If the English media is to be believed that for all inactions of Government in the past, the blame squarely lies with communists. Forget the fact that Government could not go ahead with reservation of seats in Parliament for women mainly because of objection of two Yadav chieftains. Except in respect of Nuclear deal, closer relation with US and some of the fiscal reforms ( dilution of public sector holdings, more freer flow of FDI, disinvestment, pension reforms ), communists had whole-heartedly backed Government in respect of various welfare oriented schemes, which had not been the case with some other parties or the English media.
Now that Government has announced mega programmes, the qualifying statement of media has been that this or that programme can be implemented because communists cannot block the same or that the Left is out of the way.
The second prejudice or, say, confusion of the media is that they are echoing business class when giving all round importance to GDP growth. This is not to minimize the importance of GDP growth. But for a country with millions of people down and under, GDP cannot be the sole or most important criteria for development. Past GDP growth has left behind a large mass of people, i.e., their lives are not touched by GDP growth. For instance landless labourers in the rural area. But they have found some succor in the schemes of 100 days employment and supply of lower priced food-grains. The point is that even if the Government undertakes all the economic reforms, i.e., the agenda of the business and fourth estate, with trickle down theory not operational in respect of unemployed and destitute, their lot would remain the same as it has been in the past. Rural unemployed migrate in large numbers to cities and towns because there is nothing in villages for them to make a bare living.
The idyllic village life is largely a myth, contrary to what poets/story writers/ films say or depict. And hence the villagers in droves are turning to the cities for living. Some of the experts in such matters predict that the flow of village folk to cities for a living will become unmanageable in the times to come, unless they can be persuaded to stay put through some of the welfare measures. This is particularly true of landless unemployed in villages.
Hence the main focus of Government has to be to ensure that the big ticket social welfare measures are implemented effectively, with minimum leakage. If required the allocations for such programmes have to be enhanced. Making available drinking water, bare medical facilities, reasonably good education, assured income for two bare meals, etc., should absolutely take precedence over other activities. Yes, GDP is important and yet it is not an all important factor. Two meals, water, power and school/medical facilities are far more important.
It is said that the massive vote for Congress in the last election was caused primarily on account of the social welfare measures, particularly 100 days employment. It is also said that some of the opposition ruled States had tried to take credit for these measures. Be that as it may. Who gets the credit is not important. That the downtrodden are uplifted is to be ‘the be all.’
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
ENGLISH PRINT/VISUAL MEDIA’S
If the English media is to be believed that for all inactions of Government in the past, the blame squarely lies with communists. Forget the fact that Government could not go ahead with reservation of seats in Parliament for women mainly because of objection of two Yadav chieftains. Except in respect of Nuclear deal, closer relation with US and some of the fiscal reforms ( dilution of public sector holdings, more freer flow of FDI, disinvestment, pension reforms ), communists had whole-heartedly backed Government in respect of various welfare oriented schemes, which had not been the case with some other parties or the English media.
Now that Government has announced mega programmes, the qualifying statement of media has been that this or that programme can be implemented because communists cannot block the same or that the Left is out of the way.
The second prejudice or, say, confusion of the media is that they are echoing business class when giving all round importance to GDP growth. This is not to minimize the importance of GDP growth. But for a country with millions of people down and under, GDP cannot be the sole or most important criteria for development. Past GDP growth has left behind a large mass of people, i.e., their lives are not touched by GDP growth. For instance landless labourers in the rural area. But they have found some succor in the schemes of 100 days employment and supply of lower priced food-grains. The point is that even if the Government undertakes all the economic reforms, i.e., the agenda of the business and fourth estate, with trickle down theory not operational in respect of unemployed and destitute, their lot would remain the same as it has been in the past. Rural unemployed migrate in large numbers to cities and towns because there is nothing in villages for them to make a bare living.
The idyllic village life is largely a myth, contrary to what poets/story writers/ films say or depict. And hence the villagers in droves are turning to the cities for living. Some of the experts in such matters predict that the flow of village folk to cities for a living will become unmanageable in the times to come, unless they can be persuaded to stay put through some of the welfare measures. This is particularly true of landless unemployed in villages.
Hence the main focus of Government has to be to ensure that the big ticket social welfare measures are implemented effectively, with minimum leakage. If required the allocations for such programmes have to be enhanced. Making available drinking water, bare medical facilities, reasonably good education, assured income for two bare meals, etc., should absolutely take precedence over other activities. Yes, GDP is important and yet it is not an all important factor. Two meals, water, power and school/medical facilities are far more important.
It is said that the massive vote for Congress in the last election was caused primarily on account of the social welfare measures, particularly 100 days employment. It is also said that some of the opposition ruled States had tried to take credit for these measures. Be that as it may. Who gets the credit is not important. That the downtrodden are uplifted is to be ‘the be all.’
Now that Government has announced mega programmes, the qualifying statement of media has been that this or that programme can be implemented because communists cannot block the same or that the Left is out of the way.
The second prejudice or, say, confusion of the media is that they are echoing business class when giving all round importance to GDP growth. This is not to minimize the importance of GDP growth. But for a country with millions of people down and under, GDP cannot be the sole or most important criteria for development. Past GDP growth has left behind a large mass of people, i.e., their lives are not touched by GDP growth. For instance landless labourers in the rural area. But they have found some succor in the schemes of 100 days employment and supply of lower priced food-grains. The point is that even if the Government undertakes all the economic reforms, i.e., the agenda of the business and fourth estate, with trickle down theory not operational in respect of unemployed and destitute, their lot would remain the same as it has been in the past. Rural unemployed migrate in large numbers to cities and towns because there is nothing in villages for them to make a bare living.
The idyllic village life is largely a myth, contrary to what poets/story writers/ films say or depict. And hence the villagers in droves are turning to the cities for living. Some of the experts in such matters predict that the flow of village folk to cities for a living will become unmanageable in the times to come, unless they can be persuaded to stay put through some of the welfare measures. This is particularly true of landless unemployed in villages.
Hence the main focus of Government has to be to ensure that the big ticket social welfare measures are implemented effectively, with minimum leakage. If required the allocations for such programmes have to be enhanced. Making available drinking water, bare medical facilities, reasonably good education, assured income for two bare meals, etc., should absolutely take precedence over other activities. Yes, GDP is important and yet it is not an all important factor. Two meals, water, power and school/medical facilities are far more important.
It is said that the massive vote for Congress in the last election was caused primarily on account of the social welfare measures, particularly 100 days employment. It is also said that some of the opposition ruled States had tried to take credit for these measures. Be that as it may. Who gets the credit is not important. That the downtrodden are uplifted is to be ‘the be all.’
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
बिज़र्रे - विथ instalment
19. INNOVATIVE WAYS OF BAG LIFTERS
A lady Professor had gone for lunch with her friends to a posh hotel when a woman, in the garb of attending to her baby who was near the chair occupied by the Professor where the Professor’s bag was kept, bent down and walked away with the bag and child. Since the Prof. had no clue on where her bag had gone, she asked for the hotel’s CCTV footage. The Prof. said ‘ I had kept the bag under my chair. Two women alongwith a toddler were sitting behind us. In the CCTV footage I saw that the toddler came near my feet and one of the two women in the pretext of picking up the child, took away both the child and my bag also.’
My comments: In almost every walk of our lives we like and applaud innovation. It is innovation of electrical gadgets that have made our life easier and less tedious. Be it cell phone, TV. Air conditioner, car or aeroplane, it is innovation that has led to progress. But then why should we assume that innovation will be limited to pluses only. Thieves are also becoming innovative.
20. THIEF CAUGHT SLEEPING ON THE JOB
A stationary shop owner opened his shop to find that all the costly items were packed in cartons and cash was missing. Realising that a burglary had been attempted, he wondered why the thief had left without taking the booty, when he heard a sound from the rear of the shop and spotted the thief snoring under a cot, police officials said. The thief was woken up and was stunned to find the shopkeeper and the police surrounding him. Admitting that he had broken into the shop, he was, however, at a loss to explain how he fell asleep, police said.
My comments: It is not unusual for watchmen to sleep. That we take for granted. In the case of many a child, the movement in the early night when he opens the school book, he feels sleepy. There are many who are regular sleepers in the office. In the instant case, the thief after breaking into the shop and packing the stolen goods, would have been tired and thought of closing his eyes for a few minutes. But then his body needed longer rest and so the incident happened.
24: LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Recently this award was given to Machhli. Machhli is a tigress of 12 year age. She has given birth to nine cubs. She has given darshan to over 100 million people. And for all this, she has been given the life achievement award. Machhli was born in Ranthambore National Park. Julian Mathews, Chairman and Founder of the UK based non profit body Tour Operators for Tigers, on behalf of the Foundation while giving away the award stated ‘ Machhli was selected for the award on the basis of several factors. She has been spotted by over 100 million tourists. She has been captured on camera, allowing tens of millions more to watch her on television. And the revenue generated has greatly benefited the sanctuary.’
My comments: We human beings ( who should really be labeled as inhuman beings ) are always surprised to hear news like this. We think it is the prerogative of human beings to get awards. ‘ What can the tiger do with the award?’ that would be the comment. Some would sneer at the peccadilloes of the foreign guys. Our care, appreciation and recognition of animals never go beyond a line we have drawn up with this side the higher and glorious (!) human beings and on the other side the junglees. It is time that we change our attitudes.
25. GROOM AND RELATIVES THASHED FOR ASKING HIGHER DOWRY THAN SETTLED EARLIER
This happened in Haryana. The bride groom and his family had earlier agreed to a Maruti car as dowry from the side of the bride. This was agreed to as the bride’s father wanted his daughter to marry somebody educated and the groom was studying in Jamia Milia Islamia. Everything was fine and the nikaah was performed with all pomp and show. However, when the time came for ‘bidaai ‘ and bride’s father went to hand over the key of Maruti Alto to the bridegroom, the latter refused to take it. The Groom said that he would not accept anything less than a Scorpio and Rs. 15 lakh in cash.
Since this was going back on the understanding, a fact known to the villagers who were present at the nikaah, the bridegroom and his father were not only beaten black and blue by the villagers, but they also took 25 baraatis hostage and tonsured head of the groom and his father. Later in the night, a village panchayat was called and it pronounced the decision that the family of the groom would have to pay Rs. 8 lakh to the bride’s family, which according to the Panchayat was the money spent by the girl’s family since engagement, if the groom, his family and the baraatis wanted to get released. Left with no other option the groom’s family agreed to pay the money. Then they were released. The marriage was called off and the groom was forced to divorce his wife even before the ‘bidaai’ as he did not ‘ deserve her.’
Meanwhile, the police chose to keep away from the spot. A senior police officer defended the move saying that in cases like this, panchayat takes its own decision.
My comments: I applaud the action of the girl’s parents, the village folks and that of the Police. In many places in India, particularly in Kerala, this pernicious dowry system is vanishing. Yet in large parts of the country, mainly in rural areas, the custom is in tact. It is not that the parents of the girls happily give away dowry. They do it because it is the custom. Often they are forced to sell part of their land or give away part of their savings or borrow money, with the indebtedness making their subsequent living miserable. Yet individually parents of the girls cannot oppose the system, because that would result in the girls not getting married. Social workers have to take the initiative. Educated and employed boys and girls will have to stand up against the system. The Panchayat has to take the initiative, as in the instant case. But the Panchayat referred to in the instant case did not oppose payment of the dowry but only intervened when the groom’s parents showed their arm twisting methods to get more dowry than agreed to. And once such a movement starts, then there is no stopping.
A lady Professor had gone for lunch with her friends to a posh hotel when a woman, in the garb of attending to her baby who was near the chair occupied by the Professor where the Professor’s bag was kept, bent down and walked away with the bag and child. Since the Prof. had no clue on where her bag had gone, she asked for the hotel’s CCTV footage. The Prof. said ‘ I had kept the bag under my chair. Two women alongwith a toddler were sitting behind us. In the CCTV footage I saw that the toddler came near my feet and one of the two women in the pretext of picking up the child, took away both the child and my bag also.’
My comments: In almost every walk of our lives we like and applaud innovation. It is innovation of electrical gadgets that have made our life easier and less tedious. Be it cell phone, TV. Air conditioner, car or aeroplane, it is innovation that has led to progress. But then why should we assume that innovation will be limited to pluses only. Thieves are also becoming innovative.
20. THIEF CAUGHT SLEEPING ON THE JOB
A stationary shop owner opened his shop to find that all the costly items were packed in cartons and cash was missing. Realising that a burglary had been attempted, he wondered why the thief had left without taking the booty, when he heard a sound from the rear of the shop and spotted the thief snoring under a cot, police officials said. The thief was woken up and was stunned to find the shopkeeper and the police surrounding him. Admitting that he had broken into the shop, he was, however, at a loss to explain how he fell asleep, police said.
My comments: It is not unusual for watchmen to sleep. That we take for granted. In the case of many a child, the movement in the early night when he opens the school book, he feels sleepy. There are many who are regular sleepers in the office. In the instant case, the thief after breaking into the shop and packing the stolen goods, would have been tired and thought of closing his eyes for a few minutes. But then his body needed longer rest and so the incident happened.
24: LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Recently this award was given to Machhli. Machhli is a tigress of 12 year age. She has given birth to nine cubs. She has given darshan to over 100 million people. And for all this, she has been given the life achievement award. Machhli was born in Ranthambore National Park. Julian Mathews, Chairman and Founder of the UK based non profit body Tour Operators for Tigers, on behalf of the Foundation while giving away the award stated ‘ Machhli was selected for the award on the basis of several factors. She has been spotted by over 100 million tourists. She has been captured on camera, allowing tens of millions more to watch her on television. And the revenue generated has greatly benefited the sanctuary.’
My comments: We human beings ( who should really be labeled as inhuman beings ) are always surprised to hear news like this. We think it is the prerogative of human beings to get awards. ‘ What can the tiger do with the award?’ that would be the comment. Some would sneer at the peccadilloes of the foreign guys. Our care, appreciation and recognition of animals never go beyond a line we have drawn up with this side the higher and glorious (!) human beings and on the other side the junglees. It is time that we change our attitudes.
25. GROOM AND RELATIVES THASHED FOR ASKING HIGHER DOWRY THAN SETTLED EARLIER
This happened in Haryana. The bride groom and his family had earlier agreed to a Maruti car as dowry from the side of the bride. This was agreed to as the bride’s father wanted his daughter to marry somebody educated and the groom was studying in Jamia Milia Islamia. Everything was fine and the nikaah was performed with all pomp and show. However, when the time came for ‘bidaai ‘ and bride’s father went to hand over the key of Maruti Alto to the bridegroom, the latter refused to take it. The Groom said that he would not accept anything less than a Scorpio and Rs. 15 lakh in cash.
Since this was going back on the understanding, a fact known to the villagers who were present at the nikaah, the bridegroom and his father were not only beaten black and blue by the villagers, but they also took 25 baraatis hostage and tonsured head of the groom and his father. Later in the night, a village panchayat was called and it pronounced the decision that the family of the groom would have to pay Rs. 8 lakh to the bride’s family, which according to the Panchayat was the money spent by the girl’s family since engagement, if the groom, his family and the baraatis wanted to get released. Left with no other option the groom’s family agreed to pay the money. Then they were released. The marriage was called off and the groom was forced to divorce his wife even before the ‘bidaai’ as he did not ‘ deserve her.’
Meanwhile, the police chose to keep away from the spot. A senior police officer defended the move saying that in cases like this, panchayat takes its own decision.
My comments: I applaud the action of the girl’s parents, the village folks and that of the Police. In many places in India, particularly in Kerala, this pernicious dowry system is vanishing. Yet in large parts of the country, mainly in rural areas, the custom is in tact. It is not that the parents of the girls happily give away dowry. They do it because it is the custom. Often they are forced to sell part of their land or give away part of their savings or borrow money, with the indebtedness making their subsequent living miserable. Yet individually parents of the girls cannot oppose the system, because that would result in the girls not getting married. Social workers have to take the initiative. Educated and employed boys and girls will have to stand up against the system. The Panchayat has to take the initiative, as in the instant case. But the Panchayat referred to in the instant case did not oppose payment of the dowry but only intervened when the groom’s parents showed their arm twisting methods to get more dowry than agreed to. And once such a movement starts, then there is no stopping.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Bullying / Ragging in colleges
Intense ragging resulting in deaths and high level of trauma in the case of some students were widely reported in the press and there was total condemnation of ragging by society. What was sadder is that the public conscience is outraged only now that the media has bombarded us relentlessly with this news. Did events like this not occur earlier? Were our schools and colleges safe havens prior to these incidents.
Ragging is more of an initiation rite practiced in colleges. In earlier times everybody could differentiate between ragging ( mild form of humiliation of new students ) and bullying ( physical/mental torture of the new students ), though many may not have been able to precisely define the difference. But now ragging is becoming synonymous with bullying.
Most colleges allow ragging in the name of tradition. Managements of most colleges are aware and so also parents of wards sending boys/girls to these institutions that slowly ragging has got converted to bullying and unless something is done the situation may worsen as times goes by. Over a period of time sadistic practices are shrugged off by teachers and parents, largely as an aberration and not a disease to be dealt with.
It is wrong to assume that most of the bullies come from unhappy homes. In fact many come from perfectly normal and happy home/family backgrounds. So how has the problem gone out of gear. One, over a period of time society and particularly youngsters in the society, started admiring macho behaviour, to some extent on account of depiction of such macho characters as heroes in Indian films. Secondly, we are quite simply a nation prone to bullying. Our caste system is perhaps the most sophisticated attempt at legitimizing bullying. Children learn to bully servants from a very early age and parents not only condone this behaviour but tacitly give their approval. If we happen to occupy position of authority or influence or wealth, we encourage our children to flout rules, and flaunting of our authority when they are caught in the act.
So the point is that can many parents claim honestly that they are the right role models for their children when it comes to behaviour towards people much below them, be it in the shape of caste or position of authority. Second point is that unless there is a complaint, most of the parents just close their eyes to the ragging/bullying indulged in by their wards in the Colleges. Teachers are not capable of dealing with such hooliganism. And if the police is to do the job, then they would not touch students who come from families of influence of position. This is applicable to teachers also. Hence unless parents change their behaviour in the homes, many a child would grow up with the perception that he could torment somebody who is weak.
Ragging is more of an initiation rite practiced in colleges. In earlier times everybody could differentiate between ragging ( mild form of humiliation of new students ) and bullying ( physical/mental torture of the new students ), though many may not have been able to precisely define the difference. But now ragging is becoming synonymous with bullying.
Most colleges allow ragging in the name of tradition. Managements of most colleges are aware and so also parents of wards sending boys/girls to these institutions that slowly ragging has got converted to bullying and unless something is done the situation may worsen as times goes by. Over a period of time sadistic practices are shrugged off by teachers and parents, largely as an aberration and not a disease to be dealt with.
It is wrong to assume that most of the bullies come from unhappy homes. In fact many come from perfectly normal and happy home/family backgrounds. So how has the problem gone out of gear. One, over a period of time society and particularly youngsters in the society, started admiring macho behaviour, to some extent on account of depiction of such macho characters as heroes in Indian films. Secondly, we are quite simply a nation prone to bullying. Our caste system is perhaps the most sophisticated attempt at legitimizing bullying. Children learn to bully servants from a very early age and parents not only condone this behaviour but tacitly give their approval. If we happen to occupy position of authority or influence or wealth, we encourage our children to flout rules, and flaunting of our authority when they are caught in the act.
So the point is that can many parents claim honestly that they are the right role models for their children when it comes to behaviour towards people much below them, be it in the shape of caste or position of authority. Second point is that unless there is a complaint, most of the parents just close their eyes to the ragging/bullying indulged in by their wards in the Colleges. Teachers are not capable of dealing with such hooliganism. And if the police is to do the job, then they would not touch students who come from families of influence of position. This is applicable to teachers also. Hence unless parents change their behaviour in the homes, many a child would grow up with the perception that he could torment somebody who is weak.
Right to Information Act ( RTI ):
RTI has become a craze in cities and towns. Yes, many of the cases filed are frivolous. However, the empowerment through this Act, one and all, even the lowly persons, to question the mighty Government, to make the Government squirm and sometimes to rectify an injustice done, et all are welcome developments. Yes, many of the retired Government people with a grouse against the erstwhile Departments in which they served, would be raising many a question, not always for redress of this or that grievance, but to assert their right. It is also a heady time passing activity for many who may have nothing much to do. Yes, their activity would occasionally lead to correcting a wrong. But only rarely. Because bureaucrats, even when their actions do injustice to somebody, are capable of covering their tracks smoothly.
RTI Act has been widely acclaimed as a right step, both from the points of view of rectifying some mistake done by Government, and also unmasking Government action / information, which were hitherto largely shrouded in secrecy.
But there is a down-side to this development. Increasingly time of babus in some of the Government Departments is spent in furnishing the information sought and more than that on obfuscating the truth by vague replies. This is similar to Parliament Questions, on which bureaucrats spend lot of time in preparing clever replies. In both cases, bureaucrats spend much time in determining what information should be given. Information has to be brief, truthful but at the same time revealing as little as can to get over the situation. The position can be succinctly explained by the following example. A Minister, traveling with the Secretary in car in a village lost the way. The Minister stopped the car and asked the villager walking on the road, ‘ where am I.’ The villager replied, ‘ You are in your car.’ The Minister turned to his Secretary and said that ‘the answer is in best Parliamentary tradition. It is truth, it is brief, and it is not giving away any information.’ Both in respect of Parliament questions and information to be given under RTI, alas, the above would be the approach of bureaucracy. But my point is that since giving information under these two routes would take precedence over any other activity of the bureaucrats, they would have still less time to attend to other matters of importance.
********
RTI Act has been widely acclaimed as a right step, both from the points of view of rectifying some mistake done by Government, and also unmasking Government action / information, which were hitherto largely shrouded in secrecy.
But there is a down-side to this development. Increasingly time of babus in some of the Government Departments is spent in furnishing the information sought and more than that on obfuscating the truth by vague replies. This is similar to Parliament Questions, on which bureaucrats spend lot of time in preparing clever replies. In both cases, bureaucrats spend much time in determining what information should be given. Information has to be brief, truthful but at the same time revealing as little as can to get over the situation. The position can be succinctly explained by the following example. A Minister, traveling with the Secretary in car in a village lost the way. The Minister stopped the car and asked the villager walking on the road, ‘ where am I.’ The villager replied, ‘ You are in your car.’ The Minister turned to his Secretary and said that ‘the answer is in best Parliamentary tradition. It is truth, it is brief, and it is not giving away any information.’ Both in respect of Parliament questions and information to be given under RTI, alas, the above would be the approach of bureaucracy. But my point is that since giving information under these two routes would take precedence over any other activity of the bureaucrats, they would have still less time to attend to other matters of importance.
********
Sunday, May 31, 2009
बिज़र्रे - वि इन्स्ताल्मेंट
19. UNITED AIRLINES OF USA DECIDES TO CHARGE OBESE FLYERS FOR 2 SEATS
The airlines wrote on its website: ‘ those deemed too fat to fly must either purchase a ticket for an additional seat, or purchase an upgrade to a cabin with seats that address the problem.’ Flight attendants will search for passengers who can’t buckle the seat belts or put their armrests down. In case no other seats are available on a flight, the overweight flyer will be grounded until two adjacent seats can be found on the next plane out.
My comments: Depending on how this new measure turns out in the case of United Airlines, other Airlines in due course would decide what they should do. But here is a genuine problem of Airlines. Capacity in airline is largely measured by weight. So if a fatty occupies a seat, apart from the fact of his making the person sitting next to him uncomfortable, the plane may have to offload some cargo to accommodate the fatty. Junk food, lack of exercise, etc., have resulted in more and more fattys inhabiting our wonderful mother earth. As it is on cards that there would be more and more fattys, at one time or another the problem of fat of an individual gets translated to the service provider, be it in bus or cinema hall. Fattys must unite and agitate against this discrimination but where will they find a place to sit down together and chalk out their strategy against the lean and mean people, who think they have inherited the earth.
20. SCAMSTERS DUPE AN EXECUTIVE OF Rs. 40 lAKH.
They lured him with promise of reward to the tune of Rs. 6 crore. The scamsters floated fake websites of banks and courier service providers to execute the fraud. The scamsters contacted the victim and told him that he had won an award from a software giant. Later a man claiming to be representative of an international legal firm contacted the victim and sought his personal details in order to put the process of handing him the prize money. The victim was directed to contact the forwarding agency which was supposed to help him transfer his winning booty. The forwarding agency first asked for Rs. 3.2 lakhs for the consignment delivery which was paid by the victim. He was then told that one person – a ‘ diplomat’ – had been deputed to remit the money to him in India. Then the scamsters sent an e-mail to victim from one of their fake website in the name of prestigious UK Bank informing the victim that for the transfer of funds they needed a non residential tax clearance as well as an order fee of Rs. 3.5 lakhs, since the victim was not a British citizen. The victim accordingly deposited the money. The so called diplomat and bank contacted the victim for more money. By this time, the victim had deposited a total of Rs. 22 lakhs to various accounts as advised by the scamsters. The scamsters again wrote to the victim demanding Rs. 2 lakhs for ‘anti money laundering certificate’ and ‘anti terrorist certificate’.
Meanwhile a woman contacted the victim posing as chief remittance officer from Mumbai and asked him to deposit Rs. 10 lakh as insurance in order to claim the money. Ultimately the scamsters demanded Rs. 50 lakhs more for the money to be remitted. By that time the victim had no more money available with him. He complained to the police.
The police have not been able to make any headway in the matter as the scamsters have been careful to ensure that there is no trail.
My comments: There is no limit to human greed and gullibility. I have no sympathy for the victim and in fact some lurking admiration for the scamsters. They would have meticulously planned the operation. They would not have picked up just anybody to be their victim. They would have studied the psychological profile of the victim. But the best part is their evaluation of the victim as a person who would not confide with others what he is doing. And they made the victim to cough up lot of money. They had taken risks. Will they be caught. I doubt it. If they can pull off with a tricky operation as this, it would be a child’s play for them to ‘ manage the police.’
21. TERMS USED THESE DAYS TO DENOTE BLACK MONEY TRANSFER:
Money launderers and plain crooks have changed the terms or nomenclature to denote the amount of money involved in undertaking a job or in betting or for giving to a politician. It was ‘ peti’ and khoka’ for along time. One would have heard the terms in Hindi fillums. But these terms have lost their shine because of their overuse and easily identifiable by law officers, who now tap phones. The new terms are ‘ kitab ‘ and ‘ copy.’ Given below are the terms for the level of money involved:
1 Copy - Rs. 10,000
1 Alphonso - Rs. 1 crore
1 Kitab - Rs. 1 crore
1 Rupiya - Rs. 1 crore
1 Khoka - Rs. 1 crore
1 Peti - Rs. 1 lakh
My comments: When you go to market next time and ask the vegetable seller ‘ two alphonso’ you could run into the risk of conveying the message that you want Rs. 2 crores of black money. If you send a message to a relative or friend that you are sending a box of alphonsos or some kitab and if perchance the authorities are checking your messages, you could be in trouble. While media and general public use the term of ‘ Black money, ‘ in the parlance of business people and politicians the same is termed as ‘ No.2 account.’ In these days when you can’t make out between a crook and decent guy, it is better to have some basic knowledge of these factors.
The airlines wrote on its website: ‘ those deemed too fat to fly must either purchase a ticket for an additional seat, or purchase an upgrade to a cabin with seats that address the problem.’ Flight attendants will search for passengers who can’t buckle the seat belts or put their armrests down. In case no other seats are available on a flight, the overweight flyer will be grounded until two adjacent seats can be found on the next plane out.
My comments: Depending on how this new measure turns out in the case of United Airlines, other Airlines in due course would decide what they should do. But here is a genuine problem of Airlines. Capacity in airline is largely measured by weight. So if a fatty occupies a seat, apart from the fact of his making the person sitting next to him uncomfortable, the plane may have to offload some cargo to accommodate the fatty. Junk food, lack of exercise, etc., have resulted in more and more fattys inhabiting our wonderful mother earth. As it is on cards that there would be more and more fattys, at one time or another the problem of fat of an individual gets translated to the service provider, be it in bus or cinema hall. Fattys must unite and agitate against this discrimination but where will they find a place to sit down together and chalk out their strategy against the lean and mean people, who think they have inherited the earth.
20. SCAMSTERS DUPE AN EXECUTIVE OF Rs. 40 lAKH.
They lured him with promise of reward to the tune of Rs. 6 crore. The scamsters floated fake websites of banks and courier service providers to execute the fraud. The scamsters contacted the victim and told him that he had won an award from a software giant. Later a man claiming to be representative of an international legal firm contacted the victim and sought his personal details in order to put the process of handing him the prize money. The victim was directed to contact the forwarding agency which was supposed to help him transfer his winning booty. The forwarding agency first asked for Rs. 3.2 lakhs for the consignment delivery which was paid by the victim. He was then told that one person – a ‘ diplomat’ – had been deputed to remit the money to him in India. Then the scamsters sent an e-mail to victim from one of their fake website in the name of prestigious UK Bank informing the victim that for the transfer of funds they needed a non residential tax clearance as well as an order fee of Rs. 3.5 lakhs, since the victim was not a British citizen. The victim accordingly deposited the money. The so called diplomat and bank contacted the victim for more money. By this time, the victim had deposited a total of Rs. 22 lakhs to various accounts as advised by the scamsters. The scamsters again wrote to the victim demanding Rs. 2 lakhs for ‘anti money laundering certificate’ and ‘anti terrorist certificate’.
Meanwhile a woman contacted the victim posing as chief remittance officer from Mumbai and asked him to deposit Rs. 10 lakh as insurance in order to claim the money. Ultimately the scamsters demanded Rs. 50 lakhs more for the money to be remitted. By that time the victim had no more money available with him. He complained to the police.
The police have not been able to make any headway in the matter as the scamsters have been careful to ensure that there is no trail.
My comments: There is no limit to human greed and gullibility. I have no sympathy for the victim and in fact some lurking admiration for the scamsters. They would have meticulously planned the operation. They would not have picked up just anybody to be their victim. They would have studied the psychological profile of the victim. But the best part is their evaluation of the victim as a person who would not confide with others what he is doing. And they made the victim to cough up lot of money. They had taken risks. Will they be caught. I doubt it. If they can pull off with a tricky operation as this, it would be a child’s play for them to ‘ manage the police.’
21. TERMS USED THESE DAYS TO DENOTE BLACK MONEY TRANSFER:
Money launderers and plain crooks have changed the terms or nomenclature to denote the amount of money involved in undertaking a job or in betting or for giving to a politician. It was ‘ peti’ and khoka’ for along time. One would have heard the terms in Hindi fillums. But these terms have lost their shine because of their overuse and easily identifiable by law officers, who now tap phones. The new terms are ‘ kitab ‘ and ‘ copy.’ Given below are the terms for the level of money involved:
1 Copy - Rs. 10,000
1 Alphonso - Rs. 1 crore
1 Kitab - Rs. 1 crore
1 Rupiya - Rs. 1 crore
1 Khoka - Rs. 1 crore
1 Peti - Rs. 1 lakh
My comments: When you go to market next time and ask the vegetable seller ‘ two alphonso’ you could run into the risk of conveying the message that you want Rs. 2 crores of black money. If you send a message to a relative or friend that you are sending a box of alphonsos or some kitab and if perchance the authorities are checking your messages, you could be in trouble. While media and general public use the term of ‘ Black money, ‘ in the parlance of business people and politicians the same is termed as ‘ No.2 account.’ In these days when you can’t make out between a crook and decent guy, it is better to have some basic knowledge of these factors.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
National election and Government formation
Related to the subject matter, we seem to live with lot of amnesia, wishful thinking, incomparable comparisons, sweeping assessments and throwing unpalatable truths under the carpet. The media ( both print and visual ) is the biggest culprit of these tendencies.
· 30% to 40% of MPs were being replaced in the national elections in the past, which happened this time also. So what is there to hype about it.
· Media launched hyper campaign urging everybody to vote. Now is there any difference between one who votes negatively, i.e., to none of the candidates, as allowed by Election law and one who does not vote. In many countries the %age of voting is slightly above, equal or lower to the level of voting in this country. Since the number of voters for each constituency is far higher in India ( because of our huge population ) compared to almost all countries, in relation to the concept of election, does it matter if voting is 40% of voters population, which would be much higher than the votes polled in other countries.
· Caste was not the sole or even the most important criteria for voting in villages in the past as has been the case in this election also.
· There has been no youth wave this time, as media made it out to be. In fact the number of youth elected this time is lower than the number of youth elected to the first Parliament.
· Media hollered: ‘ this country must be now be run by youth, as in other countries.’ By far most of the countries are run by old people. And then again why make this principle only for running the Government. Going by the philosophy of media that youth will deliver, why not old people in all other professions and business and trade and particularly in the fourth estate retire.
· Media now comes out with lot of half hearted explanations on their predictions going wrong.
· There was call in media for American type presidential election debate in India also. Alas, there is no limit for ignorance. In America either of the two candidates is elected as President. In India the leader of the ruling party and/or the opposition leader could lose in elections and then again it is only after the election the party nomine for the post of Prime Minister is decided / nominated by the parties. So who will debate with whom before the verdict of the elections.
· Nepotism, corruption and inefficiency are parts of all walks of life in India. Then why think in terms of only politics to be above these negative attributes.
· To media America is the world or the country to emulated. But from a number of points of view that is wrong ideal. Take the recent financial scandal or the warming up of the earth or uninhibited consumption, then America is not at all the model. There are over 25,000 lobbyists in USA. Whoever can influence the elected and Government there, get the dividends. And in this process much money changes hands, illegally, apart from other allurements. Should we emulate that example.
· Dynasty in politics. This is also questioned by media and typically the media quotes the example of America. But societies of these two countries differ vastly. In India family ties are much more strong. Father to son in terms of bequeathing property is the norm. Son follows father’s profession or occupation, be it agriculture, business, profession, politics. So why only pick on politics.
· Caste politics is derogatively addressed as a major problem in India. But then world over the situation is not different. White man vs Black man, Catholic vs Protestant. In our personal lives we follow all the nuances of the castes to which we belong. Then how could it be separated in politics.
· The media is its full blast on the economic reform agenda for the new government and what media means reform agenda is only related to business. Yes, that has to be attended to. But the first priority has to be delivery to the masses provisions made by Government, be it providing drinking water, education, medical facilities, assured employment for a number of days, etc.
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· 30% to 40% of MPs were being replaced in the national elections in the past, which happened this time also. So what is there to hype about it.
· Media launched hyper campaign urging everybody to vote. Now is there any difference between one who votes negatively, i.e., to none of the candidates, as allowed by Election law and one who does not vote. In many countries the %age of voting is slightly above, equal or lower to the level of voting in this country. Since the number of voters for each constituency is far higher in India ( because of our huge population ) compared to almost all countries, in relation to the concept of election, does it matter if voting is 40% of voters population, which would be much higher than the votes polled in other countries.
· Caste was not the sole or even the most important criteria for voting in villages in the past as has been the case in this election also.
· There has been no youth wave this time, as media made it out to be. In fact the number of youth elected this time is lower than the number of youth elected to the first Parliament.
· Media hollered: ‘ this country must be now be run by youth, as in other countries.’ By far most of the countries are run by old people. And then again why make this principle only for running the Government. Going by the philosophy of media that youth will deliver, why not old people in all other professions and business and trade and particularly in the fourth estate retire.
· Media now comes out with lot of half hearted explanations on their predictions going wrong.
· There was call in media for American type presidential election debate in India also. Alas, there is no limit for ignorance. In America either of the two candidates is elected as President. In India the leader of the ruling party and/or the opposition leader could lose in elections and then again it is only after the election the party nomine for the post of Prime Minister is decided / nominated by the parties. So who will debate with whom before the verdict of the elections.
· Nepotism, corruption and inefficiency are parts of all walks of life in India. Then why think in terms of only politics to be above these negative attributes.
· To media America is the world or the country to emulated. But from a number of points of view that is wrong ideal. Take the recent financial scandal or the warming up of the earth or uninhibited consumption, then America is not at all the model. There are over 25,000 lobbyists in USA. Whoever can influence the elected and Government there, get the dividends. And in this process much money changes hands, illegally, apart from other allurements. Should we emulate that example.
· Dynasty in politics. This is also questioned by media and typically the media quotes the example of America. But societies of these two countries differ vastly. In India family ties are much more strong. Father to son in terms of bequeathing property is the norm. Son follows father’s profession or occupation, be it agriculture, business, profession, politics. So why only pick on politics.
· Caste politics is derogatively addressed as a major problem in India. But then world over the situation is not different. White man vs Black man, Catholic vs Protestant. In our personal lives we follow all the nuances of the castes to which we belong. Then how could it be separated in politics.
· The media is its full blast on the economic reform agenda for the new government and what media means reform agenda is only related to business. Yes, that has to be attended to. But the first priority has to be delivery to the masses provisions made by Government, be it providing drinking water, education, medical facilities, assured employment for a number of days, etc.
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