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200 years and
going strong
The State Bank
of India stands for trust, security and stability. Shiv
Kumar traces the origin, rise and reach of the
institution that is visible in every part of india, and abroad, too.
Its iconic status over two centuries makes it an unrivalled superbrand
the nation can bank on.
ANY
one researching a bank as ancient as the State Bank of India can
always count on the odd customer to recall a forbear who bequeathed
DNA and school house blazers along with banking relationships.
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Imperial Bank of India, Bombay The majestic stone building of the Imperial Bank of India at Apollo Street (now Mumbai Samachar Marg) with Ionic columns, fretted windows and pedimented entrance was erected in 1924. |
Curtains
for puppetry
Lata Phadkar
THE
curtain lifts to reveal a white cloth stretched across the stage. It
serves as the backdrop, against which Haribhai and Meeraben go through
the motions of marriage for the umpteenth time. Standing behind the
cloth, Kailash Sinh puts them through the paces with practiced ease.
Nibbling
for health
Genevieve
Roberts on the multiple benefits of eating nuts
TONY
Blair munches through a daily supply of pistachios and Dame Kelly
gold. Nuts, it seems, are becoming Britain’s nibble of choice, while
sales of crisps, crackers and poppadums are declining, as people react
to fears of obesity.
Passage
to England
Punam
Khaira Sidhu on the Queen’s country and its sights, the
attitudes and lifestyle of the Britons and the Asian immigrants
WHEN
we took off from New Delhi, it was with a head full of Noddy-inspired
images, envisioning England as a country of villages with rose briars
on gates, gnarled apple trees and green meadows with fluffy sheep.
When we landed in Manchester, it was anticlimactic.
Seed
of the faith
K.S.
Bains on the first Sikh martyr, who changed the course of
Sikhism
THE
martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev changed the path of progress of the Sikh
religion. While paying homage to him on his martyrdom day, we
generally highlight the compilation of the Adi Granth and the
construction of the Golden Temple as his main contributions.
Moore
the merrier
Director Michael Moore’s
project for a festival of independent cinema in Michigan has kicked up
a controversy. Saibal Chatterjee reports
THE
life and times of the confrontational American documentary filmmaker,
Michael Moore, are such that nothing he touches is ever free from
controversy. His latest hobbyhorse, something as innocuous as a
small-town festival of quality films in his native Michigan, has
raised more then a few eyebrows. Upbeat
about Bollywood
Not many may know it, but
Lord David Puttnam, the Oscar-winning British producer, who has made
films like Chariots of Fire and The Killing Fields, is a
dedicated Indophile.
THE
64-year-old, who has even adopted an Indian girl, has a deep love for
things Indian. And this shows in his concern for the country’s
culture. "The rapidly growing Indian middle class is in danger of
losing contact with traditional values. Can a successful India be
built on the abandonment of its traditional value base?"
The
last moghul of Indian cinema
How many directors can
boast of possessing a complimentary letter from Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru? Baldev Raj Chopra, better known as B. R. Chopra, does. After
Nehru saw Chopra’s classic, Naya Daur (1957), the Prime
Minister congratulated him for beautifully depicting India’s rural
life.
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