Food for all

For a country that had successful Green and White revolutions some 20 years back, how did we ever reach a stage where the tax payer has to fund the govt so that no one goes to sleep hungry? Yes, we are a welfare state, and yes, no one should sleep hungry. The intention is noble, but i think this bill is not a holistic way to go about it.

All fables and all stories, advice us teach a human being to be self-sufficient, so in the long run, he can help himself. I don't think giving food at 1, 2 and 3 rupees helps. Call me cynical if you want, but the farmer will have to sell the crops at a lower cost to the government, the subsidy for that will be borne by the taxpayer, the food typically will be siphoned by the PDS agents, and the hungry will continue remain so.

Multiple sources put the numbers of hungry / malnourished between 5% to 20% of the population and cost to country anything between Rs. 25,000cr to Rs. 650,000cr to put the food security bill in effect. However, the procurement, storage, transport and making it available in a non-corrupt environment is be the biggest challenge, from where most people see it.

Lets say, we go with the government goal to ensure no one sleeps hungry in the next five years. We will make sure everyone gets food. Feeding the people isnt the problem. I see many organisations, corporates, NGOs, charitable organisations doing that. Even regular people. Feeding people is curing the symptom, not finding a solution to the problem.

If food is freely available or available at a subsidised rates, at a continued duration, it will aggravate the tax payer middle class, which will prick the political class. That too is pretty myopic. The larger concern is, the farmers wont farm anymore!! Soon, we could have a year when there will be no farm produce, and we will import food from outside. So, what part of that food will go for people who can pay for it, and what will go to those living off the subsidy?


Hence, first things first. We must encourage and incentivise agriculture and agri-research. For a country that's largely agrarian, our economy for many years has been driven by industrial growth and service sector. Yes, the second and third wave will be the driving force and factor; but we must not discount agriculture. The day the farmers think what they put into cultivating is not coming back - they will lose the plot. It has been happening pretty regularly over the last 20 years or so. The cost of living isn't coming down, then why should the minimum purchase price remain stable? Other than holding on to his land, what reason does the farmer have to yield the produce and sell the food at government prices?

Having said that, a strong willed approach is necessary for irrigation projects, making seeds available, encouraging organic produce. The reason why there is large scale migration to urban areas is disillusionment with the existing systems. If all factors are made available to the farmer, and his energies are focused on the crop cycle, where he is ensured a decent margin over his production cost, i don't see any reason why food and nutrition will be a concern. Plus, we can actually look at a realistic reverse migration model.
The farmer can put a vague and arbitrary cost to his daily effort - which will translate to higher market price and so on and so forth. That definitely can be checked with per acre sweat cost depending on the terrain etc.

The key is the government should be able to make whole grains, vegetables and fruits more accessible and cheaply available. We can look at multiple models - like, weekly bazaar where farmers directly sell the produce in markets set up on the city peripheries. Local produce should get more importance over imported or transported crops. To bring best available food to the people, either the price of the produce should be raised or heavy taxation on processed foods should be introduced.

Importance for local produce is necessary to avoid what is happening in Kerala, where cash crops (rubber, spices etc) are primary produce and they import rice, dal and vegetables! Since the cost of labour is very high, they have to get farm help too from outside! However, the locals claim joblessness.
Look at Panjab. Similar stuff - but prosperity has led to alcohol and drug abuse. And the land is concentrated due to over consumption of fertilizers etc.


Let agriculture be part of the growth story. That will ensure more food. More food for all. Yes, there will be distribution challenges but that is easy. When the local produce is plenty, you wont need to stock or transport. We need more non-SEZs led opportunities in rural areas. We need to generate more employment in the most employable sector - food, glorious food.

The Road and The King

On 6 November this year, i completed 15 years of driving with a licence. Much said already :)

Over the years, i have figured some truths about the roads and driving in India, stuff that sometimes amuse, irk, trouble, and entertain us during the daily commute.

Passing the blame: Not one to shake hands and let go. Every child knows "taali ek haath se nahi bajti", but try to say that on the roads and you are at your own peril. Of course, there are exceptions. The mandvali is usually preceded with  the charade of power connections, curious onlookers, and there never is a moment where sense prevails.

The connections: Among the things done in an accident, one of the first things is to pull out the mobile phone and call - not to inform near and dear ones, but the "connection" - be it goons, cops, politician.


Chaos of the onlooker: Joblessness is a real condition in our country and its visible when there is something that happens on the roads. I once was stuck on a bridge, cos some idiot jumped off the bridge and all those walking, driving on it, stopped their vehicles in the middle of the road to see the rocky end of the one who jumped.


Signal boredom: Yes, its true. No one likes traffic signals. They just add unnecessary seconds to our already behind schedule lives. However, just cos you are late, must you dig you nose?
Pseudo leftists: Despite 60 odd years of the Congress party, our country remains largely leftist. If all those who overtake from the left joined the left front, the Chinese wont need to do all this under bullying.

Curious case of the unfollowed lane: First came the road, then came the road widening, and then the mad rush. Yes, most of our roads are very narrow. However on the ones that are wide and have lanes, can we follow the line? Nope!! The best is Dilli syndrome, where you drive "on" the white lines - going whichever lane the traffic eases up.


Middle class surge: Folks came from very humble beginnings, wanted to get ahead in life. They took any opportunity, no matter how small to make their lives and those of their loved ones, better. They passed on those values to their kids. Unfortunately, on the roads too. Two wheelers, cars, tempos, trucks - take whatever vehicle. Whenever there is an opportunity to get a foothold, they will attempt to put their vehicle in there.

Cross over at the railway gates: In manned as well as unmanned railway crossings, this is a common sight where vehicles will block the left AND the right side of the road. When the gates open, those who have crowded the wrong side of the road, from both sides, want to move ahead. Folks who arrive earlier  and are on left side of the road, are stuck till blokes who want to go from wrong side of the road to left side, for equal number of idiots on the other side want to make similar passing.


Gone with the Wind: its easy to judge, but from cycles to bikes, from auto rickshaws to buses to luxury cars - we have people spitting out - oblivious to everything else.

Blame is proportional to the size of the vehicle: Take any accident. More often than not, the one with the bigger vehicle is the villain. Its not only the attitude of party involved, but the onlookers, the system and even the police. Its the sense of entitlement that is pissing off. I have seen bus guys getting beaten up just cos they have a bus! I have given money for damage that was not my fault of mine. Sometimes i wonder what did i avoid by encouraging that beheviour?

Jaywalkers: If there is one category that has begun to anger me too much, its the pedestrians. I respect those on their feet, and those cycling. I always wait till they pass, give them preference at intersections. When i dislike them most is, after a 2 mins signal, they continuing to walk by simply raising their hand. This can be seen best at Swargate. Either, we re-program the signals, where after the vehicles turn, there should be a 20-30 sec vehicles stop for pedestrians. And of course, there are those who walk on the road, even if there is a footpath is in place.


Some  things that pop up:

• There is absolutely no value of human life. At least people behave that way. 
• The traffic police is severely understaffed. There is zero deterrent value to our punishments. And there are no incentives for good beheviour. 
• At no point of upbringing is civic sense taught. Parents think its the schools responsibility, the schools think parents should do it. And lets accept it, we are bad teachers for those with impressionable minds.
• We have screwed up. We can fix it.

Lesson in Socialism

(Borrowed from the FB page of my senior from Sainik School Satara, Pravin Sathvara)


An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that.


These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:


1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.


Can you think of a reason for not sharing this? Neither could I.

Rocky Life of a Rockstar

I enjoyed Rockstar. I might watch it again, when i have the time to spare. Perhaps on television. I loved the existentialist bit from the "Sadda haq", although i thought the song was out of place in the movie. That, in India we don't have a "real" rockstar and music for us equals to Bollywood, is subject for another blog. This one is is about essence of a rockstar.

Everyone at some point in their lives wants to be rockstar. Live the irresponsible, reckless and mannerless life, not be answerable to anyone, live in the present, say and do things without second thoughts, not care about the consequences. The classic "rebel without a cause."

Some even manage to do it for few years, mostly in their college and youth - as pretentious as it sounds. Torn jeans, walk with a swagger, date a few girls, buy some porn. Little bolder ones might cheat in exams, shop lift, walk out from eateries without paying bills. You get the picture. And then, its time to grow up and wear formal clothes and polished shoes and get on with "haan-ji" life that they are destined to live. The rat-race begins, never to end. Everything else follows - wedding, EMIs, kids, more EMIs - and the "babu" coded in the DNA wins.

This, in no way is a life to be ashamed of. Its a perfectly alright and acceptable life - with solid definition, strong rights and wrongs and moralities. Millions would kill to get a sorted, mundane life like this. Those of you living this life, are blessed, my friends.

Few continue the inexcusable beheviour all their lives and they too have a stories to tell. Not the 9-5 water cooler gossip, or the polite dinner time tales though. These are the wild stories - Of living on your terms and risking heart break and unrealised dreams; Of going out on a whim and ending up friendless. They never grow up. They don't want to grow up and put a pretense of civilised beheviour. They continue to rub institutions, establishments, and everyone else the wrong way. Most times over a stoopid pretext of wanting to be different, or some such belief and endure whatever comes their way. Everything else - love and hurt, things said and unsaid, actions done never to be undone, ecstatic joy and unbearable pain - are all part of the rocky existence.

Each one is a rockstar. Everyone who pushes whatever limits is a rockstar. For the former, what seems boring, could be the most exciting thing ever. Pushing through the day, surviving the mundane, making compromises, not feeling like a speck of dirt could be an achievement. And that makes them rockstar.

The wild ones, have no limit. They go on with this unstoppable force that burns them and everyone around them. They continue to be embarrassments, social menace - thinking thats the only way to do things and they carry that cross forever. And that makes them rockstars too.

The ultimate motive of life is to end. Just like everything else. Everyone finds a meaning and purpose in moments that make up a lifetime, and lives it in their own ways - justifying everything, or carry on unrepentant.

Karte kya ho?

The other day at lunch, the discussion veered to an interesting question that was asked in the film ZNMD: "Karte kya ho?"
What do you do? At times, appearing superficial cos of the regularity with which it is used,  the question actually is very incisive. In an interview it tells more than you expect to hear. At a social gathering, it is an indicator of your social status. When we meet someone for the first time, it is one of the first few questions you ask to kill the silence. The top answer, however, and unfortunately, is mentioning what you do in your "professional" capacity. Work - something that roughly occupies 33% of our work life and almost 60% of our waking time.
The question is, has the professional identity surpassed the individual identity?
The front page in todays TOI says that 1/5 of all Indian adults have hypertension or diabetes and the ratio is almost 1/3 in Maharashtra, and that takes question really on the forefront. Have we been so conditioned by our education system, that what we do can be answered only by what we do for a living?
Apparently, the trend to answer that question with your work profile is a very Mumbai thing. Considering it is the financial captial of the country, i might agree with it. There is a chase. Constantly. However, is seems that question can be answered in a "non-bread and butter" reply in Delhi. People have lots more than just work, up there.
Is it possible that because we spend more and more time at our work and thinking abt work and socialising with work people, and most calls on our mobile phones are for work related stuff, that we tend to think work is life? Or work defines what we do??
Has work-life balance become a thing to say and not to follow? Perhaps its time now to introspect and reflect on the question: Karte kya ho?

Living as a Weekday Bachelor

(Something i was writing for Femina Pune. However, before i finished it, the Editor told me it wont get published as some pages got dropped. Thought i should finish the piece the way i saw it originally, and post it here!)

Six months into our marriage, we realised the key to happy matrimony is separate bathrooms.

In these blissful months, we explored most of the travails in the “just married” category – which side of the bed is whose, cross cultural eating habits, television viewing, choosing furniture; and the social bits like, guest appearances at functions, family lunches, having friends over, going out with work people and such.

In two years, as Pune didn't offer much in terms of career, Shiril moved back to Mumbai to pursue a career.

There are two ways to look at the situation. One can choose between Weekend Couple or Weekday Bachelor to define our relationship. In the “weekday bachelorhood”, the party never ends! Imagine coming home and not getting bothered with where you take off your shoes or throw your clothes. Or how long you watch the television or when or where and what you eat for dinner? Imagine being married and still getting to live the bachelor pad life!!

However, weekday bachelor living is not as easy a life that it appears to be. The man is at his vulnerable best through the week. Since it’s very easy to go back to survival mode learnt during college days, a lot of domestic things are compromised on. The maid knows that you cant argue on the clothes that need to be washed or items in the fridge that need to be thrown out. Of course, one can never have a discussion on the days she bunked. The cook rings the bell only once and waits for exactly 20 seconds for you to open the door. Post that you are on your own for all three meals for the day. You will find abt essential commodities and supplies running out, after they have run out. The dhobi wont change his schedule for you, so you will find yourself wearing tee shirts and sweatshirts or ironing shirts in the morning. 

There are many more critical services that are paramount to your status as a working adult that need to be looked after. Even if you aren't running the world, these things need to be managed, and guess who does it in a weekday bachelor home?

Of course, a lot of chores do tend to get pushed to the weekend, which also is the only time the couple gets to spend together. She comes home expecting to unwind and relax whereas the i might have some unfinished tasks lined up. Luckily, the bills are paid online in our case and what remains is random commitments and shopping for groceries. I am the lazy one and Shiril has to drag me out to get supplies. She makes the list, we drive, she picks things off the shelf, sometimes asks my opinion, i push the cart and pay. Its clinical, but it works and keeps the fridge well stocked thru the week.

There are times when we get lucky and spend more than a weekend together in either cities. Those are fun days! We chill, have late breakfast, catch a movie, go out for dinner, eat ice cream and such wonderful things. Sometimes, when we are together, friends come over from either town and we have a house party.

On the outset it might be difficult to imagine how two people can fluidly get into two different roles and manage two different sets of expectations. Living in two cities is a functional decision. Yes, in the long term, we could be wrong in the emotional distancing. The over all idea is to cherish the weekends we get together. With the maddening work pressures, distance putting strain on the relationship, we look at the times spent together as a much needed sanctuary. 

All relationships need to be worked on day after day. We are working on it in our own way - and having fun too.

Endurance - PERSONIFIED - 2

(Girish Kulkarni has written a mail capturing the moments leading up to his Limca record to “Ride a Gearless bicycle for 100 KM with an average speed of 30 KM/Hr” on 25th September 2011 at National Highway 4.)


He wants to spread the message of “Cycling: Fitness, Environment & Adventure and thank his  parents, relatives & friends who helped him to make this attempt successful. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

What an event it was… Amazing... Awesome... Tremendous... Terrific, take all the synonyms of these words and it was there in the closing lap of the event.

24^th Sept 2011 – 22:00 hrs. – A small team of volunteers with four cars and three bikes reached Satara (120 kms from Pune). The atmosphere was tense – Would he do it? Some of them were able to take a nap and some just lay awake discussing as the time passed by - very slowly.

25^th Sept 2011 – 04:00 hrs. – It was chilling night and the team got together to load their belonging into their cars and bikes and last moment updates were shared. Groups were formed and jobs allotted were reviewed so that everyone was on the same page and knew their role well. A hot cup of tea was served and team ready for the adventure.

25^th Sept 2011 – 05:00 hrs. – Team gathered at the starting point and locals could be seen coming to give their blessing to Girish. After taking blessings from his parents, he started his warming up cycling around. Count down started.

25^th Sept 2011 – 05:30 hrs. – Girish started his journey to get into that dream of being a part of Limca Book of National Record and India Book of Record. Starting speed 32kmph. Good start. Team boosting his morale and cheering him up continuously.



25^th Sept 2011 – 07:25 hrs. – Steep road and wind blowing against Girish. OH... Problem, the front brake cable gave up, as if God too wanted to test him. He was struggling hard as he had covered only 55 kms in 2 hours approx. Another 45 kms to go in 1:40 mins. Will he do it? He was determined - so were his team, who were cheering and motivating him and giving him assurances that he can do it. No time to change bicycle or repair it. Team covers him from all sides. GO Girish GO...

25^th Sept 2011 – 08:00 hrs. – Just crossed the Katraj Toll plaza. 30 mins to go and miles to cover. One more steep and Girish made up his mind to cover this faster. Then came the final lap… Strategy put in place. Three cars covering Girish from the rear so that no other vehicle overtakes him. One car clearing the road ahead and bikes covering from side as media cars struggle to take the shoot of the last lap. Girish gears-up and the speed – AMAZING – 62 kmph. One could hardly see the tired Girish who has pulled the bicycle for around 80 – 85 kms.

25^th Sept 2011 – 08:48 hrs. – YES… he made it 2 mins short of the record determined to set. Joy seemed no bounds to Girish and team. “Thanks Team” said Girish!!!


No one – who participated in the event, could forget the last lap of 62 kmph speed and the time ticking down.



Stats:
Kms covered: 100
Average speed: 30.60kmph
Least speed: 12-15kmph
Max speed: 62kmph 

The night Max Killed it...

Last Sunday night i was rather sharp. Over white wine and good easy flowing conversation, there was a sudden night thing to watch a ghost flick. It so happened that Set Max was playing "Haunted" in 3D.
I am a sucker for ghost stories. I LOVE THEM!! Every time some friends get together, these stories flow, and people get the shivers, and some others are bloody scared, but way too curious for their own good, and the goosebumps and the works.
However before i say a word more, i MUST salute those who went to cinemas and saw HAUNTED. *salute*
This movie was a laugh riot! Haunted, my friends, takes horror, horror story telling and time and space relationships, several notches in a zone where you are likely to lose yourself.
Since my visual powers were enhanced that night, there was noticeable lack of depth of field. Of course, i credited my absolutely wonderful vision to something else. But the movie wasn't looking the way its supposed to look. Especially on television. And then the 3D wave struck. Woah! They shot this movie in 3D for what!?
Well, my disappointment aside, what took the cake was the awesome spacio-temporal plot. Look it up! The "i" button on tatasky doesn't do justice to the sheer whacko genius who thought of this.
Ghost stories are loved world wide. The haunting, exorcism, rites and rituals, signs and symbols, the powers of the evil spirits, the powers that the evil spirit is afraid of, the power levels of the shaman and the degree of evil in the ghost - have a way of getting around. you know, late night pajama parties, friends traveling, strangers bonding over stories, and that's where a lot of cross cultural references are made, assimilated in other stories and so on and so forth.
This guy has taken all the symbols from all the horror space from the last decade and mixed them with the Ramsay bros and added the element of 3D to it. The Ring, Emily Rose, Dark Water, The Skeleton Key, The Orphan - you name it!!
I guess that's how these ideas abt ghosts propagate. What ghosts in Maharashtra do this? Well, lets add that to what ghosts in Kashmir do. Oh, wait! Thats an interesting twist i can add to ghosts in middle east. How will ghosts in Japan be if they could do this? Wont it make ghosts in Amreeka way cooler if we added this to our stories?
Like i said, i love ghost stories. If we happen to meet and we run out of things to say, let us start sharing them :)

PS: And then we started watching "Mere yaar ki shaadi hai" with Uday Chopra in it. We were cracking a lot of bad jokes abt him, his acting skills, his potential jobs, his last chance to redeem himself with "Pyar Impossible", when Priyanka took LOADS of money to be seen with him on screen, abt remakes - "My best friends wedding" - and all that humor - BUT SET MAX JUST STOPPED THE MOVIE MID-SCENE AND STARTED A SHOPPING BULLETIN.
No one cares abt the way-past-late night movie audience.

Endurance - personified

Working for a local media has many advantages. One of them that appeals to the social scientist in me, is the opportunity to meet and interact with people - and sometimes the variety you meet in one day - blows your mind.

The day started with the MTV Roadies crew in the studio - the anchor, Rannvijay and the twins, Raghu and Rajeev, who created the show, were here to talk about the Roadies 9 auditions in Pune. These guys n the show, need no introduction. They will have 5000 kids falling over themselves tomo @ Balewadi stadium to be part of that select group.

An hour later, i met Girish Kulkarni, a 29 yrs old Pune boy who is attempting a Limca Record 2011 by riding “Gearless bicycle” for 100 KM with an average speed of 30 KM/Hr! This blog is about him. He is the star who needs to be written about. He is the guy who has to be talked about. He is self-motivated. He is humble. He stays in Kothrud and has a regular 9-5 job. Every year, he takes 15 days off and goes on wilderness holiday. Every year, he also celebrates his birthday by attempting an impossible act of physical endurance - and mental toughness. I mean, imagine the motivation you need to take that kind of pain...

I must mention few of his achievements which are recognized by "Limca Book of Records" under "Endurance" category and enrolled as "National & World Records" in their book so you get an idea of what we are talking about here. 

(Folks from Pune will understand the records more, as they are about landmarks from here.)

2003 - Climbed Parvati Hill (Pune) 21 times in 3.00 Hrs

            www.parvatidarshan.in

2004 - "Limca book of National Record" for climbing Parvati Hill 44 times in 7.07 hours.

            www.parvatidarshan.in

2005 - "Limca Book of World Record" for climbing Sinhagad Fort 11 Times in 23.40 hours.

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhagad

2006 - Climbed 41 Forts in 250 hours from 3 different regions. Total Height covered during this event is 97,000 meters which is equal to thrice the height of Mount Everest.

2007 – Climbed Parvati Hill 101 Times in 20 hrs.

Parvati hill has 103 steps (One Way) www.parvatidarshan.in

2008 - Walked a distance of 135 Km in a record time of 26 hours 40 minutes from Pune to Sajjangad (In Satara District).

2010 - Bike Expedition to Leh Ladakh via Manali to Jammu. Distance covered is 2500 kilometers in 11 days.

Before his actual radio interview, i wanted to have a chat with him. You know the health and fitness freak that i am. Jokes apart, Girish is an extremely fit person. To give you n indication, he can jog up Sinhagad in 28 minutes flat. Just like that. 

And he is dedicated too. He has thought of the next 5 records he wants to set. Five years, five records. And all of them are things that haven't been attempted before. Ever! In fact, this gear less cycling feat that he is attempting next Sunday, is a new category they have started - cos all records are with geared cycles! 

The sentimental bit that i loved most is, he is going to do it on the bicycle that his father got him in 1998 when he passed his board exams. A regular cycle. You know the rickety bicycle that we gave to scrap vendor - yes, that one.

Why i am blogging about him, is people like him matter. The whole human endurance angle is too Nat Geo for me. I see passion. Here is someone who does something fantastic every year to celebrate his birthday. He remembers every birthday and what he did. He has a certificate too!! 

When he was 22, he set his first endurance record. He hasn't stopped since. And people like him should never stop. Especially for something so trivial as sponsorship. I am hopeful that his radio show is heard by someone who will help him out. Or this blog finds a way to someone who can do something for this lad in his next attempt.

Event Details - Record Attempt 2011

In this Gearless Cycle attempt he will be covering a distance of 100 Kilometers in the shortest possible time with the minimum average speed of 30 KM/Hr. The LBR (Limca Book of Records) has given a green signal to continue with this event.

Event Date – 25^th September 2011

Road – National Highway 4 (Mumbai – Bangalore Highway)

Venue – Covering a distance of 100 kilometers from Satara to Pune

Start Venue – National Highway 4 (Satara) – at milestone 100 kms.

Estimated Start Time – 06.00 AM

End Venue – Sarasbaug (Pune)

Estimated End Time – 09.00 AM

Sponsorship Details

1.      Emergency Spares               

2.      Standby bicycle

3.      Mechanic

4.      Packed Food and water for approx 30 volunteers

5.      Energy drink for self.

6.      Fuel and other toll charges for the volunteers.

7.      You can arrange for an event management company to cover the event.

8.      You can arrange a Press Conference or print invitation cards.

9.      Documentary Film is necessary as evidence to be submitted to LBR.

10.  Presentation / Banners as per your rules.

11.   You can name the event under your banner.

12.  Branding the venue at the main entrance on the day of closing ceremony.

13.   Award ceremony under your banner.

14.   Announcement by your compere during the event.

15.   Display stalls of your product at the closing ceremony venue.

16.   All required permissions from the appropriate government organizations from the start, during the event and for the closing ceremony would be your responsibility.

17.   Any other expenses or cost not covered above.

(His friend, Milind Datar is helping him find funds. You can get in touch with him on milind.datar@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog and i will send you his mobile phone number.)

Decentralised power? Make way!!

Pune, that way is a pretty progressive over sized village. The people like to think ahead, save for the rainy day, take stands that are pretty forwardish, the topics n treatment in the theatre scene, the newspaper editorials, the opinion leaders and the delta population that thinks, are often avante garde. However, the people who run the municipal establishment, have time and again shown the lack of thinking ahead - point in case - the Ganapati visarjan procession.
Traditionally, there are five most respected Ganapati mandals - which are part of the old city - the areas betwn Kumthekar rd, Laxmi rd, Tilak rd which form the high population density areas, from Alka talkies chowk, till say, Rasta peth and Bhavani peth. Over a period of time, Marathi speaking families have moved out of Laxmi rd area as it became a commercial district. The diaspora went to new suburbs - Kothrud, Sinhgad rd, Satara rd and Aundh.
Every year, the Ganapati procession draws flak from all quarters. Here is how its done. Various mandals from all over the city, finish their final good bye aarti on ninth day in their areas, and bring their decorated mobile display unit with their Ganapati idol to the main city. Then on the tenth day procession begins with the top five, who are followed by the mobile display units of all mandals from all suburbs, depending on their seniority and political pull. All political stooges sit atop a machchan on the final day at Alka chowk and judge the best mobile display which is then rewarded by the PMC.
Reaction seems to be the way of life for PMC, instead of foresight. Think abt it for a minute. As the city grew, the PMC should have empowered the ward offices. Develop those areas - to make roads on all sides wide enough for 10L people who stay in suburbs to commute; separate roads for the out of town heavy vehicle traffic; provision it with self sufficient amenities and services.
Unfortunately, the suburbs grew faster than the PMC could think. If you wanted vegetables, people came to mandai in middle of the city, to buy clothes and gold, people came to Laxmi road, for any concern with electricity, water, property tax bills, you had to travel to the main city. If people wanted anything at all - everyone headed to the city. This is a classic example of centralised power. We want to know everything and we want everyone to know who's the boss.
Look at it from the Ganapati festivities point of view. The local Ganapati mandals collect money from everyone in their localities and the big ones are lucky to get corporate sponsorships - which is then used for two display units - one is static in the mandal which is there for 9 days; and second for the mobile display unit which is mounted on a tractor or truck for the final procession day. Since its a competitive scenario, mandals go out of their way to add more razzmatazz to the mobile units and for the foot soldiers who lead their mobile unit.
Since the procession judged and awarded by the PMC, every mandal wants to take part, making the immersion procession go on for long duration. Sometimes, over two days, putting regular life, traffic and businesses out of synch. I remember, few years back there would be jokes about record number of hours the procession has taken!!
This is where i strike at the PMC - for its vanity, greed and attitude of not letting go of power.
Luckily, we have water bodies flowing thru the heart across the town. What is the need to get all mandals at the central location and putting life at a stand still from Mandai till Deccan? Maybe the competition was good in the good old 80's but it has to change now. The format and the operations have to change. Since 90s when the suburbs became important city centers, why not empower them to have their own immersion processions? Why must they travel on ninth day from wherever they are to the city centre? That means, effectively, you are blocking traffic for one additional day!
I think the mandals should be judged on the static display units by the jury in their own locality. And for gods sake, the criteria of judging should include monitoring the decibel levels, digging of roads, and electricity theft, along with the quality of display. That way, the focus will be on the static display. When we eliminate the central display procession, we use the river that flows across the city to the most optimum level. Yes, there are egos of the top five mandals that don't want anyone to immerse their Ganapati idols before anyone else. Fine, its the communication age!! Once they are done, give a go ahead to all other mandals, who can then go on with their business and not waste entire day - or two standing in queue - getting bored and sometimes drunk before they can actually start their final immersion journey.
Plus, the money earmarked for the mobile display unit can be used for other social or relevant causes in that area.
What is it about having a central immersion procession? Feels like some folks are holding court. The city has burgeoned and with changing times, we need to adapt and evolve. There HAS to be decentralisation of power and decision making. It will be so much more convenient for the police and traffic police to manage 10 one day processions in 25 suburbs; instead of managing the crowds thronging for one massive procession which goes on for over 100 hours!!? If you can discount that type of fatigue in already overworked police force, then please do it!!
And while you are at it, pls make 25 water tanks for 25 different areas near the river and save us from the pictures and videos of broken Ganapati idols in river beds. Make sure the tanks are large enough for idols to dissolve properly. If they are POP idols, immerse them symbolically by dipping them thrice in the tank and keep them on the side. Better still, ask the mandals to take them back - a penalty for using POP idols.
There is a desperate need for the power and accountability to move out. Yes, the ward offices will make mistakes, but its good to make new mistakes than to repeat the same mistake over 25 years.
While the powers that be were busy planning and doing the Pune festival and Pune marathon, the basic operations of the actual festival, have run on auto-pilot mode by copying what happened last year. Pune, which was once known for thinking ahead, now boasts of poor infrastructure, lethargy to risk taking, and  and lack of imagination - simply cos no one encouraged it or no one wanted change.

Ganapati is the brainy god. May he give little bit to our leaders, babus and everyone who doesnt want things to change...

Once gone!

Why do we feel short of time? And despite depending on other sources to save time, yet we never save enough? Just to spend it in a more better manner...
Time is a currency. It has been for a long time. Only in the last 10 yrs when more and more people have disposable incomes, their need for "quality" time has risen. The good old pyramid structure where once only the elite valued time, has now expanded to the larger middle class, which is desperate to live a good life, and have a good "time". Unfortunately, this good time concept is more materialistic and hence, always the need for more time!!
Since time can neither be manufactured or expanded, it is much more valuable than all our investments and assets. The wife who waits for you to come home for dinner, the kids who grow up while you slog away at your desk, the parents who are patient and understanding, and of course, the parallel time at work - team, clients, commitments etc.
Since more and more of us want to manage lives better and be in control of where we spend what amount of time, it is accompanied with a surge of powerlessness. Its valued only once its gone. Just wanting to be in control of time isnt enough now, is it? Cos, unfortunately we are never told how to manage our time! Throughout  our schooling, we have a scheduled life - rise, breakfast, assembly, classes, lunch, home, homework, playtime, dinner, sleep. We are conditioned to manage time - but something happens and we lose plot. We are taught complex maths, we rote biased history - but time management? Never. We waste it royally.
We pretend though - to care enough to make more time. We dont want to waste time watching bad movies, so we go online and read reviews. We dont want to stand in queues, so we pay our bills online, we dont want to go to the govt offices and waste whole day, so we find agents / touts. Yes, good going till now. We are saving time.
The question is, what are we doing with what we are saving? Are we using it where we want it? The way we want it? Are we really in control? I would like to use what i save for thousand other things i wish i could. But do i?
Yes, there is no point to this except blabbering and wasting 3-4 mins of your time :)

Fools rush in...

What has captured the imagination of the nation is "Corruption Free India". The means, end, madness is all going to be justified in one way or the other. There will be closure to this jamboree. And it wont even take a week. The UPA is handicapped by a bureaucrat babu at the helm, and the bunch of advisors have led it to one mistake after the next.
The small group in Tihar, the hundreds on Dilli roads, the thousands on streets elsewhere and the lakhs who are like it online, view themselves as something else. Perhaps ten years down the line, they will be people who will proudly claim "Freedom fighter" benefit for what they did in August 2011.
On the other hand, i wonder if there will be similar movements and mass mobilisation and support for say, Nuclear bill? Or the bill on Taxation? Or even Environment??
Right now, corruption is a representation of everything that is wrong in the country. Corruption is a visible phenomenon. That we do nothing abt it in our day to day lives has caused matters to come to this day. When newly laid roads are washed away, we never question our corporators. When parking space or area reserved for gardens and public schools is given to make malls, we don't stop to ask them why. We have no sense of entitlement - that we deserve a good life, good health system, good schools and education, good roads and amenities. And because we live like irresponsible citizens - not voting and not voting the ineffective out of power - we should be punished.

Our electronic media has played the worst role they could in this circus. At a moment when they should have been objective and educated their viewers on both sides of the Lokpal bill, they have played favourites. The near certain escalation of the issue, will ensure TRPs for the channels and awards for some half-baked reporters, who will go on to believe that making everything into a mass movement is the right way forward.

Secondly, the frustrations of millions of people were fueled by those ridiculous email forwards which put unrealistic sums of black money stashed away in Swiss accounts, with dope like "it can feed entire country for 30 years" etc.
For 65 years, the movie "Gandhi" was telecast at least three times every year but never did people take to the streets for "peaceful" protests like they have now. The other factor, hence, is Bollywood where movies like RDB, No one killed Jessica, have portrayed the power of the mob. Just taking to the streets, lighting candles and disrupting the very functioning of the economy that pays for all this, is plain ridiculous.

For all those who have found a "purpose" in their lives in this shindig, i wish them luck. They have chosen to do something abt the situation. Perhaps, in hindsight they will see sense in what the rest of us are saying... It summarises the present societal norms, more or less, where both parents work and don't have time for their children, and in their collective guilt, they do whatever the child wants them to do. When the child resorts to emotional blackmail for not getting what it wants and doesn't listen to the parent half way.

Gandhi went on innumerable indefinite fasts to get Brits to pay attention. But he also fasted as penance for his followers who did wrong. Will we see Anna fast till his followers stop offering and accepting bribe, and will they change their ways cos of his fasting, remains to be seen...

A Week to Remember

Everyone is looking at the coming week with great anticipation. With the US debt ceiling crisis induced nervousness, the fluctuating stock market, all major banks discouraging spends, SBI's performance, the two big scams and madam Gandhi recuperating away from all this, we have a perfect recipe for what can be hailed as "the most interesting week of all times in post Independence India"!!

This week the Team Anna led Civil society is going back in history to re-start the Civil disobedience movement in one of the Delhi parks. Team Anna has been calling all the shots and the government is like a sitting duck! The present govt is been painted as the MOST corrupt by this team... But for me it is MOST uncommunicative. Why dont they call the shots? After all they are in power. Have they forgotten that they "are" the government? They should control the game and the rules. Effectiveness of government is not when it gives full page ads and runs television spots of its schemes but when it seeks a dialog with its people. Staying in clean areas of Delhi and travelling on roads cleared for their movements, our leaders might have lost touch with reality. But this is one chance for them to open their minds to the public. This week presents an excellent platform for the govt in power and all political parties to really "connect" with its people.

The muted leadership make me think of Congress not as an elephant with a devil-make-care swagger but with an aged dinosaur who has to think 25 million times before it can take a dump. This is our cue to find a workable solution before we allow everyone to bite into this so called revolution and sink the whole country into anarchy. 

I dont understand the complicated US election process. I tried very hard to follow but the voting, the senate, the representation model, are all very complex for "our" type of democracy. Maybe i will understand it next time around... What i like abt them though is the public debates. The intra party, as well as the inter party. They are fair, they are televised and they really bring out the issue and its multiple point of views.


Remember how we used to debate at school? With passion and power of our conviction. Of course, the topics were lame but the way we spoke and arguments that we presented as school children, made everyone in the audience think too.

This week, the media will be there to cover and sensationalise every blimp in Anna Hazare's blood pressure. But we as media people can do better than that.

Wherever the Delhi Police allow the "fast unto death", the media should invite the Congress party to put up a stage on the opposite side. (Just like in Coolie, where Sr Bachchan and Kader Khan have a stand off.) Let there be 5 speakers from the the govt and 5 speakers from the Civil society. 

Let us give our leaders a chance to explain their point of view. We have elected them to the Parliament. We thought they can do the country good. They have been quiet abt many issues, god knows for what reason. But this week, they cannot afford to be silent. We cannot go down in history on account of a govt not having a say in matters that matter the most. The country cannot be bullied either by the Team Anna or the UPA. This country has a will. We have persisted and functioned. We have progressed and developed. We, the people of India.
Let these 10 speakers do a televised debate on the most crucial stand off points in the Jan Lokpal and the Govts Lokpal - bringing the PM and judiciary under the purview, the sitting MPs, govt officials of all ranks, the state lokpals, etc - and let us watch it and try to understand the logic. Yes, there is a friction and it is important. We need to know both sides of the story, and right now, unfortunately, we are being fed only one side!
Let the electronic media people be silent for once and let the people who actually matter speak. Due to consecutive victories where the power of the fourth estate was displayed, it now believes that it can judge the government too. It has forgotten to be unbiased and report facts. And this week, all media should do just that - REPORT FACTS. Dont colour it with your political leanings. Stay away from headlines that sell. Dont print / relay irresponsible statements from non-actors in this high drama. This week is bigger than any of your little profits and TRPs.

Let us all make sure this week doesnt bring down everything we have built together.

Dance with me baby!!

When the editing gives you a beating and the cuts wont allow you to do a full sequence, you are on a Bollywood dance set...

Frankly, i am not much of a dancer. Few years back at a friends insistence i went for a salsa course and made a fool of myself. Every session. If you dont know your hip from your waist, you are either carrying tyres around your middle or you have two left feet. Or both, like me!
I do good justice to Bollywood dancing though. The uncomplicated, iconic steps are my favourites. And whatever passes as the Ganapati dance. And some of the psychedelic moves. I even invented a few steps like the "paunch shaker" and "shadow fighter" in my not sober nights. The best one though was "get out of my face", which later on developed as a mosh pit move, globally. What the hell, it was a global movement waiting to happen, so i wont fight for the credit.
Whenever i try to dance like one of our heroes, i am suddenly thrown back. I dont ever get to see the "full dance step" in its entirety. Meaning i cant see the full movement in one go. The shot is cut too frequently for me to even comprehend what is happening. So when i hit the dance floor, rarely and gingerly, i am doing half steps borrowed from multiple sequences. Of course, there is a synch issue with me. But the larger crisis is when i try to combine two different schools of dance.
Its the attention span thats messing up the dancing these days. Some recent survey says that kids (thats everyone under the age of 21) cannot stay focused on the same visual for more than 7 seconds. Of course, its exaggerated but its not too far from the truth. When i watch any youth channel, no visual stays for longer than 7 seconds, even if its an elaborate dance step.
The way Bollywood shoots and edits dance videos, has had damaging effect on those learning from the screen - partial enthusiasts like me. There are two angles which are cut for line 1 and line 2. End of story. And there are multiple stylised cuts which ensure that whoever is trying to imitate their screen icon, never learns to dance like them. Even for live shows.
And with the influx of hip-hop moves and south american steps, it is near impossible for a novice to pick up the beat. Which is why, Salman Khan works. His dance steps from day 1 have been so amateur dancer friendly, that i cant even begin to thank him and those who choreograph him!!
And of course, the KK moves from Honeymoon travels.
PS: Oh! You should see my version of the moonwalk. MJ will want to come back to life - just to slap me.

The Churn in Entertainment Biz

As i stare comatose at the music channel, i cant help but admire the guts of father-son duo in YPD. Their decision to dance at a terrible set of a roadside dhaba, with laddies n lads prancing around in clothes best not worn at dhabas, gives us major insight into how they have the "pulse of the market". (If you don't know what song i am talking abt, pls look up the video of : Tinku Jiya.)
Remember watching old movies and the jhalla people who formed the mob in the dance sequences? There were never good-looking people in those "extras" and no one expected them to be stunning. No matter how hard i try, i cant think of anyone worth a second glance, except for the girl in bob-cut and horizontal stripes ganji, sitting behind Neetu Singh in "Parda hai parda" from Amar Akbar Anthony, and she was only sitting, not dancing. (Yes, i know... Judge me all you want...)
When i see background dancers in a YRF or KJo or Nadiadwala movie, i cant help but wonder what happened to the plain-jane, roadside looking mob that was a trademark of our dance sequences till the 80s? When exactly did we lose the average looking folks and replace them with these calendar girls, with tip top bodies, faces that could light up a night?
I cannot help but credit our PM for this effect. The post liberal economy not only sold India to the FII, it also sold India to Indians or India to the Bharat. And what better platform than the Commercial Hindi Movies?? In the post-liberal economy, with all international brands within reach, a string of beauty queens, glossy films and glossier magazines, we learnt to dream, we wanted to dream. We wanted to look good. We wanted the people on screen to look good too. There was a boom in beauty business. Gyms sprang up. Dance classes mushroomed. Now there is a salsa class in back of beyond taluka place too - and that is the wonder of liberal economy.

Much of this on-screen coup was actually a revolution led by Shaimaks dance academy where all hotties lined up - primarily to get a break on stage / screen. I think that did the average looking folks in. Once the film industry realised that the extras can be "upmarket" looking people, the "desi" appearing extras were thrown out of mob sequences. Our maid in the NNP, Goregaon east 1RK pad could easily have passed off as a dancer in the 80s or even early 90s. You know the ones in frocks, doing some version of cha-cha-cha? However, cos of this upheaval she ended up getting the "running scared" mob parts in Shaktimaan (when evil Samrat Kilvish attacks) for 250 bucks a shift. There were whole lot of struggling people in the NNP housing scheme and when i think of them in hindsight, i realise they didnt stand a chance to compete with the posh kids. After all, first impressions go a long way when you are casting 30-40 random dancers.

Think abt it... How many times have you been partial to someone who was more presentable? Or unfair to someone who was little unpleasant to look at?? Our filmwalahs are after all human :)

Well, we also have some terrible looking actors who made it to the silver screen and in lead roles too, thanks to their brother, fathers, mothers, uncles. They are exceptions and let them be.

The other side of the story is, the SEC A+ type kids awakening to the possibilities in film career. So what if its for filling in the background? Bollywood suddenly became fashionable. It was fine to work in the film industry. They did their annual foreign trips with the film crew instead of family holidays. Nothing changed for them, except some more pocket money.
As i look at the item girl and her firang troupe in YMD cant help but think, where did all the average looking people go? Which mob sequence do they dance in? Or run in? What do they do with their "Junior artist" card that doesnt give them those appearances anymore??

Poor Journalism will MURDER the Right to Freedom of Expression

there are days when i can watch tv for 10 hrs straight. they are called weekends. last time, i did something like that on a weekday was 26/11 when i was totally glued to the tv set. couple of weeks back, when 13/7 happened, i didnt switch on my tv in the evening. or to catch the late nite update. i didnt watch the TV in the morning either. i followed the whole thing on twitter and avoided everything in the english electronic news space that irks me.
yes, i am bothered by my insensitivity. there is a certain guilt associated with a sense of auto-pilot that took over when i heard abt the blast. quick sms to family n friends, share important numbers, and get on with life. a lot has been said abt the getting back to work and spirit and how no politicians are killed in bomb blasts and flying diamonds and insurance claims and of course, the human interest stories.
in retrospect, among many things responsible for my indifference to news the top reason is poor journalism. not just from earlier attacks, but even the day to day news reporting leaves a lot to be desired. the level of news and its treatment is well below mediocre. anyway, my universe for electronic news is the three english news channels, which have their own brand of journalism and identity in treatment of news. i dont know why i dont follow hindi news channels, but i think the name Prince has something to do with it.
poor journalism is a creation of our own greed. to state the obvious, the pressure to run a 24hr news channel is obviously showing on all the news channels. there isnt enough content at a national, international and regional level. fresh out of mass comm instt and desperate to get screen time, the young reporters are not adequately trained or educated nor equipped to handle the news in a mature manner. the emphasis on reporting is so low and on giving an opinion is so strong that the bloody news is lost.
the pressure is back on the news room. the anchor, usually a senior person, and the supervisor, must truly understand what exactly is the news from the blabber. yes, updates are welcome, but thats what the ticker is for!!
a friend went on a junket to europe and discovered that he was the youngest reporter there. apparently in the west, a college grad would travel the world, take a stringer assignment, do a course, work in the newsroom for couple of years and then get to do some research on a story that a reporter / correspondent is working on. it usually takes a decade to get your own thing. it could be a factor of low population there, but in our booming population and ever more blossoming media industry, we end up putting raw kids out in the zone who have grown up seeing some sort of distorted and sensationalist reporting of late 90s till now. and thinking thats the gospel, and believing that imitation is best form of flattery, they continue that same vile brand of poor journalism.
i am not saying we must follow the west. but we need to (a) hire the right people with maturity, world view and sense of responsibility; (b) incubate them and train them for a sufficient amount of time in the newsroom, so they get the just-out-of-masscomm-to-set-the-world-right steam off; (c) look at features content on news channels so that "breaking news" genuinely is taken seriously; and (d) pls pls pls not speak english like they speak in hindi news channels, with wrong pauses and unnecessary emphasis?
there are many things i would like to say abt the night shows too - but now i look at them more as substitutes to the soaps and in-betweens in commercial breaks.
i will go to doordarshan news soon. have fond memories of the night transmissions where the newsreaders were sober and sensible.
you know, after a killer day, i dont want to watch some anchor pouncing at some guest on the show and raising the blood pressure of the nation.

Help!! By raising a glass, bottle, whatever...

Last week, i made a revelation abt myself. I like to help. And its a wonderful thing! In 2011, the govt has increased the indirect taxes on alcohol. Soon enough, the Maharashtra govt came up with the hare-brained "no daaru under 25" rule. I don't have data to prove it, but am pretty sure that the sales have dropped. People who drank once a day, now drink once in two days. those who drank alternate days, now drink once a week. the wknd drinkers now, drink only on Friday, instead of being sloshed throughout the week. As regards the non habitual drinkers, the lesser said the better - these slimy characters were the first to desert daaru-ship.
For over 10 years, C2H5OH has been a active companion in my good times, low times, boring days, exciting nights, happy occasions with friends, happy moments by myself. Basically, daaru has been an integral part of my adult years, which used to be 18yrs onward. Lucky for me, the Maharashtra govt doesnt have provision of charging citizens of drinking under 25 "before" the ruling came out!! Else, this confession could land me in lot of trouble.
Before digressing, let me make the two points i want to put across. First, since the sales are down and it could trouble the bottom lines and people could lose their jobs. So, the "one down at sun down" club has additional responsibility towards those hard working folks in breweries across the land.
Second, no one is kid in this country. Even the kids aren't kids anymore. This talk of abstinence is going too far. Drinkers like us are the revenue generators for the govt. Why would they want to kill the goose that lays golden eggs? Plus, look at the other auxiliary businesses cos of those who drink - food, cabs, hotels; indirect taxes that we pay - a/c restaurants, service tax, finger food, etc; stuff like home deliveries, telephones, fuel, scrap fellas who deal in bottles etc.
Someone told me very soon farmers wont be allowed to sell their produce to alcohol makers. What abt the food grain thats rotting away in your godowns? Spruce up the FDS to solve the hunger problem and then start meddling in the free market yaar.
All this thinking is pissing me off and making me take to the bottle more often. I wish the govt left us alone. Just do the damn governance first!!

Yes, i don't need a reason to drink. No, i am not an alcoholic. Yes, i love the company. no, i am okay without the chakna. Yes, i like the music too. No, not that one. (You have to come to my level to know what i am talking abt.)

Remember, the timing of this blog is crucial. Have hurried this post closer to the weekend. Pls do your best from friday evening till sunday brunch. 

Lets help the alcohol industry folks. Drinking is the most accessible, pretty affordable habit. Yes, you drink like a fish for few initial years. But then you mature as a drinker. You choose your poison more wisely. You drink more sensibly. You hold ground and you hold your drink. **

Raise a glass friends, cheers!!
** Those who cant, should either stop or find the nearest AA chapter.

Make Tech?

I saw Transformers-3 in 3D on wednesday nite. The way Shiril put it, its abt cars that turn to robots that turn to cars that turn to robots that turn to cars with more n more beating up. That's a pretty cynical view (and extreme too) of the effort Micheal Bay, one of the few Hollywood guys who understand the "action" genre. Story, plot, acting, are incidental when what you are giving your audience is the moments that pump up the T juice.
According to the Transformers gospel, many of our 21st century mech, tech and electronic devices have been reverse engineered from the alien robots. The fastest revolution in the last decade has been the telecom sector. From mid-80s to now, we have seen such fantastic growth and we can undoubtedly say that the last decade BELONGED to the mobile phones.
For the past month or so, i want to a new phone and have been doing some bit of reading up. Folks, the mobile phone market has gone crazy! We are making faster, efficient phones than ever before. Companies are working day and night to make faster processors, intelligent user friendly interface, giving better telephonic experience, people friendly apps - the works. There are phones to suit every need, every desire, every budget. There are success stories, marketing theories, and many businesses that are driven by the mobile and mobile related industry. I would like to believe that the mobile penetration has improved with the multi-utility phones getting more affordable. With the internet catching on and 3G coming up, its going to get only better!!
As i discovered, buying a mobile phone is NOT an easy task. When they launch, they are super expensive and in less than 6 months the prices crash, making you feel terrible. Yes, its human to feel bad / cheated. Then there are instances of phones, s/w and technology getting redundant. Also, usually when a phone is launched, it has some teething issues - it hangs, the s/w acts funny, your contacts disappear, etc. And, frankly we get bored of the phone and what it offers, faster than the shirt you picked up this summer.
To those who have undergone the heartburn from any of the above and are still looking to buy a new mobile phone, let me tell you before hand - i am no expert. Just like you i am impressed with the advertising, peer pressure and opinions of tech-savvy friends. The three phones that came on top for me were Nokia E7, Blackberry Torch and Samsung Galaxy S2.
Before you even walk in the store, you MUST note down what you "need" in the phone; next, what do you "want" in the phone; and what will really be an exciting add on to have, but not a critical thing.
For example:
I type a lot - smses as well as mails = i need a physical keyboard.
I am active online = i need decent anti virus and a big screen.
I connect my mobile device to my computer = it has to have usb, bluetooth, etc.
I often use the phone to skype and fring international calls = i want compatibility.
I dont play games on the phone = i dont necessarily need the fastest processor available.
My phone has many short cuts n customisations = i want a device thats user oriented.
There isnt any critical data on my phone = i need flexibility to take back up once in a while.
I never do online transactions = i dont need any heavy duty anti virus that will slow down the phone.
I like to watch videos / listen to music when i have nothing to do = a good screen n audio will be nice.

You get the drift, right? It is very easy to be impressed by clever advertising. Thats the job of advertising. And when you walk in the store, its very easy to get swayed. The dealer will throw gizmo gyaan, stuff abt some series of microchips, crazy applications etc. and tempt you with some phone thats priced 20-25% more than the figure you have in mind.
Buying a phone also is a function of many other things. Like Shiril has all her friends on Blackberry and her smsing happens thru BBM service.
Buying a phone, also tells you what kind of person you are. When you are not doing anything between meetings or when waiting for something or someone, do you sit quietly or do you have this desperate need to whip out your phone and call someone or surf or text or see something? A little introspection on your communication pattern before you chose a communication device?
I am one of those who have their phone ready for action the moment the screen says, "Intermission". And i want to change that abt myself. Guess the person i am watching the movie with deserves my attention too. Well, its time for me to do some "Transformer" magic on myself.

Anti-supari

Two news related to Maharashtra police appeared on the TOI front page today. One was abt the J Dey murder case and second was abt the Maharashtra police being most corrupt in the country.
By arresting some shooters and saying Chotta Rajan gang invovled is NOT solving the case. Everyone would like to know, the whys behind such a supari, if at all. And the corruption data i dont agree with. Its because the overall education n high awareness levels, people would have gone and complained abt bribe demand, harassment etc. Yes, we have our share of corrupt cops, but we most certainly dont lead the nation.
The subsequent reward of INR 10 lakh (or 1million) to the crime branch by home minister R R Patil after "nabbing" the said shooters (of J Dey), is disturbing and alarming. Obviously, this money comes from the state coffers and is made up from the several taxes "we" pay. The usual arguments.
First, the home minister should not have announced this reward. It sets bad precedent. If  this reward was announced only cos the crime involves a journo, then this is total BS...
There have been many write ups, blogs, morchas abt how the Police Act is archaic and was drafted when the police were actually "policing" citizens of a slave nation. Post freedom, the reforms never happened and the police still think they are better than the rest of us and have some sort of power and all that, whereas they are meant to be public servants, if not friends to the people of a free country.
The other favourite crib is that of cops' salaries and how poor income leads them to corrupt practices. My point is, why the reward for what "actually" is their job to do? They get salaries to do their job and if this is appreciation, then why for this specific crime?? What makes this team more deserving than all other cops who slog their lives doing their jobs? If the state govt actually has the money to dole out cash rewards, why isnt the money pumped back as part of regular salaries??
If this is sign of times, then perhaps you should stop wasting public money by paying salaries to the cops. Let them get salaries on performance basis - solve a crime and earn money, a commission based system!! At least it will be hard earned money. Make a chart of crimes, and decreasing payment depending on the number of days taken to solve it. Petty crimes, domestic offences, big scandals - solve of all them. And give a deadline. Since the police comes from the society we are part of, they should have deadlines like the rest of us too. Who knows, it might actually increase efficiency!
We have only heard of stories of how our cops have the best information network and how they know of (big) crimes even before they happen. I have heard people brag that if our cops do their jobs properly, no one would even dare to think of committing a crime. Some of it might be old wives tales, but i wont discount all of it.
Lets make a new system which can be a sandwich format - salary + commission - and put a few riders on it to avoid bad practices. For example, the moment the suspects are remanded to custody, they sing confessions in our police stations - and that will be bad for this performance based income system.

The point still is, i am unconvinced with this reward. Its just unacceptable monetary gratification for what is meant to be a minimum job expectation. What RR Patil has done here is given a anti-supari supari to cops. Do your jobs and we will give you a performance bonus.