of 1,876, the UN agency said in a latest update of the situation.
In southeast Asia, 139 deaths were recorded, followed by Europe with at least 85 deaths. Deaths in the West Pacific, Africa and East Mediterranean stand at 64, 11 and 10 respectively.
The total number of lab confirmed swine flu cases reported worldwide is 2,09,438, but this actually understates the real number of cases as countries are no longer required to test and report individual cases, the WHO said.
The WHO warned that the H1N1 pandemic virus "has rapidly established itself and is now the dominant influenza strain in most parts of the world."
"The pandemic will persist in the coming months as the virus continues to move through susceptible populations," it said in a statement.
It advised countries in the northern hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread.
"Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases," it added.
According to WHO experts, there are currently no signs that the H1N1 virus has mutated to a more virulent or lethal form

ndia is in need of robust National Awards

Just about every country presents national awards for films. The difference with India is that they are all homogenous countries, speaking in a single tongue, not only in terms of the actual language spoken but the film language used. From China to Spain, they do not go through the excruciating exercise of pitting an Aamir Khan film in Hindi against a Priyadarshan film in Tamil. How do you appraise the two? What is the yardstick you use? How do you compare the film language used in Shivajee Chandrabhushan’s Frozen with the Aditya Chopra-produced Chak De! India?
Apparently, to distinguish “artistic” cinema from the “popular” one, our National Awards authorities have adopted a system of having numerous categories: “Wholesome Entertainment”, “Best Film on National Integration”, “Best Film on Family Welfare”, etc. Here, it is the content that matters — with quality of filmmaking, of course, taken into consideration. But the film language varies so dramatically that judging is an onerous task, particularly in view of the huge number of films entered for the awards. And then, if there is an Adoor Gopalakrishnan or a Shyam Benegal or a Mani Ratnam film in competition, few would have the temerity to ignore it while deciding upon the prizes. Yet, no one can produce a masterpiece each time, and it has to be recognised that once in a blue moon, a young newcomer can come up with something so powerful, so original that he or she deserves to prevail over the well-established names. It has happened in big festivals like Cannes, Berlin and Venice, but is unheard of in our own national competition. Perhaps a rule should be introduced that the Best Film and Best Director can be won by a single individual no more than three times!
Parallel to the National Awards are the state film awards in each language. How do National Awards for best “regional language” films compare with the awards presented in each state? It would be interesting to study the differences in perception between the state awards and the National Awards. It’s somewhat like a comparison between national and international awards. A striking recent example is the Filipino film Engkwentro which got a Jury Special Mention at the recent Cinemalaya film festival in Manila and went on to garner two awards at the Venice film festival. The jury at Cinemalaya was composed of three Filipinos and two foreigners, while the two juries in Venice which gave Engkwentro a major award each — the Luigi De Laurentis prize for Best First Film and the Horizons award for Best Film — had no Filipino member. Does that tell us something about the way we look at our own films? In India that would apply to the regional awards and members of the National Awards jury who come from all parts of the country. There is a fundamental question here on the understanding of cultures.
Once I was dismissive of a Bengali film proposed for inclusion in a film festival of which I was the Director. “No”, I said categorically. “Too sentimental, too wishy-washy — even if sensitively shot”. To which the very bright, cinema-literate young Bengali working with me responded, “But Aruna di, most Bengalis are like that”. It got me thinking about the absolute necessity to understand the cultural diversity in at least our own country and to take that into consideration when judging the quality of a film. It is not necessary that each film conform to an international — i.e. European — definition of cinema. To really judge a film, one needs to understand the language, culture, history, politics and the very ethos of the country where it comes from and, in India, the region where it is made. And, in addition, bring to this judging an understanding of cinema as a form. No mean task. A well-nigh impossible one, in fact.
The National Awards this time have been mercifully free of controversy — no doubt a great relief to the organisers in view of the court case they had to face and which is the reason the awards have been delayed in the past two years. One of the jury members went to court saying she did not agree with the prizes agreed upon. That is inadmissible and should not, in fact, have been entertained as a valid complaint. As a member of the jury, one is committed to go with the majority decision, however much one may disagree with it as an individual. What does, however, need to be examined by the organisers are the recommendations of the juries; examined, and the decision for or against, made known before the next round of awards. The next round of awards is, imminent. Because of the delay in the 2007 awards, which have only just been announced to be followed soon by the presentation ceremony, the 2008 awards will also be judged before the end of this financial year. Presented as it is by the President of India, a National Award has an aura and prestige that all film people across the board yearn for. The ceremony itself remains a rather staid affair. Without making it a glittering, glamour-filled occasion, perhaps, something could be done to invest it with the pomp and majesty of a state event.

Stakes are high in Maharashtra

While three states will go to the polls next month to elect new state Assemblies, it will be the Maharashtra results that will be avidly watched all over the country — particularly by the national parties that are in the fray. The stakes are huge in terms of psychological repercussions on various national parties, particularly the Congress after it came out with flying colours in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. The Congress is also the ruling party in Maharashtra in alliance with Mr Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, and the state has been a traditional Congress bastion, except for one five-year term when a BJP-Sena alliance was in power. The state, one of India’s richest, has also traditionally been one of the principal sources of fundraising for the ruling party, and thus defeat here is likely to hit it very hard. The fortunes of both the NCP as well as the BJP-Sena combine are in the melting pot. For the first time in its history in the state, the BJP is ridden with the kind of factionalism which used to plague the Congress. Once-disciplined party workers in Raigad and Nagpur are busy forming their own parties in order to fight “official” Shiv Sena candidates. In Ghatkopar (East), for instance, where late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s daughter Ms Poonam is the party candidate, the BJP leadership faces accusations that it had “bartered away” Ghughar, a party fiefdom for decades, to the Sena so that it could secure the seat for Ms Mahajan. The Sena-BJP alliance is expected to lose some crucial numbers because of this. The alliance’s carefully-laid plans to neutralise the Raj Thackeray factor will be in disarray due to this infighting. The Sena has for some time been trying desperately to convince middle–class voters that supporting Raj’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena will only divide the Marathi manoos vote to the advantage of the Congress. It is also likely that the parting of ways between the RPI and the Congress will neutralise the support that the Congress got from the MNS. For the first time, the Congress appears to have angered a section of dalits because of the hamhanded way in which it evicted dalit leader Mr Ramdas Athavle from his bungalow in New Delhi last week. This is being interpreted in certain circles in Maharashtra as an anti-dalit move as Mr Athwale had of late distanced himself from the Congress. The RPI is expected to question why action was taken against Mr Athawle when several other former MPs continue to occupy official quarters for longer periods. Mr Sharad Pawar’s political future is also in the melting pot, particularly after his party put up a poor showing in the Lok Sabha election. If it continues to perform badly in this Assembly election it will greatly weaken his position at the Centre, and the voices demanding a merger of the NCP with the Congress are likely to grow louder. The key reason which prompted Mr Pawar to form the NCP over a decade ago was his allergy at that time to the question of Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, something he says now is no longer an issue. Then why, his critics are bound to ask, is there any need to maintain the NCP’s separate existence?

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WISH YOU A HAPPY DASARA

Krishna is born

Chennai: Krishna’s birth star is Rohini, and there is a significance to His choosing to be born in this star, said Kalyanapuram Aravamudhachariar. In the list of 27 stars, Rohini is the fourth one. Among the four Purusharthas, moksha is the fourth one and who can give us moksha, except Lord Krishna? Thus it was that He chose to be born in the fourth star, to show the world that He and He alone can give us moksha.

If we count to ten forwards from the star Hastha, we get the star Sravana, the star of the Lord as Trivikrama, who measured the three worlds. If we count up to ten backwards from Hastha, we get Rohini, Krishna’s star. It is to show the world that Krishna is none other than the One who measured the three worlds, that Krishna took His avatar in the Rohini star.

The new born baby causes the chains that bind His father Vasudeva’s feet to break. In his Yadhavbhyudayam, Swami Desika says Krishna would have had no difficulty in causing the iron chain to break. Isn’t He the one who breaks an even more powerful chain that binds us- the chain of samsara?

Describing Krishna’s birth, Andal uses the word ’oruthi’ for both Yasoda and Devaki. She could just as well have said Devaki and Yasoda. But she uses the word ’oruthi’ meaning that one lady, for a particular reason. Each of them is unique. Devaki is the one who gave birth to Krishna, and that is her uniqueness. Yasoda is the one who brings up Krishna, and that is her uniqueness. The night of His birth is described by Andal as ‘or iravu’, that one night. Here again, that one night is special, for it sees the birth of Lord Narayana as Krishna the cowherd. Day and night are common and repetitive, but can there be a night to match the night of Krishna’s birth? Although Krishna’s birth is unique, His years of childhood in Brindavan and Gokulam are the ones that show the world His soulabhya. That is why Swami Desika in his Gopala Vimsati, speaks of Brindavan first. Only then does he talk of Sri Jayanthi, the day of His birth, showing that while His birth is unique, even more unique is His childhood in the midst of the cowherds.

ribute to MJ

Pop group 'Jackson 5', which achieved phenomenal sucess in the 1970s, is planning to reunite for a concert in tribute to their brother and bandmate, 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson.

Jermaine Jackson, who shot to fame with the Jackson 5 alongside his brothers Jackie, Tito, Marlon and Michael, has hinted that the musical family may perform together on stage at the show he is planning in Vienna, Austria, on September 26, 'Contactmusic' reported.

"Being a producer I wanted to put a show together because it is a family thing. My family is very busy, Janet is doing something right now. I have invited all of them, so, you never know, once the music hits them they will probably want to come up and perform and do what they know how to do. But definitely I have committed myself to performing," said the 54-year-old singer.

The 'Mama's Pearl' singer also revealed that he has invited his mother Katherine Jackson to the event, along with Jackson's three children, Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II.

"I spoke to my mother and I said I wanted to do something for the fans in Europe. She has supported this from the very start," he added.

Is the worst over? Too early to say

Stock markets across the world (including in India) reacted with euphoria following the US Federal Reserve chairman, Mr Ben Bernanke’s observation that the recession in the United States “could be over”, but this other significant statement — that unemployment or joblessness was increasing — appears to have been overlooked. The latter has far-reaching consequences as it could result in future defaults on home loans and credit card debts — in fact there is much talk in America now that credit card defaults could be the next major mortgage scam. The excess leverage in the US financial system is still there, and unless this is weeded out credit growth is unlikely to pick up. Much of the money given to banks has been parked back with the Fed in the US, just as banks in India park their surplus cash of over Rs 1 lakh crore with the Reserve Bank. While the euphoria globally can be understood after a very bleak year, the reality is much more sobering. What one sees in the US is a slowdown in the rate of decline, but that is because the economy has been on steroids. The trillion-dollar stimulus package is almost five per cent of America’s GDP, and the “cash for clunkers” to push sales of cars is what is keeping the economy going and creating a positive sentiment. The real stimulus, which is consumer spending and accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the US economy, is yet to pick up. America’s economic problems will not go away in a hurry. But in the gloom, Mr Bernanke’s statement on the recession was like the light at the end of the tunnel, which also sent ripples through Asia and Europe. While America’s stock markets are starting to look up after a long time, the emerging markets, particularly India, have been having a huge run-up for some months now. They had not been as badly affected as the Anglo Saxon economies. Some stocks on the Indian bourses have tripled from their bottom, and this is now a cause for concern. The bulls, of course, are optimistic about the continued upward journey of the Sensex and Nifty, even though there may be minor corrections along the way. Still, it is difficult to predict 2009, unlike 2008, when the global economies were in the dumps and transparently so, as liquidity had dried up and four to five of the giant banks and insurance companies had collapsed. The wreckage was visible. The revival signals are very conflicting even in India, though we have more positives than any other emerging market, excluding China. We have a stable government, a growth rate that is still enviable even though much of this growth is because of the fall in imports. Our exports, however, have yet to pick up and this is important as it is a labour-intensive sector and million of people depend on it for their livelihoods. Delayed rains in India have had an adverse impact on agriculture, but the government claims that it has enough food in its granaries to make up for the shortfall. Having said all this, there is no room for irrational euphoria, because inflation is starting to rear its head once again and is expected to reach five per cent by March 2010. This means some monetary tightening by December. Then there is also the need for winding down some of the monetary measures that the RBI had taken to pump in over Rs 5 lakh crores into the system since September last year.

CarrieAnne Moss

India wants Beijing to improve market access

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FICCI delegation visits Beijing

Trade gap skewed in China’s favour

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BEIJING: Indian officials have urged China to improve market access for Indian companies in the face of persisting problems in a number of sectors, ranging from agro-processing to information technology, and a fast-widening trade deficit.

The trade gap, already skewed in China’s favour, has continued to grow this year, with falling demand from China’s recession-hit industries for raw materials from India. India’s exports to China fell by 50 per cent in the first six months of 2009. During this period, Chinese exports fell by 16 per cent, doubling the value of Indian exports. The trade deficit in the first half of this year was $6.14 billion and looked set to surpass last year’s deficit of $11.2 billion.

Raw materials such as iron ore and other low-end commodities make up the bulk of India’s exports. New Delhi’s attempts in recent years at diversifying the trade basket to bridge the gap have yielded little.

Indian officials say Beijing’s reluctance to improve market access in the higher-value sectors is a large part of the problem.

A Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) delegation, with representatives of more than 20 companies, is in Beijing this week in the latest effort yet to help Indian companies penetrate the Chinese market.

Nand Khemka, Chairman of Sun Group and head of the delegation, said the aim was to promote Indian companies in sectors such as financial services, information technology and agro-processing, which enjoyed little success in China so far. “Improving market access will help bridge the trade deficit,” he said.

During the visit, Indian concerns about long-pending market access issues in a number of sectors will be conveyed to Chinese authorities, officials said.

“It cannot be that Indian industry is competitive everywhere in the world except in China,” Indian Ambassador to China S. Jaishankar said.

“While trade volumes have been impressive, from the Indian perspective, the prospect of large and recurring trade deficits is a natural source of concern.”

Little success

A number of Indian IT companies, from Infosys to Tata Consultancy Services, have opened offices in China, but have found it difficult to establish a foothold and have only enjoyed infrequent success, such as the $100-million contract TCS secured from the Bank of China.

Another sector in which India has had little success in improving market access is agricultural products. Under a bilateral agreement in 2000, the two countries agreed to facilitate trade in agricultural products. India has so far sought market access for 17 varieties of fruits and vegetables. But after a decade of discussions, access has been given to only three varieties.

Trade between the two countries has taken a hit after the financial crisis. In the first seven months of this year, bilateral trade was down by 30 per cent from last year. It grew by 34 per cent in 2008, reaching $51.8 million.

Sensex rallies to 15-month high

Aggressive buying in metal, banking, consumer goods and automobile counters

MUMBAI: Discarding mixed global cues, the benchmark Sensex on Tuesday set a fresh 15-month high of 16454 by adding over 240 points on hectic buying by funds on reports of advance tax payments by some big corporate houses.

After snapping its previous six-day winning streak on Monday, the BSE Sensex opened strong and improved further to settle the day at 16454.45, higher by 240.26 points than its last close. The last time the key index witnessed this level was on June 2 last year.

Marketmen said funds were aggressive buyers across realty, metal, banking, auto and consumer goods counters as they sensed promising second quarter earnings by Indian corporates. They said second instalment of advance tax payments by some big corporate was higher indicating revival in the economy.

All-round buying saw all sectoral indices closing with gains but realty, metal, banking and auto led the rally.

Total market breadth remained positive as 1,801 counters finished with gains against 994 that ended with losses on the BSE.

Rupee bounces back

In line with the recovery in equity markets, the rupee bounced back on Monday and closed higher by more than nine paise at 48.6350/6450 against the U.S. currency on sustained capital inflows. Rise in other Asian currencies also partly aided the rupee sentiment.

In lackadaisical trade at the inter-bank foreign exchange market, the rupee resumed higher at 48.62/64 against its last close of 48.73/74 a dollar.

It later moved in a range of 48.55 and 48.69 a dollar.

The Reserve Bank of India, however, fixed the reference rate for the U.S. dollar at Rs 48.57 and for the euro at Rs 71.06.

Meanwhile, the global crude oil was below the $ 69 a barrel in Asian trade. — PTI

The Value of Trade Balance to Local Economy

The balance of trade also referred as trade balance, which sometimes is symbolized as NX, is the difference of the monetary value of imports and exports in one economy in a given period of time. The balance of trade is considered the biggest part of a country’s balance of payments.

Imports, domestic spending, foreign aid, and investment abroad are called debit items while credit items includes exports, foreign investments in domestic economy and foreign spending in domestic economy.

A trade surplus is a positive balance of trade which is consists of more exporting than importing. A trade deficit is the negative balance of trade or sometimes called a trade gap. The trade balance can sometimes be divided as services balance and goods balance just like in the United Kingdom which they use the terms invisible and visible balance.

The balance of trade is a part of current account which includes transactions that includes income derived from international investment and international aid. Thus, if the current account comes as a surplus then the nation’s international net asset increases also while deficit will decrease the international net asset.

A good trade surplus is achieved when a country exports products more than buying imported goods. A trade deficit is eventually experience as a result of the opposite of a trade surplus. The trade balance is alike to the difference of a country's output and the domestic demand. These factors may affect the trade balance: prices of goods manufactured, taxes and tariffs, trade agreements, business cycle (home or abroad), and exchange rates.

The trade balance is different in many business cycles. For instance, export growth like oil and industrial goods which improves when there is economic expansion.

In developed countries like; Japan, China and Germany usually run at trade surpluses in which they experience a higher savings rate. Around the world there are different natural resources which a country may have for instance, countries from the coastal regions are major producers of fish, Canada can be a major producer of lumber because of its huge forests while in the Middle East, has the most oil reserves.

International trade is important so in order to sustain the balance of trade. A country should be totally self sufficient without international trade. Through international trades, each country will have the opportunity to produce specialize goods efficiently. In relation, when a nation specializes in producing these goods, the total production increases instead of trying to be self sufficient. Nations will benefit from international trades and also meets their needs. Generally, nations will trade to other nations when they gain from the trade. But the gains are not usually equal in terms of benefits and profit.

How to Trade Forex

Trading foreign exchange is exciting and potentially very profitable, but there are also significant risk factors. It is crucially important that you fully understand the implications of margin trading and the particular pitfalls and opportunities that foreign exchange trading offers. On these pages, we offer you a brief introduction to the Forex markets as well as their participants and some strategies that you can apply. However, if you are ever in doubt about any aspect of a trade, you can always discuss the matter in-depth with one of our dealers. They are available 24 hours a day on the Saxo Bank online trading system, SaxoTrader.

The benchmark of its service is efficient execution, concise analysis and expertise – all achieved whilst maintaining an attractive and competitive cost structure. Today, Saxo Bank offers one of Europe's premier all-round services for trading in derivative products and foreign exchange. We count amongst our employees numerous dealers and analysts, each of whom has many years experience and a wide and varied knowledge of the markets – gained both in our home countries and in international financial centres. When trading foreign exchange, futures and other derivative products, we offer 24-hour service, extensive daily analysis, individual access to our Research & Analysis department for specific queries, and immediate execution of trades through our international network of banks and brokers. All at a price considerably lower than that which most companies and private investors normally have access to.

The combination of our strong emphasis on customer service, our strategy and trading recommendations, our strategic and individual hedging programmes, along with the availability to our clients of the latest news and information builds a strong case for trading an individual account through Saxo Bank.

Terms of trading are agreed individually depending on the volume of your transactions, but are generally much lower in cost when compared to banks and brokers. Your margin deposit can be cash or government securities, bank guarantees etc. Large corporate or institutional clients may be offered trading facilities on the strength of their balance sheet. The minimum deposit accepted for an individual trading account depends on the account type. Trade confirmations and real-time account overview are built into SaxoTrader, while further account information can be produced in accordance with your specific requirements.

Getting Sentimental with Forex Trading

Sentimental analysis is what it sounds like – gauging the market sentiment. What does that mean? Well, as traders, a part of our job is to determine if a market is bullish, bearish, overbought, oversold, and to plan a trade for those market conditions – basically putting all of the things we’ve learned up until this point all together.

So how do we do that? What tools can we use? And how do we react to certain conditions? Well, that’s what we’re going to find out today – we’re going to take a look into sentiment analysis in forex trading.

Now there are a couple of ways to gauge different market conditions. Does anyone know what those two things are? You guessed it: technical and fundamental analysis. Now, in the School of Pipsology, we’ve covered most of the commonly used technical indicators out there for forex trading, so you should be an expert at that already right?

Well, in stocks and options, sentiment is measured using volume data. For instance, if a declining stock suddenly reversed on high volume that means the market sentiment may have changed from bearish to bullish. Or if a stock price was rising on gradually declining volume, then that may be a sign of an overbought market.

But have you ever seen volume data on any forex charts?

Probably not.

Being that the foreign exchange does not have a centralized market, volume data cannot be accurately calculated. So, where’s a trader to go to get such valuable data? That’s where the COT report comes in.

But how about the fundamental tools? What fundamental tools are available to gauge sentiment?

Things to Know When Trading News Reports

Now that we know “how” and “when” you can trade news reports, there are a few key concepts you should know before placing your first news trade.

• While the actual news number or report is essential to the long-term movement of a currency pair, in the short-term the difference between the market expectations and the actual release is what causes potential breakout opportunities. This means economic numbers and reports that come out as the market expected generally do not cause a strong market reaction.
• The quieter the market is before a news release, the more the market is poised for a significant move. Think about it: In a quiet market, less and less traders are buying and selling, possibly waiting for some sort of catalyst (like a news report maybe?). When this “catalyst” takes place, all of these traders waiting on the sidelines jump in at the same time causing a huge move in the market. So, the more traders wait (the quieter the market), the more will jump in after a news report (huge pips and a new Ferrari, right?).
• Depending on the significance of the economic report, and the amount of deviation of the actual to the forecasted number, news breakout opportunities are generally short-lived and may last for only a few minutes or even a few seconds. Trading news releases may be better suited for scalpers and da

Kate Winslet

YSR's last journey

PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

BIDDING ADIEU: Thousands bade a tearful farewell to Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday. A scene at Idupalapaya in Kadapa district, where the funeral was held on Friday.

who loved his people

He could be totally frank one moment and canny the next. Alternately fierce and tender, a loyal friend to friends and bitter rival to rivals, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy was truly an ebullient and multifaceted man.
He started out as a local politician but grew to be a national figure. Though a known dissident for long, he quelled dissidence swiftly when he became the chief minister. He carried the “Rayalaseema” tag for many years but was later known to be the champion of a united state.
Born on July 8, 1949, in Pulivendula, Rayalaseema, Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy started electoral politics in 1978 from Pulivendula. I knew YSR for long and could always discern his big heartedness beneath the rough and tumble of his politics.
YSR was an angry young man in those days but was also known for the parties he threw at the Idupulapaya Estates. Young YSR’s fiery temper was legendary.
For the first few years he confined himself to Pulivendula where his father Raja Reddy was in the mining business. Gradually he started participating in politics at the state level. During the Anjaiah regime he became a minister of state for rural development and then the health minister. He became quite powerful during Bhavanam Venkatram’s regime and was even known as the “de facto chief minister”.
In those days, YSR had a thick moustache and was always seen in the company of Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr K.E. Krishnamurthy. A natural leader, his rivalries ran deep. But when he felt affection for a person, his trust would be complete.
This particular trait led to several ups and downs in his three-decade-long career in politics. He was disappointed at not getting a berth in the P.V. Narasimha Rao Cabinet and gravitated towards Rajesh Pilot who he accepted as a “guru” in national politics. But YSR was never too keen on national politics.
It was Rajiv Gandhi who spotted the leader in YSR. After G. Venkataswamy, then Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief, quit his post following the Telugu Desam’s rise to power, Indira Gandhi chose 34-year-old YSR as the successor on the advice of her son. YSR’s honesty had impressed Rajiv. During the 1985 Assembly polls, YSR candidly told Rajiv that the Congress’ chances were bleak. “Don’t worry”, said Rajiv, “You select youthful and energetic candidates”. YSR dropped senior political leaders such as Madanmohan and Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy from the list of candidates and put up new faces. After 1985, YSR had to quit the post of PCC chief. Many thought that this would be the end of his career.
YSR started his political innings as MLA in 1986 and got into trouble with the All-India Congress Committee. Despite this, YSR was trusted by political leaders because of his forthright and pleasant manners. He welcomed both friends and foes with a smiling face, always kept his word and would never lie.

YSR was an inveterate traveller. He loved to be on the road all the time. I travelled with him many times and once we even escaped a major accident while returning to Delhi from Tehri Dam. We were caught between a convoy of army trucks and YSR hit his head on the front seat but suffered no injuries. After filing a police complaint, we drove on to Delhi. Passers by laughed at our car — both the front and rear were damaged and one door was hanging.
Though YSR could get angry with his colleagues, he loved people and never lost his cool when he was with them. He used to write thousands of recommendation letters for the people who came to visit him.
The tough leader used to relax by listening to songs of Ghantasala but hated television. Whenever he stepped into his house, he would switch off the TV even if his wife, Vijayalaxmi, was watching it. He loved books and would always read something before going to sleep.
One quirk of YSR was his possessiveness about his toilet. A story that’s often told is that as chief minister, he transferred a senior IPS official because he had used the sanitised toilet meant for him just before his arrival at the Visakhapatnam guest house.
YSR was a smoker in the early 80s and would often borrow cigarettes. He kicked the habit in 1988 but still loved the smell of tobacco. In Parliament’s Central Hall he would sometimes take a cigarette from me, smell it and return it.
A fast eater, he would not wait for others to finish their meal before leaving the table. And as is well-known, he was also an early riser.
After becoming chief minister in 2004, YSR changed a lot. He became calmer and the customary angry retorts became less and less.
I still remember during the Kadapa Lok Sabha polls YSR asking his jeep driver to go full throttle towards the Telugu Desam men assembled there after learning that they had been resorting to bogus voting. But after becoming the chief minister, he used to say, “I have severed the anger nerve”.
There are some interesting anecdotes which illustrate YSR’s approach to issues and people. Once his father Raja Reddy came to see him and asked him to help one individual. This was during Mr Janardhana Reddy’s tenure as Chief Minister. YSR replied, “Naayanaa (daddy), I verified the case. This person is corrupt. How can I help him?”
In another instance, in the same period, YSR asked the then minister for technical education, Mr Eswar Kumar, to accord sanction in an issue. But when the complainants told YSR that the minister had not done it, YSR picked up the phone and said, “Mr Eswar Kumar, I want the G.O. by today evening”. To everyone’s surprise, Mr Eswar Kumar came to YSR’s residence and handed over the copy of G.O. That was YSR’s style.
YSR is often thought of as a person who helped only Reddys. But he was non-sectarian and secular. He advised his brother, Sudheekara Reddy, to allow his daughter to marry a youth belonging to another caste.
Though the YSR family got baptised decades ago, it remained a truly secular family where all religions were respected and festivals celebrated. He would often say, “I believe in Christ. So I forgive persons and also give them time to change”.
He was an efficient time manager and always found time for people and issues. He had made a habit of meeting his long-time friend KVP over lunch to discuss important issues. He would also listen to officials keenly but would take his own decisions.
YSR’s major passion, if one can say so, were people. He could not spend a day without meeting people and helping them. Even after becoming chief minister he would often give money to poor people who would come to his house. That is YSR for you — a man who loved his people.

LETTERS

• • Dying for YSR

    This is with reference to the report 42 YSR followers die of shock (September 4). People should refrain from killing themselves even though they are disappointed at Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s sudden death.

• • Dying for YSR

    This is with reference to the report 42 YSR followers die of shock (September 4). People should refrain from killing themselves even though they are disappointed at Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s sudden death.

• • YSR dies in crash

    This is with reference to the report Massive search for missing CM September 3. I can’t believe that Dr Y

YSR 's Son Jagan Mohan

Jagan Mohan Reddy

HYDERABAD: The struggle for succeeding Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy as Chief Minister has begun in the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, with a large section of Ministers, MLAs and other leaders going all out to project his son and Kadapa MP, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, as his rightful political heir.

Even before Dr. Reddy’s body was laid to rest on Friday evening, his loyalists worked overtime to promote the claims of 36-year-old Jagan Mohan Reddy. Many of them are either first-time MLAs or die-hard supporters of Dr. Reddy, and owe their positions to him.

The leaders launched a signature campaign and claimed that more than 120 out of the 154 Congress MLAs have thrown their weight behind Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

However, they could not submit their petition to AICC general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh M. Veerappa Moily, who was disinclined to entertain any such demand in the midst of a tragedy.

The campaign manifested even on Thursday afternoon, at a meeting of ministers in YSR’s Cabinet convened by Chief Minister K. Rosaiah to adopt a condolence resolution.

The Ministers availed themselves of the opportunity to adopt a unanimous resolution to propose the candidature of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy for Chief Minister. They argued that Jagan, as he is popularly known, enjoyed the support of the masses and was acceptable to all sections, just like his father.

The initiative is now being taken forward by government chief whip Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, a YSR loyalist. He has taken the lead in convening an informal meeting of the Congress Legislature Party for Saturday to discuss the issue.

“It is necessary to elevate Jagan to the top post in order to take the message of YSR forward and to complete the pending irrigation projects,” Mr. Vikramarka said, reasoning that when A.K. Antony and Omar Abdullah could become Chief Ministers in their late 30s, there was nothing wrong in choosing Jagan for the post.