'Welcome to Sajjanpur' at the IIT-Madras Open Air Theatre

Courtesy
Dr. Jagdeesh Kumar and Mrs. Ravikala - thanks to both of you for the wonderful evening, an evening full of fresh air, unlike that is found in the modern multiplexes, topped with a decent movie .

The OAT experience first
The IIT Madras campus is atypical of any Indian Institute Campus (not only the IITs but also the IIMs, IISc - any educational establishment with the Indian Institute status for that matter) - full of greenery and abuzz with a life of its own. We entered the campus through the Velachery gate and, on my insistence (a mild resistance from my wife, which is more habitual to whatever I propose than reasonable, was brushed aside by all 3 of us - yyooooo!!), took a stroll to the Open Air Theatre (OAT) along the road lined with large trees, a monstrous banyan tree being the most notable among them.

The OAT, its circular periphery marked by a plethora of plant species, much resembled the architecture of ancient Amphitheatres (sans the grandeur, of course). Jagdeesh estimated the capacity for a full house to be 5000 people. The day's show was slated to start sharp at 8:00 PM. We reached the OAT with almost half an hour to spare. People started trickling in after around 15 minutes and by the time the lights went off with the digital clock near the base of the large screen displaying 7:57 PM, a fairly decent crowd has comfortably positioned itself on the plastic chairs laid on either side of the projector room. Ah, the travel and nature freak that I am, I was delighted at the irresistible combination of a Movie surrounded by Nature.

The Movie
Welcome to Sajjanpur (directed by the legendary Indian director Shyam Benegal, bore the name Mahadev ka Sajjanpur in the CBFC certificate!!), a comedy narrated through the words and senses of the village letter-writer (Mahadev), takes a dig at the present social, political and democratic setup existing in our country, especially in the villages. Though, I felt, the way politics has been projected bears resemblance to the way it works in every nook & corner of our country. Fresh from the shocking 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the response of the political community following it, I could particularly identify the innuendoes being darted to the politicians. Certainly the movie has been canned long before, but the Mumbai incidents catapulted the whole movie into a different level of relevance. If you watch the movie, you may brush aside this as a light comedy flick by Shyam Benegal, but the opinion is bound to differ if you read between the lines, or between the dialogues perhaps. I enjoyed every bit of the movie - as much for the element of straightforward comedy as for the swivelled remarks.

I wish
To watch films like Troy or Gladiator at the OAT - will surely be an experience to watch out for. I am also keen to see how good is the projection on a full moon day.

Meenakshi Temple under threat !!

The administration and the politicians are finally waking up! Security at the Meenakshi Temple was immediately beefed up when the collector received an e-mail threat to blow up the sacred temple. Here is a picture, courtesy The Times of India, Chennai edition (6th December 2008), that reveals our level of preparation to fight against terrorists wielding AK-47s, hurling grenades and using other improvised detonators.

PICTURE COURTESY: The Times of India, Chennai edition, 6th December 2008

Must we say that the policemen (poor fellas !) in question have some dramatic tricks up their sleeves (and perhaps in their longer-than-usual sticks) to counter and negate the sudden assaults, Rajnikant ishtyle !! Only the Goddess knows whether the jackets they are wearing are bullet-proof or simply stone & brick proof !!

Confessions after the 26 November Mumbai Terror Attack

My homage to the innocents who were brutally murdered in Mumbai, primarily due to an indecisive and vote bank driven political administration running our country. Let us observe a moment of silence in the memory of those innocents and the men from the various forces who laid down their lives in an attempt to salvage the life of the common citizens.

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Coming back ... I hate to devote too many words on the political tango being played by the various national/regional parties - sometimes in tandem with the opposition and at other times with the allies. NOT a SINGLE leader was convincing enough to make me (safe to say 'us') believe that his/her concern is the safety of the country and the country alone - no vote bank, no political propaganda, no finger pointing and that nothing else was an agenda.

I have a very interesting question - why is the average age of the top Indian political leaders ever increasing? Taking a page out from the Vedas, why should we have a Prime Minister-in-waiting whose age is apt for taking Sanyas? However much we may value experience and long deliberations, sometimes an extra pint of adrenaline works wonders.

The answer (as you guessed) is simple - the youth (including me) of this country hold such an apathy towards the dirty game and the people who play it. Most youngsters in the country are more empathetic even to prostitutes (many of whom embrace the profession due to compulsion and not willingly) than to politicians in general (there are still some stalwarts but the number is fast decreasing - my sincerest apologies to these stalwarts for this derogatory comparison).

I have a very close friend who happens to be an Air Man. Few month back, when Tata Motors was held in ransom in West Bengal, I was venting my anger on the insane opposition leader of the state. I got a thudding reply from my friend. "When the best educated lot runs only after the big bucks, evidently the country will be ruled by below-average IQ people. You should not complain, the less privileged, the less educated may do so."

Having studied in two of the premier institutes of the country, I was in a serious dilemma at that moment - should I be proud of the education or be ashamed of wasting it? I have no qualms in admitting that my friend was absolutely right - I have chosen my profession keeping in mind the monetary rewards it brings forth. I have utmost conviction that close to 100% of the best and the brightest in the country use the same criterion than anything else (few dump their parents as well, in some extreme and bizarre cases!!). We are too bothered about our own well being, when do we have the time to ponder upon the miseries that plague our country? Even if some of us do think, there is absolutely no time to act!! We happily leave that little work for others, administering the possible remedies in thoughtful blogs like this!!

Friends, let us delve deep into our mind, heart, aspirations, bank accounts, financial investments - wherever, as you wish. Let us be honest to ourselves. Think hard. Skip a weekend’s evening booze and contemplate. I doubt whether anyone will point to the politicians after this introspection. After all money is the root of all evil is an old adage which has stood its ground against the tests of time.

What is the solution then? I have none that I can give you. In my 8th standard in school, a social worker, while explaining the plight of the slum dwellers in Kolkata, used this comparison - "When you point one finger at someone, invariably three fingers (which are your very own) point back at you." I do not remember the context, but its implications are even more vivid after the recent attacks that shook the entire nation than ever before. So, if you are extremely ardent to show your solidarity to the victims of terror (brutal terror that our country is witnessing in general and NOT 26/11 Mumbai in particular), come up with your own plan. I am thinking of my own.

What more do I say? Ideally, a country should be into the hands of the ablest and the brightest, into that of the most patriotic and most agile of minds. We have denied our country such a privilege for years now. So, what else do we expect than to live at the mercy of our neighbours?

The rise of the Bengali Goldsmiths

Few months back, we were in T. Nagar, the most well known shopping destination in Chennai, to shop for some gold ornaments. Prior to that, we never shopped for gold jewellery in the city. After doing the rounds in the plush and gigantic gold jewellery arcades, we could not find anything that suited our taste without burning a hole in our pocket. We had a rough idea about the weight of different kinds of jewellery, e.g., in Kolkata one will get an ear-ring for regular use weighing as little as 4 grams; but in T. Nagar anything that caught our attention weighed at least 7 grams !! In fact, among the ornaments handcrafted in Kerala, Tamilnadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra, the Bengali Designs were most eye-catching and the spread of the ornaments of comparable weight was more for these designs. The ones from Mumbai came a close second.

In short, the Bengali designs would give more value for money and look stunning when worn. The other designs, especially the ones from the home state, visibly lacked the sophistication and delicate handiwork. Obviously, the Bengali goldsmiths manipulated the malleable and ductile nature of gold to an extreme. Also, it is well known that gold merchants in Mumbai rely on the Bengali artisans to produce jewellery for export, which are in great demand in various parts of the world. Hence the Mumbai ornaments looked as good as, if not better than, the Bengali ones.

Did the Bengali artisans acquire the skill by sheer chance or legacy? Well, probably. But I conceived another convoluted idea. This may sound weird, but falls in line with the famous quotes of the celebrated anthropologist Charles Darwin / economist Herbert Spencer - Survival of the fittest. Here goes my theory:

In West Bengal (or even in erstwhile undivided Bengal), people were not very rich (sans the zamindars of the past). They could ill afford to spend much on the costliest and the most sought after metal. Naturally, people gyrated towards designs (and merchants selling them) that would be well spread out yet lightweight, which would look heavy without actually being so. Such a demand coupled with Bengalis' liking for fine handiwork pushed the gold artisans to the brink of their skill, ensuring the production of dazzling lightweight designs in gold, capturing the fancy of the people the world over. Any merchant not keeping up with this demand had to pull down the shutters. The trend continues to this day, with West Bengal not garnering any great fortune for its local economy. More than an investment option, gold ornaments take a place of pride in Bengali families.

On the other hand, a far greater number of people down south invest in gold; hence they look for heavy and compact designs. Naturally, the goldsmiths here, acceding to the vox populi, end up producing heavier, less sophisticated designs on the yellow metal.

In short, I sense that the demand of Bengali goldsmiths can be attributed to a skill they perfected due to the socio-economic conditions prevailing in Bengal for the last couple of centuries or so. One can not also deny the legacy influence on these artisans. The Southern reaches of India is also an abode of fine arts, be it sculpture or classical dance and music; but the art of gold jewellery design is still at a rudimentary stage in this part of the country.

Pearls from my Bookmark List

As a side-effect of working in an industry where an "Internet Connection" is always at one's disposal, there is every risk that one be converted to an "Internet Junkie". Not sure whether I've turned into one, but the bookmarks list has grown by leaps and bounds - versatile interests that I have, you know :D ...

Thought to lend a helping hand to those who read my blogs, hoping to create a few fellow junkies in the process. I handpicked ( like they do with the grapes, to make the finest wines ;-) ) a few entries from my bookmarks list - shall consider my job done if few of these evince interest to some of you. Here goes the list ... devour the ones you are not already aware of ...

1. National Portal of India: http://india.gov.in/
2. Budget of the Indian Union: http://indiabudget.nic.in/
3. Income Tax Department, India: http://incometaxindia.gov.in/
4. Physics: http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/
5. Mathematics: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/
6. Proverbs: http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Discourse/Proverbs/
7. Investments: http://www.investopedia.com/
8. Free Books: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
9. Mother of all (serious) NEWS channels: http://www.reuters.com/
10. Worldly Facts: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
11. Space Odyssey: http://www.nasa.gov/
12. Computer Networking: http://www.rajjain.com/index.html
13. Workout for your Brain: http://www.techinterview.org/

A list of 13 goes well with such a weird post ... what do you say?

As an epilogue, here is my most favourite link ... njoy :-)

Incompetency Personified!

Off late, changing the symbol of an organization to drive in the notion that we are changing has gained a lot of ground. Private or Public Sector undertaking, everyone has realized the importance of Brand Building. Great!

One of our Nationalized Banks has also jumped into this bandwagon and has changed their symbol from a typical, hardly understandable one to a suave blue and yellow triangles entangled with one another. Also millions of rupees were spent (during the beginning of this year) to popularize the catch line we are changing for our loved ones. Unfortunate that I am, my salary account happens to be with the same bank. And, they have ensured that my bread and butter depend solely on them (rather than on my job !!). Read on to know how.

My October salary was credited to my salary account at the loving bank on 1st November. Between 1st and 4th November I have been frantically running from one ATM to the other (believe it or not - I have visited 3 different ATMs, 7 times and at different time of the day in these 4 days !!) of this loving bank and I have not yet been successful in withdrawing (ATMs running out of money - this is normal) or even generating a mini statement (all 3 ATMs were out of print paper rolls as well !!) to see what exactly are the components which have been credited as part of the salary (some reimbursements were due last month).

I did drop a cheque in favour of one of the other accounts I have on Monday and the cheque has been cleared today. But, till now, I have no idea about the separate components credited in the loving bank account on 1st November. The only other way to know it is to visit a branch and update the good old passbook !! Loving indeed! You will be compelled to venture into their branch even if you are unwilling to!

I am sure each one of us must have faced such patience-testing and better-forgettable incidents while dealing with the Nationalized Banks. People trust these Banks and feel safe (the degree of safety in my case was extreme though - I could not withdraw my own money for several days !!) to deposit their money. In these days of financial crisis, when the public trust on the private banks are at an all time low, the Nationalized Banks could have made a fortune for themselves - by acting responsibly, competently and projecting true dynamism. Alas!

I feel sorry for one Dr. PC - whatever effort and goodwill one may put in, it is difficult (to be precise, impossible) to change others against their will. Advertising for change does not usher in a change to the inherent nature of the people (I would have changed all the bad things in the world then, via advertisement !!) who are an integral part of any organization. One should rather spend the money to edify the people on the vision of the organization and train and prepare them to embrace the challenges imminent with such a change.

Scrapbook from Kanyakumari

This post was long overdue. We visited Kanyakumari (and Kovalam Beach) during the second week of October 2008. Let this be a picturesque post.

Vivekananda Memorial Rock and the Thiruvalluvar Statue

Vivekananda Memorial Rock as we approach it on a launch

On the Vivekananda Memorial Rock

Immaculately polished Granite Elephants (4 tonne each!!) on Vivekananda Memorial Rock

Vivekananda Memorial Rock at Night

Gandhi Mandapam - the last remains of the Mahatma was kept here

The grandeur of Padmanabhapuram Palace

Rows of Coconut trees in the Kovalam Beach

God's Own country - at Kovalam Beach

Clouds kissing the hills at God's Own Country

Observations on Jet-tison

Of the very few things that I remember from my undergraduate major days, the term jettison is among my favourites. In Physics (yes! surprised? I majored in Physics!), specifically in rocket motion, jettison refers to the disengagement of the burned up levels (which no longer serve any purpose) of a multi-stage rocket to reduce the mass. Usually, only the final stage (topmost part) of the rocket contains the actual payload (the instruments slated to be sent into space) and the lower stages are appendages to catapult the same to the designated orbit. The ISRO scientists have designed and remotely executed several jettisons to put the CHANDRAYAAN-I to its pre-determined path in its journey from Earth to Moon.

Diverting, Jet Airways has demonstrated their version of Jet-tisoning. First let us recapitulate the events that unfolded over the past couple of weeks:

October 13 2008: Naresh Goyal and Vijay Mallya announces the surprise 'Operational Alliance' between Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines to put a check on the losses
October 14 2008: Jet Airways retrenches approximately 900 staff from their payroll citing the need to right-size (note, no downsizing) an oversized workforce
October 15 2008: Jet Airways shows the door to another 1100 staff. Nationwide protests right from all the worker friendly (most are extremists in their actions as well) political parties to the people of this huge democracy
October 16 2008: Naresh Goyal recalls all the retrenched young people, apparently perturbed by his own conscience - declares he is answerable to none but himself and his late mother
October 18 2008: Kingfisher reduces the salaries of the trainee pilots (by as much as 90% for some trainees) who have been grounded for several months after Kingfisher clipped part of its ambitious plan to go international due to the recent (majorly US, at the moment, but effects will percolate to other countries) economic upheavals

So what do we conclude from this drama of jettisoning and consequent re-engaging of its staff by Jet Airways? I could see several (long and short term ones):

1. Jet Airways' Brand Value as an employer takes a severe beating. Not only the retrenched staff but also the apparently unaffected ones will be mentally shaken and it will not be a surprise if they look out for greener pastures as soon as possible
2. Employers across industries get the message that India may not be a hire-and-fire job market - any such action will face stiff resistance from within the country, eventually forcing them to find a way out for saving grace
3. Retrenchment needs to be the final resort, not the first. How would you pre-calculate the effects of joining an alliance on the business (I understand that the top managers generally have great insights backed by facts which guided them to go for the alliance, yet I dare to ask if that is enough to lay off 2000 people just the day after announcing the alliance)?
4. I believe, from here onwards, while doing business in India, managers have to take the job security of the employees as a natural extension of their Corporate Social Responsibility
5. Mr. Naresh Goyal, on his emotional October 16 press briefing, called the retrenched employees back as the head of the (Jet Airways) family. Should not the crisis of a family be shared by EVERY member? So, why did we not hear at least a salary reduction in the top/middle management of the company? Why were the relatively juniors/trainees made scapegoats? If a 13,000 strong company suddenly becomes oversized by 2,000 (that's a staggering 15.5% !), what was the top management doing all this while? Managers should remember that a Leader is born out of sacrifices, not by protecting one's own selfish goals
6. Even after joining an alliance with his numero uno competitor in the Indian skies, Vijay Mallya scored over his new-found ally by not committing hara-kiri and just reducing the salaries of the grounded trainee pilots
7. Finally, and most significantly, hard days ahead for the mid/top level managers

Huh! Emotional outbreak you might say. Yes, but none can say it's impertinent. Do share your thoughts on this.

Salute to the ISRO Scientists

Few minutes after the CHANDRAYAAN-I (it is Chandra Jaan, meaning "vehicle to the Moon") took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota at exactly 6:22 am IST today morning (22 October 2008), anxious faces at ISRO and throughout the country brimmed with joy.

Although first from India, this launch is not something pioneering - there has been 67 previous Moon Mission launches by various other countries of the world. Yet, there is one amazing aspect of this particular Mission - the most economical ever !! Any NASA Moon Mission would cost in excess of US$ 300 million. Such missions from two other Asian countries China and Japan have left the respective countries poorer by US$ 187 million and US$ 480 million. Compare this to the cost incurred by ISRO for sending CHANDRAYAAN-I to orbit - a paltry US$ 80 million.

How did this become possible? The cost of any Space Mission escalates with the amount of Scientific and Engineering research hours spent on it. It is not really the cost of raw materials that shoots up the expense, but the cost of human brain - brains of the highest intellect.

Here is where ISRO has saved its money. In spite of having the best of breed scientists and engineers, whose faculty is comparable to the best in the world, ISRO does not require to spend a fortune to satisfy them. These people work for their own satisfaction, with dedication and motivation that money can seldom bring forth. They work for their motherland, rebuffing many lucrative offers from various developed nations.

Please do not be mistaken that I am showering eulogies to the Indian Scientists (yes, Indian Scientists in general because there are many R & D organizations of international repute like DRDO, BARC where the pay scales are similar) at an opportune time. Compare the remuneration of the NASA scientists and their counterparts in ISRO - you will realize the difference.

As the entire nation celebrates the success of years of diligence and sacrifice of the stalwarts of ISRO, I salute their unrivaled DEDICATION and MOTIVATION which catapulted India into an elite and exclusive club having know how of the ultimate frontiers of technology.

Verbal retaliation from Mr. Ratan Tata

I have immense respect for the ever-young Mr. Ratan Tata. Of course, he does not require anyone's endorsement - his achievements speak for himself.

But it was a cruel surprise to see this gentleman spew out his pent up feelings, with respect to his decision to pullout from Singur, in several leading newspapers in the state, headlined Open Letter to the Citizens of West Bengal. Mr. Tata talked straight, fearing none (he doesn't have to, anyway - India can do away with a Banerjee, a Singh or a Yadav but certainly not without the Tata - question is when does the Banerjee/Singh/Yadav realise this simple truth!!) leading to a lot of political stir-up and counter statements from both the opposition party and the ruling coalition in the state.

Not that he could not have anticipated the sharp criticisms his political talking (usually evaded by businessmen) would invite. But his retaliation shows his genuine concern for the young generation of the state and that a waste of Rs 1500 crore (Rs 15,000 million, USD 340 million @ INR 45 for 1 USD) hurts even the Tatas. No one in West Bengal (barring the handful of ‘agitators’) was even a bit amused to see the project being taken out from Singur to Sanand in Gujrat. This project has aroused interest the world over, bringing the state under the radar of the international business community, and has infused enthusiasm among the young people of the state (not to mention, among their parents as well). West Bengal has been under industrial starvation/deprivation for quite long - thanks to the policies of the Communist coalition of the state - and now it seems even if they try to change their old habits, the opposition would not let them do so. The Nano project was like a ray of light and fresh air after traveling through a long, dark, suffocating tunnel for more than 30 years. Alas! The opposition has ensured a landslide to block the entry of light and fresh air again - no one knows for how long!!

I agree with whatever Mr. Ratan Tata has said in the release and understand the pertinence of the questions he has asked to the people of the state.

But then, was it really necessary to get into a war of words with a half-insane, selfish outfit (no rewards for guessing the name) concerned only about ousting the Government but having no REAL agenda or economic outlook of their own, always shouting "cholbe na", "cholbe na" without proposing any pragmatic, viable alternative !!

The aftermath of the Singur fiasco

Like everyone, I was keenly following the developments (destructions??) on the Tata Nano project at Singur, West Bengal over a period of past several months.

Buoyed with their success (!!) at Nandigram violence and the Panchayat election following the same, the opposition party (whose strategies replicate those of the ruling coalition's forty year old tactics) at West Bengal were hell bent to devastate any constructive effort. They succeeded to drive away the Tata Nano even before it was launched!!

Sadly, the fortunes of the state so eagerly moving towards an industrial resurrection have been stymied in the process. Possible repercussions that might follow are:

1. West Bengal's image has been blemished - whosoever contemplating to invest in the state would do a rethink. When the Tata's (arguably the most socially responsible company in India) have been thwarted, who would dare to put on the same shoes!! The State Government may point to MoUs worth millions of rupees, but they are just that - MoUs. The companies are not legally bound to set up the projects.
2. I have visited at least 5 states witnessing an industrial boom in India and have seen how the flourishing industries open a floodgate of opportunities to people belonging to every strata of the society. Bengal has lost the chance once again!
3. The rollback of the Tata Motors from the state will have an effect on the existing industries as well. Any expansion plan will be put under the scanner. The Information Technology industry is going to get hit most definitely - no new companies would seriously consider Kolkata as plausible destination. More importantly, tit-a-tit with seasoned software professionals from Bengal revealed a reluctance among them to return to their home city, unless constrained by some compulsion.
4. Unlike the relatively bigger states, West Bengal has a very high percentage of its land under cultivation - unless ALL concerned stakeholders arrive at a consensus on land acquisition to facilitate setting up of industries, trouble can brew again. Most industrialists will not be keen to move to far off places (from Kolkata) having limited connectivity to set up their plants. To tackle this issue requires developing infrastructure and profound foresight from the administrators (read, the goodwill of politicians). Does West Bengal have such administrators? It pains me so much to raise this question - it was once told by Gopal Krishna Gokhale about this very state that "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow".
5. Lastly, I am sure every person in the state would vouch for a more responsible opposition (applies to every democracy the world over) - an opposition which would fight for a cause at the very onset and would not wait for two years after its commencement (Land acquisition for the Nano project started in July 2006) to launch an overzealous attack.

The biggest farce in the largest democracy of the world is that the wishes of the people are rarely fulfilled; instead whims of a few (irresponsible) leaders rule the roost. The proponents of the constitution of this sovereign socialist secular democratic republic would have fainted to see the present manifestation of their hard work!!

Management Lessons from "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" (1957)

Few days back, I chanced to watch the film Do Aankhen Barah Haath on a Sunday morning, courtesy my good friend Samik. No, I will not divulge the plot of the film; instead I would discuss some 'defining' aspects of the plot.

The film is based on the theme of 'trust'. Many a leader, both spiritual and political, lay utmost stress on 'faith' on the goodliness of people. Swami Vivekananda said that it is a sin to lose faith on people. But then, history is witness to ample incidents of misuse of 'trust'.

How then is "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" different in dealing with the subject? Always remind the people about the trust laid on them. This will arouse their conscience. Make them aware of their responsibilities. This will prevent them to shy away from their responsibilities. Make them realize that failure from their part might jeopardize the person who trusts them so much.

In short, modern managers need to do a lot of talking with the people to make them work for the team and the organization. Usually, all of us work for our own selfish goals.

On the same day, I visited a book shop and came across the book The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey (for the more inquisitive minds - this person is the son of Stephen R. Covey, author of the best-selling book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"). What a co-incidence!!! Captain Haddock would certainly have shouted "Blistering Barnacles" in his own inimitable gesture. This book bares the hidden component behind every business - TRUST - between businesses, between employers and employees, between a business and the customers - the list goes on...

A quick browse through the book convinced me that modern business leaders do endorse the theme so well-conveyed in the 1957 Bollywood film.

Visits to Kanchipuram and Pondichery

Back from a short hiatus. To be honest, I was enjoying the pampering by my parents at Chennai! They visited Chennai for the first time.

And yes!! Their visit gave me a chance to break free. The travel freak in me was awakened. The proceedings started with a short tour to Vivekananda House (Vivekanandar Illam) that overlooks the Marina Beach. The collection of photographs pertaining to Swami Vivekananda deserves the highest accolades. One can visualize the life of Swamiji through those photographs. ALL Bengalis visiting Chennai and EVERYONE idolizing Swami Vivekananda ought to visit this place.

I was most enchanted by the Meditation Hall. I can't say why, but I was charmed and attracted by the ambience of the place. With my parents and wife accompanying me, it was not possible to spend a substantial amount of time inside the Meditation Hall. But I bet, I am going to go back there. And soon!

We visited Kanchipuram and Pondichery in the next 2 days.

On the way to Kanchipuram is the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur, erected at exactly the place where the former Prime Minister was assassinated. We could not get down there, but I managed to take a snap of the Memorial.


Kanchipuram has temples in abundance, very similar to each other in architecture. But I found the Kailashnathar Temple to be most aesthetically pleasing. Surprisingly, this temple was the least crowded. Lack of Shaivites among the local people may be the reason, not very sure though! Among all the priests of the various temples, the priest in this one seemed to observe at least some penance. Elsewhere, they are busy collecting entry fee from camera holders. I must admit that they are tech-savvy indeed, otherwise why will the entry fee of a digicam be double that of a conventional film camera! Handloom shops, selling mostly Kanchipuram Silk, flourish in the entire town. The owners are Tamil, but surprise, surprise!! They talked to us in Bengali. A deeper inquisition from our part revealed that businessmen from West Bengal form a significant part of their customer base. Perhaps the major part.

The day we visited Pondichery was extremely hot - our entire energy was sapped by the time we returned home. There are 2 significant and 1 semi-significant areas worth mentioning. The Aurobindo Ashrama is a serene and calm place, ideal for meditation and introspection. The Auro-Ville has its own rustic charm. The Matri-Mandir inside Auro-Ville is an awe-inspiring structure. The guide from the place claimed that 20 KG of gold has been used to wrap the discs that form the structure. Quite possible! The semi significant aspect I mentioned earlier is the food at Jubilee Hotel - anyone wishing to try simple Bengali food - Machher jhol/jhal aar bhat - go straight to this place perched on a terrace. Just ask any localite for the direction.

How about celebrating Independence Day at midnight?

This makes more sense, isn't it? After all we received our (formal) Independence at midnight. "At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom." - The effect of these great words by the first Prime Minister of the new born country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, is largely diluted in the present context of celebrating Independence Day on the morning of 15th August.

If we can keep awake to welcome the New Year at the stroke of night, why cannot we celebrate our Independence Day exactly at the moment when it was originally acquired? I do not see any passion among today's youth towards the most glorious day in the history of our motherland. Most of us are late risers and are used to extended sleep timing on holidays. Alas! 15th August has lost its relevance and has become just another such holiday.

Let's celebrate our independence at the stroke of midnight of 15th August every year. It is unconstitutional to hoist the flag before the Prime Minister of India does the honours at the Red Fort. Can the Prime Minister take the initiative to bring back the passion for our Independence Day? I am certain a lot of people will revisit the entire Independence Day saga with renewed enthusiasm.

Time for new thoughts.

Jai Hind.

Ode to the real brave hearts!

Today, I was spectator to what shall be one of “the shows” I have ever watched in my life. I watched the combat exercise of most probably one of the MiG variants (I am not much knowledgeable about the various fighter jets, but comparing the relative shapes of the jets the Indian Air Force possesses at http://indianairforce.nic.in/ -> Know Us -> Our Strength, it appears to me that the jet was a MiG).

And what a treat it was for the eyes! The exercise continued for about 5 minutes, starting with the jet flying with its wings in the vertical position (a 90 degree tilt from the normal position of any aircraft - that's when I first caught sight of the flying black bird piercing the blue and partly cloudy sky). Seconds after, the jet came into the normal flying position to execute a complete vertical loop, during which, at the top of the loop, I could clearly see the cockpit to be upside down! Just imagine! Have you ever tried the Shirsha-asana? Then you will know how it feels when the natural flow of the blood is directed towards the brain instead of the legs! And this guy, the pilot, moved into a similar position mid air, about a kilometer above the ground, travelling at a speed greater than Mach 1! God damn! Ludicrous! Fanatical! How does he do it!? What's going on at the back of his mind at that juncture!? Is he thinking at all!? What challenges and threats do we talk about in our life, we who have their feet always on the ground? Overwhelming number of questions and thoughts pounded my brain as my adrenaline started flowing as I kept staring high up in the sky. Then it was time for the beast and its master to perform a horizontal loop, the entire loop executed with the wings in a vertical position! I do not have enough literary prowess to pen down the scintillating display of daring skills. But I am sure each one of us will feel the thrill given a chance to behold the exercise.

On the eve of our country's 61st Independence Day, I could not find a better or more significant theme to write about. Each and every person from the country must be grateful to these brave hearts, who embed the stunts, unimaginable to most, as part of their professional duties. Thank you, brave hearts, for protecting the country and making us feel so safe. Your accomplishments make me even more proud about my country!

IIT chiefs are now thinking beyond JEE

This blog is in response to an article published in The Times of India (Bangalore edition) on 31 July 2008 - "IIT chiefs are now thinking beyond JEE".

The article brings forth the views of the Directors/Dean, all of whom are eminent educationists by their own right, of several IITs on the effectiveness of the IIT-JEE as the sole assessment method to admit students to this group of institutes of international repute, keeping in perspective the proliferation of the so called Coaching Institutes for the IIT-JEE.

The educationists are unanimous in their opinion that the JEE perhaps does not serve its intended purpose any more, which is to choose the brightest of minds from the entire nation. The JEE, they say, pick up the trained minds instead of the most intelligent ones.

Any doubts on their apprehensions? I have always felt that the mushrooming Coaching Centres, with their "assured rank or money back guarantee" slogan, have tilted the scale for success towards the students with means, rather towards students with merit. The IIT-JEE Study Centres, which command fees as hefty as INR 100000 or even more, have virtually pushed a class of students from the lower strata of the society out of contention from IIT-JEE selection. The question of getting into one of the IITs has become synonymous with the affordability of attending these Study Centres. Unfortunately, this is in stark contrast to the philosophy behind the establishment of not only the IITs but also the Indian Institutes for Science, Medicine and Management.

The scenario is not an isolated occurrence; similar situations exist wherever there is a nationwide test conducted for a few available positions, and certainly coveted ones at that, most notable being the entrance tests to the IIMs (the famed and much-hyped CAT, which I consider more to be an elimination test than a test to assess the suitability of a person to be a manager/business leader/entrepreneur) and to the Civil Services. There is a certain degree of difference though between the students preparing for the IIT-JEE and the other entrance tests mentioned above. Since, most of the candidates appearing in the CAT and the Civil Services examinations are working graduates, the contenders themselves can arrange for the money required to enroll to the Study Centres, if they intend to.

This is not the case for IIT aspirants, mostly school goers without substantial (if any, at all) income of their own, whose parental affluence determine whether they would be fortunate to take up a IIT-JEE preparatory course. They can not even arrange for the costs from any bank loan. So, one group of aspirants prepares with the aid of merit and money, but another group is forced to do away only with merit.

Apart from creating this bias, the importance of the entrance tests has resulted in other problems to crop up - pilferage of questions (and subsequent sale of these questions in the gray market) and even suicide of unsuccessful candidates (fools, who equate the value of life to a mere failure, do not deserve to be at IITs!!). On the question leaks, we have seen this happen for every major entrance test in the last 5 years and heard the police claiming to have nabbed the perpetrators. I have a question to the readers though - were our policemen and administration successful in 100% of those cases - that is whenever there was a leak, was it found out? I leave it unto the readers to draw the conclusion and imagine the repercussions from the conclusion they arrive at.

So, what is the solution to this academic and social menace? The academics from IITs are thinking on the problem and the article referred to in the first paragraph shed some light on their thoughts. I am not going to reiterate them here, but let me suggest a couple of alternatives/enhancements to the present system of evaluation. Most students make getting into IIT as their ultimate goal in life and neglect the studies for board examinations. To discourage this practice, the IITs may allow only the top students (say top 5%) of each of the state/central boards of education to seat for IIT-JEE. This will reduce, if not eliminate, the tendency of students to devote more time, money and effort to the IIT Coaching Centres than to the board examination syllabus. Further, I think there is no better way than to meet a person face to face to find out how smart and intelligent he/she is. This will be a daunting task considering the fact that around 3 times the actual intake has to be called for interview to make this option effective. But then, when the reputation is at stake, extra effort is warranted to rectify the loss. The IITs might also consider doing a more holistic assessment of the candidates by taking into account co-curricular achievements of the students, say, performance in (science) quizzes, various inter school competitions and participation and performance in various National Level competitions. One might argue that these measures are not going to benefit the economically backward students directly, but sure they will make the affluent students devote more time to build up a profile rather than to rely on a paid professional spoon feeding the requisites.

Summing up, the eminent academics from the IITs have found the root cause and I believe, given their stature, the steps in the right direction will follow. Steps which are long overdue.

Reminiscence ... of blast !!

As the news of serial blasts at Bangalore came pouring in at the office and everyone's face reflected a blend of emotion of sheer disbelief (Why Bangalore!), concern and fear, my mind went into flashback mode and travelled about 11 months back - to Hyderabad.

August 27 and 28, 2007, Monday and Tuesday respectively, were holidays at my office on the occasion of Onam and hence made a great opportunity to make a moderately long trip to Hyderabad on that weekend. So my wife and I started from Chennai on the evening of 24th August, a Friday, with all the enthusiasm in the world.

We disembarked at the Kachiguda Railway station around 7 'o clock the next day. We checked in at The Asoka, a decent hotel, which is very near to both the Nampally railway station (where we had to catch our return train) and Lumbini Park, from where all the local operators start the City Tour.

We were in no mood to waste even an iota of time. Just went in the room to dump our baggage, got fresh and came out to venture to the well known Ramoji Film City that very day. We did not rely on any tour operator for visiting the Film City - we boarded onto a local bus from the nearest bus terminus (the hotel authority was very cordial indeed and gave us the direction to the same and arranged for an auto rickshaw) and reached Ramoji Film City in an hour. We spent the entire day at the Ramoji Film City, watching the various shows, looking at the various buildings & fountains and most importantly venturing out into the splendidly maintained gardens and meadows.

We came back to the same bus terminus from where we started in the morning and took a stroll to the hotel, since our morning experience suggested that the distance from the bus terminus to the hotel would be less than a kilometre. As we did some shopping along our way back, we were completely unaware of what news awaited us back in the hotel.

We were back into the hotel by around 8:00 PM, took the keys from the reception and did not pay much heed to all the violent stuff being broadcast in the local Telugu channel. We keyed into the hotel room, switched on the TV to check out whatever unpalatable programmes the channels are trying to force unto us. My wife went to the bathroom to freshen up and as I reached one of the English news channels while surfing, I was dumbstruck - Hyderabad had been ripped apart by at least 2 high intensity explosions between 7:00 PM and 7:30 PM. By around 8:30 PM live explosives had been defused in at least 4/5 different places. It was chaos and mayhem, blood and death in all the channels.

We had planned to take the city tour the next day, i.e. on Sunday, the 26th. I realized that it would not be possible to take the next day's tour; I even contemplated whether it would be prudent to continue the Hyderabad tour at all. But it was not easy, probably impossible, to arrange for 2 return tickets for Chennai on Sunday. In the meantime my wife joined me and she was visibly extremely upset, and admittedly not without a reason. This was our first trip together since last January and we had to think of abandoning the tour well before midway!! Terrible, especially when it was being forced on us by some incidents for which we could not be held responsible in any way! But such is life, it fuels itself from compromise.

For some time I could not hold onto to my temper, cursed the miscreants for their cowardly act - the people who did not have the courage to face the world to battle it out; instead planted bombs in crowded areas, targetting and killing innocent people while they themselves enjoyed the dreadful scenes from the their safe haven. Then I became philosophical - I could not find a single convincing reply to the query - "Why? Why do they do it? Why do not they live and let others live? After all we have only one life to live - no one ones whether we come back for a second stint". I was sad, in fact I felt extremely depressed for some time. Then I shrugged myself off. I had to think of our course of action - to stay or not to stay at Hyderabad, to continue or not to continue the tour.

We plunged into deep thoughts; the only solace was that the 2 of us were together. More shots of the scene were exposed in the TV channels, shots of mangled bodies and parts of them. The 2 blasts had taken place at Gokul Chat Bhandar, a very popular fast food centre and at Lumbini Park, a well known tourist centre. The common element that binds the places together is that both the places remain most crowded in the evening, and the goons had chosen their time well. In the meantime, I went to the front desk of the hotel and queried about the relative locations of the 2 blast sites with respect to the hotel. Gokul Chat Bhandar was around 800 metres from the hotel and 200 metres from the bus terminus where we disembarked in the evening while returning from Ramoji Film City and Lumbini Park was about 2.5 kilometres from the hotel!! Further, I found out that the final destination of the daily city tours was Lumbini Park, the buses finally drop the tourists there for them to enjoy the famed Hussain Sagar Lake, the Necklace Road and the Laser shows at Lumbini Park.

The deep thoughts now directed me to think about the quantum of luck we had. We had planned to take the City Tour on Sunday. What would have happened, had the terrorists planned to carry our the blasts a day after than it was originally done!! Unthinkable - probably I would not have enjoyed the privilege of listening to the news of the Bangalore blasts on 25th July, 2008.

The next day (Sunday) we stayed back into our hotel room, but after much deliberation and consultation with the hotel authority we decided to go out to visit some of the nearby places of attractions. We left the hotel around 3:00 PM, visited the Salar Jung Museum first and then we moved towards, guess what, the Charminar - arguably the most communally sensitive place at Hyderabad, more so because of its proximity to the Mecca Masjid (notably, a blast occurred at Mecca Masjid just months before, on 18 May 2007). So, there we were - in the most sensitive area of Hyderabad, not even 24 hours after the city had seen the worst act of terrorism in its century old history. I suddenly felt privileged, fearless, blessed, endowed with opportunity and what not!! I took a lot of snaps of the Charminar, though I felt the monument did not look as grand as it does in photographs. We stepped into the Mecca Masjid complex (I was really surprised that people are allowed to enter the complex without security check of any sort), just a stones throw away from the Charminar, in a short while. Lo and behold the architecture! There it stood, the stupendous structure, its grandeur increased manifold by the golden light of the setting sun. The Charminar was visible from the Mecca Masjid and that gave me a great subject for photography!!

We did not wait till dark - made sure that we started for the hotel well on time before the sun sets completely. While coming back, we had to cross a cordoned off area where one side of the 2-way road was blocked. As the auto-rickshaw passed by, I could read the name of a burnt out and heavily damaged shop - Gokul Chat Bhandar. Thrilling!! So much of experience all in a few hours time :-).

We faced no problem during the rest of the tour - took the APSRTC conducted City Tour (this tour comprehensively covers most places of interest in and around Hyderabad) the next day (Monday, the 27th) which took us to some splendid places like The Birla Temple, the Golconda Fort, the Nizam's Silver Jubilee Museum, the Chow Mahalla Palace Complex as well as to the places we had visited the day before.

We had our return train on Monday evening. We went to the Railway Station directly after the tour. This was a memorable tour indeed - our only regret was to miss the Hussain Sagar Lake, the Necklace Road and Lumbini Park ... by a whisker!!