Monday, June 21, 2010

The Tribune-Chatterati-21st.June.10

TAX RELIEF FOR ARTISTS
The fashion frat is over the moon as the Mumbai High Court has ruled that designers are entitled to an income tax exemption given to other artists. Tarun Tahiliani was the most jubilant as he won his long-drawn battle against the Income Tax Department seeking relief.
Tarun is, of course, now a hero in the fashion industry. The designers feel that he has proved that designers have the same stature as artists. Rohit Bal, the king of fashion, has just got back from hospital after a heart attack. He hosted a party at his restaurant Veda in Connaught Place for his friends to appreciate Tarun’s hard work and the tax gift to designers.
Tarun and Rohit Bal feel that showcasing their talent abroad is a legitimate means of carrying forward Indian culture and at the same time helps swell the foreign exchange coffers of the nation. Our designers are today appreciated in the West even as India is the flavour of the moment. A Rohit Bal ordinary T-shirt in Selfridges, London, can now cost you up to Rs 20,000 and wedding lehengas from our top designers can cost you up to Rs 10 lakh abroad. But all this has left most of the industry still in the cold.
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ANDERSON BUDDIES ALL
Anderson, the Bhopal tragedy culprit, we all now know was flown in a government plane and set free immediately. Was this a responsible act? Personal friendships of businessmen, politicians and bureaucrats can go far above the law. Anderson’s coffers at the time were open for politicians and the bureaucracy. His seven-star company guesthouse was often used by men in power. He funded charities run by politicians. Ruling politicians enjoyed his hospitality on holidays in America. So the use of official machinery to free a murderer was actually a return of past favours. Right after the tragedy, Rajiv Gandhi visited Bhopal and said in a speech that ‘action’ would be taken. Within five minutes Arjun Singh turned the word ‘action’ into ‘compensation’ and said that ‘compensation’ would be given. Unfortunately, the state government eventually made sure that there was neither ‘action’ nor ‘compensation’.
Congressmen in Delhi carry cuttings of old newspapers where all this has been quoted. Everybody has come off badly in the aftermath of the tragedy; the government of the day, the investigating agencies and the judiciary. Will 93-year-old Anderson’s extradition now heal the wounds of Bhopal? Why don’t we concentrate on giving a larger compensation package for the remaining victims and ensure it is properly disbursed and then make tighter laws to prevent future Bhopals from happening.
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LICENSE FOR A HIGH
Delhi-ites are cheering – cheers for the new licences to smaller eateries to serve beer and wine. Specialised eating places other than the five stars have always been a major draw for those celebrating high life. Today the true literate like to shun the more obvious five-star culture simply because it is so predictable. While hotels too have been forced to upgrade their dining facilities, the thrill of seeking the ‘dice’ is a gourmet’s delight.
Now with the booze licences, ‘sada Dilliwalas’ will be able to indulge themselves fully. Will drunken driving and brawls explode as a result? Unlikely, say those who insist that Delhi must host Commonwealth Games like a global, grown-up city.

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