LOVE ANGELES

Car Made in India Could Cost $8,000 in US

Source: DETROIT (AP) -The world's cheapest car is being readied for sale in the U.S., but by the time India's Tata Nano is retrofitted to meet emissions and safety standards, it won't be that cheap.

Tata Technologies Ltd., the global engineering arm of the Tata group conglomerate, brought the tiny car to Detroit as a publicity stunt for the engineering group.

Tata officials, while maintaining that they couldn't speak for Tata Motors, maker of the $2,500 Nano, said they were involved with the Nano from concept until it launched last July in Mumbai.

They wouldn't say when the Nano might arrive in the U.S. or how much it might cost here, although Ratan Tata, chairman of the group of Tata companies, has said it should be ready for U.S. distribution in about three years.

Tata Motors already has made a European version of the four-seat car that will cost about $8,000 when it debuts in 2011, and a Tata Technologies official said privately that the U.S. version is expected to have a comparable price. The official did not want to be identified because the price has not been made public.

Warren Harris, Tata Technologies president, would only say that the price would be more than the roughly $2,500 charged in India.

"The structural changes that would need to be made, the changes that would be required as far as emissions are concerned, and some of the features that would be appropriate to add to the vehicle for the North American market, obviously that would drive up the price point," he said.

Tata Technologies could be involved in bringing the car up to U.S. standards, said Tony Jones, associate vice president of the global automotive practice.

Before it can be sold here, the car's two-cylinder, 623cc engine would have to be engineered to meet stronger U.S. pollution standards, he said. Airbags would have to be added, the roof strengthened and the front bumper lengthened to meet U.S. requirements to limit damage in a 5-mph crash.

The Spartan interior, with flat bucket seats, three knobs, a horizontal switch and a steering wheel, also would have to be changed to comply with U.S. safety standards that limit movement of passengers not wearing seat belts.

Jones said the Nano Europa has airbags and has passed European safety tests with flying colors.

The Nano, with 12-inch diameter tires, electric windows in the front and crank windows in the back, gets 50 mpg on the highway and has a top speed of 65 mph.

If the $8,000 price tag holds true, it would cost far less than the $9,970 Hyundai Accent, currently the car with the lowest base sticker price in the U.S., according to the Edmunds.com automotive Web site. The price excludes shipping.

India prepares for Eclipse

Yahoo -TAREGNA, India – "Hordes of scientists, students and nature enthusiasts prepared Tuesday for the longest total solar eclipse of this century, while millions planned to shutter themselves indoors, giving in to superstitious myths about the phenomenon.

Wednesday's eclipse will first be sighted at dawn in India's Gulf of Khambhat, just north of the metropolis of Mumbai, before being seen in a broad swath moving north and east to Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China.

The eclipse will last 6 minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point, but will be seen for 3 minutes and 48 seconds in Taregna, an obscure village, 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the Bihar state capital Patna. Scientists say Taregna will have the clearest view of the eclipse in India.

Over the past week the village has been swamped by researchers who will study scientific phenomena ranging from the behavior of birds and other animals to atmospheric changes affected by the eclipse.

Hotels in Patna were fully booked while taxis raised their rates sensing a brief opportunity in the sudden interest in the village.

Scientists set up telescopes and other equipment in Taregna a day in advance to make the most of the brief window of opportunity provided by the eclipse.

"We are hoping to make some valuable observations on the formation of asteroids around the sun," Pankaj Bhama, a scientist with India's Science Popularization Association of Communicators and Educators, said Tuesday.

A 10-member team of scientists from the premier Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore and the Indian air force will be flying and filming the eclipse as it becomes visible in different parts of the country, an air force press release said.

Thousands of people lined up outside a planetarium in Patna on Tuesday to buy solar viewing goggles. The goggles, costing 20 rupees (40 cents), are supposed to act as filters and allow people to look at the sun without damaging their eyes.

But millions across India were shunning the sight and planned to stay indoors, gripped by fearful myths.

Across India, even in regions where the eclipse was not visible, pregnant women were advised to stay indoors in curtained rooms over a belief that the sun's invisible rays would harm the fetus and the baby would be born with disfigurations, birthmarks or a congenital defect.

Krati Jain, a software professional in New Delhi, said she planned to take a day off from work Wednesday to avoid what she called "any ill effects of the eclipse on my baby."

"My mother and aunts have called and told me stay in a darkened room with the curtains closed, lie in bed and chant prayers," said Jain, 24, who is expecting her first child.

In the northern Indian state of Punjab, authorities ordered schools to begin an hour later than usual to prevent children from venturing out and gazing at the sun.

Still, it was not all gloom and doom. A travel agency in India is running a charter flight to watch the eclipse by air, with seats facing the sun selling at a premium.

Back on the ground, additional police and paramilitary troops were posted around Patna and Taregna after Maoist rebels called for a strike Wednesday to protest against the rise in the price of gas and other essential commodities.

The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, frequently target police and government workers.

"Adequate numbers of forces have been deployed at Taregna where top scientists and researchers are gathering to view the celestial wonder," said R. Mallar Vizhi, a senior superintendent of police in Patna."

Shantaram

We've told you about Shantaram a while back and maybe by now four of your friends have mentioned it to you too. It's an action-packed, based on a true story adventure taking place mainly in Bombay several decades ago. But more than that, it is a journey into the soul of a city and hearts of a people. Love, true love, is under every gem in this beautiful novel. I recommend listenening to the audio narration of the book in addition to reading it, as I believe you will enjoy the diverse cast of characters' accents and personalities.

Here is a clip from the author, Gregory David Roberts;

TED INDIA UPDATE

A few weeks back, I posted an article about the first ever TED Conference to take place in India. We received a comment from TED thanking us for the exposure and they asked us to let the (younger) community know that they are accepting applications for inspiring Fellows to join the conference in November. Make sure to get them im as the deadline is closing in fast!

Here is the scoop reposted: [TED] is searching for 100 innovative 21-40 y/o's to come as Fellows to the TEDIndia Conference; and I would encourage you and your friends to apply. We're looking for people from around the world (with a focus on South Asia), who come from a variety of backgrounds, disciplines, and cultures doing interesting things. If there are people you would like to recommend, PLEASE let us know.

Applications opened on April 20th and will close on June 15th; all the information is available at http://www.ted.com/fellows 

Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to email fellows AT ted DOT com.

TED India

 

November 4-7, 2009
Mysore, India

Via TED - At a time of enormous economic uncertainty, one thing remains clear. There's been an unmistakable shift of influence to the east. It's not just about low-cost jobs, or IT outsourcing. Increasingly India, China and the rest of Asia are making their presence felt globally in new technologies, design brilliance and countless instances of cultural and economic innovation. And so, our conference theme: "The Future Beckons."

Details of the speaker program will be revealed approximately 2 months prior to the conference (as is always the case with TED events), but it’s already shaping up to be an extraordinary line-up. Speakers will include India’s most promising innovators, from entrepreneurs to artists, storytellers to scientists. And about one third of the program will come from outside India. We’ll hear from celebrated global icons as well as undiscovered talent that’s due broader recognition.

Some of the questions [TED] is planning to tackle:

•Which local innovations are destined for global impact?
•Who are the young thinkers and doers capable of shaping the future?
•Can there be economic advancement without environmental destruction?
•Can a pluralistic democracy survive in the face of rising fundamentalism?
•Can we make money and be good? Really?
•What should we learn – or fear? -- from China’s investment in Africa?
•Do we have enough water for everyone?
•How do we keep our youth challenged and our aged healthy?
•How can anti-poverty solutions be brought to scale?
•Is there wisdom to be found in traditional medicine??
•Which other ancient traditions can illuminate modern life?