Introspection

Hmmmm

2010-08-22T00:25:00.002+05:30

What makes you feel good? – is it the successful career which will bring lots of money? Is it the feeling that you will reach a respectable position? Is it the institute tags which you have acquired over the years? Each individual has different opinion on this question. Someone is ready to work for 15-16 hours to make money as much as possible. Someone wants to have a respectable position in a job for which he/she is ready to trade-off with money. Someone wants to start his own venture to be independent.

Since childhood, we have only learnt to succeed in every competition. The life has become a rat race, where we have become selfish, arrogant, and unemotional money vending machines. Relationships to us have become a duty to be followed. We have lost the essence of parents shouting at us for our wrong doings; even parents feel that ‘my son/daughter is well educated and knows everything. So, we can’t teach him/her anything now’.

When in trouble, most of us seek help from virtual world. The virtual world has become an integral part of life. We smile, cry, show anger etc using emoticons. We feel happy to see our beloved ones over web cam/in digital photos. We have lost the touch and feel of being together.

We have gradually lost the true essence of being happy. We can’t meet /attend our family as we are tied up with tight time schedule; this extends from months to years. Most of us have missed the first steps of our nephew/niece. We have missed the weddings of our best friends. We have missed most of the family gatherings. We know how to invest in market to gain maximum return, but we have forgotten to invest maximum time with family. We know what cuisine is available in which restaurant, but we have gradually lost the sense of satisfaction in mom’s food.

Is this the success what we wanted?

The idiots at their best

2009-12-28T09:36:00.001+05:30

‘Strive for excellence, not success; Success is just another milestone on the road to excellence’- the movie ‘3 idiots’ convey this message to the student community in a rhetoric way. The perfectionist Amir Khan playing the lead role in the movie shows different aspects of a student’s life. The prima facie is the career dilemma influenced by the parental desires, the personal desires and the family economic background. The typical Indian mentality is rightly presented here in a lucid way. India has a majority of middle class families – both upper and lower. So the major factor which comes into play while deciding upon career goal is the financial security which in turn results in ‘job-oriented study’. Our education system is also modelled and implemented conforming to this aspect. R&D institutions are still at a nascent stage if we compare with other nations.

This is clear from the above statistics by World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) latest data. What is significant about India, however, is not just its overall ranking, but also the fact that a majority of patents filed and granted by it was to non-residents (whether companies or individuals). Thus, of the 28,940 patents filed in the country, as many as 23,626 (82 per cent) were by non-residents. This was unlike China, where 1,53,060 out of the total 2,45,161 (62 per cent) patents filed originated from resident applicants. This is really heart-rending for a country like India, which has always been viewed as the Intellectual Capital of the world civilization for ages.

A critical and careful analysis of the root cause of this, will point to the structure of education system, albeit, a part of the blame will also be shared by people’s mindset and the economic condition of the country. We proudly claim ‘India is shining’ on the basis of GDP growth, reduction in fiscal deficits, infrastructure improvement, low inflation rate, Sensex trend and other economic indicators. But we have to realize that the service industry which we boast of as the enzyme in economic growth is comprise of mainly the low end jobs which the developed nations find it cheaper to be carried out in India. The service industry is burgeoning in the country and now is the viable and lucrative job option for any knowledgeable and ‘industry-fit’ student. The education system is transforming to a machine generating some guinea pigs which are adaptable to any industry interface, driven by own interest or mostly from moral career dilemma amidst family desire and background. The ones with own interest ends up doing the best of the low end jobs and the leftovers are with the monotonous routine works which hardly require any in-depth knowledge of the subject. The end result is nothing but the wastage of knowledge capital. This is rife in India and particularly with engineers. The majority middle-class Indian families want their child to be engineer or doctor. The child’s abilities and special interests are overlooked in most cases and when the child, if ever, feels his/her own interest and thinks of pursuing it becomes too late or family bindings deter him/her to do so.

This is nicely put forward in the movie, where Madhavan as Farhan who wanted to pursue the career of a wild life photographer joins the best engineering college (because of parents’ interest) and is always among the worst performers of the class. When he realised that he should be a wild life photographer, rather than an engineer, he almost seemed to have touched the excellence in that. The message through this is simple and I think everyone should understand that we can be the best and have satisfaction in whatever we are doing, only when we have interest in that. The sooner we realise that the better it is. The mere percentage or relative grading doesn’t prove anything regarding the ability or inability of a student. If we can identify the one aspect of our life, at which we are the best and enjoy doing that then I think no barrier is hard to cross upon. Our education system also needs to be changed accordingly and should be the platform for knowledge capital, rather than being the labour creating machines. The creative abilities of the child should be nurtured and should be guided in the right path. The family and the education institution play the role of platform. More research oriented institutions should come up in the country which can utilize the best brains of the country to do something for the community as a whole. Then only the more innovations in science and technology or in any creative field will come up and we will not have to see the scarcity of patents from our country, which will result in overall prosperity of the country. For this, we need a planned combined effort implemented in the most suitable possible way. ’India Shining’ is just a media hype or a feel good factor until then.

The three idiots in the movie got all their dreams come true following the inner call, the passion for the same and the timely judgement. Amir Khan ,as Phunshuk Wangru, becomes a scientist who has 400 patents filed against his name and runs a school in Shimla where innovation matters. Madhavan, as Farhan, is doing a professional course on wild life photography in Brazilian Forest under the world’s best wild life photographer. Sharman Joshi, as Raju, is continuing his job as a successful engineer. Who will not want to be an idiot like them?

Note: The statistics used in the article are taken from ‘Business Line’- a business daily from the HINDU group publication, 1st Oct 2009.

An Odyssey

2009-12-24T11:20:00.000+05:30

It was almost the wee hour of the morning. I was still banging my head to resolve the issue in the COBOL code-just another common day in software engineer’s life. Suddenly, I got message from my manager who was coordinating with me from US ‘it’s okay Manash, you can leave for the day’. What a respite after the whole day of slogging! I quickly booked a cab to rush to home. It was 4 am of a December morning. Then I had a glance of my mobile – 32 missed call. Oh No! My wife was trying to reach me since 10 pm. I thought of calling her but I thought she might have collapsed in bed after work. Sometimes, the humdrum of life ennui me to the extremity of leaving everything and go to my village and start something of my own. Is this the kind of corporate life I was hoping for? Is this what I wanted or my well wishers wanted? This is not what I anticipated from the corporate life. Yeah! I do wanted money but not at the cost of my family life. These feelings often bewilder me a lot. Suddenly I heard the cab driver waving his hand at me to guide me to the cab. I lit up a fag and it was like the inner serenity I was searching for. In this mental state, I generally use to be keen observer and it never precludes me from being myself. I could see an old impoverished sleeping on the footpath and was in recurrent fight with the cold breeze of December morning with only the non-capacious blanket he was having at that time with him. A cadaverous boy, on the other side of the road, was washing the furniture of a restaurant to make it ready for the will-be visiting lavish people. Our cab took a U-turn and suddenly a serpentine throng of people caught sight of me. They were waiting for the daily municipal water which was available might be for a specific time slot of the day. The daily wage workers were all waiting for the potential clients to earn bread and butter of the day. The kind of apprehension they were in, was palpable from their faces. The miserable life for which I was lamenting a few minutes ago was simply nugatory and unwarranted in front of their hapless lives and the harrowing experience they had to undergo in every instance of their lives. The mere dream of sustenance always haunts them. I thanked God for the kind of life He has offered me and awe to him for the same, for not having to lead such a life. I am the luckiest person on Earth! The sudden brake of the cab brought me to the reality. I reached home by that time.’ Whatever happens, happen for good and try to get the best out of the rotten mango’. May be this was the only source of solace in that muddled state!

A beautiful dream

2009-12-19T12:46:00.000+05:30

My shadow and I looked in to the azure sky. What a pleasant weather it is!! ‘A perfect weather for the weekend’, I murmured. I was impressed by the august surroundings of the Kovalam beach. It reminds me of my training days some 30 years back in my first job. The slight difference is at that time I was with my friends and now I am with my better half. I always had arcane desire to spend a weekend with my love and here it is. My love was looking at me with an inquisitive mind, but she kept silent and, it was apropos as sometimes eyes say more than the words. We walked for half a kilometer along the beach. The eddy currents of the water touched our feet as if it was trying to rejuvenate us. The tides sometimes ebb and again picked up their temper to the acme. The whole environment was really captivating. We suddenly realized that we came really far and we should get some rest. We sat down by the side of the beach. The sun was about to leave from the daily job, while at the same time the moon took the charge from it. A distant ship was sailing in the vast sea and it seemed to us as if it was trying to find its existence in the sheer vastness. The whole day passed as if like few minutes and we didn’t even realize how it passed. I penned down a few lines on the whole environment. My wife added colour to it. An anecdote of our best anniversary ever in last 30 yrs!

The regional Railway Budget!!

2009-07-04T22:46:00.000+05:30

India's political system has long been mired in ugly regionalism.The regional politics has gone to such a height that it tends to belittle the national interests.Will our politicians ever be true to the whole of the nation as a whole? Will they ever atleast try to keep their promises for which they are mandated by common people to hold the incumbent offices-they are enjoying currently? Let's take the case of our current govt , UPA ( part 2 edition). From the time of campaign before Lok Sabha election and till date, their main agenda has been the 'inclusive growth', but till date what we have seen is just a lukewarm response.Yesterday's railway budget presented by Miss Mamata Banerjee is just another chagrin of their own loudly claimed agenda. The budget though claims to be catered to all sections, all regions of the country, yet I think the successive governments fail to identify the importance of including North East region in their 'inclusive' definition.The result, with every reform Miss Banerjee has mentioned, Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata have been pronounced several times. Why North East region has always been neglected like this? Why are they bereft of something which is their fundamental rights as a citizen of India? In my previous posts also, I have always been claiming the negligence of central government towards North East region. Growth in infrastructure and connectivity are the only ways through which we can placate the 'deep feeling of negligence' among insurgents in the North East region.It has become an exigent issue. If we are going to procastinate the development issues in North East, we are going to create problems to our country itself. The rail budget should have got the importance of connecting few states in North East, rather than connecting unnnecessary stations like Singur with Nandigram and quixotic plan of converting stations like Sealdah to world class standard.

'I have catered to every state, to every part of the country and in that I have done it for bengal too.There is no reason why I should ignore Bengal' – Mamata Banerjee

The above populist statements made by Banerjee are just attempts to shed her image as anti-industry and to ensure easy win for the next lok sabha election. Can Miss Banerjee justify the bold parts above in the statement? Does she not consider the North East region as a part of India? Madam, we are not telling you to ignore Bengal state. If you and your government really consider 'inclusive growth' as the base for India's growth, where is the mention of any state of North-East region in your rail budget? Do your much acclaimed slogan 'ma,mati,manush' not consider North-East region? You don't have any answer for these questions for sure.Mr.Manmohan Singh ji ,instead of complimenting Banerjee for her Bengal- pro rail budget, you should have acted more responsibly, as you are holding the responsibility of running the whole nation and please don't forget,the North-East is also a part of India.

Reform (UPA- Part 2): Class X exam

2009-07-02T13:06:00.000+05:30

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) seems to be on the track of many liberal changes in its part-2 edition. Soon after the election 2009 verdict, the newly appointed ministers were asked to act, rather than to talk.Now we can see the results in the form of a few historical change proposals.HRD Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal is in the favour of doing away with Class X board exam to reduce the stress on students and to nullify the number of suicide cases among non-performing students. This is a welcome change as part of the Indian Education System is concerned.But to enforce it in a more effective way so that it doesn't prove infructuous is more important.In TOI dated 2nd July 09, columnist Nandita Sengupta has given some minute details in the article 'exams are not problems', where she opposes the view of Mr.Sibal that exams are the only traumatic drawback that is coming in the way of children's higher studies.In support of this,she unveils the fact of sheer paucity of opportunities thereafter.A poor performing student of lower middle class can't afford to take an educational loan and go abroad for studies of his preference, which the higher class can.In that case, even the percentages are replaced with percentiles will still not make sense. The poor performing student is still left with no options.So, the doing away with one exam will not suffice at all. We need to create more institutions with quality standard with an adequate number of seats there, more job oriented vocational studies and more job opportunities for every stream of study. Then only every section of society will have access to higher education and this in turn,will add value to knowledge base of the country as a whole.Mr. Sibal will have to look from this angle too.

After 17

2009-07-01T10:00:00.000+05:30

It took 17 years to probe the most controversial communal injustice act, the Babri Masjid Demolition in December 6, 1992-the Liberhan Committee report appeared yesterday. When asked about the massive delay, Mr. Liberhan imputed the witnesses for their non-cooperation. The whole fuss over this issue which has long been debated over and in the due course of time which seems to be petered out, again has got a new life.This report accused not only the saffron family of the ruthless act, but also the then PM of India Mr. P.V. Rao and the CM of UP, Mr.Kalyan Singh for their incompetence to act rationally and with effect.It is very shameful for the democratic country, when the leaders of the country playing the ball game in the name of secularism. The People of Ayodhya, specially the Muslim community, might have forgotten the whole episode of melodrama in due course of time, but the vengeance will still remain in their blood forever.The penalty will be paid by the generations to follow.The accused will never expiate for the sins they had committed 17 years ago, but time has come to ostracize such moral lepers.The people of Ayodhya, the whole nation in general, should learn from this sinful act and the side effects. This is a wake up call to all Indians.

OK TATA!!

2008-10-05T00:17:00.000+05:30

A time when the whole state is in a festival mood of Durga Pujo, the state of WB on Oct 3rd has got the biggest blow in its industrial face when the TATAs finally decided to say ‘OK TATA’.

The agitations, the negotiations,the bandhs led by Ms Mamata Bannerjee party Trinamool Congress in Singur has won the battle against the corporate big house TATA’s Nano Plant. Congratulations Ms Bannerjee!!

Are they really won the battle? If yes, then someone has to lose according to rule of a battle. I don’t think TATA has lost the battle. Then, who has lost the battle? This is a very practical question. It’s not the farmers of Singur who have already lost their land as according to Govt rules; once a land is acquired it can’t be returned to the original owners. Even the economic prospect of Singur which would have got a major push towards rapid development due to TATAs Nano plant , has shattered in to pieces after ‘move out’ decision by Mr. Ratan Tata waiting long for a positive outcome.

Clearly, it shows the losers are the people of WB and the fate of WB as a viable and resurgent state for industrialisation. When the whole world is watching this melodrama, our country might have to pay bigger price in future in case of foreign investment.

It’s just a political, illogical win for the agitating party-nothing more than that if we see the whole picture through the mirror of upcoming elections. A more realistic solution might have been reached if the opponents of the plant would have wanted the best for the farmers.

Today I was watching a TV program ‘War of words’ of Mr. Karan Thapar in CNBC 18 channel where the spokespersons of the ruling party CPIM and the opposition party Trinamool Congress, and some other business leaders were present in the show. Every one was trying to defend their positions against the practical questions put forward by Karan but totally failed in their effort. The diplomatic answers were absolutely unconvincing. Even they had gone to such a low level that the spokesperson from the opposition party made a statement comparing TATA to ‘East India Company’ whose only motive is to do business and to make profit.

I was totally startled by the ignorance of the spokesperson and such a ridiculous statement in Media. “Com’n my dear, the whole country and the whole world is watching you”. He might be thinking he is giving some strong point to validate his answer. But in real terms, he was making a mockery of himself and the party as a whole. Every well informed citizen of India knows what TATA has done to the country as a whole through various industrial work and social activities. It has always made the country proud of it. I think Tatanagar is the best example in this case.

I think the politicians should be scrupulous while making such derogatory statement. Because the wrong words in wrong time may send a wrong signal outside. As responsible citizens, the caretakers of ‘Aam Aadmi’ have to be logical enough maintaining the dignity of themselves, the state which they represent and the country as a whole which has always been proud of its culture, civilizations and democracy.

My request to Mr. Ratan Tata- ‘Sir, the whole country respects you and your determination. Please try to avoid such melodrama in future. It hurts your dignity. Umpteen opportunities are there in other parts of Country, please do find out those. Everyone will welcome you because everyone has faith in you’. Good luck for a wonderful car like NANO.

"The White Lady Of Bangalore Airport"

2008-10-03T15:36:00.001+05:30

Got this article in PG ..

Teaser advertisements on Radio Indigo in Bangalore have been asking people why they want to leave Bangalore and even have a site where people can give their reasons. No one can stop anyone from leaving a city to find greener pastures but they stand warned not to travel by air. Bangalore's spanking new airport is apparently haunted by no less than a white witch.

The witch, I mean, lady supposedly walked on the tarmac and was noticed by a pilot, the plane got delayed and obviously there was nothing, further on she hitched a ride with the airport officers and then disappeared. No official report had been made about the incident but Bangalore is rife with all sorts of rumors about this mysterious lady. Newspapers like Mid-day and even Radio Jockey Rohit Barker made fun of the ghost.

It doesn't take long for rumors to become urban legends. And legends then are treated are facts. Delhi had its flying monkey man, there was the 'nale ba' witch in Bangalore, and now the city has its own airport ghost.

Maybe before giving strange women rides in the middle of the night, the airport officials should check the womens' feet. Witches supposedly have feet turned backward.

Jokes apart what the deal with the haunting of places by white women in the middle of night? I've heard similar tales of white witches from people belonging to different countries.

It seems open dark spaces, woods and unlived homes are tagged as areas rife with hauntings.

We have all had that nasty feeling of someone watching us when we are all alone, of not wanting to go into a deserted house or even seeing something move from the corner of our eyes that we brushed off as the working of an overactive imagination.

But those who supposedly have undergone 'hauntings' say the experiences left them cold and some even terrorized. I laughed at the spoof played on Radio Indigo about the Malayalee lady who had seen a headless ghost on the turmac but would I laugh if a perfectly sane person swore that they experienced a haunting at the Bangalore airport?

A lot happens between heaven and earth which we know nothing of.

No smoking !!

2008-10-03T14:12:00.000+05:30

A monitory statement in every cigarette packet: “Cigarette smoking is injurious to health”. This statement doesn’t really mean anything to any smokers. The tobacco industry is the one of the higher revenue generating industries for our country, Thanks to all smokers!!

Some smokers try to find some logical reason for his smoking habits and in that case, he/she give the reason of doing some social service in the name of smoking: creating jobs in tobacco industry, being a part of revenue generation in the country. It’s just like trying to prove something without which their life is incomplete- may be a Hobson’s choice for them.

The recent move by the Health Ministry to ban smoking in all public places and in all office premises is a welcome move. Health Minister Mr. Ambumani Ramadoss‘s role in this case is really appreciatory. May be I am ignorant, but I have never seen any health minister other than Mr. Ramadoss, to be always in news for some paradigm shift decisions. His decision and subsequent explanation for the need of legalizing gay sex in India to prevent AIDS disease and give the gay people equal right like other people is another revolutionary decision. Though this case is still pending with Supreme Court, yet we can hope for some positive result soon.

If any of such decisions is to give desired result, the people have to be rational enough and have to judge their acts properly. Then only, we can make our country a smoke free zone.

“Smokers” – take this ban not as a government decision but think of this as a time where you need to show your will power and prove that you can quit smoking . Let’s be a part of anti-smoking campaign

Service Sector and the Middle Class of India

2008-09-19T16:20:00.000+05:30

The unprecedented fall of the great kings of investment banking, Lehman Brothers, is a great shock not only to Wall Street but also to the rest of the world. The sub prime crisis is still showing its impacts and no one knows till what time it will continue. The whole US economy is under recession. Even the respite of the skyrocketing oil prices is still unable to have its positive impact on the whole market scenario.

The inflation is causing havoc among common people. The commodity prices are increasing day by day. The worst hit by this will be the ones who were already fighting for two meals a day. Under these circumstances, central bank is revising various interest rates and taking necessary steps what needs to be done.

As middle class people, we always seek two things the most, first is Job and after that job security. Current market conditions may not seem conducive. Whatever happens in US is going to affect the rest of the world as “Dollar” is the main currency used worldwide for all financial transactions across the border and within many countries.

India can never escape from it. As we have seen, when Lehman Brothers filed bankruptcy, it echoed through the BPO segment of India and nearly 2500 in India lost their jobs. Our IT sector, the major job creator in the market and having excellent revenue, mainly works in providing service to outside firms. This service sector is yet the see the real repercussions of the recession in US. Till then what we can do is to keep our fingers crossed and let’s wait and see.

What I am trying to bring out here is to show the “dependency” mainly in our IT/ITES sector with the US market. We can’t even live without this sector as I have already said that is the ‘major job creator’. Everyone aware of this fact!!

The IT/ ITES sector came apropos when our country needed an upward lift to compete with rest of the world. But can we claim that India’s best brains are getting what they deserve from this sector? This is a very controversial question and someone will say ‘Yes’ and someone will ‘No”. I don’t want to go into this controversy. But one thing is true, India’s the ‘best’ brains deserve the ‘best’ things which cannot come very easily as the ‘most’ people in India is ‘Middle Class’. So everyone after a level of education always seek for job (which is the necessary step then).

But I was thinking of a time in future in which the best brains go for some kind of research and do something very miraculous for which the whole country as a whole can be benefited out of that. Our Education system instead of being ‘job oriented’, becomes ‘research oriented’. The opportunity becomes almost same for subject so that everyone can pursue their dreams without any hesitation.

Maths and Life : Chapter 1- Modulus

2008-09-18T01:25:00.000+05:30

Basic Property: Modulus (absolute value) of a number (positive or negative), is always positive.
The absolute value of a number $a$ is denoted by $| a |. So | a | is positive, irrespective of a is positive or negative.$

Nice property eh!!.. I was revisiting this topic in maths a few days back. That was a time; I was having a mood which was going on the negative side of the happiness graph. My self confidence was at all time low level!!

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. I thought that if we could take the modulus of every incident that relates to us, and could try to find some positive result out of each of that, then we can see the positive side everything. It’s other way of saying, having a positive attitude towards life.

In the next postings, I will correlate some other topics of maths with Life :)

"Marco Polo in China"

2008-09-15T14:44:00.000+05:30

An authentic Chinese Restaurant

Location : Park Street, Kolkata

Ambiance : awesome

Food :

Whatever you try it will be very delicious, I can bet on that.
Authentic Chinese preparation, the waiters are very cooperative to suggest you with
some very good dishes.
Basically a Restro- bar ( though No Strong beer is available)

Price Range :

Quite high, but you can feel the value for money.
Dinner for 3 costs around 1500 including drinks.

Overall :

Very Good!! ( for Chinese Food Lovers)

' X ' Degree Haze!!

2008-09-12T14:37:00.000+05:30

Elevator News : (MC, Kolkata)

11 Sept 2008, Thursday
Current Conditions
33 Degree Haze

12 Sept 2008, Friday

Current Conditions
36 Degree Haze

I have been looking at the weather report in Office Elevator since I have come to Kolkata ( That is the only one thing someone will notice there :)..). There are two variables which the report shows- 'Outside temperature' and ' weather conditions' . But one variable has almost never changed in last month or two. That's the HAZE. Though the weather is not so hot here in Kolkata, yet the humidity is almost unbearable. But compared to chennai it's much better i think, as I have the experience of both the places.

We generally never have the real experience of outside weather conditions. If we ask any rickshawala who is pulling a person for some money, a worker working on the road ...etc , they will be the ones to tell the true picture of the conditions. Sometimes I feel like we , people, never get satisfied whatever we may get and always complaining about something or other which we have not got till now. If we see the positive aspect of it, it is really good. Otherwise, we will become complacent and will never do anything for better cause.

But sometimes it becomes really necessary to stop and think about whatever we have achieved till date and if possible thank the Almighty for all those and thank ourselves also (without which it would have not been possible). At least for one reason we can do this i.e. we are not the ones who are reeling under hot sun and working for just to fulfill the need of the stomach and to stay alive...!!!

Kashmir or North East (NE) ????

2008-09-04T15:00:00.000+05:30

My recent visit to my hometown- Guwahati (Asom) was an enthralling experience for me.The city seemed to me changing in a fast pace in the last few years. I still remember the days of Cotton College, where I completed my 12th grade in 2001. After that time, I am just a fellow traveler to the place once in a year, as now I am a part of busy corporate life where 'taking leave' is like the test of one's 'rhetorical skills'.

The whole city seemed to be renovated to suit the modern life style of 21st century. New shopping complexes, apartments, food outlets, branded showrooms is rife experience now there. Even the way people dress there seems to be quite different from our days. The wind of modernization has hit the city to the fullest. When at times we used to think as if we were not having much opportunity for 'coaching' institutes for competitive exams, now it has been solved. Whether students want to do IIT JEE, MBA preparation or any other competitive exam, the problem have been solved now with a number of good institutes mushrooming with their branches in Guwahati lately

Though the city has been going through a noticeable change from a long time, it has not lost its uniqueness. Thats the way a city should have the growth. It should always keep heritage with it wherever it goes in the path of growth.

The gateway to North East, Guwahati, still has its old flavor which I like the most. I am sanguine about one fact: The city is going to be the hub of opportunities if properly planned with the center taking special attention. Yeah, I do agree to the point that 'Terrorism' is undoubtedly the biggest problem of the region. But I argue with another fact : "Which city in India is now free of terrorist outfits?". We, the people of Asom, should try to change the outlook of outside people towards the state. Now It has been high time even ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) , must take rational decisions in every respect if they really want the state to grow instead of claiming some unreasonable demands of 'Independent Asom'. In this regard, Central Govt. also has to be more realistic and take special care of the ' Heaven in NE'.

Once I remember one incident which moved me a lot. A person asked me from where I am. I replied him giving a detailed description of Guwahati. The person's query to my explanation was quite disgusting (though I don't blame the person for that reason) : "Is Guwahati in India??". This is just a small incident I faced. There may be umpteen incidents which will knock at the hearts of NE people staying outside the State. Every people seem to be quite inquisitive if they know someone from NE. They seem to be always bewildered with various thoughts.

Who is responsible for such a situation I faced? -'Is this the common people of NE?' 'Are these the terrorist outfits having their strong base there?' or 'Is this the lackluster response of Center towards the region?'- I am no one to judge the whole scenario . But one thing is true , Terrorism always sprout from a situation where a group/section of people feel the similar frustrated situation of ' being left unattended in a party'.

In the same line of thought, I remember one article in NDTV.com by a columnist, which strongly put forward a very sensible and pragmatic question " If there is a bomb explosion or anything of that sort in Kashmir, the news comes in next day's newspapers in Front Page headlines.But if similar incident happens in NE,WHY it comes in "Tabloids"columns or may be some where in other pages."

Do we have any answer to this question?

A game of Perceptions!

2008-09-02T12:31:00.000+05:30

Two older boys were playing with a younger one. As a part of the game, they used to put two coins - a 1$ coin and a 2 $ coin. The 2 $ coin was smaller in size than the 1 $ coin. Then they used to ask the younger one to choose between the two and to take the one he chose. Every time in course of game, the younger child used to select the bigger coin (1$) and the older ones would laugh at him for selecting the coin less in value than the other.

There was an old man,who was watching all these from a distance, one day called the younger child and told him that he should choose the smaller coin as it is worth of 2 $ while the bigger coin is of 1$ only. Next day again, the children played the same game again, but the younger child again chose the 1$ coin. The old man got astonished at this.

He again tried to make the younger child understand the same things again and asked him " Why you always use to choose the bigger coin?". The child smiled and replied " If I choose the smaller coin , the game will end that day itself. I want to continue the game, that's why I always choose the bigger coin. Let them laugh at my naivety, that way I am earning a 1$ coin everyday."

-- This is a nice story which tells us about how different people can have different perception about the same thing. While the older children thought that the younger child was picking up the bigger coin as he was not intelligent enough to select the smaller coin. But the younger child's perception was totally different. He played to win the game though in a different way.

In our day to day life also, we face different situations which may have varied impact on us. The way something impact us totally depends on how to perceive it. A out of box perception may lead us to gain even from worse situation. So what is needed is a positive attitude towards everything and a composed proactive reaction to it.

PC words!!

2008-08-27T19:32:00.000+05:30

A few days ago in TOI, I read a article by Jag Suriya ( Second Opinion columnist) on Politically Correct (PC) words. There was a nice explanation given in the article, about how we are getting rid of all emotionally provoked words and words which can create racial discrimination among people in the Society.

The columnist has given some good examples, such as, the PC terms for blacks/negros/niggers ,Whites, Red Indians are African-American , Caucasians and Native Americans respectively. The columnist was very sarcastic in his approach to explain the usage of such PC terms. Language have a very strong influence on the society as a whole. It's the communication media through which everyone try to express themselves or the people/incident around themselves in a more effective way.

The evolution of PC words is of great importance as it holds the key to bridge the differences among the various sections of society based on religion, color, culture etc. People are very sensitive to the words they hear. That is the sole reason, why some people make a good impression of themselves through rhetorical and good oratorical skills.

The point here is that we should abandon all sensitive words and get hold of PC words as soon as possible. The careful usage of these words will help us a lot in more effective communication.

A horrendous experience!!

2008-08-26T12:15:00.000+05:30

"Salt Lake "- a place in Kolkata basically known for software service companies and many other govt offices.

This place is quite planned if we go by the housing layout and everything. The roads are clean and easily accessible from other places.

But I had a horrible experience today afternoon. I went from my office to send some documents by speed post. As I am new to Kolkata , I don't know much of the places. I asked someone on the road in Bengali :) mixed with Assamese and Hindi.... " Dada, aas paas Post Office kothai asse?"...

He thought that I know bengali quite well (I can understand it though), and showed me the route explaining every detail in Bengali. I boarded in to one Shared Auto which goes to Karunamoyee Island ...( Island- people here call every circle that connects 4 roads as island...quite funny..huh..)..aneways I started my jouney towards that Island and in some five to ten minutes I reached there...From there I started walking towards a market (someone showed me ofcourse) where the Post Office is...At first, I was quite ambivalent of finding a post office there as I have never heard of any post office inside an enclosed market.But the gentleman's confident reply compelled me to go there and somehow when I saw the Post Office, I sighed in relief. " Thank God !! I have found one"

But from here onwards , my sanguinity of finishing the simple task at hand proved to be totally wrong. It took me more than two hours to do that...

From one of the employee in the Post Office inside that market, I got to know that in Salt Lake , though there are umpteen post offiices scattred here and there, but there is only ONE Post Office from where one can do Registered/Speed Post..."Only ONE", I grumbled.

I had no other option than to send the document today as it was urgent. So started towards the next Post Office. I looked in to watch ..." It's 1.15pm", I said to myself. I thought like I will be back to office maximum by 1.45pm.

But when I reached the Post Office, the scene was totally different. There was only one counter from where we can do Speed Post!! and there was a long queue of people waiting annoyed at the process. I stood in the queue and counted my position from the 1st person and found out to be 15. I calculated in my mind " 15 *5 mins=75 mins and so i will be back to office by 2.15pm"..

But at last I reached near the counter 5 mins to 3pm and one lady is still before me. Someone in the queue was discussing that the counter would be closed from 3 pm to 3.30pm. I started countdown from that time onwards. I thought that i had to go back today without doing the Speed Post. That feeling depressed me and annoyed me a lot. I persuaded the SINGLE person working there to be fast and do my speed post, and at last I was the last person at 3 pm to have successfully done the speed post. My heart felt with a sense of accomplishment.

But while coming out of the counter, I could see faces of a lot of people still waiting to do a simple task like Speed Post from a long time.

The whole incident was more of a learning and a feeling of how in India - a supposed posh area in a metro Kolkata,Salt Lake, still working like the way I explained. There is only ONE Post Office from where we can do Speed Post and in that, there is only ONE person who is responsible for taking the speed post requests.

There must be a lot more offices in various places within India which are working like the Salt Lake Post Office. It compelled me to think " Is India really shining?". If a country/person/office don't know the value of time, then how can it grow towards prosperity? But for everything we can't blame on government. We, as the citizens of the greatest democracy of the world, must have a sense of our right and should use the power when needed. If we become active, then surely the society as a whole will become active. A serious matter to ponder on!!

Singur deadlock

2008-08-25T15:11:00.000+05:30

The ongoing melodrama in Singur not only affected the common people but also it has come as a big question to the people of WB to take a rational decision. The adamenacy of Trinamul Congress Leader Mamata Bannerjee, the strikes in Singur and corresponding bandh in WB on last wednesday by CITU - all these accounts for the sensitiveness of Indian common people and the Political leaders taking the advantage of that.

If we browse through any news report or any analysis of the incident, it clearly shows that indeed WB will get benefits out of Tata's Nano Plant in Singur. The industrilization of a state depends how the state is flexible to a change for good.

Tata is helpless unless and untill the local people are cooperative to set up the plant. Already Tata has invested around 1500 crore for the project but they will never resist themselves to pull out of WB if situation becomes worse. Taking advantage of this political turmoil, other states are inviting Tata Motors to setup plant for Nano in their states.

What WB is getting out of all this farce? If they dont come out of all their grudges, they are sure to lose Tata Plant here in Singur. The consequence will be some other state will be benefited.Ratan Tata has already conveyed his decision to pull out if the situation remains same and he also made clear in his statement that even though they have invested a lot already, it would not come as a hurdle in the path of pulling out of WB.

That's true. If some industry set up a plant for some innovative idea, they always have a plan of action in their mind when to launch the product, at what condtions of the market. If they dont get proper response from local people around the plant , it will surely have doubt in their mind regarding the successful accomplishment of the whole project.

WB people, most importantly, Mamata Bannerjee who is heading the agitation must realise now the long term consequences of the Nano Plant in Singur. If they dont, some other state will surely take advantage of this situation.

I do agree the interest of the common people what Bannerjee is concerned about. But every problem has a solution, if it is not , then it is not a problem. Negotiation on some common ground must be reached sooner or else WB will lose Tata Plant.

Let's welcome " Lakhtakia" Car - Nano

2008-01-11T18:41:00.000+05:30

“Small is beautiful !! Some people said that we should call it a ‘Buddha Car’, while others said that we should call it ‘Mamata’ or ‘ Despite Mamata’. We decided to call it as ‘NANO’. “

These were the words uttered by Ratan Tata in the launch of the most awaited ’Lakhtakia’ car by Tata Automobiles - NANO. “ A promise is a promise. And there is no compromise on quality and safety”- This simply draws love and respect to Ratan Tata. His unrelenting passion to prove what he promises, his desire to do something for common people, his confident in himself- all these factors counts to his greatness not only as a business tycoon but also as a common Indian man from his roots.

“This is the biggest thing I have ever done”. This statement clearly shows his satisfaction after lots of question marks on the successful completion of Nano Project. Though the cheapest car on earth will hit the market in Sept this year, a lot of fascination have already started in common people’s mind regarding the car. Some people believe that as far as the mileage and price is concern, it seriously meets their aspiration. Some people are still questioning on the safety issue.

But I do have believe on Tata, the most respected name in every household in India. Tata has always been up to expectation in their products and services .Think of any Industry in Tata group, they are the best in their field.

“ Improving the quality of life” . This tagline of Tata’s is indeed true. I seriously adore one aspect of Tata’s- its responsibility towards society. Every company always works for profit making. This is unequivocal. But keeping in mind the social aspect, only few companies can think of and have worked in practical. If I think of Indian perspective, I can only think of Tata.

I remember one incident when I visited my hometown around two years back ( I usually go home once in a year and this was my first visit after I started my corporate career). One layman asked me “ So where r u working now a days?”. I replied “ Uncle, TATA Consultancy Services(TCS)”. Before I could say something else about the company, he himself started with high acclamation in the name of Tata. His ignorance about TCS was justifiable ( He was thinking like I am working in Tata Truck company), but his respect towards the name TATA was seriously unbelievable. This small incident shows profound impact of Tata on common people.

When few years back Tata Indica came to market, everyone said it was the most successful midsized car launched by Tata and still people believe that. So I don’t think Tata will ever compromise safety and quality for price.

Nano will also make up to people’s expectation. “The biggest thing” done by Tata can never go unrecognized.

Hats Off to TATA!!

War against Terrorism - who is betraying whom??

2007-12-27T12:16:00.000+05:30

“9/11”,Can anyone ever forget this day? Of course not. The attack on WTC on Sept 11, 2001 and the aftermath every one had to face for this. That incident not only reverberated US but also its aftermath echoed through every nation in the world, specially the countries like India which are directly or indirectly depends on the economy of US. That was the first ever audacious attempt by Terrorist groups.

After that attack, US started to think of the power of the terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and the need of strategic plans of prevention of such activities in future. This was the true beginning of Global war against terrorism. Pakistan also took part as a responsible country in that movement. The undeniable amiable relationship between President Pervez Musharraf and the Bush Administration led to a deal of $5 billion which was to help Pakistani army to counter against high skilled terrorist threats and activities. They named it as Coalition support fund which was to reimburse expenses incurred by Pakistani army in anti terrorist activities.

After six years have been passed after that US-Pak deal, I have encountered a news report today where US is now complaining about the improper use of that aid fund by Pakistan. It has come to the notice of Bush administration that the American Money is not properly routed to the frontline Pakistani units to build an effective counterinsurgency force. Instead during these 6 years the lump sum money had been diverted to finance the activities against India, not Al-Qaeda or Taliban.

This claim raised a strong question mark in my mind. How US, the country which has the largest intelligence network almost in all countries, unable to track this misuse during these six years? Is the friendly relationship between President Musharraf and Bush Administration is the cause of this negligence? This also puts on doubt the Islamabad’s repeated claims that it will take every measure to fight against Terrorism in Kashmir and the whole world. ISI is growing its network like mushroom in every part of our country India. Bombings in public places, in religious sites to ignite communal violence; helping India’s internal terrorist groups to meet their requirements- such activities have always been under the purview of Islamabad . This is how Islamabad is fighting war against terrorism!! If the 5 billion as US is claiming is misused against India, then India should be more cautious now and should find out some means to strengthen its anti terrorist squad ( May be by convincing US to get a financial Aid)

On the part of US, I think US should check the credibility of Islamabad once and find some means to track every penny that was routed to Pakistan as Aid against terrorism. It should rethink its policy of sectioning aids to countries in war against terrorism. It’s because if the money is misused somewhere, US (in return India) is not gaining anything. The only beneficiary in this whole process is Pakistan. If India and US march forward together in the war against terrorism with intelligent ways, then they can find out some effective measure to at least minimize the repercussions. In that case, US has to take the ownership of taking initiative as India is getting plagued by not only outside border threats but also internal security threats like Naxalite movements.

On the part of Islamabad, time has come to prove their repeated claims. Islamabad should now come up with a transparent plan to eradicate the roots of every terrorist group. The world community should also keep a vigilant eye on each other in the war against terrorism.

Then only we can step forward ahead to a world of peace…free of terrorism and violence!!!!

The Pursuit Of Happ'Y'ness

2007-12-27T08:20:00.000+05:30

The life goes on and leaving behind all hopes and aspirations. The only thing valuable for you may not be the best thing for you. The person you care for the most might not care for you, and the person you care the least might care for you the most. That is the kind of irony we face in life.

The quest for happiness leads us to a state where though we are not happy at all, yet the same of our near and dear ones gives us the feeling of Utopian contentment. Though someone might question 'How ?', yet the fact remains that if everyone has to compromise in his/her life once, why not compromise for happiness??

Human traditions and values have bound us to some restrictions where we think that we are at the receiving end in certain situations that come across in the path of life. Then, we try to be Spiritual, which gives us a sense of divine feeling. But is spirituality all about worshiping God and asking HIM for help at the time of trouble??

If we Human beings think so, then it’s really disgusting on the part of us, the best species of God’s creation. I think spirituality means to strive for the best with the believe in God, the supreme power. We may not get everything. But, God is never responsible for it. We aren't capable enough to get that. May be something very good is awaiting for us somewhere. We are the ones who are responsible for everything that happen to us. If we somehow get in to the habit of learning from every situation, then we can get the best out of life!!

At some point of discussion, one of my best friends told me “ there is nothing as such as Right or Wrong, its all about perception”. Though at that time I thought it isn't true, but after some point of time, I started respecting that thought. If we start thinking like that, we will never have any expectation from anyone, and we can be the happiest of all.

Once one question came to my mind “Who is the most unsuccessful person in this world? “. After taking in to account all the incidents that happened in my life, I have got the answer as “the person who is too much EMOTIONAL.“ I giggled at my own craziness, about my own musings. But the truth is always a truth, may be bitter in taste. May be someone won't agree to this answer of mine, but it's the experience I have got in my life which has made me to think like that.

People always say in our time of trouble,” Be practical...be practical! Why r u behaving like a stupid?" I think Practicality and Stupidity are the two sides of the same coin. They always go hand in hand. At a point of life what seems stupid to everyone might seem to us the most Practical solution. You know why is this so? Because Human beings’ strive for happiness make them to behave like that. The practicality is that we are always selfish and we never want to get hurt. Keeping in mind all these, I think the best way to live life is to live being in present, past we can never change and the future is in our hand. We can either make it beautiful or ruin it. It's at our discretion.

Love yourself and be happy. That's the mantra of successful and happy life.