Vote Of Confidence

hi, I am back in manipal with vacations getting over along with my summer training which went really well.
Today (21st july) is an important day for the UPA government as it strives to prove that the decision to implement the nuclear deal is in the best interests of the people of India, by bringing in a Confidence Motion. Although i cannot claim on having thorough knowledge about this deal but i do believe that it is really going to help this energy hungry country in the long run.
But the way this is being settled is what shocks me the most. Bribes are being paid left, right and center. Loyalties are changing or challenged. Betting mafia is on the rampage with MPs being paid to the tune of 50 crores to vote for a particular side. MPs about whom we would never even have heard about are coming into the limelight because of their all-too-important votes. Factionalisms within the parties are all coming out in the open making them lose face in front of everyone.
These happenings seriously jeopardize our integrity and democracy and makes the politicians look a laughing stock in front of their own people and the whole world.
One cannot fathom why didn't the UPA government could have gone ahead with the deal last year itself when the Left had already made it clear that they won't budge from their position. I guess the real reason being that they wanted to stay in the office for a while longer. Congress also thought that by not giving their views on Nandigram and Taslima Nasrin, the Left parties might soften their stand and might give in. But as soon as these issues were buried under the carpet, the Left showed its true colours and intentions. Congress party knew that the Left parties will never support an agreement of this scale with the United States (owing to their opposition to capitalism) but still they played this waiting game with the result that today Congress's condition is high and dry.
Lets hope these few petty politicians get through this murky phase and actually do something for the benefit of this country. Because an ordinary person on the road cares a damn about nuclear deal.
And the funny part is that even the Left parties know this. They know that the aam junta will not buy their theory.

Vacations

hi,
Finally am over with my sixth semester and now am going to enter my 4th and final year. i am here in Lucknow on my two month long vacation. so am taking rest, reading books and newspapers, meeting friends.
but am also missing the hectic schedule of college life. at home its like i am on a slow mode or something. time seems to pass by at a snail's pace. evenings are spent sometimes watching the idiot box which seems to become more idiotic the more you see it ( was watching the euro but have stopped now as the team i was supporting i.e. Italy has been thrown out by Spain ) or hanging out with friends.
i also went on a holiday trip to Shimla which was amazing to say the least. had loads of fun there and enjoyed the cool and wet weather( it appeared as the heavens were really upset that we had landed there as it rained there uninterruptedly :D ). the scenery was breathtaking and walking on the streets of Shimla was a divine experience.
Also much to my initial displeasure i am doing my training in Tata Motors for 4 weeks. although i must admit that this exposure is proving to be really beneficial to me in terms of both knowledge and practical growth. its a really huge plant where assembly of trucks and buses takes place. but as i said its also very tiring as i have to be constantly on the move collecting random data and witnessing things. but i have made a few friends out there so its not all that boring.
my semester results came and i must say that i have even shocked myself with this performance which was pretty moderate. but i can forgive myself for this as i got a job so it kinda cancels the whole thing. :)
i guess that's it for now. i doubt anything exciting is going to take place while i am here. if it does will surely let everybody know.

TCS, THE WORLD IS FLAT & GOD

all right so am back after a long hiatus.
first of all let me inform all my well wishers that i got through TCS after clearing one written test and 3 interviews...bowing down... :) its a good company but i still wish for better things to come... although it is a nice morale booster, right when i was thinking that i had wasted 3 years of my life studying crap... but i guess some knowledge came in handy..
if i remember correctly i told you in my last post about the book THE WORLD IS FLAT that i was reading at that point of time. well i finished reading it and as it turns out i was simply flabbergasted by the amount of research this guy (THOMAS FRIEDMAN) must have done to get all the facts and figures. although the book deals with a variety of subjects about which i wont be able to comment owing shortage of time, am really impressed about a few specific topics he deals with encompassing from why india and china are going to be the next superpowers to why the growth of arab world is restricted. he warns his countrymen (USA) to be on their toes else countries like ours and many other developing countries would soon have the potential to take away every job from them as the world becomes more and more flat... he uses the word flat to symbolize the shortening of distances with the advent of internet. today we no longer have to be in the same room to discuss a particular problem or to initiate a discussion. while i can be in india the other people might be from a blend of countries like states to russia to china to honolulu. he also tells us about today's scenario in which many countries are collaborating on projects to find solutions to the problems being faced by them. similarly many MNCs are setting up their shop wherever they can find the cheapest resources and maximum talent.
no wonder the FORTUNE magazine counted T. FRIEDMAN among the 100 most intellectual people of the world...
this novel is highly recommended for all those people who have interest in world affairs and want to know the intricacies involved in it.
this comes as my second best read. the first i guess will always remain HP series.
another thing totally unrelated to my prior discussion is about a very serious subject...GOD... now as most of my friends know that i do not frequent temples and as such dont believe in praying. recently a friend of mine asked "do u believe in God?". surprisingly i had no answer. i mean i am a little selfish and always remember Him before an exam or whenever i am nervous. but i guess that is because of my upbringing and inherent culture or seeing everyone do it ever since i was a kiddo. i also emphasize that i am a little superstitious but on pondering further that does not construe whether i believe in God or not.
i guess i still have a few years to find all the answers. if you can help me out here then it would at least solve one of my problems although i can assure you that its not something that is giving me sleepless nights. :)
broaching the subject of sleepless nights, my end semester exams are about to begin in a few days and am hoping to score some good passing grades.

UPDATES

so heres the latest news ...
well i had a gr8 time during the holi weekend as i was away having a blast in OOTY with my college mates. will remember that place for its tea gardens (tasted chocolate tea. real good!!!) and loads of chocolate shops which u could spot every now and then. although the weather played a bit of a spoilsport with constant rains and chilly winds. also i believe that i kinda missed playing holi (one of my favorite festivals).
next the indo-south africa test series started in which SEHWAG slammed a triple hundred. way to go boy!!! although am not in very high spirits right now as india is on the verge of losing the second test as i am writing this blog. how can they get out for 76??? man!!! seriously cant believe it. anyway thats india. they maintain the equation. whenever the goings good they bring us back to reality that no matter what, indian cricket will remain unpredictable.
and yes the placement fever has reached the highest pitch (am in my sixth semester of engg.) with we people being asked to give the dream companies and filling up forms and and and...u can guess the crap we have to do (please keep your fingers crossed for my success).
we are also bearing the high inflation rates (hovering around 7%) due to which everything is becoming way too expensive for the comman man. really cant believe dad when he tells me that my grandfather used to buy him ice-cream for 1 paisa :o :o (for all those new generation people who dont know what paisa is well it is Rs. 0.01\- :D)
also wanted to write about tibet and olympics. but i guess we have already heard so much about it that it will be an exercise in vain. hail the DALAI LAMA and boos for the chinese government. how can a government keep its people ignorant in this internet age with all this censorship. although i must agree that this authoritarian style of governance has really helped their economy and kept the population in check. but these are only a few positives which we can garner. political and individual freedom is every human being's right.
and lastly am reading a book THE WORLD IS FLAT by THOMAS FRIEDMAN. a very interesting read dealing with the topics of globalisation, outsourcing and offshoring. more on these issues and the book when i finish reading it.

Friends in manipal (just some pics)

FRIENDS FOREVER

hey guys!!!
its been a long time since my 2 back to back blogs. i must admit that i have been a little busy with my mid-sems, the college fest, coaching classes for MBA prep and the list goes on...
now it so happened that a couple of days ago i was chatting with a few of my old friends about our school days and reminiscing the happy memories. later i felt a real nostalgia for school and wished i could go back to those heavenly days when there were lesser worries and more fun.
i cant believe that it has been 4 years since i left school. mind you in the last 2-3 years of school we had to work hard for all of us wanted to get into respectable engineering colleges. so that period was a little tough on us. nevertheless we found time to have our share of enjoyment.
i can bring to mind the P.T. periods in which the whole class used to run after one football. or the lunch boxes which used to be over and done with in the first period itself. those fights over trivial matters. bunking periods with the apprehension of being caught. or those parent teacher meetings in which i used to be caricatured in front of everyone(i felt like poisoning the bloody teachers on those instances). school report cards. white dresses on saturday. getting punishments like "sit without a chair" or "5 boys standing in a circle and slapping each other"(I find it amusing now). or me and my friends fancying every girl we met(ours was a boy’s school). and even having crushes on our teachers :D. the cricket matches on weekends. or getting together at one of my friend's house for lunch and some activity like playing cricket or video games or watching a movie (don’t want to mention the kind of movies we used to see). those birthday parties in which there used to be games (god i find them so ridiculous now). standing and chatting at apollo bakery in front of school. apollo also reminds me of that fateful evening when we all were having some snack and a friend of mine offered his half eaten burger to a girl on which he had a crush...:) no prizes for guessing what the girl had to say...:D
gosh i miss school. i can still recall my farewell. everyone was teary eyed.
as i see college turns out to be poles apart considering everything. you are independent and there's no one to keep a check on you. if you feel like bunking classes then go ahead. getting to know people from sundry places, making new pals, hostel life. its a new adventure altogether. And i am loving it too.
I would like to dedicate this blog to my best friends in school Anshu, Taru, Raju, Utkarsh, Champu, Rishabh, Ripun, Yagnik, Tande, Rameez, Ayush (I know that we all will remain FRIENDS FOREVER) and my alma matar ST.FRANCIS' COLLEGE without whom i would not have been the person that i am today.
As usual i welcome you to put forth your experiences...

Farmers plight

First of all i must say that i am overwhelmed by the comments i have received over my previous post... Alright yes i saw the Oscars:) Thats why this melodrama.
Today i have decided to discuss a sensitive subject. I would now like to let you people know my opinion on the plight of the farmers in India.
Now lets consider the tragic incidents which have happened in the recent past.
In Vidarbha region of Maharashtra farmers are committing suicide due to crop failures and insufficient rains in that region.Similar incidents like Vidarbha are happening in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh(one of the largest and poorer states of India with a population of approximately 190 million). The land there is totally dry and no rainfall has been observed in the region for the past 5 years. Yes you heard me right, 5 years. The farmers there are either committing suicide or leaving their families in search of work to earn a living. On the other hand the farmers in Singur district of West Bengal are protesting against the car plant which the Tatas are setting up there. The farmers claim that firstly they do not want to part with their land and secondly those who are ready to have not been given adequate compensation.
Some people are calling it a genocide on the part of the government while others blame the region and environment for the farmer's distress. They say that the suicides are a result of debt and the debts are a result of rising cost of production. And regarding the Singur case, the opinion is divided. Its unclear whether industrialization should be favored or land should be left to the farmers for cultivation.
Now for farmers who are suffering in regions where there are recurrences of drought-like conditions should be introduced to the latest technology which is being applied in countries like Japan(a country where there is a huge scarcity of land). The government should pull all the plugs to ensure that our farmers are able to make maximum utilization of their land. Also they should be encouraged to switch to different crops during different times of the year depending on the climate and soil properties. This way they wont be dependent on one crop and will earn a living throughout the year. We also need to make sure that they all know how to conserve water which becomes very important during the dry spells. The government must try to cut down or waiver the debts in these regions so that the farmers can live a life without fear.
On the land encroachment front i guess i prefer industrialization. We all know the success story of China and it happened because of this phenomenon. Formation of industries helps the local economy. It provides job to many people depending upon the scale of the operations. Everyone benefits from it. Schools are opened, shops and markets are developed, hospitals are made and indirect employment is provided to many a people. But it has to be ensured that farmers who were displaced are made a part of the process and are not left out. Also if possible, arable land should not be utilized for this purpose. A few successful examples in India are Bhilai in Chattisgarh (Bhilai Steel Plant), Noida in Uttar Pradesh among others.
I know the solutions which i have discussed are not so easy to implement and are not the sole answers to the problems. But if the implementation of these proposals prevents even one farmer from committing suicide or sitting on an agitation then i consider this worth the effort.

T20-History in the making

Hellllo people, this is my first attempt at blogging so please show some mercy before throwing all the brickbats and abuses at me... :)
So here it goes..
Now i can discuss a lot of things in the arena but lets start with cricket. Recently the launch of the IPL has taken the so called gentlemanly game into different territories. While some are against it there are others including yours truly who believe that this will not only greatly benefit the game but also make it global in its appeal. I mean if people are spending millions on buying franchises then they must have also thought about the way to recover all the money. After all they are looking at it as a venture and u become a venture capitalist only to make profit.
This game can go global only if there is sufficient money in it to attract other countries. Right now as we all know the game is not that popular in countries like US, France, China, Russia, Germany, Japan, and many others. If we want these countries to take to cricket then it should be promoted like the IPL which made some heads turn worldwide. We know that if countries like the US enter the fray then it will not only be good for competition but revenues from the game will touch sky high. We can look for examples like the major league baseball in US or for that matter the english premier league in England. these leagues have not only turned the respective sport into a billion dollar industry but also helped in generating competition and interest among the game's followers.
On the other hand we have to make sure that the other forms of cricket (Tests and ODIs) are not axed from the yearly calendar and regional support does not harm the national team. We also have to protect young players so that they understand the nuances of the game properly and establish themselves as good cricketers rather than good entertainers.
Am happy that all those people who thought that cricket was boring will now get a befitting reply. And for others for whom spending 7 hours in front of the tv was too tiring will now have another option.
I know T20 cricket is for keeps and i really pray that the IPL is as successful as the recent auctions of the players turned out to be.
I guess thats it for today. Expect my next blog shortly. For now i have to deal with my tests which are approaching fast.