The Canadian attitude?

I read with great interest and shock about the treatment of Canadian Embassy in India. funnily, it describes border security force (BSF), a paramilitary force fighting the militants in different parts of the country as a "dangerous organisation". BSF is protecting millions of Indians from animals which are known as terrorists sponsored by "friendly neighbours" who are tempted to heaven after death where they can enjoy some virgins (not clear about number). I feel that Canadian officials in India should not be let off easily. they should get the taste of their own medicine. let them go to one of our militant-infested areas without BSF protection.
The Canadians should never give visas to people associated with "dangerous organization" especially those associated with Guantanamo bay and Abu-Gharib tortures.they do not have balls to say that as their own land will be eliminated in the name of searching for weapons of mass destruction like that happened to Iraq. being mean with friendly people can have bad consequences for future!!

Green Zone: A reality or a myth?

This weekend, I watched the movie "Green Zone" starring Matt Damon. The story revolves around the possible intelligence failure regarding the WMD (weapons of mass destruction) programme of Saddam Hussein government. The US army is unable to find the so-called  accurate locations of the facilities involved in WMD programme. It shows how some intelligence people distort the facts so that US government gets a reason to invade Iraq. The film ends with the chaos about the formation of new Iraqi government.
I should say that this movie is an eye-opener for me. One Iraqi general says that the US government never verified the facts before invading Iraq. It shows one chracter, a journalist from Wall Street Journal, who first reported the presence of WMD programme. However, the film shows the blame on the journalist and the intelligence agencies as the culprits. It fails to touch any aspect about White House.
The media should be careful when reporting any news. They should verify the facts before blindly publishing it. I am eager to see the media facing the music it normally gives to others. The so-called journalists who extoll the values of freedom of expression should be tried in media for their personal short comings. Unfortunately, media is a very strong weapon to shape public opinion and is indirectly controlled by political big-wigs and business interests. The public should read different opinions in the media before coming to a conclusion.
Seeing this movie, I feel that no country has the right to occupy the other country it feels a threat to others. Imagine country like India attacking the countries harboring terrorists. Does the so-called world police man allow it? Of course, our Indian politicians are more worried about the internal politics of money and sleaze than the security of the country.

The employees and the employers

I just was amazed to see the news about Infosys employees and their frustration using social networking sites. Since ages, the employees were not given much rights and conditions favored the employer. During the slave trade era, the slaves were the property of their masters even according to law! The abolition of slavery put a burden on the masters in terms of money and rights. Thanks to modern age, with the advent of communism the formation of trade unions is the key to protect the interests of the employees.
I was reading the comments of this article in the message board. Surprisingly, I could not see one positive aspect or comment about that company. The so-called "mentor" of Infosys, Hon'ble Narayan Murthy always preaches values and things that do not fit into the way Infosys treats it's employees.I was surprised how this company grew inspite of such frustration amongst the employees. I had the chance to interact with some software professionals. I still wonder how you can earn so much salary in spite of having average intelligence. I rarely find people who are really qualified for the job. The so-called "Best Employer Award" given by a media house needs to reconsidered in wake of such allegations.
I still wonder how the so-called founders of the company can live with such guilt and preach moral values!

The maturity of Indian politicians

Indian politics is dominated by two dominant parties: Congress and Bharatiya Jantha Party (BJP). Though Congress dominated most of the time for first 40 years post-independence, BJP emerged in the last few decades. I was upset seeing the behavior of Indian politicians over the period of time. Way back in 1980s Jayalalitha was physically handled by the opposition members in the Tamil Nadu assembly itself. Indian politicians are renowned to use the mikes in front of their benches as missiles!!!
Now coming to the maturity of politicians. During the Bangladesh liberation war in 1970s, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee praised the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of Congress Party for her courage. Recently, Women's reservation bill was introduced in the Indian Parliament to ensure 33% reservation for women in parliament and state assemblies. Luckily, both Congress and BJP came on same side, while the parties such as Rashtriya Janta Dal, Samajwadi Party etc vehemently opposed it. I should appreciate the maturity shown by BJP in supporting the Congress with respoect to passage of Women's reservation bill. (During Kargil war, however, the then leader of opposition, Sonia gandhi of Congress,  gives a word of caution to the then BJP prime minister not to take credit for the success of this war, but lies with the people!!!!)
In response to the "Dantewada Massacare" in which 72 CRPF paramilitary jawans were ruthlessly killed by red terrorists "Naxalites", the Indian home minister Mr Chidambaram, offered to resign claiming moral responsibility. I was impressed with the maturity shown by the opposition BJP which asked him not to resign. They felt that  the resignation by home minister is like accepting defeat in the war with terrorists.
I hope the politicians become more mature and keep the interests of the people in mind rather than their politicial ideologies. I hope the red terrorists do the same.

Does awards really matter?

Getting a nobel prize is a dream for many scientists. It is also a recognition for "peace". but, when Nobel peace prize was awarded to Barack Obama recently, I lost all the respect I had for Nobel prize. If I were a billionaire with lots of political clout and lobbying capabilities, I could even get nominated for a Nobel Prize!!! Probably, Osama Bin Laden should consider lobbying for Nobel peace prize as he is fighting the "holy war" for muslims!!!
I was surprised that Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, a few days before he was murdered in January 1948. Nobel committee will have its own explanations. But, non-westerners know the fact that Sweden or Norway do not want to insult the colonial power of the time, Britain. It would have made mockery of the British colonial empire and have given impetus to the ongoing Indian Freedom struggle. Thankfully, Gandhi's own country men gave him the honor of "Father of Nation" (though they killed him themselves). Anyway, how can they award a peace prize from the money which is the profits earned due to the discovery and sale of substance that killed many people in the world: dynamite. The people accepting Nobel prize for peace should think about this before accepting the award.
Now for the film awards. The so called Oscar awards have a category for best foreign film. Hindi film Lagaan was nominated to Oscars in that category in 2001. It failed to win it. In 2009, another India centric movie "Slumdog Millionaire" got nominated and won couple of Oscars. While Lagaan shows the victory of Indian villagers over colonial Britishers, The Slumdog Millionaire shows the slums and their conditions in India. It is for the readers to judge the attitude of the so called western media. They still see India as slum filled country (even developed countries have it!!).
Thankfully, Aamir Khan does not go to such award functions (he's been to Oscar anyway) stating that they do not have credibility. In India, after the success of "Taare Jameen Par" he was awarded Gollapudi Srinivas Rao Award in 2007 which is given to best debutant film director in memory of the young director who passed away during the shooting of his first film. Type "aamir khan crying"  in you tube. You will see this function where he is felicitated by K. balachander, Anupam Kher and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. I believe awards should have such importance. This award I feel is the right one. Not the usual annual awards for the paparazzi and endorsements.

Is lying sometimes the right thing for an honest person to do?

I read this book as a bachelor's student at Sri Sathya Sai University, Brindavan Campus (1998-2001). During those days, I was interested in management and would be reading books in the management section. This book gives case studies where lying is infact the best thing a person has done at the moment. It caters to the role of ethics in business which is becoming rare traits among business people in modern days.
I do not remember many case studies that I have read in this book as I drifted to biotechnology research and also it's been ten years since I read the book. In fact, many of my commerce friends came to know about the book after I started reading it. It is a detailed book explaining the ethics that are part of Indian culture. In the west too, I see that people never complain about the food being offered when they become guests at their friend's place. They always tell that it is wonderful! They never complain about the hospitality extended to them. That could be a best example of daily life of how we follow the title of the book. Sometimes, people do not tell about bad news for fear that it may hurt or mentally depress the person when he hears it. That too is a good example.

TATA and CSR: corporate social responsibility

I read an article in rediff about what makes a leader. In the discussion board, many compared the Tata group with Ambanis. Of course, they compared apples and oranges. After reading about their group in wikipedia, I browsed their website about their CSR.  I was attracted to their contribution to sports.I should confess that India needs such industrial giants to excel in sports. Indian Olympics contingent was financed by Tata for Olympics at Antwerp (1920) and Paris (1924). India won gold medals in hockey when a Tata was in-charge; Naval Tata. They set up three sports academies: The Tata Football Academy, The Tata Archery Academy and The Tata Adventure Foundation. Dilip Vengsarkar and Ganguly were alumnus of Tata Sports Club. Leander Paes and Pullela Gopi Chand were ex-employees encouraged by Tatas.
If the so-called billionaires from India contribute a fraction of money like Tatas, sports apart from cricket  in India will develop too.

The limits or definition of sacrifice

I see many "patriots" calling the people to be ready for sacrifice. The soldiers who gave their lives for the country are praised for their sacrifice. But, what really defines sacrifice and are there limits to it? It will probably take many life times before we understand the word sacrifice.
Consider this situation: a rich man giving all the money in his pocket to needy AND a poor man who gives all the money he had from his day's work for the needy. I consider the first as charity as the rich man looses a minute fraction of his money. The second, I call as sacrifice as he gave up what ever he is dependent on.
Coming to the sacrifice made by the soldiers. Yesterday, the naxals ambushed and killed 76 CRPF jawans in Dantewada, Chattisgarh. The critics say that the CRPF jawans were ill-prepared in such circumstances. Is that a sacrifice? A death because of error done by the top bureaucrats? I leave it to the public to decide whether it is sacrifice by jawans or murder by naxals or blunder by bureaucracy.
The present generation is enjoying the fruits of the seeds sown by the previous generations. They would have put their heart and soul to achieve the luxury that we are enjoying now. the present generation especially youth should realise that and follow the same path.

Media and freedom of expression

This is the favorite word of many people: governments, activists and citizens. But, what are the limits. In America, talking some no,-sense can land you in jail even though US considers itself as global super power responsible for upholding democratic principles. In US, activists campaigning for policies that are detrimental or critical of governmental policies will be under surveillance. This is no different from other countries say Iran or Zimbabwe etc. So, where is the difference: it's the media.
The western media in developing world is always criticized for being insensitive to the local sentiments. Indian media will not publish the news about communal clashes by the name of religion as it will further add fuel to fire. But, BBC thinks it blocks "freedom of expression". The same BBC will never do it if the same incident happened in Britain. Its left to the reader to judge the intentions of the media. In 2006/2007, when India toured England, the Indian cricket players complained about jelly balls being scattered on the pitch to tamper with the bowling and subsequently on the batsman. Indian media reported it, while BBC did not even mention it!!!!
In India, the so-called secularists have no problem with bashing of majority, but with minority bashing, they have problems. Seeing NDTV can make an average viewer conclude the political affiliations of the news channel. I saw TV9 telugu news today and was shocked at the conclusions made by the media. Dasari, an eminent director said that story is the hero and not any super star, be it Chiranjeevi or Raja Shekar. The media concludes that he spoke against family control of telugu film industry. Dasari, Chiranjeevi and Raja Shekar would not have problem with comments, but media has!!!!
We need responsible media that generates optimism in public perception and not create fear. Gone are the days when media was driven by principles. It is driven by profits, political affiliations and revenge. God save the media!!

Red terror in India

Back to work after a brief easter holiday at Paris. I felt sad seeing the news about the ambush of CRPF jawans by the naxalites in MP. I also read an article in Rediff about a former naxalite who left the movement. Reading both these articles made me loose whatever small pity I had over the movement. The real culprits are two: government and the naxals. Had the development been uniform through out with out corruption and exploitation, the naxals would not have got the patronage from the tribals. Its better late than never. The government has now recognised naxalism as biggest threat and moved its resources to fight red terror. There is always some mistakes done labelled as human rights violations by the so called activists. These activists do not utter a word of condolence for the families of jawans killed in naxal attacks. but, they are vociferous when "a" naxal is killed by police.
The government should make stricter laws to combat corruption by babudom in tribal areas. It should give due importance to their culture, customs and beliefs. By providing basic amenities of education, health and facilities, it can win the hearts of tribals. I may be wrong in my opinion, but if we have a good working government there is no need of movements to make it work. Hope the "rulers" realise this importance.

Easter at Paris April 2010

It's a pleasant experience to be back in Paris, the romantic city that hosted me for three years. Of course, my journey by Eurolines bus tested my patience as it left after 90 minutes from Brussels Nord Terminal. Anyway, after reaching Gallieni at 11 PM, i could get 318 bus to Chateau de Vincennes and the 124 to Les Parapluies where my dear friend Bharath lives. After chatting upto midnight, I took a sound sleep.
Sunday was the day of shopping. After eating Indian food at my favourite "Restaurent Dishney" at La Chappele in Indian quarter of Paris, we started the shopping spree. I should mention about "UNIQLO" located at Opera. the japanese chain is giving the established European chains a run for their money. The quality and price is very affordable. Do not forget to fill your shopping bag from this chain. Of course, we did not miss the jewellery boutiques around Opera especially Cartier, BVLGARI etc.
Sunday was more relaxed as bharath had previous engagements with his friends. But, we went to Jaggu Bhai's house for dinner. The dosas with chuteny, sagu and finally rice did not make me hungry even after 18 hrs!
Monday morning, luckily I could catch the bus in time. Surprisingly, we reached Brussels 30 mins in advance. I was in Leuven within 45 mins. In essence, I had a nice easter.

OMG! A new post after 9 months!!!!!

After a looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnng gap, I started to blog again. I will try to excuse myself with my own reasoning. First, it was due to personal and professional problems coupled with heath. I should now be serious about blogging again!