Rain check on Crystal Ball Gazing 2008

On 2nd January 2008, I had a post titled 'Crystal Ball Gazing 2008'. There, I had made some predictions for 2008. You can read the post here http://rajanvenkateswaran.blogspot.com/2008/01/crystal-ball-gazing-2008.html

Unlike others, I went back to my predictions and did a review. Of course, even I couldnt predict the Global financial meltdown or the Mumbai carnage. But still, it is worthwhile to take a rain check. The original post is in italics, with my comments at the end of the year in brackets.


Beginning of an year is ideal for crystal ball gazing. Let me make some predictions.

The political comatose situation in the Centre is likely to continue. Though the Gujarat results have ensured that the chances of a General Election in 2008 is almost zero. Congress party will try to retain power by making any compromise ( of course they did precisely this by teaming up with Mulayam and Amar Singh, allowing all coalition partners do whatever (looting) they want to do in their ministries)

and the CPI(M) who can pull down the Government is wary of doing so in view of the shaky ground they find themselves in currently in West Bengal and Kerala, only place where they have a presence. (I misread CPM. They did try to pull down the government but ended up with mud in their faces)

Other coalition partners are totally against a General Election. Congress will hope against hope to perform better in the Assembly elections due in BJP ruled states Madhya Pradesh and Rajastan to give them some momentum leading to General Election in early 2009.(they did well in Rajastan and we didnt see the General Election in 2008)

Dr.Manmohan Singh is a good man. But good men don't make great leaders. I would any day prefer a scoundrel who is a good leader and administrator to a spineless good man. He should have quit long ago if he had any decency left rather than allowing himself to be ridiculed by his party and every other coalition partners. I don't think even the cleaning staff in his office shows any respect for him. (They still dont)

All the while, the power behind the throne, Sonia Gandhi, hides behind a barricade refusing to give press or TV interviews but wielding enormous Authority without any Accountability. (She still is not accountable)

BJP is in disarray and despite the victory in Gujarat and HP, they have failed totally as a responsible opposition party.(they have not been great shakes as an opposition party, while credit must be given to them for extending support to the Government on terror laws. But BJP under Advani has been an unmitigated disaster)

We might however see a realignment of forces leading to the General election at local and national levels.(We did see SP joining UPA, and CPM tying up with AIADMK. But since elections are still a few months away, there was no sense of urgency for realignment). The strength and number of alliance partners will decide who will rule India for the next five years. Not a pleasant scenario politically. Cry my beloved country!

Economically, this is not going to be great.(it was not great and how) With the government refusing to take hard steps, the drift that started a year back is likely to continue. (the drift did continue accentuated by the global crisis) .With the world poised for a recession, the impact will be felt on Indian economy.(It did. And the world is into serious recessionary mode). We may not get the high 9% GDP Growth rate. Appreciating rupee (I was wrong here. Rupee depreciated drastically), near stagnant growth in Agriculture (correct here), drop in Industrial production (right here), continued subsidies (farm loan waiver and more coverage for NREG) and downtrend in exports (right here too) will ensure that we end up with a 7% Growth.(luck to get just that. but I was spot on). With inflation likely to be in the range of 5-6% (Even I was shocked at the inflation reachig 12%, but then I am not in a minority here, but by the end of the year it is back to 6%, but I admit being wrong here) , the Real GDP growth rate is likely to be 1-2% which is worrisome. We can expect more social sector spending, more sops and in all likelihood another Pay Commission award to government employees.(Was spot on in all these. Pay commission has been announced). The last will fuel inflation. (it did) .As will high energy prices. (ditto). Government has been refusing to take hard decisions on the pricing of the petroleum products, but this cant be put off forever. Higher fuel prices is will increase inflationary pressures. Rupee is expected to maintain its position and is likely to be in the bandwidth of Rs 38 - 41 during the year.(Wrong here). Real Estate prices will remain stagnant and stock markets might stabilize at 18000-21000 as all the above factors will make investors cautious.(right on first, wrong on second. but who foresaw the subprime triggered crisis) Gold will rule roost (it does) and may even appreciate by 10% (it did) mainly as a result of weak dollar. Good time to invest in yellow metal.(you should have listened to my advice and would have made money in a slumping financial market if you had invested in gold). Decisions of SEZs likely to be put off (we dont even hear about SEZ these days) but there could be some spurt in infrastructure projects so that the Government can show some visible progress.

Internal security will continue to be a cause for worry as the Government has virtually slept through the past 4 years hardly putting any concrete systems in place to counter terrorism. Borders will continue to be sensitive with Pakistan on a transition phase, Bangladesh unstable, Nepal shaky, China a nuisance and Srilanka on a razor edge. Again as a nation, we are paying the price for being meek with our neighbours. With certain type of people, only might talks not diplomacy.(You dont have to be a genius not to see this. All you need to be is not be Shivraj Patil, because everyone other than this idiot and his masters were aware Mumbai was waiting to happen)

Energy front will continue to suffer from the lack of foresight of the successive governments. Nuclear deal is all but dead, with both Indian and US governments more than happy to pass on the buck to the next governments(I misread Dr.Manmohan Singh totally on this. Never thought the hold US had over him was so strong that he laid everything on line to get this cleared). We are not likely to meet the targets for Power generation capacity enhancement in 2008(We didnt). This will adversely affect our growth in the long run. We need energy security and the crying need of the hour is some out of the box thinking.(It still needs out of the box thinking)

Not much success can be expected on the sports front. 2008 is an Olympics year. The drama of a large contingent going to Beijing and returning empty handed is likely to be repeated. ( I reckoned without Abhinav Bindra. My apologies.Miracles do happen). Cricket team does not evoke much confident(this is one big error of judgement. the cricket team has been superb) and we will have to be happy with an occasional victory for Sania Mirza (I got even that wrong), who is never going to crack the top 10. Only saving grace could be the Chess Players and it is time someone recognized Vishy Anand and gave him a Bharat Ratna.(Vishy vindicated my faith in him by winning the World Title by beating Kramnik). The guy is the most underrated sportsperson in India and the only one who has brought laurels to the country consistently.

Environmental degradation, crowded cities, breaking down of civic infrastructure, continued poverty of the rural people, more industries, burgeoning middle class, growing consumption economy, status quo in eduction - all these are likely to continue.(It does continue)

It is a small miracle how we progress inspite of the system, but we do.

Mera Bharat Mahan!


Not bad eh!. I got many right. Maybe I should change my job. But then I dont want to.

Getting away with murder (literally)

Looks like nothing much has changed in Indian Corporate circles. During the 1980's, Public limited companies were run like personal fiefdoms by owners who barely owned 5-7% of the stock. They use to manufacture a majority through leveraging Government institutional shareholders like UTI, LIC etc. The classic case of Swaraj Paul trying to take over Escorts from the Nandas comes to mind. Nanda's saved the day by using their political clout with the then Congress government, who instructed the Institutional investors to side with him, much to the chagrin of many small share holders and Swaraj Paul.

More than quarter of a century later, we have the Satyam computers saga.The Chairman Ramalingam Raju tried to invest almost all the cash reserves of the company in his son's Real estate business, Matyas- which is Satyam spelt backwards. in violation of the AOA of the company and the purpose for which the Company was established in the first place. Issues like conflict of interest, Corporate ethics, transparency were thrown to the wind.

The irony is that recently Satyam management had bagged the Golden Peacock Global Award for excellence in corporate governance. Even more ironical is the presence of the so called independent directors on Satyam’s board. Two of them are from leading B-schools, and one purportedly a Corporate Governance specialist.The amount involved in the transaction was $ 1.6 billion and even the major shareholders were kept in the dark. The transaction going ahead would have meant shareholders money going into the hands of the Raju family. This is not acceptable under any circumstances.

The so called 'Independant' Directors are actually the cronies of Satyam Chairman. That one is the Dean of Indian School of Business, and actually chaired the meeting of the Board that cleared the transaction and the other who is a Harvard Professor (sic) but a long time advisor of Raju, makes the whole concept of independance of these directors (who are supposed to give impartial advice) questionable. Ironically, Dr.Palepu, the Harvard guys research work and writings have been on making 'Corporate Governance more effective' (sic). So much for hypocracy.

Already the current generation of students scoff at business ethics. But if instances like the above are allowed to go unpunished, then we will witness a chaotic, unscrupulous scenario in the corporate world.

Though it is unfair to compare our Corporate world with the underworld. But the ethics and code of conduct in the underworld is much more stringent. Admitted, they do despicable business, but they honour integrity, honesty, no breach of promises and verbal agreements. If they break the code of conduct, then the retribution in the underworld is swift. They will 'bore' you to death. Only thing is that the 'boring' will be done using a .32 calibre bullet.

Maybe something like this needs to be practiced in the Corporate world. Our educated economic thugs are getting away with murder (literally)

Diamonds are forever

Today's consumer is knowledgable. At least he has a working knowledge of the product he wants to buy. If he doesn't have, then the information he needs is only a click away.

Spending 15 minutes on net can make a whale of a difference in buying even an expensive item like diamonds.

Ever thought of buying a diamond, but having no clue as to how to go about?

Do you know what to look for while buying diamonds?

Like the 4 P's and 4 C's in Marketing, Diamonds also go by the 4 C concept.

Cut
Clarity
Color
Carat weight


These are the criteria jewelers use when grading diamonds, and they're the ones you'll need to understand to buy the right diamond for you.

And then there's the "Fifth C":

Certificates

First Cut. Dont confuse Cut with Shape. Cut denotes the reflecting ability of the Diamond. Diamond cut is perhaps the most important of the four Cs, so it is important to understand how this quality affects the properties and values of a diamond. A good cut gives a diamond its brilliance, which is that brightness that seems to come from the very heart of a diamond. The angles and finish of any diamond are what determine its ability to handle light, which leads to brilliance.

When a diamond is well-cut, light enters through the table and travels to the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before reflecting back out of the diamond through the table and to the observer's eye. This light is the brilliance we mentioned, and it's this flashing, fiery effect that makes diamonds so mesmerizing.

Because cut is so important, several grading methods have been developed to help consumers determine the cut of a particular diamond. In general, these grades are:

Ideal
Premium
Very Good
Good
Fair & Poor

The first two are very expensive. For your purpose even a Very Good cut is more than adequate. Please check on the certificate the type of cut. Ask the jeweller where the diamonds were cut. The best cuts are done in Antwerp, Belgium. Sometimes it is written in the certificate as Round Brilliant Cut. Round denotes the shape and Brilliant Cut is between Very Good and Premium. This means the diamond will sparkle.

Second is Clarity. This indicates the presence of identifying characteristics on (blemishes) and within (inclusions) the stone. Most diamonds have flaws.

Diamonds are graded for clarity under 10x loupe magnification. Grades range from Flawless (diamonds which are completely free of blemishes and inclusions), to Included 3 (diamonds which possess large, heavy blemishes and inclusions that are visible to the naked eye).

F - Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Extremely rare.
IF- Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface flaws. Very rare.
VVS1-VVS2 - Very Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions very difficult to detect under 10x magnification by a trained gemologist.
VS1-VS2 - Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions seen only with difficulty under 10x magnification.
SI1-SI2 - Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions more easily detected under 10x magnification.
I1-I2-I3- Included (three grades). Inclusions visible under 10x magnification AS WELL AS to the human eye. We do not recommend buying diamonds in any of these grades.
Though it is ideal to have F or IF, for domestic purchases VVS or VS is good value for money and you wont know the difference. Anything less than that is 'iffy'. So check the certificate for Clarity. (By the way, every diamond comes with a certificate mentioning all these details).

Next in the line is Diamond Colour. This refers to the presence or absence of color in white diamonds. Color is a result of the composition of the diamond, and it never changes over time. Because a colorless diamond, like a clear window, allows more light to pass through it than a colored diamond, colorless diamonds emit more sparkle and fire. The formation process of a diamond ensures that only a few, rare diamonds are truly colorless. Thus the whiter a diamond's color, the greater its value. (In olden days, I have heard Tamil Mami's croon over Blue Jagger diamonds. It is actually a 'D' coloured diamond that emits blue fluroscence. Since it is a 'D' obviously, it is of top quality. So, they never knew the theory behind this, the fact that the Mamis cherished Blue Jager shows an eye of a discerning customer)

To grade 'whiteness' or colorlessness, most jewelers refer to GIA's professional color scale that begins with the highest rating of D for colorless, and travels down the alphabet to grade stones with traces of very faint or light yellowish or brownish color. The color scale continues all the way to Z.

D E F - Colourless
G H I - Near Colourless
K L M - Faint Yellow
N O P Q R - Very light yellow
S T U V W X - Light YellowSo what should you go for. No doubt, D E or F. Even a good EF is a great treat for the eye.

Fourth is the Carat. A carat is the unit used to weigh a diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams, or 0.2 grams. Deciding on carat size is really about striking a balance between size and quality. Normally more the carat, more valuable the diamond.


Lastly, Certificates. Every diamond comes with a certificate. A certificate is a "blueprint" of a diamond, it tells you the diamond's exact measurements and weight, as well as the details of its cut and quality. It precisely points out all the individual characteristics of the stone. Certificates also serve as proof of the diamond's identity and value. A typical certificate can be as follows,

Shape and Cut - Round Brilliant Cut
Weight - 1.4 carat
Clarity - VVS
Color - EF

From the above you can tell that this is a very very good diamond. Not the top draw, but almost up there and great value for money. See it sparkle on your beloved.


There is nothing like a Diamond to show your love.

'Diamonds are Forever'
-information on diamonds courtesy http://www.thediamondbuyingguide.com

Foot in the mouth disease of Ghulam Nabi Azad

I am anti-Congress. But am not pro-BJP. But of course I am against all pseudo secularist parties.

Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from religion or religious beliefs. Alternatively, it is a principle of promoting secular ideas or values in either public or private settings over religious ways of thought.In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions. - wikipedia

In my opinion, secularism should mean the freedom for the individual to practice the religion he chooses and for all religion to be treated on par in all aspects.

But in India, most parties - most notably the Congress, have abused the word to such an extend that it has lost its sanctity. When a blatantly communal party like Muslim League in Kerala or the PDP in J&K talk about being secular, then there is something wrong with our national psyche.

What triggered this thought process is the most ridiculous statement from Ghulam Nabi Azad, the J&K outgoing Chief Minister on the election results coming out of J&K. It is a fractured verdict and BJP has made inroads into Congress bastions in Jammu by taking leads in 12 seats and Congress has lost its ability to be the king maker. Instead of accepting the peoples verdict as a vote against his rule, Azad has the gall to tell the following as per Indian Express,

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Gulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said the "rise" of BJP in the state was a worrying sign.(pray. why is it worrying? BJP is a national party and has been in existence for a long time. how come are you saying, it is 'rising'?)

"It does worry me. These trends are the outcome of unfortunate things happened in July and August. (A reference to the Amarnath yathra. The government goofed up big time not to stand by its decisions to provide land for pilgrim who brave inclement weather to build 'temporary' shelters. they bowed to the fanatics who created an issue out of nothing. did Azad expect any self respecting Jammu to vote for him after his deplorable stand?) The question is that secularism is getting shrunk at the cost of development," Azad said, adding that it should be "a worry for each and every Indian." (Let Azad worry about himself and his party. Indians know what they want. And pray what is secularism in your words Azad? Sharing power with a blatantly communal party like PDP who has no principles whatsoever, who stands for separatism and who has suppressed hindus in the State - is this what secularism is all about?)

"The rise of BJP in the border state which is facing terrorism is a worrying factor for the entire country," he said. ( Again invoking the country. Any he is worried about the rise of BJP but not about the fact that the Border state is having terrorism, which should be of more concern to the country. And who are behind these terrorists? Not BJP or Hindus)

"Their only vision is to create communal tension among the people," Azad said. "They are being rejected across the country because of their communalism." (Azad must be getting senile for him to claim that BJP is getting rejected across the country. Last heard they and NDA were in power in more than 12 states. That, in my opinion, is not rejection. It is his party, which has brought disgrace to the nation by tolerating an errant cabinet minister like AR Antulay, just because he is is a muslim, that is facing rejection)

Congress as a party is pits. They have no moral scruples.They can tell anything they like as a party. But idiots like Azad should not be allowed to speak on behalf of Indians. We know better.

Surround yourself with good men

Once upon a time, there was a king who kept a monkey as a pet. The monkey servedthe king in whatever way he could. He had a free run of the royal household because he was the king’s pet. One hot day the monkey sat fanning by the side of the king who was sleeping. He noticed a fly on the chest of the king and tried to swish it away. The fly would go away for the moment and come back again to sit on the king's chest.


The monkey could take it no longer and decided to teach the fly a lesson. He looked for a dagger to kill it and when he found it brought it down with all force on the fly. The fly flew away but the king died as result of the dagger blow delivered by the monkey.


The moral of the story is that a king who cares for his life should not have a fool as his servant. - Panchatantra


This is quite true of any organization. We have seen top management, well even lower level managers, surround themselves with chamchas who are quite incapable of doing anything other than what we call 'apple polishing'.

Most of these managers have ended up in grief, much like the King in the above story, at least metaphorically.

So beware of this trap. When you are a manager, recruit not yes men, but top quality people who have a mind of their own and are not afraid to tell you on your face that you are wrong.

Indo Pak stand off

Many of my readers have asked me what my take on the current Indo-Pak stand off is. Will there be a war after all?

The likelihood of war, however limited, is nil. The current posturing suits both the countries.

Pakistan needs to whip up the anti-India feelings and military build up to keep US in check. US has been extremely unhappy with Pakistan running with the hare and hunting with the hound. They have been supporting Taliban tacitly while claiming to fight a war on terror with the US. The unholy nexus of Taliban, ISI, Pak Government is a known fact. The US had started asking unpleasant questions and had in fact conducted raids inside Pakistan much to the chagrin of the Pak Army. So a purported tension in the Indo Pak border suits Pakistan to a T.

What about India? India playeds its cards badly post 26/11. The government appeared weak. It was reduced to bleating that Pakistan was behind all the attacks and the world should do the dirty job of reigning in Pakistan which India was loathe to do. It even went to the extend of providing evidence and seeking the support of Saudi Arabia, US and China- 3 countries that tacitly props up the Pakistan. Having made a fool of itself on the dometic and international fronts and having handled the Antulay issue in a dismal manner, the Government suddenly realized that there is a general election round the corner. What better way than to make people forget about the poor handling of economy and not doing any developmental work over five years. Raise the war hysteria, hoping against hope that people will forget the past and focus on the present assumed crisis.

We should have taken out the terrorist camps in Pakistan within 5 days of the Mumbai Attack. Having not had the guts to do so, the current war mongering is a classic cover up operation.

You can fool some people all the time, all the people some time, but you cant fool all the people all the time

No blogging and Merry Christmas to all

Have a few stitches in the mouth, post some dental work. Quite painful. So no blogging for today.

Wishing all the readers a Very Merry Christmas!

Perils of Advising

Panchatantra again,


One should offer advice to those who seek it and cherish it.

Advice to him who is indifferent is like a cry in the wilderness. Don't try to do that

One should also be careful in offering one's advice.

Fools ignore advice and wise men follow it and benefit by it.

In a city in the north, lived two friends named Dharmabuddhi and Papabuddhi. One day, Papa thought, “I am a man without worldly wisdom and added to that I am also poor. Let me persuade Dharma to take me to far off lands and earn lots of money through his business skills. Later I will deprive him of all his wealth and live happily ever after.”


With these plans on his mind, Papa told Dharma, “My friend, you are growing old and cannot manage your business. Unless you go out into the wide world how can you tell your children about the wonders of the world? Elders have said that he is born in vain who does not see the countries in the world, learn several languages and know the dress styles of other people. You cannot earn wealth and knowledge without wide travel.”


Dharma liked this advice and taking the blessings of his teachers set out on overseas travel, taking Papa with him. Both of them earned a lot of money abroad due to the business talent of Dharma. It was time for them to return home because it is natural for people who go abroad in search of wealth and learning to think of home when they have achieved both.


As they were entering their native place, Papa told Dharma, “It is not safe to take home all this wealth because relatives and friends in need will seek help if they know about our riches. We shall bury most of our money in some secret place in this forest. Whenever we need money, we can come here and take whatever we need. You know that money tempts even saints.”


Dharma agreed to Papa's plan and went home after both of them dug a pit and covered it after burying most of their earnings in it. One midnight Papa went to the secret place in the forest and stole all the money and brought it home. Next morning, he went to Dharma and suggested that they should go to the forest because he was in need of money.


When both of them arrived at the secret spot in the forest and dug there, they found the pit empty. At once Papa began shouting loudly, “Dharma, you stole the money and nobody else. The pit was carefully covered. You must give me half of what we have buried here.' Though Dharma denied it, Papa insisted that they should take the dispute to a court of law.


When the case came before the court, the judge asked them to take oath in the name of God. But Papa quoted experts as saying that relevant documents should be produced first as proof, then witnesses would be summoned to give evidence and oath in the name of God is taken when neither documents nor witnesses are available.


"I can produce the gods of the forest as witnesses. They will determine who is guilty and who is innocent,” said Papa. Impressed by this plan, the judges asked both the parties to be present next morning at the forest for a hearing. Happy at the judges' order, Papa went home and told his father, “Father, I have stolen all Dharma's money. There is a case in the court that I can win only with your help. Otherwise, my life will be in danger.”



“What have I to do to get that money, son,” asked his father.


“There is a big tree there. You have to go now and hide in the hollow of that tree. Tomorrow morning when the judges and others assemble there, I will ask you to tell the truth. Then it is your turn to declare that Dharma is the thief,” said the son.


The father left at once for the forest to hide in the hollow of the tree. The morning of the next day, the son took a bath and went to the tree taking Dharma and the judges with him. Papa went near the tree and shouted, “O sun, moon, air, fire, earth, water, the God of Death, day and night, you are all witnesses to the history of humanity. O Goddess of the Forest, declare who among us is guilty.”


The father shouted back from inside the hollow of the tree, “Listen all of you, it is Dharma who stole the money.” The judges and the king's men heard the verdict and sat down to decide what punishment they should give Dharma. Meanwhile, Dharma filled the hollow with rags and hay, poured oil on them and threw a matchstick into it. The fire forced the half-burnt father to come out of the tree.


“All this is the work of Papa's evil mind,” said the father and soon collapsed and died. The king's men at once bound Papa hand and foot and hung him to a tree.


They said, “Our elders have always said that wise men should not only be resourceful but also know the consequences of being resourceful


I have burnt my fingers many times in offering advices where not required, and realizing the consequences. Even this blog gives gratuitous advice unasked.

Maybe my new year resolution should be not to give advice to anyone.

The soft underbelly

When time and tide are against you, don't give up. Wise men keep on trying till they succeed in getting what they want. Haven't you heard the elders saying?”

“The Goddess of Wealth favours the man who persists.
Pray God by all means, but put in your own effort.
Even if you don't succeed, you will be free of blame.” - Panchatantra

Subsequent Indian Governments have turned a nelson's eye to the duplicity of the Pakistanis. India had a vast network of assets (meaning spies) inside Pakistan, nurtured over a period of time. During mid 1990's we dismantled this entire network. And we are paying the price for it now. At the same time, Pakistan was strengthening their network in India, with a result that today they have many sleeper cells across the country.

It is amusing to see Pranab Mukherjee threatening Pakistan with dire consequences. Other than making a fool of himself,this do not serve any purpose. The time to strike Pakistan was in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack, when they would have least expected it.Not now. Any idiot knows it.

Pakistan has gone from being apologetic to showing surprise to denying to being aggressive during the past one month. All the while we were bleating.

We should have in the least,

1. Suspended all the trade with Pakistan
2. Denied them airspace
3. Shut down all the borders
4. At least moved a motion in the UN to declare Pakistan as a terrorist state. Not that it would have passed, but at least it would have forced nations to take a stand
5. Conducted specific strikes to root out Pak based madrassas and training centres on this side of the border
6. Sent a covert team to Pakistan, and kidnapped some of the top terrorists like the LeT chief and Dawood Ibrahim from under their nose
7.India is the major trading partner for almost all the SAARC nations. We should have literally read the riot act to other SAARC nations to fall in line with us and isolate Pakistan or else lose the trade with us.
8. We should have openly requested US and UK to stop funding Pakistan. Not that they would have acceded to this, but we need to keep this in the limelight. Pakistan is living on charity - from US, UK, Saudi and China. Make a dent in this area and other nonsense comes to a stop.
9. Stop all film, sports or any other interaction with Pakistan.
10.Finally, there are many Pak apologists in this country. Call them and read the riot act to them. You cant be enjoying the benefits of living in this country and support an enemy nation.

Make no mistake - Pakistan is an Enemy Nation. Isolate them, wage a proxy war, treat them with contempt they deserve, retaliate smartly, hit them where it hurts. They have a soft underbelly - they are not a self sufficient nation. They depend on international charity to survive. Target that.

Keep trying. The tide will turn

Sports round up

A sports round up for a change,

Terrific run chase by South Africa. Scoring 414 without breaking a sweat at Perth against Australia in the fourth innings is no joke. Australia is surely on the wane.
Australias strength during their period of dominnace was the top 3 batsmen and the bowling led by Shane Warne and McGarth. With Hayden and Ponting struggling, and the bowling not upto scratch, they are surely on the wane. Looks like they are going down the West Indies route. So much for their cricket infrastructure, systems and planning. Nothing can replace raw talent. Something England had always lacked. And the reason why they were always a me-too team.

Contrary to popular myth, Batsmen dont win test matches regularly. You need a good bowling attack to take 20 wickets. That was the success of Clive Lloyds team of the 70s and 80s. Lloyd had Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft/Marshall.

Ian Chappesl Australian team had Lille, Thompson and Walker. Imrans Pakistan had himself, Sarfraz, Qadir. Wadekars indian team had Prasanna, Bedi, Chandra and Venkat.The current Indian team has a nice bowling attack in Zaheer, Ishant and Harbhajan. The moral of the story is - if you want to be the number one test team, you better have four good bowlers.

Our Chairman of Selectors normally is at the receiving end of the stick. But Kris Srikkanth,who took over on October 1st 2008, needs to be complemented. He handled the Ganguly issue nicely. Gave him a farewell series and Saurav went out with head high. He also handled the transition from Kumble to Dhoni very well. Finally he gave a long rope to Rahul Dravid, when everyone was baying for his blood. And Dravid finally came good. The team looks settled now. With Gambhir at last finding his niche in the team, Yuvraj coming in for Ganguly , Badri and Rohit waiting in the wings should Dravid, Sachin or VVS retire, the post Fab four period doesnt look too bleak. And we are winning. For old timers like me, who has seen India lose regularly, this is indeed a great turnaround.

Unsung Indian sports persons did well during 2008. Vishy Anand retaining the World Chess Title, Abhinav Bindra winning an Olympic Gold in Olmpics, Saina Nehwal making waves in Badminton, Jeev Milkha Singh becoming Asian No.1 in Golf, the Chess players doing very well in 2008 in tournaments - it has been a great year for the Indian Sports.

I sincerely wish this shall kickstart a sporting revolution in India

Panchatantra

Panchatantra is a treasure. The whole Rajaneeti (you can say 'Corporate Governance') was taught by Vishnu Sharma through stories of animals and birds. Though the stories are popular, the advices and the morals in Panchatantra is what makes it such a special book. I have been doing considerable reading of Panchatantra during the past one year with a view to find modern management theories hidden in it. (The sentences in brackets are my thoughts).

A lion couple lived in a forest. In course of time, the lioness delivered two lion cubs. Every day, the lion went out and brought food for the lioness. One day, the lion wandered all over the forest in search of food but could not find any prey at all.

At sunset, the lion gave up his search and was returning home when he found a jackal
cub. The lion took a fancy for him and took him home and gave him to his wife.


The lioness asked her husband, “Did you get us any food today?”

“I found this cub. That’s all,” said the lion.

“I haven’t killed him because he is a child. But if you are very hungry, you can have this child for your meal.”

The lioness was angry and asked her husband, “How can I kill him when you spared him his life?”

The elders have said:

“Don’t do an unworthy deed
Even in the face of death;
Don’t give up a worthy deed
Even if it means suicide.”

(an amazing concept on the need to uphold ethical behaviour even in deep crisis. A friend of mine told me that "in everyone's life there comes two or three occassions, when he or she will have to stand up to be counted. how they react at that point defines the person they are")

“I will treat him like my third son,” said the lioness.


Thereafter, the new jackal cub became one of the family and the three ate, drank, played and slept together.

One day when they were playing, an elephant passed by. At once, the two lion cubs got ready to attack the elephant. The jackal cub told them that the elephant was an enemy of the lions and that it was better for them to leave. The lion cubs were disappointed at the words of their jackal brother.


They went home and told their father the details of how the jackal brother fled from the scene. The father was not happy with his children and admonished them. The lion took the jackal cub aside and told him not to discourage the lion cubs who, she said, were his younger brothers.


The jackal was hurt and asked his lion mother, “How am I different from them in beauty or education or bravery? Why should the two ridicule me? I will kill both of them.”


Amused by the words of the jackal cub and wishing him long life, the lioness said, “You are still a child. I brought you up taking pity on you. Your brothers are also young. Before they grow old and know that you are different from them, leave this place and join your own folk.”


Realising the danger ahead, the jackal cub left the lion family in search of his own folk.

We see situations similar to this in the corporate world. Many a time, Senior Management picks a person for a post, not because he/she is suitable but for other extraneous reasons. They are then asked to handle situations which they are quite incapable of doing. This results in considerable inefficiency, rancour and in the affect non attainment of objectives.

We dont need enemies when we have A**hole Antulay as Cabinet Minister

There are some real A**holes in the current Cabinet. There is Lalu. There is the guy who literally destroyed whatever little was there in the health sector - Anbumoni Ramadoss. There are some hooligans of DMK who go by as ministers but who systemmatically loot. There was Shibu Soren. Ram Vilas Paswan. There was the daddy of them all - Shivraj Patil who single handedly murdered hundreds of Indians by being inactive.

But the Minister for Minority Affairs Antulay takes the cake. When the whole of India - nay, the whole of the World - was unanimous in its condemnation of the terrorists sent across the border by Pakistan to create mayhem, and when everyone, irrespective of party lines, caste or creed were applauding the stellar work of the security forces, this idiot had to create a controversy by saying the slain Police officer Hemant Karkare was sent by Hindu right wing sympathisers to Cama hospital to be killed.

Even Zardari, the Pak Premier and his ISI honchos could not have come up with such a theory. Has this idiot Antulay had any idea the damage he has done to the whole case India has built up against Pakistan? Or is that his agenda.

Why is he still in the Cabinet? Is the PM and Super PM so spineless that they cannot sack him the moment he opened his mouth. Last heard Antulay has tendered his resignation to the PM but no one knows the fate of it. He should not even have been allowed to resign. He should have been summarily sacked.

And pray why are we always having a Muslim as Minister of Minorities? Are they the only minority in the country? There are so many - Jains, Parsis, Jews, Christians, etc etc............... What is so special about Muslims?

Another curious thing happened. Minister of State for External Affairs, E Ahmed of Muslim League, deliberately did not mention the attack on the Jewish establishment in Mumbai or the death of Jews in the Mumbai Attack in his speech to the UN. No point in blaming him alone. His speech would have been cleared by Pranab Mukherjee and the PM. Why did they allow this nonsense?

The spineless Congress party and UPA never change its approach. One month after Mumbai blast, other than passing some law, the government has done precious little, allowed Pakistan to get away with murder and are still tolerating nonsense like the one dished out by Antulay.

India dont need enemies when it has A**holes like Abdul Rehman Antulay as Cabinet Ministers!

Conquer a good man..............

"Conquer a good man with humility
Vanquish a hero with strategy
Overcome the poor through small gifts
Crush equals with power"
- Pachatantram

Indian government is trying to conquer a bad country hostile to us, and its petty rulers, with humility. It won't work

Issues that are relevant

Our politicians have a knack of raking up inconsequential issues to the forefront to divert attention from the real issues that needs urgent treatment.

If you look at 2008 the issues that were on the forefront were,

Nuclear Deal
Kashmir agitation against land alloted to the temple for building temporary shelters to freezing pilgrims
Meena Agitation demanding OBC Quota
Mumbai Terror attack
Sensex crash

None of these have any importance to the common man. You might howl in protest by saying that the Mumbai blast is of relevance. But would the Mumbai blast have received so much attention if the attacked locations were not where rich and mighty frequent.

The issues that cries for attention from the lawmakers are to list a few,

Primary Education
Primary Health Facility and improvement in the services of the District Government Hospitals.
Microfinance infrastructure to help improve rural credit
Dismantling of Food Corporation of India godowns, immediate opening up of the agriculture procurement to the market forces
Steps to initiate the next green revolution
Developing a rural marketing infrastructure
Expanding the concept of e-choupals to more areas
Tackling naxal threats that has allowed a parallel government to run in 232 districts of the country.
Improvement of rural roads
Availability of pottable water to all
Basic Sanitation facility to all - Nearly 40% live without proper sanitation facilities
Basic law and order. It is alright to go for a central agency to tackle terrorism. But the common man has absolutely no faith in our Police department. This needs to change
Improvement in the functioning of the judiciary. Well using the word 'functioning' is a misnormer. Our judiciary just doesnt function. People are afraid to approach the courts for fear of getting entangled for decades. This has to change. Justice has to be swift.
Population control
Creation of a nationwide small savings scheme to mobilize rural savings

I can go on and on.....................................

But have you noticed something? When was the last time you heard any politician or policy maker talking about any of the above?

Power Outrage

Sorry folks. Started blogging in the morning. There was a power outrage that lasted till 2 pm.

Lost the thought process. Shall post tomorrow

Off blog due to sickness

Down with a severe viral fever, cough and cold. Mind is foggy. Hence no blogging for the day. Hopeful of posting something interesting tomorrow

Keep It Simple Stupid

Once an English Premier League Football club recruited a young, brilliant South American Footballer to play for them. The English Football Coaches (most of the coaches) conduct elaborate pre match theoretical training sessions. Those days it was using a blackboard and a chalk.

The coach had drawn a football field on the Blackboard and was explaining the positioning of various players, their purported movements, positional play etc etc. The South American after 10 minutes was frankly bored.The coach droned on for an hour. Fed up, the young player got up, went upto the Blackboard, took the chalk piece from the Coach and DREW A ZIGZAG LINE FROM HIS GOAL POST TO THE OPPOSITE GOAL POST and said, "Maan, just take the ball from our Goal line and zig zag zoom, run all the way to the other goal post, shoot and hey it is a Gggggggggggooooooooooaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllll"

I was reminded of this story when I watched Sehwag bat yesterday. In an era where the backroom team of analysts is more than the number of players in the team, Sehwag is a class apart. Not for him all these fuddy duddy theories. He goes out, and just hits the ball, as long, as far, as hard as he can - irrespective of whether it is Brett Lee, Steve Harmison, Daniel Vettori, Daryl Stein or anyone else. He epitomises the KISS philosophy - Keep It Simple Stupid.

In less than a session, he has turned the Test Match upside down, has set up India to win and threw all statistics and fourth innings run chasing theory to the wind.

I have been following Indian Cricket for nearly three and a half decades. I can positively say that there has been no other Match Winner like Sehwag. There were better batsmen definitely - Gavaskar, Viswanath, Sachin, VVS, but for sheer match winning ability Sehwag stands head and shoulder above them.

Sometimes I do feel Management professionals are like modern day coaches. They theoratise so much about so many things that they forget the basic purpose of business - Give the customer what they want, in the quality they want, at an affordable price.

Two eyes for an eye and the whole jaw for a tooth

Journalist turned Politician Arun Shourie is one of the few intelligent men, whose views I read with great interest. Here is an excerpt from his speech replying to a debate on the recent Mumbai Attack in the Parliament,

"...............Please realise -- this is a point for the liberals also -- whenever we are pushed into such a situation we say that 'no, force should not be used. Only minimal force should be used'. But no war is won with minimal force. It is won by overwhelming the enemy. As it has happened in Mumbai now. 'Sir you asked how many terrorists were there. Ten? You mentioned nine..' and 200 commandos only from the NSG were sent, plus reinforcement, plus naval commandos. That is the scale at which you have to overwhelm. You can't do it with minimal force. That is why, Sir, when you look at this figure, [you try and kill six people in China and see what happens. Here you can kill 60,000 people and nothing happens to the killers!]. Not an eye-for-an-eye, not a tooth-for-a-tooth.That is completely wrong. For an eye, both eyes! For a tooth, the whole jaw! Unless India has that determination and that clarity, we will continue to bleed like this all the time.

Test of skills under non ideal conditions

A nice Zen story for a change,

After winning several archery contests, the young and rather boastful champion challenged a Zen master who was renowned for his skill as an archer.

The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull's eye on his first try, and then split that arrow with his second shot.

"There," he said to the old man, "see if you can match that!"

Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow, but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain.

Curious about the old fellow's intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log. Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit.

"Now it is your turn," he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground.

Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss, the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target.

"You have much skill with your bow," the master said, sensing his challenger's predicament, "but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot."


Most of the employees are like this. They show extra ordinary skills when the going is smooth and there is no pressure. But crack at the first sign of situations going awry.

Trends in Marketing

Couple of global trends witnessed in marketing,

Marketers the world over are waking up to the fact that the older demographic is a major opportunity – and needs to be addressed in a different way then the 18-34 year olds. Mind you, different doesn’t mean being patronizing and playing on old age. These are people who did all kinds of naughty things in their youth – don’t talk to them as if they are senile. India is still predominantly a young country. 50% are less than 35. But still there is an attractive target market segmant of 45 plus who have the puchasing power. This needs to be harnessed.

Let your customers come up with your products for you. The power of harnessing your customers’ insights is amazing. Once again you are connecting directly to the insights, wishes and beliefs of your customers. What is more - it is cheap as customer dont charge you like product innovation companies do. - adapted

Arthasasthra Gems 2

Most important basis of success in any venture is pragmatism.

Do not ask where the new idea came from or who thought of it first.

Ask only one question “How does it work ?”.

There are certain basic universal laws. They do not change.

Ignorance of these laws is no excuse. Violation of these laws of forces ends in penalty through under-achievement, frustration and failure.

Success needs action. Action needs initiative.

For sustaining success, initiative to collect the experience and feedback is important. Feedback allows you to take corrective action, which will sustains the success.

For every effect, there is a specific cause.

Success is not an accident. Success is not based on chance. Success is not a matter of luck. Success is the result of well thought-out actions.- Arthasasthra

Bite in self defence

It is said 'Necessity is the mother of inventions'

We, as a nation, has been attacked. We are at war. A war of different kind. A war, we were not prepared for. A war threat, we ignored for a long time. We were as stated in the proverb - "Kannadachu iruttakkuka" (A loose translation will be 'create darkness by closing the eyes)

In other words, we, as a nation, were in a state of denial. We refused to believe that Pakistan is an enemy. People preached about how relevant it is for India and Pakistan to live in harmony. But what if one country is hell bent on seeing the destruction of the other?

There are people who are worried about Pakistan's response if we enter their territory and take out the terrorist camps, or send our crack commando team to arrest (kidnap) Dawood Ibrahim. They say Pakistan is a nuclear weapon state. So what? What is the use of having one of the biggest armies in the world, if we cant put it to use?

A story comes to mind.

A poisnous serpent was sad that everyone was afraid of it and people did not dare to make friends with it. It met a Sage and asked him the reason for peoples fear. The Sage told him the obvious. People are scared because the serpent is poisnous and causes death through biting. Avoid this and people will be friendly. The serpent went off happily.

A week later, the sage was passing by the same spot. He heard the sound of some one in death bed. Bending down, he saw the sepent, in its last stages. A closer inspection showed that it was beaten black and blue. It was bleeding to death, the whole body swollen. On seeing the sage, the serpent whined,

"Oh sage! I followed your advice. But when people saw that I was not prepared to bite, they lost their fear and started beating me. Even small children threw stones at me"

The wise sage soothingly said, " Son. I told you not to bite. But I NEVER TOLD YOU NOT TO RAISE YOUR HOOD, HISS AND ADOPT A THREATENING POSTURE WHEN ATTACKED. Also my advice was for you not to bite on your own, but never did I tell you not to bite in self defence"

India is like the serpent who misunderstood the advice. We are in a state of coma. We have the ability to bark and bite. Let us bite in self defence.

Let us systemmatically target terror camps in POK. Then even I shall vote for UPA

Talk about everything other than issues of relevance to common man

The terror attack in Mumbai couldnt have come at a more appropriate time for the Government.

It has totally diverted from the fundamental problems of non governance regarding Economy, Primary Education, Agriculture, Public Health, Infrastructure, Electricity and Water - All of which are important to the common man.

Create a inconsequential crisis to cover the issues.

Nuclear deal was a classic issue. Post signing of the deal, we have not heard anything about it.

Now it is terrorism.

Tomorrow it could be a flood or a cyclone.

Or a war that is never going to happen with Pakistan.

Or it could be Sonia Gandhis foreign origin.


No one, Government or the Opposition, wants to talk about issues of grave concern to the majority of the people.

Seven Questions

Seven questions of Garuda and Kakabusundi’s replies to them

Which form of all is the most difficult to obtain?
Which is the greatest misery?
Which is the highest pleasure?
What are the innate disposition of, or the essential characteristics of the saints and of the evil-minded?
Which is the highest religious merit made known in the Vedas?
Which is the most terrible sin?
What is the disease of the mind?

Kakabusundi replied:
1. There is no other form as good as the human body: every living creature – whether animate or inanimate - crave for it. It is the ladder that takes the soul either to hell or to heaven and again to final beatitude, and is the bestower of blessings in the form of wisdom, dispassion and devotion. Men who fail to adore Sri Hari even after obtaining this body, and wallow in the basest pleasures of the senses, throw away the philosopher’s stone from the palm of their hand and take bits of glass in exchange for the same.

2. There is no misery in this world as terrible as poverty.

3. There is no blessing as great as communion with saints.

4. Beneficence in thought, word and deed is the innate disposition of saints. The saints undergo suffering in the interest of others while impious wretches do so with a view to tormenting others. Tender hearted saints, like the birch tree, submit to the greatest torture (even allow their skin to be peeled off) for the good of others; while the wicked, like the hemp, have their skin flayed off and perish in agony in order to be able to bind others (in the form of cords). Like the rat and the serpent, the wicked injure others without any gain to themselves. Having destroyed others’ prosperity they perish themselves, even as the hail dissolves after destroying the crops. The elevation of the wicked, like the rising of the comet- which is a detestable heavenly body- is a source of calamity to the world. The advancement of a saint, on the other hand, is ever conducive to joy, even as the rising of the sun and the moon brings delight to the whole universe.

5. A vow of non-violence is the highest religious merit known to the Vedas.

6. There is no sin as grievous as speaking ill of others.

7. Note now the diseases of the mind, from which everyone suffers. Infatuation is the root of all ailments and from these again arise many other troubles. Lust is a counterpart of wind and inordinate greed corresponds to an abundance of phlegm; while anger represents bile, which constantly burns the breast. Should all these three combine, there results what is known as Sannipata (a derangement of the aforesaid three humours of the body, causing dangerous type of fever ). Source- Tulasi Ramayanam

Asath to Sath

These are three states which guides the human action- Sattvic, Rajasik and Tamasic. All the three are present in any human being. What is important is the ratio in which these three are present at any given point in his life. The ratio keeps on changing during ones lifetime.

In the Sattvic state, the mind is intent upon goodness and truth, wisdom and love. This condition leads to the evolution of the higher order thoughts and behaviour, that is mostly idealistic and based on highest level of ethics.


In the Rajasic state, the person is highly energetic and goes out of the way to acquire objects of sense, knowledge, fame, power, ambition, social benefit, etc. The behaviour is overtly aggressive, full of energy and highly action oriented.


In the Tamasic state the mind is sluggish, unaroused, stupid, ignorant and without zest . This condition leads to the evolution of the desires, passions, and appetites - mainly animal feelings.


According to Manu, Sattva (goodness) has the form of knowledge, and induces a deep calm full of bliss, and a pure light. Rajas (activity) has the form of love and hatred, and induces pain and dissatisfaction, and an activity difficult to conquer, which draws embodied souls to the objects of sense. Tamas (darkness) has the form of ignorance, and is coupled with delusion unfathomed by reasoning.

We, the common man, should move out from our Tamasic state on matters pertaining to Governance and pursue a more Rajasic style of behaviour. This will ultimately lead to a state of Satt.

'Asathoma Sath Gamaya
Tamassoma Jyothir Gamaya
Mrithyoma Amritham Gamaya
Ohm Santhi! Santhi! Santhi!'

We need to attain Santhi. For that let us push ourself to move from Asath to Sath, Tamass to Jyothi and from Mrithyu to Amritham. It is in our hands and no one else's

But what about the Super PM and the PM?

So the biggest incompetent shameless idiot of a Home Minister Shivraj Patil has finally resigned. Good riddance!

But what about the lady who foisted this pest on us, despite people of India defeating him in the last elections? She also constantly supported him throughout umpteen number of terrorist attacks. Also remember that Patil was her personal choice in the last Presidential election, before Left parties opposed him. That we were burdened with another idiot and thief as President is a different matter. We will know about the damage the other Patil, Pratibha, might do only after the elections. Chamcha news reporters say that Sonia was unhappy about Shivraj Patil and THAT led to his resignation. It was indeed a heavy price (a few hundred dead bodies) to pay for the Italian lady to finally become unhappy.

And what about the ineffectual Prime Minister? He might be a good economist (even that is doubtful, as both he and PC had made a mess of our economy), but a lousy leader, lousier Prime Minister who needs the permission of the lady even to piss. There is a thing called collective responsibility of the Union Cabinet and the PM cannot absolve himself of it. Also, his gaffe on inviting the ISI chief, only to be rebuked by Pak, shooting his mouth off on Pak without any follow up action, reluctance to sack the National Security Advisor has brought ridicule. His address to the nation was an unmitigated disaster.

God only knows we Indians, by our apathy deserves the leaders we have got. But definitely not the above two.

The saddest part is that nothing will be done to tackle terrorism. We will be back to square one doing nothing in a day or two. The rulers know that our attention span is very very short. And there in lies the fault

Fight, we shall!

One of the most defining speeches during the Second World War was made by Winston Churchill, perhaps one of the best War time leader of a Country. Maybe, just maybe, Manmohan Singh (or is it NO MAN SINGH as the sms's say) can take a leaf out of Winston Churchill during this period of national crisis. The speech from 1940 is reproduced below,

4 June 1940

"I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.

At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation.

The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength.

Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail.

We shall go on to the end,

we shall fight in France,

we shall fight on the seas and oceans,

we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,

we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be,

we shall fight on the beaches,

we shall fight on the landing grounds,

we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,

we shall fight in the hills;

we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."

Arise, Awake.....................................

A group of men carrying AK 47's and grenades, trained in the neighbouring country hostile to India for decades, coming in by the sea and frontally attacking and killing Indians and our guests from different nationalities, destroying two major landmarks, holding hostages constitute an ACT OF WAR against my Country. If the Government were to live in the fool's world that War denotes only conventional warfare of attacking the borders by the foreign army, then they are sadly mistaken.

Let us make no mistake. WE HAVE BEEN ATTACKED BY THE ENEMY and WE ARE AT WAR.

We need to respond in a different way. The week kneed reaction of the Government makes me shudder to think about their ability to protect our country. We are sitting ducks for anyone who would like to take over our country.

I am also disappointed at all the political parties. Where are the Left parties, BJP, Congress, DMKs. AGP's, PDP's, JD(S) who call for Hartal and Bandh at the drop of a hat. We had the ridiculous situation of Dravidian parties shutting Tamil Nadu down for a day because Tamils in Srilanka were being killed. But when Indians die in India, they are very quiet. So much for patriotism. This was the time to show solidarity, call for a national bandh, exhort the people to come out to the street in millions to raise slogans against the terrorists. The sound of the slogans should reverbrate in distant Pakistan. I am sure our people would have come out in droves in support of such a worthy cause. Is anyone listening?

Finally, I am disappointed with the readers of this blog. This is the third post I am writing on the Mumbai attack. And I have not received a single comment. My earlier posts on terrorism had also not received any response from my readers. This blog may not amount to much, but we need to use every forum to express our anguish.

Fellow Indians, "Arise, Awake, and Stop Not Till the Goal Is Reached!", as Swami Vivekananda said long ago. Let us seize this moment and make a new beginning.

Breaking news

I switched on the TV.

The first shot was of Our Honourable Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Super PM Sonia Gandhi walking into Taj Hotel without security, where the terrorists are still holed up. On queried by the cameramen, they replied that they are leading by example and will be in charge of the operations to flush out the terrorists, for they want to show that India is resilient and we cannot be cowed down.

Suddenly the scene shifted to two worthy Indians being air dropped to Nariman House where fighting was still going on. The camera zoomed and to my delight I saw that they were Arundhati Roy and Taesta Setalvad. They were going in to talk to the Terrorists about the Human Rights violation conducted by them.

Scene three showed Lalu Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and a clutch of secular politicians/journalists being held at gun point by the terrorists in Taj Hotel.

The TV showed a scene more macabre but one that gave the most joy. It showed our venerable Home Minister Shivraj Patil being stripped naked of his fancy suite and torn from limb to limb by an irate mob.

The last shot was after a while. The terrorists have been defeated and the body count had started. On top of the heap were the bodies of all the above VIPs.

I thought that there was a silver lining after all in even the most grotesque tragedy like the one in Mumbai.

Rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggg.....................................................

The bloody phone woke me up and I realised with sadness that it was all a dream. But a pleasant dream neverthless.

No tears

Just after the last wave of terrorist attack couple of months back, I had warned in this post that two days after the event, we will forget about terrorism till the next major tragedy occurs. Instead of identifying the root cause, the UPA Government went on a parallel track that totally derailed the terrorist investigation, only to be rudely awakened with a monumental attack by terrorist in Mumbai yesterday. This is what happens when the Government plays dirty politics with police investigation, retains its home minister who is beneath contempt and conveys a message that it cannot do anything. The terrorists are emboldened. They no longer hide behind crude bombs planted in dustbins. They are out there, armed with AK 47s, shooting innocents at will in high profile locations.

There is no point in bashing the UPA Government. It has been an unmitigated disaster on all fronts.

I would like to remind Manmohan Singh what Srirama gave as advice to Bharatha on how to Administer a country.

"Oh, Bharatha. I hope the ministers you have appointed are valiant like you- full of learning, who have controlled their senses, who are born of high pedigrees (cultured family) and know the meaning of signs (discreet and shrewd).

The sound advice given by experienced ministers well versed in the laws of truth and virtues is the very foundation on which the prosperity of a King rests.

The learned in times of difficulty bring endless glory by solving knotty problems.

I hope you prefer learned men to thousands of fools (read Shivraj Patil). No help will come to a king if he seeks advice from thousands of evil advisers or even ten thousands of them.

Even if there is a single minister if only he is wise, brave, clever and discreet, he will bring fame and prosperity to a King big or small.

I hope the person appointed as your Commander-in-chief is ever pleased, full of resolution, is gallant and talented, is of spotless character and well-born and devoted and clever."

If Manmohan Singh were to ask the above questions to himself, he will find out that the answers to all the questions are in the negative

As I have said before, the people of this country doesnt care. We do not take national issues to our hearts. A bomb blast in distant Mumbai doesnt affect us as it is far away. And we deserve what we have got - A school drop out foreigner whose only qualification is that she married a mentally average son of a tyrant prime minister, as our Super prime minister, an educated economist who is a political non entity as Prime Minister, a disastrous psychophant as Home Minister, a Party that has lost all its values as the leading ruling party, a group of rascals who head smaller regional parties which are prepared to sell their mothers and sisters for a price as coalition partners.

I have always said Cry! My beloved country. But not today. We do not even deserve to shed tears. For you and me are insipid, self-centred to such an extend that we have forgotten how to protest.

India will be better off only when we, citizens, decide to stand up and fight.

Till then terrorist attacks will continue with impunity. The next target could be you.

Picking holes on a 'Wise' advice from a Financial Consultant

I promised yesterday to post a mail that is going around as forwarded from a Financial Consultant in Dubai, who has conveniently remained incognito. His suggestions are in italics and my comments in capital letters.

As forwarded by a financial consultant, in Dubai. Recession is coming... make your own judgment, don't panic! Do what is wise.

The recession looks very eminent. It is really time to take pro active steps to avoid a painful time in the next two years which is how long the recession is expected to last.

WE HAVE GONE THROUGH RECESSIONS BEFORE. SO THIS IS NOTHING NEW AND NOTHING TO BE PANICKED ABOUT. THE TRICK WITH RECESSION IS NOT TO PANIC. INDIAN ECONOMY IS NOT THAT AFFECTED AND IS EXPECTED TO BOUNCE BACK IN LESS THAN A YEAR. DEVELOPED ECONOMIES WILL TAKE ABOUT 18 -24 MONTHS.

Suggestions:
1. Don't take any loans; buy homes, properties with loans, or even cash. Keep as much cash as possible.
WHY CASH? KEEPING CASH IN THE LOCKER DOESNT MAKE IT GROW. YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK. INVEST JUDICIOUSLY. AVOID HIGH RISK, HIGH RETURN INVESTMENTS. BUT DONT KEEP IT AS CASH.

2. Pay off as much of personal loans, private loans, as debt collection will be hastened.
AGAIN WHY? THESE LOANS WERE TAKEN WHEN INTEREST RATES WERE LOWER. YOU HAVE SIGNED A LONG TERM AGREEMENT WITH THE FIN.INSTITUTION. THEY CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT EVEN IF THEY WANT. SO KEEP PAYING YOUR EMI AS USUAL. DO NOT FORECLOSE THE LOAN AT ALL.

3. Sell any stocks you can even at lower prices.
STOCKS ARE AT THE LOWEST. THIS IS THE TIME TO BUY SOME GOOD BLUE CHIP SHARES AS THEIR SHARE VALUE IS CURRENTLY HIGHLY DISCOUNTED. BUY COMPANYS SHARES WITH GOOD TRACK RECORD

4. Take money off from Trust Funds.
TO SOME EXTEND YES AS THESE FUNDS HAVE NOT PROVEN TO BE WISE IN INVESTMENTS

5. Don't believe in huge sales forecast from customers, be extremely prudent, lowest inventories, reduce liabilities.
BUT WHAT IF THE CUSTOMERS FORECAST WAS CORRECT. HE WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR LETTING HIM DOWN IN NEED. USE YOUR JUDGEMENT. ANYWAY IF YOU HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS, YOU WILL KNOW HIS SITUATION OR RATHER YOU SHOULD.

6. Don't invest in new capital.
RIDICULOUS. ASSETS ARE PRICED LOW NOW. THIS IS THE TIME TO BUY ASSETS USING CAPITAL

7. If you are selling homes/ properties/ cars, do it now, when you can get good prices, they are going to fall.
YOU WONT GET GOOD PRICES NOW. DONT SELL.HOLD ON TO YOUR INVESTMENTS OR ELSE YOU WILL LOSE.

8. Don't invest in new business proposals.
AGAIN RIDICULOUS. THIS IS THE TIME TO PLAN FOR THE BOOM PERIOD. INVEST IN NEW BUSINESS THAT HAVE A LONG GESTATION

9. Cancel holiday plans using credi! t cards.
WHY? NO REASON AT ALL. IN FACT HOLIDAY PACKAGES ARE ATTRACTIVE NOW

10. Don't change jobs, as companies will retrench based on 'last in first out'.
THIS COULD BE TRUE. BUT WHAT IF COMPANIES SACK YOU FIRST?

SO ALL IN ALL THIS IS A TRUE PESSIMISTIC OUTLOOK GIVEN BY A HALF BAKED, HALF ASSED FINANCIAL NINCOMPOOP WHO DOESNT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BUSINESS CYCLES OR MACRO ECONOMICS. IT IS GUYS LIKE HIM WHO HAVE BROUGHT DOWN THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM DUE TO LOUSY ADVICES LIKE THESE

Opportunity in a Crisis

Yesterday I got a forwarded mail from one of my students that was purportedly from a top Financial Consultant in Dubai telling people how gloomy the global financial situation was and how it is likely to be worse in the next couple of years. His advice was that everyone should liquidate all their assets and keep the money as cash. They should also not dream of investing in anything. I have never heard anything sillier than that (I shall post his points with my comments tomorrow). There is an opportunity in every crisis. Entreprising people look for one and captialize on it. Read the story below,

A farmer owned an old mule. One day, the mule fell into the farmer's well. The mule brayed loudly and caught the attentionof the farmer. Upon assessing the situation, the farmer ruled out any possibility of a rescue as it was simply too much trouble to lift the mule out of the well.

Out of sympathy for the animal, he decided to enlist his neighbors' help to haul dirt into the well to put the mule out of his misery.The old mule was hysterical upon learning that his life would thus end. However, as the farmer and the neighbors shoveled the dirt into the well, a thought struck the old mule. He realized that if he could shake off every dirt that landed on his back, the dirt would hit the floor and he could step on the dirt. Shovel after shovel, he continued relentlessly to shake off the dirt and step on top of it. He fought the sense of panic and distress and just went on shaking off the dirt and climbing higher up the well. With much determination and perseverance, the old mule eventually stepped out the well, battered and exhausted, but otherwise triumphant that he had survived the ordeal. Through the way he handled the situation of adversity, the act of burying him in fact saved his life.

Chanakya neethi in today's context

I read these excerpts from Chanakya Neethi on the web and thought it worthwhile to share with you. I have done some editing but have not compromised on the contents. Of course whatever written inside the brackets are my thoughts.

Society is a complex and dynamic system changing constantly leaving those people behind who say no to change. Broadly speaking, Chanakya dreamt of a country reaching the following levels of development in terms of ideologies and social and economic development:

A self sufficient economy which is not dependent on foreign trade. (This may sound strange in the era of gloabalization. But, what he was implying was that we should be able to control our destiny. Too much of integration with global economy will end in us losing our sovereignty. The current global crisis is a pointer in that direction. We are being punished for someone else's follies. Also, the over dependance on imported crude has played havoc with our economy)

An egalitarian society where there are equal opportunities for all. (The ultimate aim of any society. Hence, no comments)

Establishment of new colonies for the augmentation of resources. He also advocated the development of the already annexed colonies. His imperialistic views can be interpreted as the development of natural and man made resources. (This is a bit tricky in today's world. We need to look at leveraging the core competencies of other countries to augment ours. We need not annex these countries physically, but can bind them up economically, as US does)

The state should take care of agriculture at all times. Government machinery should be directed towards the implementation of projects aimed at supporting and nurturing the various processes; beginning from sowing of seeds to harvest. (This is quite interesting. Though the main focus is to ensure food security, it also means the need for Government to support non value added farming activity, to discourage people from moving away to other sectors. Very vital from India's view point)

The cities would act as giant markets increasing the revenue of the state. Internal trade more important to than external trade. At each point of the entry of goods, a minimal amount of tax should be collected. The state should collect taxes at a bare minimum level, so that there is no chance of tax evasion. (So true. It still baffles me why we are having so many check posts on the State borders. The tax system is so complex that people avoid paying tax just because, it is not logically affordable or becuase since the taxes are high, the incentive to evade tax is also high. If the tax is 4%, I am sure every one will not hesitate to pay it, whereby increasing the collection through sheer volume. Better to have a low tax, high collection regime than a high tax, low collection regime)

Oh! for a leader with balls

I am disappointed with the troika of Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram and Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Now, I can hear you sigh and say "Here he goes again. Indulging in his favourite past time of Government bashing".

Great leadership (even good governance) calls for seizing the opportunity and being the trend rather than following the trend. India, has for long, been following the trend but has never set the trend.

We missed the bus in 1970's when the economy was crying to be opened up. We missed the manufacturing boom that ensued. We did not built on the Green revolution of the 1960's. The only time we took leadership was in IT,but that was more by accident than by any design of the Government. Even the IT sector failed to grasp the need for coming up with low cost solutions to reach out to the masses, that would have given them volumes unimaginable. And, we totally overlooked the business opportunity in the Hardware sector. Our IT sector was happy to pander to the blue collared needs of the developed countries to earn the green currency in doves.

Here was the opportunity of a life time. The developed countries are reeling and confused. Their facade of financial superiority in shambles. They are rocking as they just dont have a Plan B. They dont have an agricultural base, their manufacturing industries are costly and untenable (last heard all the Auto giants GM, Ford and Chrysler are facing bankruptcy in one month), financial services sector in a coma, hardly any money in circulation, unemployment on the rise............the list of woes is endless.

India is relatively better off. We did not lose our shirt in the sub prime market. Our banking structure is sound. Stock market suffered mainly due to faulty government policies of yore that allowed unrestricted Foreign Institutional Investments in India, rather than much more long term Foreign Direct Investment in long term infrastructure projects that would have prevented reverse flow of capital. The major worry was runaway inflation and the rising crude oil prices.

But the last two are under control, but no thanks are due to the Government. The inflation is down to 8 + (which is still high but manageable) mainly due to the fall in global oil prices and the good harvest during the Kharif. Inflation in India has always been traditionally seen to be falling post kharif. The Crude oil prices are at rock bottom now.

What should the Government have done? They should have

Slashed the interest rate drastically that would have fuelled the cycle of growth. Admitted, inflation would have gone up but that would have been manageable. This one act would have send the right kind of signals to the industry and small investors.

Reduced the petroleum prices. It is ridiculous that ATF prices have been slashed by 40% to save the Airlines (whose losses are more due to poor business models) but the Petrol, Diesel prices have not been slashed. The inflationary pressure that would have been felt on reduction of interest rates would have been offset by the subsequent reduction in commodity prices through lower transportation charges.

Scrap the pay commission report. The government employees dont deserve a single paisa as pay revision for they hardly do any job and are corrupt to boot. Some might argue that people will quit Government sector for Private sector. So be it. Good riddance. Dont fill those vacancies. At least the exchequer would be saved of considerable waste. (The latest is that the Public Sector employees are expected to get a 300% hike. For what? An incentive for running PUC's to ground?)

Read the riot act to the Banks. The financial crisis is mainly due to poor inter bank lending. If banks dont trust each other, then how can a common man trust a bank. Encourage the banks to merge. We have too many banks who doesnt have the size to compete globally. Indian banks just dont aim to have a global presence. If we are to grab the global leadership, we need to have really world class, huge asset based financial institutions than can make of break countries. All the Indian Banks can be merged into 3 or 4. Anyway, why do we need so many banks ?

Create a India International Fund. This fund can act like IMF. Use this fund as a handle to control the financial markets of other countries.

Give substantial incentives to our Manufacturing base. This is where our strength lies. Abundant educated manpower.Strong engineering base. Let us become an industrial superpower in 20 years.

Put Mani Shankar Aiyer back in Petroleum ministry. The guy had great ideas on energy security before he was kicked out at US instance. This is the time to tie up long term contracts for Energy, as assets are cost effective and Oil producing countries are worried about reduced investment in the sector. India should go ahead, invest massively in Energy Assets, and leverage long term contracts.

None of the above I have mentioned is impractical.

But the ego centric, US a** licking troika of MMS, PC and MSA do not have the guts to do it. What a crying shame!

Oh! for a leader with balls!

Everything happens for good

In one of India's little kingdoms of long ago there lived a King who (like most of them) was fond of hunting in wild places.

His Chief Advisor was a very intelligent man, and also a very optimistic one. He was famous for seeing the rosy side of things. In fact, so strong was his habit of finding good in everything that at times this annoyed his ruler.

One day when the King and his Advisor were on a hunting trip through a dense jungle which went on for miles, the King decided to have a fresh coconut for his breakfast, and, finding a coconut tree near at hand, with his sword cut down a coconut. But as luck would have it, his sword slipped in his hand and came crashing down on one of his toes, cutting it off!

Limping over to his Advisor with loud shouts of pain, he was terribly shocked to hear the latter say, "Ah, that's wonderful!""What?!" yelled the King; "I cut off my toe and you say it is wonderful?""This is a real blessing," replied the Advisor.

By now the King was furious, thinking the man was making fun of him."Take it from me," said his Advisor, "behind this apparent bad accident there is some good which we cannot now see."

That was it! The King had noticed a dry well nearby, and being a strong man, he picked up his companion and just threw him into that well. Then he set out to limp back to his fortified town and castle.

This meant, however, walking through dense jungle, frequented by the wild tribes of those days, some of whom were headhunters. On his way the King met a band of those headhunters, who decided that, being royalty, he would make an excellent sacrifice for this month's festival. As you may imagine, the King did not feel at all honored by this decision. The warriors carried him to the tribal priest. It was the duty of this priest to approve all of the offerings that were to be presented. The priest was most particular to see that the item to be offered to the gods was perfect in all respects.

While anointing the King's body the priest noticed that he was lacking one toe.

"I am sorry," he told the King, "but we cannot use you after all for this holy sacrifice. The gods will not accept anyone who is not whole-bodied You will have to go."

Naturally the King was delighted and began hobbling away toward his palace. Aha! he thought, so his Advisor had been right -- there was indeed a hidden blessing behind that accident.

As fast as his wounded leg would allow, he turned around and went back to the well where he had left his counsellor. There he was, standing down in the well and whistling happily to himself.

Now the king managed to reach down far enough to grasp the hand of the Advisor and with great effort to pull him up. Then he apologized for having doubted him and having thought him a fool.

"Oh how sorry I am that I threw you in there," said the King as he dusted off his courtier. "I was taken prisoner by some wild native headhunters who were about to make me a sacrifice victim. Then they saw that my toe was missing, and let me go. And you foretold all this, in a way. Can you ever forgive me?"

"You need not apologize at all; it was a blessing that you threw me down the well and left me there."

"Now, how are you going to make something positive out of that?" queried the King.

"Well," said the other, "if I had been with you they would surely have taken me for their sacrifice."

Pearls from Chanakyaneethi

Pearls from Chanakya Neethi,

"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first." - (Can vouch from personal experience that this is true)


"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth." - (People always ask WIIFM (What Is In it For Me))


"Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."


"Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends." - I fully endorse the first and the last. I am not a great votary of scolding my children at any age.

All for a loincloth - Story

One of the tales Sri Ramakrishna used to tell is about a holy man who had given up all his possessions. His teacher had advised him to make a little hut thatched with palm leaves, in a solitary place away from the public. This he did. He began to live there, meditating long hours and going out only to beg his one meal of the day.


But there was one problem. After his morning bath, the sadhu (holy man) would hang his loincloth on the limb of a tree close to the hut. When he returned from the village it would be dry. It would also have some holes in it! It turned out that rats were running up the tree and chewing holes in the cloth. Rats will munch on almost anything.


One day he decided to dry it on the roof of his hut. That was worse. The rats tore it into shreds, and he had to go and beg a new one in the village. When the villagers heard of his predicament, they said, “Who is going to supply you with cloth all the time? Why not keep a cat; that will chase the rats away.” So someone in the village gave him a kitten, he brought it home to the hut, and sure enough, the rats disappeared and the trouble stopped.


The sadhu became delighted and took great care of the cat. Not finding any rats, it needed milk, so he went again to the village and begged for milk for the cat. After some days, a villager said, “We can't go on this way. Who is going to supply you with milk all year long? Why not keep a cow; that way you too will have milk – you and your cat.”


It took a long time for the man to acquire a cow. Finally someone took pity on him and gave him one. Of course the cow had to be milked. Moreover eventually she ate up all the greenery for yards around. “What will the cow eat now?” he thought. Going to the village to beg for some straw, he got more advice. What do you think it was?


“Till the land around your place and grow your own grain!”


With great difficulty the sadhu was able to clear land, cultivate it with borrowed tools, and sow a crop. His days were busy. His hut grew into more of a house.


One day his teacher came that way. What he saw was a collection of possessions. He inquired of a passerby, “An ascetic used to live in this hut, a meditator with no possessions. Do you know where he has gone?” But the traveler knew nothing. The teacher ventured into the place and found his disciple.


“What! You went out to be alone, and to meditate. You were going to renounce everything and be free. What in the world happened?” Shame-faced, the man told his story.


And this is why Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “Be careful: ‘All for a loincloth.’”

Are these jokers for real?

Three separate statements by three worthies from our ruling party -Congress (I) on the same day.

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday said "the UPA Government is not only fighting terrorism but also winning on the front" - I am really baffled on the claim of 'Winning'. What does this mean? That the number of terror strikes have come down from once in 30 days to once in 29.99 days? I have not seen any signs of Government winning. Have you?

Contending that the Government was ‘strong enough to manage’ terrorism, Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday said, however, ‘weapons’ alone will not be able to help combat the menace in the country - What noble thoughts! Pray my idiot of a Home Minister, can you tell me what other than weapons will combat the menace? Holding the terrorist by the arms and patting him on the back? And what does 'managing' terrorism mean? Does it mean that it is alright to have terrorism as long as Government is able to 'manage' it? Or is it that Patil has let the cat out of the bag? Are we to understand that the terrorist strikes so far are ' (stage) managed' by the Government?

Finally, here is a Sheila Dikshit gem. "The government is not sitting on the file. We are just deciding on the fate of the convict," Dikshit told reporters when asked about the issue of Afzal Guru, who has been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court - It must be one hell of a decision making process, for as far as I know the issue was refered to the Delhi Government more than 2 years ago. And she continued to make a more bizzaire statement, "Only the decision has to be taken whether he should be hanged or given life imprisonment. We will not allow Afzal Guru to get out of jail." - Here is a guy who is sentenced to death by the Supreme Court and the Delhi Chief Minister is claiming that she will not allow him to get out of jail. As if she has the power to do it. Or is it that she is just echoing her parties wish?

Are these three jokers for real?

I know that there is a political license (akin to poetic license) during campaigning. But this is idiotic and I am being charitable.

The s**t that goes as news these days

The s**t that are considered newsworthy by newspapers these days,

"An Indian doctor has sworn a legal undertaking (sic) that she will improve her handwriting after judges complained that they could not read her spidery scrawl" - (umm.......... if this judgement were to be extended to ALL the DOCTORS in India, then there is a tremendous market potential for Pencils and Two line/Four line note books. Imagine our esteemed Judges peering over moon glasses with a cane in the hand and watching the doctors practice their handwriting. And pray what is this lady doctor supposed to do. Write "I shall improve my handwriting 1ooo times and go to the courtroom next day to show the worthy judge her homework?. Give me a break.There are millions of important cases on which judgements have not been passed pending for decades and our courts find time to pass such frivolous judgements)

"Indian man killed for urinating against a wall" - ( No.I am not conning you. This happened a couple of days back in India. The poor guy had one too many and took a leak, whack! and next thing he knows, he is in the gates to the pearly heaven. Now, now what will he be saying up there "Let those who dont urinate against a wall, smash my skull", and he will not find a single man in India, high or low. Anyway what is a wall for, if you cant piss against it?)

"A woman died on the way to a cemetery when a traffic accident hurled her husband’s coffin against the back of her neck" - (The husband must be humming,"Ta ra Ta ra, what I couldn't do alive(or didnt have the guts to), I achieved when dead". May his soul Rest In Peace)

"Monkeys ransack police officer's office in Agra" - ( The reporter surely got his lines mixed up. It HAS TO be 'Police officers ransacked Monkey's office'. Anyway, I was wondering what the monkeys would have obtained from ransacking the office! Couple of bottles of run, beedi bits?)

"First portable toilet for Everest" - (Now, now. Why do Everest want a toilet? Does Everest shit?)

These are the kinds of things our newspapers are made of. All the above appeared on a single day. No wonder newspapers are lamenting fall in readership. Who wants to read the above 's**t'?

Of dreams, imaginations and childhood

There is something mystical and enchanting about the unknown. Sometimes I wish we are not in the Information era, where you have a logical reason (well millions in fact, if one were to search Google), for everything.

What triggered this thought was the news report that Chandrayan 1 has reached the lunar orbit and planted Indian Tri Colour on the lunar surface. A very credible achievement by ISRO, considering the state they were in the 1970's, when they were the butt of every second mimicry troupe. (For eg: The American saying that he will send another rocket to destroy the rocket he has sent before to space so that the debris doesnt fall on earth, Russian saying he will send another rocket to retrieve the one he sent earlier, while the contemplative ISRO scientist saying quietly that he will send divers to retrieve the rocket he has fired, for almost all of them ended up under the sea near Sriharikota).

Chandrayan 1, for me totally demystifies the moon. I know man first landed on Moon in 1969. But hey! that was by the US Astronauts, not Indians. Now the reality has come closer to home.

There are two things one was never tired of watching for hours - Full Moon and a fully grown majestic male Elephant. Even today, I love to watch the full moon in all its glory.

Contrary to its link with romanticism, Full moon evokes a melancholy feeling in me - for it was on a full moon day that I lost my father, with whom I was very close. It is almost as if he looks down on me from the moon on those days. Sounds absurd, but strage are the associations formed by the mind.

One needs mystic objects and abstract unknowns to dream. I don't know what children of these days dream of. I am sure they have their own dream world.

Is it about Full moon, elephants, or mythical animals?. Pegasus, the white flying horse from the greek mythology, was a favourite of mine. Bellerophon, taming Pegasus, to fight the triple headed monster Chimera was rivetting to me as a child. Imagining sitting on a flying horse made many of my childhood days. In the story, there is a young Greek boy who helps Bellerophon to capture Pegasus and bridle him. I always put me in that young boys place in my imagination.

Would really love to know what today's kids dream of. Can someone enlighten me?

Till then let me black out my mind about Chandrayaan 1 and the controversy surrounding elephants in captivity in Kerala. Let me be the child that I always was.

Allow me to look up and speak to the rabbit hidden in the full moon!