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Know your Sonia Article

2009-04-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article titled 'Know your Sonia'. It is about Sonia Gandhi, Leader of India's Congress party and Leader of Opposition in the Indian Parliament. The article is supposed to be written by politician/economist Dr. Subramanian Swamy. I am not sure about the authenticity/veracity of the article or the source. I found the article in the following blog post. Some of the allegations about Sonia Gandhi are grave and deeply concerning. In a nutshell, the main claims in the article were :-

1)Her real name is Antonia - not Sonia. (I think Jayalalitha revealed this in a public address during her spat with Sonia Gandhi. I wish I could remember when this happened). Her dad's name is Stefano Maino.

2)She has lied about her place of birth in her bio data submitted to Parliament when she became a MP - allegedly to cover up her family's ties to Nazi-fascist underground networks.

3)She lied about her education when she ran for Rae Bareli's Lok Sabha Elections.

4)The Mainos(again her original family name) minted millions of dollars by smuggling Indian goods/antiques through Air India and Al Italia from New Delhi and Chennai International Airports.

5)The Mainos have connection with terrorists(in Palestine, with LTTE!) and espionage organizations (KGB due to her dad's background)

Note that if either 2) or 3) is true, she can be prevented from holding office. 4) is despicable 5) is alarming.

I am going to do some more research on this as I am horrified by these claims. If you have any info/links to articles about this topic, please comment/share it with me.

Of Chaddis and Condoms

2009-02-13T12:15:00.000-08:00

I have witnessed many valentine's day and many many protests for the same. The Shivsena activists breaking shops, destroying greeting cards all in the name of protecting Indian culture.Never have I taken them seriously nor have met peopple who took them seriously.
They were very easily branded as "jobless youths" who were lured in to performing such violent acts because of poverty or some misguided sense of loyalty.

Never have I felt such a personal rage like i do this year though. It is because moral policing has gone up a whole new level in India. What used to be a country with peaceful demonstrations to show their dissent has now become a goonda infiltrated one.
The Mangalore incident needless to say shook me. How can people who claim to be "Guardians of Indian culture" beat up women and molest them? Is that what the culture tells us? Do these people realize that news in one corner of India is accessible to people in North Dakota in United States. This is what people think of our culture. Uneducated, uncouth people from a third world nation. If that does not embarrass I don't know what will.

What is beyond all this is the fact that the man behind all this actually goes on record and says " When we are on a mission, these things happen". I am sorry if I fail to understand this statement. Does it mean when you are on a mission to get people out of a pub, some women will be molested. Interesting point. I guess a couple of people should try to oust a Ram Sena meeting and in the process beat up people and molest some women there and say" Hey don't blame us, this is what happens when we are on a mission".

One of the reasons why i supported the pink chaddi campaign was because its sole purpose or so it seemed to me was to insult the Ram Sena. i do not see what is so blasphemous about it. These people act all sacred and poius when they do despicable acts like beating up women. So sending them panties seemed a good retort. A punch in the face.Thats the only reason I joined it. To end with moral policing. To insult them.

If pink chaddis came up , can pink condoms be far behind. There was this other campaign that came up whose sole purpose was to demean the pink chaddi campaign. Now for the record I want it noted that I have no problems with the pink condom campaign simply because I think its a democratic way of saying " I don't approve of the pink chaddi campaign". In fact I appreciate them for taking a non violent stand.
But what I have a problem with is the whole religionising the issue. When I read the blog of the pink condom, what irked me was how the founders have made the "Pink Chaddi Campaign" a non Hindu one. Are we so religion obsessed that we cannot look beyond it. Does everything have to have a safforn, green color attached to it. Cant we look beyond them? Cant we ever look at white? Just because a person has a Chiristian name in the campaign, does it mean it has to be anti-hindu? It is religion that is keeping us apart, that is letting goons like Ram Sena to perform atrocities in the name of religion.

Does anyone realize the irony in all this! They call themselves Ram Sena!

Hey Ram!

Fairness Creams and Racism

2009-02-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Today I was reading a news item on The Mint on the Indian advertisment watchdog ASCI - Advertising Standards Council of India pulling up Procter & Gamble for making tall claims in an ad for one of its skin care products. It sent me thinking about all those fairness creams ads that we have been seeing for a long time and the kind of claims that they make. It is not really new for marketing companies to make tall claims about their products. I am quite surprised that the ASCI has suddenly acquired an increased awareness for such advertisments ! Couple this with fairness creams becoming the new obsession with the honourable Health Minister Mr.Anbumani Ramadoss and probably things fall into place

But , the ASCI or Ramadoss is not what prompted to write this piece. It is the very obsession of the general Indian public with "fairness" and this undying quest for a fairer skin. Don't you think the very idea of using a fairness cream is inherently racist. I definitely thinks so and to find out if someone else had already written about this before I blogged the title of our blog on google and found this

http://www.indianeye.org/tag/fairness-creams/

About a year back Arun Nair has actually written about the same thing that I wanted to write about now. I am really surprised that in all this time I have never looked at it from such a perspective. All along , I ve just felt trying to become fair is indeed a "fair aspiration" to have. But when you go a little further and really think about the underpinnings of this aspiration you do find that fairness is now a symbol of beauty , a quality to possess , so much so that if you are dark skinned you are made to feel inadequate and the first thing that you want to do is go to the nearest store and buy one of the fairness creams to tone down the melanine in your skin. Fairness , as a higher attribute , is now firmly entrenched as part of our culture. Could this be because we were ruled for two centuries by white skinned men ? I am not too sure !

Arun Nair's article says everything that I had wanted to say . To avoid the redundancy I would stop the post here.

It pains me to think that we are not proud of the attributes showered on us by nature. Instead we seek to become something we just not are simply because the society associates a higher value to it !

Shame on the blogger community !

2009-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Shame on us bloggers !

When Mumbai's Leopold Cafe faces Terror attacks we hold candle light vigils . When Barkha Dutt sues a fellow Blogger , we are angry and all over the place. But where were we when those innocent children lost the opportunity to see the world simply because they were born in a Government Hospital in Punjab that displayed indifference to safety precautions ? I just searched for the number of blogger entries on this incident and couldnt find many. But search for Barkha Dutt and look at the number of entries ! Its staggering !

This is not the first time things like this are happening in Government Hospitals in India. Numerous incidents have occured . Ministers have resigned. Enquiries Ordered . FIRs filed . Cases investigated and then closed. So what was the outcome ? Nothing ! The conditions are just the same as they have been eons ago.

Did you know that India spends 5% of its GDP on health care ? Did you also know that only 0.5% of this 5% is actually spent by the Government on health care ? The remaining 4.5% comes from private spending ? Did you know that health spending is the largest cause of rural indebtedness !

Alas ! Why would we strive to know ? We aren't bothered ! If the same incident had occured at probably Apollo Hospitals , I am sure the reaction would have been very different . You know why ? Cause that hits us right at our heads . It is our symbol of health care . Not that of the aam Aadmi of India.

Shekhar Gupta , the senior editor of the Indian Express was so right after all ! When he wrote that the Mumbai public reacted the way in which they reacted only because the terrorists chose the very symbols of luxury , of the upper class , of Mumbai ! He was heavily criticized for his comments in the editorial of the Indian Express. But , I think what he says is true. We are so selfish we are not bothered until we feel the pinch of the problem !

And you talk about Freedom of Press ?? Where is the Right to Life , my friends ??

Is the End Of LTTE near?

2009-01-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest news that has been on all the news channels and web sites for a while now is the island nation Srilanka. The small nation has been facing troubles which have in no way been proportional to its size. In many ways, Srilanka has been facing terrorist acts since late 1970's since the LTTE started and won the support of the other rebel associations. The amount of public outcry non humanitarian acts seem to be directly proportional to the country's economic status and the scale of the ghastly acts. I could quote a few incidents like 9/11, LTTE's 1984 dollar farm attacks and countless other attacks in 1980's that brutally killed civilians.I however stop the list here as I run the risk of covering an entire blog post.

SriLanka has had a tumultous history with its terrorist organization. They tried everything, retaliating, cease fire and now are back to retaliating and it looks like they are gaining grounds.The whole scenario made me wonder and I came up with a few important questions which both the SriLankan govt and LTTE should think about? Or lets say the people who support the govt and the people who support LTTE.

1. Retrospect

Should this not be the first step the two parties take? LTTE should go back to thier goals and ideals and stop feeding its power crazy gloated leaders.
The organization started with a good goal but a bad means of achieving it. The typical means justifies the end argument there. However it is not quite justifies cause that means is a terrible failure, just how every act of terrorism is like, a failure. Though the LTTE literally ran a pseudo government in the norther areas of Srilanka, filled with banks and police station, their mind was in the wrong place. "You killed me, I will kill you back" philosophy has never worked in history, maybe movies but never in reality. Maybe the LTTE should realize that this could only end up being a long long long war and their demands could never face the light at the end of what seems to be a pitch dark tunnel.

The goverment needs to retrospect big time too. It would be grossly unfair to make them the victims. Because the government had caused much attrocities especially to the tamil inhabitants which led a few youngsters get all flustered and seethe with revenge. The government was truly opressing one of thier minorities ans they blinded by what i can call stupidity to not expect some kind of uprising.

2. What do " we " want?
This is again what the two organization i feel should ponder and rather deeply. Why did this all start? What have we achieved?

Did the LTTE get all thier demands answered through the ruthless killings of thousands of innocent civilians who did not have it in thier power to grant them a seperate state?

Did the Srilankan government get rid of all the tamils and create a country where one could sleep peacefully at night not worried sick whether he will wake up in his bed or in the heaven up above?

3.The classic " dialouge Vs destruction" route
Again both organizations need to decide for themselves if blood shed is thier answer to troubles or dialouge. Since bloodshed has not seemed to help much the past 30 years, I would assume that if they are as intelligent as they claim to be, they would look at the other option

4. Let go

As hard as it is for any victim to let go, maybe at some level the people involved need to let go of all the past. As hard as it may sound, one way to look at it might be to think of repercussions. To think of anyone is going to benifit from these various revenge activities. Its not easy, but maybe peace is a high price to pay.

However with the current scenario it seems like a good possibility that the LTTE might fall. However instead of gloating in victory, the government needs to take some serious recuperating actions in order to prevent other similar organization from cropping up. Take up the tamil issue seriously and work something out. No compromise does not always work. I do not suggest the government to accept for a separate state . But I think, they should seriously consider some of the other humanitarian demands like entry to public schools, colleges etc. Atleast accept them as citizens.The singhalese majority follows Buddhism! Bhuddism! I rest my case here.

The same goes to rebel organizations about to sprout. Think twice about going on a killing spree again. Is all the blood shed going to be worthwhile so that one or two of the leaders can feed thier overgrowing ego's!

The beauty of the above questions is that, they are universally applicable, I hope Israel , Palestine, India, Pakistan, United States, China and maybe every other fighting nation attempts some soul searching through these questions.

An outspoken terrorist and asian politics

2008-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

Statutory warning/Disclaimer: In this post, I ask a few questions about recent events in India. Some questions are based on serious issues, some represent my curiosity. Though written in a lighter vein, I think some of the questions are important. Please share your thoughts!

Kasab the outspoken terrorist
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only terrorist to be captured alive during the Mumbai attacks seems to be quite a talker. Ever since his capture, the Indian media has been releasing hot-news(aka claims to evidence linking terrorists to pakistan) by the nanosecond. And a lot of this seems to be based on confessions from Kasab. Now I thought terrorists and spies tried their best to keep mum.. Not Mr. Kasab! He seems to enjoy making revelations about plots and strategies. Hmmmmm, something doesn't add up here...

Shoo US!
a)How can a country which screwed up so badly in Asia(think Iraq/Afghanistan) be a moral police in Ind-Pak relations? Sorry Mr. Bush, I think we have enough rice in India.. We don't need Condi to deal with Pak.
b)This is a serious one. What is the end goal of US when it comes to relations with India and Pakistan? What are the factors that have led to changes in the Indo-US relationship over the years? What is the need for India to befriend US? What is the reason for US to support India's causes?

Here are my thoughts on these issues.. In the past, on various issues of dispute, India has always had Russia on its side, while Pakistan has had US on its side. US had a vested need when it came to Pakistan. Pak provided the route to battle the soviets in afghanistan. Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't it the US gov that provided the al-quaeda and a lot of other mujahideens with various forms of support/arms to battle the Soviets?

The collapse of the Soviet union and the emergence of China as an economic power has probably given the US a reason to change its strategy. US needs a strong India to counter China's rising dominance(?).

No one is a saint and both countries(US and Ind) probably realize the economic importance of having a symbiotic relation. A lot of people say that India should exercise extreme caution when it comes to dealing with China. I would think, that the same amount of caution is needed while dealing with the US.

Stop Fighting India and Pak!
I know its extremely hard to forget past wounds. The word trust has possibly lost its meaning in the relation between India and Pak. But why don't Indian and Pakistani governments(which do come into power once in a while) realize that their unity is a zillion times more beneficial in the long term than sucking up to western powers or winning national elections.

The common enemy?
Who funds the terrorists today? No seriously. Where does the money come from? Who benefits maximum from terrorism? I am trying to think like a conspiracy theorist here. There must be some other entity which carries out attacks(I am not talking about RAW or ISI!) and stands to gain from a deteriorating Ind-Pak relation. Who could it be?

Indian Media: We Can't keep a secret!
In other countries, the police, the army and secret services try their best to hide their moves from the enemy. They carry on their investigation covertly without leaving any tracks. They are extremely wary of internal leaks. Not in India! The Indian media provides live broadcasts of the progress made by the Indian police, armed forces, the navy and apparently even the National Security Guard during investigations ; Directly from the scene of action. Every decision, strategic action is announced to the world instantaneously. Lucky terrorists, no need to resort to bugs and double agents! Now, that does take me back to my conspiracy theory about who benefits from terrorism; After all, who gets increased viewership during such attacks? Wink Wink! :)

Who will stop the all powerful BCCI?

2008-11-30T02:12:00.000-08:00

The English and Australian cricket boards dominated the world cricket scene for a long time. In the last two decades, things have changed; the roles have been reversed. The Asian-bloc has become extremely powerful and the situation is such that the ICC can make no significant decision without the blessings of the boards from the Asian countries. With its growing economy and hunger for cricket, India has become the leader of the Asian bloc and home of modern international cricket. With such power and success comes great responsibility. However, the BCCI has not played the role of a responsible leader.

Indian cricket seems to have subconsciously inherited some attributes from its cricket board. In yesteryears, Indian cricketers were renowned for their impeccable on-field behavior. They did not shout, they did not sledge, they did not abuse. Wristy-shots, superb timing and magical spin-bowling did all the talking. In contrast, today's cricketers are not afraid to show aggression and do not shy away from a fight. On one or two occasions, they have been guilty of despicable on-field behavior(Harbhajan and Gambhir are recent examples). But this article is not about the behavior of Indian cricketers; it is about the superciliatory behavior of their caretaker - the Board of Cricket Control in India, in recent times. Fresh in mind are the BCCI's reactions to some admittedly poor umpiring decisions in recent clashes between the Indian and Australian teams and its (lack of) respect and commitment towards the Future Tour Program and cricketing schedules of other countries. However, the most damning reflection of the BCCI's attitude and power has been its successful and monopolistic oppression of the Indian Cricket League. [Latest Update :- Lalit Modi's incredibly insensitive comments about Being Sidelined after the Mumbai attacks(http://usa.cricinfo.com/indveng/content/current/story/380088.html) is probably another close contender to the top spot - but in my defense, this article was written before that]

Despite all the bullying and big-brother attitude from the BCCI, the fact that ICL has been able to get on its feet and run two tournaments within two years is astounding. It is a testament to the demand for Twenty-Twenty Cricket in India and the organizational/marketing skills of the ICL management. It amazes me that such little attention is given to ICL by mainstream media(in India and abroad). Did you know that ICL had its own website - http://www.indiancricketleague.in. I did not!

Why is no one standing up to BCCI's arrogance? Why is no one questioning its abuse of power? Other cricket boards and the International Cricket Council seem to be quite content as long as they get a share of the pie. I won't complain about the ICC - they are weak and pointless. I think the blame lies with us - the Indian cricketers, the Indian media and the Indian cricket fans . Are we turning a blind eye, because we think of this as some sort of redemption? Or do we think it is not patriotic to question our own board's policies?

First and foremost, I am disappointed with senior Indian cricketers. I am surprised that senior statesmen like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble and Laxman are not questioning the board on their ICL policy. Aren't some ICL cricketers their ex-team mates? And surely, they do not want prodigious young talent from the ICL to be prevented from reaching the higher levels of international cricket? With decades of experience and massive fan-follwing, why are they being silent? What about retired cricketers like Shastri, Gavaskar and Manjrekar who have direct access to media? Do they not care about young Indian cricketers? Are they indifferent because so many kids play cricket in India, and the fact that a few are playing in a rebel league doesn't matter?

Second, the Indian media is probably the biggest culprit given its influence and reach. The difference in media coverage between the IPL and the ICL says it all. IPL news occupies entire pages on national newspapers, while ICL is lucky to get a small column. Isn't there a big moral and legal issue here? How was BCCI able to prevent ICL cricketeres from entering cricket grounds? How did the BCCI prevent ICL cricketers(even those from other countries) from playing international cricket or even other Twenty Twenty leagues? In today's world, cricket is a profession and all cricketers including ICL cricketers are professionals. What gives BCCI the ability to prevent other organizations and entities from seeking the services of these cricketers? The same media that celebrates our democracy, our secularism and all those wonderful ideals just watches with folded hands, when the biggest sport in the country is being monopolized using unfair practices. It has failed in its duty by not questioning the autocratic self-serving practices of the BCCI. The Indian media is probably the only thing that can affect the BCCI, but sadly it chooses to focus on national selection issues, team-squabbles, bollywood escapades of cricketers and other similar 'interesting' news.

Third, as Indian cricket fans, we are also culpable. We have failed to question our board's actions and policies. In my humble opinion, the average Indian fan tends to take cricket too personally. We need to be open-minded and objective when it comes to critical issues. We can still be passionate fans, but without being rabid nationalists. We have not been vocal in criticizing the BCCI.

I am not trying to defend Twenty Twenty or dethrone test-cricket. I am just questioning the monopolistic behavior of the Indian cricket board. I am questioning the inaction from senior Indian cricketers, the media and Indian cricket fans. A wise man once said, 'Power corrupts and Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely'. It seems to be true at least as far as cricket goes.

Counter-terrorism and security measures anyone?

2008-11-27T01:27:00.000-08:00

I am just reading about the mumbai attacks and I am really sad. Almost hundred people dead and many injured.. I cannot believe that this is happening. May be I am missing my facts here...
How easy is it to target a city, especially the financial capital of India? Mumbai, which has borne the brunt of many terrorist attacks now, will as usual be quick to get back on its feet.

Are we learning from past attacks? Are we doing everything we can to prevent such attacks? Are we equipping our police departments to handle such attacks in the future?

Our government has to learn from the West and start taking more proactive measures. It is not enough to beef up security after the blast. Most of us forget about the blasts within a few weeks. I pause for a moment and think about that. Terror attacks have become so common place in our country, that we accept it and move on very quickly. That is a sad indictment of the state of affairs in our country.

ted.com for inspiration

2008-11-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an initiative with a goal of 'Sharing ideas that are worth spreading'. Their website (www.ted.com) has a growing collection of inspiring lectures/talks/performances from pioneers in various fields. Check it out if you haven't already and be inspired!

Some of my favorite talks so far:-
1) vijayanur ramachandran's talk about the significance of the angular gyrus in brain

2) rodney brooks on how robots will invade our lives

3) graham hawkes on deep sea navigation

Law and (No) Order

2008-11-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

There is a certain expectation in the society when we talk about certain professions.
A doctor, or an engineer or a lawyer commands the highest respect in the Indian society, mostly in that order. The Indian community puts the well educated in a very high pedestal, probably because much of the country's junta still struggles to put their children through primary education. With such high respect needless to say there goes an expected behavior. We expect these people to be professional, ethical, honest. Well we just expect them to be decent human beings. That is why if you ever hear a scam involving these people, we all go like " Gosh, he was a doctor, can you believe this?"

If you looked at the riot or the mayhem in Chennai Law college, you would change your definition of professional education. It was downright shocking to see students, probably 20 year old indulging in such maniacal acts. 10-20 people beating a single guy to pulp is not something you assosiate with a college, let alone Law college. The irony screams out aloud hoping for some attention.

The reason behind the whole scene would shock you even more. Why all the inhumane acts. "Oh, one section forgot to include Ambedkar's name in a poster". Did anyone go "holy cow, how can anyone do that?". I certainly did not. In a poster! Seriously! And hence the students go around like mad guys beating helpless guys. I find it difficult to breathe for a second when I hear this. So the basis of all this dastardly acts is caste. I am sorry if i dont understand, but did you guys who got involved in this act not attend school when they taught you about secularism. Lawyers like doctors and engineers are probably the highest educated strata of the India society. Is this how an educated class behaves. If so, what purpose is that education to these fellas. A rag picker who respects others is better don't you think so.

Everyone in India who saw that video knows that this was just not a student agitation. It obviously had some political backing to it. What else would explain the police standing there like dolls adorning the living room of a house refusing to take any action. They had people going up to them begging them to take some action, but our very own guardians of law and order stood there, happy to be the onlookers, obviously on order to not do anything. It was a mockery, a travesty of our law and order system.

What next? There will be murder on the streets and maybe the police will join too!

Education with a difference !

2008-11-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

In all our cynicism for the government in India we sometimes fail to see a few good schemes that have made a difference to the lives of people . Very often than not , we are victims of the media and we see the country only through its lens . I am no exception to that rule ! Fortunately , I take a class on Indian Economic Policy with two eminent professors here at NUS who happen to know this other side of India , inside out . On of their classes on the Indian Education System , I was told about the Education Guarantee Scheme ( EGS ) in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India.

The EGS is special in that the impetus for education does not come for the government anymore. Instead , it comes from the people. This is what my professor calls self-selection , a new concept that has caught on with many schemes now including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

So what is self-selection ? It simply means that the government will not conduct surveys to guage the demand for a service anymore. Instead the people will come to the government demanding the service and showing reason for why the demand is justified. The case of the EGS should demonstrate it better .

Under the EGS , the community that has decided that it needs the school will first bring together the students who need education , identify a local resident who can become a gurji/teacher , provide a startup space for the school . They will then approach the Panchayat who will appoint the teacher and refer the case to the government . The government will now participate in the process by providing training for the teacher , paying his salary , providing teaching an learning material for the students and monitor quality peridoically .

For those of you who think that this model will never work , here are some statistics for you cause I know your love for numbers and proof . This is from 2002 Planning Commission report .
There was a 20.2% increase in literacy from 44.2% in 1991 to 64.4% in 2001 and the scheme was implemented only in 1998 ! This is undoubtedly a success story .

To those of you wishing to contribute to this cause

http://www.fundaschool.org/jsa.html

Tamilnadu and Cinema !

2008-11-13T04:20:00.000-08:00

Theories on political mobilization talk of how political actors garner support for themselves by playing on the identities of the people . Some , use racial identities . Others use language , religion , geography and many more ! I want to add one more to their exhaustive list . The identities that cinema stars create for themselves in the minds of the people. Tamilnadu is one classic example of how this has been done repeatedly and with stupendous success. There have been other cases all over India ( N.T.Ramarao , Rajkumar , Shathrughan Sinha , Govinda) and even elsewhere in the world . Why , even the United States was not spared ( Remember President Reagan ?? ) But , in Tamilnadu , the pattern seems to be repeating itself again and again ! First it was M.Karunanidhi , then M.G.Ramachandran ( MGR ) followed by J.Jayalaltiha , then Vijakanth and now the Superstar , Rajinikanth , for the nth time , is considering jumping into the political fray !

Cinema stars in Tamilnadu have had the uncanny ability to reach out to the common man. In times , where he has lost all hope in the system , they have been able to create a virtual universe where they question the evils of the Indian system such as corruption , dishonesty , unscrupulousness of the politicians etc on his behalf . They have been able to do on screen what the "aam aadmi" has always wanted to do . Bash the baddies and create utopia where the whole world lives in harmony and happiness. In doing this , they create so much goodwill in the minds of the audience that it is tempting to assume that the stars really mean what they say on screen.
Audience, here , is not an illiterate audience that lacks the ability to discern between the good and the bad . But , an educated urban audience that seems to consciously make this choice . This makes it even more puzzling ! Just google Rajnikanth and you will be surprised to find the innumerable number of blogs that celebrate the arrival of the Superstar into politics. At one point , it is these individuals who complain about the lack of people with the right capacities in positions of importance within the state and at the other we have the same people heralding Rajni as the saviour of Tamilnadu. What they fail to realize is that the system has not changed , only the actors have changed.

Does Rajnikanth really have the political acumen that the complicated nature of Tamilnadu politics demands ? Does he really have the credentials that could support his claim for the highest office in the state ? Doe he have the experience to shoulder the immense responsibility that the position demands ? How much ever hard I try , the answer to these questions are all on the negative. But the people of Tamilnadu , in their quest for change , for the emergence of the choice between Jaya and Karunanidhi have now zeroed in on this man who has no record of any political experience and whose whims and fancies are far more unstable than that of a pampered adolescent .

My sincere to advice to Mr.Rajnikanth is to please stay away from politics . We have enough problems to think of and we don't need him adding to our woes. If he really wants to enter the political arena let him first demonstrate his competence , through other means , rather than throwing out empty promises ! Let him create institutions that show they are capable of bringing the much desired change to the administrative change that the Tamilnadu system needs. If he succeeds , we would all be more than happy to see him in office !

Advani to go to the Barrack way !

2008-11-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to look at Advaniji's website , a cool one that too !

http://www.lkadvani.in/eng/

I couldn't help notice that a lot of lessons seem to have been drawn from the Obama campaign .

Some similarities that I noticed

Campaign Donations
T-shirts Vs Advani's book
Links to videos on Youtube
Blog Vs. Forum in the Advani website.

Interestingly while the Obama website is all "blue" , the Advani website consciously avoids the "Saffron" colour . Perhaps , an indication that the BJP is trying to shed its Hindutva image knowing pretty well that the Congress is going to heavily play the secular card in the coming elections . The ISSUES category in the website has a whole section on Cultural Nationalism where a lot of attention has been paid towards projecting the secular image . Really interesting !

But sadly they seem to be openly supporting the Telangana issue , obviously , an aim at getting a huge chunk of those votes . I do not have much background on the Telangana issue yet . I need to read up on it a bit more . But , personally , the feeling that I have is that there is no need for separation into another state . Telangana , is not exactly what you would call resource-rich . It is one of the driest regions of Andhra Pradesh . So the rationale originally expressed in the Chhatisgarh , Jharkand , Uttaranchal cases does not hold good here . Andhra is not exactly as big as Bihar , UP or MP either . Why does Telangana have to secede away from Andhra then ? I need to perhaps read a bit more about it and put up a post one of these days .

Coming back to the website , the rest seems to be the usual rhetoric ! These elections are going to be a real political treat to watch . Advani has made the first step . Sonia and Prime Ministerji , are you watching ?

Right to Education soon a reality in India

2008-11-11T00:40:00.000-08:00

Here is something that I missed to take a look at in the first week of November . The Union Cabinet has cleared the Right to Education Bill in India . The Bill has been referred to the Election Commission considering a number of states are going to assembly polls in the coming days and the introduction of the Bill should not be viewed as creation of a voter bias.

The Right to Education Bill is the enabling legislation to notify the 86th constitutional amendment that gives every child between the age of six and 14 the right to free and compulsory education

Some key features of the Bill

Free and compulsory education for all children between ages 6 and 14.
25% Reservation for children from disadvantaged section in primary unaided schools meaning that the private schools should provide free education to atleast 25% of its available stength especially to those from the disadvantaged sections of the society
Reimbursement of government to any such expenditure incurred by the schools.
Prohibition of punishment and detention of students
Prohibition of screening procedures such as interviews and levy of capitation fees.

It is still unclear if the State has the resources to ensure the succesful implementation of the Bill . But if the Bill is enacted into a law by the parliament it would definitely be a landmark achievement !

A link to the actual text of the act @

http://education.nic.in/elementary/RighttoEducationBill2005.pdf

The story in the Indian Express

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Union-Cabinet-clears-Right-to-Education-Bill/380176/

Sri Lanka rejects LTTE Ceasefire offer

2008-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Sri Lankan Government has rejected a truce offer from the Tigers accusing that they are using the ceasefire as a pretext to re-arm . It is making the "laying down of arms" a prerequisite for considering a ceasefire !

http://uk.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUKCOL10511._CH_.2420

Ajay Shah' Blog

2008-11-08T02:53:00.000-08:00

Ajay Shah a leading economist from India has been blogging for quite sometime now on the financial crisis . For those interested , it is worth following :

http://ajayshahblog.blogspot.com/

The Sri Lankan ethnic conflict - Should India intervene or not ?

2008-10-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer : Views expressed in this blog are mine

Part I : Defining the problem

This week I am reading a piece by a leading scholar on Ethics in International Affairs , Terry Nardin . It is titled "The Moral Basis of Humanitarian Intervention" . It's an awesome work that can serve as a preliminary standard with which we decide on whether humanitarian intervention is required or not before we base our policy prescriptions on various other political , social and moral factors. In this article I aim to use Terry's piece as a kind of rationalist model to decide if India should intervene in the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis at this point in time as demanded by various political parties in Tamlinadu.

Before we embark on this exercise , let us first try to find out what the principle impediment to intervention could be . This is quite often cited by Sri Lanka and other political actors in the region. Sovereignity . The norm of soverignity is the the force that justifies non-intervention. Whatever happens inside Sri Lankan borders is an internal matter . Sovereignity is enshrined in the UN Charter . But so is the protection of human rights ? Here comes the providential question : Should India intervene to protect the rights of the displaced and oppresed Tamils or should it respect Sri Lanka's sovereignity and stand back idly ?

The above question has been troubling me ever since the Honorable Chief Minister Karunanidhi issued an ultimatum to the Congress Government by asking his MPs holding cabinet ministership at the centre to send post-dated resignations signaling the first step before withdrawing support for the government at the centre . It must be borne in mind that Tamilnadu has 40 members in parliament all of whom belong to the DMK party headed by Chief Minister Karunanidhi . The support of the Dravidian party is therefore necessary at least until the forthcoming elections .

As to why CM Karunanidhi supports the Tamil issue is quite obvious . He maybe a genuine sympathiser of the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka . But I suspect there could be something more.The Tamil identity has been one of the prime movers of the Dravidian movement . With the election year around , it does make sense to rally the people around a nationalist cause , isn't it ? It is simple , but powerful politics . A Tamil identity is something that every man , womand and child born in Tamlinadu shares . By portraying himself and his party as supporters of the Tamil cause , the veteran has played a perfect ploy . Vijayakanth , Vaiko and Jaya are not far behind !

Why am I talking about all this ? To build the context that the true intent of the politicians in Tamilndau does not seem to be to rally behind the Tamils at this moment of suffering for them . It seems to be far from just that . A gross politicization that has got no relevance to humanitarian consideration . But the garb of this politicization is humanitarian intervention to save the plight of the Tamils .This is what is putting the Indian centre at a fix .

How do we explain the Indian responses in this context ? Are they right ? Coming up in Part-II .. Stay tuned

Green Idea of the Day 8 - Energy Efficient bulbs

2008-07-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Compact fluorescents lamps(CFL's) emit the same light as classic incandescents but use 75% or 80% less electricity. They not only help reduce your electricity bill, but also last much longer!

The US department of energy(http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=12060) says that CFL's last upto 10 times longer than classic incandescents and use just one fourth of the energy!

Priced at less than $3, here is a product with incredible energy saving potential! It seems costly compared to the $0.50 incandescent bulb, but given its energy savings and long life, the CFL saves money in the long run!

A CFL may not give the best results with all fixtures and in all situations(bedroom/dining room/study table etc). Its important to choose the right bulb and the fixture to ensure the performance and life of a CFL.

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=609 and http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls has some tips to select energy efficient bulbs.

Green Idea of the Day 7 - Flush it Green!

2008-07-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

Yep! Toilets have turned hi-tech and eco-friendly by reducing the water used per flush.

By U.S. federal decree, new toilets must flush with no more than 1.6 gallons of water(see http://www.toiletology.com/low-flow.shtml). But several new models feature dual-flush buttons that let you opt for a mighty 1.6-gallon whoosh or a gentle .8-gallon splash. Also available are models that use less than 1.6 gallons(Flushmate IV). Next time you install a toilet, make sure you think about low consumption toilets.

Green Idea Of the Day 6- Using Cold Water Setting on Washing Machines

2008-07-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

Contributor : dhivya

Dhivya says:-

"When using the washing machine, choose the cold water setting rather than the hot water setting. This saves energy and cuts down on your bills a bit.

I actually googled this idea and found that this simple switch can cut down 80% of the energy used for laundry!"

Green Idea Of the Day 5 - Save Printer Paper!

2008-07-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

A lot of companies have recognized the importance of this and are advising employees to avoid printing emails unless necessary..
Some other simple ways to reduce Printing & the paper used are :-
a)Print only what you need - we don't need all the 20 pages of a document, if we are just going to read the first 10..
When printing for personal use you can try to avoid printing title pages - its an entire page with nothing but the title on it. We don't get any content out of it do we? :D Skipping those rarely read appendix sections can also save some pages. These are just some ideas and all of them may not apply to you. The point is - please avoid printing unnecessary pages.
b)As far as possible(especially if its for personal use) - try to take DOUBLE SIDED print outs. A whopping 50% reduction in paper usage with just one click of the mouse! Just remember to check Print Properties before clicking that "OK button"..
c)Select images wisely - Pictures are an important aid for reading but choosing them carefully not only saves paper, but also valuable printer ink!
d)Reduce Font Size - If you have no reading problems, font size 10-12 should be easy to read for you. Especially while copying content(yeah Ctrl-C Ctrl-V) from web-pages or copying content from multiple sources and printing, this can help reduce the pages needed.
e)Carrying & maintaining a small notepad/scratchpad - There are times when we want a person's name or address or things like that - we don't need to print an entire page for one line of text do we? What did people do, before the days of the printer? Thats right - they Wrote It Down! Maintaining a scratch pad is one way to do this.
A pocket scratch pad is even better and can also serve you as an organizer to remind you of things to be done for the day..
If you don't want to carry a scratch pad around, use your mobile phone to make notes. A lot of mobile phones allow you to maintain notes or atleast set reminders/alarms.

Pheww...Thats all I have for today.. Please let me know if you have more ideas to save paper or if you have any other Green ideas!

Green Idea Of the Day 4 - Avoid Plastic Bags

2008-07-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Contributor : filarial
I avoid plastic bags in super markets and when buying a limited number of items that I can carry with something called hands

Green Idea Of the Day 3 - Switch off laptops

2008-07-08T08:32:00.001-07:00

Contributor:- Dhivya

Switch off those laptops- dont just put them in standby. When leaving work, atleast switch off your monitors. Switch off the air conditioning when you leave home...

I used to live in an apartment where all utilities (including electricity were paid) so me and my roomies would never switch off anything in the house. And that's a big no-no when it comes to conserving energy.

Green Idea Of the Day II - Switch off the engines

2008-07-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Switch off the engines of your car/motor cycle when you are waiting! How many of us keep our cars/motorcycles running during those long signals? Or how about when we drop some one(kids at school, girlfriend at the mall etc) and spend a minute talking before we leave. Does the engine need to be on during the entire conversation? NO. Very easy to do isn't it? How much fuel would we save if we switched our engines off at every signal? Not much individually, but if many of us do it.... Think about it!

Green Idea Of the Day - Save 500ml of Water!

2008-06-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

What is this posting doing in this blog? If you think about it, this blog does have a lot do with Nature and the environment. A lot of pictures are about Nature - Trees, Rivers, Beaches.... Its pretty important to conserve and protect nature and each one can do their part. Each one of us is a user of nature's resources and sometimes we are guilty of abusing and wasting nature's resources. We can/should play a role in conserving them. What can we do? I have a very simple idea:- its called Green idea of the day(some one's probably thought of it before - but thats not the point!). Every day, we can think of one simple way to save energy, water, or any other natural resource. And your blog will tell the rest of the world what your GREEN IDEA of the day is! Isn't it wonderful?

I'm going to start this off with a very simple idea- I hope that lots of people will participate in it! My Green Idea for today is save 1/2 litre(500 ml or 1/8th gallon) of water!
I see myself wasting water while washing a dish, or cleaning some soiled item or even filling up my bottle of water on my way to the gym! I can definitely save at least 500 ml of water a day! It may seem small but imagine how much water we could save if everyone you know saves 500 ml! Thats the power of unity.

The SINGLE most important part is implementation- You really need to do your 'Green Idea of the Day'. It could be the same thing every day or it could be a different thing every day. Whatever it is, please do it everyday(i'm very eager to know your green idea of the day is - please reply to this post and tell me!)
I'm sure there would be tons of wonderful websites on the internet with ideas on how to conserve and what you can do in your daily life to help - but we don't spend time reading them or visiting them. Blogging is a powerful medium! you CAN DO THIS EVERYDAY and tell all your friends about it.

Now here's what I think you could do to get this project rolling!
a)Start doing your 'Green Idea of the Day' today. Feel free to borrow ideas of others(acknowledge them for their idea!)as this is a common cause!.
b)An even better thing would be to come up with your VERY OWN 'Green idea of the day' and posting it on your blog. Again, I'm very very eager to know what your 'Green idea of the day' is. Please let me know and I will definitely link to it.
c)Tell all your friends about it!

I hope to hear soon from you about your green idea!