Sunday, October 24, 2010

Rural Illumina - A memorable Khichdi

- Piyushi Sobti, PGHR 2010-12

As the countdown began, our excitement level rose. Rural Illumina was happening after a gap of two years and we were going to be a part of it! All preliminary arrangements done, props made and roles practiced, 16th October dawned bright to find a group of over 50 Mandevians- Illuminatis and volunteers- raring to go. An hour's drive later, we found ourselves in the village of Pataudi, in a 100-year old Mela we were proud to be a part of. The tents were still only partially up and we had around four hours to complete the entire set-up before the crowds started pouring in. In the next few hours, the place transformed in front of our eyes. Rooms were demarcated, props put in place, costumes donned, stomachs filled, Airtel Dish TVs installed and Tata BP Solar Appliances ready to be advertised!

What we saw and experienced once the Mela began was nothing short of thrilling and unique. Expecting a good response, we had already enlisted Police help for security and narrowed our entrances to allow respondents in one at a time, so that we could record their responses to the Market Researches. The response was indeed phenomenal! From five-year olds to 80-year olds, the curiosity around the ‘Kaun Banega Dabbang ka Robinhood’ and ‘Khichdi’ tents spread like wildfire! So much so that some of the Mela-visitors actually suspected that we were hiding Salman Khan inside the tents! Our boys, with the help of the Police, could just about keep the crowds from mobbing us. Meanwhile inside the tents, multiple Hansas and Babujis, Maa’s and Rajjo’s, Chulbul Pandeys and Makkhi Singhs were busy interacting with the respondents.

Delighted at our success and tired to the bone, we saved up just enough energy within ourselves to arrive at MDI at the end of the day and dance behind the Dholwala in each corridor of CM and Odyssey, declaring the triumph of Rural Illumina to one and all.

In the words of an Illuminati, “…it was a memorable Khichdi... and we hope to create DA BANG on 31st again.”

2010 Square by The Sarcaustics (PG10)

The huge mass moves together. It is a suit-maker’s delight: Reid and Taylor may as well drop Amitabh Bachchan and just put up a photo of this venue in their adverts. Suddenly, a number would be announced, the mass would open up for a second and a solitary figure would emerge, hoping to return with a smile on the face and a spring in the step. Sometimes, there is ecstasy; sometimes, disappointment. The mass continues to soldier on, getting smaller with passing time.

Suddenly, the voice from the sky booms out my number. The mass opens up in front of me, and I see the world outside. There are others like me, hoping that this be their final attempt. It almost feels like a stage of Contra, where all fights are boss fights. After this fight, I come back and rejoin the mass. Sometime later, my name is called out. The boss fight is over: I have won. The mass gets smaller. I look around and see a tall fellow. He seems to be surveying everyone present with stony eyes. I try to read his mind, but my short stature prevents any form of mental contact. I stand up, and try again...

Summers were late. Usually they end by June, followed by heavy rain till September, but here they started on 20.10.2010. Suit-boot pehen ke sab mess mein. The tension of Day Siphar writ large on their face. Little did they know the type of mess would soon change.

At 8 a.m., The Placecom Toughie (lol) called up some numbers. Those lucky people were told that for the rest of the day, their favourite word would be tanki. And then the procession began. Numbers called. Numbers logging out. Numbers logging in. Numbers signing out. Ramanujan and Aryabhatta would have been proud.

A projection showed the ones who could loosen their ties, at least till the next Sintex-related opportunity arose. The rest of the procession marched on, unendingly, from The Horizon to The Family of Teachers, from The Athenian Temple to Bihar, and from The Target to Taxila. And yet, apart from the rest, sat another group among them, slowly but surely confident that they were in more than one kind of mess.

By the afternoon, everybody was in tune with Surf Excel’s theme. Daag acche hain (Spots are good). Warm applause for the latest dhabba. Even cleanliness freaks and pimple-repelling (I don’t have a suitable word here, so I’ll go for) people were desperate for that one elusive dhabba.

One spot to rule them all
One spot to find them.
One spot to bring them all
And in the joy and sadness, bind them


By the time the Sipher had passed, there was, at best, muted celebration. Though 2 more days remained, self-doubt had started creeping in. Somewhere, creases of the brow reigned. Somewhere else, salt water ki nadiyan. And among them, and yet separate from them; exhausted but relieved, ready for the challenge next day; stood a band of soldiers with a mission. What had started well must be brought to its rightful conclusion.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Visions: What limits us?

- Rohan Pai, PGHR 2010-12

This was the million dollar question that came up in our strategy class, thanks to the thought provoking session by our Business Strategy Formulation Professor, Dr. Harsh W Mishra. The question became even more interesting when the vision – ‘A World without Poverty’ - was discussed. When we were asked to imagine what such a world would be like, many of us expressed it as being “idealistic”, “utopian” or “difficult to imagine”. Of course we would like to live in such a world but given the economic, social and political scenarios prevailing today we find it hard to imagine such a world. It is not that our vision is limited but that we looked at the issue from a practical point of view.

Many questions blur our vision as we think of a world without poverty: Are there enough resources to fulfill this vision? Will there ever be equitable distribution of resources? Is the inherent selfishness of businesses the hindrance? Even if we close in on attaining the vision, will it be sustainable?

Let us consider the question on sufficiency of resources. The major hindrance we face in this regard is that growing population will keep demanding more and more resources and greater the population growth, more the probability that there will be a section of society that is not able to get enough. Consider that few decades ago we had a clear divide in the rural and urban India. But today the divide has reduced to the extent that people from rural India have migrated to the urban or more developed areas and many of these families are much better off than they were few decades ago. Similarly growth and development has percolated to many rural areas and many of these are experiencing a better standard of living. However, a majority of our population still lives below the poverty line because both the urban and rural population grew uncontrollably and the allocated resources didn’t reach all of them. So, concrete steps need to be taken on planning and creating mass awareness, especially at the bottom of the pyramid. Providing necessary control measures to check population growth will benefit all.

Next, the question was on equitable distribution of resources and the inherent selfishness of businesses. It is imperative that there has to be a collective effort on CSR as efforts and benevolence of individual personalities and firms would neither be all pervading nor a long term solution. Also what we need to understand is that the basic concept of the market is that the businesses out of their own selfish motives allocate and utilise resources efficiently for their own benefit and the output ultimately benefits not only them but also the economy. This is what economists call ‘the invisible hand’ guiding the process. The inherent selfishness of business might not be all that is to be blamed as it has provided growth to the private sector and ultimately the economy, without which there would have been much less growth, employment, output and many more poor people. So the Microsoft vision of ‘a PC in every home running Microsoft’ might be motivated by profit but it has benefited people and businesses worldwide.

The requisite growth has been achieved by our economy but have the generated resources over the years been utilised efficiently and have all of the resources allocated on social development actually reached where they were supposed to?

The next big question is about the sustainability of the vision. If the needs of all the poor are fulfilled and they are provided the basic food, clothing and shelter, will it be sustainable, considering the strain on the economies and the resources? Probably not. Just satisfying the needs of the poor is a short-term solution. Allocating a larger proportion of social development resources to empowering an increasing proportion of the needy to earn on their own through local employment or what we know as ‘dhanda’ might be a long term solution. And one day we might be able to envision ‘A World without Poverty’ without many doubts.

Visions - Rohan Pai, PGHR 2010-12

Visions : What limits us?

This was the million dollar question that came up in our strategy class, thanks to the thought provoking session by our Business Strategy Formulation Professor, Dr. Harsh W Mishra. The question became even more interesting when the vision – ‘A World without Poverty’ was discussed. When we were asked to imagine what such a world would be like, many of us expressed it as being “idealistic”, “a utopia” or “difficult to imagine”. Of course we would like to live in such a world but given the economic, social and political scenarios prevailing today we find it hard to imagine such a world. It is not that our vision is limited but that we looked at the issue from a practical point of view.
Many questions blur our vision as we think of a world without poverty – ‘Are there enough resources to fulfill this vision? ‘, ‘Will there ever be equitable distribution of resources?’, ‘Is the inherent selfishness of businesses the hindrance? ’, ‘Even if we close in on attaining the vision, will it be sustainable?’
Let us consider the question on sufficiency of resources. The major hindrance we face in this regard is that growing population will keep demanding more and more resources and greater the population growth, more the probability that there will be a section of society that is not able to get enough. Consider that few decades ago we had a clear divide in the rural and urban India. But today the divide has reduced to the extent that people from rural India have migrated to the urban or more developed areas and today many of these families are much better off than they were few decades ago. Similarly growth and development has percolated to many rural areas and many of these are experiencing a better standard of living. However, a majority of our population still lives below the poverty line because both the urban and rural population grew uncontrollably and the allocated resources didn’t reach all of them. So, concrete steps need to be taken on planning and creating mass awareness, especially at the bottom of the pyramid. Providing necessary control measures to check population growth will benefit all.
Next, the question was on equitable distribution of resources and the inherent selfishness of businesses. It is imperative that there has to be a collective effort on CSR as efforts and benevolence of individual personalities and firms would neither be all pervading nor a long term solution. Also what we need to understand is that the basic concept of the Market is that the businesses out of their own selfish motives allocate and utilize resources efficiently for their own benefit and the output ultimately benefits not only them but also the economy. This is what economists call ‘the invisible hand’ guiding the process. The inherent selfishness of business might not be all that is to be blamed as it has provided growth to the private sector and ultimately the economy, without which there would have been much less growth, employment, output and many more poor people. So the Microsoft vision of ‘a PC in every home running Microsoft’ might be motivated by profit but it has benefited people and businesses worldwide.
The requisite growth has been achieved by our economy but have the generated resources over the years been utilized efficiently and have all of the resources allocated on social development actually reached where they were supposed to?
The next big question is about the sustainability of the vision. If the needs of all the poor are fulfilled and they are provided the basic food, clothing and shelter; will it be sustainable, considering the strain on the economies and the resources? Probably not. Just satisfying the needs of the poor is a short term solution. Allocating a larger proportion of social development resources to empowering an increasing proportion of the needy to earn on their own through local employment or what we know as ‘dhanda’ might be a long term solution. And one day we might be able to envision ‘A World without Poverty’ without many doubts.

Commonwealth Games 2010 – Food for thought!

- Dilip MS

Just over a fortnight back, apprehension pervaded throughout the country over the success of the biggest event we have ever hosted till date. The spark started somewhere in July, when the Indian media discovered financial irregularities in the proceedings leading up to the games. Gradually, the symptoms started to surface with every passing day. The media went bonkers in reporting some of the inexplicable dealings that were taking place and the country was dazed by the barrage of doubts raised over the dubious dealings of our officials.

The situation exacerbated as games drew closer; preparations were way behind schedule. Reports of dogs and snakes in athletes’ rooms coupled with water-logging due to incessant rain almost spelt doom for the games. The village was declared unfit to live in by CWG supervisors, and major athletes started backing out and postponing their arrival. The collapse of a footbridge and a fragile ceiling made the crisis spin out of control and got the attention of major international broadcasters. The purpose of showing India’s prowess in hosting such games was defeated, and the Incredible India hit its nadir. The crisis made even optimists doubt India’s capability to host the CWG. With this, the government stepped in, and the Prime Minister himself pledged to take matters into his own hands.

With a week to go for the games, the mess had to be cleaned up before the athletes arrived. The overnight parachuting of a huge number of labourers and supervisors helped to ease the infrastructural and hygienic concerns. Thanks to their efficiency, things started to look up for the games.

A widely-praised opening ceremony on October 3 helped improve the image of games in particular and the image of India in general. Over the course of the games, the limelight shifted totally on to the athletes. India celebrated every medal and the associated sportsperson. India finished second with 38 gold medals, behind Australia. In spite of the grave concerns and embarrassment due to allegations and mismanagement, this is believed to be the best phase for Indian sports as we showcased our sporting prowess in many games besides the 2-0 win over Australia in Test cricket.

Eventually the Commonwealth Games 2010 turned out to be the most expensive Commonwealth games ever with the total cost of Rs.300 bn. Nonetheless there is a point to ponder over. Should we as a developing country splurge our tax collection on such a mega event when our politicians are eternally corrupt?

We have managed to conduct Asian Games earlier, Commonwealth Games now, maybe an Olympics later, but at what cost can we afford all this? A simple cost-benefit analysis shows that any country which hosts such events incur heavy losses wherein revenues does not justify the costs involved especially under corrupt administrative environs. Imagine the state of stadiums post games; they are of no use whatsoever. In cricket-preoccupied minds of us, do we really remember and revere the sportspersons who have done India proud on a world stage? Aren’t we better off by investing the same amount in improving the much needed infrastructure which could provide impetus for our growth?

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The other side of the coin - A finance student's perspective on b-schools and the importance of diversity of thought

“It’s better to be roughly correct, than to be precisely wrong” – J.M. Keynes



For ages, our teachers have cajoled us to challenge the accepted notions of reality, while being careful not to re-invent the wheel in the process. Out-of-the-box thinking has forever been glorified, while we fail to think well within it.



Though this note is written from the context of a finance student, the learnings are applicable to all. Rationality and scientific reasoning is propagated as the be-all-and-end-all in our schools, while simple logic is often ignored in the awe of mathematical and so-called scientific models. Every student of modern corporate finance learns to understand and apply the concepts of risk and reward to investments, but one never stops to question the validity of these mathematical measurements of irrational behavior. The importance of a course such as BFBV (behavioral finance and business valuation, taught by Professor Sanjay Bakshi), was truly brought to the fore today, as the very concepts of modern corporate finance, such as the EMH, Sharpe Ratio and the CAPM model, were challenged and proven to be incorrect not by mathematical proof, but by appealing to simple logic. The idea is not to disrupt the confidence of students who've understood modern corporate finance as the be-all-end-all of everything to do with the function. The idea then, is to expose them to alternative ideas, and force them to think, and take a call on what's right. We often pride ourselves as rationalists, and yet tend to oversee the simplest logical flaws around us. Every idea propagated in the BFBV course makes one sit up in awe, as cognitive dissonance hits the mind, and ideas stir the very foundations on which our past education has been based. This again, points to the importance of having a dichotomy in terms of thought, wherein one part of the mind is pulled in to the lure of mathematical interpretations of finance, while the other part develops the mindset of a true investor. Understanding the views of investment greats such as Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger, the BFBV student learns that the accepted notion of indexing, and the inability of a normal investor to beat the market should have been challenged even by the average student of finance. As the investment community genuflected to Nobel Laureates propagating rational models to explain irrational behaviour, simplistic thinking questioned why a rational investor would participate in a market which is unable to fetch him above average returns in any case! The BFBV course then, is important not just because of the ideas that one is exposed to, but also the mindset that one develops in the process. I guess it’d be just right to end this note with a thought from today’s class –



What you really want in a course on investing is how to value a business. That’s what the game is about. – Warren E. Buffet.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Copycat materialism is not working

Many cynics of the Emerging India/India Shining story or whatever one may call it point out the brashness of the new Indian middle class. Maybe it's a statement generalised from popular culture or from the tantrums of some of our sports personalities, but it is a perception that is perhaps being felt by foreigners as well.

In The Times of India, Dipankar Gupta talks about the importance of manners in the formation of a world-class middle class.

Catching up with the West begins with good manners; not cars, stereos or even blue jeans. It is simply a matter of putting the horse before the cart. Manners are all about how we treat others whom we don't know personally, and probably never will. If Europe has a head-start of more than a hundred years us, it is not because they got to commodities first. The advantage they sprung on the rest of the world was in evolving social manners. While we were still aspiring to be good clients to mercurial patrons, they were learning to treat their social others as equal overs


Gupta refers to a 1873 book The Essential Handbook of Victorian Etiquette by Thomas E Hill. It essentially dealt about manners, and how one ought to behave, both as individuals and as a society. Gupta ends the article with a question that we all must reflect upon.

... can we attain western living standards by pure material acquisition and emulation? We have tried that for years and yet 23 per cent of our people have to forego medical treatment because they cannot afford it. Further, about half our school-going children are unable to master a simple paragraph or compute elementary sums. Copycat materialism is clearly not working.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

One is equal to two makes for complicated math

The first reaction on reading the news was complete anger. Forget the toilet paper that cost 1600 bucks or the budget outlay that could have hosted a dozen Commonwealth Games, this was the real fiasco. A team did not know how many goals it needed to win by to make it to the next stage? Unpardonable.  Mind it, there were no other matches that could have had an impact, so the hazards of real-time calculation - as Shaun Pollock and the South Africans found out in the 2003 Cricket World Cup - weren't the issue.

It was no rocket science, but it cost the home team a shot at gold. A bit more reading, and the anger diluted to pity. Maybe the manager did not have a good Mathematics teacher in primary school. One who would emphasise on getting the method right, and rechecking a dozen times even when you are a 1000% sure of the answer. Or the fact that a simple concept such as goal difference wasn't so simple after all: when a goal is scored in a match, the goal difference between the two teams involved changes by two.

Here's what happened (the authors of this blog are not responsible if you bang your head and hurt yourself) according to Sify.com:

India needed to beat South Africa by a four-goal margin to advance to the semi-final on superior goal-difference, but eventually won 3-1.

However, manager of the team Rupa Saini informed the players that they had to win by over seven goals, according to coach Sandeep Somesh.

'Had we known that we had to win by four goals margin, we might have approached the game differently,' said Somesh at the post-match Media conference.

At the start of the game, South Africa had a goal-difference of +13 to India's +6. Thus, India had to win by a minimum of four-goal margin to boost their goal-difference that was taken into account to break the tie on points (7 each).

India team captain Surinder Kaur also said that the players were unaware of the four-goal margin. 'We thought it was seven,' she said.

Somesh refused to blame anyone but himself for the gross error in calculations and admitted that it did impact the team's approach to the game.


Anyways, the four-goal margin never materialised, even though the team was aiming for seven. The pressure would have been lesser had it been four, but the stakes were high nonetheless. But, at least nobody could have blamed the math then.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Red Tapism at its best: Navi Mumbai Airport

Very few infrastructure projects in India have been completed on time. In recent times, the project which is being widely discussed and debated in media circles is none other than Navi Mumbai International airport. The proxy war between Civil Aviation ministry and Environment ministry has continuously leads to modification and re-modification of the proposed design of the airport. The airport, which was first proposed in 1980s to decongest the ever growing traffic in Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai, has been in the state of limbo ever since. Opposition parties want the government to shift the proposed airport from Navi Mumbai to Rewas or Kalyan which will give the airport the scope to expand in the future. Maharashtra Government argues this proposition on the logic that the drive from the current location takes just 40 min drive to enter geographic limits of Mumbai while others locations are atleast 50 km away from Mumbai.

Who is to be blamed for the delay? Some say CIDCO needs to be blamed for planning without studying airport’s impact on the environment. Some blame the environmentalists and NGOs for always trying to oppose development without the understanding the ground realities and necessities. Few sceptics blame the Centre saying that it has always given preference to Delhi at the cost of Mumbai.

Whatever may be the real reason, the problems lies in the system itself. The Bureaucratic attitude has always been the one of the cause for hampering the development. There is no single window to submit grievances or get clearances for the project. Change in government also meant change in the criteria to obtain permissions. Big egos in governments have always played their part in delay. The ministers and bureaucrats in the government need to realise that the good infrastructure is necessary for the development of country. If they believe that any particular project may cause social or environmental damage, they should act accordingly rather than just sitting on the decisions which would in turn delay the implementation of alternatives.

Controlling cannabis

The debate over legalising recreational use of drugs has been on for ages. The US state of California is set to vote on Proposition 19 -  the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 - on November 2, and it appears as if economic considerations are outweighing ethical issues. One report that supports the economic benefits of legalising marijuana has been the new report from the International Centre from Science in Drug Policy, which suggests that current US policy has no effect on drug use or price. More from TIME Healthland:
While spending on federal drug law enforcement has increased 1,200% and marijuana arrests have risen 150% since 1981, the rate of marijuana use nationwide has bounced around, with no relationship to these efforts.

For the state facing a $19 billion budget deficit, legalising marijuana will help in cutting costs and increasing tax revenues.  However, there are concerns, as opponents have pointed out in The Washington Post:
They say the referendum would bar employers from firing stoned workers without proving first that they were impaired. That would mean school bus drivers, for example, could get high before climbing behind the wheel, according to critics.

Also, while the passing of the new Act would enable those over 21 to consume marijuana under California's laws, they would be in violation of the Federal laws in the US.

The economist Milton Friedman had some strong views on prohibition and drugs. Here's a link to an article written by him on the subject in the May 1, 1972 edition of Newsweek.

The Next Media Animation group from Taiwan has highlighted most issues as well as the repercussions of legalising marijuana by way of a rather funny video. If you don't understand the language, worry not for there are English subs.



So, will the increased tax revenues from legal sales of marijuana be nullified by corresponding decreases in sales of tobacco and alcohol products? Or will marijuana sales boost the sales of the rest? Also, will the big tobacco companies diversify their product line to include marijuana-based products? If California passes Prop 19, we may find out the answers in the years to come.

Please chip in with your thoughts on legalising drugs, and other related issues.

The era of Cybercom is here

A military general commanding a division on cyberspace sounds straight out of a new Hollywood thriller, but that's what General Keith Alexander will be doing at the US Cybercom, whose ambit is to defend Pentagon’s sprawling cyber networks and battle unknown enemies in a virtual world. More from FT.com:
Last year, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates declared cyberspace to be the “fifth domain” of military operations, alongside land, sea, air and­ space. It is the first man-made military domain, requiring an entirely new Pentagon command. That went fully operational a week ago, marking a new chapter in the history of both warfare and the world wide web.

The US is not alone. Many countries, including the UAE, China and India, have had issues with Research in Motion, the Canadian manufacturer of the BlackBerry, over e-mail encryption.
Russia has a slightly different approach. It has built up a monumental Big Brother appartus that goes under the acronym SORM-2. A copy of every little byte that goes in, out or across Russia is copied to a central storage computer in Moscow under the control of the FSB, the KGB’s successor. Should the organisation ever need the co-operation of a fellow citizen, then the information stored on the FSB’s computers can provide useful leverage to overcome any reluctance.

What's in store for regular users? Surely, not something as drastic as this?
China has argued that the next generation of computer users will need to pass the equivalent of a driving test before its members are allowed to surf parts of the web essential for day-to-day life. The idea has triggered a huge backlash among civil libertarians worldwide who warn that such a move would undermine completely the very freedoms that the internet was designed to promote

Friday, October 8, 2010

Does anyone want China to become another India?

voa_chinese_liuxiaobo_25nov09_300Who is Liu Xiaobo? The Chinese government would prefer if you didn't know. But, unfortunately, the Norwegian Nobel Committee knew and decided to award him the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. This, despite the protests from the Chinese government.

An excerpt from the citation of the Norwegian Nobel Committee:

Over the past decades, China has achieved economic advances to which history can hardly show any equal.

The country now has the world's second largest economy; hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty.

Scope for political participation has also broadened.

China's new status must entail increased responsibility.

China is in breach of several international agreements to which it is a signatory, as well as of its own provisions concerning political rights.

Article 35 of China's constitution lays down that "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration".

In practice, these freedoms have proved to be distinctly curtailed for China's citizens.

For over two decades, Liu Xiaobo has been a strong spokesman for the application of fundamental human rights also in China.

He took part in the Tiananmen protests in 1989; he was a leading author behind Charter 08, the manifesto of such rights in China which was published on the 60th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 10th of December 2008.

Leaders the world over have urged the Chinese government to release Liu. But, is China really concerned? Dissidents hardly have a voice within the country, and given China's economic strength, can countries really afford to take a "real stand" on its human rights violations? China too has been playing its cards smartly to further its geopolitical clout.

Unfortunately, though, this was not the main idea that we wanted to highlight through this post. It was this comment in response to the BBC news story on Liu being awarded the Nobel.
I think Western countries still view my country with prejudice. Maybe at the moment China is not as free as your country. But we can make decisions quickly which makes our government one of the most efficient in the world. Does anyone want China to become another India?

Wang Fan, Dalian, Liaoning

Wonder if Wang Fan is part of China's '50-cent party'.

Another '50-center' perhaps:
It is strange. In China, if you did a survey most would say this guy should be sent to the prison. If we followed his ideas, China would be unstable and that would be worse for most Chinese people. What do you think of the present situation in China? We have good economic situation and increasing living standard of the people. Is that not what the Norwegian people want? Or does the committee in Norway want a weak and backward China?

Jack, Shanghai

There are a few hailing the award, but the following comment shows the kind of media restriction that exists in the country:
As an editor for an English language newspaper on the Chinese mainland, I can say that the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo is going to cause a great many red faces in officialdom - and a quandary for the Chinese media. While most ordinary Chinese have not heard of Mr Liu (the media is forbidden from mentioning his name), the prominence of the award is such that even China's strict media controls will be unable to prevent this news from circulating.

Robert, China

Well, every debate needs two opinions, and some like Vladimir Putin get girls posing for two very different kinds of calendars too.

To conclude, we leave you with another question: does anyone want India to become another China?

(Image copyright: VoA)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The rush for Gold

Its all over the news, its been a fairly decent outing at the Games for the Indian contingent, second only to the tough-as-nails Aussies. People are celebrating, some are mildly proud. There is, all in all, a feeling of euphoria in the air, something is well and truly at work. However, as we rejoice in our ongoing bullion conquests, its time we also ask ourselves: When is the next step?

Don't get us wrong, we are just as proud as almost everybody around us, all the laurels are well-deserved and well-earned. Yet, given the step-motherly treatment meted out to the "other" sports of India, this is probably as far that many athletes will go in their lifetime- their crowning glory, their moment of nirvana. However, to be well and truly a great sporting nation, we must excel at all levels of competition, against all odds. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, we're talking the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Wimbledon and you-name-it. Every once in a while, we have the Abhinav Bindras and the Rajyavardhan Singh Rathores. But, how often and how many? As a people who pride themselves in pragmatism, we definitely know better. And not just that, we also deserve better. So, what is it that prevents us from churning out Vishwanathan Anands the way we produce the Sehwags and the Yuvraj Singhs. Till when will our thirst for Grand-Slams be inadequately quenched by doubles and mixed doubles titles? When is it that we'll see a young Naga or Mizo lad score at Anfield and Stamford Bridge? How long shall we be myopic in our vision of sport? The cynosure of all eyes has always been firmly on The Gentleman's Game, and frankly, we're getting the headaches now.

Yes, we have some idea. Corrupt bureaucrats, lack of corporate funding etc. But what else? And as an intelligent and aware youth, can we do something about it? Are things changing? Or are we being overly cynical? Are we asking too many questions?

Maybe its because there aren't too many answers.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A tale of two Duttas

(Disclaimer: The below piece is a satire on the admission General Musharraf made today to the Der Spiegel magazine. It was written with no malice and no intention to offend. It was written with two motives: to make you either smile or cringe in pain. We hope to have succeeded in doing either. Details about the shocking confession (the real one) can be found here: http://bit.ly/9lqc9t. As for us at CorpCom, we are not surprised. We Indians may be a hankering and cacophonous lot, but our assertions are always based on sound reason and judgment. We are no war-mongers. As always, any comments on the disclosure and the attempt-at-humour below are welcome and desperately solicited)

J.P. Dutta's iconic 1997 movie 'Border' and former Miss World Lara Dutta were the primary inspiration for the 1999 Kargil War, according to a shocking new confession by the ex-President-cum-Prime-Minister-cum-Chief-of-Armed-Forces of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf. Addressing a banquet hall of slouching, yawning journalists who had expected the launch of another ghost-written 'sensational' book, General Musharraf responded to a question on ongoing war in Eye-raq thus:
" ...When fighting a war against a tyrannical oppressor and aggressor, every reason is justified and worth fighting for!..."

When further asked that what was it that was his inspiration when he led the war against India in Kargil in May 1999?, Gen. Musharraf replied:
"Thanks to the internet boom and the cheap pirated DVD business run by my very old friend Dawood, I chanced upon a copy of J.P. Dutta's Border. There is a scene in the movie when a Pakistani soldier captured by the Indian Army reveals Pakistan's deadly plans: 'Subah ka nashta Jaisalmer mein karenge... Dopahar ka khana Jodhpur mein karenge... Aur shaam ka, Delhi mein'. That was it, I thought, this is what i need to do in life. It would be a life changing experience. Think about it: You have Laal Maas for breakfast, Daal-Baati Churma for lunch and for dinner, its Sikandari Raan from Karim's topped off with some Giani's gelato. Not to forget that it would be a great cross country road trip on my new set of wheels-Pansy tanks from my little Red Chinese friends."

On whether the gastronomic urge was the only reason behind the War, Musharraf said:
"No, there was another woman-Lara Dutta. After Benazir left me for Prince Charles, I was heartbroken. Things did not make sense. I was caught in a never-ending spiral of guns and money. But then, I gathered from very well placed Bollywood sources in Dubai that Lara had the hots for me. He also told me that these 'filmy-types' like bad boys, the badder the better. Look at Monica Bedi, for example! I could very soon imagine the two of us walking barefoot, hand-in-hand along the length of Marine Drive, or riding the horse buggy in front of the Victoria Memorial. I had to regain my love"

When one of the more diligent journalists (who was overdosing and hence, delirious, on caffeine by now) quizzed Musharraf on his thoughts on Kashmir, he quipped:
"Kashmir? Yeah, its a beautiful place, I've seen pictures and all. I really want to go there sometime, but apparently there's a lot of fighting of some sort going on there, some independence stuff."

Soon after the news was posted on the net and flashed over the news, the entire country has been in a state of chaos. According to the latest reports, SRS (Slimy Rats Sene) activists protested at the sets of Lara Dutta's new movie, "Hum Dilwaale Deewane", to be directed by Karan Johar. According to eye-witness accounts, three imported cows, a Bugatti Veyron  and sets resembling Interlaken, Switzerland have been burnt at Ramoji Rava Film City. Karan Johar was quick to react, and he called on Raj Thackray, who called on his uncle Bal, who called on Javed Miandad, who called up his samdhi Dawood, who called up Pramod Muthalik. who called it quits. The matter has now been reported as calm and Pramod Muthalik is being treated for post-traumatic stress for the phonecall he received while "Hum Dilwaale Deewane" will release on Diwali, as scheduled.

In other news, Mahesh Bhatt has reportedly dropped Shoaib Akhtar from his latest movie "Main aur Meri Zillat" and plans to cast Gen. Musharraf instead.
"...I am thinking about it. We'll get some test shots of him with a handlebar moustache with a Harley Davidson jacket and an Armani bike... Lets see how it goes"

This is Musharraf's second attempt to enter the Bollywood industry, after unsuccessfully auditioning for a role that eventually went to star Emraan Hashmi opposite Manika Sherawat in the movie Murder. Legend has it that Emraan has thanked Musharraf 3,18,857 times since then.

-(With inputs from Carl Woodward and Bob Bernstein)

Ingit Tibrewal, The NH8 Journal

Monday, October 4, 2010

Mind it, it's Robot time!

Does the name Shivaji Rao Gaekwad sound familiar? Or should he be called ‘Superstar Rajni’, the title his most ardent fans bestow on him? Whenever a Rajinikanth movie hits the screens, it ushers in a period of great festivity for all his fans across India. Huge cut-outs of Rajni are garlanded and bathed in milk. His fame spreads beyond Tamil-Telugu cinema- into the remotest nooks and crannies of India.

Last week saw the release of ‘Robot’- Rajnikanth’s latest movie. The week is not over but the movie has already broken many box-office records. Many have seen it, many more are dying to see it. There are even some who’d rather stay away. Anybody who wants to voice his opinion about this movie. Type away!

Road to the top - IM conquers KoK

- Anuj Mahajan

Big things come in Small packages.

[caption id="attachment_272" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="The victorious IM team"]The victorious IM team[/caption]

IM’s journey to the pinnacle of KoK success is the culmination of hard work, dedication and perseverance of the whole batch. One unique thing that about the batch is that they may disagree or crib about a number of things - ranging from academics to faculty to their super hectic schedule - but when it comes to sports, they have their hearts in the right place. How else do you explain a crazy Kshitij practicing alone at 6 pm right after classes, failing to understand the hue and cry behind the club selections around? Or Jatin playing badminton till daybreak, only to be shooed back into his hostel room by a faculty member who planned to take a morning walk? What do you think inspires Kabir and Indro to unfailingly turn up at 6 every evening on the football field and practice their religion irrespective of the volumes of after class and before class work assigned to them?

It is the one passion, the one inner desire, the ultimate nirvana each IMer craved for, the ultimate sporting glory in MDI: to be the King of Kings!

Having only 33 people in the batch and just 4 girls, we knew the numbers were never in our favour. Cheerleading was never our forte and to be honest we never even tried to match the firepower of HR in that aspect. Even when it came to CKK, we had that insipid project right before the main event. But when the day came, we at least put up a respectable show and did not come last, contrary to popular expectation. As one of us rightly said that day,
“We are here to win the sporting event KoK, the real thing, CKK is the consolation prize for the intellectuals.”
But one good thing that came out of CKK was that we managed to put up a show in two hours. Whatever we did, in the end, we left with the satisfaction of a job well done, a message loud enough for everyone else – “I AM what IM”.

It was cricket that came up first and with the fireworks of Jatin in the first league game and the Bevan-like finishing of Apurv in the second, we marched into the semis with our confidence sky high. Our bowling was looking good, fielding even better. Batting was a concern, especially at the top, but we knew we had enough big-hitters in our ranks to blow away the opposition.

But in the semis, a rain-marred game that had to be played the next day, we did not live up to expectations. Signs were looking ominous from the first over itself when Abhinav got hit for a flurry of boundaries and our bowling mainstay Hemant was also punished. But we had been in tougher situations before and still had our batting to follow. We did not have a good start and with the asking-rate spiralling, it was too much to expect from the lower order. It was a heart-breaking loss as we had high hopes in cricket. Guys like Kshitij and Mohit had put in a lot of effort, but destiny had other things in mind for us.

In tennis we had Sandeep Reddy, IM’s version of Rafal Nadal. In the first match he put up a heroic effort against Deepak from Section B but lost. But the good thing was that we discovered the talent of Christoff Neuner and were ready to unleash him for the remaining matches. From then on tennis was a cakewalk. Such was our dominance that in the final, in all the three matches we dropped only three-four games and eventually won our first 100 KoK points.

Then came football and badminton. Football was clearly a prestige issue. IM was the defending champion for two years running and there was no way in hell we could afford to lose. The league rounds were reasonably comfortable. Such was the extent of our dominance that our goalkeeper was hardly tested till the semis: there were less than five shots on our goal whereas we scored 13 in three games. The finals were a tense affair with HR proving to be a formidable opponent. They in no way resembled the team we had swatted past 3-0 in the league game. We were so used to a dominant position that with the score at 1-1 and 15 minutes to go, we were in for an exciting finish. But again, the talismanic Kabeer Singh Bedi and tireless workhorse Christoff sneaked in goals to give us a resounding victory.

All along, we had made our way to the badminton finals as well without many hiccups. Yogesh with his methodical approach to the game led a talented team comprising of Jatin, Mohit and Tanika. Tanika especially put in a lot of effort before the finals against Section B, practicing continuously for hours. Stakes were raised even high when we were tied with Section B on 200 points in the overall table before the badminton finals, making it a ‘Winner takes All’ match. Jatin lost the first set but eventually emerged the winner in his singles match. Yogesh then played against Karan in the ‘Match of the Tournament’ between the two best players in PG10 and emerged victorious with an astounding ease. But Tanika lost her singles despite putting up a brave front and Jatin-Adithya lost their doubles in three sets. It all boiled down to the mixed doubles where Tanika and Yogesh combined to defeat their very spirited Section B opponents and win KoK for IM in the process. For Yogesh, it was a special victory as he never lost a game or dropped a set throughout KoK.

Also worth mentioning is the effort put in by Raghav, Akshat, Himani, Manish and others to represent IM in table tennis, chess and volleyball despite our super hectic schedule and mid-terms. We did not win any of these but that does take away anything from their efforts.

In the end, it was the self-belief in each of us that made this possible. Each of us - whether playing, cheering, making posters for CKK, shrieking in support etc - played a crucial role all along. This was the event where we realised that it’s one’s tireless pursuit of passion that ensures victory and that sport is never a lone man’s battle, it is always the team that wins or loses in the end.

Hoping that upcoming IM batches take this year’s victory as an inspiration and uphold the tradition of IM being the best batch, at least in Sports!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Will India really outpace China?

Double-digit GDP growth may still be an elusive goal for India, but already analysts are predicting that the country will be growing faster than China - the champion of sustained double-digit growth in the past two decades - in a matter of few years. An article in The Economist states:


India’s GDP is expected to grow by 8.5% this year, and could grow even faster. Chetan Ahya and Tanvee Gupta of Morgan Stanley, an investment bank, predict that India’s growth will start to outpace China’s within three to five years. China will rumble along at 8% rather than double digits; India will rack up successive years of 9-10%. For the next 20-25 years, India will grow faster than any other large country, they expect. Other long-range forecasters paint a similar picture.


Among the advantages listed by The Economist in India's favour is its demography, with a strong surge expected in the percentage of the working age population in the coming years. The other is that India's growth has been fuelled primarily by the private sector and its entrepreneurs, while China's has been more state-driven.


If India keeps growing as fast as it is now, it will change the world. Optimists predict that it will be the next China, only friendlier and more democratic. Pessimists retort that such forecasts are over-spiced. They point out that India has a lot of catching up to do. China’s economy is four times bigger, so that even if India starts to grow faster, it will not overtake China for a long, long time. And they add that Indian businesses face several bottlenecks on the uneven road to growth.


Among the bottlenecks are the inadequate infrastructure, the lack of skilled workers, and corruption. Another article in The Economist lists them down:


For now, India’s problems are painfully visible. The roads are atrocious. Public transport is a disgrace. Many of the country’s dynamic entrepreneurs waste hours each day stuck in traffic. Their firms are hobbled by the costs of building their own infrastructure: backup generators, water-treatment plants and fleets of buses to ferry staff to work. And India’s demographic dividend will not count for much if those new workers are unemployable.


....


Given the choice between doing business in China or India, most foreign investors would probably pick China. The market is bigger, the government easier to deal with, and if your supply chain for manufactured goods does not pass through China your shareholders will demand to know why. But as the global economy becomes more knowledge-intensive, India’s advantage will grow.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

So many questions

- Mathew Varghese, PG10


To be frank, doesn't the judgment indirectly justify the vandalism that took place in 1992? Has the judiciary been swayed by the threat of communal violence and neglected its role on judging on the basis of facts and arguments alone?


What is the precedent that is being set here? That it's okay to engage in criminal acts of destruction as long as you can show some inconclusive proof of structures that existed in that place prior to the current structure or that a certain religious/influential figure was born there.


Tomorrow, maybe a certain race will prove that they are the original inhabitants of India, and that the rest encroached upon their territory using force and unjust means. Will we reach a compromise then, grant them a portion of the country's land and pack the rest in what's left?


The sad fact remains that our incredible politicians were responsible for this mess, cutting across party lines. For those who say time is the greatest healer, how long do you think it is going to take? Remember this is a country with a huge population, and we just represent a certain sub-section for whom the entire idea of 'let it be' is an attractive proposition since we don't want any disruptions in the 'Emerging India' story. Just think of the man who was betrayed on December 6, 1992 and has now been betrayed by the judiciary.


One more thought just to reinforce the point I've been trying to make. Imagine if the Babri Masjid had been a monument perhaps as popular as the Taj Mahal or among the top architectural marvels in the country. Now, consider the fact that the memorial was actually built destroying a previous structure that stood on the birthplace of Lord X, a widely revered figure in a certain community.


For some reason this particular community can't bear the fact that a 'holy site' pertaining to Lord X is the burial site of some queen who had a rather loving husband. They demand the building of a site dedicated to Lord X instead of the existing monument. There is enough evidence, though debatable, of Lord X's birthplace falling within the ambit of the structure.


In this case, though, nothing has been destroyed yet. Will the courts, hypothetically, rule that the disputed site be split on the lines of what it decided in the Ayodhya case?


After all, it's a similar situation to that of the Ayodhya title suit. So, technically, the principle and logic behind the judgment should remain the same. But, do you think the ruling would be similar?


What if the Babri Masjid has not been demolished? Would the courts have recommended demolition in order to let a temple be built? Unfortunately, the message being sent out is that had those vandals not done their job in 1992, victory would not have been possible for a certain community in Ayodhya.


Now, you can call it a just verdict. To me, it's just another flashpoint for communal disharmony, and the kind of triumphalism that was witnessed during the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Ayodhya verdict - Opinions from the papers

In The Hindu, distinguished historian Romila Thapar provides her perspective on the judgment.


What happened in history, happened. It cannot be changed. But we can learn to understand what happened in its fuller context and strive to look at it on the basis of reliable evidence. We cannot change the past to justify the politics of the present. The verdict has annulled respect for history and seeks to replace history with religious faith. True reconciliation can only come when there is confidence that the law in this country bases itself not just on faith and belief, but on evidence.


The majority verdict of the Allahabad High Court on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is a compromise calculated to hold the religious peace rather than an exercise of profound legal reflection, says an editorial in the same paper.


If overall the reaction from the public and from large sections of political opinion has been subdued, much of it has to do with the mood of the nation in which the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue does not find much traction any more — in striking contrast to the 1990s. On balance, the nature of the Allahabad High Court verdict should help the nation as a whole put a longstanding dispute behind. Secular India needs to move on and not be held hostage to grievances, real or imaginary, from the distant past. A great deal of the responsibility lies with political parties and religious groups to maintain harmony in the face of fundamentalist forces seeking to disturb the peace and profit from raising communal issues.


A real danger that the Ayodhya verdict will open the floodgates of uninhibited majoritarianism and perhaps, even a Hindu rashtra are grossly exaggerated, says Swagan Dasgupta in The Telegraph:


One of the features of the response of the organized Hindu camp to the verdict is the conscious show of restraint. The Hindutvavadis may have been pleased as punch that their central arguments were upheld by the court, but they have been very careful to not show it. This is on account of the realization that India is not in a mood for confrontational politics and that, unlike the 1990s, belligerence will be politically counter-productive. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, for example, is elated that the whole Ayodhya episode has elevated it to the status of being Hindu India’s most visible face. It would not like to compromise on that.


Shekhar Gupta answers a very important question in his column in The Indian Express:



The question everybody is asking is, can a mosque and a temple coexist? India is full of such places. My favourite is Kanchipuram, where the mutt of the Shankaracharya has a sizeable mosque next to it. What makes this spot so unique is that right across the street, sternly overlooking the mutt and the mosque, sits a bust of Periyar, the great atheist, iconoclast and the founder of the Dravida movement. An inscription under it reads:
There is no God,
There is no God,
There is no God at all,
The inventor of God is a fool,
The propagator of God is a scoundrel,
The worshipper of God is a barbarian.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Conscious Capitalism

To be conscious means to be awake, mindful. To live consciously means to be open to perceiving the world around and within us, to understand our circumstances, and to decide how to respond to them in ways that honor our needs, values, and goals…. A conscious business fosters peace and happiness in the individual, respect and solidarity in the community, and mission accomplishment in the organization.
Fred Kofman, Conscious Business

The above excerpt is taken from the Conscious Capitalism Institute’s website, which states that the notion consists of three key elements:


1. Each company should have a purpose that transcends profit maximization.


2. Companies should be managed for the benefit of all stakeholders in their ecosystem, not just shareholders.


3. Companies should be led by evolved, conscious servant leaders who are dedicated to the company’s higher purpose.


The Economic Times featured a few articles on conscious capitalism over the last couple of days. One was an interview with Dr Rajendra S Sisodia, chairman, Conscious Capitalism Institute, and co-author of the book ‘Firms of Endearment’. Few highlights from the interview:


Companies that embrace conscious capitalism are transformed at a deep level. They redefine their purpose away from profit maximisation to something that is deeply resonant with the needs of the world and the passions of their stakeholders. They give up on the false premise of shareholder primacy and focus instead on win-win value creation for all — an approach that ultimately rewards shareholders with superior financial returns as well as the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to impact the world for the better in multifaceted ways.



Companies that are truly conscious don’t need a separate CSR function, as they are responsible to society by definition. In our framework, the stakeholders are represented by the acronym SPICE: society, partners, investors, customers and employees. Society should be treated as the first stakeholder of any business, and every business must ensure that it is on the right side of society.


Also check out this feature on Indian companies that are pursuing conscious capitalism.


Finally, do watch this thought-provoking video. Slightly controversial, but it delivers a very strong message.




Thought for the day: As a lot of our left-leanings friends might ask, isn’t the term conscious capitalism an oxymoron?

It's not just what, but also how you say it

The bundle of The Times of India and The Economic Times at the doorsteps of hostelers at MDI offered an interesting insight to those who could read between the lines.


The front page of the Times of India read - "2 Parts to Hindus, 1 Part to Muslims" and a showed a map of the divided Ayodhya site. The front page of the Economic Times read - "Land divided, India United" and showed pictures of hope, peace, preparedness and prayer.


One story, two ways narrate it. One media conglomerate, two newpapers with differing styles.


Is the former a case of provocative writing and the latter of responsible writing? Or is it that the former is reporting the facts, and the latter feelings, personal or general?  How much should the media reflect public opinion and how much should it steer it? At what point does it cross the line?


These questions have always dogged society at large, with no conclusive answers. Perhaps it's best to deal with it on a case to case basis. An issue, as sensitive as this one, deserves sensitive reporting.


What was the best way to handle this bit of news? This byte? What is your opinion?