This is my first post in almost 2 months! For a guy who had willed to write something atleast every fortnight, its a poor show.
However, most of my readers would have known the reasons by now. There are too many things which are keeping me busy these days. Due to this, although I have so many topics on mind, I am not able to blog it.
This post is about no particular topic and is just intended to say "Hello, I am still around" :D. Jokes apart, I just wanted to break the jinx.
I promise to return with full force as soon as time permits me...
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Happy 59th Birthday, My Great India
Today, once again we get a chance to look back in reverence and salute the millions of great people who fought for our independence. Thousands of youth gave up lucrative future for the cause of a free
Since then,
If the story had ended here, I would have been one of the happiest Indians on earth. Sadly, it does not. There is another face of the coin which has been neglected for long. Even after 50 years, more than 40% of
Finally, the biggest problem in front of
I feel that the greatest tribute we can offer to all the freedom fighters would be to solve these problems. What we have today was not the freedom that they wished for. Yes, they wanted a free
Jai Hind.
Ceasefire, At Last...
At last, Israel has agreed to an UN imposed ceasefire. This marks the end to Israel’s 5 week onslaught on Lebanon.
Sadly, the ceasefire has come a little too late. In the 30+ days of continuous pounding, Israel has successfully managed in killing hundreds of innocent people and making thousands homeless. Hundreds of innocent women and children were killed. The basic infrastructure in Lebanon which took more than 3 decades to be built, bit dust in no time.
When we look back and try to find the reasons behind this war, we will be surprised that there are no concrete ones. Israel intended to disarm and destroy Hezbollah-- A terror outfit fighting against Israel from the Lebanese border. Agreed that Hezbollah must be disbanded and there is no excuse for Lebanon for supporting it.
But what Israel failed to realize is that killing of innocent citizens and bombing bridges will not destroy a terror outfit. And the effects of this are that the people of Lebanon are once again pushed into condition they were in the 70's when the country was in civil war. 30 years of country construction has bitten dust in days. People are again pushed to the brink of poverty.
US also is equally responsible for the disaster. Without active US support, Israel could not have taken such a big step. When most of the international community was up in arms condemning the act, US was busy supplying advanced rockets and severe bombs!
Let’s look at what the war has managed to achieve. Precious little gain for Israel as Hezbollah continues to be a major force in the region. In fact, its strength and image in the region is bound to increase given its successful defense against Israeli forces. The US and Israel have once again incurred the wrath of the Muslim community. This will add to the already long list of problems for the US.
Finally, the greatest losers are the Lebanese. For no mistake of theirs' they face doom. Thousands are without home, food and basic needs. With uncertainty prevailing in the country, getting investment will be a Herculean task. Also, with US showing little interest in rebuilding, the Lebanese sure face a bleak future. Therefore, even as the ceasefire has prevented further killing, the people who are alive don’t have much to look forward to.
The Lebanese war has once again proved that war and violence has no gains even for the oppressor. I wonder if the people in power will ever learn from history.
Sadly, the ceasefire has come a little too late. In the 30+ days of continuous pounding, Israel has successfully managed in killing hundreds of innocent people and making thousands homeless. Hundreds of innocent women and children were killed. The basic infrastructure in Lebanon which took more than 3 decades to be built, bit dust in no time.
When we look back and try to find the reasons behind this war, we will be surprised that there are no concrete ones. Israel intended to disarm and destroy Hezbollah-- A terror outfit fighting against Israel from the Lebanese border. Agreed that Hezbollah must be disbanded and there is no excuse for Lebanon for supporting it.
But what Israel failed to realize is that killing of innocent citizens and bombing bridges will not destroy a terror outfit. And the effects of this are that the people of Lebanon are once again pushed into condition they were in the 70's when the country was in civil war. 30 years of country construction has bitten dust in days. People are again pushed to the brink of poverty.
US also is equally responsible for the disaster. Without active US support, Israel could not have taken such a big step. When most of the international community was up in arms condemning the act, US was busy supplying advanced rockets and severe bombs!
Let’s look at what the war has managed to achieve. Precious little gain for Israel as Hezbollah continues to be a major force in the region. In fact, its strength and image in the region is bound to increase given its successful defense against Israeli forces. The US and Israel have once again incurred the wrath of the Muslim community. This will add to the already long list of problems for the US.
Finally, the greatest losers are the Lebanese. For no mistake of theirs' they face doom. Thousands are without home, food and basic needs. With uncertainty prevailing in the country, getting investment will be a Herculean task. Also, with US showing little interest in rebuilding, the Lebanese sure face a bleak future. Therefore, even as the ceasefire has prevented further killing, the people who are alive don’t have much to look forward to.
The Lebanese war has once again proved that war and violence has no gains even for the oppressor. I wonder if the people in power will ever learn from history.
Monday, July 31, 2006
My Brand New Profession!!
Well, you read it right!! I am starting my new career from tomorrow. No no, I am not ceasing to be a software engineer. That is my bread and butter. Cannot imagine myself not doing that! Just that I will be doing something more.
I will be turning into a teacher from tomorrow. It was a long cherised dream for me. I love teaching. Many reasons behind it. But the chief one has to be my Physics lecturer in PU. He has been one of the biggest inspirations in my life. So, there you go... I will be teaching 10th standard maths in a school. Its a small school called The Laurel school near Basvangudi. The principal is my friend's teacher. When she told that she didnt have a quality maths teacher and offered us the chance to teach, we jumped on the opportunity.
I have always believed that giving back to society starts with teaching. Thats the best service one can do, given the quality of teachers in our schools. For me, there are gains too... No, not monetary... I am not getting money for it. But, I intend to improve my communication skill by teaching those kids. That should be a great take away for me.
Though I am feeling elated to be a part of such an endeavour, I am also feeling nervous. For a person who always made fun of teachers (Ya, I was dreaded and hated by most of my teachers and not without reason. I have always been one of the top pranksters at every stage of my student life!!) , its a strange feeling to be on the other side of the table.
However, I hope the experience would be a good and a mutually beneficial one. Your benedictions are very much needed!!
Friday, July 07, 2006
The Year of the Farmer
"The farmer is the back bone of our country". How long has it been since we heard someone say this? I vividly remember my school days where our teachers would tell it pretty often. We had lessons on farmers, stating how important they were for the nation.
I dont know about the present day text books, but I can tell you that very few children know about farmers. Not one child would want to be a farmer. The child never understands the farmers' importance. Naturally, when he grows up, he wont have the slightest regard for them.
You may be wondering why I am suddenly so interested in writing about farmers. Believe me, I wanted to write this for a long time now. Recent happenings have only made my resolve stronger.
The nation seems to have realized its mistake. For the first time in a decade, India is importing food grains. Its a matter of national shame, given that we took pride in being a self sufficient nation. Needeless to say, we are paying the penalty for ignoring the farmer for this long.
Till ten years back, farmers were regarded as a core part of Indian economy. We had surplus food grains year after year. Then, once the services industry gained foot, it all changed. Agriculture was no longer the one contributing to the economy. All eyes turned towards the services industry, especially software industry. The farmer was grossly neglected for nearly a decade. The results are here for all of us to see.
For consecutive years, agriculture's contribution to the GDP has decreased. This year, it fell below the 2% mark. This, inspite of the fact that 2/3rds of our nation lives on agriculture. I read a recent report saying that in the last decade, 1 lac farmers have commited suicide due to loan burdens. Successive governments have failed to increase the living standards of farmers. Though they have ambitious plans, it all remains on paper with nothing being implemented fully. Needless to say, lot of money gets siphoned off. End result is that the farmer continues to live in dire straits. He cant repay the interest, let alone the debt amount.
India will suffer if the situation does not change in the coming years. If food grains production continues to decrease, India will have to import more and more from the outside market. This is going to burn a very big hole in our pockets. Therefore, the need of the hour is to give all possible assistance to farmers. We have made our manufacturing and services sectors self sufficient. Now, its time for the agriculture sector. The government must provide the farmers with easy loans at low rates of interest and a sufficiently large time period. It must make sure that there is no lack of water and dependence on rain water must be minimised. It must provide the farmers with quality seeds and fertilizers to get maximum yeild. Most importantly, the government must win back the confidence of the farming community. They must announce a substantial minimum support price so that the farmer dares to cultivate his land. Not to forget, these must be done at break neck speed with immaculate execution and minimum corruption.
The government at the centre has started to feel the heat. Inflation is raising rapidly. It doesnt have enough food grains to distribute in its PDS system. All these factors are acting as a wake up call for the government. As a result, 2006-07 has been announced as the Year of the Farmer. The government intends to bring about a 2nd green revolution.
But, the government must make sure that all these announcements dont end up at the usual place-- Political stunt. It must make sure that the 2nd revolution indeed takes place and takes all of the farming community with it.
Does the government have the courage, vision and the will to bring about this much needed change? It better have. The risk of not having is just too enormous to imagine.
I dont know about the present day text books, but I can tell you that very few children know about farmers. Not one child would want to be a farmer. The child never understands the farmers' importance. Naturally, when he grows up, he wont have the slightest regard for them.
You may be wondering why I am suddenly so interested in writing about farmers. Believe me, I wanted to write this for a long time now. Recent happenings have only made my resolve stronger.
The nation seems to have realized its mistake. For the first time in a decade, India is importing food grains. Its a matter of national shame, given that we took pride in being a self sufficient nation. Needeless to say, we are paying the penalty for ignoring the farmer for this long.
Till ten years back, farmers were regarded as a core part of Indian economy. We had surplus food grains year after year. Then, once the services industry gained foot, it all changed. Agriculture was no longer the one contributing to the economy. All eyes turned towards the services industry, especially software industry. The farmer was grossly neglected for nearly a decade. The results are here for all of us to see.
For consecutive years, agriculture's contribution to the GDP has decreased. This year, it fell below the 2% mark. This, inspite of the fact that 2/3rds of our nation lives on agriculture. I read a recent report saying that in the last decade, 1 lac farmers have commited suicide due to loan burdens. Successive governments have failed to increase the living standards of farmers. Though they have ambitious plans, it all remains on paper with nothing being implemented fully. Needless to say, lot of money gets siphoned off. End result is that the farmer continues to live in dire straits. He cant repay the interest, let alone the debt amount.
India will suffer if the situation does not change in the coming years. If food grains production continues to decrease, India will have to import more and more from the outside market. This is going to burn a very big hole in our pockets. Therefore, the need of the hour is to give all possible assistance to farmers. We have made our manufacturing and services sectors self sufficient. Now, its time for the agriculture sector. The government must provide the farmers with easy loans at low rates of interest and a sufficiently large time period. It must make sure that there is no lack of water and dependence on rain water must be minimised. It must provide the farmers with quality seeds and fertilizers to get maximum yeild. Most importantly, the government must win back the confidence of the farming community. They must announce a substantial minimum support price so that the farmer dares to cultivate his land. Not to forget, these must be done at break neck speed with immaculate execution and minimum corruption.
The government at the centre has started to feel the heat. Inflation is raising rapidly. It doesnt have enough food grains to distribute in its PDS system. All these factors are acting as a wake up call for the government. As a result, 2006-07 has been announced as the Year of the Farmer. The government intends to bring about a 2nd green revolution.
But, the government must make sure that all these announcements dont end up at the usual place-- Political stunt. It must make sure that the 2nd revolution indeed takes place and takes all of the farming community with it.
Does the government have the courage, vision and the will to bring about this much needed change? It better have. The risk of not having is just too enormous to imagine.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Sonia Gandhi-- A Farce called sacrifice
Sonia Gandhi is reelected to the Lok Sabha. That she would be reelected was certain the day she filed her nomination papers. The curiosity was just about the margin. Now we know that she won a landslide with a record margin.
So, where is the sacrifice that the Congress harped so much about? Would it be fair to call 2 months absence from the LS a sacrifice? You resign in the budget session and be back for the winter session and call it a sacrifice? Maybe the Congress feels so. I would rather call it a holiday. As a refresher, let me remind you people that Sonia Gandhi resigned from her LS seat over the office of profit controversy. She was the chair person of the national advisory commitee then. This post was viewed as an office of profit (I am tempted to use the short form OOP, though many of my readers are technical people and will instantly conclude it as Object Oriented Programming :D).
Back then Sonia had become a symbol of sacrifice one more time. The Congress media managers hyped up the issue to take political mileage. They are all well aware of one thing. Public memory is pretty short. It didnt matter that Sonia was filing the nominations barely a month after she resigned. She had successfully proved that she is not a person who runs behind power.
However, there are people like me who are not particularly impressed. Firstly, there is no sacrifice. After all, she stayed away for just 2 months. That too when the parliament was not in session. If she had regretted for holding an OOP, she must have stayed away for the entire term. Just resigning from both posts and immidiately getting one of them back cant be termed as a sacrifice, how much ever you project it to be one. It is nothing but a farce. The ultimate loser here is the state which had to bear the reelection expenses.
How much ever I may dislike Sonia and her politics, I must admit that I am a big votary of her PR skills. The way she ends up projecting herself as the wronged one everytime, is just awesome. One incident fresh in everyone's mind is of course her dramatic refusal of the PM's post. After the BJP lost badly in the 2004 elections, they had nothing to fight about except the issue of Sonia's foreign origin. They kept on harping. Sonia refused the post promptly, leaving the BJP gasping for breath. Had they anticipated this move, they could have countered it effectively. Sonia Gandhi scored a double there. She won over millions of hearts and at the same time made sure that major policy decisions of the government were taken at 10, Janpath, her residence.
This time too, she has managed to pull off a spectacular win. The BJP is again caught on the wrong foot. Along with her own win, the party's success in Assam and TN have confirmed that Sonia reigns supreme in Indian politics, at least for the time being.
Well, as an after thought, I feel like adding one more thing. The person who had the required capability to counter Sonia is sadly no more. Mr Pramod Mahajan will be badly missed by the BJP.
So, where is the sacrifice that the Congress harped so much about? Would it be fair to call 2 months absence from the LS a sacrifice? You resign in the budget session and be back for the winter session and call it a sacrifice? Maybe the Congress feels so. I would rather call it a holiday. As a refresher, let me remind you people that Sonia Gandhi resigned from her LS seat over the office of profit controversy. She was the chair person of the national advisory commitee then. This post was viewed as an office of profit (I am tempted to use the short form OOP, though many of my readers are technical people and will instantly conclude it as Object Oriented Programming :D).
Back then Sonia had become a symbol of sacrifice one more time. The Congress media managers hyped up the issue to take political mileage. They are all well aware of one thing. Public memory is pretty short. It didnt matter that Sonia was filing the nominations barely a month after she resigned. She had successfully proved that she is not a person who runs behind power.
However, there are people like me who are not particularly impressed. Firstly, there is no sacrifice. After all, she stayed away for just 2 months. That too when the parliament was not in session. If she had regretted for holding an OOP, she must have stayed away for the entire term. Just resigning from both posts and immidiately getting one of them back cant be termed as a sacrifice, how much ever you project it to be one. It is nothing but a farce. The ultimate loser here is the state which had to bear the reelection expenses.
How much ever I may dislike Sonia and her politics, I must admit that I am a big votary of her PR skills. The way she ends up projecting herself as the wronged one everytime, is just awesome. One incident fresh in everyone's mind is of course her dramatic refusal of the PM's post. After the BJP lost badly in the 2004 elections, they had nothing to fight about except the issue of Sonia's foreign origin. They kept on harping. Sonia refused the post promptly, leaving the BJP gasping for breath. Had they anticipated this move, they could have countered it effectively. Sonia Gandhi scored a double there. She won over millions of hearts and at the same time made sure that major policy decisions of the government were taken at 10, Janpath, her residence.
This time too, she has managed to pull off a spectacular win. The BJP is again caught on the wrong foot. Along with her own win, the party's success in Assam and TN have confirmed that Sonia reigns supreme in Indian politics, at least for the time being.
Well, as an after thought, I feel like adding one more thing. The person who had the required capability to counter Sonia is sadly no more. Mr Pramod Mahajan will be badly missed by the BJP.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Hennu, Honnu and Mannu.
Strange title, eh? Well, could not think of anything better! Anyways, without wasting much time, will get down to what I intend to tell.
Last week, my best friend was in Bangalore. As usual, I went to meet him. His grand parents had also come down to visit them. As ours is a long standing friendship, we both know almost everyone in each other's family.
His grandfather is a very jovial and a kind hearted person. He always leaves me amazed in the way he treats both adults and youngsters with equal respect.
That day, my friend's grandfather was in a rather pensive mood and was churning out many advises. Many of which directly related to our lives. I thought of writing about one particular advise which instantly struck chord with me.
In his usual style, my friend's grandfather commented-- "Hennu, Honnu, Mannu ella namma runa idhange maga. Sikkidre jaasti santosa nu padbaardu, sikkdidre dukha nu padbaardu".
Translated to english, it means-- "We getting the things we want so badly, cheifly the girl, money or land, is wholly and solely determined by our fate. Therefore, we must not be excessivily happy when we get it or be depressed when we dont".
The more I thought about these words, the more I realised how true they were. I instantly dismissed the last two. Honnu and Mannu (Money and Land). They were related to his age. In the present IT/BT age, making money is more and more in our hands than in fate's. A strong will coupled with hard work makes fate redundant in these cases. I felt worried about the only remaining item on the list. Hennu- Girl.
On this point, I found that my friend's grandfather was dead right. How much ever we desire or deserve someone, how much ever we try to attain our goal, the result ultimately is not in our hands. The external factors, often negatve, are innumerable. I am sure everyone knows about the factors. I prefer not to elaborate on those here.
I told my friend's grandfather that I fully agreed with him on this point. He gave a satisfied smile. My friend sighed and murmured "Ella sari, dukha padbardu andre hege? Ashtu kashta pattu sigdidre dukha aagallva?"(What do you mean, dont feel bad? Its quite natural to feel bad). I looked at my friend in surprise. Why was he asking that question? That was the first thing I asked him when we were alone. He clarified that he was talking on behalf of one more freind who was struggling to come to terms with the harsh reality of this adage.
The wise old man patted his grandson. Obviously he had seen and faced it all. "Dukha aguthe maga... Aadre dukha na nungi nagta irovne manushya. Yaava vastu nu namage sigo tanaka namdu annkobaardu. Adhe secrtettu", he smiled at his kanglish. Roughly he meant that we must make a conscious effort to forget our worries and keep smiling.
Though it was a valuable lesson, I feel strongly that its time we shunt out the last remaining item in that adage out of fate's reach. Our society took centuries to achieve the eradication of first two. Wonder how long the third will take!
Last week, my best friend was in Bangalore. As usual, I went to meet him. His grand parents had also come down to visit them. As ours is a long standing friendship, we both know almost everyone in each other's family.
His grandfather is a very jovial and a kind hearted person. He always leaves me amazed in the way he treats both adults and youngsters with equal respect.
That day, my friend's grandfather was in a rather pensive mood and was churning out many advises. Many of which directly related to our lives. I thought of writing about one particular advise which instantly struck chord with me.
In his usual style, my friend's grandfather commented-- "Hennu, Honnu, Mannu ella namma runa idhange maga. Sikkidre jaasti santosa nu padbaardu, sikkdidre dukha nu padbaardu".
Translated to english, it means-- "We getting the things we want so badly, cheifly the girl, money or land, is wholly and solely determined by our fate. Therefore, we must not be excessivily happy when we get it or be depressed when we dont".
The more I thought about these words, the more I realised how true they were. I instantly dismissed the last two. Honnu and Mannu (Money and Land). They were related to his age. In the present IT/BT age, making money is more and more in our hands than in fate's. A strong will coupled with hard work makes fate redundant in these cases. I felt worried about the only remaining item on the list. Hennu- Girl.
On this point, I found that my friend's grandfather was dead right. How much ever we desire or deserve someone, how much ever we try to attain our goal, the result ultimately is not in our hands. The external factors, often negatve, are innumerable. I am sure everyone knows about the factors. I prefer not to elaborate on those here.
I told my friend's grandfather that I fully agreed with him on this point. He gave a satisfied smile. My friend sighed and murmured "Ella sari, dukha padbardu andre hege? Ashtu kashta pattu sigdidre dukha aagallva?"(What do you mean, dont feel bad? Its quite natural to feel bad). I looked at my friend in surprise. Why was he asking that question? That was the first thing I asked him when we were alone. He clarified that he was talking on behalf of one more freind who was struggling to come to terms with the harsh reality of this adage.
The wise old man patted his grandson. Obviously he had seen and faced it all. "Dukha aguthe maga... Aadre dukha na nungi nagta irovne manushya. Yaava vastu nu namage sigo tanaka namdu annkobaardu. Adhe secrtettu", he smiled at his kanglish. Roughly he meant that we must make a conscious effort to forget our worries and keep smiling.
Though it was a valuable lesson, I feel strongly that its time we shunt out the last remaining item in that adage out of fate's reach. Our society took centuries to achieve the eradication of first two. Wonder how long the third will take!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
