India - Seeking Excellence

Review: Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-30T00:17:00.000-08:00

Well lets begin with the positives.

The storyline is quite new, something you haven't seen in the past - and as most of us know it comes from the book 'Q n A' by Mr Vikas Swarup (a indian bureaucrat by profession... have you noticed how many indian bureaucrats especially on foregin postings are writing books these days! No real work to do .. eh?). The acting by small kids is good - they shine compared to their older 'avatars' in the movie.

Yeah, i didn't have too many positives sorry - inspite of the hype.

Now, for the things which i did not like.
The movie has this fundamental problem - it is not 'engaging'. A movie must tie you down to your seat, and want you to look forward to the next scene, and the next, and the next... but this one doesn't. Then there is the music - it is one of the mediocre works of A.R.Rahman. Except for the couple of songs which are good, the background score as a whole is disappointing and it doesnt stay with you. The main protagonist 'Jamal' played by 'Dev Patel' is completely miscast. He doesn't look the character; you just don't connect with him. And as for Anil Kapoor, well he doesn't have much to do.

Danny Boyle sure must be a great director - because it wouldn't have been easy for someone from UK to understand this subject and try to shoot a movie in Mumbai.

I have this feeling that somehow this movie would have turned out to be much better in the hands of a good bollywood director - someone like Ashutosh Gowariker or Aamir Khan. But, in that case most likely it would have failed to get the international recognition it is getting now.

All in all, found this movie to be a case of: good effort, but average results and lots of awards!

Should judge's receive awards?

2008-08-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

How would you react:
- if a judge is given a 'good job done' reward?
- if a judge is given a prize for doing an exemplary job?

Perhaps, you will be happy! Think again.

Judges have a very important role to play in society. Just as they should not be seen receiving any favors or special treatment from a politician or any body, same way - recieving awards of any kind while in active service sounds completely out of order. The news in question here is some district and session court judges in karnataka being felicitated with cash award of Rs 10,000/=, a plaque and a citation, for promoting kannada language.

Ok, one may argue that this was just an appreciation for their usage of the local language; but if this practice continues, what prevents any 'body' or 'organization' from rewarding select judges for 'good job done', 'delivering excellent judgements', 'delivering immediate judgement' and so on...! Would it mean if your case lands up in the court of a judge who hasn't received a 'good job done' reward, you are not going to get 'enough' justice?

What is even more surprising that judge's chose to receive such awards! From my limited knowledge, in countries around the world - this is a completely unheard of practice.

Trying to Shine in Reflected Glory

2008-08-16T22:05:00.001-07:00

Abhinav Bindra wins a Gold at Olympics!

What followed?

Chattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh announced Rs one lakh for Bindra.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan came up with a reward of Rs five lakh for his "golden performance".
Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh announced a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh for Bindra
The Indian Cricket Board, the game's richest body in the world, announced a reward of Rs 25 lakh for Bindra
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad announced a free lifetime pass for travel by AC first class for the shooter.
The Haryana government has pitched in with Rs 25 lakh and the Chandigarh Administration has decided to reward him with Rs five lakh.

ALL the above have ZERO role to play in Abhinav's success. In all probability they wouldn't even be aware of Abhinav's participation or the event in which he particpated - in Olympics - until he won.

But, they want to shine in Reflected Glory! What has Chattisgarh got to do with Abhinav's success? And MP Chief Minister, since when did thy become a sports lover Mr Minister.

Their cheap antics are further exposed by the fact that - these so called political leaders do next-to-nothing to encourage sports in the country. They only know how to sit on the various sports federations and actively play politics there.

Man gives birth to baby: Perfect example of media lies.

2008-07-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

'Man gives birth to a baby'. Remember this news item? Read this indiatimes article here , and CNN-IBN news here, and Rediff news here, and ...

Read the news carefully, and you will realize, that this "man" is really a woman(yes born a woman). And only started living like a "man" in last few years by taking some hormones, and keeping all her reproductive organs intact. This being the case, this news is no-news at all. But our wonderful media (trust them to fool you) ensured that details are either ignored, or mentioned in passing, and certainly not contained in news title; thereby creating hype and providing incorrect news! Bravo, journalists. We understand you have to earn a living, but never forget what the Spidy says: 'With great power, comes great responsibility'!

India's pride: AIIMS - really?

2008-07-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

AIIMS is in news for all the wrong reasons. Whats breeding? Open gutter right in the heart of AIIMS. Read on.

Earlier students have died of dengue in this very hospital. Lessons have not been learnt. Not surprising. The Health Minister Ramadoss is spending his time chasing the more visible and popular causes: Smoking in Films, Potato Chips and Cold Drinks.

Judge Sahib - How was Victoria Falls?

2008-05-31T03:12:00.000-07:00

Year 2007: Chief Justice of India travels 7 times abroad, First Class, accompanied by wife- air fare cost alone is Rs 39 Lakhs. Read the fully story here.

Union Law Minister HR Bhardwaj justifies, " They also need comfort, they also need to go out. Why they should be deprived of it.'' Sure Mr Minister, if that is the case why use the garb of a conference in Pretoria, and end up at Victoria Falls! Just because it is tax payers money!

And what about government rules that say judges cannot be accompanied by wives on work tours?
The Law Minister enlightens the CNN-IBN reporter: "How can you deprive the wife? You are a woman. You should understand”. Sure Mr Minister, if a citizen flouts rule, he must be jailed by the judge, if a Judge flouts the rule - Law Minister has a ready excuse?

I can see people, spending hours trying figure out how they can save a few thousand Rs in taxes - and there i see the Judge Sahib off to Victoria Falls with their money!

Lead India Campaign - TOI - Damp Squib?

2008-05-31T02:53:00.000-07:00

Remember the Times of India's much-hyped 'Lead India Campaign '? Yes, the same one where one Mr R.K.Misra from Bangalore was the winner.

Well what happened to it? Where is Mr R.K.Misra. I only see him occasionally in some page-3 pictures in TOI. He is not at fault. Much like everything else that Times of India (and its equally useless Times Now) does, this too was a lot of hype, little substance.

Nobody knows what was supposed to happen as a result of this campaign. Was the winner supposed to fight elections? Was he supposed to be given a party ticket by some political party? Or was this all a stunt, to make people spend some money on SMS.

'Unlock Bangalore' - this seems to be another such campaign from the same group - mostly aimed at hype and gaining some mileage from 'sexy sloganeering'.

Human Resources Destruction (HRD) Minister

2008-04-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Arjun Singh,

You have amply displayed your abilities in your tenure at a useless ministry. Wish you could learn a thing or two from Lalu Prasad Yadav (yeah such is the situation!). If you cannot improve anything, at least dont go about destryoing what exists.

In your completely moronic ways, you fought hard for a few hundred seats in top iconic institutes of higher education in India. Ostensibly for the neglected sections of the society. But, you forgot that this very section of the society seeks better Primary Education (in crores not few hundred), better HealthCare, better Roads, and Electricity. Give them the basics, the rest will be taken care of - people will feel proud of who they become - instead of depending forever on doles dished out to them. But hell NO! Why solve problems, when you can create more! Why provide primary education when you can create sensation with Nonsense and Sycophancy - of which you have been accused of by your own political masters as well.

Its India's great tragedy, that Education and HRD Ministries have been occupied by jokers of the highest order in recent decades. The first thing that Education Ministers in India usually do is start revising history text books without applying any brains, and the first thing that HRD Ministers in India do is to create problems wherever they can. We are ashamed, no not-of-you, but of the fact that people like you are tolerated in our country.

God Save India from the clutches of Ugly Politicians.
Take Leave.

Ms Pratibha Patil - Flop Show

2008-04-23T01:02:00.000-07:00

Ms Pratibha Patil's first foreign trip as President of India - turns out a damp squib. Not Surprising many would say - Parliamentarians around the world do a background check perhaps on visiting dignitaries - and decide to play accordingly!

The Brazilian Parlimentarians did not find it worthwhile to attend Parliament when she went to address them. Hardly 15 turned up from a total strength of 90+. And her speech at Mexican Parlimant? Well that was cancelled after some MPs walked out over some local issue. No it did not end there, she also forgot to salute Indian Mexican flags during the guard of honor parade.

How we miss Abdul Kalam! He is apparently in great demand around the world - and is a regular invitee at conferences where hundreds turn up to listen to him.

Olympics 2008

2008-04-18T01:31:00.000-07:00

There is much news about which celebrity is running with the Olympic Torch or not. And so on and so forth. Has anyone asked this basic question: What will be the medals tally of India at Olympics 2008? In all likelihood it will be 0 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze ~ or near about.

The media as usual is at the forefront of displaying its ignorance and interest on the subject. Has anyone even bothered to cover what sports streams India will participate in, who are the likely participants, what their preparation is. We don't want hype, but we want those medals.

India (does not) need Reservations

2008-04-15T00:53:00.000-07:00

We urgently need reservations? If so, here's the wish list.

The Olympic Council, should allocate One-Fifth of all Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to India; we are One-Fifth humanity after all. And historically India was enslaved by Britishers therefore not allowing indian sports to develop to its potential. No, we don't need better sports facilities, we dont need good sports administrators (No Way!) - we need the medals reserved for us. Come on guys, don't start the argument of merit. Olympics are not about who can run or swim the fastest. It is a great world event, and everything should be distributed equally.
United Nations should ensure that one-fifth of all the worlds trade be handled in India. No, we dont need better economy, we dont need good manufacturing industries, or excellent agriculture (No Way!). We want the WTO to get One-Fifth of all trade to india as a rule. India was a rich and bright nation in the past, but outside people came and took away what we had. Those historical events need to be balance out right now.
USA, is doing grave injustice to us. It has the best educational institutes of the world, where the most competent study and teach and do research. This is not fair. One-Fifth of all the seats in top educational institutes (particularly Harvard and Stanford) should be reserved for Indians (appropriate provisions for sub-reservations within it should be made too). No, we don't want better educational institutes in our country, neither do we want to improve our educational system so that we are a confident, educated nation. We want those seats that others are having elsewhere.

God save my country from the clutches of ugly Politicians.

Background Music in News

2008-04-14T05:42:00.001-07:00

Have you noticed how background music is added to news these days? So, you have visuals of a bunch of hooligans breaking window panes, and beating up people - you will have a filmi music added to the visuals to sensationalize it. In any case India may be one of the worst places on earth to watch news anyway - what with commercial breaks that are longer than the news itself. And little or no original research - just show sensational visuals and talk about them with some experts. And these experts are 'regulars'.

Stare

2008-04-14T05:41:00.001-07:00

People Stare. Is this unique to the indian sub-continent? In the animal world staring at one another is considered a very aggressive behavior. In most western countries people avoid eye-contact unless necessary, and if an eye-contact is made, they acknowledge your presence usually by a smile or even a simple Hi.

Rahul Gandhi

2008-04-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

is sleeping in villages to garner votes. Typical of indian politicians. If he got Water, Electricity, Roads to villages - he would garner zillion votes. But then that involves hard work!

Short n Crisp

2008-04-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

Shorter and Crisper Posts going forward :).

A Mockery of Public Health Care

2008-03-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Some Notes:

India has the largest number of Polio cases in the world, and is way ahead (866 cases in 2007) of its nearest competitor Nigeria(286 cases in 2007). See country-wise stats here.

World Health Organization (WHO) Global TB Report 2006 states that: "India has more new TB cases annually than any other country, ranking first among the 22 high-burden TB countries worldwide." Number One here too. Read stats here.

Infants die (charred to death inside a incubator) because of negligence of the staff two hospitals - one in Ahmedabad, other in New Delhi. It is not just a co-incidence that both were government hospitals.

Want to know of Certified Corruption? Here it is - at govt. hospitals in Bangalore. Clerks make hay at the cost of patients.
We rank one of the lowest in terms of percentage of GDP spent on Public HealthCare. India ranks 171st out of 175 countries in percentage of GDP spent in the public sector on health.

Mr Ambumani Ramadoss (Health Minister) - You usually have a lot to say on silly subjects - here is an important one Mr Minister - Speak Up.

Ms Renuka Chowdhury (Women and Child Welfare Minister) - there is more to your ministry than shouting male-bashing slogans and creating third-grade laws to suit your whims. Get the child-care right in your beloved government hospitals, and you will be popular without trying.

Tax Payers Money - is personal treasure of our beloved Ministers

2008-03-01T22:06:00.000-08:00

Praful Patel (Civil Aviation Minister) readied the Udaipur Airport just-in-time for his daughter's wedding in that town.

The swanky airport terminal was constructed in super fast track manner - by Tax Payer's money. Wonderful Mr Minister - kindly explain to us how are today's ministers any different from erstwhile Maharajas.

Reality Check - Farmer and Debt Relief

2008-02-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

Sulabhram is a model citizen - farmer by profession.
Moneyram is a shrewd citizen - farmer by profession.

Both took a loan of Rs 50,000/= from a government bank. Sulabhram worked hard to pay back the loan amount. Moneyram did not pay back a single paisa.

Mr Chidambaram (a perinially smiling celebrated finance minister) declared that there was no need to payback unpaid loan. Sulabhram has not just lost Rs 50,000/=, he feels like a fool for having paid back the loan. Moneyram has not just gained Rs 50,000/=, his belief that he must take even more loans and not repay anything has further been strengthened.

This is not some hypothetical story - but a reality. Not even talking of loan taken from private money lenders here!

Traffic Fine Collectors are ON

2008-02-27T23:42:00.000-08:00

Come February, and Traffic Fine Collectors (ughh.. there are no cops in India) are back on roads. So, they want to collect as much 'fine' as possible before the financial year ends on Mar 31st. Smart Boys.

This is our true blue desi style of improving the traffic situation in India. To hell with long term planning, To hell with putting reasonable traffic lights at junctions, To hell with instilling a sense of discipline among the fellow countrymen, the list is long. Lets not even talk of basic infrastructure. "Maal Andar Karo".... futtafut.

The number of docs necessary to escape the fine: Driving License, Insurance Papers, Registration Papers, Pollution Certificate (Black Smoke from exhaust will be invisible to the 'fine' collector, as long as the Pollution Certificate is visible), local registration(if vehicle from another state) . And if you are a commercial vehicle, hmm.. a few more docs.

Fine Wallah's are on the prowl Mr Chidambaram in February - this may boost the economy Sir. Say what?

Happy Republic Day

2008-01-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

Republic Day Parade was beautiful. The congratulatory messages on mobile phones, tv channels and newspapers were very inspiring. Our nation has turned 59. Congratulations.

What do we look like at 59?

The Breaking News on tv channels on Republic Day was - Carla Bruni's Taj Mahal visit - On again, Off again. Thankyou media, our lives would be so color less without you wonderful folks.
There are 300 years worth of court cases pending in indian courts. Oh come on guys - whats 300 years.. look at the big picture. Be Positive. You indians always think small.. and negative. 300 years is miniscule in the lifetime of this earth you see! And large number of pending court cases is an indication of thriving democracy and freedom; and it guarantees that there are enough black robe jobs going around for next 300 years.
In Bangaluru (yeah i got that spelling right) it is reported that in many govt. hospitals, the new borns are taken away and hidden from their mothers - and are only handed back when bribe has been paid. Now, is that original? Naah...is that corruption... naaah. Then? Just a practice they saw in Mughal-e-Aazam. The king will throw jewellery at the midwives on receiving the good news, except that nobody is throwing jewellery at the govt. hospital staff anymore - so they decided to hold the parents to ransom. Inspiration.
What is the best indication of status of sports in a country? If you said - how many medals it wins at Olympics or how good sports facilities are or how much sports is an integral part of society - well you would be Wrong!! The status of sports in a country is indicated by number of Sports Federations that exist, number of Politicians participating in them, amount of money pocketed in the name of sports. Therefore, we are Number One. Whats so great about winning medals anyway? Our thrust has always been on paricipation. In any case the largest contingent, with largest number of officials should have some medals reserved for them. The Olympic committee is discriminating against a developing country - we must fight them - we must go on a dharna, block olympic tracks, chakka jaam them. We know this stuff very well.
Just 2 days ahead of Republic Day - Govt. Banks are on a strike to protest - merger of bank operations, filling up unfilled vacancies via recruitments, outsourcing of some banking services etc. Unfortunately the private banks did not go on strike - and the sting of the srike was not so hard. These private banks and their employees have no brains really - don't they remember the golden days of banking when customers used to stand in queue begging for their work to be done at bank counters across india. No courtesy, no politeness only arrogance from bank staff - ah those golden days.
Higher Education - is where we need to spend our energy. And we did. An extremely large (majority) of the private professional colleges in india are owned by politicians! (Yeah, it requires licence to run a college; and profit from it... now come on tell me its the same thing as running a sugarcane factory or a rice mill). Primary Education be damned. Reservations in IITs will benefit the very very big figure of a few hundreds. We can't ignore that and spend our energy educating the teeming masses. No.

Chale Chalo...

Outlook and Mr CNR Rao - blame IT.

2007-12-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

A recent issue of Outlook magazine carried a story - 'cunningly' titled: Why Bangalore Hates IT Culture. The title seems to suggest that Outlook has done a survey and that 100% (why use the word 'Bangalore') of the people hate the IT culture. This simply shows what a 'silly' magazine outlook has become. Broadly, the story in parts and Mr CNR Rao on the whole, blames IT industry for Bangalore woes!

As for Mr CNR Rao - the less said the better. When people in responsible positions talk this kind of stuff: "They say they want better roads, but why should we create them?" It makes one wonder - if common sense is really not so common after all.

Wonderful and what a shame Mr Rao. Talk about revealing your ignorance to the world. Lack of infrastructure is lamentable (the reasons for it are discussed much better elsewhere.. so will leave that out) - but a clear lack of comprehension of the issues involved by 'renowned' people like yourself is funny to say the least.

More nuggets from Mr Rao:

"There was more poetry and music here before the IT boom"
Yeah sure... IT industry is preventing people from writing poems or singing? On the contrary, just to give a random example - Bangalore Habba has gone from strength to strength every year. In any case when did poetry and music become the responsibility of IT industry?

"They employ our graduates with high intellectual capabilities in jobs that are beneath them. They prevent our graduates from becoming good poets, good economists, fine historians, quality scientists and top-class engineers by luring them into jobs with fat salaries".
More fun. Governments Rozgar Yojana's are dens of corruption and waste of public funds, yielding nothing, and providing jobs to no-one but themselves. Without the private sector to take in lakhs of graduates coming out of colleges every year, we would have a large unemployed pool of youngsters. And by the way - would you employ them in your research labs?

And the outlook reminds us that you are a: "A world-renowned solid state and materials chemist, chairman, Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister." Hmmmm....really.

Taare Zameen Par

2007-12-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is a movie with its heart in the right place. Made in a simple easy to follow format. Watch it for its simplicity as well. Like Chak De India - its a entertaining movie with a message.

And a slap on the face of third-grade over-rated movie directors like Karan Johar(cannot think beyond silly stories set in foreign lands with fixed set of actors), Sanjay Leela Bhansali (the magnum opus king...can't think of normal stories - they always have to be extra-ordinary .. huh), Ram Gopal Varma(mindless blood and gore is not creativity Mr), and many more....such directors.

Think of it. Movie is such a powerful medium - what a waste of movies we get throughout the year. Occasionally we have gems like Taare Zameen Par (TZP) come our way.

Aamir (producer/director), Amol Gupte(script writer) - and the whole TZP team - you rock. Thankyou.

Another Person of Indian Origin Makes it...

2007-12-15T05:11:00.000-08:00

So what.. is what comes to my mind when we hear that..

The way we start celebrating every success of a person of Indian Origin, is quite funny. Bobby Jindal would be amused too. I don't think he would like it either. Indira Noyee will have little to say, its embarassing at best to hear your name always in terms of - She is a 'Indian Woman' Leading a Top MNC. She is really there because of her talent - NOT because she is a 'indian' or because she is a 'woman'. And now Citibank will be headed by Vikram Pandit. Cheers Cheers Cheers - watch the desi media go beserk. And when Sunita Williams was in space, we were told to celebrate, given glimpses of the a some place in Gujarat her family originally comes from - which i doubt she herself will find difficult to recall, and lets not forget the frenzy in some schools across India. I was aghast to see a news channel beam images of a school taking out its students in a rally across a city to celebrate Sunita Didi's success. Please - don't do this to our students. Taking out a rally is no good - please let our students study and understand what makes such a mission possible!

Well to me the time to celebrate would be when ISRO is able to send a manned craft to the moon, when Tata has a brand recall value like the Toyota's around the world, when the erstwhile Thumbs Up would have been able to truly compete with Pepsi around the world :). For that matter even when - we can claim 100% literacy (what has happened to our priorities and common sense?).

Its all very nice at one level, but quite funny as well.

Men Women and Seating @ Movie Theatres

2007-12-14T00:07:00.000-08:00

Have you observed how people make sure that women never sits next to a unknown man (You!) in a movie theatre. So if you are already seated, and a couple walks in, they will invariably make sure (whenever possible) that the lady is distanced from you (the guy).

Talk about trusting your women with strangers in the darkness of the theatre! Well - perhaps a good thing to do - why trust a stranger (or even your own girl) after all. In any case seats are crammed in most theatres. Certainly happens in theatres across India - yes all the upmarket ones too. Does it happen abroad (can't really recall)?

Bangalore - Roads are a Nightmare

2007-12-08T02:50:00.000-08:00

Bangalore roads are a nightmare.

Almost no footpath. Where are pedestrians supposed to walk?
Crossing roads is dangerous. There are hardly any underground or overhead walkways. Lets not talk of zebra crossings - nobody cares about them. And at many many traffic signals not enough or no time is given for people to cross roads.
Too many cars on the roads.
Buses stop right on the road to pick up passengers - yes the bus stops are indeed right on the road in most places. So when a bus stops, all traffic tailing it comes to a halt.
And to top it all - Hardly any public transport. The few buses that ply - are overflowing with people. And bus numbers and their destinations being marked only in local language further deter people not knowledgeable about the local language from boarding them.
If a traffic cop is not standing at the Traffic Signal - expect the drivers (usually the ones who have a yellow colored number plate) to disregard traffic signals - especially when it turns Green to Red. Checkout the Diary Circle Traffic Signal.

Well, yes, roads and traffic conditions are bad across cities and towns in India. But Bangalore takes the crown.

Points to Ponder Over....

2007-08-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

Some Nuggets ...

CBI Scores Again! After letting off Quottrochi in Argentina by being a silent spectator, Shibu Soren is out of jail now. The High Court remarked: Poor work done by CBI caused this. Yoo Hoo! CBI does it again. Nevertheless, we must be one of the only countries on earther where one court gives a life-sentence, and another court exonerates the person (exactly same case no evidence change) completely !!
Salman Khan is behind bars for a Poaching Case (5 years prison term). With all due respect to the Bishnoi Community - we have the most interesting Judiciary and Legal System in the world. The butchers of Gujarat Riot 2002, Mumbai Riots 1992 , anti-sikh riots 1984 roam free (many even actively protected by politicians), and a black-buck poaching case is pursued as if there is no tomorrow. Yeah! Selective Justice is Injustice...
After initiaiting the Nuclear Deal - BJP is now opposing it - when it is reaching its point of conclusion! And the Left are out to oppose for he sake of opposing (media should not give sound bytes to third grade politicians - whose only job these days seem to be to come on tv channels and talk nonsense). Ronen Sen said the truth - these jokers are headless chickens. Well said sir. Do a poll and you will find indians agree with what he said.
Speak against fraud of an MLA, and you will be jailed. Ask Mithilesh Amin from Anand, when he spoke against BJP MLA Dilip Patel for being involved in a Bank Fraud - well there was no investigation on the MLA, but Mithilesh was put behind bars.

Well, India is certainly making rapid strides. Tell us about it.

CHAK DE INDIA - Go For It!

2007-08-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is well crafted movie, which will gain by word of mouth publicity (like this one)! The understated manner in which the movie is made, is its strength - no over the top dialogues, no unnecessary side-stories.

This movie is highly recommended for (someone please give these folks free tickets to the movie): The babus, ministers, clerks at - Sports Authority of India, Olympic Association of India, Indian Hockey Federation, Indian Football Federation, The Sports Ministry, Mr Mani Shankar Iyer (Sports Minister), and all the other third-grade sports federations of this country. Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi it won't hurt you to go to a nearby theatre too, you have ruined football in this country, and are busy being silly at the I&B Ministry too.

We are staring at a medals tally of 0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze in the next Olympics.

Me Lord...

2007-08-07T01:13:00.001-07:00

Me Lord,

I recently visited your judicial premises for some ordinary work. The clerks there told me your work will not be done, unless you take a LIC Policy from them. I was taken aback - not because the clerk had wrapped a 'bribe-demand' in the form of a Policy! But - was taken aback - that it was happening right under your nose sir!

Then, i recall going to get a Driving License. The test inspector failed me the first time for no obvious reason. But he had the right to do so. So, i obediently appeared for a second driving test - this time the driving test inspector asked me to buy some Tickets from him. I was not taken aback because the inspector had wrapped a 'bribe-demand' in the form of a Ticket. But - was taken aback - that it was being done so brazenly - no fear of law and order.

Oh, before i forget, i remember seeking help from Police once. To my surprise the police inspector was quite obliging, and came along with me. I thanked him for that (having expected that i would not receive any help) - but as he was about to leave - he started noting down my vehicle number. Upon asking why he was doing so, he mentioned that i owe him money. I was not taken aback me lord. I was shell-shocked this time. Apparently the police wallah was indirectly threatening me to embroil me in something totally unrelated if i did not oblige. I do not know, but that was my best guess.

And sir, this might not seem out-of-place, please let me narrate... i was having pani-puri the other day near my house late in the evening, when a Police Jeep stopped and starked honking. The Paani Puri guy, went towards the jeep gave some money and came back, and the jeep left. Upon asking, came to know that it was the 'hafta' thing. And on enquring further was told, that these people do not issue them license to do their work legally - purposefully, so that they may collect the daily 'bribe' one way or another.

Thankyou for listening.
Humbly Yours.

Justice and not Hypocrisy Please.

2007-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

It looks like a cruel joke when Administrators of this country give advice to other countries (Australia, in the Haneef case) that Haneef should get justice, he cannot be detained for long etc.

A big BIG Joke. It is common for undertrails in India to be lodged in jails for months together without even being charged! What if Haneef was arrested in Bangalore on similar charges? Invariably, a few politicians would have exhibited foot-in-mouth disease immediately by announcing a 'catch'. Policemen would not hesitate to give interviews. Investigations be damned! "It's a diplomatic success..." says a senior govt. officer. Sir we don't know whether to laugh at your silly statement, or thank Aus. justice system for being at least fair, if not perfect.

Why is Sri Krishna Committee Report on Mumabi Riots not being pursued with zeal? Why is it that hardly anyone been punished for Gujarat Riots? Why is anti-sikh riots of 1984 regarded as a forgotten chapter with almost no convictions?

When justice is not meted out in the same manner to ALL citizens, or it is sought to be applied to select cases - we no longer have 'justice', we simply have 'laws', and a 'legal' system. And a lot of Hypocrisy.

There's competition for I&B Ministry...

2007-07-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

I&B Ministry headed by Priyaranjan Das Munshi has competition.. yes this comes from Women and Child Welfare Minnistry headed by Renuka Chowdhry.

This is competition about: staying in the news, shouting out silly short-sighted policies with regular frequency, primarily aimed at getting attention! A trick learned from Shree Arjun Singh perhaps...

Ms Renuka Chowdhry first:

All women will be required to register their pregnancies, ostensibly to help them with pre-and-post natat care, etc. (Has she visited a govt. hospital in recent times - to see the conditions there?. Force of any kind is likely to only strengthen the hands of quacks!)
Introduction of Domestic Violence Act ostensibly to help women. She surely knows rampant misuse of dowry act notwithstanding, populism pays!

Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi:

A perfectly legal contract between 'Neo' and BCCI is thrown out of the window, by arm-twisting and introducing new laws, so that Neo's cricket feed can be fed to the sick DD. So much so for upholding laws of the land. Did we hear someone say - Populism pays!
Plans to introduce tax on TV's so that Doordarshan can be kept running profitably, ostensibly for the greater-good! It did not occur to the minister that, nobody watches or cares about DD primarily because of its third-grade programming and complete disregard for the intelligence of the viewer.

Lage Raho Minister Bhai...

Bhagalpur - 20 Years On...

2007-07-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

Typical of the Indian Legal System, a local court has awarded prison-terms to 14 men convicted of horrendous crimes - comitted 20 Years Ago!

1989, Communal Riots at Bhagalpur were one of the worst since India's independence. Over a 1000 people were killed in the riots, and the above sentencing pertains to a single incident where 116 people were killed in a village. Given the amount of time elapsed, not surprisingly, 6 of the original 32 accused have died while case files were gathering dust.

Precisely, because the perpetrators of such crime were NOT swiftly rounded-up and Punished, mob-fury is fairly common-place in India. If you are a mob - you can shut-down a city, burn buses, kill-people, do-whatever - because the law does not apply to you, because you are anonymous. This is something not witnessed even in sub-saharan Africa.

And to think of it - the present sentencing - coming after glorious 20 years - is the first one - coming from a local court. There will be appeals, and the case we drag on for much longer time, as it moves up to higher courts in a torturously slow manner.

But where does the problem lie? It directly lies with the law-makers of the land. The folks who sleep in the Parliament, appoint Police Officers not based on merit but by caste-equations, and Legal Luminaries - who would rather keep their mouth shut than speak-up.

What kind of a society are we? All these gung-ho about great culture, Taj making it to 7-wonders, is a joke under such circumstances. What happened to our priorities?

Not-so-random-thought: Everytime we see a person proclaiming on tv, that he/she has full faith in judiciary - it makes us wonder - why repeat it on tv? We never see citizens in other countries make such pronouncements.

Low Cost Small Cars - Impending Urban Chaos

2007-06-30T05:54:00.000-07:00

Well the infrastructure and traffic situation in India is quite bad. Thats not a revelation. But what could possibly make the situation worse?

A Rs 1 lakh car could bring the cities to its kneels. When we look around wherever Traffic situation is bad, invariably one can find a sea of cars. Now add an ocean to it, and you have a perfect recipe for chaos. Indian Roads are not equipped to handle this kind of traffic.

Tata's are not alone in this low-cost car race (A picture of Tata's 1-lakh car). Here are other contenders:

Renault/Nissan plans on a $3000 (just over Rs 1 lakh) car for India.
Bajaj plans a small car in the price range of Rs 2-5 lakhs.
Ford has plans for a small car for India.
Maruti/Suzuki is an old player in this area.

Well...

Would a car that competes with Two-Wheelers be safe, and reliable? Cars like Maruti-800, wouldn't even be allowed in many countries of the world - for precisely that reason.
In Japan, which cannot afford to put more cars on roads (for lack of space - and not artificially missing infrastructure) - cars are manufactured largely for export. Should we not learn from them?
A situation similar to Airlines industry is unfolding. Lots of Airlines but decaying Airports - Lots of Cars but Pot-holed one-lane mis-managed roads. (Time Magazine Reports: Altitude Sickness - India's Airlines tied down by crumbling airport infrastructure.)
Tata's or car-buyer's are not to be blamed in anyway. It is the governance that has failed the people. Responsibility for Urban Planning, Roads, Public Transport - does lie with people who sit on positions of Authority and Power.

Infrastructure and Reliable Public Transport is what this country is crying for.

Situation of the Disabled in India

2007-06-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

So, an Airline refused to fly a wheel-chair bound Cerebral Palsy Patient. While the exact circumstances of this are not clear. What probably happened is (based on news reports again):

The patient was not escorted or accompanied by anyone.
The patient could not coherently answer the queries by Airline Staff.
The Airlines could not find either a medical certificate of fit-to-fly or the person did not seem fit to fly to them.
For the above reasons the passenger was not allowed to fly.

Next, the media ran the story as follows (with questions):

How can a Airline refuse to fly a Disabled Passenger?
What punishment should be meted out to the Airline (a direct question actually on Live Television from NDTV to a DGCA executive).
Airlines do not care for disabled.

Perhaps valid questions. BUT, What is this about singling out Airlines? Do we have the answers to the following question?

What facilities exist in Railways for Disabled People? Infact close to NONE.
Are our City Taxi's, Auto's, other forms of Public Transport equipped to handle the disabled? Forget that, do we even have laws around them.
Can a disabled person even hope to get into a Film Theatre and watch a movie with ease?
See the conditions of Public Hospitals across the country - and see what they are equipped with to deal with the disabled? These are the institutions where MOST disabled people in India will go to seek help.
Can someone show us even a SINGLE passenger bus anywhere in INDIA, which is equipped to lift disabled people into the Bus (easily seen in Buses plying in America)?
The list can go on... this is just to give an idea.. and throw up the question:

Why is Media, and bleeding heart NGOs - not seen raising the above questions? Whats special about Airlines? Far far more disabled people will travel by trains and buses than airlines. There are 70 Million Disabled in India (a number larger than population of most countries of the world). Lets keep things in right perspective.

I am grateful to Sonia...

2007-06-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Those are the words from Ms Pratibha Patil - all set (formalities pending) to become the next President of India. Much is being said about UPA having selected a woman for this post and what it means for India.

But - what a downfall this is...

If a Presidential Candidate openly expresses gratefulness to the leader of a Political Party - what message does it send about the post of President? Will such a leader be able to act in a non-biased manner in times of crisis.
I don't care if the President is a woman, or a man, or a minority or a majority. We need people who merit such a position - not someone whose primary merit being touted is being a woman, and a congress loyalist!
Polls after Polls have consistently shown that Indians wanted Mr Abdul Kalam to continue as President of India for another term. But this is completely ignored by the Politicians.
Sonia Gandhi has the Prime Minister of her choice, and now a proper rubber stamp President in the making. Will such a candidate maintain the high standards set by her predecessor. Unlikely.

Why didn't it occur to UPA to field her as their first candidate of choice? Barkha Dutt answers: "The answer is simple — it’s because Pratibha Patil’s accomplishments were never considered good enough by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to make her their first choice, or even second, or third, or fourth or fifth. She’s now being billed by the Congress as a person of impeccable qualities."

0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze

2007-06-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

The title reflects the medals tally of India at 2008 Beijing Olympics. Perhaps there will be a bronze, but not very much better. That is the medals tally of 1/5th of Humanity. Some statistics:

At the Athens 2004 Olympics

India won 0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze. [India Area: 1.25 Million Sq. Miles]
Jamaica won 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze [Jamaica Area: 4,111 Sq. Miles]
Medals Per Million Population - for - Bahamas - 6.3091 [Bahamas Population: 273,000]
Medals Per Million Population - for - India - 0.0009 [India Population: 1 Billion]
Read On...

The proud Indian Olympic Association - Website - is very much like the association itself. High on self-congratulation - very low on results. Check out the Chinese Olympic Committee website.

And who is the Sports Minister of India?

Mani Shankar Aiyar - is at loggerheads with other sports organizations over organizing Commonwealth Games and bidding for other games.
It was reported that he was given this ministry - as it was important to induct him as a Cabinet Minister - and no other portfolio was available. That tells you the disdain with which Sports Ministry is treated and functions.
Did not have much to say about India's dismal performance in Doha Asiads where a very large contingent was sent.

Sports Administrations across India are largely headed - no not by Sports Administrators - but Politicians - Sharad Pawar, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, Lalu Prasad, Suresh Kalmadi and its likes...

Given the shining facts above - there is not much hope for a better medals hunt at the next Olympics.

Not so random thought: China is likely to topple USA from Number 1 Position in Medals Tally at the Beijing Olympics.

Criminal Justice System - Collapse.

2007-05-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

It takes NDTV to exhort the Legal System to do justice. This is the job of the police. A top celebrated lawyer R.K.Anand - who is a defence lawyer in the BMW case - is actively involved in cohorting with the Prime Witness of the Prosecution !! And Prosecution is more than happy to actually drop this prime witness itself (as it had merrily done earlier)! What is gpoing on?

This is not strange - if you consider that:

It is common knowledge that legal system has turned into a vicious game. How can i twist this law to do that?
A recent report cited: Rs 2630-crore bribe paid yearly to judiciary in India
Magistrates do not hesitate to issue arrest warrants/summons against well-known people/celebrities in frivolous of cases - but its extremely rare to see same posture being adopted towards Politicians. When there are lakhs of court cases rotting across India - does it make sense when courts waste there time in frivolous/attention-grabbing cases.
Police should be involved in doing solid investigation, being a partner of the ordinary citizen in maintaing law and order. But what do we find? A Lathi Charging, Trigger-Happy Police - happy to kill its own citizens. And investigation - now whats that?
And about deaths in police custody every-year - its hard to believe. Read this. No wonder, approaching police to seek help - is not a practice widely followed in India.
'Tareekh pe Tareekh' - this is one of the very telling dialogues from the movie Damini. It shows how 'delaying' tactics in courts can kill cases. Indian judicial system must be one of the 'slowest' in the world. Most likely - The Slowest.

As for Police Reforms - Supreme Court directed the State Govts to implement it. But - no surprise there - state govts - are not interested. Judicial Reforms - we need them now - not later. Is this the land of Harashavardhana, Ashoka, Mahatma Gandhi?

Is Indian Democracy a Farce?

2007-05-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

It all depends on how you define Democracy.

Lets try our hand at various definitions.
Democracy is where people vote, and elect a government.
By this definition we are a resounding success.

Democracy is where people vote without fear, and elect a government.
By this definition we are a reasonable success.

Democracy is where people vote without fear, with knowledge - to elect a government.
By this definition we are at best satisfactory.

Democracy is where people vote without fear, with knowledge, for collective development - to elect a government.
By this definition we are are a failure. (vote for development..? now whats that).

Ok... lets leave this line of argument aside. And flip the question to ask -
What exactly happens in Indian Democracy?

Elections are announced routinely (Good!)
Political parties field candidates (In UP Elections upward of 20% candidates had criminal backgrounds)
People vote and elect govt. - based on what - most recognizable face, caste, whatever? (The present UP Legislative assembly has substantial number of - upward of 40% MLAs - according to some media) with criminal antecedents - this is 'twice' the percentage of Indian Parliament. Media analyses and tells us - the Muslim, Dalit, Brahmin combination worked for the winiing party. Ah!).
The ougoing govt. relinquishes control (destory files - all there is to hide in govt. departments - yes thats what a SP minister in outgoing UP govt. was doing)
Chief Minister is sworn and Administration Begins (100 Bureaucrats are transferred within hours of swearing in ceremony - yes thats what Mayawati did. Cabinet berths are alloted .. no not to the most deserving.. but to balance the caste equations).

So what important questions never come up in most Elections?

Why do the city Roads look like the surface of the moon?
Why does India have one of the highest taxes in the world, and poorest infrastrcture?
Where will the power requirements of coming years be met from?
Why is it that 1/5th of humanity, satisfied with 0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze at Olympics.
Why Corrupt/Criminal Candidates are standing in the elections?
Why is Primary Education so bad in our country?
Why do most Govt. Hospitals stink - and it is often considered even dangerous to go there?
Why is it that Indian Police perceived to be among the most corrupt in the world?

So, Indian Democracy has all the trappings of a functional Democracy. But just scratch the surface - and what you see is a big charade or a pseudo-democracy.

Ugly Interest Litigations

2007-05-01T02:47:00.000-07:00

As soon as the following was on television, the wait began for somebody to file a PIL, and the judge to act on it and make a mockery of justice in the process....

Richard Gere Kisses Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS awareness campaign.
Mandira Bedi wears a sari with Indian Flag showing up below her knees.
Arun Nayar and Liz Hurley wedding in India

And yes true to style, lawyers in Jaipur filed the cases against individuals (all celebreties) in the above events citing various moralistic phrases like 'sensibilities getting hurt', 'in the public interest' etc ! And wow, they were accepted by the judge as legitimate cases. (Have you noticed Madurai, Jaipur and other smaller towns are especially notorious in this regard!)

The case of Mandira Bedi, may still make some sense. But what is going on here with a Arrest Warrant against Richard Gere, and summons to Shilpa Shetty, because a silly lawyer decided to waste everyones time, get his name in newspapers, and the Judge above all acting extremely strangely and without hesitating issuing arrest warrant while describing the video footage of the kiss as 'highly sexually erotic'! Well....

Why is such alacrity, promptness not shown by the Legal Luminaries when Politicians are involved in Killings, Eating away Public Funds, and running extortion rackets. Why is such promptness not shown when there are riots and looting in the cities - just because a Filmstar died Or because the govt. of the day decided to go to sleep while its citizens are murdered by rioters.

The first half of the previous post was referring to exactly this kind of silliness that prevails in legal circles in a country where approximately 300 years worth of court cases are pending. Ah ! These days its easier to drag celebrities to courts than get a ration card!

If there is such arbitrariness in simple cases, what happens in serious complex cases where life and property is at stake?

PILs - not the best way

2007-04-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

PIL - Public Interest Litigation - is ofcourse the original name. But there are other names like Private Interest Litigation, Paisa Interest Litigation and so on.

Here is a perfect example of well meaning law, being twisted and misused by people.
Some recent examples:

PIL filed against Aishwarya Rai in Patna HC, for 'allegedly' marrying a tree. Read On..
PIL against Orkut, because someone decided to start a 'i hate india' community there. Read On...
PIL filed in Rajasthan, against Liz Hurley/Arun Nayar for allegedly disrespecting indian customs via there recent wedding. This at a time when Tourism Ministry is busy selling India as an exotic Wedding Destination !!! Read On...

Now, lets look at PILs which indeed seem genuine. Say these would be on the lines of: 'PIL seeking improvement in traffic management in a state', 'PIL asking for more primary schools in a city', 'PIL protesting against poor quality of food available at Railway Stations across India', 'PIL seeking to stop Dam Construction', and so on...

These are good and sometimes necessary PILs. BUT, take a close look - these PILs are seeking what is taken for granted in Developed Countries, they are seeking much of what is guaranteed in the constitution, they are asking for better administration... etc.

So, it has been argued that then these are 'good' PILs and more and more of them should be filed. This is a not a good trend in my opinion. It is direct pointer to a much serious underlying problem - i.e whimsical and bad administration. And THAT problem should be corrected at its root. After all how many PILs are we going to file? Electricity Shortage - file a PIL. Water shortage - file a PIL. Bad Roads - file a PIL. Corrupt Minister - file a PIL. If a enemy nation attacks our country - are we supposed to file a PIL as well to defend our country? I hope not!

A tree which is being hollowed by termites from within - cannot be saved by throwing pesticide at it, everytime you see a decaying branch. It requires constant and repeated care. So with Administration. Patch work is not going to help anyone.

Look around - try to locate the best run companies, and worse run companies. One thing will be obvious - Good companies always have good people at its helm. Bad ones always have bad ones at the helm. 'At the helm' - is the key thing here. Same principal applies to Administration of the Country as well. 'People' and NOT 'Processes' are the solution or the problem. Good People will find ways around Bad Processes. Bad People will find ways around Good Processes. So, if there is a failing administration - its because of People In Charge. Ok.. so we digressed a bit here... but thats the flow...... :) .

Supreme Court, advises High Court here:
PIL [petition] is a weapon which has to be used with great care and circumspection and the judiciary has to be extremely careful to see that behind the beautiful veil of public interest an ugly private malice, vested interest and/or publicity seeking is not lurking. This attractive brand name of PIL [petition] should not be used for suspicious products of mischief"

Rogue Power Mongers

2007-04-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

"Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters. All Indian leaders will be of low calibre and men of straw." Winston Churchill on the eve of Indian Independence.

Has he been proved right? Ground realities seem to suggest that.

Some Quick Notes

Just when one thought that perhaps BJP may provide a better alternative to Congress/BSP/SP - look what they are upto in Uttar Pradesh elections with CDs and irresponsible ads.
Just when one thought that IITian floated party will win something - a NDTV report suggests that these folks are going to lose their deposit in Uttar Pradesh - because voting public itself is largely dishonest and votes mainly on caste lines.
Just when one thought Olympics is round the corner (2008) and someone in the sports ministry is going to talk about it, the media and ministers are obsessed with a single sport - cricket. Does it matter to anyone that ex-hockey(national sport!) olympians are quite poor?
Well.....

Anticpatory Bail

2007-03-19T03:42:00.000-07:00

All of us generally know what an Anticpatory Bail is - thanks to the frequent media coverage of prominent people getting Anticpatory Bail fearing being implicated in false cases by rivals - and therefore Arrest Warrants being issued against themselves.

Well what does this particula law tell about the state of our legal system?

That it is fairly easy to get arrest warrants issued against people based on trivial or trumped up charges or unauthenticated charges.
If it was not fairly easy - there would be no need for such an law - giving the accused a chance of anticipating arrest and getting the bail.
Such crafty laws come in handy - mostly for the rich and the powerful, or those with intricate knowledge of the IFs and BUTs of the law.
The very purpose of arrest warrant is kind of defeated because Police can no longer arrest the person if he has taken shelter under this law.
It is common to see news in media, that accused go absonding until Anticipatory Bail has been granted or refused.
One wing of legal system does not necessarily trust the other wing. So, one court of law gives an arrest warrant, another one grants Anticpatory Bail! Well...

Provision for grant of anticipatory bail does not exist anywhere else in the world. Not surprisingly.

Implementation of laws should never depend upon your crafty knowledge of the law Or how influential you are.

The Cess Mess

2007-03-10T02:49:00.000-08:00

So, what did the very erudite Finance Minister of India do to improve the Education Sector in India ?

He increased the Education Cess from 2% to 3%. What a Short Sighted Short Cut.

Consider this:

The decision to levy the new cess comes despite the fact that the Centre has spent only 39% of the funds under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, raised by the education cess in the first eight months of 2006-07 - as per this Financial Express Report! If this is not a JOKE, what else is it ? In any other country - such foolhardiness could land lawmakers in a court of law for wasting public money!
And in year 2005 what was the state of things? The Rs 13,000 crores cess collected over the previous two years was found unused for education. This is higher than the Rs 12,537 crores budget allocation to elementary education -- a crying shame what else!
Primay Education is a State Subject - collecting money in its name is not the going to solve anything other than filling govt. coffers. Unaccountable State Education Ministers will continue to sleep and do what they wish - while experts can keep crying hoarse - who cares - after all a few expert votes don't count for much. As long as majority can be hoodwinked thats good enough. What say?
It is more than likely this move is meant to collect money to fund reservations. Now, i wonder if the earlier statement about Short Sightedness was wrong after all. And true that is - Arjun Singh says: 'some good news for Muslims, they would benefit from additional one per cent education cess, apart from expansion of higher education and implementation of 27 per OBC quota'. Now dear sir - first you are unable to use the money you collected last year, next you want to use the collected money for your political gains - what is going on. It would be wise, if you act as HRD Minister for the whole country - and not your own chosen vote banks.

Well, South East Asian countries - Malaysia, Indonesia and Phillipines have raced ahead in literacy and primary education - because thats their real goal. Get to 100% literacy. We have doublespeak and short sightedness and empty boast, therefore, we sure do not achieve our goals of literacy - and therefore 30% of Worlds Illiterates are in India.

There is a whole bunch of such Cess crap floating around (Education is not the only one); which usually smack of: You pay for my Sins, And i will continue to Sin! huh.

Random Thought : An extra-ordinary number of Professional Colleges ( Engineering / Medical etc. ) are owned by Politicians in India.

A Cell Phone Buyers Journey

2007-03-05T04:48:00.000-08:00

A few days ago i decided to get myself a new CellPhone. The requirements were quite simple - the cell phone should preferably have:

Speaker
Camera (Picture/Video)

Less than Rs 10K
Reputed Brand, for easy access to after sales service.

Small/Flat/Sleek.

Pretty basic stuff you would say. But it took me a few days to figure out what was best available within budget.

So, here are the phones which came close to satisfying the requirements:

Motorola V3 - VGA Camera (Costs less than v3i)

Motorola V3i - 1.23 MegaPixel Camera

Nokia N Series - Much more costlier than Motorola V3i, and not as Sleek.

Samsung Slim - Could not find a sample model to check it out, but costlier than v3i.

Finally zeroed in on Motorola V3i, as it met most of the stated requirements. In my opinion it was the best available phone with the desired features, within that budget.

The Pluses:

Sleek, classy look. Available in two colors a Black and Reddish (for lack of a better name).

Flat, easily fits into your pocket. Big buttons - ease of use. A Nice Flap.

Transfer pictures etc. from phone to your computer using a simple USB cable that comes along with it (no need to install any software!).

The Minuses:

Highest Voice Volume is quite low. If you want to put it on speaker and do a conference call or listen to songs - forget it.

Voice Recording feature is not good. Again same problem, feeble voice playback.

The video files are in .3gp format - which is understood by Apple QuickTime. Windows Media Player cannot play this format. (anyone knows how to convert?).

Quite a broad phone (width/area). Wonder why it had to be so broad. I guess when you make things that flat, it becomes broad!

Overall a good Phone for the price. It has other features like BlueTooth etc., which i do not use. And i can send MMS emails, but perhaps for that i need some sort of internet connection or i need to contact my connection service provider to figure out how that can be done (gadget experts welcome to throw in your advice). So you see - this is a pretty ordinary phone user's journey - no expert - but a willing student!

Random Thought: Wonder what would be the state of Cell Phones in India, if govt. created a PSU to manufacture and give connections, and not allow private players. The number of cell phones added in less than a year in India now is more than it added in its entire history since independence.

Science - No Way.

2007-03-01T05:13:00.000-08:00

Media would make you believe that India is on its way to becoming one of the greatest Scientific Powerhouses in next few years. After all Indian Software Companies are doing cutting edge work, we make and export world class cars, and have a couple of world class drug companies. And don't we have our IITs and IISCs to boast of?

Well - believing the above lines would be a mistake.

Feb 28th every year is celebrated as a Science Day. It came and went. Did you even hear about it? Yes you may have read a line or two hidden in some newspaper, or spoken casually on a television channel just before they blurted out weather report. Even uneducated people know about Valentine's Day now, but educated are unaware of Science Day. This is sign of the times we live in - this is what reflects the true prevalence of science in our society.

Why Feb 28th? Sir C.V. Raman announced the discovery of the Raman Effect on Feb 28th 1928.

Consider the following:

The last time an indian scientist won a major international award (forget Nobel!) is almost impossible to recall.
Rewards by itself are not so important, but what about breakthroughs. We are hard pressed to note any significant breakthrough in the field of science being made in India in last few decades. Homi Jahangir Bhabha was many decades ago.
Recent studies have ranked Indian Institute of Science beyond 250th position in the world. And IITs even lower. Some of these studies may be biased, but what have you got to prove otherwise? The fact is Indian Education System is not geared towards Science. Its geared towards rote learning.
According to Prime Minister's scientific advisor C N R Rao - The decreasing number of high impact papers from India, which is less than 1%, is of a serious concern." Terming the bureaucracy as "unbearable," Rao said, "We cannot have the department of personnel in Delhi deciding who is a good scientist or who is able to head an institution. So is Science on its Death Bed in India?
The miracle men - are more popular in india than top scientists. Sure you know that already!
And where is any reasonable research happening in our universities. For Research merit is necessary, not reservations.

So where do we go from here? Well... in a country where the HRD Minister is busy figuring out how to hoodwink people, and keep them entagled in reservations - talking about excellence in science seems like a joke.

Random Thought: Isn't India the same country where the digit zero, and decimal system was invented?

Ambulance Paramedic Services are a Joke

2007-02-24T03:44:00.000-08:00

Hello, I need a Ambulance!
Dial 100.
Oh man, 100 is not the number for Ambulance, anyway it does not work from Mobile Phones.
OK, dial Ambulance Number then.
What is the number?
I don't Know.
Look in that yellow book.
OK got it.
Hello, we need a Ambulance, the address is....
Sorry Sir, please call hospital near you, we are located very far.
OK, let me try again.
Hello, we need a Ambulance, the address is...
Ok sir, it is on its way, it will reach you in 45 minutes.
Hello, 45 minutes???
Yes sir, traffic problem, better to bring patient directly in a car.
Ok, thankyou for your advice.

This is not a out of the world conversation. The reason you do not hear about it often is that you are blessed and lucky enough to not having been involved in such a medical emergency.

India's Ambulance and Paramedical Services - are just a lip service. Nothing more. I would even say a cruel joke.

Consider the following:

There is no central number to call to in case of emergency. There should be a nodal agency which manages such things - and that was supposed to be the Health Ministry. Huh...Mr Ambumani Ramdoss is interested in Colas, and Yoga bashing. Where are the silly NGOs? Why don't they talk about such important issues.

Most emergency numbers would not work from your Mobile Phones. Try them.

Ambulances would invariably get struck in traffic - forget about giving way - there is no way!

Ambulance should always carry critical equipment and manpower like Oxygen Cylinders, Trained Paramedic staff (or a doctor). But does this happen in India?

Ambulances are very often actually used by Hospitals to drop and pick up their staff from their residence (Talk about creativity). High court was forced to comment on this issue.

Ask any medical practitioner, and he will tell you about the Golden Hour. The first hour within which a accident/trauma victim needs attention. But who has time for all this - there are more important matters of alleged Cola Pesticides and removing a AIIMS director to deal with. How wrong have we got our priorities?

This is nothing but utter lack of planning on the part of civic administration, and a direct result of the low value attached to human life in our society.

National Games - Whats That?

2007-02-14T00:41:00.000-08:00

Whats the medal tally at the National Games?
What games?
The National Games
Whats that?

That is the conversation i had with a friend recently. And not surprisingly he had no clue what National Games are. The only reason he could recollect hearing something about them was because ULFA had threatened to joepardize the games.

That sums up the buzz around - National Games.

So, i went ahead and did a small quiz for myself:

Who is the fastest man in India (100 m winner)?

Who is the fastest woman in India (1oo m winner)?

Which state won the highest number of medals in last National Games?

Which state is the number one in Athletics?

Where were the last National Games held?

Which states have the top honours in National Games at presnt?

Well i could answer only one of the questions (one about the number one state in Athletics) - Kerala - that too is only a guess work, and i am not sure if its correct (probably is). Do you guys know these answers - i would like to hear and learn!

Some quick stats:

This is the 33rd National Games (in progress in Guawahati).

Manipur is at the top of Medals Tally at present (surprise to me !!!).

'Services' participates and competes with states too. (Why? Well... its not obvious to me).

There is a website for this: http://www.33rdnationalgames.nic.in/

Rongmon (a one horned rhino) is the Mascot for the games. (See the Pic. Courtesy: National Games Website mentioned above. Folks pls make the rhino a little cuter :). )

See the Latest Medal Tally Here.

32nd National Games were held in Hyderabad (2002)

31st National Games were held in Ludhiana (2001)

30th National Games were held in ???? (???)

29th National Games were held in Bangalore (1996)

From last few stats you can make out - that apparently the games are not really held at regular intervals. So, who is deciding when to hold them - is it random? some Ministers fancy? a political parties will? What is it really.

OK, enough of statistics, now some observations:

It seems Cricket is the only sport played in India. However hard i tried, there was almost ZERO news about the National Games in any media - except ofcourse Doordarshan - which i found was dutifully reporting the progress of Games. Thankyou DD - we appreciate this gesture. Shame on rest of Sensation Hungry Media.

Why didn't the govt. (which apparently spends a huge some of money on these sports) popularize these events. If foreign companies can come to India and sell exotic chocolates, juices and what-not -- whats wrong with Sports Ministry - where are your advertisements ? Buzz generation efforts? I don't remember seeing much of it.

There are hardly any sponsorers for these games - NOT SURPRISING - given the previous facts.

In many many events i watched - i heard the commentator repeat this - This is a good line up, but we do not have the number 1, 2 and 3 player of the country here. (well... i don't blame the sportsment at all).

The quality of telecast was pretty bad - at the 400 m athletics event for men, the camera was focussed on the Finish Line for all the last 10 seconds, waiting for the athletes to appear at the finish line. Thats quite poor boss... we want to see the athletes running too!!!

Are we serious about medal hunts at Olympics or is it reduced to a 4-yearly ritual? I read somewhere - Not Planning for success is equivalent to planning for failure.

Book Review: One Night @ The Call Center

2007-01-30T00:20:00.000-08:00

This is a book that starts off with a great promise, even the few lines summary in the back cover page interests you. But it fails to deliver completely.

It is a story about the lives of few individuals working in a Call Center. This story is apparently told to the writer by a girl whom he meets in the train. It starts off fairly well, but loses track very soon, and goes on and on about their relationships with one another. It is almost as if, the writer wanted to write some sort of a relationship book. More than 50% of the book deals with that - something u were not expecting from a book with this title !!
The last few chapters of the book are unbelievably bad. Almost as if the writer was in tremendous hurry to finish it. After reading this, there is no interest left to read an earlier book by this same author: Five Point Someone.

Highlights:

The book is correctly priced only at Rs 95.
Not a very big book, easy to read (large fonts).
Storyline, not very good. Too much focus on discussing relationships of all sorts. You start wondering - whats going on !
The end is bad, and not well-thought out. Rushed finish.

Can anyone write anything and be called an author? By these standards some of the bloggers i know are Shakespear in the making :)

Not a new book.. this one - so you will find more reviews of the book elsewhere, and not all of them agreeing with this review!! Whats your take?

Google was not founded in India

2007-01-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

Why not?

So - why has India consistently failed to come up with a notable innovation or idea in the field of Software - a field in which india is supposed to be pretty good.

Well - India may have failed - Indians have not. THAT is a difference thats important to understand. Indians seem to perform quite well in foreign climates, and seem to be ordinay when it comes to innovations and idea's in India.

This in my opinion is a direct result of 'Climate'. There is no dearth of ideas even within India, but when it comes to spinning these ideas into successful commercial products or companies, there is miserable failure. The climate referred here is the entire system - required to support and grow a innovative company or for that any company! The problems that indian entrepreneurs face have been documented well by many people, and referred to in the past on this blog too.. so will leave out that.

But - lets see what caused a hypothetical Google's early demise when it was being founded in India :

The company registration clerk got smart - and kept delaying registration.
The ordinary office space had no reliable supply of electricity, unless they moved to a posh location.
Working out of garage or such low cost means was not permitted because of govt. regulations.
When the search engine gained some popularity - someone used it to search porn. A lawyer sitting in small town filed a series of PILs against the company accusing it of providing a platform for searching porn. The CEO was summoned by the legal system.
Inspite of explaining that google (remember bazee?) was just a search engine and people could use it for any purpose. Just as govt. cannot be held accountable for someone using the road to break traffic laws - just because it happened to build that road, google cannot be held accountable for someone using it for searching porn.
But the difference was lost in special legal clauses, and CEO was to directed attend hearings for next few years regularly without fail. (If i am not mistaken the fine for filing a frivolous PIL is something in tune of a few thousand Rupees. Oh well...)

Google was shut down, and 100 other companies with crazy ideas, shut shop immediately. Most moved abroad.

Would Lakshmi Mittal be the same man today - if he had chosen to do his entrepreneurial stuff in India? Almost all his successful ventures when he was growing really fast - are stories from abroad. Perhaps things are changing.. but is this pace of change good enough?

p.s: Anyone seen Guru?

Strange Noises from I & B Ministry

2007-01-23T23:46:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable ... is the word that came to mind when two of the following news reports came out - each courtesy our very esteemed I & B Ministry:

AXN Channel has been axed (taken off air) by I&B Ministry because it showed a program titled 'Worlds Sexiest Ads'.
Nimbus has been asked to share its Live Cricket Match feed with Prasar Bharti (DD) by I&B Ministry in the name of patriotism!

Now what is going on here?

Well, the program in question shown by AXN was indeed shown after 11PM. And I&B ministry completely forgot that it itself is in the process of making a law that will allow such programs to be shown after 11 PM. Is it for I&B Ministry to decide what people will watch and what they won't? Or is there a deeper malaise of arrogance, publicity or something even worse in play here?

And whats so patriotic about watching a Cricket Match? Its just a game. Why was I&B Ministry sleeping all along, when BCCI was selling rights to the telecast to Nimbus. And Nimbus paid upwards of 600 million dollars to get the rights, which Doordarshan wants just like that?

Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi (I&B Minister) - you threatened on television to resign if you don't have your way (ofcourse wrapped in the garb of patriotism) by getting the feed for free. You would do a great service to this nation by actually resigning, or honouring contractual agreements.

If Ministers think nothing of Contractual Agreements, Commercial Rights - who will? Nobody will be surprised if the I&B Minister will work towards changing the rules of the game midway (by bringing in a ordinace or a new law) to suit him.

And when Nimbus offered a encrypted feed - so that adjoining nations do not get the feed for free too, you thundered on televsion: encrypted feed will black out my television and network! Strange, really strange. An I&B Minister has not been advised well about what a encrypted feed is ???

Dear Mr Priyaranjan, you have headed and ruined Indian Footbal Association for many many years now. Do you feel unpatriotic about it? Or that is ok. You never talked about showing us Asian Games events live from Doha with the same gutso, and what about the Premier Hockey League matches? Nobody seems to care about that.

Its such a shame that a Ministry and a Minister - misleads people into believing that watching cricket match is something about Patriotism, and Contractual Agreements can go to hell.

After PAN, its MIN now.

2007-01-22T00:20:00.000-08:00

So, our esteemed and very intelligent bureaucrats under the able leadership of a celebrated Finance Minister has come up with a Gem. Those having Mutual Funds must apply for a yet another Identification Number called : Mutual Fund Itentification Number (MIN).

Now the question is: Why wasn't PAN good enough as identification? How many more such identification numbers are the sleepy Babu's going to come up with - just because one govt. department cannot integrate well with another one?

So - whenever this question comes up: What after all is merit? The answer is always the same: Merit is ability to come up with simple, practical, useful solutions to problems. The above move smacks of inefficiency, wastage of tax payers money and sheer foolhardiness. We have no respect for bureaucrats who take their citizens for granted - as if by virtue of their positions they can keep coming up with any crap they want. Sorry - pls show us efficiency - not arrogance.

Recently - a Politician was sprouting his wisdom on television such: We are elected representatives of people therefore we are entitled to bring about laws that we deem fit for people. By opposing our legislative actions - you are going against the will of the people. Wow ! Now this is what is called: Mish mashing words to suit the rhetoric and hidden agenda. The man ofcourse did not admit - that legislative is elected to carry out good work - not to turn to legal terrorism and mischief - in the name of greater good.

Info...

2007-01-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Will be back in a while...

The Law will take its course.

2006-11-25T01:44:00.000-08:00

The Story: An alleged early morning ransacking at a Hotel by CM's son.

The CM (26 Oct): "The law will take its course"

The Hotel's GM (28 Oct): "The ransacking has been videotaped on the CCTV" system in the hotel.

Police (17 Nov): Police to close case No evidence found.

Has the Law has taken its course?
What happened to the CCTV footage?

In a country where cases drag on for years, this one is about to be closed in a matter of weeks. We indeed have an example of a very efficient system here.

So, does law run its course on its own?
It always takes the course given to it be Law Enforcers - and never any other.

***

In a country where the law enforcement takes such predicatable (or unpredictable we must say?) route, we have ministers/legislatures busy enacting (Populist) laws which clearly state: No Evidence Necessary to Arrest. Remember 498A and Domestic Violence Act?

Barely a month after DV Act came into force, we have a woman in full public view accusing here husband of leaving her because of a alleged dating allowance at Wipro, and Azim Premji has been summoned !!!. And to top it - no such allowance exists.

Would a petrol/vehicle running allowance automatically mean that you are going to run amock and cause accidents?

Wonder how such a case was even admitted by the court? Actually its no wonder... at all.

So, if a government employee's wife files such a charge - would the Honourable Prime Minister be made to answer? When bureaucrats and govt. officials are caught taking bribes, sleeping at job - should the HRD Minister be summoned?

Common Sense Please.

Legal Terrorism

2006-11-14T00:18:00.000-08:00

What is Legal Terrorism? When laws are used in a mischievous manner to settle scores, to harass others - it is Legal Terrorism.

Best described with examples:

A woman filing a dowry harassment case against her husband to teach him a lesson, by citing section 498A, which makes it pretty much mandatory for police to arrest the husband. ( Manoj Prabhakar's wife files dowry harassment case against her husband after 16 years of marriage, Dowry law is a shield, not be an assasin's weapon : court, Guilty until proven Innocent.)
Police harassing eyewitnesses of accidents and crimes, citing an important act, while refusing to deal honestly with the perpetrators of the crime itself (Browbeating the Witness, MLA is free behind bars! ).
A doctor refusing to treat an accident victim, citing the absence of a police case - is there even a law in this regard? !!! (Helping Accident Victims).
Govt. departments hounding honest tax payer's citing important rules and regulations. (Complicating Saral! , Perils of a Honest TaxPayer).
State govt. machinery gearing itself to harass a top actor citing a animal protection law, while refusing to act against mob goons or provide enough protection for legitimate showing of the actor's film in the state. (Aamir Khan summoned by Gujarat Authorities.)
A sealing drive that does not target corruption in Administration with an equal force, - which gave rise to the present unfortunate situation. (MCD can't wash its hands off).

The law said: A Cat must never kick a sick Dog. Cat slaps the Dog instead. The law is amended to state: A cat must never kick or slap a sick Dog. The Cat nurses the dog to good health, then slaps and kicks it. The law is amended again: A Cat must never kick or slap a sick Dog or one in good health. The Cat digs a hole and offers it to the Rabbit for stay, and then makes the Dog chase itself. The Dog falls in the Rabbits hole. The Dog is put behind bars because it broke the law which stated: Trespassing into burrows of Rabbits is punishable. The Cat is free. This simple story illustrates the difference between spirit and letter of the law.

When mischief may be the goal or common sense takes leave - laws can be used for Legal Terrorism. When righteousness is the goal or common sense prevails - laws can be great catalysts for the progress of all.

India Inc. Debuts on International Arena

2006-11-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Several indian companies in recent times have been acquiring companies around the world. This is a trend with far-reaching implications for the future of the country and the industry.

Some examples (Company : Acquires : For):

Tata Steel : Corus : 8 billion.
Ranbaxy : Romania's Terapia : $372 million.
Tata Motors : Daewoo's Commercial Vehicle Co. : Rs 465 Crores
Hindalco : Australian Copper Co. : A$21 million
Telecom Software firm Subex’s : Azure Solutions
Tata Coffee’s : US based Eight O’Clock
Dr Reddy’s : Betapharm
Nicholas Piramal India Ltd (NPIL) : UK’s Rhodia Organique Fine (Rhodia) : $ 14 million

This is just a random list.. ofcourse there are many more...

These movers and shakers are from a country which ranks as one of the lowest in the world in terms of business friendliness i.e ease of starting, running and closing a business (closing: average time 10 years).

Imagine if red-tape is cut, and the ubiquitious babu - actually starts working towards helping indian industries - thereby creating a very large number of jobs; much more than any gimmicky slogan based yojana. Public Sector needs to take note; promotions and employability needs to be linked to performance and not to other things. This might be our chance to deal with poverty in a way that Nehru's public sector giants (the new temples of india as he had said) could not do. China is doing this and more with its manufacturing sector (though its largely govt. 'enabled').

For the first time perhaps in several centuries, indian travellers abroad are seen not-only-from-the land of snake charmers, but from the land of an emerging economy they are taking note of.

Still there are several things that need to be watched out for continued success (stability, competition, good law and order, policies etc.). Many East Asian economies were once poised for a similar growth about a decade ago, few succeeded most did not.

Lawyers, Media, and Lame Investigation

2006-11-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

Have you seen this interview on CNN-IBN, Sagarika Ghose interviewing Ram Jethmalani?

The key arguments of the lawyer are:

Media should not judge cases, and pronounce judgements.
Media often prejudices public opinion against an accused. The accused has the right to a fair trial.
The accused has the right to a good lawyer

The key arguments of the media person are:

A lawyer as well-known as him shouldn't take up a case such as this one.
If media does not raise hue and cry - accused will go scot free.

The lawyer here is indeed right in saying, it is the job of the judiciary to pronounce judgements, and not of the media to do that, and prejudice opinion against the accused while the case is pending in a court of law. This argument has merit because - judgements cannot and should not be pronounced based on rhetoric. Hard Evidence - is the key to this - and this is a well established practice across the world.

What has caused this kind of a situation: Lame Investigation. This fact though is not brought up in the above interview by the media person. If the investigation was done promptly and properly, and witnesses were not afraid to come forward - we would have better chance of bringing out the truth. Do we need urgent reforms in our Investigative Process? Perhaps yes.

We need more excellent honest officers and talent going into investigation teams, police force, the executive. Until that happens, we need to be prepared to argue our cases with top lawyers, media persons and candle light vigils.

Top Bureaucrat: E Sreedharan - Magic is possible.

2006-11-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

E Sreedharan - the man behind Delhi Metro - and more, could have been just another bureaucrat wiling away his time in corridors of power, wasting away public funds, and counting retirement funds.

But that was not to be. He demonstrated what a bureaucrat can achieve - if he wants to.

What exactly did he achieve - some examples:

Delhi Metro project was finished in-time, top quality, within budget. This is a simple unheard of statistic in govt. run large scale project says it all.
Took up building the Konkan Railway - that reduced Mumbai-Kochi distance by one-third. This was a challenging assignment - and one of its only kinds done since Britishers last laid down large scale railway tracks. And did this one successfully too - reducing travel time from Mumbai to Mangalore - from 41 hrs to just 15.

This technocrat was conferred with France's highest decoration Knight of the Legion of Honour

But, the usual story of Red Tapism, sleeping fellow bureaucrats, and unaccountable Politicians - haven't kept away from him. They hound him too - like here recently.

Nevertheless, this is a good example of what bureaucrats can achieve. Imagine - if all bureaucrats set out to work like him - we would have India Transformed very quickly. If India is largely poor - it is because the men who have been entrusted with funds, authority and manpower - to do their jobs - have failed to do it. There is no other reason.

Having esoteric NGOs, common man dharna's and writing letters of protest for every uncovered garbage dump - is not a practical way to achieve fast track progress. Put the right man at the right job - and get out of his way. And see the results. And if you don't see - you don't have the right man for the job - work towards achieving that.

The DRDO Mess

2006-10-25T04:35:00.000-07:00

Admiral L Ramdas, a former chief of staff of the Indian Navy:
"The Indian armed services' experience with DRDO-made armaments has not been a happy one. Their reliability is often extremely poor. We often used to joke that one had to pray they would somehow work in the battlefield."

That sums up the state of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Some examples:

MBT - Main Battle Tank

project launched in 1974.
failed to meet service level requirements - too heavy and undependable for combat.
army prefers to use it for training. Arjun Tank - nowhere in sight.

Nuclear Powered Submarine

launched an incredible 31 years ago - not yet finished.
estimated spending till date - Rs 3000 Crores.

LCA - Light Combat Aircraft

launched 1983
failure to develop a reliable engine for it.
with imported engines too - there is no inducted flights in sight yet. The LCA Puzzle.

Trishul

project launched 19 years ago.
estimated expenditure - Rs 250 crores.
DRDO expressed confidence that it would be inducted into service by 1994.
after evaluation Navy went in for Israeli Barak Missile system.
project is likely shelved as per reports.

Agni - III

tested recently and failed to deliver, has been in development since 1999.
largely seen as technology demostrators, as extensive field trials is not something that DRDO normally does before declaring it a success.

We sure have good scientists too - but what is going on here?

Reasons for failures remain the same - as they would be for a public sector behemoth ~ lack of accountability. At this rate: What will happen to the operational readiness of our defence forces?

Grain Robbery

2006-10-21T01:27:00.000-07:00

The Plan
Every year govt. spends crores of Rupees buying grains from farmers to be distributed among those below poverty lines, for free or at a subsidized rate. FCI/PDS is largely entrusted with this work.

Execution

This grain is transported across godowns in India, to be distributed among the needy.
The unscrupulous elements (caretakers, clerks, babu's, middlemen) - steal this grain, and sell it in open market or export it. The FCI marked grain sacks have been found at most unexpected places - being sold or exported.

Result

Nobody complains because, it is either recorded or declared that - the grain was distributed as planned Or Rats ate it Or It just rotted away.
Is Public Distribution System (PDS) working? It is believed that close to 50 per cent of food grains in PDS get stolen.

Thanks to NDTV for bringing this out. Complete Story: Here, and Here.

This is EXACTLY how we perpetuate poverty - by corruption, inefficiency, promoting the lazy and not questioning the obvious. Crores of Rupees vanish - just like that. Isn't that Tax Payer's money that was entrusted to Babu's, to use meaningfully for the countrymen?

Instead we have gimmicks like : Garibi Hatao, TV Set distribution, and berozgar bhatta. Stop this sloganeering and gimmicks - where are the results?

In the future: Justice by SMS Votes?

2006-10-18T02:45:00.000-07:00

High Court has reversed the Lower Court's judgement and pronounced the accused (Santosh Singh) in Priya Mattoo case, as guilty. It has even indicated the maximum punishment is under consideration.

The public outcry, media activism, etc. etc... played a significant role in bringing about this judgement.

Justice needs to be based on Facts, Investigations and Evidence.
So lets see What new facts came into light between the time Lower Court acquitted the acused, and High Court passed its judgement. Almost Nothing new was presented by CBI or any investigating team. So one may argue that the Trial Court bungled, and all has been set right by High Court. Yes this is the case, but what took 6 long years to do so? Apparently until the media pressure increased, dates were not being alloted into hearing this case for years - for whatever reasons.

So, this becomes a curious case of Flip-Flop Justice based on Outcries, Candle Light Vigils, Media Activism.

On the face of it - it even sounds attractive. But is it?
We run the risk of subverting the very idea of a strong and a just legal system. Any legal system that needs to be swayed by the Vigils, and Activisms - will be deemed to be weak. But the fault does not lie with Legal System alone - its the investigating agencies (as pointed out by HC) that deserve the strongest rap on its knuckles.

With this trend - we run the risk of doing justice to Media Savvy Victims, and being ignorant or even unjust to a lesser victim from not so informed backgrounds. Can we honestly say that - if the the victim (Priya Mattoo) was a poor old woman from the backward villages of Uttar Pradesh - she would have got similar justice?

What we need is a strong Investigative System (Police, CBI), free from the clutches of Politicians. A Judiciary that doesn't have to spend time in informing the govt. that pot holes need to be repaired.

Otherwise - we run the risk of handing out justice or injustice by SMS Votes and it's likes.

Mattoo verdict: Victory for judicial system
Trial judge mauled justice, says HC

In the past: At a Post Office

2006-10-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Remember the days when there were no Emails, no Internet, no Couriers. Post Offices were the life lines of written communication. (And STD Booths for voice ofcourse)?

So, there used to be serpentine queues, rude clerks and bad service - trademark of a monopolized, public sector service.

And its no wonder this happened at a the Post Office:

Main Characters
A Student (at least looked like one.. probably applying for admission to some college).
Letter Registration Clerk (regaling in too much attention, and perhaps troubled by it too).

At the Letter Registration Counter
Student (forwarding a letter): This is for registration.
Clerk (after weighing the letter): Postage is not enough.
Student (immediately affixes additional postage): Here it is.
Clerk: Is this how you affix postage.
Student: But this is ok.
Clerk: Do you know better than me?
Student: OK, i will affix again.
Clerk: Then why do you argue.
Student: I am not, i am correcting it.
Clerk: Don't act smart. Do you know what i can do?
Student: What?
Clerk(threatens): You leave your letter and go. Nobody will ever find out what happened to the letter.
Student: What? This is very important registry.
Clerk(mocking): Oh Really?
Student(either realizes the futility of argument OR is afraid of the letter going missing): OK, Please do the registry, i will take care of affixing stamps better next time.
Clerk: Now you get it.

***
Was this rude threatening behavior result of Monopoly?

Do you remember the days when: You had to wait for months for things like a Gas Connection, Telephone Line, a ordinary Scooter, Ration Card, Cement etc.? Usually the only faster way available to get these was the corrupt one, because legitimate ones were either too slow or just not working.

ALL of the these constraints and lack of choices were created ARTIFICIALLY by Politicians and Babu's of the day. In reality it was the very cause of rampant Poverty and Corruption.

Opposing SEZ just because it is fashionable in Socialistic Lingo, is not good. SEZs mean industrialization, job-creation, and exports. By all means protect agricultural land, but do it meaningfully. Ms Medha Patker are you listening?

Healthcare @ Public Hospitals: Expired Kits in use?

2006-10-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

Faulty diagnostic kits were being used to test blood meant for transfusions in major public hospitals.

Apparently - the expiry dates on these diagnostic kits had been tampered with. From prelimanary reports this went on for a year or more.
Result: In West Bengal, cases of Hepatitis and HIV have spiralled.
Cause: ZERO Accountability. Rampant Corruption.

And What is the Health Minister busy with?
Calling institute body meeting of AIIMS - to discuss charges against its director. Read Here.

Dear Mr Health Minister - there are very large number of public health care centers in india, most of them in total mess. Have you ever called a meeting to discuss that?

Related earlier posts:
Corrupt and Poor HealthCare - WHY?
Dengue at AIIMS - What is the Health Ministry doing?
Health Warnings from Dr Ramadoss

Links:
Diagnostic Kit Scam
Blood Kit Scam
Ramadoss, get well soon

Movie Directors from Hell

2006-10-13T02:55:00.000-07:00

Consider the following film directors: Gurinder Chaddha, Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta.

What do they have in common?
They are all so-called international film makers of indian origin, who make films usually based on india, women and things woven around them. All of them have obtained some amount of international acclaim (at least portrayed so in indian media). And they are not based in India.

These are all directors whose movies pretend to be showcasing various hues indian culture and are basically made-for-western-audiences. They are not real movies in that sense, most of them are made hoping for international awards, and accolades.

They are creative...Sure!
Take some examples of the movies made by these directors: Bride and Prejudice, Kamasutra, Monsoon Wedding, Water, Bend it Like Beckham - all have india/indians as a theme, woven with a storyline - in most cases a very unrealistic one - things with which indian audiences cannot relate (consider Monsoon Wedding for eg: - several sequences in the movie are totally alien to an average indian! And the movie is made around an indian wedding ..!). So much for creativity.

Yes movie directors.. can take liberty of making whatever crap they want. But, unfortunately they are often lapped up by western audiences as if these represent real india (well... woman director, that too from india - .. now how much more exotic can you get !).. not even close. These are badly made movies (watch Bride and Prejudice to convince yourself !), deserving no attention, much less any international reward.

It is almost as if, these directors from hell, are playing to the gallery; and making movies to garner awards, and no other real purpose.

Top 10 ways to keep Indians Poor

2006-10-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Invent fancy slogans like GARIBI HATAO, throw them at people and go to sleep.
Resort to Gimmicks like distributing TV Sets, Bicycles, Berozgar Bhatta. But never ever try to encourage employment in anyway. (TN, Karnataka, UP - its happening everywhere.)
Pot Hole the Infrastructure so that it can't be used.
Ensure Civil (and other) court cases/disputes take decades to settle. This will effectively discourage good hardworking men from entering into any business.
A sorry state of law and order will help. (Allowing Bandhs, Road/Rail Roko only harms economy)
Allow Trade Unions to protect few thousand jobs (Hard to Fire, is hard to Hire), at the cost of keeping millions un-employed. (Eg: Airport Modernization/Privatization will result in very large number of direct/indirect job creation actually)
Make starting/running/closing businesses so difficult that entrepreneurship is very unattractive; therefore job creation. Ensure that you have the most archaic labor laws in the world. (Did you know: If you close a business which employs more than 100 people you need govt. cleareance. What it takes to do that - is anybody's guess.)
Do not even think of spending anything on Primary Education. Waste the Tax Payer's money in all the wrong places. (In huge self-promoting advertisements in newspapers, in reservations etc.)
Make Property, Company and all forms of registration full of red-tape and corruption. This will ensure that all important work is slow and held back. (Yes Corruption and Red Tape breeds poverty too. Go try Property Registration, Or Apply for Passport and see the policeman do his passport verification bit)
Promote men and women to important policy making positions by virtue of their cast, creed and place of birth - enact legislations to this effect. This will ensure poor, ill-conceived policies continue. (We need superb leaders at the top. A great leader can carry hundreds of mediocres, NEVER the other way round).

Food for Thought:

Are these problems actually Political in nature? It seems so... not much of economics actually.
Is there a case of a stronger more vocal middle class (that votes too) ?
Are we in love with poverty? Sometimes it seems so - so many movies/stories in our country actually eulogize poverty - as if its something desirable.
Who can change this scenario - its the men/women in power. Ordinary individuals can do only so much. When reform, growth happens top down, it happens fast. When it happens bottoms up (as in the case of India) it happens in spurts, unregulated, and definitely uneven manner.

What are the other Top ways to keep Indians Poor?

Airlines Reservations Desk: What is your nationality?

2006-10-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

Sample This:

You: Hello, I want to book a ticket for two on Flight XYZ, on Date -xx-xx-xxxx.
Airline Ticketing Agent(ATA): Sure Sir. May i ask what is the nationality of passengers?
You: How does it matter, pls book two tickets. We are flying within india, on the same flight and date.
ATA: Sir, it matters. Foreign Nationals are charged a different rate than Indian nationals.
You: Oh.. really? But why do you do that?
ATA: We are simply following the rules as per prescribed norms by govt. If we don't we may be punished.

Same is the case - for Hotel Reservations.
Same is the case - for entry fee to Taj Mahal (and a host of such places).

Foreign Nationals are charged a different rate (much higher) in Airlines, Hotel, and Tourism industry.

WHY?
This is the law/policy perscribed by govt. So Airlines, Hotels, and the Taj Majal entry staff are simply following what they have been told to.

What a shame. Why does this kind of silly crap exist? This hurts Tourism greatly. Tourists are not fools - they notice such buffoonry and do not like it (been told this by a guest actually).

WHY Such Archaic discriminatory policy exists? ONLY because - nobody - babu's/neta's/their chamcha's gives a damn about being fair, promoting tourism industry, and ensuring that we enjoy a good name among visitors. (4 million visitors to India, in a year in which 16 million visited Malaysia).

Recently there was a proposal actually to do away with this Stupid Crap. But, it was never taken to its logical conclusion - probably it got lost in the mud of more important things like Reservations in Higher Education, Garibi Hatao (of neta's?) Yojana and more.

It is important that Policy Makers are efficient, merit driven individuals - who can think beyond the obvious. Such Policies are a direct reflection of the rot existing at important Policy Making Positions.

This thread of discussion started from here: Robbing foreign tourists

Caught on Television: We have democracy, and you?

2006-10-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

Indian Television Reporter(TV guy): Hello. Can you speak English.
A man on the street - somewhere in China (China guy): Yes, Some English.

TV guy: I am from India, visiting the country for a news report.
China guy: ok

TV guy: What do you think of India, as a neighbour.
China guy: good.

TV guy: There is democracy in India, but you do not enjoy that kind of a system here.
China guy: Hmmm... no not like that. {perhaps reluctant to speak about this topic}

TV guy: You have a different kind of administration here {continues to probe}
China guy: We have a different system, and it works.

TV guy: So, what do you think of the fact that Indians enjoy a democratic system, and you have a very different one here. {the final nail}
China guy: You have democracy, but you cannot even build a airport in your IT City...ughh... Bangalore i think. We have something which works for us.

TV guy: Thankyou. {that was it. got a dose of reality}

***

This is a rough transcript of this tv report caught on CNN-IBN. It demonstrates a China vs India approach to development very well, in simple words, spoken by a ordinary man on the street.

As Deng Xiaoping uttered his famous statement: "It does not matter if the cat is white or black. If it can catch a mouse, it is a good cat."

So, When will we get our act together? Not anytime soon with Gimmicks, Caste and Vote Bank Politics. Is anyone even planning for the future?

Can we even hope to conduct Olympic Games? Think about sending a man to the space? China is indeed doing all of these and much more.

Earlier Post: China's Growth - Time to Wake Up and Learn
More: China will be ready. Will India be?

Bandh in Karnataka: Estimated losses?

2006-10-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

Client(a paying client somewhere outside india) : Hello.
Employee(a paid employee in bangalore): Hi how are you.

C: So, do you think you will be able to complete the work tomorrow and be ready.
E: Oh No, sorry, but we are are not working tomorrow. There is a Bandh, hmm.. a kind of forced closure.

C: What? But, i need this done tomorrow, as agreed last month.
E: I understand, but this was not planned. We are forced to shut down.

C: What do you mean?
E: Yes, it's hard to explain, but nobody is supposed to work tomorrow.

C: I don't understand, who could possibly force you to stop work. You mean govt. has declared a holiday?
E: Hmm... No...some folks are protesting, so we cannot venture out tomorrow. It is not safe.

C: I still don't get it. I expect this to be done tomorrow, we cannot delay this. You already know we are behind schedule.
E:A few months ago we were faced with a similar situation when a revered film star died, and fans went beserk. Pls understand.

C: You mean you will be punished for working, just going about doing your job?
E: Its something like that, pls try to understand.

C: What should i tell my customers - that our service provider cannot work because they are afraid to reach workplace?
E: Its just a day.

C: Never mind. Just upload all the completed work before leaving today. I shall have the folks in China look into completing it.
E: Wait, wait...you can't do this. This work is assigned to us. Why let them take over this.

C: They have been pestering us for this work since ages. I believe we could begin the transition.
E: I don't get it. Are you saying you would want to transition the work somewhere else, because of a day's delay?

C: No. Because of your mindset that you are doing us a favor. Sorry folks.
E: Hello... Hello... Are you there?

***

No amount of monetary losses can be equated to loss of confidence. But, the estimates are upwards of Rs 500 Crores(tv newsreport). Not counting the losses made by daily age earners - who cannot compensate themselves anyway.

Dengue@AIIMS - What is the Health Ministry doing?

2006-10-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

WHY has Dengue afflicted almost 20 doctors from a single premier govt. run Hospital - AIIMS.

The reasons are not far to seek: AIIMS like much of govt. run institutions (inspite of its premier nature) is a victim of apathy, inefficiency and yes : lack of hygiene.

Read this news: Dengue Outbreak: Why AIIMS?

We just don't have a tradition of Planning for Success. We know how to react. This is what is taking place - now see 'safai karamchari', minister - coming out to make noises and attempt to clean up the mess - after Dengue menace has surfaced.

And have you heard of Extortion/Vasooli by the Safai karamchari's (govt. paid employees who are responsible for cleaning or picking up garbage from localities)?
Sure you have. If not - read this story - `Demanding' karamcharis
Excerpt: "...the safai karmacharis' leader has allegedly warned Mr. Dubey's family that they would dump garbage in front of their house if the said amount was not paid."

The adjacent picture shows CM of Delhi - Shiela Dixit - on a cleanliness drive. What exactly is she trying to do with a broom? Can she herself clean up all of Delhi???

This is Exactly the kind of Tokenism, and Gimmicks - we should get rid of. What we need is - for her - to make the 'safai karamchari' or the cleaners - DO THEIR JOB Properly. Ensure that Health Minister of her State is doing the needful. We need Solid Administration with Results - not gimmicks.

WHY is it that premises of Private Enterprises are so often sparkling clean, and when you walk-in to a govt. run department it gives a picture of Chaos, Rudeness, Apathy, and Lack of Hygiene. Walk into an RTO Office or pretty much any govt. hospital to see it for yourself.

Health Minister, The Cola-Smashing NGOs - WHY are they silent?
Why don't they raise a hue and cry about sorry hygiene conditions across hospitals, hostels, roadside hotels? Because it doesn't serve them with newsbytes?

An interesting note: Cola sales don't seem to have really gone down as a result of pesticide controversy (except for the one artificially created by closing down Kerala plant). WHY? Perhaps because people do not believe the self-serving Politicians and NGOs much.

But this is nothing.
We have Polio re-emerging, clean drinking water not available in rural areas (even cities), govt. hospitals in a state of filthy mess. Nobody seems to talk about them?
An earlier post regarding this: Corrupt and Poor HealthCare across India - WHY?

Links
Dengue Scare Intensifies in Delhi

Anatomy of a Mob

2006-10-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

Mob - the very word is so abhorrent that it brings out utter contempt and disgust for it. And we had so many of these in our country destroying life and property time-and-again, often with implicit blessings of the state.

1984: Anti-Sikh Riots; 2002: Gujarat Riots; 2006: In the wake of Rajkumar's death mobs go on rampage. And so on....

Why do they Exist

For the single reason that they do not fear any punishment. They know they can hide behind anonymity. They know they have implicit blessings of crooked Politicians in many cases. They know that mobs have largely been left unpunished in the past. Aren't we one of the only countries in the world - where such large scale mob violence exists? More than 3000 murdered in delhi alone in 1984, Hundreds in Gujarat, and the list goes on.

What comprises a Mob

The illiterate, hooligans - who have - nothing to lose mentality. The problem also is these hooligans are not tax payer's as well - so destroying property doesn't matter to them at all (Why else would anyone attack Delhi Metro?). It wouldn't be far fetched to say - most of them participate for the sheer thrill of violence. Largely Middle Class people do not participate in Mob Violence. This is just an approximation, but is largely true.

How can it be Prevented

Political and Executive Will. That alone will crush this menace. It has almost been a practice to allow Mobs to go on a rampage for a few days before trying to subdue it. WHY? Well - ask the cheap Politicians? But when Politicians use Mobs to settle scores, play divisive vote bank Politics, mobs are emboldened not weakened. Presence of Media perhaps will help - but not much. Courts can only do so much.

What can a ordinary individual do

Take a clear stand against it. Speak Up. As a citizen of India - how come you do not have a stake in betterment of your country. Ofcourse you do. Do what it takes. India belongs as much to you as it does to a Politician or a Policeman. Its not their job alone to set things right.

On a side note: Sipping tea and watching world cup football (where we don't even figure) alone will take us nowhere. It is so silly to see jokers praying for Brazil's win with a football in their hands. Guys wake up - take that football and play the game for India - if you love the game so much...ask why shouldn't the President of All India Football Federation resign after India's dismal performance for decades in this sport.

There is no single story and picture that did as much harm to India's secular image as this one in TIME: Killing Thy Neighbor

Love in the Times of Slaughter - Harsh Mander

Mind Your Language

2006-09-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Karnataka Govt. wants 1400 English Medium Schools closed down by end of the year.

This raises several questions.

15 of Kannada-only ministers send their children to English-medium schools. So is it the case of: English Medium Schools: Good for us - Bad for you?

Do the ministers have one policy for themselves and another for the people? Sure enough, it seems so. Leading by example is not something Politicians Know... isn't it?

Well, if its a question of violating undertaking by schools to be Kannada medium - so what exactly was going on for 12 long years? Has anyone punished officials who were sleeping all this time, before discovering the 'lapse' suddenly.

Another thing worth considering is, what is the quality of education imparted in Govt. Schools where these students are supposed to be shifted? The answer lies in the fact that - nobody wants to go to these schools.

By all means local language should be taught - but is this the way to go - by shutting down schools ?

Stop harassing poor children, Sangliana urges Government

Fine for Ministers Kids but...

And the World Looked On...

2006-09-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

A man threatened to jump from a three-story building for almost 2 Hours. And finally ended his life.

Police, Fire Brigade and the usual crowd - all were present in full force. The whole scene was captured on cameras too.

Everyone watched in horror but forgot to save the man. Apparently, no effort was made to save him except for some verbal dissuation. What a shame.

What exactly are Fire Brigade Personnel and Police trained for? Isn't saving lives, an item higher on their priority list and training than - putting down fires and catching criminals ! Apparently NOT!

Less said the better about the crowd - it is quite common for crowds to gather and create commotion - in places of accidents, quarrels, deaths etc. But not do anything meaningful.

But, this comes as NO SURPRISE, in a country where - A Minister of Rajasthan State and yes you guessed it - crowd watched - for Eight hours - as a family found themselves surrounded by rising flood water, until they drowned. Read earlier post in this regard here: Minister and People Watch - As a Family Drowns in Rajasthan

And, the man apparently did this because of mental harassment by the society, his wife and the legal system. At least that would have been his interpretation. When will we get rid of our lopsided laws. Read earlier post about such a law: Increasing cases of Misuse of Section 498A

Suicide, a public spectacle in AP
Man jumps to death in full public view

Bribe the voters - Is this what it is?

2006-09-28T03:46:00.001-07:00

Shree Mulayam Singh (CM of one of the largest and poorest states in india)

is busy distributing money to the unemployed. On the face of it a great measure, but the underlying reason is elections are round the corner in Uttar Pradesh. This man distributed over Rs 30 Crores by one estimate in less than a week. And he is continuing to do this again and again.

Caught on Television: When one of the media persons asked a participating student (receiving unemployment cheque) - are you below poverty line? Do you have that document with you. She didn't know what is poverty line and why she should be below that to qualify for this money. Sure enough, when it rains money it makes sense to get drenched.

And where is all this money coming from: From the Tax Payer's ofcourse. So instead of using the money judiciously on development schemes - it is being used for personal gains.

Why is this not declared Illegal?
Why are there hardly any voices against this? Hardly any media coverage. Well ofcourse media is busy being silly - showing a man driving car from the passenger's seat, and a kid playing with monkey's as - prime time news (yes indeed Aaaj Tak , Zee News and Star News - are competing against each other in touching the greatest depth in crap television news programming.)

Earlier we had our dearest leaders: Karunanidhi distributing Television Sets. Amma promising jewellery just before elctions, Kumaraswamy distributing Bicycles. See an earlier post on this here: Wasting TaxPayers Money - and How!

But, this seems to work in India. After all, it makes perfect sense for Politicians to keep people uneducated and poor; and give them frills like television and occasional cash, but not long term necessities like primary education and employment. Because educated and progress driven voters will see through their political gimmicks.

Mulayam disburses cheques to students

Archaic Laws - Why

2006-09-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

Much of our laws/acts/regulations were written ages ago; many in 19th century (several under British rule).

Shining Examples Archaic Laws from the land of Manu:

Indian Telegraph Act - 1855
The Indian Penal Code which makes homosexuality a crime - 1860. And this same law makes adultery a crime, though only the male who has sex with a married woman can be imprisoned. Not the woman! - 1860
Indian Contract Act - 1872.
Official Secrets Act - 1923
The Banking Regulation Act - 1949

To make matters even more interesting many of these laws have clauses that read like : "Notwithstanding anything written...."

So, what's going on?:

Lawmakers are too busy playing caste and vote bank politics - by adding zillion clauses to existing reservation laws. They do not talk about removing creamy layer or need of primary education.
Politicians rarely debate such things in Parliament. Many just don't attend; those who do; are either playing regional card; or trying to bring down the opposition.
Political Honchos like to leave such things to - so called Experts - or Committees - unless it is something that can help their political careers.
Bureaucrats largely choose to let things - 'just be'.

We do actually have a very very large number of laws. Are a large number of laws indicative of a problem? Yes indeed - which is - Poor interpretation of laws (often purposeful - reservations is an example of that).

India and Its Archaic Media Laws

Indian Bare Acts

On a Lighter Note: Overheard

2006-09-24T04:09:00.000-07:00

At a Airlines Ticketing Counter

Customer(C): Excuse Me.
Ticketing Agent(TA): Yes Sir.

C: Do you guys fly to Mumbai? {Almost made me laugh... as if the question was does the Ticket Agent - himself flies to Mumbai?}
TA: Yes Sir.

C: What is the price for the flight tomorrow?
TA: The price for the morning flight is 'so-and-so'.

C: What? Aren't you supposed to be a low fare airline? {Expression of Surprise!}
TA: Yes Sir.

C: Your fare is much higher than 'so-and-so' airlines. {Loud and Demanding}
TA: Hmmm... {doesn't seem to know what to say}

C: Why do you advertise low fare then? {As if the Ticketing Agent has advertised it personally!}
TA: Ughh.... you have to buy the ticket in advance sir to get lower fare.

C: Advance? You mean buy a month or more in advance? {i have better things to do !!}
TA: Yes Sir, it comes cheaper then. {Is trained to be polite obviously.}

C: Oh Really? {leaves in disgust}

Just think about the conditions prevailing even 10 years ago - You had to buy whatever ticket is available, at whatever price from a limited number of one or two airlines; if you wanted to fly at all!

There was no reason for govt. to hold back entry of private player's in this sector for so long. BUT, then didn't we have just one car - AMBASSADOR, and one scooter - BAJAJ for several decades in this country. Ok there was a FIAT and a VESPA too... after some time :).

And yes - Perhaps the Ticket Agent deserves some politeness from the customers as well.

The Literacy Map

2006-09-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ref: http://www.answers.com/topic/demographics-of-india

Lighter the Color - less the literacy level.
Dear Education and HRD Ministers - when will all the light shades go away?

Eminent Men and the Education System

2006-09-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

Maths Maths - Go Away

CBSE Chief Ashok Ganguly (no less!) has proposed to the HRD Ministry to make Maths and English optional subjects for SC/ST Students.

"It will be suicidal if these subjects are downgraded to the level of optional subjects in the formative stages of the school education. It is academically unsound," - Mohd Ishaq, noted educationist and author of the book - Education as a movement and a challenge.

Links:
Maths on its way out
English, Maths as Optional !

The Education Minister and Language

The Education Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Horatti issues a directive to de-recognize 1400 private schools for having English as Medium of Instruction.

Narayana Murthy : Every Child must have the option to attend an English-medium school.

Link: Mind your Language

The Higher Education Minster and Tipu Sultan

Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister D H Shankaramurthy : Tipu Sultan is a usurper and anti kannada figure.

"We are a democracy, we all have the right to show how stupid we are – but I think the minister of education should not exercise that right" - Girish Karnad

Link: Row Over Tipu Sultan

Source: Education Challenge

Questions

When was the last time :

that a Education Minister, HRD Minister spoke about the URGENT need for India to become 100% literate society, stressed need of Primary Education?
that the government and its teeming bureaucrats asked themselves - why is it that Teachers in a very large number of govt. run schools in Rural areas don't even show up for work?
govt. figured out - where is money being spent on Primary Education going - with no visible improvement in literacy or quality of education in govt. schools? Anyway - 16000 crores is planned to be spent on reservations in Higher Education - while Primary Education is in disarray. WHY?

Link:

For a country in which higher education is so valued, India's record in primary education is dismal. - Kaushik Basu - Professor of economics, Cornell University

Thankyou Railways - for the fight against Corruption.

2006-09-20T03:48:00.000-07:00

People no less than Ministers indulge in looting Tax Payer's Money.
BUT, this is not surprising in a country - where - the very reason large number of people become Ministers is to do the same.

Caught Ticketless

Shibu Soren (Coal Minister !) - his family is caught travelling ticketless.
Dear Mr Soren: Have you seen the poor state of Safety across mine's in India. Read this earlier post about it. Sure you don't because, sometimes you are ABSONDING, at other times you are fooling the Railways. Pls don't Sir - it's time we made some progress.
Ref: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=201905

Haji Yaqub Qureshi (UP Haj Minister !) - This portfolio itself is very strange by the way - caught travelling without travel documents.
Dear Minister Sir: Pls don't cry conspiracy. Actually, most people are NOT surprised with the fact that - our leaders - are the first among all to - break laws.
Ref: http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/12862.html

With these state of affairs - its no wonder -

Crooks hang around the railway station reservation counters.
Rallyists consider their birth right to barge into reserved compartments and travel.
Very large number of occupants of Passenger Trains, and Unreserved Compartments in trains across UP, Bihar and Orissa - do not buy tickets.

Lets hope the situation improves.

Kudos to the Railway Officials - for their fight against corruption. Thankyou.

Links:
Of black-coated TCs and ticketless travel
Bihar Minister fined for ticketless travel
Railway stations synonymouswith chaos and corruption

Corrupt and Poor HealthCare across India - WHY?

2006-09-18T04:43:00.000-07:00

Some shocking stories

Unattended dead body eaten by rats in public hospital
Complete Story:
http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2006/1809/

Sweepers play doctors in Bihar hospital
Complete Story:
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=health&id=54669&callid=1

Most injections in India unsafe
Complete Story:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/05/31/stories/2004053107890400.htm

This is NOT ubelievable in a country - where conditions in govt. hospitals across the country are apalling to say the least.

Dear Health Minister : Ramadoss - Sleeping Or Playing petty political games?

The World Health Organization norms state that there should be one doctor per 2,500 people, India has one doctor per 1000 people, with Maharashtra one doctor per 1100 people and Mumbai with one doctor per 700 people.

Yet, our government hospitals are one of the worst in the world ?

In India it is the privilege of every health minister to start a medical college in his/her constituency. Just like the first thing that the Railway Minister does is to start new trains to his/her constituency.

What a shame. Quality NOT Quantity - is what we need.

Links

Where a Cuddle With Your Baby Requires a Bribe
Rash of medical colleges spawn corruption and mediocrity:
Health care is among the most corrupt services in India
Price of Insanity
Most Indians can't afford healthcare

Extent of Corruption - State Wise

2006-09-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

Darker the color - more corrupt the state.
(As measured in 2005 study by Transparency International, India)
Ref: http://www.answers.com/topic/economy-of-india

Driving License Test Inspectors - Selling Tickets ! Buy Or Else !!

2006-09-16T04:46:00.000-07:00

The inspectors who test your driving skills at RTO office (for a driving license), EXPECT you to pay up one way or another. So, to ensure that they are not caught red handed - they have resorted to subtle extortion techniques.

Once you have shown them your driving skills, they will present you with a number of tickets of some esoteric Play or Show - each costing at least 100 rupees. And yes you are subtly told that - you HAVE TO buy at least a couple of them.

The message being - if you do not - you may be failed in your driving test.
This is indeed unique !!

Check this out for yourself in Bangalore.

Isn't it a well known fact that - RTO centers pretty much all over India - are dens of corruption !

Wasting Tax Payers Money - and How !

2006-09-16T03:44:00.000-07:00

Babu's of Karnataka govt. are on to a 3 nation trip to China, Malaysia and Thailand - ostensibly to study Metro Rails there.

Questions:

There does not seem to be a single qualified engineer in your foreign junket team - so how will you do your study ? By hopping on train rides from station to staion ?
Chief Secretary of the state - B.K.Das - was on this trip - and he will retire almost immediately upon his return ! What contribution will he make ? A person no less than Lokayukta N. Venkatachala had blamed Chief Secretary B.K.Das for shielding corrupt officials earlier: http://www.hindu.com/2005/11/30/stories/2005113013900300.htm
Who are your contact persons in these countries ?
Delhi Metro has been successfully running for quite sometime - why not study that ?

Shame on the government junkies, for looting Tax Payer's Money. Shame on you guys.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1992623.cms

M. Karunanidhi (CM Of Tamil Nadu) distributes Television Sets for free - as promised in before elections.

Questions:

With the Tax Payer's money - are you not trying to bribe people with free television sets?
Did the people who paid taxes, give you any mandate for such activity? Thousands of Crores of Rupees will be spent on this.
Primary Education and Employment Opportunities - is the need of hour. What a shame - let the poor people watch tv, and remain hungry and uneducated ?

Such Political Gimmicks should be declared unconstitutional. What a shame - that such folks are tolerated and voted back to power - again and again.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/now-playing-in-tn-karunanidhis-free-tvs/21618-4.html

Govt. Babu's suspend an Engineer for doing his job

2006-09-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

An Engineer has been suspended because he cut off power lines to Chief Minister (Maharashtra) residence, because of non-payment of electricity bills.

What do Govt. Babu's do next?
No, they did not rush to pay the bills. Instead they spend time justifying the suspension the Engineer.

Are the law's different for Ministers and Ordinary Citizens? It seems so.
Out Govt. Babu's are so used to falling at the feet of their Political Masters, that they forget the basics of their own work. Wow.

http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Official+suspended+for+cutting+CM

China's Growth - Time to Wake Up and Learn.

2006-09-14T04:10:00.000-07:00

Consider these:

China is close to achieving universal (100%) literacy, while we are wallowing at 60%.
Electricity production in China is nearly three times higher than in India.
The rate of malnutrition in children under five years in China is only about a quarter of the shamefully high 46 per cent level in India.
Life expectancy in China is a solid 8 years higher that in India.
Female adult literacy is nearly double India's pathetic 45 per cent.
China's poverty ratio (as estimated by the World Bank's dollar-a-day income criterion) was less than half India's 35 per cent.
In India we take great pride in the telecom 'revolution' of the past decade. Despite that, in 2003 the number of landlines and mobiles in India was only one-sixth the number in China.
In 2004-05 our economic spokesmen expressed satisfaction over $80 billion of merchandise exports. China exported $600 billion worth of merchandise in that period.
FDI is more than 10 times in China than in India.
Tourist Arrivals - 33 million in china(excluding HongKong), compare this with 3 million in India.
In 2004, China's Foreign Exchange Reserves were more than 4.5 times India's.
While we were debating upgrading our airports, China built several new ones. Our infrastructure is pot-holed at best.
China is a world beater in Sports. India is yet to see a individual Gold Medal in Olympics.

We are poor on each of these indicators of Progress. BUT, do we expect anything different?

Given the fact that almost 20% of Indian Parliamentarians have criminal charges against them. See Earlier Post.
Quota and Caste based Politics is what is discussed in the Parliament. Where is the time for Infrastructure Development?
Institutionalized Corruption is rampant. See Earlier Post.
MPs and MLAs accept money to topple governments in states (Remember the Ajit Jogi Case?).

So, Where is the time to work on development? Whatever little progress we have made; has been largely by the Private Sector. Not Because of the govt.; but inspite of of the govt.

http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/sep/27china.htm

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/12493.html

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3767&print=Y

Congress: Oops, Sorry. Sep 7 was not Vande Mataram Centenary.

2006-09-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Need we say more?

Is this how irresponsible Congress, HRD Ministry, and very venerable Shree Arjun Singh is ?

So, Mr Arjun Singh Jee - don't you owe an answer to the country; as to what was the basis on which HRD Ministry under your esteemed leadership issued a notification to the affect of Centenary Celebrations of Vande Mataram ?

Well - Politicians are not answerable to anyone. Isn't it ?

http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/12/stories/2006091205661200.htm

MP: Sadhu Yadav - has 2 Non-Bailable Warrants Issued Against him.

2006-09-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

Dear MP (Member of Parliament),

We are no longer shocked to hear this kind of news. People have developed big shock absorbers since independence; because of the fact that the word Politician has become synonymous with Corruption.

Well, Two Arrest Warrants (Non-Bailable) have been issued against you; Sadhu Yadav Jee.

One warrant is related to Flood Relief Scam. We don't know what happened to those flood affected people.
Other one is related to assaulting a candidate for the post of chief of Phulwaria block development committee, Dinesh Sah in Gopalganj district.

If you are spending time indulging in these cases, when do you get time to think over important matters of alleviation of poverty, doing away with caste system, and india's economy and defence?

We understand that inept, inefficient and corrupt people get elected because of - vicious cycle of poor; ignorant people voting for them; and politicians ensuring that people are kept poor and ignorant.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1973502.cms

Thanks.
Ordinary Citizen of India

Land Grabbing and Daridra Narayan.

2006-09-11T04:27:00.000-07:00

Deve Gowda - self-proclaimed Son of Soil, self-proclaimed Daridra Narayan:

Accused IT Companies and especially Narayana Murthy of Land Grabbing. Does he know that IT Companies have generated lakhs of jobs in the state; which he never could.
Accused Ashok Kheny's NICE (and therefore BMIC infrastructure project) of Land Grabbing. Does he know that this infrastructure project will result in unprecedented development of Bangalore neighborhoods.
And in a master stroke installed his son as CM of Karnataka. And before that could happen, the would-be CM had to roam around with a bus-load of MLAs in a bus to prevent MLAs from jumping over (This precedent was already set in Uttar Pradesh earlier). This is how politicians are; they need to be hoarded away, else someone may lure them away :)

And much more.

Earlier, Mr Deve Gowda had promised that he would “slit his throat” in case it was proved that either he or any of his family members owned land near the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC). Read: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060615/nation.htm#5

BUT, the same Daridra Narayan and his family is now accused of the Very Same Thing. Land Grabbing.

And what happens next is:

Gowdas resort to panic-selling : http://www.ibnlive.com/news/gowdas-resort-to-panic-selling-of-land/21157-4.html

More:
Why Deve Gowda is Bad for Bangalore: http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/jun/15guest.htm
The decline of Bangalore: http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/21flip.htm

Railway Minister on Safety - At His Best.

2006-09-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

'Indian Railways are the responsibility of Lord Vishwakarma. So is the safety of passengers . . it is His duty, not mine. I have been forced to don His mantle,' the Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav said on 1 July.

Boarding a A Train: Pray to God: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/761797.cms

A new reason for railway problems: http://www.rin.org.uk/pooled/articles/BF_NEWSART/view.asp?Q=BF_NEWSART_106162

This being the case - you urgently need to leave your position OR read Bhagavad Gita, and learn about doing your Karma. And definitely NOT attempt to take any credit for Freight Earnings. They happened because God wanted it that way Sir.

A Letter to Laloo Jee - Rail Mantri

2006-09-09T04:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Laloo Jee,

You are soon going to address the IIM(A) about how you managed to bring about some profit in Indian Railways. Very Nice Sir.

We have some questions for you.
Aren't you the same guy:

Who mismanaged and ruined Bihar for almost a decade. It is one of the poorest and most illiterate states in India. OfCourse your predecessors are responsible too. But, did you know sir that - Bihar was among the top 5 best managed states in India at the time of independence!
Who thrust upon Bihar, your wife (Shreemati Rabri Jee); who was always more bothered about managing her residence than the state.
Against whom there is a case pending about - Chara Ghotala. Ofcourse, the case continues, so you do have benefit of doubt. But, most people do not doubt.
Who's brother-in-law, Sadhu Yadav, has serious cases of murder, and hooliganism pending in court. And he too was in jail recently (just like you). But ofcourse he is a Member of Parliament now.
Who gave RJD party ticket to renowned history sheeter, Shahabuddin against whom charges of Murder and more are pending in court. But ofcourse he is a Member of Parliament now.
Who is wasting tax payers money on building railway lines specifically for his in-laws village. Sir, there are more towns in India which require your kind attention too.

We definitely have e-ticketing initiative and a few more that are useful. But, is this all we expect of a Railway Minister.

Don't we need the following:

Cleaner Railway Stations.
Adequate Parking Space outside Railway Stations. Have you observed, that CONSISTENTLY, it is the areas outside railway stations in every city, that are very unclean and dirty. But that may not be your problem.
Travel Ticket Examiners (TTEs) - who do not expect bribe for giving you a reservation. Ofcourse, there are good folks too; but what do you do with the bad ones.
Cleaner decent Cloak Rooms at Railway Station. Have you been to the one at New Delhi Railway Station ? If not, you should visit.
Removal of crooks roaming near reservation counters, who promise a reservation when the reservation clerk says none is available.
And above all safe rail travel for everyone. (This deserves a separate post sir.)
And ofcourse, Privatize your operations where you can.

But, coming back to the railway profits, sir we understand that these are a direct result of increased freight traffic, which in turn is due to increased industrialization. Kudos to Railway Bureaucrats for making use of this opportunity, and to you sir, for simply allowing them to perform.

Thanks

Browbeating the Witness - Bina Ramani

2006-09-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

A key witness (Bina Ramani) in Jessica Lal case has been arrested apparently on charges not directly related to this case. This while the prime accused roams free.

WHAT exactly is police or the legal system going to acheive? - WHAT, effect is it going to have?

The Witness will be discredited perhaps.
Fewer and fewer witnesses will come forth in future. As it is, they don't. EXACTLY for These Reasons.

HAS, the government ever thought through - WHY witnesses do not want to stand up ?

It's a DIRECT result of Poor Law and Order Situation in the Country.
Harassment of witnesses by Police and Goons.

Justice would be served well; if Truth Wins, and Not just whoever has got the Smartest Lawyer.

It is no secret that the very thought of facing the courts in India leaves the common man with a sense of dread and despair. Who or what is responsible for this situation? Where have we lost our way?

An Excellent Book on this subject: 'India's Legal System: Can it be Saved' by Fali S. Nariman (Leading Jurist) : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060827/spectrum/book6.htm

Nehru on Reservations - Congress, Sonia Jee, Arjun Singh Jee - Did you Read Or is it a case of Selective Amnesia !

2006-09-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Pandit Nehru’s letter to Chief Ministers on June 27, 1961

I have referred above to efficiency and to our getting out of our traditional ruts. This necessitates our getting out of the old habit of reservations and particular privileges being given to this caste or that group. The recent meeting we held here, at which the chief ministers were present, to consider national integration, laid down that help should be given on economic considerations and not on caste. It is true that we are tied up with certain rules and conventions about helping Scheduled Castes and Tribes. They deserve help but, even so, I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in service. I react strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second-rate standards. I want my country to be a first class country in everything. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost.

The only real way to help a backward group is to give opportunities for good education. This includes technical education, which is becoming more and more important. Everything else is provision of some kind of crutches which do not add to the strength or health of the body. We have made recently two decisions which are very important: one is, universal free elementary education, that is the base; and the second is scholarships on a very wide scale at every grade of education to bright boys and girls, and this applies not merely to literary education, but, much more so, to technical, scientific and medical training. I lay stress on bright and able boys and girls. I have no doubt that there is a vast reservoir of potential talent in this country if only we can give it opportunity.

But if we go in for reservations on communal and caste basis, we swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. I am grieved to learn of how far this business of reservation has gone based on communal consideration. It has amazed me to learn that even promotions are based sometimes on communal and caste considerations. This way lies not only folly, but disaster. Let’s help the backward groups by all means, but never at the cost of efficiency. How are we going to build our public sector or indeed any sector with second-rate people?

Link: http://www.indusscitech.net/nehru.html

54 Miners Feared Dead - Who's Responsible?

2006-09-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Jharia (Dhanbad), Jharkhand - 54 miners trapped in a mine, and feared to be dead.

"This is an unprecedented situation and the chances of their survival are zero" Partha Bhattacharya, chairman of Bharat Coking Coal Limited.
The Union Minister of Coal, Shri Shibu Soren, ordered a departmental inquiry into the accident.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda visited the mine and announced a compensation of Rs one lakh for the families of the dead.

All the above are usual sound and action bytes, post accident.
Why shouldn't the people managing the mines be held responsible for this accident?

Mr Coal Minister (Shree Shibu Soren) - when will Safety Standards in indian mines upgraded? When will human life have a value?

Chief Minister (Shree Arjun Munda Jee) - you will not have to fight for your survival in Jharkhand; if you fight for survival of ordinary citizens. Do you even have time for your citizens?

Media - This clearly is NOT breaking news for the frivolous, sensation crazy media of our country. NOT a single print or television media ran this story prominently. As this unfortunate story unfolded, we had politician after politician espousing their new found nationalism in the national song; not one of them had anything to say on this issue?

Safety Statistics of COAL Mines in India: http://coal.nic.in/point18.html

Are we just keen on ensuring that there are no violations of safety standards as per regulations? Don't Administrators need to ACTIVELY do whatever it takes to ensure safety?

Isn't every situation unique. Not everything can ever be found in a rule book. We need to follow rules and laws in their SPIRIT as well, not just in LETTER.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/07/AR2006090700352.html

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/54-miners-trapped-in-dhanbad-mine/20843-3.html

Why do Criminals get Elected in India?

2006-09-06T04:48:00.000-07:00

Democracy is a Numbers Game. And anyone who has the numbers can get elected.

Every Vote Counts.
So, everytime we hear the lament: "It is the citizens who vote for criminals and elect them therefore they themselves are responsible" - it riases questions around - who exactly is voting for them and WHY ??

Its the vote banks of various kinds which are at work on the basis of : Caste, Illiteracy, Poverty, Linguistic, minority, religious and so on. So, if you know how to exploit these numbers - you have made it ! Therefore, there is a vested interest in propagating the idea of caste, preserving illiteracy, and bless proliferation of slums.

On the face of it everyone wants progress, hence it should be the biggest vote bank of ALL. But it is clearly NOT WORKING - we throw up large number of useless inept politicians along with criminals into Parliament and Assemblies every time. There is something wrong fundamentally here.

There indeed are good men too; but in very small minority.

No Alternative Syndrome is at work too. Whom do you vote for - if all the candidates in your constituency standing for elections are crooks. This situation is very very common, and arises because honest good citizens do not enter the business of politics. WHY NOT.
Because -
India still does not have a critical mass of honest politicians who genuinely want to do good for its citizens. So, they are surrounded, by local hooligans and dishonest men. And they simply drown in this mess, and cannot function - leave alone winning an election. (You would know that - Manmohan Singh lost election from South Delhi - numbers just didn't add up for him!)

So, whats the way ahead?
Awareness. Speak Up. Make your vote count. Refuse to tolerate corrupt politicians. Vote for Progress - yes it does not seem to be working yet, but it will when the Vote Bank for Progress is big enough. Anyway, its better than letting dishonest men sleep in positions of power.

Quote
When President Abdul Kalam returned an ordinance for reconsideration, this is what Mulayam Singh Yadav (Chief Minister of one of the largest, most backward, and illiterate state in india) had to say: "...In future, the President better be mindful of the constitutional traditions before embarking on such steps."
Read on: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/op/2002/09/03/stories/2002090300030200.htm

Land of Elected Criminals (by columnist Tavleen Singh):
http://iecolumnists.expressindia.com/full_column.php?content_id=88596

Empowering Every Vote: http://www.blonnet.com/2003/05/19/stories/2003051900050800.htm

If Criminals get elected - They will no longer run from law - They will frame it for you and me.

Punishing the Victims?

2006-09-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

Consider These:

Zahira Sheikh. Sure you remember her as a witness in ghastly tale of the death of her family members. And later as a witness who flip-flopped on her testimonies to the court, and therefore punished by imprisonement for this.

Bharti Yadav. She has been declared a proclaimed offender in the Nitish Katara case.

Well.

In both the cases - these people are victims first, and witnesses later.
In the first case - There are innumerable testimonies of refusal of police to record the names of the accused. How many of these have been punished? And men who threatened and intimidated witnesses, are roaming free.
Instead of law being inclined to prosecuting the victims for contempt of court, it should be noted that - witnesses fear their own harrasment and fear of life (which is very much a reality). When will the police and law deal with this aspect?

Read this very well written article by Harsh Mander (Human Rights Activist) here:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1956724,curpg-1.cms

To quote from the above mentioned article:
"But it must be remembered that in contrast to most hostile witnesses in cases like Jessica Lal, Zahira was and remains above all a victim."

Another one by Rakesh Shukla (SC Advocate):
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1878984.cms

Quote:
"Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught. ~Honoré de Balzac"

Media Madness...

2006-09-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

Have you observed the falling standards of large sections of India Media? Sure you have.

Times of India(TOI) - takes the crown in print media, while Star News - on television.

Here are some shining examples:

TOI - doesn't even look like a News Paper any longer. Its a tabloid with 'sensational' stories, and missing news. Regional News Papers have better coverage. The front page is the unworthiest part of the paper, as it has only 'masala' news. What a shame.
Star News/Aaaj Tak - Give them an opportunity to report some individual's misery; they will jump at it, and become reporters and judges in a very irresponsible manner.
It is common for news channels to have some semi-celebrities wedding as Prime Time News; which they will discuss with elite panel of specialists. Hahaha!
'Breaking News' - has got a completely new meaning now. That is usually any news that you think you are first to report irrespective of its importance. Now, thats breaking news for you !
Where is International News, News Analysis, views of eminent people? When did we last see news about WHY the floods were happening and how we can prevent them ?
If you started believe frivilous media reports - you would think that we are about to turn into a Super Power!! But, reality is we have floods, droughts, hunger, corruption and poverty to deal with.

On brighter side, NDTV is by far the best, followed by CNN-IBN.

Unauthaorized Accomodation: by Ministers, Politicians, Govt. Officers and even Judges!

2006-09-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

Even as Uttar Pradesh continues to be among the most poorest and crime-prone states in India, its leaders do not hesitate to occupy unauthorized accomodation.

Among these: Ministers, Politicians, Govt. Officers and even Judges! Can you believe this? Of course you do. This is not unheard of in India.

It took the SC to ask them to vacate such accomodation.
Given a chance - our Netas will NOT hesistate to misuse their position of power; which they can use to achieve a lot!

Links:
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=199204
http://www.indlawnews.com/6FC6474454324F3BACEDB1B47CD87001

Dismal State of Sports in India - under the clutches of Politicians

2006-09-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

Every four years, Indian teams depart to compete in the Olympic Games, only to return with bagful of woes.

Before Athens, the only other medal India had ever won in an individual sport at the Olympics was also a bronze in wrestling at the 1952 Games in Helsinki.

THAT sums up the state of Sports in India.

If Sports in India has to make any progress, it should be rescued from the clutches of Politicians.
Consider:

Sports Administrators cling on to their chairs, for the sake of perks.
Most Sports Federations have Politicans and people who don't have a clue about Sports Administration heading them (Dalmiya, Kalmadi, Dasmunshi among others). These people have been clinging to their posts for many many years without much to show for the results.
National Games are held erratically, nobody knows when the next one is coming up!
Huge number of officials accompany sports persons especially to Olympics. Can they justify their time there (nobody minds the Shopping Spree's if you indulge in if your produced results)!
Stenographer was sent to Sydney Olympics. Hehehe... bizzare! What letters were dictated to him ?

Sports Minister, IOA Chairman, Sports Administrators - Can you pls act or let more competent people occupy your places?

Some Shining Examples:

Priya Ranjan Das Mumshi (Politician) has been chairman of AIFF for as long as you can remember. Priya Ranjan Das Jee; do you know that some of the nations which participated in recent Football World Cup are as small as the districts of our states !
Suresh Kalmadi (Politician) has been clinging on to IOA for as long as you can remember. Suresh Kalmadi Jee; when will a nation of Billion Plus people produce more than a lone medal at Olympics. Does it even bother you?

Sports in clutches of self-serving Politicos:

http://www.asianetglobal.com/asianet/2004/news/detailedstory.jsp?catId=7&newsId=33

Slower, lower, weaker: India at the Olympic Games

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_copeland/20040818.html

Medal Tally across Olympic Games:

http://www.olympic.it/english/country/id_IND

Increasing cases of Misuse of Section 498A

2006-09-01T06:12:00.000-07:00

Section 498A deals with a woman's right to file a complaint against her in-laws and get them arrested on grounds of abuse (dowry, physical, mental, etc..) . Filing a dowry case is as easy as ordering a pizza.

Eminent lawyer Bishnu Charan Ghosh says, “As a lawyer I have never come across such gross abuse of any of the provisions of any Act as I am experiencing in 498A IPC cases”.

Read on about its blatant misuse:
Some brides are ‘villains’, not victims: lawyers
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/8498047.cms

Check Dowry Law Misuse by Women : HC
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47102038.cms

Misuse
http://www.saveindianfamily.com/pages/misuse.html

Taipei Times - Bitterness of wives leads to abuse of India's anti-dowry laws
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2003/07/07/2003058417

Question is: Why Should A Law Exist Allowing For Arrest Of People Just Because Someone Filed A Complaint - NO , NOT EVEN PRELIMNARY INVESTIGATION REQUIRED !!!

It assumes in other words: Victims are guilty till proven innocent.
It is hard to find equivalent of such strange laws in rest of the world.

An extensive blog on this subject
http://stannoxane.blogspot.com/

Ex Minister Civil Aviation Minister should know better

2006-08-31T06:07:00.000-07:00

The former Union Civil Aviation Minister, C.M. Ibrahim, was prevented from boarding a Bangalore-bound flight at Chennai Airport on Tuesday night after a pistol and bullets were found in his hand baggage.

C M Ibrahim appreciated the Chennai airport authorities for enforcing that rule of not allowing pistols and bullets in one's hand baggage !! Wow!

Guess what would have happened to a ordinary citizen in the same situation? Most certainly he would have been detained (after all CISF decided to detain and get into a scuffle with French Jounalists for smoking at the very same airport !!).

Do our laws apply differently to different people?

Vande Mataram

2006-08-31T05:05:00.000-07:00

On what basis Shri Arjun Singh Jee and his HRD ministry decide that it's centenary celebration of this venerable song ?

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (in pic) wrote this song in 1875
It was published in his book 'Anand Math' in 1882

Can they explain pls - its centenary since which event?

UNFORTUNATELY, politics is at play again w.r.t singing this song.
Congress started it, BJP took the bait !

Read on:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/11143.html

AND, to top it all, when television channels (thankyou!) went about asking the ministers in BJP ruled states (where they are making this compulsory) as to who was the writer of this song ?
99% of them did not know. So, you see... the hypocrisy.

Here's the complete text of this beautiful national song (in hindi and english):
http://boson.bose.res.in/~shashank/vande.html

A book about the song:
VANDE MATARAM — The Biography of a Song: Sabyasachi Bhattacharya
Book Review: http://www.hindu.com/br/2003/10/21/stories/2003102100120300.htm

Interesting article by the author of this book:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/11232.html

Corruption Corruption Corruption

2006-08-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some jewels to worry about:

Police Station

You are forced to pay the constable for him to 'clear' you for your passport.
You want to register a case - you pay up.
You want to followup on a case - you pay up.

Property Registration

Go there and see it for yourself. You pay up those clerks before anything gets done.

Driving License - RTO

You either pay up or keep coming back for more driving tests.
A new ploy these days is - they sell tickets (doesnt matter what) - which you are supposed to buy OR ELSE !!! This allows them not to get caught !

And many more...

What do ALL the above have IN COMMON. They are all Government Run Departments - These are Dens of Corruption and Inefficiency.

Anyone can go and find these out to be true. So why is Sonia Gandhi and her self-serving Bureaucrats sleeping.

Read On: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/12/13/stories/2004121300860800.htm

Student Elections - Do we need them?

2006-08-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

Incident: A group of allegedly ABVP activists beat up a Professor to death.
Witnesses: As seen in video images, these 'students' are threatening professors with dire consequences. There are hundres of people and police seen too.

What does the Police say:
We do not have any witnesses. What a joke!

What does the CM (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) of Madhya Pradesh do:
Orders a long drawn CID investigation. And gives clean-chit to perpetrators of the crime even before the investigations are begun! Aise hain hamaare desh ke neta...

Who the hell needs Political Parties on campuses.

Will the HR/EDUCATION MINISTER - ARJUN SINGH take up these matters with the same urgency, as he does his quota vota politics ???

This incident is a true reflection of our Netas and Police.
This is how a magnificent university - Allahabad University - was destroyed.