If god was a banker

If God was a Banker, Ravi Subramanian
Rupa & Co. (pp260); Rs.195
Rating 6.5/10

Another one of those short books, which you can pick up at an airport and finish by the end of the flight. (especially when the flights are late and circle for atleast 20 minutes before landing at the airport)

In last few years their has been a crazy number of books written with an 'alma mater' hangover and this book is no different. The story is written on the backdrop of IIMs and the lives of its alumni.
I feel after the success of Five Point Someone, the alumni of IIT and IIM realised the hidden potential in selling their college name blended with masala stories. This helps in tapping a large chunk of audience who had heard about these 'premiere' institutes and had once aspired to study there. But the ones who have been there, realise how spiced up and extrapolated these stories actually are.

If God was a Banker is another such story which stays gripping throughout, but the perfect end is almost predictable. Its a tale of people with different background, different ambitions but tied with a common thread of the Banking Industry. It has an interesting take on the Corporate world, which has already been sold to Indian Audience in movies like Corporate and Life in a Metro. Sex, Betrayal, Board Room Tales are straight out of a hindi movie script. The Evil versus Good is also set in the manner in which Evil is glorified throughout the story but in the end, its the slow and steady Tortoise which wins the race.

I dont want to be too critical about the book because, even the author while writing this book, must not have aimed for any critical or literary acclaim. He wanted to write a story which can be easily adapted in a film script. Three Idiots, Hello and Slum Dog Millionaire would definitely give him hopes for such glory.

But truly, for someone not exposed to the corporate culture or the finer nunaces of the industry, this book works well like an induction course. The story is set in the nineties and the author makes a concious effort not to mix up the time travel. The book subtely but surely takes on the various foreign banks and the finance sector, which time and again have promised more than they can actually deliver. These books are never written with an aim of making the readers introspect but still if you try and think about the various incidents in the story, you would realise that the author tries to convey a message to the readers. He tries to highlight the importance of setting the expectations from your life right. Some people with unreasonable aims and desires end up taking decisions which might look good in the short term, but are surely not a good bet in the long run.

Ravi Subramanian’s language and recitation are smooth and simple; probably for purists the brief but brazen descriptions of the sexual escapades of the protagonist may sound a bit obscene. Nevertheless, Ravi Subramanian,a banker himself seems to have done a reasonable job in making the reader walk successfully though the world of money, power and deception. All in all, a must read for all air travelers looking for a nice masala story with real life references.

Verdict: Good one time read. Should be finished in one sitting. (Warning: Zero Literary Value)

Frugal Marketing Tips For Start Ups

Well I am neither a Startup nor a marketing expert, but with my experience in last few months I can surely write a bit about How one can use 'low cost' solutions to market his startup.The power of Web 2.0 has been much talked about and reported in the media. Well there is no better tool than Web 2.0 to market your venture. Some of the tools which help in catalysing the marketing initiatives of your startup are:
A Company Blog
Corporate Presentation on Slideshare
Corporate Video on Youtube
Linkedin Profile of your compnay
Presence of Co-Founders on Twitter
If its a software product, its Facebook page is also very important
Linkedin Profiles of Co Founders

All of the above social media tools come in very handy if leveraged properly. The company profile should also be submitted in the relevant Start Up Directories, such as Pluggd.in, Headstart Network etc.
Attending Start Up events helps in growing the network. The StartUp eco system in India is still in a very nascent stage, but is growing nevertheless. Events such as Startup Saturdays, Proto.in and Milagrow World SME Conference are a good networking ground which sooner or later does translate into business.
The key is to let more and more people know about the venture.
Last but not the least, getting featured in media is the sure shot way to get noticed. The question is, how does one get featured in Media? With more and more news channels and publications doing special features on Start Ups, its not a tough taks anymore. Get in touch with the concerned Journalists and News Channels and if they like your Idea/Venture, they would certainly feature you. An editorial has a much more impact than an advertisement.

Summary:
Frugal Marketing Tips for your StartUp
1. A Company Blog
2. Video and Presentations on websites such as Slide Share and Youttube
3. Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook Profiles.
4. Networking Events
5. Media Coverage

Success as a function of timing

Recently I had a very engrossing debate with a close friend of mine. As usual the discussions revolved around success and characteristics of people who succeed. This friend also being from the 'StartUp' community, like everyone else from this category of people is hoping for a breakthrough in near future.
We were trying to analyse what do these 'already successful', 'brokenthrough' guys do differently from not so successful but equally talented people. After discussing a huge list of people, famous, infamous, rich, poor, mean, generous, all kinds of people, we concluded that it was just the timing which made these people successful. They made moves at the right time. Not that it was planned or anything. It just happened at the right time. We also tried analysing the traits of a failure. In most cases, it was the bad timing of their moves, risks, and even their birth which deprived them from becoming a great. Here are some examples which would make my above statements clearer.
1. In American Football, it was noticed that most national footballers had their birthdays concentrated in certain months. On further analysis, it was found that the school selection camps was the root cause of this scenario. In all schools across America, the selections were held in Springs. The teams were classified according to age. So in all age categories, kids who had completed 10-11 months of that year were slightly stronger than the ones who had their birthdays just before the spring. So invariably just because of a few months, these kids lost out on a chance to be in the school team, even if some of them might have been better players than their stronger friends. Here the timing of their birth played an important part. Those students who were born just after spring had a better chance of making to the team as compared to those born just before the spring.
2. The timing of the career moves, even if these decisions were a part of the natural progress plays an important part in your successful career. Recently I met a guy in his late twenties, working for an international lifestyle brand. His business card said that he was the 'Director'. He was introduced to me by a common friend. I later asked my friend about his 'secret' to such giant strides in his career. He told me that 5 years back he had passes out of a Tier 2 B-School. He got placed in this company as an Asst Sales Manager. Couple of years later, this company brought this multinational lifestyle product under their own brand umbrella. He was made the in charge for that particular product directly reporting to the Brand Manager. This is when the Brand Manager quit his job and created a void in the organization structure. What made the matters worse was that the company had decided to launch this product in a fill fledged manner, that too independent of the Indian mother brand. It was decided that this guy will have to be given additional responsibilities of being the Brand Manager and Sales Manager of this brand. In 3 years time he was heading the Sales and Marketing of a leading international lifestyle brand. He had never expected this in his wildest dreams. These additional responsibilities ignited the entrepreneurial fire in him and he gave in more than 100%. The brand became a run away success. A couple of years later, he was made the director of the company for the hard work he put in.His hard work coupled with a few events with a perfect timing handed him a success, which he could only dream of.
3. Recently the Sri Lanka-New Zealand test series was concluded. As usual New Zealand Captain Dan Vettori played a lone hand in what was an absolute drubbing. On checking the statistics, one realises that, he was the highest wicket taker and run scorer for New Zealand in the series. On increasing the time period of this statistics, it shows that he has been the highest run scorer and wicket taker for New Zealand in last two years. In these two years, New Zealand has won only 7-8 matches, that too against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Consequentially Daniel Vettori always gets neglected by experts and even laymen, when listing down the current greats of the game. The timing of his playing years has gone wrong for him. Had he played in early 90s alongside a stronger side, his performances would have made a stronger impact. A 'could be' great in some other era and a mere mortal in the current one.

Favorable timing is not the only key to success bit definitely helps those people who are completely prepared at that particular moment. Its like a golden opportunity which eludes the speculative people but nitro boosts the 'raring to go' category of people.

Holding Traffic to Ransom

Recently, I have come across many news articles where the Traffic Police officials have been quoted, saying that they have stepped up the action against traffic violators. Its a good sign for any city indeed. The kind of chaotic traffic, which Delhi NCR has been witnessing for last few years, a strict action from Traffic Police was indeed necessary. But one has to see that at what cost are we achieving this normalcy in traffic.
I am afraid but in last couple of months, the role of traffic police officials has been nothing short of pathetic. After having received a free hand from their seniors, the on ground traffic police personnel have gone berserk in stopping any and every vehicle at their will. This piece of writing is not only based on my personal experiences but also of some of my friends and relatives, with whom I have had detailed discussions. Here are some incidents, which after reading, you would be able to pick out at least one incident which has happened to you in last couple of months.

1. It was the day when merely a couple of hours of rain had halted the traffic completely in Delhi NCR. The government's laxity was visible in the pools of water which had accumulated in most roads. A friend of mine was stuck in the traffic jam, and decided to call home to tell his mother that he would be late. This is when a traffic police guy jumped out of nowhere and informed him that he just broke a traffic rule. My friend was completely shocked. The car was at a complete standstill on the middle of the road. Even though technically he might have been at a fault, but logically it was far from being a traffic violation. Even though there was such heavy chaos on the road, the traffic guy was more interested in making my friend realise his mistake. Result: A argument without any conclusion. My friend was willing to pay the fine, but the traffic police guy didn't have the Challan Book.

2. It was a saturday night. I was coming back from Delhi to Gurgaon. I was in the queue at the toll bridge waiting for my turn. This is when I saw that there were police guys probably checking for drunk drivers. I felt relieved that I was sober. The police guy walked up to me and I pulled down the window. He asked me where was I coming from, where was I heading to. What is his business. Anyways. I answered the questions. He asked me how many beers had I consumed. I said none. He said it was difficult to believe that a guy on a saturday night is not drunk. What logic? I told him that I wasnt drunk and they can have my breath analyser test done. He agreed and asked me to accompany him to the Thana. This is when I lost my head. I refused to accompany him to thana and asked for the test to be taken there and then. These guys were searching for drunk drivers without the breath analysing kit. After a heated discussion, he let me go. For him it was an opportunity to make a quick buck. But sadly enough for him, I wasnt the kind of catch he was looking for.

3. A friend of mine was driving back from work. A police official waved and stopped him. He slowed down and stopped after a few meters. He was surprised as to why he was stopped. He got out of the car and walked back towards the Traffic Police guy. The traffic police guy told him that he wasnt wearing his seat belt. He felt damn irritated because now there was no way he could prove that he was wearing the seat belt. He tried convincing the traffic guy, that he was indeed wearing the belt. The traffic guy asked for all his papers, which he politely showed. Then he asked for his mobile phone. My friend was a little hesitant but handed over his phone to him. He started checking the recent calls list to check if my friend was on the phone when he was caught. There were no calls in the last few minutes. Finally after the traffic guy was over with all the 'routine' check ups, my friend was told that he was free to go. He didn't even find the traffic guy worth arguing with and left that place.

I would like to clarify that I am not trying to look down upon the good work the Traffic Guys are doing, but some traffic police personnel see it as an opportunity to earn an easy buck. There is no reason why these guys should not be equipped with the Breath Analyser or the Challan Book. They know that many people end up paying cash to them as an escape measure. Also, the practice of traffic policemen stopping cars without any valid reason has gone up drastically. I have been stopped atleast 4-5 times in last one month, for no rhyme or reason. Maybe because I have a Rajasthan registration number, or maybe because they were hallucinating. The senior traffic police officials need to realise that the good work of most of the good on ground officials is undone by a small number of inefficient traffic guys who are doing nothing but holding the traffic for ransom...

BJP Heading Towards Dark Ages?

This one is a quick one.
Jinnah left Indian shores on 14th August 1947, but his ghost still haunts Ashoka Road in New Delhi. Thats where the BJP National Head Quarter is located.
In 2005, Advani on his 'memorable' trip to Pakistan praised Jinnah for being a visionary and paid the price by losing his post of Party President. Jaswant Singh on his Academic pursuit ended up writing an entire book on Jinnah and in this process lost the membership of the party with which he was associated for almost 3 decades.
I wont go into the analysis of Jinnah's role in Partition, Jaswant Singh's view point and Congress's reaction to the book. I just wish to convey my feeling of shock and irritation to the expulsion of Jaswant Singh from BJP.
A Political Party which throws out senior people from its party just because he wrote a book on controversial issue, is surely looking down the dumps. It has lost its path and has forgotten its priorities.
If BJP has to reinvent itself, it has to rise above personal attacks, factionalism and has to look at youth. There is no way this ideology can help them in relating to 70% of population which is below the age of 35...
Continuing with yesterday's post... BJP listed down the following reasons for their defeat in Lok Sabha elections.. Neither does the list looks complete nor impactful. What measures are being taken??

Lack of unity among party leaders.: The whole world knows that
Failure to connect with youth.: Tried their best through social media
BJP failed to corner the Congress on 26/11. Instead the party let the Congress and the media divert the issue and bring in to Kandhar issue.: Terrorism cannot be politicised
Party's election slogans failed.: Bhay Ho song was so lame!
Varun Gandhi's hate speech also led to BJP debacle.: High Time they realise it. He is still a BJP MP and the only 'young' leader
Projection of Narendra Modi as the future prime minister damaged the party's prospects.: Is he not the next PM candidate anyways
Campaign should have been more meticulous, synchronised and effective.: A very general statement
Personal attack on Manmohan Singh did not go well with people.: This is because he counterattacked agressively
In Punjab the alliance partner’s attitude affected the performance of National Democratic Alliance.: Blaming others!! Your own sitting MPs like Vinod Khanna lost..
In Delhi the BJP lost the game even before it was played. : They can't win a seat in next 10 years..No leaders at all
In Haryana party failed to assess the popular mood.: wt#?
Break up of alliance in Orissa at the 11th hour left the party unawares.:What happened to the tall claims of going single?

Bagle's Cafe Gurgaon: Disappointing

For a place which opened last month with good reviews all over the print media, my trip to Bagel Cafe, Gurgaon was nothing short of a disaster.Before visiting the place, I did a quick google search and visited the website (www.bagelscafe.in). The website offers a refreshing mix of colours and further raises your expectations from the place.
As soon as you enter the cafe, you feel a bit cheated. The ambience of the cafe is more like a CCD or a Barista and does not offer anything better than a routine neighbourhood cafe. The ambiance and the interiors do not do any justice to colourful logo,menu cards and the websiteThe staff did greet us with a happy smile initially, but alas, that happy feeling on their faces also begins to fade away in some time.
We ordered Plain Cream Cheese Bagel, Cafe Lattes and Country Style Stew with Chicken and Sausages. When you order a Cheese Bagel, you don't expect the cheese layer to be as thick as the Bagel itself. Well, We did find our way out by removing half the layer of the cheese, but the stale 'cream cheese' didn't do any good to us. It was just not edible.When we made the staff aware of the stale cheese, they simply handed us a feedback form and asked us to leave our comments.
The Chicken and Sausage Meal in the Bowl was at best average and could have been better, had it not been so bland and full of Cream Cheese. It seemed that the staff knew that their Cream Cheese was getting stale and wanted to exhaust the entire thing on that evening itself.Coffee also does not need any special mention. A specialised cafe like this can work harder on the aroma of the coffee.
I am being a bit too critical about Bagel's Cafe only because of the good reviews it had received during the week of its opening. One tends to question the integrity of the Food Reviewers which the major publication houses employ. To make the matters worse, the pricing is also not something to write home about.
Details:
Name: Bagel's Cafe
Location: Shopping Mall, Arjun Marg, DLF 1
Phone: 0124-4284742
Website: www.bagelscafe.in
Cost for 2 people: Rs 500-600
Verdict: Disappointing

P.S. I am glad that some of the Gurgaon people whom I follow on Twitter have a similar opinion of the place

Wanted- A Win For Armymen

Recently I got a facebook friend request from a school friend of mine whom I havent spoken to in the longest time. I accepted the friend request and started browsing through his profile to find out what he was upto in last 6-7 years. I opened his photo album and was pleasantly surprised to see my friend in the army unifrom with an AK 47 in his hand.
It wasnt a one of pic, rather there was an entire album of pictures from his base camp in Kashmir. It took me a while to actually come to terms that one of my friends actually joined Army and is currently posted in Kashmir. A rank in army is such a glorified position, yet strangely not many of us ever pursue it with passion.
From a batch size of 300 in our school, 15 people got into IIT, 100 others got into various other engineering colleges, 15 became doctors, but only one dared to join the army.
In last one week, there has been a lot of talk about the Kargil War and the heroic deeds of our Jawans. We draw so much pride, when we talk about the Indian Army and its achievements, but somehow we fail to even think about being a part of it. I am sure, its just not the lack of courage, but also a few other factors, which has created this notion in the Urban Youth of India.
Inappropriate pay packages is one huge factor which keeps the youth away from joining the army, but the recent incidents of disrespect shown by politicians towards the Martyrs would have only accentuated the unwillingness to be a part of the great institution.
Wars are never won by governments. They are won by armies. By brave men who risk everything to watch the borders. The martyrs who leave behind a legacy and a legend to inspire a million others to follow their footsteps. But sadly, when political agenda takes over the general good of the country, a feeling of resentment is created.
Today on a news channel, during the decade celebrations of Kargil victory, the families of the shaheed jawans were invited in an open discussion. Each and every family member made a strong point that, they wouldn't let any of their future generations to join Indian army. This just goes to show how we have let down the families who gave away their sons for our well being.
Government needs to realise that the reforms are over pending and Rs 5000 pension and a gas agency or a petrol pump cannot be used to barter the lives of our soldiers.
The kind of contorversy which was created around Major Unnikrishnan's death during the 26/11 operation was shameful. Similarly, the deaf ears which government was offering for last one week to all the requests for a major celebration, just highlighted the effect of politics on even such sensitive issues in India. Thankfully, Prime Minister made his face saving appearance at Amar Jawan Jyoti today morning, his first such appearance on Vijay Diwas in five years of his office.

Each year, the government comes out with figures stating that the vacant seats in NDA is increasing each year. Well, its for the governement to introspect on why this is happening. The day the brave soldiers get the respect, the means and the social security which they deserve, India would have redeemed itself and it would continue to produce the Bravest Soldiers.

On the occascion of the 10th anniversary of the Kargil War, I salute all the brave soldiers who spend sleepless nights on the border ensuring a sound sleep for the citiizens of this country..

Jai Hind!

When You Say Nothing At All

It was an unusually long night for Rajat. He was getting up every fifteen minutes to check if he got any message or call from Preeti. It had been more than fifteen hours since he last heard from her. The fact that Rajat and Preeti always stayed so connected only added on to his worries.

Even as he was feeling worried and helpless, Rajat desperately wanted to make ammends for his actions the day before, eventhough it wasn't even his fault entirely. It was just a case of one misunderstanding giving birth to another, leading to a very complex situation.

As he closed his eyes, he visualised the happy times which he had spent with Preeti. With the image of Preeti with a beaming smile in his head, Rajat finally dozed off.

Rajat's sleep was broken by a rather violent ringing of the door bell. The manner in which the door bell was rung indicated something really urgent that too negatively . Rajat quickly got up in one motion and ran towards the door. He pulled open the door and saw that a young boy was standing outside, with a bat in his hand.

"Good Morning Bhaiyya, Can I take my ball from your balcony", the young boy asked.

Rajat was irritated and relieved at the same time. He let the boy in to look for his ball. This is when Rajat realised, that he had majorly overslept. He went to his room and checked his mobile phone. There was a missed call and a message from Preeti.

The message read "Call me when you see this"

Rajat's heart was beating a zillion times faster than the usual. He heard the main door getting shut in the background. The boy must have left with his ball, he thought.

He slowly tapped in Preeti's number, while keeping his fingers of the other hand crossed. The song "When You Say Nothing at All" started playing. This 'Notting Hill' number was Preeti's favorite song. Rajat's ears were craving to hear this caller tune of Preeti but all he could hear since yesterday afternoon was the switched off message. Why was Preeti taking so long to respond? His anxiety was increasing with each passing second. The song was cut short by a sweet voice,

"Hello", Preet said in a hurried manner.

"Preetiii ! Where have you been? Why are you panting?" Rajat enquired worriedly.

"Rajat, Chill! I am panting because I came running to take your call. I was in the other room."

"Ohk." Rajat tried to sound relaxed. "But, where are you?"

"I am home. I came to Meerut yesterday evening. I was pretty homesick I realised"

"Meerut! Ohh Okay.. Why was your phone off all day yesterday..I was so worried. You have no clue what I was going through"

"Rajat, I just needed some time off. Sometimes it really helps"

"So, how do you think it has helped you Preeti?"

"Well, I guess now I am ready to take the most important decision of my life"

"And that will be???" Rajat was getting a little impatient..

"For last two years, there hasn't even been a single day when we didn't talk or meet up. Yesterday was a crazy day. I was mad at myself for letting myself get affected by something as miniscule as that. I shouldn't have walked out of Barista, the way I did. I switched off my phone, because I didn't want to get into any further arguements. I think it really helped me. It made me realise how much I missed you. At night, after I reached Meerut, I decided that the first thing in the morning, I will call you up to tell you, how much I love you and that too much more than ever". Preeti broke into a tear as she said it..

Rajat smiled shyly and with a lump in the throat said "I love you too Preeti. When are you coming back?"..

Business Lessons at a Barber Shop

Today I attended to a monthly chore which almost all guys have to go through every month. Sitting at a barber's place waiting for your turn can be a real torturous experience, but today it turned out be quite an revelation for me. I could never imagine that even a small neighbourhood barber runs his business using the same principles which any business would need to succeed.

I have always felt that barbers, tailors, cooks and craftsmen have a very monotonous work life, and they mechanically carry on their job without any scope of improvisation. We crib all the time about having no life at all without sparing a thought for people who follow a fixed algorithmic life day after day. Obviously the barber at this shop must have been experiencing the frustration of doing the same thing day after day. But unlike most of us, instead of cribbing, this one had found ways to keep his job interesting.

He knew his clients well. He welcomed everyone with a beaming smile. He talked to them, asked them about their work, and their well being. As, the guy infront of me in the hair cut queue took his seat, the barber said "Shall I try something new and better on your hair? I am bored of giving you a same hairstyle month after month?" The guy just nodded his head in affirmation and the barber had an interesting task at his hands. He made a few shadow moves close to his head trying to picturise what he wants to do to his hair. Then very carefully started trimming his hair. During the haircut, he asked his clients, the one on the chair and the ones waiting in queue for tea or smoke.

He had a sharp memory and remembered exactly where he had left the conversation a month back with each of his client. This personalised conversation definitely helps in the ego boost of people who love to hear about how awesome their new mobile phone is and how some xyz haircut would make them look like a filmstar. So, with the help of immaculate haircutting and talking skills, twenty minutes later, he had his client happily staring at his pretty neat looking hairdo in the mirror.

The client in a happy yet complaining tone said that the hair this time were left a bit longer, but they did look good. The barber, smiled and just nodded his head in acknowledgement. The guy got up, paid the barber for the haircut and gave a pretty fat tip indeed. It was now my turn for the haircut. He smiled at me and asked me to take the seat and started the same cycle again...

I was pretty impressed with the business and customer service skills of the Barber. With a new haircut, he ensured that he has something new to look forward to while cutting the hair. He knew that, if his client likes his new look, he would get an extra tip and moreover, he left the hair a bit longer, which would reduce his monthly haircut cycle to 3 weeks.

I never knew that a routine visit to a barber would help me revise my Business Lessons in such an effective manner...


Essentials for a Successful Business:

• Innovate
• Know your Customer well
• Retain old clients
• Constantly Scout for new ones

The World Ain't All Sunshine And Rainbows

How often does it happen to you that you try really hard to put together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzel and just when you are about to fit in the last piece, a hard wind blows away all the pieces. Now you are left with the task of finding the pieces and resetting them all over again.

Well I feel that this has become the order of the day for most of us. India being in the phase that it is, the competition is only bound to increase. Its not the same old sleepy country which it was in the 70's, neither does it yet offer a comfortable life which a USA or a UK does. We are living in interesting times, which gets very testing for most of us. Getting frustrated and knocked off is an easy option..but to show resistance and strive for success is what it takes to become a champion. Here I would like to quote from the Movie Rocky Balboa, some really inspirational lines.

The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody!

I hope this quick post would help most of us in relieving the pressure of one more stressful week ending tommorow.

Cheers and Happy Weekend in advance!

I40- The new format for cricket

When it comes to cricket I fall in the category of the Purists. I was amongst the people who frowned at the idea of reducing cricket to a 20 over a side game. Even though, I did enjoy the Indian victory in the inaugral T20 WC and the success of the IPL, I always thought of it as an advertisement of cricket. Nothing more than that. For me the sight of a red cherry being rubbed against the shining whites is real cricket.

Even as the ICC announced its plans of introducing Day Night Test matches,there is no denying the fact that Test Match has lost much of its sheen in recent past. The reason is just not the success of the shorter versions, but also the deteriorating qualities of test squads across the world. It definitely is a sorry fact, but we have to accept it. And its not ony the Test Cricket which is fighting for survival, ODIs are also facing a similar future..and why not. T20 cricket has it all, that too in a much smaller package.

This morning, I came across an editorial in HT, about how Test cricket is a thing of past. Being a hardcore fan of Test Cricket, I almost overlooked the article, but on a second thought decided to understand what these authors have against Test Cricket. Well, I must confess that the article did make me think. I sat down for an hour trying to think what is it about the Test Cricket that fascinates me? What is so intriguing about the T20s which is making it so popular. Here are some of the thought notes:

Test Cricket: Double Innings, Deficit/Lead, Bouncers
T20: Fast paced, Pacing the innings, Importance of slow bowlers

Clearly for a cricket buff like me, a product which offers us all of above would be really great. Hence, I feel that a new version of cricket should be introduced to replace all the three existing forms of cricket. In this version, each team should bat out two innings each of 20 overs duration.
All the four innings should be played on the same day.
This will help in combining the attributes of all three forms of cricket, giving rise to a highly entertaining and rich format of cricket. Some of the rules can be:

1. Both teams get a chance to bat twice, with twenty overs in each innings.
2. The follow on margin can be reduced to 40 runs.
3. The bowlers should be allowed two bouncers in the over.
4. It can be played in either day format (with white clothing) or day night format depending upon the venue.

We can call this version as I40 (International 40) format. I feel this format will surely take the world cricket by storm...what say guys??

A disaster waiting to happen

Like everything else in this world, even the nature follows strict business. It keeps a count of every bit of laxity which it lets us enjoy. Just that it deals in scores and not in bits and pieces. Which is why whenever there is a catastrophe or an epidemic, it accounts for a whole lot of people.

You may continue to defy the laws of nature, but the day it comes back with a vengeance, freak accidents such as Air France flight 447 take place or a Swine Flu breaks out.
What role does the so called development or the modernization play in such Natural Disasters. Not that there weren't any epidemics or sinking Titanics in the old times, but somehow whatever negative happens now seems like an attempt of the mother nature to get back to the humans who have been exploiting it left right and center.
I have faced severe criticism from my friends for being so cynical about all human activities which now somehow to me looks like a deliberate attempt to exploit the ecosystem.

Very recently, I visited a colony in South Delhi, where I used to live more than a decade back. The geography of the entire area has changed completely. I still distinctly remember that the colony was dotted with trees and there used to be a lot of open spaces and greenery. Now, sadly, there were hardly any trees and any open spaces. Most house owners had gone on to make a couple of extra stories and accessorised each of them with a couple of Air Conditioners. The local market has developed into a major shopping hub. But obviously with the total area of the market remaining the same, the extra load on the resources is clearly visible. Locals tell me, that there is an insane traffic jam every evening and the power cuts is a usual phenomena now. Well, god forbid, but this area is like a disaster waiting to happen. If ever there is an earthquake, or a fire, the entire area would be gutted down within seconds, thanks to the concrete jungle which has shaped up there..
It is one of the many examples which illustrates how unplanned growth is a direct defiance of the laws of the nature.

I dont claim to be amongst those who are not a part of this exploitation. No one can do anything about the vicious circle which we have entered. This year being the hottest ever, the ACs are running full throttle as long as the power is there. Because the ACs are working overtime, there is severe power shortage and when the power cuts are there, the generators come to life to keep their masters comfortable. ACs and generators only add up to the heat and hence we need more air conditioning.
It is a cycle which we all automatically became a part of. Some people who feel guilty about the situation, end up writing such a post, but honestly, nothing can be done about it.

I cant help but quote a cliche from Gandhi ji

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”

Its very true and will continue to hold true for a long long time. Just that the greed would keep getting transformed into the necessities..Just like ACs and generators now are..

Empowering your Future...

The architects of modern India envisioned India to be a progressive society. A society which will progress not only by blessings of the almighty,but also by building on each and every achievements in its stride.
India chose to take the Non alignment path, but its inclination to the erstwhile USSR was more than visible. Not only did India take assistance from USSR in building the might of its armed forces, but also took inspiration from their socialist school of thoughts.
For a country recovering from over two hundred years of imperialism, going gung-ho on industrialization would have been as suicidal as self immolation. A lot of thought, time and money was put into designing the social structure of our country which was waking upto the harsh relalities of sovreignity.
To create equality in the society, tools such as reservation, subsidies, protectionism and liscenses were used. All of them did make an impact but only limited.
All the leaders and social scientists knew what the real impact area would be, but the limitations to implement it successfully has been the biggest challenge. 'Right to Education' bill (Article 21A) which is one of the most debated bills of the recent times was rejected by the Parliament citing the extraordinary costs involved in it.
I feel this is where the efforts of all the visionaries of the modern India were undone. If you cannot guarantee education to the children of your nation, then you future is doomed. Once everybody is provided compulsary education, noone would ever need quotas and more quotas & only 'merit' would be the order of the day...

Life comes a full circle...

This is one of those rare misty eyed posts of mine and I request the readers to pardon the charge of emotions. Well, this post clearly touches those aspects which I havent explored yet and is difficult for me to pen down my thoughts without being rhetorical.
These are not just my random thoughts and infact have been on top of my mind ever since I watched the movie Raincoat on TV. I dont wish to write a movie review, but would definitely mention some sequences which have made a huge impact. Its amazing how simple and obvious stories when put together make a very complex picture. This is what is depicted in this movie. Why is it that people who are in love, suddenly realise the importance of the social standing of their lover and make an impulsive decision which generally is deemed correct on social moral grounds but unethical and evil from love point of view.
Well, this now brings us to another important question, how can a person judge his/her partner's level of success. My last post talked about how relative the term success is, but when it comes to judging the success of our future partners, we take up a very cynical point of view. In the movie Aishwarya Rai's character Neeru ditches her lover because he wasnt able to prove his economical standing even after repetitive deadlines. But knowing the tendency of life to come a full circle, things go really wrong for Neeru and her supposedly rich husband. They end up in a pigeon hole in Kolkata. The surprise visit of her ex lover upsets her otherwise monotonous life where she had subsided to her fate. How awkward is it to meet your ex lover, especially when there is a huge financial disparity. How can one hold his/her own ground, ensuring not to expose their weakness. This is such a typical depiction of a human nature, where a human can never admit his mistake, especially in front of a person who was at receiving end. Why is it so difficult to accept the reality and face the consequences of his act of haste in the past. For a man, to walk upto his more successfully friend does take a lot of courage, for not all successful men are as hospitable as Krishna and not all men are as vulnerable as Sudama.
The last part of the movie reminds us of 'The Gift of the Magi' by O Henry. The story which we all read in our primary school,the story which taught us to love our loved ones more than our most loved possessions. The story which taught us to give away our pocket watches and to chop off our locks if need be. This is one feeling which we Indians swear by. The feeling which one experiences from 'giving'. Especially, for the loved ones. I feel it is important for everyone to have experienced a gambit of emotions. This comes from facing a defeat, from a broken relationship, from friendships which exist beyond financial disparities and time, from getting success when the chances are really bleak and to see someone go away when least expected. Once a person has overcome and faced even half of these situations, he would be a different person and his/her life would have changed for good...
Here are a few lines from a song from the movie. The song has been excellently sung by Shubha Mudgal, who is one of the finest singers in India.

सुबह सुबह का ख्याल आज
वापस गोकुल चल मथुरा राज
मथुरा नगरपति काहे तुम गोकुल जाओ
मनोहर वेश छोड़ नन्द राज
सर से उतारके सुन्दर ताज
राज दंड छोड़ भूमि पर वाज
फिर काहे बांसुरी बजाओ
मथुरा नगरपति काहे तुम गोकुल जाओ

These lines talk about days when, Krishna would leave his kingdom in Mathura and would go back to Gokul to meet her old lover Radha. They didn't get married, but they did share a special relationship which was well beyond the institution of marriage....

The measure of success...

Well, I would like to start this blog by acknowledging the influence of Sri Harivansh Rai Bachchan on me and my mindset in a last few days. Its been over 7 months, since I quit my job to start out something of my own. Its been a tough but a very enriching journey so far. The most important learning has been the very definition of success. I now realise how relative the term success is.
Every person has his/her sense of success and satisfaction. The question here is, when can a person start calling himself successful. When can he start taking pride in what he is doing. Many people actually like to go along with the flow and go wherever their life takes them.
I would illustrate the above points with the reference of some people whom I closely noticed over the last few months. I will call these three people Mr. A, Ms. B and Mr.C.

Mr. A passed out from IIT Delhi in 2004. He worked with a software firm for 3 years before he realised that his calling in life was something else. He ventured out in search of his ambition and started a business in the field of marketing. In a few months time, he started doing pretty well and earned almost twice as much as he was earning in the IT firm. Since then he has been very happy with the manner in his life has shaped up. He feels that the best thing about his life is the fact that he is the sole decision maker in his life and is not governed by orders. He works from 9 to 5 and parties hard on weekends. He would soon get married to a girl with whom he has been for almost 4 years. Most of his colleagues in the IT firm now have a salary which easily matches his income and also enjoy other perquisites.

Ms. B studied in a Regional Engineering College in Bangalore. Like all other alumni of her college, she got placed in TCS. She is extremely happy with the work culture in TCS and also the fact that it may give her an opportunity to go abroad keeps her enthusiasm going. She has been dating a guy from her college since the final year of her college and they are working together at TCS. They both think that their combined salary is enough for both of them to lead a happy married life. They want to stay loyal to TCS for a couple of years before taking the nuptial path.

Mr. C is a graduate from IIT Bombay from the class of 2006. He worked with Microsoft for a few months, and realised that he is good enough to have his own company. He got together with a few of his friends, and they started out in the domain of Software Service Exports. Due to their genius, they got hold of the biggest clients and grew bigger each day. They started working on their proprietary products and also received funding from PE firms. Recently they got featured in the Young Turks programme on CNBC aswell. The ongoing recession has hit their business, but after a quick analysis and correction of their projection numbers they are looking to break even by the end of this quarter. This means, next quarter onwards, their venture would have a positive cashflow. For them the sky is the limit and they are aiming for something higher than that.

Now if we analyse the above three people, they all think that they are successful. While A might think that B isnt successful enough and C might think in a similar fashion of both A and B. This is where a person needs to draw a line between happiness, laidbackness and frenzy. A is a successful entrepreneur, but his level of success does not match C on any scale. While B is working for a software firm, but along with her partner, she would be able to match the level of A's earnings. Many of A's friends feel that he could have worked a little harder to promote his company and he could have almost doubled his income. But A feels that giving 40 odd hours a week to his business is enough. Similarly, people feel that B should be a little more ambitious and should think of an MBA before actually settling in. But her priorities are different. C in last couple of years has lost touch with a lot of his friends, but thats the cost which he has had to pay for the success. But the bottom line is that they all are happy and successful.

Using the same logic to gauge my level of success, I feel I have a long long way to go. Infact, I have seen a couple of major failures in last few months, but I am sure they have been huge lessons for me. And now, I have started setting smaller goals for myself, which is the right way to go about doing things. Pressurising yourself is very easy, but taking a leaf out each failure is what makes these attempts count. In the end, it is the grit and the determination which matters. Recently someone posted the poem of Sri HR Bachchan on YouthPad. Before I end, I would like to quote a few lines from that poem.

नन्हीं चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढ़ती दीवारों पर, सौ बार फिसलती है।
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना न अखरता है।
आख़िर उसकी मेहनत बेकार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती।

I sometimes feel that, the success of Amitabh Bachchan can actually be attributed to his father sitting at home, writing these magical lines...

What holds us together

This one took a long time to come but not without a reason, reasons I may say. Firstly I took a one week off and went out on a vacation and then the following week I was coming in terms with the Delhi heat and my overcrowded desk. Now that I have finally overcome all hurdles, I will share my experiences from my one week trip to the Darjeeling or Gorkhaland as some people might want to call it.
Last few weeks have been pretty hectic for a regular Indian bloke who likes his share of prime time TV. With IPL and elections on his platter, he had more than one reasons to be happy. I wont get into the analysis of elections or the IPL.We have had enough posts on YouthPad and other websites on both of them. I am going to discuss a micro issue here. I have stayed in the North East India for four years. I always got a feeling that the people in North East India feel a little alienated and neglected by the Government of India. In my recent trip to Darjeeling, this belief was strengthened.
Darjeeling is a very pretty destination and I could not have possibly had a better respite from the Delhi heat. But in recent times it has been in news for all the wrong reasons. There has been a demand for a separate Gorkhaland from a certain section of the local population in Darjeeling. Their demand is not unreasonable. It is very convenient for us to sit in Delhi and comment on a situation in Darjeeling or Sri Lanka, but until and unless we can understand the complexity of the matter, we can never do justice to it. BJP says that it is committed to make smaller states in India, and in past have actually gone ahead in making Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttrakhand. In the recently concluded elections they made their support to the Telangana and Gorkhaland public. In an unprecedented move, Jaswant Singh contested from Darjeeling winning by an astounding margin. While I was In Darjeeling, I noticed posters of Jaswant Singh, GJM and BJP everywhere. Nowhere could you see posters of any other political party or leader. It speaks volumes of the pride and the fear which the Gorkhaland issue instills in the locals. Also, what catches immediate attention of the tourists is the 'Gorkhaland' banner put up outside all hotels and shops in Darjeeling. The shops and hotels are not allowed to operate without showing their open support to the Gorkhaland issue.After the victory of Jaswant Singh (and loss of BJP) the whole of Darjeeling was celebrating, not realising that the Gorkhaland issue would again take a backseat as the Congress has never showed any urgency to tackle this issue. The people of Darjeeling are desparate for a separate identity and their demand by no means is unreasonable. Darjeeling does not fit into West Bengal as a state and it is often neglected by the state government in their development plans.
Now comes the big question. What does it mean to be an Indian. How important is it for a citizen of India to have a feeling of belongingness to their state and India on a similar level. During the recent LTTE crisis, the people of North India were quick to play down the pro LTTE sentiments which were aroused in the people of Tamil Nadu. If we sit down and introspect, language plays a big role in binding people together. This is one big reason why Darjeeling, where a majority of people speak Nepali is a misfit in Bengal. The biggest challenge which India always faces is to maintain its sovreignty. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel had done an incredible job in bringing together the states of India under one flag. Time and again there have been incidents which have threatened the sovreignty of India. But there is some binding factor which holds the country together. But if we spare a thought for the people who reside along the border areas, for them having positive or a negative feeling for either of the countries is very difficult. What was the feeling which actually brought down the wall of Berlin. Why did the people of two countries want to become one. If we think of these things in the Indian context, we could well have the following questions:
- For a person staying in Kashmir, Assam or Tamil Nadu for that matter, what feeling is more important, being an Indian or being a Kashmiri, Assamese or Tamil.
- What is it that holds India together?
- In an IPL or an Indian Idol competition, why does regional and linguistic affiliation overcome the nationalistic feeling, or is it that these individual feelings actually bring together the people of India.
- Can we actually list down atleast three reasons which makes us a proud Indians.
We had a very interesting discussion around the last question on YouthPad and it turned out to be quite a revelation for me because as many as seven 20 something Indians had a completely different approach towards nationalism. One cannot be judgemental about these thoughts but surely gives a lot of food for thought.
Coming back to the Gorkhaland issue, there might be cries of a separate state or even a nation, but it is the Gorkha Regiment which is often considered to be the bravest men in our army. I feel, Indian army is one of the reasons why India is tightly held together and if we look around, we would find a million other reasons. India has survived for 62 years and would survive for centuries to come, growing from strength to strength.

Jai Hind!

The farce called development

As I write this, I can hear the various generators operating around my house here in Gurgaon. There has been no electricity here in last 12 hours and there are no chances of any reprieve either.
We talk about development in our country. Especially during the elections, most political parties want to attract attention of the middle class and upper middle class by warping about the development work which they have carried out or plan to carry out. For all other sections of society they have their tactics of regionalism, secularism and socialism. Gurgaon is soon turning into a financial hub of Northern India. A majority of its inhabitants are from the urban middle class. Gurgaon can boast of the maximum number of malls, sprawling office space and the soon to be launched Metros.
But the basic civic amenities are in the worst possible state here. There is no electricity for hours at a stretch. The roads are worse than those in villages. Every evening, the traffic jam is probably the worst of its kind and the law and order situation has plunged to a lowest possible level with murders and robberies taking place on almost daily basis.
I recently finished reading The White Tiger, in which Gurgaon was described as the closest possible replica of America in India. I hope that the author was only talking about costs of real estate and nothing else.
With elections in Gurgaon around the corner, I made an effort to look into the profiles of the incumbent MP and also the closest competitor. The present MP seems to have done nothing about the pathetic condition of the infrastructure in Gurgaon. Even though I am not too sure about the credentials of the his closest competitor, Dr. Sudha Yadav of BJP, but a quick google search tells me that the last time she was an MP, she made the best possible use of the MP fund for her constituency. These facts for sure can be misleading, but I will stick to the simple logic of not voting for the current MP because he seems to have done nothing for the 'millennium city' in last five years. Atleast it doesnt show. I guess this is what anti incumbency factor is all about.
I wonder, if cities like Gurgaon, which gets so much media attention is in such a bad state, with its local leaders doing nothing for it, what would be the conditions of the small villages and towns. Where is the Rs 2 crore per year MP fund going? Every year Rs 1150 crores is allocated to Lok Sabha MPs for development work in their constituencies...We need to know the where this money is going...RTI anyone??

Book Review: The White Tiger By Aravind Adiga

White Tiger is another attempt by an Indian author to sell to the western world the tragedies of India. The narrative of the story is the highlight of this book which promises much but falls flat towards the end.
The story highlights the rural life of India and a life of a villager in a city. The sarcasm with which the author puts forward his views is commendable. The names such as the 'Darkness' , the 'Great Socialist' etc are well thought off and contributes much to the narrative of the story.
The story keeps you engrossed on most occasions but once you finish the book, you feel a little cheated because whatever has been mentioned in the book is what you see in everyday life. It might be of much interest to foreigners to read about the harsh realities of India, but like the Slumdog Millionaire, the author doesnot rise above the call centres, corruption and crime to describe our country.
All in all the author does succeed in weaving together an interesting story, but I dont quite support his style of writing, where one is guaranteed success in the western countries by exposing the underbelly of India.
Verdict: Recommended but not appreciated.

Not just the Cola War

For last 15 odd years, ever since the pepsi made an entry and coke made a comeback in India, the two companies have been involved in fierce price wars. Every summers they would bring down the price to as low as 3.50 paise and give out free gifts to woo the customers. They have roped in the best cricketers and the biggest bollywood stars in their camps.

They saw cricket as the biggest marketing opportunity in this cricket crazy nation. In 1996, Coca Cola became the official sponsor of the world cup, but pepsi very cleverly stole the lime light with its "Nothing official about it" campaign. Many stars and cricketers joined the camps, changed loyalties, but in the end made a lot of money thanks to the cola wars.

These summers a new trend is emerging. Pepsi and Coca Cola are spending a huge amount of money in promoting their subsidiary brands. This is something which they haven't done in the past, and may be they now realise the importance of having a bigger product portfolio. In India, where cold drinks are still referred to by their colours, promoting these drinks makes all the more sense.

The cola wars seem to have given way to the flavoured drinks wars. To ensure a successful summer business, these companies are leaving no stones turned. They have roped in the top bollywood personalities to promote these soft drinks. Katrina Kaif can be seen promoting Slice in the their Aamasutra campaign, where as the leading ladies from South India, Genelia and Asin are promoting the Orange flavoured Fanta and Mirinda respectively. The competition of the lemon flavoured drinks have gone one step ahead into the IPL, where Kolkata Knight Riders can be seen promoting Sprite while defending champions Rajasthan Royals are in the 7UP camp.

Well this just goes to show how important it is for even the largest companies to have a broad brand portfolio. It not only helps in increasing the volume but also helps in connecting with a larger audience with different tastes. Innovation is also as important as having a large number of proven products. This is where I feel the Pepsi camp has scored these summers with the introduction of 7UP Nimbooz. It is an amazing drink and contextual to Indian Market. It sure will go a long way in establishing the Pepsi brand amongst not so young Indians too..

Well the summers have just started, and a many more marketing gimmicks would come out of both the camps, but one thing is clear, that the Cola Wars is soon turning into a war of fruit drinks...

The politics of 'Independent'

I came across the news of the head of an MNC bank giving up her job and contesting the Lok Sabha elections as an independent from a constituency in Mumbai. Before her a famous dancer cum social activist and the man who pioneered low cost airlines in India had already jumped into the elections fray as independents.

So what exactly is the phenomena of Independent Candidature. Is it possible to have a completely non partisan view. Why are these high profile candidates not willing to take any sides..

In past leaders such as Maneka Gandhi have contested elections as independent, but later she went on to align with the BJP. Also rebel polticians often contest elections as 'independent', only because they have wider options after the elections. For instance ex congress man Buta Singh after winning as an Independent became a part of NDA. This time too, many senior leaders such as George Fernandes are contesting as 'Independent' candidates.

From what I understand, Independent politicians want to stay non aligned, but it is virtually impossible because they often have a backing of some political parties or the other. For example, Ram Jethmalani was backed by Congress in 2004 elections where he competed unsuccesfully against AB Vajpayee..What also is an area of concern is that no matter how accomplished one is, in his or her field, one needs a backing of a party and mentoring of senior politicians to make an impact in politics..

The independent candidates in this year's election might be very accomplished professionals..but their political skills and their political mindset cannot be gauged because they choose to stay non aligned. I dont see Mallika Sarabhai defeating LK Advani from Gandhinagar, neither can Ms. Sanyal make a mark in Mumbai.

I have never understood the need of Independent Candidates at all and I guess a majority of the nation has never been able to understand that. May be this is the reason why only 5 out of 2385 independent candidates were able to win in 2004.

NCR Bloggers Meet: A Pleasant Experience

My day started really late today..Infact the only reason I got up at all was the Blogger Meet which was scheduled at 3.00 PM in Gurgaon.
This was supposed to be my first meeting and I for sure was a little circumspect about being a noveau blogger amongst some really seasoned bloggers.
The meet began with introduction and there was a good mix of professional bloggers, novice bloggers and non bloggers. Soon we had a nice networking session where all bloggers commented on each others blogs by writing on a placard hung around everyone's neck. :-) It was an amazing experience. What was most satisfying was that I met a bunch of people who recognised me by the name of my blog.My identity in the virtual world is beginning to get established slowly but surely..

The event was organised by Indibloggers in association with Microsoft..We also got a sneak peak at the IE 8 and its features..it was looking good from a distance..but with the track record of MS products in recent past, one does not want to hold great expectations..
Then came the interactive session with the Twilight Fairy..She touched upon the copyright issues and the cyber laws which are so often neglected by most Internet users..
The bloggers meet is an amazing concept and a very good networking platform for the bloggers and members of the web 2.0 community..All in all it turned out to be a pretty productive Saturday evening...

Looking forward to many more such meets!!

Need of a 'Tendulkar' in politics..

I write this as I watch the Little Master score some glorious boundaries in the final test match of this series. When I got up today, a thought occurred to me that this is probably Sachin's final test match in that part of the world. I belong to a generation of cricket watchers who would switch of the TV when Sachin gets out and probably not watch the match if he isn't playing. I have closely followed all the Indian tours down under in last 15 years or so. Nothing matches the excitement of getting up early to watch a cricket match, but sadly, it just might be the second last time that I have done that. Last time will be the second innings of this test match when the master comes to bat one last time on the New Zealand soil. Watching him play today was as much of a pleasure as it was ten years back. The fluency which he brought to the crease was just amazing. The drives, the cheeky upper cut and the trademark flicks, they were all there.

It is strange how one good innings from Sachin brightens up my day and I am sure there are millions of other Indians who feel the same way. Sachin has been India's source of inspiration for years now. India hasn't produced many individuals who could inspire the entire country altogether. But surely Sachin is one of them. At one point of time Amitabh Bachchan had a similar stature in India. Sadly, after Mahatma Gandhi, no politician could gain that stature in India. And now the situation has worsened. Due to lack of any mass leaders in the country, no political parties are able to instill confidence in the minds of the voters, which would only lead to a divided mandate. From what the opinion polls suggest, no coalition would get a majority this time. This is a sad situation for a country which is desperately searching for a leader who could inspire the masses. India desperately needs a Sachin Tendulkar in politics..

YouthPad.com

Right to be fearless..

Ankit Nagori

The constitution of India entitles us to six fundamental rights..

Right to equality
Right to freedom
Right against exploitation
Right to freedom of religion
Cultural and educational rights
Right to constitutional remedies

On paper, these rights protect us from any sort of exploitation, any sort of oppression and it gives us a freedom in our actions. But one thing which has been missing in our country for a long time is the freedom to be fearless..There is no clause under constitution which guards us against fear. This is because, one cannot define fear. Fear is such an abstract word which holds different meanings under different situations..
In recent past, each and every human being is under some constant fear. Whether it is the fear of getting hit in a terrorist attack, or the fear of being beaten up by MNS in Mahrashtra or by Shri Ram Sene in Karnataka.
I have written earlier about the growing intolerance in India and how its resulting in human rage. This is an unhealthy sign for our great nation and under no circumstances should a human be scared of other human beings. Fear of a natural calamity or a catastrophe is one thing, but being scared of human actions is not something which one would want to deal with.
One way to deal with such situations is to have a powerful government at the center and in the states. The appeasement policies of the governments should end. This will happen when the governments dont have to rely upon their regional allies to stay in power. This coming elections, we should all resolve to use our power of vote to install a powerful government at the center. This will certainly help us overcome the FEAR.

Jai Hind!

Think Differently and Act Positively

Ankit Nagori

India is on a verge of a change. At least we hope that the there is some. I am not talking just about the elections. Its just a small part of the bigger scheme of things. If we look back at last 3-4 years, India surely has made some steady progress in various fields. But as we progress, we have to gear up for newer and bigger challenges.
Economic downturn, Terrorism and Global Warming etc are some problems which all countries in the world are facing and being an active member in the international fraternity, India has to contribute in its own way to deal with all these problems.Definitely internal issues, like poverty, illiteracy and discrimination are also very serious and all governments, state and central, are trying their bit to counter these. Surely, a lot more needs to be done and all our political leaders, young or old, regional and national have these issues right on the top of the list.The challenges which I am talking about are a little abstract and there might not be any concrete solutions to them.
A few years back, India was tagged a third world country. Our people never dreamt of competing with the USA's and the UK's of the world. Slowly things changed, more and more Indians started getting recognised on global platforms. India was identified as the IT destination of the world. India did better in all fields. And suddenly now we are in a state where we have started comparing ourselves to the USA or to China for that matter.This is a situation which can actually lead a lot of complexity. Not on political terms but in the minds of the youth of the country. We all want to be the best in the world. We want to beat USA in the GDP count and China in the terms of being the leading international destination of the world.Even as we have achieved a lot in last few years, we have to realise our limitations. Practically we may not be able to overtake USA economy in 100 years to come. We may never be able to beat China in the prices. And this is where we need a reality check.
Should we be really competing against nations. We might not be. But in case some of us are, then we should be ready to take the failures in our stride positively. Sometimes over estimating our potential leads to cases where people are not able to take failures positively and this only leads to a situation where we start fearing competition and start feeling that we are up against invincible. This is one challenge that our nation faces. We don't want our youth to start believing that we cannot overtake USA or China.America and China are both very different from us. These countries ride high on innovation. Innovation is the key to all successes. And this should also be the mantra of the lives of our youth as well. If we have to move ahead, we ought to have out of the box thinking. We should start thinking differently and in this process start acting positively. We will face failures, but that should not deter us from our path. Success only comes from a positive frame of mind, out of the box thinking and persistence.
And if we try to tackle the problems of our nation through this mindset, we may actually succeed in eradicating poverty, illiteracy and terrorism quicker than most of the countries. And then no one would stop us from being the best in the world!

Jai Hind!

Where is the Unbiased Media??

- Ankit Nagori

A couple of days back, I was watching an election TV debate on a prominent English news channel. There were representatives from all major political parties, and besides them, there were a couple of political experts and of course the anchor from the news channel. I generally enjoy such discussions because, they are pointed discussions and they bring out the best side of all the politicians involved. But that day, I didn't enjoy the debate. I was annoyed to watch it. For once, my belief on the phrase 'Unbiased Media' was shaken. There were many reasons to it. Lets look at them one by one:

1. There were 6-7 people participating in the debate. Out of which only one politician belonged to a separate school of thought. Rest six belonged to a 'secular' mindset. Why is it that no other politician from a similar school of thought was invited for the debate. It has become a trend to pit one politician from the so called "non secular" party against a combined force of 6-7 secular politicians. It hardly was a balanced debate. And the leader rightly lost his cool over this issue.

2. The political experts who were present there were extremely cynical in their views. But that too against a particular alliance. Its very difficult for a political analyst to have an unbiased opinion, but then why not invite 2-3 experts who represent diverse school of thoughts.

3. The role of the anchor is to moderate the discussion and bring order to the debate. Here, the anchor was playing his own part to sideline the leader who was already against 7-8 people alone. The anchor was clearly not being unbiased in his comments and closing statements.

These few points made me analyse the media space in the last few days. The Varun Gandhi issue has been grabbing so much media space. Why? Even if he is wrong, let it be. Let the law take its own course. Why is the incident being blown out of proportion. These thoughts made me more cynical towards my analysis and I realised that during last elections, news channel would go to villages, show a malnutrition child and ask us if this is 'India Shining'. I am sure the situation in those villages is still the same. But this time they are not going there and asking if this is "Bharat Nirmaan". News channels, especially the English Media is playing a very unhealthy role in these elections and its outlook is extremely biased against a particular alliance. This is a sad thing for a country which soon will be polling to choose their next Prime Minister. People should at least have access to unbiased and true reports and information so that they can take best possible decisions.

We all have a bias towards a particular party, but we media persons, cannot reflect our biased views in our reports. This is why, the need of a citizen journalism model is more than ever. In this article, I am not trying to take any sides, but I am just trying to express my disappointment at the irresponsibility which English News channels are showing.


Jai Hind!