Things holding India back from being a developed nation - 2

Before I continue with my next post, I must apologize for making you wait for such a long time. The problem is that my computer has conked off and I am yet to get replacement for the parts which have gone bad.

Today, I continue my effort to explain my take on why India has not yet crossed the line, though it is standing on it for years.

My next grievance is - Poverty and Illiteracy.

Yes, both are mammoth problems. But I feel they are interlinked. If illiteracy is eliminated, I feel poverty will be eliminated automatically. Even after 60 years of independence, there are more than a third of uneducated people in India. This is a shame - given the amount of (supposed) interest every government shows to this sector. Crores of rupees are allocated every year for education - both primary and higher. However, this money is not always translated to results on the ground. We still have schools functioning under trees, without benches and tables, without toilets and with only one teacher for the entire school

Given these facts, it is not surprising that the drop out rate is very high. Parents who see that such schools don’t add any value to their living, often put their children to work. What is going wrong? Why are we not able to convince parents that education is the only panacea for eliminating poverty? The government, which is in the best possible position to help, is least interested. It's ministries are busy passing the buck - you ask the education minister and he tells that there is a lack of funds; you ask the finance minister and he tells that he is ready to release more funds only when he is satisfied that the money already given is put to good use and so on. Ultimately, the grand schemes announced just remain on paper with no one taking the onus of taking it forward. The best these politicians can do is divide us among the lines we don’t want them to (read - reservations based on castes in education) for their votes.

With this being the reality, expecting our children to compete on the global scene in this globalised world is just out of question. This is the primary reason why we often keep hearing that there is a demand-supply gap for skilled workers in all professions. Unless we achieve significant levels of literacy, it will be impossible for us to become a developed nation. All the gains we have made so far, say in science, IT or telecom domains will dwindle and go to our competitors if we don’t have a steady supply of talented professionals.

I feel that we citizens can make a huge difference in this particular aspect. There are hundreds of schools which are in need of teachers, infrastructure, books etc. It would be great if we can help these schools, and it doesn’t take much - some amount of time and maybe a small amount of money. We must know that every drop counts.

The next one in my list is Poverty - arguably the biggest pain for most of the people in this country. Even after 60 years of independence, it is a shame that more than a third of our population is living below the poverty line. Lakhs of people don’t have enough food, clothing and absolutely nothing to make a living. Their lives are filled with miseries; lack of education and large families have made them so. Often they suffer from some or the other disease and with little medical help, their life expectancy is low. True, India's life expectancy as a whole has increased - but when we break it down, we see that for BPL (Below Poverty Line) people, there is hardly any change.

Here again, the government has done a pathetic job. Most of the schemes it announces remain on paper. No one knows the whereabouts of the crores of rupees allocated to these schemes. Best example was the recent Vidharba episode. The PM himself visited the area after a spate of farmer suicides and announced a 2000+ crore package. He later toured it again only to find that there was absolutely no change in their lives!! As a result, the suicides continue. There is no one to help these poor farmers.

The people who suffers the most from poverty are the children. The parents, who cannot support themselves, let alone their children, often use their kids for some additional income. Hence, for the child, education is a distant dream.

I am hard pressed for a solution in this aspect - the investment needed is enormous. The change has to be sweeping and radical. Only the government with its massive reach and money can make the difference.

God knows when the people ruling us will wake up! Right now, they remember the poor only when there is some election round the corner - And even during these times, they don’t contribute anything concrete. They lure them by giving money (which they don’t know how to manage) and liquor (which ruins them even more). So, until these politicians do something concrete, you will find many people like me who keep cribbing :)

However, I have a request to make - recently, I met a person (in fact, he is a software engineer) who is doing a lot of social work and is running an initiative called Youth for Seva. Please visit their web site - youthforseva.org. I leave it to you, as to how you can contribute.

Things holding India back from being a developed nation

In a series of posts, I intend to present my take on why India is unable to take the next big step and announce its entry into the world's elitest nations; Why are we in a situation which is very alike to "So near, yet So far"; Your comments, criticism, encouragement are most welcome!!

1. Corruption - Corruption is, by far the biggest ill that our country faces. From a college peon to a minister, only money makes them sing. Taking bribe has become a part of a government official's duty. There are instances where bribe was taken and deadly criminals were let off; Crores of rupees worth of items are illegally siphoned off after paying bribes; Drugs which are intended to be given freely to the poor are being sold in open markets; The food grains which are intended to be rationed among the BPL people is being sold in open markets; And not paying bribes resulted in gross neglect and inaction in hospitals which have taken poor peoples' lives.

These and hundreds of other instances show that corruption is our biggest enemy.

My heart bleeds. It asks, Why is corruption such a big menace? Cant something be done about it? Isnt there someone who can put in some basic moral values into these people?

The answer is a flat NO. Noone has the courage to do it. The mafia behind them is so strong that no person who has the power to punish is ready to take the risk. This was evident when Justice Venkatachala was the Lok Ayuktha of Karnataka. He caught hundreds of corrupt officers red handed. Unfortunately not even 1% of them were punished. The government was clearly unwilling to play ball and invite the ire of govt officials who form an important vote bank. Justice Venkatachala was promised suo moto powers to prosecute by 3 CM's. But the promise remained on paper. They knew they had made a mistake by placing a man who wanted to bring a change at the top. This was evident when they didnt want to give him a second term.

Most of us must have realised by now that we can take the next big step towards being a developed nation only when this ill called corruption is nipped from the root. My eyes are eager to see someone come in - one who is not afraid to do the right things; One who doesnt care to lose his position by doing the right thing; One who takes stern action against those who hold this country at ransom and are preventing it from becoming a true superpower.

(This series will continue; Please stay tuned for my following posts)

I have applied for the TOI's lead India campaign. I urge my readers to apply also. We should want to be this someone. For long, we have waited to witness change. Now that it is not happening, we must take the lead. The future is in our hands.

Farewell, Dr Kalam

Dr Kalam resigned as President of India yesterday. Its time for us to get up in unison and bow in front of the great man. His 5 years at office as President were the best 5 years for presidency atleast since I was born.

Dr Kalam dedicated his entire term for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden. He traveled widely (all Presidents do, but to foriegn locations) to remote areas and smallest of villages. His strength lies in understanding problems. He has great visions and dreams. But what is special about him is that he also has clear cut ideas to solve specific problems. He knows what exactly is coming in the way of India being a developed nation. And he has ways to resolve them. As an example, I quote PURA (Providing urban amnities to Rural Areas).

Unfortunately, the office which he held didnt have much powers to implement his ideas. However, Mr President was relentless and did his best to implement them. His farewell speech (Read here - http://www.ibnlive.com/news/i-will-always-be-with-you-dear-citizens-says-kalam

/45527-3.html) mentions a fewof the initiatives taken at his behest. More importantly, if you had watched the speech, you would have come to know what an unassuming and kind person Kalam is. There is no pomp or attitude. He is as gentle as a baby.

The recent election for President's post was the murkiest of all. People went to all possible extremes to win. There was also some talk by some opportunist people (Read UNPA - the big joke!!) to give Dr Kalam a second term. Maybe for once in their life they were trying something good. But as expected, Madam Sonia would have none of it. She was determined to install a puppet - in which she finally succeeded.

However, Dr Kalam is not perturbed. He has decided to pursue his goal - even if he is not the President any more. He plans to take up teaching. Isn't it the best way to impart his dreams? Lets wish him all the best and help him in whatever way possible.

Pirates Of Caribbean: At World's End

I feel sad for Jack Sparrow. Not because the third part of Pirates of the Caribbean is dull, uninteresting and confusing. I feel sad because, Johnny Depp is wasted in the movie. If only he had more screen time, things would have been drastically different.

Frankly, I was looking forward to the 3rd edition of the Pirates (At World's End) with a lot of curiosity and eagerness. After an awesome 2nd part (Dead Man's Chest), who wouldn't?

Unfortunately, At World's End does not live up to the expectation. Yes, it is breaking all records in terms of collection. But the movie in itself is totally confusing from the word go. A new character is added every ten minutes and this contributes a lot to the chaos.

The movie starts from where the 2nd part ended. The party (Gibbs, William, his love Swann, Calypso and the crew) goes in search of Jack (who has been killed and imprisoned by Davy Jones, the captain of the Dutchmen) in the leadership of captain Barbosa. For this, they seek the help of another Pirate Lord (I don't remember his name).

After rescuing Jack, it is time to face both the enemies. The East India Trading Company with Beckett as its commander and Davy Jones. Now, Beckett is in possession of Davy Jones' heart and he holds the latter at ransom.

The movie interspersed with some utterly unrelated sequences of the ship wreck code. The 9 pirate lords meet to discuss what the next course of action is. In a bizzare turn of events, Elizabeth Swann is elected as the 'King' of the pirates and she decides that they must fight the East India Company.

Captain Barbosa in the meantime frees Calypso, she disappears after that. The war is one of the few saving graces in the movie. It is really a rib tickler and also the action sequences are quite breathtaking. One of the few moments where Depp shows what he is capable of. You would, however, be reminded of some bollywood movie when William and Elizabeth exchange marriage vows even when they are wielding the sword.

At the end, Jack manages to get Davy Jones' heart. Jones, unafraid, stabs William. Jack in turn makes William pierce Jones' heart. Jones dies and William becomes the next captain of the flying Dutchmen. Swann gives him company. Jack sets off on a new voyage in search of the most desirable thing.

Camera work and Depp are the only attractions, though Depp gets a little fraction of the 2 hour long screen time. The sequences where he talks to himself; asks Gibbs to throw his hat upon winning the war, only asking to get it back are just amazing.

The trilogy has finally come to an end. Sad that it doesn't get a fitting tribute.

Auto Menace

I don't travel much in autos. And predictably, the few times I have used them as means of transport have left me in rather bitter taste.

I know, there are enough people who have already ranted about autos. But I wanted to put in my views and experiences (I see many of my readers giving a wry smile :D. I give up- I have nothing else to write).

Firstly, the arrogance with which they refuse to come to your destination hits you like a slap on the cheek. A popular saying has it that the auto driver is willing to go to any location except your destination!!

No, your troubles don't vanish when an auto guy agrees to pick you; It is highly probable that he will ask excess fare. Don't be astounded if the auto wallah asks you to cough up one and a half (Sick way of putting it) even when you are the only traveler and it is in broad daylight. You try to reason, he says that he needs to come back empty (Though you are going to some busy area). You try to fight, you will lose the hard earned auto. You agree to pay up.

As you start the journey, you see that the auto and its meter runs at rocket speed. I have experienced strange cases where the different autos over same distances always show different meter readings. Moreover, none of them will be correct. One guy would have cheated less and the other more; No meter is accurate. The sad part is that even after you agree to cough up so much money, the ride is very very unsafe. The only thing on the driver's mind is to dump us ASAP and to catch the next bakra.

I have had some funny albeit bad experiences during my auto travels...

Once I found out to my shock that the meter ran even when the auto was stationary at a signal light or a traffic jam!! When I demanded an explanation the auto driver coolly said that it was waiting charges!! I almost fainted. Upon threatening that I will take him to the police, he reduced some amount.

In another instance, I clearly made a fool of myself. I generally avoid autos with the old kind of meters in the belief that they will be manipulated to run faster. In this particular case, there were 4-5 autos in the stand and I chose not to board the first 3 as they were fitted with old meters. Upon questioning, I told the same and I boared the 1 with the new meter. Soon I realised why the drivers were all giving wry smiles. This meter was no better and I had chosen the driver by whom I would get cheated!!

All such experiences make me stay away from autos as much as possible. However, there are times when they become unavoidable. God knows when the government will wake up (will it ever?) and take some strict measures to control this auto menace.

So, why don't you share your bad experiences (I bet you have 1) with autos?

Quotes

"You will remain mediocre if you keep solving problems which someone else asks you to. The greats are the ones who find the problems themselves and then set out to solve them".

"You are going back if you are not moving forward".

"The only constant thing in this world, is change. Be receptive to change and achieve success".

"You don’t have to do good things everyday. But you need to do it at least once in a while!!"

Analysis !!

Why am I doing such a pathetic job at writing? This was the question for which I set out to find an answer; and here are my findings:

1. The heat: Yes it may be surprising, but I felt that the mercury is getting to me... Even at the eleventh hour, the atmosphere is so hot and humid. It melts all the ideas and thoughts which I want to blog about. The proof is my current post- as the temperature fell (due to some unexpected, but most wanted showers in Bangalore) I am back at my writing pad.

2. Work: Not the quantity, but the quality; if you get to do some quality work, you can do quality things in other walks of life as well. But when you do crap stuff, it makes you get away from everything else...

3. No Reading: Directly relates to point 1 above. Someone wisely said ‘If you read a 100 books, you may just be able to write a page'. And, I haven’t read 100 pages :(. Given the heat, I just don’t know how I can sit at one place for more than a few mins.

4. Too much of sleep: Yes, I have been sleeping 10 to 12 hours everyday!! And that leaves very little room for anything else. I found out that the reason for me sleeping so much (Till now, I was a regular at the lack of sleep discussions) is the lack of motivation to do anything else.

So, there you go; Reasons for the long absence. Now, I want to start solving them 1 by 1. So that I can get back to my most favorite hobby asap :)

Any help in this regard is welcome.

PS: Guys howling that Sachin and NRN are unpatriotic, cut the crap!! Get a lesson on patriotism. Sachin was ready to wear the tricolour on his helmet day in and day out; Regarding NRN, read Sudha Murthy's books and you'll know that he is more patriotic than most of the people accusing him.

Defining Moment: Tata acquires Corus.

India has finally arrived on the global scene. And this was signified in a big way. Last week, Tata Steel acquired Corus- a British company, almost thrice as big as itself- in a bidding war with Brazil's CSN. The money that the Tatas will pay for the deal is a mind boggling $11.5 bil, making it by far the biggest acquisition by an Indian company ever.

What is note worthy here is the confidence and gumption which the Tatas and all the bankers backing them showed in the bidding war. Though many feel that the price paid is much more than what Corus deserved, the Tatas feel that their bet will pay off in the long run.

This acquisition, one of the many feathers in Tata group chairman Ratan Tata's cap, makes Tata Steel the 5th largest steel company in the world and 2nd largest in Europe. A remarkable achievement for a company which made an extremely humble beginning more than 100 years ago.

We must however not forget that the Indian attack on global companies started some time back itself. Just to name a few big ones-- Suzlon acquired Hansen Transmissions to become a global player in wind energy; Pharma major Ranbaxy took over Terapia; ONGC picked up several oil fields abroad. These are just to mention a few. Many more took place and many are in the pipeline.

We Indians can now proudly declare that our business lives up to the best in the world. Everyone believes that the best is still yet to come- what with the economy booming, more and more investors are coming forward to fund our companies. Add to this, the confidence of our business leaders is at an all time high and they are now more eager to leap forward than ever before.

World, beware - Here we come!!

The curse of being a Software Engineer

Last weekend, there was an occasion at a relative's place which I had to attend. I say, I 'had to' cos I normally avoid get togethers and not without reason. I believe they are just a platform for people to waste time gossiping about others. However, due to parental pressure, I had to attend this one.

As soon as I set foot at my relative's place, one of my mother's cousins smiled at me. Instantly, I knew that trouble was round the corner. She rushed towards me with a few people behind her. Then she started introducing me to the people around her.

Now, I don't have any problem with people introducing me; Just with the way it is done. They mention my name and immediately start off saying that I am a software engineer in such and such a company (which would naturally mean that I am an extraordinarily intelligent guy!) and the person who introduces me also drops a hint or two regarding my salary!!

I have also observed a common pattern in the people who are asked to undergo the misery of knowing me. If the person is middle aged, he sees me as a villain. He thinks that I am one of those criminals who installs computers at every possible place and hence cause job cuts for people like him!! Alternately, if the person is in his teens, he sees some Nobel prize winner in me and starts dreaming about himself in my position!!

In the days when I had just started working, all this made me proud. It made me feel really important. But as days passed by, this attitude of my relatives started irritating me to no end. Nowadays, whenever someone introduces me, I yearn to hear my father's name, or to know how the person is related to me. But alas, people are more worried about the future of IT companies! Interestingly, people talk of marrying off their daughter to me just on the basis of I working in a software company. To my misery though, the girls don't even give me a second look. Your daughter wants much more, my dear prospective father-in-law!!

Nowadays, I have observed one more interesting feature, given that there is at least 1 software engineer per family. People are now aware of the names of a few software companies. And they compare us depending on the company for which we work!

This is precisely the reason why given a chance I would skip any gathering, specially of my relatives. God knows when these people will understand that software engineers are also normal people who work for a living; In fact, we would work much more than most of the others and accomplish much less. I can take a bet that given a chance, most of the software engineers would opt for an alternate career. And, the so called big pay (which is not so big, after all)- well, it is the only take away for doing such continuous mindless work and inviting so many health problems due to our couch potato life style...

Looking back at 2006... And looking ahead.

The last year, for me, was a testing one in many ways. It was a very happening year with more failures than successes. Not that I expected it to be different. After a disastrous 2005, arguably the worst of my life, in which there were questions raised about me by my closest of friends, I could not expect the moon. So, in 06, the challenge was to overcome the debacle of 05 and regain the confidence of all people who had doubts about me. To a large extent, I must say I have succeeded in doing it.

On personal front, the 1st half was a disaster. I lost a person whom I had believed that I would not live to lose. However, after months of despair, I finally managed to come out of it to an extent in the 2nd half. Though I lost the friend, I realised I learnt a lot from the episode. I hope to carry these valuable lessons throughout my life. Things dramatically improved in the 2nd half of last year. This was mainly because I started studying very seriously for B-school entrance exams. Though the exams themselves didn't go entirely as expected, I am still satisfied. Studying for the exams reignited my enthu and helped in the other aspects of my life as well. I made many new friends and got closer to existing ones. Another very pleasant development was, I started to teach. I am thoroughly enjoying my new role as a teacher.

The professional front last year was a sea of changes. I had 3 manager changes-- does not mean no one likes to keep me. Just that people moved on, one of them a great manager. Add to this, my mentor and team lead also moved on. All this put a lot of pressure and responsibility on my shoulders. Still, I feel that I have managed to keep my head above water, though barely. Another very good development was, my friendships at office improved. To be precise, two of my colleagues, became really close to me. We share a great rapport and have very similar thoughts and interests. They have become my de facto guides at office.

There were plenty of disappointments too-- I regret that I could not read more. I read less than half a dozen books the whole year. Also, I could not write as much as I wished. I could have done my exams and managed many situations a lot better...

All in all, an average but an important year. Simply because I could have sunk into deeper shit. But, the turn around has happened and I am happy for it. I hope to carry the same momentum into 2007. There are several things I want to do this year... A few of them are:

--Take some time out for some social contribution. I really want to this.
--Learn a music instrument, preferably the piano (This has been on the list for more than 5 years now!)
--Read, read and read!!
--Write more often.
--Continue to teach.

--And many more...

Happy New Year

Here's wishing all of you a Very Happy and a Rocking New Year. May 2007 fulfill all your dreams and bring you loads of happiness.