Quo Vadis- Where are we going?

Justice is our birthright and we‘ll achieve it!

2012-05-31T08:21:00.003-07:00

We’ve less than 15,000 trial judges to adjudicate cases at the first stage; ideally we should have at least 50,000. Hence the undue delay in dispensation of justice. So, to bring in a rule of law, we need to appoint 10,000 trials judges each year for 5 consecutive years.

Very recently there was a news article that GOI is going to appoint 100 K soldiers to man the china border. A defense analyst may interpret this as an apparently populist measure. For, no longer wars are fought by foot soldiers and it is technology that settles the results of the wars. However, from this we can safely infer that, now we have the resources/money to appoint the required number of judges. What we need is political statesmanship to stand up to the demand of the time and deliver a plan that would usher in a climate of justice.

How we wish; in the next parliamentary elections all parties would declare when they can ensure that a murderer would be sentenced in 1 year and a rapist will be sentenced in 6 months. Mind you, that would require a paradigm shift from rupee 2/-kilo rice to judicial accountability.

So lets dream that in the next parliamentary elections (2014) the election manifesto of all the political parties would reassuringly claim something similar to this:

“If elected to power we would clear all pending cases (more than 2.5 corers) in 5 years and after that – from 2019 the following time duration for SENTENCING in the first trial court:

Crimes:…………………….Time required:

Murder: ………………………6 months

Rape…………………………..6 months

Theft………………………….3 months

Arson…………………………4 months

Hooliganism…………………3 months

Petty crimes………………….9-12 months

Bribery……………………….. 9 months

NB: if the above charges are brought against Group-I officers, MLAs and MPs; then those will be resolved in less than half the time indicated above- as these would be tried in fast track courts/ Lok Pal. 

…so please vote us :)

CA Saroj Kumar Sahu wrote: The question is how do you select right kind of people for judiciary.In our time mostly who could not get anything better thought let us read law and they are now in high echeleon of justice.The state of lower judiciary is even more pathetic.Now you expect the number of trial judges should be 50000 from the present level of 15000.Please think is it necessary to have a law degree to be a judge in which case the system will perhaps always be wanting quality,therefore let us encourage youngsters who are reading integrated law etc now to join the service instead of only eyeing on law firms.

My humble answer to above rejoinder:

You’ve a point here Sir!

However, lets examine whether we can fast track the process. We’ve more than 800 K registered advocates in our country. The total number of qualified law graduates might be twice that. (Please check with peer reviewed sources and let me know if I have erred)  Even if we assume the quality of an average law graduate to be suspect, yet there is room for optimism. Now, we have more than 1.7 lac CAs and some of these CAs are also qualified in Law (LLB). There are many others - either in jobs, practice or business - who are also qualified to be judges.

So with criteria like 10 years of post qualification experience with a law degree- either in the bar or else where- these people can be recruited after further screening through 2 rounds of written tests and a round of interview. Then they would be drilled through relevant digital justice delivery procedure for a further period of 6 months before they are deputed to “Justice factories”!

These judges could be recruited on a contractual basis- say for 10 years. My hunch is that a good number of CAs/ CWAs/ CSs and class-I serving bureaucrats would qualify and bar councils might fume and fight such appointments.

These Judges- appointed on contractual basis- would be used to clear the backlog, at the first trial stage (lower judiciary). From the beginning they would walk in as First class judicial magistrates and would retire as such- No promotion, no pay rise.

To strengthen our judicial process, we should also start an IJS- Indian Judicial Services- in line with IAS/ IPS. Through IJS an entrant could go maximum up to High Court, to maintain the hallowed independence of our judiciary. Yet, once such a process is set in motion, the people who would retire from that service would be eligible to go into the collegium, which selects judges for High Court and Supreme Court from the bench. Their entry into these collegiums would address the “Uncle Judge” concern. Setting up of IJS may require constitutional amendments and the full result of this cadre can be harness after 3 decades of setting the process in motion. This issue –IJS- requires and independent article, so lets get back to our present concern- appointing contractual judges to quicken the justice delivery process.

To attract quality professionals the minimum contract period has to be 10 years and the minimum salary should be 1 Lac per month- fixed for the entire period or a start up consolidated salary of 50K per month and an annual increment above inflation levels. In order to manage the cash flows and also to offer pension and post retirement free accommodation, the government may declare that only 30/ 40 % of this salary- which may be a consolidated package- would be take home salary and the rest- post adjustment of tax- would be credited to relevant funds.

Besides managing cash flow, this – delayed payment- would also help maintaining independence of these judges. For, now the Judge would not have a motivation to amass illegal wealth and they would be assured about their post retirement life. In each state capital ‘retirement complexes with all recreational facilities’ would be built for these Judges. As per their choice they would be allotted a flat in one particular retirement home and they could stay in any other home, for a brief period- subject to availability of accommodation. The additional facility would be in line with the ‘time-share’ concept and that would make this offer quite attractive. Besides, they would also enjoy subsidized travel on national careers- preferably on the rails and other incentives, as it is available for retiring first class magistrates.

These retirement homes would belong to ministry of justice and hence after the demise of these retirees other judges (say those joining in the newly set-up IJS etc.) could be allotted vacated flats/ accommodations.

Here is another pertinent article to consider:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/australian-firm-says-indian-judiciary-under-govt-thumb-in-corporate-row/872383/

Now the fig leaf that is protruded to cover the shame is administrative delay! And that’s what we are concerned about.

How can you delay projects involving thousands of crores and thousands of jobs for years without and then claim it was due to administrative delay! Then do we need such a hopeless administration?

The message on the wall is loud and clear: When it’s a matter of the livelihood or honor of millions of common men, we cannot afford to have such delays. Just compare this with the situation when terrorists hijacked a plane to Kandhar and demand the release of dreaded terrorists lodged in high security prisons. Within 7 days they are released to save the skin of the kith and kins of these well-connected people. Ditto for Rubayiya Sayeed- in 1989, for her father was the then Home minister! And when it’s about development and inclusive growth ‘administrative delay’ is the ‘fall guy’. Sorry, we do not buy this argument!

We need justice in time and that’s our birthright! And, we’ll achieve it!!

Let’s popularize scientific temper:

2012-05-31T00:26:00.000-07:00

Do you know a vast majority of atrocities in the world, against hapless men, women and children emanate from lack of scientific temper. The common people suffer the most. General ignorance and wide spread lack of scientific temper are the culprits.

A few representative examples:

1. In the name of acquiring supernatural power, placating gods for a good fortune or to drive away evil spirits people are killed (sacrificed).

2. Women are branded as witches and then suffer untold miseries.

3. Gullible people are made to believe that physical ailments can be cured by sorcerers and practitioners of black magic and they are fleeced and made to live a miserable life.

There are many other such aberrations.

It's very unfortunate that a large number of people, which also includes many who have very high degrees in disciplines of Science, lack scientific temper.

What’s the way forward?

Well, by crying about darkness we can not bring about a change in the state. We will have to light a lamp and then expect that gradually darkness will be dispelled and hence this humble effort. Lets discuss about the atrocities emanating from lack of scientific tempers and also try to synthesize the possible solutions. Then we can forward the same to the law enforcement authorities or to the concerned government departments or to Voluntary organizations, which are working to spread such temper/ attitude amongst the general populace.

My Alma mater

2012-05-30T04:08:00.001-07:00

A brief introduction of D.N.High School, Kendujhar, Odisha

Dhanurjaya Narayana High School is the oldest High school of Kendujhar, a tribal dominated district in the mineral rich hilly terrains of Odisha. The school traces its origin to late 19th Century, when it operated as a Middle English School. In CE1934 the school was enhanced to the level of a High School and named as Gibson High School, in the name of the then British Political Agent Mr. Gibson. After Independence, Gibson gave way to Dhanurjaya Narayan and hence the name D. N. High School.

Where as, only 15 students passed out the matriculation examination in 1938, close to 200 students have the same honor in the recent years. In the last 78 years D. N. High School has crossed many milestones and has established its name as an educational institution of repute.

Some notable transitions have taken place in its medium of instruction and student composition.

Co-education:

Initially woman education was not prevalent in the society and hence there were no girl students. Things changed and parents enrolled their daughters in the 1940s. After establishment of a Girls High School in the close vicinity -in 1957- the administration decided to make this a ‘boys only’ school in 1963 and it continued as such till 1993. Sri Balaram Prusty, the then Head Master, worked hard to bring back the glory of the High School and besides undertaking some much needed renovations he re-opened the doors to the girl students in 1994 and since that time the school continuous to be a co-educational institution.

Medium of instruction:

In the same vain, the medium of instruction at the inception - in 1934 - was more inclined towards English. End of the British raj and rise of nationalistic feelings subdued this and Odiya became the only medium of instruction and regrettably the standard of the students fell in English. Even as a subject also it no longer enjoys its previous status. Concerned alumni have raised their voice regarding this ‘Odiya only’ policy and as it involves legislative changes, the talks of forming a peer group of such esteemed schools to wrest the past glories back, is in the air. For a brief while a plan to take D.N.High School to the next frontier of International schools was on the anvil.

Pertinent to note, D. N. High School enjoyed the status of a Zilla school- Premier District School- and was one of only thirteen such esteemed schools in Odisha. Changes in Government policies and practices have diluted such distinctions and privileges; yet the school continues to be among the finest Odia medium schools of Odisha.

A glimmer of hope, which promptly faded!

For some time – between 2005 to 2009, on the eve of the platinum Jubilee celebrations- the alumni of D.N. High School celebrated the annual function with the enthusiastic support of the school administration and hence the family of old students, staff and well wishers of D.N. High School was becoming more and more integrated. Alas the completion of the celebrations ended this bonhomie and again an eerie silence rules when we think of Alumni as a group. A few individual batches do celebrate their re-unions almost religiously but that in nowhere near being called an alumni group for their alma mater. They are more into their own fun and frolicking and at most they may be shedding some tears at the sad plight of the school.

How big are we?

In last 8 decades, the alumni of D.N. High Schools have reached most part of the globe and their imprints can be seen in all walks of life. The number of people who have passed out from this esteemed institution has reached the 7,000 mark and is proudly marching towards the five figures. The extended family, which includes all the associated staff, parents of students and ex-students, well wishers and spouses and children of ex-students; has became very big and substantial.

In this age of transience many changes have impacted D. N. High School and have brought about a situation, which calls for some out of box thinking and re-calibration of many things, which are central to existence and continuity of this school. The platinum Jubilee celebrations set such a process in motion.

One pertinent question:

We talk about corruption and make such heavy weather about it. But please think, if you forget your parents and let them die by degrees will that also not be considered as a form of corruption? Now, aren’t our alma maters stand in the same pedestal as our parents? So why are we so apathetic about our alma maters?

Hope remains:

Though the gross apathy of the alumni is not very difficult to understand- we do not have such a culture- yet very painful. Well, reminiscing about the cliché : “when everything looks bleak remember the future remains” I hope someday we’d bring about a change in this attitude and not only this school but most other state government run schools of Odisha would stand up and be counted alongside their counterparts- private schools. Please mull over it, will you?

Buddhism is a better philosophy!

2012-05-27T20:31:00.001-07:00

For westerners polytheism is synonymous with Paganism and hence a sign of immaturity. No longer Christianity- of any denomination- holds the real sway over Australia, England, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and many other western countries. A good percentage of Australians and other nationals of these countries prefer passing themselves as people without a religion! Alas, an aborigine in Australia would sadly recount that before such enlightenment dawned on white Aussies they had virtually wiped out his creed!

USA stands on a slightly different platform. However, the signs of turning of the tide are evident with the recent declarations of President Obama. America is returning to the ideals of George Washington, where he placed a lot of emphasis on tolerance. Thomas Paine would also be turning in the grave and it appears it’s only a matter of time and then USA would follow on the footsteps of Europe and Australia!

The four Scandinavian countries and japan are highly atheistic and in terms of human values they are in the forefront. In contrast most religious countries- you name any- rank poorly in terms of HDI and human values (in practice). India is a test case: highly religious and if we document the atrocities against human beings casteism would of course top the chart and other inhuman practices of yore - like "sati", sending widows to Benaras, where young widows invariably fell into the sex trade- would send shivers through our spine. Do you know recently the former CM of Rajasthan- Vasundhra Raje - justified 'Sati' in the name of Culture! Many educated Indian decline to accept but virulent casteism is still in practice in almost all villages of north India. And still more than 60% of India lives in Villages!

In learned circles- of Sri Lanka-Buddhism is refereed to as a philosophy than a religion. As Buddha emphatically talked about reason and even went on the extent of saying: “Do not accept something, because I am saying, realize it yourself and then accept!” A profound statement! Especially when the raison d'etre of religion is to stop making people think. Remember the famous Odia cliché: Biswashe milai hari abishwasu bahu durey!

In none of the other mainstream religions you find such leverage to reason. So, when Vedic culture was already polluted with 4 major vices: Jagya (ritualistic burning of clarified butter etc), Bali (human and animal sacrifice), Casteism with virulent untouchability and Pratima Puja (idolatry)- Buddha came in as a redeemer. No wonder in about 300 years the entire subcontinent - of course excluding Tribal people- became Buddhist. Then Vedic Brahmanism & Polytheism made a come back, especially due to Shankara. Look from any angle Shankara was a great strategist. The four Dhams have been chosen with almost military precision!

Fortunately due to the untiring efforts of Ashoka Buddhism had already spread far and wide or else we do not know where it would have been today; for, by rational extrapolation: Buddhism was ruthlessly exterminated in India! Nothing else explains a virtual cleansing! Now the people who put this hypothesis are branded as Marxist But the Truth stares in our face and asks the inconvenient question: "When relics of Buddhist Vihars are abound across India, when Buddhism is synonymous with the advent of modern day hospital and a lot other good practices, when it is so well preserved elsewhere why it became DEAD in India? Remember "The Light of Asia- The Great Renunciation" written by Edwin Arnold (in 1879)? He is credited to have rediscovered Buddha! Yes Buddha was completely forgotten in this part of the world. Now Buddhism is growing in India. Credit should go to Dr Ambedkar, who got converted in to it just a couple of months before his death. Hence again it has become a redeemer for Dalits!

That beckons towards the fact that, a thriving Buddhist culture in Odisha was decimated through guile and stratagems. Depicting the 9th avatar of Vishnu as Buddha was one of those crafty measures. So quite naturally the Jagannath temple at Puri (Odisha) also had depictions of Buddha as an avatar. Subsequently, that was no longer felt necessary, hence were erased!

The attitude of lives and let live was prevalent in Islam of yore. Hence, if we exclude Buddhism as a philosophy, in the past, Islam was the most tolerant religion, not Christianity or Vedic Hinduism. I was surprised when I read such a hypothesis from an American Caucasian historian! But facts are facts! A lot of propaganda has been spread against Muslim rule but the fact of the matter is that they brought in good governance and that is why they ruled here for such a long time. The life was so miserable for ordinary Hindus under the caste system that Muslim rule was perhaps welcomed as a great relief! If you apply simple reason you'd find most of the allegations against Muslim misrule is actually propaganda.

We cannot make gross generalization. However, the Christian born professor found: over all Islam is more tolerant than Christianity. Hinduism is not much discussed in the west. However, religious charlatans fool gullible poor Indians by extolling that the world is looking at India for redemption! For them, since the Chicago address of Great Swami Vivekananda, water has stopped flowing in Thames!

I have worked in 4 different countries in 2 continents and that's is my objective view, which is also supported if we go by different polls (Gallop etc.).

What is more, today Hindu nationalist blame casteism on Islam! What a joke!

Ditto was the case with pre-British Maratha exploitation in Odisha. Their rule was so atrocious that people had great relief when the British kicked them out. If you doubt my submissions then please read Fakir Mohan Senapati's biography and you would get that first hand.

What a travesty of facts, now a bunch of Marathas - RSS- are out to teach Odias that Muslim rule was oppressive! What is more, hardly anyone is questioning! Gyana Marg – the path of reason-is actually better :)

(Word count = 1,010)

XIMB-BBSR & Free classes on accounting

2012-05-26T20:42:00.002-07:00

Dear Bhubaneswar loving Friends,

On 25 May 2012 a meeting was held at XIMB in the chamber of Prof D V Ramana, which could pave the way for creating quality faculty/ knowledge transfer agaents for our city/ country. Besides Prof Ramana two other members of the learning community- Prof Manaswee Samal and CA Swati Kejeriwal- also participated in the deliberations:

They hammered out a working model for the proposed “ACCOUNTING CLASSES FOR STUDENTS FROM POOR ECONOMIC BACKGROUND”.

 The following decisions were taken:

1) This venture would be purely charitable: No hidden cost to the participants, no financial gains for the faculties, who would contribute their time.

2) This is a pioneering venture, where teaching ‘commerce students with poor economic background’ has been thought of with a career map and hence is without a parallel in the city.

3) This venture would be popularly known as: G-20 (Name coined by Prof Samal)

4) The batch: Will be of 20 students.

5) The long-term aim: To produce quality teachers in commerce with conceptual clarity and commitment towards the society.

6) Target participants: B.Com students, who are economically poor.

7) Criteria for judging suitability of participation: In the words of Prof Ramana: "We shall TRUST our students". So a self-declaration will suffice.

8) So, each intending participant will give a one-page write up as to why s/he is eligible to be enrolled in this course.

9) It is desirable that the interested candidates should have ambitions to teach and should evince interest to pursue one of the following professional courses:  a) Chartered Accountancy b) Cost Accountancy c) Management in Business Administration  

10) What would be taught: - a) Financial Accounting b) Cost Accounting c) Management Accounting d) Business and Corporate Laws e) Direct Taxes and f) Indirect Taxes.

11) The Classes will be held in XIMB premises at Bhubaneswar.

12) Initially there will be 2 classes per week.   

13) 10 June 2012 is the last date for submission of applications.

14) Probable date of starting the classes: 1 July 2012

15) The applications will be mailed to ramana@ximb.ac.in 

Here is a request to you:

Please inform all the institutions and students, who might be interested, to send a one-page write up, for each participant, to enroll for this course. The declaration should be as detailed in serial no 8 above and should also include a brief detail about their background.

Please do the needful. Will you?

Black economy and higher denomination Notes

2012-05-26T07:19:00.001-07:00

Will removal of higher denomination currency notes like 1000 and 500 rupee from circulation reduce corruption in India? Will it impact the black economy?

This is a very simplistic solution, which lacks intellectual rigor and i can not see any substantial reason how removal of higher denominations are going to be helpful in containing black money.
Baba Ramdev enthusiastically supported this idea and like his herbal remedy it became popular but like the efficacy of his medicines its utility is suspect!

If bulk of the black money is abroad, removing higher denominations will not have any impact on that cache. If bulk of the black money inside the country is buried in real-estates and gold then those people also will not be affected.

Even if there is a plan to remove these denominations, there would be a time limit within which people- Aam admi- can exchange. Any politician or businessman worth his name will have enough accomplices to get his booty converted, if at all they need to exchange.

Good Point

Will the answer be different if we think more from the point of view of actual corruption in the field (bribes, election expenses) which would be difficult to transact in smaller denomination notes?

There is an entire industry which thrives on trafficking illegal money across the globe, which is known as Hawala. If higher denominations are removed the corruption in bribe etc will not be reduced; only thing that would happen is now these professional money launderers' services will be more in demand.

How does it operate:
Now, when a seth in TN has to bribe a Babu in Delhi they use this channel. Where, they have much matured practices. The contact in TN would receive the Money (Say 10 crore + Hawala commission) in TN and then would tear a currency note in halve. Now both the parts will have the number of that currency. One part will be handed over to the client. Now the client will send this halve to his manager or partner in Delhi who will receive 10 crore there when this half is matched with the other halve, which would have been sent by the racketeer to Delhi. Then that would be delivered to the Babu's agent in Delhi.

If the party wishes they can also deliver the cash at agreed locations, of course for a price.

But removal of higher denomination will trouble all kind of businessmen and for a contractor who makes weekly payments, they will also have to spend higher sums on security as it would become more conspicuous when they carry even 10 lacs. same thing for depositing money for a trader, they will have to carry the currencies in bags and will have to arrange extra security, which otherwise would not have been required.

So, whatever little benefit can accrue through the removal will be negated by the difficulties to genuine business men.

Now also think, this Rs 100 currencies are there for more than 6 decades. But a hundred rupee note in 1950 would be worth more than Rs 1,000/- today, on a PPP basis; so, is it not illogical that we advocate something which would be retrograde!

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Pakhala: A quintessential Odia staple diet!

2012-05-25T02:18:00.003-07:00

Confession of a born again Odia: Without any prejudice towards anybody I state:

Till I became 33 years old i had an aversion toward Pakhala. During childhood it was almost pathological. I thought it- Pakhala- was a sign of Barbarism! The very smell I could not stand of, much less to talk of tasting it.

The rest of the family members were either neutral or fond of this typical Odia staple diet. Those days the leftover rice used to go to the Pakhala Handi and usually it smelled. In fact the people, who loved it, loved this fermented brew for this smell, which was a sign of the existence of alcohol perhaps! And for the exact same reason I hated it.

Then it all changed and I became a fan of Pakhala!

But, the moot question is: do we eat the same type of Pakhala that I detested ? Certainly not. Gone are those smelly brews and now the Pakhala is made of freshly cooked rice. Badi and Dahi / Lemon are a must and then the flavor is so nice. Now, whenever we eat Pakhala, I demand an extra serving of the torani and i guess i do not have to explain why! My mother is puzzled but happy with the development!

So, dear Odia friends, if you are yet to realize the beauty of Pakhala, I’d just say, wait your turn is also coming :)

Inspiration for the above confession came from a forum discussion in facebook, where, Ms Mami Laxmipriya and a good number of Odiya participants proved that if there would be a contest for Odia National food, Pakhala would win hands down!

For me it was a revelation and hope in the form of a blog post this would keep our enthusiasm alive and someday we'd raise Pakhala to its rightful place to sit besides Sattu Paratha of Bihar, Rajma chawal of Delhi, Tandoori roti of Punjab, Idli Sambhar of Tamil Nadu, Bajri no Rotlo of Gujrat and Ilsi Macher Jhol of our neighboring state West Bengal

Hope we'd continue to debate and then the synthesis would be to everybody's advantage, including the government! For, if they could rechristen our state, they can also pass a bill to anoint Pakhala as the National food of Odisha; can't they?

One of the many modern day variants:

Take fresh cooked rice, add ice cool water and then squeeze half a lemon into it and add a pinch of salt. You get a fantastic Pakhala. It appeals to both, your nose and also to your palate. Badi chura with Garlic and inion, with or without green chili, will make fantastic accompaniment. Especially if you are a diabetic, you can not ask for a better wholesome lunch.

Last words:
Well, well, well :) You always take Pakhala with a pinch of salt; so, wherever you wish, take the submission with a pinch of salt and then you'll see it actually makes sense :) Does it? Now the ball is in your court.

(Word count = 500 (appx.))

Public nudity Vs private nudity:

2012-05-25T00:18:00.003-07:00

Nudity in a person's home or private grounds is not public nudity. Nor can nudity at privately owned facilities such as: swimming pools, saunas, gymnasia, nudist or at naturist clubs or resorts be termed as public nudity. In all advanced countries privacy of an individual and that of a private association is respected. Hence the public laws do not interfere in the affairs of such premises and clubs. In contrast public nudity refers to nudity in the public places. Here also there are countries which permit nudity in certain public places like a few designated beaches etc.

Attitude to nudity is culture specific.
In one extreme end we’ve the Taliban, which mandates that no part of women be seen in public and they must come out with a Burka. In the other, we’ve Naga Sadhus and the digambar Jain monks who assert their religiosity by remaining naked. The Adamites- an early Christian sect- practiced "holy nudism", lived in absolute lawlessness and stripped themselves naked while engaged in common worship.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_nudity

In most advanced countries there are legally permitted areas where nudity is not an offence.

A list of 10 most popular clothing optional beaches in the world is as follows:
1. Little Beach, Maui, Hawaii
2. Wreck Beach, Vancouver, British Columbia
3. San Onofre State Beach, Orange County, California
4. Cap d’Agde, Vermeille Coast, France
5. Haulover Beach, Miami, Florida
6. Apollo Beach, Volusia County, Florida
7. Hanlan’s Point Beach, Toronto, Canada
8. Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, N.J.
9. Samurai Beach, Port Stephens, Australia
10. Anse de Grand Saline/Anse du Gouverneur, St. Barthelemy

Source: matadornetwork.com

Legal position of nudity across the globe:
Legal position of a country is heavily influenced by their religio-cultural stand. In all secular countries it is accepted that a naked human body in itself is not indecent. It is the circumstances which may make it offensive or undesirable. This stand permits artistic expressions, where artists paint nude portraits or carve out nude sculptures.

In a more tolerant place like Barcelona, public nudity is regarded as a recognized right, although, even there, there have been successful prosecutions for public nudity.

Nudity is an absolute no no in religious countries and though they claim that they are the preserves of morality, findings of independent and credible bodies like transparency international etc. show that it is exactly the opposite. Afghanistan and Pakistan, where people have to adhere to a strict religious moral code – as per Islamic sariah- have been found to be extremely corrupt and the condition of women is horrible. And the culprit is: their religious obscurantism. It is a fact that hazaras – people of a minority Islamic community- are routinely sodomised by the Taliban- the people who make such heavy weather about Islamic purity!

In contrast, in Scandinavian countries and Japan- which are highly atheistic- public morality is the best and so is the condition of women. All Scandinavian countries value human dignity and freedom of the individual and hence are countries which allow a higher degree of permissiveness. Japan stands at a slightly different plain where group ethos and nationalistic culture gets predominance. Yet, owing to their academic and industrial advancements they have worked out a fine balance.

Indian stand:
We in India are not that obsessed with attire- especially women’s’ attire – as the Taliban is in the Islamic world. Neither have we matured to that extent that we can tolerate nudity legally. However it’s pertinent to mention here that in India- owing to the gross failure of the legal apparatus in delivering timely justice- two worlds exist together.

The law may ban nude beaches and nudity in clubs, yet it’s not uncommon to find such clubs and private places, in cities like Mumbai and Goa. It is similar to prohibition in Gujarat. Though, alcohol consumption is banned in Gujarat- the only state having such a ban- yet for people who can spend, every brand- worth its name- is available in the market! This is symptomatic and most corrupt and failed states share the same ignominy. Fortunately we are not a failed state!

Nudity and modern jurisprudence:
Modern jurisprudence looks into the ‘intent’ behind nudity and if accusation of indecent ‘exhibitionism’ or ‘public indecency’ sticks then only a person is persecuted for nudity- not otherwise. So when PETA – People for ethical treatment of animal- go naked to protest against the use of fur etc their nudity should be looked as an expression of genuine protest and such activists are not hounded.

The touchy Indian public and the ever compliant politicians:
We do not know how our elites and the countrymen would take to the news of Julia Roberts – a well known PETA supporter and a Hollywood celebrity- walking naked on the Janpath – in New Delhi- to uphold animal rights in India. Yet, indications of the past show that, if at all it happens, she would be permitted to show her protests and then she would be arrested, soon after, to placate the nationalists. This would be a token arrest, so she would be promptly released and would be granted a VVIP status- befitting her stature and there by it would not horrify the right activists. In our own tradition, we would continue to debate about the vulgarity and the utility of her protest for a very long time till something more shocking diverts our attention.

Time we ( in emerging economies like India)had some statesmen:
We can no longer look the other way when real issues like nudity and obscenity come up and it's time we amended our legislations to bring them in line with the humanistic modern world. We can not afford to leave a void in such important issues. Wait a minute, actually there is no void, all available space is being ruthlessly invaded by the obscurantist- whether religious or nationalistic- and this does not bode well for our future!

We must decide:

1. What is public nudity?

2. What are the rights of an individual with respect to her own body?

3. In this regard, whether we would continue to be led by ignorant sensationalists or we’d embrace mature best practices?

What reasonable rights one should have with respect to covering or baring ones own body?

Having gathered matured answers to all above we’d codify our stand for judicial references and guidance.

Conclusion:
Having decided upon a humane code, with respect to public nudity, we’d bring about humanistic changes in our other existing legislation(s). And, that would be another bold step in the direction of making our society more humanistic. So shall we?

(Word count = 1110)

Posing Nude: An expression of women's liberation?

2012-05-25T00:14:00.003-07:00

(A Case study)

Setting the tone:

There are numerous adult magazines, in the free world, who routinely publish nude photos and Playboy is just one of the representative names. The artists who agree to pose nude- whether male or female- are paid well. Over the period of time it has come to be recognized as an industry, which has evolved and here to stay. This industry’s reach is spreading into other virgin areas- both virtual and real. The industry’s dominance is best demonstrated through internet traffic, where it is claimed that more than half of the internet traffic is for this purpose!

…An offering in the religion of sport?

Traditional religions- across the globe- were built around the rituals of human and animal sacrifices. In fact Jesus’ crucification is also has same allusion. Perhaps taking aleaf from their precursors, the modern day religions, popular sports, have also demanded some sacrifice!in stead of the blood here the sacrifice seems to be clothes! What else proves the following fad, where did hard fan declare that they’d bare their body if their favorite team wins? Here are a few such representative examples:

Larissa, Maradona and Poonam:

As Paraguay advanced to the quarterfinals of 2010 soccer world cup, Larissa Riquelme- a 24-year Paraguayan lingerie model- declared that she would run naked through the streets "her body painted with the colors of Paraguay", if Paraguay Won the soccer World Cup.

Just before that the legendary maverick soccer icon and coach of Argentina - Diego Maradona - had also made a similar declaration. Unlike Paraguay, Argentina was among the favorites. Both- Diego Maradona’s and Riquelme's- pledges to bare their bodies ended in heartbreaks, as none of their countries lifted the coveted trophy. If any one of their countries had won, there was a real possibility that the victorious team’s fan would have honored their pledge. It goes without saying that such acts are routine in the west, which is labeled as a more permissive culture.

On the eve of 2011 Cricket World Cup Poonam Pandey- a lesser known Indian model- wrote to BCCI- Board of cricket controllers of India- and sought their permission to pose in nude before the Indian team- if they won the trophy. When India actually became victirous she repeated her offer and wanted to go nude before the players so as to keep her promise and also to boost their morale! It’s a different story that she was neither permitted nor should ever be in the present scenario. She continues to draw attention to here through such stunts- till date.

Now, let us see some more extreme cases, especially concerning women, and try to understand what goes behind such desire to bare the body.

Case-1: LaToya Jackson (sister of deceased Mega star Michael Jackson)

After Posing nude In March 1989 issue of Playboy LaToya Jackson said: “(I posed nude) to show my parents they couldn't dictate to me any more—that I control my life.”

Then subsequently it turned out that the steamy phase of her life was due to Jack Gordon - another man who came in as a manager for her and then forced her to marry him. Then under his influence she posed nude for Palyboy and spew venom against her own family including against his darling brother Michael . When LaToya came to know about Jack Gordon’s plan of filming a pornographic film on her, she managed to run back to the security of the family and became a changed person. Then she admitted that her parents did the best that they could to raise them and their conservatism started having meaning to her.

Case-2: Sila Sahin- a 25year old moderately successful actress and a Turkish German Muslim model (in 2011)

In April 2011, - Sila Sahin- shocked her family and fans by posing nude for the German Playboy magazine. Her response was: 'I wanted to be free' (As reported in Mail online on 19 April 2011).

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1378455/Sila-Sahin-poses-Playboy-Muslim-model-upsets-family-nude-cover.html#ixzz1uvSR3Q7d

It not only angered her family it enraged the entire Muslim community. Even death threats were issued to her.

Whether Sila Sahin really became free or not and whether the decision to pose nude was taken in a calm and calculated manner or in anguish would not be known to us for quite some time. However, it is quite possible that her actions and outbursts may have been due to the same reason, as is attributable to in case of La Toya. And what is more worrisome is: such instances are on the rise.

Looking into the rising number of such incidents, we can conclude that this form of dissent, where a woman challenges the male supremacy through such bizarre acts, constitutes a new phase in the progress of humanity.

A few trends that we can discern from the above two case studies are:

1. The modern woman is quite different from her earlier versions, she wants to assert herself.

2. The modern woman feels for the perceived wrongs suffered by the women- through the generations and dissents such wrong doings.

3. With economic independence the modern woman also craves for other forms of independence- be it artistic or voyeuristic.

4. At times she becomes vindictive and then there comes a desire to shock the perceived wrong doers- the male patriarchs- and the manifestation is: such extreme acts of defiance!

5 Here it is also points at another dangerous portent! What it means is: with rising living standard the number of visits to the shrinks will also increase!

Last words:

There is little to worry if a woman wants to show her dissent by baring her body. For generations women wore very little owing to practical difficulties and we'd not get too excited if the primordial desire to be one with the nature comes hunting once while. Besides that, I humbly belive that everyone has the inherent right over their body and at times if they exercise that right which appears as an extreme step then the others also should tread cautiously. The best way to deal with that would be to just ignore and give enough time to the disturbed souls to settle down on her own- as it happened with La Toya. Alas, instead the culture vultures get peeved and start another cycle of violence and wrong doings. When will we grow up?

"How poor are they that have not patience!
What wound did ever heal but by degrees?
Thou know'st we work by wit, and not by witchcraft;
And wit depends on dilatory time." : - Shakespeare (in Othello)

White paper on Black money: Advocating a mature response

2012-05-24T00:13:00.000-07:00

27 May 2012

Dear Friend,

Trust this mail finds you in good health.

The Anna Hazare campaign of 2011 has awakened the general mass to the need for implementation of global best practices. Despite their subsequent disgrace, Baba Ramdev and many other have contributed their might to crystallize this response.However, what rekindled new hopes and swept through the length and breadth of the country like a cool and inspiring breeze soon turned out to be another fix-up!

Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev have played their roles:

Anna Hazare’s intellectual shallowness and his own brand of Gandhiism dissatisfied the Gandhian, who looked up to him. The revelation that Baba Ramdev is a habitual sales tax evader did no good to his image. As the mercurial Baba overdid his act of threatening the government, political managers of UPA- II acted tough and then in the ensuing melee Baba Ramdev’s disgusting antics, where he tried to don the dress of a girl to evade the police, exposed his chinks. In rage the Baba gave calls for an armed rebellion and got completely discredited in the eyes of the moderate people, who form the largest chunk of our polity.

Despite the exposure of the saffron Baba’s black deeds Anna Hazare’s insistence on sharing the podium with the discredited Baba is bewildering. The Baba’s tolerance towards other faiths was always suspected. Now Anna’s intentions are also under the scanner. Alas, what could have been the redeemer – the movement- seems certain to end as a political comedy.

The government’s response: A white paper:

As recovery of the billions of dollars saved in Swiss banks became the war cry. The Government also bit the bullet and in the eve of last Lok sabha elections- early 2009- it declared that if elected to power they’d take effective steps to recover the mullah within 100 days! Well, anyone who has some understanding of how this government functions knew that they were lying through their teeth. But then, for them, that was the political compulsion. L K Advani- the then PM candidate of BJP, who is no saint- had already upped the ante!

Then when the people reposed their confidence in the Congress they formed the government and the reign of UPA-II started. The government constituted a study group and that study group's findings have resulted in a ‘white paper’. A ‘white paper’ on Black money!

You can read the white paper here by following this link:

http://www.pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2012/may/d2012052101.pdf

After the storm, let there be a period of purposeful engagements:

The craze for money is insatiable and hence the public fancy is understandable. All sundries quote fancy numbers to keep their respective constituency intact. The gullible ‘Aam admi’- a sobriquet for the common man- wallows in his ignorance and the opportunistic political class is as usual out for a quick kill. And the sad thing is: Corruption continues to sap the vitals of this great experiment in parliamentary democracy: India!

The need of the hour is more, purposeful and engaging debates. Let’s educate people as to the hows and the whys of corruption in a cool and dispassionate manner. The surge has already been directed towards the selfish ends of a few opportunists as it happened in the past. If you’ve doubt then just go down the memory lane. Didn’t Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav hone their skills through the great JP- JayParakash Narayan- movement?

So, the need of the hour is to give proper directions to this upsurge, which has resulted due to large scale dissatisfaction of the common people, who suffer the burnt of the corruption most. Let’s tell the gullible folks that, not knee jerk actions but reasoned engagements are the hallmarks of a matured democracy.

What about the paralysis in the third leg?

The three legs of our democracy are: Legislature, administration and Judiciary. Our form of democracy is known for it quintessential balance of power, where no one organ is supreme. When we talk of corruption, by and large we point our fingers at the first two legs of this model of governance. Now what about the third leg? Is every thing honky dory with our judiciary? No.

Rather in my humble opinion the solution to this run away corruption lies in remedying the lapses of our justice delivery mechanism. The all pervasive need is that of timely delivery of justice in all spheres and especially at the sub-ordinate jurisdictions. and that can not be achieved through street politics, unless we are going to replace our due procedure of law for Kangaroo courts! And augmenting our judicial infrastructure and reforming our justice delivery process is serious business, which little educated people like Anna are not capable to comprehend.

Besides the above other systematic mitigators would be:

Citizen Charter,

Judicial accountability,

Electoral reforms,

Transparent funding of political parties,

More robust mechanism for keeping criminals away from public offices

"Right to recall"

Though controversial it’s an opportune time to mobilize public opinion and demand the mitigating provisions like "Right to recall" and Right to reject" in our model of democracy. Let’s not forget the brass arrogance of the MPs during the Anna Hazare stand off and their portrayal of themselves as supreme and sovereign. Now if we've this clause of "Right to recall" we can show them what this supremacy is all about and who are supreme!

"Right to reject" will turn electoral Mathematics topsy-turvy. A crook who was getting elected by creating division and money power would be booed out by this safeguard.

As many of us educated intellectuals claim ourselves to be “Partners in nation building” let’s exercise our skill, care and competence in deepening the meaning of these enabling virtues, first among ourselves and then among the general public. Seldom a more opportune time, like this, would come- in decades- for us to redeem our pledge to our nation.

A few concrete suggestions:

1) How appropriate it would be if we- the concerned intellectuals- formed dedicated committees/ TEAMs in our respective localities and then started on this job on a sustained manner! If we so wish, we can name it as “Lokpal” committee, for that was the initial raze, or in any other appropriate name. This committee would deliberate and then facilitate conduct of seminars, symposiums and work shops to disseminate knowledge regarding the above virtues and practices.

2) Using real-estate sector as a dumping ground for black money: The catch lies in reducing this exorbitant stamp duty. The stamp duty should be 1% of the property value and be limited to Rs.1 Lac. Then many people would demand flats to be registered at their deal price. There would not be any real incentive for the land owners to sell the land at a much depreciated price except for the tax on capital gain. That takes us to the next suggestion:

3) The Capital gain indexation starts from 1981-82 it's time that be advanced to 21st century. well that would entail theoretical revenue loss but it would broadband the distribution! How? Well, again an amnesty scheme to being back the unknown billions into the legitimate economy is doing the rounds. That would benefit Hassan Alis and Rajas; what about small land holders? So being liberal in Capital gain would actually go a long way in bringing probity into real estate sector.

4) As rightly identified now most of the corruptions are happening in real estates- for all the people- and in government contracts and licenses, for our netas/ politicians. We’ve already dealt with the black deeds in the realty sector. Now for containing the menace of the crocked politicians we’ve to institute systematic policy measures. One such comprehensive policy measure, which has got struck due to policy paralysis: “Liberalisation, Privatisation & Globalization” is to be revived and unnecessary government interference should be done away with.

I guess, now the ball is in your court!

(Total word count: 1310)

Diabetes need not be devastating:

2012-05-23T18:43:00.001-07:00

On Monday, 21 May 2012, I went for a blood sugar check on empty stomach and the result was devastating- I was having excess sugar in my blood! Where as the upper ceiling of blood glucose in empty stomach in the morning is 110 mg/dl, for a normal human being, mine was 128-mg/ dl. What is worse this excess level must have been continuing for quite some time; for, I went for this check up on a haunch, which was lurking in my mind for last many months.

What was this hunch or the sixth sense? Well, of late I was experiencing itching all over my body. Itching, which was mild and not virulent, yet sufficient enough to trigger the alarm bell for someone who has lived in the shadow of diabetes for last three decades.

Why did I delay? Why did I not listen to my body’s alarm bell earlier??

Well, one: simple negligence, which is the case with most of the people from the sub-continent. Two: to derive a false sense of security in being ignorant; not know, so not to worry! Prostitutes and people who visit them routinely avoid an HIV test, hence an early diagnosis of the killer malaise, under similar notions! It is a strange yet very prevalent kind of psychology, where we avoid an early diagnosis fearing the worst and would rather live in our self- assumed wellbeing! This is also reminiscent of my late father’s approach, who was diagnosed of diabetes in similar circumstances almost three decades back- in 1983.

What else is proved when despite having the premonition I kept procrastinating? I could have checked my blood sugar level along with my wife, when she checked hers a few months back. Then I simply shied away saying: No that's not required.

(This is an unfinished article and I invite the comments of my friends and students to make this informative and readable)

Daily round up- 23 May 2012

2012-05-22T19:18:00.002-07:00

Good morning world citizens!   

Thought of the day: "Think global, act local"

The days are not afar when we all would be known by numbers!

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120522-barcode-everyone-at-birth  

Bar codes for tamper proof identification and then the following three numbers for day-to-day transactions:

1) UID- Unique Identification number (for citizenship and all those things) 

2) Bank account number 

3) Mobile number  

The days of having a passport or a driving license are also numbered for UID would be a comprehensive identity having all these details. What is more, with global convergence the UID may transcend the national boundaries, as Euro did in case of the European Union!  

Now don't sneeze at this idea by beckoning at PIIGS- Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece & Spain- the EU countries, which are in a dire strait :) ... Rather start humming the tune "Ab mera number aiya hai"* :)

* A popular advert of “Uninor”- A telecom company in India- meaning: Now my turn/ number has come!

Good morning India :)  

...Siddharth Mallya has publicly stated that he wants to protect his player. If the allegations, as listed here below (in the news link), are true, there is a grave danger that he'd destroy evidence if he remains loose.

…Should he be put behind the bars for the sake of justice? What do you say?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Molestation-case-Indian-player-warned-Zohal-Hamid-to-drop-case-against-IPL-player-Luke-Pomersbach/articleshow/13325047.cms

Good morning Odisha :)  

Here is a piece of wonderful news for all the concerned alumni / parents of Bhubaneswar/ Odisha.  Please take advantage of this unique summer camp, where the raison d'etre is not your money bag or learning some cheap dance numbers, here they are teaching how to live in harmony with nature!  

Dear Sayad Suleman Ali* bhai and Yasmin Bhabhi, considering your passionate concern for the society and your wider friend circle, this might be of special interest to you.

* Suleman bhai has more than 2,000 friends and very recently he invited me to a summer camp organized by a couple of Odiya Album/ film starlets.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Camp-to-familiarise-children-with-nature/articleshow/13403280.cms

Rave parties and our roving morality:

2012-05-20T22:21:00.002-07:00

On the night of 20 May 2012 (Sunday) the Mumbai police busted a rave party in a posh hotel in Juhu and detained 96 participants including 2 star IPL players: Wayne Parnell and Rahul Sharma (of Pune Warriors). The detainees were allowed to go after submitting their blood and urine samples. Rahul Sharma claimes that he has never touched alcohol and he had gone to attend a birthday party and was unaware about the rave party. He was arrested with an hour- at 8 PM- of reaching the venue.

Vishay Handa, who is the director of impugned venue- Oakwood Premier Hotel- has been arrested under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Why do they call it a rave party?

According to ‘Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994’ of UK the "music" at these parties includes sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats. When it is loud- which is the norm- quite naturally it would be a nuisance to the surrounding locality. Besides they also found around 110gm of cocaine and several tablets, suspected to be entactogenic drugs, like Ecstasy.

History of rave parties

Late 1950s in London saw the term "Rave" used to describe the "wild bohemian parties". In 1958 Buddy Holly recorded the hit "Rave On," citing the madness and frenzy of a feeling and the desire for it to never end. The word "rave" was later used in the burgeoning mod youth culture of the early 1960s as the way to describe any wild party in general. People who were gregarious party animals were described as "ravers". Pop musicians such as Steve Marriott of The Small Faces and Clare Willans were self-described "ravers".

Source: Wikipedia

What are entactogenic drugs?

The word "entactogen" is derived from the roots "en" (Greek: within), "tactus" (Latin: touch) and "gen" (Greek: produce) (Nichols 1986: 308). Neither term is dominant in usage, and, despite their difference in connotation, they are essentially interchangeable, as they refer to precisely the same chemicals. Users of entactogens say the drugs often produce feelings of empathy, love, and emotional closeness to others.

Source: Wikipedia

Residents are relieved:

Naturally the accompanying news is that the residents are relieved that the party has been busted. They allege that it was going one for more than a year and despite repeated complaints they were not getting any relief! What is more, it seems these rave parties are a regular nuisance as these go till early morning! The people caught are freed on a cash bond of Rs.5,000/- and then after a couple of weeks and the parties begin! Poor residents! I feel for them, more so because I am an early bird. Right across our bed room in our gated compound is the society children’s park and as kids and grown ups keep cranking the swings etc. up to 11 PM some times I get upset. Now think of the people who’d have to bear with wild music all night!

Bimbos, upcoming models, call girls and sexual orgies:

The news paper photographs prominently display the nabbing of skimpily clad bimbos. This would generate good TRP for television channels. Quite naturally when people take drugs and alcohol and start craving for intimacy the animal pleasure follows. Hence, accusations of flesh trade or at least the existence of wild sex as an integral part of these parties abound.

Was it a real raid or was it a set-up?

Now this question naturally crops up in our mind because residents say that for last many years they were complaining and nothing was happening. There was a similar raid three and half year back and it brought respite only for a few weeks. So if these nuisances are continued up to early in the morning what is the rationality of raiding a party at 8? Interestingly up to 8 it’s legal to have loud music inside hotel premises. Was it meant to embarrass those two star cricket players? For, they may have suspected that once they are gone the news worthiness of this raid would drastically decrease. And what about the hurt feeling and insecurity created in those, who were innocent and detained for a night? The answer to this would be found in the follow-up to this raid. Though statistics indicate towards a dangerous portent, let’s be patient and wait and watch.

Our roving morality:

When our concern about morality is a function of people’s dressing, eating, drinking and all other outward manifestations then at times we’ve to check our own selves and our measuring yards. Along with that goes the current fashion, western bashing! Anything that is supposed to be western, whether in idea or ideal is a scapegoat!

Many politicians, failed anchors and so-called know-alls take great delight in chastising the current trends and by default praise some mythical indigenous practices, which may never have existed. What else do you infer from Kirti Azad’s farcical fast and Yeshwant Sinha’s comment, where he terms IPL as something "against Indian culture" and further comparing this to a rave party? Isn't it a fact that Indian culture is evolving? If we have things to be proud of, in the past, we also have enough to be ashamed of! Casteism and the practice of 'Sati' are just representative samples. Is it that when Zamindars and kings have "Mujras" and exploit courtesan girls that is ok and if we have highly skilled and highly paid Cheer girls that is not OK? Now that an average indian has become equivalent to the emperors of the yore, that too without blatant exploitation of the masses, is it not something to be celebrated?

Mr Yeshwant Sinha is appalled that semi-naked girls dance after every four is scored and he feels the only outcome of this could be molestation. The moralist suggests scrapping of this format of IPL immediately.

While fully sympathizing with the senile outbursts of a fading politician- Mr Sinha- I feel it’s fit to end this discussion with the immortal words of the bird of Avon- Shakespeare: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”

(The article is not finished yet and may please be considered as an WIP. Your inputs/ comments would help making it a well rounded one)

As we complete 50 months on cyberspace!

2012-05-20T06:06:00.001-07:00

On 7 May 2012 this blog completed 50 months in cyberspace and that brings us to this point where we do a bit of soul searching!

What is the purpose of this blog?

Well, high decibel talks aside, here we are obsessed to help you make winsome communication! Yeah, that better describes this blog :) Our objective of talking about enabling principles like secularism and a democratic way of life underpins this approach! How? Well, while talking about such enablers we’d consciously try to improve upon our communications skill! We’d not lose focus and we’d continue to emphasize upon quality talks over trash, which titillate and add little value.

Why communication?

Communication is especially important because combined with our superior intelligence this is what distinguishes us from animals. As teachers we routinely preach: Communication is the most important skill in making or marring a career! Is it? Let's examine and in the process let's also achieve better depths and polish!

We’ll tailor our future submissions to the exacting standards:

Very often competitive examinations require essays to be written in 150 words or 300 words. Then in some other places they ask 700-800 word submission. Up till now our posts are mostly generic without benchmarking those to any examination standards. That approach would change and we’d consciously try to post a daily/ weekly round up and consciously try to meet the above word limits.

No, we will not dispense with full length essays, for such essays are also in demand especially when one essay carries 100 marks or a submission is expected to be of 3500 to 5000 words.

So in cricketing parlance we will accommodate the 20-20 format, where we’ll try to fit into the exacting requirements of just 150 words; yet, we’ll not lose sight of the purer form of the game – Test cricket- where it tests the true mettle of a player.

What is more, we'd not neglect the technical side either. To demonstrate our commitment to hard core technical output the next couple of weeks would be devoted to two very important legislations: Evidence Act and Contract Act. All efforts would be taken to make the essays enjoyable by lay people.

Am I qualified to do this?

With my over one decade's quality experience in editing business reports, letters and communication(s), which includes stints with top firms abroad, I humbly believe, I can help you spruce up your communication skill.

Now that I teach ‘communication and ethics’ in professional courses, that would further help me in dabbling with a little bit of digital pedagogy.

Well, well; I can see your impatience! No pretense, I am little more than an armature artist and my chief ally in this venture is my passion to reach out! For, I’ve seen many a career getting stunted due to their poor command over English. I am determined to do whatever I can to help my brethren(which includes both brothers and sisters) master this, especially when it is not their mother tongue. I am also constantly learning in the process and I know this is going to be a never-ending process! Hence we are not just in search for destinations, what is more important for us is: we are out to enjoy this process!

It all started with Sriharan asking me to review his essays:

Then- during 2000 to 2002- I was serving as an Assistant Manager in Ernst & Young, Colombo, Sri Lanka. A young lad named Sriharan with a graduate degree from University of Warwickshire (UK) requested me to review his essays, which he planned to submit for his G-MAT. It was an interesting experience. I do not know how much I contributed for his essays but surely that incident was a learning opportunity for me and when I mull over it I feel that’s where my calling is!

I’ve continued with similar assignments:

Over the following years I have continued courting such assignments, where I could help people spruce-up their written communication and then of late I have also taught a bit of ‘spoken English’ to school kids.

Blogging as the main activity:

Up till now blogging was at best a fringe activity for me. Now that is going to change. I am going to pour my heart and soul into it and hope that would be rewarded by the affection and following of my friends. At around 40 I guess the time is just right for this transition, both from the point of maturity and opting a second career. Besides, I’ve always advocated the concept of SOHO and now I’d like to give it a serious trial!

What is more, I know it’s going to be a flight that we’ll take together; so “Bon voyage”!

Donating a kidney @ 83!

2012-05-18T07:21:00.002-07:00

Yes, you’ve heard it right. Very recently Mr. Nicholas Crace of Overton in Hampshire became the oldest living kidney donor at the ripe old age of 83.

And as you may have rightly guessed, he had a history of donating blood. But then he was refused such pleasure when he went past 70. An enquiry as to whether he could donate bone marrow brought further heart ache, people beyond 40 are not eligible for the same.

His hope got a boost when he heard that there is no age limit for donating a kidney. Yet considering his age he had to visit the hospital more than a dozen times to qualify as a donor and finally he did gift a part of him- one of his kidneys- to someone whom he would never see in his life time and who has no relation to him. What a holistic way of donating!

Most of us are aware that that, kidney from a live donor performs better, works quicker and lasts longer than that from a cadaver. And hundreds of thousands of patients are waiting for organ donation.

Post operation, for the donation, Mr. Crace is going great and he still does all his work and leads a normal life. But no longer would he remain a normal person, for he has become a real hero! What a great relief to have such real heroes, who through their quintessential ways create so much value and bolster our faith in the fable “The good Samaritans”!

Mr. Crace, hats off to you! It was not just an organ donation, it was a great message. Sure this would inspire millions to come out and donate organs so that we could alleviate the pains of our fellow human beings.

Yesterday I was asked if I could donate my blood in a blood donation camp and now I am looking forward to have that needle pricked into my veins tomorrow- 19 May 2012- so that we’d keep this humane tradition alive and march ahead and ahead. Amen!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18104556

Is this rule of law?

2012-05-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today- 16 May 2012- the front page large spread news in “Samaj”- the most respected Odia daily- is that of a gross atrocity of police in Puri. Where, apparently an innocent young man was picked up randomly and then subjected to third degree for over a day without following the due procedure of law, which mandates that he should have been produced before a magistrate and then forwarded to Jail if he was apprehended for a crime. He is now fighting for his life in Apollo hospital, Bhubaneswar after having been beaten mercilessly by the cops.

The police dumped him in the verandah of the nearest government hospital after detaining and beating him for over a period of 28 hours, which constitutes a grave crime! Needless to mention his hapless relations took him to the private hospital from the government hospital, where the police dumped him after the above mentioned atrocity. What is more, his stay in the ICU of an expensive private hospital is going to bleed the family.

18 May 2012
Again the same news hogged the front page on 18 May 2012 in the same news paper- The Samaja. And guess what, it is still the lead news! This time the news article debunks the claim of the police that he is admitted to hospital due to 'fits'. The News paper claims that they have irrefutable evidence that the condition of the hapless youth is the handiwork of ruthless beating.

If the people who are entrusted to maintain law and order- the cops- stoop down to such lowly depths that every now and then their only fig leaf of an excuse is a lame excuse and even a lay man could tell that they are lying through their teeth, what kind of TRUST it creates in us- the people whom they are duty bound to protect?

The breaking down of the parents before the additional SP, who is investigating this case adds more emotions. As usual there is the charge that the authorities are shielding the guilty officer rather than bringing him to justice. The moot question is why such high handedness? And what is this farce of departmental inquiry?? For that matter which investigation/ inquiry we- the common men can repose faith on???

In the age of polygraphs and other llie detectors and various other scientific forensic equipment where is the room for such gross violation of human rights by the people who are supposed to protect us? The argument of deterrence also does not hold water. What for we have jails then?? Is this rule of law???

Well, our justice delivery system has become so inefficient that now every body is trying to settle his case according to their own way and the police are no exception to this.

Then, when we mull over yesterday’s front page news of Andimuthu Raja getting released under bail; naturally we feel low and let down. Raja and his supporters rejoiced after he was released and as per news paper reports today Raja attended the parliament! Now, if a common man has difficulty in referring to the parliament as the temple of democracy why do the parliamentarians make such a hue and cry?

In such times let's assuage our bruised feelings by remembering that people like martyr Sukhdev, Rajguru, Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi laid their lives so that we'd have this great nation. Now it is up to us, how we will give it a direction. Let’s resolve; we will not let down those people neither their sacrifice will go waste.

A Raja and his cronies must remember that, very recently, when the entire nation looked forward to have an Uttar (result for the recently concluded assembly elections), the electorates of UP gave a firm thumbs down to the self proclaimed messiah of Dalits- Behenji Mayawati - and proclaimed a resounding verdict, that the days of the corrupt are numbered!

So the writing on the wall is loud and clear. The 2014 general elections are going to witness yet another watershed. For, the common man is in no mood to placate the corrupt politicians and get fooled with their lullabies. We’ve had enough of this Goonda- Police Raj! So, A Raja –be aware and long live India!!

Alumni revolution

2012-05-15T05:57:00.004-07:00

"Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." -- Henry Ford

Here again the modern age cliche‘‘revolution’- the catch word for human emancipation- crops up! Well actually it’s a humble and modest effort and truly reminiscent of Gandhian activism, where if suffering is at all to be inflicted then that can be inflicted on the self and there is no room for bloodshed or violence. Yet, like any revolution it calls for sacrifices and for a willing revolutionary the sacrifice could be as supreme as sacrificing the self! No not the violent way of a lightening but the constructive burning of a candle, where by the steady glow over a definite period of time it enables a student to pursue her career or a wayfarer to trade in the night

As in the case of other constructive movements here too the payback is in holistic pleasure; a pleasure that human heart knows by giving to a deserving soul. So here is a call to all concerned citizens, who would also like to play their roles as concerned alumni, to contribute. Let this revolution energize our slumbering soul and before long educational institutions become the most unifying establishments, cutting across the gender, caste, religion and region divide. :)

22 May 2012:

How if the Alumni associations are inspired to take responsibility for their own Alma maters?

Improvements in educational standards and sense of belongingness towards the schools is more required in case of government schools than in private schools. Unfortunately not a single Government schools in Odisha has an alumni association, which could be refereed to as a vibrant body. The best- among whatever alumni associations exist in Government schools- is perhaps that of Ravenshaw Collegiate School. Is it a vibrant body? Let’s have the litmus test.

The moot question is: Would the alumni of this great institution send their words to their Alma mater? The answer is obviously NO. Then what have they done or are doing to address this malaise?

There can be no two words that, in third world countries, if we wish to preserve the family silver then, we badly need to form and then run vibrant Alumni associations in our government schools; the schools that we passed out from. (I am sure, if not most then many of us graduated from Government schools)

And for this we do not need a pie from the government! For then we'll have to spend that from our own pockets!! Instead we waste our precious time in deliberating on and then fretting and fawning about the impractical ideas of AnnaJi and RamdevJi. Well their ideas look glamorous (it's about a lot of money, right!) and if you were to really go and work for your schools then that is HARD WORK!

I think and work for our school(s). Will you?

On the issue of a name change: from Orissa to Odisha.

2012-05-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Let's have a small talk on the issue of change of the name of the eastern Indian state, from Orissa to Odisha.

Of late a section of the media has become vocal by indicating how the name change process is far from complete by showing official signboards still carrying the old spelling. This is a continuation of the disparagements that were heaped at the beginning by questioning the need for a such a change.

My two cents on this:

'Orissa' had gone so deep into the psyche of the English educated people that many so-called intellectuals rubbished the idea of a name change and some others though did not reject the same outright, yet issued veiled disparagements.

Now these people shed copious amount of tear on the wasteful expenditure that would ensue to give effect to this fancy...

Now, if the government allows "Orissa" to slowly fade away than aggressively erase it, there is this comment...

The situation is best described by the Odia cliche "Enu mailey go hatya, senu mailey brhma hatya"!

Well this is democracy ....

What an irony! all the Odia literature, including Mr J B Patnaik & Mr Mahatab, could not see something which was so obvious and the same asymmetry was felt and addressed by Mr Naveen Patnaik, who is still accused of not being able to speak Odia! May be this is what has really created a loss of credibility for many Odias and they are yet to digest this symbolic yet historical change hence the incessant belittling of this government under him ???

Well, this is not something very new; it has historical parallel! Legend has it that, the completion of the historic Konark Sun temple in Odisha could be achieved only after a 12 year old boy- Dharmapada- gave his master touch. The 1200 matured craftsmen- engaged for 12 long years in building this monument- could not digest this and wanted this to remain a secret for ever! Result, Dharmapada had to be sacrificed to maintain their vanity...

Hats off to the Dharmapadas- statesmen- who have the gall to stand up to the occasion, in the face of such obscurantism and face the brick bats in the now, to create a proud legacy for the posterity!

Lest the fight against corruption died in infancy!

2012-05-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Once Sri Anna Hazare became a craze gradually it appeared he was also becoming crazy! Is his praise for Narendra Modi and Nitish kumar one such craziness? But it is for their developmental activities! In the past he categorically distanced himself from the communal riot brigade. He was not approving the Modi dispensation after the riot in Gujrat in 2002. Hence, a section of the people has already started vilifying Anna for this praising, where he has only praised non-congress state governments.

How justified is his praise of Mr Modi?
Without vilifying or parsing Sri Narendra Modi let us check the reality. For many years on a row, economic statistics- whether by government or independent organizations- have showed Gujarat as the fastest growing state in India. For last couple of years Bihar has finished the second, under the leadership of Sri Nitish Kumar, in this race of economic growth among Indian states. The work that Sri Narendra Modi has done for the farmers is phenomenal, asserts Swaminathan A Aiyar- a leading rationalist and perhaps the finest economic analyst of our country.

Darul Uloom vice-chancellor Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi, an MBA, said in an interview to TOI that Gujarati Muslims were not discriminated against and that ''all communities'' prosper in the state. He called 2002 Gujarat riots ''a blemish for India'' and asked the community to move on.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-21/india/28370177_1_maulana-ghulam-mohammed-vastanvi-muslim-cleric-gujarat-riots

The above is just to put the debate on an even keel and is no way meant to justify communalism for the sake of development. Yet dividing the united front just for such bye-gone issues and missing the larger issue of checkmating the larger issue of rampant corruption would be simply insane.

Yet, when they start making political posturing and only bash Congress party and symbolically talk of other political parties and they try to keep Baba Ramdev on their side, where the controversial Baba's association with the saffron camp is well known, it makes us believe that Team Anna is little more than BJP-B team! The issue of the father son duo- Shanti Bhusan & Prashant Bhushan- being on the Drafting committee is another issue.

However, unity among all the forces fighting against corruption is crucial and now looks illusory! The exclusion of the controversial religious leader is desirable and would be highly appropriate. The support of the controversial Baba should not be on his terms especially when he is facing Tax evasion and land grab cases (as reported by Tehlaka very recently).

Baba Ramdev would agree, united we stand to gain. Besides any person with intellect can discern that the opposition would love to see the unity dissipate and a gradual crumbling or better still a sudden collapse of the anti-corruption peoples’ front. That such a common front could be fashioned at such a short notice and the entire nation stood behind it is almost like a miracle and now onwards we have to invest more maturity, sagacity and generosity to maintain the bonhomie.

Most humbly, may I also plead with Sri Anna Hazare to weight his utterances and ponder over the likely consequences of those before committing himself to anything (?) We can ill afford to see he – Mr Hazare- put both his feet inside his moth; for then he would have no foot to stand upon!

He has already caused a lot of difficult situations for his undiplomatic outbursts. However, it seems the recent land slide popular support has gone into his head!

A representative gaffe by Mr Hazare:
At the heights of the movement Mr Hazare lost his cool and commented that Kapil Sibal should resign from the panel- for drafting the lokpal bill- if he doesn't believe in Lokpal Bill. Mr. Hazare may be right in his outbursts yet they’ve to constantly remind themselves that people like Mr. Sibal and Mr. Sanghvi are adept at real-politic and they would really feel elated if they find that they have ruffled the opponent, for then they know the opponent would start committing mistakes.

Mr Hazare said- just after ending his fast on 9 April 2011- said that the fight has just begun. However, had he maintained his humility, the position after a year- today- would have been much better! Instead they thought they are the only know-alls and then they took sides by campaigning against Congress in UP elections. Besides this politicking the lull for the last 5 months (Anna Hazare’s three day fast stated On 27 December 2011 at Mumbai and ended without much public support) is also attributable to the brinkmanship of Team Anna, where they launched the last Fast- corporate style- at Mumbai and Delhi simultaneously.

Rationally thinking, it should take no more than one year to hammer out the logistics and the water tight mechanisms to set the process rolling. Had Anna and his team Kept to the Gandhian Path then that could have been achieved in 2 or three years. But alas, not only they are ignorant, they are also stupid! How?
Consider their ambition: they want to make Lokpal a parallel judiciary, which would adjudicate corruption cases related to millions of Government servants! If, such a design is not wishful thinking, then what?

It goes without saying that Gandhian fights are noble, for these are not like vendettas. At every stage the satyagrahi remains ever ready to concede to the demand of the oppressor, if they could further the cause of Truth. A modicum of forgiveness in the form of constituting a “Truth and reconciliation commission” – in line with the one constituted in South Africa- at the end of apartheid- to avoid witch hunting and getting maximum number of people on board should be seriously considered. IMHO such a commission - “Truth and reconciliation commission” – would be a worthy precursor to a full fledged Lokpal Act.

At any rate it is going to be a long and arduous fight. In the face of duplicity and political back stabbing the Satyagrahi will have to maintain his calm and steel his nerves for the worst and during all these travails must never permit any ill feeling for the opponent! For it believes in “Hrudaya Parivartan”- change of heart!

A small talk on affirmative actions:

2012-05-06T18:27:00.002-07:00

Affirmative actions are hard to digest; especially when we carry a prejudiced approach and further compound that with a myopic out look. Reservations - whether for jobs or seats in academic institutions- have actually strengthened our society. How?

Well, a cryptic answer to that lies in the cliché: "The strength of a chain lies in its weakest link".

Having understood the benefits of such a noble policy, which in the face of it looks plain discriminatory, I extend a value based support to caste based reservations: A well reasoned rationale can be found in this article- by Mr Swaminathan A Aiyer, where he has debunked the myth of talent:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/sa-aiyar/swaminomics/Do-I-have-any-merit/articleshow/1581082.cms

Hope you've got it! Having said that, I’d further add: the reservation policy- as it exists today- certainly needs a re-look. As it is a fact that the benefits are not reaching to the target audience and the same people who enjoyed it at the first place continue to enjoy it today.

SC-Supreme Court- has already asked to remove the creamy layer and that is yet to be implemented. This -affirmative actions -being in the nature of a positive discrimination are discriminations nevertheless and hence must have a definite time frame to run through. For, by default the others- who are not eligible for such privileges- become second class citizens and that would create further anomaly, if practiced without end.

Hence, the government in consultation with other major political parties should declare a firm date, beyond which Caste based reservation would not be continued as a state policy. That was the original intention of the framers of the constitution including the revered Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Even if that date is as far away as 100 years from its insertion, it should be declared, as it would bring clarity and definiteness.

What about Promotions in the jobs?
When it comes to promotion, reservation kills comradeship and that is to be kept in mind. Wherever possible, people with better ability, not with reserved castes, should be promoted. For, we are talking about making a positive discrimination. After someone has enjoyed the fruit of reservation then the beneficiaries will have to pull their stock up and get assimilated in the main stream. If, for the sake of keeping the morale intact, for the candidates admitted through reservation, reservation in promotion is also thought of then that should happen within a reasonable limit; so that, the general category people will not feel short charged.

Neither there should be any reservation in very top echelons like scholarship for higher scientific research. For research we already have very limited resources and people who have reached that stage of maturity and intelligence only should get those breaks, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion.

Just to keep the record straight:

Now it has become a fashion to find fault with the father of the nation- Mahatma Gandhi- for all national failures, whether those or actual or perceived. Some claim that the policy of reservation is an offshoot of the 'Poona pact'. Well that may have been the case and then it has succeeded in its original mandate! What was that? To keep India united! Hence let's not forget, in India, 'Poona pact' is a historic event. It’s unfortunate that Mayawati & her coterie have started Gandhi bashing for the reason for which he should be applauded!

Gandhiji prevented a division of India (not Hindus, they were already divided) by making far larger concessions for dalits. Up till that time such magnanimity was unheard of! When we go through the details we are overwhelmed by the goodwill gestures shown and largess bestowed upon the Dalits by Congress having been forced by Gandhiji.

So, the people who find fault with Poona pact secretly desire a many way vivisection of India in the name of caste; lets be aware of it!

Like wise, after partition, Gandhiji's magnanimity in persuading the government to pay the agreed sum to Pakistan also hugely angered Hindu / Nationalist demagogues. Though Nathuram Godse claimed that to be the main reason for the assassination of Gandhiji a closer analysis proves that this is an after thought. This fact has been clinically exposed, to a good extent, in the legendary book "Freedom at Midnight: by Larry Collins and Dominique Lappiere. However, on an overall analysis it’s clear as day light that the Mahatma laid his life for “Unity of India” and that sacrifice weighed heavy and the fundamentalists could not raise their heads for the following 4 decades, which were very crucial for this fledgling state!

Last words:

Where our actions are based on 'Love' we succeed in the long run and in contrary to that, actions based on 'Hatred' are immediately appealing and may bring some immediate results; yet, in the long run such actions lead a family/ community/ society towards its downfall.

'Affirmative actions' is a policy, which is based on love. Because of such a policy we've achieved steady progress and equity. Contrast this with the policy of "Varnasram" or casteism, whose cornerstones are exploitation and hatred and how, for centuries, that sapped our society in the past.

Friends, let's grow up!

My take on the issue of outright replacement of PDS

2012-04-30T00:56:00.001-07:00

My take on the issue of outright replacement of PDS with direct cash transfer to beneficiary accounts is as follows:

For this- direct cash transfer- to happen the pre-requisite is an abuse proof identification and delivery mechanism.

Two secured numbers or may be three would be essential for roll out of such an ambitious program:
1) UID Number
2) Bank Account Number (Financial Inclusion will take care)
3) A portable mobile telephone number (then money could be transferred through the mobile phone)

Though theoretically universal functional literacy is not required but Professor Practical would say it is a must.

As we are far from achieving any of the above; a proposal to replace PDS – out right- is preposterous, absolutely fabulous on paper though. Throwing out the tried and test PDS system- which delivers according to the political will and astuteness of the ruling dispensation- at this stage, would be equivalent to the proverbial “throwing the baby with the bath water”.

It is like making Tendulkar an MP (Rajyasabha) before he retires from actives cricket. For, before he retires he can not even afford to go and listen to the debates, much less to talk about contributing into those debates. Lest anyone thought otherwise: I am a great fan of Sachchin. Yet, where is it mentioned that Rajyasabha seats are prizes, which should be doled out for recognizing sporting/ artistic displays?

However, the process of issuing UID cards should be expedited so that we can make a beginning now and over a period of a decade we can say good bye to the leaky PDS system. That approach would be inline with the culture of LPG- Liberalization, privatization & Globalization- which we’ve adopted since 1991.

Odisha’s tryst with higher education:

2012-03-07T20:25:00.001-08:00

Education has been the game changer throughout the history of mankind and we Odiyas know that by paying through our lives! Though it’s a common cliché that public memory is short; yet, no knowledgeable Odia should forget the catastrophe that was the infamous 1866 famine – popularly known as “Na anka Durvikshya” – the that ravaged Odisha during the ninth year of the reign of Gajapathi Dibyasigh Dev. Lest people misunderstood, let me clarify, the administration was under the control of British colonials and the king was only a nominal figurehead.

Famine of 1866:
A third of the population of the then Odisha perished in this famine. How painful the deaths would have been; for, people died by degrees! Death due to malnutrition and hunger saps the vitals and by the time the hapless creatures die they are reduced to bags of bones and it happens over months not days. So if you’ve fasted for a day or two you can fathom the excruciating pain that precedes the eventual death under such circumstances.

The real cause of the large-scale deaths:
Contrary to what a naïve person may think, the then British Commissioner of Odisha- T E Revenshaw- though a simpleton was actually a good man! In the after math, as a stock take, he’d realize that the real reason for such a colossal human loss was the absence of educated people in Odisha. For, then, there was not a single Odiya who was a graduate; whose words the British would respect and heed to. Most of the clerks and support staff of the British administration in Odisha were from Bengal compound the situation. For, true to the nature of these natives, one group slightly advanced looked down upon another marginally backward. So, Bengalis despised and looked down upon- and still they do-Odias. The Odia noblemen, who had access to the commissioner, could not impress upon him the gravity of the situation and hence for a very long time he believed what was fed into his ears by some other native staff: that the lack of grains in the market is due to hoarding by the Sahukars and Zamindars! He was a firm believer in the free market and hence thought the invisible hand of the market would correct this anomaly!

A paradox- a cruel joke!
At the heights of this famine -On December 11, 1865- a French ship named ‘Filanim’ carrying rice docked at Puri and got damaged. This was a fantastic opportunity for the government to procure rice from the damaged ship and sell (not distribute, for people had money) among the needy people. Yet, owing to the misunderstanding stated above, the commissioner declined such suggestions. Eventually the ship was repaired and departed in March 1866, when scores of people were dying due to hunger in Puri. The ship owner, transporters and the insurance company lost money in the process. Had the government decided otherwise, it would have been a win- win situation; for, it had 6,000 bags of rice, which would have saved at least that many families.

The visiting lieutenant governor of Bengal also missed what was obvious!
To rub salt on the wounds, Sir Cecil Beadon (1816–1880) - then lieutenant governor of Bengal – visited Odisha during February 13 to 19, 1866. He reached at Puri on 13 February and despite seeing hundreds of half dead human beings clamoring for food, throughout his visit, completely failed to understand the gravity of the situation and reiterated his deputy’s belief in the market force to self correct itself. What was more; it was for the first time any lieutenant governor of the then British Empire visited Odisha!
To cut the long story short, the commissioner and lieutenant governor were found guilty of neglect by the commission of inquiry and it hurt commissioner Revenshaw tremendously. He realized that because the level of education in Odisha was very low that affected communication between the governed and the governors. Thereafter he whole-heartedly worked to advance dissemination of knowledge in Odisha. The result was the first collage in Odisha- Revenshaw collage (1868), which became a university in November’ 2006.
So; as we paid a very heavy price to convert Chanda-Ashoka into Dharma-Ashoka; so also, our access to higher knowledge is paved with the skeletons of our fore-bearers.

The progress after 1866:
In the last 145 years, since that catastrophe- famine of Odisha in 1866, we’ve made a lot of progress and there are no two words about it. The first Odia News paper – Utkala Dipika- saw the light on 4 august 1866 as the relief operations, in the aftermath of the famine, poured money into this press and now there are hundreds of publications from Odisha.
Utkal University- the first modern day University in Odisha- was established in 1943. With the founding of Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University at Puri- in 1981- the number of universities went to 5. On the last count, this number has further increased to 17 and that of the number of degree collages in Odisha to 636. Besides these, now there are so many other technical educational institutions including more than one hundred engineering collages.

A new hunger for equality (fueled by democracy):
However, now a new reality beckons us. The raw hunger has been replaced with the hunger for higher principles and practices. After testing political equality through democracy now the common man has an insatiable hunger for economic equality and in that path that what comes as a hindrance is: again knowledge! Yes, now the people who are in demand are the ones with the right skill sets.

Last words:
To thrive in this transient world of enormous opportunities and also multidimensional threats, not forgetting that of the nature and environment, what is going to separate men from boys is sought after “skills”. Thanks to the digital and IT revolution now one need not placate the whims or fancy of a semi-literate teacher to acquire skills. The need of the hour are: Digital libraries and reading rooms; tele-teaching where a villager can access the finest lectures at his own village. The government should play the role of a facilitator and what ever skill capital we have we'd judiciously pull that to augment the critical capital and then put our heart and soul to further expand our knowledge base. Perhaps i am sounding hollow! Let me state that in very simple terms.

We are still mostly illiterate. For, most of our collage graduates are incapable of transacting in English, what to talk of simple matriculates or school dropouts. Yet the situation is vastly different from what it was in 1866. Then- in 1866- there was nobody who was a graduate today we have a million plus graduates. If we want our people to make rapid strides then two skill sets are very crucial: Mathematical reasoning and English! Yes, English! For, the key to this eldorado- gold mine- of knowledge is this language. By having functional alumni associations, in our numerous educational institutions, if we make a very determined effort to spread the knowledge about this language to all the people then it would herald a revolution which is unheard of and we- the people in third world countries- would march closer to the status of a "Knowledge economy", the hallmark of developed nations. Why alumni association? Well if you have a better alternative then why don't you suggest that!

So let's spruce up our skill base, which-so-ever way we can!

Virat Kohli- hail the new star!

2012-02-28T03:28:00.003-08:00

Today- 28 February 2012- would be remembered in the annals of cricket for the 86 ball unbeaten 133 runs scored by Indian rookie Virat Kohli. This clearly overshadowed a magnificent unbeaten 160 by explosive Sri Lankan opener Tilakratne Dilshan. Not only he went on to win the match for India but also achieved the much needed extra point by scoring the required 321 runs in 40 overs, which seemed almost impossible at one point! So Indians are still on the course and who knows what would happen next!

Something is rotten in the Indian cricket team- that seems to be the common refrain. A shameful comprehensive defeat to the Aussies, in the recently concluded test series and then standing on the brink of elimination from the tri-nation one-day series set the perfect foil for a no-hold bar unleash, besides the spirit of an encaged tiger was also raring to go! The prince –Virat Kohli- was constantly plagued by self-doubt, more so when his place in the ‘ Indian Test Team’ was not cemented and his temperament was questioned. The constant worry for him was “to be, or not to be”! I guess; now, no longer that is the question and a wonderful summer- IPL 5- is beckoning this new star and also the Indian team.

MSD! if I wear you I’d seize the moment and redeem myself, would you?

Our Alma maters need our inputs!

2012-02-15T17:26:00.001-08:00

I had a chat with Jhadeswar Mishra; an assistant teacher of our alma mater- D N High School, Kendujhar, who is also the most trusted alumni in the school administration; on 13 February 2012. I reminded him that this year it would be the tenth time -on a row- we’d be sending good wish cards to the Matriculation examinees. He assured that it would be continued and also told me the following:

Sri Anil Kar- an alumni of 1986 batch- visited the School recently and sportively offered to donate some equipment. Thank you Anil bhai!

The sad part:

Now the student strength has come down to around 750 (from 1200 a couple of years back). Correspondingly in all standards- viii to x- now there are only 4 sections instead of 5.
Both the clerks have retired and none of the vacancies have been replaced.
There is only one Sanskrit teacher instead of 2 and it puts a lot of pressure on him to manage the classes- from class VI to X.
There are only 22 teachers. In most comparable ‘Saraswati Sishu Mandiras’ they have two times that many teaching staff and many have 3 times of that.
I assured that I’d escalate this matter to our concerned alumni and hence this effort.

Appeal to the alumni:
The situation is not much different in other erstwhile Zilla Schools, which are akin to family silvers. Whether it is Revenshaw collegiate school of Cuttack or Chandra Sekhar Behera Zilla School of Sambalpur or Puri Zilla Schools of Puri all are in the same boat.

Our Alma maters need our inputs! Can we do something to address their concerns?

A peculiar example of coercion ( Bombay HC)

2012-02-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

As per section 10 of Indian Contract Act- 1872, essentials of a Valid Contract are:  
a) A valid agreement (which includes an offer/ proposal and its proper acceptance
 b) Free consent of parties  
c) Parties must be competent to contract,  
d) Consideration and the object must be lawful, and  
e) Such an agreement must not be expressly declared to be void.

Hence, amount extracted under coercion should be refunded. Case law referred in ICAI study material (for IPCC) Trikamdas Udeshi vs Bombay Municipal Corporation on 19 November, Bombay High Court, 1953

Facts of the case:
The petitioner boarded a tramcar belonging to the Bombay Electric Supply & Transfer Undertaking of the Bombay Municipality at Crawford Market and got out at Bori Bunder without purchasing a ticket. He was thereupon called upon by the Traffic Supervisor to pay a sum of Rs. 5 as penalty. The petitioner paid the fine and obtained a receipt for it from the Supervisor. He then filed a suit in the Small Causes Court to recover this amount as having been paid under coercion. The Small Causes Court dismissed the suit. Revision application was made to the HC.

Trikamdas Udeshi claimed that the fine amount- Rs 5/- was paid under coercion. He also contended that General Manager had no power to delegate the power to the Traffic Supervisor. Even if he had the power, the delegation was illegal. That, he had committed a non-compoundable offence by failing to purchase a ticket for travelling in the tram-car, and the Municipality had no power in law to compound a non-compoundable offence.

What was the coercion- in the instant case?
The petitioner paid this sum in order to avoid a prosecution. He knew perfectly well that if he did not pay this sum of Rs. 5, he would have been prosecuted before a Magistrate and could have been fined with further embarrassment.

While setting aside the ruling of the lower court the HC listed the following rationale`:
Attention was also drawn to Section 113 of the Railways Act, which empowers a railway servant to demand the requisite amount from a person travelling in a train without a ticket and on the failure or refusal to pay by the passenger the amount can be recovered by an application to a Magistrate. It was suggested that a similar provision could be made in the Municipal Act.

The learned Judge stated that this case raised a question of great public importance, which is of grave consequence to the public at large in the city of Bombay. Hence a decree in favour of the petitioner for Rs. 5, with costs of the suit was passed.

IMHO:
Equating a just penalty as coercive extraction under the guise of legal technicalities does not create a good precedent. However, lets also remember that, primary duty of the judges’ is to interpret the Law and not to legislate; so if there is a legal loophole then they may plead helplessness. Again, in a just society, the judges of the higher judiciary are considered as dispenser of justice and not mere score keepers and mute spectators. With the increased judicial activism evidenced today, I doubt this judgment would stand today’s critical scrutiny.

I may’ve grossly missed out on relevant facts, yet from the available literature/ facts (in the public domain) I fail to understand why the above case law was chosen by the BOS – of ICAI- to illustrate a case of coercion, when there are enough other cases to drive home the point in a very straight forward manner.