This link seem to validate my earlier blog on " Real Estate and sone Economics" http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/19/stories/2008101952430500.htm
Regards
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Think Big, Act Small
Life is simple. People try to make things complex. I work for a company that has a mission goal that states “ Think Big Act Small”. This looks like a pretty decent ideology in a corporate environment. What does this statement actually mean? – The answer is intellectual exuberance is that which makes a person feel great. In short, live according to your means.
This is the age of globalization- commodities, big and small, are available in plenty. It is quite natural for a normal sane person to crave for fancy products. It is also natural for these people to use credit to purchase this product. It is also perfectly normal for these guys to flaunt these products in public. But what they do not realize is that stretching has its limits. It is very difficult for us to stretch beyond certain limits.
Take for instance, the credit crisis that has shaken the world. The bubble that was purportedly the creation of Wall Street power houses has burst and the ripple effect has been felt in every nook and corner of the globe. Why blame the big shots like AIG , Lehman Brothers and the like. A major portion of the blame has to be shared by the general public too. If you are earning a modest income of $ 50,000 and has a couple of mortgages to be paid and have kids going to school- why even dare buying a C class Merc.. Does that make sense? Any sense? Should that person even think of buying a million dollar home and have all the accessories in his/her house?
India is no different and Keralaites are unsurprisingly similar to an average American in this respect. Keralaites like to flaunt their wealth, even the very little they have. Consumerist tendencies have bolstered their egos and greed. But remember, you are not fooling the public- just yourself. The best thing in life is to enjoy the peace and calm that comes with it. There is always a satisfaction in able to sleep peacefully at night. There is always a joy at knowing that you have strived hard and truthfully to earn a decent living for my dependents. Even if you do not have a I-phone, there is a feeling that you are able to save enough pennies for your future.
The next meltdown is going to happen in India. This is not a prediction, but an economic necessity- a market correction. Kerala is going to get affected badly. I hope that at least then we learn from our mistakes and live a life that does justice to our conscience. We should all realize that material wealth has its peak while intellectual capital has sky as its limit.
This is the age of globalization- commodities, big and small, are available in plenty. It is quite natural for a normal sane person to crave for fancy products. It is also natural for these people to use credit to purchase this product. It is also perfectly normal for these guys to flaunt these products in public. But what they do not realize is that stretching has its limits. It is very difficult for us to stretch beyond certain limits.
Take for instance, the credit crisis that has shaken the world. The bubble that was purportedly the creation of Wall Street power houses has burst and the ripple effect has been felt in every nook and corner of the globe. Why blame the big shots like AIG , Lehman Brothers and the like. A major portion of the blame has to be shared by the general public too. If you are earning a modest income of $ 50,000 and has a couple of mortgages to be paid and have kids going to school- why even dare buying a C class Merc.. Does that make sense? Any sense? Should that person even think of buying a million dollar home and have all the accessories in his/her house?
India is no different and Keralaites are unsurprisingly similar to an average American in this respect. Keralaites like to flaunt their wealth, even the very little they have. Consumerist tendencies have bolstered their egos and greed. But remember, you are not fooling the public- just yourself. The best thing in life is to enjoy the peace and calm that comes with it. There is always a satisfaction in able to sleep peacefully at night. There is always a joy at knowing that you have strived hard and truthfully to earn a decent living for my dependents. Even if you do not have a I-phone, there is a feeling that you are able to save enough pennies for your future.
The next meltdown is going to happen in India. This is not a prediction, but an economic necessity- a market correction. Kerala is going to get affected badly. I hope that at least then we learn from our mistakes and live a life that does justice to our conscience. We should all realize that material wealth has its peak while intellectual capital has sky as its limit.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Olympics and beyond- India's locus standi
At last the Olympics season has ended and it is now time for some soul searching. The Beijing Olympics had indeed been a fascinating show with the might of Chinese superiority on full display. Though India might still be years away before it can organize an event on a scale like this, we have some reasons to feel proud of. Yes-- One gold and two bronzes ( all individual medals) from a country that got its last individual medal decades ago and moreover the first INDIVIDUAL GOLD medal. While we should truly revel at this feat, we should not condone the bigger goals ahead nor the scale of work we have to do before we become a sports power. Let us look at the key issues that we have and how this could be rectified.
From time immemorial, sports was an important aspect of cultural superiority and male prowess. Historians attribute the ancient Olympics to have been initiated as early as 776 B.C founded by Heracles ( son of Zeus of Rome) ( source " "Olympic Games." Britannica.com, http://history1900s.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/2/0%2C5716%2C115022%2B1%2B108519%2C00.html ) ). The modern version of the games started in 1896 at Athens, Greece. The Games have touched the hearts and minds of people across the continents of the rich and poor, of the capitalists and socialists, of the blue collared and white collared but not as much in the vast, populous nations of South Asia. India with a population of 1 billion + people are forced to the level of mute spectators when a small island country like Jamaica which is difficult to be spotted on the world map is walking away with 11 medals among them 3 gold souvenirs. What a pity? What a sad state to a country that has arguably the world's best talent and a vast pool to choose from.
Cricket has never been a traditional Indian sport. However, since the Prudential World Cup victory in 1983, India has made giant strides in this sport. The traditional, classical, older version of the game is a time stealer, though it could be a time killer for many. A 5-day game, often with no results may not be able to keep up with the hurry- burry lifestyles of the Gen X and Y and even the highly popular one-dayers steal your entire day. Let us admit it. Cricket, as a sport, has its limitations mostly due to the vast amount of time it consumes. I have played this game quite a lot during my child hood days ( though I should admit that I was not a good player). To state bluntly, this is not a truly 11 member game like soccer as only a few players are actively involved during any particular session. For eg: during any game, only the bowler, batsman, the wicket keeper and maybe the close in fielders have something to do while the others are left making merry or sometimes even dosing off. Some years back, there was even a report of a famous Indian cricketer who was standing idle near the bounday line for quite some time chatting with some girls from the galleries. This could perhaps happen only in this particular sport. Let us face it.. Though cricket is an immensely popular sport and is like a religion in India, it does not have a reach beyond the comity of the erstwhile Common wealth nations. Of these, soccer had long replaced cricket as the major sport of U.K years ago and I read recently that even in Australia, the popularity of cricket is slowly but steadily slipping. That leaves us with only 3 nations who are active cricket playing nations- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. That leaves us with one question. Is winning a cricket " world cup" something we should concentrate on when only 7 nations are playing the game seriously. Should we focus all our energies on this single mission? ( and sad to say, we have even won the cricket world cup only once in 1983 and that too as an underdog).
The answer is a hell - No. Forget the media that has immensely popularised the game, forget the business power houses who have reaped in bonanza after bonanza even to budding cricketers and tapped them for their commercials. We should only remember the fact that we are ranked 50 th out of a total of 190 odd nations that took part in the Olympics. The three medals were won by athletes who were least expected to win . There is no excuse for India's laxity. We recently did celebrate our 61st birthday as a free independent nation. All the lame thoughts on India's late independence holds no water. We are ourselves to blame for this predicament. We should not blindly follow the U.S system for the development of sports. But let us atleast take a cue from it. All the Universities here - with no exception-have strong athletic/soccer teams and they regularly play against each other. The matches are intense, highly competitive and above all supremely rewarding. The winners becomes champions and true national heroes. There is always an impetus for concentrating on sports even if that means sacrificing on academics. The top talents get enough points to merit admission in even highly ranked Universities in this country. The local media glorifies just not one support nor one player. Even the University level matches are given due coverage and respect by the print and the electronic media and people actually flock to see their local heroes. Moreover, sports is an integral part of one academic Curriculum vitae.
Sachin Romesh Tendulkar is a true hero. But he is not the only hero of India. There are thousands of them, in the streets of Ludhiana, in the slums of Dharavi, in the nomadic settlements of the Thar, maybe even the far flung Indian city of Kanyakumari. What is absent is the will to tap these talent at a young age, nurture them, support them, make them believe in themselves and enthuse them to play for the country. We have to reassure them that even after they have spent their life time for the sport, they can live credibly and have a good life. What we need is a system that is impartial, shunned of regionalism and with the right people at the helm. What we also want are policies that can convince parents to believe in their children, to make them feel that engineering and medicine career streams are not the end of the world.
Some years ago, people could argue that we are a poor nation and that we do not have the luxury to do all this. Believe it or not, India is a rising tiger. Our country has corporate power houses that can tame even the North American juggernauts and believe me -these guys have the big money that the state is lacking. The government should build a public-pvt partnership ( 20/80 ratio) that would help channel the required funds into the system. Let us all work together to bring India out of this rut. Do not stop at one Abhinav Bhindra- Let us create scores of Bhindras all over India. We will have our true heroes and the corporate bosses will have their poster boys too.
From time immemorial, sports was an important aspect of cultural superiority and male prowess. Historians attribute the ancient Olympics to have been initiated as early as 776 B.C founded by Heracles ( son of Zeus of Rome) ( source " "Olympic Games." Britannica.com, http://history1900s.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/2/0%2C5716%2C115022%2B1%2B108519%2C00.html ) ). The modern version of the games started in 1896 at Athens, Greece. The Games have touched the hearts and minds of people across the continents of the rich and poor, of the capitalists and socialists, of the blue collared and white collared but not as much in the vast, populous nations of South Asia. India with a population of 1 billion + people are forced to the level of mute spectators when a small island country like Jamaica which is difficult to be spotted on the world map is walking away with 11 medals among them 3 gold souvenirs. What a pity? What a sad state to a country that has arguably the world's best talent and a vast pool to choose from.
Cricket has never been a traditional Indian sport. However, since the Prudential World Cup victory in 1983, India has made giant strides in this sport. The traditional, classical, older version of the game is a time stealer, though it could be a time killer for many. A 5-day game, often with no results may not be able to keep up with the hurry- burry lifestyles of the Gen X and Y and even the highly popular one-dayers steal your entire day. Let us admit it. Cricket, as a sport, has its limitations mostly due to the vast amount of time it consumes. I have played this game quite a lot during my child hood days ( though I should admit that I was not a good player). To state bluntly, this is not a truly 11 member game like soccer as only a few players are actively involved during any particular session. For eg: during any game, only the bowler, batsman, the wicket keeper and maybe the close in fielders have something to do while the others are left making merry or sometimes even dosing off. Some years back, there was even a report of a famous Indian cricketer who was standing idle near the bounday line for quite some time chatting with some girls from the galleries. This could perhaps happen only in this particular sport. Let us face it.. Though cricket is an immensely popular sport and is like a religion in India, it does not have a reach beyond the comity of the erstwhile Common wealth nations. Of these, soccer had long replaced cricket as the major sport of U.K years ago and I read recently that even in Australia, the popularity of cricket is slowly but steadily slipping. That leaves us with only 3 nations who are active cricket playing nations- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. That leaves us with one question. Is winning a cricket " world cup" something we should concentrate on when only 7 nations are playing the game seriously. Should we focus all our energies on this single mission? ( and sad to say, we have even won the cricket world cup only once in 1983 and that too as an underdog).
The answer is a hell - No. Forget the media that has immensely popularised the game, forget the business power houses who have reaped in bonanza after bonanza even to budding cricketers and tapped them for their commercials. We should only remember the fact that we are ranked 50 th out of a total of 190 odd nations that took part in the Olympics. The three medals were won by athletes who were least expected to win . There is no excuse for India's laxity. We recently did celebrate our 61st birthday as a free independent nation. All the lame thoughts on India's late independence holds no water. We are ourselves to blame for this predicament. We should not blindly follow the U.S system for the development of sports. But let us atleast take a cue from it. All the Universities here - with no exception-have strong athletic/soccer teams and they regularly play against each other. The matches are intense, highly competitive and above all supremely rewarding. The winners becomes champions and true national heroes. There is always an impetus for concentrating on sports even if that means sacrificing on academics. The top talents get enough points to merit admission in even highly ranked Universities in this country. The local media glorifies just not one support nor one player. Even the University level matches are given due coverage and respect by the print and the electronic media and people actually flock to see their local heroes. Moreover, sports is an integral part of one academic Curriculum vitae.
Sachin Romesh Tendulkar is a true hero. But he is not the only hero of India. There are thousands of them, in the streets of Ludhiana, in the slums of Dharavi, in the nomadic settlements of the Thar, maybe even the far flung Indian city of Kanyakumari. What is absent is the will to tap these talent at a young age, nurture them, support them, make them believe in themselves and enthuse them to play for the country. We have to reassure them that even after they have spent their life time for the sport, they can live credibly and have a good life. What we need is a system that is impartial, shunned of regionalism and with the right people at the helm. What we also want are policies that can convince parents to believe in their children, to make them feel that engineering and medicine career streams are not the end of the world.
Some years ago, people could argue that we are a poor nation and that we do not have the luxury to do all this. Believe it or not, India is a rising tiger. Our country has corporate power houses that can tame even the North American juggernauts and believe me -these guys have the big money that the state is lacking. The government should build a public-pvt partnership ( 20/80 ratio) that would help channel the required funds into the system. Let us all work together to bring India out of this rut. Do not stop at one Abhinav Bhindra- Let us create scores of Bhindras all over India. We will have our true heroes and the corporate bosses will have their poster boys too.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Kerala and the seventh standard ideology
I was born in the secular, sovereign ,republic of India. I had my education from a Catholic School where they never taught from religious texts. In fact, in my class, the vast majority of students were Hindus. We were taught the ideals of free speech, free religion and free ideas and most of us still posses these. We have never changed our worshipping habits nor have we enticed some one to change theirs. We have always believed in our Constitution. Then, why is that, when the developed nations are taking giant strides in the 21st century we are falling prey to issues that do not merit the kind ofmedia coverage they are getting.
The Kerala Seventh standard text book issue and the fall out of all the agitation- the tragic death of an innocent school teacher- is nothing but a shame on our psyche and our conscience. When there are so many developmental issues we could possibly focus on, why are we wasting our precious time on issues that are bound to put our clock centuries behind. Religion is a matter of personal choice- The Indian Constitution says that and we Indians tend to follow that. ( though in some cases, there are compulsions too). There are two types of people, those are religious and those are atheists. There are some atheists who believe that they can prove everything by science and they tend to mock worshippers. These people tend to occupy a higher moral and knowledge pedestal and criticize all religious activities. Some of them are hypocrites, whereby they secretly want their wives to go to temples and do pujas or prayers in their names and pose as atheists in the open. Now the second category of people are the hard core religious people who cannot tolerate dissent. They oppose anything and everything that supposedly pose threat to their believes.
I have personally not read the controversial contents of the seventh standard text book. But I am sure that lakhs of students /people would have already read this by now- just out of sheer curioisity. So now what does the opponents of the text book think now? Is Kerala going to be an agnostic state? If you analyze the annals of history, one would realize that the minds of students cannot be shaped by a certain chapter in some text book. It would definitely give a seed of thought to those young minds, but that is fair enough considering the fact that we are a secular nation. It would take some serious centuries old effort to change the beliefs, myths, customs and religious practices of a deeply spiritual country like India. So the critics of the CPI(M) needn't worry too much. There are management owned schools and colleges in Kerala that propagate , profess and quite enthusiastically encourage even students from other faiths to practice and convert to a different faith- that followed by the management. There are forced conversions all over India, often by enticement . Why is the UDF silent on these issues? Why can't they proactively take action against people who openly flout the soul of the consitution.
Only when the political parties move out of vote bank politics and focus on development oriented politics can we expect better days. The media has also not done justice to the nation by focussing on some trivial issues that generate unnecessary contribution. Let there be athiests and worshippers, let there be rightists and leftists, let people argue and counter argue- but please do not ever, ever take the life of an innocent parent of two childern in the name of petty politics. My heart goes out to Mr. James Augustine, headmaster of the Vallilapuzha primary school and his sorrowing family.
The Kerala Seventh standard text book issue and the fall out of all the agitation- the tragic death of an innocent school teacher- is nothing but a shame on our psyche and our conscience. When there are so many developmental issues we could possibly focus on, why are we wasting our precious time on issues that are bound to put our clock centuries behind. Religion is a matter of personal choice- The Indian Constitution says that and we Indians tend to follow that. ( though in some cases, there are compulsions too). There are two types of people, those are religious and those are atheists. There are some atheists who believe that they can prove everything by science and they tend to mock worshippers. These people tend to occupy a higher moral and knowledge pedestal and criticize all religious activities. Some of them are hypocrites, whereby they secretly want their wives to go to temples and do pujas or prayers in their names and pose as atheists in the open. Now the second category of people are the hard core religious people who cannot tolerate dissent. They oppose anything and everything that supposedly pose threat to their believes.
I have personally not read the controversial contents of the seventh standard text book. But I am sure that lakhs of students /people would have already read this by now- just out of sheer curioisity. So now what does the opponents of the text book think now? Is Kerala going to be an agnostic state? If you analyze the annals of history, one would realize that the minds of students cannot be shaped by a certain chapter in some text book. It would definitely give a seed of thought to those young minds, but that is fair enough considering the fact that we are a secular nation. It would take some serious centuries old effort to change the beliefs, myths, customs and religious practices of a deeply spiritual country like India. So the critics of the CPI(M) needn't worry too much. There are management owned schools and colleges in Kerala that propagate , profess and quite enthusiastically encourage even students from other faiths to practice and convert to a different faith- that followed by the management. There are forced conversions all over India, often by enticement . Why is the UDF silent on these issues? Why can't they proactively take action against people who openly flout the soul of the consitution.
Only when the political parties move out of vote bank politics and focus on development oriented politics can we expect better days. The media has also not done justice to the nation by focussing on some trivial issues that generate unnecessary contribution. Let there be athiests and worshippers, let there be rightists and leftists, let people argue and counter argue- but please do not ever, ever take the life of an innocent parent of two childern in the name of petty politics. My heart goes out to Mr. James Augustine, headmaster of the Vallilapuzha primary school and his sorrowing family.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
The price of the deal
Welcome to the Indian General Elections-2009. This whole political drama taking place at the Centre is nothing but a curtain raiser to this mega show. Two parties who were at loggerheads for the last decade or so and whose leaders were invloved in verbal spats of no mean proportions have quite unsurprisingly come together. After all politics is the art of the impossible- yup, making impossible things possible. Six months ago, Congress and the SP could not see eye to eye and the SP was vehemently fighting against the deal both in and out of the Parliament. Let us see how things may shape up as a prelude to the mega political show of 2009.
As I had mentioned in my previous blog, the 2009 General election finale may well belong to the NDA and I had also mentioned that a week in politics is more than a life time. At this stage, one thing is absolutely clear. The NDA has been resurrected, albiet by default. Now the whole game is about forging the tactical alliances to bring it back to power. It is highly unlikely that the NDA by itself will come back to power. But it could get a comfortable majority by strategically allying itself with the respective Regional parties in the so called " swing states".
The BJP has 130 members in the current Lok Sabha. Considering that to be the worst performance of the party in this decade, we can comfortably say that the BJP might well land itself with about 170-180 seats in the next Lok Sabha. This time around, the party will put up a good showing in Karnataka, thanks to the Yeduriyappa government and the populist policies they would unravel in preparatins for the general elections. Given the fact that the Yeduriyappa government is in its honey moon period, the BJP will definitely put up a good showing there. The party might even better its performance in Gujarat thanks to the Moditva factor. If the Bomaby Muncipal Corporation polls are any indication, the party along with the Shiv Sena might put up a good showing in Maharshtra. This could transalate into a 40 to 50 increase in the number of seats for the party. This is a great baseline to start with. BJP might increase its seats in a few other states too thanks to the rising inflation and fuel prices. Perhaps a tinge of anti incumbency might play its part in some Congress ruled states too. However, the biggest area of concern for the party is UP. It will be quite difficult for the party to work its way around Mayawati Raj. The core constituency of Brahmin/Thakur ( upper caste) vote has already been wooed by the shrewd Mayawati. The Yadav vote , courtesy of Kalyan Singh might also be split evenly across the BSP, SP and BJP. This means that the only way BJP can rake in good numbers in UP is through tacitly allying with BSP. A tacit alignment is well a possibility given the fact that the new Congress -SP alliance has created a kind of bipolar situation in the State. But again, all this depends on the calculation of Mayawati. After the recent spectacular showing of the BSP in the Assembly elections, she might well believe that the BSP has a fair chance of garnering 50+ seats ( out of a total of 85) in the forthcoming general elections. For its part, the BJP might be savoring an alliance with Maya's BSP.
Another swing state for the BJP is Andhra Pradesh. In his inimitable style, the TDP supremo, Chandrabhabhu Naidu is playing his cards close to his chest. Given the fact that the Congress is his main opponent in the State, it is natural for TDP to align with the BJP. But Mr. Naidu is also weary of a rising BJP in the state. By now, the possibility of a third front-( in the lines of UNPA) is a virtual impossibility. The clever politician who he is, Naidu, might well be looking again at an understanding with the BJP. This might well be a good alliance as the TDP alone cannot upstage the popularity of the YSR government in Andhra. The Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy government is not facing anti incumbency at the moment- this is a fact. But the TDP-BJP alliance can definitely give the Congress led government a run for its money.
The next swing state for the NDA is Tamil Nadu. Technically Amma's party AIADMK is not part of the NDA. But however unreliable it might be, AIADMK is gravitating itself towards the NDA. This is potentially a significant threat to Karunanidhi and Co. The current Karunanidhi-Maran family fued is likely to impact the DMK greatly. Though the Marans do not have significant political clout, they control the media empire in TN. The advantage that the Marans' owned Sun TV and Dinakaran daily could contribute to Jayalalitha is enormous. Yes- with this alliance ( plus Vaiko's MDMK), the AIADMK/MDMK/BJP alliance will reap rich rewards in the state.
The last state that I would call a swing state is Bihar. Nitish Kumar's JD( U) appears to be strong in Bihar thanks to the hugely popular CM himself. Nitish Kumar is consistently finding himself in the top 5 CM list, thanks to efficiency and the clean image that he possess. Along with that, George Fernandes' Samata party might also finding its foothold again. In the highly caste ridden Bihar politics, the USP for the BJP/JD(U)/Samata is Mr. Nitish Kumar. Lalu's RJD seems to have no chance of staging a come back this time around too.
Indian politics is becoming increasingly bi-polar- With a solid Congress led UPA and a BJP led NDA. The smaller parties have no option but to gravitate to either of these two core magnets. I have a feeling that this might well be the last time when the Left held a significant clout during government formation. Given the fact that the BJP itself might land with about 180 seats and also given the fact that these swing states are going the NDA way, it wouldn't be too difficult for the NDA to cross the magical figure of 270!!! ( Guess who might be smiling).
As I had mentioned in my previous blog, the 2009 General election finale may well belong to the NDA and I had also mentioned that a week in politics is more than a life time. At this stage, one thing is absolutely clear. The NDA has been resurrected, albiet by default. Now the whole game is about forging the tactical alliances to bring it back to power. It is highly unlikely that the NDA by itself will come back to power. But it could get a comfortable majority by strategically allying itself with the respective Regional parties in the so called " swing states".
The BJP has 130 members in the current Lok Sabha. Considering that to be the worst performance of the party in this decade, we can comfortably say that the BJP might well land itself with about 170-180 seats in the next Lok Sabha. This time around, the party will put up a good showing in Karnataka, thanks to the Yeduriyappa government and the populist policies they would unravel in preparatins for the general elections. Given the fact that the Yeduriyappa government is in its honey moon period, the BJP will definitely put up a good showing there. The party might even better its performance in Gujarat thanks to the Moditva factor. If the Bomaby Muncipal Corporation polls are any indication, the party along with the Shiv Sena might put up a good showing in Maharshtra. This could transalate into a 40 to 50 increase in the number of seats for the party. This is a great baseline to start with. BJP might increase its seats in a few other states too thanks to the rising inflation and fuel prices. Perhaps a tinge of anti incumbency might play its part in some Congress ruled states too. However, the biggest area of concern for the party is UP. It will be quite difficult for the party to work its way around Mayawati Raj. The core constituency of Brahmin/Thakur ( upper caste) vote has already been wooed by the shrewd Mayawati. The Yadav vote , courtesy of Kalyan Singh might also be split evenly across the BSP, SP and BJP. This means that the only way BJP can rake in good numbers in UP is through tacitly allying with BSP. A tacit alignment is well a possibility given the fact that the new Congress -SP alliance has created a kind of bipolar situation in the State. But again, all this depends on the calculation of Mayawati. After the recent spectacular showing of the BSP in the Assembly elections, she might well believe that the BSP has a fair chance of garnering 50+ seats ( out of a total of 85) in the forthcoming general elections. For its part, the BJP might be savoring an alliance with Maya's BSP.
Another swing state for the BJP is Andhra Pradesh. In his inimitable style, the TDP supremo, Chandrabhabhu Naidu is playing his cards close to his chest. Given the fact that the Congress is his main opponent in the State, it is natural for TDP to align with the BJP. But Mr. Naidu is also weary of a rising BJP in the state. By now, the possibility of a third front-( in the lines of UNPA) is a virtual impossibility. The clever politician who he is, Naidu, might well be looking again at an understanding with the BJP. This might well be a good alliance as the TDP alone cannot upstage the popularity of the YSR government in Andhra. The Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy government is not facing anti incumbency at the moment- this is a fact. But the TDP-BJP alliance can definitely give the Congress led government a run for its money.
The next swing state for the NDA is Tamil Nadu. Technically Amma's party AIADMK is not part of the NDA. But however unreliable it might be, AIADMK is gravitating itself towards the NDA. This is potentially a significant threat to Karunanidhi and Co. The current Karunanidhi-Maran family fued is likely to impact the DMK greatly. Though the Marans do not have significant political clout, they control the media empire in TN. The advantage that the Marans' owned Sun TV and Dinakaran daily could contribute to Jayalalitha is enormous. Yes- with this alliance ( plus Vaiko's MDMK), the AIADMK/MDMK/BJP alliance will reap rich rewards in the state.
The last state that I would call a swing state is Bihar. Nitish Kumar's JD( U) appears to be strong in Bihar thanks to the hugely popular CM himself. Nitish Kumar is consistently finding himself in the top 5 CM list, thanks to efficiency and the clean image that he possess. Along with that, George Fernandes' Samata party might also finding its foothold again. In the highly caste ridden Bihar politics, the USP for the BJP/JD(U)/Samata is Mr. Nitish Kumar. Lalu's RJD seems to have no chance of staging a come back this time around too.
Indian politics is becoming increasingly bi-polar- With a solid Congress led UPA and a BJP led NDA. The smaller parties have no option but to gravitate to either of these two core magnets. I have a feeling that this might well be the last time when the Left held a significant clout during government formation. Given the fact that the BJP itself might land with about 180 seats and also given the fact that these swing states are going the NDA way, it wouldn't be too difficult for the NDA to cross the magical figure of 270!!! ( Guess who might be smiling).
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The menace of Ragging
We all are familiar with ragging- a kind of physical,mental and/or sexual torture being experienced by new comers to colleges across India. I am not sure whether this activity is enacted and performed in other parts of the world. Wikepedia says that ragging is popular mainly in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan- all South Asian countries. I do not think that this heinous act is present in America or in the Western developed countries. If at all someone dares to do anything like that, he will be brought to book by the Justice system. This is not to say that the Indian Judicial system is lenient to ragging. If convicted, the person can get jail terms and also disenrollment from the university. Why is ragging so prevalent in our campuses? What is the urge behind initmidating and embarassing a fresher in the name of seniority? How can we uproot this menace once and for all. Let us take a look.
The fall of 1995. Even when I was scrambling to focus on my way ahead- I mean to study a professional course, people were asking me just one thing. How are you going to cope with ragging? Some would say- " You are lucky.. You are a day scholar.. If you are a hosteler , the first one year is goona be hell.. Or at least till the fresher's day".. "What the heck???? ", I thought. O.K , from that glorious day on Oct 4, 1995 someone else is going to decide my fate. How I should walk, how i should dress, how i should behave..Is this going to be a norm or an exception? I am not a tall guy.. I did not have the muscles.. I did not have a mustache to freighten those " thugs". But ,definitely, I had the attitude to deal with those guys. I never used to care two hoots about the so called " seniors". I can confess that I never lost a single paisa to them.. I can also claim that I stood against a just and right cause..
Just like any other campus, the world of CET is absolutely small. Even if you are the" king "in CET, nobody will know you once you reach Chavadimmukku. This is to emphasise the fact that the law of the land, the law of independent, democratic, soveriegn republic of India is the same in the capital of New Delhi as it is in the city of Trivandrum and also in the approximately three acre campus of CET. No exceptions...Absolutely no exceptions.!!! If you commit a crime, no matter what, the law will catch up with you. And yes ragging is a crime..a dangerous one at that.. The act of mentally and physically torturing a person for some insane pleasure- it may even involve lurid sexual acts..This has to be curbed at any cost.
How did ragging get so much prominence? How did it go beyond control? How can we quell this? I would like to diagnose these. Even in the 60s and 70s, ragging was active in campuses- albiet only in professional colleges. Getting admission into professional courses was the exception , not the norm in those days. So, the students who got admission were propelled into demi-god status. The parents ,of course , became the moms and dads of these demi-gods--I mean smaller gods. As a result of this, the professional college students in those days got the licence to do anything and everything.. Ragging, thus became part and parcel of the life of a fresher in college. Just imagine this- you study very hard, get good marks/ranks, go to college with high expectations and then you realize that a group of crooks are the ones who control your life..What a joke? I mean, why should I even have to meet that crook ( senior) and hear all his vocabulory? In simple language, this is nothing but a clear intrusion of one's fundemental right.
Some people say that if you don't have ragging, you cannot build friendship with seniors. Let me ask one thing.. " Will you be friends with a person whom you meet on the road, abuses you continously for hours, perhaps days and then that guy calls a meeting and declares that we will become friends". No, Never.. Then, how can you do the same with some 19, 20 year old " mavericks" who mess up with your life.. For me, even if I have lost a few " friends" because of that, I am happy..I have enough and more of friends to cater to..
Some might wonder that now he is out of college, he is saying all these things.. No.. I had always fought against this, right from the age of 18. I am proud to say that my group of friends including myself has not even verbally humiliated even a single soul.. We also went through the same age, the same kind of adrenalin, the same set of emotions but probably a different set of values. Maybe , I may not know a person since I would not have talked with him/her in the name of ragging.. But, atleast , if I meet a person from CET and shake hands , he will not have a grudge against me.
Strict punishments to be meted out to those who indulge in this third grade act. Actions ( including jail term and expulsion) should be taken against the guilty. Let there be no sympathy to these people..This is a shameless, embarassing act and the law should be equally ruthless.No one has the authority to morally or physically violate another human being. The victims should retaliate through legal means against these culprits. Last but not the least, it is good for all of us to know that.. " NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW OF THE LAND".
The fall of 1995. Even when I was scrambling to focus on my way ahead- I mean to study a professional course, people were asking me just one thing. How are you going to cope with ragging? Some would say- " You are lucky.. You are a day scholar.. If you are a hosteler , the first one year is goona be hell.. Or at least till the fresher's day".. "What the heck???? ", I thought. O.K , from that glorious day on Oct 4, 1995 someone else is going to decide my fate. How I should walk, how i should dress, how i should behave..Is this going to be a norm or an exception? I am not a tall guy.. I did not have the muscles.. I did not have a mustache to freighten those " thugs". But ,definitely, I had the attitude to deal with those guys. I never used to care two hoots about the so called " seniors". I can confess that I never lost a single paisa to them.. I can also claim that I stood against a just and right cause..
Just like any other campus, the world of CET is absolutely small. Even if you are the" king "in CET, nobody will know you once you reach Chavadimmukku. This is to emphasise the fact that the law of the land, the law of independent, democratic, soveriegn republic of India is the same in the capital of New Delhi as it is in the city of Trivandrum and also in the approximately three acre campus of CET. No exceptions...Absolutely no exceptions.!!! If you commit a crime, no matter what, the law will catch up with you. And yes ragging is a crime..a dangerous one at that.. The act of mentally and physically torturing a person for some insane pleasure- it may even involve lurid sexual acts..This has to be curbed at any cost.
How did ragging get so much prominence? How did it go beyond control? How can we quell this? I would like to diagnose these. Even in the 60s and 70s, ragging was active in campuses- albiet only in professional colleges. Getting admission into professional courses was the exception , not the norm in those days. So, the students who got admission were propelled into demi-god status. The parents ,of course , became the moms and dads of these demi-gods--I mean smaller gods. As a result of this, the professional college students in those days got the licence to do anything and everything.. Ragging, thus became part and parcel of the life of a fresher in college. Just imagine this- you study very hard, get good marks/ranks, go to college with high expectations and then you realize that a group of crooks are the ones who control your life..What a joke? I mean, why should I even have to meet that crook ( senior) and hear all his vocabulory? In simple language, this is nothing but a clear intrusion of one's fundemental right.
Some people say that if you don't have ragging, you cannot build friendship with seniors. Let me ask one thing.. " Will you be friends with a person whom you meet on the road, abuses you continously for hours, perhaps days and then that guy calls a meeting and declares that we will become friends". No, Never.. Then, how can you do the same with some 19, 20 year old " mavericks" who mess up with your life.. For me, even if I have lost a few " friends" because of that, I am happy..I have enough and more of friends to cater to..
Some might wonder that now he is out of college, he is saying all these things.. No.. I had always fought against this, right from the age of 18. I am proud to say that my group of friends including myself has not even verbally humiliated even a single soul.. We also went through the same age, the same kind of adrenalin, the same set of emotions but probably a different set of values. Maybe , I may not know a person since I would not have talked with him/her in the name of ragging.. But, atleast , if I meet a person from CET and shake hands , he will not have a grudge against me.
Strict punishments to be meted out to those who indulge in this third grade act. Actions ( including jail term and expulsion) should be taken against the guilty. Let there be no sympathy to these people..This is a shameless, embarassing act and the law should be equally ruthless.No one has the authority to morally or physically violate another human being. The victims should retaliate through legal means against these culprits. Last but not the least, it is good for all of us to know that.. " NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW OF THE LAND".
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Films , drinking and the influence
( In this article, I am not claiming that those who drink are bad nor that teetotalers are gods. I know once's character and personality has nothing to do with his habit).
Yes- habit!! This is nothing but a dangerous habit. According to the latest statistics, Kerala tops in the net alchohol consumption levels in India. To put it bluntly, our State has the largest number of drunkards. I have personally felt that this is true. During my student days in America, I have stayed and interacted with lots of Northies. I have also studied undergrad in CET. So, I know what these stats mean. Only a very small fraction of Northies are addicted to alchohol. In CET, the scenario was totally different. At the tender age of 21, close to 75% of my batchmates were prone to drinking.People say that drinking is not as dangerous as smoking. The fact is that both are equally bad ...
Many a times I have wondered why Keralaites are more prone to drinking. Well, there are many reasons for that.. One is the unique demography that we have without a solid Hindu influence.( This is not to say that Hindus do not drink). But the biggest factor, according to me, is the influence of the media- the electronic and visual media. There are many films that openly depict heroes as outright drunkards. A typical plot of a Mallu" hit" Mohanlal movie is like this.. This guy is the best in everything..in studies, in sports, in singing, in dancing, in running after girls and last but not the least drinking..Added to that he has a battalion of friends who play stooge to him. What an impossible, unrealisticplot is this? Have you ever seen such a personality in real life? O.K agreed this is reel life.. We can give the benefit of the doubt to Mohanlal and people like Renjith who craft these movies.. The fact is that young people try to take this close to the heart and start imitating these characters. They believe that if you are a man you should drink, you should womanise or whatever..
We should understand that during the 1950s and 1960s , the heroes were potrayaed as good people. Most of the movies had some solid theme to take home.. Not a cliche plot like rivalry between two ancestral properties ( of course based in ottapalam) and how the hero crushes all the villains. Why have our movies stooped to such low levels of entertainment? The film makers should realize that they are setting a really bad precedent for the future generations. The electronic media is adding fuel to the fire..
When you are in college, there will be lot of people around you who seem like " friends". They instigate you to do lot of things including drinking.. If you don't drink, you are classified as an outcast..less of a man..After some years, maybe 5, these so called " friends" diminish by half.. At the end of 10 years, you will still have only 4 to 5 friends- which are you real true friends.. The rest are just a crowd.. This is the case with 99.99% of the people. One thing is certain.. No true friendship can be built over a whiskey bottle. True friendship is something more than that..It may not be visible, but yes, that will remain ..
In any place, there are heroes.. When you enter college, the heroes are the ones who take a bike to college in the very first semester, who is adept at both drinking and smoking and one who can command a good female fan following.. This guy is the eternal maverick., who never sits in class yet passes all exams., who has some level of political influence, who acts like the rough and tough guy. From my personal experience, I have seen that these " heroes" become big zeroes after college.. Then, all these friends and fan circles diasppear and he is left to fight his real battle alone..
I am not a big fan of Hollywood movies.. I am a Malayalee wherever I go. But our film makers should take a cue from some English movies like say," Remember the Titans". This is a truly inspirational movie. These are the kind of movies that our youngsters should watch and try to emulate.. I tell you.. drinking is a easy habit to take up.. anyone can do that.. some filmstars do that on screen..But let that be just on screen. As youngsters, pls try to avoid that dirty , dirty habit.
Yes- habit!! This is nothing but a dangerous habit. According to the latest statistics, Kerala tops in the net alchohol consumption levels in India. To put it bluntly, our State has the largest number of drunkards. I have personally felt that this is true. During my student days in America, I have stayed and interacted with lots of Northies. I have also studied undergrad in CET. So, I know what these stats mean. Only a very small fraction of Northies are addicted to alchohol. In CET, the scenario was totally different. At the tender age of 21, close to 75% of my batchmates were prone to drinking.People say that drinking is not as dangerous as smoking. The fact is that both are equally bad ...
Many a times I have wondered why Keralaites are more prone to drinking. Well, there are many reasons for that.. One is the unique demography that we have without a solid Hindu influence.( This is not to say that Hindus do not drink). But the biggest factor, according to me, is the influence of the media- the electronic and visual media. There are many films that openly depict heroes as outright drunkards. A typical plot of a Mallu" hit" Mohanlal movie is like this.. This guy is the best in everything..in studies, in sports, in singing, in dancing, in running after girls and last but not the least drinking..Added to that he has a battalion of friends who play stooge to him. What an impossible, unrealisticplot is this? Have you ever seen such a personality in real life? O.K agreed this is reel life.. We can give the benefit of the doubt to Mohanlal and people like Renjith who craft these movies.. The fact is that young people try to take this close to the heart and start imitating these characters. They believe that if you are a man you should drink, you should womanise or whatever..
We should understand that during the 1950s and 1960s , the heroes were potrayaed as good people. Most of the movies had some solid theme to take home.. Not a cliche plot like rivalry between two ancestral properties ( of course based in ottapalam) and how the hero crushes all the villains. Why have our movies stooped to such low levels of entertainment? The film makers should realize that they are setting a really bad precedent for the future generations. The electronic media is adding fuel to the fire..
When you are in college, there will be lot of people around you who seem like " friends". They instigate you to do lot of things including drinking.. If you don't drink, you are classified as an outcast..less of a man..After some years, maybe 5, these so called " friends" diminish by half.. At the end of 10 years, you will still have only 4 to 5 friends- which are you real true friends.. The rest are just a crowd.. This is the case with 99.99% of the people. One thing is certain.. No true friendship can be built over a whiskey bottle. True friendship is something more than that..It may not be visible, but yes, that will remain ..
In any place, there are heroes.. When you enter college, the heroes are the ones who take a bike to college in the very first semester, who is adept at both drinking and smoking and one who can command a good female fan following.. This guy is the eternal maverick., who never sits in class yet passes all exams., who has some level of political influence, who acts like the rough and tough guy. From my personal experience, I have seen that these " heroes" become big zeroes after college.. Then, all these friends and fan circles diasppear and he is left to fight his real battle alone..
I am not a big fan of Hollywood movies.. I am a Malayalee wherever I go. But our film makers should take a cue from some English movies like say," Remember the Titans". This is a truly inspirational movie. These are the kind of movies that our youngsters should watch and try to emulate.. I tell you.. drinking is a easy habit to take up.. anyone can do that.. some filmstars do that on screen..But let that be just on screen. As youngsters, pls try to avoid that dirty , dirty habit.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Searching for greener pastures....
Wow USA.... The name itself is synonymous with hip-hop, raggae and excitement. The easiest name to get a recognition in the society( I mean our Indian society) is by living in the USA. Each year the number of foreign students coming to the U.S have increased by leaps and bounds and as of 2007, Indians make up the largest percentage of the student population with the Chinese coming a close second. Infact, the Chinese had the No.1 rank as recently as last year. It is not surprising that even with globalaization and a strong Indian economy and job prospects, a large percentage of Indians are still making a beeline to the States. Many of my younger brothers are waiting to walk this trail and many of my elders are living the so called U.S ' dream". I would like to analyze from the view point of an ordinary Malayali youth many of the bare facts.
First of all this is a splendid country with immense resources and opportunities. The civic sense is simply outstanding. One doesn't have the luxury to spit or urinate in public places. The laws are strict but no one dares to tamper with your freedom. You are sure to get a seat in a bus or a train . No one requests you to share anything be it a pen, pencil, bat or ball. Some of the Indian youth may have some misleading information about the country from Hollywood flicks..But be rest assured, the U.S is totally different from the India that you have seen. Americans are generally brought up with good manners. They try their best to promise only if they are able to deliver. I am emphasising this point a lot because Indians generally have a habit of giving great hopes and quite often reneging on that. Yes, we love short cuts. Maybe, that is why we give empty promises just to bail out of a siituation.
Having said all these, let me mention one thing about myself. I really hate to lie. I am not claiming that I have never said a lie..mostly all of mine were white lies. So let us face the reality. The cultural difference one has to face when somebody starts living here is stark. When you have a certain notion of city and when you may not see that here, that is the time when you really wonder- " Is this the right place for you"? I believe in change and to a certain extent broadminded. But, change, to me is a characterestic that has to be developed within you. There are so many Indians who come here, try to dress up as Americans, try hard to speak with a Americo-Indian accent and say that they are broadminded. That is outright absurdity. The funny thing is that Americans never expect us to dress nor speak like them. It is when we put on these odd appeareances do we make a mockery of ourselves. There are other things, I mean good characterestics, that you can learn from them- like punctuality, keeping promises and cleanliness. I feel these are the things that we should adapt and say that " I have changed". Most of us are trying to implement some superfical make overs and saying that " I am broad minded".
The higher education system is quite good over here. In India apart from the IITs, IIMs and some NITs the higher education still does not meet international standards. In the job scenario, merely working in the U.S does not mean that you are having a great job. Just compare this.. If somebody has a job in Microsoft or Qualcomm , Bangalore and someone else has a job in some unheard of company ABC in USA. Which do you think is a better option. There are still fools out there who believe that the latter is a better option. But people with common sense will tell you that the company and the work profile is more important that the place. Also, regarding the salary, if somebody gets a salary of $ 80,000 per annum-we tend to say that WOW he has a salary of 42 lakhs per annum or roughly 3.5 lakhs per month. This is totally misleading. One should consider the living expense here and also the purchasing power of the dollar vs the Rupee. It is generally assumed that the amount of dollars you earn is approximately equivalent to the amount in Rupees over a factor of 2.5. Which means that a salary of $ 80,000 which counted in Rupee terms is roughly equal to $ 32,000. Consider the other trade offs- One has to live half a world away from their families for years together,Almost non existent social interaction..( except for some weekend " visits" from some made up friends).
I read in an article recently that the percentage of IITians coming to the U.S has dropped sharply from about 70% to about 16%. Most of them opine that India is the country to be in with the kind of developments going on. Most of the IITians are opting to top rung management courses or IIScs for their higher education and are staking their careers in India. Even the vast majority of IIM graduates prefer to stay in India than go abroad. Their thought process is quite simple. India is proving to be the hot bed of technogical growth and development in this century. Why sacrifice so much and live an aloof life for just a few more dollars( I will discuss the cultural aspects of bringing up your off springs here in a future article). This is a golden opportunity to work in the best of technologies and earn a decent living within the comforts of your motherland. Why squander that?
I know that my thoughts will change the attitude of a few. But my humble request is that the work profile of a person should be respected- Not the country of work nor the dollars in hand. And as you all know, the IITians and IIM grads are an intelligent lot. They rarely bet against high odds. The reverse brain drain will be the norm, not the exception.
First of all this is a splendid country with immense resources and opportunities. The civic sense is simply outstanding. One doesn't have the luxury to spit or urinate in public places. The laws are strict but no one dares to tamper with your freedom. You are sure to get a seat in a bus or a train . No one requests you to share anything be it a pen, pencil, bat or ball. Some of the Indian youth may have some misleading information about the country from Hollywood flicks..But be rest assured, the U.S is totally different from the India that you have seen. Americans are generally brought up with good manners. They try their best to promise only if they are able to deliver. I am emphasising this point a lot because Indians generally have a habit of giving great hopes and quite often reneging on that. Yes, we love short cuts. Maybe, that is why we give empty promises just to bail out of a siituation.
Having said all these, let me mention one thing about myself. I really hate to lie. I am not claiming that I have never said a lie..mostly all of mine were white lies. So let us face the reality. The cultural difference one has to face when somebody starts living here is stark. When you have a certain notion of city and when you may not see that here, that is the time when you really wonder- " Is this the right place for you"? I believe in change and to a certain extent broadminded. But, change, to me is a characterestic that has to be developed within you. There are so many Indians who come here, try to dress up as Americans, try hard to speak with a Americo-Indian accent and say that they are broadminded. That is outright absurdity. The funny thing is that Americans never expect us to dress nor speak like them. It is when we put on these odd appeareances do we make a mockery of ourselves. There are other things, I mean good characterestics, that you can learn from them- like punctuality, keeping promises and cleanliness. I feel these are the things that we should adapt and say that " I have changed". Most of us are trying to implement some superfical make overs and saying that " I am broad minded".
The higher education system is quite good over here. In India apart from the IITs, IIMs and some NITs the higher education still does not meet international standards. In the job scenario, merely working in the U.S does not mean that you are having a great job. Just compare this.. If somebody has a job in Microsoft or Qualcomm , Bangalore and someone else has a job in some unheard of company ABC in USA. Which do you think is a better option. There are still fools out there who believe that the latter is a better option. But people with common sense will tell you that the company and the work profile is more important that the place. Also, regarding the salary, if somebody gets a salary of $ 80,000 per annum-we tend to say that WOW he has a salary of 42 lakhs per annum or roughly 3.5 lakhs per month. This is totally misleading. One should consider the living expense here and also the purchasing power of the dollar vs the Rupee. It is generally assumed that the amount of dollars you earn is approximately equivalent to the amount in Rupees over a factor of 2.5. Which means that a salary of $ 80,000 which counted in Rupee terms is roughly equal to $ 32,000. Consider the other trade offs- One has to live half a world away from their families for years together,Almost non existent social interaction..( except for some weekend " visits" from some made up friends).
I read in an article recently that the percentage of IITians coming to the U.S has dropped sharply from about 70% to about 16%. Most of them opine that India is the country to be in with the kind of developments going on. Most of the IITians are opting to top rung management courses or IIScs for their higher education and are staking their careers in India. Even the vast majority of IIM graduates prefer to stay in India than go abroad. Their thought process is quite simple. India is proving to be the hot bed of technogical growth and development in this century. Why sacrifice so much and live an aloof life for just a few more dollars( I will discuss the cultural aspects of bringing up your off springs here in a future article). This is a golden opportunity to work in the best of technologies and earn a decent living within the comforts of your motherland. Why squander that?
I know that my thoughts will change the attitude of a few. But my humble request is that the work profile of a person should be respected- Not the country of work nor the dollars in hand. And as you all know, the IITians and IIM grads are an intelligent lot. They rarely bet against high odds. The reverse brain drain will be the norm, not the exception.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Some politics
My first interest has always been politics. I should admit that I am quite fascinated with the entrapments of power. But what has always mesmerized me is the dynamics of politics. There is a saying that " a week in politics is more than a life time". How true that is !!!! Imagine a party that was virtually gutted in the 2004 parliamentary elections is back in the reckoning. BJP ( Bharaitya Janata Party), which was once touted as the pro Hindu, pro Hindi party has taken the prized Southern state of Karnataka. B.S Yediyurappa created history by being the first Southern CM of the saffron party. L.K Advani has certainly set his eyes on the once elusive prime ministerial chair.
Here is a flashback. BJP had just 2 MPs in 1984. By 1989, the party had grown to 80+ seats. The Ayodhya wave catapulted the party to the centre stage of national politics by the 1990s. However, the party peaked during the late 1990s when A.B Vajpayee became the first BJP PM in 1998. Vajpayee was touted as the most acceptable " public face " of the party while Advani had to remain in his shadows. Barring some occasional hiccups ,it is to their credit that the PM and the Deputy PM ( Advani) had no major friction between them. I would say that this was the major factor that kept the party together during its rough times in 2004 and 2005. The duo remained the best of friends and Vajpayee passed over the baton to Advani without hesitation.
Manmohan Singh did not do a bad job. Infact he was the most erudite PM to have been in the chair after Pandit Nehru. We should remember that Manmohan was the leader of a motley coalition with an invisible leftist authority. Given the circumstances,I doubt whether anyone else could have done a better job. Some say that he was a weak P.M. I doubt whether that statement is true. The definition of " weak" and " strong" is certainly relative. Dr. Singh was less of a talker and more of a doer. He may never had the charisma of a great leader like Rajiv , Indira Gandhi or A.B Vajpayee. Nevertheless, he was second to none in his commitment to the nation.
But what he lacks , the personal charisma and lack of connectivity to the masses, may well prove to spell doom to the Congress party in the coming general elections. During normal times none of these prime ministerial traits would have mattered. But these are torrid times- those of sky rocketing inflation and high unemployment. The Consumer Price Index is at an all time high and the gasoline prices have shot over the roof. The P.M himself has said that the latest hike has not covered the losses of the oil companies. That would mean that more increases are impending. The Aam aadmi is feeling the pinch and this will unleash a tsunami of anti incumbency.
This has already been felt in the six or so states that went to the polls in the last year. Congress could not even win a single one of them. It should be noted that none of these states were won by the BJP on Hindutva brand of politics. All of them were a clear case of anti incumbency.
Time is running out for the Congress government. Lal Krishna Advani is no longer the political pariah one dared not to touch. Instead, he is the next best bet for the BJP after Vajpayee and a seasoned statesman. The same allies that ditched the party last time around will be flocking to their fold this time around. Unless something dramatic happens, I predict that the 2009 General election finals belong to the BJP and the NDA. But again, I would like to repeat what I said earlier.." A WEEK IN POLITICS IS MORE THAN A LIFE TIME".
Here is a flashback. BJP had just 2 MPs in 1984. By 1989, the party had grown to 80+ seats. The Ayodhya wave catapulted the party to the centre stage of national politics by the 1990s. However, the party peaked during the late 1990s when A.B Vajpayee became the first BJP PM in 1998. Vajpayee was touted as the most acceptable " public face " of the party while Advani had to remain in his shadows. Barring some occasional hiccups ,it is to their credit that the PM and the Deputy PM ( Advani) had no major friction between them. I would say that this was the major factor that kept the party together during its rough times in 2004 and 2005. The duo remained the best of friends and Vajpayee passed over the baton to Advani without hesitation.
Manmohan Singh did not do a bad job. Infact he was the most erudite PM to have been in the chair after Pandit Nehru. We should remember that Manmohan was the leader of a motley coalition with an invisible leftist authority. Given the circumstances,I doubt whether anyone else could have done a better job. Some say that he was a weak P.M. I doubt whether that statement is true. The definition of " weak" and " strong" is certainly relative. Dr. Singh was less of a talker and more of a doer. He may never had the charisma of a great leader like Rajiv , Indira Gandhi or A.B Vajpayee. Nevertheless, he was second to none in his commitment to the nation.
But what he lacks , the personal charisma and lack of connectivity to the masses, may well prove to spell doom to the Congress party in the coming general elections. During normal times none of these prime ministerial traits would have mattered. But these are torrid times- those of sky rocketing inflation and high unemployment. The Consumer Price Index is at an all time high and the gasoline prices have shot over the roof. The P.M himself has said that the latest hike has not covered the losses of the oil companies. That would mean that more increases are impending. The Aam aadmi is feeling the pinch and this will unleash a tsunami of anti incumbency.
This has already been felt in the six or so states that went to the polls in the last year. Congress could not even win a single one of them. It should be noted that none of these states were won by the BJP on Hindutva brand of politics. All of them were a clear case of anti incumbency.
Time is running out for the Congress government. Lal Krishna Advani is no longer the political pariah one dared not to touch. Instead, he is the next best bet for the BJP after Vajpayee and a seasoned statesman. The same allies that ditched the party last time around will be flocking to their fold this time around. Unless something dramatic happens, I predict that the 2009 General election finals belong to the BJP and the NDA. But again, I would like to repeat what I said earlier.." A WEEK IN POLITICS IS MORE THAN A LIFE TIME".
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The great Trivandrum slang
Entheredey.. Some Keralaites who do not belong to Trivandrum mockingly say that Trivandrum has an extra day in a week.. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,.....Sunday, Enthereday.. Trivandrumites have a bad reputation primarily for their slang. Frankly, I have not found it to be odd. It is just another way of speaking malayalam..
My wife belongs to Trichur where they " sing "as they speak. A person who is not from the Trichur belt feels that they are conducting a ganamela. Fortunately, my wife does not sing that much. In the early days of my career , for a few months, I worked in Calicut and Manjeri.. The kind of Malayalam they speak there is totally different.. For everything they say " Kazhichillayi".. means that problem has been solved.. At first, I did not understand what they meant by that. When I used to go to shops and take out my stock of " entharu" , they used to laugh. When you go further north to Kannur, everything becomes " Enakku". Kasargode has a totally different version of Malayalam- MalKannada-- 65% Kannanda and 35% Malayalam. The only person from Kasargode whom I have seen speaking decipherable Malayalam is actress Kavya Madhavan. In Ernakulam, Alwaye belt they even call guys the age of their son " chetta".. " chetta ee auto poneyaana". The Achayan malayalam in the Kottayam, Pala, Pathanamthitta area comprises of " Oh Enna venam...".
I can agree to the fact that there are different slangs spoken in different parts of the state. I can also agree to the fact that Trivandrumites do not speak the text book malayalam. But what I cannot agree to is mocking of the Trivandrum version by others as if they are speaking some great Malayalam. Everyone claims that their version of Malayalam is the best. Trivandrum is the state capital and definitely the melting pot of different cultures. So we may have more words in our dictionary. Typical films have a version of Malayalam that is spoken in Palaghat-Ottapalam and people claim that it is the pure form of Malayalam. Personally, I don't believe so.
Only few Malayalam films have the Trivandrum slang spoken by the heroes and one we had recently, Rajamanikayam was the biggest blockbuster of our times. When I went to the theatre, I found some non Trivandrumites thoroughly enjoying the movie quite ironically for the slang.
Our media and filmmakers have painted Trivandrum Malayalam in such a way that any kind will laugh at us.
I hail from Trivandrum.. I am proud to speak my slang.. Of course I do not speak to a stranger in Thrissur with my usual phrases like " Entharadey", " povuve" etc etc not because I am ashamed but just because I am showing some courtesy.. I am not claiming that Trivandrum language is the best Malayalam version . But others should also realize that their version also have their defects.. But I would like to add what my wife says to me " Trivandrum language is the coolest version of Malayalam". Yup,maybe we are less formal...
My wife belongs to Trichur where they " sing "as they speak. A person who is not from the Trichur belt feels that they are conducting a ganamela. Fortunately, my wife does not sing that much. In the early days of my career , for a few months, I worked in Calicut and Manjeri.. The kind of Malayalam they speak there is totally different.. For everything they say " Kazhichillayi".. means that problem has been solved.. At first, I did not understand what they meant by that. When I used to go to shops and take out my stock of " entharu" , they used to laugh. When you go further north to Kannur, everything becomes " Enakku". Kasargode has a totally different version of Malayalam- MalKannada-- 65% Kannanda and 35% Malayalam. The only person from Kasargode whom I have seen speaking decipherable Malayalam is actress Kavya Madhavan. In Ernakulam, Alwaye belt they even call guys the age of their son " chetta".. " chetta ee auto poneyaana". The Achayan malayalam in the Kottayam, Pala, Pathanamthitta area comprises of " Oh Enna venam...".
I can agree to the fact that there are different slangs spoken in different parts of the state. I can also agree to the fact that Trivandrumites do not speak the text book malayalam. But what I cannot agree to is mocking of the Trivandrum version by others as if they are speaking some great Malayalam. Everyone claims that their version of Malayalam is the best. Trivandrum is the state capital and definitely the melting pot of different cultures. So we may have more words in our dictionary. Typical films have a version of Malayalam that is spoken in Palaghat-Ottapalam and people claim that it is the pure form of Malayalam. Personally, I don't believe so.
Only few Malayalam films have the Trivandrum slang spoken by the heroes and one we had recently, Rajamanikayam was the biggest blockbuster of our times. When I went to the theatre, I found some non Trivandrumites thoroughly enjoying the movie quite ironically for the slang.
Our media and filmmakers have painted Trivandrum Malayalam in such a way that any kind will laugh at us.
I hail from Trivandrum.. I am proud to speak my slang.. Of course I do not speak to a stranger in Thrissur with my usual phrases like " Entharadey", " povuve" etc etc not because I am ashamed but just because I am showing some courtesy.. I am not claiming that Trivandrum language is the best Malayalam version . But others should also realize that their version also have their defects.. But I would like to add what my wife says to me " Trivandrum language is the coolest version of Malayalam". Yup,maybe we are less formal...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Small things do add up
Recently, I was quite fascinated with Barack Obama's campaign. He is almost sure to clinch the nomination. In 2007, he was the underdog, looking at a long shot candidacy . How he became the front runner is not the crux of a fairy tale but a story of hardwork, meticulous planning and sheer determination. While the other candidates were concentrating their energies on bigger states ( those with the maximum number of delegates), Obama was spending his efforts also on a number of small states. At the end of the day, this was the main factor in his candidacy. This article is not about the Democratic Presidential race but about the state of affairs in Kerala...
Recently, we all have been swamped with the news that the foodgrain and other grocery prices are on the rise in Kerala. The inflation has been felt not only in Kerala but also in the rest of India and across the globe. There has been reports of civilian unrest in Bangaldesh and Haiti due to the shortage. But what sets Kerala apart from the rest is that this effect is felt significantly in the beautiful and fertile state. Why is this? We all know the answer to this. Kerala is the No. 1 consumer state in India with very few exports and importing even its principle staple food - Rice.We are heavily dependent on Andhra and Tamil Nadu on all our needs. The extent of dependence on our neighboring states is such that we should pray that there are no bandhs/hartals in these states- lest we will starve. The only crops that we produce are cash crops like cashew and rubber which do not require continuos monitoring.
Do you think that Kerala is a very rich state that we can enjoy the luxury of a consumer state? The answer is a simple "NO". Barring some investment from the expatriate population, the economy is in shambles. We are running a deficit budget for a very long period of time. Sometimes the Treasury barely has the funds to even give salary to the state employees.
Keralaites should change their attitude towards life to get out of this mess. We should not think of agriculture as a lowly profession. Many people in Kerala own land . Why can't they start cultivating some vegetables that could feed atleast one family. Lady's finger ( okra), spinach, tapioca are some of them that can cultivated in any house hold. Rather than idling time in "junctions" commenting on girls , the youth should do these simple things. Otherwise, a time will come when the vegetables become so costly that an average Keralaite can consume only fish.
Even educated people can do this. Agriculture is not a blue- collared job. Earning a degree doesn't mean that you should be allergic to taking a shovel. Being a doctor /engineer or a senior officer wouldn't make someone great. Every profession has its dignity.We should give due respect to farmers. The government should invest heavily in agriculture. IT is not the panacea for hunger. No economy can focus entirely on IT .Recently, I saw a news item about a man ( who after completing his engineering) employed his skills to cultivate high yield crops. He was making a profit of Rs. 30000 p.m. Not everybody can be a farmer like him..But, atleast we can contribute our bit. As I said earlier, small things do add up. Kerala really has to come out of this mess.
Recently, we all have been swamped with the news that the foodgrain and other grocery prices are on the rise in Kerala. The inflation has been felt not only in Kerala but also in the rest of India and across the globe. There has been reports of civilian unrest in Bangaldesh and Haiti due to the shortage. But what sets Kerala apart from the rest is that this effect is felt significantly in the beautiful and fertile state. Why is this? We all know the answer to this. Kerala is the No. 1 consumer state in India with very few exports and importing even its principle staple food - Rice.We are heavily dependent on Andhra and Tamil Nadu on all our needs. The extent of dependence on our neighboring states is such that we should pray that there are no bandhs/hartals in these states- lest we will starve. The only crops that we produce are cash crops like cashew and rubber which do not require continuos monitoring.
Do you think that Kerala is a very rich state that we can enjoy the luxury of a consumer state? The answer is a simple "NO". Barring some investment from the expatriate population, the economy is in shambles. We are running a deficit budget for a very long period of time. Sometimes the Treasury barely has the funds to even give salary to the state employees.
Keralaites should change their attitude towards life to get out of this mess. We should not think of agriculture as a lowly profession. Many people in Kerala own land . Why can't they start cultivating some vegetables that could feed atleast one family. Lady's finger ( okra), spinach, tapioca are some of them that can cultivated in any house hold. Rather than idling time in "junctions" commenting on girls , the youth should do these simple things. Otherwise, a time will come when the vegetables become so costly that an average Keralaite can consume only fish.
Even educated people can do this. Agriculture is not a blue- collared job. Earning a degree doesn't mean that you should be allergic to taking a shovel. Being a doctor /engineer or a senior officer wouldn't make someone great. Every profession has its dignity.We should give due respect to farmers. The government should invest heavily in agriculture. IT is not the panacea for hunger. No economy can focus entirely on IT .Recently, I saw a news item about a man ( who after completing his engineering) employed his skills to cultivate high yield crops. He was making a profit of Rs. 30000 p.m. Not everybody can be a farmer like him..But, atleast we can contribute our bit. As I said earlier, small things do add up. Kerala really has to come out of this mess.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Real Estate and some economics
( These views are not from a seasoned economist. I am a common guy working towards a business degree. So my views are from a layman's point of view and I use simple arithmetic to substantiate my argument).
For the past couple of years,most of us are hearing these advices- " Better buy some land now or ELSE........In the next two years you won't even get to buy anything close to that". Hmmmm.. pretty clever isn't it? A great way to trick somebody into buying some overvalued crap. For real estate brokers, times have never been brighter thanks to the hype generated by the media and the real estate mafia. People who own land boast of the property value and buyers fret when they hear the skyrocketing prices. This phenomenon is not concentrated in any particular region or country but is spread across. But these prices are definitely in for a downward correction- PRICES WILL COME DOWN SOONER OR LATER. I can bet on that..
Before we discuss the situation in India, let us analyze what happened in America. Since 2005, most regions in the U.S have experienced a 10-20% dip in prices, thanks to the overinflated value tags they carried. For example, in the place that I live one of my friends bought a house for $ 500,000. ( This is the median price of a house here). Two years hence, the value of the same house has depreciated to $ 375,000 ( and a recession has not even begun). This has happened in California, the hottest place on earth in terms of immigration and jobs. Now, my friend like many others were so enthralled looking at the positive sloped price graph that he decided to take the plunge. Little did he know that the saturation point has reached for that area.
The inputs that come into play that affect the price of land/house in any area are the following: The potential of the place, market speculation ( on say some projects that may be coming up), the general state of the economy and the buying capacity of the public. All these factors have to work together to affect the value of these assets.
Now, let us look at what is happening in Kerala. Take a look at the land quotes from at least two cities Kochi and Trivandrum. Even some well to do professionals that I know of cringe on hearing the land prices in these places. As i had mentioned earlier, the main factor that drives these prices are market speculation. Many places in Kochi fell vicitim to this " speculation". Kochi is a great port city. To this day, there is practically no IT industry there since 80% of the software exports in the State is done by Technopark. There is no solid industry at the moment in Kochi , only some market speculation. Though Smart city is being touted as a big project, a lot of hype is given to this project since this is mostly in the private sector. But the fact remains that Smart city , even when it happens, is smaller than the Technopark-Technocity IT corridor in Trivandrum and considerably smaller than IT parks in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. So, why this hype.. The answer is the real estate mafia.
From various sources, we came to know the role the media and the real estate mafia played in inflating the actual prices. How they works is like this.. They overhype any project through the media- both print and electronic to the extent that most of the general public falls prey to these tactics. By this time, the so called real estate mafia would have already controlled most of the land and people will be so overawed that they would want to purchase some land from these guys ( to sell at a profit later). Here is a classic example. Some agent will inform us ( the buyers) that they have 6 cents of plot close to some proposed XYZ project. The value now is 5 lakhs/cent ( though the actual value may be considerably lower) and they may also give an example of a transaction of an adjacent plot for 5.2 lakhs/cent. The point to note here is everyone including the buyer and the seller overstates the price of property. So you never get to know the truth of the actual transaction. The agent also says that in less than 2 years time, you can sell the same property for 10 lakhs/cent. WOW, that is a 500% return on investment. What other investment in the world will yield this? Now , this poor guy shells out 30 lakhs for a mere 6 cents plot in the hope of making 30 lakhs profit in 2 years( of course not considering the interest he pays in the meantime). COMMON GUYS, do you think this is a feasible transaction. No economist will say so. Do your math- 6 cents of land is the bare minimum you need to render utility to the land ( like building a house). So, now the base line is that you purchase the land for 60 lakhs plus you have to shell out another additional 35 lakhs for building a house. So you spent close a crore for a normal house on a mere 6 cents of land. Even if you imagine that an IT guys saves Rs. 50000 per month in India and considering the fact that he puts in the whole amount as EMI for this, he will take atleast 200 months to get off this debt.. That is roughly 17 years.. That too for a mere 6 cent plot plus house in a relatively small city in India.
Is this sustainable? No. The land prices are definitely in for a downward correction. When you get the feeling that even people with considerable disposable income cannot afford these prices, there is something wrong here. What has happened in California and rest of US will happen in Kerala also. Not only in Kochi but also in other cities including Trivandrum. But in the case of Trivandrum there is a flip side. The projects in Trivandrum do not get as much media coverage as those in Kochi. Why is this? Because, contrary to Trivandrum, most of the projects supposedly coming in Kochi are in the private sector. So they need the media coverage to sell their projects. I am a development oriented Keralite. I want all cities, towns and villages to develop equally- but not at the cost of the general public. Here is the scoop- Who are the clear winners in the whole episode- the so called real estate mafia.
For the past couple of years,most of us are hearing these advices- " Better buy some land now or ELSE........In the next two years you won't even get to buy anything close to that". Hmmmm.. pretty clever isn't it? A great way to trick somebody into buying some overvalued crap. For real estate brokers, times have never been brighter thanks to the hype generated by the media and the real estate mafia. People who own land boast of the property value and buyers fret when they hear the skyrocketing prices. This phenomenon is not concentrated in any particular region or country but is spread across. But these prices are definitely in for a downward correction- PRICES WILL COME DOWN SOONER OR LATER. I can bet on that..
Before we discuss the situation in India, let us analyze what happened in America. Since 2005, most regions in the U.S have experienced a 10-20% dip in prices, thanks to the overinflated value tags they carried. For example, in the place that I live one of my friends bought a house for $ 500,000. ( This is the median price of a house here). Two years hence, the value of the same house has depreciated to $ 375,000 ( and a recession has not even begun). This has happened in California, the hottest place on earth in terms of immigration and jobs. Now, my friend like many others were so enthralled looking at the positive sloped price graph that he decided to take the plunge. Little did he know that the saturation point has reached for that area.
The inputs that come into play that affect the price of land/house in any area are the following: The potential of the place, market speculation ( on say some projects that may be coming up), the general state of the economy and the buying capacity of the public. All these factors have to work together to affect the value of these assets.
Now, let us look at what is happening in Kerala. Take a look at the land quotes from at least two cities Kochi and Trivandrum. Even some well to do professionals that I know of cringe on hearing the land prices in these places. As i had mentioned earlier, the main factor that drives these prices are market speculation. Many places in Kochi fell vicitim to this " speculation". Kochi is a great port city. To this day, there is practically no IT industry there since 80% of the software exports in the State is done by Technopark. There is no solid industry at the moment in Kochi , only some market speculation. Though Smart city is being touted as a big project, a lot of hype is given to this project since this is mostly in the private sector. But the fact remains that Smart city , even when it happens, is smaller than the Technopark-Technocity IT corridor in Trivandrum and considerably smaller than IT parks in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. So, why this hype.. The answer is the real estate mafia.
From various sources, we came to know the role the media and the real estate mafia played in inflating the actual prices. How they works is like this.. They overhype any project through the media- both print and electronic to the extent that most of the general public falls prey to these tactics. By this time, the so called real estate mafia would have already controlled most of the land and people will be so overawed that they would want to purchase some land from these guys ( to sell at a profit later). Here is a classic example. Some agent will inform us ( the buyers) that they have 6 cents of plot close to some proposed XYZ project. The value now is 5 lakhs/cent ( though the actual value may be considerably lower) and they may also give an example of a transaction of an adjacent plot for 5.2 lakhs/cent. The point to note here is everyone including the buyer and the seller overstates the price of property. So you never get to know the truth of the actual transaction. The agent also says that in less than 2 years time, you can sell the same property for 10 lakhs/cent. WOW, that is a 500% return on investment. What other investment in the world will yield this? Now , this poor guy shells out 30 lakhs for a mere 6 cents plot in the hope of making 30 lakhs profit in 2 years( of course not considering the interest he pays in the meantime). COMMON GUYS, do you think this is a feasible transaction. No economist will say so. Do your math- 6 cents of land is the bare minimum you need to render utility to the land ( like building a house). So, now the base line is that you purchase the land for 60 lakhs plus you have to shell out another additional 35 lakhs for building a house. So you spent close a crore for a normal house on a mere 6 cents of land. Even if you imagine that an IT guys saves Rs. 50000 per month in India and considering the fact that he puts in the whole amount as EMI for this, he will take atleast 200 months to get off this debt.. That is roughly 17 years.. That too for a mere 6 cent plot plus house in a relatively small city in India.
Is this sustainable? No. The land prices are definitely in for a downward correction. When you get the feeling that even people with considerable disposable income cannot afford these prices, there is something wrong here. What has happened in California and rest of US will happen in Kerala also. Not only in Kochi but also in other cities including Trivandrum. But in the case of Trivandrum there is a flip side. The projects in Trivandrum do not get as much media coverage as those in Kochi. Why is this? Because, contrary to Trivandrum, most of the projects supposedly coming in Kochi are in the private sector. So they need the media coverage to sell their projects. I am a development oriented Keralite. I want all cities, towns and villages to develop equally- but not at the cost of the general public. Here is the scoop- Who are the clear winners in the whole episode- the so called real estate mafia.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Cell phones, beggars, coolies and India
I love cellphones. I am not a gadget freak. But, i can't live without cellphones. They are my lifeline. My heart literally pounds when I try to call my beloved ones and when they do not respond. I bet that that is the case with almost everyone who reads this. Just imagine this- In late 1999, when I got my first cellphone ( by default), it was a marvellous piece of equipment for me. " Equipment", because this an important component in my job. Once, while I was working in Manjeri, I remember some lads hooting at me when they saw me speaking on the phone . I got pissed off, but I should have remembered that owning a mobile phone then was considered to be a privilege of the bourgeosis class. Those were the times of Rs 8/minute mobile calls and nobody could even imagine a 22 yr old chatting away to glory for hours together.
2008- India overtook the U.S as the country with the second largest mobile phone subscribers, next only to China. India's teledensity is around 25, which means that out of every 100 people in India only around 25 have mobilephones. Considering that the saturation point is about 75, consider the potential India holds. No wonder all the international operators are making a beeline to the country which until recently considered owning a landphone as a luxury of thenchosen few. Beggars and coolies have mobile phones. Engineers and doctors own them too. So do toddy tappers, cobblers, blacksmiths etal. The Ambanis and Tatas use the same newtork too with no preference. It is no more a luxury but a big necessity. India has one of the cheapest call rates in the world and a youth population of more than 60%. SMS,MMS etc etc are keywords to any mobile user in India. In 2 years time, there will be a technological revolution with the launch of 3 G services. To those who are not familiar with 3G, it is a broadband connection on your mobile phones- of course on a 3 G ( UMTS) handset. That would mean using internet while on the go at speeds greater than 1 Mbps while on the go.
I am just mesmerised with how India has adapted considerably to technological changes. In telecom for example, it is way ahead of other nations-including many developed countries. Most of the handset manufacturers have set shop in India. The majority of the youth are gizmo geeks. I won't hoot back at those Manjeri lads if I see them again with their sleek gadgets.
2008- India overtook the U.S as the country with the second largest mobile phone subscribers, next only to China. India's teledensity is around 25, which means that out of every 100 people in India only around 25 have mobilephones. Considering that the saturation point is about 75, consider the potential India holds. No wonder all the international operators are making a beeline to the country which until recently considered owning a landphone as a luxury of thenchosen few. Beggars and coolies have mobile phones. Engineers and doctors own them too. So do toddy tappers, cobblers, blacksmiths etal. The Ambanis and Tatas use the same newtork too with no preference. It is no more a luxury but a big necessity. India has one of the cheapest call rates in the world and a youth population of more than 60%. SMS,MMS etc etc are keywords to any mobile user in India. In 2 years time, there will be a technological revolution with the launch of 3 G services. To those who are not familiar with 3G, it is a broadband connection on your mobile phones- of course on a 3 G ( UMTS) handset. That would mean using internet while on the go at speeds greater than 1 Mbps while on the go.
I am just mesmerised with how India has adapted considerably to technological changes. In telecom for example, it is way ahead of other nations-including many developed countries. Most of the handset manufacturers have set shop in India. The majority of the youth are gizmo geeks. I won't hoot back at those Manjeri lads if I see them again with their sleek gadgets.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Express Highway- The need of the hour
The first time I heard a proposal for an express highway was some time ago- 2001 when A.K Antony was the CM. The then PWD ministry held by the Muslim league was strongly in favor of this project. The proposed scheme envisaged construction of a super speed highway track from Manjeshwaram in the North to Parassala, south of Trivandrum. This highway was supposed to have only the required number of exits ( not as per the demands of the local politician) and bypassed the busy sections of all the main cities. Touted as THE dream project, this would have very well been the owner's pride and neighbor's envy and was supposed to be of international standards.
Not surprisingly, this remains very well on paper with opposition coming from all quarters. One of the arguments was that Kerala will be divided into two portions- East Kerala and West Kerala once this is implemented. Another view doing the rounds was that a lot of property would have to be acquired for the same. Still others were of the view that such a project was not beneficial for a state like Kerala- Sadly, these are the same people who admire the highways in middle eastern countries or in Europe or in America..
Why are some people hell bent against the development of Kerala? Why can't some people just can't accept the fact that Kerala has to do something extraordinary to get out of this rout? To the first argument on the division- Our State is blessed with a linear, longitudinal geography unlike others. So, compared to states like TN, it is very easy to implement an express highway that beneifts almost 90% of the population. I guess Wayanad and Idukki districts are the bottlenecks. This is the 21st century. With proper planning, this elevated highway will NOT divide the state. That argument is total rubbish. Secondly, regarding property acquisition, it is not for the first time that an acquisition is taking place in the State. If we have given land for the Technopark, for Smart City, for Vallarpadam, for the NH47 , why are being hypocritical when it comes to express highway.
Take out these foolish , outdated views and love thy homeland as thou love thy " workland" and support the initiative for the express highway. Think for years ahead, plan for the next generation, dream for Kerala @ 2020. You will realize what it means to build a world class highway.
Not surprisingly, this remains very well on paper with opposition coming from all quarters. One of the arguments was that Kerala will be divided into two portions- East Kerala and West Kerala once this is implemented. Another view doing the rounds was that a lot of property would have to be acquired for the same. Still others were of the view that such a project was not beneficial for a state like Kerala- Sadly, these are the same people who admire the highways in middle eastern countries or in Europe or in America..
Why are some people hell bent against the development of Kerala? Why can't some people just can't accept the fact that Kerala has to do something extraordinary to get out of this rout? To the first argument on the division- Our State is blessed with a linear, longitudinal geography unlike others. So, compared to states like TN, it is very easy to implement an express highway that beneifts almost 90% of the population. I guess Wayanad and Idukki districts are the bottlenecks. This is the 21st century. With proper planning, this elevated highway will NOT divide the state. That argument is total rubbish. Secondly, regarding property acquisition, it is not for the first time that an acquisition is taking place in the State. If we have given land for the Technopark, for Smart City, for Vallarpadam, for the NH47 , why are being hypocritical when it comes to express highway.
Take out these foolish , outdated views and love thy homeland as thou love thy " workland" and support the initiative for the express highway. Think for years ahead, plan for the next generation, dream for Kerala @ 2020. You will realize what it means to build a world class highway.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
NRIs, NRKs, Americas, Bangalore & Kerala
Kerala is a land of unlimited greenery with its idyllic ambience. Business men like Virgin's Richard Brandson and celebrities like Amitabh Bachan have been mesmerised with the place. National Geographic branded this coconut state as one of the world's top 10 destinations. It would not be fair to even brand Kerala as the Hawai or California of India. These places pale in comparison to this exotic place. Now the other side of the story. Roughly 25% of Keralaites are expatriates. Out of these a major chunk are sole bread winners of their family. Somebody joked that even if somebody goes to the moon he could find a " malayali thattukada" there.....
Is Kerala a land of so few opportunities that an exodus is the only option or are we just following some trend to migrate? I really don't know the answer to this because I am also in a foreign land at the moment ( though it is temporary). I agree that opportunities (particulary for IT) are limited in Kerala at the moment. But it is definitely picking up. We are trailing all the southern states in software exports . Definitely we are closing the gap, but at this rate, we will take atleast 10 years to be counted among the big players. All this is happening to a state that launched the first IT park in India way back in 1990 when Manmohan Singh was not even the FM. It is better not to do the post mortem but to think about the after life.
We have some pretty good companies including some bigwigs in Technopark, Trivandrum. From various forums, I have read that the occupancy has reached saturation point and the government has acquired around 500 acres of land to the north of Technopark for the Technocity project. All this could mean that ( even after taking into account the political and bureaucratic hurdles) we may well have the largest IT corridor in India. The proposed Smart City in Kochi may play its part too. But how many of the IT expats from Kerala are willing to return to work in Kerala?
Most of the young techies whom I spoke to about the subject had just one answer " Lack of professionalism". I am just not convinced with this answer. There may be a difference in standards of professionalism among the various companies. But one company, one brand but two different work ethics in Bangalore and Trivandrum. This is either blown out of proportion or is a false impression . But if this is true, then these companies definitely have to shore up their standards. I have worked in Kerala for close to three years after my graduation. I can say from the bottom of my heart that those were the best days in my career. The people around me were totally professionalistic and even the Kerala team was branded as the best unit in the company.
Even if companies like Microsoft and Google set up shop in Kerala, I doubt if our own Techies will prefer this place. Maybe some northie or other southie will come here, work , enjoy the relishing sea food and live life KING size. May be it is not in our stars to enjoy Kerala to the fullest in our life time.. What a great irony?
Is Kerala a land of so few opportunities that an exodus is the only option or are we just following some trend to migrate? I really don't know the answer to this because I am also in a foreign land at the moment ( though it is temporary). I agree that opportunities (particulary for IT) are limited in Kerala at the moment. But it is definitely picking up. We are trailing all the southern states in software exports . Definitely we are closing the gap, but at this rate, we will take atleast 10 years to be counted among the big players. All this is happening to a state that launched the first IT park in India way back in 1990 when Manmohan Singh was not even the FM. It is better not to do the post mortem but to think about the after life.
We have some pretty good companies including some bigwigs in Technopark, Trivandrum. From various forums, I have read that the occupancy has reached saturation point and the government has acquired around 500 acres of land to the north of Technopark for the Technocity project. All this could mean that ( even after taking into account the political and bureaucratic hurdles) we may well have the largest IT corridor in India. The proposed Smart City in Kochi may play its part too. But how many of the IT expats from Kerala are willing to return to work in Kerala?
Most of the young techies whom I spoke to about the subject had just one answer " Lack of professionalism". I am just not convinced with this answer. There may be a difference in standards of professionalism among the various companies. But one company, one brand but two different work ethics in Bangalore and Trivandrum. This is either blown out of proportion or is a false impression . But if this is true, then these companies definitely have to shore up their standards. I have worked in Kerala for close to three years after my graduation. I can say from the bottom of my heart that those were the best days in my career. The people around me were totally professionalistic and even the Kerala team was branded as the best unit in the company.
Even if companies like Microsoft and Google set up shop in Kerala, I doubt if our own Techies will prefer this place. Maybe some northie or other southie will come here, work , enjoy the relishing sea food and live life KING size. May be it is not in our stars to enjoy Kerala to the fullest in our life time.. What a great irony?
High Court bench in the Capital
Numerous posts have been published in various forums on the establishment of a high court bench in the capital. The indefinite satyagraha by the lawyers of Trivandrum have snowballed into a mass agitation. The whole issue has been raked up even in the parliament and is fast becoming a Trivandrum-Kochi fight ( for all the wrong reasons).
First and foremost, there is no logic in saying "NO" to sanctioning the bench in Trivandrum. It is the state capital and it deserves better treatment. Barring a few north eastern states, Trivandrum has to bear the ignominy of the only state capital without a high court or a bench. Most of the cases being handled by the apellate court have the State government as one party. It is ridiculous to have even maintained the high court in Kochi for these many years. Imagine the expenditure the government has to bear in the form of TA and DA when government officials or ministers have to commute to Kochi just for attending a session of the High court. In most cases, they may be required in the court for a max of 15 mts. For this , they have to commute 5 hours and be out of the office for at least a day. Just calculate the amount of man power wasted and the cost on the exchequer.
By default, the high court itself should have been headquartered in Trivandrum. This is both logical and economical. A few decades have passed and it is not prudent to uproot an establishment in one go. But, definitely, the state capital deserves the bench. Kudos to all who are fighting for it. I am sure we will win this fight not for the city but for the state and the tax payers of the state.
First and foremost, there is no logic in saying "NO" to sanctioning the bench in Trivandrum. It is the state capital and it deserves better treatment. Barring a few north eastern states, Trivandrum has to bear the ignominy of the only state capital without a high court or a bench. Most of the cases being handled by the apellate court have the State government as one party. It is ridiculous to have even maintained the high court in Kochi for these many years. Imagine the expenditure the government has to bear in the form of TA and DA when government officials or ministers have to commute to Kochi just for attending a session of the High court. In most cases, they may be required in the court for a max of 15 mts. For this , they have to commute 5 hours and be out of the office for at least a day. Just calculate the amount of man power wasted and the cost on the exchequer.
By default, the high court itself should have been headquartered in Trivandrum. This is both logical and economical. A few decades have passed and it is not prudent to uproot an establishment in one go. But, definitely, the state capital deserves the bench. Kudos to all who are fighting for it. I am sure we will win this fight not for the city but for the state and the tax payers of the state.
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