Never paid attention to my popularity: Amitabh Bachchan

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 70 on Thursday, says he never cared about his popularity but believed that one’s outlook towards life matters the most.

“Every human being will go through a phase when there are highs and lows. Everything that goes up also comes down. I don’t think I am particularly different from anyone. We all have our highs and lows. It is just about what kind of attitude you have during the time,” Mr Bachchan told PTI in an interview.

“If you have success, you should know that it is going to be short lived and if you have lows and the courage to fight or an attempt to make a comeback, then all the best,” he added.

The Bollywood legend, who has appeared in over 180 films in his career spanning more than four decades, says his contemporary actors too are doing well in their capacity.

“I never judge myself. I cannot say my contemporaries have been left behind me. That would be wrong. I have never paid attention to my popularity. People can write what they want to but it doesn’t matter to me,” he said.

Mr Bachchan said actors like Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra and Rishi Kapoor are “very much active” and working in films.

“Unfortunately, Shashi Kapoor is unwell or else I am sure he too would be active.

“In fact, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha have entered politics and are doing well... I feel I have been left behind by my contemporaries,” he said.

Mr Bachchan, who acted only once with Dilip Kumar on screen — in 1982 hit ‘Shakti’, says the acting great is his idol.

“Dilip saab and Waheedaji (Waheeda Rehman) are my favourite artists of all time and my idols even today. When it comes to the history of Indian cinema, I believe it can be easily divided into an era before Dilip Kumar, and after he joined films. There cannot be anyone like him,” he said.

“When you get to work with someone who has been your favourite actor or the one you idolise, there are a lot of emotions that run through your mind. He is someone whom I have looked up to him since my childhood,” he said.

Recalling shooting of ‘Shakti’, Mr Bachchan said, “When we came together to shoot I felt bizarre. It was difficult for me to digest the fact that I was sharing screen space with Dilip Kumar. I am fortunate enough to have got the opportunity to work with a legendary actor like him. I am still in constant touch with Dilipsaab.”

Mr Bachchan said he was fortunate to have got the opportunity to work with a range of directors but considers Hrishikesh Mukherjee as his “godfather”.

“I am thankful to Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, who gave me my first film (Saat Hindustani). I consider Hrishikesh Mukherjee as my godfather. We shared a close bond. Everyone feels I have done more films with Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai but that is not true, I have done more films with Hrishida,” Mr Bachchan said.

“Manmohan Desai had madness in him. He knew the pulse of the audience very well. Yash Chopra gave some of the biggest hits of my career. At the same time, I worked with Mukul Anand and Tinnu Anand,” he said.

Mr Bachchan praised filmmakers Karan Johar, Prakash Jha, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shoojit Sircar among others.

“The new millennium saw the rise of filmmakers like Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar and I was fortunate to work with them. At this time in my career, I am working once again with some bright filmmakers like R Balki, Shoojit Sircar and Prakash Jha, who have brilliant ideas,” the veteran actor said.

Mr Bachhan also has a word of praise for current crop of films.

“There have been some brilliant films like ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’, ‘Vicky Donor’, and ‘Kahaani’

These films are so different and liked by almost everyone.

They did good business too. This shows the audience has matured and wants a good story with good presentation,” he said.

PTI :Mumbai :The Hindu :11 Oct 2012

Amitabh Bachchan 70

People walk past a giant portrait of Amitabh Bachchan from the film Deewar painted on a wall in Mumbai. AP

Jalsa, Mumbai                        Oct 10, 2012                     Wed 3:42 PM

I may not get the time, or have sufficient energy to write in today, so I come in early to express my grateful thanks to all that have wished me, and merely say this ..

Without you my life would have been incomplete ..

The blessings of the Almighty, the affection and care and upbringing of my parents and my family, and the deep love of my well wishers has kept me alive … 

I am whatever I am today because of all the above … it has been so from the beginning, it shall remain so till the end ..

Love affection and more ..

Amitabh Bachchan

China set for 'aggressive' steps to kickstart its slowing economy: World Bank

ET :11 OCT, 2012, 03.03PM IST, AFP 

TOKYO: China is likely to take "very aggressive" steps to kickstart its slowing economy after a once-in-a-decade leadership shuffle next month, the World Bank's newly installed chief said Thursday.

"In talking with the Chinese authorities, I'm completely convinced that they understand exactly the nature of the problem and they are taking every measure," to boost growth, said Jim Yong Kim.

"They are going through a political change right now, and once the political change is complete, my sense is that they'll be very aggressive in trying to restore growth," he added.

Kim, appointed head of the World Bank in July, made the comments in Tokyo at the annual meetings of the Bank and International Monetary Fund, which has cut its growth forecasts for China, the world's second-biggest economy.

China has suffered the knock-on effect of a severe debt crisis in Europe and a hobbled recovery in the United States, its two key export markets, which have led to a slump in trade and contraction in manufacturing activity.

Authorities have moved to spur the economy by slashing interest rates twice in quick succession this year and cutting the amount of funds that banks must keep in reserve three times since December in a bid to encourage lending.

On Tuesday, the Washington-based Fund said the stimulus had failed to deliver an expected boost, and it now expected Chinese growth of 7.8 per cent this year and 8.2 per cent in 2013.

That is down from a July estimate of 8.0 per cent and 8.5 per cent, respectively.

China's economy expanded by 7.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, its worst performance in three years, and disappointing data since then has led to fears that third-quarter growth may have weakened further.

The country's political scene is gearing up for a major leadership change at the helm of the ruling Communist Party with Vice President Xi Jinping widely tipped to succeed President Hu Jintao as China's next leader.

SBI, L&T mutual funds to discontinue 19 schemes

Press Trust of India / New Delhi Oct 11, 2012, 16:08 IST

Earlier this month, five fund houses, including leading players including Reliance and ICICI Prudential MF, had listed out a total of 190 schemes that have been discontinued


SBI Mutual Fund and L&T Mutual Fund have decided to discontinue 19 schemes cumulatively for fresh SIP investments to comply with market regulator Sebi's 'one-plan, one scheme' guidelines.

The two fund houses have informed the BSE, where these schemes were listed, that 10 schemes of SBI MF and nine of L&T MF would be discontinued for fresh SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) registration and subscription.



Earlier this month, five fund houses, including leading players including Reliance and ICICI Prudential MF, had listed out a total of 190 schemes that have been discontinued for fresh SIP investments to comply with Sebi guidelines.

The move follows new Sebi regulations, which require fund houses to launch only one plan per scheme with effect from this month. The Sebi direction has affected hundreds of schemes across the found houses.

Reliance MF, ICICI Pru, HSBC, Morgan Stanley and IDFC Mutual Funds have already communicated the required changes in their schemes to the BSE, where many of their schemes are listed for trading.

SIP offers mutual fund investors an option to invest as low as Rs 100 per month and have gained popularity in the market in recent past.

However, many fund houses have launched multiple SIP plans under one scheme, prompting market regulator Sebi to ask them to move to 'single plan per scheme' model in a move to make the investment process simpler for investors.

The five fund houses had also communicated to the BSE a list of 22 schemes where the Minimum Purchase Amount and Additional Purchase Amount have been lowered as per Sebi guidelines.

All the changes are effective immediately and are part of wide-ranging reforms notified by Sebi recently.SBI, L&T Mutual Funds to discontinue 19 schemes

Unitech to sell its Uninor stake to Telenor

B S :Surajeet Das Gupta / New Delhi Oct 11, 2012, 09:40 IST

The year long dispute comes to an end

Telenor and Unitech have ended their year long dispute with the domestic real estate company agreeing to sell its 33.75 per cent stake in Unitech Wireless, the joint venture which runs mobile services across the country to the Norwegian partner. As part of the agreement, Unitech will continue to retain economic rights associated with the shareholding which include any refunds it might get due to cancellation of its licence.

Unitech had invested around Rs 650 crore in the joint venture, so while the actual amount of the deal has been not disclosed except that it is of a nominal amount, it obviously could entail some premium. According to the valuation undertaken by Unitech, the joint venture was valued at Rs 12,000 crore. However this was before the Supreme Court cancelled its licences. Telenor had, however, valued the company at only Rs 400 crore which was not acceptable by the partner. As a result both sides were involved in bitter court battles and arbitration.

Telenor, which is planning to bid for the upcoming 2G auction, in fact set up a separate company to bid for the auction and sought permission to transfer its assets and subscribers from the joint venture. It also publicly said it was looking for a new partner in India.

Steve Jobs learnt the value of intuition from India: Isaacson

Steve Jobs learnt the value of intuition from India: Isaacson

11 OCT, 2012, 12.30AM IST, ULLEKH NP,ET BUREAU 


CEO-author Walter Isaacson, who wrote Steve Jobs' eponymous, authorised biography, says the iconic co-founder of Apple Inc didn't believe in throwing his money away in charity and instead thought his products would help people live better.

"(While writing Steve Jobs) I asked him about charity. He said that he would be able to do more to reform education, for example, by creating an iPad that had interactive textbooks than by being a philanthropist giving his money away. I think that one of things about Jobs is that he focused - he didn't like to do 50 different things," Isaacson, who was in Delhi on a business visit, told reporters. The CEO of Washington-based think tank Aspen Institute, he has earlier authored biographies of luminaries such as Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein. Isaacson's Steve Jobs has so far sold more than 1,40,000 copies in India.

The author says he had "close to 50 very long conversations (with Jobs) some of them lasting all afternoon or most of the day" for the purpose of writing the book. "But, he never fully engaged with me on the topic of philanthropy. I asked him a few times. So there were some topics that I felt he didn't fully address such as philanthropy and manufacturing in China. He just wasn't interested in focusing on it. There were things I asked him and I didn't get much of an answer," Isaacson said. Apple, which has hired Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn to make many of its products, has come under sharp attack over harsh labour conditions and worker unrest at the latter's plants in China.

THE IMPERFECT GUY

Isaacson concedes that his book is not about a perfect person. "He (Jobs) would have been a better person had he cared more about philanthropy. But I did admire the fact that he focused on things more important to him. That is the way he helped change the world," he noted.

Among his 'subjects', Isaacson agreed that Einstein was in "a quantum orbit, as a genius who is higher than anybody else". However, he added: "Franklin and Jobs had creativity and imagination that I tried to capture and I do think a hundred years from now people will still be looking back on Steve Jobs the way they look back at Thomas Edison or Walt Disney, people who created lots of things that were very imaginative."

Isaacson, who had also written a biography of former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, says the experience was "nerve-wracking" because "you are dealing with a strong personality". He had almost decided not to write about a living person until Jobs happened.

"I got to know Steve Jobs a thousand times more about every moment of his life than I would about Franklin or Einstein... I was spending day after day with him telling me everything. It is very rare that a biographer gets as much information and access as Steve was willing to give for this book," he said, emphasising that Jobs' passion for perfection and impatience are inseparable.

INNOVATOR VS DIFFICULT PERSON

"Steve's success as an innovator was more important than the fact that he could yell at people or park in a 'handicapped' slot," he said.

Isaacson says many top execs have told him after reading the book that Jobs was like them because they were tough bosses. "You can't be like Steve just because you are tough. You also have to have people very loyal to you. It is easy to be tough. It is not as easy to be inspiring as Steve was," he said laughing.

5 Rules for an Entrepreneur to Bounce Back After a Failure

Silicon India :8 th October 2012

Successful people always tell in their stories that they have failed a number of times. The only difference between ordinary people and successful is the approach with which they tackle these failures. Failure of any kind can surely slow down entrepreneurs, but it doesn't have to spell disaster. Entrepreneurs are capable of picking up the pieces and come through failures all with a strong self-image.

Here are five rules that an entrepreneur can follow when hit by a failure according to Bill Bartmann of Entrepreneur:

5. Don't pretend it never happened

Many young entrepreneurs are often so concerned to avoid the disgrace of failure that they refuse to admit what has happened to them. Denial mostly results in a lot of other problems, including internal stress and delaying any effective solution.
The late Dale Carnegie, a well-regarded lecturer and author of the bestseller "How to Win Friends and Influence People" said, “when you're quick to admit that you screwed up, your peers will stop holding your feet to the fire and actually begin to comfort you.”

4. Avoid making excuses

Some of them pass away from the truth by sugarcoating their failure in excuses. They tell themselves that all their shortcomings were not their fault.
But ideally entrepreneurs must stop making excuses and focus on a productive goal.

3. Don't confuse a failed goal for a failed person

Sometimes people blame themselves for any and every failure, creating a pattern of negative self-image. Assuming you'll fail is a very dangerous thinking -- and can become a self-fulfilling prediction. Instead of setting up a mental pattern for failure, an entrepreneur should ask himself how he can improve.

2. Remember, you are not alone

People fail to reach goals all the time. Consider football players, for example. They fail multiple times over the course of a long EPL season, in which they play 38 games. And when they fail, they do it in front of millions of TV viewers and on-field spectators. The point is that we're not robots. 

Everyone's bound to fail every once in a while. The key is to never give up. If you keep trying and trying, one day it will happen. Don’t miss out on stuff because it didn’t work out the way you wanted the first time you tried it. Sure, there will be ups and downs, but you should just enjoy the ride.

1. Focus on the lessons learned

If you don’t fail, you are not stretching out of your comfort zone. You are not taking risks. You are not learning things along the way. The only way to survive a failure is to focus on the future. If your mind is distracted by the failures, you are not focusing on the task at hand. When we fail, we can either beat ourselves up about it, or take it as an opportunity to learn from them. In the end, those who fail more, learn more lessons than those who were just lucky. In fact, the biggest failure is to not learn from your failures. Failure is good. It will be your guide to smarter, better decisions.

10 Countries with Best Banking Experience

Do you visit banks? Though there are many banks around you but you may choose one among them which provides you both quick services and high level of satisfaction. All over world, banks recorded an average of 65 percent in terms of customer satisfaction, according to the 2012 Retail Banking Voice of the Customer Survey, Capgemini. 

Based the survey the top 10 countries with best banking experience are reported by Yahoo.com

Turkey

Turkey is listed number 10 on the customer experience index with 74.6 percent. As of May 2012, there are 48 banks in total, out of which 31 are deposit bank, 13 are development and investment bank and 4 are participation banks.

Germany

Germany is listed number 9 on the customer experience index with 74.6 percent. The German banking system relies on three pillars: the public banks, the cooperative banks, and the purely private banks. Germany’s private bank, the Deutsche Bank, is a leading global investment bank.

South Africa

South Africa is at number 8 on the customer experience index with 74.9 percent.The four largest banks in South Africa are Absa Bank, First National Bank, Ned bank and Standard Bank. Banking services in South Africa are as sophisticated as those in the USA and Europe. There are ATMs in cities and towns; the country has also introduced cell-phone banking which is aimed to help the poorest in the most remote areas to take advantage of banking facilities.

Czech Republic

Czech Republic is at number 7 on the customer experience index reading 74.7 percent. The banking sector in the country is a performing and profitable business, playing a key role in the development of the Czech economy. During the global financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009, it demonstrated a high degree of stability along with significant levels of innovation and development of banking services.

United Kingdom

United Kingdom is listed number 6 on the customer experience index with 75.2 percent. Banking in U.K can be considered to have started in the Kingdom of England during the 17th century. The first activity recognized as banking was by goldsmiths who, after the disbanding of English monasteries by Henry VIII, began to accumulate significant stocks of gold.

Norway

Norway is listed number 5 and was the Western European leader with a 76.2 percent. For opening a bank account, a Norwegian would be required to have a Norwegian national identity number or a D-number, depending on his residency status. On the other hand a non-Norwegian shall be asked to present his passport before opening account. More and more banking in Norway is moving online. But online banking can be challenging if you don’t speak Norwegian, as banks don’t have English-language versions of the protected areas of their websites.

Australia

Australia is listed number 4 on the customer experience index with a positive response of 76.5 percent. The banking sector in Australia includes of a number of banks licensed under the Banking Act 1959, foreign banks licensed to operate through a branch in Australia, and Australian-incorporated foreign bank subsidiaries. The banking system is competitive, liquid and well developed.

India

India is listed number 3 on the customer experience index with 77 percent of positive response. State Bank of India is the oldest and the largest bank of India, even though the name was not the same as today rather was "The Bank of Bengal which started its operations in Calcutta in June, 1806. The first fully Indian owned bank was the Allahabad Bank, which was established in 1865. By the 1900s, the market expanded with the establishment of private banks such as Punjab National Bank, in 1895 in Lahore and Bank of India, in 1906, in Mumbai. The Reserve Bank of India formally took on the responsibility of regulating the Indian banking sector from 1935.

United States

United States is listed second with a customer experience index of 79 percent. However, banks in North America had the most success in customer satisfaction, at 80 percent. Banking in the U.S is regulated by both the federal and state governments. As on December 31, 2011, the five largest banks in the United States were JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs.

Canada

Canada’s banks top the list on the customer experience index at 79.3 percent. Canada leads all countries with the highest levels of positive customer experience by increasing its satisfaction level to 82 percent. Banking in Canada is widely considered the most efficient and safest banking system in the world, ranking as the world's soundest banking system for the last three years according to reports by the World Economic Forum.