Finally Binayak is Free; Truth wins!

Today's hearing by Supreme Court of India for granting bail to veteran social activist Dr. Binayak Sen (from tribal areas of Chhattisgarh), represents one of the very few examples that prove the age old saying -'Truth wins'. 

Questions for Problem Finders (in Jan Lokpal bill)

A variety of articles are now pointing out some serious democratic blunders in the proposed Jan Lok Pal bill by Hazare. You can read some of them below:

• At the Risk of Heresy: Why I am not Celebrating with Anna Hazare
• Why Hazare's protest is very harmful for India in long run

The Two Point War between Anna Hazare and the Govt.

'Anna refuses to bend, Govt refuses to bend', says the latest headline on HT, as the 71 years old, veteran social activist enters into fourth day of his fast-unto death. 

Anna is getting support from all corners of the country. People from all walks of life, whether they are saints, retired judges, social activists, news media channels, bloggers, actors, other intelligentsia, and regular public are shouting their support for the new age mahatma. One of my friends says that, he is Mahatma Gandhi 2.0, because his personality is clean like Mahatma Gandhi, his cause is a noble one, he is getting support from everyone, and he is using the same method of protest that Gandhi used during India's freedom struggle against British Raj...

10 things that you should know about Anna Hazare and Jan Lok Pal Bill

1. Who is Anna Hazare?

A 71 year old, son of a farmer, an ex-army man, fought 1965 Indo-Pak War and a social activist.

2. What's so special about him?

He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahamad Nagar district, Maharashtra & fought for RTI act in India!

3. So what?

Hazare joined by thousands in his fight against corruption...

The veteran social activist, Anna Hazare has upped his fight against corruption by protesting in Delhi in support of Lokpal bill. Lokpal bill is supposed to stop the corruotion by politicians at states and center. After mass scale scams like 2G and CWG, the need of having one such bill is immensely being felt like never before.                                                                        

India lives the boyhood dream, but...

So finally, the 28 year wait ends for 1.21 billion Indians, India wins its second cricket world cup! I have no doubt that team India (Indian cricket team) played like champions, although they took some time to realize that! But this post in not about how splendid Team India played, but to throw some light on other very important issues that have gone to darkness because of the shadow of this mammoth win! These issues have one thing in common: they affect the common man of this country...

Hight of Patriotism: Indian Passport Dilemma!

Indian Passport Office (PO) with all their corrupt and age old paper work methods, which are designed in such a manner that, nobody who either doesn't have money to fuel a passport agent's propellers or a hands on experience with PO himself, can never be able to see his on face on his own passport without seeing the robust (don't even dream so!) bureaucratic culture of Indian administration. 

Ideas to Ponder: "Digital Entrepreneurship in India"

Few days back, I came across an article published in YourStory.in  (it's a website which focuses on entrepreneurial success stories). The title of the article was - "Is India ready for Digital Entrepreneurs?".  

Read the article here.

The author himself being an digital entrepreneur argues that, 

"Unless people and culture change, innovating would be like making a comb for a bald person. But yes, there is a hope. The hope that the emerging digital revolution might just be able to create and expose the variety in today’s society."

Impact of Wikileaks: Soon the Diplomats around the World would Start Hiding their Faces

Wikileaks has released just a few cables, and diplomats around the world have already started panicking. NYT reports that "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday condemned the disclosure of thousands of confidential diplomatic cables, saying that it was an attack not only on American foreign policy interests but on the international community."

Of course its an attack on international community, because as I expect from the future cables, US alone is not going to be the culprit. 

Washington Post reports that "Diplomats and government officials around the world lamented the massive leak of U.S. diplomatic cables on Monday and many predicted it would undercut their ability to deal with the United States on sensitive issues." 

In Iran’s first official reaction to leaked State Department cables quoting Arab leaders as urging the United States to bomb Tehran’s nuclear facilities, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the documents as American psychological warfare that would not affect his country’s relations with other nations, reports NYT on Monday. 

The Rural Divide

When you visit a rural village in India, you would easily get to understand the rural divide that exists there. A village is generally divided in terms of cast, religion, or social status of its people. People argue that, these rural people are illiterate and don't understand the importance of thinking beyond the casts and religion....

My point of contention is that; are we urbanites living in a Utopian world where everything is as the way it should be? Have you missed the urban divide around you? 

Its very easy to pinpoint the divide in a village, because of its sheer small size, but aren't these same (and sometimes severe) divides exist in a city? 

A Privacy Law, Finally!

Today technological revolution and thence media has revolutionized the way things were being done. You can create news without waiting for a reporter from a famous news paper to come and interview you. Just make a MMS (no pun intended!), or a YouTube video or write on your blog...you can do all of it at virtually zero cost.

But these benefits of free speech and free thoughts come to society at a cost. This cost is the cost of privacy of individuals. A news paper (live mint) says, "Indian government is coming up with a privacy law, finally!" So, has government really started worrying about the privacy of their citizens? Is it so? 

Let me do a reality check before we can think of such a possibility.

Most Shrewed Negotiators! (Part-2)

This post is in continuation to my earlier post (visit here). Here I will present one more example that represents the epitome of the shrewdness of Indians. 

Scene 2:

Those of you who have had privilege to travel in Indian railways would recall such experiences, specially in the general category wagon! 

Ticket Checker (TC in short): Ticket please?

Student: Sure... Take this. 

// TC evaluating the dates of ticket creation and expiry...//

TC: Well...this is five months old! 

Student: How can it be? I got it from the ticket counter in the previous station! 

//This is the hight of dishonesty! Indian students are known for extracting highest possible value out of Indian railways...and most of the time, its just extraction and no payment!//

Most Shrewed Negotiators! (Part-1)

Indians are shrewd in many field like: honoring guests from other country (leaving few incidences happened here and there!), software building, patronizing, patriotism, lauding, & smart work like JUGAD!  (Watch a video on shrewd Indian inventors). But, when it comes to negotiation (on a day to day basis by the common man); Indians are the most shrewd negotiators. A blog post in live mint blog on negotiation potential of Indians compelled me to write this post on negotiation shrewdness of Indians. 

Unlike their western counterparts; Indians are what we call -Value oriented people! In his post, Padmaparna Ghosh writes:

"Negotiating has got to be India’s single largest national skill. I think Indians can negotiate their way out of anything in everyday life (not even touching incidents of national and international proportions). In fact they are so good at it, that I would would go to the extent of saying that if  anyone can cajole/wheedle/argue their way through an airport with a 40-kg bag and a detonator in hand, it would be an Indian."

I have my own set of experiences with this hidden potential of Indians (although, my understanding is not limited to Indians! There are millions of Chinese, Americans, Brazilians, and Japanese out there including representatives from rest of the countries, doing the same! Suggestion for the reader: "observe people around you!"):

Scene 1: 

Lady to Rikshawala: Bhaiya...How much for 'X Hospital'? 

Rikshawala: How many are you?

Lady: What!!! Can't you see...? One person!... How much for 'X Hospital'?

Rikshawala: Taking a moment to observe the weight of her purse! Then quoting; Rs. 50. 

Lady: (Exaggerating her surprise) Whatttt! Are you crazy? 'X Hospital' is less than 1 km away from here...and you are asking me Rs. 50!!! 

Rikshawala: Madam...if you think that it's so near, then why don't you walk a little. And if you think that I am charging more than what is considered to be reasonable, then why don't to consult with other rickshawalas. (well...there was no other rickshawala around!)

//...She knew that Walking even 1 km. is worth burning 2 kg calorie for her!...so she need to bargain the situation, but not to over fight. (But for Indians, bargaining itself it like a do or die exercise...!)//

Lady: Ok...I'll give you 20, what do you think? 

Rikshawala: ??? Madam, I have five children to feed beside my wife, my father and mother! If I start accepting Rs. 20 from everyone that comes to me, I won't even be able to feed them once in a day! And you are not the first person, whom I'll be charging Rs. 50 for 'X Hospital'. 

Lady: Fine...I make it 30? 

Rikshawala: Madam...you don't understand. I don't pull Riksha, because I need money. I pull riksha because this country needs riksha pullers!  

// I don't know, when this rikshwala read Aristotle!//

Lady: Ohh... (thinking..) Look, I don't have time for such debate! Take 35...???

Rikshawala: Madam...I'll agree, but can I ask you one question? 

Lady: (little relieved) fine...ask.

Rikshawala: You are going to a hospital. Will you bargain the same way for Rs. 20-30 with the doctor and the chemist? Or is it that, you people do this only with poor and weak people? 

//...A wave of thoughts stormed her mind! Because, she never before though that way...///

This is true for most of us! We bargain where we find that, other person would not care  or his/her opinion would not weight if we go a little extra mile in our bargaining journey! But we don't bargain when we see that situation involves a perceived social status management! Are we hypocrite? I bet we are! 

Easy to be fooled by the Obvious

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has won applause for his attempts to take India-US relations to new heights, like many others has been fooled by the obvious. Leadership of this country has misled the priorities, during president Obama's India visit Indian were more concerned about the seat in UN council than many other things. 

Obama is an excellent orator, he beautifully handled the whole situation. His excellent orator skills can judged by observing his speech in Indian parliament. 

Watch  Obama's speech to Parliament

He won not less than $10 bn worth of deals for companies in US, but in return he gave his support to India's demand of permanent seat in UN council. 

India is country, where still more than 50% of the population is living below poverty line (looking from the absolute measures). India needs roads, jobs, entrepreneurs, electricity, sustainable health care system ( expected investment required ~ trillion dollars). Then why leaders of this country still fighting for UN seat! Of-course India would benefit by that, but mere verbal support by the president is not a guaranty, as has been cleared earlier by Bush admin during nuclear deal.    

Obama was here to fulfill many of his strategic ambitions. Some of them are getting diplomatic support in Iran issue, earning huge business deals, showing Indians that America is their so called natural partner ( not Russia!). He deliberately bypassed the India-Pakistan issue that as said by Arundhati Roy; can be resolved only by an intervention by a third party. 

Watch Obama's speech on Kashmir issue.

Watch Arundhati Roy on Kashmir's independence.

In all, the so called win-win deal, between India and US is not a win-win at all! Although, India is country where where intangibles (like permanent seat in UN) are more important than tangibles like  expelling a corrupt minister (RAJA of corruption!); hence this deal may appear a milestone to many! 

Ideas to Ponder: "Cost of Free Thoughts!"

Today, Everyone claims that, he is living in a free country! But believe me; there is no such word in reality...and if there is, then the term 'free country' is actually an oxymoron! 

There is a cost involved in every free thing, because we are capable of seeing only the free (tangible part), but not the hidden costs (intangible part) involved. Specially if these are free thoughts, which question the powerful dogmatic authority...

In a recent turn of events, the award-winning Indian author Arundhati Roy is facing possible arrest in India on sedition charges after publicly advocating for Kashmir independence and challenging India's claim that Kashmir is an "integral part of India." If charged and convicted of sedition Roy could face up to life in prison. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays. 

Watch this interview: here.

Majority of people who are reading this post, would not agree with my stand on this issues, but those who use their reasoning abilities of their minds would support it! As a saying by famous investor Warren Buffet goes: "If majority of people say a wrong thing or believe in it; it's still a wrong thing!" 


It is the 14th of many posts written under "Idea to Ponder series" (you can visit all of them here). Stay updated, get updates via email: Click here.

Post written by Anshul Gupta. Follow him on twitter.
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Ideas to Ponder: "Three Things that India Needs to Focus On"

Actor Siddharth Narayan speaks on the present state of India, and what it needs to focus on. He gave this speech  on a TiE forum (an entrepreneurship forum) in ISB Hyderabad. Watch this two part spellbinding speech: 

It is the 13th post of many posts written under "Idea to Ponder series" (you can visit all of them here). Stay updated, get updates via email: Click here.