When I arrived,
To God I called.
He showed,
In a flash of light.
I asked him to take me,
He refused.
The reason I asked,
But He only smiled.
And then, I could see them in Him,
All the people I killed.
A crying child.
A mother embracing.
A father protecting.
A brother saving.
God finally said,
They are but I.
Saying so, left He,
Leaving me to be.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Journey - 1
Poor and angry I was,
Nothing but a mongrel I was.
I could do nothing for my dear,
Until my guardian came near.
He showed me the way,
And I was soothed by his say.
Anything he took care of,
Faith, I was to be made of.
He taught me a lot,
Evil or Good, I never thought.
Glory would follow, he said,
And so, never low I laid.
He said I was to behold,
The way to God.
And so, I made my journey,
Assured of Heaven's key.
My ultimate weapon was anger,
And so grew my hunger.
I did as asked,
At will, I walked.
They feared the message,
It only added to the rage.
But finally I did depart,
Happy about my part.
Nothing but a mongrel I was.
I could do nothing for my dear,
Until my guardian came near.
He showed me the way,
And I was soothed by his say.
Anything he took care of,
Faith, I was to be made of.
He taught me a lot,
Evil or Good, I never thought.
Glory would follow, he said,
And so, never low I laid.
He said I was to behold,
The way to God.
And so, I made my journey,
Assured of Heaven's key.
My ultimate weapon was anger,
And so grew my hunger.
I did as asked,
At will, I walked.
They feared the message,
It only added to the rage.
But finally I did depart,
Happy about my part.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Chance
This post is courtesy a really passionate argument with my friends over taking chances in life.
Life is all about taking chances. Whether you play late at nights or you adopt a dog or you invest in the share markets, you are risking something or the other. What if some goons were to waylay you on your way home after playing cricket in the evening? What if the dog you adopt were to bite you for whatever reason? What if you were to lose all money after investing in the share markets?
Life shall not be as we know it, if we were to not take chances. Some live at one extreme end of caution, while some live at the other extreme end of recklessness. Some succeed, while some lose. Some are satisfied, while some are dissatisfied. But never shall one live without chance.
Chance is as pertinent as death itself. It is omnipresent. What binds all human beings and all creatures is chance. So now the question arises - to what extent?
That can be best answered by the individual and not as a collective whole. Will you take a chance and ask that girl out? Some shall, some shall not. Will you risk your life in a trekking trip to the Himalayas? Some shall, some shall not. And to be trivially mundane, will you chance tripping down to your death and still climb the stairs? Again most shall, but a minute few shall not.
Chance defines the individual. The difference between you and me might well be defined by our abilities to risk chances in life.
And so, I shall never rub down chance as something to be afraid of. Because the day I do that, I shall not be myself.
Life is all about taking chances. Whether you play late at nights or you adopt a dog or you invest in the share markets, you are risking something or the other. What if some goons were to waylay you on your way home after playing cricket in the evening? What if the dog you adopt were to bite you for whatever reason? What if you were to lose all money after investing in the share markets?
Life shall not be as we know it, if we were to not take chances. Some live at one extreme end of caution, while some live at the other extreme end of recklessness. Some succeed, while some lose. Some are satisfied, while some are dissatisfied. But never shall one live without chance.
Chance is as pertinent as death itself. It is omnipresent. What binds all human beings and all creatures is chance. So now the question arises - to what extent?
That can be best answered by the individual and not as a collective whole. Will you take a chance and ask that girl out? Some shall, some shall not. Will you risk your life in a trekking trip to the Himalayas? Some shall, some shall not. And to be trivially mundane, will you chance tripping down to your death and still climb the stairs? Again most shall, but a minute few shall not.
Chance defines the individual. The difference between you and me might well be defined by our abilities to risk chances in life.
And so, I shall never rub down chance as something to be afraid of. Because the day I do that, I shall not be myself.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The Indian Realization
“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship - the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.”
- Peter F Drucker, American Writer
This quote, in a surreal sense, traps the essence of the relationship between innovation and entrepreneurship. While there can be no denying the fact that innovation is the prime driver of entrepreneurship, the latter is equally important for the former. Their relationship can be drawn at a parallel with the relationship between fish and water. Without water, the fish will die. That is a fact and everyone is aware of it. But on deeper investigation, one finds that the water often gets polluted quicker and worse in the absence of certain types of fish. More, the fish also produce the carbon dioxide required to sustain under-water vegetation. All in all, it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Likewise the accord between innovation and entrepreneurship – an innovative product or process is most likely to be the prime driver for the setting up of a new enterprise and the creation of greater wealth or better social capital is what is most likely to trigger innovation.
So, having understood the alliance of innovation and entrepreneurship, how does one use this understanding from an Indian perspective? What can India do to unleash its innovation and entrepreneurship potential? That will be the prime issue of the article hereon. This essay will try to identify the factors that affect innovation and entrepreneurship in India; and, accordingly suggest ways and methods for India to move into the top league in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Start Young
Innovation is not just a novel product or process. It is an attribute that has to be nurtured and honed within the human mind. So, how can innovation be inculcated and imbibed by the millions of Indians – people who are used to the ‘tried and tested’ method?
Start Young
Innovation is not just a novel product or process. It is an attribute that has to be nurtured and honed within the human mind. So, how can innovation be inculcated and imbibed by the millions of Indians – people who are used to the ‘tried and tested’ method?
The answer is ‘start young’. Millions of Indian children less than 14 years of age are being taught Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences and other subjects – no problem with that, one would say. However, the problem is with the instruction and evaluation methods. The children are taught to memorize whatever data there is in our text books and replicate it on their answer sheets. Based on the accuracy of these answers – which often means a ‘word for word copy’ of what is present in the text book – they are awarded excellent grades. In such a system, can innovation be practiced by the young kids? Can a student ever hope to answer a question differently and still aspire for good marks? Even in Mathematics, that subject of a million different methods and probabilities, the student is expected to answer the question only in the method dictated by the syllabus.
A system which kills innovation right at the beginning does not augur well for Indian innovation. The educational structure should aspire for, rather inhibit innovation. A practical example – 20% of marks in Science could be set aside for a live project in class (building of a windmill, representation of a volcano, etc). This will allow for a much better distribution of marks and will also let the students innovate. Further, this will also help the students gather practical acumen in the subject.
There is a fundamental deficiency in our higher education system. The system does not teach the students to do business. What use are subjects like Mathematics, Science, etc. going to be for the students if they do not help them generate goodwill or wealth? The education system should provide for the introduction of Business as a formal subject. Simple concepts such as profit and loss, partnerships, etc. should be taught from a practical business perspective. Small case studies should be included for good measure. Stories of exemplary businessmen such as J R D Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, etc. should be related to the children. This will inspire and motivate them to think of new and better enterprises. At the end of the day, entrepreneurship should be the result of this effort.
Nurture Institutions of Higher Education
Nurture Institutions of Higher Education
India is home to some of the world’s most innovative institutes - IISc, IITs, IIMs, BITS-Pilani and BARC to name a few. Every year they engage in cutting-edge research. This research is cited by leading academics all over the world and utilized by corporate houses of all nationalities. Yet, ironically, this is where the cookie crumbles.
The player, whose entry will make the most difference to India, is conspicuously missing. Who is this? It is the Government. The Government has an almost lethargic attitude to research and innovation at these institutes. It funds thousands of projects, true, but the diligent follow-up and strategizing to use this innovation for the benefit of the masses are missing. Inventions that could have changed the face of rural India are probably dusty memoirs in some bureaucratic office. Inventions that could have generated thousands of jobs are mired in unnecessary legal tangles.
These hurdles can be overcome only by investing in the institutions themselves. Investment here means help not just of the monetary kind, but help of the abstract and intangible kinds as well.
Institutes of higher education should be provided special corpus funds to fund research projects and innovation. Awards and Grants should be commissioned to take inventions to the next level. The leading public research institutes need to be exempted from the extraordinarily bureaucratic processes that define governmental organizations. Innovations resulting at institutes need to be evaluated on a scientific basis (and not by bureaucrats, as is the case often). Of these, the most promising ones should be taken up by the Government in the form of governmental organizations or other public sector bodies. This will enable realization of the true potential of these innovations. Academic studies have shown that only one of hundred innovations is able to realize the expenses incurred in generating it. The Government should take such details into stride and build self sustaining systems.
The leading institutions have well-ingrained systems that take care of entrepreneurial activities. They provide infrastructure, seed money and adequate human resources to incubate innovations into wealth generating commercial products. However, such systems cannot be provided by the second-tier and third-tier institutes. These are because of varying factors like lack of funds, poor infrastructure and absence of motivation. The Government will have to step in to help. It has to have nerve centers all over the country to help entrepreneurs set shop and utilize innovations resulting at these institutes.
Overall, to ensure realization of the innovation and entrepreneurship potential of institutes of higher education, the Government should initiate policy shifts; provide academic fora for discussion and debate; and provide better academic infrastructure. This will help sustain India’s innovative and entrepreneurial activities.
Processes and Decision-Making
The State itself has to be innovative if it wants its subjects to practice innovation and be entrepreneurs. How can it be so? It will have to resort to foresighted planning and efficient implementation.
Processes and Decision-Making
The State itself has to be innovative if it wants its subjects to practice innovation and be entrepreneurs. How can it be so? It will have to resort to foresighted planning and efficient implementation.
The processes that governmental offices employ are antiquated and retrogressive, to say the least. Cases in example - offices of the State do not accept email as a means of communication. Officers demand hard copies of any communication. This leads to an inevitable time delay and hence, loss of productivity. In this context, the fate of an aspiring entrepreneur in securing permission to start an enterprise could well be imagined. Numerous WTO rankings rate India as one of the bottom rung countries to do business in. This includes parameters such as time needed for obtaining permission to start new enterprises. These medieval processes have to be shunted out and new efficient processes instilled in their places. This will help Indian entrepreneurs in speedy implementation of their business plans.
As it is, leadership is a problem in India. This lacuna is greatly amplified, in context of innovation and entrepreneurship. An innovator entrepreneur has to meet any number of people to obtain permission to start an enterprise. This practice can be bypassed effectively if the powers-that-be instruct their subordinates to resolve the issue at the earliest. In turn, this can happen only the leadership is pro-active and exploratory in nature. Therefore, an apolitical and effective leadership can augur Indian entrepreneurship and help it achieve considerable progress.
Eliminate the Two Banes – Red-Tape and Corruption
In the Indian context, two problems always remain the root of all problems. The same applies to innovation and entrepreneurship.
Corruption is yet another characteristic that affects entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs put in lots of effort to mobilize resources to start new enterprises. However, corruption at every level of the system drains their capital by such an alarming extent that promoters include corruption as a head under expenses while funding entrepreneurs. This has to be eliminated. One effective mechanism would be to legalize corruption. Incentives can be provided to officials who work efficiently and perform within deadline. These can be provided by the Government or by the entrepreneurs themselves. This will eliminate corruption and increase efficiency.
Reach Out To the Professionals and the Poor
The true strength of India lies in two extremes.
One extreme is the crème la crème of Indian society, our professionals. Indian professionals are among the best in the world. They excel in their fields, however disadvantaged they be. However, they migrate to the west in search of better opportunities and challenges. This trend has to be reversed. Even if this has started, it has to be hastened. The Government should encourage our professionals to come back to India. This can be done by giving them incentives, both material - tax waivers, better infrastructure, etc.; and, abstract - honorariums, felicitations, etc.
The other extreme is at the very abyss of our society - the rural and urban poor. Innovation and entrepreneurship are meaningless if the poor do not get any benefits out of them. In that regard, the Government has to take steps to ensure that the fruits of innovation and entrepreneurship reach the poor. Innovation in business processes will ensure that the industry reaches out to the poor. Entrepreneurship should be encouraged among the poor. This can be achieved by the timely provision of credit facilities to the entrepreneurial poor.
This essay started with a quote by a great American writer, but in true Indian spirit, will end with a quote by a great Indian. In more ways than one, the journey of travelling from an American quote to an Indian quote reprises the author’s own realization of the strengths of the great country, which is India.
“Freedom without the strength to support it and, if need be, defend it, would be a cruel delusion. And the strength to defend freedom can itself only come from widespread industrialization and the infusion of modern science and technology into the country's economic life.”
As it is, leadership is a problem in India. This lacuna is greatly amplified, in context of innovation and entrepreneurship. An innovator entrepreneur has to meet any number of people to obtain permission to start an enterprise. This practice can be bypassed effectively if the powers-that-be instruct their subordinates to resolve the issue at the earliest. In turn, this can happen only the leadership is pro-active and exploratory in nature. Therefore, an apolitical and effective leadership can augur Indian entrepreneurship and help it achieve considerable progress.
Eliminate the Two Banes – Red-Tape and Corruption
In the Indian context, two problems always remain the root of all problems. The same applies to innovation and entrepreneurship.
Red-tape is an eternal attribute of the Indian system. An Indian bureaucrat spends an extraordinarily long time in processing files or initiating needed action. This badly affects our innovators and entrepreneurs. For example, if an innovator spends most of his time in a Government office asking for an extension of a financial grant, when will he or she innovate? If an entrepreneur wishes to make use of the next festival season to prop up the sales of his yet-to-start enterprise but is not able to implement it because the concerned office is still sitting on his file, will that not affect him? The key, hence, is to set up separate departments to handle innovation and entrepreneurship activities. Such departments should have a short turn-around time and have officials from a scientific background.
Corruption is yet another characteristic that affects entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs put in lots of effort to mobilize resources to start new enterprises. However, corruption at every level of the system drains their capital by such an alarming extent that promoters include corruption as a head under expenses while funding entrepreneurs. This has to be eliminated. One effective mechanism would be to legalize corruption. Incentives can be provided to officials who work efficiently and perform within deadline. These can be provided by the Government or by the entrepreneurs themselves. This will eliminate corruption and increase efficiency.
Reach Out To the Professionals and the Poor
The true strength of India lies in two extremes.
One extreme is the crème la crème of Indian society, our professionals. Indian professionals are among the best in the world. They excel in their fields, however disadvantaged they be. However, they migrate to the west in search of better opportunities and challenges. This trend has to be reversed. Even if this has started, it has to be hastened. The Government should encourage our professionals to come back to India. This can be done by giving them incentives, both material - tax waivers, better infrastructure, etc.; and, abstract - honorariums, felicitations, etc.
The other extreme is at the very abyss of our society - the rural and urban poor. Innovation and entrepreneurship are meaningless if the poor do not get any benefits out of them. In that regard, the Government has to take steps to ensure that the fruits of innovation and entrepreneurship reach the poor. Innovation in business processes will ensure that the industry reaches out to the poor. Entrepreneurship should be encouraged among the poor. This can be achieved by the timely provision of credit facilities to the entrepreneurial poor.
This essay started with a quote by a great American writer, but in true Indian spirit, will end with a quote by a great Indian. In more ways than one, the journey of travelling from an American quote to an Indian quote reprises the author’s own realization of the strengths of the great country, which is India.
“Freedom without the strength to support it and, if need be, defend it, would be a cruel delusion. And the strength to defend freedom can itself only come from widespread industrialization and the infusion of modern science and technology into the country's economic life.”
- Jamsetji Tata, The Father of Indian Entrepreneurship
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Friday, October 17, 2008
Some break!
I am off blogging for a while. Will come back in mid-November. As if it really matters! :)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Den'tales'
Some of the most excruciating moments of my life were spent recently in my dentist's clinic.
The last time I had been to my dentist was almost two years back. I guess that would be a reason for his charging me a fortune this month! (Dentists should be recovery agents. Wonder why nobody ever thought of that!!!)
Anyway, earlier this month, I decided to pay a long-due visit to the dentist. (My teeth were wanting to turn into shades of brown. Or maybe, they wanted those gold-plated shells to cover them!) He had one look at my teeth and decided that my teeth had to be scaled and polished. Scaled? Why measure my teeth, I asked him. He laughed and explained that scaling is I-still-have-no-idea!!! Polishing? He said it had become necessary for my teeth were a bit on the colorful side of life! He mentioned that there were to be two sittings and that I should shell out a fortune!!! (psst, secret! I don't wanna be called a goat!)
I had absolutely no inkling of what was in store for me. Scaling, bah! I had a root canal done. What could be worse than that, I thought. Unfortunately, my thoughts remained just that. Thoughts.
And so, I waited for my turn in the dentist's clinic - going through newspapers and leafing through Kannada magazines. Bored, I tried to gauge the reactions on the out-going patients' faces. One face looked like Santa Claus's after his tryst with the dentist. Another looked like it had the life sucked out of it! Silly people, I thought. One sitting, and they are all down in the dumps.
Unfortunately, vanities in life never last. I realized that quite effectively, when my turn came.
I was called in. My dentist had a mask over his face. (I thought that was unnecessary. I knew him. Why hide?;) ) His attendants sterilized the equipment and started applying a coating to a thin, sharp needle. (For a fleeting moment, I turned pale!) And then, it started.
'Torture: anguish of body or mind', lists the Mariam Webster Dictionary.
'Torture: scaling of the teeth', is my definition.
What was he doing? The needle drilled into my teeth and gums, like they were a wall and the needle were a nail. Grimace, flinch, clench, grit, whatever conveys the message, I did. My dentist knew it, but worked indifferent. The sadist. It was so tortuous. If karma does dictate life as people claim, then it is a given that I would be the dentist in my next incarnation and he, my patient. A small problem there, though. I will have to wait a whole life! (i.e., if my teeth don't drag me to the dentist again!)
Anyway, after an hour of unbearable torment, my dentist asked me to rinse my mouth. As asked, I rinsed my mouth with water. When I spat back the water, miracle! It had turned into wine. For an instant, I was God. The next, I realized it was blood. My blood, mixed with water. I thought of suing Mr. Dentist for dental abuse. I dropped the idea, realizing that I had to come back to him.
And so it ended. My teeth still were yellow. I was poorer by a thousand bucks. I had to stay up a whole night because of the pain. Last but not least, I had to go back for a second sitting!!!
I took some really hard decisions. I am going to approach a painter the next time I find my teeth yellow. I will ask the local jeweller to cap my teeth if it came to a root canal. If a tooth has to be extracted, I will ask my good friend to punch me at the right spot. (He will be glad to!)
And yes - I will brush twice...nah, thrice a day!!!
The last time I had been to my dentist was almost two years back. I guess that would be a reason for his charging me a fortune this month! (Dentists should be recovery agents. Wonder why nobody ever thought of that!!!)
Anyway, earlier this month, I decided to pay a long-due visit to the dentist. (My teeth were wanting to turn into shades of brown. Or maybe, they wanted those gold-plated shells to cover them!) He had one look at my teeth and decided that my teeth had to be scaled and polished. Scaled? Why measure my teeth, I asked him. He laughed and explained that scaling is I-still-have-no-idea!!! Polishing? He said it had become necessary for my teeth were a bit on the colorful side of life! He mentioned that there were to be two sittings and that I should shell out a fortune!!! (psst, secret! I don't wanna be called a goat!)
I had absolutely no inkling of what was in store for me. Scaling, bah! I had a root canal done. What could be worse than that, I thought. Unfortunately, my thoughts remained just that. Thoughts.
And so, I waited for my turn in the dentist's clinic - going through newspapers and leafing through Kannada magazines. Bored, I tried to gauge the reactions on the out-going patients' faces. One face looked like Santa Claus's after his tryst with the dentist. Another looked like it had the life sucked out of it! Silly people, I thought. One sitting, and they are all down in the dumps.
Unfortunately, vanities in life never last. I realized that quite effectively, when my turn came.
I was called in. My dentist had a mask over his face. (I thought that was unnecessary. I knew him. Why hide?;) ) His attendants sterilized the equipment and started applying a coating to a thin, sharp needle. (For a fleeting moment, I turned pale!) And then, it started.
'Torture: anguish of body or mind', lists the Mariam Webster Dictionary.
'Torture: scaling of the teeth', is my definition.
What was he doing? The needle drilled into my teeth and gums, like they were a wall and the needle were a nail. Grimace, flinch, clench, grit, whatever conveys the message, I did. My dentist knew it, but worked indifferent. The sadist. It was so tortuous. If karma does dictate life as people claim, then it is a given that I would be the dentist in my next incarnation and he, my patient. A small problem there, though. I will have to wait a whole life! (i.e., if my teeth don't drag me to the dentist again!)
Anyway, after an hour of unbearable torment, my dentist asked me to rinse my mouth. As asked, I rinsed my mouth with water. When I spat back the water, miracle! It had turned into wine. For an instant, I was God. The next, I realized it was blood. My blood, mixed with water. I thought of suing Mr. Dentist for dental abuse. I dropped the idea, realizing that I had to come back to him.
And so it ended. My teeth still were yellow. I was poorer by a thousand bucks. I had to stay up a whole night because of the pain. Last but not least, I had to go back for a second sitting!!!
I took some really hard decisions. I am going to approach a painter the next time I find my teeth yellow. I will ask the local jeweller to cap my teeth if it came to a root canal. If a tooth has to be extracted, I will ask my good friend to punch me at the right spot. (He will be glad to!)
And yes - I will brush twice...nah, thrice a day!!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Trappic!!!
Somebody once said - "Give me space and I will move the world!"
In Bangalore traffic, one says - "Give me space and I will move!"
In Bangalore traffic, one says - "Give me space and I will move!"
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Keep Rocking!!! Rock on!! - movie review.
A good movie is one which makes you feel good.
Forget about its bigger-than-life settings. Forget about its disconnects with real life rockers. Forget about the corny characters. Forget about its contrite dialogues. Forget about the predictable screenplay. Forget about the rock concerts that would do Shakira proud!!! Forget about the 'that is so stupid' moments.
Rock On!! is a movie which makes you feel good. You come out of the cinema with that typical heart-warming feeling and that is good enough for a bit of selective amnesia.
The direction is a tad better than the other recent Hindi movies. I am sure, though, that the director has made use of his producer's talent as a film-maker. The movie has all the moments that DCH had. The fight between two close friends, the late realization of one towards rapprochement and the death of one of the main characters of the movie. Too much of a similarity. One could be forgiven for thinking that Farhan Akhtar was the director! (Psst...just for the record, Abhishek Kapoor is the director!)
The story, though, fails to score. One of my friends was thinking of a career as a film-maker, no thanks due to the sheer lack of ingenuity on the part of the screenplay. Anyway, the film is about four friends who gang up to form a rock band. Arjun Rampal as Joe, Farhan Akhtar as Aditya, Luke Kenny as Rob and Purab Kohli as KD form a rock band 'Magic'. (Can you believe it, neither could I!!!) The band disbands after Joe has a run-in with Aditya over the (See...you are thinking of becoming a film-maker, ain't you?!) band's association with a leading music channel. However, (again, that same film-maker feeling, right?!) they get back together later for a final gig. (Final? Well, you are clever enough...guess the reason!!!) The other important characters are Debbie as Joe's girlfriend-turned-wife, Tanya as Aditya's ex and Sakshi as Aditya's wife. Of these, Prachi Desai as Sakshi excels. Clearly, she proves quite capable of transiting from the idiot box to the 70mm. She exudes the right amount of sentiment in the space she shares with Farhan Akhtar. Shahana Goswami as Debbie, too, has a pivotal role to play. She manages quite well in her role as Joe's nagging half.
However, I could not quite fathom the fact that Purab Kohli was given one of the minor roles in the movie. A load of talent wasted! Although Farhan Akhtar excels in his role, the character sounds patchy at times. Luke Kenny is good in the first half, but the story makes him look bad in the second. Arjun Rampal is by a long run, the best of the male acts. He acts every bit his character. Getting into the skin of one's character is any day, a tough job, but Arjun makes it look like child's play in the movie. The scene where he exchanges words with Shahana Goswami is moving, as one almost feels sorry for him, split as he is, between loyalties to his friends and to his family.
The music is the real treat of the movie. The title track sounds brilliant. One of the 'nicest' rock songs to hit the Hindi charts, one should say. Pichle Saat Dinon Mein is another track that one would enjoy. The vocals sync so well with the music that one hardly notices the strange sounding lyrics. However, the best is Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein. It is so soothing, that you want to listen to it many times over. The visualization and timing of the song in the movie too, are near-perfect. Sindbad the Sailor, Tum ho Toh and Socha Hai complete one of the best albums in Bollywood today. Kudos to Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy and Javed Akhtar for churning out some real good music!!!
Overall, the film is a good package. One of my friends complained that there is no real climax to the movie. Well, not all movies need to have a climax. Why can't they just be about a period of ones' lives?! You watch Rock On!! and tell me.
In the meantime, let me strum on my guitar. \../
My verdict - 4/5
Forget about its bigger-than-life settings. Forget about its disconnects with real life rockers. Forget about the corny characters. Forget about its contrite dialogues. Forget about the predictable screenplay. Forget about the rock concerts that would do Shakira proud!!! Forget about the 'that is so stupid' moments.
Rock On!! is a movie which makes you feel good. You come out of the cinema with that typical heart-warming feeling and that is good enough for a bit of selective amnesia.
The direction is a tad better than the other recent Hindi movies. I am sure, though, that the director has made use of his producer's talent as a film-maker. The movie has all the moments that DCH had. The fight between two close friends, the late realization of one towards rapprochement and the death of one of the main characters of the movie. Too much of a similarity. One could be forgiven for thinking that Farhan Akhtar was the director! (Psst...just for the record, Abhishek Kapoor is the director!)
The story, though, fails to score. One of my friends was thinking of a career as a film-maker, no thanks due to the sheer lack of ingenuity on the part of the screenplay. Anyway, the film is about four friends who gang up to form a rock band. Arjun Rampal as Joe, Farhan Akhtar as Aditya, Luke Kenny as Rob and Purab Kohli as KD form a rock band 'Magic'. (Can you believe it, neither could I!!!) The band disbands after Joe has a run-in with Aditya over the (See...you are thinking of becoming a film-maker, ain't you?!) band's association with a leading music channel. However, (again, that same film-maker feeling, right?!) they get back together later for a final gig. (Final? Well, you are clever enough...guess the reason!!!) The other important characters are Debbie as Joe's girlfriend-turned-wife, Tanya as Aditya's ex and Sakshi as Aditya's wife. Of these, Prachi Desai as Sakshi excels. Clearly, she proves quite capable of transiting from the idiot box to the 70mm. She exudes the right amount of sentiment in the space she shares with Farhan Akhtar. Shahana Goswami as Debbie, too, has a pivotal role to play. She manages quite well in her role as Joe's nagging half.
However, I could not quite fathom the fact that Purab Kohli was given one of the minor roles in the movie. A load of talent wasted! Although Farhan Akhtar excels in his role, the character sounds patchy at times. Luke Kenny is good in the first half, but the story makes him look bad in the second. Arjun Rampal is by a long run, the best of the male acts. He acts every bit his character. Getting into the skin of one's character is any day, a tough job, but Arjun makes it look like child's play in the movie. The scene where he exchanges words with Shahana Goswami is moving, as one almost feels sorry for him, split as he is, between loyalties to his friends and to his family.
The music is the real treat of the movie. The title track sounds brilliant. One of the 'nicest' rock songs to hit the Hindi charts, one should say. Pichle Saat Dinon Mein is another track that one would enjoy. The vocals sync so well with the music that one hardly notices the strange sounding lyrics. However, the best is Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein. It is so soothing, that you want to listen to it many times over. The visualization and timing of the song in the movie too, are near-perfect. Sindbad the Sailor, Tum ho Toh and Socha Hai complete one of the best albums in Bollywood today. Kudos to Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy and Javed Akhtar for churning out some real good music!!!
Overall, the film is a good package. One of my friends complained that there is no real climax to the movie. Well, not all movies need to have a climax. Why can't they just be about a period of ones' lives?! You watch Rock On!! and tell me.
In the meantime, let me strum on my guitar. \../
My verdict - 4/5
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Knock off your blues!
My friend wanted photos of a recent trip to a waterfall. He asked for them to be copied on to his pen drive. I said I will copy them on to a CD instead, to which he retorted - "No macha, my CD drive is screwed." Another of my friends mocked him - "What were you watching? A blue movie?!"
Friday, August 8, 2008
Alert the Navy
What would you call a witch on the beach and ready to dive into the water?
A submarine sand 'witch'!!!
A submarine sand 'witch'!!!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
A 'turny' joke!
Question:
How many turns are there in the world?
Old Answer:
Two. Left and Right.
New Answer:
Four. Left, Right, On and Off.
How many turns are there in the world?
Old Answer:
Two. Left and Right.
New Answer:
Four. Left, Right, On and Off.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The Lesser Devil 5
Pakistan and Foreign Affairs
Long time due, worth the effort.
It is generally implied that much of India's Foreign Affairs revolve around Pakistan and the Kashmir issue. Let me examine the NDA's record vis-a-vis Pakistan. In February 1999, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India, went to Pakistan, amidst much fanfare and symbolism, on board the then newly-introduced bus service between India and Pakistan. And then, Kargil happened.
Pakistan-supported militants infiltrated into India and occupied the peaks of Kargil. We lost the lives of 527 soldiers in the subsequent military operations to drive out the invaders. What happened then, was a sheer travesty of humanity. The NDA politicized the Kargil incursions and the subsequent conflict to win the 1999 general elections. What probably was a military operation to counter a humiliating invasion by Pakistani army irregulars and militants was blatantly glossed up into a victory over Pakistan. In the aftermath of Kargil, ties with Pakistan were severed for almost a year.
Meanwhile a coup helped the military regain power in Pakistan. General Musharraf was now in command. Worse, India followed a blow hot - blow cold policy instead of engaging the General in full earnest. The relations reached a ground digging low in the period after the Parliament attack. Instead of overhauling the intelligence infrastructure, the Government resorted to yet another nationalism-inspired facade - mobilization of our army! To what end, nobody knows.
Neither did India invade nor did it send its troops across the LoC to strike at terrorist camps.
In 2003, Prime Minister Vajpayee blew the peace bugle yet again and called for a summit. The Agra summit, that consequently happened, resulted in nothing substantial. Apart from a routemap for frequent meetings between officials, nothing substantial resulted.
Compare this with the present Government. It has not flinched once from its politically mature stand of peace with Pakistan. In fact, it was mature enough to continue with the Vajpayee initiated ceasefire (Nov 2003), fully cognitive that BJP could walk away with the credit. Consistency in our interactions with Pakistan has been lauded by the international community as the factor contributing most to the resilience of South Asia, economically and politically. The slew of confidence building measures undertaken with Pakistan has paved the way for greater trade and people to people contact. It has regenerated the hope for an unified South Asia, with its two biggest nations showing the way.
Foreign Affairs has been in the limelight for most of the UPA's tenure. If not Pakistan, then China. If not China, then the USA. Our engagements with the Chinese have been fruitful, if one measures in terms of bilateral trade. The most significant of them was the no-decision to move a motion against the safeguards agreement in the IAEA meeting on Friday (China abstained). India walked away with most of the goodies in the Indo-US nuclear deal (controversial, will deal with it in another post). People in the US cried foul over the exceptions made for India vis-a-vis nuclear technology. Our relationship with Russia continues to travel north. (The Gorshkov issue was a business issue and nothing more. Russia mis-estimated the costs involved in retrofitting the carrier and therefore, charged more. India was reluctant to part with the extra money.) Iran has re-affirmed its commitment towards sharing a cordial relationship with India despite all the hullaboo raised over our supping with George Bush.
The UPA Government has been seasoned in its external affairs policies and decisions. The world is welcoming India with both hands. But will the opposition understand? I do not think so.
Internal Security is up next.
Long time due, worth the effort.
It is generally implied that much of India's Foreign Affairs revolve around Pakistan and the Kashmir issue. Let me examine the NDA's record vis-a-vis Pakistan. In February 1999, Atal Behari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India, went to Pakistan, amidst much fanfare and symbolism, on board the then newly-introduced bus service between India and Pakistan. And then, Kargil happened.
Pakistan-supported militants infiltrated into India and occupied the peaks of Kargil. We lost the lives of 527 soldiers in the subsequent military operations to drive out the invaders. What happened then, was a sheer travesty of humanity. The NDA politicized the Kargil incursions and the subsequent conflict to win the 1999 general elections. What probably was a military operation to counter a humiliating invasion by Pakistani army irregulars and militants was blatantly glossed up into a victory over Pakistan. In the aftermath of Kargil, ties with Pakistan were severed for almost a year.
Meanwhile a coup helped the military regain power in Pakistan. General Musharraf was now in command. Worse, India followed a blow hot - blow cold policy instead of engaging the General in full earnest. The relations reached a ground digging low in the period after the Parliament attack. Instead of overhauling the intelligence infrastructure, the Government resorted to yet another nationalism-inspired facade - mobilization of our army! To what end, nobody knows.
Neither did India invade nor did it send its troops across the LoC to strike at terrorist camps.
In 2003, Prime Minister Vajpayee blew the peace bugle yet again and called for a summit. The Agra summit, that consequently happened, resulted in nothing substantial. Apart from a routemap for frequent meetings between officials, nothing substantial resulted.
Compare this with the present Government. It has not flinched once from its politically mature stand of peace with Pakistan. In fact, it was mature enough to continue with the Vajpayee initiated ceasefire (Nov 2003), fully cognitive that BJP could walk away with the credit. Consistency in our interactions with Pakistan has been lauded by the international community as the factor contributing most to the resilience of South Asia, economically and politically. The slew of confidence building measures undertaken with Pakistan has paved the way for greater trade and people to people contact. It has regenerated the hope for an unified South Asia, with its two biggest nations showing the way.
Foreign Affairs has been in the limelight for most of the UPA's tenure. If not Pakistan, then China. If not China, then the USA. Our engagements with the Chinese have been fruitful, if one measures in terms of bilateral trade. The most significant of them was the no-decision to move a motion against the safeguards agreement in the IAEA meeting on Friday (China abstained). India walked away with most of the goodies in the Indo-US nuclear deal (controversial, will deal with it in another post). People in the US cried foul over the exceptions made for India vis-a-vis nuclear technology. Our relationship with Russia continues to travel north. (The Gorshkov issue was a business issue and nothing more. Russia mis-estimated the costs involved in retrofitting the carrier and therefore, charged more. India was reluctant to part with the extra money.) Iran has re-affirmed its commitment towards sharing a cordial relationship with India despite all the hullaboo raised over our supping with George Bush.
The UPA Government has been seasoned in its external affairs policies and decisions. The world is welcoming India with both hands. But will the opposition understand? I do not think so.
Internal Security is up next.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Mummy...Bhootam!!!
I was wondering what to publish my next post about, when my friend interrupted my thought and asked if I saw the snap of the ghost of a dead Patriot soldier captured by a group of students. I said not, and he then, proceeded to give me a lengthy discourse about ghosts and their deeds. At that point of time, I figured out what my next post would be about.
As a child, I had a daily routine of tasks to do. One of those tasks was to water the plants. And, thanks to some article my mom read about the respiration of plants, I had to do it only in the night. So, there I was, with bucket and mug, in my then petite hands, and ready to get wet. Initially, I was raring to go, for I loved getting wet. They say, time teaches best and so it did.
The potted plants were on the rear portion of the second floor and to make matters worse, it wasn't lighted amply enough. On the first few days, I did not give a thought to ghosts.
I only worried about my mom giving me an earful for needlessly getting wet when only the plants were supposed to. I only worried about if neighbors would complain to my mom about the water I splashed on their walls every night. I only worried about the beating I could get from my grand father for raining water from all the way up, on his partly-bald pate. But I did not worry about ghosts.
Then, it happened. I know not till today, just who that wise person was - the one who brought the Evil Dead tape over. Like a dork, a rather stupid one at that, I watched it, jaws and eyes - alike, wide open. And suddenly, I was worried about ghosts. In fact, my neighbors and grand father seemed like angels now.
Ghosts were everywhere. They rested under my bed (I got to know later that they never rest!). They fielded the ball when I played a shot (What else could explain the ball not making it to the boundary?!). They made some noise or the other in my closet (Nah, not cockroaches!!). Scribbles used to appear out of nowhere in my note books (They forged my teacher's signature too!). They gave me crank calls (My friends denied giving me any!). I did not reveal to anybody, though, about my fright for ghosts (and anything white and mobile!). After all, I was a kid then, and rather 'brave'!
I loved watering plants no longer. I dreaded night-fall. As the day went by, my face would start paling into a then similar shade of white! I confided in no one. But the cat had to overgrow the bag and spring out some time! (And when it did, it had metamorphosed into a tiger!)
On one such dreary night, I was watering the plants, when I heard some noises. What could have obviously happened next? I ran for my dear life! Two steps away from the door I tripped over an empty bottle (I still say it is a ghost!) and thinking it to be Mr. You-Know-Who, I screamed my lungs out - "Mummy...Bhootam!" (Mom says I repeated the same phrase for almost two minutes!!!). And the rest, as they say at my place, is history.
My fear was out in the open. Every body had a good (nah, raucous would be the word!) laugh over it. Mom gave me a big hug and agreed to accompany me while I watered the plants. Even today, she beams her my-son-was-so-daft smile whenever a horror movie screens on air!!!
As for me, I think I have gotten over my fear of ghosts. They no longer torment me as they used to. Though, for the record, I would have loved becoming somebody like Cole in The Sixth Sense!
So, all is well. I haven't given the ghost up over ghosts! Just not yet.
PS - 'Bhootam' is Telugu for ghost. :)
As a child, I had a daily routine of tasks to do. One of those tasks was to water the plants. And, thanks to some article my mom read about the respiration of plants, I had to do it only in the night. So, there I was, with bucket and mug, in my then petite hands, and ready to get wet. Initially, I was raring to go, for I loved getting wet. They say, time teaches best and so it did.
The potted plants were on the rear portion of the second floor and to make matters worse, it wasn't lighted amply enough. On the first few days, I did not give a thought to ghosts.
I only worried about my mom giving me an earful for needlessly getting wet when only the plants were supposed to. I only worried about if neighbors would complain to my mom about the water I splashed on their walls every night. I only worried about the beating I could get from my grand father for raining water from all the way up, on his partly-bald pate. But I did not worry about ghosts.
Then, it happened. I know not till today, just who that wise person was - the one who brought the Evil Dead tape over. Like a dork, a rather stupid one at that, I watched it, jaws and eyes - alike, wide open. And suddenly, I was worried about ghosts. In fact, my neighbors and grand father seemed like angels now.
Ghosts were everywhere. They rested under my bed (I got to know later that they never rest!). They fielded the ball when I played a shot (What else could explain the ball not making it to the boundary?!). They made some noise or the other in my closet (Nah, not cockroaches!!). Scribbles used to appear out of nowhere in my note books (They forged my teacher's signature too!). They gave me crank calls (My friends denied giving me any!). I did not reveal to anybody, though, about my fright for ghosts (and anything white and mobile!). After all, I was a kid then, and rather 'brave'!
I loved watering plants no longer. I dreaded night-fall. As the day went by, my face would start paling into a then similar shade of white! I confided in no one. But the cat had to overgrow the bag and spring out some time! (And when it did, it had metamorphosed into a tiger!)
On one such dreary night, I was watering the plants, when I heard some noises. What could have obviously happened next? I ran for my dear life! Two steps away from the door I tripped over an empty bottle (I still say it is a ghost!) and thinking it to be Mr. You-Know-Who, I screamed my lungs out - "Mummy...Bhootam!" (Mom says I repeated the same phrase for almost two minutes!!!). And the rest, as they say at my place, is history.
My fear was out in the open. Every body had a good (nah, raucous would be the word!) laugh over it. Mom gave me a big hug and agreed to accompany me while I watered the plants. Even today, she beams her my-son-was-so-daft smile whenever a horror movie screens on air!!!
As for me, I think I have gotten over my fear of ghosts. They no longer torment me as they used to. Though, for the record, I would have loved becoming somebody like Cole in The Sixth Sense!
So, all is well. I haven't given the ghost up over ghosts! Just not yet.
PS - 'Bhootam' is Telugu for ghost. :)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The Lesser Devil 4
This post is a continuation of a series of posts.
Programmes, Schemes and Legislations
The UPA Government has launched several pro-people programmes such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme - intended to provide Rs. 60 per day for 100 days of employment a year to one member of an unemployed family; Bharat Nirman - the flagship programme of the Government, envisaging a four year bound time frame for implementing Rs 174000 crore worth of projects in rural India; the National Rural Health Mission - has been elemental in curbing infant mortality rates across the country and providing basic health facilities to most villages in 18 states of India; Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana - a social-security scheme for unorganized workers outside insurance coverage; Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan - was started by the NDA Government but complemented with the mid-day meal scheme and expanded by the present Government; and, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission - launched to revamp and create physical infrastructure in urban India with a corpus annual fund of Rs 1000 crore.
Several legislations and amendments having far-reaching benefits have been initiated by the present Government. The Right to Information Act, for instance, gives people the power to demand records from Government offices and organizations. It is considered by many to be a milestone in the empowerment of civil society. Traditional Forest Dwellers' Bill was passed in 2006. This gives tribals deserving rights over forest land and thus, ensures sustainability of forests in the long run. Communal Violence Bill was presented and enacted to ensure prevention of communal violence and rehabilitation of victims of communal violence. Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act has helped provide civil remedies to women in abusive or violent relationships. The highly controversial Central Educational Institutions Bill, popularly known as the OBC Reservation Bill, was also tabled by the present Government. Although highly criticized by many, nobody argues against the benefits it provides to socially discrimated-upon people.
Clearly, the UPA Government has a lot to project as achievements. It beats me then, why are they on the defensive?!
Anyway, Foreign Affairs is next on my agenda.
References:
'Budget 2008-09: Reaffirming Rhetoric', March 2008, http://www.cbgaindia.org/budget_responses.php; and
'Union Budget 2007-08'.
Programmes, Schemes and Legislations
The UPA Government has launched several pro-people programmes such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme - intended to provide Rs. 60 per day for 100 days of employment a year to one member of an unemployed family; Bharat Nirman - the flagship programme of the Government, envisaging a four year bound time frame for implementing Rs 174000 crore worth of projects in rural India; the National Rural Health Mission - has been elemental in curbing infant mortality rates across the country and providing basic health facilities to most villages in 18 states of India; Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana - a social-security scheme for unorganized workers outside insurance coverage; Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan - was started by the NDA Government but complemented with the mid-day meal scheme and expanded by the present Government; and, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission - launched to revamp and create physical infrastructure in urban India with a corpus annual fund of Rs 1000 crore.
Several legislations and amendments having far-reaching benefits have been initiated by the present Government. The Right to Information Act, for instance, gives people the power to demand records from Government offices and organizations. It is considered by many to be a milestone in the empowerment of civil society. Traditional Forest Dwellers' Bill was passed in 2006. This gives tribals deserving rights over forest land and thus, ensures sustainability of forests in the long run. Communal Violence Bill was presented and enacted to ensure prevention of communal violence and rehabilitation of victims of communal violence. Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act has helped provide civil remedies to women in abusive or violent relationships. The highly controversial Central Educational Institutions Bill, popularly known as the OBC Reservation Bill, was also tabled by the present Government. Although highly criticized by many, nobody argues against the benefits it provides to socially discrimated-upon people.
Clearly, the UPA Government has a lot to project as achievements. It beats me then, why are they on the defensive?!
Anyway, Foreign Affairs is next on my agenda.
References:
'Budget 2008-09: Reaffirming Rhetoric', March 2008, http://www.cbgaindia.org/budget_responses.php; and
'Union Budget 2007-08'.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Lesser Devil 3
This is a continuation of a series of posts comparing the present Government with the previous Government.
Economy
India grew at 5.3% from 1991 to 1996 under the legendary tenure of Dr. Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister. Remember, these years were some of the most turbulent for the Indian Economy. From near bankrutpcy, it grew back to normalcy. In 1996 and 1997, with P Chidambaram as the Finance Minister, the Indian economy grew at the then runaway pace of 6.4%. BJP-led coalition governments were in power at the Centre from 1998 to 2004. The average annual GDP growth during these years was 5.8%. What then, makes the NDA so uniquely different with regard to their handling of the economy? The truth is that they slowed the Indian economy to an extent (the average GDP growth for 2000-2002 was 4.1%!). They could achieve a semblance of an average growth rate only after the reported GDP growth of 8.6% in their last year in office. That was again, due to the low base GDP growth rate reported in the previous year!
2004 onwards, it has been a fairy tale run for the Indian Economy. Under the present Congress-led UPA Government, the average GDP growth achieved from 2004 to 2008 was 8.7%!!! The economy, despite being in a downturn in 2008-2009 is expected to report an annual GDP growth rate of 7-8%, which is still excellent by NDA standards. And significantly, this has not been at the cost of fiscal prudence. The present Government has managed to better their own fiscal and revenue deficit targets for most of these four years. This is in stark contrast to the NDA Government, which failed to keep fiscal deficit in check.
The programmes launched by the present regime have been lauded by many an analyst as programmes intended to develop India as never before. I will discuss them next.
References:
The Annual Economic Review (1998-2008);
'Myth about Economics and Politics in India': Surjeet Bhalla, March 15, 2008, Business Standard;
and
http://www.financeminister.gov.in/
Economy
India grew at 5.3% from 1991 to 1996 under the legendary tenure of Dr. Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister. Remember, these years were some of the most turbulent for the Indian Economy. From near bankrutpcy, it grew back to normalcy. In 1996 and 1997, with P Chidambaram as the Finance Minister, the Indian economy grew at the then runaway pace of 6.4%. BJP-led coalition governments were in power at the Centre from 1998 to 2004. The average annual GDP growth during these years was 5.8%. What then, makes the NDA so uniquely different with regard to their handling of the economy? The truth is that they slowed the Indian economy to an extent (the average GDP growth for 2000-2002 was 4.1%!). They could achieve a semblance of an average growth rate only after the reported GDP growth of 8.6% in their last year in office. That was again, due to the low base GDP growth rate reported in the previous year!
2004 onwards, it has been a fairy tale run for the Indian Economy. Under the present Congress-led UPA Government, the average GDP growth achieved from 2004 to 2008 was 8.7%!!! The economy, despite being in a downturn in 2008-2009 is expected to report an annual GDP growth rate of 7-8%, which is still excellent by NDA standards. And significantly, this has not been at the cost of fiscal prudence. The present Government has managed to better their own fiscal and revenue deficit targets for most of these four years. This is in stark contrast to the NDA Government, which failed to keep fiscal deficit in check.
The programmes launched by the present regime have been lauded by many an analyst as programmes intended to develop India as never before. I will discuss them next.
References:
The Annual Economic Review (1998-2008);
'Myth about Economics and Politics in India': Surjeet Bhalla, March 15, 2008, Business Standard;
and
http://www.financeminister.gov.in/
The Lesser Devil 2
Legacy is ending. And so would people say, about the Congress. So, I will focus on the current government and compare it with the previous regime, because the BJP-led NDA is considered to be the best alternative. For the same, I list out some of the contentious issues counted as the failures of the current government, deliberate upon them and do a comparative analysis in the following few posts to come.
Inflation and Price-rise
The inflation for the week ended June 7 was 11.05%, a thirteen year high in India. But hey, hold on. Food prices have soared 40% in the USA. China has seen its monthly inflation rate soar to 7.7%. Inflation in the European Union has just hit 3.7%, almost double the 2% inflation growth target, put forth by the European Central Bank. For the first time in a decade, Japan experienced a positive inflation of 1%, largely due to rising oil and food prices. There are food riots in Mexico and Argentina. Prices have risen globally, and India, with ironical thanks to globalization, can only be shielded from global trends and cues so far. A host of factors are pushing up prices of food and other commodities around the world and they are affecting India too. The examples are many - diversion of maize and other food-grains from the food basket to the energy basket, the floundering wheat supply because of a record drought in Australia, the entry of equity and hedge funds into the futures commodities and energy markets, etc.
Oil prices were USD 39 a barrel in 2004. They were USD 79 a barrel in 2007. Today, it is USD 137/bbl. And in case you are wondering, the inflation rate has soared from 3.8% in January 2008 to 11.5% on June 27. Not just that, the present Government has maintained annual inflation rates at an acceptable 4-6% for the past four years.
Jumping over to the other side, the NDA Government did perform better than the present one, but just about. Their inability to control inflation in 2000-01, which ranged from 6-9% for the whole year, deflates their claim of being an alternative to the present Government (sourced from the finance minister's website). Besides, the average annual inflation rate was 4.9% under the NDA, which is only a trifle better than the 5.3% rate clocked by UPA (till 2008). It is only in this year, that inflation reared up its ugly head.
What is more troubling, however, is the blatant sensationalism and politicization of the inflation figures by both the media and the opposition. Besides, inflation is more of an economic statistic than a political ruse to gather votes or a savvy story to spruce up TRP ratings. One cannot look at the inflation figures and say the economy is not doing well. I will focus on the economy in my next post.
References:
The Annual Economic Review (1998-2008);
'Myth about Economics and Politics in India': Surjeet Bhalla, March 15, 2008, Business Standard;
'World Inflation': Business World, April 2008; and
http://www.financeminister.gov.in/
Inflation and Price-rise
The inflation for the week ended June 7 was 11.05%, a thirteen year high in India. But hey, hold on. Food prices have soared 40% in the USA. China has seen its monthly inflation rate soar to 7.7%. Inflation in the European Union has just hit 3.7%, almost double the 2% inflation growth target, put forth by the European Central Bank. For the first time in a decade, Japan experienced a positive inflation of 1%, largely due to rising oil and food prices. There are food riots in Mexico and Argentina. Prices have risen globally, and India, with ironical thanks to globalization, can only be shielded from global trends and cues so far. A host of factors are pushing up prices of food and other commodities around the world and they are affecting India too. The examples are many - diversion of maize and other food-grains from the food basket to the energy basket, the floundering wheat supply because of a record drought in Australia, the entry of equity and hedge funds into the futures commodities and energy markets, etc.
Oil prices were USD 39 a barrel in 2004. They were USD 79 a barrel in 2007. Today, it is USD 137/bbl. And in case you are wondering, the inflation rate has soared from 3.8% in January 2008 to 11.5% on June 27. Not just that, the present Government has maintained annual inflation rates at an acceptable 4-6% for the past four years.
Jumping over to the other side, the NDA Government did perform better than the present one, but just about. Their inability to control inflation in 2000-01, which ranged from 6-9% for the whole year, deflates their claim of being an alternative to the present Government (sourced from the finance minister's website). Besides, the average annual inflation rate was 4.9% under the NDA, which is only a trifle better than the 5.3% rate clocked by UPA (till 2008). It is only in this year, that inflation reared up its ugly head.
What is more troubling, however, is the blatant sensationalism and politicization of the inflation figures by both the media and the opposition. Besides, inflation is more of an economic statistic than a political ruse to gather votes or a savvy story to spruce up TRP ratings. One cannot look at the inflation figures and say the economy is not doing well. I will focus on the economy in my next post.
References:
The Annual Economic Review (1998-2008);
'Myth about Economics and Politics in India': Surjeet Bhalla, March 15, 2008, Business Standard;
'World Inflation': Business World, April 2008; and
http://www.financeminister.gov.in/
Monday, July 7, 2008
A Joke for your Bowels!
Once, my friend was down with a bout of severe loose motions. I called on him at his place. At one point of time, I almost tripped and so exclaimed - 'Shit!' I did not realize it until my friend said, pulling a long face, "Yeah, I know. Shit happens." Lol!
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