been out for a while!!

was too stuck up with things to be blogging regularly!! I guess elections over led me in a cocoon, as i was becoming more of a political commentator and these days not much to write on.
will try to pen down my thoughts more regularly..........

Congress preempts Behan Ji's dream

Well, a dalit women becoming the PM of India, still seems to be a distant dream, but congress has surely made a master stroke by appointing Meira Kumar the speaker of Lok Sabha. The first Dalit lady to hold such a position. A master stroke, which will take winds out of the sail of Behen Ji (mayawati), who is still busy sacking people en mass , because, BSP could not sweep lok sabha elections in UP.
We should not also forget that it is Congress which also gave India the First Women President.
Kudos to congress!! a party which is not only paying lip service to women empowerment, but actually working towards it. I am sure in the coming 5 years, the women reservation bill of 33 % reservation in Parliament for women, will see the light of the day.

BJP needs to do a serious rethink

I was just pondering on the future of BJP, after Advani, to my surprise not a single coherent face came to my mind. Narendra modi, for all his personality and media coverage is the only person, who comes close to mind, if one thinks of advani's replacement. But, the sad part is with modi comes the image of hard line hindutva, no matter, what he has done for the development of Gujarat. He is undoubtedly an able administrator, but the association of Modi with hardline hindutva is a well nigh impossible to remove perception.
Apart from Modi, I could not recollect a single face, who could have a pan-India stature and appeal. This is surely a defining moment for BJP in terms of bringing in new and dynamic face and also doing a total rethink on its focus and strategy in terms of ideology.
Indian voters in the recent years have clearly reiterated that Anti incumbency is no longer a trend and seeing the opportunism of regional parties, they have given a clear mandate to national parties for a stable government.
Good governance and a focused communication around it, is the key to wining elections.
No amount of hysteria around religion and communities can really bring in votes.
Its time for BJP to really do a serious rethink, on its future strategy, before it goes back to its 86 days when they had just 2 lok sabha seats, that too was represented by legendary personalities like Atal Bihari and Advani.

Gilchrist pulverizes Delhi Daredevils

I am not an avid IPL follower, but fortunately, I got to see the semifinals especially Gilchrists inning ball by ball. The Deccan chargers really made a mockery of the devils of Delhi. It was a treat to watch Gilchrist in full form, treating each ball and bowlers with contempt. Amit Mishra a young guy from Delhi, has to be given credit, for being the only man, to who some respect was shown, rest were just pulverized.
Delhi daredevil's, which was one of the favorites to win the IPL trophy, could never have imagined that one man can be such a game changer. Virendra Sehwag, after the loss, agreed that it was Gilchrist's day, and you can't stop a hurricane, with all the arsenals you have.

Congress should not succumb to DMK for "Raja"

Keeping in view the announcement of DMK to give outside support to congress, as their aspirations and demand are not being met by a resurgent congress, which is not ready to be blackmailed by allies.
I am not sure but it is being hinted that DMK is adamant on Raja (the ex telecom minister, known for all the wrong reasons wrt telecom policies), to be inducted in the cabinet, even if he does not get IT. But, Congress, is very much aware of Raja's reputation as a minister, and is not willing to send a wrong signal to people by inducting him under pressure. I believe that Congress should stick by its stance of not inducting raja, and give a strong signal that non-performers will not be tolerated in the new ministry.
DMK is known for its pressure tactics, and has put congress in a bit of back foot, but keeping political alliances in mind, this could be the first litmus test for the congress, in terms of taking a strong stance.
I know its not easy to just ward of allies, in a jiffy , because of arrogance of numbers, as ultimately, congress will need support of numbers and could end up yielding to some other parties demand. But in a changed scenario, congress needs to take a strong stance on Raja and other such ministers who are known for their non-performance and not so good reputation.

Yahoo! Buzz Launches in India

Signifying the growing importance of India as a market for Internet giants like Yahoo and Google, the following release talks about, Yahoo's launch of Buzz for the first time in India market.

Press Release:

Yahoo! India today announced the launch of Yahoo! Buzz in India (buzz.yahoo.in). Yahoo! Buzz enables people to vote (by “buzzing up”) and comment on the stories they find most remarkable in order to help shape the headlines on Yahoo!’s homepage and beyond. With Yahoo! Buzz, people can discover and share the most interesting content (images, videos and articles) from across the Web.

Following the success of Yahoo! Buzz in the U.S., India is the first international market to launch this product. Yahoo! Buzz measures votes and search patterns from its community to identify interesting and timely stories from large news sources as well as niche blogs around the Web.

Yahoo! Buzz helps Yahoo! understand people’s interests and enhance the relevance of content on India’s #1 online destination, www.yahoo.in, and helps publishers deliver their best content to Yahoo!’s broad and diverse audience.

“Yahoo! Buzz is a great example of how we can combine popular stories with the wisdom of real people to determine what is most engaging and relevant to our millions of users,” said Frazier Miller, Head of Audience, Yahoo! India.

Yahoo! Buzz in India already features content from more than two dozen publishers, including NDTV, India Today Group, Times of India, Zee, A2 Media and One India. Any online publisher can place a Yahoo! Buzz button on their content pages, enabling readers to share and vote (“buzz-up”) stories.

Content from over 20,000 publishers worldwide has been submitted to Yahoo! Buzz since it launched in the U.S. last year, making it one of the most comprehensive places to discover remarkable content from across the Web. Yahoo! Buzz enables all of these publishers to tap into Yahoo!’s broad reach and diverse audience of more than 500 million users and possibly receive site traffic from the Yahoo.com homepage.

samosa still has ALOO, But Bihar has no LaLoo!!

Arrogance has no limit, and there is no eternal flight, people tend to forget during times of power. Being from the state of Bihar, I can never forget RJD's slogan to eulogise Laloo and his party, "Jab tak hai samosa mein Aloo, TAB tak hai Bihar mein Laloo". This slogan heralded the epitome of Laloo raj. It's a strange coincidence that laloo, a staunch follower of Jyoti Basu and Left, during his peak Bihar days, has seen the biggest drubbing of his life at a time when left has also been totally negated in West Bengal.
Laloo ji forgot that in this ephemeral life, there is no such thing as eternal power, and you can't take people for granted, all the time.
I sincerely hope all the politicians in making or in power, remember this formula and work diligently towards development and true welfare of people, as rhetoric can keep you alive for some time, but not always.

Congress should take Laloo at its peril?

I really don't understand the reason congress is even pondering over the future of laloo with UPA? I can see only two viable reasons, congress's sympathy for a beleaguered laloo, who has at times stood for congress or congress wanting to have laoo as an alliance in Bihar, for coming vidhan sabha election. Both the reasons will make congress's any opportunity to rise in Bihar like it did in UP, impossible.
Firstly, the verdict in Bihar is clear, people have outright rejected Laloo and his opportunistic stance. Any party seen standing with laloo in Bihar, would meet the same fate. Secondly, Laloo very conveniently ditched Congress, during elections, with a view to bargain in the government formation. laloo's intent was clear, the fourth front, would be the KING MAKER.
Alas!! people saw through it and summarily rejected the stance.
If congress has even an iota of chance to revive in Bihar, it could be either through fighting it alone, or in alliance with Nitish.
The people of Bihar, if ever would look at alternative to Nitish, they will go for congress and never for laloo.
So making laloo or any of RJD memeber a minister in the UPA formation, would send a wrong signal to people of Bihar, making congress loose on any opportunity to be a potent force in Bihar.

Congress and JD U should work together!!

I personally feel that Nitish, should in the long run, do what naveen patnaik, did to BJP in Orissa. Hat's off to BJD's strategy and conviction, that has really paid of so well. Nitsh today or later will have to part way's from BJP, as the very nature of both parties ideologically is different. Nitish is seen as a secular person, with no leanings towards any fundamentalist issues, while BJP, until it does a full image makeover, will always be burdened with its legacy of mandir and masjid, which for people of India, is no more than rhetoric.
In the long run, Congress and JD U , would always be more in sync as alliance partners.
Right now, Nitish, can't take the risk of elections in Bihar, for vidhan sabha, but the election being due in two years time, Nitish should look at parting ways, sometimes before the elections.
This would lead to total pulverization of RJD as a party and give congress also a heads up in Bihar, with Nitish's impeccable legacy.
Or Nitish should go all alone, but in this era of coalition politics, to have a say at national level, alignment with one of the larger national parties is also needed.

One liner analysis of elections results trends till now-11AM

End of laloo's era
Good governance pays
Rahul Gandhi's magic works
Amar singh and mulayam singh can never be written off
100 % positive endorsement of Nitish's policies in Bihar
Mamta Banerjee's singur campaign has been a clincher
Left might need to take a right turn
Indian voters becoming more aware
Any rhetoric except for development will not work
Youth will lead Indian politics..........
Muslim voters turning to Congress fold after much failed experimentation

The D-day for democracy: Who will form the government?

Tomorrow India shall awake, to witness the world's largest democracy results leading to probable government formation. Exit polls unanimous shows that there Will be a hung verdict and no party getting absolute majority and this is totally on expected lines. UPA does have an edge over NDA in terms of numbers as per the exit polls and also the alignment of potential allies.
All the parties are in hectic parleys with their potential and existing alliance partners, while the smaller parties taking an ambiguous stance over their preference.
Nitish Kumar has played the "special status to Bihar card" at an opportune moment, to which Congress has immediately agreed in principle. jayalalitha is still to open her cards, whether she will be with third front, UPA or NDA, but her agenda is simple, she wants DMK out of Tamil Nadu. SP-RJD_LJP will in all probabilites side with UPA, as they don't have much options.
It will be quite interesting to wake up tomorrow and see what future holds for India.
As there have been innumerable instances when all the predictions have gone for a toss, and the biggest of political pundits, have not been able to predict the mood and pulse of people.

Was US waiting for Taliban to regroup?

Well, the way Talibani forces were wreaking havoc in Pakistan at will, always made me wonder, how come US is a silent spectator? Pakistan made all efforts to placate Taliban, which included allowing of Sharia to be implemented in SWAT valley. All these measures, truly emboldened Taliban and made them come in open, with a sort of arrogance seen during Afghan days. Be it attacking the sri lankan team or attacking Pakistan police training academy, it seemed, at one time that Taliban was on the verge of taking over Pakistan.
But, things changed dramatically, with zardari's visit to US, and announcement of further aid to Pakistan. The pak army suddenly got into action, and news reports shows that 1000's of talibani militant's have been killed.
Even, the so called place where Pakistan had agreed on autonomy to Taliban, was pounded by air force and tanks. Taking the Taliban by surprise. The emboldened, Taliban are all in the open, and are putting up a tough fight against Pak army. But, the truth is no war against a civilized government can ever be won by a militia.
It makes me think, was it a master stroke by US, who were throwing the bait of autonomy for Taliban to regroup and then smoke em out, (famous saying of George Bush Junior) by playing the pak army in full force against them.

Zardari has openly admitted that Taliban is a monster created by CIA and ISI, I only hope that in future its a lesson for countries creating monsters for short term gains.

Nitish-Modi sharing dais: A conflicting signal

Personally I have nothing against Mr. Narendra Modi, I find him to be a great administrator, who has done well for the development of Gujarat. All the corporate honchos, have hailed him as the perfect individual for PM posts, which has been endorsed by even select BJP members.
However, on the other side, his perception, is also that of a hardline hindutva personality, who has been held allegedly responsible for the godhra riots, by a large part of population.
Nitish Kumar, had not allowed Modi to canvas in Bihar, and this was openly admitted by Mr. Advani. To win over minority support, Nitish, did give a stern signal, that no hardline religious insinuations or campaign would be tolerated in Bihar. BJP, owing to the influence Nitish wields readily obliged. Bihar was one place, where the star campaigner Mr. Modi did not visit.
I am sure this did appease a large part of the minority populace, who are inherently inimical to Modi.
But, just after the end of the voting in the state of Bihar, Mr. Nitish Kumar, visited ludhiana, and shared dais with Modi, which made big news and was the headlines of all the news channels.
As there was much speculation on Nitish's visit to that place.
This did give laloo and Paswan a rare chance to take snide at Nitish, saying that the latter has shown his true colors, once the voting was over.
I feel Nitish's presence as an alliance partner and sharing the dais is not really a big deal, keeping in view the alliance, however, it could give a conflicting signal to a large part of minority voters in Bihar, as the timing was just too close for comfort.

Congress could be laloo's nemesis in Bihar

Laloo's snubbing of congress to form alliance with his long time detractor Ram vilas, might prove to be RJD's nemesis in Bihar. My own analysis based on talks with people on the ground, which shows that all the congress candidates standing in Bihar, starting from sadhu Yadav, are making a dent in RJD votes. Take for example Sadhu yadav in Bettiah, he has truly given BJP an edge there, as Sadhu's supporters are all erstwhile Laloo's followers.
Laloo's move to snub Congress was more because of expediency and "Real Politics" , but I feel it has not really paid off the way he would have wanted to. Today, Laloo who was seen as the staunchest supporter of Congress, has lost his credibility in the eyes of Congress. The fact Rahul Gandhi, appreciated Bihar's development, is a point in case, that Congress, would not really mind aligning with Laoo's staunches enemy--Nitish.
Politics has strange bedfellows, and we can only keep our finger crossed on enmities and friendships.
But, I feel that Laoo's move to leave congress in Bihar, might prove to be a costly gamble!!

Nitish Kumar gaining national stature

I am actually elated to see, that the CM of Bihar is being alluded to for all the right reasons. Nitish Kumar, has silently hogged the limelight, be it Rahul Gandhi insinuating about good role Nitsh has played for Bihar's development to Advani accepting that Narendra Modi, did not canvas in Bihar, because of Nitish's request.
Nitish has been consistent in his support to NDA, but, his significance in forming the national government, is being looked on by all major political parties. Nitish's policy has been such, that he can never be an out caste for any party wanting to form government at center. His stance on not bringing the star campaigner of BJP, Narendra modi, so that it does not hurt Muslim sentiments, goes on to reflect, the significant role and power he wields in Bihar and on his alliances.
I am sure that Congress will leave no stone unturned to get his support for government formation if need be, overtures are being already made, be it sacking of Veerapa Moily, from being a congress spokesperson, for his anti Nitish tirade.
Well time will tell, what really comes out of it, but its good to see, that at a national level, someone from Bihar is being talked about for all right reasons!!
A wild guess, can Nitish, be a PM contender??????????????

ICC masterstroke on ICL

Earlier in my blog I had written that if ICL does not do something drastic it will be on ventilator, and predictions are coming true. IPL, through ICC has played a master stroke of providing amnesty to all ICL players, who want to get back to national and international cricket. Media reports shows that it has come as a reprieve to a lot of ICL players who got stuck in the ruck of ICL.
Seeing the popularity of IPL, most of the ICL players have realized that to be popular and really be in cricket you have to align with the masters and owners of cricket, i.e. ICC and top of it BCCI.
Mr. Chandra's masterstroke of creating alternative cricket, though a great strategy. has virtually come to NIL. Well, he can't be truly blamed, in cricket what is seen and appreciated sells and ICL sadly lost on both the accounts. At least this move of ICC will bring in a lot of unsung heroes into play!!!

E-mails should have Nominees like bank accounts

A passing thought, with greater dependence on web, in terms of communications, and sharing of personal thoughts. I feel, if a person dies, without sharing the password with loved ones, should the loved one's be given access to account or not? This is very debatable but with e-mail accounts becoming more popular than bank accounts, should we not have a system, where in like banks, email accounts should have nominees?
I feel there should be a system, contingent on account opener to nominate someone, in case something happens to the person. At least the individual should be given the freedom to choose nominations. In case it's a dark secret or too personal too share, the secrets should go in the grave. But what about people, who want others to know their thoughts, and will be more than willing for some one close to have access to it.

I feel that nominee options should be given on all account openings, making it truly optional. A great business opportunity for companies wanting to get into e-mail business, with some USP:)

Dhoni and Harbhajan skip Padam shree: A need for stringent action

Whatever, I could make out from media reports, that both Harbhajan and Dhoni, did not even care to inform the ministry on their unavailability for the prestigious padam shree awards. It's a real shame and at the same time, should act as an eye opener for the government, who so profusely shower all accolades to cricketers. Olympic boxing champions, who brought India glory in the global arena, were ignored, when it came to conferring Padam shree. There are innumerable sports people, who deserve this award, but it seems that the government's criteria for awards is governed more by popularity quotient of the sportsmen than his real objective achievements.
In no way, the accolades that Vijendra singh, brought to India by winning the bronze medal in Boxing (olympics) is less that Dhoni and harbhajan's achievements. I would rate it higher, as boxing is a solo sport and too much depends on individual performance.
This also reflects the arrogance that cricketers have in them, due to all the attention and adulation that is heaped on them. To, refuse to attend a function of such significance due to flippant reasons just goes on to show, what respect they have for such awards.
I don't think, they deserve this award and the government instead of creating laws to obviate such act of shameless impunity, should right away nullify and announce the withdrawal of padma shree from Dhoni and Bhajji.

The Trinity:Mulayam-Laloo-Paswan

One of the most interesting thing of this general election has been the coming together of vowed enemies of yesteryear's on one platform, with an aim to cling to power at center at whatever cost. Yes! mulayam, Laloo and paswan, could be a good plot for a bollywood film called the "opportunist trinity'.
The manner of their alliance, leaves not even an iota of doubt about their motives, there is nothing veiled or enigmatic, the motto is clear, together we can bargain power, with whoever comes to center (I am sure till now that BJP will not be considered).
Individually, both Laloo and Mulayam, has huge stakes if they are not able to cling to power, both can't afford to be in a state of affairs, where they have to face a hostile Center and equally hostile state.
At state level, elections are still years away, and the interregnum, without power could prove quite costly. Moreover, fading away of icons from public memory in nothing new, and both lalu and Maulayam can't afford the same. For, the first time, both RJD and SP are not able to take Muslim votes for granted. In Bihar the MY (Muslim yadav), equation has been badly shattered, while in UP, the induction of Kalyan singh to SP, is being called a hara kiri, done by Mulayam singh, as far as Muslim votes are concerned.
Kalyan Singh, who has been widely perceived to be the man behind Babri Masjid demolition, will always be a pariah for the muslim community.
As far as Paswan is concerned, I would call his position not as precarious as Lalu and Mulayam. Paswan as it is would not be hoping to win more than 5-6 seats, and all his strategy would be based on the same. A forecast of hung Parliament, where even one MP can make a difference, paswan would have a role to play, moreover, Paswan, would not be as inimical to joining hands with parties like BJP, as Mulayam and Laloo would be.
Whatever the outcome of the elections, the thing worth waiting for would be what fate do the trinity meet, if they are able to hold to the power, through collective bargain, it would be considered a master stroke and if they don't muster up enough numbers, history would condemn them for their short sightedness...

Cricketer's understanding the meaning of Bottomline

Why should Saurav ganguly care, what sharukh Khan feels about his batting style? Why should rahul Dravid give two hoots to, what, vijay mallaya feels about his captaincy? Well, these questions seems quite egregious to ask. But, IPL has changed the rules of the game, when you get a Price you have to pay for it, is the simple rule of the game called IPL.
Cricketers who have been bought for huge prices, to play for respective IPL teams owned by corporates or rich individuals, are suddenly realizing the meaning of bottomline, ROI, which hitherto was relegated to the boardrooms of corporates. Yes!! IPL, has changed the way cricket is played and monetized. It has brought unprecedented glamour, money and opportunities for all the stakeholders.

I only hope , this glamour and glitz, does not make our Icons forget that the ultimate test of glory is winning for the country.

ICL should Encash on IPL's popularity

If ICL does not ring a bell in your mind, well, it is Indian cricket League, a parallel cricket series and team (apart from BCCI), announced by Mr. Subhash Chandra, ESSEL Group. The timing of ICL's announcement could not have been better, Indian cricket had reached its nadir, with failure to qualify even in the quarter finals of world cup, people across India were disillusioned, and wanted to vent out their anger on the team and state-of-cricketing affairs. ICL was the answer to it, there was a great noise around its launch, but with time, unexpectedly India team rose like phoenix, becoming well neigh invincible.
Public memory as it is short, and the success of India cricket team, coupled with launch of IPL by BCCI, made the memory of ICL fade away. For me success of any event is directly proportional to the recall of the same, which subsequently converts to sponsorships and advertisements. I can hardly recall even the names of the ICL teams, leave alone the players. But, I do know, that Mr. Chandra with his tenacity, is continuing the series, and honoring all the commitments he made to the players.
So what should one do to make ICL a brand, that it attracts advertisers and sponsorship, If I were in the branding team of ICL, I would have suggested a very drastic action, that would have created a flutter in the media and subsequently in the minds of people.
My suggestion would be to hold an open challenge to IPL's winner to play the ICL's winning team in any format 20:20 or 50:50. This would have brought some controversies like snubbing, denial, refusal, maybe by ICC or BCCI, but ultimately the need for the event could have been created by public debate and sheer weight of the challenge.

Who would not want to witness at least once, the clash between the David and the Goliaths, public always wants entertainment, and anything which excites and entertains be it a notion or an event, is always prized. Advertisers are always looking for concepts and events, which excites public imagination. I think the ICL-IPL challenge would be a perfect cocktail for both public and advertisers, a mega event, generating huge interests, and in the process, reviving ICL, which sooner or later, if something drastic does not happen, will be on ventilator.

India launches spy satellite RISAT -2

India today announced the successful launch of RISAT-2, a spy satellite, which would help the country keep track of border movements and terrorists infiltration. Kudos to the scientist of ISRO, who made the feat look so simple. The Israeli built satellite, has advance features compared to earlier satellites, in terms of better imagery even in the worst of weather conditions, and night conditions.
Keeping in view the way Taliban, is gaining foothold in Pakistan, with the recent announcement, of their intention to make sharia the law of Pakistan, I feel it is of great strategic importance for India, to keep tab on the movements across borders, especially Pakistan.
The satellite apart from security use, will also help in disaster management, especially tracking of floods and other such natural calamities.

I am committed I want flexible timing!!!

Having talked to people across service industries, I was a bit surprised to find out that how flexible timing is becoming a bone of contention between employees and management. The logic is very simple, employees, in the services industries (which includes Fortune 500 consultancy firms) who are delivering and feel that they are on the job 24X7, want to be in office at their own convenience. They feel that if the business if not suffering and the clients are happy, what is the logic behind following a 9:30 Am reaching office discipline.
They feel that the management, is being a bit harsh, in wanting people to reach office on time, irrespective of their contribution. On the other hand, the management feels, that discipline has to be adhered to, as no organization, especially in the non-service industry allows such latitude. And any contribution of the employee is a part of their duty for which they are being compensated for.
On the face of it, the whole issue seems quite simple, but a bit of probing shows that this issue is more about asserting one's independence Vs.Organization wanting to maintain discipline.
It is true that the dynamics of the services industry is much different from any traditional industry, here client relationship, commitment to work, integrity, and team management takes a much wider role than in any other industry. The reasons are not difficult to find, as the success criterion in a service industry has always been billing and client satisfaction index.
Logically if the client is happy and the billing is on time, then noting else should matter.

I would surely want to solicit views of my readers, especially from the service industries, on what they feel about this topic???

Recession: Bringing sanity to job market

Being in a private sector, amidst recession is not really a good feeling, there is a sword of Damocles hanging on each one's head. There are rumors, speculations that lead to further uncertainity, as a layman its always difficult to understand the true colors of recession and how is it really impacting the economy, and subsequently our lives.
I truly believe, that India is undergoing a slowdown and not recession in truest sense of the term. Our monetary and fiscal policy has really stood the test of the day, and with so many Leviathan banks across globe's vanishing or declaring bankruptcy, Indian institutions have stood the test of the time.
I personally feel, that this slow down was imminent, as the going was to good to be true. My observations are restricted to the job market, and not a very macro one. There was a kind of an euphoria, defying all logic, youngsters, with less than two years of experience (not the IIM's and IIT's) expecting salaries and perks, much beyond their calibre and output. People had become too self centered and were overlooking the dynamic of any business, that operates in an environment. But, since it was a norm, and there were alternaltives, the employers or the companies, mostly yielded to demands.
Job hopping had become a fashion statement, and stability and long term commitment was looked down upon as weakness. Naturally good money brings better life and you tend to look at all the good things in life, which gives one, a sense of achievement and satisfaction. This led to a huge spurt in spending on consumerism, and banks and financial institutions, abetting this trend by giving credit cards, easy loans.
Alas! all good things comes to an end, and with the setting of recession, starting with the bust of Lehman Brother, the world, which seemed so good got Topsy turvy. Within no time the rules of the game changed, the same employers who pampered people for retention, brought out apt performance criterion and sometimes arbitrary, to trim down cost and work force. A whole new generation, which had never been witness to downturn, suddenly, saw an environment, where to survive you have to be diligent, disciplined and thrifty.
Suddenly, heroes turned villains, all the corporates who got into downsizing and cost cutting were labelled as shrewd, callous capitalists, who are intent on sucking the blood of innocent employees. Well I would not want to get into the morality of the debate.

One good thing which I feel this recession has brought about, is an attitudinal correction, especially among the youths, who after seeing the harsh realities of life are realizing that road to success is always through staircase and taking a lift, will always come at a price!!!

Recession and return to babudom aspiration

One thing that the global recession and the concomitant slow down in the Indian economy has brought very prominently to the fore, is the sudden spurt of interest in government and Public sector, as an employer of choice. Who could of imagined that a canara bank could get day 1 entry into the prestigious IIM's, which had hitherto entertained names like Lehman brothers and Goldman sach's, for the first day campus placement.
The sixth pay commission has also played a pivotal role in changing the perception, most of the government servants, are suddenly privy to a lot of moolah, in terms of increase pay and one time arrears. It is not surprising that banks, real estates and financial institutions have suddenly started wooing this segment, like never before.

Salutation to the brave CISF men

The recent incident of CISF men fighting the Maoists, in a truly unequal battle, and saving lives of many Nalco staff along with precluding the Maoist from gaining access to armoury, at the NALCO bauxite mine site, Panchapatmali hill top, Orissa, is a true story of valour and sacrifice.
Had it not been for the few jawans of the CISF, resisting the attempt of Maoists to loot the armoury, it could have led to a greater disaster with much wider ramifications.
My sincere salutations to all the CISF people who fought with the Maoists, displaying exemplary courage and even sacrificing their life in the process.
It needs a whole lot of character and valor to stand upright and fight when death stares in the eyes.

Bihar tops list of LS candidates facing criminal charges

Just found an article on the web, which basis a report shows that Bihar still tops the list of candidates facing criminal charges, followed by UP. Find below the news with the links:

Bihar has topped the list of states having the highest number Lok Sabha candidates facing criminal charges so far for this year, a report prepared by NGOs has claimed.
The report, jointly prepared by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), claims that out of a total 200 candidates contesting general elections, 51 contestants have been found facing various criminal charges.
The number amounts to 25.50 per cent of the total number of candidates contesting general elections from the state.
Uttar Pradesh has figured a close second with 46 candidates of a total 268 contestants in the fray facing criminal charges.
Maharashtra comes third in the list with 42 of 242 Lok Sabha candidates from the state having criminal charges against them.
In Andhra Pradesh, out of a total 314 candidates in the fray, 34 contestants are facing criminal charge, the report claims.
ADR and NEW said the report was prepared by analyzing 1,440 affidavits filed by the Lok Sabha candidates contesting from 11 states in the first phase of polls. NEW comprises more than 1,200 NGOs and other citizen-led organisations.

Mulayam Singh and his atavistic manifesto

If newspaper reports are to be believed, then the manifesto of samjawadi Party (SP), led by Mr. mualayam singh, can be labeled as the most shocking and atavistic manifesto, till date. In this age of modernization when the world is a global village and economies of countries inextricably linked to each other, talking about making English redundant, use of minimal computer and discouraging mechanized farming, is going to the ridiculous.
We need to understand the difference between populist measures and measures that are retrograde, with a potential to take the country, backwards by many years.
We should realize that English per se is not really a foreign language to India, and whether we like it or not, it is the sine qua non for any development in this era.
India becoming a superpower in IT (Information technology) and generating millions of employment in BPO sector is primarily due to the the large skills of english speaking population we have.
Even countries like China, is trying to emulate India success, through imparting of English language, to its population. It is strange in this backdrop to see english as a foreign language, vitiating in any ways Indian culture. I am not against Hindi or regional languages being popularized, but not at the cost of a language, which is instrumental in furthering economy.

Similarly discouraging computerization to give jobs to more people, is like replacing cars with bullock carts, so that both the cattle's and human get more opportunities.
We need to understand that development has its own motion, and in a globalized environment, one can't fight development with such gimmicks and popular measures. If computerization is replacing people, then the same economy is also creating upteem opportunities for people in different areas.
I sincerely believe that Mulayam's manifesto remains on papers, and not ever gets to see the reality of the day, and I am sure its more a rhetoric than reality.

Babri Masjid and Ram temple

My own view on the issue of Babri masjid demolition and Ram temple creation as an issue, as I always feel that all religion teaches unity and no religion in the essence has ever endorsed violence:

I have never heard a God,
Ask for a home to reside,
Nor I have seen an angry god,
When the same is pulverized....................

JD (U) first party to have Sahabhagi in its manifesto

Nitish Kumar led JD (U), takes to its credit for being the first party in India to have "Sahabhagi" in its manifesto. Sahabhagi is a concept of participatory governance where common citizens are also taken into account, in terms of decision making power. The basic idea behind this concept is to make government more decentralized and participatory.
Well, ultimately what matters is the implementation of the concept in spirit, that one has to wait and watch, but the very fact that such concept has made to the manifesto and political agenda of a party is laudable.
At least we all are getting to see Bihar in news for being 'FiRSt", for all the right reasons.

India Elections a fertile ground for new business ventures

If you look at the kind of budget political parties have allocated for e-campaigns, it is substantial to create a whole new model of business, around this concept. Just think of it, right from leaders of known stature like Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, to smaller not so known leaders, have their own blogs to promote their ideas. These blogs are being written and maintained by group of professionals, who are getting due remuneration for it.
In times to come this trend will continue and scale up in magnitude. In India there are innumerable tech geeks, Internet aficionados, who have great mastery over blog creation, writing, social media usage, who can surely utilize their skills to promote political parties and individuals in a focused manner.
There could be a cohesive business model around Internet consultancy or use of Internet to promote parties and ideas. In terms of investments all one would need would be time, broadband connection and access to free blog creation (which is there in 100's).
I feel, in this time of downturn, people should explore this business model and who knows, in times to come we might have an Indian Google or Yahoo of political campaign creation and promotion.

India Elections with Google, Yahoo, and Internet

Close to the heels of yahoo, google has also announced the launch of a website for Indian elections. This truly goes on to show, that elections like cricket, is becoming a good tool of monetization, for a lot of companies, with Internet brands like Yahoo and google, leading the flock. And why not, if we look at the kind of money being pumped in by political parties, unofficially people say that a single general election entails spending to the tune of whopping USD 2-4 Billion.
Online campaigning with social media, blogs, twitters, is truly the hall mark of this general election, heralding a new era of campaigning, aimed at targeting the "youths" and other people, for who, Internet is a way of life and primary source for gathering information.
Obama's election campaign can be seen as a watershed in the usage of web in political campaigns. Well, it would be unfair to compare in anyways, US with India in terms of Internet, defining users opinion, but still, in times to come, this medium, will be an integral part of all political campaigns.
I would not be surprised to see all our representatives having a blog address, on their cards, and rustic MLA's and MP's taking a lesson or two on Internet and its nuances.



This could be a good business model for budding entrepreneurs, to start up consultancy and Internet political advisory firms. The target audience will never be bereft of cash:)

Recession will create whole new breed of entrepreneurs

I totally agree with the contention of Mr. CK Prahalad, one of the greatest thinkers and academician of today's era, that this downturn and recession, will give rise to a whole new breed of creative and dynamic entrepreneurs. He has given a lucid logic to this thought, stating that in this time, a lot of good people, with great potential, are being laid off, and naturally these people would not sit duck, but to something to earn their living. They would most probably start their own enterprise, since there would be a lack of funds, most probably these people would use their own money to fund the ventures.
Funding their won ventures would lead to parsimony, in terms of usage of money and that would in turn lead to looking at creative opportunities of business models, where growth can be achieved using minimal funds.

Shoe at Chidambram: Impulse than politics

The recent hurling of shoe at Mr. Chidambram, is certainly a despicable act by any standard. However, if we probe the mens ria of Jarnail Singh (the scribe who hurled shoe at Chidambram), I would label his act as a misdemeanor than a grave criminal act.
Going back to 84 till now, the Sikh riot is one incident which the government has not been able to efface from the psyche of Sikh's, and if we introspect at the enormity of the riot, it will not be an easy thing to achieve. The memories of the riots will always evoke strong response from Sikhs, who feel that the propagators of the riots are yet to be punished, rather they are going scot free.
In this backdrop, Mr. Tytler getting a clean chit, just on the eve of election, does smell of rat, and can lead to myriad questions, which one would want to the government to answer.

CBI per se, over a period of time is losing credibility and is being seen more as a tool of government manipulation than a credible unbiased agency. Mr. Jarnail singh's action represented the wider discontent the sikh community has over this issue and he rightly wanted clarification on it.
I do appreciate Mr. Chidambram for his stoic reaction to the whole incident and asking the security guys to be gentle with Jarnail, but the government should look at the wider issue, and its time to introspect on the role of so-called investigative agencies.
I am also not sitting on judgement on Mr. Tytler, as he was also given a clean chit by CBI during BJP government and that time BJP was silent on the whole thing.

Amar singh: The quintessential Newsmaker

Well, love him hate him but you can't ignore him, this statement cannot not be more apt and true for Mr. Amar Singh. I truly admire his capacity to be in the news or his capacity to manipulate media attention. Whether the media admits it or not, they are swayed by any conference or utterances that Mr. Singh makes, and I can't hold media responsible, for all his utterances are significant enough to hog limelight.
Be it sanjay dutt being threatened by a cabinet minister or Mr. singh being called by a don's aid, the list is endless.
Well kudos to him for being a quintessential news maker. The wannabe celebrities should take a tip or two from him.

Rabri devi's remark on Nitish Kumar Bihar CM: A Bankruptcy of RJD

The recent remarks of Rabri devi on Nitish Kumar's relations with Mr. lalan singh, not only reflects the moral bankruptcy of RJD, but also shows to what contemptible level politicians can go, to pander to the prejudices of people. Well, this remark only goes on to prove that JD (U), has put RJD and LJP alliance in the back foot (for me SP does not count in Bihar), and in its supreme frustration RJD is trying all tricks of the books to defame Nitish.
Or maybe Mrs rabri devi does not understand the import of her statement and how such statements can get some applaud from the crowd, but in the long run, prove to be the road to perdition for RJD.
The very fact that all the RJD alliance members are evading media query on their response to Rabri's statement, goes to prove,that they realize the futility of personal maligning and fear it may backfire big way.

Gazing at Eternity

Staring the sky dotted with trillion stars, much bigger than earth could ever be, gives a queer feeling and elicits myriad thoughts on our existence. Is life a serendipity or a conscious plan of a powerful force beyond our comprehension? How did life come into being Or where do we stand among the millions of stars, which is just a small portion of trillions of galaxies?
It is insane, dumbfounding, esoteric and perplexing in nature, but still these questions haunts all of us, when ever we are in peace, away from the cacophony of life.
Science with all its advancement and accolades has still not been able to give a definitive view on a very basic question on the creation of earth, or life force.
Big bang theory, coincidental mixing of gases leading to life force, all brings us to the moot question, what was there before Big Bang? How did big bang take place or who created the gas which led to life creation? All these can't happen in ad vacuo, there can never be something out of nothing.
Is there a state of consciousness, where all these can be known, or will it be an eternal mystery, I know not..............

Will Nitish & BJP sweep Bihar elections?

I personally feel yes. But after talking to people from diverse background and vocation, I found out, that there is a school of thought which has serious misgivings about Nitish's victory in Bihar. They feel that there is a widespread but subtle undercurrent against the autocratic nature of Nitish's style of functioning, which has huge potential of marring his election prospects and Bihar could be up for surprise.
A lot of allusion is being made to Nitish's own coterie, which has all the leaning of Laoo's days, though they are not truly on the face of it, in terms of quotidian disruption to public life.
Well, whatever may be the logic, I personally feel that if we truly do an introspection and see the changes brought about by Nitsh in Bihar, esp. in comparision to Laloo days, it is humongous in terms of better law and order and creation of basic infrastructure.
In the long run. that is what matters, rest, as it is said, there are no saints in politics, some are subtle others are blatant.

Bihar not to allow Wal-Mart-Bharti stores

There has been an announcement by Bihar Government not to allow walmart-Bharti stores in Bihar, as it will impact the lives of million vegetable and fruit vendors. Well, on the face of it, the logic for not allowing setting up stores looks quite pragmatic and populist. But I am not sure, as I personally feel that competition should not be excluded keeping in view populist measures and sentiments in mind. There should be a due diligence on how these stores will truly impact the vendors and not complement it.
The nitish government should not just go by logic of things, which superficially looks quite sensible. May be these stores would lead to a great demand for vegetable and fruits, which naturally due to reasons of logistics, be outsourced from Bihar only. The farmers will get a good price for it, and in turn get integrated to a larger economy. Or maybe the mom-pop stores, roadside vendors and large retail stores can co-exist in peace, as we see it in Delhi and NCR.
One never knows, but I feel that Bihar government should give a signal to larger private players that it is open to change and encourages healthy capitalist investments, as this state has no real large private players truly investing in Bihar, apart from telecom players, which by its very nature of service is unavoidable.

Yahoo! India launches special site for general elections 2009

Hi, Folks I found this piece of release informative for all my readers who wants to have an overview on the ongoing general elections in India.

News:
Yahoo! India, the leading Internet company, announced the launch of a new site focused on providing users with up-to-date information on upcoming 2009 general elections. Users can access all the election updates on elections.yahoo.in

As India gears up for its biggest parliamentary elections this summer, Yahoo! India’s elections site aims at creating an involved and an informed voter. With various political parties and leaders already using the Internet as a medium to reach out to voters, these elections are also about catering to a large online audience. elections.yahoo.in offers the best of election content through various features and tools.

Apart from being able to view the latest news updates, the elections site will let users share their opinions and updates on various leaders and constituencies during elections, thus help in making an informed choice. In order to cater to a large section of youth, several of whom could be voting for the first time, the special elections site also focuses on educating them on the importance of casting their votes.

Updates on election schedules, expert analysis, online polls, discussion forums, opinions and photos would be some of the other key features on the site. As the site evolves, Yahoo! India will also include interesting features like Manifesto Comparisons (a user can compare manifestos of various political parties) as well as comic strips on various news and updates during the tenure of the elections.

Bahubali's of Bihar: An epitome of Women's reservation in politics

I have been reading recently that most of the so-called Bahubali's of Bihar (musclemen for sophisticated readers) who have been denied permission to fight elections are making their better halves fight elections. Well there can be no perfect law and you just can't deny opportunity to to others just because of relations.
I feel in this modern day of machinations at least even the bahubali's can be sure of the loyalty of their wives, if they get to parliament. But, this will at least make the Parliament free of people with direct criminal antecedents, who have also been convicted. Women reservation in parliament could never become a reality, though in-principle no one opposed it. But I feel this trend will make the Bahubali's of Bihar do one good thing, though inadvertently, give women reservation in parliament a true meaning.
If this trend persists the time is near when we will have men with political aspirations, clamouring for Male reservation in parliament!!

Talibanization of Pakistan, a time for concerted action from civilized world

The impunity with which the terrorists are executing their savage plans, gives an eerie feeling of a powerful invisible hand, providing support to these organizations. Pakistan has been witness to close to 18 gory attacks which includes sri lankan team and the recent police training center, in a span of 30-40 days, it goes on to show that no one is in command there.
This is truly a precarious situation for India, which needs immediate attention, and a pragmatic approach to deal with the situation. I feel that first the mistrust which we have on Pakistan has to be played down and explore situation, where a true solution can be reached through serious dialogues, based on facts and analysis.
We can't afford to have neighbor under Taliban control. What is surprising me is in some way the complacency of the US, either they are not truly comprehending the exigency of the situation or they have some other game plan, like neutralizing the hard core Talibans through moderate ones, or creating factionalism in the group.
However, I don't feel that the philosophy which Taliban follows there is any scope of neutral and extreme.
It is time for urgent action, the coming together of civilized world, to act on this brute force, which has the potential to create an Armageddon.
There is an urgent to need to look at reasons beyond militancy and ideologies, that why people who are barely in their 20's are ready to give up their life for a cause, they don't even understand. Is there a social-economic imperative that needs to be looked into. Has the time come to create a more equitable system, globally, so that extreme disparity does not become a congenial ground for breeding terror?

IPL: Pragmatism Vs Chauvinism

There has been a lot of noise around IPL (Indian Premier League) venue being shifted to South Africa. For some it has become a mater of national shame, that India a sovereign nation is being held to ransom to terrorists fear. I feel this is a matter which needs rumination , on the state of things not only in India but globally.
This is a true dilemma between pragmatism and chauvinism. Being pragmatic, one can easily say that the risk of holding the IPL during a general election is taking too big a risk. Especially in the light of what happened in Pakistan to Sri Lankan team. We just can't afford to shy away from the fact that terrorism is a national issue, and India cannot be truly insulated from it. Moreover, India lacks the intelligence and training to fight urban terrorism like the US has.
One can't just hold matches under such threat perception, especially when the sovereign nation is going through the biggest event of Democracy, i.e. election of government.
However, the chauvinists (ready to go on war at the drop of the hat), have their own views, they see it as a capitulation to terrorists forces, to the extent that the venue of such an event has to be shifted.

I personally feel, that under the present circumstances, its better to be pragmatic, and take steps in the long run that really obviates any such circumstances where one has to even think on these lines.
At the end of the day terrorism is a modern menace and very much on the face of all of us, it is no longer a traditional warfare, where uniforms can identify enemies.

Bihar: Clash of ego's will benefit powerful Independent candidates

Political alliances changes color much faster than any chameleon, in the process creating opportunities for many and diluting possibilities for some. Bihar can be a case study for this, in the coming lok sabha elections.
My own thoughts are that the clash of ego's and the rift between parties has certainly created more opportunities for ticket distribution and in the wake strong independent candidates with good stature but in want of money to fight elections, this can be a golden opportunity, to get a ticket from a renowned party.
Say for example the Congress --Lalu/Paswan rift has made both the parties thinking of fielding their respective candidates from all the constituency, thus certainly increasing opportunity for, so many more candiates to fight on a reputed election symbol.
I will not be surprised that in the process we have a lot of not-so-well-known winners and many powerful faces biting the dust, just because they could not get their arithmatic right.
How will it impact the Bihar elections and subsequent government formation at the center only time will tell. But increasingly, trends are pointing towards a hung parliament where we can have the reminiscene of the Chandrashekhar, Dewe Gowda, and IK Gujral years.

Aircel's ad will give a boost to Internet on Mobile

I had recently written my views on the ways to promote Internet on mobile, and had concluded that the only way was to show to the common people what Internet on mobile can really achieve for them. I truly feel, that the recent Aircel's advertisement, elaborating on the advantages of mobile Internet and that too through a visible brand ambassador like Dhoni, would surely give a boost to the same.
I personally find the ad quite well created in terms of educating the common people on day to day activities that can be done through this application. How handy a mobile Internet connection can be, the utility of the same.
This is the time for Internet companies and other service providers to really go for the kill, in terms of deluging people with mobile Internet messages and making them at least try the same, either by providing free trial period or other incentives.
Truly speaking Internet on mobile has great potential and in times to come, we will get so much accustomed to people using it, that we wouldn't wonder at the novelty of it, when did you last wonder when you saw a person using a Notebook or a PC??

Show me a hero I will write you a tragedy!!!

"Whenever I see a man applauded by a crowd, I pity him, the only thing he has to do to be hissed at is to Live Long", I always reflect the relevance of the saying in the contemporary world, how true it is!
Think of narasimha Rao, the ex PM of India, there was a time when he was considered to be the Man of India, a resounding victory, with a majority unknown in the recent history of India; the harbinger of Liberalisation, the epitome of reform.........his last day, not even a shade of his glorious past, he was hissed at, and not even a single big guy of his own party truly paid homage to him, even when he gave up his ghost!!

More recently George fernanades the modern father of socialist movement, the person who engineered the downfall of Lalooo with Nitish, and a truly indomitable personality, much talked about, loved, hated but never ignored, Today, he is not even sure of getting a ticket from his own party, excuses like his failing health being given by party members who would not have dared to look at him during his peak days.
Well examples abound in all fields but nowhere more than politics. It is truly a humbling experience or shows that loyalty, morality, faith has given way to pure expediency in a negative sense.

Well who knows the hero's we are applauding today, meets what fate!!

Thanks to all the unsung heroes who made Internet experience possible

You create a blogger account in less that 5 minutes, and you post your first blog as soon as you finish it! There are 1000's of designs and widgets which you can add in a jiffy without giving a thought that some one out there sat and thought of the applications and made it possible for all of us to enjoy and use.
I really can't help but think of truly thanking all the guys out there sitting silently and cogitating on how to make the Internet experience even better. True there are cases where the motive is monetization, but still the idea, the concept, the beauty of the application, can't be taken away from all these guys.
Web or Internet or web 2.0 whatever one calls it, is truly one experience which makes one wonder on the unlimited creative capacity of the human mind and also the selflessness of handfuls who are constantly adding to the progress.

Bihar elections: Sadhu Turns Shaitan for Lalu & paswan

Politics is all about expediency and machinations, no better place to prove than Bihar. The recent seat sharing announcement of Lalu with Paswan for Bihar Lok sabha elections, has really left Congress in the lurch with just 3 seats to the latter. However, much to the excitement of congress (or rather expectations or instigation!!), a revolt has cropped up from an unexpected quarter lalu's own sala, sadhu yadav. For sadhu the mandate is very clear he wants Betiah constituency to fight come what may!! Lalu has already given Betiah to Ram vilas's LJP.
This has made Sadhu approach Congress with a bunch of disgruntled RJD leaders, and Congress licking its fresh wound of being totally ignored by lalu, paswan combnation, is lapping up Sadhu.

Though, I personally feel, that congress is also very much aware, that sadhu yadav with his bunch of obsolete netas, will hardly have any impact in Bihar's real politic in terms of vote share or seat wins.
But, it does give congress a nuisance value for RJD and LJP. My own analysis is that the strength of Nitish Kumar's JD (U), has made parties nervous in terms of alignment, and Lalu sees in paswan, a better bet than Congress.

However, both Lalu and Paswan known for their selective memory and opportunism, anyone's guess how long this long lost love will continue??

BJP's dilemma--The rise of small satraps

Recently BJD in Orissa snapped ties with BJP, and JD (U) in Bihar is also elbowing BJP for more seats not only in Bihar but also UP. This is a clear reflection of that in this time of coalition, politics is becoming more pragmatic and based on expediency rather than image of a "Elder brother", "omnipotent partner". BJP or even Congress can't be labeled as elder brothers carrying on smaller coalition partners.
In terms of Bihar, there is no doubt that JD (U) is in a commanding position, however I fear that overconfidence does not create the path of perdition for JD (U). I was reading somewhere that Nitish Kumar is keeping all options open in terms of aligning with who ever comes to power in center whether UPA or NDA, I personally feel that this is just a rumor, because, Nitish has carved his niche based on Lalu's misrule, and that should be the raison d etre of his existence at least for one more term.

There should be no alignment, in any way, that relates Nitish to laloo, even if it means being in the same coalition. I know power game has it's own dynamics, but to be a long term player you have to sacrifice, allurements however strong in the short term, and there could be no better enticement than being a part of the ruling party in center.

Thoree Bihar's own Jim Corbette

I was at Jim Corbett with my colleagues and it was an enchanting experience for all of us. For me more than one ways, since it made me quite nostalgic and reminded me of a small but beautiful place in Bihar called Bhikna Thoree, where I had the privilege to spend over a year to overlook my father's business of stone quarry. It falls under Bettiah District of Bihar.
Bhikna Thoree, not sure how the name originated, can be called the northern most tip of Bihar, in the laps of Himalayan range,bordering Nepal. The place is a pristine beauty, with transparent streams overflowing stone/pebbles bed earth. Surrounded by Forest from three sides and Nepal in front.
Its a small village with a population of less than 1000, people mostly dependent on stone quarrying work, which sadly no longer exists due to perceived environmental hurdles, which I still don't totally believe in. Its a place I took for granted till I visited Jim Corbett and that gave me an idea why can't this place in Bihar be converted into a profitable tourist destination.

It has all the things which would really enchant any urban tourist wanting to be away for a while from the cacophony of town life--peace, tranquility, forests, mountains, rivers, and an additional incentive of cheap products of Nepal primarily Chinese, including good beer.

Close to Thoree are certain temples and destinations, which is shrouded in mystery like "Sofa Mandir", which locals believe was created by some devta of yesteryears, then we have the famous Subhadra mandir, a female divinity greatly revered by locals.
In Thoree, you would find a majestic guest house owned by Railways, it truly seems like an anachronism in such a remote village, history says that this was built for King George?? during the British raj as a hunting lounge.

Are GSM players being shortchanged on 3G in India?

I was recently going through a news item where COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India), the body representing the GSM lobby of India, has alleged that most of the CDMA players have already started providing backdoor 3G services under the garb of various schemes.
My own research showed that not only private CDMA players but also government players like MTNL and BSNL are offering mobile broadband at the speed of over 2.4 MBPS to 3.1 Mbps, which ultimately is 3g speed. However, the 3G spectrum allocation and auction is still distant away. Does that mean that existing GSM players will stand to lose out on 3G, as the CDMA players along with government players have already pre empted the move, by providing their customers an experience far superior than what GSM with their spectrum constraints can provide.
This is highly inequitable, and truly amounts to backdoor entry of CDMA players in the 3G arena.
GSM subscribers will be deprived of 3G experience for no fault of theirs or even the service providers, but due to skewed or biased government policies.
I sincerely hope that the government takes note of it, and either provide enough spectrum to GSM players to launch their own 3G services or stop existing players from launching it.
Ultimately it is not only the players but also people in general, esp GSM users who will be the losers.
Or the whole 3G auction process would be nothing but an eye wash.

Insane killing of Aman Kachroo

I am truly aghast to see the story of a young dynamic guy being killed senselessly in the name of ragging. Aman Kachroo, a guy from DPS Saket, doing his first year MBBS in Himachal Pradesh, was beaten to death by group of dastardly seniors. It's a shame that such a bright future has been extinguished for a reason as insane as ragging or ego satisfaction of 4-5 morons, who I feel should rot in jail for life.
It is difficult to empathise with the parents of Aman, I can understand the indescribable suffering the family would be going through, and there could be no words or actions to give them solace.
I only hope and pray, that no one meets with the same fate ever again and if not death but surely life imprisonment in true sense (meaning for life), should be provided to all the guys proved guilty in the case.
May god give strength and solace to Aman's family.

Social Media: A great potential for BUzz

I just wonder what social media networks like facebook, Orkuts can do in creating awareness or buzz for any products. Just look at it, one simple account connects you to over 1000 people and much more, though not all of them are so closely connected in terms of communications. All social media accounts are like club membership in real world, and like in clubs you have peers who you are close to and who can easily be influenced by your thoughts on movies, products, etc, the same goes for social media accounts.
For example, a movie you have seen or a car you have bought, you share it with your colleagues and group members, there could be up teem probability of few people having the need and going for the same, based on your review.
Today, is the world of consumer experience especially when it comes to substantial investments, I hardly know any individual, who has bought a sedan or even a Small car based on the advertising he has seen/heard, they are mere reinforcers.
I have got so many calls from my friends taking feedback on my car in terms of performance, after sales, to decide on their preferences.
Facebooks and Orkuts widens the horizon of the feedback to tremendous level, and can have great impact on consumer decision making. It is no surprise that all big corporates especially in the automotive and White goods segments, have a dedicated team of people to monitor the share of voice/feedbacks of the products and services, in the web world. The monitoring includes, social media sites, blogs, chats, etc.

Internet on Mobile a need for concereted action

I was recently with a senior management of a global Internet giant, discussing on ways to make Internet popular on mobile. Though we have over 400 million mobile connection, the Internet access on mobile is dismal due to varied reasons, varying from handset cost (though this has come down considerably) to lack of mobile broadband, to failure of telecom service providers to really promote it.
The discussion centered around the need for market creation, or efforts by all stakeholders at creating an awareness of mobile Internet, by really reaching out to the audience and providing them hands-on experience. Today there is a need for companies like google, Yah00!,and many others to come together and create market awareness and then compete for the pie.
I personally feel, after having used mobile Internet, that its a great experience and you get hooked to it like you do on any laptop or normal PC. Its just a matter of habit.
Yes, undoubtedly, simultaneouslythere would be need of good content to create a pull for audience, and what better way to have Indian audience hooked on to anything:) than Cricket and Bollywood.

Outliers a great book by Malcolm Gladwell

If there is one book which, I have read recently and has left me thinking for a while its "Outliers". A great perspective on how we look at geniuses. There are innumerable apt examples given by Gladwell, on how the so-called great and successful people we see are also the product of environment and not just an aberration of a gene called genius. The author illustrates giving great examples of Beatles, Bill Gates and even his own. The bottomline, societies can make many more geniuses, if we have proper understanding of the environment.
Though I would say I have a question for Malcolm, he should also write a book on all people who failed having all the environmental support?
Nonetheless, this book is a must read, if you want to have a new look at people around you.
A great book, a must read!!
I am also going thrugh The "Entertainment Economy" by Michael Wolf, it seems as good as outliers, will keep you all posted.

Nitish Ji why can't we make Bihar the next Singapore: Tourist destination

My trip to Singapore was an eye opener, that what tourism can do to an economy, and how tourism can be monetized at each stage. Most of the Singapore destinations or tourist spots are artificially created--Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, Sentosa, but they are marvels and what is truly exciting about the place is how the government monetizes each step without being an intrusion to the tourists. A trip to Jurong Bird park, you would not realize while exiting you might see a beautiful picture of yours placed at a very conspicuous place, which you will have a choice to buy (monetization!!) or leave, chances are for memories sake you will buy it, but you are not at all haggled to do the same.
The taxi guys are friendly, they guide you on tours and there is never any siphoning of money.
Remember what does a tourist want, its simple they want-peace, comfort, easy movements, and naturally good places to visit.
I was just wondering, Singapore has created places for people to visit, most of them artificial, but they create a push or need for it. If we think of Bihar, (In case our forward looking CM ever see's this blog, it is to be noted), we are endowed with legacy, of such humongous importance to culture and traditions, that there is only PULL and no push factor required, to convert Bihar into I would say, at the expense of being rhetorical, one of the most visited place in the world.
Just come to think of it, Bodh Gaya (place where Buddha got enlightenment), a place which any Buddhist for sure or even people having interest in culture, would die to visit it. Pawapuri (Jainsim), Nalanda, RajGirh, Lauria Nanadangarh (Asoka's pillar, remnant of first true monarchy), Kumhrar, Patna sahib,to name a few, all these places are of immense historical importance and are not artificial creations to attract tourists, but a big pull factor for all people in one way or the other connected to it.
Just think of it, if we have all Buddhists visit Bodh Gaya at least once , what numbers would it lead to, and mind you today world's biggest celebrities are convert Buddhists (an additional pull factor), Similarly we can talk of Jain's, Sikhs, etc. I am just talking about sheer individual numbers in terms of people having connect with the destination for religious or emotional reasons. I am not including people who have interest in history, culture and old traditions, or sheer adventurers. The numbers could be mind boggling, and the impact on socio-eco-political fabric would also be immense.
People tend tobecome tourist friendly when they see the same bringing in money and improving lifestyles, a delinquent youth of yesteryear could become a great guide, a village of Mithila can be converted to a model village displaying arts and traditions, etc.

I am surprised, that other Indian states, with not so much naturally endowed tourist destinations have taken such lead in this space why not Bihar.
Now under Nitish Kumar, with public confidence building, infrastructure improving, along with Law and Order, I feel this could be the trigger point for Bihar tourism to develop.
As we always say its never to late!!

Interesting Survey on Women by TOI

Bad news on Women’s Day for those who believed that Indian women would be empowered if only they were able to become the bread-winner.

Actually, it seems the hold of the patriarchy is only somewhat weaker among metropolitan working women than it is among housewives. A survey of single and married women, about half of them working and the other half housewives across eight of India’s biggest cities has shown that a majority of them do not decide how the money is to be spent. Nor do they believe that they should be able to determine what they may or may not do by way of evening entertainment. The findings are particularly sobering because those surveyed are relatively young, in the 20 to 40 age group and from the highest socio-economic categories SEC A and B. Clearly, a lot will need to be done to alter mindsets before the change in a woman’s economic status translates into genuine empowerment. The poll was conducted exclusively for TOI by leading market research agency Synovate India in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Jaipur in the week leading up to March 8. A total of 1,004 respondents were split roughly equally between the eight cities. About half were aged 20-30 and the rest 31-40. Similarly, the SEC A-B split was roughly even. The surveys most revealing finding was that only 46% admitted to deciding how their money was spent or invested. Significantly, this proportion was only a little higher - 52% - among working women. Even among single women, only 49% decide what they do with their money. So, who decides for the rest? The parents mainly, for single working women. Husbands mainly, for married women in general and housewives in particular. The response to a question on who should decide how a woman entertains herself in the evenings also illustrated just how entrenched the patriarchy remains. Only 42% said the woman herself was quite capable of deciding on the issue. While only 3% felt the so-called moral police had any right to stick its nose in the matter, a majority said parents or husbands should decide on the lakshman rekha. Across categories of age, married/single, working/non-working and SEC groups, this proportion was much the same, varying in a narrow band of just 51% to 55%. If there was little to distinguish between single and married women, working ones and housewives on the questions of the survey, there was a clear difference between responses from different cities. Kolkata, on the whole, emerged as the city with the most liberal attitudes and Chennai as the one with the most conservative. Another question posed was on whether a woman's career was more important than her family. Interestingly, less than one in ten chose a third option put to them – that they should not have to choose between career and family. Over two-thirds said the family was more important than one's career and less than one-fourth said their careers were their priority. Not surprisingly, there was a clear difference between single and married women and between working and non-working ones on this score. How safe do women find their cities? Not very. While 54% overall said they felt safe traveling around the city on their own, 45% said they did not. Chennai, Pune and Kolkata - in that order - turned out to be the cities where women feel safest, but somewhat surprisingly, Bangalore and Mumbai emerged as the only ones in which the majority felt unsafe. Single women exhibited greater confidence than married ones; working women more than housewives. Between the two age groups, however, there wasn't much of a difference. Are women discriminated against when it comes to pay and promotion? A majority said no, but a substantial 43% said yes. Chennai and Pune respondents were emphatic in rejecting such a hypothesis and Mumbai and Kolkata the two cities in which a majority felt gender-discrimination was a fact of life. On the question of whether sexual harassment was common at the workplace, however, Pune, Jaipur and Chennai were the cities in which more respondents said yes than no while Mumbai and Kolkata were the cities in which the lowest proportions said yes. Finally, to return to the provocation for the survey, we asked women whether they felt a Women's Day should be celebrated at all. An overwhelming 87% said it was right and proper a special day be reserved for them. In Chennai and Bangalore that proportion was as high as 95%. If you thought younger, single, working women would care less about such token gestures than slightly older, married working women or housewives, think again. The findings reveal quite the contrary. Single women were more enthusiastic about Women's Day than married ones; the young more keen than the older lot and working women more than housewives. In fact, even among the SEC categories, SEC A respondents were somewhat more in favour of the idea than SEC B.