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Indian Clergy Look At Church Empowered By Lay People 31-10-2008 By SARNEWS http://www.sarnews.in/details.php?n=859 JALPAIGURI, West Bengal(SAR NEWS) -- Church leaders in West Bengal and Sikkim region will strive to promote a Church empowered by lay Catholics, it was decided at their annual meeting held October 30 at Jalpaiguri, about 600 km north of Kolkata. Six bishops, 45 provincials and regional superiors and representatives of diocesan priests vowed to work for the formation of laity, to build a witnessing Church and make critical and effective use of the media. The Church leaders discussed the present situation in the Church in the modern world, October 27-30. “Being a Prophetic Church in a Globalised World” The members discussed the violence against Christians in Orissa and unanimously condemned the atrocities and prayed for peace in that state. They decided to participate in a silent relay fast November 14-16 in Calcutta city to highlight the issue. The members resolved to build a Church that is “open, global, incarnate, lay-empowered, socialising, neighbour-friendly, networking with all sections of the people, open to all religions, personal-relation skilled, eco-friendly and pro-active”. They proposed for a Church that preaches through action, accords dignity and equality to women, and witnesses with reconciliation and collaboration among the laity, religious, clergy and bishops. Salesian Archbishop Lucas Sirkar of Calcutta inaugurated the CBCI-CRI meeting with October 27 evening. Bishop Clement Tirkey of Jalpaiguri welcomed the participants.

In India, Global Crisis Is Not All Bad News One Industry Sees Opportunities, Lessons http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/25/AR2008_pf.html By Rama Lakshmi Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, October 26, 2008; A22 GURGAON, India -- In the mortgage crisis that has enveloped much of the Western world in recent weeks, Manoj Malhotra's outsourcing company sees an enhanced business opportunity. As lenders in the United States and Europe move to firm up loans, sharpening quality control and fraud verification, the Gurgaon-based company that Malhotra heads has designed a Web program to help them do just that. "The loan processing industry needs less of manual intervention and subjectivity and more of technology-based solutions, especially in the current climate," said Malhotra, who launched the program at a mortgage industry conference in San Francisco last week. His company, Salient Business Solutions, is not the only one in this country to see opportunities and lessons in the global financial meltdown. Indians working in information technology and outsourcing have long shared a joke: "When America sneezes, our industry will catch a cold here in India." But as the credit crisis drags down the U.S. economy, India's booming technology and outsourcing industry is taking steps to boost its resistance to infection. Taking the crisis as a warning, it is hastening efforts to reduce dependence on U.S. and European companies, scale up high-end products and services, find new ways of billing and move beyond merely leveraging the low-cost, English-speaker advantage.

India not in recessionary mode: RBI chief http://www.zeenews.com/print_articles.asp?aid=478773&sid=BUS&ssid=50 Mumbai, Oct 25: India`s growth story will continue despite a slight deceleration, but there will be no recession as in some advanced economies, Reserve Bank Governor D Subbarao said on Saturday. "India`s growth will continue and even if there is some moderation, it will only be a modest moderation. But it will not be a recession...there will only be a slight deceleration," Subbarao told reporters here. Pegging GDP growth for FY`09 at 7.5-8 per cent, he said, this was "our best growth estimate", even though there were other estimates ranging from 7.2-8.7 per cent. As India`s growth is mainly driven by domestic demand and consumption, the country would be less affected by the global financial turmoil but it would not go completely unscathed, Subbarao said.

These Marwaris Speak Sparkling Konkani 7 Nov 2008, Roana Maria Costa, TNN http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3682954,prtpage-1.cms MUMBAI: It's a sweltering Saturday afternoon on the cluttered J Shanker Seth Road in Chira Bazaar. Unmindful of the October heat, the D'Souza family (name changed on request) is poring over gold jewellery which will add lustre to the trousseau of bride-to-be, Melissa. In a simple salwar kameez, the young girl sits atop a high stool in the air-conditioned store, as younger sister Audrey inspects a traditional Mangalorean necklace of solid gold, with matching bangles and earrings. "Yo galun poi, barre distele,'' (Try this piece, it will look great on you) urges Vinod K Shah, proprietor of S K Shah and Sons. Melissa shyly tries on the set and there are nods of approval all around. The elderly Shah knows the deal is sealed. Trust him to know what makes the D'Souzas happy__ after all his forefathers have been making jewellery for Goan, Mangalorean and East Indian Christians in Mumbai for generations. Shah and his trader counterparts have not only managed to learn their client's mother tongue, Konkani, but also participate in their festivities. S K Shah is jammed between 33 other jewellery stores owned predominately by Rajasthani Marwaris and a few Goans. During the era of the British, a large number of Christians lived in the Chira Bazaar area, accounting for the clientele here. Suhas Lotliker, proprietor of Lotliker jewellers which was set up in 1932, remembers his father telling him stories about how the shops came to be in the early 1920s. "There were eight shops initially__four owned by Hindu Goans and the other four by Marwari Rajasthanis. Today the shops have grown to 33. Many of the Goans sold their shops to the Rajasthanis as they couldn't maintain them,'' he says. The D'Souzas have been patrons of Shah for two decades, ever since they migrated to Mumbai from Mangalore. "We were told about this shop by family friends. A bond of trust has been forged over the years,'' says Audrey, who sometimes gets a print-out of a design from the internet which Shah faithfully copies. "And yes'', she smiles, "it helps that our jeweller can chat with us in fluent Konkani.'' Shah, whose grandfather established the store in 1927, says that 95 per cent of his customers are Christian. He and many others advertise in `The Examiner', the official publication of the Bombay Archdiocese. "Most of our customers are from Bandra, Kurla and Vasai-Virar. Our jewellery is either hand-made or machine made,'' pipes in Shah's teenage son, Sahil, a student at H R College who lends a helping hand when possible. Far away in Goa, sitting in his Cuncolim home, Alfred Fernandes says Shah is more than a jeweller, "He is a friend''. Whenever Fernandes' ship docked in Mumbai, he would head to Chira Bazaar to buy his wife some jewellery. Revankar and Co, one of the four Goan jewellers in the line still standing, opened in 1928. The family is from Rivona village in Goa (the Lotlikers are from Loutolim). Behind the counter sits Rajesh Revankar, who belongs to the third generation. "We have lots of traditional patterns and cater mostly to Christians,'' he says. The Revankars also have a store in Borivli and two in Goa (at Mapusa and Panaji). "People come to us from one generation to another and this builds trust. We have a huge clientele in the suburbs and therefore the need to open another branch there,'' he says. Revankar stocks branded jewellery to keep up with changing tastes. "The younger generation wants classier patterns fit for daily wear. However, wedding jewellery has hardly changed. All my craftsmen are Goan,'' he says. Regina Fernandes, a Manglorean married to a Goan, was introduced to Revankar through an aunt. "I like the work he does. I have been going to him for 50 years and I have recommended him to my Goan friends,'' she says. Most Goans prefer delicate workmanship and stay away from the more chunky ornaments. Meanwhile, back at S K Shah, the purchase has been made. As the D'Souzas troop out with a neat parcel, Melissa hands over an invitation with instructions that Shah and his staff be there at the wedding. "They are like an extended family. We have invited them all,'' adds Audrey. Shah smiles back, "Soon my relationship with this family will be third generation. Melissas father will soon be a grandfather. Tazo bapoi aazo zatlo.''