Whither I, Whither India

Stop the mindless violence

2010-02-15T21:38:00.002+05:30

Someone please stop the mindless violence in Hyderabad.

May be, here's a solution:

State Govt. devolves all powers and responsibilities under the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution to the local bodies in Telangana and the rest of Andhra Pradesh.

When local bodies have sufficient powers, who can allege discrimination by another?

And when all are in the same state, Telugu people are not divided.

Telangana - not so underdeveloped

2010-01-07T22:38:00.002+05:30

It seems an established fact among applied economists in India that there is no selective underdevelopment in Telangana region. Publication after publication have noted these two facts:

1. Among the top four most developed districts in Andhra Pradesh (not counting Hyd), two are in Telangana region.
2. Among the four least developed districts in Andhra Pradesh, two are NOT in the Telangana region.

So, if anyone tries to pull a fast one on you saying Telangana needs a new State as it is not developed, you can call their bluff.

http://isas.org.in/jisas/jsp/volume/vol63/3-Prem%20Narain.pdf

http://www.drpenna.com/2009/12/16/comparision-of-human-development-index-in-telangana-rayalaseema-and-costal-andhra/

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:13:00.001+05:30

Happy New Year!

Resolution of the year :-

I'll turn thirty this year. I need to lose my gut before that. Not much time left. Run, Anand Run.

Food prices and fasts

2009-12-20T21:17:00.002+05:30

Two things have caught my interest lately - the innumerable fasts in progress in Andhra Pradesh and the enormous rise in food prices.

Something odd about the demand and prices isn't it?

Back

2009-12-16T20:30:00.001+05:30

Back again. Just to say am alive :)

Mujhse pehli si mohabbat na maang - Ode to my withering blog

2009-06-20T18:59:00.003+05:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-9DxXRJPwE

I never knew so many of those wonderful one-liners were from this ghazal!

- "Mujhse pheli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang"
- "teri ankhon ke siva duniya me rakha kya hi"
-"aur bhi dukh hein zamane me mohabbat ke siwa"

ps: God, does she look gawdy or what

Jaya Prakash Narayan - the orator

2009-03-30T22:20:00.002+05:30

Last Sunday, I was at a "Meet the professionals" organized by Lok Satta. And am completely floored by Jayaprakash Narayan's oratorical skills.

He held the whole audience of a jam-packed conference hall in thrall. Since the party symbol is a 'whistle', it became very much legitimate for us to whistle and cheer him as he gave his punch lines.

His magic has to do with his low baritone. And may be with the frail physical frame that contrasts and accentuates the strength of his voice.

The courage and conviction with which he spoke was contagious. One of the attendees offered to contest from Pulivendla soon after the speech. (Pulivendla is Y.S.Rajashekhar Reddy's factional murders ridden constituency in Rayalaseema). He often said that his courage comes from truth and honesty and that none of the big three (YSR, Naidu or Chiranjeevi) dare take on his truth in an open forum and challenged them to an open debate on TV on issues.

Jayaprakash spoke in Telugu to the audience. His choice of idioms and words appealed to the common-man and the connoisseur equally. He ridiculed Election Commission's nitpicking with the primarie his party conducted as 'gongura' (a Telugu delicacy) and left the audience in splits. He often quoted from poets of yester-century. I particularly liked 'veera kantham techinamu, veeru devvaro telupudi' (essentially, a call for more leaders on stage)

He created an atmosphere that was electrifying and optimism and hope for cleaner politics filled our hearts.

Time to act is NOW!

2009-01-31T22:13:00.005+05:30

Recently, a BJP MLA in Karnataka was caught taking bribe from a citizen who approached him for help. It set me thinking -- God forbid I need to take help from an MLA for some reason. And his secretary tell me I need to deposit lakhs of rupees before he takes a look at the case.. How much would I hate to have voted for him or for some other equally corrupt candidate!

JP Narayan' Lok Satta is calling us to put our weight behind it. Let us do all we can in the following months, so that the party gets a sizeable vote share if not winning seats. Remember vote share will translate to 'State Party' recognition with ensuing perks. Please campaign for Lok Satta in whatever way you can!

Here's an appeal from JPN:

Time to act is now

Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Guwahati…. Do we need more warnings? We all hate today's politics. But this hatred will take us nowhere. We need new politics. So far, we have been helpless. Traditional parties have become dens of corruption, cynicism, casteism, criminality and family rule. Now, there is a new, ethical platform to fulfill our aspirations: Lok Satta Party in Andhra Pradesh (AP)

Embodies the truly New Political Culture Offers powerful transformative agenda Has a real chance of winning - a historic opportunity Lok Satta is known to 75% of the people of AP. Lok Satta's credibility after twelve years of record is impeccable. Its agenda is to transform India andpromote dignity, opportunity and justice to all. Two-thirds of voters want clean politics and competent government; they provide Lok Satta a real chance of success. This is a truly historic opportunity to transform AP politics.

We invite you to participate. New Political Culture offers opportunities for everyone: you can be a member, a party builder, a leader or a candidate for public office. We need leaders not based on caste or family background. And, we need ethical money for ethical politics. The opportunity is at hand. The time for action and support is now.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan

PanIIT - follow up

2009-01-16T18:56:00.001+05:30

PanIIT meet confirmed that there are scores and scores of Indians looking for ways to give back to the society. They are tired of status quo, appalled at the Mumbai attacks and eager for change.

A lot of them are already doing their bit in their own ways. Many are in the Govt, as powerful decision makers and many are in the private sector making their contribution. Many have been working in NGOs providing expertise in varied fields like microfinance for underprevileged, healthcare initiatives, watershed management, alternative educational systems etc.

And then there are those scores of people who are looking for ways to contribute but have not really started working on anything concrete. It was evident to many of the participants that the most important and challenging thing to do was to network all these well-meaning individuals. If the collective strengths could be synergized, the combine would be a force to reckon with. More so because these individuals come with the respectability and legitimacy of being IIT alumni.

paniitdiscussiongroup - a yahoo group started to facilitate exchange among the attendees is brimming with ideas about how, and in what form to contribute. Ideas have ranged from grand ones like starting a political party to technical skill enhancement programs. Clearly, the group has not yet found a structure to operate within. Ideas are still nebular.

With so many opinionated and thinking individuals, each one has his own view. Each is a leader in his own way. And the irony is there is no leader tall enough to command and structure thought. Quite understandly, I guess.

However, since the individuals are themselves aware of the pitfalls of such a situation, some semblance of a loose structure seems to be emerging. Now, there are various interest groups focusing on particular objectives and have formed their own yahoogroups open to other IITians. Some of them include -

paniitsociopolitical - focusing exclusively on broader socio-political agenda including forming a political party and tackling corruption.
iitwritersforum - for writers among IITians
bridgefordosti.org (still under construction) - A very pragmatic penpal program trying to connect underprevileged kids in India with Indian kids in the US. The hope being that the kids involved will all benefit with a broader world view.
catalyst - a magazine that will exclusively focus on the various efforts of IITians in developing India. There are so many NGOs in so many areas that without a dedicated magazine focusing on the work already being done, those who are looking to start from scratch will be forced to reinvent the wheel.

Unfortunately, the membership of these fora is still very small. I think because word has not really spread. Hopefully with more IITians joining and networking, there will emerge natural leaders who can provide greater structure and focus.

PanIIT meet

2008-12-17T20:36:00.002+05:30

I am going to the panIIT meet this weekend. It already promises to be a very enriching experience.

One of the tracks in the meet is about "Rural Transformation". This track will be attended by the likes of Aruna Roy, Arvind Kejriwal etc.

Am also exciting about a brainstorming session with other like minded IITians about giving back to the society. Pre-brainstorming discussions going on now range from radical ones like starting a new political outfit to more technically grounded ones like passing on our technical skills.

One thing seems clear from the tone of the discussions - there is a lot of enthusiasm to give back. And equally clear is the fact that there is no rallying point that can take this enthusiasm forward in a constructive manner.

What we need to do is to network well-meaning people all across the country, whose collective voice can be heard loud and clear above the din of slugfest politics.

I hope, I make it in time for the brainstorming session. If my train gets delayed I might miss it. That would be a pity.

What should be done?

2008-12-11T08:25:00.004+05:30

What should be done?

What's needed is not political rhetoric, but basic ground level reforms. Read this about how basic issues like equipping and training our security forces have been woefully neglected.

Also read this longer article on broader reforms in governance. We need greater public pressure on the governments at the centre and in the states to implement these reforms. Else none of these sick politicians will move towards providing us security.

In fact, this is not just about security. This is about broader reforms. And we need it now. Do I hear any political party speaking for me here?

Shooters and compensation

2008-12-02T23:25:00.002+05:30

I just read this somewhere and it made me feel ashamed of India.

"An Olympic shooter wins Gold & Government gives him 3Crores and awards.
Another shooter dies fighting with terrorists & Goverment pays his family 5 Lakhs.
Great india great !!!"

People, this has to change!!

Enough of power-mongering politicians. This time around, encourage family and friends to vote and to vote for decent candidates, who would not shirk their basic responsibility of security.

26th November 2008

2008-11-28T20:56:00.000+05:30

This time around Mr. Prime Minister, you have to deliver.

Enough is enough.

I had always thought that your ways were sane. This time around the sane way is to go full steam. Please strike when the iron is hot. Get the necessary reforms done. Put down with an iron hand any opposition to what you think is right.

Be adamant, just like in the nuclear issue. You have liberated us from the license raj and nuclear apartheid, now liberate us from this dilapidated security structure.

Obama, Obama, Obama

2008-11-17T22:21:00.002+05:30

He is all over the news. Entire centre page of Hindu is about him. This is ridiculous. We don't need to know what dog the first Afro-American President of the US will have. We don't need to know if he will stick to his blackberry. May be it is a little interesting to see the US president go hi-tech, but surely it doesn't merit an entire article on Obama and his blackberry.

It seems very lame that the world summit to tackle the economic crisis should go without any substantial resolutions because Obama is only the President-elect now. For a person who talks so much about change and hope, he needs to do more and needs to do it now.

And finally, it irritates me to no end that he appointed Madeleine Albright as the contact person for relations with India. Madeleine Albright and India go back all the way to 1947. That is surely not a way to change things. Especially when Ms. Albright is a very hated figure in India.

This way, his honeymoon will be over before he becomes the President.

Musical evening

2008-11-09T22:04:00.002+05:30

I went to the inter-IIT music evening organized by IIT Bombay's Bangalore chapter yesterday. It was an entertaining evening called 'Moods and Melodies'. It included an inter-IIT music competition and also a fundraising event for the Village Knowledge Centres supported by IITB alumni.

IITM had some superb contenders, but IITK and IITKGP won the prizes. One of the contenders from IITM sang Manna Dey's "Laaga Chunri Mei Daag". I felt that rendition deserved the prize.

It never ceases to amaze me how live performances are better than recorded ones, even if the live performance is by an amateur and the recorded one is by the professional artist. I came back home and listened to Manna Dey's rendition, just to compare the two!

Manna Dey, of course, is a phenomenon. And am currently listening to his Golden Collection. I need to get this CD next time I see it in a store.

Who said Indians don't talk about sex..

2008-09-20T19:59:00.008+05:30

It's just that we are sophisticated about it.

Sample this keertana - Jagadapu chanuvula jaajara - by Annamayya:

(You can hear it towards the end of the song Emoko in this list)
జగడపు చనువుల జాజర, సగినల మంచపు జాజర
మొల్లలు తురుముల ముడిచిన బరువున, మొల్లపు సరసపు మురిపెమున
జల్లన పుప్పొడి జారగ పతిపై, చల్లే రతివలు జాజర

"In the festival of squabbling intimacy, In the festival of decorated bedsteads,
With their coifs heavy with decked flowers,
With affectionate dalliance, the women sprayed pollen all a tingling on Venkateswara."

భారపు కుచముల పైపై కడు సింగారము నెరపేటి గంధవొడి
చేరువ పతిపై చిందగ పడతులు, సారెకు చల్లేరు జాజర

"With their heavy breasts all decorated with sandal powder,
Maidens sprinkled coloured powder on Venkateswara who was near them."

బింకపు కూటమి పెనగేటి చెమటల, పంకపు పూతల పరిమళము
వేంకటపతిపై వెలదులు నించేరు, సంకుమ దంబుల జాజర
"As their ardent love making resulted in perfumed perspiration,
The womenfolk daubed javvAji ( a perfume) on Venkateswara."

ps: Translation courtesy chennaionline.com

UPA's trust vote

2008-07-22T09:56:00.002+05:30

I am thoroughly enjoying the political activities going on right now. It seems like the UPA will scrape through in the trust vote.

I have been a supporter of the deal since 2005 when it first came into public domain. And have hence been thoroughly disappointed with the stance BJP has taken.

I think the BJP also realizes that it shouldn't have played its cards in such a narrow-minded manner with just a single point agenda of opposing everything the government does. In my perception, a number of staunch BJP supporters are also thoroughly disappointed and feel betrayed by a party that fancies itself as the most patriotic.

No wonder then the BJP is so luke-warm to pulling down the government. It might face a back-lash from its own vote-bank if it is seen as actively sabotaging the deal.

So, ironically, the principal opposition party led by the Leader of the Opposition will ensure enough of their flock will abstain and ensure that Lok Sabha reposes faith in its Council of Ministers headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh.

I am ready to even believe in the theory that the Congress and the BJP had some conversation about their floor strategy in view of the Mayawati factor. What else explains the exuberant confidence of the PM that he will win the vote? Why would he call the whole session as avoidable? Did he imply that the opposition being put up was just a farce? And why would Advani dwell so long on how this session is not a distraction?

In this whole game, Dr. Manmohan Singh is the biggest winner. And if he wins, India wins.

Let's just hope I have not spoken too soon about the outcome!

Shame on you Prakash Karat

2008-07-15T22:40:00.003+05:30

Shame on you Prakash Karat for placing your personal ego in front of national interest.

Prakash Karat has become a prisoner of his own words and worse, he is upping the ante.

All the while though I didn't agree with the ideas of leftists, I respected their intelligence and grasp on grassroot issues. Now I understand the dangers of their blind ideology.

Prakash Karat has successfully killed any interest an urban Indian would have had in his party.

If the govt. falls, Congress can rest assured of a sympathy wave among urban fence-sitters.

This generation and spirituality

2008-07-05T23:19:00.001+05:30

I just read a very interesting article in 'The Week' about how young Indians are perceiving religion today. The article made some interesting observations.

- While the previous generation was tied up in making enough money for a decent living, the present generation takes a deeper look at religion and its relevance in our lives.

-The pressures of globalisation and cut-throat competition and associated dysfunctions of modernity create the necessary push to explore spirituality.

-The present generation has access to adequate avenues to find answers to the questions that rise. If yoga, meditation, Buddhism form one set of avenues, atheism and self-reliance too has become a religion of its own.

This totally explains why a large number of urban Indians today describe themselves as spiritual. And I am bullish that Indians would continue to nurture spirituality in all its dimensions.

Among those who will not try the spiritual path are those who think that it is a crutch for the insecure. The 'work hard, party hard', happy-go-lucky yuppies too come under this category.

And then there are liberals who will not explore spirituality in all its dimensions (including rituals and congregations) because spirituality to them is a private affair. They thus deny one of the most fundamental aspects of a religion - its social character.

Then there are those to whom the dogma of modern science has taught the word 'why'. The 'why' demands an instant answer, disallowing the possibility of a dispassionate observation.

Ci Na Re

2008-07-05T12:34:00.002+05:30

I have become a fan of C. Narayana Reddy. And am glad he has already been felicitated with the Gyanpith award.

I haven't read much of his literature as such, but the lyrics he penned for songs in the 60s are enough to give a idea of his prowess.

Most poets use a lot of sanskritised samasas in Telugu, but CNR seems to be able to express himself in 'accha' Telugu. And as I think about it now, most Telugu lyricists also use an excess of alankarams. CNR's lyrics are not ornate at all. Just simple and straight.

Sample these:

From 'Telisindile, Telisindile'

sogasaina kanulemo naakunnavi
churukaina manasemo neekunnadi

kanulemiTo! ee kadha emiTo!
sruti minchi raagana paDanunnadi, paDutunnadi!

From 'Gaali ki kulamedi'

paalaku okaTE telvarNam
edi? pratibaku kaladaa kalabhEdam?
veerulakenduku kulabhEdam?
adi manasula cheelchedu matabhEdam

From 'Uhalu gusa-gusa laaDe'

nanu kori cherina bela
dooraana niliche vela?

nee aanati lekunnacho
viDa lenu oopiri kuda!

Curtains down for 'The Hindu'

2008-06-25T14:36:00.000+05:30

I don't remember a time when we didn't get 'The Hindu' at home. We changed that now. It's Indian Express.

Indian Express is carrying out a huge campaign to promote itself as an alternative to both 'The Hindu' and 'The Times of India'. The campaign itself didn't play much of a role in our choice. It was mostly because of the increasing political party loyalty of 'The Hindu'.

At times 'The Hindu' seems almost a mouth-piece of CPI(M) and Prakash Karat. It is not just the amount of space devoted to what they say in the day. It isn't just the leftist tone of the editorials.

On the 123 Agreement for example, the editor called it a 'sound and honourable' deal one day and when Prakash Karat slammed the deal, the editor did a volte-face.

The Hindu also runs a vilifying campaign against specific individuals. During the time Abdul Kalam was planning to contest for the post of President once again, the editor directed his guns against what he called 'clever' moves of Kalam. Of course, had the Left not been rooting for a woman candidate, the editor's stance would have been different. It also ran a sustained 'Opinion' column against Clinton, in support of Obama. And the Dalai Lama is never spoken of with respect.

And of course, the newspaper seems more loyal to the Chinese government than the chinese themselves. In the recent earthquake when more than 25000 people died, the editor said something like, 'had it not been for the swift action of the government, many more would have died'. Yeah, let's forget about the lax housing construction regulations in an earthquake prone area.

I remember reading somewhere that during the Tibetan crisis, 'The Hindu' was the only newspaper to derive its news from Xinhua - the chinese government's official news agency.

So, all in all, it's curtains down for 'The Hindu' at home. I'll miss the crossword, but my pals have been asking me to move on to Economic Times crossword anyway.

Bureaucracy, bureaucracy and red tape

2008-06-17T16:42:00.000+05:30

I went to ThIs company for an interview. And it made me realize immediately that all big organizations tend to get bureaucratic. I waited for almost an hour before anyone told me what the schedule was for the rest of the day. I had to interact with the reception and then the HR. They made a security pass for me and was then taken to the technical managers.

In contrast, when I think about it, the interview process with UPSC was very smooth. Heck, even the security guard at the gate was fully informed and as I showed my admission card, he told me the procedure and what I'd have to do. And that too politely. For every group of students, there was a clerk, helping out with all the formalities and making small talk. Sometimes I think, people don't give enough credit to the smooth processes in the government, at the higher levels at least.

Incidentally, the head of the panel which interviewed me is apparently slated to become the next Chairman of UPSC. It could be just a rumour though. Rumours abound when it comes to UPSC.

Guru brings gujjars to table!

2008-06-11T09:03:00.005+05:30

It's all over the news. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar mediated to bring gujjars back to the negotiating table.

Sri Sri's attempts to bring a transformation in the world are mindblowing. Last I heard from someone, he was working with the LTTE too.

Check out his courses on breathing techniques, if you haven't. I vouch for their efficacy!

Byelections

2008-06-02T13:20:00.002+05:30

Lok Satta made a debut in the recent byelections. It contested in four assembly seats. It did not win any seats. It lost the deposit in two of the seats.

It still is very creditable that in the Khairtabad seat, it polled more than 58,000 votes, ahead of the TRS.

It's important to understand that these 58,000 people came of their own volition, without incentives like money or liquor, and made a statement in favour of clean politics.

Of course there is a long way to go before winning seats in the next general elections. Apart from trying to pull people out of their unreasonable party loyalties, Lok Satta plans to have better poll station planning, identify bogus voters in lists etc., to better its performance.

The aim of Lok Satta isn't to capture power. It aims at cleaner politics. And it accepts that cleaner politics might come in through other parties too, like the yet to be announced party of Chiranjeevi. It's transparent and rational policies should appeal to all thinking voters.

Issue settled

2008-05-30T18:57:00.003+05:30

My issues with Tata Indicom have all been resolved amicably. The manager of customer complaints took note of my previous blog post and got in touch with me and made sure that the issue was resolved without any further hassles.

I am impressed.

I am impressed that Tata Indicom's higher-ups take customer issues seriously.

I am impressed that a blog entry can have such an efficacious impact!

It reminds me of a centralisation-decentralisation debate that I studied last year. People in the higher rungs in an organization (govt. or private sector) are usually more motivated and identify themselves better with the organization than employees in the lower rung. Hence it makes sense to invest more authority and responsibility in them.

However, there are fewer employees in the higher rungs and they cannot humanly handle all the grass-root issues. So, enough powers are delegated to the lower rungs, in the hope that it would lead to better performance.

With technology though, there is a possibility of performance improvement even without delegating powers to the lower-rungs. Modern tools allow higher-ups to have a greater control over their subordinates through various forms of feedback, like by checking for any criticism posted online!

Chandrababu Naidu was a classic example of this phenomemon called 'recentralisation'. With video-conferences and all, he was able to track what was going on in the districts, reversing the trend of giving a freer hand to district officials.

Small wins

2008-05-27T12:32:00.002+05:30

I had bought a wireless internet connection from Tata Indicom in April. It basically accesses internet through Tata's cellular services. They provide a USB card, which acts as a modem.

But for some reason, the card found itself in Singapore towards the end of April and I put the wireless services on hold. They told me that I wouldn't have to pay until I reactivate the services.

Now, they send me a bill for Rs 600, and when I enquire, they say that rental charges have to be paid and that only any data usage charges will be deducted.

Howmuchever I tried to argue with the customer care, I got a standard reply - 'Sir, I understand your concern, but our plans indicate that you have to pay the monthly rental'.

Frustrated with their replies, I told him that I wouldn't pay and that I would go to a consumer court to settle the issue. The moment I said that he said, 'Sir, I can deduct Rs 250 from the bill'.

I was surprised at the speed with which he agreed to deduct the amount.

Do consumer courts in India really work?

I don't know.

Awareness about consumer rights is still low in India I think. In spite of stellar tele-serials of yore like 'Rajini'.

Update: This issue is now closed. See the next post.

2008-05-24T20:57:00.003+05:30

It turns out my brain's neural networks have skewed their weights in favour of social sciences and away from engineering. I seriously messed up my interview. And my neurons need a major retraining in engineering.

It's totally the time for a pathos song in my life. Which one would be better than the evergreen one from the movie 'Dr. Chakravarthi'?

Aasalu teerani aawedanalo
aasayaalalo aavesamulo
cheekaTi moosina ekantamulo
toDokarunDina ade bhagyamu, ade swargamu!

Moving on

2008-05-21T20:03:00.001+05:30

I didn't make it to the civil services. I am waiting for my score-card to see what specifically went wrong. Was it my interview or the scores in written papers?

In hindsight, I think a few things could have been done better. If I had approached the exam with greater positivity, I probably could have made it. There was always some fear lurking that I wouldn't make it and finally it has come true. I should have had a greater belief in myself and should have overcome my fears.

Here are a few reactions from friends and family on hearing about my result:

-- Did you check it carefully, are you sure you didn't make it?

-- It's ok, now you will be doing what you 'should' be doing.

-- Oh ok. I'll call you again.

-- Try the exam again. You are obviously passionate about the civil services.

-- Hey, I am sorry to hear that.

Clearly, quite a variety.

For now, I am moving away from the civil services. I am in Bangalore right now, waiting for my engineering interview. Will Bangalore be my karma-bhoomi now? Will Karnataka offer me my first job, ever?

Results will be out tomorrow!

2008-05-11T20:42:00.002+05:30

A friend, Apurva, asked me if I was nervous about the results, and when I beat around the bush and accepted that I was nervous, though not in as many words, she wrote these lines for me:

" when, with pure thoughts, you
worked hard, right through!
have no doubt, for sure
rank one, shall be yours!"

Apurva is a poetess of rare quality, as you can see! :) No kidding though, she has won awards for her poetry.

It's interesting now, that the 'rank one' seems to have been taken by an acquaintance from my Medical Test day. He is a doctor, and graduated from AIIMS a few years ago. I referred to him in my previous post! Sometimes, world seems like a small place!!

Tryst with fellow aspirants

2008-04-14T11:09:00.001+05:30

I was waiting in the Safdarjung Medical Board Room along with a few other aspirants for our medical check-up. The room was small and generally unclean. A low hanging dusty fan, lots of tattered and dog-eared files in the racks, old-style windows and window-panes, and peeling wall paint completed the look of a government place.

Almost all the aspirants getting their medical test done that day were from South India, but were settled in various parts of India. There were engineers from the IITs, doctors from AIIMS, guys with PhD in History, lawyers from the National Law School, BSF trainees and others who did not come with the tags of elite institutions of India.

Our conversation initially veered around the totally non-transparent ways of the UPSC, even as we acknowledged that the institution was doing a reasonable job. As some time passed, one of the guys remarked that none of the recommendations we had put in with our applications for reforming the UPSC would actually be read let alone implemented. Another said that we would end up in offices like the room we were in, and that 'nothing would change'.

In the general mood of pessimism, Aditya said, "guys, we are the young blood, let's show some idealism. If this is the state in which we come to the interview, what's going to happen after you get selected?" And that changed the tone of the conversation.

Aditya is from JN University. I had heard a lot about the leftist orientation of the faculty and students of JNU. I was curious to see if this was true. JNU is supposedly the birth place of so many leftist intellectuals and politicians of the country. I could clearly see Marxian dialectics in almost everything Aditya spoke about. The oppressor versus oppressed angle was visible in his arguments about reservations, dalit empowerment, and general orientation towards western institutions and racism.

I am tempted to say that a reasonable proportion of India's civil services (at least those coming from Delhi University and JNU) are going to give a leftist orientation to our bureaucracy. And foreign policy.

And it probably isn't just JNU and DU, but the whole preparation for the Civil Services Exam, makes you lean left, about which I had written a post earlier.

In fact, I was advised in the mock interviews not to wear the very chic watch that my friends gave me as a graduation gift. Lest I should be thought of as a materialistic, money-minded man. I opted for the safer way, and did not wear it, because I was treading new roads. In hindsight, I might have done the right thing. Though I can never be sure.

In any case, we had a stimulating conversation at the medical check-up. Guys remarked that it put their faith back in the system, after seeing people with similar passion about civil services. Irrespective of the result of my own interview, that itself is comforting.

Surajya

2008-04-01T22:28:00.000+05:30

JPN plans to launch 'surajya' campaign in Andhra Pradesh.

I am excited to see how this campaign will turn out. He is a patently honest and intelligent person. More over, he is eloquent and can strike a chord, at least with the thinking voter.

In one of this speeches, JPN had said "Ee surajyam kosam porade vaadu sramo, samayamo, swechcho kolpotadu. Deeniki meeru siddhamena!" (In this struggle, one might have to put in our energy or time or independence. Are you ready for this?")

Is Andhra ready for clean politics?

Will people muster enough courage to cast their vote for an honest party?

I don't know.

But imagine!

You cast your vote for the right party, and your job is done. It is that easy. Such fundamental reforms, so necessary to sustain and accelerate our progress, will be made a reality in a jiffy.

కొత్త బంగారు లోకం (kotta bangaru lokam)

2008-03-25T21:35:00.006+05:30

Kotta Bangaru Lokam, Maaku Kavali Sontam!

(This new golden age, shall be our very own!)

A TV show on the new snazzy Hyderabad International Airport used this headline. There was palpable excitement in the media and the general population for the new 'world-class' airport in the city. One can sense the optimism that this is only the beginning of things to come.

I had to go to Chennai yesterday, and I have seen the airport. So here's a first hand report!

The drive to the airport was smooth. It took less than an hour to reach there in the early hours of the day. On some stretches of the road, you just glide along the road. It's that smooth. Things could definitely be better though, some stretches seem unsafe.

The airport itself was huge. The other airport gave no personal space. This one has separate gates for every flight. There was enough place to sit. There were book-stores, coffee places, breakfast places and the service was polite and costly.

I thought to myself -- Is this an Indian airport? It feels like a western one!

And that was a moment of epiphany for me. The airport did not feel Indian!

For all its glass facades, escalators, lifts, it lacked the Indian essence. The old airport thrust in your face the very colourful "Incredible India!" campaign. Yeah, this airport had the mandatory picture of a caparisoned elephant, but it was the only one I saw. I missed the riot of Indian culture in the airport.

Some stalls had caucasian women serving customers.

TV channels showed HBO movies. I missed tollywood and bollywood.

I had made up my mind, that this airport was not Indian.

When I returned from Chennai, I tried to reinforce this idea through everything I saw. On the whole, it did not feel Indian.

Then, as I came out of the airport towards parking, I noticed something - the very Indian red stains of pan colouring one of the majestic pillars.

The old airport is dead. Long live the old airport!

I passed

2008-03-17T18:47:00.000+05:30

One of the first wishers said, "God is great!"

And I agree!

uttishTa Bharata

2008-03-15T19:40:00.002+05:30

Over the last two days, I finished watching about twenty episodes of 'Chanakya'. I started watching the series to take my mind off the imminent results, which btw, were supposed to be out yesterday. But, it turns out UPSC was just being a tease.

The main theme of the series so far, has been 'uttishTa Bharata', which I think translates to 'wake up India'. This came as a surprise to me. To me Chanakya is synonymous with Arthashastra. But, Arthashastra played only a minor role so far in the series.

With Alexander's impending invasion of India, Chanakya exhorts the 'janapadas' to rise above their regional chauvinism and strive to serve 'ma Bharati'. He cautions his students to the danger of dividing residents of India on the basis of 'janapadas' (like Magadha, Lichchavi, Malav, Kekayi, Gandhara etc.) He advocates bridging people across the country through 'sanskriti' - which is above the local language and customs. He believed that only a unified India could rise to the challenge posed the Greek invaders.

In effect, what he has exhorted is the 'federal sentiment' - a prerequisite for states to come together to form a nation. It's the sentiment that binds America into a nation, and the lack of which leaves the EU only as a confederatoin.

However, none of the textbooks I used have cited Chanakya as one of the foremost proponents of the federal sentiment in India. Has the director used his creative license to ascribe more to Chanakya than there was?

Social audits and social sciences

2008-03-07T11:07:00.003+05:30

Summary:
1. Social audit through NGOs is promising to be an effective tool for eliminating grass-root corruption in India.
2. India under-funds its social sciences programs in universities. Expanding Govt. support for the universities could have the beneficial effect of furthering social audits and thereby improving our governance.

Post
Here is an account of India's inefficient civil services. It makes for an interesting read. On the whole it presents a picture we know well - political interference and corruption plague India's administration.

Though the article calls it "a band-aid on a corpse", technology can play an important role in eliminating corruption and providing quality services to citizens. E-seva centres are but one example of how citizens can benefit from technology. Our police forces require immediate upgradation in terms of its technology usage, given the danger to internal security from various sources.

Given this, the lack of adequate budgetary provisions for technology upgradation in administration is saddening.

The article also points out how social audits help make the administration accountable to the citizens. Social audits are audits of government documents by social organizations. In the implementation of welfare programmes like National Rural Employement Guarantee Scheme, social audits ensure that the beneficiary list rolls are not fudged, that the payments to beneficiaries are adhering to statutory norms etc. NREGS, according to some social audits, has been effective in delivering its goods to the intended target beneficiaries. And, this scheme has been successful because of social audits.

Hence, there is a need to strengthen the system of social audits of welfare programmes in India. Clearly, citizens at the grass-roots lack adequate awareness about their rights and Government obligations to conduct social audits. Can we rely on the handful of NGOs to conduct social audits, popularize discrepancies and ensure redressal where necessary? Clearly, no.

Social audits, to be meaningful, should be conducted by the civil society independent of the Govt. and impartial to political parties. Hence Govt. funding NGOs to incentivise conducting social audits is a warped idea, and may not succeed.

However, if the Govt. chooses to fund universities and research programmes with a social audit component, it could have multiple benefits. Our universities are under-funded, research opportunities are scarce, especially in social sciences like Public Administration, Sociology, Anthropology etc. Enhanced Govt. funding to universities will first give a fillip to studies in these fields, and bring out research publications addressing issues that are uniquely Indian. Peer-reviewed publications and prestige of universities would deter any major manipulation of data from social audits.

Recently, the Govt. announced that it would set up multiple Central Universities in the country to address the lack of higher education infrastructure in the country. It is a laudable move, but much more needs to be done, and we need to fund universities to unleash the 'academic spirit' so dormant in our country.

Hence, I make a case for clubbing social audits and social science funding in India.

Planets and predictions

2008-02-29T16:12:00.003+05:30

I have had a love-hate relationship with Indian astrology. May be 'love' and 'hate' are strong words, but the phrase captures the essence reasonably.

As a kid, I learnt a bit of astrology myself, under my grandpa. My grandpa's predictions eminently came true in many cases. Understandably, my family, by and large, believes in astrology. When I learnt the basics myself, I too was approached by the extended family. For a while I thoroughly enjoyed being at the centre of attention. Soon, it wore off. I realized that when it came to specific questions, I was only making inspired and educated guesses. Besides the excessive interest and belief in predictions turned me off.

Of late, there has possibly been a change again. I wonder if I had tried to throw the baby with the bath water, so to say. May be apart from the guess-work and the placebo effect, there is a teeny-tiny bit of sense to the whole thing. A scientific approach to the topic definitely requires an in-depth study, under the specific experimental conditions, to test the sense of the subject.

In any case, this post was inspired by an amusing incident. I met someone in my extended family, who apparently dabbles in astrology a fair bit. My aunt introduced me and said that as a kid I too had learnt astrology. And that I had just given my civil services exams.

I thought I was just doing small-talk and not appearing dumb about what I had learnt in astrology, but I had inadvertently revealed the strategic planets, so to say, of my own chart to him. He figured the rest from my birth year. His mind raced with the mathematical calculations involved, and he started making small predictions.

He told me that the presence of multiple planets in the fifth house implied a chequered career. And that the presence of Ketu - a foreign planet - in the tenth house (labha kshetram) meant that I would always profit from foreign countries (like Singapore and the USA, for example :)

Before he could pronounce a verdict on my eagerly awaited results, I scurried to change the topic and engage other on-lookers into another topic.

Kids are so energetic!

2008-02-12T12:25:00.000+05:30

I went to Mumbai recently. My return flight was delayed by over an hour and I was waiting in the airport, reading a magazine. Suddenly there was a lot of chirpy talk and a bunch of school kids excitedly took some empty seats nearby. Apparently, they were from a boarding school and were going on a tour to Jaipur, Delhi and Agra.

One 4th class girl was particularly energetic. She kept asking her Ma'm all sorts of questions and I was surprised to see the teacher patiently answering her questions. The kid would jump on to a completely new topic, forgetting everything about the previous one.

When it was announced that their flight would be delayed by half-an-hour, she looked towards her friends and said, "kya life ban gayi hai hamari.. tch.." and made a face. Next moment, she was begging her Ma'm to let her eat her chocolates.

She saw me smiling at her antics and covered her face. Then as I went back to reading my magazine, she offered me a chocolate and said, "take it." I laughed and said, "no, thanks!"

After a few minutes, she asked me, "you have chote-chote bache at your home?" I told her that I was the youngest at home. She puckered her mouth and said, "tho tumhi kha lo na yeh chocolate."

So energetic! I guess, I am trying to tell my respected elders to work on getting me some nephews and nieces :)

Future!

2008-02-06T16:49:00.000+05:30

As I look towards future, standing here, I wonder what future has in store!

There are many pairs of paths and I am to choose one of the two in each pair. And, each of them will lead to varying lifestyles- different friend-circles, distinct daily routines, problems and fun activities.

I probably don't have much of a 'choice' left either in some pairs.

Engineering versus Civil Services is one of the pair of paths.

Even spiritually, I stand at the door steps of 'faith.' So far my spiritual practises via Art of Living have been based on experimentation and verification. Now, the next step is 'surrender!' In view of authoritative claims, I wonder if not going to the next step is foolish!

Sigh, oh sigh.

2008-01-27T11:29:00.000+05:30

After winning the bid for Kolkata team, Shah Rukh Khan had said that he would work towards helping "the young realize their dreams."

The Hindu's editorial had said there were few better role models for the young than Kumble. It said that Kumble had not only embodied the qualities Indian parents have traditionally tried to inculcate - a solid work ethic, honesty, perserverance and modesty - but had injected his own dynamics into the process.

Talking about the corruption cancer in India, Ramesh Thakur, says that Manmohan Singh began his prime ministership with the huge advantage of widespread public perception that he is clean and incorruptible. "For all his other faults and failings, quite remarkably in the Indian context, his public perception of probity remains intact."

"Yuki Bhambri, all of 15 years old and playing in the Australian Open junior championship here for the first time, displayed tremendous maturity and impressive skills from the back of the court to outlast the British third seed Daniel Evans 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 in the boys singles quarterfinals on Thursday."

So what's the connecting thread here? My eyes moistened when I read/heard these.

What!? Why??

I think I need a career soon. Way too much idle time on my hands!

Government of India, Analog Devices Inc, AMD, Intel are you listening? :)

Go! Go! Go!

2008-01-10T10:43:00.000+05:30

Rooting for some good things!

Go Hillary!
Go Kumble!
Go Lok Satta!
Go 123 deal!
Go Bill Gates (get out :)
Go Kiran Bedi!
Go Nadal!
Go fire.power!
Go Anand :)

Sphoorti

2008-01-07T21:24:00.000+05:30

I finally went to see Sphoorti - Srivyal's initiative for destitute kids.

One of the first things I said was, "man, this looks so real!" He must've been confused at that. The thing was, I hadn't seen the website or pictured what I was going to see. As I walked towards the place, through the sub-urban lanes, led by two scrawny kids, the modest surroundings began to sink in. There was random vegetation, cattle waste and no proper drainage.

The 'ashram' as the kids called it, is just a house-like place. The verandah was teeming with close to forty kids. All of them were poring into their books, with some kids helping their friends.

As I tried to understand the working of the place, the enormity of the job began to dawn. It's forty-plus number of kids we are talking about. Parents talk about one or two kids as responsibility. Health, nutrition, schooling for forty-plus kids is a huge task. The kids are all pretty young between five and eight years. Srivyal is thinking of renting a second place too to segregate boys from girls. "Kids will be in their pubescent age soon," he said.

Srivyal's sphoorti amazed me. He is thinking of expanding and taking in more kids. I promised to spread the word. My gang in the U.S. of A. is itching to give-back anyway!

Music in the air

2008-01-02T10:13:00.000+05:30

Indians sing. There is singing everywhere. Every TV channel has a singing competetion-based reality show.

I was in Nagpur for the New Year's Eve and it struck me there that people in India are so comfortable singing in front of strangers. Even if they are totally out of key.

At a restaurant, the waiter was singing along with the instrumental music in the background. The ticket collector in the bus was singing "koi mil gaya.." along with FM Mirchi.

In contrast, my Ph.D. advisor was totally surprised when she heard me humming while working in the lab. She asked me incredulously, "Anand, are you singing?"

Music and dance is part of our culture. Apparently, the theme of movie "Aaja Nachle" is the same.

Maintenance of parents

2007-12-22T23:00:00.001+05:30

Indian Parliament recently passed a law providing for three months' imprisonment for those who abandon their parents. Everyone knows how well this will work in reality. Can a Govt. hope to coerce its people into caring for elders? How do Parliamentarians find time to make such legislations at all?

Some twelve hundred years ago, Adi Shankaracharya had also talked about the aged in "Bhaja Govindam."

Yaavadvittopaarjana saktah
Taavannijaparivaaro Raktah
Paschaajeevati Jarjjaradehe
Vaartaam Kopi Na Prichchati Gehe

which translates to "As long as one is fit and able to earn and support one's family, all the kith and kin and dependents attached are affectionate to him, no sooner one becomes old and infirm and one’s earnings cease, no one cares to enquire of his well-being even in one's own home."

Adi Shankaracharya advises that one should not misunderstand and live in illusion that popularity, consideration, affection and even reverence of other human beings is permanent or the very goal of life.

Incidentally, Jamuna Rani, a yesteryear play-back singer was saying today that very few among her generation people in movie business saved something for their old age. A single woman all her life, eloquently put forward a case for saving for one's own old age.

Kuhu kuhu bole koyaliya

2007-12-19T15:38:00.000+05:30

"Kuhu kuhu bole koyaliya" is a golden oldie by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi. It is one of the few songs originally composed in Telugu and later used in a Hindi film. In Telugu, it is "Haayi haayiga amani saage," by Jikki and Ghantasala.

In any case, the online lyrics of this song seem to be just wrong.

This one, this one, and this one all quote the last stanza as

"saaras Raat Man Bhaaye Preeyatama, Kamal-Kamlini Mile
kiran Haar Damke, Jal Mein Chaand Chamke
man Saanand, Aanand Dole"

May be all of them are copies of an original mistake. So I have taken it upon myself to put up the right set of lyrics. "Saaras Raat" should be "saras raas" - romance of swans, and "kiran haar" should be "hiran haar" -- golden garland.

So the lyrics should be
"Saras raas man bhaaye preeyatama, kamal-kamlini mile
Hiran haar damke, jal mein chaand chamke
manasaanand, aanand dole"

అమరావతీ నగర అపురూప శిల్పాలు (Amaravati's unique sculptures)

2007-12-17T20:26:00.001+05:30

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I want to visit Amaravati. Amaravati was the capital of Satavahana kings and is famous for Buddhist architecture. Amaravati now also reminds me of Shyam Benegal's tele-series (Amaravati ki kahaniyan).

Just like in the lines from Andhra Pradesh's state song (మాతెలుగు తల్లికి మల్లెపూదండా maa-telugu-talliki-malle-poodanda), Andhra's cultural fervour is reverberating in my head.

"మా చెవుల రింగుమని మారు మ్రోగే దాక (maa chevulu rringu-mani mrogeedaaka)
నీ ఆటలే ఆడుతాం (nee aaTalee aaDutaam)
నీ పాటలే పాడుతాం" (nee paaTalee paaDutaam)

Maybe using the phrase "Andhra's culture" is no longer politically correct. After all, Telangana and Rayalaseema might get offended. In a funny take on Telangana struggle, this blogger here suggests, renaming Andhra Pradesh as Telangana itself, as Telugu was earlier called Telangu. And it seems to make logical sense to call the state speaking Telugu as Telangana. There would be no bifurcation or trifurcation then! He titled his post, మాతెలుగు తల్లికి ముళ్ళపూదండా (maa-telugu-talliki-muLLa-poodanda)!!

On another note, I didn't know who had written AP's state song. Apparently it was Sankarambadi Sundaraachari.

Who is happy?

2007-12-07T21:32:00.000+05:30

Rohinton Mistry in "A Fine Balance" talks of how there is a fine balance in everone's life. A balance which tilts neither on the side of euphoria nor despondency for too long. One of his characters - a lower middle class tailor - ends up castrated, becomes a beggar, but retains a fine balance of happiness in life.

Graeme Wheeler, MD of World Bank, had asked some rural women part of Self Help Groups in Andhra Pradesh what they needed for betterment of their lives. They replied that they had everything! If these women subjectively feel happy, then what is the WB trying to acheive? Is the underlying assumption that no one can be happy unless they have modern amenities of life?

Recently, a good friend forwarded this link. It's a talk on happiness by Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert. He says our beliefs about what makes us happy are often wrong. He presents the results of his intriguing research.

And when I talk of happiness, I cannot but bring in Art of Living. In my experience, Art of Living addresses happiness of our lives in myriad ways and gives a holistic philosophy of life and happiness, uncovering new dimensions hitherto only heard of but not experienced.

Let My Country Awake

2007-11-29T10:07:00.000+05:30

I had read this poem by Rabindranath Tagore a few years back, and it always comes back in the context of India and rationality.

Where the mind is without fear
and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way
into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward
by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom,
my Father, let my country awake!

However, to look at Indian habits from rationality perspective alone would be losing a holistic picture of health and happiness.

City of Djinns

2007-11-28T16:03:00.000+05:30

Lately I have been reading blogs big on rationality. Those blogs with Indian authors lose no chance in pointing out the irrational practices so prevalent in India. It makes me cringe, to say the least, when I read them.

In "City of Djinns," by William Darlymple, there is an interesting passage related to this. Darlymple is intrigued with the belief of many Muslim, Hindu and Sikh Indians in Sufi charms. Some of the Sufi mystics to him are blatant fakes, making money on people's gullibility.

He asks his good friend, the wise Dr. Jaffrey, about this. He agrees that many are fakes and replies, "But Wiliam, my friend, you must remember one thing. Fake Sufis are like any other kind of counterfeit. Forgeries exist only because the real gold is so incredibly valuable.."

Ten things meme

2007-11-25T13:25:00.000+05:30

Civil Services (Mains) exams are done! And, here are ten things I learnt in the past fourteen months of preparation about myself:

1. My attention span is 40-45 mins. When I start reading a topic, my concentration and absorbing capacity falls steeply after 40-45 mins. This body clock is amazingly accurate.

Funnily though, in exams, its only after 1:30-1:45 mins. Till then, I can concentrate well. Then I have to drink some water or stop for a few seconds and then go again.

2. Sudarshan Kriya (the breathing technique of Art of Living) makes me concentrate better. When my mind is tired or I have just argued on some issue or watched something on TV that is distractingly entertaining, I used to do Kriya, or at least the preparatory part of Kriya. The contrast was very clear. I could easily work well for the next 40-45 mins.

3. Without physical activity, even Kriya cannot be of much help. That's why Yoga is always coupled with any meditative activity. Since I couldn't do Yoga due to my knee, I had to go to the gym. And the contrast was clear - after-gym concentration was superior to that before going to the gym.

4. I love all fields of knowledge. I became an engineer due to circumstances. I could just as well been a biologist, anthropologist or a geologist and succeeded just as well. At a certain depth, all fields are equally engaging to me.

When I was choosing my optional subjects for Civil Services, I was asked to consider if I would be interested in studying that optional. I had thought that Anthropology would be very boring to me. That couldn't be farther from truth. Anthropology is very engaging and relevant to everyday life.

5. I don't have much of an eye for details. I go for the big picture. But I do not 'get' the big picture unless I have looked at the details.

For example, there was a lot of debate on whether the nuclear deal should be discussed and voted on in the Parliament. BJP wanted the discussion under Rule 184, which entailed voting. Left wanted it discussed under Rule 193, which did not. Though I read these news items, I never noted the numbers. And when in a mock exam, the question asked, "What is Rule 184 on Parliamentary debates?", I was confused if it was about the Left's stand or the BJP's stand.

But then, in Geography, when we dealt with the topic of holes in the Ozone layer, I couldn't accept the theory unless I had looked at it in depth and saw the actual chemical reactions involved. It's not that I tried to understand all the reactions clearly, but I had to 'see' them to understand why there are holes in the Ozone layer.

6. Peter Principle - work expands to fill the time available - is true in my case. One of my exams was postponed. Before it was postponed, I had two days to prepare for it. After it was postponed, I had seventeen days. I managed to fill all seventeen days with work!

By the way, Peter Principle was a criticism of bureaucratic style of functioning :)

7. Cheap thrills are important to keep up motivation to work. When it is a long-term project, its important to boost ego through artificial means. When we were discussing 'Judicial Activism' in one of the classes, the lecturer praised my interpretation of the topic. That's a cheap thrill for me. And it made me work a bit more.

I once dished out a letter to The Hindu, dissing their editorial piece, which I thought was very partisan. Though there was no response from them, it was a cheap thrill in itself.

8. Fear. Fear is a concept in itself. It requires tomes to be written on how it manifests itself and what its consequences are.

Fear can make you see how interesting History is when you should ideally be studying Anthropology. Fear can make you love old friends when you should ideally be trying to figure out patterns of questions in previous years' papers. Fear can make you think of ideals when you should be practical about the exam coming up.

Fear is subtle and devious.

But then, fear is like salt, they say. You need it in small doses. Right doses. Else, work expands to fill available time and sometimes non-available time.

9. Carbs are easy stress-relief for me. When stressed and wanted an easy way out, I ate high-fat kajas, laddus, and what-not. I needed them at the 23rd hour of the day, when I would have already tried Kriya and working-out.

Result, I put on 7kgs since I came to India.

10. I don't care much for movies, TV etc., but am hooked to Internet. Can't live without surfing useful and useless stuff. Need to check my email compulsively. I am so hooked to email and internet that I haven't taken to SMS yet. My friends ask me my mobile number, they get my email id instead :)

Media Responsibility

2007-09-10T23:20:00.000+05:30

Government of India constituted many committees to recommend reforms in its governance. Some of these committees have made brilliant suggestions. Government accepted some of these and rejected others. And today, those-in-the-know opine that reforms will come in only through pressure from civil society - NGOs, media etc.

The Right to Information Act, which is thorny to both bureaucrats and politicians, came in due to agitations from the civil society.

But then, we hardly get the impression that our media is a responsible player in evolving our governance set-up. Leave the tabloid journalism, set aside the obvious political leanings of newspapers. There needs to be a fundamental shift in the way we report, the way we transmit news to people.

Our reporting is event-driven. News items focus on "what" of the event. A bridge collapses, our newspapers focus on the "what". A bridge collapsed. Seven cars and an autorickshaw got crushed. So and so number of people died. Add to that a picture that rivets you to the gore of "what" happened. "What" did the Chief Minister say? "What" did the public say, think, feel..?

In this flood of "whats", the "why" is relegated to the Nth page with drab font and print that only few read. A report on the second page says "No coordination in work", "No Disaster Management Plan". Shouldn't this "why" be on the front page??

Isn't that the responsible way to focus attention on the cause instead of highlighting the symptoms? The headline should read "Lack of coordination kills 'n' and lack of a disaster management plan kills 'm'".

Really, should we care about the real exact event that was the immediate cause? I think we should focus on the disease instead.

Leaning Left?

2007-08-31T22:23:00.000+05:30

"Preparing for this exam is making me a leftist.. where's my red flag!" said a friend today. I couldn't but agree with the general assessment. There is vague momentum towards the left whatever one's initial position. There's so much people-centric argument, and thought for immediate relief, that no leftist argument is brushed away.

Ah the wait!

2007-08-03T23:15:00.000+05:30

I wait eagerly for the results
Of the exam I wrote months back.
I am not holding my breath, but
Often I check the UPSC site!

What do I wait for? Good news?
Yeah, of course.
What will it give me?
Yet few more months of work!!

Gabbilam - Joshua

2007-06-30T13:14:00.000+05:30

కసరి బుసకొట్టు నాతని గాలిసోక (kasari busa-kottu naatani gaali soka)
నాల్గు పడగల హైందవ నాగరాజు (nalgu padagala haindawa naagaraaju)

In his magnum opus Gabbilam (bat), Joshua lyrically portrays the state of the casteless of his times. Apparently, the four-headed Indian caste-cobra spat venom on the fifth casteless group for its mere presence.

Hasti Mit-ti Nahi Hamari

2007-06-05T15:56:00.000+05:30

Apparently, Mohammad Iqbal also wondered where India's cultural strength came from.

Yunan, Misro, Ruma sab mit gaey jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi nam-o-nishan hamara
Kuch baat hai ke hasti mit-ti nahi hamari
Sadion raha hai daur-e-zaman hamara

Translation:
The civilizations of Greece, Egypt and Rome were wiped out from the world,
But to this day survives our name and fame
Isn't there some reason why our existence is not wiped out
Though time has been our foe for centuries.

So many people have pondered and are pondering the same question - How has the Indian culture survived so many millenia?

If the stalwarts of freedom-struggle era have looked back at the glorious past, it's quite understandable. They probably predominantly sought to look back for strength, and for awakening the people.

But even now, this question is quite widespread in many minds. From Amartya Sen (Argumentative Indian) to Ramachandra Guha (India After Gandhi), everyone has hit upon this question.

The Discovery of India

2007-05-28T12:07:00.000+05:30

In this classic by Nehru, he's trying to understand the basis for Indian culture. He is amazed by the Indus valley excavations and the revelations that the seeds for the Indian culture were probably sown more than five thousand years ago.

He tries to explain the strength of the culture in various ways. He has interesting insights, nevertheless, paragraphs are littered with "I really don't know what gives the culture its strength to withstand and assimilate so many foreign influxes."

I found one particular insight very interesting. He calls it the "Acceptance and Negation of Life" - complete acceptance and celebration of life in every sphere and every manner while at the same time, possessing this detachment with the material world in a subtle but very predominant way.

I let this thought be with me for a few months, and the idea has only grown on me.

Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks

2007-05-25T11:36:00.000+05:30

Stealing is a crime.

Misappropriating ownership rights is also patently wrong.

Such clear-cut statements are, however, not possible while dealing with intellectual property.

Recently, according to newspaper reports, there have been attempts to claim ownership rights over yoga. Ridiculous as it may sound, the case requires analysis and is not an open-and-shut case.

For, Bikram (the person claiming rights) isn't claiming rights over yoga in toto, as has been made out by some reports, but only over a specific sequence of poses in a high temperature room. He claims ownership and regulatory rights over usage of this specific sequence of poses, which he calls "Bikram Yoga".

He has two arguments in favour of his case. One, he has created something new out of the existing common knowledge. And according to U.S. copyright laws, a sufficiently creative compilation of common knowledge can be given a copyright. He uses a powerful analogy - Do, Re, Mi, Fa are a part of common knowledge, but a song created out of them is not a part of public property and can be given a copyright. Similarly, using yogic postures to create something new can be given a copyright. According to him, he doesn't want what has happened to Pilates to happen to Yoga.

His second argument is that a holistic health process like the one he has created, needs a regulatory mechanism and arbitrary copying can be dangerous. Just as doctors need certification, anyone teaching his sequence needs his certification.

Analogies can be quite deceptive, and his first argument seems very fishy. By equating yogic postures to mere musical notes and his creation to a song, he has deliberately reduced the status of the postures per se. Yogic postures are, however, much more than notes, they are like compositions in themselves. Can we get a copyright over a sequence of Bach and Mozart compositions? Especially when such compilations are predicted to be of significant public and commercial interest? How is a court supposed to determine his creativity in putting the poses in a sequence and judge the sequence in relation to actual poses themselves? Shouldn't the court lean towards not granting a copyright? How much the name "Bikram Yoga" is benefiting from the word "Yoga" has to be understood clearly.

His second argument, once again, isn't easy to judge. How can one who hasn't experienced his sequence judge the need for its regulation? Does it really need his regulation, given the fact that the basic elements have been in use for millenia?

"Art of Living Foundation" also has a trademark (not copyright) over "Sudarshan Kriya". Many will vouch for the strong effect "Kriya" has and need for proper regulation (and hence a trademark) over who teaches the breathing technique.

So it seems that courts and litigations are not the proper means of settling these issues. At least the basic statutes governing the issues need to be reworked completely, giving enough weight to spreading knowledge. Since the knowledge is cultural, cultural aspects need to given sufficient weight. Someone versed only in legal technicalities is not competent to judge the case.

Positive Portrayal of Women

2007-05-11T12:05:00.000+05:30

We live in an unequal society. Sometimes the inequalities are overt, sometimes subtle, sometimes real, sometimes imagined. We attempt to correct these inequalities in many ways, some ways are acquiesced to as legitimate (public distribution systems etc) and others are fought against (reservations etc).

In the past few months, I have noticed an expression of male-female inequality in "The Hindu" newspaper. See the attached pictures from the newspaper. They are all part of various education-related articles in the newspaper. The articles themselves talk about various topics like higher education, entrance-exam preparation, career opportunities etc. While the topics themselves are not related to women per se, the newspaper has chosen to portray women in a majority of the pictures.

The pictures are unrepresentative and if an alien were to understand our society via just these clippings, it would assume that men are a minority in India's education system. Some of the pictures are pretty comic too, with the photographer obviously having asked the students to bury their heads in books.

My friends reacted to this in various individual ways including crying foul (along with me), laughing it away saying poor-you-men, explaining it as a systemic correction to centuries of oppression, questioning the adequacy of the data and so on.

While not probing the merit of those interpretations, it seems that this positive portrayal of women is one of the least abrasive methods of affirmative action for the betterment of women. It is entirely possible that these images give a sense of confidence and potential to other women, while not taking away anything tangible from men. At some level, all these images convey that it is "cool" to be a career-woman. And that sense of romanticism associated with work could encourage more number of women to pursue higher education steadfastly.

That media can have a subtle influence on the choices we make in our lives is not new at all. Curbs on on-screen smoking are meant to prevent youngsters from getting influenced by their idols. Freedom of expression is relegated to the back benches in view of these subtle influences.

But now the question is, is this what "The Hindu" intended? We should hope so.

Good Bye 2006, Welcome 2007!

2006-12-31T00:06:00.000+05:30

As I bid farewell to 2006, I am quietly amused that this is going to be a watershed year for my career!

Water disputes

2006-12-30T22:26:00.000+05:30

Mullaperiyar is a dam in Kerala. In 1886, The Princely State of Travancore was forced to sign a treaty to lease the dam site for 999 years(!) to the then Madras government.

Not a single day passes without a report on the dam issue in the national dailies. My friends and I jokingly refer to this as the "most significant news item". Of course, Mamata Banerjee had been accorded that status for the past twenty five days :)

Today, V.K. Krishna Iyer has written something on Mullaperiyar in The Hindu. He says that the disputes should not be about who gets the water. And that the challenge should be of greater production with more water utilized for the benefit of both states. I thought it was strikingly simple, even obvious, but something that isn't the cornerstone of our water dispute settlements among states. What he said immediately crystalized the often fractious nature of our federal state with national priorities challenged by parochial interests.

Indian constitution makers knew that centrifugal forces on the states could become strong and have deliberately made our Centre much stronger than the states. Heck, the head a state (governor) is appointed by the Center!

దేశ భాషల౦దు తెలుగు లెస్స!

2006-12-14T01:10:00.001+05:30

తెలుగులో రాయడ౦ తేలికే! Try చేసి చూడు!!

Rural-urban education divide

2006-11-24T01:14:00.000+05:30

So much is written about rural-urban divide in India, that the subject has almost become cliched. But, inequalities are real and they really are a handicap for people born into rural areas.

For eg., rural students lack access to various facilities for competing in the prestigious competitive exams of the country. Not to mention the awareness levels in the first place. Urban students have a definite edge over their rural competitors because of the facilities they can avail of.

The format of Civil Services Exam takes into account that urban students can get coached for the exam. UPSC tries to frame questions such that no amount of training can help you unless you have certain natural skills like the ability to express yourself clearly and cogently, a natural awareness and curiosity in what's happening around you etc. In fact, the interview stage, clearly favoring the urban candidate was intentionally given less weight by a committee that looked into this issue. In spite of all these measures, the urban student has an advantage. In the end, we hope, that the right candidate based on merit is selected.

JEE, being a technical exam, does not offer much leeway in balancing the rural-urban divide. You can get a lot of help from coaching centers for this exam. And framing questions so that one doesn't need coaching centers reduces the quality of the exam.

The same is the case with CET of Tamil Nadu. But, the powers that be, are planning to scrap it, in favour of +1 and +2 exam scores. This definitely tilts the balance in favour of rural candidates. But, of course, +1 and +2 exam results are based on rote preparation, rather than a sharp understanding of fundamentals and therefore, does not measure merit.

In the future, technology hopefully will play a role in reducing rural-urban knowledge divide. Distance education is already very popular in India. I still remember quality UGC programs on DD. IGNOU with its distance education program is playing a great role in using modern methods of distance education. Through radio channels, audio-video softwares, it provides quality educational programs.

The first disadvantage of such a system is the lack of interaction between the teacher and the taught. And that's a big disadvantage. Hopefully, technology will provide cheap and accessible solutions to this too. On-demand televisions are catching up in India in a big way and this if applied to distance learning, can help bring flexibility in choosing the lectures. Schemes for cheap two-way communication between dedicated (in ways more than one!) teachers and students could further reduce the lack of interaction.

When it comes to schemes, we have a plethora of ideas from the political side. If we can give colour television sets to poor people as part of election bonanza, there is no reason why we can't give set-top boxes (for on-demand viewing) for candidates appearing for exams!

Marxian Materialism

2006-11-20T17:54:00.000+05:30

Marxian philosophy seems very organized. His thoughts are arranged in order, assumptions and reasoning laid out.

One of the central ideas is that material world determines human ideas. It thus also determines ultimately, everything in society including values, beliefs, religion etc. This concept is diametrically opposite to Idealism or ideas determining material world. As in, I have an idea and I make something out of it.

To me this Marxian concept seems applicable in many cases. Take for example, the Delhi Metro. It's very existence has brought about a sense of urgency in every other city to look into mass transport systems. It's a kind of mental revolution brought about by the material possession. The Industrial Revolution, the Information Revolution are, ultimately, mental revolutions brought about by "material" revolutions.

Another interesting thought here: India had adopted reforms in 1991. These reforms were applied, naturally, to the material aspects of trade and production. But a change, a reform or a revolution, if you will, is yet to take place in the mental domains. Here I quote, "Prepare yourself to fight and incorporate a change: a real change, i.e., a change in YOU, in yourself and in your work culture, attitude and sense perception. The failure of this last resort would lead to our complete annihilation".

Microcredit Institutions

2006-10-19T23:43:00.000+05:30

I remember watching a program on Mohammad Yunus a year or two ago. I clearly recall him saying that poverty and deprivation among masses is not due to lack of enterprise, but due to lack of capital. He had stressed that with paltry sums as credit, poor people will lift themselves out of poverty.

For the section of society he's talking about the issue seemingly is not about lack of human skills or will, but just a question of "means" to acquire capital.

The Nobel prize is surely well deserved. And relevant too, because it's a peace prize for working towards eliminating poverty. A prosperous Bangladesh is extremism and violence nipped in the bud.

Some critics of micro-credit institutions say that they "individualize the solution to poverty, thereby negating the possibility of social mobilization and the need to change social structure". Of course, this criticism holds no water when we view the empowerment of women Grameen Bank has brought about. Empowering rural women does lead to a change in social mobility patterns and social structures.

However, I wonder if capital is the only bottleneck in raising standards of living among the not-so-poor masses. Isn't lack of knowledge of what is out there a big constraint in unleashing the Human Will? Don't social norms and patterns in one's community constrain one's ambitions? As in.. A wants to be a trader because he's born in so and so community, B wants to get into the Army because he's born in that community, getting a second grade is good enough in so and so community.

In sum, don't sociological factors play as big a role as economic..? Thinking out loud..

Bio in news

2006-10-07T20:11:00.000+05:30

Biotechnology has been the star news item of the past week for me.

Firstly, of course, the Nobel prizes in physiology and chemistry have gone to studies in information transfer from the DNA to protein synthesis.

Indian agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, announced that a number of transgenic crops were in the pipeline. Apparently these new crops can not only ensure food security, but also nutritional security. Potatoes will have a lot more amino acids in them, adding one more reason to eat French Fries!

The National Commission on Farmers, chaired by M.S.Swaminathan (the father of Indian green revolution), has a curious recommendation too. He wants the government to make farming intellectual, thereby attracting smart youth to the field. Any takers?

The Finance Minister also seems worried about the career choices of Indian youth. IT and ITeS are attracting all engineers, depleting other engineering fields of their legitimate personnel.

Human Will

2006-09-22T11:12:00.000+05:30

Secular India

2006-09-20T22:16:00.000+05:30

The Supreme Court of India cleared the Haj pilgrimage subsidy for 2006, while questioning the central government "Tell us whether any such subsidy is given to any other yatra. You can make arrangements like running special trains for the Kumbh Mela, provision for law and order, hygiene and other facilities, but can you grant financial subsidy?"

I find it very interesting how a "secular" government can get entangled in attending to various patently religious activities. As in, if those particular religious practices had not existed, the government would never have incurred the expenses therein.

I guess the answer lies in the fact that "secular" in India's context does not mean a divorce between religion and state.

Here, I join the blogwagon

2006-09-20T22:09:00.000+05:30

There you go, one more added to the blogging community.

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