Lokpal Bill - Some Questions

While all of us love indulging in bashing the Govt (and I agree this is not a government known for its squeaky clean reputation) before we start with the brickbats, maybe we must put aside the media hoopla, and listen to both the sides.

While I have a great deal of respect for Anna Hazare, I strongly believe that a parallel structure to the govt would be susceptible to the same weaknesses that plague bureaucracy and the current political structure. There was a very strong justification for separating the judiciary, the legislative and the executive. Decentralization of power was important and central to the constitution, and holds true even today. A simple hark back to the days of the emergency will remind us that it is essential in a democracy that absolute power be held by no one.

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

As the saying goes, who will guard the guards. Where do you get these super-honest people from? How does a body like that get elected? What incentive is there for a Lokayukta to not accept bribes, especially when he isn't accountable to anyone? How can we assume that quid pro quos and power broking would not affect this institution. And if it does, should we be creating such a supra-national body with such far and wide reaching powers but no checks on itself?

What do you do if the Lokpal and Lokayukta office itself is plagued by corruption? Who takes charge then?

Another valid question raised by Mr Sibal, and I agree with him on this point, is, should a Lokpal be investigating corruption charges against, say a postman, or a telecom engineer who doesn't clear files for an applicant form a distant village? Should that really be under the purview of a Lokayukta? Shouldn't we look at structural and technological reforms in how government departments work? Shouldn't there be an effective ombudsman at the district level for each government department? The reason someone has to pay a bribe to get a file moved to the next table is bureaucratic inefficiencies. If this process was done online, would it not be more transparent and efficient? This Ombudsman office has already been instituted in Banking and Insurance sectors. Pardon my limited knowledge, I still think technology can be a big enabler in removing these inefficiencies.

While all these points are open to debate and criticism, all I am saying is, listen to both the sides before you jump to conclusions. No newspaper carried the details behind the reasons for the drafting panel's objections, while Barkha Dutt's interview( http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-buck-stops-here/pm-can-be-probed-after-he-quits-kapil-sibal/202945 ) has been in the public domain for 2 days now. Maybe coz its not as sensational as a yogi escaping a police lathi charge in women's attire.

RE : The Other India

Well, this post started off more as a comment on a friends blog post. but then it grew so long, I though I might as well post it up here. Its been pretty long since I blogged, and the cobwebs are yet to be dusted, but here goes.

This is my friends post http://tan-wanderlust.blogspot.com/2009/10/other-india.html

Tanmay, A pretty nice question. And you could see the frustration of having gone through the grind of a non IIT college there.

And Nadu... wise words as always.

Having recently joined the corporate world, let me put my two cents are in. Firstly, there's a reason why something is called a brand - It has proved itself repeatedly over time. So, probably therein lies a part of the answer.

And while you do feel the angst right now, always remember, life does not end at JEE, at your engg placements, at CAT. There always an opportunity to make up. At the end of it all, you will probably realise that the people who succeed, do so not because they graduated from IIT, but because they had spirit in them to go a step further than the rest of the crowd.

Like Nadu said, if you have it in you, you will make it. The industry does not care where you are from , as long as you perform, In a sense, its survival of the fittest.

Vikramaditya posted

"In India , the competition compels the junta to believe that "admission tests" measure ur mettle ....
at other places, it is what you do after getting "admitted" and passing out that matters...."

Well, not true. You feel that right now, coz thats where you are and thats what you can see. Your parents' friends probably compare their kids who went to IIT to you, and you fell its all wrong.

But what really matters is "what you do after getting "admitted" and passing out"

Yup, it does. even in India. It really really does.

And its sad if parents cant see beyond JEE, if they dont have enough faith in their child's ability that they have to measure success in life through the reference of an entrance exam at an age that's probably one fifth of the rest of your life. Its sad if poeple conclude your ability to succeed in life even before you have started that life.

Another thing I would like to say to all my juniors and friends. You may probably think a friend of yours is doing better than you if he is earning more than you. But do remember, this is just the start of your career. If you are doing the right things, even if they are for lesser money, if you are focussed and know what you want and how to go about it, in 10 years from now, you would probably look back and laugh. Coz then is when people will actually measure your success. And then is when you will prove your point.

To go off on a tangent, the other day I was looking to buy some sport shoes.

So I headed off to one of the swankier malls among the many that jostle for space in Mumbai, and I realised something. There were some pretty good shoes in a Bata there, and none of them cost more than 1-1.5k. Next to the shop was adidas, reebok and nike. And well, you know the story. same stuff for 3-4k. I was just chatting along with my friends about this that even though Bata won the Superbrand of India award, still the price difference existed, while I dont think the quality had much difference.

And my friend said, BATA is Indian dude...And we Indians have this syndrome. I mean who would want to wear Bata when u can wear Adidas...Thats way cooler, right?

That sums up quite a lot of the attitude people have. And, to tell you the truth, for most times I am no exception to that.

Sometimes I wonder where, as a country we went wrong.

Engineers....

Understanding Engineers - Take One

Two engineering students were walking across a university campus when one
said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied,
"Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a
beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all
her clothes and said, "Take what you want." The second engineer nodded
approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit
you anyway.

Understanding Engineers - Take Two

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is
half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Understanding Engineers - Take Three

Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe that if it ain't broke,
it doesn't have enough features yet.

Understanding Engineers - Take Four

What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers?
Mechanical engineers build weapons and civil engineers build targets.


Understanding Engineers - Take Five

The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?" The graduate
with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?" The graduate with an
accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?" The graduate with an arts
degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"


Understanding Engineers - Take Six

Three engineering students were gathered together discussing the possible
designers of the human body. One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just
look at all the joints. "Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer.
The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections. " The
last one said, "No,
actually it had to have been a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic
waste pipeline through a recreational area?"


Understanding Engineers - Take Seven

An engineer was crossing a road one day, when a frog called out to him and
said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over,
picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and
said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will
stay with you for one
week." The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and
returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and
turn me back into a Princess, I'll stay with you for one week and do
ANYTHING you want." Again, the engineer took the
frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog
asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess and
that I'll stay with you for one week and do anything you want. Why won't
you kiss me?" The engineer said, "Look, I'm an
engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now
that's cool."

When you're in love, your heart starts to feel like an overcrowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, and your self-respect and your independence. After a while you start throwing people out - your friends, everyone you used to know. and it's still not enough. The lifeboat is still sinking and YOU KNOW it's going to take you down with it,but still u'll follow it...

- From Shantaram

You Are Fortunate If, Your Mom Is 'Mean'

Some day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you enough... to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken me just 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children: Parents aren't perfect, you know.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsi-bility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, i loved you enough... to say "NO" when i knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad i won them, because in the end you won, too.

And some day when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world!

While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.

When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.

And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.

She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them.

She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.

I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head.

Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.

While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalising others'property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was. I think that is what's wrong with the world today.

It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

---

The idea for this post isnt mine. It was taken from here. Thank You Lioness. For telling me why my mom was mean.. :)

A Life for Sale

So apparently, this Australian guy wants to sell off his life on E-bay....
In his own words...

" ..........I have had enough of my life! I don't want it any more! You can have it if you like!No, I'm not contemplating suicide, I am going to sell my life!! I have my reasons......
....... However, I am still not sure whether this is inspired madness, complete foolishness, or just some sort of mid-life crisis. Whatever it is, it's all going up for sale in one big auction. Everything I have and everything I am. On the day it is all sold and settled I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all, and get on the train, with no idea where I am going or what the future holds for me."

Go check him out at http://www.alife4sale.com/

I found this here . Think about it..

What do people mean when they speak disparagingly of "a whore"? Someone who sells her or his body? I have news for you: Unless you're a ghost who still draws a paycheck, you use your body to make a living, too. Ever been nice to a customer you really didn't like, or acted enthusiastic about something you really didn't care about, just because you were getting paid? Congratulations, you're a whore, too. You're just not getting paid as much as I am.

When you're young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then, you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone or a heart. You look before you leap and sometimes you don't leap at all because there's not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there's no safety net. When did it stop being fun and start being scary?

_______________________________________________

(Quoted from Sex and the City)

Back Again.....

Yup, Thats the Road

Got back on campus from Jamshedpur yesterday. Decided to catch the early morning bus 6 o' clock bus to Ranchi.

The roads have,sadly, gotten worse with the oncoming rains, and the bus driver was in his I-feel-like-Schumaker-today mode, which meant i was hanging onto my seat handle while he drove at blitzy 60 kmph (mind you, thats a bus i am talking about). And before you scoff at that, do understand the fact that the roads are narrow, bumpy, and in the rains, extremely and treacherously unpredictable....,Hell, I have seen so many accidents on the turns out here I have lost count.

But thats not what this post is about. What I really want u ppl to kno is that, though the road had deteriorated from what it was a couple of years ago, the early-morning, slightly-drizzling beauty of this road is breathtaking. Scroll up to the pics below, and trust me when I say, they dont do any justice to the glory of the hills the road wades through.

One of the rare times in my life when i have had absolutely no regrets about waking up at five in the morning....... ahh nature...

Hey again...

Nothin much to pen up right now.... Just some really interesting stuff I found while browsing today.

Do visit this link. I found a real novel approach to the worlds food problem, and the common pre-final year I-gotta-mug-up-this-3000-high-frequency-word-list before my GRE/CAT/Placement Tests.

http://www.freerice.com/index.php


Another interesting article I found on Prateeks Blog, and I had been planning to write something ona similar note, but he more or less sums up the case against Narendra Modi and his crucifiers.
DO check this one out.... and I'm saying this coz I'm from Gujarat too...

http://prateekvidya.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/the-case-of-narendra-modi

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish......

Ahhhh...... Nostalgia !!

So its been almost five days now since i have been off my campus..And guess what, am kinda missing it...

Dont get me wrong, I love being home. Moms food....ahhhhhhhAnd I am having a great time catching up wid friends....

But a sublime part of me yearns for my college campus too.... the hostel lobby, the fun bakar session every night wid friends, some of the absolutely pathetic PJs cracked by some special friends, and of course, that special some one....

A week back we had the convocation ceremony for the 2k2 batch.....And i can feel wht it must be like, the euphoria of meetin up old friends and batch mates, coupled with the bitter sweet memories of the place that, in a way, having taken your degree, you are finally completely leaving.

All the while, when having passed out, and slogging at your jobs, you still had that one thing to look forward too...
Now thats done too..
How do people handle it??? How do I leave a place that has become my home away from home, and in a way on par wid my own home sweet home???

Questions, questions, questions......Thats the way life makes you learn. It gives you the exams first, and the lesson afterwards, right??

Well, still a year on campus, and I'll hope to cram every second of this year with beautiful memories sweet enough to last me a lifetime...

And to all my seniors, who left the campus this year, we'll miss you, as you'll in your own ways miss the campus, and us. Coz your imprints will stay with us as memories....

Right from gettin ragged the first day on campus, to helping us out with the placements till the end... Thanks to you all.

Hello World...

So i know, I've been a li'l irregular in postin out here (if u can call a taking close to a year off as irregular),
but hell, people, gimme something to motivate me u know.... like a kind comment or two....(wink wink)

Though, to be optimistic and hope someone other than me, and google is actually reading this page, if you are there..
Hi to you...

So like i said, i have my excuses, all the usual ones u kno, college authoroties finally taking the pains to repair our Fibre Optic Cable which was broken some aeons ago... U dont want me to go into that.

Then the mid sems, and then the end sems, and blah blah...


So today i sat down to check my orkut scrapbook....
You see , it was my birthday a couple of days ago...
So, i sat down and saw so many scraps wishing me a happy birthday.

Felt good, but then i got down to thinkin, does it all really matter??
I mean , who doesnot love getting birthday wishes. Also, the fact that Orkut makes it possible to miss none of your friends birthdays.

But then, isnt that what counts????

Isnt the feeling u get when someone calls you up and wishes u, so good. The fact that they actually remembered?? That they took the pains of calling you up on your special day and making you feel good...

Isnt Orkut, in a way, making it all so impersonal...

Or maybe thats the ways things are going.....

I mean, to remember birthdays, most of us use Calenders, or Diaries, right???
Isnt orkut just another, better extension of the same??

Technology is all pervading, and am myself a big fan of it....Hell, i swear by technology.

But small things like this, make me pause sometimes, and wonder..... is it all the right way to go??

Maybe we should leave some aspects of our life away from technology...

Then again, maybe we shouldn't..

Wotsay???

Taken some time off for the mid sems...
Be back in a week.

Maverick signin off.....

Chak De India!!!

Sports films like these are always filled with unavoidable cliches - underdog taking a one and a million shot at glory and success, the fight against all odds and seeminly unsurmountable problems, fallen heroes seeking redemption. And in spite of all this Chak De works for me, much better than Lagaan.
I know it would be an unforsaken sin to speak so, but then, I couldnt help it, Lagaan had so much going in favor of it - known faces of actors, cricket - which, in India, every kid knows, plays and connects to emotionally, and of course the eternal upmanship with England, which, even 60 yrs after independence, remains one of the favourite collective pastimes of the nation. And yet, somehow i couldnt enjoy Lagaan the way i did Chak De.... maybe coz of the slickness of the script. Lagaan just dragged on and on....

If Shah Rukh the star, pulled you to the cinema hall, it's Shah Rukh the actor, who is gonna keep you gripped. The director has never tried to glorify the character Kabir. And SRK reflects that aptly. He was there for his own reason and was guided by his own reason.

I was really fascinated by the dry wit in Kabir Khan’s character, as a result of 7 years of self-imposed exile ,a result of a system that has completely let him down. The almost despotic need to redeem himself.

If ability, capability and expertise were all that was needed to win a match, sports would have been a different ball game altogether. And this is what Kabir Khan( SRK) believed in.

And in a way, the movie raises its voice against a system that still believes women to be below men, not only in sports, but everywhere in life. Which still believes that women should wield 'chakla-belan' instead of hockey sticks. The symbolism in the movie is poignant.

So even if you're a non-SRK fan, you gotta go 'n see the guy perform. And if you still remain unconvinced, just tell me one actor who would have dared to risk a script which has no usual B-masala.

The movie takes u on a taut emotional joyride of anguish, pain, helplesness, empathy... and then again, the euphoria, joy and redemption of watchin the girls win. Of having the courage to believe in themselves and watching a nations dream come true.

As for the girls, well they are the face of the entire film. Even the word 'brilliant' would be an understatement. Each deliver their unique performance in style.

They make you laugh, they make you giggle, they make you sit there and realise that they are out their to perform and would not goof it up for anything.

And the most breathtaking momemt of the match??? No, not the last penalty shot getting converted into a goal. Being the cynic I am, and knowing what hindi movies are like, I must admit I knew the end was goin to be a foregone conclusion.

What really took my breath away was the team lookin gorgeously radiant in their saris. In a cocktail dinner with the other girls in their gowns, the indian team looked Oh-so-beautiful in their saris.

Agreed the film is not without flaws. It is kind of silly to imagine that a no-show team can be shaped into world champions in just three months. But then there has to be some line between reel and real.

The verdict : Watch it . PLZZZZZZZZZZZ. If u dont, u ll miss some real good comin-of-age Indian cinema.

Some excerpts from Dr Manmohan Singh's Independence Day Speech

In the past 60 years, we have built a firm foundation on which we can in fact redeem the pledge of the architects of modern India in full measure. The young people of today should remember that at Independence we inherited an economy weakened by years of colonial exploitation.

For half a century before Independence, the Indian economy registered virtually no growth at all. In the first three decades after Independence, we grew at 3.5 per cent per annum. In the second three decades our annual growth rate went up to nearly 6.0 per cent.

In the past few years the growth rate has been closer to 9.0 per cent per annum. This has been made possible by a rising rate of investment, now at around 35 per cent of national income, and rising productivity of labour and capital. If we can sustain these rates, and step up the productivity of land and labour, we should be able to attain double digit rates of growth in the near future.

India is on the move.

This steady acceleration of growth, however, averages the impressive performance of some regions and the inadequate performance of others. It has also been socially uneven. Hence, the challenge before us is to make the growth process more socially inclusive and regionally balanced. In the past decade, we have seen a further acceleration of growth, based on the impressive performance of certain sectors of our economy. But we have a long road to travel to realise the full potential of our people and fulfill the promises of the Father of our Nation and the Architect of Modern India.

India at 60 is a nation of young people. To realise our true potential, we must invest in the health and education of every child. We must create new employment opportunities for all, especially for the less privileged sections of society, and for those living in rural areas. We must eliminate the rural-urban divide in development indicators. We must also ensure that the process of industrialisation generates enough jobs for our youth, in urban, semi-urban and rural areas.

In the past 60 years, people moved to where work was available; in the next 60 years, work must move to where people live..........

While there is much to be proud of in our record of the past 60 years, the unfinished agenda should make us humble and energise us to work together. The emerging challenges, at home and globally, should make us firm in our resolve to be united and to be cooperative. I do not see enough commitment to such a consensual agenda in our political parties, in our media, in our intelligentsia and in our social elite.

On this 60th anniversary of our Independence I call upon every Indian to think of India first and work to make India first.

Love is.......

My cat reminds me of people 'playing games' in relationships.

I just want to say: "LOOK CAT! You want me to pet you, and I want you to be happy on my lap. Why the hell do you act like you don't want anything- as the cat walks away and neither of us get what they want."

Are U LIke ur Mom....... Another of those quizzes

You Are Somewhat Like Your Mom

Believe it or not, you and your mom are pretty darn similar.It may not seem like it at times, but you and your mom have a lot of common ground.Over time, you'll probably get closer ... especially if you emphasize the things you like about each other.

Are You Like Your Mom?

“I trust you” is a better compliment than “I love you” because you may not always trust the one you love, but believe me, you can always love the person you trust for the rest of your life.

Sometimes, we are in love in the idea of falling in love. Loving the illusion of having or missing someone. It's alright to feel happy thru other people, but don't get dependent on achieving happiness by being with someone. Love yourself first before sharing your life with somebody, because if you don't, you will always look for people that you think can make you complete. And in the end, it will make you lose yourself more, bit by bit, piece by piece.