Hi All,
I have been feeling quite disturbed by the recent developments in West Bengal viz the protests against the Nano project.As most of u would have known by now Mamata Banerjee has been protesting, rather vociferously and in some instances violently, against the setting up of the Nano car project plant from the very start. After much struggle the plant did come up and production commenced although it is now in its nascent stages.
The problem now is about 400 acres of land that had been "forcibly" acquired by the government from the farmers for the location of ancillary units. The high court of the state had ruled that the land was acquired by proper means and in accordance with the law of the land.
Now what puzzles everyone is why
1.are the farmers who had sold the land and obtained the compensation provided by the government protesting now.
2. Mamata who was protesting against the entire project is now limiting herself to the return of only a section of the land.( is it a ploy to save face bcos now that the plant had come up and she could do nothing about it?)
Mamata is saying that she is fine with 600 acres of land in which the plant had come up but not with the rest of 400 acres of land in which the ancillary units are coming up/supposed to sprout..But we all know that that doesn't make any economic sense as placing the vending units away from the plant will only hike the costs of production.
Industry champions like the Naranya Murthy and the likes have come to the rescue of the Tatas and have called for restraint from Mamata. Even the usually reserved Governor of west bengal has written to Mamata on the agitation and has called for neutral mediators to resolve the issue.
With the agitation entering a rather tiring 8th day and support waning, Mamata now is trying to find herself new enemies. She has planned a rally against organised retailing giants like Reliance Retail(which belongs to the older Ambani brother). Digging deeper u would find that there is a little bit of politics in this. Mamata was joined by Amar Singh, a close associate of the younger Ambani brother, on the 1st day of her agitation and it looks like she feels this is her way of paying back
( u friends enemy is also ur enemy..make sense?)
At the end of all this its indian industry and the its image thats taking a battering. If Mamata and her cronies are really concerned abt India and its ppl she should call of the agitation and let work resume at the plant.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
is it my mistake...?
Hi All,
a thought crossed my mind when i was well...leave it..what matters is the thought...
So many of us,engineering graduates, from various streams have been placed in primarily one sector..i.e the IT sector..we have jumping from heaven to earth since we have got placed and even go around boasting about our placements..we haven't even spared a thought whether such a trend is a healthy one..
i am not suggesting that we should have flatly refused the offers from these IT companies bcos being employed these days seems to matter more than being alive..but it still irks me whether i have done the right thing or i wasn't even a player in the scheme if things...
a thought crossed my mind when i was well...leave it..what matters is the thought...
So many of us,engineering graduates, from various streams have been placed in primarily one sector..i.e the IT sector..we have jumping from heaven to earth since we have got placed and even go around boasting about our placements..we haven't even spared a thought whether such a trend is a healthy one..
i am not suggesting that we should have flatly refused the offers from these IT companies bcos being employed these days seems to matter more than being alive..but it still irks me whether i have done the right thing or i wasn't even a player in the scheme if things...
Now its Water...Arghhh!!!
Hi All,
After electricity, the Tamilnadu government and more specifically Trichy city corporation has decided that water is going to be the latest tool that is to be used against the toiling masses.
yet another pipe crack that fetches waters to the residential areas from the reservoirs means that Trichy residents have to go without water for at least 2 days and god knows how many more...
i just don't understand why the pipe cracks every few weeks...if it is broke FIX THE F@@KING thing once and for all...and why is no body standing up and claiming responsibility for this...what happened to accountability...
and what happened to alternate arrangements that should have been put in place by the govt to make mends for its mistakes...
now i find long queues outside private water distributors..and they are making a killing out of the current situation..so much so that they don't even have time to dispense the cans in our place( which is the normal practice)...
After electricity, the Tamilnadu government and more specifically Trichy city corporation has decided that water is going to be the latest tool that is to be used against the toiling masses.
yet another pipe crack that fetches waters to the residential areas from the reservoirs means that Trichy residents have to go without water for at least 2 days and god knows how many more...
i just don't understand why the pipe cracks every few weeks...if it is broke FIX THE F@@KING thing once and for all...and why is no body standing up and claiming responsibility for this...what happened to accountability...
and what happened to alternate arrangements that should have been put in place by the govt to make mends for its mistakes...
now i find long queues outside private water distributors..and they are making a killing out of the current situation..so much so that they don't even have time to dispense the cans in our place( which is the normal practice)...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Power Failure
Hi All,
The state government, finally, came out with an open statement that load shedding is in fact going on and stated the exact no. of hours each region will be experiencing power failure. But, as we have slowly started to realize the announced power cut is only half that of the real one....horrendous...
A number of bloggers, esp from the southern states, have highlighted this issue which goes to show how widespread this problem is.Nobody knows whether a solution is in sight and if there is one whats the time frame.. Unlike in other countries where heas would have rolled by now, our electricity minister seems to be only growing in power...
The state government, finally, came out with an open statement that load shedding is in fact going on and stated the exact no. of hours each region will be experiencing power failure. But, as we have slowly started to realize the announced power cut is only half that of the real one....horrendous...
A number of bloggers, esp from the southern states, have highlighted this issue which goes to show how widespread this problem is.Nobody knows whether a solution is in sight and if there is one whats the time frame.. Unlike in other countries where heas would have rolled by now, our electricity minister seems to be only growing in power...
Attention Seekers
Hi All,
A friend of mine had written a thought provoking article on education in India(my view could be biased) a few days back and received very harsh criticism from a particular blogger. The criticism was all the more surprising bcos the rest of the comments( read readers) were flowering praises on him.
After the rather scathing remarks made on him, my friend did try to reason out with him but to no avail. The blogger came back with yet another nasty reply.
The reason why i have highlighted the above incident is that i feel some bloggers out there are just want the lime light for themselves..by spurting out nasties at someone u r guaranteeing urselves of a reply and consequently attention( case in point jade goody)...
if the blogger had tried to argue on platform that had been equal then there would have been a healthy discussion going on but i guess thats exactly what the blogger didnt want...and what hurts me the most is that its hard to shrug off callous ppl like the guy mentioned above..leaves a bad taste in the mouth(but make no mistake here i welcome criticism with open arms but it MUST be constructive)
A friend of mine had written a thought provoking article on education in India(my view could be biased) a few days back and received very harsh criticism from a particular blogger. The criticism was all the more surprising bcos the rest of the comments( read readers) were flowering praises on him.
After the rather scathing remarks made on him, my friend did try to reason out with him but to no avail. The blogger came back with yet another nasty reply.
The reason why i have highlighted the above incident is that i feel some bloggers out there are just want the lime light for themselves..by spurting out nasties at someone u r guaranteeing urselves of a reply and consequently attention( case in point jade goody)...
if the blogger had tried to argue on platform that had been equal then there would have been a healthy discussion going on but i guess thats exactly what the blogger didnt want...and what hurts me the most is that its hard to shrug off callous ppl like the guy mentioned above..leaves a bad taste in the mouth(but make no mistake here i welcome criticism with open arms but it MUST be constructive)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Engineering Seats Vacant
Hi All,
I read in the news that more than 8000 seats are still lying vacant despite the 2nd extensive rounds of counseling. With this as the status quo i keep wondering some times why the regulatory bodies are still sanctioning new engineering colleges esp in Tamilnadu.
may be its time we focus on the existing ones and ensure that these have relevant and sufficient infrastructure in place and that coaching and assessment levels are up to the mark. In short we should be aspiring to make every engineering college in our country to the level of IITs
I read in the news that more than 8000 seats are still lying vacant despite the 2nd extensive rounds of counseling. With this as the status quo i keep wondering some times why the regulatory bodies are still sanctioning new engineering colleges esp in Tamilnadu.
may be its time we focus on the existing ones and ensure that these have relevant and sufficient infrastructure in place and that coaching and assessment levels are up to the mark. In short we should be aspiring to make every engineering college in our country to the level of IITs
Monday, August 25, 2008
Power Cuts...
hi All,
i have been experiencing power cuts quite frequently these days and today was really horrible. There were a total of 3.5 hrs of load shedding, way above the govt specified 2 hours for tier 2 towns such as Trichy.
These power cuts can be quite annoying esp when u meddling with ur system cos then u gotta save what ever u r doing and switch off the system and all this in record time. [ probably u would have gathered an idea abt my UPS's capability by now...:) ]
After the initial minutes of irritation that i experience, i start to find myself cursing my country for pushing me, forcefully, into the stone ages. How can we still not have found a solution to the power problem till now. Why hasn't capacity been augmented till now. Could we have brought more private players into the picture. Or how abt more active procurement of power from the national grid esp given the current political dynamics where the central govt is heavily dependent on the ministers from Tamilnadu for just staying in power.
At the end of the day, we only have un answered questions and agony. I guess thats something we have to bear with for being born in this country...
i have been experiencing power cuts quite frequently these days and today was really horrible. There were a total of 3.5 hrs of load shedding, way above the govt specified 2 hours for tier 2 towns such as Trichy.
These power cuts can be quite annoying esp when u meddling with ur system cos then u gotta save what ever u r doing and switch off the system and all this in record time. [ probably u would have gathered an idea abt my UPS's capability by now...:) ]
After the initial minutes of irritation that i experience, i start to find myself cursing my country for pushing me, forcefully, into the stone ages. How can we still not have found a solution to the power problem till now. Why hasn't capacity been augmented till now. Could we have brought more private players into the picture. Or how abt more active procurement of power from the national grid esp given the current political dynamics where the central govt is heavily dependent on the ministers from Tamilnadu for just staying in power.
At the end of the day, we only have un answered questions and agony. I guess thats something we have to bear with for being born in this country...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
So its Destination London
Hi All,
As i write this post, the Olympics Games is just coming to a close at Beijing. Laurels have been showed on China during the run up to the games and while the Games themselves. But the biggest one of all came from the IOC Chief who said China has set a new standard for conducting the Games.
The Olympic flag was brought down, in an usual ceremony, that marks the end of the Games at the National Stadium which is also affectionately called as the Bird's Nest. The London Mayor was in attendance at the ceremony to accept the Olympic flag as his city hosts the next Games. He seemed quite excited and was all smiles when the flag was handed over to him.
But what he probably doesn't know/ didn't want to show was that preparing London for the games will be an uphill task. He will be studying every minute detail/aspect/process that China took care of during the period it played host to the Games and make sure that he and his city at least live up to expectations and if possible outlive them.
As i write this post, the Olympics Games is just coming to a close at Beijing. Laurels have been showed on China during the run up to the games and while the Games themselves. But the biggest one of all came from the IOC Chief who said China has set a new standard for conducting the Games.
The Olympic flag was brought down, in an usual ceremony, that marks the end of the Games at the National Stadium which is also affectionately called as the Bird's Nest. The London Mayor was in attendance at the ceremony to accept the Olympic flag as his city hosts the next Games. He seemed quite excited and was all smiles when the flag was handed over to him.
But what he probably doesn't know/ didn't want to show was that preparing London for the games will be an uphill task. He will be studying every minute detail/aspect/process that China took care of during the period it played host to the Games and make sure that he and his city at least live up to expectations and if possible outlive them.
Relief
Hi All,
To my great relief, the amount that was wrongly debited from my account got credited back...:)
But doesn't wash off the wrongs of the railways committed against me. Three days of absolute mental torture on the "lost" money, an exercise of convenience turning out to be one of nightmare, screwed up travel plan, insinuations from all around and much more...the past 3 days have been ones that i would do best to forget...
I hope the railways wakes up to the numerous complaints it receives every day and act in a manner to negate unfortunate incidents,like the one that happened to me. I would even argue further that accountability must be brought into the picture and that some heads must roll(not just for what happened to me but for similar incidents also)...
To my great relief, the amount that was wrongly debited from my account got credited back...:)
But doesn't wash off the wrongs of the railways committed against me. Three days of absolute mental torture on the "lost" money, an exercise of convenience turning out to be one of nightmare, screwed up travel plan, insinuations from all around and much more...the past 3 days have been ones that i would do best to forget...
I hope the railways wakes up to the numerous complaints it receives every day and act in a manner to negate unfortunate incidents,like the one that happened to me. I would even argue further that accountability must be brought into the picture and that some heads must roll(not just for what happened to me but for similar incidents also)...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Day After!!!
On reading the title u might think something colossally evil,along the lines of 9/11, occurred to me. I would pardon u for thinking in that fashion for what did happen to me is almost in that degree.
The morning after the day i had been "conned" of my money by IRCTC, i rushed to the railway station to get a good explanation from the railway authorities. I was all pumped up, partly from the agony of being pushed around by the IRCTC website, partly from the sister, for whom i had planned to book the ticket for, and mostly from my parents for being 'lazy' and not opting for the conventional option of booking tickets. With so many shareholders in causing agony, visualizing my state of mind wouldn't be that difficult and even before i had set foot in the railway station, i had a clear plan in my head and the i ran over it repeatedly so that i wouldn't goof up when it mattered the most.
My crusade started off at the reservation centre at the Central Railway Station. My eyes scanned the huge hall and instantly deviated to the a small enclosure at the side of the hall that read " Chief Reservation Officer". Just as i made my way, an officer inside the air conditioned room spotted me and beckoned me to come inside. As i explained my predicament to him uncanny smirk developed across his face which troubled me quite a bit. I stopped my blurting and waited as if expecting him to continue from where i left off. He gave me plain straightforward reply. It seems he was responsible for tickets reserved at the reservation counters only and not for internet bookings. For all other queries i could contact the Station Master.
So it was off to the Station Master's room which was embedded right in the middle of the station. A middle aged man with reasonable build was seated there and seemed to be in serious discussions with his colleagues seated across the table. My interjection was not very appreciated by the people across the table though the man himself didn't really seem to have any problems with it. [ As they the cronies usually make the most noise...:) ]
The master gave me a patient hearing and then explained in detail why he couldn't be of help to me. The railways reserves some amount of seats in each train and class for the IRCTC and the IRCTC is simply an agent for the railways. There was no way the railways could access the database of the IRCTC and extract the PNR number i had requested. However he gave me a couple of numbers to reach the IRCTC. After storing all the numbers, i left the station rather dejectedly for not being able solve the problems that eclipsed me from the day before.
The scorching sun and the crowded bus were some features of my return journey and they only made my futile attempt that much worse. I promptly called the IRCTC and say it in short... due to technical reasons the ticket did not get booked at all and the debited money would get re credited back to my account within five working days.. NOW I AM STILL WAITING FOR MY MONEY...
The morning after the day i had been "conned" of my money by IRCTC, i rushed to the railway station to get a good explanation from the railway authorities. I was all pumped up, partly from the agony of being pushed around by the IRCTC website, partly from the sister, for whom i had planned to book the ticket for, and mostly from my parents for being 'lazy' and not opting for the conventional option of booking tickets. With so many shareholders in causing agony, visualizing my state of mind wouldn't be that difficult and even before i had set foot in the railway station, i had a clear plan in my head and the i ran over it repeatedly so that i wouldn't goof up when it mattered the most.
My crusade started off at the reservation centre at the Central Railway Station. My eyes scanned the huge hall and instantly deviated to the a small enclosure at the side of the hall that read " Chief Reservation Officer". Just as i made my way, an officer inside the air conditioned room spotted me and beckoned me to come inside. As i explained my predicament to him uncanny smirk developed across his face which troubled me quite a bit. I stopped my blurting and waited as if expecting him to continue from where i left off. He gave me plain straightforward reply. It seems he was responsible for tickets reserved at the reservation counters only and not for internet bookings. For all other queries i could contact the Station Master.
So it was off to the Station Master's room which was embedded right in the middle of the station. A middle aged man with reasonable build was seated there and seemed to be in serious discussions with his colleagues seated across the table. My interjection was not very appreciated by the people across the table though the man himself didn't really seem to have any problems with it. [ As they the cronies usually make the most noise...:) ]
The master gave me a patient hearing and then explained in detail why he couldn't be of help to me. The railways reserves some amount of seats in each train and class for the IRCTC and the IRCTC is simply an agent for the railways. There was no way the railways could access the database of the IRCTC and extract the PNR number i had requested. However he gave me a couple of numbers to reach the IRCTC. After storing all the numbers, i left the station rather dejectedly for not being able solve the problems that eclipsed me from the day before.
The scorching sun and the crowded bus were some features of my return journey and they only made my futile attempt that much worse. I promptly called the IRCTC and say it in short... due to technical reasons the ticket did not get booked at all and the debited money would get re credited back to my account within five working days.. NOW I AM STILL WAITING FOR MY MONEY...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Indian Railways sucks to the core!!!
I tried to book tickets online( e ticket to be more exact) for a journey from Trichy to Chennai, today at around 4 in the afternoon. I used my SBI atm cum debit card to make the online payment. I clicked on the "pay" button after confirming the details that i had provided. Much to my shock a blank page loaded save the solitary sentence that read like a half URL(I tried clicking it, pasting it even modifying it but to no avail)
During the booking process, i was informed by the server that only waiting list was available. So i wasn't expecting a ticket number but rather a PNR number. But there was nothing in the screen to satiate my expectation(s).
I logged in to the SBI internet banking account and saw that the fare amount had been deducted from my account. So now i had a situation in my hand where i had paid the money but no way to make sure that it had been used for the purpose that i desired.
After several frantic attempts, i managed to get hold of a telephone number for contacting the relevant authorities. But the website, being an Indian one, lived up to its expectations by providing me with a 6 digit number. We all know that it has been eons since a 7 digit telephone number had been introduced in trichy and many other parts of Tamilnadu. Though i managed to get the line by appending a 2, it was quite appalling to find that the contact number had not been updated. You might say this is a small mistake on the part of the Indian Railways, but this callous attitude towards customer service reflects elsewhere too. If anybody tends to think or justify this blunder is actually encouraging the railways to be more insensitive towards its passengers. There are no to ways about this.
I grabbed my phone and called the number and a bloke picked by the phone..the conversation was in Tamil but i shall try to reproduce it in english as realistically as i can..
"hello is this the railways?"
"huh?"
"hello is this the railways enquiry number?"
"huh?"
hello is this the railway enquiry number?"
"so what"
i was so cross at this point that i nearly cursed him. He could have acknowledged that it was indeed the railways when i asked him initially. Even in my 3rd attempt he didnt answer my question, as u can see.
He spurted out a number, as if a some external force commanded him to and told me to call that number. Even before i could jot that down he almost hanged up the phone. My phone was back in action as i tried to call the number provided by the rather mechanical officer. And this is what i got..
"This number is busy...please try again later..."
ARGHHHH!!!
During the booking process, i was informed by the server that only waiting list was available. So i wasn't expecting a ticket number but rather a PNR number. But there was nothing in the screen to satiate my expectation(s).
I logged in to the SBI internet banking account and saw that the fare amount had been deducted from my account. So now i had a situation in my hand where i had paid the money but no way to make sure that it had been used for the purpose that i desired.
After several frantic attempts, i managed to get hold of a telephone number for contacting the relevant authorities. But the website, being an Indian one, lived up to its expectations by providing me with a 6 digit number. We all know that it has been eons since a 7 digit telephone number had been introduced in trichy and many other parts of Tamilnadu. Though i managed to get the line by appending a 2, it was quite appalling to find that the contact number had not been updated. You might say this is a small mistake on the part of the Indian Railways, but this callous attitude towards customer service reflects elsewhere too. If anybody tends to think or justify this blunder is actually encouraging the railways to be more insensitive towards its passengers. There are no to ways about this.
I grabbed my phone and called the number and a bloke picked by the phone..the conversation was in Tamil but i shall try to reproduce it in english as realistically as i can..
"hello is this the railways?"
"huh?"
"hello is this the railways enquiry number?"
"huh?"
hello is this the railway enquiry number?"
"so what"
i was so cross at this point that i nearly cursed him. He could have acknowledged that it was indeed the railways when i asked him initially. Even in my 3rd attempt he didnt answer my question, as u can see.
He spurted out a number, as if a some external force commanded him to and told me to call that number. Even before i could jot that down he almost hanged up the phone. My phone was back in action as i tried to call the number provided by the rather mechanical officer. And this is what i got..
"This number is busy...please try again later..."
ARGHHHH!!!
Encouraging Sports
Hi All,
I thought i would use this post to elaborate on how sports can be promoted and how we can create a sporting culture in our country.
There was a brief mention of the wrangle that we are finding ourselves in when there is a even the very mention of sports in my last post. The problems are clearly deep rooted and hence the solutions will certainly not be simplistic and if they are then we only are digging the grave,that we are finding ourselves in, even deeper.
1. I would like to see sports being encouraged right from the primary school level. This rule should be enforced on all schools regardless of their status i.e. both govt & private schools. A system must be put in place to ensure that students' achievements in sports somehow find their way to their report cards. This sends a strong signal to the society at large that energy and resources spent on sports is being appreciated. [ it is an open secret that most middle class Indian parents want their wards to become doctors or engineers. By changing this desire, we can create a greater pool of athletes.]
2. Scouts from relevant sporting bodies must scour the entire country in order to find young talent and in deserving cases provide scholarships to these students to continue their education in special schools that channel their talent and energy to more meaningful purposes. i.e. "Catch them young"
3. A new government policy on sports is the need of the hour. it must be a policy that provides incentives, subsidies and tax breaks for anything that is even remotely associated with sports. This will ensure that the much needed infrastructure is created..like stadiums, running tracks, courts etc. The policy must also address issues such as cronyism. Strict rules must be enacted and implemented so as to make sure that the only consideration in selecting candidates for major sporting events is based purely on merit and nothing else.
4. India, as most would agree, in a one-sport nation. Cricket enjoys demi-god status in every nook and corner of the country. Somehow over the years we have lost the plot and started to think that the only sport in the world is cricket. This shallowness can be justified by the modest successes/glory the sport has brought for India in recent times. Its time we regain our senses and look at the broader picture. We as a society must evolve and learn to accept and embrace other sports as well. Though the government can play an active role in this, for the most part it is we who have to change and move on from cricket.
I thought i would use this post to elaborate on how sports can be promoted and how we can create a sporting culture in our country.
There was a brief mention of the wrangle that we are finding ourselves in when there is a even the very mention of sports in my last post. The problems are clearly deep rooted and hence the solutions will certainly not be simplistic and if they are then we only are digging the grave,that we are finding ourselves in, even deeper.
1. I would like to see sports being encouraged right from the primary school level. This rule should be enforced on all schools regardless of their status i.e. both govt & private schools. A system must be put in place to ensure that students' achievements in sports somehow find their way to their report cards. This sends a strong signal to the society at large that energy and resources spent on sports is being appreciated. [ it is an open secret that most middle class Indian parents want their wards to become doctors or engineers. By changing this desire, we can create a greater pool of athletes.]
2. Scouts from relevant sporting bodies must scour the entire country in order to find young talent and in deserving cases provide scholarships to these students to continue their education in special schools that channel their talent and energy to more meaningful purposes. i.e. "Catch them young"
3. A new government policy on sports is the need of the hour. it must be a policy that provides incentives, subsidies and tax breaks for anything that is even remotely associated with sports. This will ensure that the much needed infrastructure is created..like stadiums, running tracks, courts etc. The policy must also address issues such as cronyism. Strict rules must be enacted and implemented so as to make sure that the only consideration in selecting candidates for major sporting events is based purely on merit and nothing else.
4. India, as most would agree, in a one-sport nation. Cricket enjoys demi-god status in every nook and corner of the country. Somehow over the years we have lost the plot and started to think that the only sport in the world is cricket. This shallowness can be justified by the modest successes/glory the sport has brought for India in recent times. Its time we regain our senses and look at the broader picture. We as a society must evolve and learn to accept and embrace other sports as well. Though the government can play an active role in this, for the most part it is we who have to change and move on from cricket.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Olympics..again..i know..
Hi All,
i came across a post in one of my friends blog and though i only had a fleeting glance(pardon the redundancy) at it, it struck a chord in me almost instantly
he was lamenting about the poor show of India in the Beijing games and consequently in the medals tally as well. allow him to quote him here.." while in other countries it will be news if their athletes lose events, over here in India the media goes nuts if a athlete wins a medal"
the current context couldn't have been put more aptly...such is the certain belief of losing rather than winning...and i guess we cant blame the media or the public at large for this bout of low confidence..such has been the sorry state of affairs of sports in India.
we never had an integrated and comprehensive training programme for our athletes, absence of incentives for athletes to immerse themselves in their desired sports, government policy encouraging sports in schools has been only of lip service and serious investment in sports infrastructure has not even been heard of..
despite all this shortcomings, its an absolute miracle that we even have athletes who , by hook or by crook, manage to find themselves in the scheme of things..hats off to them..
i will try to explore what can be done to improve the general sporting atmosphere in India..bye for now..
i came across a post in one of my friends blog and though i only had a fleeting glance(pardon the redundancy) at it, it struck a chord in me almost instantly
he was lamenting about the poor show of India in the Beijing games and consequently in the medals tally as well. allow him to quote him here.." while in other countries it will be news if their athletes lose events, over here in India the media goes nuts if a athlete wins a medal"
the current context couldn't have been put more aptly...such is the certain belief of losing rather than winning...and i guess we cant blame the media or the public at large for this bout of low confidence..such has been the sorry state of affairs of sports in India.
we never had an integrated and comprehensive training programme for our athletes, absence of incentives for athletes to immerse themselves in their desired sports, government policy encouraging sports in schools has been only of lip service and serious investment in sports infrastructure has not even been heard of..
despite all this shortcomings, its an absolute miracle that we even have athletes who , by hook or by crook, manage to find themselves in the scheme of things..hats off to them..
i will try to explore what can be done to improve the general sporting atmosphere in India..bye for now..
Arghhhh
Hi All,
I guess i have broken my promise again... i promised that i will publish two posts on Monday the 18th of august...but managed to do post only one..which leaves me with three post due (1 for Monday, 1 yesterday and the 1 today)...
Publishing 3 posts in single day, or should i say one night, can be an uphill task..esp for a super duper lazy person like me.. but i am going to give it a shot anyway..no harm trying..:)
while contemplating what should be the contents of this post, i thought it would be appropriate to discuss my erratic nature in updating my blog.. consider this..i had promised to update my blog with one post everyday..as u know i never kept the promise though i intended to..
a certain thought has refused to go off my mind for a few hours now...is it all right if u compensate for ur pending work both in terms of quality and quantity...?
case in point me..i have 3 posts pending..lets just say i manage abt 3 posts today( we all know that it almost equivalent to hoping the sun will rise from the west tomorrow )..but lets just consider that for argument sake..
so will my action make it all square or my failure to post at regular intervals still matter..i dont have explicitly state my opinion bcos u probably know it by now..i would love to know ur stand on this...
see u all in a few minutes..hopefully...:)
I guess i have broken my promise again... i promised that i will publish two posts on Monday the 18th of august...but managed to do post only one..which leaves me with three post due (1 for Monday, 1 yesterday and the 1 today)...
Publishing 3 posts in single day, or should i say one night, can be an uphill task..esp for a super duper lazy person like me.. but i am going to give it a shot anyway..no harm trying..:)
while contemplating what should be the contents of this post, i thought it would be appropriate to discuss my erratic nature in updating my blog.. consider this..i had promised to update my blog with one post everyday..as u know i never kept the promise though i intended to..
a certain thought has refused to go off my mind for a few hours now...is it all right if u compensate for ur pending work both in terms of quality and quantity...?
case in point me..i have 3 posts pending..lets just say i manage abt 3 posts today( we all know that it almost equivalent to hoping the sun will rise from the west tomorrow )..but lets just consider that for argument sake..
so will my action make it all square or my failure to post at regular intervals still matter..i dont have explicitly state my opinion bcos u probably know it by now..i would love to know ur stand on this...
see u all in a few minutes..hopefully...:)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Old habits die hard!!!
Hi all,
another classic example of an old bad habit refusing to go away. i forgot,probably the 3rd or for the fourth time, to publish a post yesterday. I will try to make up for it by posting one now and another one a few hours from now.
it has been almost been a week since i got my tentative month of joining from Wipro. The whole family scrambled to the computer screen to see what would have been a message that was never expected before October. So when i screamed thru my lungs about the arrival of the email, the rush was more than that of what i anticipated.
I, in my usual style, started scrutinising the email. My mother succumbing to her impatient self skimmed thru and pointed to a word which was in bold and in quotes. My eyes followed her finger movement and found the word or should i say the month "november". I searched in the vicinity for some exact dates but was left disappointed when i realized there was none.
A few minutes later, after going thru the entire mail, it dawned on me that the email had just provided a tentative moth for joining which was nothing close to our expectations. All our faces suddenly turned long and dull. I cursed Wipro, probably for the ten thousandth time, for delaying our appointment. All the hype and excitement had come crashing down in just seconds and i now i had to wait for another 2 months before i could start thinking of my transisition into the corporate world. Whats worse was that the stated month was tentative and was subject to change. I reverted to my usual word rather dejectedly( which usually means juggling btw playing re-volt, a racing game, and surfing the internet aimlessly)
A few days after the arrival of the email i realized that i was rather lucky,comparatively. The rest of the enginnerring college students who have been place in wipro had received their tentative month of joining as jan 09 and in some extreme cases march 09. I heaved a sigh of relief that mine wasn't that late.
ok guys thats all for now...
another classic example of an old bad habit refusing to go away. i forgot,probably the 3rd or for the fourth time, to publish a post yesterday. I will try to make up for it by posting one now and another one a few hours from now.
it has been almost been a week since i got my tentative month of joining from Wipro. The whole family scrambled to the computer screen to see what would have been a message that was never expected before October. So when i screamed thru my lungs about the arrival of the email, the rush was more than that of what i anticipated.
I, in my usual style, started scrutinising the email. My mother succumbing to her impatient self skimmed thru and pointed to a word which was in bold and in quotes. My eyes followed her finger movement and found the word or should i say the month "november". I searched in the vicinity for some exact dates but was left disappointed when i realized there was none.
A few minutes later, after going thru the entire mail, it dawned on me that the email had just provided a tentative moth for joining which was nothing close to our expectations. All our faces suddenly turned long and dull. I cursed Wipro, probably for the ten thousandth time, for delaying our appointment. All the hype and excitement had come crashing down in just seconds and i now i had to wait for another 2 months before i could start thinking of my transisition into the corporate world. Whats worse was that the stated month was tentative and was subject to change. I reverted to my usual word rather dejectedly( which usually means juggling btw playing re-volt, a racing game, and surfing the internet aimlessly)
A few days after the arrival of the email i realized that i was rather lucky,comparatively. The rest of the enginnerring college students who have been place in wipro had received their tentative month of joining as jan 09 and in some extreme cases march 09. I heaved a sigh of relief that mine wasn't that late.
ok guys thats all for now...
Saturday, August 16, 2008
China...perfect olympics..?
hi all,
China had promised that it would provide a green,hi tech Olympics that the world has never seen. That statement was never taken lightly by the IOC, or the international community for that matter, bcos it came from where it came from and we all very well know that the chinese will go any length to keep their word.
Critics were made to bite their own words upon seeing the controls China brought in to the run up to the Olympics and the opening ceremony was just awe inspiring.
or was it?
A Chinese official has gone on record saying that the fireworks on the opening day was actually prerecorded feed. It was always disclosed that, much to the shock of the entire world, that the singer was actually miming and the beautiful voice was prevented from making an appearance simply bcos she had improper teeth. A couple of days back the Team USA management made its displeasure clear about the alleged underage of the Chinese gymnast girls team. Another controversy that has cropped up is that not all of the representatives of china's 56 cultural groups had carried the flag to the opening ceremony, as the Chinese govt had claimed...
These events have raised a question of whether this olympics is as perfect as China claims. But i read in today's paper about the real and its copy. The article claimed that if the copy is as good as the real, or even better, then does it mater whether we should be presented with the real or the fake. Off course goody goody ppl may argue this is no justification for the cheating. True Enough. Point taken.
One thing is for sure. The world at large will forget these controversial events/ news in just a few days and carry on with life. They will always remember China as a nation that raced ahead with its construction of stadiums so much so that the IOC had asked it cool off a lil to prevent a major embarrassment to Athens(which was struggling till the last day). China will also be remembered for the marvelous show it put up during the opening ceremony( and probably the closing as well). This olympics will be remembered for how china managed to bring its people together and also how it managed to provide a safe olympics.
NOT
1.for how china managed to use the olympics as a cover to crush dissent regardless of whether it sabotaged the olympics or not..
2. for how china managed to reassert its claim over tibet
3. for conducting labour camps with no regard to human rights
So ppl wake up and feel the real world...what matters is the end product...
China had promised that it would provide a green,hi tech Olympics that the world has never seen. That statement was never taken lightly by the IOC, or the international community for that matter, bcos it came from where it came from and we all very well know that the chinese will go any length to keep their word.
Critics were made to bite their own words upon seeing the controls China brought in to the run up to the Olympics and the opening ceremony was just awe inspiring.
or was it?
A Chinese official has gone on record saying that the fireworks on the opening day was actually prerecorded feed. It was always disclosed that, much to the shock of the entire world, that the singer was actually miming and the beautiful voice was prevented from making an appearance simply bcos she had improper teeth. A couple of days back the Team USA management made its displeasure clear about the alleged underage of the Chinese gymnast girls team. Another controversy that has cropped up is that not all of the representatives of china's 56 cultural groups had carried the flag to the opening ceremony, as the Chinese govt had claimed...
These events have raised a question of whether this olympics is as perfect as China claims. But i read in today's paper about the real and its copy. The article claimed that if the copy is as good as the real, or even better, then does it mater whether we should be presented with the real or the fake. Off course goody goody ppl may argue this is no justification for the cheating. True Enough. Point taken.
One thing is for sure. The world at large will forget these controversial events/ news in just a few days and carry on with life. They will always remember China as a nation that raced ahead with its construction of stadiums so much so that the IOC had asked it cool off a lil to prevent a major embarrassment to Athens(which was struggling till the last day). China will also be remembered for the marvelous show it put up during the opening ceremony( and probably the closing as well). This olympics will be remembered for how china managed to bring its people together and also how it managed to provide a safe olympics.
NOT
1.for how china managed to use the olympics as a cover to crush dissent regardless of whether it sabotaged the olympics or not..
2. for how china managed to reassert its claim over tibet
3. for conducting labour camps with no regard to human rights
So ppl wake up and feel the real world...what matters is the end product...
Friday, August 15, 2008
As promised...)
Hi All,
i am back as i promised yesterday..though i have no idea what to write today..hmmmm..how abt independence since we are celebrating India's 62nd independence day today....
independence..a very subjective word...to a child it means the ability to scatter away from the books and rush to that neighbourhood playground and drain himself of all the energy he had. to a teenager it means the freedom to socialize with who he wants, do the things that he desires rather than what his wards wish for him, to a house wife it means autonomy from her husband, to a husband it means freedom from his nagging wife....
but the common denominator in all the above mentioned scenarios is that the individual in question feels happy or should i say elated...and this is the very essence of independence...it empowers,emboldens,excites,delights the individual experiencing it. its probably a feeling that has to be experienced rather than narrated!!!( which goes against the cause of this very blog and blogging in general..haha)
now let me indulge in some soul searching and tell u what independence means to me.. to free myself of financial dependence on my parents[read to have the liberty to spend the way i like...:)], to face challenges in life using my own ability rather than incessant inputs from my parents, to walk around as a ADULT free from the shadows of elders and the list goes on...
in retrospect, the above may sound as a wishlist..but i guess to me its all the same..
see u all tomm.
i am back as i promised yesterday..though i have no idea what to write today..hmmmm..how abt independence since we are celebrating India's 62nd independence day today....
independence..a very subjective word...to a child it means the ability to scatter away from the books and rush to that neighbourhood playground and drain himself of all the energy he had. to a teenager it means the freedom to socialize with who he wants, do the things that he desires rather than what his wards wish for him, to a house wife it means autonomy from her husband, to a husband it means freedom from his nagging wife....
but the common denominator in all the above mentioned scenarios is that the individual in question feels happy or should i say elated...and this is the very essence of independence...it empowers,emboldens,excites,delights the individual experiencing it. its probably a feeling that has to be experienced rather than narrated!!!( which goes against the cause of this very blog and blogging in general..haha)
now let me indulge in some soul searching and tell u what independence means to me.. to free myself of financial dependence on my parents[read to have the liberty to spend the way i like...:)], to face challenges in life using my own ability rather than incessant inputs from my parents, to walk around as a ADULT free from the shadows of elders and the list goes on...
in retrospect, the above may sound as a wishlist..but i guess to me its all the same..
see u all tomm.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Giving procastination a whole new meaning...:)
Hi all,
I am back and probably by now u would have realized that i am one of the most irregular and erratic bloggers the blogging world has ever witnessed. Some how i seem to want to post something everyday but someone/something comes in the way of this noble pursuit...but make no mistake about..my absence of daily posts does not in anyway mean that i am busy and occupied with more valuable tasks...NO I AM NOT BUSY AND I AM TOTALLY JOBLESS THESE DAYS....:)
Reg the post i promised about the solutions to terrorism in India, i decided that the solutions were pretty much obvious and could be derived by the reader simply by the reading the post and did not warrant a new post on its own( or u could take this as a reason i utilized to procrastinate and further the cause of my laziness..i don't mind...)
Bye for now
I am back and probably by now u would have realized that i am one of the most irregular and erratic bloggers the blogging world has ever witnessed. Some how i seem to want to post something everyday but someone/something comes in the way of this noble pursuit...but make no mistake about..my absence of daily posts does not in anyway mean that i am busy and occupied with more valuable tasks...NO I AM NOT BUSY AND I AM TOTALLY JOBLESS THESE DAYS....:)
Reg the post i promised about the solutions to terrorism in India, i decided that the solutions were pretty much obvious and could be derived by the reader simply by the reading the post and did not warrant a new post on its own( or u could take this as a reason i utilized to procrastinate and further the cause of my laziness..i don't mind...)
Bye for now
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Olympics: JUST a sporting event?
Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger)
Though the Games have been a quadrennial event that were supposedly said to bring nations together, which would have been other bickering about land, resources etc, it is an undeniable fact that the Games are more than just about jellying nations (and consequently their peoples). In the course of this write-up I will try to explore the political interference that reared its evil face over the history of Olympics
The political interference in Games has been, unfortunately, as old as the modern Games themselves. In 1936, Hitler used the Games for showcasing Germany as modern nation capable of constructing colossal stadiums and providing the corresponding logistics to match. The rather infamous Nazi salute featured in the Olympics too. The Games were close to being boycotted by the Americans due to the overt anti-Jewish stance of the then Nazi government. In 1972, another political drama played out but only that this it was in Munich. Palestinian militants abducted Israeli athletes and then killed them for avenging the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Later on in 1980, when cold war was at its peak, the Games were held in Moscow. The Americans boycotted the event simply due to the venue of the Games. The Soviets returned the favour in 1984 when the Games were held in Los Angeles in 1984.
The games since then have been free of controversies and political statements, barring some minor incidents, ever since. But the Beijing Olympics brought us back to the days that we thought were history. China’s rigid stand on Tibet as an integral part of China has been a sticking point with many countries esp. the Western ones which feel sympathetic to the Tibetan cause. Couple this with poor human rights track record of China and bingo we have yet another global sporting event that was potentially to be swallowed up political diktat.
Tibetan cause came to the fore when Tibetan monks went on a rampage earlier this year. World nations went into a huddle and revived their call for Tibetan independence. Some even threatened a boycott along the lines of the Moscow and LA games if China tried to use disproportionate force to quell the protest. The torch relay for the Beijing Games was not spared either. Tibetan activists made their presence felt when the torch went around the world, a usual ritual organised by the host nation and the IOC. In some cases the Olympic flame was extinguished, an incident that is considered to be an insult to the host nation in this case China. Tibetan activists managed to lodge their protests right in the Chinese capital as well by hoisting the Tibetan flag at Tiananmen Square. On his the part, the Dalai Lama has said that he never opposed China hosting the Olympics and that in fact China deserved to host the reputed event. He has asked his supporters to refrain from violence in any form. China, on expected lines, condemned the protest but never found fault with the nations for not providing fool proof security for the torch relay. Beijing probably didn’t want to bite more than it can chew!
Though the Games have been a quadrennial event that were supposedly said to bring nations together, which would have been other bickering about land, resources etc, it is an undeniable fact that the Games are more than just about jellying nations (and consequently their peoples). In the course of this write-up I will try to explore the political interference that reared its evil face over the history of Olympics
The political interference in Games has been, unfortunately, as old as the modern Games themselves. In 1936, Hitler used the Games for showcasing Germany as modern nation capable of constructing colossal stadiums and providing the corresponding logistics to match. The rather infamous Nazi salute featured in the Olympics too. The Games were close to being boycotted by the Americans due to the overt anti-Jewish stance of the then Nazi government. In 1972, another political drama played out but only that this it was in Munich. Palestinian militants abducted Israeli athletes and then killed them for avenging the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Later on in 1980, when cold war was at its peak, the Games were held in Moscow. The Americans boycotted the event simply due to the venue of the Games. The Soviets returned the favour in 1984 when the Games were held in Los Angeles in 1984.
The games since then have been free of controversies and political statements, barring some minor incidents, ever since. But the Beijing Olympics brought us back to the days that we thought were history. China’s rigid stand on Tibet as an integral part of China has been a sticking point with many countries esp. the Western ones which feel sympathetic to the Tibetan cause. Couple this with poor human rights track record of China and bingo we have yet another global sporting event that was potentially to be swallowed up political diktat.
Tibetan cause came to the fore when Tibetan monks went on a rampage earlier this year. World nations went into a huddle and revived their call for Tibetan independence. Some even threatened a boycott along the lines of the Moscow and LA games if China tried to use disproportionate force to quell the protest. The torch relay for the Beijing Games was not spared either. Tibetan activists made their presence felt when the torch went around the world, a usual ritual organised by the host nation and the IOC. In some cases the Olympic flame was extinguished, an incident that is considered to be an insult to the host nation in this case China. Tibetan activists managed to lodge their protests right in the Chinese capital as well by hoisting the Tibetan flag at Tiananmen Square. On his the part, the Dalai Lama has said that he never opposed China hosting the Olympics and that in fact China deserved to host the reputed event. He has asked his supporters to refrain from violence in any form. China, on expected lines, condemned the protest but never found fault with the nations for not providing fool proof security for the torch relay. Beijing probably didn’t want to bite more than it can chew!
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