Direct to Hell !

Yesterday, when I woke up and logged into my facebook account, my wall was spammed by the news of hanging of Kasab. To show my presence in the society, I too pasted a link from "The Hindu" with a hatred comment, heartily cursing Ajmal Kasab to rot in hell. When I scrolled down the page, I saw mixed reactions and many posts against the capital punishment

To some extent, I too agree that capital punishment is against the principles of Ahimsa aka non-violence. Definitely, no human has the right to kill his fellow human being. Another murder can never be the solution for a murder. All those against capital punishment argued that some developed countries have totally eradicated capital murder. Some were right in pointing out that Kasab is merely a tool, and his hanging will not have any impact on those terrorist outfits.

But all these modern day "Ahimsawaadhis" must ask one question to themselves before agitating against capital punishment. Is killing Kasab the same as killing others ? Don't you realise that it is hundreds of your countrymen who got KILLED ? If you can kill mosquitoes as it will harm you, why cant you kill someone who put an end to the lives of hundreds, and to the happiness of thousands , for no wrong that they did ? 

We are considerate enough, human enough to hang him peacefully, that too after taking care of him for 4 years ! 

Ok mama ready !

After inaction for eight years, when pushed to the corner of being termed as a "junk", the Prime Minister wakes up and announces the "slew of reforms". Of course all the reforms mentioned by Government are highly commendable, and will really bring some foreign investment and foreign aid into the country

Some crisp takes on why it is actually necessary :

1. More than FDI in retail sector, it is FDI in supply chain structure.As all the players are expected to spend 50 % on back-end infrastructure
2. The inefficiencies in food supply are mainly due to the an ineffective supply chain. About 40% of fruits and vegetables produced every year are wasted before they reach the selling point. The foreign players alrady have experience in all other countries. So they can use this to provide better services in India too.
3. Farmers get only 10-12% of the selling price of an horticulture product. With the advent of foreign players, this ratio will definitely be higher, as 30% of sourcing for these players should come from local SMEs
4. Employment opportunities in retail, agro-processing, sorting ,etc. to the tune of 15 lakhs
5. Despite 100% FDI in cold chain, it is not so efficient mainly due to the improper retail sector

Will it harm the people ?

• Yes, it will affect kirana stores in the 53 Indian cities.
• No, it will not harm kirana stores which are far off from these malls, because kirana stores provide a personalised experience to consumers and Indian consumers are unlikely to shift loyalty
• No, it wont harm farmers, because Government reserves the right to first procurement. It will infact benefit the farmers by ensuring good price for their products
• No, it wont affect SMEs at any cost
• No, they cant eat out competition by providing very low prices. Because at very low prices they lose out a lot, in this restrictive policy

So dear politicians, stop playing game, stand up and support our Prime minister who has waken up after so many years, and who seems to be stubborn in his position for the first time after the N-deal

Shameless 790

Voting days in India have never failed to create the feeling of a carnival . A 75 percent voting is seen as an achievement. Voting booths get celebrity status, when celebrities visit it. Stories of leaders standing in queue with normal people become sensational headlines. All the efforts put in by Election Commission, thousands of policemen and polling officials, and more importantly the votes of half a billion voters , seem to be a total time waste, after seeing what is happening in the Parliament.

Crores of Rupees are spent in conducting a Parliament session. Also at a time when country is facing serious issues like serious internal security threats, Viloence in Assam, Economic slowdown, Failure of Monsoon, Pending bills and legislations, no party is willing to take parliament seriously. The oppositions see their strength in stalling the Parliament, over one issue or the other. Either one opposition party or the other puts its best effort in creating ruck-us in the Parliament. Opposition parties, which are considered to be pillars of Democracy behave as if they are there only to stall Parliaments.

There seems to be no end to these ruck-us, and if this continues people will lose faith in the institution of Democracy. Here are some suggestions to Government, born out of sheer anger and disappointment

• If Parliament cannot function for 5 continuous days when a session is in Progress, all the MPs salary for one year must be cut
• If Parliament does not function for a day, a compensation for that day must be held on the sunday of the same week
• If a Minister is not present in Parliament for 10 days in a session(unless it is an official foreign trip ), he must be removed from ministry and should be barred from contesting in next elections. 
• We do not need sick MPs. An MP who cannot attend Parliament during a session cannot serve people of his constituency. MPs must be sacked for long absence
• The process for asking questions in Question hour must be made simple
• A press meet must be convened by Parliamentary affairs Minister before every session begins and the agenda for the session must be set. 

Boss. After all, it is our money !

Teacher - My first and foremost teachers

Having born as a son of a teacher ,and as a grandson of two teachers , I respect my real teachers to a great extent. Over this series , I would share my experiences about, the teachers who have impacted my life, the lives of teachers of the past, the challenges faced by teachers of present and future. Possibly, this series could
end by Teacher's day

My first and foremost teachers are my grandfathers and grandmothers, who have bestowed all their knowledge on me. My grandfather has been the sole person who made me believe, that I can write and speak in English. His Grammar is impeccable, and I would have been nothing in English without him. Being a retired school Headmaster, with an experience of 35 years, he is an unmatchable genius, in his own style. Even today, he is most updated with all current affairs and would easily breeze through any B School Interview. He incorporated the system of studying in me in very small age, and is the prime reason for me being a consistent academic performer throughout my life. He is the greatest Encyclopedia regarding post independence Indian history, and he knows how India evolved as a nation. He generated a lot of interest in me to stay updated. Had I done 10 percent of what he told, I would have been a much better person in life.

My grandmother is such an avid reader that she shows keen interest in reading anything from politics to film gossips. She is the person who has been my greatest childhood playing companion. She introduced Rama, Ravana, Krishna, Shiva, Muruga to me. She introduced Cricket, stumps, 4s and 6s. Without her I wouldnt have known Gandhi, Akbar, Babar. All the History lessons I learnt were nothing but a summarised English version of her narrations. The pain she has taken to make me write the Tamil Alphabets is unbelievable. She is a teacher whom I cannot forget.

I am nothing without the best mentors of my life- my parents. I was never questioned. They never doubted my capabilities as a person. They asked me to stay away from home inorder to grow. The pain they took in shaping my character are inexpressible. I would attain the purpose of my life, if I can remain as a responsible and caring son. 

My father took me for every possible place. He made me utilise all the opportunities that a tier-3 city provided. Whatever I know about relations and human behaviour, which made me survive in life, are the knowledge which they made me acquire. 

Road beyond Raisina hill

After providing the much needed pedigree for news channels, the uncertainity over who will be the next Indian President has come to an end . Congress managed to retain its moral authority as the ruling party, thanks to Mulayam and Mayawathi. The election of Pranab Mukherjee to the top post has a lot of political implications, which might impact the political situations in the country

1. All lost, but...

Congress has lost grounds in all states and most probably they will face defeat in the assembly elections this year end . There is little chance that they will be back in power in 2014.With the Prime Minister getting unpopular in the country, it makes little sense to project him as prime ministerial candidate next time. And the good old Pranab was sent to retirement as well. It will be ideal for the congress to project Rahul Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate, to garner atleast the youth votes. They will pretty much know they are fighting a losing battle in 2014. Next elections will be used as a chance to groom the prince of the dynasty

2. Changing of the guard 

With the departure of Pranab, a prominent position in congress is vacant and also he leaves the GoM on various issues. So it is time to invent new leaders for the congress , and new ministers for the cabinet. In the next cabinet reshuffle, it is most likely that young ministers like Jitin Prasad, Sachin Pilot, Scindia will be given cabinet ranks and it will be interesting to see how young ministers work.

3.Deal of Confidence

With the backdoor deal on the DA case, being struck between Congress and Samajwadi Party, the news is very clear. SP wants to consolidate on its Akilesh Yadav Government in Uttar Pradesh, for which it needs financial assistance from the centre. This ensures UPA government is not going to be toppled and the Lok sabha will complete its full term. This will give the Congress a free hand in pushing through the long pending reforms . 

4.Firebrand fails to fire

With the arrival of "self seeking politicians discarding ethics" , Mamata Banerjee has lost her hold on UPA. She was instrumental in ensuring that the reforms hit a road block in the last 3 years. Congress should be more than happy to get rid of her. It will be interesting to note how long will Mamata remain in UPA, because once she comes out of UPA, West Bengal is not going to get the funds that they get now. Starting from FDI in retail and rollback in railway budget, she has tried to project herself as a leader of the common man, and has been a big head ache to the Government. Didi's political moves from now on, will have great impact on her future in national politics !

5.Scattered opposition

They cheered that the rift was wide open in their opposite camp ; they smelled the chances of a mid term election. But very soon, he tables turned on them ! With the inability to reach a consensus on presidential polls inside its alliance, NDA is in deep trouble. With the Nitish kumar- Narendra Modi rift wide open, and with lots of Prime ministerial aspirants in its top brass, troubles are multiplying for NDA every day. If Modi claims to be the prime ministerial candidate citing his success in Gujarat, Shivraj Chauhan may brace himself for the same citing his possible re-election in MP after the assembly polls earlier next year. It is miserable that a person like Advani with 50 years of experience in Parliament is rendered powerless, and that he is seen as an impediment by his own partymen. With a lack of sense and direction , and infighting in BJP, NDA might dissolve, leading to a Nitish-Jayalalitha-Patnaik-YSR-Mamata alliance, leading to a deep stability crisis, post 2014. 

Myths and facts about CEG - 1

Like every other institute, CEG also has its pros and cons, positives and negatives. Starting with this post, I would like to bring to light, some of the myths about CEG, and about many positives of CEG.

Fact 1 :

The history of the college is something which every CEGian must be proud of . The college is 218 years old, and bears the tag of the oldest Engineering college in the country. Prior to the existence of IITs, CEG was the place which sheltered the best Engineering minds in the country. Even after so many years of its establishment, the college remains as one of the premier Engineering institutes in the country, which bears a testimony to its consistency in producing (good) Engineers. 

Another reason which makes CEG so unique is its strong Alumni base. The Alumni network of CEG , if fully uncovered, will be the greatest ever, because it is 200 years old ! Serious steps are being taken by The Alumni Association of CEG (AACEG) the members of CEGAM. With its ever expanding alumni base, CEGians should be able to find their alums in any part of this world, and can seek their guidance for everything they need. 

Resurrected - June 1, 2012

And yeah. It is a long time since I abandoned this blog. I left it like a mother abandoning a female infant, and I did not realize what a blunder I have committed till some people asked me why i left blogging. And here I am back in this blog to stay forever, to share whatever I feel, to give vent to my emotions.

All the best daring darlings !