Changing Landscape in Mumbai

Desi Fun(da)

As I mentioned previously I am currently back home in Mumbai/Bombay for Christmas with my family. It is always great to be back here. The sense of belonging is never so strong for me as when I am back home in Bombay. Everything here is just as it ought to be and for people like myself who have lived the better part of their lives in this megapolis of metros there is no better place than Bombay.

But for better or for worse things are changing around here. The common 2 to 3 storey buildings are being replaced with 5 to 7 storey high rises all over the suburbs. Even the much famed and posh Juhu localities which were once the domain of the whos-who in India are slowly fading away and those lovely posh bungalows are being replaced by post multi-storeyed buildings. There is a boom of construction once again and this time it is catering the nouveau riche in Bombay. Unlike any other place in India these apartments are all above 1500 sqft costing at anything above 7k-10k/sqft and well it just keeps going higher. People out here are looking out for the penthouses and the larger apartments rather than how the middle class scurried towards the 2BHK standard apartments which seemed sufficient once upon a time.

The landscape in Mumbai and especially the places where I live and have grown up are changing drastically and well though it means that the economy is booming and things are on the up as a whole in the financial capital of India, I dont know how it works out in the long run. With previously designated playing grounds turning into morning and evening walking parks for the busy upper middle class and the building compounds catering to the growing demand for parking space there seems to be less and less space for the kids and for the flat owners to just sit down and have a talk within their own building premises.

Things are changing really rapidly out here. Or maybe I have just become too inept to follow up with change as it happens...swiftly.

Merry Christmas

Desi Fun(da)

Hey you all ... whoever is reading my blogs and those who aren't. Here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas (I choose to be religiously correct rather than politically with that greeting). I hope you all have a wonderful time with you family and friends and may the joy, peacefulness and love of Christmas be over each one of you all and your loved ones.

And yeah for those who know... what I have been crazy over for the past year now hasn't worked out as planned... She knows I hope and hopefully one day may read this and have a change of heart!!! So this Christmas is just a lot more blue than white. So am looking forward to be a better 2006...basically to just get over it I guess. If she atleast smiles this way it would be helpful to get some more courage in me. All I could do this year is send her a dumb gmail which said Season's Greetings in the subject. Man do I suck or what. God please gimme a life and some nuts to go along with it.

Loads of love and best wishes for Christmas to you all. Am chilling in Mumbai for the time being at home sweet home and putting on some unwanted weight again:)

-Allen

Rape and Killing of a BPO worker in Bangalore

Desi Fun(da)

This has been a very much talked about story. I have written about my opinions about the act of rape and you can guess what my reactions to this incident has been. For such a case I would suggest the Supreme Court go out of its way and provide the maximum penalty of dead by hanging and that too in public, just as it is done in the middle east. Let this set a precedent in the nation that such crimes shall not go unpunished. We cannot let the women of India feel insecure under any circumstances.

My deepest sympathies with the husband and family of Mrs. Prathibha who was gruelly raped and murdered in Bangalore by a cab driver. May her soul rest in peace.

Regional politics at its worst

Desi Fun(da)

Of all the things and of all the people our screwed up politicians decided to take up the cause of a cricket in the hallowed chambers of the Indian Democractic Institution. Worse still it has been reported that it was none other than the speaker of the house that brought this issue up. Regional politics is seen in various stages of our countries democracy ruining many aspects of development and in this case intellectual discussions.

According to the recent case in the Supreme Court where the BCCI went ahead and declared that the Indian cricket team was not governed or in any way under the realm of the government and citizens of the country it supposedly holds to represent. It was decided that the BCCI has its own code of conduct and constitution as a commercial body and the players are to be held under the same rules as that of any establishment they choose to be a part of. This was inturn followed by another ruling wherein the team was stripped of the national emblem, logically so following the preceding case.

Now since the Supreme Court and the BCCI itself and moreover the cricketers themselves choose commercial interests over that of the prestige of representing their nation I don't see what right has any politician got to waste democratic time in the Parliament over the affairs of such an organization and its members. There can be no excuse for the behaviour of the Speaker of the house and he should be reprimanded and booked with contempt fo this sacred institution.

Dispeakable behaviour once again.

Search Tech - Microsoft current Leader

Desi Fun(da)

Alright I usually do this crazy searchs on myself on various search engines and well while I was at PennState Google religiously picked up my homepage and displayed it as the very first hit. But since I have moved on from my latest alma mater it was not the case. Now I have been blogging on blogspot for a bit and as far as I know it is a Google property so would expect google to find my blogs but lo and behold its the search.msn.com that puts me on the first hit. So well for now the Microsoft is definitely leading the search wards as far as I am concerned. Great going Billy!.

India in the Flat World

Desi Fun(da)

There was an amazing article in the New York times under the title "The World is Flat" byt their journalist Thomas L. Freidman. He subsequently has released a book by the same name highlighting the unique opportunities in the flat world where there is not information divide and a person in Vietnam, SriLanka, India, Burma, China or any other developing (have begun to dislike the term third-world) nation has the same level of access towards information as his peers in a developed nation. The era of telecommunications and the internet has bought upon a new era in the world where opportunity lies within the grasp of those that seek it out. There has been a lot of change due to this especially with the outsourcing a.k.a. bangaloring of backend jobs from the developed nations to the developing ones.

We have seen the boom this has bought about in India and how it has touched every aspect of our lives. There has been a lot of change and I am willing to bet that there will be a lot more to come. See most of the people attribute the gains made by the US in various fields due to the immense pool of talent in that country. However I think that such talent lies untapped in places such as India. Exposure to technology and provisions for easy access to knowledge and the work of others has not really been available in countries like ours.

There has been this group of elite people who have been exposed to technology or science right from their childhood due to their high tech schools, vast librarys and immense resources at their disposal which is taken for granted by many people in such countries. However here it is not the same. Most of our schools dont have the kind of resources they need to face the 21st century. The libraries aren't as big as they should be and internet access is still limited to schools within the cities. As these things change, especially with things such as the low-budget pc, there should be a revolution in terms of access to these students. Most engineering colleges face the same problems. Though we have an excellent curriculum in most of the Indian universities, we usually cannot back out technical knowledge with a practical approach towards a given problem. As some tech guru said at the recent FOSS.in "Indians are great engineers however you need to tell them what to do". This lack of creativity hinders our progress. There is a need to get this right a need to make sure that every kid is allowed to have a flame of imagination within. This is what is going to get out those creative ideas and bring in the next big thing.

Recently an engineer pointed out that "there is nothing to be worried about wrt Indian engineers" while giving his take on the competition faced by the West(read USA) from the East(read India/China). Well I differ completely here. Give an Indian the same resources as an American and then let the games begin. We are lagging but hey never underestimate the dreams of a billion people, as the Air Deccan advertisment proclaimed this morning.

India on 8% growth - You gotta be shittin me

Desi Fun(da)

Just read this article on Rediff and just look at that chart. Manufacturing at 9.2%, Construction at 7.4%. Damn is the place rocking or what? Actually in a followup today Dr. Manmohan Singh said that we should be targetting a growth of 10% in the next 2-3 years. Wow!! Has any prime minister in India ever even thought about scaling the double digit GDP growth targets. I dont think so. Way to go Sir. Keep it rolling.

Now the question that's begged to be asked now is what the hell am I doing at my dead-end job while the rest of town is going "cha chang" (sound of registers popping) with all the money flowing around. God give me some nuts to quit and start something.

End of an era at Matosree, and hopefully a dawn of a new one

Desi Fun(da)

The newspapers are all screaming about the falling within the Sena/Thackeray family with nephew Raj Thackeray quitting the party and seemingly on the verge of forming a new one. It seems Raj has the loyalty of the entire student wing of the Sena which forms most of the sainik force. Now that Raj is seemingly on the verge of forming a new party I would like to give him my 2cents.

This is definitely an unique opportunity for him and well for Maharashtra as well. I am no fan of the Sena and its underarm tactics that have bought a lot of trouble to many minorities in the state. It would be great if Raj can start out with a new outlook for the Sena of the 21st century and beyond. There is a lot to hope for from our younger leaders and Raj is in this pack of Gandhis, Schindias, Dutts etc. Give the voting public a viable option to think about the next time they go to the polls. Its not about the Marathas being treated as Sons of the Soil in Maharastra but it has to be about the Indians being treated as Indians anywhere in India and especially in Maharastra and more so in cosmopolitan Mumbai. I have been to quite a few cities in India now and I have to say Mumbai rocks not only in terms of facilities and venues and whatnot but also in the way that anyone and everyone can go ahead live a life and try to be a decent human being.

We dont want our leaders threatening us or any minority just because of the actions of a few from those classes. We have to set a common agenda for the development of the state and the country as a whole. The contributions of Mumbai towards India's GDP is legendary and let us see that we continue towards progress and enhance the opportunities of everyone who comes to the promised land Mumbai. Lets not get into name changing excercises again but try towards creating a name for yourself in a honest and civilized manner.

There is a lot to look forward from you. I hope that you have more secular and reforming thoughts in your mind that some of those you have been with. Maybe by your deeds you can influence their actions as well. Looking forward to hearing Raj's thoughts in the newspapers soon.

ps. Those who don't know about Matosree - it is the official residence of Bal Thackeray at Dadar in Mumbai, the ernstwhile Sena Fortress name after his wife, if I am not mistaken.

The India China Debate

Desi Fun(da)


I just read this good article by Nikhil Bhandare on The Economic Times website about his recent trip to China and his thoughts. The debate on India vs. China or The Lion vs. The Dragon has been a long drawn out debate on how the two third world countries are fighting it out to gain dominace over this side of the world map.

Here are some of my thoughts:
Both countries have their share of problems but since China is much more closed in terms of news it is difficult to decipher what is the state of affairs in the Communist state. We share a burden of a large population. While China has got a tough hand over family planning India still lags in this regard we havent been able to curb this in any form. China's growth has stemmed from its massive investments in infrastructure. Its highways are comparable to any developed nation including the USA and there are many projects such as The Three Gorges Dam the highly touted high speed TGV-like transit system linking its major cities etc. India lags here too with only the Golden Quadrilateral Project coming close, that too not by much, to any of the Chinese endeavors. Though ruled by a dictatorial-like Communist government the leaders have kept corruption at its minimum with senior leaders being removed from positions on even an accusation of wrong-doing. In India we have people like Deve Gowda who have been Prime Minister. Moreover the communists of China have been able to evolve the concept of communism to the modern times and deciphering that any form of thought in governance has to start with the development of its people, which I feel the policies of the Chinese state are successfully providing. We are still stuck on various issues due to politicians leeching the nation and not caring about the people at all. Its become as if its each one to himself here.

What strikes out most in the article linked about is that the Chinese youth have as sense of optimism about the future. They want to be in China and they want to be a part of the uprising in economics that the country is going to see. Most of the students out here are more into "how do I give my GRE/GMAT/TOFEL". Just today I read that IIMB has a record number of summer internships abroad this year, is that something to be cheerful about?

Well its frustrating, to say the least, sometimes when you see and hear about politicians who are screwing India. If the amount of money amassed by out politicos is unearthed and bought back we may have a surplus sufficient to fund most of our programs for our underprivileged countrymen/women. But the question I keep asking myself is whether all this is going to change, soon or ever? Will the next generation of Gandhi's and Schindias lead India out of her misery by getting rid of this kind of politicians? Will we ever see the light of day? Or should we climb onto the bandwagon and look for better avenues on the other side of the fence and let the country fend for itself.

I love India and I hope I get to see her as that fair woman of beauty, glory and pride that she once was.

Let's Go Lions

Desi Funda"

The Lions are roaring again in Nittany Valley, home of the 9-1 Pennstate Nittany Lions. After a long drought of football seasons at Pennstate this year the team has finally gelled together as cohesive unit and attacked on the field. Starting the season as nobodys in the NCAA and being at BCS#5 with one game against Michigan State left the Lions have a lot to be proud of. As an ESPN.com article said about the men in blue and white "Its good to have a great defensive unit, or a great offensive unit and better still both". Polozny and Robinson have really lead this team into the limelight and hey it looks like Robinson is being seen as a long shot for the Heisman this year as well. What a team!!

All of JoePa's critics are finally hiding their ugly faces behind some furniture while we believers are revelling in the glory of a great Pennstate football season. This is how fall is supposed to be like. I only wish I was at Beaver Stadium right in the middle of the sudent section creating the thunderous noise during the Wisconsin or Ohio games. Wow what an amazing day it would have been.

It's great being a Pennstater and although I am not an alumni it feels even better being a part of JoePa's winning tradition at Penn. Wish you all the best at the Orange bowl JoePa.

ps. I just reamembered the "peachy paterno" at the Pennstate creamery... yummy.

Diwali Time

Desi Funda

"The shimmering flicker of a flame poised like a coy woman wrapped with her hands raised touching each other and gently dancing to the tunes of the wind like the waves on the ocean front".

Somehow any mention of diwali and lights takes me back to my 10th grade where we had a teacher by the name of Mrs.Ketki who used to teach use English at a tuition class. She had taken this article by Tom Alter from the Times of India and read it out to us as the perfect way to turn a mundane essay into an eye-catcher. Well I dont think I did a good job then but you can tell me whether the first line here was an eye-catcher or not.

Well anyways its Diwali time of the year. The office is all empty and what on earth am I doing out here in nimma Bangalore? Well letargic me didn't get the tix for Mumbai on time so am stuck here eating soggy dosas and idlis and bearing the brunt of the rickshaw brigade. But well wishing all of you a very happy deepavali. Wonder why people have stopped using that term in favor of diwali, the former sounds so much traditional.

Have fun, God bless and make sure you get some sweets.

Awaken yourself!

Desi Fun(da)
Mumbaikars! Demand, don't beg - Pritish Nandy

Well with all the sleaze that I associate with Times of India and its editing staff, incapable of correcting even the basic grammatical and spell errors, that even Microsoft Office can do for them there is this rare article from its unworthy stable of scribes that rouses the inner fire of any decent Mumbaikar. Definitely a must read for any Indian it is high time we start moving towards our goals of a system that is supposedly meant for the people, its high time we had a democracy that means more than just the right to vote, an environment where the masses are not just statistics and numbers, a society where every life is just as valuable as another, a country where we shall be proud to live and proud to die for. Enough of the rhetorics, enough of crappy analysis of politicos and shoddy economic analysts telling me something that I just cant see around me. Telling me that India is doing great whereas the kids of my vendors still can be sent to school, where I still cant afford a decent place to stay and even if I do I can't be sure of the quality of the same. I still cant go into a mall or a restaurant and be treated with civility and decency because the manager/owner there knows that if I don't like it there is another person who wouldn't mind being treated like a dog and he will spend just as much. Is this what we are working so hard for. There has to be some civic reward for living in a democracy, dont you agree?

Just Think!! We can make the difference and now is a time as good as any other that will come across in our life...!

Mumbai Downpour

Desi Fun(da)
It has been raining cats and dogs in Mumbai over the past couple of weeks. From a statistical standpoint take this, "the rainfall recorded in mumbai on 26th july 2005 was more than twice the highest rainfall ever recorded in India". The total rainfall was nearly 950 odd mm and it beat Cherrapunji which as we all know has the highest rainfall in the world. But statistics apart the downpour is still on and Mumbaikars are in a tizzy. The whole infrastructure is bogged down and is not getting the required breather to recover from the 26th. The airport is still not completely functional. The trains are having a tough time staying open and the drainage system has never seen so much water ever.
With the loss of life and damage done not only to the financial capital of India, we have seen the repurcussions all over the country. It is high time our corrupt politicians take note that people are soon going to come down their necks if they don't start serving the very establishments that they were elected for.
A minute for the people who lost their near and dear ones.

Holy "Lance Armstrong"!

Desi Fun(da)
Well its Lance Armstrong time of the year again. This guy is simply awesome. A true sportsman who is just the perfect role model for us youngsters. If you dont know about him already I would like to notify you that it is the year 2005 A.D. and you have been comatose atleast since 1998. So just to update you the Tour de France is still the world's most gruelling sports event not just in cycling but in any sport, in my opinion. And after Miguel Indurien who I used to adore Lance Armstrong has gone over and succeeded him ably having won the title 7 times in a row. A guy who was diagnosed with testicular cancer a long while ago has fought against the odds and gone ahead and shown the world what a sportsman is supposed to be like. I dont wanna say too much just what he said after winning the race.
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."
Again this is the first time that the winner was allowed to speak after winning the Tour de France. A deserving honor for the retiring champion. Kudos, Thanks and God Speed Lance Armstrong!

7/7/05 vs. Kashmir's 25 years

Desi Fun(da)
These last few days have seen a lot of terrosit activities with horrifying repurcussions, both here at home and around the world. There have been the hostile attack at Ahodya by some militants and ofcourse the 7/7 attack within London surrounding the G8 summit. As far as I am concerned the attacks in London are a direct result of George Bush's oil claim game in Iraq. People around the world have suffered because the dumbest guy in the world is the president of (currently) the most powerful country in the world. I just dont understand how any sensible American who doesnt have his/her mind up their ass could vote for such a person. It going to be tough work for Hillary when she takes over.

All that said and done there was a huge outcry over the human and so called moral loss when 9/11 occurred and now when 7/7 occurred. What about the loss of life that we Indians have been facing over the years in Kashmir? Arent our brothers and sisters out there not to be counted as casualties of an unjust proxy war funded and aided by Pakistan? There are around 3000 people killed on 9/11 and now around 400 reported dead on 7/7. Kashmir has a toll of between 15000-30000 civilians who have lost their lives during the past 25 years of (I hate to use this word but unfortunately it is related to religion) Islamic terror in the valley. Add to that the agony of Kashmiri pundits having to fled their ancestral homes due to this menace. Add to that the loss of property. Add to that the loss of a unique culture and a place that inspired Mark Twain to say "Nothing has been left undone, either by man or by nature, to make India the most extraordinary country the sun vists on its rounds.". Why aren't these so called world leaders taken aback by the suffering of Kashmiris? Why can't the oh so great USofA decry Pakistan as a terrorist state? Why can't we have the valley that once was the talk of the world back?

We need to learn a lesson from history here. Even when the muslim-majority region of Kashmir was ruled by a hindu Maharaja Hari Singh until 1947 there were no brutal killings or relgious mongering amongst the communities. For the sake of his consitituents he acceded Kashmir to India. Why can't that happen now?

When anyone talks to me about forgiving the happenings of the past and starting afresh in Kashmir I get hot. How can we just forget the lives of 10s of 1000s of our brothers and sisters. I am all for peace but asking me to be forgiving is a bit too much. Maybe if westerners didnt put different tags on the lives of an American, a Londoner, an Iraqi, an Indian and a SriLankan we would all be living in a more peaceful world.

Good Times - Kingfisher Experience

Desi Fun(da)
I have been thinking about flying by one of the new airlines for some time now. Recently I got the chance to fly from Bangalore to Mumbai on Kingfisher Airlines part of the UB group owned by Dr. Vijay Mallya. It was a good experience and here are some titbits.

- The crew is really helpful. Right from the checkin to the boarding everyone seemed to have a smile on and that was very nice.
- Everything went on smoothly
- The new A320s were awesome and loved the brand new look. I've travelled on a lot of airlines but I think this was the first time I ever was on a brand new plane. yipeee!!
- The on board crew was coordial and good.
- Meals served were probably the best I've had on an aircraft. Genuinely Indian food meant for the Indian palette ie well cooked with decent amount of spices.
- On board entertainment was good with the tv and radio thing going on
- Small goodie bag given to each passenger was a nice touch
- On flight magazine "Hi" is cool as well with tons of pretty damsels posted all over it. Dude you forgot to type in their tel.nos. though :) Amisha Patel you around?
- With 90% occupancy on my to and fro trip I think it is doing well.

Some points for Dr. Mallya
- Get "Good Times" registered as a trademark slogan. It just sounds awesome
- I aint a fool Dr. Mallya. Kingfisher Radio is just 10 cd's rolling continuously and the TV channels are the same. If you decide to slim down on the channels keep the cds for audio channels 1-4 throw the rest.
- Too many people around your planes. Maybe you are overstaffed?
- Your service will definitely want you to hike up rates otherwise you wont last long.
- Your choice of airhostesses is not on par with what I expected it to be. Or maybe I mistook you for having good taste in the fairer sex.

All in all I loved the experience of the "Good Times". Its all fine right now but I will bet Dr. Mallya will have to cut costs down to keep it competitive. Right now it will give Air India and Jet Airways a run for their money but if it wants to be a leader cheaper or cheapest is always the mantra in India. Now its upto you whether you want sonny boy to inherit a fleet of aircraft or an airlines.

Till then my cheers to the good times.

one for the memories

"she just walked in the elevator and it as asif the place suddenly lit up. a girl wearing a light green salwar stood a few meters besides me with her eyes fixed on the door. i bet she wanted to run away from there:) but if there is any truth left in me i can say that i saw the eyes of an angel today. one of the rare occasions in life when my eyes didnt move beyond the eyes of a girl:) i tried to muster up a hello but couldn't and hey this is one time when i shouldnt be blamed for being wuss, if you see her you would understand. she got off on the second floor and my knees nearly lost it. oh god am sure i mustve said a thousand prayers to bump into her again, between the second and the seventh floor. but well girls so perfect never seem to be single anyways. but hell a moment to be remembered nonetheless."

-allen

ps. was lying in my drafts forever. thought it deservers some posterity :)

Oil and Telephani - Dirubhai Ambhani

Desi Fun(da)
This Reliance battle of the Brothers went on for quite a bit. It turns out that turnoil was in the family even when the legendary Ambhani was around. But well all said and done the BSE took a beating when it began and then went on a roller coaster ride when Mrs K.D. Ambhani declared it all over.

My 2anna/2cents:
Guys anything over a crore is equal. Whether you are sitting on 250 crore or 2500 crore you just arent going to be around to spend it all. You had a wonderful opportunity to lead one of the biggest industrial houses in the nation towards becoming a powerhouse in the world but well you guys messed it all up. Now with the money making businesses with Mukesh and the semi-startups with Anil there is no scope of investing in the latter from the former. What does that mean? Well the semi-startups are definitely the future (energy, communication and finance) and they need a huge influx of capital to make them really competitive. It is going to be tough to do that now and when achieved it may be a tizzy bit too late. That said I feel Anil has the better deal but with recent slurry of announcements I am bit sceptical about his possibilities of success. Go a bit slow buddy unless elder bro has pumped in heavy doses of the green in your Swiss account now.

All that said and done considering that both brothers have two sons are we about to see dramas unfold in the future generations as well? Well as they say you reap what you sow. "Jaisi Karni Waisi Bhari". Not a good lesson for your kids dudes.

PS. I know Chidambaram says that puns are the lowest form of humor. ( He said it when he was made ET editor for a day). I am trying to get off the tarmac Mr PC please oblige till then.

Raining Airplanes

Desi Fun(da)
I've been fascinated with airplanes ever since I was a kid. My first calling was to be an IAF pilot but well as they say "shit happens" and as I add "only to me". We travelled a lot by Indian Airlines from Bombay to Mangalore and enjoyed it. Now it looks like the situation faced by the TATA's in the early 70's has reincarnated itself in 2005. With the liberalization of the skies we are seeing a ton of new entrants each with the tag of 'low-cost carrier' on them. Recently at the widely popular Paris Air Show 50% of orders received in the civil aviation segment were from Indian companies. Nearly 250 planes, now aint that dandy.

But just some food for thought for these airlines:
1. Each airplane needs 5 pilots to stay functional
2. Airplanes need handling facilities and hangars, both of which are a bit scarce in homeland
3. Aviation fuel prices have recently been northbound
4. Average price of a A320 is a cool $50million
5. Kingfisher airlines has orderes 3 A380s. No airport in India can handle this aircraft yet (or in the forseeable future)

Now some food for thought for probable investors:
1. Air travel in India is about 2-5 million passengers/year
2. Train travel in India is about 15 million passengers/day (not a typo)
3. If the airlines can get prices to the levels of 2nd and 1st AC train travel there is no reason why air travel cant pick up.

Hey I am all for the aviation sector and having planes flying the Indian skies like bees if need be. But is the CAG and AAI and other bodies doing their bit to bring in this revolution or are a bunch of folks who are already rich going to get richer and me stuck paying more taxes ... again ? Is this going to be the second coming or second crumbling for civil aviation in India, only time will tell. Till then I am spending my weekends out of this crammed Bangaluru

Btw who the hell are these dudes investing these truckloads of money on buying airplanes asif they are buying some toys for their 2 year olds ? I've never heard most of these multimillionnaires before. Are Chidambaram and his IT department boys doing their job on these people. Because I just keep paying my taxes every month without any relief in sight Mr. PC.

Rapes in India

These past few months have seen an awful streak of rapes within our country. First the rape of married woman by city taxi drivers in Bangalore. Right in front of her two young kids of 6 and 10. Next a college girl in Delhi who gets out after midnight cramming to get some snacks is picked up and raped all through the night and then thrown out on the streets the next morning. Next a college girl in Mumbai by a police constable during the day. To recollect that the location of this incident was one of the most visited areas by us during college. Next a german tourist visiting Rajasthan. Next the rape of a tribal minor, not even a teen, and then killed.

This string of incident just makes me feel so angry and ashamed. Why? Because it just showed what big hypocrits we Indians truely are. We claim to be a country with culture and tradition and when incidents such as these occur there is not even a single protest of public outcry from any part. No political parties taking up this issue, no corporates talking about increasing the safety their woman employees working into the late hours of the night. Not even the womens organizations coming out to the streets. Is this what our culture and tradition means. The woman in the Indian household and society is placed on a pedestal of respect and honor and when such disgraceful acts are committed our society should rise up and act out the severest possible punishment on the culprits.

Of all the case mentioned only the courts in Rajasthan have acted and met out a sentence of life improsnment to the culprits and their accomplices. And how did that happen you ask? because the nearby villagers came out to the rescue of that woman and handed those henous devils to the police. Guess some of us so called educated folk need to take a lesson or two in morality from those villagers.

Just take a moment to think what the lives of those two young kids is going to be like after they saw their mother being raped in front of them. If that doesn't make your blood boil then may god have mercy on you.

Pope John Paul II

It has been 4 days since the passing away of Pope John Paul. During the past few years we have come to see the slow, if i may use the word, disintegration of his bad health. Things just weren't getting any better and I guess the world noticed Parkinson's is not just any other ailment but its a slow killer. A man who has been a pillar for the church his entire lifetime was reduced to being taken around in his wheelchair and helped by his aides for everything that he needed to do. Things just could not get any worse. And come Saturday the 2nd we all heard about the passing of the Holy Father who uttered the words "amen" (so may it be done) as he breathed his last. What a perfect word for one of the most admired and respected international figures in the world. As the church gets into the rituals of finding his successor and getting the wheels in motion for all that follows we should really pray for the soul of our Holy Father who has guided the church through probably one of the most turbulent patches in history, that of societal change. Though the church had kept the prediction, of our Virgin Mother that the church would get into turmoil during the last past of the century, it actually did happen with the fiasco of paedophilic American priests.
Though his passing away has left many a tear in our eyes we should be happy that he had a peaceful death though with much hardships before. And for such a holy person what better than to have been given the strength to reconcile with God for whatever he may have in his heart during the season of Lent and celebrate the coming of our Lord at Easter right before his last days. This truely shows the hand of God on one of his best representatives in modern times.
May his sould rest in peace. Amen.

Recent Books

Well Ive been trying to catch up on my reading during the weekends and so have had read a couple of books during the past two days as well. The first beign the "Da Vinci Code" which I have to say was probably the most overhyped book of all times. I found the codes to be a little childish. Of course I couldnt crack all of the them but I did manage to get a few and found that a turnoff while reading the book. And the overuse of anagrams was a wee bit irritating as well maybe that stemmed from the fact that I could never solve that section in the Times of India. Anyways the other one that is on course to be finished soon is "Beyond the last blue Mountain" an biography of JRD Tata. Probably the most influential, prosperous, unselfish, successful and nationalist businessman that India has had the honor of having. A wonderful book written by his associate Lalla. It is written in a form and style that I like and puts things into context. My salute to another great Indian hero. We need to have such books for compulsory reading during our school days. Our generation needs to realise that we can be world class in India. JRD Tata lived by that belief. And well todays TOI read that Craig Barrett the current and retiring head of Intel is afraid for his grandchildren because of the high number and quality of engineers and talent available in India and China and "eating America's lunch". Cheers to that.

DRDO - An indian way of thinking

A series of 3 articles on DRDO at rediff.com
The other day I read this wonderful article that gave a non biased view about the work done over the years by India's premier research organization DRDO. It was especially great to note that the author was a US based defence analyst, since most of the scathing comments come in from our own national writers. DRDO has performed well over the many years and the many testaments to its successes are strategic incorporations in the armed forces. Just to highlight some of the points in this series of articles.

1. DRDO operates on a budget of $800 million while China's research wing has a budget of $10 billion.
2. It helped develop the Brahmos missile.
3. Helped develop the LCA and indgenize many components after the 1998 US led sanctions after Pokran.
4. Developed the Arjun Tank which has been in the eye of the storm for most analysts as a failure but its development has lead to many successful spin offs.
5. Development of many indegenous radars, missile launch technology (esp. solid propellant systems), standard arms used within the forces, agni, prithvi and much more.

These are just some of the points. I have always admired DRDO as an organization but have always held my suspicions probably due to the biased reporting making the rounds in Indian newspapers. Looks like we need foreigners to see how great India truely is, in this case our research organizations.