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Sunday, November 22, 2009

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Venkatesan Vembu
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Venkatesan 'Venky' Vembu attained his first Fifteen Minutes of Fame in 1984, on the threshold of his career, when paparazzi pictures of him with Maneka Gandhi were splashed in the world media under the mischievous tag 'International Affairs'. But that's a story he's saving up for his memoirs...

Over 20-plus years, Venky worked in The Indian Express, Frontline newsmagazine, and Outlook Money, before joining DNA ahead of its launch. Additionally, he has been published, at various times, in, among other publications, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Outlook, and Outlook Traveller.

From his current station in Hong Kong, where he is frequently (and quite inexplicably) mistaken for the bumbling movie character Mr Bean, Venky endeavours to convey through his despatches the dramatic changes that are sweeping across the East Asian region and the glacial but steady Asia-ward shift in the geopolitical and economic centre of gravity.

When he is not scrambling to meet manic deadlines for his contributions across the different sections of DNA, Venky overdoses on Zhang Yimou movies - and struggles valiantly with the tonal complexities of the Chinese language.

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The festival of lights

Think of it as Diwali without the fireworks: millions of lanterns will be lit across East Asia and South East Asia as the region celebrates a 3,000-year festival to give thanks for familial prosperity and togetherness.
September 26, 2007

Of mules and men

The erstwhile British colonial government felt it imperative for compelling reasons to bring in shiploads of Indians to steer the mule convoys.
September 19, 2007

Security paranoia is absent in HK

However, 9/11 may have impacted at least one slice of Hong Kong’s population: Muslims, who account for only about 1% of the 7 million people of Hong Kong.
September 12, 2007

Where have all the menfolk gone?

In 1990, Amartya Sen drew the world's attention to the skewed sex ratio in Asia and, in particular, to some 100 million 'missing women' owing to familial and societal gender discrimination and neglect.
September 4, 2007

Tibetans fume over China rules on reincarnation

Tibetan activists are seething in rage and despair over “absurd” new regulations from the Chinese government, which came into force on Saturday.
September 3, 2007

Philippines wants to emulate Bollywood

The Bollywood song-and-dance routine is being cited in the Philippines as a shining example of a curative for the country's ailing film industry.
August 31, 2007

Hungry ghosts on the prowl

Hong Kong has turned into a 'ghost town': millions of "hungry ghosts" have ascended from the depths of hell and are prowling the bustling streets.
August 28, 2007

Ancient ties that bond Chindian

Accounts of historical interactions between India and China have tended to focus rather excessively on the flow of Buddhist influences.
August 7, 2007

Hangzhou: Heaven on earth

Indian software giants Infosys and TCS have software development centres in Hangzhou, which is emerging as one of China’s premier hi-tech zones.
July 31, 2007

Few Indians on the road to democracy

For anyone who gets his adrenaline rush from the din and bustle of political rallies of the sort you experience in India, Hong Kong can seem rather tame.
July 4, 2007

Land of Milk and Honey

At the McDonald’s outlet that I turn to for a bite on the go, there’s a cheery young girl at the counter.
June 27, 2007

The snake and the dragon

In Hong Kong, teams of rowers banded together and paddled away furiously in various neighbourhood beaches, keeping time to the rhythmic beat of drums.
June 20, 2007

Paying taxes is fun!

It’s that time of the year in Hong Kong when the taxman comes calling. But unlike in India, where the process of filing tax returns is Saral only in name, in Hong Kong it’s such a breeze that paying taxes is practically a pleasurable activity.
June 13, 2007
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