the inner circle

A World that Never Sleeps!

2011-12-25T16:49:00.001+05:30

Merry Christmas to all. I, like many of you had read in books about the globalized world, the highly efficient supply chains, vertical and horizontal integration and similar things. Recently, I experienced it myself. I find it amazing and hence this post. Most of my friends working for MNCs would already know this but to me this is still very exciting. I use DHL to courier my documents for my applications to the US. They are extremely efficient and my stuff reaches in exactly 3 days. I was not amazed by this at first. But then I looked at the details that they send us.

It works as follows, so the day I give my courier to the agent it is sorted at New Delhi and put onto a plane to London the very same night. They again sort it, send to another location in the UK from where it is again put onto a different plane to the US. After the final sorting, they send to the state and then to the city. This is a reflection of a highly efficient system that works round the clock. So my guess is that all the couriers to the US from the east are collected at the UK and then put on the right plane depending on the destination region. Don't forget that the senders and the receivers can be infinitely many. These guys therefore are solving a very complex matching problem in real time. The right time of departure both from New Delhi and London so that there is no delay en-route. The right choice of the departing aircraft that will take it via the most efficient route. Doing all this and at the same time minimizing cost and the delivery time. Globalization and competition has taken us to our best.

I don't want to take either a pro or anti-globalization stand but right now but I am just amazed at the situation and the world we live in. Micro institutions work round the clock, where every person just contributes his bit and the macro picture that emerges is simply astonishing.

Who said research was boring?

2011-09-18T18:49:00.003+05:30

The title of this post will initself raise some eyebrows and tighten other facial muscles. After all, no onesaid that scientific research or its step cousins are boring. However, myinquiry is into social science research in general and more focused into myfirst hand experience of it. Hence, largely I am going to talk about mypersonal experience and shed light through it on the general question in hand.That researchers are mad, sadist people, is a notion on a decline but that thatis also true for people dwelling in social sciences research may not be awidely accepted notion. Unless of course, you’ve come across the very colourful(“black”) and forever young Debraj Ray or exotically eloquent speakers likeKaushik Basu. I will however, try to convince you that even lesser mortals likeus are not too boring after all and more importantly ask important questionseven if we can’t answer them.

My experience so far has followedthe plot structure of a Shakespearean play. The Exposition which introduces characters and the setting which wouldtranslate into identifying the research question in our context has been thelongest. It’s also perhaps the hardest part if you are into developmenteconomics. This period has had a mix of both dry and interesting spells. Digginginto papers looking for an interesting unanswered question can be as excitingas finding clues inside a maze. However, I must concede, that there have been extremelydemoralizing times. Especially because we were doing research for the first time.For example, the times you think that you have a research question but end upfinding out that someone has already dealt with it. What is however reminiscentof this period are the discussions we had with my professors and other people.Getting exposed to absolutely new thoughts can be very stimulating.

Once we had the researchquestion, then came the Rising Action.In my case, this required the divine intervention of Mausumi di (Prof. MausumiDas, DSE). Had it not been for her, we could never have convinced Tridip da(Prof. Tridip Ray, ISI) with the research question. I had been struggling andfighting with it for almost 6 months. Every time I would have a proposal, it’dget turned down. But this was the most exciting part for me. We got intomodelling, building conjectures and proving them. This is also the time when Igot to work closely with my “teachers”, but now they would look unto us and listen as co-authors and not students. It’s an amazing experience. Just to knowthe fact that some of the things that you think are actually important andworth thinking! This was also the time when we could go for CCD trips, for teaduring a full day work and talk about a lot of stuff. I am waiting to graduateto dinners soon, though.

The Turning Point for me was when I could prove, what I fondly call “my lastconjecture”. (The fact that all risk averse agents prefer ICLs to bank loans,details in paper!). So I was working onthis for a while, and this would make all the other results really important.This conjecture would be the focal point of the paper. The proof then just occurredto me, in a flash and even though the proof is very simple, but just the fact Icould do it by myself, without any help made me ecstatic. Months of research andhard work, all paid off. It was time for celebration.

Falling Action has to be attributed to writing of the paper butthat has not happened yet. The high points of doing research according to meare that you get to learn and create something new. Something no one has everthought of. And that feeling can be one of great excitement. Social Scienceresearch is not rocket science where you can make someone land on the moon. Butto understand issues like poverty and suggest measures that can be potentiallyvery useful is a part of a huge rocket. This brings satisfaction. Using math tools that appear absolutely uselessotherwise and suddenly becoming a magic wand is unforgettable. Our laboratoryis not that glamorous. But working in a nice office with serene sceneryoutside, or in a coffee shop in Khan Market (yes we can afford it!) are good substitutes. Ourresearch also uses technology beyond just typing. And like my corporatefriends, who have seen the real world, we can also party.

In my case, we also built a verynice rapport and a relationship with our professors. Once Prof. Patha Sen toldme that when he started as a young professor he made friends with a lot of hisstudents and I always wondered how that would be like for his students. Comingfrom Stephen’s where the student-teacher divide is less than it generally is, Ilooked forward to it. But now I could experience it first hand. Staying inacademics, I am pretty sure that these associations are meant for a very long time.With your friends, who’d in future become your colleagues. Your teachers, who’dbecome both your friends and colleagues.

I had readsomewhere that if one is working very hard for something, one won’t enjoy thegoal when one achieves it unless one enjoys the journey (with ALL the hard work).And, even though, this paper (whenever it develops into a full-fledged one)will feature in my CV forever, I think it is the process of writing it...thatwe'd cherish the most!

(The context is my work with Tridip da, Mausumi di and Seher. A lot ofthe “we”s refer to me and Seher. To Tridip da and Mausumi di, I still wonderwhy you took us on. Thanks a lot for introducing me to the world of research andfor always keeping faith and being supportive.)

Lokpal or some mechanism design theory? Your choice.

2011-07-10T12:29:00.000+05:30

Top politicians and so called membersof “the civil society” are all enthusiastic to get the best Lokpal bill in theworld. What bewilders me is the fact most of this is show off and meant to gainmedia mileage. I do not think that these sudden saints of India care aboutcorruption or welfare at all. If they did, then there are probably easiermechanisms that you’ll find in any elementary economic theory text book which areeasier to implement, easier to manage and more welfare improving than designinglaws and getting passed. My worry is that if the society is inherently corruptand works largely in self-interest then no law would serve the requiredpurpose. What would work however is a mechanism which is incentive compatibleand individual rational for all participants of the society. Better still, someof the leading experts in game theory and mechanism design are Indians. To astudent of economics names like Dilip Abreu, Arunava Sen and Rajiv Vohra arewell familiar.

Some years ago I remember twoIIT-IIM graduates, working for ONGC and some government construction company inU.P. and Bihar respectively, getting killed because they had gone a little toodeep into the business of the local mafia. Obviously, even the local police didnot do anything because unarguably even they were involved. As far as Iremember, nothing eventually happened. Even the national media have forgotabout them and are spending their airtime covering the jackass, good-for-nothingRamdev. No member of the civil society ever pursued what happened to theseyoung kids and what they were after. And I can assure you that there would beplenty cases like these which do not even get reported and no one really cares.In such an environment then, it inherently becomes the best response of everyone to play the strategy to maximize their own welfare and forget about thesociety. It’s like the classic co-ordination failures game!

Do we have a better solution? Ibelieve we do. Let me give an example. Kaushik Basu says that typically we havetoo much of government and ideally government should be scarce. I buy his pointentirely. Why do you want to do everything yourself? Delegate. The governmentshould just create incentives so that funds get allocated in the right areasand work happens. Consider a system in which the local government or panchayatlists out the facilities that are required in its area – roads, schools,electricity, sanitation, houses anything. Let them also run a fund where anyonecan contribute and would be eligible for a r% tax rebate. Let r vary accordingto availability of funds in schemes. So like in a stock market, some schemethat has received more funds offers a lower rebate than a scheme that has receivedless funds. Market would ensure that all the funds get equally allocated. Thenthe panchayats can develop local areas on their own. This reduces the burden onthe tax authorities, budget allocators, government, and bureaucracy and givesincentive for everyone to contribute. Since the payment will be online orelectronic it will be easier to monitor. Alternatively, corporate giants cantake care of small villages entirely and develop them with their money. Myhunch is that even if you given them an over 100% rebate it’ll be better forthe government in terms of the bureaucratic inefficiencies they have to dealwith. Better for the companies also. Obviously, all corruption won’t be overbut it’ll be reduced and hence better.

You can also have some governmentservants to look over the work that the corporate sector does. Again one mightexpect collusive corruption but if the local authorities have an equal say inensuring that the rebate actually happens then this would again reduce. What Ijust said is not foolproof but you get the point. I’m sure if people like Sen,Vohra or Basu sit and create schemes they’ll come with actual better ones. WhatI am saying is that you do not always need stringent laws. It’s a waste oftime. If people now have means and ways to escape the present laws, they’llsurely find ways to escape the new ones later. However, what you need is to getaround the “middle men” and put in place a mechanism that is incentivecompatible and rational for everyone. With some leading mechanism designersfrom India, I do not understand why they are not engaged in policy making. Forexample, why weren’t Sen or Abreu contacted for designing the auction procedurefor 2G or 3G spectrum.

Obviously, this is not incentivecompatible for the government and the “civil society” because they are the oneswho benefit the most when development of any kind happens through thegovernment. Hence, everyone just moves towards creating newer laws and gettingmore media mileage.

Why Kaushik Basu started reading?

2011-07-09T01:36:00.002+05:30

"I began reading to get the better of the nerds of my school. I was talking of the boys with thick spectacles who came first or second or third in my class in Kolkata. I was quite bad at studies even though I too wore spectacles and of a thickness to match those of the finest minds. As a consequence, there were many students ahead of me. It was to counter their showing off of world affairs, Indian history and China's top 20 communist leaders, that I started reading. Technically, I could learn these things by asking others but then those asked would know that I do not know. Reading was the only way to appear innately knowledgeable."

(Source: Prologue to An Economist's Miscellany)

Lazy Allahabad

2011-07-08T00:29:00.000+05:30

I always thought that I was the laziest person on earth but I was proved wrong very recently. Last month I was in Allahabad to take my GRE test. Me and my uncle were putting up in this hotel in civil lines right across my test center. It was not a cheap hotel, not a costly one either. Mid-range, charging around 2000 bucks a night we thought that we would have a pleasant stay. A 2.5 grand hotel in New Delhi gives a very very nice experience and Allahabad not being a metro, we thought would be even better at that price.

Anyways, we were soon to be astonished and very disappointed. The next day my uncle ordered his breakfast at 9 and they served it around 11 with no guilt what so ever. "Itna time to lagta hi hai sahab", said the waiter and he even dared to ask for a tip. Next day I was apprehensive that they'll be late again so I ordered my breakfast at 7 as my test appointment was at 9 in the morning and I told them that I have a test. When till 7.45 no one came, I called up the reception and asked them about the meal and they said that a waiter is on the way taking the breakfast.

Finally, at 8.15 we decided to go down and see what was happening. To our horror, the manager was sitting idly and the waiters very casually said that the breakfast had not even been prepared. Amazing un-professionalism this was. Anyways they were scolded and I had to just eat cornflakes and go take my test.

Another incident that frequently would happen in the hotel was that to save electricity bill they would very easily switch off the AC despite the fact that we were paying for an AC room. And when you told them it would take them 15 mins to switch it on. This is by far the worst hotel that I ever stayed it.

After the test we decided to go for a movie as we still had time for the train and so we went to the only PVR in town thinking we'd get AC. For the entire first half, there was no AC. And it mattered to no one in the audience but us. When we told the theater staff they said, "Sahab AC kharab hai". Again, the worst PVR experience. They should have ideally told us before or refunded our ticket fees. Why should a customer be charged 200 bucks for a non-AC movie hall once you promise something.

Anyways, after all that we were slightly late and had to pick up our luggage from the hotel and then goto the station. We told the rick guy to hurry and he said "Hum tez nahi chalega!". It's the worst experience I've had in any city. People are un-imaginably laid back and carefree. How can you expect change to happen?

How big is Uttar Pradesh?

2011-06-30T17:13:00.003+05:30

The Economist - Comparing Indian states and territories with countries : An Indian Summary.

The 100 per cent alarm - Indian Express

2011-06-24T10:12:00.000+05:30

Sanjeev Grewal on the ever rising cut-off's

The Corrupt against Corruption!

2011-06-07T23:27:00.001+05:30

Enigmatic drama has ensued following the supposed "illegal" eviction of Baba Ramdev on national television these days. I guess it's a no-brainier for anyone sane and non-parochial to asses that at least the leadership of the congress is on the right track. The others may be saying the ideal things but they are the ones who corrupt the ideal situation and then doing what is ideal is non-idealist.

To put things in perspective, let's start from the beginning. Was the action against Ramdev justified? I think the answer is a yes without any qualifications. I think so because of the following. That he is a thug need not be proven. The guy and his aide Balakrishnan have a lot that is hidden from the general public. But let that be hidden. Legally these guys had sought permission to do a "yoga shivir" and were instead staging a political protest. Moreover, the gathering was ten times the number that was registered with the police. Now, this kind of a behaviour is not warranted in a civil society, that too in the national capital where a lapse of law and order could do immense damage to the country.

Forget even this for a moment. They continued the protest even after telling the government that they were satisfied and will call off the protest. Now, this is trying to stab one without a fault. What is the government supposed to do?. Moreover, Ramdev to save himself, hid behind women. What sort of a man is he? Terrorists hide amongst common citizens. If he were an activist or a satyagrahi, as he claims himself to he, he would have surrendered to the police like Bhagat Singh or Gandhi and not hid behind women like a coward.

And imagine the people who were staging the protest for democracy. Sadhvi Ritambara, is one who is accused with inciting the mob during the Babri Masjid demolition. An event which is perhaps the biggest blow to the soul of Indian democracy. And the sole culprits, BJP and the RSS are talking about democracy.

Look at Ramadev more closely now. He and his aide produce un-certified and un-tested medicines for profit. Balakrishnan allegedly hold three passports. He is also a Nepali citizen. And both of them have illegally grabbed hectares of rural land for ashrams and yoga shivirs, typical of modern day sadhus and such thugs. The ED is after them and my hunch is that it is a tactical move by the congress to dig up their pasts and put them behind bars.

Who else? Sushma Swaraj. Has she forgotten the drama and ruckus that she created when Sonia Gandhi was elected to become the prime minister. Vowing to shave her head and create impediments for the leader of the majority party who holds a valid Indian citizenship is very democratic and today she talks about democracy? Such hypocritical behaviour can only come from someone like her who perhaps uses the same shampoo as Jayati Ghosh.

Mulayam Singh Yadav. How much of black money have you got stashed in the Swiss bank dude? It's hilarious. It's a drama going on there.

But overall, the prime minister is perhaps as white as his clothes. He saved the country when we were at the verge of bankruptcy and he's forcing his ministers to divulge details of their assets and divest from any benefits they have from the government. How more un-corrupt has anyone been in the recent past in the Indian politics? I guess no one. And there are people who themselves have unaccountable assets hurling everything at him in the name of corruption. What a shame! Moreover, the amount of efforts and steps taken by the present government against corruption - be it the RTI Act, the UID cards, linking them with the PDS system, putting top CEOs into jail - has been done by no government in the past. So, I guess full marks to the UPA.

Life without cricket is unthinkable: Sachin

2011-06-03T23:47:00.000+05:30

"I still love cricket as much as ever. It is my job, but it is also my passion. Cricket remains in my heart, I don't need anything else to motivate me. I dreamed of playing for my country when I was young and it is still my dream, it is still fun for me," the 38-year-old right-hander said.
...

"I am still learning about the game. I figure out something about my batting all the time. You have to keep your mind open. I learn all the time, those small adjustments, with your footwork or bat swing can improve your game, I love doing that. You never know everything. Mentally that makes you feel so good. That is the best form of preparation," Tendulkar said.

The full article on cricbuzz.com: Click Here

The Club vs Country Debate...

2011-05-27T17:49:00.000+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar would probably hate me for saying this but there is something which is true about Indian Cricket and is always kept behind a veil. This topic has been doing some rounds in the media recently and I think that there are some clarifications which are sought for. So, do Indian cricketers really play for India or some club? I am not talking about the situation when supposedly some players choose to play IPL and skip International tours. What I am talking about is that when you actually see them playing international matches on TV, are they playing for India or no?. Well, the answer is that in spirit, may be yes. But technically, no they are not playing for India.

Let me explain. Technically, Indian players play under a "legal contract" for a registered society called The Board of Control for Cricket in India. The BCCI, as you know it, is not a governmental or a quasi-governmental body. It is a private society registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. And because it is an entirely private entity, it doesn't even have to show it's balance sheet to the country, it is not answerable for any of it's decisions to the people of India and hence, it also curbs the "right to free speech" of all it's contractual players.

So technically, if any other society gains enough support in the country and gets membership to the ICC, then India can have two team. A possible reason why the ICL (owned by zee telefilms) was cornered using different tactics by the BCCI was that it was cutting in on the BCCI's revenues. And the BCCI spoiled careers of many promising Indian cricketers because they played for the ICL and no one could do anything.

That pretty much explains it I guess. Hence, people like Sunny Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and others might in spirit have represented India but technically they were representing a club called BCCI. It's more of our attached emotions that lead us to say that Team India defeated Pakistan. Technically, that's not entirely true. So if this is the scenario, it's BCCI which pretty much governs on when and how to use it's contractual players to raise revenue, whether in IPL or international matches. So let's not blame Gambhir or anyone else for their injury or not playing in the West Indies. The poor chap, bound in legal contract, has to mostly follow the orders of the CEO and what is worse is that his contract even stops him from defending himself in public. And trust me, his shoulder injury, that hurts. So let's not forget that he won us the world cup final not too long ago and stop questioning his Indian-ness. What is required is to make the BCCI accountable to the people of India and make it more Indian than anyone else.

What women want?

2011-05-26T00:36:00.000+05:30

This one is hilarious from the new movie Pyaar ka Panchnama...
P.S. I am not a misogynist ;)

foodOlogue! - The Introduction

2011-05-15T12:23:00.000+05:30

One of the many surprising things that happened when I was at the Delhi School was my nomination into the cafeteria committee. I asked the director as to how it happened and even he did not know. So the only conclusion I could draw was the perhaps the cognizance of my love for food has spread beyond my social circle and divine interventions were happening.

My take is that, on the whole, food should be value for money. Charging too much for the ambiance doesn't impress. Radical as my ideas are, this is another genre that I have now decided to venture into and foodOlogue is going to be my mouthpiece about how i see Food around me. In the past five years I have already got my hand and mouth onto food from various places in the city and have liked some not so famous ones and disliked some very famous ones. And now that I have relocated from the north to the south of Delhi for a year (hopefully not more!!) I shall continue my search and exploration into anything that is cognate to food! Well, mostly places that serve awesome food, from small stalls to big restaurants (not too big for lack of resources for now), and occasionally other intricate issues. Two weeks here and I have already a few places in my "to visit" list like - J&K Bhavan for their mutton, Al - Bake for shawarma and Malviya Nagar for kulfi.

So, the agenda is to write about places I have been to and about places I will go to. About experiments with food that I do - both successful and unsuccessful - because as the say "it's a learning experience". The ambition conspicuously is to leave everyone mouthwatering.

For starters, I think it is very important for explorers like me to have a handy food guide. You get to know about amazing places from people in the locality but specially when you are experimenting it's also extremely helpful to have food guide. For NCR my personal favourites are the HT food guide and zomato.com (previously foodiebay.com).

With that I'd say - "Let the foodzing begin!".

Married on Facebook

2011-05-04T22:31:00.000+05:30

So there is this thing that I noticed on facebook and I could be pretty late in realizing it given the time I spend on networking, nevertheless I find it both amusing and intriguing, Females particularly (and I realize that I am risking my reputation to be called a chauvinist by writing this) often change their relationship statuses from "single" to "in a relationship"/"married" to some female-friend of theirs. Now, I wonder what to conclude. In almost all cases I know "they are not in a relationship with the same gender". So, either they are "in a relationship" with a guy and this is a cover up, or they want to be "in a relationship" with a guy and this is a way of signaling that desire. Or may be, they are subtle supporters of the world wide movement for legalizing same-sex marriages.

Whatever be the case, the feminine brain is too complex for anyone to understand and facebook has given us another example why?

(This post be kindly taken in the right spirit and do not sue me in court. I just made an observation ;))

WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!

2011-04-03T09:41:00.000+05:30

Congratulations Team India. The word "almost" is gone. Sachin has everything a cricketer can dream of. All that was lacking came back and what a time for that!

Will India stand out?

2011-03-13T12:30:00.000+05:30

Sachin looked impeccable yesterday all through his innings. With every bowl you could see sheer class. He looked fitter than ever and was playing shots all over the ground with exceptional ease. It was a prolific display of his armour. His trademark straight drive made us come under his awe once again as did all his other shots. Terrific cover drives, the paddle sweep and his sixes over long-on made a world class south African bowling attack look measly. His pull off styen for a six reminded us of the treatment Caddik got in the 2003 edition. When he was on the crease India even by the worst estimates was sure to cross a total of 350-370.

However, that was all that treated an Indian fan yesterday. The rest of the team did “absolutely nothing” and wasted the 99^th international century of a legend. Sehwag was too rusty and careless in shot selection when he started and that has been the case with him all through the tournament. He never looked convincing and was living a dangerous life. If the ball sticks to his bat then it’s out of your sight in a flash but you can almost never see a skilled attempt made to make that contact. He throws his bat almost at everything, sometimes in luck and at others with out it and the proportion decides his runs.

Gambhir was slogging too. Something you will not want to see from a batsman at the international level. He was struggling and I think has struggled all through the tournament (even against the Neds) and batting for him has not been easy. This has meant that all the pressure is always on Sachin, to score the total and also keep the run rate going. In the process, one does get out and when Sachin did, India collapsed like a pack of cards. Nine wickets fell within 29 runs and Team India got out scoring 296. When the master left, India had more than 10 overs to go and 8 wickets in hand. Clearly we were 70-80 runs short even by the worst standards. Any other team would have easily put up at least a 100 runs after the start Sachin gave us.

The only other man who was supportive was MSD and he has been all through. But again he could just see people come and go. As he said in the press conference “some played for the crowd not for the country”, it is a pity that Sachin has to play in such a team. With this attitude and discipline, team India would be out in the first knock-out match they play. After all they have not won against a single “better” team in this tournament. Even the Bongs could defeat the English.

And I see no commitment to the fact that this team wanted to win this cup for Sachin. Let alone that, they cannot even give him enough support in his effort to win the cup for his country. His country for which he has lived for and loves eternally. It shall be a pity that even with talent India will not be able to win the cup. The world cup will probably be the only thing that will always elude SRT, something that he deserves more than anyone else. And perhaps, as always the Indian cricket fan will have to find solace in just the art that is on display but the art shall never fetch it’s true price.

The Battle of Centurion

2011-03-01T18:54:00.000+05:30

Pakistan march to 273, and most experts think this is too much of a mountain to climb. "Too many," Rajbhai says mournfully. One guest, completely distraught, wants to take an early flight back to India because he does not want to witness another defeat. Someone else, more militant, suggests the team should be thrown off Vijay Mallya's jet without parachutes. Mallya, dressed in white linen, diamond studs in one year, mobile phones in both hands, refrains from expressing an opinion.
After lunch comes dessert: Sachin Tendulkar, launching an innings like a batsman at nets after the coach has announced "last round". Ordinary batsmen may play each ball on merit but Tendulkar plays according to his will. We are all stunned by the ferocity and the audacity of his strokeplay. Here is a master on top of his game, ill-treating the world's bowlers. It is edge-of-the-seat, riveting stuff.

The full article on cricinfo : The battle of Centurion

Time to reconsider jury trials in India?

2011-02-23T22:47:00.001+05:30

Jury trials were abolished in India after 1960 on the grounds that they were susceptible to media and public influence.This decision was based on an 8:1 acquittal of Kawas Nanavati in K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra, which was overturned by higher courts, on the grounds that the jury was misled by the presiding judge.

However, if we consider things over time then it won't be completely wrong to say that the courts in the present system have messed up completely in some cases and wasted lives of many innocent individuals. And it is not only the lower courts, even the High Courts have passed judgments which are grossly un-constitutional. Take Dr. Binayak Sen's case for example. The evidence against him for having helped the naxals is based on a confession by Piyush Guha that he had carried out two letters from the naxalite leader Narayan Sanyal, whom he met in jail in his capacity as a doctor and a human rights activist. What is absurd is the fact that as per Indian law, confession cannot be admitted as evidence in court. This besides the fact that the jailors who were produced in court said that Sen's meeting with Sanyal were monitored so he could not have carried out those letters and also that the letters produced in court contained nothing of a seditious nature. There are multiple irregularities in the case that suggest that either the judge lacks a proper understanding of the law or is a fascist.

Dr. Sen is fortunate to have so much support nationally and internationally and the case being in the media all the time, it is very likely that he'll get acquittal soon in the Supreme Court. However, in many cases like that of Jessica Lall, people are not so fortunate. The Babri Masjid case for example, should have been an open and shut case. The verdict however, seems to be clearly bent by the religious affiliations of the judges.

Consider the maoist problem. Who are they? Why have they resorted to violence? There is a vast literature in the public domain now on this. Very crudely these are tribal people who used to live off their land. The state took away their land by brute force to sell them to big companies for mining etc. In the process of grabbing land, the state's forces tortured them, raped their women and carried out several other atrocities on these people. As a result, these people had no other option but to revolt by force. Now, we sit in court rooms and call them terrorists. And anyone who works for their human rights is charged with sedition like Dr. Binayak Sen or Arundhati Roy.

If we let justice and democracy this course then in is only a matter of time that India would be engulfed by civil war. Issues in Kashmir, the north-east and the naxal discontent are an indication of an unstable society. The systematic exploitation of the poor, politically weak, and the backward sections of the society by the politically powerful and the capitalists is very likely to culminate in the break down of the civil society very soon.

In such a scenario, I think that it is a very good idea to reconsider jury trials in India. The common sense of the common man is no less and no more than that of any qualified judge. The benefit is that the judgments would reflect what the society as a whole thinks about any case. We'll have a a lower probability of gross errors like that in Dr. Sen's case happening. The maoist problem then will be looked not in a manner in which the state projects it but what the people at large think about it. A diverse jury will give us new perspective.

I am not saying that jury trials have no downsides but it is definitely worth giving some thought and incorporating some features of it into our legal system, albeit a little carefully.

How much did 2G cost us, anyway?

2011-01-22T22:36:00.000+05:30

How much did 2G cost us, anyway?

An insightful piece by Sanjeev Grewal, the one who taught me and inspired the surge...

Sachin will play in the latest edition of the Cricket World Cup

2011-01-17T09:37:00.000+05:30

Sachin’s hamstring gives nation bouts of anxiety - Hindustan Times

Beginnings of an Environment Saviour....

2010-12-24T13:32:00.002+05:30

I was in my college library today flipping through some books, gathering material for some research that I am doing. I was all engrossed in the books when suddenly in Mark Blaug's (ed.) book on Economics of Education I found this old postcard from 1983, 5 years before I was born. So this one is addressed to some member of Kalpavriksh and is an invitation to a debate on "The Political Economy of Environment in India" at the Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi by C.V. Subba Rao. Inquisitive, I checked on further. Kalpvriksha is an environmental action group, established in 1979 and works on environmental awareness, campaigns, litigation, research, and other areas. It has taken a position on a number of environment-development issues, more often than not confronting the state through measures ranging from protest letters to street demonstrations. Now, seemingly a very active organization, the postcard dates to a time when they had just begun working for a very important cause. According to their website the organization was actively involved in protests against the destruction of the Delhi Ridge and also the Chipko Andolan amongst many other important issues.

It's amazing to see that post was once so important. Having been the Secretary of the Economics Society of St. Stephen's, I myself have been involved in organizing talks and lectures, and these days it's so easy to communicate. We would just use e-mail or SMS to spread the details. But in 1983 it was different, even the landline I believe would have been expensive. Yet, people did all the hard work to invite people to talks using the resources they had. I am sure it has been an amazing journey for Kalpavriksha and I hope that they are very successful in the work they started and are continuing to do. Cheers!

A Secular Hope

2010-10-14T03:11:00.000+05:30

It is festive season again and with it comes joy and happiness for all. It's time to catch up with relatives, buy new clothes, start new ventures and re-kindle old friendships. In the joyous mood as we are, all of us have our plans to celebrate the next month with the biggest festivals of the country around the corner. However, this Sunday it's time for victory of good over evil again - for it's Vijay Dashami. As effigies of Ravana will be burnt across the country, it'll mark the day when Lord Rama defeated Ravana and we shall make ourselves belive that truth and justice shall always win over evil.

However, ironically, there has been an age long battle going on still in this country in which everyone seems to be loosing. The issue of who owns the "Rama janma bhoomi" (Lord Rama's birth site). Now there are arguments about who's wrong and who's right and who should own the land and all arguments seem to be fitting and none can be out rightly denied. But I'm not getting into that here and the motive is not to make this a political debate. The larger issue is that somewhere the idea of secular India is getting hurt, one way or the other. It is evident that "perfect" justice at least in this case is not possible to the extent that you'll come up with some argument, no matter what, justifying your claim. And it appears, as it does due to various events of recent times, that the idea of India is about to perish.

But today, these children, around 10-12 years in age, came to my home to invite us to celebrate Vijay Dashsmi in the neighborhood. They were basically going to each residence to invite and also collect some money to make the necessary arrangements for the event. I was surprised to see their enthusiasm and the excitement. Reminded me of my childhood. They were all lit up with the idea of burning Ravana. So in conversation, I asked them their names. To my surprise, two of them, a girl and a boy, were Muslims.

It is satirical that when the elders of these children are fighting over the so called "birth-site" of Lord Rama from opposite sides, they want to together celebrate the victory of Lord Rama, the victory of good over evil. You know, events like these give me hope that India is still secular, that the idea of India still prevails, that at least the children in this country are not so corrupt from heart and soul as their elders, that had they been given a choice they would have wanted a community park in Ayodhya where they could have celebrated both Vijay Dashami and Id together, where they could have established an emblem of humanity defying all those who thought India won't be secular and that minorities here shall forever be dominated.

In these angelic souls I find hope. Hope that the dream which today is only a partial reality shall someday be a light to the world, the dream of the World Largest Secular Democratic Nation - the Idea of INDIA.

Is Abolishing Ragging Hurting Stephen's?

2010-08-07T21:49:00.001+05:30

I was with some of my friends in the college "Cafe" the other day, a place which we as Stephanians have been very proud of. Well not because we call it the "Cafe" and not "Canteen" but amongst other things cleanliness, hygiene and most importantly the ambiance and the atmosphere. A place from where we have many fond memories, of discussions, of generating thoughts and also of simply "wasting" time chatting over absolutely "arbit" topics.

This instance, however, was not so pleasing. Junior members in the cafe were shouting on top of their voices, were sitting on the arms of the cane chairs (I have always found the chairs very "elite"), they had randomly moved the furniture all over the place and now no one has the courtesy to stand in a cue for the bills let alone respecting other members of college.

So all of us were wondering that how has the situation become so and has the legacy got lost with time? Well in some sense yes. The legacy, the manners, the courtesy, the "elitism" or simply put "the Spirit of Stephania" has always been passed down over generations informally through what people may choose to address as ragging.

Ragging or "positive interaction" at Stephen's was not as it is usually, in places around college. It was an integral part of teaching the next generation of Stephanians the "culture" that should inhabit them. For example the decorum that made the cafe, the "cafe" and not any canteen. And as we recalled, all of it, the way we conducted ourselves in the cafe, the dining hall, in college and in public was taught to us by our seniors. They corrected us when we were wrong. I accept that it was sometime a little harsh, but in retrospect I can say that all of that is truly taught us something that defines us as Stephanians.

I am sad that the legacy is no further being passed down anymore for someone can easily write to the president and the principal would not even care to listen to the other guy and chastise him as if he has done something grossly inappropriate. Healthy criticism that made St. Stephen's different is now a dead philosophy. But this, as it is, has led to a decline in standards in college. The main corr that was always quiet and a decent place of intellectual overtones is now like some public bazar because no senior can check any first year at that. Cellphones and capri pants have become the usual attire of the dining hall. And all we can do is to hopelessly watch everything go down.

Sachin and Lara at Wimbledon

2010-07-06T14:05:00.000+05:30

Courtesy: NDTV

Charter Cities...

2010-06-28T22:50:00.000+05:30

Leasing cities to developed nations is Paul Romer's prescription to make poor countries richer.

Check out the link:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/07/the-politically-incorrect-guide-to-ending-poverty/8134/

It was suggested to me by Sanjay!

सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना

2010-05-10T10:51:00.001+05:30

सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है
देखना है ज़ोर कितना बाज़ू-ए-क़ातिल में है

(ऐ वतन,) करता नहीं क्यूँ दूसरी कुछ बातचीत,
देखता हूँ मैं जिसे वो चुप तेरी महफ़िल में है
ऐ शहीद-ए-मुल्क-ओ-मिल्लत, मैं तेरे ऊपर निसार,
अब तेरी हिम्मत का चरचा ग़ैर की महफ़िल में है
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

वक़्त आने पर बता देंगे तुझे, ए आसमान,
हम अभी से क्या बताएँ क्या हमारे दिल में है
खेँच कर लाई है सब को क़त्ल होने की उमीद,
आशिकों का आज जमघट कूचा-ए-क़ातिल में है
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

है लिए हथियार दुश्मन ताक में बैठा उधर,
और हम तैयार हैं सीना लिए अपना इधर.
ख़ून से खेलेंगे होली गर वतन मुश्क़िल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

हाथ, जिन में है जूनून, कटते नही तलवार से,
सर जो उठ जाते हैं वो झुकते नहीं ललकार से.
और भड़केगा जो शोला सा हमारे दिल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

हम तो घर से ही थे निकले बाँधकर सर पर कफ़न,
जाँ हथेली पर लिए लो बढ चले हैं ये कदम.
ज़िंदगी तो अपनी मॆहमाँ मौत की महफ़िल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

यूँ खड़ा मक़्तल में क़ातिल कह रहा है बार-बार,
क्या तमन्ना-ए-शहादत भी किसी के दिल में है?
दिल में तूफ़ानों की टोली और नसों में इन्कलाब,
होश दुश्मन के उड़ा देंगे हमें रोको न आज.
दूर रह पाए जो हमसे दम कहाँ मंज़िल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

वो जिस्म भी क्या जिस्म है जिसमे न हो ख़ून-ए-जुनून
क्या लड़े तूफ़ान से जो कश्ती-ए-साहिल में है
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है
देखना है ज़ोर कितना बाज़ू-ए-क़ातिल में

This one is too close to my heart. So thought to have it as a post on my blog ... :)

What “Law” cannot shield its own countrymen?

2010-05-04T19:39:00.000+05:30

The feeling was one of deep sadness and failure when upon reading the morning newspapers I got to know that Kasab had still not been punished. Further to aggravate everything, even if he gets the death sentence (which he fully deserves) it would still be almost a year when he’s actually hanged. And before that he can still appeal to the President for mercy. Until that time, the state shall be incurring costs for his food and security.

Fair amount of people in our country will advocate this a demonstration of the fact that the Indian Law is above all and does justice to everyone. But I do not see how it does justice to its own countrymen. We take over a year to convict a murderer who was caught on video mercilessly killing innocent people. I somehow cannot get around the fact that we need to even give him some trial. The fact that he’s a foreign terrorist and has murdered “Indians” should be enough to “feed him to the wolves”.

By delaying the process of convicting a criminal what are we portraying? Somehow is it that anyone can come into this country, commit an act of terror and then we’ll treat him to good food and secure accommodation. Why? Why should the taxpayers of this country even pay for his food. In some sense we are ourselves not sending hard signals to those sitting in Pakistan and hence encouraging them to treat us as weak and commit terror attacks time and again.

Can’t we learn anything form Israel and MOSAD? After the Munich massacre those guys literally hunted down all those responsible and murdered them with equal brutality, no matter where they were in the world. They have replied whenever it was required. And today, their enemies fear to attack them. Some people would say that I’m advocating violence. Well I’m not. All I’m advocating is the protection of my countrymen at all costs. And I’m not attacking at first. Be my friend and I shall be yours. But no one gives anyone the right to attack the citizens of this country.

One of the very noted journalists in this country wrote in his coloumn in the Hindustan Times, that we are targeting the muslims in India unnecessarily when there are protests against Dilip Kumar’s acceptance of award from Pakistan or Sania Mirza marrying into that country. My opposition is not against the muslims of this country. (When I wrote on Google Buzz against Sania’s marriage, which raised certain eyebrows I never even mentioned the word “Muslim”.) Let us take it case by case. The easier one first: Dilip Kumar’s. Well India was at war with Pakistan when they gave him the award in 1998. So you have a state that has been eternally responsible in killing your citizens in some form or the other. And they are very proud of the fact that they not only shot Indian soldiers, but they aimed and shot their eyes. Common, do you have no consideration for the families of these soldiers? Compare this situation when recently Amitabh Bachchan delined an award from Australia because Indian citizens were racially targeted there. To me Bachchan has character and Dilip Kumar is simply not an Indian. You do not bridge gaps when your countrymen are being killed and murdered specially those who lay down their lives at the front not caring about their own families.

Israeli PM Begin once wrote in a letter to President Regan, "My generation, dear Ron, swore on the Altar of God that whosoever proclaims the intent of destroying the Jewish state or the Jewish people, or both, seals his fate." This is the conviction of the Israeli’s and what do we do? Accept awards and marry into the country that is responsible for killing our citizens!

To the argument that not all the Pakistani’s involved in the terror attacks here. Well they are. They have a constitution that they themselves adopted. They themselves made a choice to stay in that country. They do not accept and neither feel sorry for the attacks in India. And that they do not do anything to stop the process is reason enough to hold each Pakistani guilty and responsible. For this I can’t have any feelings but that of revenge for all my people. Even if every one ends up with a “blind eye”, it should not be the case that only Indian’s end up with blind eyes. So yes Sania Mirza and Dilip Kumar are traitors and we are being extra soft at this moment. Our reaction and answers should match that of Israel if we hope for peace anytime soon in this country.

Question?

2010-04-29T22:38:00.002+05:30

I wonder if you have noticed around you that small children are the ones who question too much. It’s simple because they are too inquisitive about things they see around them and hence they question. Some careful observation should also reveal that they sometimes question the well established stereotypes. What happens to children who questions too much? In all likelihood, the child will end up getting a good thrashing from either the teacher or her parents for being too “naughty” or “argumentative” or “undisciplined”. What is worth looking at is that it is not the case that the children are “undisciplined” or “argumentative” but that either the parent or teacher does not know the answer to the question or they find the question against the established social norms. I remember myself being told to be respectful towards my elders and just accept whatever they say because “elders are always right”. That’s so laughable. Why should they be right? Aren’t they not humans? And if they know everything they shouldn’t all of them be awarded the nobel prize? According to me, one who is scared of answering questions is one who’s wrong. You do not have to know the answer to each and every question, no one does but at least one can accept that. But instead they’ll accuse the child of sin. I mean lots of times it is so funny to listen a school teacher telling his student that she’s wrong and the teacher wont give any reason but that “the book” and the teacher himself has to know more by some rule of Heaven. It’s simply insane. What happens over time is that they end up killing the spirit of questioning in the child without realising the gravity of the crime they themselves are committing.

The ability to question is the key to innovation. It is a sad story that today in India research and innovation is way below world standards. And somewhere very intricately, the fact that we do not have the ability to question is responsible for it. Just to put things in perspective: look at the following graph.

Source: SCImago. (2007). SJR — SCImago Journal & Country Rank.
Retrieved April 29, 2010, from http://www.scimagojr.com

The Indian contribution to world research journals is way below that of the United States. Further, as of 2008 China’s contribution was more than four times that of India. Except TIFR and IISc can you tell if there are any world reputed research institutes in India? The IITs have been around for almost 6 decades now, are world renowned for training engineers but still have not been able to establish themselves as world class research institutes. I do not agree that money is the only factor. You might requires huge sums of money for research in sciences but in social sciences there is apt funding in this country. Yet according to Prof. Debraj Ray (from the New York University, who heads its PhD admissions committee and whom I’ve happened to meet personally), the general perception abroad is that Indians are very well trained but not good researchers. I’d leave it upto you to introspect the reason.

We feel proud at having disciplined children. Children who talk too much and ask too many questions, question which we feel they “should not” be asking, who refuse to accept our “orders” are immediately out-casted. Please introspect and realise that we are doing them and ourselves great harm. We are killing creativity. We are stopping development of new inventions which might change the world. Imagine if no one had raised their voice against “Sati”. Today we know that it’s a crime but back then it was “respect”. Times have changes yet our idea of “respect” has not changed. Questioning anything can do no harm. All that can happen is filtration of baseless concepts. “Elders” should realize that it will not make them any less if they “accept” that they do not know something and encourage their children to find what they are looking for. And it’s a fact, no one knows “everything”. And it is no good to become dictators and judges of your children and students. Let them question you. If you know everything and are “always right”, what are you afraid of?

The Pale Blue Dot

2010-03-22T20:14:00.000+05:30

This narrow-angle color image of the Earth, dubbed 'Pale Blue Dot', is a part of the first ever 'portrait' of the solar system taken by Voyager 1. The spacecraft acquired a total of 60 frames for a mosaic of the solar system from a distance of more than 4 billion miles from Earth and about 32 degrees above the ecliptic. From Voyager's great distance Earth is a mere point of light, less than the size of a picture element even in the narrow-angle camera. Earth was a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size. Coincidentally, Earth lies right in the center of one of the scattered light rays resulting from taking the image so close to the sun. This blown-up image of the Earth was taken through three color filters -- violet, blue and green -- and recombined to produce the color image. The background features in the image are artifacts resulting from the magnification.

From Carl Sagan's public lecture at Cornell, October 13, 1994:

We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam. The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

The source is Prof. Debraj Ray's Home Page

Is Development Dividing Us?

2010-02-27T23:53:00.002+05:30

India is today seen as developing and shining. It is seen as the emerging global economic power. The country that we see emerging before us has shining metropolises with McDonalds, fancy malls, flamboyant cars, expensive clothes and India is the most important market for this all. And we’d quickly jump to the conclusion that we are progressing in the right direction and that all this would eventually pull every one out of poverty. But from where I see it, our country is jumping into a pit from where it’d be hard to come back. We are developing a country where the “urban middle class” is progressing for sure, but this is also one country where near 80% of the population lives below Rs 20 a day, a country whose hunger is comparable to that of Sub-Saharan Africa. Surely a nation where poverty forces 15 year old girls into prostitution cannot be developing by any standards. And all this is making permanent damage to the society. It is such societal neglect and oppression that leads to violent outbursts which we often call ‘Terrorism’. The fault I believe is our own.

That India is growing at miraculous rates is very easily perceived as an indicator for a prosperous future. Much of this perception and inference is based on growth theories which would predict that economies (conditionally) shall converge over time. But what worries me is that the span of “time” is not certain. It has definitely not happened till now. Standard economic theory would also tell you that during the course of development as countries move from being agro based economies to the phase of industrialization the inequality first increases and then declines. All this looks very attractive on paper but we never realize the cost that comes during the transition phase – the phase of increasing inequality.

The last 50-60 years has not shown us convergence of any sorts and if we may just care to ponder a little deeper into this... its a lifetime! So on what basis do we claim that we are developing for the good? Specially when a lot of this so called “necessary evil” is permanent damage. A household once put into the darkness of poverty, at least in my opinion, has almost negligible chances to come out of the vicious cycle. And yet we talk of no reservation and equal opportunity when we are the ones putting families into the death knell and denying them the very opportunity that we ask for.

Let’s put things in perspective. I personally do not buy too much from Amartya Sen but one thing that he did put down on paper stands out essential and very common sense, just that with all the westernization we seem to be loosing of it all. In simple terms increasing inequality should increase poverty. After all a society where everyone has access to a maruti car vis-a-vis one in which some can buy just bicycles and others Hondas is better off even if the aggregate incomes in both societies is the same. There shall be a degree of stability and more happiness in such a society. Just consider two brothers with one chocolate each compared to a situation where only one sibling gets all the perks. The consequences are just a micro and over-simplified picture of what is happening around us. This concept of relative poverty is one that is used by most European countries and if we were to use a similar approach for India we would surely be performing miserably.

Seeing India in this light, the growth that we are looking at shall increase inequality to a very great and perhaps irreparable level. In the name of industrialization, we are snatching away land from the tribals, which I might remind you is un-constitutional. What country is it which uses its own military against its own defenceless citizens? Have we ever thought why the Naxal Movement is so strong? We talk about carbon reduction, global warming and eco-friendly systems and spend millions of dollars on huge conferences. And then it’d appear such ironic when we’d try to take land away from the tribals who live in perfect harmony with nature for so called development.

Land acquisition can be given a lot rationality and in it the cost is most often forgotten. In China, for example, farmers refused to give away their land even when they were offered two residential apartments against it. Reason, well not that they would earn less but because they’d become socially inactive landlords. They preferred staying active farmers. Just shows how important self respect is for the human beings.

One of my professors at the Delhi School once asked a question to a renowned pro-market economist. He said that instead of giving the farmers the present discounted value of their land while acquiring it, why not pay the present discounted value of the investment a company makes to it and the remaining capital to the society. Its the same logic turned on its head. The economist, well did not have any answer.

See, my views are not leftist or anti-industrialization. All I’m trying to say is that in any actions we take we should not forget some members of the society. So right now, if development means McDonalds for some and hunger for others I am against it. If development means food, health care, cheap medicine, equal right to education to all... then that is the direction I’d want the country to progress. There is no need to grow too fast if in growing slowly we can take everyone along...

Greetings...

2010-02-19T21:48:00.001+05:30

Perhaps each one of us when in kindergarten are taught to greet everyone around us with the gesture appropriate to the time of the day. I had a late realization though that people around me, including me, have very conveniently forgotten this basic courtesy. I go to the Ridge behind college every evening to run. A few days ago I came across this old man, in rather shabby clothes, who was sitting on this solitary bench on the side of the track and feeding dogs. At first sight, he appeared somewhat insane through his mannerisms. I was listening to my MP3 player and did not bother enough to pay attention any further. However, when I went past him, he wished me saying "Ram ram". I was a little surprised as to why would some stranger wish me and very quickly came to the conclusion that the poor chap must be mad. I was however, taken aback when he said... "arey bhaiya shaam to raam raam to bol do" (At least in the evenings you can reply brother.) I felt a little guilty and replied back with courtesy.

I realized however, that we the so called educated masses, feel too heavy to even greet each other. Basic courtesy and gestures that bind us together as human beings, instills love around us have been forgotten. Actually, it should not take us anything and it is absolutely not necessary to know someone to greet him. Just the sheer bond of humaneness should be enough. It is from forgetting these little gestures have we created so much hatred amongst us. We as humans have forgotten our real-self and the easiest solution we find to anything is one of hatred and violence. The sense of brotherhood has got lost somewhere. We do not know each other since we do not want to. We like being strangers. We would not be if we could just stick to the simplicities of life. All that takes to kill hatred and spread a little love is a smile and a "Good Morning..." One doesn't need to shell a couple of thousand bucks on a Kingfisher flight to hear that. Just imagine how the face of the world could change if each one of us could just "GREET".

Sometimes the Greatest Heroes are found in the most Docile...

2009-10-27T17:50:00.003+05:30

I happened to remember this incident that happened some years back but it is the greatest examples of valour that i've ever come across. Even greater than those of battlefields perhaps. My mom happens to be a school teacher. So a parent happened to be visiting us on diwali few years ago. He didn't bring the usual gifts with him that usually parents do when they visit my mom. My mom turns them with a sweet thanks that's another story (over which i crib a lot... "its just a gift na"). This man had come to discuss about his child's poor performance. He had three kids. The youngest in kinder garden was not performing well if i remember correctly.

Nothing apart from this was very extraordinary with the man. He was wearing simple and humble clothes. Nothing branded, nothing gaudy. A simple brown trouser, a checked shirt, very tidy, black shoes which seemed quite old. It was clear that the man was not very well to do. Nothing was extraordinary in him, really, except the man himself.

I was making tea for the guest as they started to talk. The man accepted that it was his fault as he was not able to give ample time to the kids and that his wife was sick and so she could not either. As the conversation continued he revealed that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer the year before and was in an advanced stage now. He was a government clerk so dint earn enough to meet the medical and other family expenses. He had even sold off their only house for his wife's treatment. But now is left with nothing so he works as a guard at night after office which gets over at 4. He goes home for a while to cook for his kids and wife and then is off for his night duty. I realized that the man barely gets time to sleep and he does it everyday. He still promised that he'll ask his elder children to take better care of their youngest sibling. My mom also said that she'd help his children by giving them extra time after school hours. He thanked and then left wishing diwali of course.

I do not know what happened to the family. My mother also changed her school after some time. I wonder now that the man had much more valour than many famous people whom we adore. His battle was not simple. I would say extraordinary. His love for his family is remarkable. He's someone who does not only says he loves but fights for his love. Great people... generals who have won lost battles, people who have won freedom, doctors who have made impossible surgeries, teachers who have given classy scholars and scholars who have given out of the world theorems, I would say all of them definitely have a better support base and do obviously get recognition. This man would get neither and yet he's a hero!! But they do have something in common... the determination and courage. I salute thee!

Killing the Killer Instinct

2009-09-14T21:22:00.003+05:30

Don't be let down at sad times, don't think God has forsaken you when life is tough, don't think that God will ruin you down to dust, it's just that he's polishing a Gem.

Someone very close to me messaged me once saying this. A thought just hits you sometimes as it did when I first came to know about the removal of examinations for grade 10 in India and the stark relation with the message somehow flashed upon me the perils of this decision. Well, at the onset it a very modern decision, very westernized perhaps... but as i believe that you cannot lift anything and everything from the west and just implant it in India. The conditions are so different here that things don't fit in and eventually the system collapses.

Removal of examination is more like running away from the battleground than facing it. We do not realize that there are tougher times that lie ahead and these sort of hurdles in life are just preparations for those. To that respect its not such a straight forward conclusion to make that it'd do good in the long run. In a developing country like India when there is so much pressure on the system, take for example the applicants to seats ratio for any exam, say the JEE, CAT or IAS; there is no way out of it. You have to face it someday. Be it establishing a business or simply applying for a job at Mc Donalds, there is so much competition that running away now is just hitting yourself with an axe. Why should you weaken yourself.

Besides this, in this country where many times you have teachers who do not have the right knowledge of their subject, teachers who are so stubborn that they don't even listen to you if you have a different point of view, who do not let you question and think out of the box... The entire system of internal assessment will collapse. When there are teachers who ask you to come to private tuition if you can even hope to get some marks from them, in such a scenario the system would be no more transparent than the computer screen you are looking at right now. And then the entire thought just appears lousy and foolish. A centralized marking system at least ensured that you were judged correctly and were at better hands.

However, I agree with the intention, which is one of reduction of pressure from students. It's is mighty true according to me both from experience and information that the amount of knowledge one can gain without pressure is more in terms both quantity and quality. But then there can be other ways to do it. For example, parents should be taught that academics is not the end of life. I mean there is so much more to it and to that end various people have myriad different talents which should be encouraged. The best managers to my mind were never very good students. Then there are musicians, artists, advertisement managers, hotelling industry, consumer durables etc etc etc which requires so much of different talent. I guess that there is just too less information among people. If students could be shown that they can develop their life and career in something they like and is close to their heart then the "pressure" will automatically decrease because the one would enjoy doing what he does. For example if somebody enjoys mathematics and not guitar, ask him to become a guitarist.... I'm sure he'll appear as vulnerable to pressure as anyone else....

The Spirit Of Stephania...

2009-08-15T19:24:00.010+05:30

I am at home for the weekend. The weather is fantastic outside as it drizzles, as it has been throughout the day and as the cool breeze enters my room through the window. Its been long since I have been able keep the window open and switch off the AC, but today is different and even the tea in my blue cup tastes different.

Well, The Spirit of Stephania is one of contention rather i would say confusion. With people in out there whose credibility is far more than mine i'd not even try to explain what the Spirit is, I'd rather I provided how I see it. For one thing, the spirit cannot be felt outside the Castle walls of St. Stephen's. Why I call the walls, the walls of a Castle? Well, they are semi-permeable in some sense. A word of caution before I proceed, this post may not be understood by many who read this and specially who have not lived St. Stephen's. (There is no preposition missing between "lived" and "St. Stephen's".)

It took me nearly three years to understand St. Stephen's the way I see it. Unarguably, my graduating from college, moving-out and simultaneously moving-in contributed a lot but the realization was always there in the sub-conscious, built up each day by the Spirit itself. (A cherished quality of the English language is that you need not attach a gender to every single thing.)

I still remember and can actually picture the College Hall on the day of the orientation. 15th of July, 2006 it was, the Delhi summer heat as killing as it always is and the hall was packed with first years. I was too nervous then standing amongst aliens and many who am sure will leave their mark on history. Sharp at 10 did late Dr. Anil Wilson enter and behind him the famous procession of the "Senior Members" as they are called walked up the stage.

I remember rather faintly the exact words Dr. Wilson said but I'll always remember the message he was delivering. I think he said the all of us were standing at a glorious moment in history when a new batch of people were on the brink of becoming Stephanians. Being Stephanian is not being elite and looking down upon others but is elite in rather a different sense, said he. There were to be a spirit that'll bind us all together in the coming years and that would be the Spirit of Stephania. In what follows I'll elucidate the various aspects of College, that should bring out the spirit of the Spirit of Stephania.

Shashi Tharoor recently wrote in a news article that at other places you learn to answer questions. At Stephen's we learnt to question the answers and some of us even went further to question the questions. This is the foundation of college. There are no students and teachers at St. Stephen's but rather junior and senior members and each one of them command an equal respect in their own right and learn from each other. The flow of knowledge has never been uni-directional. You can see members in college sitting with each other in the cafe, the staff room, the dhaba tree at any time during the day. Every time I met my professors, in their houses, cafe or the staff room what followed was a discussion over tea or a lazy night walk outside the muk gate in the dim lights. Such extravagance of knowledge sharing is rare to be found.

I remember approaching my HOD at 8 in the night regarding a problem that was making me restless. He was cooking, so he called me in and we discussed over it in his kitchen. Wonder if this happens anywhere else. I remember having visited a reputed college regarding a paper presentation competition. Now as per the rules no one was supposed to cross question the participants. A senior professor of the same college who happened to be the judge went on to do the same with one team . When the chair tried to intervene, the lady on the chair got scolded because she had interrupted her teacher. Well, such does not happen inside the walls of my fortress, where the chair is always given its due respect, does not matter who sits on the chair. The chair is the chair and judges are judges. I might add that the lady had very cordially said that they should proceed to the next team. Listening to others is also something that is an inseparable quality of being a Stephanian. Every one gets a patient hearing at Stephen's even if you are not a Stephanian. The college through the journals and newsletter it publishes like the kooler talk and SOUL fosters the freedom of speech. Which sometimes contains humour that has to be taken in a lighter mood than normally and that can happen inside Stephen's. Putting up spices in college is a legacy and is always taken in the right spirit. Phrases like "ass-instant deans" and "The Blacksmith Song" could earn you a suspension the like back humour of the senior members resentment anywhere else. The practical joke week is something than can happen only in Stephen's other wise the maurince nagar SHO would have a rather tough time.

There are moments in your three years at Stephen's which are so Stephnian in their own right that describing them to others is not even worth the moment itself, let alone the nostalgia of it. The evenings light up the main corridor with small children of the karamcharies imbibing knowledge from the junior members. The respect that we get in return is invaluable. The college mochi (cobbler) sits still at rudra-gate which has been the unofficially registered property of his ancestors for over a century now. From British leather to the GK-2 jutties and from Gucci to the sarojini chappal his armour has tasted it all. The guy at the property counter at the library is the fourth in his generation doing it.

The mince and chai were invented in the cafe, has survived decades and yet has never gone out (the walls and over-time both). Junior members in Rud north and muk west have never responded to the dinner bell at the dining hall but to the solitary call of the dogs, who also are as much stephanians as anyone else. Because even they have been giving those calls since decades and through generations. Some times they even attend lectures when they feel like or see the classroom empty to provide some audience to the senior member present.

The SSL (Social Service League, the oldest student social service organization in the country) is in a very big sense the largest occupant of the Spirit of Stephania. Service before self has been lived upto by Stephanians over time and always with no one coming to know about it. Be it providing relief after epidemics, quakes or empowering the under-privileged, or the free eye testing and contributing to the country's blood bank, at St. Stephen's all of it is an annual festival.

Waiting for your class in the arched corridors, the moon lit courts when there is no power in college at night, the songs of the bats, warmth in the residence blocks when the winter fog encompasses college, the after dinner discussions with the IDG guests or just even at the traditional stroll, or at the 4p.m. tea, or at the after 10 meetings at the night dhaba or the society meetings at 1.15 sharp (which is always close to blunt), the late night informal debates in rooms which were perhaps once the shelter for the now world leaders are moments that go on to build the aura of college that forms the Spirit.

So elitism in college is not elitism in the worldly sense but becoming elite imbibing the Spirit is an integral part of being a Stephanian. Small activities like switching off lights and helping anyone in need form the core. But being instrumental in whatever you do and doing more for the society thereby is also elitism in the same sense.

At Stephen's there are two religions only, you can either be a "resi" or a "dayski", there is no other discrimination done and yet this distinction is huge. The "resis" traditionally have a tougher "first term" than the dayskis but they do live a more fuller life. The stephanian life beings only after the dayskis leave the castle. Being ragged by seniors to intelligible tunes and also the immense bonding that follows for the next eight terms is both unique and exclusive. The gwyer parathas at night would mean that Stephanians will continue jumping the gate of the principal's residence till eternity.

I still remember the first day when my teacher entered class and everyone stood up to wish him, he jumped back in fear as if facing an attack, and then came the reply, "This is Stephen's, all this does not happen here so chill" and I can assert this on every Stephanian's behalf that this has never lessened our respect and love for our teachers and all of us remain an inseparable entity of college. The block tea's and block drinks, late night discussions, the rather humorous and "naughtier" block tutors convert the hostel to a residence and so Stephen's becomes a home for you.

Memories drive me into deeper nostalgia. Bhaiyyanji will get you food to eat in the cafe not on your order but on how your face is perceived by him. So you get a chai if its written on your face, even if you order a maggi and still you are more than satisfied. Sitting and studying in the Andrew's court and not going to the library corridor post dinner is very dear. Harmony has and will always be exclusive. To those who oppose and want to enter the walls whilst harmony continues, I pose a questions. Answering which correctly will earn you an entry ticket for sure. Where is tree number 420? Or who wrote the Blacksmith song? or who haunts the well behind the chappel or What is so sacred about the Allnut lawns? or What is the difference between red and cambridge red? Trust me these are the simplest questions that you'll face at the quiz in Harmony. To those who are clueless still, Harmony is the annual college festival which is envied by non-stephanians for its exclusivity... but guys, you wont have a clue about what is happening inside unless you are a stephanian.

So I guess it is clear that describing and understanding the spirit is next to impossible unless you have experienced it but the spark of the spirit lives in any soul that is ever a part of St. Stephen's. And the legacy will continue no matter what laws prevail outside St. Stephen's. The feel of college, the aura of walking through the arched corridors, specially when they are haunting at night, the cafe and not the canteen, the dining hall and not the mess, the pleasure of the after 10 culture, the sitting in the Andrew's court post dinner or just lazying around, the relationship between a junior and senior member, the late night studies, gaining more knowledge through crosswords than attending lectures, the never attending 8.40s and missing the routine breakfast, and wazzup of college, and learing all outside the university reading list and the jan-test questions which never match the university questions will always remain ever so elite and exclusive that Stephanian's will always be blamed for being Elite and the Spirit of Stephania wont ever be understood by the world at large will always contribute to making Stephanians elite!!

Is God Around US?

2009-07-11T11:41:00.002+05:30

"A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;
How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he.
...
Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,
A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropt,
Bearing the owner's name someway in the corners, that we may see
and remark, and say Whose?"

Whenever I have come across this question that how do we know whether God is there or is around us, I am reminded of these lines by Walt Whitman from his famous work "Song of Myself" wherein he explains this question is numerous ways. My favourite being these lines in which he explains that as in a handkerchief you can find the initials of its owner stitched, the grass on earth is the handkerchief of the Lord, reminding us of his presence and He Himself making his presence felt. The bunches of grass in the child's hands become a symbol of the regeneration in nature.

Personally, His presence I have experienced in many ways... You might call this silly though but I do have to say that the fact that the direction in which my life has moved has been guided by some power as i never had choices. After 12th grade, I was and still am passionate about Computers and always wanted to make a career in that field, but things turned out to be so and I landed up doing Economics at St. Stephen's College. Three years down the line I can say that it was a decision well made. The gifts that St. Stephen's has given me apart from the pleasure of being called a Stephanian are in numerous which am more than sure that no other engineering college could have given me. It also made me realize that somewhere I was never cut out to become an engineer. Computers have myriad different uses and should be used as such thus. St. Stephen's also gave me one of my most favourite and cherished teachers, Mr. Grewal.

In college, seeing my seniors and listening to other success stories and the big buck packages I always wanted to work after college. So began my struggle and efforts every summers to get some internship and all of them went in vain. Came third year, and I sat for the interviews... blame it on the recession ('coz all of them liked my CV), I did not get a job even after reaching to the final round of my dream company. At those moments something strikes you very hard because you have one failure after another and after a point the phrase "dawn after sunset" makes no sense and seems false.

However, I continued in life and came across people who showed me the other picture of the corporate world and I realized that the stress and the politics there is not meant for me. As one of my professors at Stephen's puts it... "Shoumitro you might have the money to buy Golf clubs but you don't have the time to use them..."

Well, that bent me a lot towards academics. And after graduation so I wanted to do MA. I took many entrances and ended up only at the Delhi School of Economics. Not that I was all that bad, I knew that but still I did not manage at any other place... And at one point I was in the same situation as I was after class 12. That had I not got into the Delhi School it'd have been a waste of one whole year. But that's how i guess God has channelized my life. So from hereon, I guess... it's best to leave everything unto Him and try doin' the best in whatever comes my way... I hope that the next two years would be as rocking as the past three and at the end of these to am equally proud and happy!!

Some events have no logic.

2009-07-03T10:10:00.005+05:30

In a terrorist attack, why do some people get hit while others don't? Why does some kid get admission in one school and the other lad does not... an event which might shape up their lives differently. Why do people loose their loved ones in some ugly natural disaster... people and families who may become ruined and were hard working, the staunchest believers in God and followed His teachings in the closest manner they could. Why should a divorce between a couple leave a child without the parental love and care which should almost be guaranteed, what is the mistake of the child in all this? Why do some people are more successful than others?

Such and other questions have always ignited my thoughts and never have i been able to reach a peaceful conclusion. When we say that God is there to do justice why do we see so much injustice around us. All of us in our lives do come across events which are un-explainable. Sometimes, we tend to take refuge in beliefs such as "God has His strange ways of doing things!" or "People are being punished for their past deeds." or "God is taking away something to leave your hand empty so that you can receive something better." Sure there will be stories of the fulfillment of them but it is also true that this earth is full of tragedies absolutely unexplained. In our hearts we know that somewhere justice was not done. Is our Father in heaven so beyond us? As I write all this, I would confess that I am a very religious believer in God and I have Faith justice is eventually done, but I know about real-life stories around us where good people, real-good people weren't happy even to their death. So there remain questions which are truly beyond mortal comprehension. Or should we just believe that some events in life are truly random like the Brownian Motion and as Einstein believed that in equilibrium everything is absolutely random. So to say that as the world... from the Big bang moves towards equilibrium... somethings shall remain UNEXPLAINED!!!