Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

Between ‘Basanti’ and ‘Babu Moshay’

Guess who is fighting the current assembly elections in four states in the Hindi heartland. It is ‘Basanti’ on one hand. Facing her on the other side is ‘Babu Moshay’. Can anybody forget them? The only difference is that in her present role, Hema Malini is not riding a tonga. The ‘Basanti’ of mega hit ‘Sholay’ is, nevertheless, evoking the name of her mare, Dhanno, to seek a vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party. ‘Chal Dhanno aaj teri Basanti ki izzat ka sawaal hai. BJP ko vote dilana hai’ (Hurry up Dhanno, today the honour of your Basanti is at stake. We have to get votes for the BJP). She is saying at her public meetings. In the film, she has exhorted her mare to accelerate her speed to save her from the dacoit gang of Gabbar Singh. In real life, the reel life has been twisted to mean that a vote for the BJP is a vote for her party’s self-respect. Who is Dhanno in this case? Certainly, it can’t be the voter because any such comparison would only make the electorate angry. It appears that it is just that a popular dialogue has been repeated for the sake of it. ‘Babu Moshay’ of ‘Anand’, another super hit, is in no less a great form. Rajesh Khanna is more straight and forthcoming. He knows the audience has gathered only to listen to his dialogue delivery. He makes no secret of his feelings. ‘In films, I get paid for everything I speak. Here for my dialogue, I seek a vote for the Congress.’ he says at his public meetings. A former MP, who himself has contested the . .....more

Gita gives trumpet call
for Lokasamgraha

By Lt Col R K Langar

Bhagavad Gita lays utmost emphasis on Lokasamgraha meaning good of the world. ......more

Keeping City clean

By Dr Gurmeet Singh

In this time of modern age, when the whole world is living in 21st century, our country . .......more

Politics of ‘Iftar’
TALES OF TRAVESTY

By Dr. Jitendra Singh

Even as Eid-ul-Fitr celebration marked the natural culmination of month-long ........more

Pakistan seeks propaganda value with its robust response

By Atul Cowshish

The Pakistan response to the set of 12 confidence buildings measures suggested by.....more

Pleasing a man is
a full time job

By Uma Ramachandran

Before I got married a girl I hardly knew invited me to a singles dinner party in Mumbai. .more

EDITORIAL

Between ‘Basanti’ and ‘Babu Moshay’

Across the political spectrum, one finds a large number of film stars having joined the electoral arena on behalf of one party or the other. Jitendra is the latest to have turned up on behalf of the Congress. Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha are in any case BJP’s regulars. Amisha Patel has made a couple of appearances for her political friends. So has Mahima Chaudhary. Television stars are not far behind. Tulsi of ‘Kyonki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi’ has formally joined the BJP and is actively campaigning for the party in the national capital. People who would normally find it difficult to leave the glitter and glamour of their world are now walking through the dust and mud of the streets. They are being watched in awe and admiration by their fans. Is it star power that has struck the poll scene? Or is it political power that has drawn the stars out of their shell? At times, one only comes across the photographs in the media of certain good-looking people who are described as film or television personalities. Possibility, they have worked in a couple of films or serials. They look pleasant but not familiar. In any case they are not as widely known as the Hema Malinis and Rajesh Khannas. Still, it is interesting that at time it appears that the elections are being fought in the name of film actors and not party manifestoes. Manifestoes? What manifestoes? Ask the majority of the politicians, they may not have read them. Why should they be blamed in this regard? And, why should people in Jammu and Kashmir find fault with them? Can we recall what the ‘Naya Kashmir’ is? Even the National Conference may not be able to easily reproduce a copy of the document that incorporates its original vision for the development of the State. Why does one always become serious in such matters? Just call a film star from Mumbai. Her or his sight will just turn off the attention of the cynic and the common man alike from everything else.

Gita gives trumpet call for Lokasamgraha

By Lt Col R K Langar

Bhagavad Gita lays utmost emphasis on Lokasamgraha meaning good of the world. The Gita underscores that work done for Lokasamgraha not only prevents destruction of the world but it also contributes towards world's social efficiency. While teaching karma yoga to Arjuna in the Gita Lord Krishna gives the examples of King Janaka who attained perfection by performing selfless work directed towards well being of all. Lord Krishna also cites His own example of working for Lokasamgraha when He says in the Gita that in the three worlds there is nothing He has to gain for Himself nor there is any thing which He cannot gain put still He is engaged in working for the good of the world (3-22). And if He did not work selflessly the worlds would perish because people would follow His example and abstain from selfless activity (3-23). Lord Krishna further states that the difference between an ignorant and wise is that while ignorant works in his own interest, the enlightened performs unattached work for the good of others (3-25). That underlines that selfless work is God's work.

For a man with an average understanding working for his own good remains his top priority. At best he may work for the good of his own people or community. But the urge to do something for the good of the world remains a distant idea with him. Lokasamgraha as taught in the Gita aims at working for the good of all irrespective of caste and creed without any inclination to work exclusively for your own sake or for the good of your own people. The Gita does not hesitate to all those sinful who work only for their own sake. (3-13).

Working for Lokasamgraha is possible when one develops an attitude of accepting others as an extension of one's own self that is when one identifies himself with the rest of the world. The Gita calls this equal vision Samadarsinah or Samadrsti. Equal vision means seeing the same principal Brahman in things which are dissimilar. It is to see the same principle in all manifestations, including one's own self, which is not affected by qualities seen outwardly. It is man's highest duty to identify himself with the whole world and when that happens he considers others like himself. Such a person judges the happiness and sorrow of others by the same standard as he applies to himself. A perfect example of working for Lokasamgraha is that of sun which gives light to all without any preference.

Generally people have a narrow view on the purpose of work. They feel that work will help them obtain something which they do not have and want to possess. The real purpose of work is not to satisfy selfish desires because if that be so then God would not have worked for the good of the world. People who have a selfish attitude should accept that working for the good of others is one of their duties. When the duty idea is superimposed on work, man is encouraged to work selflessly for all. When constantly working others becomes a habit then a person understands what is Niskam Karma or desireless work. As man advances on the path of perfection, the duty idea drops away but not the selfless work which flows automatically out of him. For a perfect person and those striving for perfection doing good to others is always spontaneous. He works for others even at the cost of his personal discomfort. For doing good to others man has to bring within himself an attitudinal change to set his mind on seeking the welfare of all. He has to develop within himself Sarva Bhava or a feeling of concern towards all on the basis of equality or sameness. Man has to go beyond or transcend the sense of I and mine and replace it with the sense of we and ours. He has to change his settled behaviour from Sva (own) to Sarva (all). When God Himself states in the Gita that He is same towards all beings (9-29) then why not man who is essentially divine, acquire the same attitude. Showing concern for others is necessary for human development as well as for the improvement of social health.

Service, seva or working for the welfare of others is one of the ideals of Indian culture and heritage which was expounded by Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda went to the extreme extent by declaring that one should forget his own salvation and go all out to serve those who are poor and who are distress. He exhorted mankind to live for others because he felt that those who work only for their own sake are more dead than living.

Best results in selfless or social service are obtained when social workers themselves are men of good qualities. Service can be done by many but selflessness and generosity in social service is predominantly noticed when those who undertake social work at good at heart, sincere and compassionate. Such people are totally committed to social work. They see God in all when they serve and are not interested in their own name or fame to be associated with their work for Lokasamgraha.

The message of the Gita for the social workers is to perform social service from a non-sectarian angle giving higher priority to social good than personal good. The Gita further highlights that in order to determine the right course of action one should also take into account Lokasamgraha as social service brings about harmony and peace in the society. The other thing one must remember is that while doing service for the others one should not ignore his obligations towards his own family.

In the materialistic world of today man shows very little concern to safeguard his natural surroundings. Not only that man has become an instrument in causing environment degradation. In order to cheek this trend man must accept his social obligations towards nature by including environmental protection and afforestation in his Lokasamgraha activities in accordance with the teachings of Bhagavad Gita related to the Good of the world.

Keeping City clean

By Dr Gurmeet Singh

In this time of modern age, when the whole world is living in 21st century, our country 'India' is still a victim of dreaded diseases, which were once observed hundred years ago in developed countries e.g plague, cholera, jaundice, malaria etc the causes of these diseases are carelessness and unclean surroundings. To avoid spreading of such dreaded diseases. And to create a civilized world for our children, efforts should be made to develop a habit to observe certain norms both at home and outside.

In view of the threatening health hazards, concern of the residents of Jammu city and adjoining colonies is to keep our premises and surroundings neat and clean to avoid spread to dreaded diseases. In this cocnern we request all the residents of the old city and colony to observe the following points.

Keep your city & colony clean : This city is yours. Cleanliness is next to God and key to health. To keep your city/colony neat and clean is primary moral and social obligation of all of us. Do not throw waste material on roads/lanes. Cultivate habit of cleanliness among children also.

HANDLE POISONS CAREFULLY

Keep poiosonous substance away from the reach of the children e.g Baygon, BHC, DDT, etc these should never be placed in shelves containing medicines.

KEEP RATS AWAY : Don't make rat-inviting articles open inside your houses. Never throw a dead rat on streets or on open place. A dead rat should be deep buried or preferably burnt to avoid spread of plague.

CONSTRUCT FLUSH LATRINE : All are requested to equip their houses with flush latrines. Faecal material should be properly disposed off. It should not be thrown into the running drains.

WATER LEAKAGE : Any leakage in the drinking water pipes should be informed in the concerned authorities/committee members. If there is leakage in the pipes, the water coming through such pipes could be dangerous. It can cause diseases like jaundice, giardia, cholera etc in such cases till the repairs are done, use boiled water for drinking or add chlorine tablets in your water container.

TREAT YOUR PETS LIKE YOUR CHILDREN : Take your pets (dogs and other animals) to far off fields for the call of nature (defecation). Those who are having cattle should dispose off cow dung properly. Cattle should not be allowed to wander in the streets.

DISPOSE YOUR HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE WITH WISDOM : Burn the dry garbage. Don't burn the polythene bags or any other plastic material because they produce dangerous gases that cause cancer. Please do not throw garbage on streets and block the drainage system. We are keeping a liaison with municipality for the disposal of garbage on alternate day basis or weekly basis. Keep the dry, wet and plastic bags in separate bags for collection/disposal by the Safai Karamcharies.

MANAGE YOUR WATER TANKS PROPERLY : Don't allow water to overflow from the water tanks constructed inside your houses. Overflowing water comes on the road and is a cause of accidents and damages the pacca road. Small ponds of water on roadside attract mosquitoes and flies, which cause diseases. Moreover, overflowing water is a national waste, which can be prevented by using proper stop values in your tanks or by keeping a watch to stop the tap when the tanks is full.

AVOID DUMPING CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL : Please make sure that the construction material on the roads does not cause any inconvenience to the moving vehicles and public. This material should not block the drainage system as well. Immediately after completion of construction, the residual materials on the roads should be properly disposed off.

FAST DRIVING : Don't drive fast on the by-lanes. This not only cause pollution and dusty environment but also can prove fatal even to your own children. Driving by untrained and without license or in alcoholic state must be avoided.

OBSERVE BEHAVIOURIAL NORMS IN THE FAMILY : Please don't use abusive language of any sort while talking in the family or with friends. This has a bad effect on our children and at the same time is not a mark of good behaviour in the society.

EDUCATE YOUR GARDENERS : Please instruct your gardener not to throw green grass and other unwanted material on the lanes or into the drains. Such material should be dried and then burnt inside your house premises.

CONGRESS GRASS ERADICATION : Please ensure complete eradication of congress grass (which is cause of several respiratory and skin disease) surrounding your house and common areas. Up rooting of congress at appropriate time is the only answer.

PLANTATION : Please make sincere efforts to keep the colony green and pollution free and make serious efforts for conservation and plantation of trees for environmental protection and maintenance of good parks.

We hope all the citizens will cooperate with us and share our common concern. Regard 'Health' as an integral component of public policy making and give its citizens the right to adopt behaviour consistent with a healthier life.

Please park vehicles in queue on special occasions like marriages or other functions. Even in the lanes or roadside, the parking should be such that it doesn't block traffic or inconvenience to others.

Politics of ‘Iftar’
TALES OF TRAVESTY

By Dr. Jitendra Singh

Even as Eid-ul-Fitr celebration marked the natural culmination of month-long fasting and worship, the most distinct highlight of the just concluded Ramzan was President APJ Abdul Kalam's resolute decision not to hold the customary "Iftar" party in Rashtrapati Bhavan and instead spend the amount on arranging a nutrition-full treat for little children who were poor and needy.

The Late Maulana Abu Kalam Azad had once said that whenever he saw a newborn child opening its eyes into the world with an unsuspecting innocence despite all the degradations around, his inner belief got reinforced that God had still not given up all hope on Man and that God was still willing to give yet another chance to Man who happened to be God's dearest creation. In the same vein, today, APJ Abdul Kalam's symbolic gesture reinforces the belief of the right-thinking, God-fearing compatriots that all is still not lost out and that there is still room for hope.

The holy fast observed during Ramzan is a sacred exercise undertaken to seek physical and mental elevation through a process of worship, introspection and good deed. "Iftar" is the traditional way of concluding the daylong fast by sharing the food and feast with a sense of brotherhood and fellowship irrespective of the individual social or economic status. President Kalam's decision was in the same spirit attempting to share the Iftar feast with the ones who otherwise never get to feast all their lives. The unusual gesture stands out in incredible contrast to the prevailing trend wherein an Iftar party is hosted either to make a demonstration of the host's affluence cum social clout or the occasion is used as an opportunity for politicking by other means.

Over the last few years, not only has the attendance at an Iftar party become a measure of the host's political standing but even the guest list is determined by strong political connotations. For example, Sonia Gandhi's Iftar party is discussed less for the solemnity of the occasion and more for who were the new invitees this time or who exchanged exclusive one-to-one notes with the Madam because that might be an indication of future political alignments in the offing. On the other hand, an Iftar party at the Pakistan High Commission is an occasion to deipher which faction of the Kashmir hurriyat Conference enjoys patronage from Islamabad. And nearer home, at the Iftar party at chief minister's residence, the numerous "Presidents" and "General Secretaries" of Jammu's ever mushrooming social, political and semi-political organisations vie with each other to get their names included in the Guest list so that they too may qualify to be classified as socalled "prominent" citizens of Jammu.

Be that as it may, while the politics of Iftar becomes increasingly unabashed with each successive Ramzan, it is a handful few like President APJ Abdul Kalam whose clarity of conviction keeps the hope alive for the subcontinent's suffering millions. The common man looks up to him for reassurance. Umapathy looks up to him with poetic longing "Yeh Jo Pamal-e-Zaman Hain Mere Takth-Nasheen, Dekh To Kaisi Hasrat Se Tujhko Dekhte Hain!"

Pakistan seeks propaganda value with its robust response

By Atul Cowshish

The Pakistan response to the set of 12 confidence buildings measures suggested by India on October 22 is neither 'robust' nor 'positive', as was promised by the acerbic spokesman of the Pakistani foreign ministry. But when it comes to Pakistan, to except the usual diplomatic niceties or grace in communicating with India would be foolhardy.

Islamabad is a practical example of an apocryphal story about an Indian farmer who would bear all the beatings from his adversary and swallow basketful of onions after loosing the wager but will not give up his pursuits that looked doomed from the outset.

In that land of the 'pure' everything begins and ends with Kashmir. Pakistani has accepted only a few of the Indian proposals without any pre-conditions: resumption of sporting ties (cricket in particular) and allowing senior citizens to cross the Wagah border on foot.

Resuming sporting ties-cricket to be more specific-has always been the Pakistani priority because over the years it has perfected the art of converting the cricket field into the venue for an Indo-Pak dual. No visiting Indian team can ever hope to play in Pakistan without a large section of the patriotic spectators constantly shouting abuses at India. The volume increases if the Pakistani team faces defeat. Pakistani players are obsessed with the desire to defeat India because it gives them some vicarious pleasure of getting the better of heathens. The Government of the day bestows riches on them for defeating India. Pakistan has also agreed with India to ease the problems faced by fishermen of the two countries. But its response to the rest of the measures is tied to conditions that Islamabad knows well will not be acceptable to India. Obviously, Pakistan thinks this would help it achieve what it wants most: going to international fora with more anti-Indian ammunition.

Indeed, some of the counter proposals from Pakistan are designed to provoke India. In response to the Indian offer of free treatment for 20 Pakistani children in India, Pakistan has offered free hospital treatment for 'victims' of Indian security forces operations in Kashmir.

It is ridiculous for Pakistan to seek intervention by international human rights bodies in selecting the Kashmiri 'victims' for treatment in Pakistan. Does Pakistan accept all the reports of these global busybodies who have been as critical of Pakistan as they have been of India? Besides, will the human rights bodies agree, as the Pakistani suggestion would imply, that they have an important political agenda to serve behind their critical reports on India?

Before asking the human rights organisation to pitch their tents in the war zone in India created by it, Pakistan should also agree to use the services of these bodies to identify the bodies of all the Pakistani 'freedom fighters', known in the rest of the world as terrorists, who are regularly sent to India to seek the path to 'heaven'--by spreading death and mayhem and then getting killed by Indian security forces.

Pakistan will accept the Indian proposal to start a bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in Pakistani occupied Kashmir provided the passengers travel on UN documents and UN personnel man the checkpoints on either side of the line of control. Before making that absured proposal has Pakistan made sure that the UN in willing to enter the muddy waters of Kashmir further by taking policing and customs duties?

Pakistan is hazy on the Indian proposals on boosting travel links that include resumption in air service and re-opening of the long-forgotten Sind-Rajasthan land route and the Mumbai-Karachi ferry service. It will not do anything to take up these measures unless India gives a guarantee that it will not refuse in future and under any circumstances permission to Pakistani aircraft to overfly Indian territory.

The Pakistani delusion is now reaching the stage when it thinks it can not only tell India how to 'resolve' the Kashmir tangle but also how India should shape its civil aviation and transport policies! But if Pakistan shows eagerness to resume train service it is because with the masses of travelling genuine passengers it can regularly smuggle in its army of spies and saboteurs, not to speak of its 'freedom fighters' under different garbs.

Among the decision taken by a furious India just after the Pakistani terrorists' attack on Parliament in December 2001, the one that hurt Islambad most was perhaps the drastic reduction in its 110-member mission in Delhi. It is common knowledge in India that the large the size of the Pakistani mission in India, the more the number of ISI operatives who position themselves officially on Indian soil to guide and monitor their nefarious activities.

It is Pakistani humbug to say that a large staff is required in India to clear the flood of visa applications. A large sized Pakistani staff in India never helped reduce the wait for visas. In any case, even at the best of times, the Pakistanis are quire prone to turn down visa requests from Indians.

It is obvious that the week that Islamabad took to mull over the Indian initiatives was spent only in devising a reply that will be strong on propaganda value but low in substance. An outright rejection of the Indian peace proposals would have been impossible for Islamabad for fear of infuriating Uncle Sam, the all-pervasive benefactor and patron of Pakistan, and indeed much of the international community. The Pakistani response was announced by no less a person that the Pakistani Foreign Secretary, Riaz Khokhar, who had duly won his spurs by vilifying India-in India itself as the infamous High Commissioner of his country.

Setting aside the provocation build into the 'robust' Pakistani response, it would look very clear that Islamabad simply could not find ways to match Indian gestures which are clearly aimed at improving people-to-people contacts. That is because the Pakistani establishment-the military, the bureaucracy, the mullahs and politicians who kow-tow to the military-overwhelmingly opposes any encouragement to large-scale people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

No matter what the Pakistanis say, the fact remains that the so-called 'core' issue of Kashmir can never be solved unless relations between the people of the two countries are marked by mutual trust and friendship. Any real Indo-Pak thaw can begin only at the people-to-people level-and not at summit meetings, as the Pakistanis are fond of declaring. The establishment in Islamabad draws its power-and privileges--from constantly keeping an imaginary Indian bogey alive and has never done anything more than pay lip service to the cause of peace in the sub-continent.

The Pakistani establishment has lit an eternal hate-India flame, which discourages any popular expression in that country of views that seek to genuinely improve bilateral relations.

But having said all that the fact remains that India will be equally unwise to adopt the Pakistani style of course diplomacy. As stated in the beginning, Pakistan cannot be expected to respond with any reasonableness or decency to India moves because of its fragile sense of national pride and definition of its nationhood. So even if Pakistan is willing to implement only a handful of Indian proposals it should be viewed as some gain.

The bottom line is that in the given State of India-Pak relations nothing can be expected to kick-start the real peace process. It has to be a very slow and tortuous process that requires a lot of patience. India should be willing to show that kid of indulgence even if Pakistan continues to live up to its boorish diplomatic behaviour-until one day Uncle Sam turns the heat on it.

(Syndicate Features)

Pleasing a man is a full time job

By Uma Ramachandran

Before I got married a girl I hardly knew invited me to a singles dinner party in Mumbai. I arrived looking wiped out after a 10-hour stint in the office. This I thought was a normal entrance to a weekday supper invitation but it was soon apparent that my fellow singles were in a different league.

The other women including one celebrity single now married were ridiculously gorgeous. What was shocking though, was how keen they were to be with our unappetising dates.

Halfway through dinner, one man informed me that the girl on his right an exquisite creature called Tanya wasn’t wearing knickers. This same girl whose barely harnessed bosoms were propped on the table like a plat du jour then recited a speech of thanks while standing on the table. Back in her seat, she sheepishly announced that she was off to meet her man. "Ooh that’s why you’re looking so pretty!" chorused the others in saccharine tones while the bachelors gazed on longingly.

Now look, I may be out of touch, but where I come from no one would admit that they had made a special effort for their men. No one would be seen dead in a baby-doll – not even one by Valentino.

Above all, no one would stand on a table in a baby-doll wearing no knickers. I don’t say this is necessarily right. But that is the way it has always been among the vast majority of professional, (mainly) university-educated women of my circle and generation.

Our somewhat po-faced way of dealing with the opposite sex seems, however, to be coming under fire. Today, there is a new generation of women–and I don’t mean tarts–who are prepared to channel a sizeable chunk of their energies into finding out what men like and delivering it. Not for the joy of a tumble in the monogrammed sheets, but in the hope of waking up in the master bedroom permanently.

A whole tribe of twenty to thirty somethings has emerged, who can happily wear a push-up bra without irony or the smallest trace of guilt. My generation–the over 35s–thinks that sexy undies, unless worn for a joke, are a bit of a copout. We want to be loved for our minds, you see. The modern seductress – who combines old-fashioned savvy with a new book of contemporary courtship tricks–has no such qualms. For her, man pleasing is a career option. As Madhuri, the entrancing fiancée of a business tycoon explains: "Pleasing my man is a full-time project." The concept of the temptress – an ambitious woman whose first aim is to delight – is an old one. What is amazing is not that these seductresses should still be around but that the idea should actually be gaining currency.

The pendulum has swung, virtually overnight, from a climate of earnest and sometimes tedious mutual respect to one of good old-fashioned role-playing. It could be that a new generation of young women, drip-fed a constant diet of sad singleton stories, are wary of staying ploddingly true to the sisterhood and ending up on the shelf.

Or it could be a fashion thing. The prevailing mood in women’s fashion for the past few seasons has been utterly feminine.

Maybe some women who have seen "The feminists shot themselves in the foot big time," explains one modern temptress. "I believe that a woman should be a woman and a man should be a man. My philosophy is: ‘I’ll look pretty; you open the door and pay for the tickets.

Fair enough. Although this kind of thing sticks in my throat, one can at least see that it makes life a bit more fun. What’s more, there is a sort of engaging, honesty, an upfronteness, a pathos and pragmatism about these modern seductresses that you can’t help but find endearing.

They all possess one enviable talent: the ability to ensure that men find them riveting. And they’re not ashamed to accommodate male fantasies. "You can decide not to play games, to have a purely cerebral rapport," explains Madhuri on her mobile phone.

But after saying, "Right let’s have sex now’ a few times, it gets boring." If the woman continually recreates herself, its more fun. Madhuri is a scene setter. She knows how to create an atmosphere, a vibe. "My home is full of candles and velvet pillows. I love to lie in front of the fire, so I have tray tables that I can move about." Would tray tables-lightweight, folding and utterly functional (they can be quickly shifted to make way for spontaneous sex) –work on your man? You bet.

"Men are quite simple in a way, like cars," says Tanya, who married the very eligible Giriraj last year. "They like something that looks good." Forget anything you’ve read recently about natural beauty. Looking good – in modern seductress speak means groomed. These girls are waxed, blow-dried and bronzed. No effort at self-maintenance is considered too extreme. They are fiends for regular all-over body decide exfoliation. It makes them feel silky and smooth next to their older man.

"In men’s minds, women are goddesses," says Madhuri, "so women must be goddesses for them."

These girls remember; have to compete across several continents. "By English standards I make a lot of effort, says Tanya. "Not by American standards. The kind of Mumbai socialites Aditi went out with was incredibly well polished.

Lingerie is also key. Modern seductresses do not get caught out wearing underwear that doesn’t match. "Nice lacy knickers and a push-up bra are absolutely standard attire," reveals Sonia, 32, who work in the fashion industry. "Men live sexy underwear, especially if you surprise them with a lacy whisper of nothing by La Perla – or at the least a bit of Victoria’s Secrets – under a T-shirts and jeans."

Then there’s the rest of the wardrobe. The true temptress knows how to navigate the thin line between glamour and tartiness and to resist fashion innovations – unless they are totally boy-friendly.

"Men love mules," says one modern seductress. "They are just so easy to slip off." As is anything black and slinky from Gucci, flirty from Valentino or – for the modern seductress whose target male has more fashion savvy – a pair of original Calvin Klein jeans teamed with Richard Tyler sandals.

The slightly fluffier, less foot sure crew opts for tactile cashmere ("makes men want to stroke you") and uncompromisingly feminine dresses ("men l-o-v-e dresses") "This season I’m wearing girlie, frilly, lovely little dresses covered with flower patterns," says Rashmi

The unpalatable thing about the modern seductress is the way that she conforms to old-fashioned female stereotypes. The Dumb Blonde is with us still.

"Men want pretty girls who don’t say too much," says a modern seductress friend. Anjali blithely admits: "There is no man who doesn’t like vulnerability. Men like to feel stronger. If you act terribly feminine, they all melt."

Jasmin, an (now married) interior decorator who has the teensiest little girl voice in the business, says: "The secret is to be difficult, petulant, sulky, pouty and enigmatic. Make them think they are chasing you."

Is this the technique she employed on her husband? "Well, he loved the schoolgirl voice. And the fact, that I was confident, but vulnerable. When I twigged to this, I hammed it up; I also use a lot of eye contact. It’s the easiest way to charm a man. And let them do most of the talking. Then you discover what turns them on." Oh and don’t forget to look riveted while you’re about it.

The other types of body language – the crossed leg, the smirks and giggles, the perching on the edge of the chair (makes your bare thighs look thinner) is so standard as to be almost formulaic. But, too much sexual flaunting (whispering come-ons and sallying forth without pants) it seen as a risky ploy, likely to net only short-term results.

"If a girl is too va-vavoom when a guy meets her," says one seductress, he’ll think ‘oh but she chased me’ and that will be the excuse for him to get out. What they never seem to realise is that the coy little thing is 50 times more manipulative than the in-your-face one." So no feminist guilt then? "Look we girls have to get off at the stop and get on a new train: get ourselves a new set of tools," says Madhuri

"We’re battering and hurtling the men in our lives. Some men need to feel manly. They appreciate a woman who can make them feel like a man." INAV