Inquiry through Contemplation

Missing Individualism

2011-11-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

Last month I was having dinner in my mess which caters to nearly 200 people. We were short of rotis so we ordered some and we were quite a number. And the waiter brought a plate full for so many of us. Obviously, we all jumped like a typical Indian mob. Alas, four rotis and two people were left. The other guy took all four. And it is not that no more rotis were to come. I could not understand the sense of insecurity a common Indian was having. Is it that the notion of optimum has still not sunken after nearly seven decades of British rule/scarcity?

Mess is a wonderful place where one can find similar behaviours. If you are sitting in a typical Indian mess and ask someone to pass the jug, the passer will first fill up his half filled glass first and then pass, as if he has discovered a newly found thirst; or is he the victim of the evolutionary indian insecurity deep rooted in our genes which arises from centuries of scarcity? Either way it is excruciating to watch this type of common behaviour.

India obviously is a vibrant and an arriving superpower but the common indian is still a timid individual, rather has a host psychology. We cannot do businesses individually, we are good at tennis doubles and awful at singles. We unite as a team when there is no other option. We like the herds and follow them religiously.

I think an indian individual has an instilled sense of insecurity when he is alone. Maybe it is the feeling, 'united we fail', that serves as a further justification of our failures that none is ready to espouse but everyone knows are inevitable. Whom to blame, huh?

Where is the Indian Individual's conviction? Why are we afraid to take decisions which are crucial to the fulfillment of our own dreams. Why are we so willing to tap the herd psychology and marry stereotypism when, I am sure, we have abundance of individual genius who can surpass the herd and set new benchmarks. Hitting the nail on the head, why do we need someone to protect us (a wall behind)? Maybe it lies in the way we have been brought up, following the stereotypical paths our parents have shown us but the change is needed and the society needs the change. Our country needs embodiments of individualism whom we can look upto and I am unsure whether plenty of them are in line.

Black: The Savior

2011-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

When the world around us ponders over the corruption and black money, it is important to note why our money becomes black and why, instead of rising asset prices in India, we are not facing an asset bubble in our face.

Well, when Mr. Babu took money from the contractor, he could eventually not deposit it in a bank account. So, he thought to buy a house instead in the name of his wife. The govt. norms would not allow him to buy a house (an asset) quite costly vis-a-vis his income. So he told the seller that I will pay you half black and the rest white. Obviously, the owner was happy. Now, India does not have practice of issuing loans as per the market rate. The Indian Property law is not market driven, as the law should never be. The law can be based on some parameters but it should not be dynamically driven by it. The Indian lawmakers probably saved the day for India.

When the world was having a turmoil, 50-60% of our GDP was finding ways to be spent since the only thing stopping it was the archaic Law of India. If it would have been the other way around, Mr. Babu could have shown a stock purchase, inflated his profits therby making it legitimate and then, on the books, bought the house for an x amount registered in the banks. Bank also knows that Mr. Babu's home costs a lot more than he has shown in papers and in case of a scrutiny, the same can be highlighted.

The transparency would have made the market hands on thereby making the fall more steep. In India, housing price is a localized and customized phenomenon. This saves the day when everything is falling down, because the actual cost is always higher than that in the books. So, all in all, black money becomes a savior when macro-economic situation is not looking fine. And that would not have been possible without the old and beautiful Indian law.

The Sacrificial Generation

2010-11-19T15:49:00.001-08:00

In the history of fame and corporation, the foundations of an idea that has revolutionized the dynamics of livelihood has not been given but implemented by a sacrificial generation. It was the generation which had no time to listen to daily chores or live an ordinary life because they were born to give the world, what I call, pumps of a nation. These pumps gave birth to revolutions our nation had never seen before like telecom revolution started by Bharti-Mittal or the power revolution which we will all see in 5 years or soon.

Obviously, they sacrifised a lot. It is said that the idea of insurance was born in a slum where these people hated the whole idea as such but look what it turned out to be. What were they losing? It was nothing except a ordinary life. It is one to know the objective and then sacrifice, a privelege which a socialist setup could never lend, and it is the other to be driven by an idea like you are pushed in Mumbai locals. The choice obviously lies with us.

For, the likes of magnates we see today (Ambanis, Birlas, etc) are not the chosen ones, but they are the lucky administrators who's one sacrificial generation had laid the seeds of implementing many a ideas that can push all the undecisive ones along. This one generation can be called as a mutation in the history of economic evolution. You might be one of these X-men, all that matters is one decision you will never regret taking, whether you wanna push the world or get pulled. Because once on deathbed, like an old warrior, you might wish a death in blood than in your piss.

Get Paid For Being Pregnant

2010-10-23T08:52:00.001-07:00

The Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana seems a boost to our population numbers. Every pregnant woman will get a sum of Rs. 4000 over a period of six months. All street vendors would be covered under this. There is no doubt that the maternal aide program thus created will help many but will prove as a headache to human resource deptt.

This seems to be benifitting nearly 18.6 lacs women and would soon turn out be a huge business in places that are poverty stricken. The places where you see threatening eyes when you click your dear friend near a picturesque. It is sad to see places like these and it definitely reminds you of the high Ginni coefficient.

But still the sight of small young girls going to schools is refreshening. But guess what the ministry has given a hidden incentive to only those families having strength of five. Though we need to improve our infant mortality rates and low birth weights, but this is a solution with some externalities that seem far more harmful and I can envisage a viscious circle ahead.

TOSS

2010-09-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

That was the first day when I felt that I had been listening to all the crap in the classrooms till yet. It was not about the class, the quality of teaching or the resources. It was the teacher, the most important person in the life of a student. He's our Project Director (PD) and he's got it all. The feeling was the elation that a child experiences when a grandfather/mother recites a story to a kid.

The lecture was a sheer technical story; the experience was pouring out of PD as if he had been immersed in the process of building the largest machines on the planet. The reverse engineering was being done through the very basic science which even a tenth class kid knows. That's when it hit me like a bullet that when we all had been studying for hours no one taught us how to think which is the underlying skill for understanding systematically. Just imagine if our PD would teach a bunch of third class kids for an hour on Sundays. He can produce many PDs like him and our country has no dearth of such people who just fade away from the face of earth by devoting their lives to the only process which they enjoy.

That's where TOSS comes in. These people are eager to contribute and would love to Teach On Saturdays & Sundays. A huge responsibility of educating the young and making them 'really educated' rests on on all the experienced 'corporate teachers'. If we make the point bigger, it might be a Teach Revolution.

How Does the Debt Work?

2010-05-08T03:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a story how big our Debt might be. Headlines: America in debt of trillions of dollars. Oooops!! Isn't is horrifying? Well maybe not. Let us look a bit closely and understand it through a small 'ode'.

A small motel in California.

Scene I:
Traveller: Hey! Wake up you Mr. I need a room. (Pays him 100 bucks)
Motel Owner (MO): Ohk. 100 bucks!
Traveller: ??? Are you out of your mind? This is recession going on.
MO: Well, get it or get out. (Takes the buck). I will be back in fifteen minutes.

Scene II:
MO: Take your money, man. We are even now.
Contractor: Well, yes until you return my drilling machine.

Scene III:
Contractor: Well, Mr. Manager. Now I dont owe you a single buck you blood-sucking new version of satan.
Mr. Manager: You still owe up 10 bucks of interest. I won't let you go coz all of us are after all returning the interest to the mighty Fed.
Contractor: Oh take the cake. I will return the cherry later.

Scene IV: ( Hey, Sandy!! Go, go. Just make him feeeel good. Alrite!! Just ride. GO!)
Bank Manager: Hey! Ms. LovelyAssForYou. Here's the rest.
Prostitute: You didn't turn your back on me. you are a nice man, Banky. Want another.
BM: No, I have to file Chapter-11 today. My bank is going broke tomorrow. Smiles.
Prosti: Well, then we will celebrate the fat check you will get tomorrow, Fatass!

Scene V:
Prosti: Hey, Lou! Thanks man. Seems like a new arrival huh? Set me up. And here's your pain in ass. Take it. I'm waiting. Just say ready when he says yes. ohk?
Motel Owner: Well, yes! But no lending this time.
Prosti: You dumbass! It is his room this time not mine.
MO: (Makes a deal).

And the chain goes on. Well, maybe you guys got it. But the total debt was 500 bucks. See, how big and inter-linked it is.

Engineers and girls in fourth year!!

2010-04-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Last Four Years.....

2010-04-23T23:04:00.000-07:00

I still remember the first day of the college and the only thing I understood was that it was not for me. I realized that either I was in the wrong college or maybe wrong profession. As many say time is the best medicine. Soon I found that here people vary from chill-out-creatures to serious psychos. Everyone having a different tale ranging from joints to niche ambitions. I realized that it is not the brand of college that matters but people who make that brand. I was soon feeling lucky seeing the long and successful alumni. I thanked God but have known since childhood that mediocrity is in abundance but excellence is rare. Soon I was finding the parameters of excellence. I could not find any external parameter (except beauty in case of girls). Money (it will come), CGPA (does not matter), intelligence (all here are equally or rather more intelligent than me), character (well maybe), cars, girlfriends, placement, etc. nothing fits. Well then what?

The first I found was in the third year. Since childhood I wanted to be an engineer, to build big buildings, big planes, etc, I have never thought about money. When I was interning in L&T I found that after working till late one night, I didn't want to go the next day. I understood that it is the hunger that matters. If you are not hungry, sooner or later you will be complacent, nothing will matter. The second one I found out in the last semester - the people. They only can make it happen. They can pull you out they can push you, from birth till now, they were always there to listen to me, to rebuke me, to support me - friends, parents, etc.

After long four years, all I have left still is hunger and people those who can die for you and I can die for them. After these four years some will achieve goals, some confused like me will reach a bit later, but all us - hungry people- will reach. Everyday reminds me of the first day: the stage, the auditorium the gorgeous seniors, the vibrant Director, etc. I still question myself whether I will be able to justify myself as "ENGINEER" for the rest of my life. However, hellish it was, it was worth the friends (people).

MX: New Financial Instruments

2010-04-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

With the rise of Identification schemes like UID, soon all marriages will be registered and the day is not far when our relationships will have a financial derivative for themselves i.e. a representation of the stability of marriages in form of an economic trade-off, a marriage price or stock price, as it will be called. When all stocks like these will be traded on speculation or by diagnosing community traits, we will have an MX, a Marriage Exchange. Well why not? If we can have those filthy sub-primes running down the economic pipelines why not some more random and interesting derivatives like these. Well, I am sure it will churn the world.

After all, sociology will find its real economic value. But what can be the pros and cons? Well soon we will have an insurance product that acts like 'Meher'. No marriage without that insurance product, wow!, what an idea Sirjee! Everyone who marries has to buy that product like you have for your motor-vehicles. Insurance companies and banks will bribe senators so that this instrument gets an opening ceremony from one of the fanatics who will say, "This is the start of new Social Order in the World and that through Capitalism. God Bless all couples." And soon, there will be trading charts released in a prominent Bank which has formulated the pivot point after which the marriage will be in chaos. Every sector including Pharma, Fashion, FMCG, etc will start churning strategies such that the intrinsic stock value of the couple increases.

In case you are found roaming with your beautiful wife, the policeman might impound your vehicle (wife) and guess what before you bail her out, your stock value is down on the MX and all debtors are standing at your doorsteps asking for loans because the collateral lost its value, you lost your prestige and guess what the policeman had sucked out all of the oil before you could roam with your vehicle (wife) again. You have to file Chapter 11.

That's MADNESS! And that is what sub-prime mortgage backed securities were, an utter madness. People with loans are out of their houses. Everything was being borrowed using collateral which never existed but on paper being traded in mortgage markets under AAA rating. We should make capitalism improvise our lives but we should not let it be an orgy.

I'm Heretical and I'm Confident.

2010-04-10T03:03:00.000-07:00

I would be called 'heretical' if I will say that earth hour is a foul attempt to mitigate the climate change or I refuse to turn off my lights to save energy when there are no outages anywhere in the region. Maybe I am against the whole notion that Humans are causing global warming and I would be among a few group of people who are called insensitive and idiots.

I might be wrong but I am not confused. We have all ignored the daddy of life causing agent on earth: the Sun, not the minute 'we'. Earth's climate has been much hotter than this and much colder than this too. In 1970s we were debating about global cooling and a mini-ice age. but today we are saying that this is because of us. Impossible. It is true that we are exploiting our non-renewable resources but the trends are depressingly hyped and I just don't agree. We have forgotten the main source of temperature called Sun. Look at the red solar activity and black temperature line.

It is interesting to see that even after the second stage of Industrialization started, we had a dip in the temperature curve but it should have risen because of the increased carbon dioxide emissions. So instead of whining about the green house gases we should see that we are not using are non-renewable resources inefficiently and are not destroying our environment like fresh water lakes, etc. Human contribution to green house emissions is only a meager fraction of what volcanoes contribute. Also there is a 800 year lag in the increase in carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere and the average temperature thereby we can deduce that increased temperature causes increased carbon dioxide levels.

So what is the reason behind all this global warming hype? Well, it is Africa's large exploitable resources (coal, petrol, etc). World Bank recently gave 4 billion dollar loan to South Africa for building a coal powered plant. The loan was criticized by the whole of developed world and so called global warming foundations. Well, they want these countries to use unreliable solar and wind energies so that they can suck their resources at back hand and break the cherished African dream to develop. The developing world definitely needs energy to cut back their emissions. The cooking is still dependent on firewood which causes more harm to environment. So what is the argument? Well, I'm not an African but this hyped game is not that difficult to understand. All you need is some right stats.

How to derive satisfaction from a choice?

2010-03-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

O God! I am writing after ages and it feels really good. I don't know where I was. Though, let us evolve a mathematical formula for satisfaction. We all have infinite choices to make and to reach to a decision we have a infinite options to select from. You all must have gone to buy a mobile phone and you have a plenty of options, rather infinite of them and after you have bought one which fulfills the functions you wanted and looks fine but you still fancy the ones you left. ' O boy that one had all the features and so low a price but it weighed a bit more.' Isn't it? May be this reveals the magic of market place which is driven by incentives. But how to justify yourself that the option you have chosen stands validated among the infinite options you have rejected?

That is where the formula shown below is useful:-

Satisfaction from a choice (xi) = Pros of choice(xi) - Cons of choice(xi) - Pros of all the rejected choices (∑x=1 to ∞xi) excluding xi.

That is why all of us are unhappy even after making some of the best decisions in our life. Because we carry only the pros of the rejected choices and not the cons but we subtract the cons of the selected choice. Rather we should try to remove the ∑ (sigma) out of the whole equation. This sigma in economics is called opportunity cost of the rejected choice. This removal of opportunity cost will make the choice worth more and increase the satisfaction levels for the decisions for which we are responsible. But physically what is this sigma?

Actually, it is the emotional value of the rejected choices. When women go out to buy saris, after coming to their places, they still fancy the one they left at the shop. And a kid fancies the rejected toy that he would buy the next time. The bride fancies the other possible groom. A graduate fancies the placement he left for something else. We all feel hollowness after leaving something because it is the tendency of human beings to emotionally stick to the things we have rejected and thus, justifying the ∑ in our equation.

Hence, the actual equation representing a rational and emotionless decision is:

Satisfaction from a choice (xi) = Pros of choice(xi) - Cons of choice(xi)

Is it Religion?

2009-11-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

If I am one of the senators in a supposedly world govt. (let us assume) and there comes a bill I am awaiting for, "Sciencism Act" which will enforce a new religion all over the world. Let us say that there will be many Gods - the Nobel Gods (Physics, Chemistry, Peace, etc) and other Gods (Engineering). Just imagine we have Einstein as an idol in one of our 'mandirs' and Paul Krugman in the Eco. part of the temple and our grannies would make hymns for Him in the required jargon. Though it would be a better idea than setting up a museum for these great personalities as it would invite more popularity of science. Still, we can all understand the drastic change we have to deliberately bring in our lifestyles. Just imagine our granny saying 'Oh Albert' and we guys yelling out 'Betashit' and what not.

Something like this happened when Christianity was passed as a law in Rome during Augustus rule. The conversion was from Pagan. The point I am stressing here is not the change but the way change had been brought. What was the change for? It was to unite the whole Roman empire under one emperor. Consequently, religion was a play card used by kings to control the citizens or 'praja'.

Take the Ramayana example. Isn't it too ideal? Why? Well, it can also be regarded as an example. I cannot prove the time but Rama seems a very ideal king as one would want to show himself in the media. And Hanumana (another God) already knew that Rama had to incarnate and hence started reciting his name before his birth when he would meditate. Does not he seem as a marketing agent of Rama who knows when will be the product launched. Well, all these are tools to control us. And our daily practices have been so intricately tied with them that we believe it that it is true. We are not educated enough to answer our kids when they ask how was Sun made and what is universe. We tell him that it is the yawn of the Great One and why not fart. I really regret the fanatics who have devoted their lives to the religion because in the end they are just marketing agents of the product launched by some ancient king in the arcane periods. Religion is not belief, it is a tool.

Media and Values

2009-10-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a short essay on our media and the way it is presenting itself with new value system.The media and newsprint are one of those mediums of human expressions which if undermined can lead to downfall of the human values. These are not only reflectors of a society but also the value creators. Today, when we watch the T.V. and watch the initiatives like "The Joy of Giving Week" and other advertisements which promote the etiquette or practices, all of us definitely get enlightened and become more aware. When Oprah Winfrey makes you feel the pulse of all those successful personalities whom we admire, we definitely learn the values.

Values keep on building throughout centuries and we keep on evolving them. But, understanding them and making them presentable is what media is about. No one would have known the fate of Benjamin Franklin better than today. Why is it so that media is such an important tool to create new values and revive the old ones?

Today, media through newspaper is the harbinger of good-morning for a normal office going person. He watches T.V., decides his stock folio and then gets on the job. It all starts right then and with the internet following, the nexus of information has grown by leaps and bounds. With the complexities of society growing and economics playing more important factor than human sensitivities, there is always to bring in new ideas, new practices, better relationships and hence, more human involvement. This involvement calls for better problem solving and hence, relay of all the ideas pouring in all of us because opinions matter. This is not about reflection of society, with everyday news, we solve a new problem and get many more. Hence, when we solve a problem, we initialize a practice.

For example - After the September 11 attacks, security became a concern and a new problem appeared. We were all over the internet blogging, presenting viewpoints but for what? To create a solution. Hence, we came with new congress bills and security became the prime value of our airports which was earlier a mere formality. In this way, we create many solutions daily. But media is right at the centre of this whole process as it helps in conveying ideas, opinions and for connecting public with information through all forms. We have all become more involved in the system that our great fathers have created and the improvisation process will always keep on going because of increasing nature of complex systems we have created for ourselves. But media especially the internet is the core of the whole process doing its duty nicely and I hope it carries on the same.

A Comeback (after all)

2009-09-25T23:05:00.000-07:00

I think it is a very long time after I have written another blog. There are a lot of things on my mind but the first thing is the Independence Day which was celebrated a long time ago but my emotions are still volatile. How would any one of us like to visualize India as a country? Well, mine is below:

When India celebrated its 62nd Independence Day this time, it was not about how far we have traveled, it was about who are the travelers? Is it still rural or urban, rich or poor? We have many dimensions to look at that. But when voices like those of A.R. Rahman are in the air with Vande Mataram floating on it, I still feel pain more than pride. India has not been able to do justice to many people and the list is long. Its growth is lop-sided and it worries many.

India has not been able to answer the widows of the brave who laid their lives for saving people like us. It pinches to see on television the lady who today also walks 15 Kilometers to fetch a matka of water. How will India do justice to the bespectacled old people who beg on the traffic lights for one chappati? Why do our small girls still have to miss schools because they have to collect twigs for using it as a fuel? There are millions of them. On one hand we are the country with third largest GDP in PPP terms and on the other hand, largest number of poor can be found here. It is as fascinating as it is shocking. In Punjab, 1 woman is raped every 24 hours and 1 woman is killed every 49 hours. Is this India?

Today also when a Malayali talks to Tamilian he talks in Malayalam while the other understands but still answers it in Tamil. What is that? We are still trying to prove among ourselves who is great but on the other hand our country's greatness is suffering. We will suffer with an India like this, we all will. We are lucky to have a few well educated persons in our parliament but as a matter of fact, 80% of our MPs are facing a trial. We are still unable to be decisive enough that how will India fulfill its future energy needs. Why is India weak to show that it wants gas from Iran and nuclear fuel from Russia and still a nuclear deal from America? Who can or who will stop it? All have vested interests with us and we have in all. Its foreign Policy is indecisive and it still fears China. It should but not the way China wants. We are still weak enough and India cannot stand weak travelers on its own growth path. Soon or later we will topple if we ignore the others who are still sitting on the backseat.

Inefficiency

2009-08-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wherever I see there is inefficiency,
Whether in resource planning or a simple dwelling,
There is no self-sufficiency.
From power transmission to its distribution,
The power grids, like cricket hits,have no consistency,
Why do people not understand that India needs efficiency,
Improving energy systems from 20% to 40% is an emergency,
Still the obsolete systems lure engineers' tendency.

A village girl cannot go to school,
Because she wastes the day in finding the fuel,
In the modern times, India wont be able to duel,
Because the country which is more efficient will rule,
Till what extent the govt. will ridicule,
the present situation and stare at the remaining resources which are minuscule.

For people have great amounts of money,
And the taxes are heavy,
Still I find it funny,
That govt. is not showing any urgency,
No politician coming forth to implement better systems in his constituency.

Well may be the officials are in a confusion,
Or is the govt in a delusion?
That the liberalization alone can generate better energy provision,
Solar and others are good substitution,
But why does India want to live in bad condition?
When it has technological innovation.

The demand is high,
There is a huge shortage of supply,
To the facts, when will the govt. comply?
That's why I forsee a future which makes my throat dry.

Why India is acting like Women?

2009-07-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Iran has proved out to be the most weakly dealt external issue by India. India’s unscathed stand on contentious countries proves nefarious stand of our think tanks on the issue. Though Iran is one of the most energetic (having much gas) nations and having a huge support of its history of poets who have always laughed out at the threats Iranians had been facing and refuted grave situations, it has a two dimensional approach to everything.

Iran has since ages been ruled by clerics and now when the democracy has cultivated a republican dimension also. It is hard for modern politicians like Mr. Ahmedajinad to rule the difficult republic clerically without satisfying the other dimension. The voters’ anger and repugnance has proved this. Even the senior leaders like Mr. Rafsanjani and Mr. Moussavi understand the equation.

Iran has always looked towards India as an ally and a key partner. The energy equation in the region is balanced by Iran only. Its gas goes to all Asian countries and its key partner- Russia’s gas goes to the Europe. These two countries have strictures in place. America seems to have bowed to the facts that its forces in Afghanistan cannot get supplies without the security of NATO in the Kazak part which Russia provides. The fact has pressurized America to talk with Iran. But, India seems to have placed Iran low in its friends’ ladder and we see a key change in the key partner’s ladder. America has acquired a new position and moved up. Unlike strong countries, India is still having the NAM in place and refuting indulgence in adherence towards a block. NAM does not mean that we don’t involve, it means we are not attached to a block. It has to be understood that India is ignoring its previous love – Russia and is moving towards a new order whereby America is gaining more priority. America’s weakened position in new world order, both economically and politically, and India’s indulgence with America over the N-deal has recoiled India to an unfavorable position in the world’s new political order.

India seems to be following the women’s ladder theory (Ladder Theory is a scientific explanation to men and women relationships whereby men have a single ladder and women have the friends and the other ladder). China, on the other hand, has very clear ladder positions – Russia being on the top and America afterwards. Though China has 80% of the American bonds in hand, it still demands a new universal currency. It has setup riders in order to influence America if it has to bow to the American conditions. These are economic predominantly and some political. It seems that India has no such masterminded strategies though it has many masterminds. They all seem to be working for Sonia Gandhi rather than India.

On Iran’s issue, India could have supported a pipeline deal, though not commenting on the Iran’s nuclear stand like China does. Or it could have played double with riders which it does not have. This displays the weakness of India’s two-ladder system whereby many Asian tigers have only one. The inability since independence to follow a uni-ladder system has done many damages already. India should learn from China, how it single-handedly turned itself into an empire keeping it’s uni-ladder theory intact and now plays with America on its own terms and supports many viewpoints of Russia. I’m not saying that the other block is Russia maybe it is the China itself. But, right now the country having most energy resources is Russia and most economic might is America. China is still midway but India is unable to discover its own position. India should stop acting like women (as in the Ladder Theory) and be focused to decide its parameters for the one ladder since it beholds the future of more than one billion inside and many more outside. Iran’s issue can change many perceptions about India’s decisiveness on the key world issues.

377 Effect

2009-07-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

The gay rights being not illegal and channels spurring hot debates over abolition of Article 377 has captured the attention of community in a prodigious way. The debates are concentrating on three main aspects i.e. the article itself, the effect on society and the religious angle.

The article was derived from British saying that gay practices are against nature and its laws. But the petition filed might have been strong enough to convince the judiciary to change the Constitution. Moreover, many scientific researches have shown that it is natural and depends upon hormonal secretion rather than a personal decision or out of frustration. If so natural why the uproar? Actually, there have been very few cases reported under this act in the last few decades. So whats the big change? They have not been encouraged, they have been censured from going to jail for getting involved in gay practices in bed. Well, who can see that? None.

Though the abolition may mean scrapping of the article as a victory to many. But, can the doing away of the article in Constitution change the perception of society towards the practices? The Indian orthodox still feel that it will ruin the society and it will have bad effects on the society as a whole. It is quite similar to the typical Indian mentality that most of educated adults support the decision of Supreme Court (like they endorse Mahatma Gandhi and APJ Abdul Kalam). But few want their children to be like them or turn out to be like them. Who wants? Well, few precautionary measures might have been listed by the Educated Ladies Association which persists in every locality.

Do check whether your child goes out with opposite sex or not. If not make him go. Especially the weaker sex as its number is more. This is going to be a treat for straight children.
Do not let your child go out with friends at night if all are of same sex.
Watch out whether your son plays with boys only. If yes, consult doctor at the earliest. Ask Baba Ramdev for the treatment as he showed particular sympathy for the affected community.

And many more steps will ensure that the perceived phenomenon of gayism is precluded and nipped at the bud. But alas! It is natural and what can Baba Ramdev do about it who carries the torch of nature himself?

The people who can be found on TV debates opposing the practice openly are representatives of religion who say that it will make society unnatural. Imagine a Sardarji going to office and another Sardarji carrying a baby giving him a good bye kiss. It might be very natural for both of them but surely most of us are not ready to experience the rapid change in this rapid digital age. It is said that Indians are quite adaptive to changes and rather they follow changes very closely. Well, God forbid if this is the next change. I am still not ready. The Act has initiated a change of opinion and we all support the decision because it is unwise to go against nature and science. But I would still like it to be a secret change and not visible enough. The religion has never stopped any such practice rather Pagans are known to have supported it at one point of time. Also, Hindus' sutra has a mention of the homo-acts. So what can RSS or VHP do? Can it beat up two boys going down the lane and talking heartedly? No. Maybe Muslims have to rectify their constitution for mutiple marriages with men/women or both. Whatever it may be, we have to adapt to the change.

What is happening to the advertisements and programmes?

2009-07-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

In these early post-recession times, Television is being used by corporates in a useful and amicable way to occupy the mind of consumers early until the consumption reaches the pre-recession levels. There are a couple of good advertisements like Airtel (as always), Center Fresh, Cadbury Shots, etc. These truly create the emotion to attach with the brand. Whereas, there are a couple of bad advertisements and unwanted TV programmes discussed below.

If you switch on TV, on 30% of the news channels you would see some fruitful discussions going on. While the others have lost the purpose of brodcasting a news channels because most of times you would see comedy channels, irrelevant masala, idiotic human faces to unscrupulous news, etc. Prominent channels among the masala types are India TV (complete 'newsance'), Aaj Tak (Well, we have been waiting since ages for a credible news. 'Intzaar karna padega naa jaane kab taak'), etc. When you watch Shireen Bhan talking on CNBC-TV18, you can feel the news and the discussion. Similar is with Zee Business, Times Now, UTV News and NDTV. Though, they need documentaries to fill the irrelevant spaces which they fill with better material than their counterpart so called highest rated News Channels like India TV.

The number of serials is uncountable and the drama unbearable. It looks as if the actresses take bathe in Loreal make-up kits before coming to shoot. The recent uproar is about the Swayamvar of Rakhi. I think it would have been a better idea if we had a swayamvar for APJ than the bitch who knows nothing except dance. And dancing is what her counterparts would do after the marriage. The drama is unbearable and the respect she is getting is disproportionate w.r.t. her status in Film Industry. India has thousands of beautiful ladies to be married and are well qualified than Rakhi. The TV producers could have done something about them like the simplymarry.com guy did.

The advertisements earlier had three parameter to instigate the consumer to buy the product. Firstly, creating an emotive attachment to the brand by using a star or a sign which relates to the brand like Coca Cola, Hutch and Airtel ads. Secondly, a value proposition ad which relays a great value for money like Nokia flashlight phone ad. Thirdly, the exploitation of sexual desire to sell their product which is both unethical and illogical. It is hard to believe that Mankind cannot sell its condoms without display of vulgarism. The desire is being mixed with love. Well, no one needs condoms to display love (Pehli Nazaar mein stuff). The connect is never there. The deo ads are better as the sense of smell has always been connected to the desire but Axe-chocolate has a very subtle way of selling off than many other brands. Close up has forgot to or does not have the money to hire good marketing consultants because no one expected it to use the fresh smell connection to the desire. Its getting bizzarre and more traumatising to see the logic being swept away under cheap publicity of brands. These ads de-grow a brand rather than giving an impetus.
We need ads and programmes which stress on logical connection to human behavior as most of India would not realise what is happening.

Energy Efficiency: A Foul Concept?

2009-07-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Energy Efficiency is an economic concept ans is defined as the energy units (in Kilogram equivalent of oil) required to generate a dollar of GDP. India is among the countries which are moderately energy efficient but having low productivity. The ideal case being high productivity and high energy efficiency, no country on the earth is in the ideal category. Even highly productive countries like America and fall in the energy inefficient category. But countries near to the ideal zone are Hong Kong, Switzerland and Austria. These are moderately energy efficient and highly productive countries.

Given the background India has an energy efficiency of 0.16 as of now as compared to 0.17 in 1991. This does not mean that the energy efficiency has decreased since the energy units required to generate 1 dollar GDP have decreased. Now that looks like an achievement. Wrong. Where's the dollar value w.r.t. inflation? Nowhere. The dollar of GDP has a lesser value today than in 1991. The dollar of 1991 was 2.4 times the value of dollar today taking average rate of inflation as 5%. This means India requires approximately 0.36 units of energy if I make a comparative study w.r.t. the year 1991. This makes India a highly energy inefficient country.

Energy efficiency is not a comparative concept but an absolute one. So if some fool tries to explain that look how India is growing as an energy efficient country, tell him that we are more or less still there only. We need a strong Energy Efficiency Policy and a regulatory framework which uses new technology to induce Demand Side Management (DSM) because the negawatt(Negative watt) achieved after using new technologies in industry and homes is far cheaper than the new watt generated at the power plant.

There is another paradox attached to the energy efficiency. Suppose Pappu buys a bike and since Pappu cares for the environment, he bought one with a good mileage. The bike was usually used for running 2 miles a day but since it is energy efficient, Pappu like to drive more thereby using more energy. The confusion surfaces when you confuse the extra consumption with the demand axed. Actually, if the extra mile driven contributes anything to the economy, it does not matter. Conversely, if Pappu is one among those who is driving after girls, he is neither adding anything to economy nor any value to himself, in that case, the efficient technology is making no contribution to the economy even though the perceived fuel use is less. The people who do not understand the difference call it the rebound effect that the extra consumption used by Pappu has rebounded.

Anyway, micro-level use of energy has a combined effect on the economy. And new DSM measures can make a lot of difference.

Outsourcing V/s Backward Integration

2009-06-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Outsourcing is a mantra today for development of business and it has definitely eased the nerves of the business heads. nowadays, the person who buys a photocopy machine for his office is called a fool and should be called so because the cost intensive industries needs less head breaking and more structuring. Outsourcing lets that happen and keep the operations' guys happy.

Backward Integration on the other hand is a buzzword attached to the most respected entrepreneur of the millennium - Dhirubhai Ambani. Reliance Industries integrated back to Petrochemicals, getting key material for its Rayon Business, and was immensely successful. Well now is he an exceptional fool or a magician?

Let us see. How did he do the magic then? Well, suppose, the office guy has a demand of 100 photocopies per day and to meet the demand, he wants to buy the machine. But he learns the nearby Pappu xerox-wala meets a daily demand of 1000 copies from nearby offices. He thinks that with the businesses growing, it will increase and Pappu is the only one in hte market to meet the demand. Using his clairvoyance, he bought two xerox machines and hired a guy. Now, he was in direct competition with Pappu and he had another business too which runs well with the photocopy machine around. He could keep costs lower than Pappu and he became an outsourcing centre.

Similarly, Mr. Ambani got a license for 25000 tpa when market requirement was only 15000 tpa. But he outsourced thereby keeping his main business running and getting raw material at very low costs. Magic was outsourcing and not backward integration. So next time you guys want to keep a non-core operation to your hearts, either outsource it or start an outsourcing centre.