Randomness Redefined

Circle of Life

2009-01-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

Remember how we learnt a water cycle and a carbon cycle and a biomass cycle in school. Life is cyclic too, it seems.

Three years back, I wrote this post sitting exactly where I am sitting today, hoping to go somewhere. I was then working for our family business.

And today, having been there done that, I am back, starting a new innings again, and would rather be nowhere else. As they say, life comes a full circle

Commercialization of Terror

2008-12-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

Recently, there has been a lot of talk around the politicization of terror. But the same people who seem to find the politicization of terror an abominable sin, have been indulging in the commercialization of terror.

Let us look at the Indian media. First it ensured minute by minute coverage of the terror attacks, while putting its own journalists in the line of fire. While these media personnel were busy condemning politicians for visiting the terror sites, they forgot that journalists themselves were distracting security agencies from their jobs. A part of the security forces had to be deployed to ensure that overzealous journalists don’t get themselves killed. But each of them egged their correspondents on. And why not, it’s all about TRPs. If one channel doesn’t, someone else will.
After all, such attacks don’t take place everyday.

And the live footage was easily revealing every commando movement, every action of the NSG. Thus the terrorists could easily have stayed forewarned, and prepare for what was coming at them. Makes you seriously doubt, whose side was the media on?

I remember 9/11 coverage by the American media. Many channels had refused to make money out of the tragedy, with a self imposed moratorium of 2 days on commercial advertisements. Only public service ads were displayed during breaks. No such moratoriums by the Indian media. Every penny that could be made was to be made.

To add to this, the soundbyte hungry media didn’t even have any pity on the rescued hostages. Every rescued survivor had a mike thrust in his face, for a description of his ordeal. The ubiquitous “How do you feel” (or “Aap kaisa mehsoos kar rahe hain”) was thrown at every individual willing to speak up. Those who wouldn’t respond were literally chased by the media. Even the great Barkha Dutt – the defining femme fatale of Indian journalism, was party to it, chasing down traumatized foreigners to the rescue vehicles.

Despite such profound examples of sheer stupidity/ greed, what disgusted me the most about the media is that it kept patting itself on the back on completion of the commando operation. There were so many channels congratulating themselves for displaying exclusive footage. Others were happy that they brought to us uninterrupted coverage of the death and gore of the terror attacks. Still others celebrated their journalists, who risked their lives. (else their jobs might have been at risk)

And to top it all, the Indian media wants to take up the leadership in bringing about security, and punishing the failed political leadership. Every Newspaper/ news channel worth its salt has created a marketing gimmick to connect itself with public anger. Times group has its “Mumbai Cares” and “Guts before glory” programs as CRM tools, while DNA has its “Eyes and Ears of Mumbai”. Aaj Tak has its “Aatank ke Khilaaf Ailan-e-Jung”. The list is endless. Each has their premium SMS service to which you can send a message; so that they can now monetize your anger.

It is high time we start seeing through the gimmicks of the media, through the fake concern for the Indian people. Just like any other business, profits are their sole objective even if it means exploiting our emotions. For long enough, the media has hijacked the voice of the nation, its time to reclaim our voice from them.

Spirit of Mumbai

2008-11-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

Here’s a term that has been much abused - the spirit of Mumbai. Once again there are terror attacks on Mumbai, and once again, you can expect the term to be thrown around aplenty. The media and the politician will no doubt be looking to salute the spirit of Mumbai. So what is the spirit of Mumbai?

The way it has been used after each terror attack just goes on to convince me that the spirit of Mumbai is a red herring. Coined by politicians and popularized by the media, it is a term used to distract people from the failings of the government to deal with government passivity to terror. Every time I see any politician cornered in a debate over the failure of the government, he will change the topic to appreciate the spirit of Mumbai, earning audience applause in the process. It has become an easy way to get out of tight corners for the nincompoop politico.
Of course, the spirit is no myth. Most offices (expect those in vicinity of the terror attack, like mine) conducted business as usual on Thursday and Friday. There was 100% attendance in most offices, trains were as crowded during peak hours.

Though schools and colleges were closed, most coaching classes and private tuitions continued to be run as per schedules. Though people may have avoided getting out of their houses unnecessarily, one could still find hawkers in the street, most shops open. A remarkable feat, considering paramilitary and military forces were fighting with terrorists in a part of the city.

Part of this spirit though is borne out of sheer necessity. Mumbai is an extremely competitive business minded city. If I don’t reach office, someone else will. My place on the road maybe taken up by another hawker, if I don’t turn up. If my shop has its shutters down, my customer will turn to the shop next door. Terror is no excuse for not working, for not performing. This city IS the business capital of India, and the business must go on. Only cricketers and politicians have the luxury of chickening out, of not doing their jobs.

My request to every Mumbaikar is this: Yes, we are spirited. Yes we will continue to live like we have, terror or no terror. We will not be afraid of attacks. But let us not allow the politicians and the media to exploit our spirit. I request everyone that every time you hear the mention of the term ‘spirit of Mumbai’ look for ulterior motives. Look at if the person mentioning it is using it to divert our attention. Do not let applause to our spirit calm the sense of outrage, the anger within us. Stay angry. Ensure that terror is an election issue, for nothing else but votes matter to the politician. Enough is enough, we Mumbaikars need to draw the line. We will not be afraid of terror, but we will also hold our politicians accountable for it.

Changes during an economic downturn

2008-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

Ever since disaster stuck Lehman, things havent been what they used to be. Slowdown and recession fears loom large.

And you know that the economy is in dire straits when:

• Industry associations forget ‘growth’ and speak about ‘costs’

• Marketing becomes the popular choice over finance in b-school campuses

• The statement “I am a banker” generates sympathy rather than envy

• The ‘am’ in the above statement becomes a ‘was’

• HR managers hope that attrition rises

• Keynes replaces Friedman as theory of choice in economic text books

• The word ‘regulation’ is written in favourable terms in pink papers

• China becomes the’ savior’ instead of the ‘threat’ for the global economy

• His race is not a problem if the president can handle the economy

• The benefits of socialism are discussed outside the confines of Kerala and West Bengal

• And finally this happens to the world's richest football club:

Discovering Indian-ness – Part I: Cricket

2008-01-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

(As an effort to revive my blog, this is the first part of a multi part series on things that connect us as Indians, a common thread running through us. I am not sure how frequently will I be able to update the series, how many parts will there be to this series, or even if there will be a next part. I very well realize that I run the risk of stereotyping Indians, but it is a part of an introspection process. The idea is borrowed from Zhu’s blog, who is writing a series on Canadians.

It would be the most obvious thing to say that we are such a diverse country. Some say there are 2 Indias, many go on to say there are too many Indias to count. And yet, we have not just survived 60 years as a nation, but we have whole-heartedly embraced the Indian identity, despite our differences, be they religious, linguistic, social or any of the many parameters that lead to the diversity of the nation. So what is it that forms an Indian within us? What is it that generates uniform sentiments amongst most of us, if not all of us? In this series, I will try my level best to answer these questions. Criticisms, ideas, opinions are all welcome)

Based on the above background, it would be anyone’s guess that my first article should be dedicated to cricket.

Yes, Cricket! The topic on which every Indian has an opinion on, must have played some time in his life and thinks he can do a better job than the captain/coach leading the men in blue on the field. Hockey may be our official national sport, but to borrow from Pepsi, there is nothing official about cricket. If there is a cricket match, you can bet what the topic of conversation for the next few days is going to be. Cricket pervades through coffee tables, dinner conversations, roadsides, class rooms, tea-shacks, i.e. the works. If there is a TV in the open anywhere in the neighborhood, you can be sure that there will be a small crowd around it. Cricket is a universal ice-breaker in India, and people who have just met become close friends just based on cricket conversations.

Cricket is an import from England, but the sport has been truly Indianised. The Brits watch cricket with gentlemanly grace, Australians and South Africans with a can of beer, the West Indians with a touch of Calypso, but Indians watch it with passionate fervor, with devotion to the game. The Indian cricket team may not be the best in the world (except for the shortest version of the game), but I am sure every team would love to have supporters like the Indian cricket fans.

Cricket is played across the country, from east to west and north to south. Gully cricket is an important part of formative years of any kid in India. It doesn’t matter if you have the equipment or not, you can play cricket anywhere. The bat may take the form of a flat piece of wood, Thaapi (a washing instrument) from the wash room or just a hard cover book. Any kind of ball will do, and if it’s not there, a rolled up piece of paper or a small, rounded stone serves the purpose. Any place is good enough to serve as the cricket pitch, be it an open ground, the staircase, the road or even classrooms during the recess. Your skill level is also no restriction for playing cricket, although being good certainly provides its own bragging rights.

But bragging rights aren’t limited to playing the sport. Your knowledge of the sport is as important. Most Indians are arm-chair cricketers, who love to talk cricket. At such times, being able to throw in obscure cricket facts, pulling out player statistics and talking of on-field incidents can make you very popular. But be careful not to bluff, as it is very easy to get caught, given the mania surrounding the game. And that would be very embarrassing.

Indian cricketers have demi-god status in India, and are the richest cricketers in the world. Fan support remains unparalleled in the cricket world and can rival any other sport. The Indian cricketers earn more from product endorsement than from playing the sports. However, this fan support has curtailed their public life severely, as Indian cricketers can’t be seen in public, as they carry the risk of being mobbed. However, the ire of fans is as passionate as their support. The average cricket fan takes defeat and non-performance very seriously. Even Sachin was booed in his home ground following India’s disgraceful exit from the World Cup. Past greats have faced the same fate, with both Gavaskar and Kapil facing questions on their role in the team towards the end of their careers. Sachin and Saurav have just managed to silence critics asking for their retirement.

There are critics of the sport in India. Most of them consider it a waste of time, considering the length of a game. Others are just put off by the hype surrounding the game. Many accuse cricket of ruining the development of other sports in India. Still others aren’t able to digest the home team’s inconsistent performances. However, even the critics find it hard to ignore cricket, and you shouldn’t really be surprised if you find a critic as ardently following cricket.

Cricket has gone beyond the status of sport in India, and has often been referred to as a religion in India. However the passion for the sport is limited to international matches. Only recently has there been any interest in local leagues, which is essential for the development of the sports, as well as cricket retaining its status in India. I hope the interest continues, as cricket continues its status as the unofficial sport of India.

Jeetega bhai Jeetega!!!

France: At Crossroads?

2007-10-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long time since I blogged. When I last blogged, I never thought I would be blogging the next time sitting in Paris. Well I have to sit, as I have walked more than 10 km today. The walk was interesting and enjoyable, given the beautiful weather and the even more beautiful Parisian architecture to admire. But I did not walk the distance so that I can talk about the weather or beautiful buildings (there might be a post on that too, you never know). I was forced to walk to my college in Paris because of a train strike, which brings me to the topic I wish to address today.

Strike? In France? Isn’t France supposed to be a capitalist country? (Did I take some of our communist friends from Calcutta with me?) I had the same perception of France when I left India a month ago. I have been trying to understand French politics, its people and a bit of its history, and I am surprised that France has at all been capitalist. The people and successive governments in France have adopted socialistic policies. Unions in France are very strong; the right to strike, vacation, pension and social security are almost sacrosanct. Privatisation is a bad word, and people really don’t trust corporations. Perhaps the only thing capitalistic about France is that it recognizes the right to private property.

The French economy isn’t doing too well, and there are reasons for that. European integration has lead to free movement of goods, capital and people. Capital has migrated out of France in search of lower wages, people have moved into France in search of higher wages and goods have found higher prices. Unemployment and illegal immigration are just the tip of the iceberg of French problems. In order to solve the unemployment issue, France had adopted a rather, ahem, “interesting” policy of mandatory 35-hour work weeks for all employees in France. (While some employment was created in the process, the labour bills of many French companies shot up and they are struggling to be competitive today). Economic growth has been sluggish (hovering around 2%) and inflation is up, especially since the introduction of Euro in France.

France pays great retirement benefits to all employees, which are taken out of the taxes collected annually (France doesn’t have a pension fund). With an aging populace, fewer people are working every year (to pay taxes) while more number of people get added to the retired list (to enjoy pension and retirement benefits). To add to its woes, France also has one of the earliest retirement ages in all of Europe, and also allows earlier retirement (than the retirement age) in many jobs. This allows some people to pay taxes for fewer years than period of their retirement benefits. The retirement benefits have led to some fiscal disarray. To further complicate matters, taxation is a taboo subject in French politics. Being a part (rather a founder) of the European Union, France is obliged to exercise fiscal discipline, keeping its fiscal deficit under control. France needs to cut down its spending on retirement benefits.

Against this backdrop, the last elections in France were held. Nicholas Sarkozy, the current president of France won the elections with a slogan of “Rupture”, which was telling the people that we need to change our ways drastically, if we wish to grow. Any person would be forgiven for saying that Sarkozy could not have won the election. Sarkozy is the son of an Hungarian immigrant and his promises included taking away benefits rather than extending benefits to the people. Sarkozy promised sweeping reforms and gave slogans like “Work more to earn more” to the vacation-loving French. However, Sarkozy had proved his mettle as interior minister during the riots that raged through Paris last year. More surprising than his victory was the popularity- ratings that he enjoyed after the polls. Sarkozy had effectively managed to get the people of France to agree in principle that change was needed in the way things had traditionally been done in France, which by itself was no small achievement.

Sarkozy, along with his labour minister Xavier Bertrand have started trying to implement their promises, and the first task they took on was taking away the early retirement option extended to rail employees, firemen and electricity workers in France. This has led to the strike with which I began my blog. This is the first crisis for Sarkozy, and for the first time in ages, there has been an unpopular strike in France. How things shape up after this may decide the future course of French politics for years to come

I had the option of skipping my classes, but one of the reasons I chose to walk to my institute was to show solidarity with Nicholas Sarkozy, for I believe he is a man who can set things right in France. I’ll be leaving France in December, but it is always great to see a politician strive hard and stick to his guns for what he believes is right for the country. I hope some Indian politicians are learning something.

Ball Tampering Controversy: Tragedy or Farce???

2006-08-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Once more, the gentleman’s game is surrounded by controversy. An umpire, Darrell Hair with a history of accusations of racial bias, accuses a team, Pakistan, with a history of ball tampering of doing the same. The captain walks off with his team, which forces the umpires to award the match to England. ICC, too didn’t take too high a view of the Pakistani team’s actions, and has initiated action against the Pakistani captain. Inzamam returned the favour, accusing Darrell Hair, and the ICC of racial bias.

The Pakistani media, as expected has lashed out at both Darrell Hair and the ICC. But given the fact that senior Pakistani bowlers have admitted to regularly tampering the ball, is it possible to give them the benefit of doubt? Such things get ingrained in the sporting cultures of countries. It is not the first time the Pakistanis have been accused of ball tampering. These allegations have come from non white players as well. But then, the proof of ball tampering available is only as credible as the proof against Darrell Hair’s racial bias. There are only historical actions and perceptions in either case.

Not that Darrell Hair, or the ICC for that matter, is free from racial bias. Darrell Hair’s actions seem to personify the anti-Asian bias, with Hair having gotten into the hair of players from all Asian cricketing countries. Muralitharan, Harbhajan, Shabbir and Danish have all been accused of chucking. The evidence of ball tampering seemed grossly inadequate, and no camera captured any footage of ball tampering. Yet, he accuses the team of ball tampering and deducts 5 runs, at a point of time where the match was very exciting.

Inzamam’s reactions too, were immature, leading his team off the field. What did he expect the umpires to do? Wait for an eternity, for the Pakistanis to make up their minds whether the want to play or not? Pakistanis could have continued playing, lodging a formal protest with the ICC later.

ICC has not been a saint either. Cricket was deemed to be the white man’s game, and that the power has shifted from England to Asia, hasn’t gone down too well with some of the whites. There have been racial comments about poor standards of umpiring of Asian umpires, but one can only look at the controversies created by the so-called ‘elite panel’ of umpires, to understand their standards. Steve Bucknor has regularly taken controversial decisions, many a times having match altering impacts. One of the reasons that Sachin hasn’t been able to perform has been poor umpiring, some umpires just seem to be too eager to give him out.

And now the latest twist: Pakistan wants BCCI to use its muscle to help it. After all, Asians should stand together, they argue. But what has the PCB done to seek such favours? The PCB comments over Gavaskar’s favoritism in the appointment of Shrinath as Match referee, haven’t exactly endeared them to the BCCI. Indians have always helped Pakistanis, with Dalmiya changing ICC rules so that Shoaib could play in Australia despite the chucking allegations. But PCB has never been willing to share a reciprocal relationship. Ehsan Mani’s comments over not have a major ICC event in India don’t exactly encourage co-operation with Pakistan. Why then, does PCB expect help in cleaning up its mess?

The above events were unfortunate, and avoidable. But the immaturity from either side has turned the situation into a farce, with off-the-field events making more news than on-field events. Just hoping that the air clears, and we can get back to focusing on the game.

Tradeoffs Involved in Indirect Taxation

2006-07-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Economics is all about trade-offs. The government too, faces such tradeoffs while coming out with any economic or financial policy. Such is the case while deciding indirect taxes. This article has been written with the intention of analyzing the effects of indirect taxation on the market equilibrium, which leads to the analysis of constraints on the government while deciding taxes.

The objective of indirect taxation (or any form of taxation for that matter) is to maximize the revenue generated for the government. In that context, high tax rates would be ideal. But as we shall see very high tax rates are also undesirable, as they tend to stifle economic growth, as well as contribute to inflation. Hence the government is caught in a balancing act, where it needs to trade-off revenue generation in the favour of economic growth.

(The analysis has been made keeping in mind the Indian scenario. This includes underlying assumptions of a democratic setup, a significantly large poor and lower middle class vote-banks, and a rapidly growing economy.)

Effect of Indirect taxes on Market Equilibrium:

In a market with no indirect taxes, at equilibrium, the price paid by the consumer is the same as the price obtained by the seller. If Ps is the price obtained by the seller, and Pc is the price paid by the consumer, then Ps=Pc. Qe is the equilibrium quantity.

An introduction of indirect taxes causes a change in equilibrium. Now Ps is no longer the same as Pc. Rather Pc > Ps, by an amount t, which is the tax paid to the government, i.e. Pc = Ps + t. Also, there is a reduction in the equilibrium quantity, from Qe to Q* as shown in the diagram below.

From the above diagram, the following conclusions are drawn:
i. The Consumer ends up paying a higher price. If the demand is relatively elastic, there is less incidence of the tax on the consumer, but if the demand is relatively inelastic, the consumer bears the major brunt of the tax.
ii. The Seller gets a lower price. In case of an inelastic demand, the seller can pass of a major brunt of the tax to the consumer, but in a relatively elastic demand, the seller has to bear the major brunt.
iii. There is a reduction in the quantity consumed at equilibrium. The more inelastic the demand, the lesser is the reduction in consumption. The greater the tax amount, the higher the fall in consumption.
iv. The difference between Pc and Ps is the tax that goes to the government. In order to maximize tax revenues, items with relatively inelastic demands, i.e. necessities should be taxed.

Revenue maximization and Constraints

In order to maximize its tax revenues, the government can either impose high taxes on non-necessary (luxury) items, or impose taxes on necessities, so as to minimize any tax loss due to fall in consumption. However, both options are subject to severe constraints.

A high rate of taxation leads to a fall in consumption. Any fall in consumption leads to a slowdown in the production of that particular good. In addition, the rise in price for the consumer leaves him with lesser disposal income to spend, which in turn will cause a further fall in consumption. Hence, a high rate of taxation on too many goods may lead to a general industrial slowdown. This is not desirable for the government, as the government does not wish for a recession in the industry, which will bring down the growth rate of the economy in general.

(Although this may not always be true. In an ideal scenario, the government is the biggest spender, and the revenues collected by it will be pumped back into the economy. This will again give an impetus to the industry. A recession on higher incidence of tax hence, is not a certainty. But in the Indian context, due to the leakage in the system, and on account of a significant proportion of defence expenditure, a relatively smaller percentage of the revenue makes it back to the national economy.)

Similarly, imposing taxes on necessities has its own political connotations. Also, the tax burden in case of necessities can be almost entirely passed on to the consumer. As the consumer cannot run away from necessities, the rich and the poor are equally affected by indirect taxation. The price rise of necessary goods causes an increase in inflation, which has always been a politically sensitive issue. Any government wishing for public good will does not want a rise in inflation.

Thus the government is severely constrained in terms of ways to generate revenue from indirect taxation. Any government looking for a healthy growth rate will always keep tax rates moderate, while looking for other sources of revenue. Political pressures also keep governments from taxing necessities, especially in a country where the price of onions decides the future of the government.

Adios, Mumbai

2006-06-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well, its time to say good-bye to Mumbai, at least for some time. I am headed to Kolkatta (Joka, to be exact) to do my MBA at IIM C. Not that this is the first time I will be away from my beloved city, but this seems to be the longest period I will be staying away, and will miss the sights and sounds of the lovely city. Here is a list of the things I will miss the most about the city.

Being a foodie, the street food of Mumbai is placed high on my list. The variety of foods offered on the streets of Mumbai is a delight. (Needless to say, very easy on the pocket too). From the ubiquitous Vada Pavs (They have been branded as well in Mumbai) to the different types of “puris” (No, not the Amrish and Om types), i.e. Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, Sev Puri, Dahi Batata Puri etc. etc.; all are my culinary favourites. Add to the list roadside sandwiches, Pav Bhaji, Kulfi, Chinese and another Mumbai specialty, the Golas. Made from crushed ice laced with sherbets of different flavours, these are a relief from the scorching heat.

Well the street food reminds me of the best place to relish them: The Beach. “Chowpatti jaayenge, Bhel Puri khaayenge” was made famous by Rishi Kapoor. And the beaches of Mumbai are certainly one of the best places to enjoy the Mumbai street food. In addition, the strolls with family as kids, football matches with friends, sand castles, and sunsets are all parts of memorable evenings spent on the beaches of Mumbai.

Traveling in Mumbai isn’t easy with the crowded local trains and BEST buses. And yet I will miss them, for they are a quintessential part of Mumbai. (I am sure the “100 years of bringing people closer” slogan for centenary celebration of railways must have been inspired by a peak hour Virar train). The public transport in Mumbai may be far from convenient, but it is cheap, efficient and quick, especially the Mumbai locals.

What makes Mumbai special is the security one feels while moving around the city. I have no data or figures to support it, but I believe Mumbai is one of the most secure cities in the country. Petty crime is very limited, and is not the biggest worry the common Mumbaikar. One can travel across Mumbai at anytime, and yet feel safe and secure.

Having stayed in the same suburb of Mumbai all my life, I will really miss taking long walks down the roads of Borivali. It is almost impossible to walk around this area without bumping into someone I know.

Ganeshotsav in Mumbai is something special, something in which every individual from all walks of life involves himself. The Ganeshotsav has become an integral part of the Mumbai identity. I especially enjoyed visiting various pandals to see the creative forms in which Lord Ganesh was portrayed. (I know Durga Pooja holds a similar charm in Kolkatta, but I am not sure whether you can actually enjoy dancing during the visarjan the way one does in Mumbai.)

But what I will really miss is the people of Mumbai. And by people I don’t mean my friends and family (Of course, I will miss them too!). I mean the common man of Mumbai, the Mumbaikar. Resilient, helpful, honest, cosmopolitan individuals that make Mumbai the great city it is, a microcosm of India.

Football World Cup: Missing Talents

2006-06-09T01:58:00.000-07:00

The greatest sporting spectacle, the football (soccer for the Americans) World Cup starts today. The sport is the most followed in the world. And there has been a huge build up to the sport, with all leading dailies in India (a country, which hasn’t ever qualified for the World Cup) dedicating a lot of print space to it. “All the best football and all the best contemporary players will be on display”, they claim.

Well, I certainly hope for the best football, but the world cup will definitely miss out on some of the greatest contemporary players. Some due to injury, others, due to non-qualification of national teams, and yet others due to coaches preferring younger players.

Wayne Rooney’s injury has been much publicized, with Englishmen ready to cite his injury as an excuse for not winning the World Cup (Not that too many are betting on England to win anyways).But Rooney is an exciting player, and amongst the best strikers in the World today, and neutrals like me would love to watch him play (recent reports show that Rooney may be able to play in the world cup). Djibril Cisse, French striker fractured his foot in a friendly against China, which leaves him out of the World Cup. Other players on the doubtful-due-to-injury list include the mercurial S&M player Mateja Kezman, Euro 2004 top-scorer and Czech striker Milan Baros, teammate Vladimir Smicer, and more recently, the Dutch trio of Phillip Cocu, Van Bronckhorst and Wesley Sneijder, all limping off in a friendly against Australia.. Claudio Reyna, Roque Santa Cruz, Rafael Van der Vaart and Golden boot favourite Andriy Shevchenko are on the list too.

Aging players will also be missing, especially with teams whose coaches have a fetish for youth. Edgar Davids, Roy Makaay and Clarence Seedorf, all in good form, will miss the World Cup, losing their position to younger players. The Dutch coach Marco Van Basten has gone in for a young squad, forcing viewers to miss the talents of these players. Darren Bent, who impressed all (all but Eriksson) with his performance in the Premiership will also be missing.

Senegal, which beat defending champs France in the last World Cup, Wales, Colombia, Ireland are some teams which have not qualified for World Cup this time. Hence the talented players from these teams will obviously be missing. Which means the likes of Diof, Cisse, Keane, Cordoba, Moreno etc. will also be absent from the World Cup scene.

But the player I will miss the most this World Cup is arguably one of the greatest left- wingers in the world, drawing comparisons with George Best, and like Best, a player who hasn’t played any World Cup. This was the last chance for this Welsh Wizard to prove his mettle on the greatest stage, but again, Wales couldn’t qualify. Yes, I am talking about Ryan Giggs.

Ryan Giggs has been one of the stars at Manchester United, causing havoc in opponent’s defence with his dribbling on the left flank. He has been the cause of many United victories, and even at 33 years of age, played a pivotal role this season in ensuring Manchester United a second place in the league.

The other players mentioned in this article have had their World Cup moments, or can look forward to playing the World Cup in the future. But Ryan Giggs will be one footballer who never got an opportunity to set alight the World Cup, the grandest footballing event, with the magic only he can unleash.

Stock Market Crash and the Economy

2006-05-22T05:05:00.000-07:00

For the past three years, the stock market has seen an unprecented rise. From languishing in the 4000s, the stock market has risen to more than 12000. Simultaneously, the Indian economy had been growing consistently at a rate of more than 8%. Different reports indicated that India and China would be the drivers of growth of the world economy.

Many experts claim that the rise in stock market is an indicator of the growing economy. It was our robust economy that had attracted foreign institutional investors (FIIs) towards the BSE. Many reasons were given for the continued FII romance with the stock exchange. However, all, of a sudden, the markets seem to be crashing. FIIs have panicked into selling, and others are following them.

All it took was the rumour of a bill on taxing stock market investors in the same way as traders are. The FM started shouting his favourite word, whenever the stock markets falls, i.e. “Conspiracy” , and denied all reports of such a tax. **Digression: The Sensex crash couldn’t have come at a worse time for the government. It coincides with the completion of two years in power, and the middle class is upset over reservations. The Congress has done poorly in two states that had gone to polls recently. The government-bashing left has just grown stronger. End of Digression **. This did not pacify the FIIs, and the Sensex continues to fall. If the stock market is indeed a function of the economy, then does it mean that are economy can sink because of a rumour?

Experts have always linked stock market boom to the boom in Indian economy. While I am no expert, I never quiet agreed with them. I have always held the belief that stock market rise is all about sentiment. If the market sentiment is good, the stock market will do well even if the economy and industry in general don’t. It has been seen time and again that a few individuals can manipulate the stock markets for their personal gains.

The market may be one of the factors that moves the economy, but is certainly no indicator of the economy. But this does not mean that the FM can relax while the market falls. The bad sentiment from the market starts affecting other sectors very soon, spreading depression. The Finmin must ensure that a positive sentiment prevails once again in the market.

Anti Reservation Protests: We are still the Land of the Mahatma

2006-05-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Take a poll today, and you will find that there are more fans of Bhagat Singh amongst the youth than those of Mahatma Gandhi. Much of the youth feels that violence was more potent a weapon against the British than non-violence. “ Maar do saale ko”, shouts the latest blockbuster Rang de Basanti, in which a corrupt politician is murdered by the protagonists. The mass appeal of the movie, and the way it has influenced the Indian youth makes one believe that the present generation feels that violence is a valid form of protest.

And yet, when it comes to the real-life political issue that has got the youth of India protesting, i.e. Mandal-II, it is a pleasant surprise that all protests have been non-violent at the students end. All violence that has occurred during the protests has been by the government machinery. It is the police who have lathi-charged the protesting doctors in various cities. There have been no instances of students being arrested, trying to kill Arjun Singh, the perpetrator of the crime of dividing the nation on caste lines, as the protagonists in RDB did. There have been no instances of youth being arrested trying to bomb the parliament, even though they haven’t received an iota of support from any political party.

But one definitely sees protest marches, similar to those against the Simon Commision. We do get to see non-violent protesters braving against lathi charges in the vein of Lala Lajpat Rai. And we see these young protesters, resorting to Bapu’s beloved weapon, the hunger strike. Add to these new forms of non-violent protests that technology has armed them with. Online petitions, blogs, chain e-mails and SMS have all been an active part in their campaign against reservations. Humour has been used to good effect, with some e-mails suggesting a reservation in the Indian cricket team, where the opposition bowls at reserved category players at a lesser pace.

Brash, rebellious, irrational are some epithets commonly hurled at youngsters. But the decency and calm with which the youth of the country has protested reservations in higher education, just goes to show the maturity of the youth of today. They may adore Bhagat Singh, but are equally adept at using the Mahatma’s methods.

Assembly Elections 2006: A Snapshot

2006-05-12T23:55:00.000-07:00

The Assembly election results are out, and have surprised no one. In all states except Assam, the people have voted decisively in favour of one party or alliance.

In Bengal and Kerala, the left has swept the polls. So did the DMK alliance in Tamil Nadu. While the results were as expected by psephologists, the magnitude of victory has surprised a few. There were a few reasons for this.

In Kerala (as in Tamil Nadu), it has always been seen that in every elections, the alliance which is in opposition wins the polls. As the Left Democratic Front (LDF) was in opposition in Kerala assembly, it was bound to win owing to the anti-incumbency factor. Added to that was the fact that the national leadership of Congress didn’t speak to much against the Left during their campaigns, as the Left was supporting the Congress government at the centre. However, the left (as always) continued to blast both the governments, the UPA in the centre, and the UDF in Kerala. So was the case in West Bengal as well.

In Bengal, added to the muted campaign by the Congress, the opposition was in a complete state of disarray. The CPM had effectively blackmailed Congress from staying out of the ‘Mahajyot’ of Mamata Banerjee. Budhadeb Bhattacharjee’s work had floored Calcuttans, and for a change, Calcutta voted for CPM. CPM baiters had been crediting scientific rigging for CPM’s long stay in power, but even the worst critics were forced to admit that elections this time were free and fair.

In Assam Congress reached near the majority mark, which is an achievement in itself, as Assam has a history of voting out the incumbent government. Again the benefits of a split opposition were all too clear. The AGP had suffered a split, with former CM Prafulla Mahanta forming his own party, and neither tying up with the BJP.

In Tamil Nadu, the elections were expected to be too close to call, but the DMK-combine swept the poll. CPM and Congress benefited from the largess shown by the DMK, and won a large number of seats in TN. Amma was decisively voted out. A part of the loss could be blamed on actor Vijaykanth, whose party, the DMDK, ate 7% of AIADMK vote.

The Assembly polls show major gains for the left front and major losses for Congress in Kerala & West Bengal. This would mean a more aggressive left front, and a weaker government at the centre. The good results for parties like DMK will revive talks of a non-Congress, non-BJP third front. SP and CPM have been dropping hints on the formation of third front for quite some time. The BJP was a non-entity in all these states (Except Assam), and nothing was expected from the BJP. However, the poor showing in WB and Assam further weakens the BJP standing in national politics.

Kid's Channels in India: An Evolution

2006-05-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

Kids these days are pampered with choice. Look at the TV channels for them: Cartoon Network, Pogo, Hungama, Animax, Nickelodeon and 2 channels from Disney (I hope I didn’t miss any). Kids are a big market, and influence the choice of many FMCGs purchased (from biscuits to toothpaste), and hence these channels do great business.

When I was a kid, all I had during vacation was 2 hours of dedicated programming for kids on the metro channel of Doordarshan, called as fun-time. That was before the private TV channels hit India. Even after that, there was little focus on kids, with regular channels providing time-slots for kids programming.

The first big step in dedicated children’s entertainment was Cartoon Network or CN. CN also started sharing time with TNT, a movie channel. CN showed cartoons in the day, and TNT showed movies evening onwards. During that time it was believed that at primetime, children lost control on the TV. Soon Cartoon Network shattered the myth, by successfully becoming the first 24 channel for children in India.

Nickelodeon was launched at around this time, but it couldn’t make similar inroads. Indian kids found most of the shows too foreign to relate to. So CN continued its monopoly on the Indian market, with no other Channels coming to the fore. To tap into the rural Indian market, CN gave the option between Hindi and English subscription. But CN realised that with its total emphasis on cartoons, it was missing out on the tweens and early teens’ market. So CN came out with Pogo, a channel targeted at these age groups.

But in the past three years, a flurry of channels has come to India. Animax hit India with Japanese anime. Disney who till now, had been content with providing content to other channels, started two channels. Hungama was there, but it too spiced up its channel from being a non-descript, obscure channel to a prime competitor in the race.

And yet, the rural kids market is up for grabs. And why? Because of the same reason Nickelodeon didn’t work in India. Rural kids found many of the concepts too alien. That’s where Doordarshan scored with Shaktimaan. An Indian superhero saving Indians (and sometimes the universe), in locations they can relate to, with themes they are familiar with, speaking a language they understand. Shaktimaan became a huge hit all over India. No more marshmallow-chewing Americans saving the world.

TV channels have recently caught up to this trend. Disney has launched two Indian shows, Hatim & Aryamaan (which was on DD for some time). It plans to start an animated series, Hanuman (the movie that became such a hit with little ones). Pogo had roped in Shaktimaan a long back. Hungama also has its “Hero”. Cartoon network has started Raja Hindustani on Sundays for showing cartoons based on Indian legends. But going by CN’s previous ventures of Tenali Rama, and Akbar-Birbal, CN tends to cast characters into western stereotypes, which is why they don’t become popular in India.

With tremendous IT expertise, India has the potential of bringing about its own culture of animation series, just as Japan did so successfully. The success of Hanuman, the first full-length Indian animated series, has shut the naysayers up, who raised doubts about the acceptability of anime in Indian markets. Though technically not the most perfect animated film, Hanuman was able to do great business just because kids were able to relate to it. The children’s entertainment industry should take lessons from this.

The Irrelevant SMS Polls

2006-04-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

All News channels have hit upon the new source of revenue: SMS Polls. Everyday there is a poll on one of the top stories of the day on each channel. In fact on many a channels, there is a show, that actually goes around what is the response of the people. But other than being sources of revenue for these channels, do these polls hold any significance?

Some of the questions asked by the polls such that people can vote in just one way. Look at this question: Should Rahul Gandhi assume a greater responsibility in Congress? Now be it a supporter, or a detractor of Rahul Gandhi, he would vote in the affirmative. If Rahul Gandhi isn’t going to take more responsibility in the Congress, why the hell is he there for?

Yet other questions are completely open to interpretation. Consider this question asked on one of the News channels: Will Rahul Gandhi’s presence make a difference to Congress in UP? Well it all depends on what does one mean by difference. If they mean that Congress gets a few more seats, then the answer would be yes. If it means Congress becomes a major force in the UP Vidhan Sabha, No. (That’s too much for Rahul Gandhi to achieve, even though the media would like to attribute god like powers to him.)

I have been a critic of “Don’t Know/Can’t Say” (DKCS) option in polls. If you don’t have an opinion, why vote? However, there are times when it is the best resort. Some of the questions raised are such that only experts can have the answer. At such times one can use the DKCS option. If a large number of people vote in this fashion, it is equivalent to making the statement to the poll holder that the general public doesn’t understand the complexity of the issue. According to me all answers to the polls on nuclear deal between India and US should have been DK/CS.

And how does one ensure that the votes form a good sample set? There has always been this controversy on SMS polls, as one person is allowed more than one vote. So a person who feels strongly about the issue (or has his mobile bills paid by his company) may vote multiple times, while others may not. How then, can that poll hold any significance?

All in all, these polls are revenue generation tools for news companies. I don’t think even the news channels take their polls seriously.

Happy Birthday, God!

2006-04-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar may want his birthday to be a quiet affair, so the least fans like us can do is wish him a very Happy Birthday. The last season may not have been the best for him, nor his health, but we fans definitely believe that the God of Indian Cricket will soon be back to his peak form, demolishing bowling attacks like only he can.

So heres wishing the little master a very very Happy Birthday! May the next year bring in lots of good luck and form for him!!!

On Atheism

2006-04-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Atheism seems to be ubiquitous. From Amartya Sen and Ananth Pai, to most of the bloggers I communicate with, everyone claims to be an atheist. This post isn’t intended to comment on the validity of atheism as a philosophy. It is just an attempt by a devout, religious person like me (I hope I am not burnt at stake for this) to understand the reason(s) behind atheism’s growing popularity.

Being an atheist is modern/cool.
Atheism implies rejection of God and religion and with it the baggage of tradition that comes along with religion. So an atheist sets his own rules. He can go around shouting I’m a rebel like Aamir Khan in RDB. It hardly matters if he has a reason for rejecting a particular tradition. It is cool to bash tradition anyway.

Being an atheist is convenient.
In a world torn apart by religious fundamentalism, it is very convenient (especially for bloggers) to be an atheist. This allows the blogger to criticise fundamentalism in any particular religion, without having defend the religion indicated by his surname. It also allows him to choose the traditions and festivals convenient to him. “I will burst crackers on Diwali because I enjoy them. Why should one waste time on Lakshmi Poojan? I don’t believe in God anyways.”

Being an atheist is intellectual
That one is an atheist automatically implies that one has the capability to think for himself, as one must not have rejected a widely held belief like God just for the heck of it. Being an intellectual, (and hence atheist) is especially important to all writers. Who will buy their books if the public doesn’t believe that the author is giving them some independent thought?

Being an atheist is secular
In fact, the dictionary meaning of secular doesn’t leave much difference between atheism and secularism. Considering the Indian definition, which means equal respect for all religions, atheist show equal amount of contempt for all, and hence fit the secular bill.

Being an atheist is rational and scientific
The concept of God implies something all-powerful and supernatural. Both these concepts are beyond scientific rationale. Hence God and religion automatically become unscientific and irrational. Acceptance of God requires the humility to accept that there are things beyond human comprehension. Rationalists and scientists are trying to comprehend all the mysteries of the world. Hence a rejection of God is but natural to them.

It would be easy for anyone to dismiss atheism as pop-culture, but atheism has survived for centuries, and I have no doubt it will last as long the concept of God does. After all, there are so many advantages of being an atheist.

I dream of the IIMs

2006-04-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

The IIMs had always been a dream for me. My first attempt at the CAT (the entrance exam for the IIMs) was in 2003. Had prepared a lot for it and had a good exam. But the moment I came out of the examination halls, I heard that my effort had been a wasted one, for the CAT papers had been leaked, and the CAT would be reconducted.

The CAT was reconducted in Feb 2004. But somehow, I just couldn’t motivate myself for the same level of preparation. I don’t know whether it was the frustration of the wasted effort, or just my usual complacent attitude, but I wasn’t motivated enough to take the retest. Even with the half-hearted approach, I managed to secure 98.82 percentile. I would have managed to get a few GD/PI calls from some of the IIMs, had it not been for a technicality called sectional cut-offs. My percentile in one of the sections was too low. A case of so-near-yet-so-far!

Having not made it to the IIMs in 2004, I joined on of the best Software firms in India. (Yeah! That’s the only option for engineering graduates, irrespective of your discipline of graduation).Simultaneously, I decided (once again) to appear for CAT in 2004. As luck would have it, CAT 2004 came too close to my IT training exam in my company. Caught between a rock and a hard place, I had to divide my attention (I had so little of it anyways) between studying for my IT training, and my CAT. The result? My performance went down in CAT 2004 by more than a percentile and a half. (One percentile corresponds to approx 1750 ranks in the CAT). So I had no hopes of making it.

But the bench period in my software company had frustrated me so much, that by March 2005, I had decided to have another crack at the CAT. So as to avoid jokes from my colleagues, I used to go around saying, “My CAT seems to be a Govt. five year plan. Will be attempted for five years, and yield no results!” Yeah! Laugh at yourself, and the world laughs with you, and not at you. But I was determined to crack the CAT this time.

Some where in June I realised, that staying away from home and looking after myself, in addition to my job, weren’t allowing me enough time to prepare for CAT. So I decided to go back home and join my family business. This allowed me free evenings for my classes, as well as my studies. (Mom’s cooking and care was an added bonus!). I contributed to the company as well, developing the website, and streamlining a few processes. It helped me learn a lot of things I was not exposed to in the IT behemoth I was working for. I was also allowed 2 weeks leave before the CAT. Had a decent CAT, though I felt that I should have performed better in Verbal section, which traditionally had been my strength.

On the second day of 2006, I was awoken by a friends call, asking me how many IIMs had called me for the next stage, i.e. GD/PI. I sat up. I didn’t know the results of CAT were out. I spent the entire day checking the IIM websites, to see which of them had called me. This time I had managed four IIM calls, from Calcutta, Indore, Lucknow and Kozhikode. (Ok, so I had missed the big two, but an IIM is an IIM, so the saying goes).

And so began a strenuous time of fine-tuning my soft-skills. There were newspapers to be read, academics to be revised, opinions to be formed, current affairs to be studied, hobbies to be pursued……… The list seemed endless. One by one, I went through my GD/PI encountering all sorts of questions and topics. (My IIM-Calcutta PI was very interesting, will post something on that soon)

Today, the results were out. The culmination of three years’ efforts had finally arrived. Dear readers, I have made it to IIM-C, which was the best institute I had a call from. And I am ecstatic! Wow!!

Waking up to Minority Appeasement

2006-04-06T02:52:00.000-07:00

For most of the Indian media (especially English journalists), Indian Muslims have been holy cow. Most journalists and columnists bend over backwards to prove their “secular” credentials. Anybody who spoke about minority appeasement and reforms in Muslim personal law was a Hindu fundamentalist. Even after the Parliament attacks and Mumbai bomb blasts, no one spoke about Islamic fundamentalism in India. However, recently, some of the same columnists have changed sides, and are asking the Muslim community in India difficult questions.

The trend was started by Vir Sanghvi. In his editorials to the Hindustan times, he repeatedly asked why the moderate Indian Muslim is silent. Vir Sanghvi argued that the strongest criticism to Hindu fundamentalism came from within the Hindu community, but the silence of the Muslim communities silence over Haji Yaqoob’s prize offer was seen as tacit approval. Vir Sanghvi further went on to say that if moderate Muslims chose to remain quiet, the rest of India should speak up, so as to isolate such acts of fundamentalism.

One of the staunchest critics of the Saffron Brigade, Jug Suraiya joined in. In his article, Islam Agonistes, Jug Suraiya states lashes out at reactions of the Indian Muslims on the Danish cartoons. On the political reaction to the UP Hajj minister’s offer, Suraiya comments,

That he is walking around scot-free suggests a form of self-censorship, a
self-composed timidity of response (the Hindutva brigade would call it
appeasement) where Islam is concerned.

The latest addition to this list is Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar, noted economist, whose column Swaminomics has cult following. Known rarely to write on non-economic issues (or social issues without economic nitty-gritty), Aiyar attacks the virtual silence in India over the proposed execution of Abdul Rahman (The sad silence over Abdul Rahman). He goes on to state,

But I hear no outcry from moderate Muslims, or Hindu intellectuals who normally
wave the secular flag. None of the major secular parties seems interested in
deploring the horror

What, in the past few months has changed so much, that columnists are condemning the Indian political and social reaction to Islamic fundamentalism? As Vir Sanghvi himself explains, Islamic fundamentalism in India was, until recently, seen as an insecure reaction to Hindu fundamentalism. However ever since the extremist Muslim in India has started associating himself with the cause of global Islam, there is a growing sense of insecurity amongst Indians. The recent protests, whether against prophet caricatures, or the visit of George Bush, were on issues that hardly affected the Indian Muslim. And yet Indian Muslims turned out in large numbers to join the protests.

It is a clear case of double standards on the parts of the so-called moderate Muslims, as well as the Indian politicians. But at least, some of us have learnt to call a spade a spade.

Fashion Weeks and Wardrobe Malfunctions

2006-03-30T22:05:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of the year again. Another India fashion week has got under way. So it will be more designers strutting their creativity on more models on the ramp once more. Does the average non-page 3 really care? Does he see anything that one can wear? Why then the hype and glamour surrounding the fashion week?

For any average person, a fashion week just means an opportunity to ogle at gorgeous models. Both men and women are more interested in what the models are not wearing, rather than what they are. Most of the dresses on show are completely unwearable for the non party-goer. Would you wear a sheer dress to your office? Or go to the mall wearing a long feathered hat? Whom are the designers kidding?

A regular feature of these fashion weeks have been wardrobe malfunctions. The Lakme India Fashion Week began on the 28th of March, and in the past three days has already seen two incidents of wardrobe malfunctions already. The term “Wardrobe Malfunction” caught public attention after the Janet Jackson fiasco at the superbowl. But in the Indian context, it becomes more important.

A few years back, Negar Khan had a wardrobe malfunction on the ramp, where she got noticed by a music video maker. How, after that she went on to become the queen of music videos and item-numbers, is history. So, for any model looking to tread this path, a wardrobe malfunction is an easy way to get noticed. A model who can keep her cool after her dress falls off, is certainly not shy at exposing, hence ideal stuff for item-numbers. Also, these wardrobe malfunctions have provided the fashion week with free publicity as well.

However it does not mean that all wardrobe malfunctions are engineered. There is some merit to the fact that there is little time between successive appearance on the ramp, which allows any model little time for change of costume, make-up and hair. So an accident is always a possibility which cannot be ruled out.

And anyways when the interest of the majority of the audience is in what is not worn, a wardrobe malfunction is always welcome thing!

Nullifying the effect of Amrit

2006-03-23T05:18:00.000-08:00

According to Hindu mythology, the Amrit is a drink that provides immortality.

After the general elections of 2004, Sonia Gandhi had taken what could be called the political equivalent of the Amrit, by sacrificing the topmost executive post of the country, the office of Prime Minister. By doing this, it was widely believed (and projected) that Mrs. Gandhi had proved that she had no love for high offices, and was doing everything out of her love for the country.

It was this Amrit that protected Mrs. Gandhi from the actions of the government, time and again. Be it the Oil-for-food scam, the Quattrochi Scandal, or the midnight dissolution of the Bihar assembly, no fingers were pointed as Mrs. Gandhi, simply because she wasn’t heading the government. She was simply the head of National Advisory Committee (NAC), with the power to look at any official document, but accountable for nothing.

Somewhere in the same universe, a non-descript Congressman by the name of Madan Mohan filed a case against a Jaya Bachchan for holding two government offices of profit simultaneously. The poor lady defended herself saying that she hadn’t received a cent of the other office she held, hence should not be disqualified from the Rajya Sabha. But the EC interpreted it as not just what she was receiving, but also what she was entitled to receive, that made her ineligible.

Jaya Bachchan’s party found out that the same clause was applicable to the head of NAC. And the proverbial Pandora’s Box was opened. Suddenly all the Madam’s Congressmen were running helter-skelter to protect their Soniaji. The only way out was the promulgation of an ordinance, which left the head of NAC out of offices of profit. The parliament was adjourned sine die, as an ordinance cannot be promulgated when the parliament is in session.

And thus the effect of Amrit was nullified. There was an office (of profit, may I add) that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi wanted, unlike the popular perception. Mrs. Gandhi suddenly isn’t willing to sacrifice her parliament seat now, as she sacrificed her Prime Minister ship. Why is the heading the NAC more important to Mrs. Gandhi as compared to being the PM?

Well, one of the reasons is that the prime minister’s post is a crown of thorns, especially when heading a coalition government. Also the Prime Minister is held responsible for the failings of the government. Mrs. Gandhi got effective control over the PM’s post, minus the accountability. It was a win-win situation for her.

Mrs. Gandhi now finds herself in a sticky situation. The promulgation of an ordinance would take the sheen off her sacrifice, while being out of the NAC would leave her without any control on the government.

Commonwealth Games: Reminders of North East

2006-03-20T00:36:00.000-08:00

The first Gold of the 2006 Commonwealth Games for India was won by N. Kunjarani Devi. Kunjarani hails from Manipur, one of the smallest states of India, one of our seven sisters. She is just one of a strong lineup of (non-cricketing) Indian sportspersons the North East has given to the country.

Pemba Tamang too hails from the same state as Kunjarani, and has won India gold as well. There is a long line of sportsperson from the NE. Bhaichung Bhutia, India football’s poster boy, hails from Sikkim. So does Tomba Singh, another Indian footballer. Half of last commonwealth games’ gold winning Indian women’s Hockey team was from the North East.

If we look at our contingent of athletes to any international sporting event, one generally sees a lot of faces from the North East. Considering the size of the North East, these athletes have brought India more than their proportionate share of glory in the international arena. However, until the time they win medals at such events, the North East is generally absent from the national consciousness. Some people consider the commonwealth games as just a part of the colonial hangover. However the games hold much more importance, more so with India and its diversity.

Why is it that so many sportspersons emerge from the North East? Yes, the difficult mountain life makes them hardier, but that’s not the only reason.

While the rest of India looks at education to provide them with a better means of livelihood, sports are considered as the manna in the North East. Now considering the deplorable condition of non-cricketing sports and sportsmen in India, one wonders if it’s the right choice. Well, this is just an indicator of how living conditions are in the North East.

The North East is suffering from acute neglect by the nation, and this has given rise to insurgency. Just take a look at the fierce pride on the face of Kunjarani Devi while saluting the national anthem. Can one believe that her state is suffering from secessionist militancy?

If India had a Marxist PM: My Take.

2006-03-18T02:29:00.000-08:00

In a very interesting article on Rediff, Amulya Ganguli explores what would happen if India had a Marxist PM. He seems to have forgotten a few things. Here’s what I think would also have happened.

In all probability, India would handover not just Sikkim, but the entire North East to China as a gift, for being kind enough to allow India to exist. In addition, there might even be a promise of India replicating the red revolution. General Mao, Lenin, Stalin and Marx would replace Mahatma Gandhi on our currency notes.

The police force would be wound up. Instead, Naxalites would become the internal peace keeping force. If the government faced a shortage of internal security forces, Maoists from Nepal would be imported.

It would be a criminal offence to leverage technology. All machines would be replaced by humans, thus solving our employment problems. Any one earning over Rs. 100000/- a year would be arrested.

Books written by Romila Thapar would be textbooks for all subjects. The golden period of India would be that of Aurangzeb, and History textbooks would be full of his heroic acts of protecting his people from the atrocities of religious zealots like Shivaji and Guru Govind Singh. All revolutionaries and freedom fighters would be painted as stooges of the British Empire. India would get its freedom out of economic compulsions of the West, rather than the sacrifices of our martyrs.

The IITs and IIMs would be replaced by JNU clones. There will be reservations for illegal (they won’t be illegal then) Bangladeshi migrants in them.

Saurav Ganguly would be the captain of Indian Cricket team once more. There would be seven other Bengali players, the rest from Kerala. All imports from Australia would be banned.

Our Nuclear weapons will be gifted to Ahmedinijad, so as to show the rest of the world, how disarmament should be practiced. In return perhaps we could get some oil.

TOI Goofs up Again!

2006-03-14T02:02:00.000-08:00

We TOI readers don’t expect much from it. We know the news will have its bias, lots of pages will be wasted on tabloid worthy news, and there will be ads of indiatimes, planet M and other sister concerns masquerading as news. All we ask is to give us the content where we are used to reading it. That is the only reason we are addicted to the newspaper.

The Mumbai edition today saw another goof up. Maybe the editor had a dose of Bhaang before editing the newspaper. Maybe it was the columnists. Maybe it was just the intoxication of being a superbrand. Because today (14 March 2006), in the Mumbai edition, there appears the same article twice, under different headings. On page 16, which happens to be dedicated International News, there is an article by Rashmee Roshan Lall, titled “Low Skilled EU losing out to Asian big guns”. The same article by the same columnist also appears on its Business page (page 17) under the title “Old Europe may lose out to young Asia”.

Those in Mumbai (or subscribers of Mumbai edition) may check out the pages for a laugh. Others can log on to http://epaper.timesofindia.com/ if you have an indiatimes (free) login, selecting Mumbai as the city. Click on international --> 16, and business --> 17 (In case one needs to check it after today, one may go to the archives.)

I think the Times group, after being voted a superbrand, is taking its Mumbai readers too lightly. Yes, the newspaper comes in the form of a thick bundle, with N number of supplements (including the tabloid called Mumbai Mirror). But hardly any of the supplements contain anything worth being called news. With Hindustan Times and DNA biting on the heels, it will not be long before a bored audience switches over to one of these. (As for me, I have subscribed to both TOI and HT).

Formula 1: Changing Rules, Changing Fortunes?

2006-03-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

The New Formula 1 season begins today at Bahrain with the qualifying session. Last season had its share of controversies, with the Indianapolis fiasco being the major one. With only teams on Bridgestone tyres racing, Ecclestone’s vision of making F1 the #1 motorsport in Nascar country were dealt with a major blow. The last season also saw some new rules, which saw the end of Ferrari domination of the sport. This year too many changes will be seen, some in the teams, others in the rules of the game.

There are two major changes in rules this year, one of them being the reintroduction of tyre changes. This will be beneficial to all, as the changes in weather can be set off by changing tyres according to changing weather conditions, thus making the race fair. (The next season will see a single tyre maker rule, so that another Indianapolis can be avoided.)

The second change is that V10 engines have been replaced by less powerful V8 ones. This will bring down top speeds. Drivers will also find lesser power and torque to get them out of tight spots, so the emphasis will shift from speed to control.

The qualifying sessions will see a completely different format, that of a Knockout. In 2006 season qualifying will involve 3 sessions.

Session 1, 15 minutes: 5 slowest drivers will be eliminated
Session 2, 15 minutes: next 5 slowest drivers will be eliminated
Session 3, 20 minutes: 10 drivers will compete for the grid

(Don’t know how it will work, so be ready to tune in to watch the qualifying, live in some time.)

On the grid, one will find old faces in new colours. Ruebens Barrichello will be seen outside his traditional Ferrari reds donning the Honda outfit. Fillipe Massa will replace him in the Ferrari team. Our local lad Narain Karthikeyan will be missing from the grid. McLaren cars will be sporting a new look, out of their traditional black to a new pink-blue combination. A new team, Aguri Suzuki will be lining up as well.

Another bad season this year my see Schumi hang up his boots, while a championship might delay it for quiet some time. Will Barrichello be able to assert himself in his new team? Will Massa be given a free hand, or need to play second fiddle? What impact will the new rules have? Will change in colours change the fortunes of McLaren? Will Button win a Grand Prix? Answer coming up these season, do watch out!

On Women's Day & Modern Feminists

2006-03-09T01:18:00.000-08:00

As has been my ideology, I don’t believe in special days. Even in my earlier posts, I have been critical of being a way just for a particular day, and forgetting all about it the very next. International Women’s day is one such day, chauvinist and discriminatory. Shouldn’t feminists realise that by celebrating one day a year as women’s day, all they manage to do is make the remaining 364 days, de facto men’s days?

But the feminist movement has been such, full of symbolism. Feminists have demanded equal rights through affirmative action, using terms like the glass ceiling as an excuse for this. But it is obvious, looking at the history of reservations, that it is a discriminatory practice, and serves only to deepen whatever divide it was supposed to narrow. Many of the same feminists claim to be against any kind of reservations, but find an excuse for supporting the women’s bill.

Feminism is also a matter of convenience. Feminist have battled in many places to get women included in areas considered male bastions. But most of these are domains of convenience. There are many laws that discriminate against women from entering particular specializations as they are seen to be hazardous (These fields are equally hazardous for men). But feminists never argue that the same thing is anti-women or anti-equality. An example of this is Mining Engineering in India which continues to be a male bastion, as law does not permit women to enter mines. (Why allow women in armed forces then? Aren’t they equally hazardous?)

Many of the laws supported by feminists, like the anti-dowry law, are draconian in nature. It allows no room for the alleged culprit to prove his innocence. Many husbands have been harassed by their wives through the misuse of this law, but I haven’t heard a feminist complain.

It is always difficult to understand feminists. If you open the door for them you are an MCP, but if you don’t you lack basic courtesy. On one hand the expect chivalry, but on the other hand they will condemn chivalry as treating women as an inferior species.

I don’t understand if feminists are just confused themselves or out to confuse others. I believe that feminist movement has fallen prey to self interest, and is being abused by publicity hunters. As with all equality movements be it gender, caste, race, or religion the mission seems to be hijacked by symbolism more then benefit of women.

Protest against Bush Vs. Public Opinion

2006-03-04T01:07:00.000-08:00

The American president was on a visit to India, and if one is to look at the media, it seems that the peoples of the entire sub-continent are up in arms against him. At the same time, the government heads, and the oppositions are seen shaking hands with the president with a big smile on their faces, welcoming him with open arms. And this is the largest democracy in the world. Isn’t there a contradiction here? In a democracy, isn’t the government supposed to reflect the will of its people?

But the question is: Do the protest actually reflect the will of the people? Do Indians actually hate Bush? Do we hate America? Do we really think that linking up with the US is against India’s interests? Or are these protest the voices of a very vocal minority, namely some sects of India Muslims, and the Leftists? Are these protests actually against the deplorable human rights record of President Bush?

A poll conducted by Outlook Magazine may hold some answers. In the poll conducted in major cities of India, 66% agreed that Bush was friend of India, something the president himself quoted. Only 19% disagreed. Similarly, 46% said they loved USA when asked their feeling towards the country, compared to 14% who hated it. People who hated US or were neutral to the country were asked if India needs the US, surprisingly 54% agreed. And yet, with all this love, 72 % Indians think that America is a bully. And if it was about human rights, why weren’t the same people protesting when the Chinese premier arrived in India? What was Ms. Arundhati Roy doing then?

What does this poll indicate? That the protesters are completely out of sync with the public opinion. That the leftist are only addressing their constituency. That the protesters are playing to a gallery, just strengthening their vote-banks. It doesn’t matter to them, if in the process, they project a poor image of India, or even if they disrespect a state guest.

I remember General Parvez Musharraf using the term silent majority to reflect the Pakistani feelings towards the 9/11 terror attack. Why is the Indian majority silent? Why not let the majority voices be heard?

Alas! The answer lies in political correctness. The attitude of the Indian polity is such that speaking against the minority, irrespective of how wrong they are, becomes a symbol of communalism. So our political parties, in order to retain their "secular" structure, turn a blind eye to their excesses.

A Hair Raising Story

2006-03-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

I hadn’t met a close friend for some time, so I invited him over to my place for a coffee. It was almost six months since I met him. The moment he saw me, the first thing he said was, "What’s with the pony-tail?"

For the past few weeks I was asked this question increasingly. "It’s a long story" I said, looking to put him off. "I am not going anywhere", he said.

It was a Sunday morning a few months back. I got up, half-asleep and went through my morning ritual. While brushing my teeth, I looked into the mirror. My mane had really grown. I had been putting of the haircut for too long now. My appearance was similar to people who had been mistakenly been identified as terrorists. So I decided to head to the barbershop before I had a bath.

As one can guess, being a Sunday morning, there was a queue outside the barbershop. I remembered my reflection in the mirror and decided to wait. I frittered away time looking through a range of outdated Mayapuris and Screen (Hindi) lying outside. Bored of waiting, and suffering from hunger pangs, I was just about to leave, when I was called in.
As I entered to the loud Tum to thehre pardesi playing in the background, I saw that the barber signaling me to the only empty chair was a young guy barely 15. The appearance didn’t arouse my confidence in his hair cutting skills. In jest, I asked him, " Kya Chhotu, pehle kabhi kisiske baal kaate hain?"

"Kya baat karte ho sahib! Aap ke sar pe baal hain usse zyaada logon ke baal kaate hain". Taken aback, I checked my hairline in the mirror. I knew that my hairline had started receding, but had baldness set in overnight? Checking twice, I assumed it to be a gross exaggeration. Still apprehensive, I took a seat, just because all other barbers looked busy, and I had waited long enough. "I need not worry until he takes the scissors in his hands", I thought. Instantaneously, I realised how wrong I was.

The barber now draped me in a white apron and tied it behind my neck so tight, that it began choking me. Unable to speak, I pointed towards it vigorously, but the fellow did not notice. Somehow I managed to loosen the apron using my finger. It was now that he noticed me and said, " Zyaada tight tha to bolna chahiye na sahib", and loosened the knot. Now it was so loose, that falling hair would go into my clothes. Given the choice between breathing and avoiding pricking hair, I chose the former, and didn’t comment. I was going to have a bath anyways. "Baal jyaada lambe ho gaye hain, chhote kar dena", I said.

Then the barber picked up a comb. Seems harmless doesn’t it? But in his hand, it was no less than a weapon. He tried to run the comb through my dry hair, (forgetting the basic tenet of barber-ism, wet the hair first), pulling it nicely until some of my hair decided to depart from the scalp. This reminded him, and he sprayed water on my head, drenching it completely. Now the comb would run smoothly. But the barber continued to run the comb well after my head, scratching my neck in the process.

Not too bothered by these little irritations, I kept quiet. He now picked the scissors. I shuddered, but controlled myself. Things didn’t seem to be going to bad until he came to the edges or my hairlines. Trying to trim the edges, he poked my skin with the scissor. I flinched. To add insult to injury, the barber said, " Itna hiliye mat sahib, hiloge to lag jaaega". Not wanting to use the choicest expletives in a place where people knew me, I kept quiet. The poking continued, (It seems the barber was enjoying it) as I struggled to keep myself still. (I didn’t want to give him an easy excuse to hurt me more).

He picked the razor, and cut me in a few places, commenting every time, "Aap hilte bahut hain sahib". As if the pain wasn’t enough, he would rub every cut with a piece of alum, causing a sharp burning sensation in the cuts. I decided to close my eyes throughout the rest of the process.

"Ho gaya sahib!" said he. Music to my ears! I opened my eyes. Oh horror of horrors! My hair had been made mincemeat of. It seemed like someone had let loose a goat in my hair, and it had eaten away patches of it. Most of it was so short, that it stood on its end. Angrily, I asked the barber what he had done. Very innocently he replied, "Aap hi to kahe the, chhote kar dena". I regretted my choice of words.

"From that day I decided, come what may I’ll not cut my hair." I told my friend, "And wipe that grin on your face!! What happened was by no means funny." Controlling his laughter my friend replied, "Well, It wouldn’t sound funny to me as well, if I were you!"

(Other than the phony tale...er pony tail, the rest of the incidents are based on real life incidents in my life, albeit at different instances at barbershops)

Budget 2006: Mixed results

2006-03-01T01:17:00.000-08:00

I had earlier put down some expectations for the budget. Some of them were fulfilled. Others, I didn’t expect to be fulfilled. Yet others, which I expected to be fulfilled, weren’t. Here’s how it went.

1. Improve infrastructure: With Rs 18,696 crore allocated for Bharat Nirman Mission, Rs 4,595 crore allocated for Urban Renewal Mission, metro rail consideration for Hyderabad, Chennai, power generation capacity to be increased 5,038 MW this year, and a host of other measures, the FM has done as expected, full credit to him. Implementation however has never been our strong point. The FM needs to ensure that the money reaches where it is required to go.

2. Create job opportunities in rural areas: Rs. 14,300 cr spending for rural employment programme, 50 m rural telephone connections in 3 years, budgetary allocation for Rural Infrastructure Development Fund has been stepped up to Rs 10,000 crore in 2006-07. A job well done, again pay attention to implementation.

3. Encourage English education: Education allocation up in FY-07 to Rs 24,154 cr, allocation for national Urdu education programme increased to Rs 13 crore from Rs 10 crore. Nothing done here. A big disappointment. The Urdu education corpus was unnecessary. Minority Politics?

4. Abolish (or at least modify) FBT: FBT was modified, albeit symbolically. No real changes, except reduction of FBT on business conveyance from 20% to 5%. Telephones at least should have been spared.

5. Tax agricultural Income: Did not realistically expect this, especially from a government whose strings are pulled by the left. (P.S.: Nothing was done)

6. Reduce the burden on the Oil companies, as well as the housewife: The FM did just the opposite. He raised duties on Petro-products. Tough times ahead, as any increase in petrol prices lead to an overall inflation. Another thumbs down.

7. Don’t listen to the left: Again, the FM did the opposite. Not a word on reforms. For the past few years, one has become accustomed to hearing a major reforms announcement in the budget. This year, one expected at least labour reforms, but nothing was done.

8. Increase expenditure on sports: The FM increased allocation for sport of Rs 162.01 crores in the budget for the next financial year. But the disappointment was 150 crores for the next commonwealth games preparation, which are to be held in Delhi in 2010. So that leaves only Rs. 12.01 crore for actual sports.

9. Introduce inheritance tax: Didn’t expect it realistically, didn’t happen

10. Please do not mask old schemes as new ones: This is what the FM did last year, and he continues to do the same.

In addition, there were a lot of steps taken in the budget, some very good, others, not so good. Here is my analysis

· Increase in defence spending (Rs. 89000 crore): Unnecessary, especially in view of improving Indo-Pak relations.

· Cut on customs duty on Textiles (from 16 to 8%): A great move, looking to leverage the benefits of NAMA for the textile industry. But unless the issues of labour reform are addressed, will the textile industry be competitive enough?

· Decrease in duties on small cars: Aimed at making India a small car-producing hub. Good initiative, but why limit ourselves to small cars? Why not all kinds of automobiles? We can at least dream big, can’t we?

· Decrease in duties on aerated drinks, condensed milk products, pasta: Unnecessary. These are, by no stretch of imagination, essential commodities. The money generated from these was required. Whom is the FM trying to woo?

· Increased service tax: Simply outrageous. People were expecting service tax to go or drop to 5%, but the FM increased it to 12%. Indirect taxation helps no one. If the service sector needs to be taxed, why not impose the tax directly?

Somewhere, in a poll year, the Finance Minister seems to have lost focus. In trying to please everyone, the FM has pleased no one. The left turn by the finance minister leads the economy nowhere.

Taxpayer Staistics: What they Hide

2006-02-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

Statistics are like miniskirts; what they reveal is interesting, but what they hide is significant.

~ An old Siddhuism

In the run up to the Indian Budget, one statistic that is being thrown around by the FM to support a plethora of new taxes is: In our country with a population of over a 100 crore, there exist only about 4.86 crore tax payers. Hence we need to widen the tax base, introduce more taxes, improve GDP to tax ratio.

An amazing figure, isn’t it? Less than 5% of the population actually pays taxes? Isn’t it outrageous for the taxpayer himself? Each taxpayer is supporting more than 19 other people who don’t pay taxes? So many people who don’t reveal their incomes? A parallel economy 20 times the size of the accounted one?

Well, if one scratches the surface, one will realise that there isn’t a need for such an outrage on the above statistic.

Consider this: India is a country in which 70% of its population is involved in agriculture. Taxing a farmer has been a political taboo, no matter how well off the farmer may be. Thus 70% of our population, or (let us consider for sake of argument) 70 crore people are kept out of the tax net.

What remains is around 34 crore of Indian population. On a closer look, one finds an average of one breadwinner every four people, which reduces the number of people eligible to pay taxes to (34/4 =) 8.5 crores.

People with an income of less than Rs. 1 lakh are exempt from taxes. Let us assume a very conservative figure of people with non-agricultural income of less than one lakh to be 1.5 crores. That leaves us with seven crore people eligible to pay taxes, out of which 4.86 already do, which comes to approximately 70%.

So the statistic drops from 5 % tax-payers, to 70%, a meteoric rise, just considering a few additional facts.

Doling out statistics is one thing, analyzing them is another. Politicians use such partial statistics to fool people. All that is required is a small amount of scratching, to see through our politicians’ plans.

Rail Budget: A Fresh Approach

2006-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

Being a regular and vocal critic of Lalu Prasad Yadav, I was extremely surprised (albeit pleasantly) by the railway budget announced by him yesterday. The budget went against all conventional rail budgets, and broke many an established norm of the regular budgeting policy. Check out the salient features of the rail budget here.

Year after year it was seen that first class fares were increased to subsidise the fares of the lower classes, in keeping with the socialist traditions of the country. This resulted in the first class fares exceeding that of airplanes. Automatically, passengers preferred traveling by air whenever it was possible. However this time Lalu announced that he was competing with airlines for the passengers, cutting AC-I fares by 18% & AC-II fares by 10%. It is yet to be seen if this will have the desired effect, as air-travel saves much more time.

Another area of marked improvement was the freight charges. Although the prices of freight were reduced, some smart marketing, buoyed by a booming economy helped increase volumes substantially. The freight trains a.k.a. the bread-earners of the railways thus ensured a profit of Rs.11280 crore for the railways. This has prompted the rail minister to setup double-decker freight carriages and freight corridors. He has also simplified the freight pricing policy. To reduce the effect of increasing oil prices, freight rates for diesel and petrol were reduced by 8%

Also, announced was the setting up of Garibraths, unreserved AC trains for poor people. The fares for the same will be 25% lower than 3-tier AC class. Still the fares are expected to be 15% above sleeper class. It may not help the poorest of poor, but the lower middle class making emergency travel will be benefited.

Lalu has also promised a drastic change in the conditions of railway stations, allowing ATMs, cybercafés and food plazas for all major stations. In addition, e-ticketing cost has been reduced. All this comes from the most vocal critic of IT. No doubt, he was lambasted by the left for privatization of essential services.

The criticisms to this budget have been the regulars. Very few trains for states other than the home state of the railway minister, Criticism from the left for being progressive and pro-privatisation, not spending enough on railway security etc. I agree with most of the criticism, but the budget has too many positives to focus on the negatives.

Maybe the measures taken in the rail budget will bring about a sea change in Indian railways. Maybe they won’t. What is really impressive about this budget is that a man seen to be ‘anti-development’ has learnt from his defeat. He has discarded conventional wisdom, and showed a novel approach to railway problems. He has shown how one can be progressive, and yet populist, two words rarely taken in the same breath.

The Magic of a Name

2006-02-23T23:36:00.000-08:00

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."

--From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2), William Shakespeare

Had Shakespeare seen the future, perhaps, he would have thought twice, and rejected the lines from his most famous creation. The name seems to be a very powerful phenomenon by itself. Names have acquired paramount significance for themselves.

Brands are the most obvious example here. All jeans in India (right from Levi Strauss to the local Rs. 200/- jeans) are made from the fabric purchased from the same company, i.e. Arvind mills. But we go to a major shopping plaza, and easily purchase a pair of Levis for Rs. 1500/-, while for a jean with a similar quality (or just the tag of Levis missing or changed to some local make) one will bargain at fashion street, even if the price quoted is 500.

Similar is the case with perfumes. Many celebrities launch perfumes carrying their names. If the same perfume is filled in bottles and sold in the market with the celebrity’s name, the price one would be willing to pay is much lower. Similarly, the price of a bat with a star player’s autograph becomes worth 100 times more than the same bat without it.

The significance of names can also be seen in the prices offered for domain names. The more general is the domain name, the higher is the price for it. Fish.com sold for more than $ 1 million. Bills.com and earth.com followed closely. (For a complete list of domains sold for more than $ 10,000 click here.) There have been lawsuits filed for domain names regularly.

It seems that one’s name also determines the fortune of the person. Recently, one has seen people change names (or alter them) after referring to numerologists. An extra letter here or a change of letter there, and voila! The person suddenly becomes lucky. The latest victim of this craze is young paceman Sreesanth, oops Sreesunth.

And it seriously pisses me off, when people misspell my name!

Budgetary Expectations

2006-02-22T01:57:00.000-08:00

Worldwide, not too much of significance is given to the budget. But in India, it is one of the most significant government exercises of any year. Preparing a budget for a coalition government is an excruciating task, but our current finance minister P. Chidambaram, seems to enjoy the event. This year Chidambaram had asked for suggestions on the budget (although not from bloggers like me). So here’s my 2 pence.

1. Improve infrastructure: (DUH! I don’t think I need to explain this)

2. Create job opportunities in rural areas: Provide incentives to MNCs to set up more industries there. (You will need to look at #1 for that as well). Provide electricity to the villages. Ensure more initiatives like e-choupal.

3. Encourage English education: A large English-speaking population is our strength. Ensure that it stays that way. There should be enough supply to ensure cost-effectiveness of the BPO industry. (An appeal to people: please get out of linguistic parochialism and send your children to English-medium schools)

4. Abolish (or at least modify) FBT: Genuine expenses are being taxed under Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT). FBT also acts as a disincentive for being employee-friendly. The tax is also being deemed unconstitutional, as this is the first tax on expenditure, while the constitution allows taxation only on income.

5. Tax agricultural Income: Read this.

6. Reduce the burden on the Oil companies, as well as the housewife: By cutting taxes on Petro-products, rather than subsidizing them to keep prices low.

7. Don’t listen to the left: Privatise, Globalise, Sign more free trade agreements. Give the Industry some breathing space.

8. Increase expenditure on sports: We don’t want the same comments after every Olympics/Asiad. And sports go way beyond cricket.

9. Introduce inheritance tax: Isn’t inheritance a genuine source of Income?

10.Please do not mask old schemes as new ones: This is what you did last year, and pulled wool even over expert’s eyes.

The above suggestions are my thoughts on how to improve the conditions of the common man in the next fiscal. Readers, please post your suggestions as comments

Globalisation: A Matter of Convenience

2006-02-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

There have been many posts on globalisation on Desicritics, and how the world has benefited from its positives or harmed by its ill effects. However, politicians world over want globalisation when it is convenient for them. Else protectionism is advocated.

The US and Europe have been seen as advocates of globalisation. An obvious thing to do, considering the market size of the third world economies, which the American and European companies could exploit. However, the moment the US felt that globalisation lead to job-flight, there was a huge hue and cry in the political establishment. Kerry based his election campaign on the issue. A few states even passed an anti-outsourcing legislation. While asking the third world countries to sign the NAMA (Non Agricultural Market Access) agreement, the European Union and US was reluctant to cut farm subsidies

The Europe has fared no better. The European Union is reluctant to grant membership to a few countries, on the basis of fears of migration of cheap labour, thus unsettling the local population. Also, in the case of Arcelor takeover, the French government has shown its racist face, by objecting to its takeover by an Indian. The question that has been raised is one of “European way” of conducting business. The French government has proposed to bring legislation for ensuring that the “hostile” takeover bid does not succeed. The only thing that has been hostile is the reaction of Arcelor and the French government.

Closer home, Our Indian politicians are not clear which way to go. It has been seen that the same political parties become pro-globalisation when in power, and start citing the Swadeshi mantra when in opposition. Even the Left is inconsistent. It supports globalisation in Bengal, but not at the centre.

The problem with a consistent approach on globalisation may just be democracy. China, being a communist dictatorship, has had a consistent approach with globalization and inviting overseas investment. While on the other hand, flip-flops are seen in all democratic countries on the issue of globalisation. This is because a few leaders can make a large population perceive globalisation as a threat. This will unsettle any pro-globalisation government, making it rethink its policy.

Three Men In a Boat

2006-02-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

Do you think that a funny book could at best tickle, or get a chuckle out of you, but couldn’t throw you in a fit of laughter? Do you think that if such a book exists, the characters would be far from reality? Does the first name to come to your mind when speaking about humour in literature is P. G. Wodehouse?

If the answers to the above questions are yes, then most probably you haven’t read ‘Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog)’ by Jerome K. Jerome.

'Three men in a boat' is about three regular people (George, Harris and Jerome) who decide that they need a break from the humdrum of daily life. So the three friends, and Jerome’s dog, decide to take a trip down Thames River in a boat. Nothing goes too wrong with their trip, but nothing goes too right either, and the incidents (or should I say accidents) and the related anecdotes narrated by Jerome are presented in a way so as to arouse laughter.

The beauty of the book is how easy it is to relate to the characters, and the incidents narrated as well. Every now and then, you are forced to quip, “Hey, I know such a person.” Or “This happened to me”. However the same thing did not seem to be as funny then. With the slightest of exaggeration and a touch of humour, Jerome makes regular incidents look so funny. The book was written in 1888 in England, but the fact that anyone can identify with it just goes to show that basic human nature remains the same, irrespective of time and place.

Just to show how universal the book is, here is an extract from the book. Jerome has read a circular which list the symptoms of a disease, and feels he has it.

In the present instance, going back to the liver-pill circular, I had the symptoms, beyond all mistake, the chief among them being "a general disinclination to work of any kind”.
What I suffer in that way no tongue can tell. From my earliest infancy I have been a martyr to it. As a boy, the disease hardly ever left me for a day. They did not know, then, that it was my liver. Medical science was in a far less advanced state than now, and they used to put it down to laziness.
"Why, you skulking little devil, you," they would say, "get up and do something for your living, can't you?" - not knowing, of course, that I was ill.

And they didn't give me pills; they gave me clumps on the side of the head. And, strange as it may appear, those clumps on the head often cured me - for the time being. I have known one clump on the head have more effect upon my liver, and make me feel more anxious to go straight away then and there, and do what was wanted to be done, without further loss of time, than a whole box of pills does now.

You know, it often is so - those simple, old-fashioned remedies are sometimes more efficacious than all the dispensary stuff.

There are two criticisms the book faces. One is that sometimes Jerome gets too descriptive with the scenery and the locations they visit, and tends to lose the readers interest. The second is one by most fiction readers, that this book isn’t “un-put-down-able” i.e. you can’t read all of it at one go. They way I look at it; it’s a strength, as you can have your laughter in bits and pieces. Read a little bit of the book whenever you are feeling down, this is guaranteed to raise you spirits.

(One may ask why I am reviewing a book written ages ago. Well, just because many of my friends have neither heard this of this book, nor the author. The book is freely available on the net, without any copyright issues. Click here to read)

Mush is in the Air!!!

2006-02-14T02:28:00.000-08:00

Another Valentine’s Day! Big Deal! Especially for people like me who choose to stay single (be it lack of opportunity or otherwise) what does it hold? Mush, mush and more mush (I am not talking about General Parvez Mussharraf, the Pakistani premier).

Look at the TV channels. Even the channels meant for kids have Valentines Day specials.
Thank god for sports channels!! But even their anchors don’t forget to wish you a happy Val’s day, and even their studios have heart shaped decorations all around. Even news channels are so full of stories of the opposition to Val’s day by Hindu right wing groups. And during the breaks, you can’t escape the mushy ads, irrespective of the channel you are watching. And I don’t even want to speak about the movie channels.

So, tired of running through TV channels, one decides to read the Newspapers. But they too are full of V-ay stories or list of products to buy for one’s lovers. The society pages are full of advice of how to have a perfect V-day. TOI today didn’t even spare the sports page, listing hot sporting couples in their Mumbai edition. Expecting pink papers to fare better, one picks up ET, which too highlights the other events for which Feb 14 can be celebrated (much better a read, but again, no escaping the mush).

Hoping that blog sites will do better, one turns to them, but here as well, one can’t escape the ubiquitous v-day gift ads. And then you have bloggers who are either telling you where to find love, or how they plan to spend their V-day, or just plainly critical of the concept (like yours faithfully) on their blogs. Anywhere else on the internet too, you find similar stories, as with all other forms of media.

To cut the long story short, singles and uninterested people just can’t get away from the omnipresent Valentine’s Day on Feb 14th. Is there any escape from Valentines Day?

One CHild Policy for India? --- Naaah!

2006-02-12T23:03:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was involved in a debate over the one child norm in India. There has been talk of population explosion, especially now that India is set to overtake China in terms of population in the near future. But seriously, is enforcing the “One child norm” any solution? And isn’t treating population as a problem a passé?

We seem to be getting out of the mindset that a huge population eats into our resources. Rather we have just started treating our population as a resource. It is the size of our population that makes India so dear to the world as a market (thus allowing us to arm-twist developed nations into conceding in return for opening our markets), as well as ensures that India remains the world’s back-office by providing low-cost employees.

The One child norm hasn’t helped China as well. Today one sees an aging population in China, which is a cause of concern, as more and more people slip from a working age to retirement, thus acting as a burden. There are fewer recruits available to the Chinese army.

Another problem lies with the implementation. We started with Do ya teen bachche followed by Hum Do Humaare Do. That we need one child policy now implies that the earlier two couldn’t be implemented so as to get the desired result. What guarantee is it that the one child norm will work?

On a personal note, the reason for my opposition to the “One child” norm implementation is that its success would deprive children of the joy (and the pain) of having a sibling. I have shared a khatti-meeethi relationship with my sister. Having a sibling teaches one to share, give us a friend we can always rely on, and learn a lot from having some one around all the time. In addition, especially in the Indian context, wouldn’t the One Child norm spell the death of festivals like Rakshabandhan and Bhau beej?

The way I see it, implementation of the One Child norm in India seems like a waste of resources. The best family planning method that has shown that it can work is Education. Rather than change the family planning policy every decade, we would do much better if the same money is spent on education.

The sense, not to paint one's Mother Nude.

2006-02-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

There has been some discussion within all forms of Indian media about MF Hussain’s latest publicity stunt. The issue has similar connotations to the caricatures of the prophet in Danish newspapers. Many have argued in favour of displaying such paintings. While Indian TV news channels have been loathe to show the prophet’s caricatures, they have been all too willing to display this controversial painting of a nude Bharat Mata.

I am not in favour of any displays of the national icons in this manner. People speaking in favour of Hussain are guilty of obfuscating issues. This is not the same as painting a Hindu goddess nude. This is one of depicting national icons in poor taste. As there is always confusion in India about Hindu fanatics and nationalists, people are looking at it from Hindu value systems, and trying to explain how nudity and sensual ness have always been acceptable in Hindu theology.

My first point of argument is: In present day India, Victorian prudishness is the established and accepted set of norms. So the painting goes against all prevalent norms of acceptability, at least present-day Indian norms.

Point # 2: The depiction is one of Bharat Mata i.e. Mother India and we do not look towards our mother’s as icons of sensuality. Incest is not acceptable in India, and most of the present day world. So those who speak about sensual depictions, please look at the context before speaking.

Point # 3: Look at Mr. Hussain’s track record. He has always been a publicity hound, looking for any free publicity that comes his way. And he also suffers from double standards, talking about freedom of expression while offending Hindus, but withdrawing his movie when it offended Muslims. So the argument of artistic expression doesn’t stand. It seems that it has been done with an eye on publicity.

Whenever nationalist sensibility is offended we generally have our national media looking to trivialize the issue, and pooh-pooh the people who take offence. But if one looks at it from a neutral perspective, all the media is doing is forgetting the facts in order to be politically correct.

Demolition orders: To legalise or not?

2006-02-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

In Ulhasnagar and Delhi, the HC has ordered demolition of illegal constructions throughout the city. These demolition orders have opened up a Pandora’s Box for the respective state governments. On one hand the state governments cannot face the public angst on the issues, while on another hand by legalizing them the governments break the laws they passed themselves, and also risk invoking the court’s ire.

The reason this issue has become such a talking point is that seeming innocent people are being punished for the crimes committed by the nexus of municipal organisations and builders. Whilst the builders and municipal officers are getting away scot-free, the common man faces demolitions. Hence, in order to set things right, the governments must bring out ordinances to legalise these structures.

Legalisation by itself causes another large set of problems. What to legalise and what not to legalise? There are certain individuals of the view that, in order to maintain its credibility, the government should legalise non-commercial building, but not legalise commercial ones, as the owners of commercial property are not common men. But haven't some of these so-called common men knowingly broken the law, by encroaching upon public spaces?

Also, wouldn't this be a dangerous precedent, where vested interests start citing ignorance of law to mount public pressure on the government to legalise hitherto illegal and unconstitutional things? And wouldn't such an act be overriding the orders of the HC, thereby ridiculing its authority?

This issue is a tricky one, with the legality of such ordinances posing fundamental questions to the relevance of court orders. But at the same time it is heart wrenching to see people lose their homes, for no fault of theirs, just because builders and municipal officers decided to make a few extra bucks.

Related links:

'State not courageous to punish its own'
Indian Government Announces Committee To Legalize Illegal Structures In New Delhi
You’re impotent, HC tells state

Means & Ends

2006-02-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

With so many sting operations taking place every now and then, one just can’t help ask the question, “Do the ends justify the means?”

As we know, it is as much a crime to offer a bribe as it is to accept one. However, most TV channels cite the end, i.e. revealing the corruption to public, as an excuse and expect that no action be taken against them. In most cases, no action is taken against either, the TV channels or the corrupt politicians they expose.

But is exposing corruption the real motive behind these operations? If so, how many TV channels actually file cases of corruption against the politicians, now that the have proof? And what is it that absolves them of their crime of having enticed people into committing a crime? Why is no action taken against the journalists who are shown offering bribes?

Which brings me to the topic: Do ends justify the means? If so, then why are we condemning the Jehadis, who have an end that is pure, freedom of their motherland, even though their means are violent? Isn’t claiming that the end justify the means denigrating to the Mahatma, who always emphasised that the means should be as pure as the ends? Why should, then the Indian freedom struggle stand out from the rest? What good is the principle of Non-violence, which is a slower means to any end?

The End has always been abused to justify the means. But as shown to us by Mahatma Gandhi, if we wish for a noble end, the means to achieve it must be as noble, else the end does not remain noble any more. It is because of their means that jehadis all over the world have lost support for their causes, irrespective of the nobility of their cause.

Cricket Diplomacy - End of Niceties?

2006-02-02T00:24:00.000-08:00

Cut to 2003: An Indian team, after a long break from bilateral cricketing ties, goes to Pakistan to a warm reception, packed stands, and wildly cheering audiences. The players too display on field etiquette towards each other. The crowds hold up banners of “Vaat lag gayi, Mamu!!” to Balaji hitting their bowlers for sixes. Everybody talks about benefits of Indo-Pak friendship.

Cut to 2006: Another Indian team goes to Pakistan, meets cold responses, unpleasant vibes, and almost empty stands. At Faislabad, half the tickets are given away free to attract crowds. There is on-field unpleasantness, and no reports of what is happening off the field. The politicians are virtually missing from the scene, so are the benefits of the peace process. The Indian coach, on the verge of losing a test match, suddenly remembers that Shoaib’s bowling action is flawed (which, for a long time has been more than apparent), leading to some more ill-will.

Is this the end of cricket diplomacy? Where has all the good will disappeared? What happened to the camaraderie between the players? If that series was a sign of improving Indo –Pak relations, was this series an indication of the deterioration setting in again?

The answer for the last question is an emphatic NO! With the Pakistani General himself claiming that relations with India have never been better, the peace process is still on. The only thing missing is the hype, and that’s a good thing. A hyped summit is constantly under the media scanner and there is public pressure for fast results. A slow and steady peace process is the needed, so that results need not be forced, but can take their own time.

TOI- Media Manager for Rahul Gandhi

2006-01-29T21:48:00.000-08:00

Times of India seems to be battling all out for Rahul Gandhi as our next prime minister. Rahul Gandhi is the next best thing, says the front page of its Mumbai edition (His time starts now, 30 Jan 2006).On the inside, an entire page is dedicated to his greatness, with a story by the name of Waiting for Rahul, where the new hier of the dynasty is shown to be the solution of all problems of the Congress in the Hindi heartland, with a poll taken to support it.

Lets us take a look at the poll, and one can understand how the questions of the polls were worded in such a fashion so as to favour Rahul. The q's were: Who is a better vote getter for Congress? Will Rahul be more effective than his mother? Should he assume a greater responsibility in Congress? Can he revive the Congress in UP & Bihar?

As the comparision is all within the Congress, there is no way that the respondents could have responded in any other way. It is is well known that the concept of a second rung leadership is virtually absent in Congress. So whenever in crisis, the party returns to the Nehru-Gandhi family. As "Madam's" magic didn't work in the Bihar elections, the Congress seems to be struggling for a leader in the Hindi heartland.

It is a shame to see a newspaper waste print space over some kind of a poll which was significant only for strategy decisions for the Congress. The news report published by TOI doesn't warrant a place in any nationally significant newspaper, unless they specifically mention "Advertisement" on the report.

Temporary Patrioitism

2006-01-24T01:34:00.000-08:00

I was watching Indian Idol yesterday, and that the show had gone patriotic all of a sudden reminded me that Jan 26 was approaching. They had taken the contestants to some army camp in Assam. The show they had recorded there was going to be shown on a news channel on the Republic day. All of a sudden, one could see national flags being sold at the signals and in general, every product is showing the tricolour in its advertisements. Music channels have suddenly started showing patriotic songs. Movie channels have also jumped on to the bandwagon, and war and historical movies will be on display on Republic Day.

Every year, on the advent of the two national holidays, i.e. Republic Day and Independence Day, we see a spurt in our patriotism. It is almost as if being patriotic and feeling great about our nation is reserved for these 2 days. Only on these 2 days do we remember the symbols of our nations, our glorious past, and the great leaders who fought for our freedom, and the armed forces, which have done such a great job protecting us, both from external and internal security threats.

Simultaneously, these 2 days are also meant to forget what is wrong with the current state of affairs of the nation. On these two days, we tend to forget the problems plaguing the nations, and start prophesizing a glorious future for the country, completely and conveniently ignoring the challenges facing our country.

But how many of the things mentioned about our nation (be it the national symbols, sacrifices of our leaders, or the problems and challenges) disappear after the advent of the two national festivals? Then why do we reserve all our feelings for the nation for these 2 days? What stops us from having the same mindset all throughout the year? And why forget the challenges facing us on the 2 days?

If we really wish to see our country as a super power, we must realise that the first step towards it is believing that we can be one, not just on Republic/ Independence Day, but every moment. But we also need to keep in mind the challenges facing our country, and work towards finding solutions for these problems. We need to keep in mind that real patriotism is all about being practical, and not about being jingoistic.

Anyways, Wishing every one a very Happy Republic Day

( just can'help using the tricolour )

The Misfortune of Hindi

2006-01-19T03:08:00.000-08:00

Since my 10th standard, I have been an avid Hindi poetry follower. I have dabbled in Hindi poetry myself, but the results have been at best, mediocre. But my reading has been limited to reading poetry from Hindi textbooks or some poems online (in case you want to read some, click here).

I have looked for books of Hindi poetry in all the four cities (Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Bangalore) in India I have lived in, but never found one bookstore which keeps books on Hindi Poetry. Surprising, isn’t it? Considering the fact that Hindi is our national language, one should assume that Hindi Literature should be available everywhere in India. However those who are aware of the lingual politics played in the country don’t find it surprising at all.

India, being a multi lingual country (23 languages with official status), has always had well-developed literature in all its languages, sometime even in dialects of languages. After the drawing of state lines in 1960 on a linguistic basis, India has seen lot of politics played over languages. So keen were local politicians to protect the local language that they did not allow Hindi to be taught in schools. Also, Hindi could not become the business language of India, as English was already dominant in that sphere. Hence there was hardly any economic benefit in learning Hindi.

Hindi is popular only in the Northern parts of India, were a majority speak the language. Unfortunately, I have always stayed in the western/ southern part of India. Although Hindi is spoken and understood in Mumbai, where I have spent most of my life, most people interested in reading, follow either English literature or Marathi literature (Marathi is the state language).

I sometimes pity the condition of Hindi, and the scanty respect paid to it by some of my countrymen. I wish there was some way of making it more popular.

Another Publicity stunt by Arundhati Roy!

2006-01-17T01:25:00.000-08:00

Once again, one finds Arundhati Roy in the news, this time for rejecting a literary award conferred upon her. The Sahitya Akademi award was conferred upon her for the year 2005, for a collection of political essays compiled in a book The Algebra of Infinite Justice. However Ms. Roy, (in a way which is very characteristic of many leftists) has refused to accept the prestigious awards, citing that she was against the government policies on matters of environmental and social concerns (…More)

After winning the Booker for her book, time and again one finds Ms. Roy forcing herself into the limelight, by throwing another tantrum. First it was locking horns with the judiciary, and expressing dissent on the decision of the Supreme Court (and going to jail for that). Arundhati remained unrepentant, crying foul over the Supreme Court decision. Now she has rejected a prestigious award from the government of India.

It is high time that Ms Roy realises that she is old news, rather than indulging in publicity stunts. Ms Roy, you have had your 15 minutes of fame, why have this trouble in fading away from limelight, and why come up with ridiculous reasons for your actions? You point to the unsustainable environmental damage when it comes to dams, but what about yourself?

Your claim to fame was your book, a collection of paper. The number of books sold must have required tons of paper, which must have lead to the cutting down of so many trees. Why did you not refuse the royalty on those books? Why did you not reject the Booker? Wasn’t your book responsible for some environmental damage? Why didn’t you raise these issues then?

The reason for your rejecting the Sahitya Akademi award is simple. It is fashionable to reject Indian government awards. The media takes it up, and voila, instant fame! Lots of writers have gracefully accepted this award, but that did not mean that these writers completely agree with the government.

It is high time that our so-called celebs realise that an award by any government is an honour by the people it represents, and rejecting that award is tantamount to insulting the people of the nation. It is imperative that irrespective of whom one is, one respects the will of the people, for in any democracy, it is the peoples will that is supreme

Agricultural Income should be taxed

2006-01-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Last budget, our Finance minister suddenly realized that India’s tax to GDP ratio was very poor. Hence he found absurd ways to correct this by introducing senseless taxes, like the withdrawal tax and fringe benefit tax (FBT). For reasons only too well known, the industry did not react positively to these taxes. Rather than attacking the core areas of tax evasion and bringing a larger population under the tax net, the FM has selected to make life more difficult for those who pay taxes.

Here, I am going to make a strong plea for the FM to bring agricultural income under the tax net. Almost 70% of Indian population derives employment from agriculture. As agricultural income is not taxed, it implies that this 70% of the population is not paying taxes. If such a large proportion of falls outside the tax net, how can one expect the tax to GDP ratio to improve? Critics may point out that contribution of agriculture to Indian GDP has declined to just 30%. But still the contribution is almost a third of the GDP. If a third of your GDP does not contribute to taxes, why complain about tax to GDP?

Not taxing agricultural income allows people to get away with unaccounted wealth. It was seen during last elections that almost all our politicians were crorepatis. But what amount did they pay as tax? Compared to their incomes, almost nothing!! All of them had shown their source of income as agriculture; hence they got away without paying taxes. It is an open secret that many individuals pass off their black money as white by exaggerating their agricultural output on their land. By taxing agricultural output, PC can ensure that he cuts off an escape route for tax evaders.

Taxing the farmer isn’t anti poor or anti farmer as most politicians would like our farmers to believe. A tax paying farmer is more politically empowered, as he is contributing to national growth, and can ask for benefits in return. And with the income tax bracket allowing no tax for an income of up to 1 lakh the poor farmer can rest assured that he will not be taxed. An additional rebate for farm produce can be extended. By introducing tax for the agricultural sector, the Finance ministry can be surer of the exact contribution of agriculture, as farm incomes will be accounted for.

Nuclear weapons prevent War!

2006-01-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

While the world leaders are discussing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, I believe nuclear weapons must stay! I am no warmonger, but I believe that nuclear weapons are the reason that we have not seen a war between two major powers, that could have escalated into a third world war.

Today, we have seven nations that have declared the possession of nuclear arms, and many more are suspected of having nuclear capabilities. These Nukes have been around for more than 6 decades now, but how many times have we seen the use of Nukes after the bombardment of Hiroshima & Nagasaki? There have been no such instances. Even during the heights of Cold war did the two blocks consider a full-fledged war. More recently, even when Pakistan infringed the line of Control and entered Indian borders, the Indian government restrained itself to pushing the Pakis out of its borders and did not convert it to a full-scale war, even though both nations had nuclear weapons.

What has stopped these Nuclear powers from waging a nuclear war against the other? There are many reasons.

The most important: The Nuclear weapons themselves! Nuclear power serves as a deterrent from aggression; hence there is a mutual fear whenever two Nuclear powers consider war against each other. The human and economic cost is too high, as observed after the Japan bombings. Only a completely crazy despot with no sense of obligation towards his people would go for it.

Another reason is globalization. With the world trading with everyone else, no nation can afford to commit an act that will bring international condemnation/sanctions. Well, no nation except America. And if you have a delivery system which is capable of striking with nuclear capability in America, even the great US will leave you alone.

All in all nuclear weapons are not as bad as they are made out to be. I believe that the world is a safer place to live because we have nuclear weapons

Cracked the CAT!!!!

2006-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Finally, after 3 attempts at it, I have managed to crack the CAT. Got calls from IIM-C and L.Awaiting results for others! Yippeee!!!!

Lalooisation of the Indian Railways

2005-12-27T23:20:00.000-08:00

Recently, there have been regular reports in the newspapers of increasing crimes in trains coming from the so called cow-belt of India. Indian railways was always notorious for its delays, but dacoity & gang rapes were unheard of, a rare incident here and there. The newspapers have found this important, as it has been hitting front pages of all leading dailies. However, none of the newspapers looked into the reasons for the sudden spurt in criminal activity in railways. The reason can be summed up in one word: LALOO.

With the end of Laloo-Raj in Bihar, the law-breakers have found themselves without a godfather to protect them. With Nitish Kumar considering law and order his first priority, these elements are forced too look for other safe heavens, as the rule of law in Bihar is a threat to their very existence. So they have taken their activities to a place where their Godfather is still in power – The Indian Railways.

I don’t know how anybody can fail to pick this link, it is more then obvious. The timing of the spurt in crime in the railways has coincided with the fall of Laloo from Bihar, and the kind of criminal activities we are seeing in the railways is similar to what Bihar has been suffering from for over a decade and a half now.

Kulhads instead of plastic cups & bidi allowances were fine, but one has to draw a line at this latest innovation of the Railway minister. I wonder why our mike wielding media has started asking Laloo tough questions with regards these incidents?

Book Review: One night @Call Centre

2005-12-27T03:03:00.000-08:00

What not to do in your second book!

When I read Chetan Bhagat’s first book, “Five Point Someone” I was amazed. It was a very sensitive story about 3 guys who had screwed up their lives big time in IIT. What I liked about it was the unusual approach of having losers as their protagonists. And that I could identify with some of their dilemmas, being an engineer, an having faced the same quandaries in my student life.

His Second book, “One Night @ Call Centre”, however seems to be an anticlimax after the first one. The characters in this book are almost repeated from the previous book. The Narrator remains the same, and rather then screwing up their lives, here the main characters are working in a call center, with already screwed-up lives.

The narrative can be said to be gripping, but lacking content. The story initially hems and haws about the problems faced by call centre workers, but is too full of long reminisces of the narrator’s failed relationship with one of his co-workers, to build upon anything serious.

Another major flaw in the book is the unwarranted criticism heaped on America, and the we-are-much-smarter-than-them stereotyping of Americans. Come on, they may not be the most technically sound people on the planet, but America is certainly home to some of the smartest businessmen in the world. The portrayal of America as the epicenter of all of the world’s problems starts sounding lame after some time.

And then, towards the end, the ultra fantastic idea of getting a call from God himself -What is this? Some Mytho? There are betters ways for people to realize the solutions to their problems. The call from God might have made some sense if the main cast was very religious or moral or had their dilemmas about God, and his existence been questioned earlier. But the call from God was completely out of the blue.

All in all, this is a book that can be avoided, or, at best, if you really enjoyed the first book, read it once when you have nothing good to do, and forget about it.

Hyderabad Blues

2005-09-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

During my work at one of the top IT companies, I was forced to stay away from my beloved Mumbai, in 3 of India’s major cities. Hyderabad was one of them. And though my association with Hyderabad was the shortest, it was one of the stays I enjoyed the most.

Hyderabad is a calm city, founded by Qutb Shah Quli, and is full of history. Everywhere you go you find buildings of historical importance. Hyderabad offered me so much to see, that even 4 weekends were not enough to cover it all.

The view of Hussain Sagar lake from Birla mandir, or the statue of veiled Rebecca in Salarjung Museum (Trivia: The artifacts at Salarjung Museum were all owned by one person, i.e. Salarjung), or a quiet picnic at Quli Tombs, or the Lights and Sounds show at Golkonda, all of them are must-see/ must-do for any history lover. Add to these the Food Street by Hussain Sagar or Shopping at Charminar, you just can’t get bored in Hyderabad.

(And I couldn’t see Ramoji Film City, the largest in the world, or Golkonda in daylight, or anything in Secunderabad for that matter)

Hyderabad is also one of India’s cheapest cities to live and travel in. Everything was much cheaper in comparison to all the cities I lived in. You could go to the best multiplex on a Sunday and watch a movie for Rs. 60/- (around $ 1.25 US) or see an Imax movie for Rs. 175/- (around $4 US), which is the cheapest Imax experience anywhere in the world. Food is very cheap (especially the world famous Hyderabadi Biryanis), as is travel. You get buses to almost anywhere in the city, and at a good frequency, (nothing compared to BEST, though) or you can take an auto rickshaw. There is something about Hyderabadi Auto drivers. When you tell them the destination, and they tell you their price to the destination, don’t ask them to take you by meter. The fare they quote invariably turns out to be less than the meter fare! Shopping is pretty cheap too; just try those Hyderabadi sherwanis, available at unbelievable prices! The reason for Hyderabad’s affordability is that perhaps it hasn’t been as affected by commercialization as compared to other cities in India.

Hyderabad is also a very spacious city. Unlike Mumbai or Bangalore, you find wide roads everywhere. Even the by lanes are wide, you won’t even find houses or buildings packed close to each other. The flip side of the wide roads is, the break neck speed at which people drive, which makes crossing the road seem like an adventure!

Hyderabad holds a quaint charm, it has still not been ravaged by commercialization and westernization, the twin diseases plaguing the metros of India. I hope Hyderabad will be able to retain it, with the forces of westernization constantly spreading its corrupting influences throughout India.

Exporting People

2005-09-04T22:25:00.000-07:00

Ever since childhood I was concerned about the fact that Indian currency was weak, and used to pester my father with questions related to the subject. At that time this was the crux of his explanation:

India's exports are less than its imports,
Exports determine the income of foreign currency, which in turn adds to the strength of your currency,
You export only what you have in excess.

At that time, the only thing I could find India having in excess was people. And I also remembered my father telling me that American's could not afford maids or servants as labour there was very expensive. Somewhere, I also happened to read that Russian population was facing negative growth.

I always wondered if we could export our excess people to generate more foreign currency. (At that time, service exports were unheard of. ) Well, globalisation has made this dream come true. Corporates all over the world realised, that with liberalisation and communications revolution in India , it was much cheaper to get work done there.

Indian were and still are going abroad for education and work, but it is mostly our expats from UAE send in regular remittances, which bring in invaluable foreign exchange. But Globalisation rather than taking people away from India has brought work from other countries (which need not be done in those countries) to our country. This must be a rare case where an import (i.e. work) has generated foreign exchange for a country.

Well, for all its detractors, globalisation does hold the potential to bring the world a level playing field, providing opportunities for all. Use it well and it can help you grow.

Ban on Plastics in Mumbai

2005-08-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Government of Maharashtra has banned plastic bags. Although it is a welcome step, there are practical difficulties and dubious intentions behind the ban.No doubt plastics have been the eco-lovers nightmare, and I vehemently criticise its overuse, but let me play the devil's advocate here. The Maharashtra government's decision is not influenced by a sudden love for nature, but has come as an excuse to wash it hands off its responsibilities of 26/7, the day Mumbai sank under water. The government is looking to blame Plastic bags for choking the drainage system.

While this is true a great extent, equally true is the fact that that Mumbai's waterlogging was caused by archaic drainage system, combined with the fact that illegal constructions had blocked many of the flood water outlets, resulting in total chaos. Rather than addressing these problems, the government lays the blame squarely on palstics and is trying to wriggle its way out of updating the drainage system, or getting rid of the illegal construction, which can be messy business, considering the fact that the inhabitants of these contruction form a large vote bank. In additon, the government hasn't provided the people with any alternatives to plastic bags.

Also, let us look at why these plastic bags are so popular. They are light, yet strong and can carry an amazing amount of weight vis-vis paper bags. They are inexpensive in comparision to cloth bags, and hence can be given out by the street hawkers with their goods, unlike cloth bags. Many a Mumbai celebrity have said that they don't use plastic bags, but hey, these aren't the real people. They dont have to buy their own groceries, or walk a mile just carrying their stuff. The just have to go about their business in AC cars. The rest of Mumbai can't afford such luxuries.

All said and done, I believe that plastic ban is a positive step (for certain negative reasons) and should be supported, but we should not let the Maharashtra government use it as an excuse for the problems of Mumbai, or divert our attention from them. Reducing the plastic menace should be a key priority but we should not wait for a tragedy like the flooding of Mumbai to awaken us.