Europe can learn from India, says Sebastian Vettel

The inaugural Indian Grand Prixitself was a big success, but the charm of the country also captured the hearts and minds of Formula One's superstars. Double world championSebastian Vettel, who wonSunday's race, summed up his experience of India in a philosophical way.

"It is great, I think, what the people did here in a short amount of time. We heard about it a couple of years ago but to put up this arena is incredible. I am very proud to be the first winner here in India. I think it is a very impressive country, very different to what we probably know from Europe, but very inspiring. If you keep your eyes and ears open, I think you are able to learn a lot, the way the people handle things here," the German Red Bull driver said.

"It is a big country, a lot of people, but sometimes it looks very different, but they get along with it and they are very happy here. They enjoy life and in the end that's what it is all about. If your life comes to an end, it is more the thoughts, the emotions, the friends, the friendships you take with you rather than whatever you have in your bank account. Even (if) the people have so little here, I think in a way they are much richer than a lot of people back in Europe. There is a lot we can learn."

Talking about the time he spent in India, Vettel said: "Obviously I haven't spent a lot of time here, so I can't judge as well as people from India, but it was very inspiring when I had a bit of time to spend in the country. I went to see the Taj Mahal which is obviously a touristy thing to do but driving there by car, and not falling asleep because the roads were pretty... it was a good adventure, let's say.

"Keeping your eyes open, there are a lot of things which make you appreciate a lot of things much more than you probably do. Yeah, it opens your eyes, as long as you allow yourself to look at certain things, so I think it was an inspiration and something that you should never forget."

Vettel also tried his hand at Hindi, cheekily saying: "Dhanyawaad... aapki aankhein bahut khoobsurat hain (thank you, your eyes are beautiful). Obviously that's for the ladies of India. You know the girls, to all the girls in India, you have beautiful women in this country. They have beautiful eyes." Second-placed finisher Jenson Button of McLaren added "beautiful smiles" to this quip, and complimented the Indian public. "I think we need to say a big congratulations to the Indian people for their efforts on building this circuit because the circuit itself is, I think in years to come, we are going to think of it as one of the greats. It is a very special circuit and I really, really enjoy driving around here. I hope we put on a good show and it is also great to see the excitement in the crowd. The people that are here, as there are quite a few people here, they are really getting into the mood and really getting into the action and it is good to see, really good to see, so a very special weekend and thank you to them," the Briton said.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher of Mercedes GP offered praise for the organisers: "To the organisers of the first Indian Grand Prix, I would like to send a big compliment; I'm sure that I am not the only one to say that this was a very positive debut." The other drivers unanimously praised the Buddh International Circuit and the event, and Vettel can't wait to get back here. "All in all, it was great to be here, a great circuit, which obviously - speaking about our job, about racing, that's what we judge most, the circuit is fantastic to drive. There are some great corners which we usually enjoy a lot, because it allows us to put the cars on the limit. This will be one of the races that settles in very quickly and we will all be happy to come back. Even though there has only been one race so far, I'm already looking forward to next year," he said.
Sebastian Vettel says 'don't want this to end'
"I think we can continue," Vettel beamed later. "The car is fantastic and the team is enjoying it. We are on a run since the beginning of the season. We enjoy every race. The great thing is when you walk in the garage every morning, they are flat out and pushing very hard. It's really enjoyable to see that knowing what we have achieved, we are still hungry, not lacking motivation. People come with questions but we come back with the right answers, so we don't want this to end," he added. 

Vettel files 

* From his 79th start, the German won for the 21st time. This is also his 11th win of the season, matching former champion Michael Schumacher's 2002 season record. Only Schumacher's 2004 season was more successful in F1 history with 13 wins. 

* Grabbed another record at the end of lap 42, surpassing Nigel Mansell's 1992 record for most laps led in a season, leading his 693rd lap in 2011. At the end of lap 49, Vettel became the first driver in history to lead 700 laps in 
one year. 

* Set the first grand slam of his career today (win/pole/fastest lap/led every lap). It is only the second grand slam in the last seven years. He is also the youngest man to set a grand slam.

Indian street food emerges the winner among Formula 1 racers

GREATER NOIDA: The Formula One stars have already shown their partiality towards the spicy Indian fare. To introduce them to the variety of Indian cuisine, afterhours-party organizers put up a food street on Sunday night. Dishes from different parts of the country, cooked delicately and beautifully assorted, were presented to the F1racers who were more than happy to dig in. 

The chefs at Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort also baked a specia l cake that sported a chocolate pillar of F1 cars to celebrate Sebastian Vettel's win at the maiden Formula One Airtel Indian Grand Prix. Another four-foot-long F1 chocolate car decorated in the colours of Tricolour was also made and signed by all drivers and key members of the F1 fraternity. 

The drivers and team members, who started coming back to the resort by 8pm, enjoyed the food amid Rajsthani folk music and dance. Michael Schumacher, who has become a big fan of Indian cuisine, went for his favourite kebabs while several grilled dishes, kadi, tawa roti, rumali roti and naan were made live and served to the guests. 

Executive chef Shivanand Kain, told TOI that F1 team members, especially Vettel andSchumacher, and F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone have very fond of Indian food. Ecclestone and Vettel, he said, have even asked for the recipes. Their enthusiasm has prompted the resort to organize the live kitchen at the after party in which "we would give live presentation to the team members on how to make Indian food", Kain said. 

At the food street, tips were given on how to make the mouth-watering dishes. A special barbeque was also set up for kebabs. Organizers also arranged for stress-busting activities. 

Delhi govt hikes minimum property rates by up to 250%

NEW DELHI : For the second time this year, the Delhi government announced a steep hike in circle rates in a bid to garner more revenue and check the use of black money in property transactions.

Circle rates are the government's valuation of land in the city - differentiated into eight categories, A to H - below which a realty deal cannot be registered. After doubling the circle rates in February this year, the government on Monday further revised the rates with a hike in the range of 15% to 250%. The new circle rate regime is unlikely to affect real estate prices in the city. If anything, the hike may result in a price correction in certain areas as the black money component in property deals comes down. Property analysts said even the revised rates were much below real property values in the city.

The city government expects the revised rates to bring in additional revenue to the tune of Rs 800 crore annually.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit said the revision was an attempt to bring circle rates closer to real property prices, although these were still lower than market values in many posh colonies. According to senior revenue department officials, in most cases , the actual rates of properties are not shown on paper due to which the government suffers loss in revenue in stamp duty and registration fees.

Impact of circle rates
NEW DELHI: With Delhi government hiking thecircle rates substantially on Monday, the city's realty market is expected to be impacted somewhat. It's going to be a two-pronged impact, say property experts. While the "white" component of the transaction will be going up as circle rates try to catch up with the grossly deflated market prices, the good news is that more genuine buyers are now expected to enter the market with financers taking a backseat.
Said real estate analyst Pradeep Mishra: "The reason for the impact on the property prices is that the component of the price that was white, comprising the stamp duty that was usually undervalued, will now go up." It's not going to be a huge jump though, say experts, despite the staggering 250 per cent hike in circle rates of upmarket colonies in Category A. Said Harish Sabharwal, a Mayur Vihar broker: "The circle rates are finally becoming more realistic, reflective of the market. Since this means that the stamp duty is going up, there will be a short-term impact." The hike will be passed on to the buyer, who will bear the additional load, said experts. Both Mishra and Sabharwal, however, feel the impact will be absorbed in the next few months. "Transactions will be affected only for a couple of months and then it'll go back to normal. The increase will also be absorbed," added Mishra.
In fact, properties in the region of more than a crore may see a rate correction, feel market watchers. That is because of the larger role of genuine buyers in this market. "With the revision in circle rates, the financier will not invest as heavily now. There are several reasons for this, like the stricter general power of attorney norms as well as higher stamp duty. The financier's profit margin is smaller in this scenario," added GP Tiwari (name changed), who invests in real estate. The impact of financiers taking a backseat, added Mishra, will be felt the most in properties in the range of Rs 1.5-2 crore and above. "A 5-10 per cent rate correction may happen in this category of properties," said Mishra.
In a market already impacted by rising interest rates, the hike in circle rates will play spoilsport, rue most industry watchers. "While Delhi's circle rates are comparatively lower than that of the other NCR areas, it's a substantial hike - between 100-250 per cent in all the upmarket colonies. Even the G and H category will have a 15 per cent increase. Property rates will obviously be affected," added Sabharwal. The hike however, is expected to be beneficial in the long run, as it will check transactions in black money and undervaluation of property, add experts.

Quest for greener pastures leaves 8,000 Indians stranded in Iraq

Chandigarh, October 31
Eight thousand Indians, who took the flight to disaster in search of greener pastures abroad but lost their bearings and landed themselves in trouble in Iraq, are yet to find their way back to where they belong. And it’s not just torn passports and zero finances that are preventing so many of them from leaving behind the life of danger and drudgery. 
They are just not willing to take the flight to safety after bidding adieu to the perilous process of clearing landmines in a country suffering from the pitiable aftermath of a bloody war, as they have sold off their fertile agricultural land and raised loans back home that are to be paid off.
Among 60 Indians breathing the air of safety and freedom after return to India following the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s active intervention is Zoravar of Bhatalian village in Hoshiarpur.
He has brought back along with him from Iraq a bagful of sordid memories and tales of sorrow and pain. At Chandigarh Judicial Academy Sector-43 this morning, Zoravar said return was no option for at least some of the 8,000 left behind.
“They have raised loans and sold off their land. So many others just do not have money to buy back their freedom from a life of constant hazard. How can they come back?” Zoravar questions.
In a voice choking with deep emotion, Zoravar shudders as he says Indians back in Iraq have AK-47s pointed at them and their passports torn by ruthless strangers, who insist it’s easy to come, and very difficult, rather impossible, to return.
Nearly 21 others at the judicial academy have almost the same tale to narrate. They say the dreams of the Indians there come crashing down as soon as they find themselves in an alien land among a set of people they are not familiar to. They are pushed around, manhandled, beaten and have food literally thrown at them. They have to digest insult in case of refusal to eat impalpable foodstuff.
To make matters worse, they were offered $300 against the promised amount of $1,200 - that too is often not paid. And they are sold off like slaves.
Ripal Kumar of Khojpur in Jalandhar district says he did manage to escape from desolation and the lurking feeling of constant danger to join a furniture firm. But there too, it was a tryst with inhuman attitude.
Zoravar and Ripal Kumar are now among 13 para-legal volunteers all set to work at the district level in tandem with the Legal Services Authority under the guidance of Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice MM Kumar.
Proudly displaying the newly issued identity cards, they say: “One’s identity is in one’s own country. Be the master of your own destiny in your country, instead of being just another faceless slave.” 

Six booked for immigration fraud

Zirakpur, October 31
Three persons have been duped of lakhs of rupees by a local consultant on the pretext of sending them to Singapore on work permit.
The police has registered a case against six persons of Mappel Consultant Company on the complaint of Santosh Singh, Surinder Singh and Deepinder Singh, all residents of Rajasthan.
The accused have been identified as Mahinder Sharma, Ramesh, Puja, Nitish and Vijender Kumar. In their complaint to the police, the complainants alleged that they were lured by advertisements published in various newspapers by the accused. The complainants stated that they had given Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000, but the consultant officials had asked them to give Rs 35,000 more.
Zirakpur SHO Yogi Raj said they had received several complaints in this regard.
He added that the accused had given advertisements in Rajasthan and Delhi-based newspapers and most of the victims belonged to Rajasthan and Delhi.