Bandra Worli Sea Link and Slumdogs

Heard the news and saw the pics that the Bandra Worli sea link (considered an Engineering Marvel by us Indians and Mumbaikars) has opened for traffic and I sincerely hope that the 8 Lane Road becomes a boon for Mumbai.

It makes me brim with pride (all negatives and rantings come lateron) that we Indians have atleast done something different. It may not be the best in the world but shows that if we Indians put our mind to it we can jump from service providers to solution providers.

I am all for Sethu Samudram project if it really helps us a nation and there is no severe environmental impact because I do believe that Lord Rama would not have wanted us to fight amongst ourselves over this. Anyways lets not go off topic. This is about the BWSL(Bandra Worli Sea Link).

You know what I didnt see an inch of report on this in CNN the news website that I constantly read everyday. The reason being this shows Indias achievements with all its negatives. Hmm if a slum had been razed in its place, may be that would have made the news in CNN. Anything that shows positively about India is not an interest to the world media.

Following things the Media likes to Project about India(Including our own Desi English News Channels)

a. Slums.
b. Suffering in Slums.
c. More Slums and yes riots
etc etc

Neither does a news channel like BBC. What is the problem with the world media?

Why is this achievement by Indians not being published in any of the major news websites. ? Who is to blame?

The answer to the question "Who is to blame?" is multipronged. Inward looking and "Navel Gazing" people will say its Indians. Others will say its the west and will point to one conspiracy or the other.

I generally tend to go with the Navel Gazers. The problem is projection. We Indians dont want to project ourselves aggressively (never been in our collective psych) or as achievers. Only as contended folks , hey give us something to service you and we will provide it for you. We insanely revile people who are selfish, ego-centric, over achievers etc. We take pride in getting Oscars when India is shown in a bad light. (Salaam Bombay, Slumdog Millionaire etc and the list goes on). Heck even the movie was not made by an Indian but by an Englishman based on a Indian diplomats novel. To get one Oscar award we can stoop so low.

For the first time I was praying Oscar would not be given to this movie. I was sincerely hoping Benjamin Button would get the Oscar it deserved. Benjamin Button is a movie that is made sincerely with all heart, body mind and Soul put into it.

And what to talk of people living in the slums day in and day out. Why do we Indians consider living in filth a privilege and that everytime we have to wait for an avatar or messiah or prophet to rid us from this hell.? And take pride when all over the world this hell is projected in a masalla movie?
When Steve Waugh (For those of you who dont know Cricket, Australian Cricketer) cleans up Kolkatta's streets we ask where are Sachin/Amitabh etc. We dont ask why do we need Steve Waugh to clean up Kolkatta's streets? Why cant the people living in Kolkatta slums clean up their own mess?
200 Years of British rule really has made us slaves in mind heart and soul of the west. Instead of learning the west's respect for rule of law, for innovation we are waiting for the west to provide the world with new things , new economies instead of building our own solutions.

Our farmers commit suicide everyday instead of getting together and finding out alternate farming methods suited to our local climatic conditions. If you ask them they will say "kya karen bhagwan barose jee rahe hain"(living by the grace of god) instead of saying I will try do this lets leave it to god if it works out or not. Dying is easy. Living is hard.

I dont how many more years will pass by (may be not in my lifetime) when the world looks at India with awe and inspiration as a nation that has millions of cultures, languages and nationalities and yet as a nation we not only survive but progress and progress spiritually (for the spiritually inclined) , morally and economically.

On that note I am stopping my rantings and see you all next time!

India , Aus, Cricket and Racism

Of late I have been reading lots and lots about goings on in Australia. I didnt watch the entire match so really whatever I write here is my personal opinion based on what I have read.

It seems as if Ricky Ponting was made to act as a Third umpire by Umpires Bucknor and Benson (What a pairing!!) which I believe was the most stupidest thing to do by these Umpires when you have actually a third umpire sitting and waiting to jump on to controversial issues.

The third umpire should have been used as often as needed in this test match.

Ricky Ponting is not known for his sportsmanlike conduct would do anything to win 17 straight test matches.

I do believe Bucknor asked for his removal by being so pigheaded as to not refer controversial decisions to the third umpire.

Well all said and done the ICC does need to come out of its Imperial settings and needs to realise its not a English controlled club for exclusive nations anymore. More and more nations are coming into this elite group and it needs to truly become a world body by changing its Imperial mindset and bring in more use of technology.

BCCI oh what to speak of it. Its run by a politician, its managers play more politics than our team plays cricket and its not managed professionaly. Everyone wants to be in BCCI because BCCI is awash with money and in India money pawar er power speaks.

I also see Aussies not taking sledging in a sporting spirit and reporting every insane thing said on the field to the Match referee when they quitely forgot what sort of insane things they said on the field and all other teams played sportingly.

And on to the monkey issue...
Harbajan may have called Symonds a monkey which he should not have after Symonds had specifically informed them of the meaning that it is to him.
If that is the case Harbajan does stand as having racially insulted Symonds and should face a match ban, so should Brad Hogg.

Racism in India is so much institutionalized that we claim to the world that we are not racists but practise it day in and day out. How many times we Hindus call muslims as "Lan..." I dont want to write the entire word. How many times we call our own brethren racial slurs, we call UP/Biharis as Bhaiyas and not by any affection but derogatively , telugus as goltus, make fun of the way south Indians eat their food by slurping.
When making a sardar joke did we ever stop to think about it how hurtful it is to the Sikhs.

Who are we to complain about racism? We are no angels.


What goes around comes around the cycle never stops... Thats what we humans do.

Well last but not the least why doent our tailenders hold their nerve when I have seen tailenders from Bermuda holding their nerve against Indian bowlers...........
The faulty decisions shouldnt have costed us the match the better thing to have been done is Salvage a draw not fold up like this.

The only way we could ever better Australia is not by countersledging but by beating them thoroughly in their own home turf.

All is not lost yet.

Our team now should concentrate on WINNING the last two matches and then go on and try to Win the One Day Series. You will realise how Aussies will reduce their sledging once they know they are not gaining anything by it rather they will fear to sledge for the fear that sledging will make you more determined to win the match.

India and Reservations

The only country on this planet where people will fight to call themselves as backwards.
People fight over such silly and small issues and above all that they burn government property, kill and maim innocent people and all for what?
To be called and considered as the most backward community in India, again for what purpose?
To be able to get Jobs in government, education in Schools and Colleges. Ok Agreed. Valid Point made and taken.

My Point is that I am not against reservations at all, To correct a wrong committed since time immemorial some corrective action has to be taken to bring oppressed people on par with the forward/upper castes.

For eg Gujar community wants to be included in the ST category whereas they are currently in OBC Category and the Meena community in Rajasthan doesnt want that to happen.
Where are we heading too? Each person instead of coming up on Individual merit in life is hiding under the garb of being oppressed.

But where will all this stop. When we should be going away from casteist labels to really abolish any semblence of the caste system we are just getting deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Will these reservations cause a permanent divide among our Indian people. Both Gujjars and Meenas are saying that someone is insitigating them against each other. Then what I fail to understand is why are these folks fighting amongst themselves. Has God not given them any brains to think before they start their agitations and start killing people.

Are we such brainless wonders that we cant think objectively or logically for a minute.

People who wrote our constitution including Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar will be turning in their graves.

I just pray to God to give Indian people some light so that Indian becomes a truly secular country and everyone lives in peace with everyone else.

Pre School and Primary Education in India

In your Childhood did you ever feel uncomfortable carrying a big bag with lots of books in it.?
When I see the kids today going to school I feel they are not going to any normal school but they are going to some defence training.

People in India think Pre School/Primary Schooling in India is much better compared to western countries and that Children in India are Brighter than their American counterparts.

I dont refute that but in western countries the emphasis or stress from the childhood is doing what you think and feel are good at and not what others (including parents) want you to be.

So whereas Indian kids are good at Mathematical knowledge we dont encourage the kids to try out those Mathematical knowledge and see how it can be applied to create something new.

Thats why we dont have inventors but people who are good at supporting something after its invented.

Imagine if our Kids also tend to think creatively rather than being burdened by homeworks (Useless) and are good at Mathematics /Science/English and so on we will be truly knowledge powerhouse.

We have knowledge but what good is a knowledge when we cant put it to Practical use.

How many of our kids imagine of building something like a Device that can help the Handicapped person.?

IIT'ians/IIMians tend to go out of our country because although they start thinking creatively there is no incentive for them in India.

Parents nowadays want their Children to learn Computers (A Good thing in todays information Age) but how many Parents encourage their Children to build something using their imagination and how many parents actually encourage their children to do what the children feel like for eg
Pursue a career in Sports/Music/Starting own business's/Inventing something new.

I am a parent too and I do hope I don't fall into this trap.

India has to take the next leap into education to free up the mind of its new generation. It is nothing but the quality of education that makes Mahatma Gandhi's, Nehru's,Abraham Lincoln's and Nelson Mandela's.

Our education system finally ends up in how many marks scored but not what the child has learned. Reservation is not the issue but the issue is the quality of education. Its high time Indian education policy makers start concentrating on quality rather than quantity.

What Makes a Country Developed and Not Developed

Is it the neat roads?or 5 Lane Higways?
Or the fact that everything is so easy as long as everyone follows the law and the laws are themselves so clear that they clearly state what is and what is not covered by the law?Also what are the repecussions when one breaks a certain law.? When the society looks down upon the persons breaking the law?
The law does not make any exceptions to any one and 90% of the law enforcers are not corrupt?
Where the justice redressal system is albeit not fast but the law enforcers ensure its completion?

I saw a movie called December 16th made by known Tamil film Maker Shankar.
In that Danny Denzongpa playing a Revenue Intelligence Officer makes a statement.
"Mera Bharat Mahan, Sau Me se Ninyanve (99 out of every 100 people) Beimaan (Corrupt)".

Now that might have been too much, but isnt it true. 99% of us (YES IT INCLUDES ME ALSO) have a basic corrupt mentality that if we want to get work done in any goverment office we will ensure that we find a goverment officer who is willing to do our work in exchange for Money.

Do we for instance insist on paying the required custom duty instead of paying 100 bucks (IN usd) to customs Officers.

And is there one single Goverment employee who will say no I will not take Money or Bribe to just do my Job.

But the thing is our Laws are so decadent, so confusing and so easily vulnerable to loop holes that anyone breaking the law does not have to worry as long as he/she knows the lawyer/police officer/constable/judge who can be bribed.

We will continue to have Dubeys and Manjus killed as long as we have a corrupt law enforcement machinery, decadent and stupid laws.

In developed countries people respect law. In a not so developed country like ours people dont even respect the law. "Chalta Hai". Is the slogan.

Oh Indians, India can only be a Truly developed country when its people respect the law, follow the law and fear breaking it.

Yes and all our decadent laws need to be reenacted, punishments defined properly clearly based on the offense proper redressal system.

Lets make the slogan
"Mera Bharat Mahan, Sau mein se Ninyanve Imandar".

Safety of CallCenter Employees

Heard recently that a young callcenter employee was raped and murdered by one of the Drivers employed by the callcenter and the callcenter run by HP in Bangalore.
This brings to my mind the following questions

1. Should women employees not work late hours?

Then in that case how do we Indians claim ourselves to be better than the Talibani's.
My belief if the work demands that Women employees work late hours then they have to work. But then that brings me to another question in my Mind.

2. Is it or is it not the companies responsibility to ensure that the workers get adequate security?

Yes it is.
But then that brings me to another question in my Mind.

3. How far does the company responsibility go?

If the employee was coming to work then it is the responsibility of the company to ensure its workers safety.
It also needs to ensure that the persons employed in the role of Drivers and who are supposed to pick employees in the night are not of doubtful integrity.
Especially employees have to be picked up in groups.

Som Mittal CEO of HP says that this was an Isolated incident and the Company is not responsible. Probably it was not one of his Women relatives and hence the statement.
I dont know what his response would have been had it been his daughter/sister/wife ?

4. Should company compensate?

Yes it should , since the incident although occured out of Companies premises happened when the employee was coming to work not when she was going out somewhere else.

5. Should the driver be Punished?

Yes. His statement says what a SICKO he was. He raped the girl because he couldnt have sex with his wife. Then he should have gone to a Prostitute.
Which then brings to us to another question.

6. Are brothels a necessary evil?

Yes they are in every society. Human beings are no different than animals when it comes to sex.
But only Woman who are willing to do it and are not forced and are not Underage should be allowed.
Brothels should be given licenses and Industrial laws applied to them.

ME !!!

Hey You Bloggers and Blog Readers!!

Welcome to My blog world. Nuthing useful here if thats what you are looking for. I am just a bored fellow who knows how to Bore others to death.

Pardon me my English. Very poor.

Well thats it for now. Watch out for more boring Blogs in future.