Musings

Having served her purpose, Kalawati is no longer news

2011-10-18T08:52:00.000+05:30

I found this news item hidden in one of the inner pages of TOI. And to think that when Rahul Gandhi had dinner at her place it made headline news!

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP%2F2011%2F10%2F18&ViewMode=GIF&PageLabel=11&EntityId=Ar01104&AppName=1

Rohit Agarwal
+91 9868967224

http://www.jottings.in
http://www.linkedin.com/in/1agarwal

Absolute perfection comes from the absolute.

That which is well built
will never be torn down.
That which is well latched
can not slip away.
Those who do things well
will be honored from generation to generation.
(Tao Te Ching).

Amazingly zoomable photograph

2009-01-31T11:01:00.001+05:30

This is something really awesome – a panorama photograph of Obama’s Inaugural address made up of 220 images, and the file is 59,783 X 24,658 pixels or 1,474 megapixels. Taken by a photographer called David Bergman, It took more than six and a half hours for the Gigapan software to put together all of the images and the final TIF file is almost 2 gigabytes.

Use the controls to zoom and pan around the photo. You can also double click to zoom in and double click again to get even closer. The degree that you can zoom on to is AMAZING. You can see what is on Obama’s clipboard, in his hand, or in Bush’s glass. You can even see faces and expressions of each of the million people who attended. You can even zoom into the bandstand and read the music on the sheets!

See the top level:-

And here is the max zoom level

Go to the following link to see it :-

http://www.gigapan.org/

http://www.davidbergman.net/blog/2009/01/22/how-i-made-a-1474-megapixel-photo-during-president-obamas-inaugural-address/

Put a Shark in your tank

2009-01-22T09:26:00.001+05:30

Japanese Fish Theory

The Japanese have a great liking for fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring back the fish.

The longer it took them to bring back the fish, the staler they grew.

The fish were not fresh and the Japanese did not like the taste. To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats.

They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little hashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, it has got over that crisis and has emerged as one of the most important trades in that country! How did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan ?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. And they survive and arrive in a healthy state! They command a higher price and are most sought-after. The challenge they face keeps them fresh!

Humans are no different. L. Ron Hubbard observed in the early 1950's:

"Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment. "

George Bernard Shaw said: "Satisfaction is death!"

Moral of story -

1. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive! Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them.

2. Do not postpone a task, simply because its challenging. Catch these challenges by their horns and vanquish them. Enjoy the game.

3. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Giving up makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.

4. Don't create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.

So put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

Saying Happy New Year in Different Languages

2009-01-04T14:41:00.001+05:30

Afgani

Saale Nao Mubbarak

Afrikaans

Gelukkige nuwe jaar

Albanian

Gezuar Vitin e Ri

Armenian

Snorhavor Nor Tari

Arabic

Kul 'am wa antum bikhair

Assyrian

Sheta Brikhta

Azeri

Yeni Iliniz Mubarek!

Bengali

Shuvo Nabo Barsho

Breton [Celtic Brythonic language]

Bloavezh Mat

Bulgarian

×åñòèò� Íîâ� Ãîäèí� (pronounced "Chestita Nova Godina")

Cambodian

Soursdey Chhnam Tmei

Catalan

FELIÇ ANY NOU

Chinese

Xin Nian Kuai Le

Corsican Language

Pace e Salute

Croatian

Sretna Nova godina!

Cymraeg (Welsh)

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Czech

� ťastný Nový rok (or Stastny Novy rok)

Denish

Godt Nytår

Dhivehi

Ufaaveri Aa Aharakah Edhen

Dutch

GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!

Eskimo

Kiortame pivdluaritlo

Esperanto

Felican Novan Jaron

Estonians

Head uut aastat!

Ethiopian:

MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO!

Finnish

Onnellista Uutta Vuotta

French

Bonne Annee

Gaelic

Bliadhna mhath ur

Galician [NorthWestern Spain]

Bo Nadal e Feliz Aninovo

German

Prosit Neujahr

Georgian

GILOTSAVT AKHAL TSELS!

Greek

Kenourios Chronos

Gujarati

Nutan Varshbhinandan

Hawaiian

Hauoli Makahiki Hou

Hebrew

L'Shannah Tovah

Hindi

Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen

Hong kong

(Cantonese) Sun Leen Fai Lok

Hungarian

Boldog Ooy Ayvet

Indonesian

Selamat Tahun Baru

Iranian

Sal -e- no mobarak

Iraqi

Sanah Jadidah

Irish

Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit

Italian:

Felice anno nuovo

Japan:

Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu

Kabyle:

Asegwas Amegaz

Kannada:

Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu

Kisii:

SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA

Khmer:

Sua Sdei tfnam tmei

Korea:

Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo!

Kurdish:

NEWROZ PIROZBE

Latvian

Laimīgo Jauno Gadu!

Lithuanian:

Laimingu Naujuju Metu

Laotian:

Sabai dee pee mai

Macedonian

Srekjna Nova Godina

Madagascar

Tratry ny taona

Malay

Selamat Tahun Baru

Marathi :

Nveen Varshachy Shubhechcha

Malayalam :

Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal

Mizo

Kum Thar Chibai

Maltese

Is-Sena t- Tajba

Nepal

Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana

Norwegian

Godt Nyttår

Papua New Guinea

Nupela yia i go long yu

Pampango (Philippines)

Masaganang Bayung Banua

Pashto

Nawai Kall Mo Mubarak Shah

Persian

Sal -e- no mobarak

Philippines

Manigong Bagong Taon!

Polish:

Szczesliwego Nowego Roku

Portuguese

Feliz Ano Novo

Punjabi

Nave sal di mubarak

Romanian

AN NOU FERICIT

Russian

S Novim Godom

Samoa

Manuia le Tausaga Fou

Serbo-Croatian

Sretna nova godina

Sindhi

Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje

Singhalese

Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa

Siraiki

Nawan Saal Shala Mubarak Theevay

Slovak

Stastny Novy rok

Slovenian

sreèno novo leto

Somali

Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican!

Spanish

Feliz Ano ~Nuevo

Swahili

Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº

Swedish

GOTT NYTT ÅR! /Gott nytt år!

Sudanese

Warsa Enggal

Tamil

Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal

Tibetian

Losar Tashi Delek

Telegu

Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu

Thai

Sawadee Pee Mai

Turkish

Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Ukrainian

Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku

Urdu

Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho

Uzbek

Yangi Yil Bilan

Vietnamese

Chuc Mung Tan Nien

Welsh :

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Gateway of india peace March - Dec 3rd

2008-12-05T18:37:00.001+05:30

LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER

2008-12-04T18:15:00.002+05:30

I am not sure of the author of this letter. But he speaks the mind of common man

LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER

Dear Mr. Prime minister

I am a typical mouse from Mumbai. In the local train compartment which has capacity of 100 persons, I travel with 500 more mouse. Mouse at least squeak but we don't even do that.

Today I heard your speech. In which you said 'NO BODY WOULD BE SPARED'. I would like to remind you that fourteen years has passed since serial bomb blast in Mumbai took place. Dawood was the main conspirator. Till today he is not caught. All our bolywood actors, our builders, our Gutka king meets him but your Government can not catch him. Reason is simple; all your ministers are hand in glove with him. If any attempt is made to catch him everybody will be exposed. Your statement 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED' is nothing but a cruel joke on this unfortunate people of India.

Enough is enough. As such after seeing terrorist attack carried out by about a dozen young boys I realize that if same thing continues days are not away when terrorist will attack by air, destroy our nuclear reactor and there will be one more Hiroshima.

We the people are left with only one mantra. Womb to Bomb to Tomb. You promised Mumbaikar Shanghai what you have given us is Jalianwala Baug.

Today only your home minister resigned. What took you so long to kick out this joker? Only reason was that he was loyal to Gandhi family. Loyalty to Gandhi family is more important than blood of innocent people, isn't it?

I am born and bought up in Mumbai for last fifty eight years. Believe me corruption in Maharashtra is worse than that in Bihar. Look at all the politician, Sharad Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Bal Thackray , Gopinath Munde, Raj Thackray, Vilasrao Deshmukh all are rolling in money. Vilasrao Deshmukh is one of the worst Chief minister I have seen. His only business is to increase the FSI every other day, make money and send it to Delhi so Congress can fight next election. Now the clown has found new way and will increase FSI for fisherman so they can build concrete house right on sea shore. Next time terrorist can comfortably live in those house , enjoy the beauty of sea and then attack the Mumbai at their will.

Recently I had to purchase house in Mumbai. I met about two dozen builders. Everybody wanted about 30% in black. A common person like me knows this and with all your intelligent agency & CBI you and your finance minister are not aware of it. Where all the black money goes? To the underworld isn't it? Our politicians take help of these goondas to vacate people by force. I myself was victim of it. If you have time please come to me, I will tell you everything.

If this has been land of fools, idiots then I would not have ever cared to write you this letter. Just see the tragedy, on one side we are reaching moon, people are so intelligent and on other side you politician has converted nectar into deadly poison. I am everything Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Schedule caste, OBC, Muslim OBC, Christian Schedule caste, Creamy Schedule caste only what I am not is INDIAN. You politician have raped every part of mother India by your policy of divide and rule. Some elements of society are trying to divide Mumbai with north and south India. These elements were comfortably hiding last week in their holes like a rat does. Their activities month back were not less than terrorists, the only difference was no bullet.

Take example of former president Abdul Kalam. Such a intelligent person, such a fine human being. You politician didn't even spare him. Your party along with opposition joined the hands, because politician feels they are supreme and there is no place for good person.

Dear Mr Prime minister you are one of the most intelligent person, most learned person. Just wake up, be a real SARDAR. First and foremost expose all selfish politician. Ask Swiss bank to give name of all Indian account holder. Give reins of CBI to independent agency. Let them find wolf among us There will be political upheaval but that will better than dance of death which we are witnessing every day. Just give us ambient where we can work honestly and without fear. Let there be rule of law. Everything else will be taken care of.

Choice is yours Mr. Prime Minister. Do you want to be lead by one person or you want to lead the nation of 100 Crore people?

Mumbai Attacks Geopolitical Implications

2008-11-28T12:18:00.002+05:30

Geopolitical Analysis of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on 26 - 27 Nov, and my comments on them

Summary

If the Nov. 26 attacks in Mumbai were carried out by Islamist militants as it appears, the Indian government will have little choice, politically speaking, but to blame them on Pakistan. That will in turn spark a crisis between the two nuclear rivals that will draw the United States into the fray.

Analysis

At this point the situation on the ground in Mumbai remains unclear following the militant attacks of Nov. 26. But in order to understand the geopolitical significance of what is going on, it is necessary to begin looking beyond this event at what will follow. Though the situation is still in motion, the likely consequences of the attack are less murky.

We will begin by assuming that the attackers are Islamist militant groups operating in India, possibly with some level of outside support from Pakistan. We can also see quite clearly that this was a carefully planned, well-executed attack.

Given this, the Indian government has two choices. First, it can simply say that the perpetrators are a domestic group. In that case, it will be held accountable for a failure of enormous proportions in security and law enforcement. It will be charged with being unable to protect the public. On the other hand, it can link the attack to an outside power: Pakistan. In that case it can hold a nation-state responsible for the attack, and can use the crisis atmosphere to strengthen the government's internal position by invoking nationalism. Politically this is a much preferable outcome for the Indian government, and so it is the most likely course of action. This is not to say that there are no outside powers involved — simply that, regardless of the ground truth, the Indian government will claim there were.

That, in turn, will plunge India and Pakistan into the worst crisis they have had since 2002. If the Pakistanis are understood to be responsible for the attack, then the Indians must hold them responsible, and that means they will have to take action in retaliation — otherwise, the Indian government's domestic credibility will plunge. The shape of the crisis, then, will consist of demands that the Pakistanis take immediate steps to suppress Islamist radicals across the board, but particularly in Kashmir. New Delhi will demand that this action be immediate and public. This demand will come parallel to U.S. demands for the same actions, and threats by incoming U.S. President Barack Obama to force greater cooperation from Pakistan.

If that happens, Pakistan will find itself in a nutcracker. On the one side, the Indians will be threatening action — deliberately vague but menacing — along with the Americans. This will be even more intense if it turns out, as currently seems likely, that Americans and Europeans were being held hostage (or worse) in the two hotels that were attacked. If the attacks are traced to Pakistan, American demands will escalate well in advance of inauguration day.

There is a precedent for this. In 2002 there was an attack on the Indian parliament in Mumbai by Islamist militants linked to Pakistan. A near-nuclear confrontation took place between India and Pakistan, in which the United States brokered a stand-down in return for intensified Pakistani pressure on the Islamists. The crisis helped redefine the Pakistani position on Islamist radicals in Pakistan.

In the current iteration, the demands will be even more intense. The Indians and Americans will have a joint interest in forcing the Pakistani government to act decisively and immediately. The Pakistani government has warned that such pressure could destabilize Pakistan. The Indians will not be in a position to moderate their position, and the Americans will see the situation as an opportunity to extract major concessions. Thus the crisis will directly intersect U.S. and NATO operations in Afghanistan.

It is not clear the degree to which the Pakistani government can control the situation. But the Indians will have no choice but to be assertive, and the United States will move along the same line. Whether it is the current government in India that reacts, or one that succeeds doesn't matter. Either way, India is under enormous pressure to respond. Therefore the events point to a serious crisis not simply between Pakistan and India, but within Pakistan as well, with the government caught between foreign powers and domestic realities.. Given the circumstances, massive destabilization is possible — never a good thing with a nuclear power.

This is thinking far ahead of the curve, and is based on an assumption of the truth of something we don't know for certain yet, which is that the attackers were Muslims and that the Pakistanis will not be able to demonstrate categorically that they weren't involved. Since we suspect they were Muslims, and since we doubt the Pakistanis can be categorical and convincing enough to thwart Indian demands, we suspect that we will be deep into a crisis within the next few days, very shortly after the situation on the ground clarifies itself.

My Comments:-

Well, theoretically all this sounds quite plausible. But when viewed in the perspective of precedence, the possible scenario that emerges is quite different from the doomsday predictions of this analyst.

Firstly, this is one more in an unending series of such attacks, which have been escalating in scale and audacity. One more media tamasha, accompanied by the usual platitudes mouthed by politicians of all hues, as has already been witnessed. Given the size of this one, and the fact that it is still going on, they have so far restrained from finger pointing and scoring political brownie points. But once it is over, the blame game will start. Both the major political alignments will spew venom at each other, while claiming to be the sole saviours of civilization as we know it. And yes, collectively Pakistan will be blamed (and as I am sure all of us are convinced, not without reason or substance). It is another matter that WHICH ENTITY in Pakistan is actually to blame is anybody's guess. In all probability, their government is as helpless and clueless, or maybe just a degree less so, than ours. The genie is out of the bottle, and having granted three wishes, refuses to go back. It is now tormenting its masters and everyone else.

So, while Pakistan will be blamed, and the usual statements and denials will follow, each side pandering to its domestic audience. But it will remain at a slanging match, as both sides know they can not afford to escalate the situation. A very optimistic view is that it might even prompt the Pakistani government to overtly or covertly attempt to tighten the screws on the forces of terrorism (to what effect is anybody's guess).

USA will also make all the right noises, and do everything short of acting against Pakistan. After all, Mumbai is not New York, and the Taj is not the WTC.

Both India and USA are heading for a change of government in the near future, with the same preceded by elections in the case of India. Under such circumstances, it would be foolish to expect decisive, precipitative action by either of them. So, we will declare war on terrorism (yet again!), vow to hunt down the perpetrators (they are dead) and the one's behind them (you have a hope coming!) 'irrespective of their religion'. We will call endless meetings, probably initiate actions to raise new agencies or forces (thereby providing more avenues for babus and policemen to rise in life). That the existing agencies are numerous enough to cause considerable confusion and afford leeway for blame shifting doesn't matter.

Then, life will go on. Till the next time there is another attack and we once again dedicate ourselves to eradicating terrorism from its roots, no matter what the cost.

Sorry for sounding so cynical – maybe optimism will return with normalcy in Mumbai.

The Last Straw?

2008-11-10T21:57:00.004+05:30

Involvement of a serving officer in terrorist activities has generated a lot of consteration within the services as well as amongst the people at large. Is it the begining of the end? The last straw? Crumbling of the citadel? While these are extreme views, the fact is that there is need for introspection.

The British had a policy, right or wrong, of keeping the armed forces insulated from the populace, at the same time treating them well enough in terms of emolutments and 'izzat'. Over the years, the insulation has vanished, and the armed forces no longer enjoy the pre-eminence in the society it once did. These, I feel are the two major contributing factors to the radical changes that are coming about in the thinking. Of course, the present incident is very obviously an aberration - a one in a lakh case I would put it. But I would also view is as a magnification of the changes that are coming about microscopically.

Management of change is a key command responsibility, which I am afraid has not got due credence as of now. When change is a fact of life, there is a need to firstly acknowledge that it is occuring, secondly to analyse it in all its dimensions, and lastly to take appropriate steps to mould the system and organisation to ensure that it continues to function optimally after due corrections to cater for the change. Change may be good or bad - either ways, the system has to make allowances to either benefit from it, or to restrict its impact. Our approach to either deny that a change is taking place at all, or to castigate it and persist with a rigid system promoting status quoism, is self defeating.

Constitutional Crisis - Threat Vs Reality

2008-10-26T07:02:00.006+05:30

The recent actions by the service chiefs, wherein the implementation of the pay commission recommendations were put on hold till a final decision on the anomalies is taken by the governemnt, has drawn considerable comment and flak from a section of the media. Similarly, the Naval and Army Chiefs' communication to their respective commands, informing them of this delay, has been criticized. The critics have termed their actions as 'defiance' and 'insubordination'. Fears have been expressed that such an unprecedented move, if left unchallenged and unpunished, would embolden future chiefs. It may the constitutional order .... maybe even the dreaded C word!

The voices, apparently inspired by motivated interests, are crying wolf about something which may happen in the future . What about what is already happening for the past so many years - isn't the bureacracy already undermining the system for their personal gains every day?

A simple exercise will tell you the difference between the military and the bureaucrats. Go down to NOIDA. First visit Sector 15A - the abode of babus (old babus never retire - they just step into other roles to continue receiving government patronage). Notice the houses, the parks, the cars. Now drive on further to Sector 28 where the retired faujis are fading away. Notice anything? Any differences? These are not the palatial bungalows like you saw a little while back. Why? aren't the two services supposed to be paid similarly? Where does the difference lie?

The fact is that the bureaucrats are eating their way into a plush lifestyle - at the cost of the nation. Where is the sacntity of the constitution that these people keep beating their collective breasts about?

Chief's Actions - Inspired by Loyalty

2008-10-01T07:53:00.002+05:30

The action (actually, inaction) of the service chiefs with regards to implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations has drawn flak from several quarters. It is being viewed by the critics as insubordination, indiscipline. Fingers are also being raised on the propriety of sending out signals to all ranks informing them of the delay.

The fact of the matter is that the politicians and the bureaucrats have been caught in flagrante delicto in their attempt to rush through the implementation, warts and all. This, despite that it has been pointed out that the final recommendations have glaring discrepancies as regards the armed forces. The inexplicable down gradation of Lt Cols and Lt Gens, and the reduction in pension of the jawans, defy logic and cannot stand scrutiny. Interestingly, these discrepancies were not part of the original pay commission report, but were introduced by the Committee of Secretaries during review.

Attempts to browbeat the services into accepting the award along with discrepancies, with the unconvincing assurance of looking into the issues post implementation, did not work. The principled stance of the chiefs, uncharacteristic of the incumbents in recent years, took them by surprise. The chiefs probably realized that once implemented, the urgency in rectifying the discrepancies would no longer exist, and the issue would get mired in typical bureaucratic delaying tactics. It is notable that the anomalies of the fourth and fifth pay commissions have still not been removed. The lowered status and pensions of the armed forces would have similarly become fait accompli.

Ethos of the armed forces is centred around loyalty – a concept difficult to understand for outsiders in today’s self serving opportunistic environment. Loyalty in the forces has many dimensions – loyalty towards the country, towards the services, towards one’s unit or ship, your superiors – and most importantly, towards the men under your command. The ‘Chetwoode Motto’ is deeply ingrained in the psyche of every officer :-

"The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time.

The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next.

Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time."

The stance taken by the service chiefs is in pursuit of these ideals. Individually, the chiefs have no personal stake in the removal of the anomalies. They have been well compensated in the pay commission report. On the contrary, in taking a strong stance, they have possibly staked their personal self interests such as post retirement appointments. It is only their strong sense of loyalty to their subordinates that prompted this action.

Unlike all other services affected by the pay commission, the armed forces have no unions, no associations. The jawans and officers have absolutely no mechanism of expressing their dissatisfaction with the pay commission discrepancies. They would have no option but to ‘lump it’. Life would carry on, the soldiers and officers would continue to spill their blood securing this nation. But, as the chiefs are well aware, it would be yet another blow to the already beleaguered edifice of the morale of the services, another threat to its basic fabric.

The move to withhold the implementation till a final decision on the anomalies was the only way the import and urgency of the issue could have been highlighted, since all other quarters had only drawn assurances. It also made administrative sense, since it would avoid having to do the salary calculations of more than 15 Lakh people twice in (hopefully) a month or so.

As regards the signal informing their command of the delay in implementation, it was perfectly in order to keep all ranks of the services informed about an issue that every one of them is obviously monitoring closely and is affected by. This is as per the best practices of command, to avoid rumour mongering and ensuring the correct picture is known to all.

The chiefs were sanguine that loyalty to the nation lay in being loyal to their services and their subordinates, and acted accordingly, even at potentially grave personal costs. It is probably for the first time, after the late Field Marshal Manekshaw insisted on delaying the commencement of operations in 1971 till the army was fully ready, that such a principled and selfless stance has been taken by any service chief. They have lived up to the line in the NDA Prayer – “Help me to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”The nation, media and the government must view their actions in this light, and not now go on a witch hunt, lest they cause irreparable damage to the morale of the armed forces.

--- A Soldier's Letter To Our Dear President

2008-09-20T19:44:00.002+05:30

--- A Soldier's Letter To Our Dear President

While we awaited the pay commission bounty

The IAS got there first

and now, President Aunty

We have no choice but to be blunt

We are third class citizens,

though manning the front

The bureaucrats who decide things for us

Have truly shown their animus

And we who defend our dear nation

Have again been shown our lower station

When the seventh pay commission comes around

We will no doubt lose more ground

Then Colonels would equal civilian clerks

In salary, status and other perks

Generals will wait on worn out chairs

Outside IAS Officers' lairs

A once proud service is now so degraded

That though their uniforms still be braided

They are demoralised and wait to retire

And then take up their pens to fire

At those they served all their life

In times of peace and in times of strife

The lesson from this, our children we tell

Is that, if in life you want to do well

And this, I am sure, every soldier endorses

Do not ever join the forces

Just become a doctor or a pleader

Perhaps, even better, a political leader

Or an IAS officer, with his red light

Why face the enemy, why risk a fight

When the nation you guard

does not value you much

And treats you merely like a handy crutch

To support the government in civil disorder

Or when the enemy threatens the border

But when the time comes to share the pie

They get all antsy and ask - why???

So Madam President, hear us out

A change is going to come about

And we, the most courageous of all

Will soon be replaced by the petty and small

Alas, your government would be squarely to blame

For this avoidable national shame

Terror Attacks

2008-09-14T11:09:00.006+05:30

Isn't it a matter of introspection for the Indian authorities that while the US homeland has been free of terror attacks ever since 9/11, India has been suffering them with alarming regularity. Hardly a month passes without a major terrorist incident in one of India's major cities. What are the lessons that we need to take from the US ability to keep terror at bay? What are the factors that make India so much more vulnerable? Following are possibly some.

Although America is a much more open society in terms of freedom from restrictions on civil liberties and imposing on citizens through intrusive checks and balances, the law enforcement and intelligence agencies appear to be doing a better job of preventing any incidents. One aspect is sheer competence, which needs a drastic improvement in our case. The second, I suppose is techincal support available to the US agencies, which is not unachievable for us. The third aspect is the sheer size of our population and the unorganised or disorganised nature of our society at large. Fourth, I suspect is the fact that in the largely anglo saxon population of a country like the US, the perpetrators of such incidencts who would by and large be asian, would stand out, affording better monitoring ability.

Besides, there are some more serious issues in our case. The politician - criminal - police nexus on one hand, and the policy of vote bank politics leading to minority appeasement, or at least exaggerated sensitivity to minority sentiments in dealing with terrorist suspects, on the other, are other factors that facilitate the perpetrators of such hideous acts in India. US, on the other hand, apparently is free from such encumberances when it comes to dealing with terrorism, which it very rightly treats with the severity that it deserves.

It is high time that our political class wakes up, takes a reality check and putting national interest over and above any other considerations, personal or political ambitions notwithstanding. They must strengthen the hands of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies in every way possible. The country must have effective legislation to deal with terrorism, which is nothing short of war on the nation and humanity. The issue of terrorism must be tackled with complete political consensus, rather than playing petty politics on the issue to score brownie points.

The time has come for our country to stand up as one and face the menace of terror in a concerted and decisive manner.

Ant and the Grasshopper Really a class analogy..

2008-09-12T23:43:00.000+05:30

An Old Story:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

Indian Version:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.
Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Mayawati states this as `injustice' done on Minorities.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .
Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.

Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.

Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.
The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, its home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.
Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.

CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '
Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later...
The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley,

100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India,

..AND

As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers, .
India is still a developing country…!!!

Considerations

2008-08-14T22:09:00.003+05:30

It is easy to fob off kids with irrelevant or non commital answers when you do not want to actually respond to their innocent little queries. You can tell them that they will find answers when they grow up, or that they are too young to understand. Or even with a simple "I don't know". But doing so for genuine queries that childlike curiosity throws up every now and then, and in most cases more now than then, is actaully stifiling a very healthy habit of investigating their surroundings.

It must be our endeavour to be as patient as possible when dealin with our children. The gift of patience and of our time is the best that we can give them. It is the best way of imparting our values to them, the DNA of real life that will see them through the evolution from childhood dreams to the cruel world of adulthood.

How Apt

2008-07-08T22:45:00.002+05:30

I Came across this description in a very interesting book called 'Modern India' by an American called Curtis, written in 1903. A third person unbiased view of India under the British rule at the turn of the twentieth century. I feel that the observation is still quite valid today - though I do feel that he used 'Hindu' as a generic term for Indian.

"... a Hindu immediately becomes a politician as soon as he is educated. It he does not succeed in obtaining an office he becomes an opponent of the government, and more or less of an agitator, according to his ability and ambitions."

Width of Railroad Tracks

2008-06-29T06:25:00.002+05:30

{RAILROAD TRACKS ARE HOW WIDE APART?}

Does the statement, 'We've always done it like that' ring any bells?
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number.
Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US railroads.
Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would
break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
Bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a Specification/Procedure/Process and wonder 'What horse's ass came up with it?' you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of the rear ends of two war horses... or two horses' asses.
Now, the twist to the story:
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory at Utah . The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.
The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. And the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.
And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important?
Ancient horse's asses control almost everything....
and CURRENT Horses Asses are controlling everything else!! You need look no further than Washington to confirm this. (WHY go all over Washington to learn about the obvious? Just peep into the WHITE HOUSE!) Incidentally, when the present incumbent was first elected and left his home state Texas for the first stint, all Texans assembled to consider renaming their State. Thus Texas of the yellow rose fame was unanimously abbreviated to
'TEX' ( Havn't figured out why yet??????? Tch, Tch, Tut, Tut! 'Cause they had finally succeeded in packing off their prize AS(S) to Washington, nay the White House itself !!! ..........however I now really feel sorry for the good folk of TEX......their prize AS(S) will be back soon like the Lone Star he always was.......they've now got to schedule another huge assembly to do the obvious.....the TEX-an Lame Duck will be taking over as 'Hon. Librarian at large' in his Pop's 'Bush Library' at Texas A&M, College Station/Bryan......so they've no choice but revert to the Lone Star state's original name......It has to be a unanimous decision with all bonafide Tex(ans) physically present in one place, as per their 'Yellow Rose Constitution' when the US annexed the then Texas from Mexico!!! )
HISTORICAL TRANSITION in THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
'HORSES' ASSES THEN; ASSES' ASSES NOW!_'_._,_.___

Cheated

2008-06-26T07:29:00.000+05:30

I took my non-empanelment in my stride, with the realization that despite apparently having an outwardly enviable service profile, there were probably occasions when I may not have measured up to the expectations of my superiors. Even on rejection of my complaint, and non-empanelment in the review, I continued to explain to myself that though not perfect, it is as good a system as is possible under the diverse constraints. I considered myself an integral part of the system. I stood firm in the belief that the system is benign, and though not found fit for promotion, it will find other ways to fulfil my aspirations.

However, on receipt of my posting order, I feel that I was under a misconception. I feel completely isolated and let down by all that I held in high regard. I now look forward to completing another 18 months and then hang up my uniform.

AUSTERITY : Practice What you Preach, PM

2007-06-09T06:44:00.000+05:30

It is very well for the Prime Minister to advise the captains of the industry on austerity and social responsibility. However, before that, maybe he needs to lead by example and also ask his colleagues in the cabinet and the parliament to do so. The ostentatious lifestyle of politicans of all hues and shades, in or out of office, is glaringly visible all around us. The leaders in industry rise through qualification and merit, produce results or are replaced and thus are accountable to the management or the shareholders, and their expenses are borne out of the wealth created by them. Conversely, politicians rise as we all know how – biggest qualification today being a larger history sheet than the others – waste most of the time allocated for parliamentry business being as unparliamentary as possible, and are largely unproductive or counterproductive. They are also not accountable to their shareholders - of late, brazenly so. And most significantly, wallow in the lap of luxury at the taxpayer’s expense, while causing inconveniences to the common man in the name of security wherever they go. Therefore, to an ordinary citizen like me what is jarring is not the handful of people who are creating wealth for thosands of others availing some fringe benefits, but rather the so called public servants lording over the public at its own expense.

If the good doctor would like to walk his talk, maybe he could begin by doing away with the five-star catering for cabinet meetings.

Hang a Few From the Lamp posts

2007-03-15T21:35:00.000+05:30

“Hang a few from a lamp-post to deter corruption : SC bench” says a prominent heading on the front page of today’s Indian Express. All at once, this fills me with hope as well as despair. The hope comes first – the apex judicial body of the country shares our angst, so the corrupt don’t have far to run and hide. Despair is close on the heels. This august body, the last resort of justice, finds itself powerless. It is unable to right the visibly obvious wrong, and is reduced to Bolshevik fantasies.

Who then, will tackle the problem of corruption? The Legislature and the Executive? Being interested parties at worst, and indifferent at best, there isn’t much likelihood. The Military? No, not on this side of the Radcliffe Line.

Being an eternal optimist, I have not lost hope. I am confident of people power. The increased awareness, tools like the RTI Act, SMS campaigns and an increasingly vocal common man, will empower an enlightened judiciary. If not tomorrow, definitely the day after. And yes, it will not be merely the small fish, as the accused in this case, who will be “hanging from the lamp-posts” on that glorious day.

Amen.