BJP’s change of guard

Mr. Nitin Gadkari’s elevation to the top slot in the BJP has come as a welcome move, a positive step towards reviving the party & taking on a resurrected Congress. The new president’s bio data is better off than many other politicians and his credentials are well known. Add to this, his clean image and out-of-the-box thinking. This man could be the saviour the BJP was looking for. But the going will not be easy.

Being a regional politician, he does not have a mass following, within the BJP or outside. So his primary task will be to penetrate and work with the grass root level of the party. Given his organisational abilities, he might manage it just fine.

Sooner or later, Gadkari will have to project his image in the public domain either as a hindutva hardliner or a moderator. Hence, his decision making abilities would be keenly monitored by all (specially the RSS) . The tough choice for him would be whether to follow the core ideology or compromise it with a moderate approach on issues of national importance.

Next, he would have to battle power-hungry hawks like Arun Jaitley & Sushma Swaraj. Although their oratorical skills are appreciated by one & all, the manner in which they ass licked LK Advani & gained top parliamentary positions is quite sickening & heavily criticized within the party. Being the campaign manager of the party at the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Arun Jaitley should have taken moral responsibility for the party’s drubbing & stepped out from all positions. So was not the case because at Delhi, the BJP has a parallel power centre run by Jaitley & Swaraj (supported by Venkaiah Naidu) and they pretty much call the shots on all national decisions. The choice for Gadkari is simple – either join the club, or take the bull by its horns.

Thirdly, the silence of BJP’s biggest goon, Mr. Narendra Modi is a little surprising at this point. He seems to have taken a back seat from the BJP centre stage and is focussing on Gujarat for now, though it is only a matter of time before this tiger demands his pound of flesh at the national level. Its an easy guess as to what that position could be – the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 polls! How Gadkari tackles Modi will be interesting. But given the fact that both are babies of the RSS, my gut feel says that they would pair well and this combination would work wonders for the party, may be even better than the Sonia-Manmohan partnership that has brought back the Congress to its best in the last two decades.

The speed with which Rahul Gandhi is running a marathon for the Congress, he may well become India’s next prime minister. If the BJP dreams to win the race, all their leaders should collaborate with Gadkari & work together to revive the party. That will be their only chance.

No frill, No fun

Consider this scenario:

A typical day when you catch a flight from New Delhi to Cochin, lets say departure time 1350 hrs from Delhi (a via Hyderabad flight) and arrival time at Cochin 1800 hrs:

• Wake up at 0830 cuz there is a kind of rush, last minute packing etc.
• Start from home by 1130 max. Reach airport at 1245, the airports are generally far away from most of our homes.
• After all the hassles (check-in, security check), board the flight at 1330 (this is the best case scenario, that is if the flight is on time).
• By the time all passengers are on-board and the flight is ready for take off, its 1350.
• Then expect an announcement from the pilot ‘we are No.7 in take off queue which would mean another 35 mins. Although we apologise for the delay, but this is not the fault of the airline…’
• So finally we are off at 1430. After the subsequent delay at Hyderabad, land at cochin at 1845.
• Wait for luggage to reach the terminal (the unions in Kerala take their own sweet time). Luggage arrives at 1910 hrs.
• Drive back home, reach at 2045hrs.

All this makes it a 12 hour ordeal! (a whopping 5.15 hrs spent in the flight, with no food).

Welcome to No frill airline travel in India.

I have been a frequent flier & travelled by almost all the airlines operational in our country today. But my experience says, no frill travel is indeed no fun at all. The tickets may be less expensive (not cheap, but less expensive) than full fledged airlines, but that’s about it.

Everyone is out to take the consumer for a ride. Here’s how:

The Airports Authority of India/Private Operators:

• They charge atrocious taxes under the garb of user development fee/airport development fee etc.
• The Airport services are poor & sub standard as compared to international airports.
• In Tier-II city airports like Pune & Cochin, there would be only two check in counters open, highlighting ‘All Flights’. Invariably, this has & does result in chaos, forcing the airline ticketing lady to announce ‘passengers to Delhi, please come forward’, thereby rushing things up. Next hassle is Security Check. You would find only one queue open for gents & ladies. (ever notice the policeman stare at the hand baggage check screen? I wonder what’s going on in his head).

The No frills:

• Flights often get delayed and on-time performance claims are a complete hogwash (the pilot conveniently passes the buck on the AAI & congestion).
• The average flight delay is 45 mins specially if you are flying into Delhi. First, you are circling the airport for 15 mins because of air traffic congestion. Then post-landing, you are taxing for 15 mins before you reach the terminal, followed by another 15 minutes before you pick up your luggage at the arrival lounge.
• They charge Rs. 200 as Passenger Service fee. What service are they offering? Even food on board is sold at exorbitant prices. Imagine 2 pieces of samosa for Rs. 50 and a regular veg sandwich for Rs. 100! No matter what, we do feel hungry in the flight, compelling us to shell out the money for a quick snack.
• There is absolutely no leg room in the aircraft. In the bargain to accommodate more seats, they totally ignore the seating convenience of the passengers. I am quite certain if given a chance the airlines would not mind to fly passengers standing on the aisle.
• They are not given preference over regular airlines. This is a common feature that Kingfisher, Jet Airways & our sarkaari Air India are always given preference in taking off and landing.
• They falsely claim that they are equipped with CAT III B instrument landing system which enables the aircraft to land in foggy conditions with near 0 visibility. Their pilots are not trained to handle the system either.

But on the flip side, it is also a fact that these no-frills have given the chance to several classes of people to zoom across metros & small cities. Air travel which was once the privilege of the rich, now extends to various strata of society. That’s the only plus I can think of in a pool of minuses.

Arunachal – ours or theirs?

The Chinese are engaging us in a diplomatic boxing bout like never before over our border issues and specifically their reservations & claims over Arunachal Pradesh. As I attempted to understand what exactly is bothering the two nations, I was relatively shocked to see that the dispute is actually a century old & was an original creation of the British Empire, because we were under their rule then.

However, this post is not intended to expose the British or drill down to the bottom to find out the truth about who is right or wrong. It is intended to express my absolute disgust at the hypocrisy of the Indian state when they emphatically claim that ‘Arunachal is an integral part of India’. Almost every power corridor in Delhi right up to the Prime Minister has gone on record to state this claim & counter the Chinese allegations.

But on what moral grounds?

• We club Arunachal with the rest of the region and simply categorise it as North-East, even though every state in that part of India is different from each other in all respects. Much like the way, once upon a time, North Indian’s thought that every person hailing from the South was a ‘Madrasi’ who only fed on 'Idly & Dosa' in spite of the fact that every South Indian state is linguistically & culturally different from each other.
• Can we name all the states in North-East along with their Capitals? Leave aside North-East, how many of us can name the capital of Arunachal or its Chief Minister?
• What have we done for Arunachal as a state? Has the Govt provided any separate financial assistance to develop & uplift it? Does the Govt recognise that Arunachal being a separate entity could have its own share of problems which might be different from its neighbouring states and hence needs to be addressed independently? The answer is No. Our Prime Minister only has the time to announce a Rs. 24000 Crore combined package for the entire North-East territory (only announce, not disburse).
• Why is it that every female with small eyes & typical North-Eastern features is called a ‘chinki’, and the youth cross all limits when they assume that every chinki is a hooker?
• Why alienate the students from the North East by abusing & mocking them?

• As far as development is concerned, don’t you think Arunachalis would be better off with the Chinese considering the pace at which they are rapidly uplifting their border areas & the quality of life for their people?

All this is a stark reminder to us that we ourselves are responsible for the grim situation faced by this section of the people of India. Although, we leave no stone unturned in merely showcasing to the world that these people are with us and we care for them, but the fact is they are treated as second rung citizens in their own country.

If we believe that Arunachal is a part of India, we must believe that the people of Arunachal are also a part of India. They are as much Indians as we are. They deserve the same amount of respect as we do. We have to make them believe that they are one of us.

Kapil Sibal’s IIT stunt

Our dynamic Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal is hell bent on reforming the education system of our country. It is a good move because its high time someone takes the onus of changing our shammed educational pattern. But the thought process & the think tank behind it is not entirely right. I say this on the basis of the comment by Sibal that the min marks required in class XII for taking an IIT entrance exam should be raised to 80% from the existing 60%.

Why? To curb the growing influence of coaching centres? To reduce the influx of Bihari’s into IITs because they generally fare low in their class XII boards but manage to crack the IIT-JEE? Or to ensure that only those who are excellent muggers can aim for these exams, defying all logic?

This would be a very futile move, specially because it would rob the thousands of brilliant students, who for some reason do not fare well in board exams, the opportunity to take a shot at the big leagues. And an opportunity lost for life. We commonly hear students preparing for entrance exams by dropping 1-2 yrs after school, but rarely does any student retake the Class XII boards in case of low marks. Also, the coaching centres are a source of livelihood for many retired Professors and school teachers. They actually nurture raw talent by helping candidates sharpen their basics first, rather than propagating the ‘learn by-heart’ technique adopted by teachers in most schools these days.

Moving further, Mr. Sibal could apply the same funda to the IIMs as well. The minimum cut off at graduation required to take the CAT could be raised between 75-80%. One can only imagine what would happen if this bar is raised. On the one hand, students would actually start taking their graduation studies seriously, just like the way they did at school. This would result in a spurt in the attendance levels at Colleges. But on the other hand, I can bet that this would dip the number of CAT aspirants each year, because every institution/college/university has their own unique marking/grading scheme which is not a unified pattern centrally. Hence the best of students would not be able to score the cut-off average, for no fault of theirs. (For eg, in Pune University, the marking is so strict, the University topper only scores around 70-72%. On the contrary, at Bangalore University, the topper scores anywhere between 85-90%).

But we need not worry. None of this is going to happen. Because unconfirmed reports doing the rounds in New Delhi have suggested that coaching centres have collectively bribed Mr. Sibal to the tune of Rs. 122 Crore to leave the pattern untouched and retract his statement, which he has already done. As always, its only about money, honey!

Our Kashmir gimmicks

Hon Mr Chidambaram had just made one of the most atrocious statements in our foreign affairs history when he said ‘Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made the policy of the government clear on many occasions. We are not afraid of dialogue…we are not shying away from talks. There will be a dialogue with every section of political opinion on the Kashmir problem’.

Is this a f***ing policy?

Dear Sir, I am not a lawyer, neither am I a certified expert on strategic affairs, but I have enough common sense to understand & judge how absurd your remark is. Your statement only reflects what should typically be called a part of the policy framework. i.e: who are the main players to engage if we are to resolve the crisis. Obviously, the Pakistan govt is one. The other could be the pro-terrorist, pro-Pakistani, anti-India separatists aka the Hurriyat Conference (all factions). I’d say that the people of J&K should not be a party to the dialogue since they have voted for & elected a state Govt which would represent them, hence justifying that they want to be a part of India. However, if we are open to their right of self-determination crap, then they too could be included in the process. Thankfully, the Govt is at least clear on one aspect, that it does not seek third party mediation for resolution of the dispute.

Now, let me define what could be our actual Kashmir policy:

• Giving up J&K to whoever wants it. If the people of the state want it, organise a plebiscite (as per the UN resolution), grant it independence and declare it a free state; or give it off to Pakistan since it is the only prospective buyer. I doubt if the Chinese would be interested in the purchase deal.
• Going to War with Pakistan in the event that it does not stop the proxy war in the state & elsewhere in our country (give them a deadline). To start the assault, launch covert military strikes at terrorist camps across the border which would then lead to a full scale conventional war and eventually provoke Pakistan to launch nuclear warheads at us, before which, we must strike at them with full force & eliminate Pakistan from the world’s political map (I fully trust our Military forces. They have the capability to inflict maximum damage & crush any adversary). If we want to deter Pakistan from launching nuclear weapons at us in the first place, we must abolish the ‘No first use’ policy of our nuclear doctrine. I clearly remember the former Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf explicitly stating in an interview that in terms of conventional warfare since India had a definitive edge over them & in order to protect the territorial integrity & sanctity of the state, they would not blink an eyelid before launching nuclear weapons against us. Hence for us to save our a**, we need to mend our Nuclear Doctrine.
• Converting the Line of Control into the International Border. This means that we would have to let go of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
• Recognising the International Border by reclaiming PoK. This can be done by using option 2 above. The only difference could be that by the time we take control of PoK (and before the war escalates to a nuclear level), Uncle Sam or some other useless entities like the UN call for a ceasefire & the conflict ends.

If the government is serious to resolve this imbroglio, it must first set its own house in order. We have to be crystal clear in our minds about what we want, our expectations, the extent to which we are willing to compromise & the repercussions of the probable solution. This approach of firing shots in the dark, hoping that it would hit some target, will not work, at least not in this case.

Swaminomics

I am not an ardent follower of Baba Ramdev, but have seen a bit of his gimmicks on television. I admit that he has motivated me to quit aerated drinks (cuz' he says cola’s are equivalent to toilet cleaners) & potato chips completely. As he propagates, I have also started having lauky (aka bottlegourd) juice first thing in the morning (testimony to the health effects of this juice is my father who religiously has it every single day & it has actually helped in keeping his sugar & cholesterol levels in check).

But I’m not here to heap praises on the guru. I am writing this to condemn the absolutely unnecessary criticism bestowed on him by everyone, especially the youth. I strongly defend the Baba, not for his views, but simply because of his right to express them! Our Constitution guarantees freedom of speech & expression as a fundamental right for every citizen. Then why make such a hue & cry if Baba Ramdev merely opens his gob?? Just because he openly expresses his displeasure on contentious issues (like gay rights)???

Speaking of rights, if : the present day youth have the right to be extremely vocal on a range of subjects & to blow their horns on changing attitudes & modernity; Political parties have the right to oppose any policies of the Govt; Civil society has the right to oppose any issues of national importance, so does the Guru. He has as much rights to publicly air his thoughts.

This is a clear example of how fraud our society is. Anyone who dares take on it, is censured. If supports it, is praised. The fundamental rights are not meant to sit peacefully in some statute in our Parliament. They are meant for us. For India. And how have we made a mockery of them!

Changing the Law...Cont'd

Some more changes/inclusions required in legislations that would help our nation:

11. Ban on the ‘Right to Strike’
12. Reservation for Women in Parliament
13. Amendment of the Nuclear Doctrine – scrap ‘No first Use’ policy
14. Compulsory social initiatives by ALL Corporates
15.Ban on Littering with punitive action for offenders
16.Public disclosure of income of all Political Parties
17. Cap on sports persons (specially Cricketer’s) endorsing products
18. Obligatory service in the Police/Armed forces for 2 years (called Conscription)
19. Mandatory Govt service for students graduating from IITs/IIMs

To the Mumbai Police Commissioner

My best friend sent this email to the Mumbai Police Commissioner:

Dear Sir,

I was very happy when I read your interview on rediff.com. I was happy to know that the government has finally spent some money to equip our policemen with modern weaponry. Though I am appalled to see that most policemen still carry vintage bolt action rifles that one would find only in museums in the western countries. But the courage that these men displayed during the terrorist attack was simply outstanding. I can definitely say that no policeman in the USA or any other developed nation would have even attempted to put up a fight with a .303 rifle. I have a few questions which I feel you may be able to answer. Please consider them as honest questions from a concerned citizen who travels by the local trains on a daily basis.

1. What use are the door frame metal detectors at Churchgate and other stations? People just walk through (sometimes they don't) and the poor machines keep beeping and making all types of funny electronic sounds, yet there is no one to check or monitor who is coming in and what is being carried into the station. I usually see a few policemen sitting on the desks nearby and chatting amongst each other. Also churchgate has so many entrances, not all of them have policemen. I have noticed this myself.


2. Sometimes I take my car to work on the 6 lane western express highway from Goregaon to bandra kurla complex. On an average it takes about 45 minutes for this 18 km drive. Sometimes I find that the traffic is moving very very slowly and I wonder why (the highway is so wide!!!). Then I come to the bottleneck which is usually a police blockade or Nakabandi where policemen park a van blocking a lane and place barriers across two other lanes, which leaves about a lane and a half for all the vehicles to pass by. I see that the policemen just keep looking at the vehicles. I don't know what purpose this nakabandi serves except that they just make me and a million others burn a few liters of extra fuel and increase our travel time to work by half an hour.


3. When you say that 2 men in the QRT have the ultramodern AK 47 rifles, the only question that comes to my mind is: Is the AK 47 an ultramodern weapon? Isn't it a 60 year old weapon? Isn't it one of the cheapest weapons used by everyone right from the Taliban to the civil war groups in Congo and Somalia? I mean, shouldn't we be talking FAMAS G2 and GALIL or MP5 or H&K G36 or the Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun?

Sir, these questions are not intended to undermine the efforts being put in by our policemen. I can understand the pressures they go through, their working conditions. Being the son of a senior civil servant (My father was in the Ministry of Defence Production), I know that the citizens have become used to babu bashing and blaming the system and government servants for everything. These are just questions which came to my mind when I travel by train or car and while reading your interview.

Thank You

Regards,

Vikram Kaimal

PS: This is an excellent way to voice our concerns to the authorities on issues we face in our daily lives. If each one of us reciprocates this move, I am hopeful that there would be atleast one responsible soul in the sarkaari daftar who would ensure these pages do not pile up the waste paper bins!

The Bofors saga

Read the news that the CBI was to withdraw all cases against Ottavio Quattrochi.

Just to refresh: He is an Italian businessman & the prime accused in the Bofors scandal. In 1989, the Govt purchased artillery guns (aka 155mm Howitzers) from a Swedish Gun manufacturer AB Bofors. The scam was that the company allegedly paid kickbacks (about Rs. 64 crores) through Quattrochi (who was the middleman & facilitated the sale, received about Rs. 7 crore as commission), to top Indian politicians to grab this deal. The case which was stuck in legal tangles in India & abroad for the last 20 years has already cost the exchequer a whopping 250 crore rupees! It also cost Rajiv Gandhi the general elections in 1989.

Point: It is in the best interests of our country (and above all the Congress party) to close the cases since they were not heading anywhere except footing a huge bill to the Govt. The only face saver is that the guns had proved their worth in the Kargil Conflict. Hence, it is a sensible move to bury the hatchet, avoid further embarrassment & save tax payers money.

Moral of the Story: This clearly showcases the fact that the CBI is nothing but a mock tool which is twisted & turned time & again at the hands of politicians. The Govt excessively interferes in its functioning & openly & blatantly uses it to its full advantage to get even with its adversaries. The claims that the CBI is a transparent agency are a complete hogwash. Hence, there is no point in criticizing the agency for its role. It is the Govt that should be pulled up for the drubbing. As for this case, it is quite believable that the reason Quattrochi was let off so easily was also because he was a personal friend of the Gandhi’s & being an Italian, quite close to Sonia. Hence it was only imperative & imminent that the cases against him be withdrawn.

The other side: As expected, the BJP is crying foul & accusing the Congress of betrayal. It is apparent that the party is still hanging on to the case because this is their only chance to indict the Gandhi’s (since there were accusations of Rajiv Gandhi’s involvement as well). It is also common knowledge that they could not resolve the case while in power, during AB Vajpayee’s tenure.

But the BJP is no saint. If we reverse the situation, the party would certainly replicate the actions of the Congress. What would it do if it came to power for a double term? Wouldn't it pack up all cases against all of those accused in the Godhra riots (including Narendra Modi) & Babri case???? Yes it would. Period. It may even reopen the Bofors file & get it reinvestigated.

Every party in India works only to fulfil their self-interests & shamelessly use every possible Govt machinery to their benefit. That's the reality & irony of our politics.

India's Achilles' heel

India’s dismal track record of handling terror-related situations has often drawn flak from most sections of society. This non-action is precisely & rightly described as our Achilles’ heel.

Let’s rewind history. As per me, the biggest blunders we committed in tackling terror situations were:

• Release of 5 terrorists in exchange for Rubiya Saeed who was kidnapped by members of the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in 1989 (fyi--She is the daughter of Mufti Mohd Saeed, a politician from Jammu & Kashmir, who has held many offices & back then was India’s Union Home Minister).
• Release of 3 terrorists in exchange for 180 passengers on board Indian Airlines flight IC814 hijacked on a cold December evening in 1999 & taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan. The three terrorists released were Maulana Masood Azhar (who soon after, founded the dreaded terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad), Omar Sheikh (who was later responsible for the abduction & murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl) & Mushtaq Zargar.

In the first case, the Cabinet decision to release Rubiya was taken swiftly within 5 hrs of her kidnapping. Nothing came of the JKLF & its leader Yasin Malik eventually became a part of the separatist political process in the state.

However, my focus is on the latter.

A stunned nation watched the hijack drama unfold. This situation exposed the nakedness of our Crisis Management (which has repeatedly collapsed irrespective of which political party has headed the Govt) - Absence of a National policy to deal with hostage crisis; to add fuel to fire, Pakistan’s apathy towards India; plus the relatives of the passengers creating a racket by staging dharna’s outside the PM’s residence, finally forcing the clueless Govt to succumb to the pressure & release the terrorists. (To an extent, I think this stand diminished the image of a true statesman like Atal Behari Vajpayee. As for the BJP, the ghost of Kandahar still haunts it till date).

So what else could the Govt have done? Take military action? Storm the plane while it was refuelling at Amritsar or send our commandos to Kandahar to secure the release of the hostages much like the way Israel did in Entebbe? Whatever be the Govt’s argument, it is clear that it did not have the gall to fight them & the deterrents for its muteness were - lack of political will; far too many concerns about the international ramifications that our actions might instigate; the subsequent Pakistani response to an attack or the lack of trust in our security forces.

I believe we should have gone ahead with the Military option.

Every Govt deed has a direct repercussion on its people. It is a known fact that terrorist organisations across Pakistan & elsewhere collaborate on numerous areas ranging from planning & executing terror attacks, mujahideen training, weapons & arms dealings, money laundering etc. Its an open secret that the Jaish collaborates with the likes of other radical outfits like Al-Badr, LET, Jamaat-ud-dawa etc among others. Together, they have been collectively responsible for every terrorist attack in our country over the last 10 years (in the Parliament, Akshardham, every major city- Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad) that have seen over 1000 people dead.

That’s the irony - To save 180 back then, we’ve sacrificed over a 1000 since.

What worst could have possibly happened if we undertook a covert military strike??? Worst case scenario - they would have blown up the plane & killed all the hostages. But judging the capabilities of our Army, my gut feel says only a few may have lost their lives. So was not to be. In the bargain to save few people then, we accepted the demands of the hijackers & secured the release of the terrorists....those same terrorists who are now responsible for murdering a thousand. And god knows how many more….

My appeal to the Govt - take a stand & be firm on it (as the famous BUSHism goes 'Either you are with us or against us'). Do not let anything come in the way of taking action against terrorists. No vote banks, no diplomacy, no USA, nothing. Nothing should deter you from going after them. There cannot be a middle path!

The Ghost of Pokhran II

The recent furore over the success/failure of the Thermonuclear device tested at Pokhran (called Pokhran II) in 1998 throws open a huge debate on our nuclear capabilities & readiness.

On the one hand is a former DRDO nuclear scientist who claims that the device was a failure and did not give the desired yield. On the other hand, the entire Govt machinery, refuting these allegations.

The Govt’s dilemma is evident & it is running for cover. It had convened special press conferences only to claim that the test was a success & had also gone to the extent of personally attacking the scientist. The Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Director of BARC, our former president, the current & former National Security Advisor's & a slew of other Govt entities are supporting this case. And rightly so, because if these allegations are true, not only would it be a major embarrassment for India globally, it would also boost the morale of our hostile neighbours and raise questions on our strike capabilities. This would grossly undermine India’s superiority in the region.

But somehow, when I think about this case, my mind tends to believe that the old man is right. I have seen one of his interviews wherein he seems genuine & talks sense. He does not come across as a person seeking publicity. He is a concerned citizen who is bothered about the failure of the test & is expressing his concern to highlight it so that corrective steps be taken & future testing is done. The only question I have for the gentleman is- Why rake up the issue now, after 11 years? Why not back then?

As a Nation, we want to know the truth. The Govt should set up an independent committee to review the results of the test. If proven that it was a success, good for us. But if proven otherwise, we should firmly test again & as a reprimand to all the people who lied to the country, prosecute them.

Changing the LAW…

Top 10 inclusions/changes in LAW that would strengthen my country & make it a better place:

1. Uniform Civil Code
2. Lok Pal Bill
3. 2 Party system
4. Death penalty for rapists
5. Abolition of Article 370
6. POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act)
7. Legalize prostitution
8. Do away with Reservations from Educational Institutions
9. Forbid candidates with criminal backgrounds to run for elections
10. Punitive action against Tax evaders

 

India

Top 10 things I currently hate about my country:

1. Our inability to handle terrorism & naxalism.
2. Politicians
3. The Ambani’s fighting over Gas as though its their baap ka maal
4. Reality shows (barring one- Sach ka Saamna)
5. Rising prices
6. The diminishing quality of Bollywood cinema
7. The poor dispensation of justice by the courts
8. The clogging of our cities roads & zero parking space
9. Train journeys in 2nd class
10. Over hype of Cricket & Cricketers

Top 10 things I love about my country:

1. Our Defence Forces
2. Our National Anthem
3. Our growth trajectory to become a super power
4. Our chalta-hai attitude
5. Our Food cuisines
6. Road side tea stalls
7. Our family values
8. Our wedding extravaganzas
9. Our belief in God
10. Our festivals

Diminishing Marginal Utility

I bought a new laptop recently. An absolute masterpiece- The Dell Studio15. As I laid my hands on it, all excited, the sight was as though a child was playing with a new toy for the first time, handling it extremely carefully, literally not allowing anyone else to touch it but only see it from a distance.

This is basic human psychology I  guess. Every new possession is handled with care, while the old ones are lying somewhere unnoticed & uncared for, biting the dust. The economic jargon used to describe this behaviour is called ‘The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility’. (Read it here - http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/lawofdiminishingutility.asp). The only material exception to this principle that i can think of is a Car. People usually develop sentiments & are highly passionate about their cars and don’t let them go easily, unless absolutely necessary. But this certainly does not deter them or rob them of the excitement of the new car they purchase.

Hmm…I know she’ll grow old, someday. And then I'll lose interest in her, eventually dumping her without any regrets. Then the hunt would begin for my next laptop with the same excitement & passion as this time. 

The Algebra of Indian politics

I am of the opinion that most of the issues faced by our country cannot be resolved unless our political system is drastically changed. This multi party system has sown the seeds of regionalism deep into the polity of our country. Vote bank & caste based politics based on regional lines are the main reasons for parties to adopt pro-regional policies which on the contrary, generally, are anti-national. The regional parties often have their own state-specific agendas and do not give a damn about national issues. These very parties hold the Central Government to ransom each time the Govt tries to bring about a policy change which could impact their state.

Here are some of my suggestions to some key ministers (of those ministries that are close to my heart) in this Govt & opposition:

Ministry of Home Affairs: Dear Mr. Chidambaram, hats off to you for atleast attempting to strengthen the security apparatus of our country. Policy changes at the Govt level & the actual implementation on ground are totally two different things. My suggestions to you:

• Bring back POTA. Ofcourse, include the safeguards that you have been harping about. But bring it back. I fail to understand your reservations on this law. Your party says that it is draconian in nature. So be it. Its high time we need draconians to rid this country of terrorists & agents. Your opposition to the law is only to protect your vote bank of the minority community, which you fear would switch sides if you implement it.
• Strengthen the Police machinery. Upgrade their weapons. Govt stats show a shortage of Police personnel is our country. Pls tell me, is there a shortage of population in our country?? The main reason for posts remaining vacant is because of the political interference in this process. You need to get rid of this and ensure full transparency.
• Improve coastal security. This has been one of the least focus areas of our security structure. Hence the results are clear. In 1993, it was RDX that was bought to the shores of Bombay via the sea route. On 26/11, it was the terrorists themselves.
• Strengthen the intelligence network. This is the key to the prevention of future terrorist attacks in our country. Again, if there is a shortage of personnel in the agencies, hire them. Fill the gaps. Focus on human intelligence. We are still repenting the actions of our former Prime Minister IK Gujral who committed the biggest blunder ever when he ordered our security agencies to bring back our spies and espionage agents based in Pakistan in 1995. I doubt if Pakistan returned the favour cuz the presence of ISI agents & sleeper cells in India is a known fact. Every terrorist attack throws light on the lack of intelligence sharing & coordination among the security agencies. This needs to be improved.
• Terrorists. Interrogate them, Kill them. No trial, No mercy. We are sick and tired of the Govt trying to project a humane face to the world. We need a dictatorial approach in dealing with them.
• Take lessons. From US, Israel. The Department of Homeland security has been hugely successful in prevention of attacks post 9/11. They’ve changed their standard operating procedures. We need to change ours. Replicate their model. Even if it means enhanced frisking of passengers at Airports. We Indians will simply have to get used to the idea.
• Stop complaining: Stop going to big daddy US for cribbing about Pakistan’s non action against the perpetrators of 26/11. The US has always traditionally, typically, strategically and intentionally wanted a balance of power in South East Asia, keeping their own interests in mind. Hence their favour & military/monetary support to Pakistan and their silence on missile & nuclear proliferation by China. Our new found love for the US (read the nuclear deal & other initiatives) is nothing but coffee house crap.
• Have a defined Kashmir Policy: For as long as I can remember, we have been dragging our feet on the Kashmir issue. The Govt should take a stand. It is futile to even consider Pakistan’s interests in the state. Abolish Article 370, bring the state under the provisions of the Indian Constitution. Do not remove AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) unless the issue is resolved. Convert the Line of Control into the International Border if required.

Ministry of Defence: Dear Mr. Antony, your efforts to ease the purchase & procurement procedures for military equipment thereby reducing bureaucratic intervention & red tapism are a known fact. Some other improvements that are required are:

• Close the Gorshkov deal once n for all. Last read, I was shocked to see that the new price of the Aircraft Carrier is pegged at around Rs. 7000 crore as against the initial price of Rs. 3000 crore. Solve this mess and save money which can be effectively utilized elsewhere.
• Focus on Arunachal Pradesh & Sikkim. The Chinese military has been slowly & steadily encroaching on our land. This must stop.
• Ensure that the military is scam free. One scam is enough to dent the image of India’s security forces. Our Army, Navy & Airforce personnel should be given their due respect.

Ministry of External Affairs: Mr SM Krishna, it is the failures of our foreign policy yoy that has resulted in hostility from most of our neighbours.

• Engage Pakistan. One petty neighbour has been bleeding us for over 20 years now. And we don’t know what to do. We haplessly wait for another tragedy to occur. The basic problem is the fact that Pakistan does not fear India, the way they fear the US or even Russia. Soon after 9/11, the US threatened Pakistan that it would bomb it to the stone age if the latter did not support them on the War on Terror. Pakistan obliged. They dumped their long standing ally The Taliban. Not once did they ask US to give ‘evidence’ of Osama Bin Laden’s involvement in the terror strike. The same does not apply if they are dealing with India. Their Internal Security minister makes a mockery of our dossiers each time at press conferences. Pakistan must obey India if we are to maintain peace in the region. There cannot be a balance of power in our neighbourhood. India has to be the sole superpower.
• Deal with China. China is a potential threat. It is also a potential ally. Define a policy on dealing with them specially on the vexed border issues. Why can’t we see China as a possible procurer/supplier of military equipment? The world over, countries that deal in arms trade, rarely enter into conflicts with each other.

I have always been pro-BJP. For some reasons, I actually believed them when they coined the phrase ‘The Party with a difference’... But over the years, my belief has dwindled. Like many others, I was rooting for the BJP to come back to power in these Lok Sabha polls, but was quite happy with the results since the Congress had a majority by itself which in turn saw the marginalisation of some regional players and a reduction in their bargaining powers.

Mr. LK Advani: You have clearly lost your marbles. Pls retire from active politics. Your policies aint doing the BJP any good, not to mention your image battering. The blunders of the election (Varun Gandhi saga, criticism of Dr. Manmohan Singh, feigning ignorance of Jaswant Singh’s visit to Kandahar) need to be forgotten and corrective steps taken. Also, your protectionism of Arun Jaitely is unwarranted. He should be rapped on the knuckles for the failure of the party’s election strategy & campaign. I am in total agreement of your 'pseudo-secularism' gyaan, which highlights the hypocrisy of the congress party. But the fact remains that you need young blood in the party, leaders that can counter the growing influence & impact of a Rahul Gandhi. As on date, the BJP does not have the slightest chance of making a comeback in the next general election. It might even take a beating in the upcoming Assembly polls. The solution- stop the infighting, project some new faces, and be a constructive opposition.

Ms. Mayawati: If you have any remnants of shame, you must pay back the country the crores of rupees of public money that you have squandered in constructing the parks in UP. You deserve to go to jail. The Central Govt is a mute spectator. Only one institution that can take you to task is the Supreme Court.

Implementing the suggestions mentioned above need a change of heart and strong political will. Will this Govt deliver on its promises? Only time will tell.

My take on cinema

I am a movie freak. It is one of my best ways to kill time... even if it means watching a flick over n over again...(I have Troy & Pirates of the Caribbean on my laptop n I must have seen them over 20 times cuz they are my favs). Some others that I can quickly think of are... Forrest Gump, The Godfather, The Departed, A Few Good Men, Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Notting Hill etc.

For quite a while now, I have been watching offbeat Indian cinema, clichéd as the ones made exclusively for the ‘multiplex’ audiences. These movies are somewhat better off than the regular masala flicks, not to mention the intensity of the actors which makes me come to the point- actors like Shahrukh Khan, Saif, Salman (the entire Khan clan except Aamir) are grossly over rated and over hyped....So dear Khan(s), the way I see it, you are successful only because you were destined to be & certainly not because you are exceptionally good on screen.

It is evident that you guys do not, infact, can never match the acting prowess or the brilliance of a KK Menon or an Irrfan Khan.... My point is further justified by the fact that none of these guys have won National Awards as yet. I feel other mainstream actors like Ajay Devgan (Company & Legend of Bhagat Singh I thought were his best performances) & Sanjay Dutt (fantastic in Vaastav) are far better.

I can hardly remember the last time I went to a theatre to watch a khan movie. Its best to catch them on some movie channel a few weeks later, absolutely foc!!!

Implement first, then plan!

My experience says that often, small learning’s have a greater impact on our lives...they not only alter our thought process but certainly our actions too.

This is one such learning:

An interesting discussion with one of my bosses in the telecom company that I worked:

Me: Boss, I am fed up of doing the market. I wish I was on the other side of the table.
Boss: You are implementing the strategy/policy of the company at the ground level. What’s wrong with that?
Me: Nothing Sir, but its really tough out there.
Boss: You are the face of the company in the market. Based on your market feedback, the management decides future strategy and/or takes corrective actions if required.
There are two sides to any business...Planning/Strategy & Implementation.

{and then the golden words...}

“Always remember, if you don’t know how to implement, you can never plan”.

Hence it is extremely important for young guys like you to first understand & expertise implementation, which can only happen when you work at the ground level.

Me: Yes boss, point taken!

Its a Goal

A few months back I met a career counsellor in Delhi, one Dr. Acharya. I basically consulted him in order to gain some perspective about where I was heading career-wise and what corrective action was required.

This gentleman enquired everything about my profile (education, jobs etc) and even asked me some questions on behavioural tendencies. When it was my turn to speak he patiently heard me out as I narrated how dissatisfied I was with work and how I was like a ship without direction. The discussion went on for over an hour. In the end, he told me one thing, rather the only thing that was missing in the entire sequence of events – The lack of Goals and a Vision. According to him, all other issues were secondary and just needed an attitudinal change, but the primary issue was that I did not have any short-term and long-term career goal in mind.

I must admit that I left the meeting quite disappointed, cuz I was seeking a solution to my problems, not a lecture on goal setting.

Today that has changed. I’ve started to believe in what he said. Because for the first time, I have a goal in mind. I have a Vision. Its true that this time it has come to my mind on its own.

Dr Acharya, I have penned down my short-term and long-term goals as directed by you and be rest assured that I will go all out to achieve them.

The Salesman!

Sales is the worst job that one can get into. It is also the best job if one makes it through. Although it is a fact that sales guys are frequently subjected to needless haranguing, often because of the dictatorial tendencies of their bosses, it is also true that from an organisational perspective, they are the most respected and valued for. They also enjoy the best of salaries and incentives. All this cuz they generate the one thing that drives the company – Revenue.

So a typical day of a sales person is as follows:

Morning:
- Get up all tensed, cuz if you don’t get that deal today, then your happiness for the remainder of the month will certainly be humped.
- Go to office. Give projection/commitment for the month and for the day (thank god we are spared for the hourly figures)!
Daytime:
- Go to field. Meet Clients (if there are scheduled meetings), else ‘Cold call’ if in the mood. If not, Bunk. Park your car in the shade. Switch on A/C & Music. Sleep. Put your phone on not reachable. Do operations work if any.
Evening:
- Give update on daily sale. Send Sale report. Fix meetings for next day.
Night:
- Conference call with boss. Sale report dissected. Spanking session on for 45mins-1 hour. Sleep. (Sleep well cuz you are obviously tired of the spanking).

Individuals with certain characteristics only can succeed in sales – ones who are aggressive, who have the ability to rough it out in the field without the comforts of an air-conditioned environment and literally work 24X7 & of course who can handle the immense pressure! Aside from this, luck too plays an important role.

In my tenure as a seller of technology, ad space & prepaid sim cards, I had my share of hits & misses. There were occasions where I was severely pulled up for non performance, abused by my bosses, threatened that I would lose my job etc...but also occasions where I was praised for quality work and cracking improbable deals. I also firmly believe that good salespersons are best suited to become entrepreneurs because they know ‘Business Development’ in the real sense.

The only downside to sales as I saw it was that at the end of the day, only one thing mattered – The Excel sheet! No matter how hard one tried to crack a deal, the efforts were not accounted for. Ultimately, it was only the “Target v/s Achievement” sheet that mattered. And the guys who topped this sheet (by hook or crook) were the ones who climbed up the ladder!

Aspirational madness

I have come across many people in my life...all from different walks, from diverse backgraounds...people who make an impact on you by their simple ways of life...i came across most of them in the different organisations that I had worked for...and established a good rapport with them and eventually a bond...
On my day to day interactions with these colleagues, I figured out how simplistic their nature was and how they were absolutely "content" with what they were doing. I hardly ever heard them crib about their lives...or fret about what they have, what they dont have, what they wish to have, hardly ever seen them "tensed" about anything...material aspirations did not matter to these guys...they just lived their life by the day, in "acceptance" of everything...their jobs, marriage, lifestyle etc...
I asked one of them, what do you do on weekends? n he said, .."kuch nahi...thoda tv dekhne ka, thoda biwi ko dekhne ka...aur sone ka". other than that, the occasional hindi movie in a theatre and dining out with family/friends".

I compared their lifestyle to mine...not only was the difference evident but reality sunk in - I was a cribster, always fretting about something or the other, totally dissatisfied with my work...hugely aspirational...be it earning money, or spending money...always wanting to have the "good things in life"...always wanting to "enjoy" with friends & have a good time.. making me realise that I am a victim of what i call "aspirational madness".

I've started believing that Aspiration and Dissatisfaction are inversely proportional and Im trying to answer these questions - Is my desire for "more" and "better" turning me into an insane person? Am I just being foolish by being aspirational? Should I just "let it be" in order to be content?