Was not at all surprised on what's going on in Zimbabwe, the Indian cricket captain has an ego bigger than any one else's and unfortunately he is putting it in full view at an absolutely wrong time.
The whole episode stands out as childish & immature that no sensible person would like to relate to. It was stupid for the captain to go to the media and cry in front of the world that he was asked to step down by the coach due to his bad form. In fact, instead of garnering any sympathy, the captain actually showed the world his childish behavior. I think Chappel has shown excellent statesmanship and maturity in the whole episode and has come out a winner.
The advice that chappel has given Ganguly must be implemented, if not by Ganguly himself then by the selectors. It's time for Ganguly to go - whether he likes it or not.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Indian left front...is left back
Some time back, i read an article that put the blame for slow economic progress in India on the people who elected about 40 leftist members of parliament from 2-3 different states.
The prime minister is frustrated that he has to work with a bunch of idiots from the left front that seem to still live in the era of the soviet union. These leaders neither have a vision nor a strategy to take India to the next orbit of economic growth. Their job, it seems is to oppose every attempt at reform in the name of the welfare of the poor. Left front is mentally and intellectually still living in the past and is unwilling to understand the dynamics of the 21st century. They even refuse to learn from the mistakes they themselves have done in the states they ruled for years. The state of affairs in Kolkata and West Bengal are for all to see.
It's infact very refreshing to see the chief Minister of Bengal talk about reform and i am all praise for the recent quote "Reform or Perish" by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. If the left front leaders take a cue from their colleague in Bengal and help the country get on the high orbit of economic growth, they would have done India a world of good.
The prime minister is frustrated that he has to work with a bunch of idiots from the left front that seem to still live in the era of the soviet union. These leaders neither have a vision nor a strategy to take India to the next orbit of economic growth. Their job, it seems is to oppose every attempt at reform in the name of the welfare of the poor. Left front is mentally and intellectually still living in the past and is unwilling to understand the dynamics of the 21st century. They even refuse to learn from the mistakes they themselves have done in the states they ruled for years. The state of affairs in Kolkata and West Bengal are for all to see.
It's infact very refreshing to see the chief Minister of Bengal talk about reform and i am all praise for the recent quote "Reform or Perish" by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. If the left front leaders take a cue from their colleague in Bengal and help the country get on the high orbit of economic growth, they would have done India a world of good.
Katrina's effect on New Orleans
It was shocking to see images of New Orleans after the city was torn apart by Katrina, the hurricane. Just about a month back, all of us in India were busy blaming the government, the local administration, the politicians, builders et al. for the event that brought the financial capital of the country, Mumbai to a stand still. Most of us were probably right in the criticism and i personally felt it wasn't misplaced at all. I have spent a considerable part of my youth in and around Mumbai and know the place and the people well. It takes a lot to bring this place (Mumbai) to a stand still and only a natural disaster as big as the one we saw could achieve that.
The story of Mumbai and New Orleans suddenly did not look too different to me, the only difference was that Mumbai (and the whole of India) is ruled by corrupt (& criminal) politicians & run by corrupt bureaucrats. The fate of the people in the two cities was almost the same, no relief could reach them, people were stranded for days, large scale contamination of water could spread diseases causing epidemic.
At the end of the day i thought the administration in New Orleans, USA should have fared better, done more and also much quicker to help us Indians put pressure on the corrupt bureaucrats and politicians in Mumbai.
May be our grand mothers would be right on this one, when god wishes to intervene, a Bush or a Deshmukh really do not matter....
The story of Mumbai and New Orleans suddenly did not look too different to me, the only difference was that Mumbai (and the whole of India) is ruled by corrupt (& criminal) politicians & run by corrupt bureaucrats. The fate of the people in the two cities was almost the same, no relief could reach them, people were stranded for days, large scale contamination of water could spread diseases causing epidemic.
At the end of the day i thought the administration in New Orleans, USA should have fared better, done more and also much quicker to help us Indians put pressure on the corrupt bureaucrats and politicians in Mumbai.
May be our grand mothers would be right on this one, when god wishes to intervene, a Bush or a Deshmukh really do not matter....
Friday, August 19, 2005
Miscommunication - The murderer in Mumbai
The whole city rotting under 8-10 feet deep flood water for almost 2-3 days wasn’t enough to open the eyes and ears of the authorities. In spite of clear indications to the root causes of these problems, I am almost certain that little would change in what is called the Town planning office and the associated agencies. Land mafia would continue to get plots and mangrove lands de-reserved for residential and commercial purposes – primarily to make money.
Another thing that comes to the defense of the authorities is the fact that rainfall caused floods in non metro and rural areas as well, where the reasons mentioned above hardly hold good. Places in Konkan were affected by the rains and reported heavy losses – life as well as property.
One of the things that stand out is the utter lack of communication from the authorities to people about the whole situation. Rumor mongers had a field day and that killed a lot of people in stampedes, when rumors of Tsunami were spread in the slums adjoining the Powai lake. On e of the things the authorities could put in place is a simple Disaster recovery and Business Continuity Plan for the city. A city like Mumbai needs it desperately to be able to keep moving in a business as usual manner and bring back peoples confidence in the system. Mumbai perhaps is the only place in India where people have tremendous faith in the public transport systems and use it to the core. If we falter in Mumbai, other places could never catch up on the path to progress.
Another thing that comes to the defense of the authorities is the fact that rainfall caused floods in non metro and rural areas as well, where the reasons mentioned above hardly hold good. Places in Konkan were affected by the rains and reported heavy losses – life as well as property.
One of the things that stand out is the utter lack of communication from the authorities to people about the whole situation. Rumor mongers had a field day and that killed a lot of people in stampedes, when rumors of Tsunami were spread in the slums adjoining the Powai lake. On e of the things the authorities could put in place is a simple Disaster recovery and Business Continuity Plan for the city. A city like Mumbai needs it desperately to be able to keep moving in a business as usual manner and bring back peoples confidence in the system. Mumbai perhaps is the only place in India where people have tremendous faith in the public transport systems and use it to the core. If we falter in Mumbai, other places could never catch up on the path to progress.
Frustrated nation of a frustrated people..
Non functional systems, lack of infrastructure, slow pace of legal justice, unemployment, corruption etc. are things that dot the Indian landscape. There are spots of brilliance like the IT revolution, mobile communications, but these are far and few in between and their combined impact covers not more than a million people at the most.
The more I think of India as a nation, the more I feel cheated, Cheated by its politicians, cheated by the bureaucrats, cheated by the policies, last but not the least cheated by the people themselves. Each one of us tries to blame the other for things that are not per standards in and around our environment, but there is little movement from our own self to come out of our drawing rooms and do something about it.
Today stress levels are rising, there is a blame game going on between state governments, state and central governments, Industry and governments, politicians and bureaucrats and so on. People of the country are getting frustrated by the day and I have a feeling that change could come in thru’ an outburst of this frustration. If a Mohan Bhargav (Swades) could change the minds and beliefs of people in a small village, Is it really possible that not a single such Mohan Bhargav exists in each village across the country. The frustration is on the rise and people might just roll it up into a mass movement when the government ought to take notice and work beyond electoral benefits. I know this is wishful thinking and in a country like India it take a Mahatma Gandhi to galvanize people for a common cause. I wish there was a Mahatma every 30 years for this country to move ahead. I wish…
The more I think of India as a nation, the more I feel cheated, Cheated by its politicians, cheated by the bureaucrats, cheated by the policies, last but not the least cheated by the people themselves. Each one of us tries to blame the other for things that are not per standards in and around our environment, but there is little movement from our own self to come out of our drawing rooms and do something about it.
Today stress levels are rising, there is a blame game going on between state governments, state and central governments, Industry and governments, politicians and bureaucrats and so on. People of the country are getting frustrated by the day and I have a feeling that change could come in thru’ an outburst of this frustration. If a Mohan Bhargav (Swades) could change the minds and beliefs of people in a small village, Is it really possible that not a single such Mohan Bhargav exists in each village across the country. The frustration is on the rise and people might just roll it up into a mass movement when the government ought to take notice and work beyond electoral benefits. I know this is wishful thinking and in a country like India it take a Mahatma Gandhi to galvanize people for a common cause. I wish there was a Mahatma every 30 years for this country to move ahead. I wish…
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
A nation obsessed with itself!
I have spent a few months in the US of A and have had a few discussions with people who have lived there all their life. A common theme that came out very strongly in all of those discussions was the prevalent self obsession that the people and the nation has for itself.
It’s been about 6 months since I left the US of A and returned to India after a brief stint there. When I was listening to the joint press conference by the President of US of A and the Indian Prime Minister, the whole scene of self obsession was enacted in all its glory by some of the senior, famous journalists from reputed news channels and publications. Questions asked were about the Supreme Court nominee, the Senate issues etc. All this, in spite of America is paying dearly for its self obsession, its inability to comprehend and understand other viewpoints in a highly multi-polar world.
If 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq cannot bring this sense with in the psyche of a nation, I fail to understand what else could?
It’s been about 6 months since I left the US of A and returned to India after a brief stint there. When I was listening to the joint press conference by the President of US of A and the Indian Prime Minister, the whole scene of self obsession was enacted in all its glory by some of the senior, famous journalists from reputed news channels and publications. Questions asked were about the Supreme Court nominee, the Senate issues etc. All this, in spite of America is paying dearly for its self obsession, its inability to comprehend and understand other viewpoints in a highly multi-polar world.
If 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq cannot bring this sense with in the psyche of a nation, I fail to understand what else could?
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Ride of my life!
I was leaving for Mumbai for a couple of days break after 6 months and the cab had arrived almost 30 minutes late. I blasted the driver and told him to rush me less I miss the flight. My words were the encouragement this 22 year old chap (Shabbir!) was looking for and he began to display his driving skills to my utter disbelief.
As soon as we had crossed the Silk Board junction, a Maruti Omni transformed itself into a MIG 29 and Shabbir assumed the role of a pilot seamlessly. At most times while overtaking trucks, busses and unassuming car drivers our vehicle would be in semi flight. I was soon counting the number of vehicles that we could have hit in this frenzy and letting out a sight every time we missed one. At one point we were close to having a head on collision with a Scorpio, we words exchanged, both drivers abused each other in Kannada and we were ready to proceed to the next target. It all finally ended after about half an hour, when the vehicle came to a halt at the departure section of the airport. When I paid Shabbir and asked him to be careful, pat came the reply “Saab, aapko jaldi thi, main toh duty kiya, time pey pahunchaya, Government ko road bada banana chahiye!”
“Haan government ko road banana chahiye, lekin sab log aisey chalayega toh thoda time ke baad aadmi nahi bachengey idhar” I said, to which Shabbir replied with a “Saab waisey bhi kya rakha hain zindagi main”. I just picked up my bags and went ahead to check-in. Once I was in Mumbai, I picked up a cab to get to the nearest Railway station, Ghatkopar. Coincidently the driver was another young man, Sulaiman. Sulaiman was a complete contrast to Shabbir, though I asked him to get me to the station before midnight, so I could get a train to a suburban town I was planning to spend the night in. When I narrated the earlier incident in B’lore to Sulaiman, he had a very different take on it. Here’s what he said “Saab, yeah B’lore waaley abhi naye naye active ho rayeley hain, time lageyga hum logon ke jaisey professional bananey ke liye. Passenger safety payeley aata hain!.”
Well, professional cab driver in Mumbai commenting on the unprofessional behavior of his counterpart in B’lore.
As soon as we had crossed the Silk Board junction, a Maruti Omni transformed itself into a MIG 29 and Shabbir assumed the role of a pilot seamlessly. At most times while overtaking trucks, busses and unassuming car drivers our vehicle would be in semi flight. I was soon counting the number of vehicles that we could have hit in this frenzy and letting out a sight every time we missed one. At one point we were close to having a head on collision with a Scorpio, we words exchanged, both drivers abused each other in Kannada and we were ready to proceed to the next target. It all finally ended after about half an hour, when the vehicle came to a halt at the departure section of the airport. When I paid Shabbir and asked him to be careful, pat came the reply “Saab, aapko jaldi thi, main toh duty kiya, time pey pahunchaya, Government ko road bada banana chahiye!”
“Haan government ko road banana chahiye, lekin sab log aisey chalayega toh thoda time ke baad aadmi nahi bachengey idhar” I said, to which Shabbir replied with a “Saab waisey bhi kya rakha hain zindagi main”. I just picked up my bags and went ahead to check-in. Once I was in Mumbai, I picked up a cab to get to the nearest Railway station, Ghatkopar. Coincidently the driver was another young man, Sulaiman. Sulaiman was a complete contrast to Shabbir, though I asked him to get me to the station before midnight, so I could get a train to a suburban town I was planning to spend the night in. When I narrated the earlier incident in B’lore to Sulaiman, he had a very different take on it. Here’s what he said “Saab, yeah B’lore waaley abhi naye naye active ho rayeley hain, time lageyga hum logon ke jaisey professional bananey ke liye. Passenger safety payeley aata hain!.”
Well, professional cab driver in Mumbai commenting on the unprofessional behavior of his counterpart in B’lore.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
A new coach for the men in blue!
Another coach for the men in blue would soon take over from John Wright. I for one believe that Wright did a few things right and a few things wrong. He indeed brought in a flavour of team spirit amongst the individual members. The team also began looking beyond the genius of one man trying to take the burden of a billion people - Sachin Tendulkar.
The things that Wright could not make a difference on were the team’s ability to loose a contest from a winning position - Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This has been the bane of the team and there are n number of instances where the team has given up advantageous positions only to be defeated and humiliated later - Case in point the test series against the Pakistanis.
The new coach will have to make changes to the attitude of the players, make them stronger - physically, mentally both and ensure the shrug off the label of chokers.
So be it Dino the professor or Tom Moody or Greg Chappell or Dave Whatmore, it’s a tough job and hopefully we will see a successful tenure for the coach and the captain.
The things that Wright could not make a difference on were the team’s ability to loose a contest from a winning position - Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This has been the bane of the team and there are n number of instances where the team has given up advantageous positions only to be defeated and humiliated later - Case in point the test series against the Pakistanis.
The new coach will have to make changes to the attitude of the players, make them stronger - physically, mentally both and ensure the shrug off the label of chokers.
So be it Dino the professor or Tom Moody or Greg Chappell or Dave Whatmore, it’s a tough job and hopefully we will see a successful tenure for the coach and the captain.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Mumbai - Is it still the safest?
Few years back, i would fight with friends in arguments over Mumbai being the safest place in the country especially for women. Couple of incidents in the last 2 years have turned all arguments upside down. A woman in rags raped in front of passengers in a local train late at night last year was the last nail in the coffin. As if that was not enough we have another incident involving a cop.
During a discussion with a close friend, we discussed this and what my friend told me speaks volumes for the change that Mumbai and perhaps a lot of other places are seeing. He told me this & i quote " Naresh, you have always been wrong when it came to places, remember after spending 3 years in Gujarat, you used to tell us how much you loved the place and the people, look what happened there and now Mumbai, after all your arguments about it being the safest place in India".
I have decided to make no more arguments about places and people from now on!
During a discussion with a close friend, we discussed this and what my friend told me speaks volumes for the change that Mumbai and perhaps a lot of other places are seeing. He told me this & i quote " Naresh, you have always been wrong when it came to places, remember after spending 3 years in Gujarat, you used to tell us how much you loved the place and the people, look what happened there and now Mumbai, after all your arguments about it being the safest place in India".
I have decided to make no more arguments about places and people from now on!
Friday, April 22, 2005
one more accident on Hosur Road, one more dead
It is indeed a sad day, i started for office late, and what i saw on the way was a shocking accident. A bus in trying to speed thru the traffic had crushed a man on a motor bike to death.
Enough has been said and written about the suitability of this road to handle the increasing traffic situations. I guess people dying almost every other day on this road is not a good enough reason for the decision makers to take the necessary steps and hasten the process of widening the road, building proper cross bridges for people, completing the work at hand on time.
A lethargic government like the one here in B'lore is bound to face defeat at the hands of the electorate, but what amazes me is the lack of any sense of responsibility amongst the officials and politicians.
It's probably foolish of us to expect anything better from these folks and the day is not far when they would expect us to build our own roads, drainage systems and make our own electricity - Total independence!
Enough has been said and written about the suitability of this road to handle the increasing traffic situations. I guess people dying almost every other day on this road is not a good enough reason for the decision makers to take the necessary steps and hasten the process of widening the road, building proper cross bridges for people, completing the work at hand on time.
A lethargic government like the one here in B'lore is bound to face defeat at the hands of the electorate, but what amazes me is the lack of any sense of responsibility amongst the officials and politicians.
It's probably foolish of us to expect anything better from these folks and the day is not far when they would expect us to build our own roads, drainage systems and make our own electricity - Total independence!
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
The old & cautious me
It’s been almost 5 years but the incident remains fresh in my mind to date.
It was a nice cold evening in B’lore and a couple of us friends got together that evening had a nice chat and came back to talk a little more near a local temple in BTM 2nd stage. A drunkard appeared to have lost sense after a grandiose dose of whatever seemed like his favourite drink. We engrossed ourselves in our discussions and suddenly the drunkard got a feeling that we were teasing/abusing him. He started abusing us in return and one of our friends gave it back to him and whisked him away. The drunkard swore he would be back and teach us a lesson, we really did not bother.
After a few minutes, the drunkard came back with another person – a 16-17 year old boy. The boy started hitting our friend who had argued with the drunkard after he was pointed at by the drunkard. We tried to stop him, but could not till one of the stronger guys in our group caught hold of the boy. The drunkard meanwhile took off his belt and started hitting me, I took 2-3 light blows on my hands. During the whole incident, I was unusually calm and quite, I was actually thinking rationally and was in my senses, did not loose temper.
I was never like that, I was very aggressive and that incident just brought to light the big change that had come in my life. I have been involved in many a brawls during my school and college days. I might have broken a few bones as well, but this was so different. Even today I am unable to attribute this change to one single thing. Was it age and maturity, was it education, was it the company I had been keeping over the last few years, was it just another change in my personality? Perhaps none of these, perhaps all of these!
It was a nice cold evening in B’lore and a couple of us friends got together that evening had a nice chat and came back to talk a little more near a local temple in BTM 2nd stage. A drunkard appeared to have lost sense after a grandiose dose of whatever seemed like his favourite drink. We engrossed ourselves in our discussions and suddenly the drunkard got a feeling that we were teasing/abusing him. He started abusing us in return and one of our friends gave it back to him and whisked him away. The drunkard swore he would be back and teach us a lesson, we really did not bother.
After a few minutes, the drunkard came back with another person – a 16-17 year old boy. The boy started hitting our friend who had argued with the drunkard after he was pointed at by the drunkard. We tried to stop him, but could not till one of the stronger guys in our group caught hold of the boy. The drunkard meanwhile took off his belt and started hitting me, I took 2-3 light blows on my hands. During the whole incident, I was unusually calm and quite, I was actually thinking rationally and was in my senses, did not loose temper.
I was never like that, I was very aggressive and that incident just brought to light the big change that had come in my life. I have been involved in many a brawls during my school and college days. I might have broken a few bones as well, but this was so different. Even today I am unable to attribute this change to one single thing. Was it age and maturity, was it education, was it the company I had been keeping over the last few years, was it just another change in my personality? Perhaps none of these, perhaps all of these!
Friday, March 18, 2005
Sachin Tendulkar - 10,000 & not out
Oye, 'Chin out ho gaya oye!!! shouted a brash, young Sardar. In frenzy 2 bengali's, 1 maharashtrian, 2 gujratis, 3 south indians rushed to check the tv screen in front of the hotel counter. I truly do not remember any other instance where a player can create this kind of frenzy. A lot has been written about Sachin Tendulkar's batting, his presence of mind on the cricket field and over all cricketing acumen, but this is one thing that probably cannot be written enough about and that is the unifying quality of his game that brings together people of different strata's in life.
If cricket is truly a religion in india, then Sachin Tecdulkar is probably its GOD!
If cricket is truly a religion in india, then Sachin Tecdulkar is probably its GOD!
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Cheats every where!!!!!
Am being too harsh I guess, but when we look around, every one around here is trying to fleece you for something or the other.The feeling of you being used, abused and sometimes taken for a ride comes very strongly. Whether you are fleeced by an auto rickshaw driver, a vegetable vendor, a real estate broker, a cable operator, a mobile phone agent, the list is endless. The common theme is every one is trying to make more money by working less. Each one wants to take advantage of your lack of choice in most cases, ignorance, lack of knowledge and some times a plain simple weakness and desperation.
I guess I too am part of that crowd, at times I am a victim, at times I am the one who is on the wrong side of things, like now. I am supposed to work, but I am busy writing these 6 lines for my blog. I guess every one is in the same boat, depends on which waters you prefer sailing
I guess I too am part of that crowd, at times I am a victim, at times I am the one who is on the wrong side of things, like now. I am supposed to work, but I am busy writing these 6 lines for my blog. I guess every one is in the same boat, depends on which waters you prefer sailing
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
All work and no play.....
Most of my friends and me work in excess of 12-14 hours per day. Though the work is not physically draining, it definitely is tiring. The amount of tiredness some of us experience is pretty high. Some of my friends cannot even come out of their homes once they get in after a day's work. I am no different, once I reach home after 9.00pm or so, its just a matter of priority that drives my venturing out and meeting people.
When I look back, I worked much harder, sometimes even longer hours in manufacturing, but the tiredness that the busy experiences today is of a different nature. It is not something that I used to feel when I would log in 12-14-16 hours on the shop floor and get home. Is it that we sit and laze around a lot now and the body is not subjected to any kind of physical activity through out the day? Is it the pollution, the food we eat? Is it the lack of exercise and a disciplined work ethic, posture etc.?
I don't know, may be a combination of all of these, but I know for sure, there needs to be a concerted effort to correct this. Else an entire generation of prematurely old and frail people is just about to get into a crisis that probably could have been averted.
Me thinks its possible to prevent a lot of these problems if we eat right, sleep right, sit right and work right (# of hours that is).
When I look back, I worked much harder, sometimes even longer hours in manufacturing, but the tiredness that the busy experiences today is of a different nature. It is not something that I used to feel when I would log in 12-14-16 hours on the shop floor and get home. Is it that we sit and laze around a lot now and the body is not subjected to any kind of physical activity through out the day? Is it the pollution, the food we eat? Is it the lack of exercise and a disciplined work ethic, posture etc.?
I don't know, may be a combination of all of these, but I know for sure, there needs to be a concerted effort to correct this. Else an entire generation of prematurely old and frail people is just about to get into a crisis that probably could have been averted.
Me thinks its possible to prevent a lot of these problems if we eat right, sleep right, sit right and work right (# of hours that is).
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Sania Mirza - The next big thing in Indian sports or what?
For all of us who are heaping praise after praise on an 18 year old who hasn't achieved 10% of what the likes of Krishnan's, Amritraj's, Paes, Bhupathi have done in the past is plain stupid.
Like always we get carried away with small flashes of brilliance and we don't even want to wait for the results to show up.
At best Sania Mirza deserves a column or two on the sports pages describing her journey from the first to the third round in the Australian open, but here we have pages dedicated to some one who has not won a single tournament of repute. I am fine with all this praise after Sania has won a grandslam or has even entered the last 4 (semi finals of a major tournament).
Till then i guess i will just try and keep away from the news papers and television channels that are going overboard to praise Sania Mirza!!!
Like always we get carried away with small flashes of brilliance and we don't even want to wait for the results to show up.
At best Sania Mirza deserves a column or two on the sports pages describing her journey from the first to the third round in the Australian open, but here we have pages dedicated to some one who has not won a single tournament of repute. I am fine with all this praise after Sania has won a grandslam or has even entered the last 4 (semi finals of a major tournament).
Till then i guess i will just try and keep away from the news papers and television channels that are going overboard to praise Sania Mirza!!!
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Infrastructure - our biggest hurdle today
The roads are narrow, there is hardly any space to maneuver more than a mid sized car with out causing a tiny traffic jam. In spite of obvious reasons to stop further development (industrial, residential both) in already cramped areas of the town, there is in fact a string of large complexes coming up in the same areas.
The administration should learn from the mistakes of cities like Mumbai, where excessive aggregation in certain areas (and of course regulations like the ULCA, Rent act) have rendered the place inhabitable. Places like Bangalore will be able to do a lot of these adjustment and remove the strain on the already stressed infrastructure. These are of course actions that can help prevent things in the future. The real problem at hand today is what can be done now to ease the already worsening situation. The answer is of course build better, wider roads and the mantra is to build it fast. There are flyover bridges being built for the last 2-3 years, nowhere in the world does one see such inefficiency and lethargy at work.
If B'lore wants to retain its place on the world map as the silicon valley of the east, it better compete with the likes of S'pore and Shanghai, rather than rot itself in its fading past glory.
The administration should learn from the mistakes of cities like Mumbai, where excessive aggregation in certain areas (and of course regulations like the ULCA, Rent act) have rendered the place inhabitable. Places like Bangalore will be able to do a lot of these adjustment and remove the strain on the already stressed infrastructure. These are of course actions that can help prevent things in the future. The real problem at hand today is what can be done now to ease the already worsening situation. The answer is of course build better, wider roads and the mantra is to build it fast. There are flyover bridges being built for the last 2-3 years, nowhere in the world does one see such inefficiency and lethargy at work.
If B'lore wants to retain its place on the world map as the silicon valley of the east, it better compete with the likes of S'pore and Shanghai, rather than rot itself in its fading past glory.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
PHL - Ek naya junoon
Have never seen it for live, the impact a great marketing exercise can have on the people.
PHL-Premier Hockey League is catchy, new rules are creating tension through out the game and it keeps the audiences riveted.
Kudos to the people behind this move. Now the only thing left is to see how and when the administrators restructure their mind sets and attitudes.
Last seen, 4 kids about 5-6 years old playing hockey in J P Nagar in B'lore :)) PHL ka naya Junoon, i am sure.
PHL-Premier Hockey League is catchy, new rules are creating tension through out the game and it keeps the audiences riveted.
Kudos to the people behind this move. Now the only thing left is to see how and when the administrators restructure their mind sets and attitudes.
Last seen, 4 kids about 5-6 years old playing hockey in J P Nagar in B'lore :)) PHL ka naya Junoon, i am sure.
Monday, August 23, 2004
Outsourcing – Is it such a big threat to America
For a long time America has been at the other end of the stick especially for countries like Brazil and India in trade. Some of the WTO/GATT regulations are anti developing nations that thrive on agriculture. Each country has a right to propose rules and regulations that would ensure some protection to its primary industry and see to it that its welfare is at the forefront of its policies. Countries like Brazil and India have been putting up a fight in a meaningful way against some of the WTO regulations that are pro developed countries. In spite of being smaller nations (far less developed too) these countries have not gone to the extent of banning Americans or American products in their respective countries. Why then does America today raise a hue and cry being at the other end of the stick when a couple of thousand jobs have left their shores and landed up in India?
The reasons are completely different than what is being made out to be true. In fact the number of jobs in the ITES (Information Technology Enables Services) sector in India are less than a million. We can safely assume that 60% of these would be for American companies. America was the front runner in promoting free trade and globalization amongst nations and today when it comes to losing a few thousand jobs it has become inward looking. America fails to recognize the fact that these jobs are being lost to meritorious and more efficient workers in India. And the only way to fight it would be to look at newer ways of improving productivity and making their operations effective. If at all there are job losses that really impact the Americans these are not really jobs in the ITES sector but jobs that are in the other sectors like manufacturing and domestic services sector. These jobs are being lost to China and Mexico and not to India. The faster policy makers understand this problem the better it is for the world as a whole and the CEO’s of these corporations in specific. Imagine Bill Gates being asked to keep away from India where Microsoft can get same or better skill sets for research and development at one third the cost.
India is not just purely cost effective but also provides a wide variety of talent that is readily available for deployment. America should look at its education system and see how many capable and industry deployable graduates it produces. The last part i.e. “industry deployable” is essential, you may be a great academic, but if you cannot work in a team, perform as a leader of men, then you may not be welcome outside the world of academics. The question to be asked is how focused are the universities to create this kind of environment where they reap a rich harvest of “industry deployable” graduates. The other factor that demonstrates that it is not just the cost that drives outsourcing is the fact that better folks are available to do the same job in India. Just look at the figures available on salary hikes in Indian IT sector. The salaries have gone up at least 20% year on year since the last 5 years i.e. the costs on salaries have doubled on a per employee basis. Indian companies are still getting business from their American customers in spite of passing on this cost back to the customer. Why would your customers come back to you if you just bill them higher with out giving additional value in the service that you provide. Customers have come back and a vast majority of them are giving repeat business to their existing vendors.
The perceived threat of outsourcing though is just temporary, because as has been demonstrated the vast middle class and upper middle class that has been created in India for example is in turn a big market for western products. This is going to stir up the economies in the west (read America). So a few thousand jobs lost now may be just a temporary phenomenon and a sign of better things to come in the near future. Also America should look at the hordes of illegal immigrants coming in to the country and working for them. A part of the problem could lie there.
The reasons are completely different than what is being made out to be true. In fact the number of jobs in the ITES (Information Technology Enables Services) sector in India are less than a million. We can safely assume that 60% of these would be for American companies. America was the front runner in promoting free trade and globalization amongst nations and today when it comes to losing a few thousand jobs it has become inward looking. America fails to recognize the fact that these jobs are being lost to meritorious and more efficient workers in India. And the only way to fight it would be to look at newer ways of improving productivity and making their operations effective. If at all there are job losses that really impact the Americans these are not really jobs in the ITES sector but jobs that are in the other sectors like manufacturing and domestic services sector. These jobs are being lost to China and Mexico and not to India. The faster policy makers understand this problem the better it is for the world as a whole and the CEO’s of these corporations in specific. Imagine Bill Gates being asked to keep away from India where Microsoft can get same or better skill sets for research and development at one third the cost.
India is not just purely cost effective but also provides a wide variety of talent that is readily available for deployment. America should look at its education system and see how many capable and industry deployable graduates it produces. The last part i.e. “industry deployable” is essential, you may be a great academic, but if you cannot work in a team, perform as a leader of men, then you may not be welcome outside the world of academics. The question to be asked is how focused are the universities to create this kind of environment where they reap a rich harvest of “industry deployable” graduates. The other factor that demonstrates that it is not just the cost that drives outsourcing is the fact that better folks are available to do the same job in India. Just look at the figures available on salary hikes in Indian IT sector. The salaries have gone up at least 20% year on year since the last 5 years i.e. the costs on salaries have doubled on a per employee basis. Indian companies are still getting business from their American customers in spite of passing on this cost back to the customer. Why would your customers come back to you if you just bill them higher with out giving additional value in the service that you provide. Customers have come back and a vast majority of them are giving repeat business to their existing vendors.
The perceived threat of outsourcing though is just temporary, because as has been demonstrated the vast middle class and upper middle class that has been created in India for example is in turn a big market for western products. This is going to stir up the economies in the west (read America). So a few thousand jobs lost now may be just a temporary phenomenon and a sign of better things to come in the near future. Also America should look at the hordes of illegal immigrants coming in to the country and working for them. A part of the problem could lie there.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Marriages are made in heaven!!!
I will be 30 years old in the next few years and am still single. A fact that I have absolutely no problems with, my parents and other family members have reconciled to. There are, though, a good number of people who find it really difficult to digest the fact that I am about to be 30 and still single.
I have been thinking on this for the last one year as to why marriage and getting married at a certain age is so important in our(Indian) society and culture. The larger question I was seeking an answer to was who sets this norm. There are no specific answers I got for these and many other questions that I had, from different sources that I tried my luck with. To me the right time to get married is when you are mentally ready for it, ready to accept someone in your life with whom you can share every single pain and joy alike. This to me involves a completely different level of maturity and it comes with experience and of course age. The time each individual takes to attain this maturity is different and hence the norm or age at which most people get married cannot be a static number. It has to be a range of certain number of years, if at all someone was hell bent on putting across an ideal time to get married. I am even against fixing any such ideal time, because it is against the very principle of freedom and an individuals rights. The society cannot use any of these theories in our culture to pressurize individuals in to taking important decisions of their lives. The more we pressurize individuals to take such decisions against their minds higher is the risk of those decisions being wrong and prone to failure. Just let people live in peace single or married, let them decide for themselves.
We often hear that marriages are made in heaven. If marriages are made in heaven I am sure there are a whole lot of other relations and friendships that are made in heaven. If god was so kind to find the right partner for you and me, he(she) would have also taken the next step and saved you the time and effort of actually searching for one. I have seen friends and relatives search for their brides/grooms when they got married and I never got a semblance of these marriages being made in heaven. If at all they were made some where, it was mother earth. The people who made them were people like you and me, just human and not gods.
If marriages are made in heaven then we are all gods and goddesses and we are living in heaven.
I have been thinking on this for the last one year as to why marriage and getting married at a certain age is so important in our(Indian) society and culture. The larger question I was seeking an answer to was who sets this norm. There are no specific answers I got for these and many other questions that I had, from different sources that I tried my luck with. To me the right time to get married is when you are mentally ready for it, ready to accept someone in your life with whom you can share every single pain and joy alike. This to me involves a completely different level of maturity and it comes with experience and of course age. The time each individual takes to attain this maturity is different and hence the norm or age at which most people get married cannot be a static number. It has to be a range of certain number of years, if at all someone was hell bent on putting across an ideal time to get married. I am even against fixing any such ideal time, because it is against the very principle of freedom and an individuals rights. The society cannot use any of these theories in our culture to pressurize individuals in to taking important decisions of their lives. The more we pressurize individuals to take such decisions against their minds higher is the risk of those decisions being wrong and prone to failure. Just let people live in peace single or married, let them decide for themselves.
We often hear that marriages are made in heaven. If marriages are made in heaven I am sure there are a whole lot of other relations and friendships that are made in heaven. If god was so kind to find the right partner for you and me, he(she) would have also taken the next step and saved you the time and effort of actually searching for one. I have seen friends and relatives search for their brides/grooms when they got married and I never got a semblance of these marriages being made in heaven. If at all they were made some where, it was mother earth. The people who made them were people like you and me, just human and not gods.
If marriages are made in heaven then we are all gods and goddesses and we are living in heaven.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Is the services sector killing the manufacturing industry?
For someone like me who spent considerable time in the manufacturing sector its just a matter of habit to refer to examples from the sector while explaining things to people in and around me. I used to be so thrilled about my job as a Manufacturing Engineer that some of my close friends have gone to the extent of calling me a "Mazdoor". I guess they were right because once on the shop floor I was actually one of the many workmen who would soil their clothes to learn about the new gear assembly or to take up the challenge of fixing a machine shaft in its rightful place.
Most of my resource management skills that I possess today have been acquired on these very shop floors. The experience of being asked to handle 200 workmen on the 31st day of your career, being threatened by a union leader with a knife, being part of the team of young engineers who had to actually run the shop floor when workers went on strike have all been instrumental in making me a strong and focused human being and an effective manager. I probably took less than 3 years to acquire most of these skills and the learning was both experiential as well as through some theoretical lessons. I can't think of any other industry that could provide such a diverse learning in such a short frame of time. Hence the manufacturing industry with its pros and cons is still an industry of choice for me when it comes to starting ones career. I have advised many young engineers and graduates to first grind their wheels on the shop floor and then move on in life and choose to do what ever they wish to take up.
The unfortunate thing is jobs in the "soft" services sector are available in abundance and are also far more rewarding in monetary terms as compared to the jobs in manufacturing. This has led a host of talented and hardworking youngsters away from the manufacturing industry. In a typical evolutionary cycle these bright young engineers go on to become CEO's and senior managers in the industry and shape up the future through innovations to improve productivity. Since most of these leaders now a days never make it to the queue to take up these jobs. There is a dearth of such people at the bottom of the industry and in the next few years the manufacturing sector is going to see a big void in the middle and lower level officer positions.
Would it lead to better pay structures, better facilities for the young engineer in manufacturing? Probably yes. But by then hopefully the services sector too would have calmed down from its current 30-40% growth levels to a more modest 10-15% growth and the salaries would not be too different.
Wouldn't it be a great time to be young and 22 years of age and make the choice then.
I know where I would go, how about you??
Most of my resource management skills that I possess today have been acquired on these very shop floors. The experience of being asked to handle 200 workmen on the 31st day of your career, being threatened by a union leader with a knife, being part of the team of young engineers who had to actually run the shop floor when workers went on strike have all been instrumental in making me a strong and focused human being and an effective manager. I probably took less than 3 years to acquire most of these skills and the learning was both experiential as well as through some theoretical lessons. I can't think of any other industry that could provide such a diverse learning in such a short frame of time. Hence the manufacturing industry with its pros and cons is still an industry of choice for me when it comes to starting ones career. I have advised many young engineers and graduates to first grind their wheels on the shop floor and then move on in life and choose to do what ever they wish to take up.
The unfortunate thing is jobs in the "soft" services sector are available in abundance and are also far more rewarding in monetary terms as compared to the jobs in manufacturing. This has led a host of talented and hardworking youngsters away from the manufacturing industry. In a typical evolutionary cycle these bright young engineers go on to become CEO's and senior managers in the industry and shape up the future through innovations to improve productivity. Since most of these leaders now a days never make it to the queue to take up these jobs. There is a dearth of such people at the bottom of the industry and in the next few years the manufacturing sector is going to see a big void in the middle and lower level officer positions.
Would it lead to better pay structures, better facilities for the young engineer in manufacturing? Probably yes. But by then hopefully the services sector too would have calmed down from its current 30-40% growth levels to a more modest 10-15% growth and the salaries would not be too different.
Wouldn't it be a great time to be young and 22 years of age and make the choice then.
I know where I would go, how about you??
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