Naujavan

Thoughts on turning 64

2011-08-15T20:45:00.003+10:00

Well, another year, another Independence day. 64 years ago, Jawaharlal Nehru, spoke to India, an India that was very different to the India which Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed this morning but also extremely similar. In his famous Tryst with Destiny speech, India's first Prime Minister talked about the long and unique road to (political) freedom, the road ahead and the dreams of the Indian people. At that time, India's GDP was close to 0.8%, and had $1.14 billion USD in foreign reserves. In 2011, India's GDP is close to 9% and has $316 billion USD of foreign reserves.

The story however is far from smooth or rosy. Until 1991, India's GDP was not much more than 1-2% per annum, thanks to the bureaucratic Licence-Permit-Quota Raj that Nehru himself put in place, despite of the rhetoric in his Tryst with Destiny speech. Our impressive growth rate can only be attributed to changes in circumstance, wherein India would be declared bankrupt if it were to not accept IMF conditions on a bail-out. Thankfully, better sense prevailed and slowly but surely, the days of waiting for years for a simple telephone connection vanished with the emergence of new providers.

The India now, is different, yet very similar to the India in 1947. Countless slogans of the style of "Garibi Hatao" have come and gone, yet poverty remains. Large chunks of the economy still remain over-regulated and licenced, for example the restaurant industry. Reforms at best have been slow, and at worst have been non-existent. Indeed, the current government led by the man who was Finance Minister in 1991 has been rightly lambasted for its inability to carry out key reforms.

Corruption once again has raised its ugly head and despite attempts to curtail it, has only persisted, or even grown stronger. Notwithstanding India's patchy history of dealing with the corrupt, even by this scale, the current UPA government is heading to the dubious distinction of being the most corrupt on record. Social workers are now clamouring for a "miracle cure" in terms of the Jan Lokpal bill, even going so far as to blackmail the government with hunger-strikes, a method the Founder of the Indian Constitution Dr. BR Ambedkar called "the grammar of anarchy". Having multiple yet toothless Vigilance Commissions hasn't done anything to reduce corruption so what's to say this new level will.

A great post by Nitin Pai shows why this new style of crusading is a bad idea, and another post here talks about the means justifying the ends. However, one way to definitely erase corruption is to give more power to the citizen. How does one do that? Simple. Open the economy up. The less licences or hurdles a citizen faces in doing their work, the less they will pay to get the work done. Reforming the sectors, ensuring that competition drives the workforce, not nepotism or cronyism, is the key to eliminate corruption.

I have a dream. A dream of a corruption free India, where the government restricts itself to economic strategy making, rather than micromanagment of the economy. A dream of a secular India, not one that is "competitively intolerant". I have a dream where I can pursue my freedom of speech, and not have it curtailed by the State, or by pseudo-constitutional bodies deriving their power on the basis of ex-cathedra statements. Funnily enough, this is the same dream that Rabindranath Tagore saw when he exhorted "Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake"

It's been 64 years, I think it's time we made it into a reality.

Jai Hind!!!!

The year gone by

2010-12-31T23:59:00.000+11:00

Well, how does one view this year gone past? Given tragedies, it would be easiest to label this as a continuation of Annus Horribilis, from 2009. Yet, life is seldom black and white. It encompasses all the colours in between the two shades and if one were to somehow digitize it, it would still contain all 'n' number of levels from black to white.

So whereas I lost two of my role models in the year, I gained a greater appreciation for the memories I shared with them during their life. Whilst I started a new job, I realized how hard it is to juggle between one's professional and personal lives and no matter how separate one tries to keep them, the lines blur on more than an occasion. The new job, with its new riches brings with it a newer responsibility to manage one's money and one soon becomes conscious of the 'economic-problem', that is to satisfy one's inexhaustible needs, with an exhaustible amount of money. I have made new friends and renewed old ones. I have actively wanted to take a greater sense of responsibility within the community, which has bought with it, another dimension to manage my time effectively and efficiently. Have I been successful? Time will only tell.

One thing is for sure though. From January 1 2010, to December 31 2010, I have definitely changed as a person. This is but natural, for change is the only constant in one's life. Yet, the more I have changed, it is hard not to notice that the more I remain the same. Thus, when someone would tell me "You've changed", I hope it is for the better. I do not run away from it, for there is nothing to run away from. I do not live in denial that I am the "same old me", that would mean that I have learnt nothing. Thus I have changed, and will continue to change as I am faced with new experiences which, I hope, would enhance, rather than de-value Brand Me. I leave it to my friends to help me ensure that Brand Me is not de-valued too much ;-)

So, whilst this year definitely hasn't been an 'annus mirabilis', it would be wrong of me to label, my year as 'annus horribilis'. So what has it been then? Well, in the fine tradition of human thinking, the answer would be "A bit of both!"

Happy New Year 2011!!!!

RIP Theodore Sorensen

2010-11-03T09:24:00.002+11:00

On the 31st of October Theodore Sorensen breathed his last. Anyone who's followed the speeches of John F Kennedy would know why President Kennedy referred to Sorensen as "my intellectual blood bank". Some of the famous quotes of Kennedy (written by Sorensen) have made it into vernacular, one of the most famous being "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" (although Sorensen later vehemently claimed that Kennedy wrote it himself).

Nonetheless in 2008, Washington Monthly asked Theodore Sorensen to come out of retirement and write the "dream speech" for the Democratic Nominee for the President of the United States. The speech is located here. Less than two years on, the same Democratic party is heading towards landslide defeat in the Mid-Term elections.

The "dream speech" is reproduced below:

My fellow Democrats: With high resolve and deep gratitude, I accept your nomination. It has been a long campaign—too long, too expensive, with too much media attention on matters irrelevant to our nation’s future. I salute each of my worthy opponents for conducting a clean fifty-state campaign focusing on the real issues facing our nation, including health care, the public debt burden, energy independence, and national security, a campaign testing not merely which of us could raise and spend the most money but who among us could best lead our country; a campaign not ignoring controversial issues like taxation, immigration, fuel conservation, and the Middle East, but conducting, in essence, a great debate—because our party, unlike our opposition, believes that a free country is strengthened by debate.

There will be more debates this fall. I hereby notify my Republican opponent that I have purchased ninety minutes of national network television time for each of the six Sunday evenings preceding the presidential election, and here and now invite and challenge him to share that time with me to debate the most serious issues facing the country, under rules to be agreed upon by our respective designees meeting this week with a neutral jointly selected statesman.

Let me assure all those who may disagree with my positions that I shall hear and respect their views, not denounce them as unpatriotic as has so often happened in recent years. I will wage a campaign that relies not on the usual fear, smear, and greed but on the hopes and pride of all our citizens in a nationwide effort to restore comity, common sense, and competence to the White House.

In this campaign, I will make no promises I cannot fulfill, pledge no spending we cannot afford, offer no posts to cronies you cannot trust, and propose no foreign commitment we should not keep. I will not shrink from opposing any party faction, any special interest group, or any major donor whose demands are contrary to the national interest. Nor will I shrink from calling myself a liberal, in the same sense that Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt, John and Robert Kennedy, and Harry Truman were liberals—liberals who proved that government is not a necessary evil, but rather the best means of creating a healthier, more educated, and more prosperous America.

They are the giants on whose shoulders I now stand, giants who made this a better, fairer, safer, stronger, more united America.

By making me your nominee, you have placed your trust in the American people to put aside irrelevant considerations and judge me solely on my qualifications to lead the nation. You have opened the stairway to what Teddy Roosevelt called the "bully pulpit." With the help of dedicated Americans from our party, every party, and no party at all, I intend to mount that stairway to preach peace for our nation and world.

My campaign will be based on my search for the perfect political consensus, not the perfect political consultant. My chief political consultant will be my conscience.

Thank you for your applause, but I need more than your applause and approval. I need your prayers, your votes, your help, your heart, and your hand. The challenge is enormous, the obstacles are many. Our nation is emerging from eight years of misrule, a dark and difficult period in which our national honor and pride have been bruised and battered. But we are neither beaten nor broken. We are not helpless or afraid; because in this country the people rule, and the people want change.

True, some of us have been sleeping for these eight long years, while our nation’s values have been traduced, our liberties reduced, and our moral authority around the world trampled and shattered by a nightmare of ideological incompetence. But now we are awakening and taking our country back. Now people all across America are starting to believe in America again. We are coming back, back to the heights of greatness, back to America’s proud role as a temple of justice and a champion of peace.

The American people are tired of politics as usual, and I intend to offer them, in this campaign, something unusual in recent American politics: the truth. Neither bureaucracies nor nations function well when their actions are hidden from public view and accountability. From now on, whatever mistakes I make, whatever dangers we face, the people shall know the truth—and the truth shall make them free. After eight years of secrecy and mendacity, here are some truths the people deserve to hear:

We remain essentially a nation under siege. The threat of another terrorist attack upon our homeland has not been reduced by all the new layers of porous bureaucracy that proved their ineptitude in New Orleans; nor by all the needless, mindless curbs on our personal liberties and privacy; nor by expensive new weaponry that is utterly useless in stopping a fanatic willing to blow himself up for his cause. Indeed, our vulnerability to another attack has only been worsened in the years since the attacks of September 11th—worsened by our government convincing more than 1 billion Muslims that we are prejudiced against their faith, dismissive of international law, and indifferent to the deaths of their innocent children; worsened by our failure to understand their culture or to provide a safe haven for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees displaced by a war we started; worsened by our failure to continue our indispensable role in the Middle East peace process.

We have adopted some of the most indefensible tactics of our enemies, including torture and indefinite detention.

We have degraded our military.

We have treated our most serious adversaries, such as Iran and North Korea, in the most juvenile manner—by giving them the silent treatment. In so doing, we have weakened, not strengthened, our bargaining position and our leadership.

At home, as health care costs have grown and coverage disappeared, we have done nothing but coddle the insurance, pharmaceutical, and health care industries that feed the problem.

As global warming worsens, we have done nothing but deny the obvious and give regulatory favors to polluters.

As growing economic inequality tarnishes our democracy, we have done nothing but carve out more tax breaks for the rich.

During these last several years, our nation has been bitterly divided and deceived by illicit actions in high places, by violations of federal, constitutional, and international law. I do not favor further widening the nation’s wounds, now or next year, through continuous investigations, indictments, and impeachments. I am confident that history will hold these malefactors accountable for their deeds, and the country will move on.

Instead, I shall seek a renewal of unity among all Americans, an unprecedented unity we will need for years to come in order to face unprecedented danger.

We will be safer from terrorist attack only when we have earned the respect of all other nations instead of their fear, respect for our values and not merely our weapons.

If I am elected president, my vow for this country can be summarized in one short, simple word: change. This November 2008 election—the first since 1952 in which neither the incumbent president’s nor the incumbent vice president’s name will appear on the national ballot, indeed the first since 1976 in which the name of neither Bill Clinton nor George Bush will appear on the national ballot—is destined to bring about the most profound change in the direction of this country since the election of 1932.

To meet the threats we face and restore our place of leadership in the free world, I pledge to do the following:

First, working with a representative Iraqi parliament, I shall set a timetable for an orderly, systematic redeployment and withdrawal of all our troops in Iraq, including the recall of all members of the National Guard to their primary responsibility of guarding our nation and its individual states.

Second, this redeployment shall be only the first step in a comprehensive regional economic and diplomatic stabilization plan for the entire Middle East, building a just and enduring peace between Israel and Palestine, halting the killing and maiming of innocent civilians on both sides, and establishing two independent sovereign states, each behind peacefully negotiated and mutually recognized borders.

Third, I shall as soon as possible transfer all inmates out of the Guantanamo Bay prison and close down that hideous symbol of injustice.

Fourth, I shall fly to New York City to pledge in person to the United Nations, in the September 2009 General Assembly, that the United States is returning to its role as a leader in international law, as a supporter of international tribunals, and as a full-fledged member of the United Nations which will pay its dues in full, on time, and without conditions, renouncing any American empire; that we shall work more intensively with other countries to eliminate global scourges, including AIDS, malaria, and other contagious diseases, massive refugee flows, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and that we will support the early dispatch of United Nations peacekeepers to halt the atrocities in Darfur. I shall make it clear that we do not covet the land of other countries for our military bases or the control of their natural resources for our factories. I shall make it clear that our country is not bound by any policies or pronouncements of my predecessor that violate international law or threaten international peace.

Fifth, I shall personally sign the Kyoto Protocol, and seek its ratification by the United States Senate, in order to stop global warming before it endangers all species on earth, including our own; and I shall call upon the Congress to take action dramatically reducing our nation’s reliance on the carbon fuels that are steadily contributing to the degradation of our environment.

Sixth, I shall demonstrate sufficient confidence in the strength of our values and the wisdom and skill of our diplomats to favor communications, negotiations, and full relations with every country on earth, including Cuba, North Korea, Palestine, and Iran.

Finally, I shall restore the constitutional right of habeas corpus, abolish the unconstitutional tapping of private phones, and once again show the world the traditional American values that distinguish us from those who attacked us on 9/11.

We need not renounce the use of conventional force. We will be ready to repel any clear and present danger that poses a genuine threat to our national security and survival. But it will be as a last resort, never a first; in cooperation with our allies, never alone; out of necessity, never by choice; proportionate, never heedless of civilian lives or international law; as the best alternative considered, never the only. We will always apply the same principles of collective security, prudent caution, and superior weaponry that enabled us to peacefully prevail in the long cold war against the Soviet Union. Above all, we shall wage no more unilateral, ill-planned, ill-considered, and ill-prepared invasions of foreign countries that pose no actual threat to our security. No more wars in which the American Congress is not told in advance and throughout their duration the true cost, consequences, and terms of commitment. No more wars waged by leaders blinded by ideology who have no legal basis to start them and no plan to end them. We shall oppose no peaceful religion or culture, insult or demonize no peace-minded foreign leader, and spare no effort in meeting those obligations of leadership and assistance that our comparative economic strength has thrust upon us. We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them. In short, our foreign policy will rest on the traditional American values of restraint and empathy, not on military might.

In the final analysis, our nation cannot be secure around the world unless our citizens are secure at home—secure not only from external attack, but secure as well from the rising tide of national debt, secure from the financial and physical ravages of uninsured disease, secure from discrimination in our schools and neighborhoods, secure from the bitter unrest generated by a widening gap between our richest and poorest citizens. They are not secure in a country lacking reasonable limitations on the sale of handguns to criminals, the mentally disturbed, and prospective terrorists. And our citizens are not secure when some of their fellow citizens, loyal Islamic Americans, are made to feel they are the targets of hysteria or bigotry.

I believe in an America in which the fruits of productivity and prosperity are shared by all, by workers as well as owners, by those at the bottom as well as those at the top; an America in which the sacrifices required by national security are shared by all, by profiteers in the back offices as well as volunteers on the front lines.

In my administration, I shall restore balance and fairness to the national tax system. I shall level the playing field for organized labor. I shall end the unseemly favors to corporations that allow them to profit without competing, for it is through competition that we innovate, and it is through innovation that we raise the wages of our workers. It shames our nation that profits for corporations have soared even as wages for average Americans have fallen. It shames us still more that so many African American men must struggle to find jobs.

We will make sure that no American citizen, from the youngest child to the oldest retiree, and especially no returning serviceman or military veteran, will be denied fully funded medical care of the highest quality.

To pay for these domestic programs, my administration will make sure that subsidies and tax breaks go only to those who need them most, not those who need them least, and that we fund only those weapons systems we need to meet the threats of today and tomorrow, not those of yesterday.

The purpose of public office is to do good, not harm; to change lives, help lives, and save lives, not destroy them. I look upon the presidency not as an opportunity to rule, but as an opportunity to serve. I intend to serve all the people, regardless of party, race, region, or religion.

Let us all, here assembled in this hall, or watching at home, constitute ourselves, rededicate ourselves, as soldiers in a new army. Not an army of death and destruction, but a new army of voters and volunteers, in a new wave of workers for peace and justice at home and abroad, new missionaries for the moral rebirth of our country. I ask for every citizen’s help, not merely those who live in the red states or those who live in the blue states, but every citizen in every state. Although we may be called fools and dreamers, although we will find the going uphill, in the words of the poet: “Say not the struggle naught availeth.” We will change our country’s direction, and hand to the generation that follows a nation that is safer, cleaner, less divided, and less fearful than the nation we will inherit next January.

I’m told that John F. Kennedy was fond of quoting Archimedes, who explained the principle of the lever by declaring: "Give me a place to stand, and I can move the world." My fellow Americans—here I stand. Come join me, and together we will move the world to a new era of a just and lasting peace.

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister

2010-09-23T21:23:00.001+10:00

To,
Prime Minister of India
7 Race Course Road,
Chanakyapuri
New Delhi - 110021
India

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

I write you as a former citizen of India; a person who still holds India in the highest regard; a person who appreciates and treasures the culture India has given to him. Most importantly, I speak as a member of the generation of the youth of Indian origin, a generation filled with optimism and hope. It was with the same optimism and hope that I rejoiced on November 23rd, 2003 when New Delhi was announced as the winning bid for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. It was India’s chance to take centre stage, I said to myself. It was India’s chance not only to touch the sky, but to soar above it.

As the curtains came down on the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, I watched with pride as famous artists presented the customary segment extolling the virtues of the next host nation. I still recall telling my friends with a beaming smile and a sense of belongingness that the countdown to the best Commonwealth Games had begun.

Now, ten days away from the opening ceremony, my only hope is that the nation escapes from the farce that the Organising Committee has imposed on it. India has had six years to build the games infrastructure. I will not say that India has embarrassed me. It never has and never will, for I take great pride in my Indian origin. Yet I am definitely embarrassed by the way the officials, including you Sir, have handled this. On the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of Indian Independence, you announced to the nation and the world that you had taken responsibility of fixing the games. Yet, nothing has been done. You sir, are a role model to the youth of the nation. It was your landmark budget speech that set the pace of economic reform, which allowed youth such as me to dream, and then turn those dreams into reality. Yet as you stand silently on this issue, we cannot help but feel betrayed. We feel betrayed that despite having a strong cabinet and the will of the people, you have stood by and allowed corruption and cronyism to strike again at these games.

The world since 2000 has heaped praises of India. It waited with bated breath as to the success of these games. Not it waits with nervousness in the hope that the Games will not be canceled, or have the image of these games tarnished. In the eyes of the world, this debacle would put us back at least 30 years, when India was associated with exotic and esoteric beauty or reviled as a third-world nation. The real sadness of this whole saga is that while India has made progress is making progress, it is straddling that thin line between renaissance and destruction.

What is done is done. The question is, Mr. Prime Minister, what you are going to bring those responsible for this tragedy to justice.

Yours Sincerely,

A former Indian citizen.

Independence Day 2010

2010-08-15T07:12:00.007+10:00

“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.

At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?”

Thus spoke Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India on the midnight of the 15th of August 1947, 64 years to the day that this blog post appears. The joy of India’s independence was mixed with the tragedy of the largest mass migration in human history, the Partition of India. Normally on this day, I write about what it means to be Indian and last year I had written about the speech I would have given to the people of India, from atop the Red Fort. However, this year, I am no longer an Indian citizen, but an Australian. Thus I do not wish to project myself in the role of the legislature, executive or the judiciary, but as a common man; a common person of Indian Origin.

It is common knowledge of the immense sacrifices people undergo, when charged with the task of nation building. As Thomas Jefferson said “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants”. The quest for Indian independence saw that tree overflowing with the blood of patriots. To this day, the tree is being continually refreshed, by not only patriots wearing military uniform, but ordinary people, doing extra-ordinary things. These people all summoned the courage in preparing for a common goal. They went for walks, they went without food, they marched during “shoot at sight” orders, and they threw leaflets in Parliament only to see an independent India. If these great men and women came back to India on August 2010, what would they do? Head for another walk? The correct answer may not be too far from this statement. India 2010 is different to India pre-1947 in many ways very similar in others.

A loose body of princely states, one which many wagered could never integrate to form a Union of States, is now a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and a multi-religious vibrant democracy. Yet from time to time, the fires of parochialism, secession and communalism burn and are stoked by leaders with vested interests.

A country, which had famines with alarming regularity before 1947, has not had a single famine for the past 64 years. Yet in 2006, almost 18000 farmers committed suicide due to various reasons.

A nation, which in 1911 only had 12% of its population literate in 1947, now has 66% of its population literate. Yet, this is much below the 84% World benchmark. A state having a growth rate of approximately 3% during Independence, now boasts of a growth rate of 7.4%, with the fourth largest PPP in the world. At the same time, the per capita income of the country is ranked well below leading economies, and even below nations like Sudan and Moldova.

Yet, despite of all this, India races forward even as many cynics argue "despite the system and not because of it". However, it is hard not to share an optimism about India. Role models like Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji and Subroto Bagchi only reinforce this optimism. Politicians like Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Shivraj Chauhan give hope that the young will lead a nation of youth in the years to come.

Yes, there are problems. Yes, there are scandals. Yes, there are deep issues which cannot be solved at the drop of a hat. These require time, these require patience of more than 64 years. These problems were made by humans, so therefore the solutions will come with humans. Two of my favourite quotes come from the US President John F Kennedy, when he said

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country"

and

"...we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills..."

In closing, I leave with Tagore's vision of India:

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where the words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action,
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Jai Hind.

A return to blogging...again

2010-07-22T20:06:00.004+10:00

Once again, I must apologise to my readers (if there are any left), for the long break in posting. The reasons for that will be explained in a subsequent post. However, this does mark a return to my blogging and I will once again strive to keep regularly updating it.

You may ask why I picked today for all reasons for a return to blogging. Today, I participated in something that I hold close to my heart thus proving to be a catalyst for me to announce my presence on the blogosphere once again. Today, I voluntarily gave Bone Marrow for medical purposes. Why did I do it? Was it painful? What is the procedure? Will I do it again? Did I gain any benefit out of it, monetary or otherwise? All of these questions will be answered to some depth in this piece J, so do bear with me!!

Firstly, I must stress that I have not donated bone marrow as part of a transplant process. Unfortunately, I still have not been amongst the lucky ones asked to save someone's life in that manner and I sincerely hope that one day, I too will be able to wear that badge of honour. My donation, known as a Bone Marrow Aspiration, was part of a trial that is being conducted by the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in conjunction with the Hanson Institute of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Sciences (IMVS). The process itself took 15 minutes, with the total time being just over 2 hours. The process has been documented quite extensively on the web and although I lack the medical knowledge/expertise to explain it fully, I will give my personal account of what occurred. The first few steps of this action occurred in late April, wherein I volunteered to be part of this study, through a friend. The first visit to the RAH involved a standard blood test, to ensure that the blood was not infected with Hepatitis etc. Once this test was done, I was given a slot and asked to report to Day Surgery at that time.

Today, as I arrived, I filled in the regular paperwork and was asked to wait until a nurse came and asked questions related to my general health over the past 10 days, after which I was then escorted into Day Surgery and was "prepped". This involved changing into a surgical gown, and having 3-4 vials of my blood taken for further testing as part of the trial. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I was taken into the Operating Theatre, introduced to the surgeon who once again explained the procedures to me and asked me to sign paperwork saying that I had fully understood the procedures, accept the risks involved and consent to the operation as well as the results being used for the trial. After signing the paperwork, I was asked to lie on my side, marking the start of the procedure. It is after this that my experience wholly depended on what the hospital staff told me as the biopsy took place. First, the surgeon inserted a needle, causing slight pain, and applied local anaesthesia. From my understanding 2-3 vials of anaesthesia were used. After a few minutes, when it became apparent to me and the surgeon that the anaesthesia was working, a larger needle, known as the aspirate needle was then inserted into the same area. This is the needle which is used to "suck out" the bone marrow. The needle goes right into the bone, stopping at the marrow cavity. At this stage, a syringe is attached and the marrow is sucked out. This process of marrow extraction caused a sensation in the legs, accompanied by some pain. This pain however, reduced as repeated samples were taken. Once all samples were taken, the needles were removed, dressing applied and the operation was complete. I was then taken out of the theatre, allowed permission to get changed, and then asked to sit down, to allow my body recognise what happened. After 5-10 minutes of sitting down, the entire process was completed and I was then told that I could continue with my duties for the day.

In terms of pain, the answer is that the procedure IS painful. However, the pain is greatly reduced once the local anaesthetic is applied and the pain during aspiration is also reduced as further samples are taken. Once the local anaesthetic wears off, there is a pain in the hip, akin to the pain felt as part of a bruise in that area. I have been told that this pain shall reduce in 2-3 days. This pain did not preclude me from carrying out my work today and I see it just as a minor inconvenience.

The question then arises on why I would subject myself to this. I have been donating blood for quite some time now and have also been registered on the Australian Bone Marrow Registry, operated by the Red Cross. I have constantly wanted to be a part of the Bone Marrow donation process, as the chances of finding a match are extremely rare (some put it at one in a million). As I have yet to receive a call, the next logical process, in my view was to donate my marrow, so that it would help research into the science of haematology, which is

"the branch of internal medicine, physiology, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and paediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases."

Furthermore, the asian sub-continent population is very much under-represented in the bone marrow transplant process. India, for example, does not even have a Bone Marrow Registry. This article talks about the difficulties faced in finding an Indian donor (the website which is supposedly the Indian Bone Marrow Registry does not load). The numbers of both the donors and recipients are rising, but the rates are disproportionately stacked against the donors. Thus, even if any of my readers are able to register with their local hospital to be a bone marrow donor, I feel it would be an amazing step towards building a registry and helping our fellow human beings. Indeed, my main objective in doing the donation today was to give back to humanity for being extremely kind to me. I hope to be called for this once again and if the need arises for donating bone marrow for transplant purposes, I shall not bat an eyelid.

Finally, there was monetary compensation paid. However, that money shall go to charity. I have not earned one penny of that money, for I have not done anything but my human duty. I do not believe in being compensated for doing my duty and thus, that amount shall wholly go to a charitable organisation.

PS: A hat tip to my friend Reanu Gopal, who spoke to me about this and first planted the idea in my head! Thank you Reanu!

Independence Day 2009

2009-08-15T09:21:00.001+10:00

Greetings on the occasion of 62 years of Independence for the Republic of India. As you know on the 15th of August, the Prime Minister of India, address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the enduring legacy of India's fight for freedom. This address, is akin to the State of the Union address of the President of the USA, in which he talks about the state of the country and the challenges it faces. On this Independence Day, as I am yet to recover from my Obama fixation, I am writing what I would say *if* I was the Prime Minister of India. As I say, these are my opinions only and any feedback, in terms of bouqets and brickbats, is more than welcome. So therefore, here we go....

“My fellow Indians,

63 years ago, on this day, the first Prime Minister of independent India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, stood on this very platform and announced that as the world slept, India would awake to life and freedom. In these 63 years, we have surpassed our own expectations in where we stand at this moment, as well as surprising our critics who held no hope of our growth. To this achievement, I congratulate all Indians who have worked so hard, and continue to work as hard as ever to show the world, what an Indian is capable of. I also take this moment to thank on behalf of a grateful nation, the soldiers and paramilitary forces, who stand guard at our borders, no matter how dangerous or how remote, ever ready to give their lives for the Republic. I would also like to make a thankyou to members of the Indian Police Services, who are still standing guard, lest this day of celebration be tempered by unsavoury incidents. Indeed, the nation is grateful for your continuing sacrifices.

Brothers and sisters, our nation stands at a great point in time. This is the last year of the first decade of a new century. A century, which has been described as Asia's century. A century which according to research from all parts of the globe, will belong to India. It is for no reason that we find ourself courted by many major countries from all parts of the globe, so that they may share our impending success. However, we have also seen through the previous years that we are in a very troubled time. The world is going through some upheaval and although the experts say we are on the path to recovery, this path is thorny, dangerous and long. Therefore, to ensure that the prophecy of India Shining is not false, I shall outline today some major initiatives that we shall take in the next few years, to ensure that India, comes out of this crisis stronger than ever before. These initiatives herald a major shift in many of our policies, a sign that in a new world, new rules have to be made. These rules may not be to everyone's liking, and in some of them, the Government has taken very hard decisions, but let me tell you this my brothers and sisters; the easy decisions are seldom right, and the right decisions are seldom easy.

A country, is judged first and foremost by the conduct of its parliament and the strength of its democracy. Indeed some few months ago, 65% of you gave us a mandate to govern. You braved all elements, natural and in some cases man-made, to speak in one voice, that you will control your destiny, and you will decide whither you will go and what shall be your goal. A majority of those elected are hardworking politicians, no, servants of the people. However, a minority, have gotten into power, not on the basis of trusty, but on fear. One third of those elected come from a criminal background. Speaking as the leader of the world's largest democracy, this is a shameful statistic. This will however, be a statistic no more. From tomorrow, I shall convey to the President, to institute a committee on the basis of the report from the Election Commission of India, which shall look into those MPs who have criminal antecedents and make a list of the names of MPs who are embroiled in criminal cases. These MPs, shall be immediately expelled from Parliament, and their seats will be up for a by-election. If these criminal cases are of a serious nature, they shall be disbarred from participating in any type of elections. My fellow Indians, we have had enough of criminals who see politics as a refuge. They must not be allowed to prosper, and with my decision, they will not be allowed to prosper. This committee, shall report back to me in exactly two months, that is on October 15. There will be no deadlines, and the hearings of this committee shall be telecast live on the national network, so all people will see who these MPs are. In our democracy, there will be no place for criminals. This is my promise to you.

Brothers and sisters, for us to function effectively as a government and for this nation to chart its future successfully, our laws need to be effective. This cannot be, when our Penal code is from a Victorian era, an era even before many of the freedom fighters alive today. 63 years after the tricolour was unfurled in this very hallowed ground, we still cling onto a set of laws that predates even the first war of independence. Is this the freedom Mangal Pandey, Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope, Mahatma Gandhi, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shubhas Chandra Bose and many others fought for? No, my fellow Indians it is not. Therefore, I am also announcing today another Commission which will radically overhaul the Indian Penal Code, so that we follow rules of the 21st century. This Commission will take into account the existing laws in many other countries and bring about a plan to investigate laws which are no longer relevant to the new India. This Commission will conclude its report within the next two years, so when we celebrate 65 years of Independence, we can do so, by having laws that serve us, not rule us. This is my promise to you

Amidst these changes, I am also announcing a major shift in our thinking. For far too long, we have been basking in political freedom, not the true meaning of freedom. While the changes I have outlined thus far, will enable us to move closer to true freedom, a major change is enshrined in that single document which governs us all as a nation; the Constitution. Based our majority in both houses of Parliament, my Government is laying on the table, an amendment to the Constitution of India, which will no longer place restrictions on the personal freedoms. Each man shall have a right to express himself freely, within the boundaries of the law. The Government of India and the Republic of India shall move away from the business of ruling the people that elects it and move towards ensuring that its citizens are allowed their basic rights, without any caveats. My Government believes that adults, should be able to express themselves as they please, so long as they stay within the confines of the Law of the Land. This is our destiny, and this is my promise to you.

For many of us, 1991-1992 remains a watershed moment in the course of our Nation's rather short life. Faced with our biggest economic crisis, we realised that by trading with others openly and freely do we become truly independent. This culminated in the economic reforms that has led many of the present generation enjoy rapid rises in income and the opportunity of a better life, either in India, or abroad. However, this ia a job that we have left unfinished. For every Indian who capitalises on his or her opportunity and tastes success, there are hundreds and thousands who cannot, not because of their abilities, but because of a system that restricts them and suffocates them. We cannot allow, in the world's largest democracy, such inequality to occur, especially in the form of Government policy. Therefore I am announcing today, that we shall once again begin efforts to liberalize our economy in great earnest. One has to just look towards China, to see what Liberalization has done to them. At the time we gained our Independence, China was ruined by the war. Today, it is an economic superpower of Asia. If China can do it, under a socialist leadership, we most definitely can do with with a democratic leadership. I understand that many of our Left comrades are unhappy at this. While I can understand their fears, I must state that it is quite unfounded. For it is from competition that innovation is born, and it is the free-market economy that is the fastest and most efficient method of lifting people from abject poverty. My Government cannot spend lakhs and crores of rupees providing lifelines to Public Sector Units, when farmers commit suicide, unable to pay their debts. The Government is not in the business of signing blank cheques, brothers and sisters and those who hold leadership positions must take note of that. I want this nation be home to more Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis, Murthis, Premjis and Nilekanis. We have abundant resources, and I want to ensure that every Indian who has a dream, has the opportunity to fulfil it, without being stifled by rules and regulations. This is my promise to you.

I would now like to spend some time on matters related to the defence and the security of the Union. Earlier, in my address, I had talked about the numerous men and women, who guard our borders, who take the shape of soldiers, and policemen. These brave citizens, watch over us while we sleep, braving the harshest of conditions. Sometimes, as we see continuously, they pay the highest sacrifice so that we live to see the sun shining again. We can only remember their valour, now, but we can ensure that the future generation of soldiers have the latest technology at hand to protect us further. Therefore, I am instituting a Blue Ribbon Commission, which will have, our fellow citizens who have made a mark in the wider world as its members. Its task will be to come up with suggestions and recommendations to further improve our forces, militray, paramilitry, police forces and our intelligence forces. This committee will be formed by the end of this year, and from January 1, 2010, will start its work. These recommendations shall be on my table by August 15th 2011 and within three months, the outcomes shall be visible to all. When I, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, thrust a young officer from IMA Dehradun into battle, I want to do so, knowing that my country has given the young soldier, the very best of arms, ammunition, training and blessings. On another note, I shall say this to those who hold high positions in our neighbouring countries. India, as a nation, is peace loving. However, we also have limits. We cannot be expected to sit idly by holding onto the olive branch of peace, when other sides wantonly carry out acts causing maximum injury and death to our citizens in our Land. I strongly ask Governments in other nations to do all they can to stop terrorist activities within India. I was elected on a platform of providing security to all Indians, as directed to me by my guiding force, the Constitution of India, and I say to all those who are listening, I shall carry out this duty using whatever power I have. For those who see this as a warning or a threat, then so be it. We as a nation shall not be subject to a principle of "death by a thousands cuts". My country, our country, will not break apart into pieces. When we gained Independence, we became a symbol of Unity in Diversity, and nothing ever shall change this. This is my promise to you.

Finally, I say this to my fellow countrymen: the steps I have outlined are but small steps in a big journey. These steps, will require blood, sweat and tears. This is a journey that we must make immediately, or risk being forever a "developing nation". My dream, my fellow brothers and sisters, is to ensure that Bharat, is a name that will be forever spoken in glowing terms, and for that to occur, we must rededicate ourselves to our nation now, as a new battle of Independence is going to be fought in the coming years. We are at a cruical juncture in history, where we can learn from our past and apply it to better our future. Such moments, as Pt. Nehru said, "come rarely in history, where a voice, long supressed, finds utterance". Our voice is now slowly finding its true pitch. Let us not stifle it any longer, or we shall run the risk of being declared mute. So please join me, in dedicating our power to make India, the best it can be.

Jai Hind, Jai Hind, Jai Hind!!!!”

Please do leave your feedback.

Some videos to get into the Independence Day mood

2009-08-14T09:01:00.006+10:00

Here are some videos to get into the Independence Day mode...JAI HIND :-)!!!

1. Jana Gana Mana

2. Vande Mataram - Flute

3. Vande Mataram - Maa Tujhe Salaam

3a. Vande Mataram - ARR

Vande Mataram - Maa Tujhe Salaam (A.R.Rahman) - Watch more amazing videos here

4. Mile Sur Mera Tumhara - Various Artists

5. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

6. Aye Mere Pyaare Watan

7. Rising India anthem

8. Tum Chalo toh Hindustan Chale

9. Lead India - Amitabh Bachchan

10. Rising India - Amitabh Bachchan

... and last but not least ...

11. I am India :-)

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar

2009-07-19T09:07:00.004+10:00

Here's the song "Delhi 6" from the movie "Delhi - 6"

(audio only)

(audio and video, audio quality is average)

And here's my tribute to Sydney :-)

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

{rap}

Basti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

Bada kas ke gale lagata hai
Dhadkan ki dhoom sunata hai
Iske baye taraf bhi dil hai
Iske daye taraf bhi dil hai
Yeh sehar nahi mehfil hai
Yeh sehar nahi mehfil hai

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Sydney 2 Sydney
Sydney 2 Sydney

KAbhi pyaar mein gali bhi deta
Kabhi gali mein pyaar bhi hota hai apni

KAbhi pyaar mein gali bhi deta
Kabhi gali mein pyaar bhi hota hai apni
Ankhon ki tara bhi yahan pyaar mein bilkul khota hai

{RAP}

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2
{rap}

[Yeh Sydney hai
Yeh Sydney hai
Yeh Sydney hai Mere yaar] * 4

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Sydney 2 Sydney

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Sydney 2 Sydney

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

BAsti hai mastano ki Sydney
Sydney
Gali hai deewano ki Sydney 2

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

Yeh Sydney hai mere yaar
Bas ishq mohabbat pyaar

4th of July

2009-07-04T22:45:00.003+10:00

On the occasion of the 233rd anniversary of the adoption of the "Declaration of Independence" by the Second Continental Congress of the United States of America, I would like to congratulate my American brethren. The founding fathers of the original thirteen colonies were farsighted and precise against what they were fighting for, and who they were fighting against. Their views, are brought froth quite emphatically in the document, and one can clearly see the imprints of the great Thomas Jefferson, who was the primary author of the declaration.

The document, however "perfect" in its aims and objectives, was delivered by humans for the benefit of humans. It could therefore be argued that while its goal was of perfection, its implementation leaves a trail of imperfections. Indeed, the next great documentation to be born out of the Declaration of Independence, namely the US Constitution, had until 1865, a clause which stated that a slave, was three-fifths of a man. Moreover in a juxtaposition of sorts Thomas Jefferson, an avowed abolitionist, was himself a slave owner. In addition, the original draft listed the commerce of slavery as one of the violations that justify a break from England. The passage was stripped from the final version at the demand of the southern states, who would not vote for independence otherwise.

Some of my most favourite passages are reproduced below:

"...When in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation..."

"...We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..."

I find it particularly interesting that in this declaration, the drafters have inserted a clause which allows, nay commands the people to fight for their rights. I believe the citizens of the United States of America are incredibly powerful in knowing that in theory, they can overthrow their government, should it diverge significantly from these principles, or take a stand that is not synonymous with the concept and idea of democracy.

However, my question still remains: Is the nation, notwithstanding the election of the President of the United States of America, still living upto the ideas of its forefathers?

God bless the United States of America.

An ideal speech

2009-05-16T16:44:00.002+10:00

In the next few hours, India will have a new Government. Many parties in this election, seem to be claiming that they are the "change" that Indians want. If this is the case, then how would the leader of one such party speak, should he/she win the election? I have an idea of how this may be and I present it below. You may notice that the speech has been heavily borrowed from Barack Obama's victory speech, and I make no apologies for that because I wanted to reflect Obama's values of "change".

My Fellow Indians,

Today, if someone in our land still doubts that India is a place where anything is possible; or wonders if the spirit of the Father of our nation is still alive or questions the resilience of our democracy, today your doubts have been cleared.

This answer has been told not by me, or by my esteemed opponents, but through lines that stretched around schools, colleges, Mandal Offices, forests and jungles, by people who waited a long time. Many of these people voted for the first times in their lives, because they believed that an elected government must act differently and that they wanted their voice to be that difference.

This is an answer that has been spoken by rich and poor, the young and the old. It is an answer that has been spoken by Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and non-believers. An answer in unison by “Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha”. Today, Indians sent a message, that we are not just a collection of states, but we have been, are and always will be, “people of the Socialist Secular Democratic Republic of India”.

This is the answer that has led those who have been told for so long, by so many to be cynical, fearful and doubtful of what we as Indians, and as humans can achieve to put their hands on the pages of history, and turn it, towards building a better tomorrow.

It has been a long time, but today, because of what we did, in this election, change has come to India.

Over the past few hours, I have received gracious calls from Dr. Manmohan Singhji, and Shri LK Advaniji . All my opponents, have fought long and hard in this campaign, and these two have fought even longer and harder for the country that we all love. I congratulate Dr.Singh and Shri Advani for all they have achieved and I look forward to working with them, and all the other major poticial party, to renew the pledge of this nation in the moths ahead.

I would not be standing here today, without the support of my party, and my family and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. They have all sacrificed a lot and suffice to say, I would not have the courage to be on this pedestal if not for them.

Above all, I shall never forget who this belongs to. It belongs to you, the people of India.

I was never the most likely candidate for the responsibility the Office of the Prime Minister brings. We did not start with much money, or endorsements. This campaign was not hatched in the Lutyen’s Delhi, or the bungalows of the capital. This campaign began in the farms of Vidarbha, in the streets of Hyderabad and the gullies of Mumbai.

This campaign was built by middle-class people, who dug into what little they had to give; 1 rupee, 5 rupees, 10 rupees to this cause. It gained strength from the young people, who rejected this myth of apathy; from those who left their homes and moved to new towns and cities in the search for jobs that offered little pay, and even less sleep; from those who braved the elements to get our message across; from the lakhs of Indians who volunteered, and organised and proved that our government, is one of the people, by the people and for the people still exists after 60 years of Independence. This, is your victory.

I am not naïve to believe that you did this just so that this party could win the election and most certainly you did not do it so that I could be the Prime Minister of India. You have done it because you are fully aware of the situation that stares at us in the face. Even as we sing and dance today in celebration, we must look ahead and realise that the challenges we face tomorrow, are one of the greatest that this young nation of 60 years has faced; a planet in peril, a global financial crisis. Even as we all stand here today, valiant Indians are guarding our borders to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who, after their children sleep, wonder how they will make the repayments for their house, pay the bills of the doctor, or even save enough for decent schools. There is a new energy to be tapped, new jobs to be created, new institutions to build, new threats to be neutralised, new alliances to be built and old ones to be repaired.

This road ahead, will be long, and the climb, will be steep. We may not get there this year, or in one term, however India – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight, we will get there. I promise you – “we the people”, will get there.

There will be false starts and there will be setbacks. There will be many who will not agree with decisions I make as the Prime Minister of India, and we all know that government alone will not solve each and every problem. However, I always will be honest with you on the challenges we as a nation face. I will listen to you, even and especially when you disagree. Most importantly, I will ask you, to join the work of rebuilding this nation, the only way it has been done in the past sixty years of independence, and the previous ninety of the independence struggle, brick by brick, block by block and sweaty palm by sweaty palm.

What began a hundred weeks ago, in the start of the scorching summer, must not be swept away in the monsoonal rains. This victory is not the change we seek – it is only a chance for us to make this change. We have to be the change we want to see in the world, and this victory, is the first signs of that change. This cannot happen if we go back to the old adage of “chaltha hai yaar”. It cannot happen, without your presence and involvement.

Therefore, let us summon a new spirit of national pride; a spirit of service and responsibility, where each ones of us pledges to dig deep and work as hard as ever, and not look only after ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis has taught us anything, then it is that we cannot have growing Dalal Street, if our Rythu bazaars are declining. Within our boundaries, we rise and fall as one nation; as one people.

Today, let us pledge to resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness, immaturity and narrow-mindedness that has poisoned our politics for so long, and stunted the growth of this nation. Let us remember that the father of the Constitution, wrote it keeping the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. These are all values we share, regardless of party affiliations, and while our party has won a great victory today, we must do so, with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. In the spirit of Bapuji, let us demonstrate that we are not enemies, but friends. While our passions may have strained it, the bond of affection cannot break. And to those Indians whose trust I have yet to earn, I may have not won your mandate, but I hear your voices. I need your help and I shall be your Prime Minister too.

To all those watching now, from beyond our shores, from parliaments and castles, to those who are huddled around listening to radios in the corners of our world, our stories are unique, however we share a destiny, and a dawn of a new Indian leadership is at hand. To those who wish to tear this world apart, you shall be defeated. To those who seek peace and stability, we shall support you. And to whose who wonder if the American light burns as bright, tonight we have proved once again, as we did sixty years ago, that the strength of our nation comes not from the strength of our weapons, or the supply of our wealth, but from the enduring power of the ideals our forefathers set before us; liberty, democracy, hope and opportunity.

This is the true strength of America, that India can change. That India will change. This union of States, can be further perfected. What we have achieved today, gives hope for what we can, must and will achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts, and stories that will be told for generations. But a story on my mind is about a lady who cast her ballot here. She is not that different to lakhs of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing, Laxmibai is 100 years old.

She was born just two generations past the first war of independence; a time when neither there cars on the road, or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote, for two simple reasons, skin colour and nationality.

And today, as I think about all she has seen throughout her century in India – the heartache, and the hope; the struggle and the progess; the times that we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that Indian motto: yes we will.

At a time when the voices of Indians were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up, speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we will.

When where was despair, in the rice bowl of the nation, and a depressed psyche across the country, she saw a nation conquer itself with a deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we will.

When bombs fell on our shores, and tyranny threatened us, she was there to witness a generation to rise to greatness. Yes we will.

She was there for the reversal of the Bengal Partition, the arrival of Bapu, movements of non-cooperation, Jalianwala Bagh, Purna Swaraj, Dandi march, Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose. Yes we will.

A tryst was forged with destiny, new nations were carved, a new republic was born, and this world was connected with our own imagination and creativity. She watched, as some years ago, a Muslim president administered the oath of office to a Sikh Prime-minister, belonging to a party led by a Christian, to rule over a Hindu majority, with the ceremony overseen by a Dalit Chief Justice. Yes we can.

India, we have come far. We have seen much. Yet there is more to do. Today, let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next children, if our daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Laxmibai, what change will they see? What change will they want to see? As Pandit Nehru said “Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour?”

This is our chance to answer these questions. This is our moment. This is our time, to put our people into work and to open the doors of opportunity for our children; to restore prosperity and promote peace; to reclaim the Indian spirit, and to reiterate that fundamental truth – that we are a nation formed by Unity in Diversity and that while we breathe, we hope and where we are met with doubt and sarcasm, and to those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that eternal creed, that sums up the spirit of our people.

Yes we will.

Thankyou. Sare Jahan Se Accha, Hindustaan Hamara. Jai Hind!

All's well that ends well

2009-04-03T21:19:00.002+11:00

"Mr. Prasanna, just to remind you that your flight is scheduled to depart at 2350 tonight".

I guess there's no better way of putting the fact that I'm leaving tonight better than the above line, courtesy Singapore Airlines. It is with a tinge of sadness, a sense of duty and a great deal of contentment, that I leave India, after calling it home for the last 4.5 months. In this time, my life truly is a roller coaster, and while I will not say I have enjoyed every minute of it, I have been better for it. There have been high points, there have been low points but all of them have been a learning curve and I treasure each moment.

It would be wrong of me not to thank important people at this juncture, yet there are too many of them to thank individually. However, I like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Kale Balkrishna, Joint Managing Director, Retail Experts Software Pty Ltd for giving me the opportunity to complete my work experience in his company. It was truly a great booster to my studies and I'm sure the lessons I have learnt will be valuable in the future. I would also like to thank all the people in Bangalore, Tirunelveli and Chennai for keeping me company, when I visited these places. Truly some amazing times.

Well what next? For me, it will be back to Adelaide, and joining my career in a few months. After that who knows....

Thank you Hyderabad, and God bless India!!!

To Chennai (once again)!

2009-03-19T19:00:00.000+11:00

Well here I am, beginning my last domestic journey in India. Over the past three months, I have not travelled as much as I would like to due to personal problems. However, in the past 3 months, I sincerely believe that I have emerged as a stronger, resilient and braver individual. The circumstances by which this has occurred still go on and hence I do not wish to dwell on them too much. Today is a day I enjoy my love for Indian Railways, and feel proud to procure services from the world’s largest employer.

As I write this, I am currently en-route to Chennai via the 2760 Charminar Express. I had boarded at Hyderabad Station, and fulfilled another little personal milestone, that is to board a train at Hyderabad Railway Station. All I have remaining is to alight at Hyderabad station, before I can claim to have boarded and alighted at all the 3 important stations in Hyderabad, namely Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Kacheguda.

Tomorrow evening I shall board a train from Chennai Egmore to Tirunelveli, the 2nd time I have done so in the past 3 months, and a record which I am not completely proud of. Once again, this is due to an extremely personal issue and I shall blog at length when I feel ready to. Today (18 th March 2009) also marks the fact that I have 16 days left in the Republic of India, before I leave for Australian shores. I shall write about this in detail.

This is a rather short piece, and so I shall take leave.

Before I do, some pictures. The first is of my face, after celebrating my first holi in India in almost 16 years, and the second is indicative of the snacks on offer on the Hyderabad - Chennai route!

Another instalment of my thoughts

2009-02-07T17:20:00.006+11:00

It's been over a month since I had last posted my thoughts and so here goes:

Over the past four weeks, my life has been as normal as can be. I attended my internship (which is still fantastic and I'm really proud of what I've accomplished), as well as hung around friends and family. In the mean time, couple of festivals came and went, and one of two national holidays of India, Republic Day was celebrated. The significance of Republic Day is that it was on the 26^th of January 1950, when the Constitution of the Republic of India, beginning with the hallowed words of "We the People…" was unanimously passed by the Constituent Assembly and India was "truly" politically free. I say politically free, because unlike some other countries, India still has a long way to go in providing basic freedoms such as "…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…" to her citizens. For those who wish to argue are advised to check up this and this. On that note, Amit Varma of India Uncut, adds something ingenious here. However, I am hopeful that eventually India shall claim her rightful place on the world stage.

January also heralds the start of the harvest season in India, and is marked by the festival of Sankranthi / Pongal in the Southern States. Apart from the worship of deities, a social norm is the flying of kites, either for fun or for the objective of "winning" other kites by friendly kite fighting. "Manja" is an abrasive thread used for the purposes of the latter. Manja comes in many varieties, with the least abrasive which can be held by hand, or more abrasive versions which can only held with leather gloves. Below are some pictures of the day and kites:

Your's truly flying the kite, using Manja

Our kite in the distance

Our armoury, at the end of the day

Our kite (closest) and our opponent's kite in the distance

I also did some travelling, although nothing compared to my outings in the last two months of 2008. I visited Chennai to be part of a friend's marriage, and from then I went to Mangalagiri, 20km outside of Vijayawada, which is home to my family deity. The temple is on a hill which consists of 500 steps. The sight of the town from the temple is truly awesome. Finally on return to Hyderabad, I passed Bhongir Fort, which was built during the reign of the Western Chalukya Empire's King Vikramaditya IV. Due to the train passing through the point at high speed, the photos may not be too good, and for that I apologise.

The scenery of India, just outside Vijayawada

More scenery

Our distant relatives!

Bhongir Fort 1

Bhongir Fort 2

More scenery

The customary railways picture

I also had the opportunity to be involved with the functions of ITMS, a body I am associated with. Those who wish to find out more about the body or my involvement in it can email me. Thus, my annual "Republic Day" message was not written. It must also be said that at the time I was also suffering from writer's block.

Finally, the month also provided me with a genuine wake up call, with the hospitalisation of my grandfather due to high blood sugar, and the passing away of one of our close family friends. All in all, a very normal month, with a very sobering end.

Till next time!

A very happy 2009!!

2009-01-04T02:27:00.004+11:00

Firstly, I wish all the readers of my blog, a very Happy New Year. I hope that this New Year brings you new dreams and ambitions and I pray that it gives you the strength to carry out these ambitions.

It has been just over a month since I arrived in India and the experience as always has been amazing. This time my experience also includes my work experience as an intern in a company providing retail solutions. I would not like to dwell on the exact nature of my work, nor shall I name the company in which I am interning. I have managed to work in .NET without many hassles and the credit for this goes entirely to my colleagues. They have patiently led me through what appeared to be a minefield at first, tolerating my irritating questions and pointless arguments. Once again, hats off to them for spending their time getting me up to scratch with .NET. My work is greatly challenging, yet I enjoy it as I have the opportunity to see if I can rise to this challenge. It is indeed a pleasure to rock up to work every morning, and at the close of day, I do feel satisfied in what I have accomplished.

Outside of my work, India provides experiences to savour every day. My month started off with attending my 2^nd conference and the first in which I had presented some work. This achievement of mine was completely sidelined when India fell prey to terror once again on 26^th November 2008. That day still remains entrenched in my mind to this day, even though it is 2009. In my opinion, Life is not a perfect filter, where a signal greater than the cut-off frequency does not pass. Although I remember those events vividly, I am determined to move forward, like many of my countrymen, especially those who were in Mumbai on that fateful night.

Post my travel to Mumbai, I had the opportunity to visit the South of India and see places such as Tirunelveli and Tiruchendur. These towns are costal towns. What is surprising about Tiruchendur is that despite having a temple and by extension a large township right on the edge of the shore, it was not affected at all by the Tsunami of 2006, whereas other costal cities and towns such as Cuddalore, Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam etc, were severely affected. Below are pictures showing how close the sea is to the town.

As can be seen there is no distance from the temple town to the beach.

The horizon, right from the edge of the beach

Yours truly

I also had an opportunity to undertake a 15 hour bus journey, courtesy State Express Transport Corporation (SETC), a Public Sector Undertaking by the Government of Tamil Nadu, from Tirunelveli to Tirupati. As I said earlier, India has a lot of experiences. I treasure this experience, yet I would not like to recollect it! Finally, my journey culminated in a train trip from Tirupati to Hyderabad, photos which are visible below.

The scenery on the way to Tirunelveli

Yours Truly

Indian Railways. 150 plus years of bringing people closer

All journeys, regardless of the mode of transportation have been extremely satisfying for the senses, and I am more of a believer in the adage that the "journey is more valuable than the destination". Back in Hyderabad, I have caught up with my cousins and have watched movies on a couple of occasions. Photos shall be posted only after I have their permission. All in all, the past month has been extremely fruitful, and I look forward to what the next month shall bring.

PS: I shall attempt to keep blogging more regularly from now on.

Mumbai 2008

2008-12-01T22:39:00.003+11:00

It's been one week since I have arrived in India. Since then, my mood has swung from joy to fear to sadness to hope to resilience. By now all of you would have heard the news of one of the most resilient cities in the world (here) held hostage to sub-humans. I shall refuse to call them humans as I believe the term “human” has a certain sense of dignity, which these organisms do not have.

As I said earlier, now you may all know that Mumbai was under attack. What you may not know is that I was very close to being a potential victim. I was in Mumbai from the 24th to the 26th of November attending a workshop on the Electrodynamic Coupling of the Atmospheric Regions (ECAR) in Panvel. On the evening of the 26th, I was told by the organisers that due to Mumbai's traffic snarls, it would be advisable for me to catch the local from my hotel in Belapur, to Mumbai CST (Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus), Mumbai's main railway station. As I had not travelled by Mumbai local in a long time, I asked that someone from the organising committee accompany me. The organisers agreed and around 6:50PM local time, we had left Belapur for CST.

The local took around an hour to arrive and with my train to Hyderabad leaving at 9:50PM, I had decided to have some food before boarding the train to get a good night's sleep. Therefore, myself and my friend from the organising committee went to the IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation) run food court outside Mumbai CST and started ordering food. While waiting for food, I had made an off the cuff remark of seeing people walk through the metal-detectors without any security frisking. Little was I to realize what would occur.

After dinner, I wanted to move towards the First Class Waiting hall, as I had a AC2-Tier ticket. I was advised that it would be better to check if the train had arrived on the platform, and then make a choice. As my train was already on the platform, I boarded it, packed my luggage and started to make friends with other passengers. At around 9:50 or so, the train had left the platform, and I was in an upbeat mood, at having attended and presented at my first ever conference. The first signs of trouble came around 30 minutes in the journey, when one of the other passengers got a call saying there were bomb blasts at CST station. Rumours started to circulate, and ultimately after 15 minutes of discussion and phone calls, the passengers settled on the theory of “gunshots in the Taj Hotel” and went to sleep. Only when I woke up in the morning, did I realize the magnitude of the situation, and how close I was to being a victim.

Off late, I have been asking myself “what if” questions, either sub-conciously, or consciously. Many of these, I do not have answer to, for I know not why I was lucky enough to escape the carnage ripped apart in Mumbai. Rationalizing my escape also seems to be a hard task, for neither am I extremely intelligent or talented to survive. If anything, I was at the right place at the right time.

As I cycle through various news articles, I pay particular attention to the CST photographs, with my mind acting as a time machine wherein I place myself once again at CST station, and trace my footsteps through the floor, where blood is now spattered.

Aftermath of the attack, I see great clamour for "change". At such times, the cynic in me arises and I feel like shouting out "change for change's sake accomplishes nothing". Metal detectors at public places are worthless if they're a) switched off, b) malfunctioning, c) working but not being policed well enough. As Ness Wadia said today, "we look to beat the system and until we change our own mindset, this is what will happen". It sometimes feels like for us NRIs, a trip to India becomes a license to disregard every rule we know of, simple "because we can". Footboarding on trains, bribing authorities, etc and then gleefully recounting these tales become 2nd nature to us. Why?

It is a long post and I must take leave. However before I do, a few words on the "Spirit of Mumbai" and the "Spirit of India". These "spirits" work only as well as the mechanism of those who are charged with looking after us. The "Spirit of NY" is lauded because ordinary folk got together with the police on 9/11 and stood together as one. While the "Spirit of Mumbai/India" will work once or twice, this cannot be used as a convenient line to mask the ineptitude of our servants. If we pay for the people who we put in power, then effectively they become our servants. Therefore, if you want to see the real Spirit of India, then let us reform ourselves so that Tagore's immortal words

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

In closing, to any of those who entertain thoughts of harming MY India, I will let you know you'll only get the keys to Rashtrapathi Bhavan, over my dead body.

"They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me. Then they will have my dead body, not my obedience. -Mahatma Gandhi"

PS: I also plan to visit the Taj Hotel on my next visit to Mumbai. I might not be as rich to order a meal, but I will order tea, observe a minute's silence and then drink the tea as a challenge to those without a conscience.

23 Feb 2004 – 12 Nov 2008

2008-11-12T22:49:00.002+11:00

Apologies once again for my lethargic updates of this blog. It has been a long and sometimes stressful year.

The dates at the top indicate the date in which I started University, and the date in which my last official appointment with University staff took place. Although I am still required to appear for exams, I have completed my attendances of all formal methods of teaching provided by the academic staff and have in part, performed my obligation to attend classes to the best of my ability.

Casting my faculties over the past 5 years, I have realised that this period has given the finishing touches to the human being I am today. Pre-University days, when I heard influential leaders in all spheres of life talk about the effect a tertiary institution had on them, I could not understand how their persona could be transformed. However, this misconception was cleared within the first six months of my enrolment.

I joined UniSA as a naive and brash 17 year old. I leave it as a 22 year old, who is still naive and brash, but has a sense of maturity (or so he thinks). I came into University having no skills in presentation, writing, communicating. I leave University with the belief that I am able to hold my own in these skills. I enrolled to University with no idea on building relationships and networking. I leave it, having made connections, and learning "how to work a room". Finally, I came to University having a group of good friends. I leave it, having gained a group of great friends.

Over the years, there have been many a time when I have doubted the relevance of some of the things I was involved with. I looked on at frustration at what I saw to be unfair policies biased to full-fee paying students. I explicitly and implicitly questioned the rationale of some of the subjects we were studying and the point of pedagogy using outdated equipment. The question of "Will I ever use this in real life?" occurred sometimes with alarming regularity in some subjects I undertook. On the other hand, there have been innumerable subjects, which I felt proud to have done. My world-view of economics, shifted drastically from being a borderline socialist, to a confident capitalist. I am now in awe of businesses such as Google, products such as the Apple Ipod after looking at their cases in entrepreneurship.

I now realise that, in my opinion, University does not "teach" you anything, and thus my use of the word "pedagogy" may be misrepresentative. The purpose of University is to allow the student to re-ignite the spark of "Why". This spark, is inherent of humanism and is what drives us to achieve bigger and better things. In re-igniting this spark, University allows us to carry out our own research into our questions of "Why" and thus enables a broader frame of thinking. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the Final Year Projects of Engineering students. A general, non-statistical, subjective survey would seem to indicate that many of the 2008 cohorts would have used minimal coursework knowledge in dealing with their FYPs. The major sources of achievement would have been driven by the trying to seek the answers to "Why". It is therefore no co-incidence that those who score high marks in these projects are those who go deeper into answering their own question of "Why".

I consider myself to be successful at University. I say this because I believe that I have participated in all aspects of life that University has to offer. While I have attentively sat in lectures (for the most part) and been present at tutorials and practicals (again, for the most part), I have also enjoyed the social aspects of University, and more importantly, I have worked in various capacities as an employee of the University. UniSA gave me my first job, which served as a foundation for all the other jobs I have applied, and certainly played a large part in my successful application to Accenture. Similarly, my involvement in various clubs, societies and student teams at the University gave me the abilities which I use, to this day. As I say again, University doesn't tell you what to do, it shows a pathway, and allows one to ask the question of "Why".

As I now come close to my destination as an Engineer, I realise the journey was fantastic. Someday, I hope to recreate a similar journey in pursuit of a higher degree. I may be successful, or I may not be. However, as I relive this journey, I keep in mind all my experiences and hope to apply the knowledge out in the real world.

A bittersweet memory

2008-11-02T22:00:00.002+11:00

Sorry for my long delay in posting. However, I had to blog about this...

Each of us cricket lovers have our own special moments. My "special" moment was in 2002. It was a test match in Antigua with the West Indies taking on India. Anil Kumble delivered a special performance to win. What's so special about that you ask? Jumbo had broken his jaw earlier in the game and had returned, with his face bandaged up. His jaw was so fragile that he couldn't appeal for LBW decisions, with the Indian team helping out.

For me, this is what sport, and human endurance is all about. When the chips are down, it's not about analysing why they're down, it's about getting up there and doing the best we can

Can't say anymore, but will have a detailed post up soon.

Once again, Jumbo, you are a true sportsman!!!! The Indian team is much richer for your involvement in the XI.

Independence Day

2008-08-15T16:29:00.003+10:00

Namaste,

Warmest greetings on the 61st anniversary of Indian Independence. Congratulations also to Abhinav Bindra, who gave the nation an early Independence Day gift in the form of a Gold Medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. This was the first gold medal won by India since Moscow 1980 and the first Individual Gold medal won by India.

Today as we celebrate our freedom, we pay homage to our great national leaders, valiant freedom fighters, men and women, who made many sacrifices, including of their lives to liberate India from colonial rule. Tomorrow is an occasion to recall that under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, our freedom struggle was fought and won on the noble principles of truth and non-violence, making it a unique movement in the history of nations. Indeed, Gandhi's words echoed later on in the 20th century, when Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King both used his methods for their respective battles.

As we celebrate our unique day, we remember Nehru's speech on the eve of Independence. "A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity"

The complete history of our freedom struggle is not just symbolized by a "fakir" (Winston Churchill's description of Gandhi), or a "terrorist" (British Raj's description of Netaji and Bhagat Singh), it is epitomized by a will of the people. To that generation of men, women and children who were subject to draconian laws, who went to jail, faced police torture, we are forever indebted. At one point in time, "free India" was just a dream. It had to be spoken in a whisper, anything greater and it would vanish into thin air. The Declaration of Independence by 13 American states say thus:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security

These words reverberated within our forefathers and events from 1857 strengthened that dream, and finally in 1945, it grew so loud that people were forced to listen, and after listening were forced to agree.

61 years on, as we look back, we must ask ourselves two pertinent questions. Where have we come? Where are we going? Would those men and women, who died to rid us of oppression, would they be satisfied at the progress we have made? Or would they once again, prepare for a new andolan?

A nation, which had once been described as "a functioning anarchy" by noted economist JK Galbraith, is now being showered with the choicest of praises. Yet, as we look through these phrases, we see that there is more to be achieved. Where we create the largest amount of millionaires per capita we consistently rank at the bottom half of the UNDI (UN Development Index). Where we have the largest middle-class in the world, we are also home to the largest levels of illiteracy. Where we have world renowned institutions such as IISc, TIFR, IIT, we also have children who study in woefully inadequate classrooms. Where we have a Muslim President administering the oath to a Sikh PM belonging to a party headed by a Roman Catholic to serve a population of 800 million Hindus, we have at the very same time, politicians claiming to decide who will be allowed to reside in a particular state and the means by which they shall reside.

We have, for long enough, put up with policies which while claiming to provide social equality, strips our countrymen of their very identity. We have for long enough, put up with voices who seek to divide us. To use Barrack Obama's words, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. I say to them, there is not a BJP India or a Congress India, there is the Republic of India. There is not a North India, a South India, a North-East India, there is the Republic of India. There is not a Hindu India, a Muslim India, a Sikh India, there is the Republic of India. There are people also seek to fragment our states, by drawing Saffron states and White States, Saffron for the NDA/BJP and White for the UPA/INC. I have news for them too. We say "Id Mubarak" in the Saffron states, and we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in the White States with equal fervour. We fill up Right To Information applications in the Saffron states and we support those who are less fortunate than us in the White States. We celebrate the success of Irfan Khan Pathan in the Saffron states and we reminisce the works of Vijay Tendulkar in the White states. We are immensely saddened when terror hits the Saffron states, and we are relieved when a terrorist is sentenced to death in the White states. We are all one, pledging allegiance to the Republic of India and the ideals to which it stands for.

In finishing, we are standing at the precipice of an unheralded moment in history. Already, the media is filling us with the optimism that this century will be known as the Asian Century, and there are parallels being drawn with the "Indian Elephant" and the "Chinese Dragon". As we begin the 62nd year of Independence, let us recall the facts. We have around 250-300 million people between the ages of 15-35. That includes many of you as well. This population is more than ten times the entire population of Australia and comparable with the population of the United States. Which power on earth can stop us if we all decide to achieve to the best of our abilities? For far too long now, India has been spoken of as "getting there" and an "emerging superpower". When shall we "get there" and be "a Superpower". I don't know about you all, but I want it to be in my lifetime. Else, the debt that I owe to those who fought for a free India, will be a "promissory note returned marked insufficient funds".

Swami Vivekananda once said "Give me a few young men, and I shall change the face of this nation". I am putting my hand up now, anyone willing to join me?

Jai Hind!!!

pre-Independence Day

2008-08-13T20:55:00.002+10:00

Here's something to get our "desh bhakti" juices going.

No Confidence Motion - Live Blogging

2008-07-21T14:53:00.068+10:00

Hello all!!

I, like many other bloggers around the world, will be bringing you live action over the next two days as India votes for her future. The motion of confidence in the council of ministers is expected to be debated upon today, with the vote tomorrow (22 July).

Some background reading:

The list of business today in the Parliament can be found here. What is important is this

DR. MANMOHAN SINGH to move the following:-

“That this House expresses its confidence in the Council of Ministers.”

Also, it may be worth reading upon the rules of conduct of the Lok Sabha available here. Especially worth noting are the sections related to confidence motions and rule 184

Save in so far as is otherwise provided in the Constitution or in these rules, no discussion of a matter of general public interest shall take place except on a motion made with the consent of the Speaker.

A live webcast is available here.

Finally, as this is my first live blog, feedback is most welcome!

LoO = Leader of Opposition Mr. LK Advani (BJP)
PM = Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh (INC)

Update 3:15PM ACST: The National anthem was played and the new members were inducted into the Parliament by taking oath of allegiance to the Indian Constitution and the Indian people. At present, the speaker is making obituary references to those who have passed. Amongst them is the legendary Sam Bahadur

Update 3:25PM ACST: The words have been spoken. The PM makes the statement to the effect that the House express its confidence in the Council of Minsters. Goes on to say about the achievements of the UPA being together for 4 years and that the credit goes to Sonia Gandhi. PM then talks about the "sense of the house" with regards to the Nuclear deal.

Update 3:32PM ACST: The Leader of the Opposition raises to speak, and wishes to oppose the motion brought forward by the PM. In most cases, a Resume of the Government's performance has been given. The focus on the house, should be on why the debate has become necessary. States that the NDA and the Left agree on ,this particular matter only, even though they disagree on many others.

Update 3:41PM ACST: UPA government is like patient in ICU. The first question asked is, "Is he going to survive or not?" Interruptions in the House. Speaker trying his best, to control the house. Some semblance of order regained. LoO goes on. You started this Mr.PM. You had your seniormost minister preside over a committee. I have seen statements categorically assuring the country, we will not go to the IAEA, without the sense of the house. The LoO is doing a good act of "we didn't know anything!". The chairperson of the UPA appears, with a smug look on her face. Please don't blame anyone else for having this session. For the first time in Indian parliament, the session over two days to decide the fate of the minority government. Not in our nature to destablize a Government. You may do it with Vajpayee in 1999 when we lost by one vote. Distinction between defeating a government and destablizing a government.

More interruptions

Update 3:45PM ACST: I have seen shortlived governments, I have seen unstable governments, but I have never seen a paralyzed government. If the government really though that the deal was really important, why doesn't the CMP or the INC party manifesto mention it. The deal is not between two soverign countries, but between two individuals. One individual is the PM of this country who thinks there is nothing more important than to fulfill this deal. I don't want India to be a junior partner in this deal. India cannot be classified as a non-nuclear weapons state.

Update 4:00PM ACST: Can the government enlighten us on whether the Indian Parliament has become redundant, with respect to articles appearing in the Telegraph. We are not against nuclear energy. We are not at all against a close relationship with America. Irrespective of anyhting else, we will never like India to become party to an agreement which is unequal. With respect to this particular deal, makes us subservient partner in this deal. The Hyde Act imposes restrictions on our foreign policy. The government's response is "Hyde Act does not apply to us" whereas the American response is that the Hyde Act does apply. Today is not the occasion when we discuss the deal. Today for all practical purposes the deal means that Indira Gandhi may have done Pokhran 1, Vajpayee may have done Pokhran 2, but there will be no Pokhran 3 or Pokhran 4. Please do not justify what you are doing, by quoting Vajpayee. Pt. Nehru was never in favour of making India a nuclear weapons state. Mrs. Gandhi was the first INC PM to undertake a nuclear test and successfully. We will renegotiate the deal to make it a deal between equals.

Update 4:12PM ACST: Biggest advantage of deal is that India becomes part of the non-proliferation deal. The INC's performance on the "aam admi" front has been so dismal, that they relied on the deal to tell them that opposition to the deal would be a denial of life. Please give us the figures on when we will get nuclear power if the deal goes through. What price? How much? Let us not try to delude the Indian people by saying we are trying to give energy security to the country and say that we are okay with constraining our national security with respect to nuclear tests. On all fronts INC's performance has been miserable. Don't try to cover it up by saying that nuclear deal will give everyone electricity. During the NDA front, the achievement was the roads and highways.

Update 4:22PM ACST: In 1950 India adopted a secular constitution as theocracy is alien to Indian culture and tradition. Does secularism mean an allergy to Hindus, function in a manner that makes people think that a secular state must be indifferent to a major religion? Why is this government indifferent to terrorist attacks in India? Blasts in Mumbai, Malegaon, Hyderabad, India, Ayodhya etc. I would like the PM or the Home Minister, to tell us what has been the progress of investigation in all these cases. To the best of my information, the performance is so dismal on this front. I see no other reason excepting a consideration of vote banks. Terrorism has no religion, and threfore action against terrorists will not annoy any community. Let us not equal national security with vote bank politics.

Update 4:31PM ACST: LoO makes references on the Sethusamudram project. Interruptions in the house. Ahh, the arguementative Indian. Pathetic display by leaders that claim to be elected by popular vote. I wonder what their parents taught them. House bought under control. Various institutions of government misused for questionable politics.

Okay I am going offline for a bit. Will be back in an hour.

Update 6:54PM ACST: Okay I am back and I shall try to give updates on the half hour, starting from 7PM. The BJP has spoken, the CPI has spoken and the INC has spoken. Let's see who's up next.

Update 7:00PM ACST: SP (Rajender Yadav) taking its stand now. Due to bad connection, updates may be later than expected.

Update 7:30PM ACST: Everything is relative. Everyone looks from their own perspective. There are few people opposing this in public due to their own self interest. When we support something, we look at the character of the politician. I find that I do not find anything wanting in the integrity and honesty of the PM and that is one reason why I support him. Proceeds to rebut the allegations of the LoO and the CPI. Talks about "coalition dharma". Takes aim at the comment of "Is parliament irrelevant?". Praises the democratic spirit of the PM to take Parliament into confidence thereby demonstrating the relevance of Parliament. We test because we want to know if something is working correctly or not. There is nothing in the deal which prevents us from acting in our national interest. When LKA was Deputy PM and Home Minister, then attacks were carried out on the Parliament. Refers to the Keshavananda Bharati v Union of India case, with respect to the importance of the preamble of the Constitution. Then goes on to rebut CPI's 6 principle arguement.

Brings up the folly of Panchsheel. Highlights Sino-Indian war. Touches on women empowerment. Brings out the mistreatment of Taslima Nasreen in Bengal. Highlights that the Left stand has always been one of shifting the goalposts. Concedes that nuclear energy will take a long time. Argues with Left on the available supply of coal in India. Explains problems with global warming and Hydroelectrical energy. You (Left) have dictated the terms to the PM. Is he your servant? Your ego is issuing cheques your political will cannot cash (or words to that effect). "Left" is a term used by the french revolution as the people of the Left were always against. It is better if you joined the Left, as it suits your position.

We have low supply of uranium and thorium reactors are far from realisation. VAT also increased prices of oil. Guess who was on the committee for VAT?

Update 7:33PM ACST: It is not the folly of just the UPA for the increase in prices. The PM knows that LKA is not opposing. He is just sad that he cannot sign on the dotted line. It remains to be seen who will be the new PM for the NDA-Left combine. You talk about purity, but you only look for the satisfication of one person's ego!

Manhandling goes on. MPs storm into the well. Very pathetic this. I most certainly did not expect it from either the SP or the Left. Adjourned for the moment

Update 7:45PM ACST: House reconvenes. SP starts to speak again. In my years as a parliamentarian, there has not been an incident, when I have been accused to being unparliamentary. My mind is uneased at the recent incidents. You (Left) used to go red when you saw the BJP. Now you are voting with them? Please abstain

Ramkripal Yadav (RJD) address the house. We do not want the coming generations to say that we let go of a chance when we had the opportunity to alleviate their problems. Sorry he's going too fast for me to type. I will try once again at 8PM.

Update 8:00PM ACST: Internet really slow, therefore no update possible. I can faintly hear RJD rebutting the Left, saying that red and saffron can never mix together. Will try again in 15-20 mins.

Update 8:15PM ACST: Looks like the Speaker has quit and got the Deputy Speaker to preside. Don't know why though. Absolute pandemonium in the House. Am trying to get a sense of what is happening. Will update on that once I realise what's happened. From what I see, the deputy speaker unfortunately, can't handle this situation. Just as it was going down it has flared up again.

Update 8:30PM ACST: The RJD MP is talking about illegal mining in Rajasthan. What this has got to do with the nuclear deal, or the general scheme of things, I don't know. The RJD MP is now concluding the speech, or atleast being told to conclude by the Speaker. RJD brings up chargesheets. If LKA can vote with a chargesheet, why can't our (RJD) MPs vote as well? Concludes by supporting the confidence motion

Now BSP (Brajesh Pathak) comes on. Complains about the standards of Parliament. The people of the country are not ones to tolerate dealers, they want leaders.

Update 8:45PM ACST: America wants to make India subservient to it. If the deal is signed, we will be handing the remote America. The world knows the deals that UPA made with Saddam Hussein. What was Saddam's fault? He wanted to sell his oil. America wanted to control Iraq's oil. The government should have got an all party consensus. When we want to go to a different village or city, we too do the same thing within our own family. Why is the INC hurrying for this deal? Some venomous words with repsect to the PM. Can't translate all due to my slow pickup of Hindi (and the fact that the MP is yelling at the top of his lungs and his voice is "clipping"). I wish to ask how many people can survive on Rs.100. Why isn't the government not concentrating on the rise in prices? Why are they fixated on the nuclear deal?

Next update at 9:30PM

Update 9:30 ACST T R Baalu (DMK) is speaking. Rises to support motion on behalf of Karunanidhi. Recognises support from the Left. Raises the proverb "Friend in need is a friend indeed". Seeks to mollify the Left, saying that they will support UPA on most issues except nuclear deal. Does not wish to answer on matters sub judice. Why do we need power? For any developing nation, to ensure continual development, we need power coupled with infrastructure, social and physical. Rattles out power requirement and availability. Shrewd investment implies diverse product mix. Therefore, we should have a product mix of power production infrastructure. Therefore we need nuclear power. Agreement not at the cost of indigenous nuclear program. Not at the cost of strategic nuclear program or our RnD. Baalu then tells of what the agreement does and does not include. Notes that the provision does not infringe on the right to conduct a nuclear test. This country will never compromise its foreign policy. Agreement ends nuclear isolation. Why is the crusade conducted by Karunandhi and Sonia Gandhi been questioned? Per capita income during 2003-2004 was Rs 20000, in 07-08 was 30000. Foreign reserve $304.8 billion in UPA regime. Food grain production as of now is 227 million tonnes and is the highest produced in India after 60 years. Is this not the mangement of the government? Inflation exists, but commodities are available to the market.

Under the able guidance of Sonia and Manmohan, provided budgets over and above the previous government in the areas of social infrastructure, such as new Universities etc. 1.75 Lakh Crores for rural irrigation, reaching 38 million hectares, although a target was 10 million hectares. A vote against us is a vote against the rural development. We have provided 45 Lakhs worth of rural homes. A vote against us, is a vote against the poor.

Until 2007-2008 we provided for 200 districts under NREGS. Now we have increased to 604 disctricts. This year an incease of 33% of budget. Time is running out says the speaker. On the roads, there has been marked improvement on roads (reels of statistics. Too fast for me). UPA completes 5948 km of roads, whereas NDA only completed 2000 odd km. More contracts awarded under UPA than under NDA.

When NDA left, there was no maritime policy. The UPA developed a new maritime policy, identifying two strategic ports within 2 - 3 years. Please vote for us, if you are pro-poor. Finishes on that note

Anant Gete (Shiv Sena). Mr Speaker, the PM has said that the Government is in a dangerous position. Interruptions. It has come to be in this position because the support given by the Left has been withdrawn. The government should have been sacked at the time that support was withdrawn. More interruptions. The discussion today is on the confidence of the house. The discussion is not on the nuclear deal.

Update 10:00PM ACST: SS continues. There was a similar situation in 1991. To save the government, there are parallels drawn with respect to horse-trading in 1991 and now. Infact the situation is worse than 1991. Interruptions. Let this go to privilege. Interruptions. Bring back Somnath Chatterjee I say!!! Mr. Yadav, before putting a privilege motion on me, why don't you show the courage to face the media with the figures they have been quoting.

Interruptions. The INC is telling us that the only big problem is the nuclear deal and nothing else. Inflation is predicted to be going to 15 or 16 percent. We want to know what is happening from the UPA side on controlling the exponential rise in prices. The only excuse being given is that this is happening in the world. Per capita income per day is Rs.12. 38% of the population is BPL. I have been power minister in the NDA government for 12 years. I know the situation of power in the country. There are 45% of regions in certain states in India, where ther is no system of even distributing power. Even if the problem of power is solved, these states can't get power. Delhi does not generate a single megawatt of power. I am telling you how successful your government is. Lalu vacates the House. The LoH mentioned figures on the deficit of installed capacity of the country. Also mentioned the increases in deficit if nothing was to be done. Previously in a seminar, Sushil Kumar Shinde mentioned that even now the potential of Hydel power is 1.5 Lakh Megawatt. Hydel is the cleanest and cheapest source of power. There is no question of the environment, the government's will to act is needed. Your courage to stake the government on the deal, where has it gone with respect to Hydel? Sonia Gandhi lets out a smile (don't know why). What I am saying is the situation on the ground. The situation is that Maharashtra which was No.1 state in India, there is 14 hours of load shedding. Inspite of all talk about 70000 crore, there is not a provision of a sinle provision. When you go asking for votes, the people, the farmers will ask you the same question. Even now, the farmers are committing suicide.

Interruptions

Co-operative banks who have given loans, where is the money coming from? Maharashtra is in drought. Government banks are not giving loans to farmers. Honest farmers who have paid installments have not been given loans.

Interruptions

You are putting a blindfold on the farmers of India. I will resign if you can find me one farmer having had a loan waiver has been given a new loan. Pandemonium in the house. People threatening to leave, others baiting them to leave.

Can't believe the largest democracy can come to this. I know this is unconstitutional, but surely there's some kind of way to stop this carrying on. It's the fault of each and every party in the house, not just the UPA or NDA

Update 10:30PM ACST: Somnath is back!!! And he stamps his authority from his arrival. Tells SS to finish it off ASAP. SS says, on the deal of the nuclear deal, the Left withdrew support and gave a reason. The government must answer all these reasons, especially with respect to the Hyde Act. America is the 2nd East India Company.

Mehto of JMM starts now. The LoO has capitalised on the issues confronting us. Let us focus on the 4 years of the UPA rule and not just on the deal. Why does the government want to rush into the deal? High rate of inflation is causing distress. Is keeping faith with GW Bush greater priority than with the Indian people? Ever since Left withdrew, the trust vote has been painted as a up or down on the nuclear deal. ABV posed 3 points after 18 July 2005. These relate to constraining India's nuclear power. 3 years later, these apprehensions prove to be prophetic. NDA government did take initiative to engage in strategic dialogue. However, India was a pariticipant not a supplicant in the dialogue. We believe that India today has the right and might to be treated as an equal. Our party is not against nuclear energy, or strategic partnership with USA. Huge and growing dependence on hydrocarbons and soaring oil prices, forcing search for renewable energy. In my state, the cost per unit energy is Rs. 2.30. With nuclear power the cost escalates to Rs 7. Not many people have read 123 Agreement or the Hyde Act or the IAEA Act 1954. Yet many speak about the deal and suggest its implication. Does this government or the PM contemplate amending India's Atomic Energy Act. The issue is not of niceties, but the dignity of parliamentary etiquette. Where is the Indian in this issue when the INC seeks the help of parties bent on regionalism. When you are not sure you are going to survive in another 48 hours or 108 days, what is the value of your promises. Don't play with the sentiments of the people.

I have great respect of India with respect to Atomic Energy. We started with nothing, except that dare to attempt the impossible. Everything was our own and self-inspired. We learnt what we did not know. In 1998 the world led by the USA ganged up against us to suffocate our program. No one has been able to accuse India of proliferation. We are self confident, yet we must recognise constraints. We need to circumvent the embargo. Only a small part of technology program is actually nuclear program. The question is, if the program is to take India forward, what are we giving in return? Is the deal on an equal footing? The deal puts us in a subservient position. Deal doesn't state that we are a nuclear weapons state, neither does it mention that we are a non-nuclear weapons state. Is this where we want to be? The decision to protect the interest of the nation must be taken at a political level. Broad consensus doesn't exist. Left has deserted PM. The crisis is instructive of how ideological principles go for a toss when a cynical agenda comes out to a force. What has happened to institutions that the Government has created? Speaker says time is over. JMM concludes.

Anand Sharma (INC). On that note I am calling it a night. Thanks to all that have been watching. Look forward to all your comments.

Update 22 July 1:40PM ACST: Okay I'm back and once again half-hour updates are the norm. I will get started once Parliament begins. Thanks for all the comments, keep them coming, I appreciate it!

Update 22 July 2:30PM ACST: I personally think that the Government should win. I'd rather watch them struggle for every vote, reflecting their pathetic state for the past 5 years.

Yesterday, I was watching speeches until Das Gupta's speech. The two best speakers IMHO were LKA and Pranab Mukherjee. I couldn't even make sense of the BSP guy and I suspect neither could anyone else. The Deputy Speaker kept on telling him to modulate his voice so others could understand but the BSP guy couldn't care less.

What I found funny with Das Gupta's speech was his rails against capitalism rather than a point by point approach to why they pulled out of the Government. I'm no speechwriter, but I would suspect that their best chances of vindication lies in expading on their letter of intention to withdraw support. Many of "solutions" that his party gave the UPA to combat inflation were so unworkable that it'd make them a laughing stock. Hell all of the solutions were taxing the rich!!

Update 3:00PM ACST: Okay about to start. Here we go!! Speaker comes in. Extends congratulations to the Junior Indian Hockey team being crowned Asian Champs. List of Business for today here. Item No 7 is what we need. Interruptions in the house start. P Chidambaram (INC) starts. Salim says we've moved from the basic principles of the CMP. I will deal with 2 of the 6 principles.

Ensuring sustained growth of economy. After 42 months, growth of 8.2%. Average growth was 5.6% in NDA government. 11th plan began in 2007. Maintained that we will grow close to 9%. Growth is actually 9.1%. Resounding start to the 11th plan. Talks about record statistics. Interruptions. How did these come about? Due to far sighted plans, and attention to detail. Government launched many schemes. Revived co-op credit institutions. Under this Govt's charge, capital formation in agriculture has increased from 10% to 12%. Show me any other 4 year period, when so much has been done for agriculture. This is difficult year, but we will achieve a growth rate better than what is mentioned in the CMP and far better than what achieved during NDA rule.

Another principle was improvement of farmers' life. This government has done a lot for farmers. We have addressed needs of farmers in a systematic way. Some are visible. In order to take care of farm labour, we introduced NREG. In less than 15 months, the scheme has been rolled out to all the 597 rural districts of India. Why didn't the NDA do this? We increased old-age pension and I ask why the NDA turned a blind eye to old people. We introduced Aam Admi Bima Yojana etc. why didn't the NDA not organise a single scheme such as this? Never before has any government undertaken a loan waiver scheme as we have. Death waiver has been granted for 50000+ crore. Death relief for a further 16000+ crore. More interruptions. Anant Gete leads the interruptions (Ek rupiya nahi hai, ek rupiya bhi nahi hai). Total amount granted by waiver was 66000+ crore. Among the beneficiaries, 2 crore small farmers. 65 Lakh other farmers. Honourable members note that I have more than fulfilled my promise made to this house. Increase in the sowing area and reflected increase in the food production at the end of the year.

This debate concerns the deal. India signed agreements with many countries. We need to cross 2 stages before operationalising the deal. First is a safeguards agreement and the 2nd is a waiver from the NSG. Questions raised about Hyde Act and 123 Agreement. In 1954 USA adopted Atomic Energy Act. Act prohibits USA from cooperating with other countries before certain provisions. Hyde Act became law in 2006. 123 Agreement signed in 2007. Fact is that US President issued a statement when signing Hyde Act. Question is what is the statement of the 123 Agreement. In US, 123 Agreement is not inconsistent with the Hyde Act. 123 Agreement brings upon the exception in the Hyde Act.

123 Agreement is to enable full civil nuclear energy cooperation between two countries. Either on an industrial scale or a commerical scale. Agreement enters into force when parties exchange notes informing completion of all required legal formalities. Enabling agreement only. Next question is how to interpret 123 agreement under Indian and international law. Agreement to be implemented in accordance with principles of customary International law and Vienna Convention. Internal law does not prevent 123 Agreement obligations being peformed. When 123 Agreement is ratified, it will be the last expression by the legislature on the subject. Chidambaram goes to explain US Constitution. Under the Vienna Convention, we are only bound by the 123 Agreement and nothing more. Hyde act does not apply to us.

Update 3:30PM ACST: UPA Left committee held 9 meetings. At 5th meeting, Left parties were not opposed to safeguards agreement in principle. Objection to the 123 Agreement. Agreed that Government talks to IAEA, and then goes to the committee with the outcome of the talks with the IAEA. We have done nothing that is non-transparent. We have done it in a most transparent manner.

Update 3:58PM ACST: When we decided to circulate the text to the IAEA board, it was made available in India. More interruptions in the house. Phew, chance to catch my breath, rest my fingers a bit. Chidambaram is a bloody good lawyer I tell you. INC continues The short question is, does India want to end the nuclear isolation we have found ourselves in since 1974. ABV said in the UN General Assembly "These tests do not signal a dilution in the spirit of nuclear disarmament. We announced a voluntary moratorium on underground testing. India's already accepted a basic obligation on the CTBT". Speaks on what Vajpayee said (not writing about that, too hard to follow). What this government has done is taken ABV's words forward. Do we want to come out of nuclear isolation? What is China doing? China's electricity is 80% coal and 18% hydel. 2% in nuclear power. Mainland China has 11 reactors are in operation, 6 are under construction. Additional construction is planned, to increase a 6 fold increase in power production by 2020, and a further 3-4 fold increase by 2030 (160000MW). Aims to become self sufficient in the fuel cycle. Moves to build reactor started in 1970. Technology drawn from France, Russia and Canada. Latest technology acquisition from USA. There are some people in India, that do not want India to compete with China, they do not want India to move ahead. More interruptions mainly from the CPI. I have no hesitation in saying I want to emulate China. I want India to become a superpower. When we talk about India, we need to talk about other such countries, like China. We must aspire to greater heights. When we talk about growth, it is a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition. Statistics about China's agricultural and other production, World average and India's production. When I say we must grow, we must produce more. Let me conclude by saying, the BJP and NDA seem to agree on ending nuclear isolation. After all interruptions, no one is clear on the stand of the left parties. More interruptions. Yet the two groups who are voting together. NDA has no problem with a strategic relation with USA. Left is opposed to US partnership, yet they vote together. NDA believes India becoming nuclear weapons. Left disagrees, yet they vote together. Says something similar again, amidst interruptions. Chidambaram is good...he is sticking it up to the Left. GO CHIDAMBARAM!!! More interruptions. I doubt if in the history of Parliament anything bizzare. More interruptions. From the speaker's chair, you welcomed young members of Parliament. Out there, young members of India look to the Parliament. We can make their future, if we have the vision to take this forward. In the late 80's Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao charted a new path. The PM is also doing the same with respect to nuclear power. Concludes supporting the motion

VK Malhotra (BJP) rises. Speaker says 39 minutes left. 7 members of the UPA have spoken. They have talked on and on about statistics. Whatever it is, all elections in India post UPA, the INC has faltered badly. Why? You are not in a minority, yet you still show these figures? In the 4 years of the INC rule, it has been a shambles. The biggest sin is that the UPA it has indulged in horsetrading to keep itself in power. Interruptions. Government agencies are taking part in this horsetrading. Point of order, under rule 352 raised, accepted. Malhotra continues, raises points on the CBI investigations. Speaker and Malhotra in a face-off regarding MPs with criminal convictions. Interruptions. Talks about voting in Punjab. Even speaker asks BJP to stick to the subject. More interruptions. Speaker stands. Threatens to put the motion to vote. Adjourns house for 45 mins

Update 4:15PM ACST: And we're back on. Speaker says, Impossible to maintain decorum in this house or an atmosphere where a responsible discussion can take place. Please maintain decorum. Please do not make personal allegations or insinuations.

Update 4:30PM ACST:Malhotra back on. Starts harping on the same thing. There are many things on the nuclear deal that have been said. I will not add more to it, yet there has been lies being spread. No one has noticed that the spending 20 Lakh crore rupees, will only get India's 5% of power. This deal will make India a nuclear slave to all the companies involved in the business of nuclear energy. It has been said time and again that we are not bound by the Hyde Act only the 123 Agreement. However, whenever this is said, the next day America says that the moment a test is conducted, the deal is off. Whenever two parties agree to a deal, they must agree on the same terms. In the world, countries such as UK, France have shut down their nuclear energy. Why? They feel that other forms of energy such as solar, wind must be sought. Australia has largest Uranium mines, however why doesn't it have a nuclear plant? Only after 30 years, only 5% energy will be generated. However, the Hydel potential exists in the North East, does not find a mention. All our nuclear experts have reminded the Government. They speak of the achievements in 4 years. However, the biggest sin they've committed is the rising prices. Time and again, the PM has said we will put a stop to rising prices. Even the FM and UPA Chair said similar things. Inflation is rampant. The CPI has increased to 300%. UPA says it's a world problem. When prices go up, other countries must have a problem. In Japan, the prices have increased by 0.8%. Small amounts in other countries. Why do we have 12%? You have run the government in the wrong manner. Speaks about corruption in NREGS. Now LPG prices are rising. Mani Shankar Aiyer has said that high growth is not reaching the common man. Rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. Aiyer clarifies. No point in referring to a statement I made more than a year ago. More interruptions. The stock market has collapsed. FII's are withdrawing investment in the stock market. India's credit rating has been downgraded. NDA left behind a booming economy, the UPA has destroyed it

Update 5:00PM ACST: What is happening with terrorism? What are you doing with ISI? You are indirectly helping them recruit! Till not, there are more than lakhs affected by terrorism. What hapened? You got rid of the only anti-terrorist law in the country. Do whatever you want they said. Yesterday there was a problem with the shrine board. When the shrine land was given back, there was news that a Hajj temple was created. We give 4 crore for Hajj subsidy. We have no problem that. No other country does that. But why take away 100 acres of shrine land? When hindus want 100 acres, a hue and cry is raised, yet crores of money is spent on Hajj. Even if the land is given, then cries of Pakistan Zindabad is raised? SP has raised the issue that 2 currencies need to run in India. Why? More interruptions. INC's ex-CM went to Canada when cries of Khalistan were raised, and this happens in India? PM says that we should not oppose good actions. Is making India a servant of America a good act? BJP goes on like this. We do not need a certificate of patriotism from the UPA. These people have lost the trust of the people. Therefore MPs who wish to support confidence motion lose the confidence of the people.

Rahul Gandhi (INC) rises. Yesterday, when I was thinking of what I would say, I came to a conclusion. I decided that it is important at this point not to speak as a member of a party but to speak as an Indian. Interruptions. I will speak in English and Hindi. All I ask is that you listen to me. Please listen to me. Don't agree, but listen. I decided that I would speak as an Indian. I would take a step that a lot of MPs do not do. I decided to make an assumption. The assumption is that regardless of party lines, all speak on the interest of this nation (clever call). Yesterday I thought about why we meet in here today. Why is it that this house needs to meet. I came to the conclusion that we are meeting because there is a serious problem in India. And the problem is our energy security. Three days ago, I went to Vidarbha, and I met a young lady who has 3 sons. The young lady is a landless labourer who lives on 60 rupees a day. Her husband earns 90 a day. With the total earnings they make, they have put 3 of their children to private school. I spent an hour with these people and spoke to their sons. The eldest son dreams of becoming a collector. The middle, an engineer. The youngest, a private job. When I asked the lady if the children will be successful, she said yes. As I was walking out of hte house, I noticed that there was no electricity in the house, and I asked the children how do you study. The children pointed to a lamp and said we study using that lamp. Sir, this problem of energy security reflects itself every day with all of us. It reflects itself among the poor, with industry, among all Indians. Interruptions. Energy affects India's growth and energy is responsible for allowing us to grow at 9% and that growth is responsible for allowing for helping alleviation of poverty. If we do not secure our energy supply into the future, growth will stop and we cannot fight poverty, which every single member of this house wants to do. I have stated what the problem is, and I will go back again to Vidarbha to state a possible solution. I would go to a house to another young lady having 9 children. Her husband committed suicide, so please respect her. The husband committed suicide because he depended on the cotton crop only. I asked her what she did. More interruptions. Personal opinion: I am disenchanted with the Government. This is absolutely pathetic. A bunch of geriatrics shouting at a young turk. Back to the show. Speaker fixes a time for the voting. No more discussion he says. Mukherjee exhorts people to resume their seats and asks the debate to continue. Rahul Gandhi continues. Instead of sowing one crop, she sows 3. She bought 2 buffaloes, and has milk as a source of income. She has a pond, fills it with water and uses it as insurance. The answers to our energy problem. More interruptions. Looks like BSP is the main culprit.

Pandemonium reigns supreme. Adjourned till 2PM. This is absolutely pathetic. I may or may not agree with Rahul Gandhi, but the manner in which he was shut down is simply ludicrous....give the guy a friggin chance people!! Sorry if I am acting out of bounds, but I'm his generation, so I get a bit riled up.

Update 6:20PM ACST: Just got coverage. Sorry for the delay, will try to fix ASAP.

UPdate 6:30PM ACST: Acharya speaking. The way CBI is being misused to get the meajority, is most condemnable. I demand that an impartial inquiry should be held and that can be done only by a house committee. We demand a house committee be constituted. Interruptions.

Das Gupta says that a serious complaint has occured. The House should take cognisance of the matter and form a committee suo moto. Point of Order raised under Rule 369. Rahul Gandhi starts again. This morning I spoke two poor families and Mrs Kala said she had diversified her income sources and used it to stabilize her family and bring up her children. At the very least, the nuclear deal will act like Kala's pond and act as insurance to the country. The problem is that way our nuclear industry is positioned today, it is neither going to act as insurance nor is it going to act or potential to act as a fundamental source of energy. The hands of our scientists and establishment are tied. They do not have fuel, investment or technology. I am very proud to say that our PM has recognised the problem and a potential solution. It would be unfair of me not to accept that ABV also solved the problem and also in his time worked on the solution. Please clap! On this account please clap! Now I have stated an all of us know that there is a problem with regards to energy in this country. It is a problem that all of us need to solve working together. As I said, senior leaders have also established that way forward is diversification and a balanced portfolio including nuclear, hydrocarbon and wind. It is not enough to identify a problem and a potential solution. The magic of what the PM is doing is that within the problem, he has identified an opportunity that is larger than the problem itself. The opportunity is based on a simple fact, that over the next 30-40 years, 2 countries are going to use the largest bulk of new energy. These countries, have the ability to define the way the world's energy moves.

Update 7PM ACST: Our old opponents the British, grew to their prominence because they control coal. The USA today controls hydrocarbons, and we all know of their harm. What I am suggesting is that we think as a big and powerful country. Instead of how the world will impact us, we think about how we will impact the world. Many years ago, this country embarked on a path which many people did not believe in. We developed the IT/Telecom industry in which very few people believed that India would play a major role in this industry. Very few believed that computers would empower the poor. All of us today see the impact that ITES has had on this country and we must not forget this. We are at a crossroads where a decision must be made. It is not about India's usage of nuclear energy. It is about whether India can become a global power, with a type of energy that will become important in the future. We know the link between hydrocarbon dependence and prices. When we think about nuclear energy, we must think about the poorest in the country. When we were talking about IT, we were talking about the poor. One must not underestimate the connection between the industry and the poor. I have taken a lot of time, and I do not want to go on forever. The difference between a powerful country and a country that is not powerful and does not have a similar impact on the world is that former thinks about how it impacts the world and the latter thinks about how the world will impact it. It does not matter how the government runs the country, but it does matter on how it impacts the world. We must step out and worry about how we will impact the world. As I said earlier, I speak today as an Indian. We are all building this country together and we must solve our problems together. This is what differentiates us and gives us true power. I am proud of the fact that every voice can be heard in this country. We must never ever let fear be our guide. We must never act on the basis of fear, but only courage. We are a country where 70% are younger than me. This country is brimming with confidence. We have to believe in our people and we have to have confidence in what we are doing. These are guides not only for INC but for all Indians, that when you do act, act with courage. With that together, we can change this country and impact the world. I say this a youngster, it does not matter what happens today, but what matters is that we work together. I support the motion.

Party XYZ (unknown) rises. Opposes motion. Just now we were hearing that all the sections of this house should move together united and unanimous, but unfortunately, under the stewardship of the PM, the UPA has fallen apart. Since the time he has been advocating the deal, parties have left the UPA en masse. We are hopeful that they will lose the trust vote. There have been advertisements in the newspapers, from darkness to light. Both the PM and the UPA Chairperson, have kept the country in darkness by announcing talks with IAEA. The MEA announced they'd only go to IAEA after the trust vote, the PM was already having talks. They have kept their alliance in darkness, Lalu is always in darkness. Everybody in the alliance was in darkness. The INC has to learn from history that making such deals, they will lose power. After the Bofors deal, they are entering into another deal against the national interest. The people will punish this government. There is so much of confusion. Yesterday, the MEA was urging us that have patience. We are having patience. Why are you hurrying with the deal at the detriment of the national interest. This government is running on the trust of God. I want to ask some straight questions. Whether this government is agreeing deal and putting a moratorium on all future testing? The Hyde Act also requires USA to extract a date after which India will not pursue weapons grade plutonium. Will this be done? India has the 2nd largest reserve of Thorium. This is enough to ensure nuclear independence for perpetuity. Why are we going ahead with Uranium based nuclear deal with the USA? What are the compulsions by which they are spending money on technologies not needed to nuclear technology? PC was saying Hyde Act has no bearing on the deal. Will the PM clarify this matter? The PM is not sticking true to his oath. Forced to conclude.

Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD) rises. In the history of the country, a courageous step has been taken by the PM. This Parliament is a temple, in which I place my trust. These parties have come to place a vote of no cofidence. A story exists in the Mahabharat where a demon was not to die in the morning or the night. He died in the evening, at the very time you have put the motion to vote. Everyone has spoken, but the major issue is about the nuclear deal. CPM doesn't even know what the deal was about. Till yesterday, they supported us, now they're against us.

I am stopping blogging for the time being...I'm laughing too much. Plus the hindi is very rustic for me to understand. Next update at 7:30PM

Update 7:45PM ACST: Lalu finishes. Vasudev Acharya rises. Opposes the motion. Questions the value of 276 mentioned by LoH. UPA had 226 not 276. My internet connection just crashed, so I can't access it now. Will try at 8:00PM

Update 8PM ACST:Interruptions in the house. Money is being shown? I wonder what it is. Everyone rushes down to the well as the house is adjourned.

Update 8:21PM ACST: Allegedly 3 BJP MPs were "paid off" by SP MPs to abstain from voting. This is a farce. Regardless of if the allegation is true or not, farcical scenes ensuing.

Update 8:30PM ACST: House adjourned till 9PM ACST.

Update 9:00PM ACST: House adjourned till 10PM ACST.

Update 10:00PM ACST: The parliament has reconvened and Speaker is talking about the case. The speaker says he'll handle it. Interruptions in the house. The house is being adjourned. The PM will reply at 6:30, the vote will be taken at 7:15.

Update 10:30PM ACST: House reconvenes. Speaker says that the elderly members such as ABV etc, they will be allowed to vote from the inner lobby. Wishes them the best of health. Oaiswasi (MIM) rises. Interruptions. It has become a fashion that any decision of the speaker will be challenged. MIM continues.

I must thank the LoO. Through his speech, he has exposed and acted as a guardian angel for the Left. The reason we are supporting this motion is that we do not want the BJP to the power. It has given 1000 crore to the minority department whereas the NDA only gave 200 crore. It is sad that the Left withdraws support. I would like to know only muslims are targeted here, by saying "muslims are against this deal". A deal is signed not between communities, but between two nations. Interruptions. It is the PM who clarified that the foreign policy is not going to be impacted. The Left shows hatred towards muslims. If tomorrow LKA becomes PM, I will suffer, not the Left. I support the motion.

Mehbooba Mufti (PDP). I rise to support the motion. As Lalu said, many members do not know much of the deal. I happen to be one of them. After listening to people on both the sides, I have come to the conclusion that those who inititated the deal oppose it because they are not in power. They talk about renegotiating the deal. Abruptly ends.

Ram Vilas Paswan does not want to speak. Omar Abdullah speaks. I do not know if the 1 crore is true or not. I have been a member for this house for 10 years, and never have I disrupted the speaker, yet they do not have the courtesy to listen to what I have to say. I am a muslim and an Indian, and I see no distinction between the two. This is a deal between two countries, who should be treated as equals. The enemies of Indian Muslims, are not Americans but are the same enemies that all the poor people of India face. I am not a member of the UPA. I am unhappy with the way the Left has taken to certify secularism. Until a few years ago, I was a part of the NDA and the same Left considered me as an untouchable, yet now they say that all secular parties must unite with the BJP to bring the UPA now. I made the mistake of standing with them once. I will not make the same mistake again. We have fought for our land, and we will fight for it till we did. We are not communal like you (BJP). For 200 years, the Amarnath Yatra has been going on, and I will say that till muslims remain in Kashmir, the yatra will go ahead. I support the motion.

Birendra Kumar. Seeks clarifications that others have mentioned. Interruptions, yet he continues to speak.

Update 10:50PM ACST: Some more smaller parties. Representative of Bodos speaking to support the motion.

Update 11:00PM ACST: North-Eastern parties speaking. Representative of outer Manipur speaking, supports motion. Yerran Naidu (TDP) yells that he has 6 minutes, not 3 minutes. Speaker concedes. Poor guy, give him a break, he's been under tremendous pressure. TDP opposes the motion. PMO has become a counter for political deals. In the name of energy security, they are mortgaging the country's sovereignity to USA. The deal is not between two countries, but between two individuals. Why the hurry to move forward to the agreement? The 123 agreeement shows that any ambiguity means that Hyde Act will prevail. They are using all government departments to win the trust vote. They are using unethical means. What happened to the BSP MP, what happened to the BJP MPs? This is a mockery of democracy. After Independence so many PMs have moved the vote of confidence, never has this happened before. By unethical means, what is the use if you win? There is no unamity between the people of this country or the political parties. Unilateral action is not called for, consensus must be maintained. This is the issue of Bharat. That is why the UNPA wants a committee, yet the government does not want it. The PM doesn't trust the MEA. We have to postpone the deal. There is a shortage of coal

Update 11:15PM ACST: Mr Speaker, with your permission I ask a few questions to the PM. Asks a few questions. A Lady MP rises to speak. Supports the deal, and praises the PM on his honesty, integrity and trust. The BJP indulges in dirty politics. Praises Rahul Gandhi on his youth and his ideas. Urged by the speaker to finish. Supports the motion. ML Murmu (JMM) speaks. This is a country of villages, and we can only progress if there is power in the villages. We support the motion.

Update 11:25PM ACST: PM speaks. Interruptions and calls for resignation. Cannot be heard over the din. PM lays the reply on the table. Speaker puts the motion to vote. The lobby is cleared. Votes are being counted. Speaker says RS member may remain in the house, but they cannot vote, in reference to the PM.

Update 11:30PM ACST: Lobbies have been cleared. Asks members to take the seats. Ayes, Noes said. I think the ayes have it, the ayes have it. Secretary General reads out instructions. Division occurs. 253 Ayes, 232 No, Abstain 2, Total 487.

Update 11:40PM ACST: Speaker pleads for members to go to their seats, no one listens. Pathetic stuff coming from the top leadership here. They can't seem to control their own people. Result has not been announced the speaker says. Counting still underway

Update 11:45PM ACST: Still shows the same results as at 11:30PM. Counting still underway. UPA doesn't care, they think they've won. MPs defy speaker's pleads and still congregate near UPA Chair and PM.

Update 11:50PM ACST: Same situation

Update 11:55PM ACST: Still no change. Counting still on.

Update 12:00AM ACST: Still no change.

Update 12:05AM ACST: Allegedly some party MPs could not vote as they were not in their seats.

Update 12:10AM ACST: No advancement in the counting. Still counting.

Update 12:15AM ACST: See above. This will be my penultimate update. I think we all know that the UPA will win the trust vote. I will update it one final time tomorrow. Thankyou to all who have logged in. Once again all comments are welcome!

Laloo speaking in English

2008-07-20T20:02:00.002+10:00

This is just classic.

Background
The Minister for Railways, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, in the Lower House of the Parliament of India (Lok Sabha), presenting the Railway Budget for the year 2008 - 2009

Ragging

2008-07-17T11:55:00.001+10:00

Scenario 1: You have finished 12 years of schooling and today's your first day at college. As you and another bunch of new students make your way into the college grounds, and attend your first few classes, the excitement of being in college gives way to fear. You are accosted by senior students within the same college and asked questions which humiliate you, as well as ordered to take part in tasks which seem pointless. You cannot protest, due to fear of being ostracised. Although the institution as outlawed this practice and created infrastructure to eliminate it, it still goes on. You are constantly picked on, with some activities bordering on abuse, until a "Freshers day" when suddenly, all those seniors are now your "best friends".

Scenario 2: You have finished your degree and today's your first day in an organisation. Let's say that the organisation is a huge multi-national. As you and a bunch of other new employees enter into the company, you are accosted by others in the organisation. You haven't even met your manager yet, but you are asked to do fill in water bottles, sing songs and answer questions which invade your privacy. When you protest, you are told that this is what happens to each and every new employee that arrives in the company. You are also told that although HR frowns on this behaviour, it is silently accepted as it brings out the "bond" between yourselves and those who have worked at Microsoft for a long time. Before you can protest further, you are told to do some more humiliating tasks. You are constantly picked on for almost a month, with the humiliation ending on a "New Employees Day" at the organisation.

So what's different between these two scenarios? Well scenario 1 is played out across most Indian institutions, every year without fail, whereas scenario 2 is completely hypothetical. If scenario 2 were to happen, in any organisation, I suspect a class action would be launched alleging harassment. In the first case, there is legislation, as well as institutional rules that prevent this from happening. In the second case, there too exists legislation as well as organisational rules to prevent this from happening. Note, I am not talking about workplace bullying which occurs in every organisation, but rather the systematic humiliation of first time employees by existing employees (AFAIK, I have never come across such an incident).

Universities and institutions of higher learning are not a well in which people draw up knowledge for their 3-5 years of tertiary education. They are a means by which young school-leavers are taught to be professional, mature adults, ready to tackle the world at large. There is evidence to prove this as well. When people are asked what they remember about their college, the answer is more often, the emphasis on soft skills, such as communication, honesty, trust, rather than the lesson in which they were taught about FPGAs. However, it is interesting that many choose to justify ragging as a sequence of events that build soft skills. I find it mildly amusing, but distasteful that I would somehow improve my communication skills, by being asked invasive questions about myself. Other justifications of ragging is that lifelong friendships are made, that boys and girls can mix with greater equality and that by being ragged, it helps develop speaking skills. I find all these excuses to be rather pathetic and if these are true, it reflects a failure of universities and colleges to address these issues.

I have been rather lucky, to attend a University that although may not be in the league of the IITs/BITSs/NITs etc, but has given me an opportunity to develop my own soft skills to complement my technical skills. There is no doubt I certainly envy the minds at work in these institutions. However, what I don't envy is the practises of ragging they do. I have been fortunate to participate in public speaking events, as well as meet with leaders of industry within university. I also share a very cordial relationship with my seniors and I have the opportunity to be taught by them for a few subjects. I believe I behave in a professional and respectful manner, in interacting with boys or girls. However, the major difference is that I was not ragged at any stage of my 1^st year in University. I was asked questions, but these questions were simply harmless, and in no way invasive to privacy. Questions included my previous school, my degree specification, my interests and hobbies. After my first year, we were told by the administration to foster a sense of belonging to the new students, by acting as mentors. Once again, there was no ragging. Many of these junior students are my good friends and we share a drink when we can.

Ragging therefore has no place in any professional relationship, and if those who indulge in it, somehow believe that this behaviour is acceptable, then I shudder to think what happens when they join the organisation.

As Gandhi once said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Obama

2008-06-06T12:17:00.002+10:00

Obama is a really good orator, and some of his lines are just brilliant!!!

Check out this, fast forward to around 3:30

Another of his famous videos is the "A More Perfect Union". Check it out below:

Karnataka State Assembly Elections 2008 – A very short analysis

2008-05-25T20:57:00.002+10:00

Well the results are out, and at the time of writing the situation stands as follows:

Party	Win	Lead
BJP	97	14
INC	69	9
JD(S)	22	6
Other	6	0

The above results are taken from the Election Commission of India website, found here.

It is often said that voters cast their ballot not necessarily to put the best party in, but keep the worst party out. If this is the case, then surely, the voters have exercised their power by almost decimating the JD(S). The party has now been reduced to 9.8% (current seats) to 12.5% (if leads are converted into wins) of the parliament. Hardly a performance to be proud of, but some would say this would have been expected, considering that for the past 6 to 8 months, the very same party has been holding the state to ransom. The BJP seems to have learnt from the doublespeak of the JDS, with LK Advani earlier in the election clearly stating that under no circumstances would the BJP consider sharing power with the JD(S). This therefore meant that for the BJP to preserve any amount of pride, they would need to be the single largest party within the house. If they won majority on their own it would have been a bonus. This is exactly what has happened, with the BJP now being asked to form power.

The planks, on which the BJP campaigned, were not their usual communal rhetoric. Rather it was "good governance", with the poster boy of BJP's development mantra, Narendra Modi campaigning extensively for the state. Analysts may also go insofar as to call it anti-incumbency and they would be right in certain aspects of it, such as the decimation of the JD(S). However, it was more a case of not voting for the JD(S) – INC alliance than voting for the BJP. Moreover, there was a feeling from many in the state that the INC Candidate for CM, SM Krishna was more CM of Bangalore than a CM of Karnataka. Indeed the very same opinion was carried out by analysts at CNN-IBN amongst other TV stations. In addition, many in Bangalore itself, blame him for infrastructure woes that have continued to plague the "Silicon Valley of India".

What is most surprising in this vote is the following:

1. The BJP has redefined its voter base as being a part for all of Karnataka. In their previous outings (2004, 1999), the BJP had managed to strike a chord in rural Karnataka and South Karnataka, yet did not make much of an impact in the North and within Bangalore itself (in '99 they won 40 seats, 79 in '04). This election, by making gains across the state, it has re-emerged and proved to be a serious contender for the Lok Sabha polls in 2009.

2. JD(S) now reduced to a minority voice within the house. The once powerful party of Karnataka, which had given India a Prime Minister in the form of HD Deve Gowda from 1996-1997, has now been reduced to having just a feeble voice in Vidhan Soudha. The party had won 58 seats in 2004 and 10 seats in 1999. The "power" of the JD(S) was attributed to its charisma of its leader, which is now slowly on the wane.

Aditya, has a very good post here detailing the results in a more technical detail. I also would like to add an rejoinder to his point (1). Not only did the BJP project Yediyurappa as their CM, they projected him as the only CM candidate. However, the INC was divided by leaders such as H K Patil creating an impression amongst voters that they were also likely candidates. Hence voters who would be looking for leadership would have much rather looked at the BJP in terms of accountability.

In conclusion, the elections set up a very nice "teaser" for Lok Sabha '09. At this stage, I am prepared to call the General elections as going towards the NDA team. However, as they say, "A week is a long time in politics"

The teenage vocabulary

2008-04-09T20:38:00.002+10:00

Watch this clip, which encapsulates the vocabulary of a teenager as accurately as can be imagined!!

Around 90% of Indians believe this bullshit

2008-03-12T12:19:00.003+11:00

Yesterday I happened to read an article, where our very own D Purandeshwari, Union Minister of State for HRD mentioned this in parliament

This is from the Times of India

The extent to which desis have made an impact in the US was reeled off in the Rajya Sabha — as many as 12% scientists and 38% doctors in the US are Indians,
and in NASA, 36% or almost 4 out of 10 scientists are Indians. If that’s not proof enough of Indian scientific and corporate prowess, digest this: 34% employees at Microsoft, 28% at IBM, 17% at Intel and 13% at Xerox are Indians.

and

The figures of Indian successes were given to the Rajya Sabha on Monday by D Purandeshwari, minister of state for HRD, in defence of the country's higher education system and the state of research.

If one may recall, during 2006-2007, the very same ToI ran a series of articles, under the India Poised theme, which highlighted some areas India was deficient under. Thankfully that site still exists. It is from there, that I stumbled on this gem from the very same Times of India

THE BAD
Arrogance. What else explains a lie that continues to do the rounds as an email, especially before the Independence Day. It claims, 12% of all scientists in the US are Indian, 34% (or some such obscene number) of technical personnel at NASA are of Indian origin, 32% of Microsoft’s engineers are from here, and so on. The message was so pretty, it even found its way into parliamentary debate on India’s capabilities. Business leaders quoted these figures while addressing seminars.

The truth is, about 5% of NASA’s employees are of Asian descent (Indians being a subset of this group). A senior official at Microsoft grins rather condescendingly when you ask him the truth. As for Indian doctors tending to all of America, well, all we can say is that the Indian inferiority complex that spreads these myths needs urgent cure.

Since the MP used this figures as a defence for the state of research in India, I think this article proves exactly the state of research in the country

Amit Varma of India Uncut has written about this in more detail as well.

A Strange sense of Irony - Sardar Patel amar rahe

2007-11-01T17:42:00.000+11:00

Isn't it ironic, that the day after we celebrate the birthday of a man who gave the concept of "India" a tangible identity, we celebrate the formation of atleast 2 separate states?

The man I am referring to is none other than Sardar Vallabhai Patel, India's "iron man", and I use that epithet quite respectfully. The states I refer to are Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, which celerbate their formation day (amongst other states).

My admiration for Sardar, stems from his two great achievements (unification of India and the creation of the AIS), and the fact that he, not Nehru should have been India's first PM. As many Indians know, at the time of independence, India existed, only in terms of geography. There was no "tangible" country called India. It existed as a geographical region encompassing 565 states (which co-incidentally, is the number of seats in the Lok Sabha - people's house today). Sardar was given the daunting task of integrating as many of these as possible within the Indian Union. To his credit, 563 states were integrated into the Union, without a single shot being fired. Only in the cases of Hyderabad State and J&K was military action taken (Note that in the case of Hyderabad, it was police action against extremist terrorists led by the Razakars, rather than military action).

In this regard, I find that his comparison to Chancellor Bismarck of Germany, who also undertook a similar task as Sardar to be very much overstated . In the case of the latter, he only had to deal with 12 states, and took them all by force. However, as can be seen in the case of India, 563/565 were taken without any force at all, leading Kruschev on his visit to India to comment "You have liquidated the princely states, without liquidating the princes". Obviously the creation of the privy purse (Article 291 of the Indian constitution, repealed in 1971) helped to a certain extent. Indeed, before the starting of this work, Gandhi remarked to Sardar "The task of dealing with the princes was truly formidable, but I am convinced that the Sardar was the only person who could have coped with it." Furthermore, Sardar in his true style as the Iron Man of India, did not take kindly to words from Chruchill who remarked in the case of Hyderabad "an old and faithful ally of the Empire". Patel's reply was simple "It is only in goodwill spirit and not on the malice and venom of Mr Churchill's tongue that an enduring relationship can be built between India and Britain and other members of the Commonwealth."

The other aspect of his work was the creation of the All India Services, his trust in the espirit-de-corps of the AIS. M V Kamath, at the time of Independence had remarked that the Indian Civil Service "had neither been Indian nor Civil nor Service". In this situation, Patel, the seasoned politician, advocated the retention of ICS and IP and proposed the constitution of two new All-India Services; IAS, and IPS. It is no wonder that Indians refer to the IAS as the "steel frame of India" and AIS officers regard Patel as the "patron saint of the civil services". In a speech, which must be reckoned as historic in the arena of public administration in India, Patel said: "In point of patriotism, in point of sincerity and in point of ability, you cannot have a substitute... As a man of experience, I tell you, do not quarrel with the instruments with which you want to work. It is a bad workman who quarrels with his instruments"

Not only was he a great freedom fighter, but also a champion of property rights and free enterprise, both of which are severely limited in India today. Notwithstanding the progress India has made with Liberalization, it still takes 89 days to start a business in India, and unlike many other democratic nations in the world, one does not have the physical right to property in the world's largest democracy. Is it any wonder that we have problems such as Singur and Nandigram?

Right now when things in India are falling apart and the Union is tottering, the national leadership ought to take a leaf from Patel's book and show the same constructive vision and iron will which he showed at a critical juncture of our history.

(Inspired by the Daily Pioneer op-ed by Mr.Jagmohan on Oct 31 2007. Some parts of this are also taken from that article)

Chak De India!!!

2007-10-18T21:49:00.000+10:00

A Report by Special Correspondent for UniSA Mawson Lakes, Prasanna Kovalam

Picture this. A large picturesque oval, crowd frolicking in the sun, a team scoring 100+ in 25 overs, and then successfully defending the score to win. No this is not a match report of the latest Australian cricket team victory over a side, but one of inspiration, confidence, and the catchphrase that was “Chak De India”.

On Friday 12th October, as Indians all over the world celebrated the start of Dussera, and the culmination of the month of Ramzan, a group of students from the University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes played a version of cricket that can be best described as a fun-filled yet intensely competitive encounter. A group of Indians, known as the Indian XI, led by their captain Prasanna Kovalam, took on the Rest Of The World XI (ROTW XI), led by Partha Saha. While the Indian XI, were made up of local and international students from India, the ROTW XI had members from countries such as Lebanon and Malaysia, countries where cricket is at best a passing reference. In addition, keeping with the Australian culture, a Barbeque was organised by UniSA’s Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Social Team (BEEST), and was supported and sponsored by the UniSA Students Association, UniSA Learning Connection and The Rotary Club.

For all the preparations made, there was one critical factor many had overlooked, which threatened to derail the entire proceedings. Around 9AM on the day of the game, there was rain on the pitch for half an hour, and players from both teams, being the engineering students that they were, spent the entire time peering at their computer screens, and predicting the pattern of showers, from the Bureau of Meterology website. As predicted, the rains eased, and by 10AM, the sun was shining again, on what was to be a windy day.

The game was a T25 (Twentyfive25) and the rules were very similar to the T20 and the ODI format of cricket, except that no powerplays existed, and the LBW rule was taken completely out of play, unless a shot wasn't offered. In addition, a ball had to be VERY wide, to be given. With the rules set, the game began on schedule at 12PM, with India XI winning the toss and deciding to bat. The batting display was one of poise, efficiency, and a masterclass in itself. Jagesh and Dharmin, put on a scintillating display, before Dharmin finally fell, caught off the bowling of Nathan Ewers. India XI, did never once look like collapsing, despite some horrendous batting by the captain. It appears that Prasanna’s stance resembled that of an octopus on piles, and the only way he made his three runs was because the ROTW XI was too busy laughing at the pathetic batting effort. Helped by Jagesh’s 28 and Chitresh Mukherjee’s 31, India XI posted a competitive total of 9/105 in 25 overs. The pick of the bowlers in the ROTW team were Dr. Bruce Wedding, Nathan Ewers, and the vice-captain, Vira Thach with 2 wickets a piece.

With the asking rate of over 4 an over, both teams needed to be on their guard, but with the pitch drying up, India XI could scent victory. Anoop Rathod provided the perfect start, by taking 2 wickets within the first two overs. He was ably supported by the other fast bowler Ravi Ganesh, who donned the wicket-keeping gloves after bowling his overs out. These two were ably supported by Roshan Nair and Kinjal Patel. Again Prasanna’s incompetency at playing cricket showed through his bowling, although he did a fine job of captaining the side. He moved his bowlers around, as well as speeding the over-rates and gave India XI motivational support by wearing the India ODI T-Shirt during the game. That being said, his bowling was utterly pathetic and the only sane explanation for his two wickets were that the batting team played their shots in the air, and India XI’s fielders were brilliant in the field. The ROTW batsmen never looked like being in the game and despite starts by Virah (12), Chris (11), Aaron Mohtar (8) and Dr. Bruce Wedding (8), it was only a matter of time before the inevitable occurred.

In the end, the supremacy of the Indian XI, in all aspects of the shone through and India XI won comfortably by 22 runs and lifted up the BEEST cup for the second year in a row, to the sounds of “Rang De Basanti” and “Chak De India” blaring out of the sound system, managed by DJ Ullash Tiwari.

Photos of the event

Hammad Ahmad Khan looking for a run-out chance

Apurva Mishra (India), whacks the ball straight past the umpire's (and the photographer's) heads.

Dr. Bruce Wedding (ROTW) bowling left-arm spin

The shrewd captain of India XI, Prasanna Kovalam, asking if the bowler wants a wicket keeper

Come on Left, India dares you

2007-09-11T12:36:00.000+10:00

I was reading today's issue of The Indian Express and saw this headline. I think it's time the UPA, and by extension, the people of India, called the Left's bluff. Infact, India's otherwise incompetent cabinet has also questioned Left's ideology here As written here in the Telegraph and talked about here in Amit Varma's blog India Uncut, the Left's position of "damaging to national security" is at best a joke and at worst, dishonest. Amit also writes here about the folly of believing in a communist ideology. Last but not the least, take a look at Nitin Pai's piece here.

All I have to say to the left is, come on, get out of the UPA. I dare you! I double-dare you!!

Cowardly act of terrorism

2007-08-26T17:21:00.000+10:00

I express my deepest condolences and sympathies to the familes who have lost loved ones in the barbaric and dastardly terrorist attacks in the city of Pearls, Hyderabad. I pray to God Almighty to give solace as the families grieve, and I hope both the State and Central government will nab these cowards.

While some may be apprehensive of venturing out to public places for some time, I am of the opinion, that terrorists seek to create a sense of fear within us all. They want us to watch our step, whenever we are having fun, or whenever we are doing the most mundane things of our lives, like shopping. If we start letting go of what we hold dear, we have effectively lost. Those who seek to create fear win, if we let fear creep into our hearts. If we show courage, resilience, and a sense of brotherhood, the terrorists shall never succeed. Therefore, I say this: I shall visit Gokul Chat, the very next day I arrive in India. That is a promise I make to myself.

I hope all leaders of the world unanimously condemn this incident, and I pray that Hyderabad, returns to its usual Hyderabadi attitude very soon.

Jai Hind

60th Anniversary of Indian Independence

2007-08-14T22:09:00.000+10:00

Namaste,

On this the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence, please accept my warmest greetings.

On 12 March 1930, at the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, 79 men went for a walk. For 23 days they marched, covering four districts, 48 villages, and 400 kilometres. On the way they picked up thousands of other ordinary people, animated by a cause so much bigger than themselves. Then, on 6 April, by the sea at the coastal village of Dandi, a thin, bald elderly figure picked up a handful of salty earth and said, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." That man, was M.K.Gandhi, attorney-at-law.

The empire shook alright. The purpose of Gandhi's march was to protest the oppressive and unfair salt tax, and across the country people joined the battle. They made their own salt. They bought illegal salt. That year, 60,000 Indians were arrested during these protests. The Salt Law was not repealed. And yet, "the first stage in ... the final struggle of freedom," as Gandhi described it, had made an impact.

The effect of this impact was made clear on August 15th 1947, when Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, stood on top of India's symbolism of freedom, the Red Fort and uttered those immortal lines "At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India shall awake to a life and freedom".

The story of our freedom struggle is not just encompassed by a Gandhi or a Nehru. It consists of millions of people like, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Ramprasad Bismil, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sarojini Naidu, Kasturbha Gandhi. We as children have continuously been told tales, on the great achievements of our freedom fighters, tales that literally send shivers down our spine. Many a time I ask myself, what would force these people to give up their comforts, and enter into police records as terrorists, as they were known in their time. Well the answer is they fought, because they wanted to be the masters of their own destiny. They wanted to be the architects of India's rise. They wanted to bask in its successes, and accept responsibilities for the nation's failures. To that end, we are eternally indebted to them.

Let us ask ourselves, where have we come in the past 60 years? If we were travel back in time, and pick up a few freedom fighters, bring them back to the present, what would they think? Would they be proud of what they fought for? Or, would they go off on another walk?

India, and we as Indians have made tremendous leaps, over the past 60 years. Some of those leaps have been into the future, and sadly some have been backwards. Per-capita, we produce more millionaires than anywhere else in the world. However, we are also home to the largest slum in Asia. Our institutions of excellence, the IITs, IIMs, BITS are now more than just colleges, they are brand names. On the other hand, we have the world largest number of illiterates. Our economic boom in the recent 17 years is there for everyone to see. We are the fastest growing democratic nation on earth. However, we are consistently ranked in the lower half of the UN Development Index.

For far too long now, we have been stripped of our economic freedom, and our personal freedoms, yet we have barely resisted. In some parts of the country, we treat our own brethren worse than the British Raj. Yet inspite of this, we routinely do not protest. We just blame the government, as if they descended from the sky. Remember, we voted these governments to power, and we are just as much to blame for it. In our 60 years, we have achieved a lot, yet we have made many mistakes. Indeed some may say we are playing catch-up. I agree. 43 years of misguided economic policy cannot be fixed in 17 years of relative economic freedom. Likewise, decades of draconian limits on freedom of expression, cannot be fixed in a short term. Long term solutions are needed. A vibrant leadership is needed. Swami Vivekananda once said "Give me 100 young men and I will change the face of this nation". For the sake of reality let's put that figure to 10 million in current terms. Can we find 10 million such men? Are we willing to sacrifice, if the we once again want to be the masters of our own destiny? Can we fight for a cause so much bigger than ourselves? These questions must be answered by our own minds and hearts, and then we must do what we must, to paraphrase Qui Gon Jinn from Star Wars episode 1

In finishing, India stands on the verge of a rare moment in history. As we begin our 61st year of independence, let us remind ourselves that we have around 250-300 million people between the ages of 15-35. That includes, many of you as well. This population is more than ten times the entire population of Australia and comparable with the population of the United States. Which power on earth can stop us if we all decide to achieve to the best of our abilities? Why can't we as Gurukanth Desai says "Reach the top"? We can get rid of the tag of "developing nation" and replace it with the words of "developed superpower".

President John F Kennedy once remarked "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". That is precisely what I intend to do.

Jai Hind!!

An introspective question

2007-08-09T21:39:00.001+10:00

Around about 5:30 this evening, I was accosted by a colleague and as we were chatting, I asked him if he was going to an event on Friday night here in Adelaide, known as Dum Maro Dum, a party event. My friend said no (and many other things but I shall not post them here), and told me of another event, along the same lines as Dum Maro Dum, which in his words, was supposedly better. After telling him politely, that I wouldn't attend, my colleague somehow insinuated that one of the reasons for my non-attendance, is that I would not be allowed to attend.

This set me thinking. Is this how my peers think of me not attending a nightclubbing event? As a 21 year old, am I obligated to routinely go out and party? Must I genuinely stay out late at night? Are these rules codified somewhere, whereby I can refer to what I must do at a particular age? While thinking, I realised, if I am indeed not following 'the trend', then I am in effect, rebelling. Thus, by not following a trend that youth follow, I am subconsciously following Rule No.1 in the teenagers' handbook "Be a Rebel". However, I don't know if this actually applicable. I think not, however it did sound like a good point at the time.

Rather than now bore myself, with philosophical arguments of my actions being rebellion against rebellion itself, I boarded the bus home for a quiet journey. However, I could not get the question/insinuation out of my head. I felt that this needed to be answered in more ways than one. Moreover, I needed to make this answer public, as this would affect how my peers perceive me. If they honestly thought that I do not go out because my parents do not allow me, then their perception is wrong, and I must correct this immediately.

Firstly, I have never been banned from going out to a nightclub. It is a subject I do not often broach about to my parents, and even when I do, I have always been given what my colleague calls "permission". Therefore my parents' permission or the alleged lack thereof is not even a factor in me not attending DMD and similar programs.

Let's pursue another track. Rather than establishing why I do not need to go nightclubbing, it would be better if I looked at the purposes served by nightclubbing and then analysing if these purposes can be served by not nightclubbing, and whether I need these purposes to be served in the first place.

When I asked several of my friends why they went clubbing, some answers were:
1. To have fun.
2. To get drunk.
3. To intimately interact with people (of the opposite sex).

I do not believe that in order to have fun, I must visit a club. As a 21 year old, I have my own ways of deriving happiness, a by-product of having fun. I am involved in many associations, clubs and societies and organising functions, as well as participating in such functions, give me immense happiness. I do not feel that partying in a night club will allow me to have as much fun as I would have when I would be pursuing other activities. If that is the case, I have no need to go clubbing on a regular basis, and therefore I don't.

My response to reasons 2 and 3 are going to be the same and hence I have grouped them together. The response of this comes from my value set, and since this is a question about why I
do not go out, I believe that my reliance on my set of values is more pertinent here than above. I do not drink, due to a combination of my own choices and my religious beliefs. My choices and religious beliefs are my private opinions and as far as I know, I have never let these beliefs be imposed on others. Furthermore, I do not believe in that drinking will allow me to get ahead, or positively influence my career in anyway. Thus, from a practical and a personal level, I do not drink, and I do not want to drink, and thus, I do not want to go clubbing for this purpose.

I will use a similar (and shorter) response to reason 3. Once again, my values, and religious beliefs combine to mean that I do not wish to intimately interact with people of the opposite sex. If this somehow implies that I am gay, then I cannot change others' opinions just as they cannot change mine. Moreover, if reason 3 is directly linked to reason 2, I believe that is a betrayal of trust when people are intimate with those who are not in their senses. Thus, based on this reason alone, I do not believe I need to go clubbing.

Finally, I'll take your indulgence about one more reason. In my previous lines above, I had used an objective method, into why I didn't go into a nightclub. I shall now propose a subjective reason. The way I view myself, i.e. in my self-perception I do not want to go out clubbing. And in the end, I think that is all that matters.

I think that's enough introspection for one night

PS: Sorry for the word length.

An interesting co-incidence?

2007-08-05T16:14:00.001+10:00

Why is it that after a function organised by the telugu community, most of the members attending the function, are seen in the Hindu temple the next day?

Is it just a co-incidence, or is it a case of "Father, forgive us for we have sinned" type of visit?

Freedom in India. An illusion?

2007-07-14T12:53:00.000+10:00

Refer to this news here and here.

What ever happened to the freedom of speech?? Oh wait, our beloved constitution imposes very strict controls on it. Article 19(1) guarantees the fundamental freedoms, while 19(2) slowly erodes these freedoms by placing subjective tests on them such as "morality", "decency" etc. Also remember, our antiquated IPC has Section 295, which means that giving offense, in word or deed, is a crime. However, I believe this does not go far enough. Include "thought". IPC 295 must be interpreted in a way such that even thinking of giving offense is a crime. Only that way, will we be truly "free".....wait, I think I've contradicted myself. That's not a crime, is it?

Old times are back again

2007-06-26T08:50:00.000+10:00

It is no secret that the INC (Indian National Congress) used the post of President of India as a method of paying back long time supporters of the party.

However, with APJ Abdul Kalam, as the out-going president, many hoped that the party would have gone with someone of the same calibre.

Pratibha Patil is tipped to be the incumbent President. At the outset, I had thought that this was a good sign, symbolically speaking, with India's 60th anniversary of Independence fast approaching.

However, articles in the Indian Express, here and here have led me to withdraw my support for Pratibha Patil (not that it matters since I'm not leading a political party in India or anything). From what I infer, she is being repayed for being a friend of the INC for so many years.

Amit Varma has an article on this here

In other news, Mayawati's assets are said to be at 52 crore. Read about it here.( Note: ToI article)

75 years, and still going strong

2007-06-25T17:51:00.000+10:00

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to Test Cricket in India,
Happy birthday to you!!!

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!

Entertaining a niche audience over the years, the pure connoisseurs!!!

The thoughts of an NRI

2007-06-21T19:38:00.000+10:00

Taken from here. I have chopped and changed a bit

Most of us left the Indian shores to come here.
We have bid our farewells with teary eyes to our mothers.
We hugged our fathers and left without turning back.

We all came here, some long time back and some recently.
We all were alone in the beginning.
We missed our mothers cooking.
We missed the idli chaats on the road side.
We missed those days when we gathered with friends at a tea stall and ordered tea with samosas.

We missed that girl, whom we used to see daily in the bus, who may have smiled at us, who may even have talked to us in that angelic voice, if only we had the courage to talk.

Most of us grew out of it over here. We all made new friends.
We all clung to each other. We watched countless movies.
We even learnt to cook and throw pot luck parties where we always played Antakshari.
We confess that we even smiled at those beautiful girls across the street.
We all took trips to India; some annually, some less frequently.
We all tracked the "sale" events at Sears and KMart.
We all went to Indian Grocery Stores, and bought Rice and Rotis.

Most of us got married. We, went back home, searching for the love of a good woman-some found it in the old acquaintances from across the bus-stands, some found it in their parent's choice. Some of us took a gamble and married the one looking closest to Aishwarya Rai.

Now what do we do? We all work in software, We go to the community event to socialise, we attend movie screenings, and argue countless times that Honda Accord is better than Toyota Camry or vice versa. At times, late night before falling asleep we switch on the stereo and listen to that old Hindi melody which makes us remember the land that was ours. We recall the green grass, the muddy roads, the wet monsoons, the pretty girls that we never talked to.

We hear the words speaking to us from across the oceans:

A Mother who gave sour medicine to her son, because she wanted him to recover soon, who let her son move miles apart though the thought was tearing her apart, she let him go as she wanted him to be happy and successful, who hides her agony in telling others that her son is abroad.

A Father who understands his son's ambitions and the limitation and frustration he has to overcome of in India, who would not let his voice reveal that says I'll miss you son !, I love you but am unable to express the feeling.

A brother who would miss the brotherhood, though it had often been fights and not talking terms, who can deny the fact that a brother is still a brother, a friend, Who expected you to understand him as his, and when you didn't it upset but moving miles in distances has overlooked all minute failures.

A sister who would not have her adoring one to escort her to help her out of troublesome situations, who knows she has a brother she have spent her life,who wishes he would turn up for her wedding, if not atleast to fondle her baby that longs for an uncle's love & affection.

A friend, who is left with mundane tasks, unable to exchange the chirpy jokes & comments, discuss various thoughts from family, friends, politics, & economics, who visits your home because he still remembers you not only on a day but everyday. Who would jump with joy on receiving a mail, who tries to keep himself free for all the days when his friend is coming back on a holiday.

The girl at the bus-stop, who smiled at you and suddenly finds you no longer there, who changes her route only to avoid the void which seems to be there at the same bus-stop she had been once smiling.

The girl you are married to, unable to understand why she is being sent to a far off land, waiting for her man to send VISA papers, bearing the nagging question of neighbours and relatives asking when are you leaving India.

The girl you got engaged to, and is waiting for you to come back and tie the wedding knot, a social and emotional security, who anxiously waits for his telephone calls and greeting cards to reassure her that you will be back as her man.

Whatever our roles, it is only to say that we still love and care for you, wherever you are, you are still dear to us. We don't know what you have to go through, we only know we have love & wishes to give for you. You might have learnt or the circumstances might have taught you to handle emotions and that time and work are more important than feelings and their expressions but we are still in India and are still the same, waiting and wishing for those who moved away from India,

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

2007-06-04T11:58:00.001+10:00

Many of you might have heard of the Mile Sur Mera Tumhara song on Doordarshan. This was when Cable TV was still a rarity, in India, and our "beloved" DD, ran this many times a day, to highlight national integration. Well, in light of recent events, where people are looking for an excuse to loot, pillage and even kill each other, I thought it might be a good idea, to put this up.

I have put three videos up. The first is the original Mile Sur Mera Tumhara video, as shown by Prasar Bharati. The second is the MIT version of the video, and the final is a MNC employees version of the video (shot in Hyderabad)

Version 1 : Prasar Bharati

Version 2: MIT

Version 3: MNC employees

100 years of 1857.

2007-05-10T12:29:00.000+10:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well here's one more bit of evidence to show the truth in the saying. Very poignant picture, in my opinion. The background and the foreground couldn't be more similar, or more contrasted at the same time. I am eagerly awaiting your comments on this.

Taken from 10 May issue of Deccan Chronicle

My favourite scene in Chatrapathi

2007-05-07T11:28:00.000+10:00

My most favourite scene in Chatrapathi....ahh wish I could be like that!!!

India Poised

2007-05-02T20:22:00.000+10:00

In my opinion, I do not want to criticise anything, without saying to myself "I can fix it" or "I can play my part in fixing it". After two heavy posts criticising India, or more specifically its laws which seem to contradict with its ideals of freedom of speech, I thought to myself "What can I do to fix this?"

My answer is this. India Poised. It's old, but it is something I take up and notice. We are a nation in our 60th year of Independence. Japan was obliterated during WWII and now it is a forefront nation in the developed world. We are but two years "younger" than Japan, but we always seem to be, in PK Varma's words, a "developing nation". The question we need to ask is why. I believe India Poised has an answer to this question.

I reproduce the anthem as follows:

There are two Indias in this country.

One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the expectations the world has been showering recently upon us.

The other India is the leash.

One India says, give me chance, and I'll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first, and maybe then you'll have a chance

One India lies in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.

One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.

But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.

An India who's faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure. An India that no longer boycotts foreign made goods, but buys out the companies that make them instead.

History they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it is taking a turn

This is a rarely ever moment. History is turning a page.

For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.

And one India - the tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down and hesitating.

The other India is looking up into the sky and saying, it's time to fly.

(Taken from here)

The inspirational effect is multiplied by a big factor, when the booming baritone voice of Amitabh Bahchan recites it. Watch it below:

(Video taken from here)

Freedom Redefined

2007-04-24T22:12:00.000+10:00

Until 22nd April 2007:

Until my 21st birthday, my opinion on the Indian National flag, were relatively mainstream. I strongly believed that "Flag Code of India – 2002" was correct and its punitive actions necessity. I argued, how could it be that those who were born under this very flag, can get away with showing disrespect. Furthermore, I was also proud of the Flag Code of India - 2002, as it allowed me a privilege which I wouldn't have been allowed under the previous "The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950". Improper use of the National Emblem was (and is) an offence under the "THE PREVENTION OF INSULTS TO NATIONAL HONOUR ACT, 1971", and is punishable by a prison term of not more than a year. A similar law exists for the National Anthem. As the act says :

Whoever intentionally prevents the singing of the Indian National Anthem or causes disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing shall be punished with
imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both

I thought this was quite right. After all, these are the most potent symbols of nationalism, and if one isn't considerate enough to respect, nay, deify the flag and the anthem they were born under, they should be taught a lesson. In fact many a time I felt immensely pleased when I read/heard about articles in which ordinary Indian Citizens chided their fellow Indian citizens as they had shown scant respect for the flag.

On April 22 2007:

I celebrated my 21st birthday. Among the presents I got, were two books. One was "Bad President", written by RD Rosen, Harry Prichett and Rob Battles. The other was "The Argumentative Indian" written by Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen. I got to reading the former book, and Pages 98 and 99 really pricked my conscience. I produce a snippet as follows:

In Summer 2003, President Bush endorsed amending the First Amendment to make desecrating the flag, unconstitutional.

I thought to myself, well GWB may be dumb-ish, but he's sort of on a good track here. Then i read this:

...We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherised emblem represents....

This was a quote by Justice William J Brennan Reading this quote, I decided to let my brain ponder over it while I got some sleep.

April 23 2007 till present:

The next day, I read Amartya Sen's book, and I paid particular attention to his 5th Essay, entitled "Tagore and His India". In that essay, he mentions Tagore's extreme dislike of fervent nationalism. It mentions his novel The Home and the World where the protagonist Nikhil, says:

I am willing to serve my country; but my wirship I server for Right which is far greater than my country. To worship my country as a god is to bring a curse upon it.

My conscicence truly pricked, I went through the Wikipedia to find more information on the cases and other related cases. The information I gathered is here in 1, 2, 3, and 4 . Thus, I have realised one truth. I was wrong. In my opinion, punishing Indians for not standing up for the national anthem or for desecrating the flag, is as Justice Brennan said, diluting the freedom that the emblem represents. I am proud of my country, and of its national symbols, and I shall strive to give utmost respect it deserves. But to force my expression onto others is denying their right to expression, and that certainly is unconstitutional.

Thus I conclude, in apologising to anyone I have forced to respect the Flag of India. I am sorry

Rest In Peace

2007-04-19T12:59:00.000+10:00

I pray that souls of Prof. G.V. Loganathan and Ms.Minal Panchal Rest In Peace.

They shall be remembered.

Lest we forget.

Wake up India!!!

2007-04-12T20:08:00.000+10:00

Couple of days ago, I was watching the movie Krantiveer. For those who may not have seen it, allow me to give you a brief update. Nana Patekar, plays a man called Pratap, who has no aim or ambition in life. However, he is a good man at heart, and his observations, are acerbic, honest, and brutally truthful. The movie details incidents, which make Pratap from a man of no vision to a man with a mission and vision statement (if I may use that term). The movie isn't a master piece, but Nana Patekar's fiery acting, is just breathtaking. The observances he makes, are stark and without any sugarcoating. Of particular note is the outburst when a woman is screaming for male help as two male thugs try forcing her into prostitution. The other, and IMO by far a more powerful speech is at the end, delivered at Kranti Maidan, when he rightly points out our inherent deficiences. Although some parts of the monologue are heavily jignositic, it must not take away from the more poignant moments of the scene. It is simply brilliant.

Anyway, after watching Krantiveer, I sat back and I thought to myself, we as Indians haven't changed a bit. We boast about our culture, our family values, our "morality", our this and that, yet we are second in the world with AIDS, have largest amount of illiterates in the world, is home to a conflict that has taken over 60 years, yet shows no sign of resolution and much more. We are world leaders in many areas, but not all of them are ones to be proud of. For every Narayana Murthy, we have a Phoolan Devi, for every Ambani, Tata, Birla, we have a Laloo Prasad Yadav, Jagdish Tytler, Shibu Soren. Is this something I look at and say, I am proud to be Indian??

60 years ago, on August 15th 1947, Shri Jawaharlal Nehru said those immortal words in the Constituent Assembly "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially ... The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future". Our freedom, as Amit Varma so often notices, can sometimes be very superficial. See this for more details. It is sad to note that while India's Constitution in Article 19(1) provides Fundamental Rights, it applies various restrictions in 19(2), with vague sounding definitions as "morality", "decency" etc. Contrast this to the American Bill of Rights, namely the First Amendment, stating "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". Thats it. Nothing about morality, decency, public good, no Kantian ideals there. Just a simple rule. Is it any wonder why the call America the free country?

However, let us not rush into blame the Constitution for everything bad that has happened to India, neither should we blame the politicians. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution reads "We the People of the Sovreign ... Republic of India". Then why, when some scandal breaks, when we see riots, when violence breaks out, when India loses the cricket, why oh why do we friggin blame other people. Sure, those in power abuse their responsibility more often then not, so why the hell do we not say, "ENOUGH!!" We keep on voting the same or similar jackass to power, and then sit back and say "Politics has ruined our nation". I ask you this, has politics ruined USA? Australia? UK? New Zealand? If these countries are "untainted" by politics, on what basis of evidence can we say politics has ruined India. We are a nation of one billion people. Yes it is hard to represent them, as the demographics of US, Australia etc, are vastly different from the demographics of India. However, we Indians are used to slavery. As Pratap says in Krantiveer, we enjoyed firstly being enslaved by Kings, then the British, and now we love being enslaved by politicians. We revel in our ability to bend and evade rules, we bask in the glory of being able to pay off a cop, although we may have committed a serious traffic offence. Heck, if middle class and upper-middle class elitists like us, don't give a royal damn about the country, why on God's green earth should those, who don't even know if they are going to get two square meals a day do so? We blame poverty for all our ills, but what have we done to uproot the causes? The best way of eradicating poverty is by redistribution of wealth, and embrace of market reforms. However, we are lazy to implement that, but are active at crying ourselves hoarse.

One may argue, that all countries fight have their own fair share of problems. I concur. However, I am yet to see a country, so laid-back about its problems, that rather than facing them head on, we'd rather go to another country, and settle there for a "better future". All I say is, well with that attitude, we might as well invite a foreign ruler back. Or rather, should we be like the UNSC, and get the one of the P5 members to rule over us for a period of time before handing it over to the next member?

About Cows and Milk

2007-02-26T19:21:00.000+11:00

This is funny stuff!!

Joke: Emerging 'isms' of the new economy

INFOSYSism
You have a 1000 poor cows. You put them on a nice campus, & send them one at a time to the US for milking.

PATNIism
You have 10 cows. You make them work so that they give milk of 100 cows.

WIPROism
GE has a cow. You take 49% of the milk.

DELLism
Intel has a Goat. Samsung has a Camel. Buy milk from both & sell it as Cow's milk.

IBMism
You have old stubborn cows. You sell them as pet dogs to innocent small businessmen.

MICROSOFTism
You have a cow. Force the world to buy milk from you. Spend a million dollars to feed poorer cows.

SUNism
You have a bull. It doesn't give milk. You hate Microsoft.

ORACLEism
You have a cow. You don't know which side to milk, so you sell tools to help milk cows.

SAPism
You don't have a cow You sell milking solutions for cows implemented by milking consultants.

APPLEism
You have a cow. You sell iMilk.

SONYism
You have a cow. You spend $50 mn to develop the world's thinnest milk.

CITIBANKism
Welcome to Citibank. If you have a cow, press 1. If you have a bull, press 2...stay on line if you'd like our customer care to milk it for you.

HPism
You don't know if what you have is a cow. You sell complete milking solutions through authorised resellers only.

GEism
You have a donkey. People think you have a 100-year old cow. If someone finds out, that's his imagination at work.

RELIANCEism
You don't yet have a cow. You sell empty cans to people for Rs. 501, because Dhirubhai wanted everyone to have milk.

TATAism
You have a very old cow. You re-brand it as TATA Indicow.

Apologies

2007-02-10T23:42:00.000+11:00

Dear All,

My apologies for having neglected this blog. I will once again be back to blogging very soon.

Apologies once again :-D

Regards,
Prasanna

Flickr

2006-11-30T18:00:00.000+11:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

My photoplay 1

2006-11-28T20:33:00.000+11:00

Astute readers of this blog, the few that there are, would have noticed that I have tried my hand at screenplays. Not having met with success as much as I would like, I have decided to take one step back and see how an attempt at a photoplay goes. Thanks to the email sent by Sujata Kovalam. However, the reconstruction is my effort alone.

This photo play is set to the hit song from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, "Aye mere dil tu gaayejaa", and may be reflective of the current Indian team's performance in South Africa. Indeed, that is what the photoplay suggests. So therefore without further ado...

Ek Paal Ka Jeena

Phir To Hain Jaana

Tohfa Kya Leke Jaayie

Dil Yeh Bataana

Khali Haath Aaye The Hum

Khali Haath Jayenge

Bus Pyar Ke Do Meethen Bol Jhilmilayenge

To Hans Kyon Ki Duniya Ko Hain Hasana

Ae Mere Dil Tu Gaye Ja

Ae Aaye Aao Aaye Aa

Sorry for the long delay

2006-11-28T20:20:00.000+11:00

Sorry to all the (few) people that read my blog, for a long delay in posting. I had exams for the past month, and hence haven't been able to post regularly. However, as a method of repentence, here is a little something, sent to me by both Sudha and Sudheendra (Sunny), no relation to each other, despite having a 'Sudh' followed by a vowel, hehehe!!! (Sorry for my bad attempt at a joke)

See below...........

ATTENTION

ALIENS ARE COMING TO ABDUCT ALL
THE GOOD LOOKING AND SEXY PEOPLE.

YOU WILL BE SAFE,
I'M JUST EMAILING TO SAY GOODBYE

Aaya India

2006-10-27T10:21:00.000+10:00

Notwithstanding India's failure in the Champions Trophy (from what I read in the press), the video below is still good. Maybe Team India should have a look and see the hopes we have for them!!!

GO INDIA!!! OOH AAH INDIA AAYA INDIA!!!!!!!!!!

(I will have a decent blog entry soon, just don't know when though)

My screenplay 2

2006-10-13T18:23:00.001+10:00

My screenplay for the Mangal Ho (Aatma) song, from MPTR

Tannn tannn....
Sabne suna re...
Show Wayville Pavilion
Danka bole dhum dhum,
Ramping shot of Ridley Centre front
Jago jago ab tum,
Ramping shot of Ridley Centre right side
Neend me ho kyu tum, oooo...
Cut to: Leaves on the ground of Wayville Pavilion
Jago re jago, jagoooo reeee....
Students start slowing trickling in
Jagi jagi hai dharti saar aur jaaga jaaga hai ambar
Jagi jagi hai nadiyaan saari aur jaga jaga hai sagar, jagoooo...
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*4
From feet up, show close up frontal shot of Prasanna, walking majestically, from the Wayville Pavilion entrance
Show left view, Prasanna, and surrounded by friends, walking in step
Dekho dekho samay kya dikhaay,
Show right view
Dekh kar bhi na biswaas aay,
Koi exam likhne ab jaa raha hai,
Focus on the backpack of Prasanna, and slowly focus on Prasanna
Kitne gaurav-se sar ko uthaay,
Frontal of Prasanna, writ in concentration
Dhanya hai bhaag har us mata ke,
Jo aisa beta paay,
Frontal of Prasanna smiling
Jo needar hai,
Woh amar hai,
Prasanna looks around at his friends, allays their nerves, fearless about the exam
Exam likhne (hai) to aise likhenge,
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*4
Prasanna goes towards a chair sits down, starts some last minute revision, but mind is not in it
Greets the other friends who are coming around
Aisi dhaj se chala hai ye baagi,
Cut to: Prasanna walking towards locker room
Jo bhi dekhe woh sis nibhaay,
Cut to: Prasanna picking out items needed in the exam room
Cut to: Prasanna standing at the front of the hall, waiting to go in
Apni hoton pe hai aaj bhi woh
Explaining a formula
Naara Formula ka hi sajaaye
Cut to: Prasanna turning to his friends
Apne aankhon me aaj bhi woh,
Show close up of Prasanna's eyes, filled with burning desire
Cut to: CGI of flame burning in the retina of eye
Apni HD ke sapne basaay,
(phaasi to lagti hai F2 ko,
Kaun HD ko phaasi lagaay)*2,
Cut to: Prasanna, still exchanging pleasantries, and last minute tips with friends
Jyot phir bhi nahi buujh sakegi,
Deep chahe de koi bujhaay,
Cut to: Door opens, and for a second everything is still
{HALLA BOL....}
Cut to: Prasanna lip-syching the above line, although in a whispering mode
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)*2
Cut to: Aerial shot of
Prasanna goes in
Jage nagar saare,
Jaage hai ghar saare,
Jaga hai ab har gaon,
Friends go in
Jagi hai baagiya to,
Jage hai ped aur,
Jagi hai pedon-ki chaaw,
All go in

OSD 3 hours later
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
While background music plays, Prasanna comes out, relief and happiness writ on his face
Friends come out
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
High fives are thrown all around
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
Prasanna walks towards locker room
Cut to: Prasanna collecting his materials
((Mangal Mangal)*3 hooo)
Cut to: Prasanna walks away from the pavilion, towards the bus stop
Cut to: Looks behind at the pavilion one last time....for the next 6 months.

Narrator's voice

And so began Prasanna's quest for a degree.
Show various shots of Prasanna at university
While the University called it the mid year exams and end of year exams, to Prasanna, it was the path for a degree
And this path was finally cleared when in 2009, he finally graduated in Honors
Cut to: Prasanna receiving Graduation certificate
Music ends on crescendo

Bill Clinton, former POTUS

2006-09-28T11:15:00.000+10:00

I try to keep this blog India-centric, but this is too good. There was a news report here in Adelaide, by Channel 7, a couple of days ago, how Clinton "lost his cool", in the face of interviewing by Fox News. This is surprising because the former POTUS is a calm, colleceted, and dare I say it, "cool" individual, in whatever he does. Naturally I decided to take note of it. My conclusions were two fold:

1. Channel 7 reconfirmed my opinions of it being utter trash in news reporting, just like its counterparts, barring SBS and ABC, which bring some semblance to news reporting....but this rant is for another day.

2. Bill Clinton, on the contrary of losing his cool, pummelled the interviewer and absolutely, beat the living daylights out of him (I won't use other cuss words, I like to keep this a U to U/A blog). If you don't believe me, take a look at the video yourself, below:

The transcript is here. Also check out Amit Varma's post on the episode for more links.

An inspiring speech

2006-09-13T12:25:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Sudha for the email. Sorry about the insertion of the '>'. I find this speech highly inspiring, and very wonderful. This IMO is how welcoming/graduation speeches should be.

Welcome Address by Subroto Bagchi, Chief Operating Officer, MindTree Consulting to the Class of 2006 at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore on defining success. (July 2nd 2004)

" I was the last child of a small-time government servant, in a family of five brothers. My earliest memory of my father is as that of a District Employment Officer in Koraput, Orissa. It was and remains as back of beyond as you can imagine. There was no electricity; no primary school nearby and water did not flow out of a tap. As a result, I did not go to school until the age of eight; I was home-schooled. My father used to get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep - so the family moved from place to place and, without any trouble, my Mother would set up an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as a refugee from the then East Bengal, she was a matriculate when she married my Father. My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system which makes me what I am today and largely defines what success means to me today.

As District Employment Officer, my father was given a jeep by the government. There was no garage in the Office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to use it to commute to the office. He told us that the jeep is an expensive resource given by the government – he reiterated to us that it was not 'his jeep' but the government's jeep. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would walk to his office on normal days. He also made sure that we never sat in the government jeep - we could sit in it only when it was stationary. That was our early childhood lesson in governance - a lesson that corporate managers learn the hard way, some never do.

The driver of the jeep was treated with respect due to any other member of my Father's office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use the suffix 'dada' whenever we were to refer to him in public or private. When I grew up to own a car and a driver by the name of Raju was appointed - I repeated the lesson to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, 'Raju Uncle' - very different from many of their friends who refer to their family drivers as 'my driver'. When I hear that term from a school- or college-going person, I cringe. To me, the lesson was significant – you treat small people with more respect than how you treat big people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your superiors.

Our day used to start with the family huddling around my Mother's chulha - an earthen fire place she would build at each place of posting where she would cook for the family. There was no gas, nor electrical stoves. The morning routine started with tea. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud the editorial page of The Statesman's 'muffosil' edition - delivered one day late. We did not understand much of what we were reading. But the ritual was meant for us to know that the world was larger than Koraput district and the English I speak today, despite having studied in an Oriya medium school, has to do with that routine. After reading the newspaper aloud, we were told to fold it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson. He used to say, "You should leave your newspaper and your toilet, the way you expect to find it". That lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins and ends with that simple precept.
Being small children, we were always enamored with advertisements in the newspaper for transistor radios - we did not have one. We saw other people having radios in their homes and each time there was an advertisement of Philips, Murphy or Bush radios, we would ask Father when we could get one. Each time, my Father would reply that we did not need one because he already had five radios - alluding to his five sons. We also did not have a house of our own and would occasionally ask Father as to when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a similar reply, "We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses". His replies did not gladden our hearts in that instant. Nonetheless, we learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and sense of well being through material possessions.

Government houses seldom came with fences. Mother and I collected twigs and built a small fence. After lunch, my Mother would never sleep. She would take her kitchen utensils and with those she and I would dig the rocky, white ant infested surrounding. We planted flowering bushes. The white ants destroyed them. My mother brought ash from her chulha and mixed it in the earth and we planted the seedlings all over again. This time, they bloomed. At that time, my father's transfer order came. A few neighbors told my mother why she was taking so much pain to beautify a government house, why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. My mother replied that it did not matter to her that she would not see the flowers in full bloom. She said, "I have to create a bloom in a desert and whenever I am given a new place, I must leave it more beautiful than what I had inherited". That was my first lesson in success. It is not about what you create for yourself, it is what you leave behind that defines success.

My mother began developing a cataract in her eyes when I was very small. At that time, the eldest among my brothers got a teaching job at the University in Bhubaneswar and had to prepare for the civil services examination. So, it was decided that my Mother would move to cook for him and, as her appendage, I had to move too. For the first time in my life, I saw electricity in homes and water coming out of a tap. It was around 1965 and the country was going to war with Pakistan. My mother was having problems reading and in any case, being Bengali, she did not know the Oriya script. So, in addition to my daily chores, my job was to read her the local newspaper - end to end. That created in me a sense of connectedness with a larger world. I began taking interest in many different things. While reading out news about the war, I felt that I was fighting the war myself. She and I discussed the daily news and built a bond with the larger universe. In it, we became part of a larger reality. Till date, I measure my success in terms of that sense of larger connectedness.

Meanwhile, the war raged and India was fighting on both fronts. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minster, coined the term "Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan" and galvanized the nation in to patriotic fervor. Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could be part of the action. So, after reading her the newspaper, every day I would land up near the University's water tank, which served the community. I would spend hours under it, imagining that there could be spies who would come to poison the water and I had to watch for them. I would daydream about catching one and how the next day, I would be featured in the newspaper. Unfortunately for me, the spies at war ignored the sleepy town of Bhubaneswar and I never got a chance to catch one in action. Yet, that act unlocked my imagination. Imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.

Over the next few years, my mother's eyesight dimmed but in me she created a larger vision, a vision with which I continue to see the world and, I sense, through my eyes, she was seeing too. As the next few years unfolded, her vision deteriorated and she was operated for cataract. I remember, when she returned after her operation and she saw my face clearly for the first time, she was astonished. She said, "Oh my God, I did not know you were so fair". I remain mighty pleased with that adulation even till date. Within weeks of getting her sight back, she developed a corneal ulcer and, overnight, became blind in both eyes. That was 1969. She died in 2002. In all those 32 years of living with blindness, she never complained about her fate even once. Curious to know what she saw with blind eyes, I asked her once if she sees darkness. She replied, "No, I do not see darkness. I only see light even with my eyes closed". Until she was eighty years of age, she did her morning yoga everyday, swept her own room and washed her own clothes. To me, success is about the sense of independence; it is about not seeing the world but seeing the light.

Over the many intervening years, I grew up, studied, joined the industry and began to carve my life's own journey. I began my life as a clerk in a government office, went on to become a Management Trainee with the DCM group and eventually found my life's calling with the IT industry when fourth generation computers came to India in 1981. Life took me places - I worked with outstanding people, challenging assignments and traveled all over the world. In 1992, while I was posted in the US, I learnt that my father, living a retired life with my eldest brother, had suffered a third degree burn injury and was admitted in the Safderjung Hospital in Delhi. I flew back to attend to him - he remained for a few days in critical stage, bandaged from neck to toe. The Safderjung Hospital is a cockroach infested, dirty, inhuman place. The overworked, under-resourced sisters in the burn ward are both victims and perpetrators of dehumanized life at its worst. One morning, while attending to my Father, I realized that the blood bottle was empty and fearing that air would go into his vein, I asked the attending nurse to change it. She bluntly told me to do it myself. In that horrible theater of death, I was in pain and frustration and anger. Finally when she relented and came, my Father opened his eyes and murmured to her, "Why have you not gone home yet?" Here was a man on his deathbed but more concerned about the overworked nurse than his own state. I was stunned at his stoic self. There I learnt that there is no limit to how concerned you can be for another human being and what is the limit of inclusion you can create. My father died the next day.

He was a man whose success was defined by his principles, his frugality, his universalism and his sense of inclusion. Above all, he taught me that success is your ability to rise above your discomfort, whatever may be your current state. You can, if you want, raise your consciousness above your immediate surroundings. Success is not about building material comforts - the transistor that he never could buy or the house that he never owned. His success was about the legacy he left, the memetic continuity of his ideals that grew beyond the smallness of a ill-paid, unrecognized government servant's world.

My father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capability of the post-independence Indian political parties to govern the country. To him, the lowering of the Union Jack was a sad event. My Mother was the exact opposite. When Subhash Bose quit the Indian National Congress and came to Dacca, my mother, then a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined an underground movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, our household saw diversity in the political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world, the Old Man and the Old Lady had differing opinions. In them, we learnt the power of disagreements, of dialogue and the essence of living with diversity in thinking. Success is not about the ability to create a definitive dogmatic end state; it is about the unfolding of thought processes, of dialogue and continuum.

Two years back, at the age of eighty-two, Mother had a paralytic stroke and was lying in a government hospital in Bhubaneswar. I flew down from the US where I was serving my second stint, to see her. I spent two weeks with her in the hospital as she remained in a paralytic state. She was neither getting better nor moving on. Eventually I had to return to work. While leaving her behind, I kissed her face. In that paralytic state and a garbled voice, she said, "Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world." Her river was nearing its journey, at the confluence of life and death, this woman who came to India as a refugee, raised by a widowed Mother, no more educated than high school, married to an anonymous government servant whose last salary was Rupees Three Hundred, robbed of her eyesight by fate and crowned by adversity - was telling me to go and kiss the world!

Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives.

Thank you very much; I wish you good luck and Godspeed. Go, kiss the world."

A picture of a cow

2006-09-05T18:05:00.000+10:00

My friend Ashok has pestered me for long enough to post a picture of a Scottish Highlander Cow (SHC) on my blog. Now although my blog is more concentrated on Indian Politics (or I'd like to think of it that way), Ashok's reasons in wanting me to post this up are as follows

Cows and Indian Politicians are very similar, they have just the same amount of grey matter, but Indian politicians aren't as cute as Scottish Highlander Cows.

Anyway dude, here's the link for the picture of the SHC. If you want more Cow posts, please visit India Uncut. Amit Varma, has many articles on cows, so if cows are your thing, go there and search around

My screenplay

2006-09-03T19:01:00.000+10:00

Scene: Picturization for Sarfaroshi Ki Tammanna Song from Legend of Bhagat Singh, set in UniSA, CWE campus 2006
Hero: Prasanna!!!

(Intro music:15 seconds)
Focus on 99B as it turns onto Nth Tce, coming towards west terrace
At each big "beat" cut to shots, as bus approaches CWE
Final step, Prasanna (in glasses) comes out of the bus, and looks at the logo, smiles, as voice starts

Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai
Sarfaroshi

Hero walks into Yungondi building, camera pans onto writing on the ground, and then uplooking at hero as he has a smile. Still follows hero as he walks along

Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai

Hero walks out of Y and heads towards BH building, and starts walking on the steps towards BH

Dekh Sakta Hai To Bhi Dekh Le Aye Aasmaan
Hausla Yeh Dekh Ke Qaatil Badi Mushkil Mein

Focuses on the eyes of hero (still obscured by Sunglasses), as he walks towards comp pool

Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi Sarfaroshi

3 diff shots of hero walking up stairs and towards HH building for each line and goes upto level 5

Apne Hi Lahoo Se Likhenge Hum Apni Daastaan
Zaalimon Se Cheen Lenge Yeh Zameen Yeh Aasmaan

Passes lecturer and makes a menacing face. Lecturer breaks into cold sweat and wipes face with his hanky

Apne Hi Lahoo Se Likhenge Hum Apni Daastaan
Zaalimon Se Cheen Lenge Yeh Zameen Yeh Aasmaan
Sar Phire Jawan Hum To Maut Se Bhi Na Darre

Hero walks towards his friends group, and exchanges pleasantaries

Aansh Aye Desh Pe Yeh Kyon Gawara Hum Kare

All turn around and look towards the camera, with a mission in mind, writ on their eyes

Mulk Pe Qurbaan Ho Yeh Aarzoo Dil Dil Mein Hai

Group walks towards Lecture theatre
Shots of each member of group as they walk into the lecture theatre

Sarfaroshi
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil Mein Hai
Dehkna Hai Zor Kitna Baajuen Qaatil Mein Hai

Hero sits down and finally removes his sunglasses, showing his eyes, and courage can be seen from the stare

Endothermic or Exothermic??

2006-09-01T10:09:00.000+10:00

An email thanks to Sudha:

The following is an actual question given on the University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can therefore project that all souls will go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until "all Hell breaks loose".

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until "Hell freezes over".So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.

An invocation to the Gods

2006-09-01T10:07:00.000+10:00

asato mA sad.h gamaya
tamaso mA jyotirgamaya
mR^ityormA.amR^itaM gamayeti

Lead me from falsity to truth
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality

--Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Please do contact me if the translation is wrong!!!!

Vande Mataram

2006-08-24T10:01:00.000+10:00

Recently there have been many articles which debate the "order" by HRD Minister Mr. Arjun Singh, to make the Vande Mataram compulsory in Government Schools. This order, was challenged by the Imam of Jama Masjid, in Delhi, sparking off a furore between political parties. Arjun Singh was then "forced" to say that singing Vande Mataram was not compulsory. The BJP didn't like it, and the case went from pathetic, to a bloody farce (as Amit reports here).

At first, I was also siding with the BJP. Vande Mataram is the National Song of India. If you don't wanna sing it, get the hell out of the country. Well atleast that is what I thought, before sense dawned upon me. Let us analyse this. AFAIK, India is a "free" country. The constitution, guarantees freedom of thought and expression to one and all, regardless of their religion, race, creed etc. My interpretation is based on Article 19 of the Constitution of India (see here). Now, in that case, each citizen is fully within their rights to sing or not to sing a song. Indeed it is anti-national on the part of the BJP to force Vande Mataram to be sung. If someone wishes to sing it, it should come straight from the heart, not from a piece of paper giving a fatwa or a GO.

Although I do not agree that the terms "soceity" and "nation" are meaningless as Amit implies, he does raise a valid, and winning arguement when he says that these two terms are used to justify the worst assaults on personal freedom.

TRS.....a laughing stock of politicians?

2006-08-24T09:49:00.000+10:00

Well, for the time being Telangana is off the map in the CMP (Common Minimum Program) of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance). Over the past few days, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has decided to pull out of the UPA. This culminates in a 2 year 5 month journey filled with pot holes as The Hindu describes in this article.

Personally, I do not believe in a separate state. My reasons for this is the fact if Telangana were to be a separate state, it could trigger more vocal calls (than already is now) for a separate state of Vidarbha in Maharashtra. This would then lead to a call for some other separate state, and quite soon, we could have an India which would have undone Sardar Patel's legacy of a united India. That being said, I have recently been talking to a few people who strongly say that a separate Telangana is good for AP as well.

The TRS, IMO seems to have played the politics suitable to a spoilt brat. Far too long they have gotten away with ridiculous and often insulting statements, such as a quote from KCR (K Chandrashekhar Rao) "I will drag Sonia to the streets". Regardless of what your opinions on Smt Gandhi may be, it is highly offensive for anyone to refer to her like that. Furthermore, the TRS was also building castles in the air, with their statements on Telangana being just a mere few months away. The Congress, also, seemed to have realised that the TRS would only be a liability for them, and had distanced itself from the TRS over the few months.

Either way, TRS has done nothing for the T region, and as far as I can see, it just is a laughing stock of Indian Politics, making a mockery of a quite a serious issue. But then again, this is not new right???

Ustad Bismillah Khan passes away

2006-08-21T14:20:00.000+10:00

Hi all,

Ustad Bismillah Khan has passed away. India has lost another of her Bharat Ratnas...UBK Amar RAHE!!!

Here is the article :-(

Regards,

Independence Day photos

2006-08-18T10:13:00.000+10:00

Hi all,

I have posted up photos from the Independence Day function on 15th August, at the University of South Australia, on the link here. If the link doesn't work, please go to:

http://community.webshots.com/album/553219033lAuuNr

The photos up are just a selection of the photos taken. I will be posting up the whole bunch on the rapidshare server, and paste the link onto here.

Cheers!!!

Gitanjali

2006-08-17T15:27:00.000+10:00

Rabindranath Tagore's famous poem, instilling a sense of action into us all

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

btw: I have just downloaded the ATR (Action Taken Report) into the Justice Pathak enquiry. I'll try posting on that, once (and if) I understand it!!!

cheers!!!

59 years ago on this day

2006-08-15T20:05:00.000+10:00

59 years ago to this day, Pt.Jawaharlal Nehru's voice echoed throughout a nation, as he spoke of redeeming a substantial tryst with destiny. On the 15th of August 1947, some 90 years after India's First Freedom Fighter, Mangal Pandey was hanged, India, gained freedom and independence from British Colonialism. This day not only marked the culmination of the efforts of great Indian leaders like Mangal Pandey, Rani of Jhansi, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Mahatma Gandhi, but also the dawn of a new weapon in the fight against injustice, which proved to be more powerful than any other weapon previously used. The notion of non-violence, the idea that the enemy will lose its bearings, if mass civil disobediance was carried out without resulting in any violence, was untried and met with a lot of skecpticism. We were fortunate to have with us in those times, iconic leaders, who kept this spirit alive, and ultimately on the 15th of August, 1947, our dream, nay our vision, came true. However, in a bitter-sweet day, our leaders, had no other choice, but to accept the tragedy of Partition, the horrors of which we still continue to witness today.

My friends, today, we begin the 60th year of Independence, and India, is coming to take its rightful place in the world, as a nation having the world's largest democrarcy, as a nation home to a sixth of the world's population, we are seen as a major powerbroker, in our region of South Asia. We are also global leaders, and emerging leaders in the fields of IT, Biotechnology, Business Process Outsourcing, among others.

Today, we are in a unique passage of time. Our generation is probably more endowed in all fields than our previous generations. We know have the choices to make, rather than to blindly accept decisions thrust on us. Therefore, while we rejoice at these opportunities, we have, we also have a tremedous resposibility resting on each of our shoulders. We may not believe it, but the fact remains that the road for India, will be mapped by us. That is to say, we will decide the future our country takes. This burden, or rather, opportunity, is not to be taken lightly. If we shirk, or in any other way, under achieve, we will have to face questions from our future generations, and history will relegate our time as being one where we, although having the best of resources, talent and potential, were not performing to our full capability. To illustrate this, let us consider the following: 2 years before the Independence of India, Japan was obliterated by the USA in WWII. Today, its name is synonymous with the growth of cutting edge technologies. Japan may have had a 2 year headstart, but is this the real reason for this rocket powered growth? I am no economist, and will not go into the different economic paths that both countries may have taken.

What I have seen, is that we as Indians, including myself, have been indifferent to the way the country is run. For many of us, India is having problems because of a group of people we call as "they" or "them". However, none of us, are interested in working at the grassroots level to solve many problems which have their roots in the socio-economic structure of the Republic. There is an arguement, and a right one at too, that the Government of the day must be able to tackle this. However, I do not believe that we should leave everything in the hands of the Government. While the Government should look after both the well of and the not so well off, I also do believe that we as responsible, educated, and (mostly) urban citizens, there is a duty for us to help in this regard. As the first Prime Minister of India had said in the first Independence Day address, "Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?"

Thankfully, in the past few years, I have seen that, there is a definite change with respect to how the youth of India, want the country to be run. We now have youngsters as MLAs and MPs, who inject fresh blood into democracy. This must contine on. This will continue on. Let us now make a pledge to proactively, participate in the governance of our nation. Jai Hind!! Jai Hind!! Jai Hind!!

Here is the President's Address to the Nation on the eve of Independence day
Here is the Prime Minister's address to the nation on the ramparts of the Red Fort, August 15 2006

Below is a photograph of the Tricolour in the celebrations occuring at Mawson Lakes campus.

Aye Mere Pyaare Watan

2006-08-14T09:30:00.000+10:00

Many of you have heard the song "Aye Mere Pyaare Watan". Here is part of the lyrics, that makes me really emotional. IMO this would make many NRI's emotional too :-) !!

Unfortunately, due to my limited knowledge of hindi (as well as everything), I have given a translation which makes sense to me, though as I suspect, it may not make sense to anyone else. Therefore, those who wish to laugh at my inability to translate hindi may do so, with ease, and if you also can, please send your translation!!!

chhodakar teree jameen ko door aa pahuche hain hum
We have left your land and come very far

phir bhee hain yahee hain tamannaa tere jarro kee kasam
But yet we still have this wish, and I take an oath on you

hum jahaan paidaa huye, us jagah hee nikale ye dam
The place we have grown up, is the place where I want to take my final breath

tujhe pe dil qurbaan
I have sacrificed my heart to you

aye mere pyaare watan, aye mere bichhede chaman, tujhe pe dil qurbaan
Oh my beloved country, oh my lost pearl, I sacrifice my heart to you

Taken from here

RT(N)I- Right To (No) Information??

2006-08-01T12:48:00.000+10:00

As you may all know, the GoI has proposed an amendment into the RTI Act. This amendement, proposes to do the following, link:

Government is firm in excluding four areas; defence, personnel, security and
intelligence, as regards file noting while amending the Right to Information
Act, 2005.

There has been considerable coverage from the press in India, namely the ToI. Their articles are linked here, here and here.

Atleast one of these four areas of the GoI has been embroiled in one scandal or another in the recent years (Kargil Coffin Scam/Tehelka comes to mind). Therefore, is it right to exempt these firstly from the RTI and secondly from the "file notifications"?? I think not. More details of the file noting is given here

Contrary to popular perception, file notings are not mere scribbles by officers
on the margins of any document. They are written on a separate green sheet on
the left side of files, giving an officer's considered comments on the issue.

While the right side of a file contains the proposal, the left side has an
officer's views on it. After putting his views, the officer passes the file to
his superior who, in turn, puts his views expressing approval or disapproval on
this page.

Furthermore, the link also gives an example of the RTI "file notings" being used

When 150 jhuggis were demolished in Mayur Vihar in September 2005, DDA said no
land was available to resettle them. However, file notings revealed that 700
plots of land had actually been developed by DDA in Kondli for resettling them.
It's just that some officer, or set of officers, was holding back these plots,
perhaps for more lucrative purposes

While it may be understandable, albeit dissappointing, that defense agencies would be outside the purview of the file notification, one wonders why the ministry of personnel, should be exempt. There may be a sinister reason in this, if this link is to be believed.

The editorial article here carries one reason why people should be worried on this change.

Columnist on Rediff

2006-07-26T20:19:00.000+10:00

Here is a link to a columnist for rediff.com, Mr. B R Raman.

http://www.rediff.com/news/raman.html

From his articles, I believe that he was a former IB/RAW officer, some of the organisations, responsible for India's intelligence gathering mechanisms. He offers some very good insights into the working of India's (oft criticised) intelligence services, which normally, are very difficult to find (and in one reason maybe the reason why the media has a field day when "intel failures" occur). Some of his articles are quite good, if they sort of get a bit anti-American at times. I am quite impressed at some of his observations myself.

The train chugs along

2006-07-23T17:43:00.000+10:00

After 3 weeks of holidays, I will once again, stare down the barrel for the next 13 weeks, as I attempt to study 4 subjects. A lot of things have happened over the past 21 days, with the major being the cowardly attack on Mumbai's citizens. A lot has been said and done, and hence I shall not say anymore. This piece, is just to wish everyone (or rather the few) who read my blog all the very best of luck for the 2nd semester 2006.

BEST OF LUCK!!!!

Pearls of Wisdom from Bill Gates

2006-07-07T11:02:00.000+10:00

Bill Gates’ recent speech (circa 2003) at Mount Whitney High School in Visalia, California, is worthwhile reading for anyone. He concluded by outlining the following 11 Rules:

Rule 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it.

Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. However, the world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you start feeling good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000 a year right out of high school, and you won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers at McDonalds should not be beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping ... they called it OPPORTUNITY.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own bedroom.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with recognising that there are winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have even abolished failing grades, and they’ll give you as much time as you want to get the right answer on an exam. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. You are supposed to do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop, and go out and find a job.

Rule 11: Be nice to NERDS. Chances are you will end up working for one.

Reflections of the past, and hopes for the future

2006-04-20T19:03:00.000+10:00

In 48 hours time, I shall have left the comfort of adolesence and teenage years, to embark onto bigger things, as I shall be 20. As many of you know, this is no simple feat, that can be glossed over. Hence I have decided to reminisce the last 7 years and find out how much teenage life has shaped my thinking.

Going back six years, I can say that my teenage years have resulted in me becoming a more matured member of the human race, and that I am glad for all the situations, and emotions I encountered in the years 1999-2005/6. As I entered my teenage years, I was privileged to have my grandparents on their first trip to Australia. I still remember the gifts that received then. It was a spiritual book that traced the life of a saint through the himalayas. I did read it, and felt uplifted as a saint described his feelings on viewing mammoth mountains, and the source of the Ganges.

1999:My recollections of the year 1999 are both good and bad. The early part of the year was not without its hiccups in studies. I had not got the very best of reviews, and I knew that I had to work harder. As my year 7 teacher said in 1998 "I had to get out of my comfort zone". I realise the essence of his words, even today. I felt that at any given time, I was not willfully using my full resources. I *had* to be pushed into doing things, and only then would I achieve a degree of success. This habit of mine has not changed, and while at times it is a good had bit to have, I must try to get rid of it, as I attain a higher level of maturity. I also had my first taste of leadership that year, although the stint was less than successfull. I was ruled on two occasions where I had used my leadership. One was directly after the toss, where I wanted to bat, but then bowled due to the insistence of the coach, and the other was when I had asked for a 1st slip to be put in place, only to be overruled again. It turned out that being overruled did not matter, as we lost the game to keep our losing streak alive. A happy moment in that year was when I was adjudged as having the best video in the Oliphant Science Awards, and was awarded 1st prize in the Year 8-12 Video Section. Again in this case, it was more of a case of being *pushed* into doing things rather than taking initiative.

2000: The year 2K at first began rather awfully. I was in danger of losing my scholarship and had to correct that immediately. At this stage, I had already worked out my career options and plans, thanks to the friends I had made. While others of my age group were deciding on basic matters, I was proud, and rightly so, that I had made a decision to study certain degrees and hence had to work towards my goal. I knew from Year 7 that my interests in all things computing were not going to subside, and that a career in the IT industry was a real possibility. Year 8 enhanced this fact and Year 9 cemented it. To this end, I also believe that my class teacher had certainly helped, as he was from a science background, and explained the concepts of basic science and physics very lucidly. The year 2000 also bought with it my enthusiasm for debating, where, I had turned my habit of talking too much, into a strength of arguing a certain point. It was that debating which has held me in good stead, not only in arguements but also in other areas of my study. By debating, you analyse, and in an analysis, you are looking towards a macro and a micro view at the same time. Fruthermore the year was also good for me, in the sense that the P.hD my mother had been working for was finally submitted. However, there was a huge sense of loss, that my great-grandmother had passed away. However, I had thoroughly enjoyed the year, and was looking forward to more.

2001: The summer of 2000 was special in the sense that it was the first time, when we, as a whole family, had travelled to India, to celebrate various functions at home. During that time I was exposed to some new ancient Indian works, which I can happily say that I am in the process of reciting. It was a great trip, and although there are many incidents, I wish to retain the privacy of it. The year 2001, began on rather an ominous note of the tragedies ahead when an earthquake rocked the town of Bhuj in India. This was a terrible incident, more so because it occured on the same day as Indians celebrate the birth of the Republic (Janurary 26 1950). I was into my final three years of my schooling, and after a gap of three years, I knew that I had to write examinations once again. What I found amusing was the amount of "counselling" given to students who were writing their first exams. As a student who had endured the "stresses" of examinations, these were not new to me, and hence I had no trouble doing them well. September 11 2001, will be remembered world wide. I still nurture nothing but disdian for the Al-Qaeda group and its offshoots, particularly, being Indian, my country has faced such attacks, and still continues to do so. In the same breath, I salute all those who gave their lives in those terrorist attacks, and bore witness to mankind's biggest gift. The ability to suffer, so that others need not!

The summer of 2001, marked a very stressful and tough time for myself and my family. I had just finished my last year of Pulteney Grammar School, and I knew then that I was never going to return to its premises in any responsible capacity ever again. It was a strange, and nostalgic time for me, when I bid goodbye for the final time to many of my friends, where it would be unlikely to see them again. Although it is my good fortune I meet some of them regularly, the same cannot be said of my other friends.

On the personal front, I had received a terrible news that my grandfather, who I still say is the most energetic out of all of us, had to undergo a bypass surgery. Although there had been radical improvements in medicine over the years, all major surgeries carry an amount of risk. It was a very tough time for us and for a certain period in 2001-2002, there was a time when I wanted to be a doctor, after watching what my grandfather underwent. However, ther was even more bad news, as my house was burgled. It was both a dissappointment and a godsend at this juncture of time. I realised once again the futility of worldly possesions, and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, where the Lord, explains that time is perpetual and that nothing can be taken for granted.

2002: Leaving the trials and tribulations of 2001 behind, I embarked on the final two years of my schooling at a new school, Eynesbury College. It was meant to be the time when things started to heat up. However, I had not noticed it, and hence did not work hard enough towards it. This was also the time when I had first got a mobile phone. After months of pretending I would never need one, I have found that mobile phones, like cigarettes are an addiction. They are very hard to leave, once one uses them. I compare mobiles to diabetes. When managed, they are easy to live with. The year also introduced me to the future institution where I would start my degree. As part of my work experience, I had decided to work for a week at the University of South Australia. At that time, during the dot-com boom, UniSA, was and still is, at Mawson Lakes, an area touted as an IT destination in South Australia. After once again focussing my ambitions on IT, after a brief flirt with medicine, I had the pleasure of visiting a university, which at that time was technologically advanced (in some areas it still is). However, it was during this year that my subject selections for future study came into play. After much consideration, I had decided to drop chemistry, and take up IT and English as a Second Language (due to a loophole in the system, which has now been closed). Although, it is still debatable whether they were the correct choices, I still stick to them even today.

2003: This was the do-or-die year for me. On January 1 2003, I woke up thinking that this was going to be the year, which would ultimately decide my fate. During the past 3 years I had made up my mind that I was going to be a Bachelor of Engineering, specializing in Computer Systems Engineering. However, what was not certain was the University I wished to join. It was also evident that just joining a university was not enough. I had to secure higher marks, so that my life post-enrolment would be smooth. Moreover, I also had to follow the precedent of my Indian peers, who had achieved high results. There was a lot going for me, and somehow, I did feel the pressure in the final stages of the year. However, there was a lot of happy moments throughout the year. My grandparents had come for the second time to Australia, to provide me with support during my final years of matriculation, and also to oversee the house warming of our newly constructed house, 9 years after settling in Australia. My grandparents provided me with much needed support. I can say that the reason why I did not experience any of the stress related to year 12, and its implications was due to the fact that I had two extra pillars of strength, namely my grandfather and my grandmother, who had helped me. There was a time when I didn't care what my marks was, because I was being treated to three excellent square meals a day, courtesy of my grandmother's culinary skills. In the end, Year 12, was all that I knew it would be. I do realise that if I worked harder, I would have achieved a score nearing the 99.95 TER. However, did I really need to achieve it? In the middle of Year 12, I knew so much about my post-matriculation plans, that I was in the danger of looking too ahead into the future. However, I never was trapped due to the above mentioned reasons. Although my score of 94 was not the best, I have no regrets, except that I could have or should have rather, worked harder.

From the years 2003 onwards, my life has changed tremendously. As I stepped into the University of South Australia at the beginning of 2004, I did not realise the difference between school and university would be that great. However, that being said, I found it quite easy to adjust to University teaching methods, thanks to the two years I had spent at Eynesbury College. From 2003 onwards, I have slowly realised that whatever I do from now on, directly affects my future. This has in a sense brought some responsibility to my shoulders, and in self-introspection, I feel that I am ready for such responsibility. 2004, was also the year in which I had experienced my first interview for my application for the UniSA/BAE systems scholarship, which I have been awarded. I am thankful for both the University of South Australia, and BAE systems for awarding me the prize and pray that I shall not lose the trust they have placed in me by awarding me the scholarship. The years 2003-2006 have been quite the same, with no major incidents that I can say have changed me. My visits to India have only reinforced into my head that my future belongs in my motherland, and eventually, I shall settle there.

The past 7 years have certainly brought about in me more changes. As with any teenager, I have made monumental errors in judgement, yet I have learnt from them, and I am thankful for learning from them. My teenage years, have given me maturity, and a sense of accomplishment at helping out friends, family. Indeed, I feel happy when I volunteer, or when I am in the company of friends and family. This is one thing that I have learnt throughout my life, and has only been cemented in my teenage years. I shall continue this as I enter the 2nd decade of my life. My friends and family form my foundation, and I always try not to hurt them in any endeavour I pursue. I take this platform to apoligise to all my friends and family to sincerely apologise if my behaviour was unbecoming at any time. Over the past weeks, I have been listening to the Siksha Valli section of the Taittiriya Upanishad of which the meaning is found in another post in my blog, namely here. The last verses of this section is an instruction of a student as he leaves the vedic gurukul to begin his life. Although I am not embarking on such a great step, and hopefully will not for another 2-4 years, I nevertheless find it quite poignant to read the verses. From my understanding (or rather my imagination), the student would have been around my age at such a time, and, hence in a strange way, the instruction also applies to me. I can only hope and pray to the Lord Almighty that I follow the "instructions" as much as I possibly can.

Lastly, I thank everyone who have befriended, and put trust and faith in me, and hope that it continues for eternity!!

JAI HIND!!!!

A Convocation address in Ancient India

2006-04-15T13:33:00.000+10:00

Chapter XI—Exhortation to the Departing Student
1

Having taught the Vedas, the teacher thus instructs the pupil:
Speak the truth. Practise dharma. Do not neglect the study of the Vedas. Having brought to the teacher the gift desired by him, enter the householder's life and see that the line of progeny is not cut off. Do not swerve from the truth. Do not swerve from dharma. Do not neglect personal welfare. Do not neglect prosperity. Do not neglect the study and teaching of the Vedas.

2

Do not neglect your duties to the gods and the Manes. Treat your mother as God. Treat your father as God. Treat your teacher as God. Treat your guest as God. Whatever deeds are faultless, these are to be performed—not others. Whatever good works have been performed by us, those should be performed by you—not others.

3

Those brahmins who are superior to us—you should comfort them by giving them seats.
Whatever is to be given should be given with faith, not without faith—according to one’s plenty, with modesty, with fear, with sympathy.

4

Now, if there arises in your mind any doubt concerning any act, or any doubt concerning conduct, you should conduct yourself in such matters as brahmins would conduct themselves—brahmins who are competent to judge, who of their own accord are devoted to good deed and are not urged to their performance by others, and who are not too severe, but are lovers of dharma.
Now, with regards to persons spoken against, you should conduct yourself in such a way as brahmins would conduct themselves—brahmins who are competent to judge, who of their own accord are devoted to good deeds and are not urged to their performance by others, and who are not too severe, but are lovers of dharma.
This is the rule. This is the teaching. This is the secret wisdom of the Vedas. This is the command of God.
This you should observe. This alone should be observed.

Please see the link here for the above. Note that I have only given part of the Siksha Valli of the Taittirya Upanishad. The above address has the Upanishad in its entirety.

The end of the first quarter

2006-04-13T16:15:00.000+10:00

Well the first quarter of this year has finished. By that I mean to say, my first term of 6 weeks at uni had come to an end around the same time last week. It all seemed like yesterday when I had stepped onto the hallowed turf of University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, to become a student once again, and undertake the joys, sorrows and challenges involved in being a pupil.

I must say that while the work has been quite demanding, it has also been equally exciting. This year, I am beginning to have more than just glimpses into how the world behaves after one graduates from university. This is because in this, my 3rd year, we are obligated, nay, expected to take care of our responsibilites not only as learners but also as part of the future generation which shall govern the world. This therefore means for any answer to a problem, we must look internally, then look externally. Only then if we are unsuccessful, do we ask for help or assistance.

During the past two years, I had often wondered where all this learning would go, when I read about advances in technology, and many a time I asked myself "Am I doomed to only learn about equipment or techniques which are going to be obselete?" During this year, especially in the first 6 weeks, I have found things which made me realise where exactly the two years of learning fit into the "grand scheme of things". I only hope that the remainder of this semester and year is the same.

I have seen that in these 4 weeks, I have been to uni longer than I necessarily need to be. I ascribe partly of that with my timetable, which has given me two whole days without any lessons. This freedom has instilled in me a sense of responsibility, knowing that from now onwards, I am only the Kartr and the Bhoktr (doer and enjoyer) of my actions, within the purview of my studies. I also ascribe my new found "love" towards University as being due to my enjoyment in learning more about my subjects.

However, I must apologise to all readers, and all my family (immediate and extended) and my friends, who have not heard from me during these weeks. A simple excuse such as "I was busy" cannot, should not, and will not suffice. Only a complete apology may be close, and hence I unconditionally apologise towards me behaviour in the maintenance of communcation between you all. I will once again endeavour to make regular posts.

In conclusion, I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 6 weeks, and am awaiting/dreading the next 7 odd weeks of the semester. I await them because of my experience in the past 6 weeks, yet I dread them due to the fact that I will be required to write exams!!!

Jai Hind!!!

As things progress....

2006-03-08T20:40:00.000+11:00

Again, India has faced another round of attacks on its innocent civilians. It is truly said that the strength of a nation is not guaged by its armed forces, or its economy, but by how people rise up at times of national calamities. India has been no stranger to calamities over the past few years, such as the Tsunami, Earthquake and Mumbai floods, just to name a few.

However, the calamity that India has faced in the last 24 hours is more about the dignity of humanity, and its dissappearance from the face of the earth. In the past, when people wanted to fight, they did so with a lot of dignity and grace. They only targeted the government, not the people. More precisely, wars were fought against armies (externally), or civil wars were fought (internally). There were (and still are) strict codes on what or what not to attack. Even in the Mahabharata, it was noted that before the start of the war, both sides, laid a framework boundary, which no side was mean to cross. In it, one of the first ones was that no civilian was to be killed, injured or inconvienienced in any way, shape or form.

How then do we describe the actions of 24 hours ago? I would describe the events that have occured last night as pure act of mindless, idiotic people, with no regard to religion, whatever it be. It can be seen that this (and other acts of such kind) damages the religious beliefs of those who claim to believe it. Any layman would find it terribly hard to give credence to a religion, which has been used as a shield to cover violent acts, while its moderates cry hoarse at cooling the situation down.

While I wish that those who were caught committing these acts be given a sentence fitting the crime, what is more important, is the reaction of the country to it. I commend the government for a quick reaction and placing the whole country on high alert. We must not be caught off guard, and let the demons of communalism and carnage rule in the coming weeks. Doing so, would mean that whatever (false) justfication the idiots gave for the action would be automatically be true. Hence, we must be on our guard even more, and make sure that while the perpetrators of this incident burn in hell, we as a country, and even greater as a global player, must seek the restraint that was the hallmark of our father of this nation.

Satyameva Jayate!! God Bless the Union of the Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic of India!

Jai Hind!!!!!!!!!!

Reflections

2006-02-24T21:11:00.000+11:00

Well it has been just under 60 hours since I got back from India, and I think the homesickness levels are slowly coming down. India was certainly more relaxing than in previous years, and I am raring to go on Feb 27 (more precisely 28), when the doors of Uni SA open for the acadaemic year 2006. While I still need to sort few more things out, in my opinion the only way (not proven experimentally or othwerise, still is in the stages of speculation), to beat homesickness is to jump into the deep end called work, the next day after arrival!

While the trip to India was more of a holiday, it has strengthened my resolve and ambition to eventually settle back there. By the word eventually, I am hoping for a target of 3 years, however realistically, it is going to be around 6-7 years from now. With the FabCity project coming to AP and India really shining, there is no other place in the world (certainly not Australia), where I would wish to spend my future. I have certainly found that my ambitions, which would have been best described as abstract, have been clearly taking form now and thus I now know what may be expected of me in just over half a decade's time. This would therefore mean that my preparation has gotten underway, a la allusions to Team India and WC2007.

So here it is to India, which has become a focal lens to my ambitions!!! Jai Hind!!

Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna

2006-02-19T04:37:00.000+11:00

Sar faroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai,
Dekhna hai zor kitna baazoo-e-qaatil main hai!
Rahraw-e-rah-e-mohabbat rah na jana rah mein,
Lazzat-e-sahra nawardi doori-e-manzil mein hai.
Yoon khara maqtal mein qaatil kah raha hai baar baar,
Kya tamanna-e-shahaadat bhi kisi ke dil mein hai
Waqt aane par bata denge tujhe ai aasmaan,
Hum abhi se kya bataaen kya hamaare dil mein hai.
Ai shaheed-e-mulk-o-millat tere jazbon par nissar,
Teri qurbaani ka charcha ghair ki mehfil mein hai.
Kheinch kar laai hai sabko qatal hone ki umeed,
Aashiqon ka aaj jamghat koocha-e-qaatil mein hai.
Ek se karta nahin koi doosra koi bhi baat,
Dekhta hoon main jise woh chup tiri mehfil mein hai.
Sar faroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai,
Dekhna hai zor kitna baazoo-e-qaatil main hai!

The meaning is as follows:

We are now raring to die for our country's sake
Let's see how much of strength the assassin can display!
O traveller on the path of love, do not drop mid-way,
It is the distance of the goal that glorifies the chase.
Standing by the gallows the hangman makes a call,
Come, if there be any, by the martyr's zeal enthralled.
We'll tell you all, O sky, wait till the time arrives,
How can we at this stage, our secret plans unveil?
O martyrs in the nation's cause, kudos to your sacrifice.
Even in the enemy camp they talk of you with praise.
Fired by patriotic fervour, many a maddened youth
Has gathered at the crossing, itching for the cross.
Why are they mute and silent? no whisper, no talk,
Everyone that I see has got his lips locked.
We are now raring to die for our country's sake
Let's see how much of strength the assassin can display!

I thank the following website for the information http://www.flonnet.com/fl2225/stories/20051216001407800.htm

The start

2006-02-18T03:42:00.000+11:00

"I always thought there were two kinds of men in this world. The first kind are ones that silently go to their deaths and the second kind are ones that go to their deaths screaming. And then I met the third kind"-Rang De Basanti

The movie actually does not mention the third kind. It never says, "the third kind are those etc etc". However, allow me to take a (bleedingly obvious) guess. The third kind are those who's fear of death has been replaced by anticipation, satisfaction, and excitement. In short, the third kind are those who go looking for death with a glint in their eye. Therefore, it is fair to cast Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Suhkdev, Rajguru in this third group.

I wanted to start creating a blog after watching RDB, so that I could pen down my opinions on not only the movie, but its demographic, i.e the youth of this country, which I am proud to say I belong to. The movie RDB completely hooked me from the first scene to the last. In my humble opinion, no (Bollywood) movie has set me thinking on the freedoms that I enjoy.

RDB sets out questions to today's generation that may or may not be easily answered. The most obvious question it asks the 15-25 age group is "Will you be whole-heartedly willing to sacrifice yourselves for the service of a greater good, just like your predecessors did?". However I believe that the part of "sacrifice" has changed. Whereas our predecessors sacrificed their lives, and went to the gallows unmarried, I believe the context of sacrifice here may quite possibly mean the sacrificing of a "plush lifestyle" (i.e the kind we youth perceive the West to be having). Moreover, I think ROM has sort of answered this question with a disappointing NO, and I tend to agree with the director on the answer. As a "local" student of a university in Australia, I see many international Indian students coming onto the campus. While their external reasons may be different, the real reason they are there for is to get Permanent Residency, after which they can go back home, get married with a huge fat dowry, and live "happily ever after" (in Australia). Only a very few decide to come back and use their services to make things better. In the lines of Madhavan/Siddarth, "No country is perfect, it is our responsibility to make it better". This line seems to be going to deaf ears in the country if we look at the current situation.

Another question RDB and ROM seem to ask us, is whether or not we remember the sacrifice of the freedom fighters and whether we can completely analyze their thought processes. Again the answer we face is a NO. I could not agree more with this answer, both in my experiences as well as what was portrayed in the movie. Siddardth in RDB cannot comprehend the fact that Bhagat Singh, who was just around 19 at the time would forsake his life for something bigger, something more fulfilling than on a mundane plane. Furthermore, I myself am surprised at the complete disdain bordering on apathy, at response of a selection of P3 youngsters on the national anthem. Therefore, it is no surprise to see the answer as it is.

RDF takes India in the 20-21st centuries and dishes it out on a plate, saying "Here is the situation, you work it out". I believe this is evident in the character of Atul Kulkarni, who starts out as a "brain-washed" right-wing party worker, and in the end, realizes the folly of it all. Furthermore it is also evident in the actions that the right-party took in the movie. It was against "Western Culture" which apparently is eroding our minds, yet did not come out with a statement after the MiG incident. This mirrors the RSSs, the Bajrang Dals, the Shiv Senas etc of today. While they have strong opinions on Valentine's Day celebrations and enforce moral policing on young people, they strangely and surprisingly turn a blind eye to the thousands of women harassed by their in-laws for dowry. Mr. Thackeray, I thought that to uplift Hindus, we also had to look within our own society as well. So why is your party and your ideological allies not assaulting the thousands of men and their in-laws who not only take dowry, but treat their wives worse than street dogs? Hmmm....Maybe you can answer that after slowly thinking about it eh??

Anyway, that is my general opinion of RDB and the things I believe it portrayed. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and truly felt Indian (in an un-jignoistic way) walking out of the theatre. I would recommend it to all between the ages of 13-25 to re-assess their opinions of what it means to be Indian.

Hopefully you liked my first blog and keep commenting!!