Gas, Gurudas, Moily and Reliance

I do not trust mega corporations, but before you jump to any conclusion on my political leanings, let me assure you that I am not a ‘commie’. But does that mean that I must accept, praise and defend everything that the mega corporations do? Being a human being, a common man whose life is dependent on the slightest shift in the economic and political landscape of this country, it is imperative that I keep an eye on the developments that tend to have an impact on my future and the futures of those like me. This is why the allegations of CPI(M) leader Gurudas Dasgupta on Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Veerappa Moily matter to me as much as it should to you (unless you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth or have children born with silver spoons in theirs).

The rest on corporate subterfuge is here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/gas-gurudas-moily-and-reliance/30597/

Chinese on our territory? Frankly speaking we don’t give a damn

Words of self-assurance?

The Chinese have entered 10 kilometers into the Indian territory in the Ladakh region of the country. They have set up a camp fit for a platoon-size division of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and are using military helicopters to drop supplies at the camp site. The Indian government is opposing the belligerence shown by the Dragon in a voice that can be called a murmur in the cacophonic world of international diplomacy.

The territorial incursion reportedly happened overnight on April 15, three days after which Indian and Chinese military commanders held a flag meeting to discuss it. The Indian side wanted the Chinese to go back. Obviously, they failed. But until April 19 the Indian junta, which is high in expressing nationalistic sentiments in words but low on showing it in deed, was unaware of all this...

But why we don't give a damn? Find it here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/chinese-on-our-territory-frankly-speaking-we-dont-give-a-damn/16390/

Five simple ways to make India a better nation

Enough is enough. It is time for a change but what should be the change. Should we change our laws? Should we change our political bosses? Should we change ourselves? What could be the ideal change to make India a better place for all? Everyone is asking for stronger laws but can anyone explain why a similar law has succeeded elsewhere but not in India? Do we have a solution? Yes, we have. Here are five simple ways to make India a better nation.

Click here to know the ways:

http://www.newsyaps.com/five-simple-ways-to-make-india-a-better-nation/4871/


image courtesy: smartplanet.com

Google Zeitgeist 2012 indicates India is a sex starved nation

India is perhaps the world’s most sexually starved nation otherwise there is no reason why the Indo-Canadian adult film star Sunny Leone would be the third most Trending Search on Google in India. Sex has surely beaten the hell out of SRK as the superstar is nowhere on the list. Sunny Leone was also the top Trending People in India beating Rajesh Khanna to the spot.

In no other country has a porn star figured in the top ten trends or searches, not even in Japan which is widely believed to be the most perverted country. People in the United States, the land of the adult film business, seem to have better things to do than anyone in India. It is shameful to think that an adult film star is what Indians searched the most in 2012.

Click here to read more:

http://www.newsyaps.com/google-zeitgeist-2012-indicates-india-is-a-sex-starved-nation/4399/

img courtesy: firstpost.com

India needs Ernesto Guevara not Che Guevara

Even on his 45^th death anniversary one cannot make a controversy-free assessment of Che Guevara. What is clear is that those who love capitalism will argue that Che Guevara was nothing less than a despot while those who are staunch socialists will swear by Che’s love for the people. The argument will continue as long as there is capitalism and socialism.

So who was Che? More importantly, in this hour of crisis (provided you can see it), does India need Che?

Here is the answer:

http://www.newsyaps.com/india-needs-ernesto-guevara-not-che-guevara/2819/

Your comment are as important as your promoting this article.

Thanks.

Literate Tarzans in Mahatma Gandhi’s India

If everything in the 2011 census is to be believed then 74.04 percent of India’s 1.2 billion population are literate. But the census does not clearly define literacy. One quick search on Google too throws out almost nothing worth comprehending. There is no clear definition or benchmark to calculate literacy. The census defines literacy as anyone who can read and write his/her name shall be considered a literate. This means that if through Jane’s help Tarzan knows how to read and write T-A-R-Z-A-N and nothing else, he is a literate man by Indian standards. I can hear the gorillas clapping in glee feeling very proud to have a literate family member.

More here:

http://www.newsyaps.com/literate-tarzans-in-mahatma-gandhis-india/2698/

Challenge everything is the unofficial slogan of India

The famed video game company EA Games has a unique ad slogan: “Challenge Everything”. Whether or not the games produced by the American game developing company are able to stand tall to its claim is another thing. But whosoever created the slogan of EA Games would be proud to see that it is a duty of Indians to challenge everything here in the country. “Challenge Everything” is the unofficial slogan of India.

Click here to know why:

http://www.newsyaps.com/challenge-everything-is-the-unofficial-slogan-of-india/2685/

Tibetans in India want rights but will that be right for India?

While many in India will sympathize with the Tibetans for their peaceful way of life, one should bring emotions in a situation which is completely political. It is indeed true that Tibetans are still considered “foreigners” in this country and do not enjoy the rights guaranteed to others. However, granting rights to exiled Tibetans will only contribute in increasing the problems for this country.

Why?

Click here to find out:

http://www.newsyaps.com/tibetans-in-india-want-rights-but-will-that-be-right-for-india/2653/

Satyendranath: The Nobel Bose that Bharat forgot

The world has a habit of overlooking Indian geniuses. Correction. Perhaps India has a habit of overlooking its real gems (those with the surname ‘Bose’ in particular). If India was re-awakened to the legacy of Satyendranath Bose after the announcement of the Higgs Boson by CERN then the entire Nobel committee must have been inspired by Indians so as to overlook the contribution of Bose in the world of particle physics.

Click here to read more:

http://www.newsyaps.com/satyendranath-the-nobel-bose-that-bharat-forgot/2364/

Please DO comment.

India needs doctors, not MBAs

Yesterday I was talking to a boy - a trainee in the company I work for - about his goal in life. He was more than happy to tell me that he was attending a coaching institute where they prepare students to face one of the countless MBA entrance exams. I am a journalist not an MBA and therefore I asked him whether it was necessary for someone to obtain a Business Management qualification. He gave me a perplexed glance, raised his eyebrows and replied in an accentuating manner, “Of course, it is.”

“Everyone is going for an MBA. Why? Because it guarantees you a good job with a fat paycheque,” he said in an excited way. The conversation then proceeded to other things.

Just a few days back I read in a regional newspaper about a boy in a small town who fell from a tree seriously injuring his liver. The report said that he was bleeding profusely and was taken to a nearby medical center. His family was mulling over the possibility of taking him to a top hospital in the city. The problem was that the distance to the hospital in the city was of a good measure and the doctor treating the boy in the local medical center knew that he may not survive the distance. Therefore, this doctor took it upon himself to save the boy’s life. According to reports, his treatment kept the boy alive and fit enough for shifting to the hospital in the city. The boy survived.

Imagine the fate of the boy had that doctor opted for a career in Business Management early in his life. Frankly speaking, India needs more doctors than MBAs.

According to various reports, India has approximately 6,00,000 doctors. Data available with the World Health Organisation puts that figure to 6,60,801 as in 2005. India has a population of over a billion. In approximate figures that translates to 1 doctor per 1,800 people.  Countries like Brazil and Thailand are better off with a ratio of 1:844 and 1:500 respectively. No need to think of Germany which has a ratio of 1:296.

Worse is the fact that a majority of doctors or, in other words, the medical facilities are concentrated in urban areas of the country. There are many areas in rural India where there is a serious dearth of proper medical services. Those areas are dominated by quacks (unqualified people posing as doctors) and/or practitioners of Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy or Siddha. The later ones provide basic medical treatment but cannot operate on a person in the case, say for example, of the boy I wrote about above.

Even in the urban areas, the government run hospitals are few and far between. Add to it the pathetic conditions of many of them and you have the perfect threat to the dream of a developed India. Most of the hospitals are privately run, a majority of which charge a fees that may put an average Bollywood actor to shame. There is no need to discuss the government as every Indian is aware of how it functions.

Talking about government, India’s closest competitor is way ahead. China had 19, 05,436 registered medical practitioners for its population as in 2009 according to the WHO. Yes, China presently holds the distinction of being the most populated country in the world but India will soon surpass it. Consider then the situation here. 

We are in dire need of more doctors. We also need to stop the tendency of medical practitioners to leave for foreign shores. According to a report, there are nearly 60,000 Indian doctors in countries like US, UK, Australia and Canada alone.

Interest in a career in medicine must be increased. Better opportunities should be created in India itself for the doctors to stay back. More colleges are needed without compensating on the quality of education. Medical research must be given a boost.

The Medical Council of India lists 335 medical colleges imparting education in India. Compare this to the 1600 odd MBA colleges and you know where the country is heading.

Doing good business can never become the parameter of gauging a country’s overall development status. Of all the countless number of MBA graduates that we produce in India, 60 percent are fools, 30 percent know how to fool others and only 10 percent are the real MBAs.

Nearly every Sales Executive whether in a retail store or at your door is an MBA from an institution which may be operating out of a rented apartment. There are many MBAs who were unable to even pass their school exams properly, if you know what I mean. Barring those who pass from the elite IIMS or a handful of other equally competent colleges, nearly all of them are aimless people. In other words, since they were not good in any other discipline, they chose MBA for the simple reason because it is easy to pass if it is not from the IIMs or the other competent ones. They are the fools.

Some go for an MBA with dreams of becoming as ‘wealthy’ as Tata or Birla. Nobody wants to ‘be’ a Tata or Birla. They fail to see the hardships these legends of business faced to build their empires where it stands today. Such MBAs always try to take the shortcut to earning more money. They will never back down from fooling a gullible person into buying something which he/she may not need at all. They are those who fool others.

Over the last few years some innovative minds have come out with new business models that are essential for economic as well as social development. They face political, financial or other problems but continue doing their work. These are the real MBAs. They have the potential to give a positive direction to a business and society equally. Interestingly, many of them do not have an MBA qualification at all.

If the government continues to allow opening of MBA institutions on the premise of making India a developed nation, it will have disastrous consequences in the long run. The people of India need more doctors and medical researchers to counter the ever rising cases of unknown diseases. The Japanese Encephalitis is one such example where lack of proper medical facilities claimed more than 800 lives. The government should stop boasting about Medical Tourism if it cannot protect its own people on the ground.

By 2031 there will be a shortfall of close to a million doctors. According to the planning commission, India is short of six lakh doctors, a million nurses and almost two lakh dentists. What will India do with the money if the people do not live to enjoy the wealth?

It is the duty of the government to take concrete measures in protecting the people of the country. More needs to be spent on health, especially public sector. According to reports, of the 5.1 percent of the GDP spent on health an approximate 17 percent only is spent on the public sector.

Improving the economy is good but it should not come at the cost of lives. Bundles of money and batches of MBAs could not have been able to achieve what that doctor did in the small town. After all, saving a life is incalculably valuable than a billion dollar business plan.

The India for which Anna fights

Anna Hazare has been arrested by the Delhi police. The famed Gandhian was about to begin his fast unto death against corruption at the JP Park in the capital of the country. However, the government and the police turned the tables on Team Anna by not only imposing sec 144 a day before but arresting many who had gathered at the venue in his support.

The entire area was cordoned off and in a matter of minutes the colour of khaki had replaced white. None was spared, not even the senior civil-society members who have a reputation of their own. Thus Kiran Bedi, Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan saw themselves getting packed into buses for a destination not disclosed. Many are protesting on the streets and some are courting arrest.

Almost everyone in this country is aware of what Anna is fighting for. The 74-year-old, born as Kisan Baburao Hazare, was already a known figure in parts of India (he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1992). However, his rise to fame came only this year when he chose to fast unto death on April 5. Though the fast ended in four days but by then waves of supporters from many parts of India had joined him forcing the government to agree on a Jan Lokpal Bill to check graft in public offices.

This time, Anna was threatening the government with the same weapon since the Centre had failed in its promise.

In a televised interview before his arrest, Anna said that this is the time for a second Independence struggle. He urged the fellow countrymen to come together and court arrest so that the “prisons are packed to capacity”.

How sad. It seems he is not living in the 21^st century. Anna, rather unfortunately, still believes that the preachings of Mahatma Gandhi stand true in today’s times in this country.

India is a country where things run more on a ‘copycat procedure’. At the time when Anna was holding his fast in April, waves of protests had erupted in many parts of the world – particularly North Africa. Thus Anna’s fast got a big boost through the social networking sites. Reports reveal that many people who had then sided with Anna were either unaware of what the agenda was (except the clichéd word corruption) or were corrupt themselves.

The clever government agreed to Anna’s demands for the time being only to let the issue ‘cool down’. It was a well thought-of plan and it worked. Indian politics says that the people have a very short memory and less patience. They may raise their voice for a particular cause but will not be able to hold on to it for long.

Here in India, the people are busier with their daily lives than anything else. Whatever little education they receive, they are content when they get a ‘sarkari job’. The next step is to get married and the ‘customary’ give and take of dowry. In the next step they carry out the ‘necessary’ task of having a child. In a year or two, the first child needs a companion to play with and thus a second one is introduced in the household. Now mind it, the second one has to be a boy if the first one was not. In case the second one too turns out a girl (which is unlikely because of cases of sex determination), a third one is planned. The series will go on until the ‘saviour’ boy arrives.

The next step in a common man’s life is to feed his family. To do so he needs money and in this rising inflation living on a ‘sarkari’ pay is not easy especially if the man is little learned. Thus, exchanging hands under the table becomes a common act. Even if the person is unemployed, this will not deter him from marrying and having children (often seen in rural areas of the country).

This type of a common man constitutes more than 2/3^rd of this country’s population. Of the remaining 1/3^rd, at least 30 percent of the people have all the luxuries they need. This leaves only a few who may join their voices with Anna. But indifference to the nation is another factor that will chaff off many more from within the probables. Those left will be the only ones fighting for Anna and they will only have small section of the youth. 

Faces of middle aged and old men were seen on TV channels airing the protests live. Not many young guys were there on any of the 20 leading channels of the country.

The opportunistic youth of today are busy with their careers and, if possible, leave for ‘that foreign land’. Who said USA is the only country?

In India a century by Sachin Tendulkar is far too important than a disabled boy winning gold at a world championship. In India staring at Ambani’s Antilla means looking ‘up’. Who cares for the homeless?

In India election of a leader on the basis of his caste is mandatory. Is there a criminal case against the candidate? We don’t care.

In India ignoring traffic laws, evading responsibilities, using unethical means to climb the ladder and differentiating between ourselves on any basis are some of the ‘rules’ by which people we have been living and will live.  

This is not Gandhi’s India. The concept of Ahimsa now stands good only for a movie script.

Thus, Anna’s agitation will not continue as anticipated by him. Yes, there will be protests for some time in his support but not for long. It is an established fact that a battle overstretched is a battle lost.

We v/s We

Anna Hazare, probably India’s most influential social activist, has staged a fast-unto-death to root out the biggest epidemic of the country—corruption. People across cities and from all ages have joined in support of the Gandhian style protest through candlelight marches, fasting for a day or promoting the cause itself. Many are calling it the Jasmine revolution of South Asia. Such has been the effect of the demonstrations that a prominent minister has stepped down from his position in an elite government group.

The large numbers of people who have turned up to express their support to Anna are proof of the growing resentment in the masses against corruption and political parties. In an article written earlier which found place in a leading newspaper, I had mentioned that if we have to put the blame of corrupting the country on any one person then that has to be ‘us’. Yes, collectively it is ‘us’ who are corrupt and strangely, today we are rising against ‘us’.

The demonstrators are asking for new powers in an old law (as if the already existing laws were not enough). Obviously, the government is trying to downplay the demands. Opposition political parties are trying, somewhat in vain, to gain milage out of the tumultuous situation. The great Indian Media has big news in the post World Cup scenario.

Protests are not new to this nation. We have been protesting since— God knows when. Some of those protests were successful while others failed. It was the protests that led to our Independence. The media and the people equal this agitation to the one that were held in the pre-Independence era. However, there is a difference.

The protests before 1947 were against a government and a class that was entirely foreign in all aspects of a civilization. Everything is different between the societal customs of the British and the South Asians. This time, the people are opposing a few of their own. Ironically, those few were elected by the very same people who are out on the streets today. In this regard the Jasmine revolution that swept the sands of North Africa is closer in comparison. Yet again, there is a difference.

The one that happened in the desert nations was a movement of those who thought on the same plane. The demonstrators were a mixed lot of high class and low class people, filthy rich and pathetically poor individuals, people from different ideologies or religions irrespective of their societal standing. On the other hand, India is a country of 1.2 billion people and is far more divided in societal structure than any other country in the world. Thus, it is extremely difficult to generate public opinion for a good cause. Why?

Look at the World Cup that ended on a happy note for India. Tickets were in great demand and this led to black-marketing. Tickets worth Rs 25 were being sold at Rs 25,000. Someone was ready to sell off his kidney for a ticket so that he could watch the game. Millions were spent in a matter of days and billions were earned by the corporates and the BCCI. As for the cricketers, do I need to write anything about them and their incomes?

On the night India won the World Cup, 18 million children went to sleep on the streets of this very same country. They do it every day. While many of us were busy in celebrations, thousands (maybe lakhs) were wondering about their next day’s meal. My simple question is: If the people of this country have so much money to spend on brands and an overpriced ticket for a match, then why hasn’t the number of poor in this country reduced? If the owners of big corporates have enough money to spend on palatial 26 storey buildings for their personal comfort, then why are those 18 million children sleeping on the streets?

No revolution can find success until everyone takes part in it irrespective of differences. Human psychology is weird; they may say something and do the other. Before trying to root out corruption, it is necessary to root out the greedy side within us. That is difficult, very difficult in this materialistic society.

Akbar: The greatest of all HR managers

The only thing that can make a difference between success and failure is management. An effective form of management increases the chances of success for any business, organisation, government, society or individual and bad management brings failure to their doorstep. There are many things that are taught in the Management colleges the world over. Here in India we have 1600 plus institutions that produce over 1 lakh managers each year. Probably that is the reason why we have a problem of plenty resulting in ‘over-management’ of the nation.
To address the ‘problem of plenty’, nearly all B-schools offer a course on Human Resource Management. Every aspect of handling the most essential part of an organisation— the man-power— is taught. However, we have a lot of cases, some known and others unknown, which clearly show that NO ONE CAN BECOME A GOOD MANAGER BY GETTING A DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT.

The biggest problem in our educational institutions is that a large majority of teachers do not teach by example. Thus, even though I am not a teacher (and am also not an MBA), I think I can share an extremely valuable information with you all.

India’s history is resplendent with examples of all kinds. Without going into any other example, I bring to you two kings. Both are from the medieval history of the Indian sub-continent.

The first one was a well-educated Sultan who not only had profound knowledge on logic, philosophy, astro science, mathematics and medicine but also had certain qualities fit for a king. The second one was simply illiterate. With only this much description you may have formed an opinion that the first one must have proved to be a great ruler while the other must have failed his kingdom. However, if I clarify that the name of the first ruler was Mohammed Bin Tughlaq while the second one was Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar, what will be your opinion then?

It is widely known that Tughlaq was a whimsical ruler. His eccentric manners and mismanagement brought his downfall. Even his education could not save him. On the other hand, Akbar began his rule at a very young age (14 to be precise) and therefore he did not get any chance to read or write. He knew only one language throughout his formative years and that was the language of the sword. Later on he patronized music, architecture, arts and positive religious debates that firmly built on his reputation as a tolerant Mughal ruler.

Although illiterate, Akbar was a sound judge of character. The nine gems in his court were handpicked by him and each was a master in one way or the other. The reason why he became the most successful medieval ruler in Indian history is this aspect of his character. He simply knew who the right man for the right job was. He never erred in his decisions and was a very intelligent administrator.

He is therefore the greatest of all HR managers. There are many modern day managers who are on responsible positions but they themselves have no control on their own lives so how can they judge another? Akbar did not attain the title of ‘the Great’ for his military exploits but for his administrative acumen which proved equally effective as his victories in battles. It is very difficult to choose the right man but had it been that easy, all of us would have post-fixed ‘the Great’ to our names.

What India can learn from the Japan crisis

The whole world is, by now, aware of what catastrophe has befallen the world’s third largest economy, Japan. The earthquakes and the tsunamis that are still plundering freely all over the island nation have already destroyed most of what perhaps symbolized the strength and beauty of the Land of the Rising Sun.

World media stands with bated breath as reports of a possible meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactor constantly trouble the minds. Everybody is worried about the people of Japan. Now and then, stories of survival, of disappearance, of injury and even of death arrive creating a chain of uncontrollable emotions. These emotions have brought people together and far too close than they ever were.

We, here in India, can do whatever is in our hands to help and bring back our friends trapped in the middle of the rumble. But this is not where it all ends. India must learn two things from this East Asian disaster.

First: Avoid, and if possible stop, use of power generation through nuclear reactors. Japan had 55 operating nuclear power plants before the quake struck. Threat to the people is more from radiation leakage from the damaged reactors than any other quake or tsunami. In a way, it was the industrial needs of the Japanese that made them erect one reactor after another thereby dotting their islands with ‘those giant domes’. India too has similar needs and thus the government of this country has a valid reason to construct the heavyweights of power generation of which we already have six. Plus, the advantage is that most parts of India do not fall under the more dangerous zones of the seismic belt. However, no one in this world has ever been able to predict the next move of planet Earth. When Japan, a nation far ahead of our country in terms of development, stood a mute spectator to the wrath of Mother Nature, where do you think we stand?

This brings us to the second point. India should also learn the way of the Samurai. In a span of five years, from 1943 to 1948, Japan survived four earthquakes and two atomic blasts. Hiroshima and Nagasaki still bring sad memories of the devastation that wiped out all traces of human existence off the map of the two cities on August 6 and 9, 1945. Japan surrendered and has since never raised a standing army (except for self defence purposes). Despite its superb engineering skills, Japan cannot export arms to other nations. Still, the country has electronics manufacturing giants in the form of Sony, Toyota, Honda, Canon, Panasonic, Nintendo and the like. All the mentioned companies have very solid business foundations in India. From the rubble that it was reduced to by the end of the World War II, Japan has risen like a phoenix. I am sure that even this cataclysm would fail to diminish the never-say-die spirit of the Japanese. If all goes smooth and nature tones down its fury on Japan, then in less than two years time the country will be back to normal with everything rebuilt in such a fashion that not even a scar of this disaster would remain.

Questions thus arise as to why we haven’t achieved the level of development like that of Japan. Where do we lack? We have a larger geographical area and natural resources than Japan. We have no dearth of talented manpower. Our country has thankfully been spared of the frequent earthquakes and tsunamis that rock the island nation. Yet, we are far behind them in terms of GDP, HDI, R&D, Industry and even civic administration. Why is that so? This is what we need to think about while we watch the horror story being scripted in Japan.