Rajesh's Reflections

Sabarimala - Supreme court verdict allowing unrestricted entry for women

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 17:32:00 +0000

The Sabarimala Supreme court verdict to allow entry of women of age 10-50 has triggered violent rift between devotees (including women) backed by the right wing and the communist led left wing who are incidentally the ruling party of Kerala. While devotees backed by RSS, BJP are adamant that they will not allow women of age 10-50 (categorized as child bearing age) into the temple at any cost, the state government are mandated (on the basis of the Supreme court verdict) that security is ensured to women of the restricted age if they chose to enter the temple. Interestingly the left wing, who are ideologically atheists, and who submitted affidavit in favor of unrestricted entry for women, were delighted to welcome the Supreme court verdict. They argue that there is no place for age old traditions to continue in the modern age. After the recent Kerala flood, a new religious flood gate has opened and the Supreme court verdict has set a perfect backdrop for the believers and law makers which ironically consists of non-believers to clash.

Right after the Supreme court verdict, In October 2018, the temple was open for 5 days and attempt by several women of restricted age 10-50 to enter the temple was met with violent protest from the devotees and none of the women in the 10-50 age group were able to make it to the temple. Despite police escort all the way(6 km trek) from Pampa to the Sannidhanam, the women were stopped by devotees within the temple premises. Fearing statewide backlash from believers, the police and government decided to avoid a face-off with the devotees in a holy place and the women who attempted to enter the temple had to return without fulfilling their wish for darshan with the deity.

Is Judiciary the right entity to direct the change in traditions believed to be age old in religious places? In 2016 the Bombay High Court issued a directive allowing entry of women into the inner sanctum of the sacred Haji Ali Daragh. Now women are entering there without restrictions. Article 25(1) of the constitution of India guarantees the right to freedom to profess, propagate and practice religion. Article 26(b) guarantees the rights of religious denominations to manage their own affairs in matters of religion and article 26(d) guarantees these denominations to administer property in accordance with law which demands the equality of all persons. Certainly, there is a grey area when we try to connect Article 25(1) and 26(d) which guarantees equality with 26(b) which guarantees the religious denomination to manage their own affairs.

While the Supreme court is to hear review petitions on 13^th November, the temple is due to re-open again on 16^th November, and the agitation by devotees (who has vowed to fight until the ban is reinstated) is likely to continue. It will be an arduous task for the state government to maintain law and order if the review petitions are turned down by the Supreme court.

As for opposition political parties in the state such as Congress and BJP, the whole commotion gives a perfect opportunity for diverting the vote banks.

Transport minister quits Kerala cabinet over phone sex scandal

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 11:26:00 +0000

The swift resignation of transport minister A.K Saseendran was unfortunate. The effect was as if Mangalam TV, a newly launched channel pulled an AK 47 gun on the minister. The coverage and the subsequent resignation of the minister will probably make Mangalam create media history to be the only channel that on the day of its launch struck a major blow to the ruling state government as a result of its coverage of a sleazy audio clip allegedly containing the voice of A.K. Saseendran obtained under a sting operation.

After a series of sexual offence cases unfolding each day in Kerala, this particular news stood different because no one came forward and registered a complaint against the minister. So it appears to be a private affair between two consenting adults. On one side supporters allege invasion of privacy of a citizen as there was no exploitation seen in the incident and they blame the media for unnecessary intrusion. On the other end one group of critics cry foul along moral lines.

LDF, with 91 MLAs under its kitty (only 71 required to maintain majority), is quick to take actions against ministers when credible allegations are leveled against them. Remember that National Congress Party(NCP) in which A.K Saseendran is a member has just 2 MLAs in the assembly. So LDF has nothing to worry about. But in the previous UDF government, this was not the case and the reason was clear that the Oommen Chandy government was hanging on with a thin majority.

The manner in which Mangalam telecast the sleazy audio is also a matter of concern. The audio was telecast almost unedited and the content in its original form was not suitable for a family audience. An analysis of the incident would throw suspicion that it is a possible honey trap or the lady on the receiving end has clearly motivated him to speak in a sexual tone and the phone was tapped by some one without the lady’s knowledge.

Whatever it may be, the question is where does the channel draw a line on boradcasting code of ethics? I think the relevant regulatory body needs to look into this matter and adequate measures need to be taken so that the program contents can be viewed by a family audience.

As for the septuagenarian minister , it is an ungraceful exit from his political career unless he can prove that he was innocent. One can’t help but feel pity for him. Never in his wildest dreams, would he have thought a night (or day?)of indulgence in his sexual fantasies would make himself land on every Keralite’s television screens.

Jayalalithaa – Farewell Puratchi Thalaivi Amma

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 10:40:00 +0000

Born into a Tamil Brahmin family in Mysuru, excelled in academics, pushed into film industry by mother at 16, excelled in movies, pushed into politics by mentor, excelled in politics, the Iron Lady of Tamil Nadu---whose own life was never in her control---controlled the lives of 7 crore humans of an ancient, conservative civilization. That is the life of Jayalalitha in a nutshell.

Entry into politics for women in India is tough. Let alone someone who comes from a family with no political legacy. The meteoric rise of Jayalalith more popularly known as “amma” for millions was nothing short of amazing.

Jayalalitha epitomized sheer determination, will power, boldness and rose to such exceptional heights, it will be an arduous task for any one to even come closer to the level where she had reached.

Among other things, Jayalalithaa’s legacy will be remembered in terms of what she did for the alleviation of the poor. Schemes such as cradles for babies, gold for girls getting married, subsidized meals at Rs 1, free water to households, subsidized bottled water, free power of 100 units per month and so on are introduced by her. An unique aspect of some of these schemes is the implementation which has been great like the mid-day meal programmes which has almost forced parents to send their children to schools for the meal and also thus ensuring that they get educated in the process.

While it all sounds inspiring, Jayalalitha’s rise didn’t come without her fair share of struggle.
At the age of 16 she was pushed to act in movies by her mother and then she goes on to become one of the biggest female stars in the Tamil film industry. The late MGR has been instrumental in her entry into politics in 1982 and her ascent in his party AIDMK.

On 25 March 1989, amidst heavy violence among the ruling DMK party members and the opposition. Jayalalitha was brutally attacked and visibly molested by the ruling DMK members. Jayalalitha left the Assembly with her torn saree -drawing a parallel with the shameful disrobing of Draupadi in the epic Mahabharata and vowed to not enter the house "until as a Chief Minister". True to her words in 1991 she became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu with the backing of Congress.

She became the ‘Iron Lady’ of Indian politics as a result of the setbacks she faced through out her political career. Every stumbling blocks along the way made her stronger and guarded.
Ever since 1969 Tamil Nadu has been ruled by Movie stars or movie script writers.Why? Because as in any big democracy, face recognition counts for a lot at the ballot box in India. But Jayalalitha stood out among them as a courageous woman and someone who had to find a foot hold in politics on her own after the demise of her mentor MGR.

Jayalalitha’s death can be termed as an end of an era for Indian politics. She has touched the hearts of millions with her charisma and leadership skills. For students of political science, Jayalalithaa’s life is a perfect study material to learn how a female leader from a humble background emerged as one of the top leaders of the country fighting all odds.

An ancient Tamil proverb avers that "The best place to store one's wealth is in the stomachs of the poor". Having gathered much good karma in the final decades of her life, Jayalalitha has left us for a better place where we hope that she finally finds the peace.

Kerala’s Co-operative banking system in crisis post demonitization

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 14:10:00 +0000

Kerala finance minister Dr TM Thomas Issac describes co-operative banks as the lifeline of Kerala economy and he is right. But with the recent turn of events, these banks stare at bleak future and will indeed bear the biggest brunt of demonitization.

The quantum of deposits in the cooperative banks has always been baffling because the 2012 credit survey showed a high level of indebtedness by people in rural areas. If the people in rural areas are in such debt, how can the banks, which serve the same areas, have so much in cash? Obviously, the inference is that the deposits are not by poor people, but by those with a lot of cash. Nobody, other than the banks, know the details of these deposits. No source of income is asked, no TDS filed, no PAN required and hence no reporting to the Income Tax Department. The interest that accrues from these accounts are also tax-free. Some, therefore call this the Swiss Banks of Kerala. There is certainly some merit in the argument that it’s a great mechanism for the rural moneybags to evade tax unless they come under the lens of the RBI.

Co-operative banks in Kerala enjoy a rich legacy; they provided credit for farmers since the 1950s and 1960s, years before commercial banks found a foothold in the state. With a customer base of more than 10 million, the four-tier banking system is one of the largest in the country. It has 20 state co-operative banks, 60 urban co-opeartive banks, 784 district co-operative banks and 1,611 primary co-operative banks under its umbrella. The primary banks have more than 2,500 branches. The state, urban and district banks follow the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s guidelines, while the primary banks come under the district banks and follow the directives of the Registrar of cooperative societies. Primary banks account for 80% of the estimated 1.27 lakh crore deposits. Primary cooperative banks deposit money with the RBI-monitored district banks.

The crisis in co-operative banking system began almost a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise announcement that made 1000 and 500 rupee banknotes illegal tender. On November 14, the RBI stopped primary co-operative banks and district co-operative banks from accepting and exchanging the demonetised banknotes.In the interim period that had passed, between November 9 and 14, Rs 280 crore worth of old notes had been collected as deposits from account holders, though banks did not give out new notes. These deposits are believed to have been registered as pre-dated fixed deposits.

It is believed that money-laundering suspicions forced the RBI to impose curbs on these financial transactions. The apex bank has not given any specific reasons for the decision so far, but its order paralysed the primary co-operatives. While the district banks are issuing new currency, primary banks can now neither accept scrapped notes nor issue new ones. They just have to do a balancing act with a meagre amount of Rs 24,000, provided by the district banks every week.

At the core of the current crisis lies the issue of transparency. It is alleged that primary co-operatives do not follow the KYC (Know Your Customer) process, thus making it easy to stash black money in benami accounts, i.e., accounts whose beneficiary is not the account holder on record. Successive state governments have objected to the RBI’s attempt to bring primary co-operatives under its ambit and make the system more transparent.

Both LDF and UDF state goverments have hugely contributed to the current predicament of these banks. They have always resisted move to make the system transparent obviously due to political reasons. And it is amusing to notice that both LDF and UDF hand in hand are now running from pillar to post for relief.

A task force set up for the revival of rural co-operatives in 2004, chaired by A Vaidyanathan, Emeritus Professor at Madras Institute of Development Studies, had suggested that “State governments need to make legislative amendments to enable the RBI to exercise its regulatory powers under the Banking Regulation Act directly, and not through the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (RCS), if the cooperative banks are to be regulated effectively”. It further noted: “The state governments should enter into an appropriate memorandum of understanding (MoU), agreeing to desist from interfering directly or indirectly in the management of the finances of these banks”.
Successive state governments have brushed these recommendations under the carpet and never acted on them.

The issue has taken a political turn with BJP state general secretary, K Surendran, alleging that the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the principal opposition Congress party stashed illegal money in cooperative banks, and this is why they are afraid of RBI intervention.

In a letter to Jaitley, he said that close to Rs 30,000 crore of black money had been deposited in cooperative banks in the state without paying income tax. “The depositors include politicians, real estate mafias, hawala dealers and terrorists. It will be for the benefit of the country if these deposits are verified and necessary action is taken,” he wrote.

With the Centre adopting a tough stand on unaccounted black money, observers believe that the primary co-operative banks have to fall in line and commit themselves to follow RBI guidelines, if they wish to resume banking services.

However even if the regulations are eased these banks may face further issues. Firstly a potential exodus of investors to private and nationalised banks could wreak havoc. With a meagre Rs 40,000 crores currently in hand and an estimated Rs 80,000 crores currently in the market as loans, these banks will not be able to return the Rs 1.27 lakh crores deposits they have accumulated.

As for BJP, it is a political win. Not only did they choke the money flow of Congress led UDF and LDF in Kerala, they have also effectively managed to destroy the co-operative sectors controlled by these two alliances.

Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio to give incumbent telcos a run for their money

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 16:12:00 +0000

Mukesh Ambani has pulled off the biggest coup ever in the telecom sector in India with its launch of Reliance Jio giving brother Anil Ambani (Reliance communications), Airtel, idea and Vodafone a run for their money. With an estimated investment of USD 20 billions (roughly Rs 13400 crores), the ambitious Jio project could make Reliance the most comprehensive provider of telecom and internet services across India.

Key points

1	Free voice calls
2	Zero roaming charges
3	45 plans at Rs.50 per GB
4	Students to get 25% more data
5	Free data services for the first four months after the launch
6	10 tariff plans starting at Rs 19 a day for occasional users
7	Rs 149 a month for light users, Rs 4,999 a month for heavy data users
8	To achieve 100 million customers in record time
9	"Super-affordable” handsets under the LYF brand starting at Rs 2999.
10	To be formally launched on September 5

On a closer introspection offering of free voice call appears to be a marketing gimmick. Voice calls appear to be routed through a technology known as VoLTE which will take a toll on your data charges. In other words exhaustion of your data plan will also limit your ability to make voice calls.

Having said that Jio’s offer of cheaper data plans that cost one/10^th of the rate offered by competitors make a compelling reason to switch to R-Jio plans. More clarity on quality of services, nation wide coverage etc remain to be seen.

Kerala elections 2016 and the state's economic outlook

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 07:48:00 +0000

The fourteenth legislative assembly elections is on its way to elect members of the 140 constituencies in Kerala. In the past elections, with out fail we have seen the political bias of the people of Kerala swinging between the Congress led UDF and the Communist led LDF. So this year if we go by the past trend and supported by the plethora of media result predictions, LDF is likely to rule the state. It is widely predicted that the BJP will create history and may open an account for the first time in Kerala.

This article is not an attempt to go into the merit of electing any particular front, rather it focuses on the current state of affairs of Kerala which lags way behind other states in India and how to make economic progress going forward.

Kerala is known around the world for its beautiful green landscapes, sandy beaches, and sublime backwaters. Kerala is different from any other state of India with comparatively fewer people below poverty line, and a very high human development index. That is not all, though. Kerala has the lowest infant mortality in India, highest life expectancy, and lowest school dropout rate in the country. These are all qualities par with that of a developed country.

Yet, Kerala has a laggard economy which depends heavily on tourism and the money from the Gulf, sent in by 2 million of Malayalis who work abroad. Lack of job opportunities is a huge concern in the state. There is not much of a manufacturing base to this state thanks to the militant labor unions supported by political parties. So job opportunities in Kerala are far lesser compared to other states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura and Delhi—where there is a lot more manufacturing competitiveness.

People from Kerala are forced to migrate because there are no jobs at home. “Manufacturing in Kerala is a sector which is almost dead. This state is too focused on the service industry, such as tourism.

Some analysts say that the problem starts from the fact that Kerala is an overpoliticized and “over-extended state”. They debate that radical unions, encouraged by successive communist governments, have acted as “pressure groups advancing particular vested interests”. Amartya Sen, Nobel laureate economist says Kerala has to “learn from the world”. Its famed model of development, which is still hyped as the most inclusive one, appears to have hit the buffers. Economists say that the Kerala model is grinding to a halt because the social and political groups having fulfilled their original agenda now have no new agendas. Society has lost its capacity to set collective goals.

Having said that the ASSOCHAM (Associated chambers of commerce and Industry of India) economic research bureau has recently made the following recommendations to propel the economic growth of Kerala which the politicians taking the office need pay attention and set their focus on.

Agro-based and Food Processing

The food processing industry has been recognized as a potential area for development of enterprises in the state. Food processing industry can play a significant role in the Kerala economy. It not only would contribute to the food requirements of the state it has an employment orientation too as it is highly labor intensive.

Textile and Garments

The textile industry undoubtedly is also one of the important segments of the State economy. The need of the hour is to further strengthen this industry, enabling it to fully exploit available opportunities in the domestic & export markets, and realize its full potential.

Rubber Industry

Rubber is another key industry providing employment opportunities for the farming community. The State must act as a facilitator towards their better growth prospects. A few possible ways to help them could be the following:

Given the nature of rubber plantations, institutional credit is scarcely available to rubber plantation sector. As rubber plantation requires large capital in the first year of plantation itself, the growers face lot of hardship in generating their own capital. Greater availability of finance will encourage more farmers to take up rubber plantation, who are otherwise not able to do so due to inability to self-finance the activity.

Rubber prices are subject to wild fluctuations owing to both domestic and international factors. The State government must try to provide some sort of stability to this.

Rubber plantation farmers often do not realize fair selling price. The middlemen marketing chains affect the profitability of small holders. Rising labor costs, volatile fertilizer prices are the two other severe challenges faced by rubber farmers. The price instability is driving the small farmers to indebtedness. Promoting farmer producer societies that function as self help group and empowers the farmers economically needs to be encouraged.

Tourism

Tourism sector plays significant role in the social-economic development of Kerala. As we have seen significant growth has been recorded in terms of tourist arrival and foreign exchange earning of the state. State should ensure upon providing adequate infrastructure facility and encourage private sector participation for the tourism sector development.

In conclusion, a stable and reliable government are key to achieving the above goals. If the incumbent government focuses on the development of the state their primary goal, the result will speak for itself and political stability can be assured. Policies that do work need to be cemented rather than overturned by the next government taking the office. The people of Kerala will thank them and keep them voting back to power.

Politicians need to realize that outdated ideologies or rather bankrupt ideologies have no place in the present scenario.

The great Indian beef politics

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 16:37:00 +0000

In a Hindu dominated country, appeasing the Hindu community is the only way to grab maximum vote banks. How do politicians go about it? Bring in the holy cows for Hindus believe that the cow is the embodiment of divine virtues like love, compassion, benevolence, tolerance and non-violence.

To gain political mileage state governments started implementing animal preservation acts as early as the 1950s. On October 26, 2005, the Supreme court of India, in a landmark judgement upheld the constitutional validity of anti-cow slaughter laws enacted by different state governments in India.

Today 24 out of 29 states in India have various regulations prohibiting slaughter of cow. Kerala, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim are the states where there is no restrictions on cow slaughter. Why? Because majority of the people in these states eat beef for economic reasons. Politicians understood that prohibition of cow slaughter in these states will definitely back fire.

Here is a great example of how politics play a big role in deciding the food habits of the Indian people.

There is yet another economic angle to cow slaughter. Beef in India costs less than half the price of lamb or chicken. It is the preferred source of first-class protein for the poor, who constitute a majority of India's population. The absence of beef will raise the food bill for the underprivileged.

Having said that law can not be taken by mobs in their own hands pretending to uphold the ban. If there are breaches, let the law take its own course. In a secular country there is no place for intolerance towards the sentiments of other religion.

Moving away from beef, before leaving India, one most important lesson the British taught the Indians and the Indians learned very well is ‘divide and rule’.

Everything that politician does is based on this concept. Politicians thrive on spreading hatred. They teach us to divide and hate for their political gains. Nowadays media also plays a big role in exaggerating trivial matters. Endless debates on petty issues are norms on national TV these days.

Come to think of it, aren’t we paying a big prize for upholding democracy? Can we ever envisage a time when we can all co-exist united rather than divided? Is democracy a hindrance for secularism given the size of the nation consist of various religion and caste? How can we not let the politicians take us for a ride? These are all pertinent questions we must all ask ourselves.

When will we open our eyes to identify religious outfits camouflaged as political parties? When will we stop accepting political agendas forced upon ourselves?

Ignorance is the sole reason people fail to understand the motives of communal politics. It is high time we understand that democracy, secularism and ideologies don’t go hand in hand.

Sadly in India and similarly in several other countries, religious fundamentalism has spread like cancerous cells and we are at a point of no return. Various conflicts in the world are testimonial to this fact.

In a broader sense the truth is secularism is a myth. Don’t believe if any politicians or government state we are secular. They are a bunch of liars.

If today beef is off the menu, what will be off the menu tomorrow? Let us wait and watch.

Is the death penalty for drug traffickers justified?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 13:49:00 +0000

“The world has watched on as this theatre of cruelty played out, with this most tragic endings.

It did not have to come to this. The death penalty is never the answer”

Words from Amnesty international UK director Kate Allen pretty much sums up the sentiments of many concerning the execution of 8 drug convicts in Indonesia on 29^th April 2015.

Among the 8 who were executed by the firing squad, Andew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran (allegedly the masterminds of a drug ring) were part of the Bali 9, the name given to a group of 9 Australians who were convicted of smuggling 8.3 Kg of heroine valued at around 4.1 million US dollars from Indonesia to Australia. After serving nearly 10 years in Indonesian prison, the lives of these 2 young men ended tragically for a foolish decision they made in an attempt to make quick bucks.

Executions of drug smugglers are becoming more common. While Indonesia carried out only seven executions of drug traffickers between 1999 to 2014, since taking office six months ago, President Joko Widodo has overseen 14 executions as part of a fight against drug addiction at home (Never mind that some of the recently killed prisoners were smuggling drugs out of Indonesia, rather than into it).

Although 32 countries impose death penalty for drug smuggling, only 6 countries –China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore- routinely executes drug offenders and soon Indonesia is going to join the ranks of these countries following its recent executions.

Did these 8 and similarly several others deserve the death penalty? There is a scant research on whether the death penalty deters drug trafficking. Experts who have considered the issue of the death penalty as a punishment for murder, and some cases drug offences, around the world, say there is not enough evidence to conclude that the death penalty deters.

Ironically the trade in narcotics has its upside for law enforcement. For poorly paid police, extracting bribes from tourists caught taking drugs is a big business. The incentives for them to crack down on drugs are therefore skewed. The threat of capital punishment exerts fear on drug offenders and therefore increases the bribes that can be extracted. Drug kingpings are seldom charged, let alone put to death. Rather it is the lowly traffickers and drug users who suffer the most grievous of punishments.

Abolishing the death penalty will go a long way to improving law enforcement and governance in Southeast Asia, thereby diminishing drug trafficking, which is the ultimate aim of governments that enforce the death penalty. If the region is serious about tackling drug trafficking it would be wise to abolish the death penalty.

Je Suis Charlie - Charlie Hebdo attack

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 18:48:00 +0000

Picture this. You are a second or third generation Muslim immigrant born and brought up in a country where freedom of expression has no boundaries. Being insensitive to your religion or its religious figures through media mean an insult to your belief which you will not tolerate. What do you do? How far would you go to fight against blasphemy similar to this? Would you vandalize the office of those media publications? Gun down the people behind the publication? Well it all depends on what moral values you hold and how far your religious faith takes you to.

What happened in Paris on 7^th January 2015 was tragic. Two Islamist gun men opened fire in the head office of Charlie Hebdo (a French magazine known for its biting humor) killing twelve people for publishing a string of satirical cartoons about Islam and the Prophet Muhammed. The events following that incident of hostage taking and subsequent killing of the gun men made headlines across the world.

The cartoons mocking religion published in Charlie Hebdo maybe considered nothing out of the ordinary in a country where freedom of expression far outweighs hurting religious sentiments. While moderates take it as a joke and move on, the extremists do not hold the same view. They take it far more seriously and the consequences can be fatal.

On 11^th January 2015 millions including world leaders from several countries gathered in Paris expressing solidarity towards the French people condemning the terrible killings. The crowd included Muslims and Jews among others. It is reassuring to hear from many of the French Muslims gathered in the rally that they do not support terrorism and that Islam is a religion of peace.

The muslims rallied condemning the attack reassures that extremist minorities do not represent the vast majority of peace loving Muslims. While it is difficult to understand why certain individuals choose violent methods to protest, the question is, has Charlie Hebdo magazine gone too far with their freedom of expression in the form of cartoons making fun of Islam and similarly mocking other religion? French foreign minister Laurent Fabier once asked of its cartoons, “Is it really sensible and intelligent to pour oil on the fire”. Granted, no amount of blasphemy justifies taking someone’s life.

The question is who really is responsible or who is the mastermind behind the vicious attack at Charlie Hebdo? Were the two gun men who was involved in the attack merely pawns of a larger conspiracy? By and large that is most likely the case.

While we wait for the larger picture behind the attack to emerge, it is heartening to know that Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has come forward with an ambitious call for reform in Islam. Al-Sisi’s professed goal is to purge religion of extremist ideas of intolerance and violence that fuel several terrorist groups.

Some view the problem with Islam is that it has remained stuck in a time warp. Islam has remained a 7^th century faith. As one columnist puts it, all religious texts are as good or as bad as their interpretations and unfortunately it’s the most violent and abusive followers who are heard the most.

The millions who lined up in Paris with the message “Je Suis Charlie (I am Charlie)” supporting the freedom of expression by the Charlie Hebdo magazine may have made very little impact on the terrorists who are out there plotting the next vicious attack. A much more deeper analysis of the terrorist outfits, tracking and hunting down the masterminds behind the attack, and cutting down their arm supply chain are some of the actions required by the authorities with the support of all countries. That is the need of the hour.

2014 Year in review

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 17:09:00 +0000

As we say good bye to 2014, it is saddening to note that not a lot has changed from the previous years. Overall gloom across the world prevails, threat of terrorism looms larger and the world remains a chaotic place to live.

The year began with Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa infecting over 19000 people and killing over 7000 people. It was the year ruthless militant groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS came into prominence. In April Boko Haram abducted 276 girls and held hostage from a school in Nigeria whereas a Sunni militant group called the ISIS began an offensive through Northern Iraq aiming to capture the capital city of Baghdad and overthrow the Iraqi regime.

The year ended with the most deadliest terrorist attack ever to have occured in Pakistan. In December seven members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the Pakistani city of Peshawar killing 145 people, including 132 school children. TTP is said to be a merger of 13 groups to form a super terrorist group.

Militant groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS join the already existing militant outfits such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban unleashing terror within their countries and beyond. Pockets of terrorist outfits are mushrooming in various countries like spreading cancer cells. Countries that promoted terrorism are now paying a price as terrorism boomeranged on itself.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said while blasting a certain country’s support for terrorism…

“It’s like that old story—you can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard.”

The former first lady has very aptly put down the consequences of supporting terrorism.

Moving on from terrorism, 2014 also happend to be the year planes started missing mysteriously. The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was one of the biggest shocks to the world in 2014. The flight vanished without leaving a trace on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The mystery of the disappearance of MH370 as of this writing is yet to be identified.

To add to the woes, in July Malaysian airlines met with another disaster. MH17 enroute from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by rebels in Ukraine airspace killing all 298 passengers and crew.

Then came the Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a bizarre activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research. It went viral on social media during July–August 2014. The challenge encourages nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and then nominating others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated participants have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation.

Moving away from man made disasters, in the years ahead natural disasters remain a major concern. Chances of another earthquake triggering Tsunamis similar to the events occurred in Indonesia or Japan may not be too far ahead. According to a study Java, Sumatra the Indonesian islands remain to be one of the most dangerous earthquake prone places on earth and Istanbul, Turkey remains the top spot to hit a major earthquake.

On a lighter note, on the internet front while the world searched for celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and Kim Kardashian, the most searched person in India was Sunny Leone a former porn actress and currently a Bollywood actress pushing Prime minister Narendra Modi to the second place!

So there we go folks.

Let us hope the year 2015 will be a more prosperous and peaceful year.

Wishing one and all a Happy New Year 2015

The unstoppable Bollywood

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 14:58:00 +0000

Bollywood is raking in big bucks these days with every movie starred by top Bollywood stars tripping over each other to become the biggest grossers of all time. No wonder India commands a formidable position in the world movie industry and one of the biggest movie stars in the planet is a Bollywood actor. Unlike Hollywood, Bollywood relies on sheer star power, dance numbers, family melodrama and logic defying themes to woe the movie goers . Bollywood doesn't require an armageddon nor does it have to deal with end of the world scenarios as its plot for a winner.

As critics write off a Bollywood movie with negative reviews, the audience welcome them with open arms helping the movie hit the prestigious ‘100 crores club’ in a couple of days from its release and the movie then moves on to break box office history. At this rate, an Rs 1000 crore ($160 million) gross collection for a movie is not too far off.

In 2014, top 5 Bollywood movies collectively grossed quarter of a billion dollars (Rs 1600 crores) across the world. Despite doing such humongous business, sadly none of these movies will be remembered by the future generation and neither can these movies be counted among the classics. The adage of movies being a lasting work of art is long gone in Bollywood. A new generation of movie makers have capitalized the industry with new formula with the only intention to make maximum revenue.

Yet one can’t complain about it.

Indian movies are made to cater to masses of different classes. A rickshaw wallah, or an odd job worker wants to get simply entertained after a long day of hardship. A typical bollywood movie very well provides that much needed feel good experience. These classes clap and whistle for their favorite stars throughout the movie and leaves the movie hall thoroughly entertained.

However, one can only hope that all is not lost. The silver lining is presence of a few movie makers with the intention to make good movies. These movie makers can produce meaningful cinemas and at the same time ring in the box office with good revenue.

Going forward, the dance numbers and the melodrama will remain integral part of Bollywood movies and regional movies for that matter. After all, it is what sets us apart as Indians and that is the message we want to spread across to the rest of the world.

Kerala heading for complete prohibition of alcohol - Is the total ban on booze a short-sighted view?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 11:54:00 +0000

Kerala government has recently announced prohibition of alcohol in the state in a phased manner.

It appears that the pseudo-Gandhians in the ruling government have not taken into account the consequences of this ban. Apparently it goes without saying that this unprecedented policy in Kerala is brought in to appease certain communities in the state and to keep the coalition government from falling apart. The motive for this drastic decision appears to be political rather than ideological.

Granted, alcohol abuse is a menace in the society. As Kerala reels under alcoholism, domestic violence is on the rise and families are being torn apart. Bread winner’s hard earned money instead of being spent on worth while purposes is being immersed in liquor.

Is a total ban the solution? Perhaps not.

Tipplers are of 3 types. Those who enjoy an occasional drink to keep their spirits high after a long day of toil, those who drink on social occasions and the third category being the alcohol addicts. The ban is obviously targeted at this third category.

Total prohibition has not been really successful in states such as Gujarat. Alcohol is smuggled into Gujarat from its neighboring states - Rajasthan to the north, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and Maharashtra to the south, and also from the small union territories of Daman, located in south Gujarat near Surat, and Diu, an island that lies off the Kathiawad peninsula.

Total prohibition mean ushering in a new underground industry – bootlegging – and a new source of income for the players in the establishment – enforcers, their political superintendents from it. Losses to the exchequer would mean gains to the private pockets.

Andhra Pradesh tried Prohibition between 1958 and 1969 and again from 1994 to 1997, but abandoned because of leakages and flows from across its borders.

Haryana’s flirtation with a dry policy lasted only two years from 1996 and was abandoned on grounds of loss of jobs in the liquor industry. Tamil Nadu’s affair with dry laws in place since 1952 lasted two decades. The later revenue gains by these states indicate the infatuation with liquor as a resource.

Kerala has always enjoyed the dubious distinction of being the highest per capita consumer of alcohol in the country. The state monopoly over liquor sale became the prime reason for the popularity of bars. Besides losing crores of rupees to the exchequer by the sale of liquor, the decision to ban liquor will have adverse effect on tourism although the primary reason to visit Kerala is not to drink.

Prohibition as a policy is high-minded idiocy. It promotes organised crime, illicit, unsafe hooch and corruption of the police. Having learnt this lesson, prohibition was withdrawn in the US in early 20th century.

With such short sighted view of our political leaders, let us welcome the era of spurious liquor to Kerala and let the Gujaratis (where total liquor ban is in place) show us the way to bootleg.

At this juncture it will be more suitable to call the UDF , “United Retarded front” instead of United Democratic Front.

The enlightened people of Kerala should rise up against the government's hypocrisy and demand a rational liquor policy that both encourages moderation and respects individual liberties. To drink or not should be a personal choice, provided it entails no public disorder.

Disclaimer: The author does not advocate consumption of alcohol but merely expressing the democratic right of individuals in a democratic country.

Malaysian Airlines MH17 crash - Gone too soon

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 17:27:00 +0000

It was a twelve hour flight from Amsterdam to Kuala lumpur. But it was cut short way too soon. Almost three hours into the flight, the ill fated flight MH17 disintegrated in mid air. Debris from the plane along with scores of bodies strewn all over the crash site. 298 precious lives were taken away. These innocent victims bore the brunt of a political conflict in Ukraine.

As for Malaysian airlines, it was another shot in the arm.

MH17 has followed the highly controversial disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 back in March. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was said to have disappeared from the sky in the early hours of Saturday, March 8th, 2014, subsequently over at 35,000 feet heading in a flight bound for Beijing.

The tragic end to MH17, has had a fiery backdrop provided by other regions of the world as well, as Israel has engaged in a ground assault of Gaza, while Iraq has been wrought with manufactured terror for months, both of which are undoubtedly political factors contributing to the polarization of the MH17 incident.

As they say, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. This saying goes true for pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, who is believed to have shot down MH17, Hamas in Palestine whom Israel is fighting against and ISIS in Iraq. It is sad indeed to notice that innocent men, women and children are being killed as a result of several such political conflicts.

Are the general public safe anywhere in the world? Far from it. An otherwise enjoyable bus ride, a train journey or a peaceful walk in the park could turn into a tragic end if terrorists plant a bomb in the vicinity. Why do they want to take the lives of innocent people? Is it a political revenge against a country of target? Or is it a tiny representation of an impending mayhem they can inflict into a civilized society?

As hatred brews, countries divide, innocent civilians are unnecessarily drawn into these conflicts, often used as human shields or their lives being taken away.

The 9/11 attack in the US killing several thousands of people still haunts us. Similarly several conflicts across the world continues to cause turmoil through out the world, be it in Syria, Egypt, Iraq or Afghanistan.

No part of the world is safe as terrorism spreads across the world in a manner one could never have imagined. Global population is directly or indirectly impacted. One could be hit by a truck loaded with bombs, be hit by an airplane loaded with fuel, be blown apart mid air on board an airplane or simply be shot at point blank range.

A weapon in the hands of a wrong person is a sure recipe for disaster. So does the manipulative actions of some individuals who wants to push an agenda and turn them against the world.They have done it in the past and will continue to do so in the future. One can watch it only helplessly, that is only if you are lucky enough to be alive.

The outgoing prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's farewell letter to the world leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 11 May 2014 07:39:00 +0000

As he prepares to demit office, prime minister Manmohan Singh wrote farewell letters to leaders of various countries including US president Barrack Obama, former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, and Russian Prime minister Vladimir Putin.

Here is a hilarious look at what he might have written to them.

Dear fellow leaders,

It is with mixed feelings I am writing this letter to you as May 16^th 2014 marks my last day in the prime minister’s office of the largest democracy in the world, India.

I had never aspired to be a prime minister. My strength always lies in economics. In 1991 Narasimha Raoji inducted me in the cabinet as finance minister to rescue India from a severe economic crisis. I was quite contented with my role then. In 2004 Soniaji unexpectedly relinquished the prime ministership, I became an accidental prime minister. Sanjay Baru even wrote a book by this title. Then everything went south. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Little did I realize that I was a cover for the dramas about to unfold.

I have always been regarded as a man of clean background. Moreover I have been lauded “as a man of few words” . I took these as compliments. Then came the greatest shock in 2012, when Time magazine’s Asian edition cover remarked me as an “underachiever”. I have been accused as a person “unwilling to stick his neck out”. Those remarks hurt to me to the core. My public image has been tarnished with my government having been accused of various corruption scandals for which I was a silent witness. I have been termed as a puppet of a powerful political family.

Friends, my silences and unwillingness to project myself became more manifest in my second tenure and I would like you to know that I kept a low profile only because I didn’t want to rise above Soniaji.

Looking back, I regret that I didn’t stand firm enough to fight corruption, didn’t stand opposed to micromanagement of Gandhi family for leadership was never my forte. I am extremely worried about the future course of my party which especially lacks leadership and a front runner for the prime ministership.

Finally, I can say this with confidence that there will never be a prime minister in India with such an elaborate list of paper qualifications that I possess.

I wish you all good luck.

Singh is King.

Is the upcoming Indian parliament election a game changer or a mockery of the democratic process?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 14:39:00 +0000

The stage is set for the biggest democratic electoral process in the world where approximately 814.5 million Indians out of a population of over a billion people will exercise their democratic right in the coming months. According to the center for media studies the political parties are expected to spend 30,500 crores ($ 5 billion) in this election. In addition this election will also cost the exchequer 3500 crores ($573 million). As you can see the cost of democracy is enormous.

While the political bigwigs Congress and BJP are in the lead, neither of them appear to achieve the majority to form the goverment. Which means that a coalition government will take oath once again with the support of regional parties. In return the plum offers these regional parties are likely to receive is another matter for debate.

It happens only in India. Little seems to have changed with major political parties continuing to partronize candidates with criminal records. Both Congress and BJP continue to give tickets to candidates with serious criminal records including murder.

A surprise entry in the upcoming parliament election is the AAP (Aam Atmi Party) projected as the common man’s party. Holding a broom which symbolizes a promise to clean up corruption deeply rooted in Indian politics, AAP appears to make their presence felt in the Indian politics under the leadership of Mr. Arvind Kejriwal. A number of eminent people who have been fed up with the existing political parties now have a choice and a good reason to enter politics and make an impact.

While Narendra Modi of BJP is potentially the next Prime minister if BJP takes center stage with the support of National democratic alliance, it is debatable as to whether Modi can replicate across India the success he made in his home state Gujarat given the fact that a prime minister has limitation especially under a coalition government. In a coalition goverment it is hard to always please the allies as they remain a permanent pain in the neck. Being a hardliner, whether Modi will be able to please the allies through out his 5 years term is another matter of concern.

The curse of India is the countless regional parties who are opportunistic and tend to change their position in a split second if their demands are not met. The writings are on the wall. The deep divide between regions inherent in our political system is clearly evident thanks to the various political parties. Whoever takes on the power to steer India has a huge challenge ahead.

What does it all mean to a billion population? There are many questions to be answered. Will the new government be able to provide sustainable and inclusive (benefiting everyone across India without discrimination) growth? Will they be able to put control on inflation? Etc etc..

The biggest democratic electoral system has its own flaws. People have very limited choice in terms of who they want to handover the power to. No matter which party comes to power, a corruption free India is a distant dream or will remain a mirage.

Well, don’t lose heart. If you are not happy with any of the projected candidates, the election commission has bestowed you with an unprecedented option to vote NOTA (None of the above). Meaning that no candidate deserves my vote and in all likely hood many who are fed up with the existing political system will choose to go for that option. Post election, the upcoming parties like the AAP may very well capitalize the statistics of the NOTAs so that they can position themselves better to exploit the gaps going forward. Is the option NOTA going to change anything for the winning candidate? Probably very little. The candidate who gets the highest vote still wins despite the significant drop in the candidate’s vote banks.

The fate of India and its biggest population are sealed even before the election. With no credible political parties in the race, you and I can do very little about it by the voting process. Isn't that frustrating? Well as depressing as it may sound, that doesn’t give much hope for the progress of India. Does it? God bless the Indians.

Why is it that road to spirituality leads nowhere?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 14:45:00 +0000

“Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind …”

~ Morpheus, in ‘The Matrix’

Seeking spirituality is a fruitless effort these days. With a spate of reports of fake spiritual leaders emerging regularly, spirituality seekers are very confused and are left with little options.

There is a old saying that ‘take control of your life or someone else will’. Following blindly any form of movements, be it spiritual or political or any other groups for that matter is a sure recipe for disaster. For ages people have blindly followed spiritual gurus seeking content and liberation. Scores of people have relinquished everything they had and joined spiritual movements many of those later turned out to be fakes. Yet people have not learned any lessons and end up like flies being attracted by bright lights and being torched by the heat emitting from the lights. I have never been able to figure out the complexities of people’s minds which lead them to choose those paths.

By and large, no holy person sets out to become a fake guru. All those self professed spiritual leaders possess some form of skills such as mastery in religious books from their very young ages which will enable them to spread the knowledge they have gained. Coupled with their uncanny ability to convince people with their tender love and care converting the ordinary men/women to become their disciples is not an easy task. The question is how many of the gurus can handle their newly found fame and wealth and use them for humanitarian causes. Do they practice what they preach? In spite of the claim of celibacy and abstinent living, there are wide spread reports of sexual abuse, orgies, prostitution, drug abuse and money laundering. To many disciples, these very people are the closest they can ever get to god’s presence. How ironic can it be?

Digging a bit deeper into wikipedia, Hinduism identifies four ways of spiritual practice. First is the way of knowledge, second is the way of devotion, third is the way of works and fourth is the way of contemplation and meditation.

Learning the way of knowledge is often assisted by a guru. Way of devotion is a path of faith and devotion to deities; the spiritual path includes chanting, singing and music. The way of work is the path of one’s work, where diligent practical work becomes in itself a spiritual practice, and work in daily life is perfected as a form of spiritual liberation and not for its material rewards. Lastly, way of contemplation and meditation is the path of cultivating necessary virtues, self-discipline, meditation, contemplation and self-reflection sometimes with isolation and renunciation of the world, to a pinnacle state called samadhi. This state of samādhi has been compared to peak experience.

Indeed the guidance of a spiritual leader is paramount to learning the ways to these spiritual practices.

Every religion preaches that spirituality is the constant search for the sacred. It is a pity that the spiritual leaders who are supposed to teach their disciples attain peak mental health instead manipulate and deceive.

We have to keep in mind that all truth passes through three different stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed and third it is accepted as being self evident.

Did I say tolerance is another virtue of human beings?

Arvind Kejriwal - Indian of the year 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 13:37:00 +0000

Times of India has just announced Arvind Kejriwal Indian of the year 2013. NDTV had done so back in 2011 along with his mentor Anna Hazare. According to Times of India, in a country of 1.2 billion people choosing person of the year can be as tough as getting Manmohan Singh to smile. With his a year old Aam Aatmi Party (Common Man's party) who would have thought that he will dethrone Delhi's longest serving Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Well, India do not have to worry about countries like Australia making fun of her unusual surname anymore.

Kejriwal's victory is an endorsement of the people to root out corruption at all levels. True democracy is about making right choices and elect the right person to take power. The common man wants change and the wind of change will sweep into other states as well if not immediately but over a period time. The wind of change is evident from the fact that a number of ex-BJP and ex-Congress politicians joining the aam aatmi party. Truly sticking to what he preaches Kejriwal has refused red beacons and Z-Security which is considered as a status symbol by many politicians.

Kejriwal is a risk taker. Risk taking seems part of his DNA. The story goes that when his father advised him to apply to all engineering colleges, he took the gamble of applying only to the prestigious IIT and he did get in. Similarly when he contested election he decided to face off with none other than Sheila Dikshit herself in the polls and the rest is history.

Aam Aatmi party has no legacy and no baggage of caste, religion and region. Hence fresh ideas and changes can be brought in with the same spirit as their fight against anti corruption. Some critics point out that while Kejriwal is good at motivating party workers, he isn't adept at working with other social groups and being part of a larger team. That he has firm belief in his own methods and style and sticks to them. That it is either his way or highway kind of approach. Only time will tell whether these traits are blockages to his' and his parties rise.

It is a long road for AAP to spread its wings towards other states and it is unlikely that AAP will make much impact in the next parliament election due in 2014. But the political flame AAP has lit in Delhi will have far reaching consequences in Indian politics and the future of India. Kejriwal believes "change begins with small things". He has inspired many with his unrelenting approach of humbleness, firmness and his clean politics. Let us welcome the new revolution of change and hope that other political parties align their ways of working if not exactly the way AAP works, but very similar to its ways. If Kejriwal has been able to accomplish that much, then we can truly say that he has made an impact across all political parties. In the mean time for AAP, it is still a work in progress. Kejriwal and his party have a long way to go.

The voice of women - Ignore it at your own peril

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 13:01:00 +0000

As we approach one year this Dec 16 into the ghastly gangrape of a young paramedic in Delhi, the public outrage that had erupted in its wake didn’t fade away just as quickly as it had built up. The perpetrators did not get away, the case did not drag on for years. Exactly a year after the barbaric rape, the discourse on women’s rights has not only persisted, it has acquired new vigor, more nuance and a stronger, more assertive tone. Suzette Jordan, a single mother of two who was gangraped in Calcutta, refused to be referred to as the ‘Park Street rape victim’ and demanded she be identified by her real name, even though the law prohibits anyone from naming a rape victim; of the law intern who plucked up the courage to blog about retired Supreme Court judge A.K. Ganguly as the man who harassed her in a Delhi hotel; of the young journalist from Tehelka who spoke up against her powerful editor Tarun Tejpal and subsequently quit; of the women who exposed godman Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai, landing both in jail on rape charges.

Statistics are shocking. Every 22 minutes a woman is raped in India. Abuses occur both within and out of the circle of trust. With the rates of crime against women escalating at an alarming level, a group of activists has come to the forefront and championing the cause of womens’ rights. Some of these groups are very inventive in their tactics. Mind the Gap, stages anti eve-teasing flash mobs on the Delhi Metro wearing T-shirts reading ‘Main cheez nahin hun mast mast’ or ‘I am not an Item’.

Blank Noise Project, a campaigning community art group that put a lie to the tired argument about eve-teasing victims ‘asking for it’ by wearing western outfits when they staged an exhibition of garments Indian women were wearing when they were sexually molested—most, of course, turned out to be in saris and salwar kameezes.” More than ever, we are just about coming to terms with both an increase in violent crimes and an understanding of the inequalities women face every day but have learnt to brush under the carpet over the decades.

While various groups are doing all sort of campaigns, here is a very interesting video satire by Kalki Koechlin.

It is heartening to know that more are now coming out to speak about the harrassments as did the young Tehelka journalist.

Here is what the young Tehelka journalist had to say about the recent sexual advance by her former employer.

I am heartened by the broad support I have received over the past fortnight. However, I am deeply concerned and very disturbed by insinuations that my complaint is part of a pre-election political conspiracy.

I categorically refute such insinuations and put forward the following arguments:

The struggle for women to assert control over their lives and their bodies is most certainly a political one, but feminist politics and its concerns are wider than the narrow universe of our political parties. Thus, I call upon our political parties to resist the temptation to turn a very important discussion about gender, power and violence into a conversation about themselves.

Suggestions that I am acting on someone else’s behest are only the latest depressing indications that sections of our public discourse are unwilling to acknowledge that women are capable to making decisions about themselves for themselves.

In this past week, television commentators who should know better, have questioned my motivations and my actions during and after Mr. Tejpal molested me. Some have questioned the time it took for me to file my complaint, more inquisitive commentators have questioned the use of the word “sexual molestation” versus words like “rape.”

Perhaps the hardest part of this unrelentingly painful experience has been my struggle with taxonomy. I don’t know if I am ready to see myself as a “rape victim”, or for my colleagues, friends, supporters and critics to see me thus. It is not the victim that categorizes crimes: it is the law. And in this case, the law is clear: what Mr. Tejpal did to me falls within the legal definition of rape.

Now that we have a new law that broadens the definition of rape, we should stand by what we fought for. We have spoken, time and again, about how rape is not about lust or sex, but about power, privilege and entitlement. Thus this new law should be applicable to everybody – the wealthy, the powerful, and the well connected – and not just to faceless strangers.

As seen by some of the responses to this case, instances of familial and custodial rape present doughty challenges to even the most adamantine feminists.

Unlike Mr. Tejpal, I am not a person of immense means. I have been raised singlehandedly by my mother’s single income. My father’s health has been very fragile for many years now.

Unlike Mr. Tejpal, who is fighting to protect his wealth, his influence and his privilege, I am fighting to preserve nothing except for my integrity and my right to assert that my body is my own and not the plaything of my employer. By filing my complaint, I have lost not just a job that I loved, but much-needed financial security and the independence of my salary. I have also opened myself to personal and slanderous attack. This will not be an easy battle.

In my life, and my writings, I have always urged women to speak out and break the collusive silence that surrounds sexual crime. This crisis has only confirmed the myriad difficulties faced by survivors. First, our utterances are questioned, then our motivations, and finally our strength is turned against us: a politician will issue a statement claiming that speaking out against sexual violence will hurt our professional prospects; an application filed in the Delhi High Court will question why the victim remained “normal”.

Had I chosen silence in this instance, I would not have been able to face either myself or the feminist movement that is forged and renewed afresh by generations of strong women.

Finally, an array of men of privilege have expressed sorrow that Tehelka, the institution, has suffered in this crisis. I remind them that this crisis was caused by the abusive violence of the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, and not by an employee who chose to speak out.

Thank you everyone for your support.

The words of the journalist just about sums up the entire point. Let us hope that more and more victims will come foreward and more will be done on the prevention for crime against women.

Kerala's economy - A shift from money order economy is needed

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 11:06:00 +0000

Will you pay a luxury tax for owning more cars in Kerala? If a recent idea mooted by the state transport minister is anything to go by, this may well be a reality soon for the rich and a first in India.

Kerala's revenue model predominantly depends on taxing the poor evident from the fact that the government earned the largest revenue of Rs 5391 crores (USD 873 million) by selling liquor in the last fiscal year. Then comes the revenue from the sale of petrol and diesel which stood at Rs 4527 crores (USD 736 million) followed by real estate transactions at Rs 3621 crores (USD 589 million) generated from stamps and registration fees. The fourth largest revenue grosser was lotteries accounting for Rs 2750 crores (USD 447 million).

Consumers of alcohol, a bulk of them from the poor strata immensely contributes to the liquor sales closely followed by contribution from fish vendors and daily wage earners who are major buyers of petrol for their two-wheelers. Then comes the wannabe rich but perennially poor who keep hopefully setting aside a certain amount every other day to buy lottery tickets. As you can see the 1st, 2nd and 4th highest revenue generation for government is from the poor.

Imposing a luxury tax may be a step forward in an effort to progressively tax the rich. But will that be enough? The government needs to do much more for Kerala to move away from holding the notorious tag of being a so called money order economy. Non-resident Keralites pumped in nearly Rs 75000 crore (USD 13 billion) this year thanks to the falling rupee. The flow of NRK money is predicted to be nearly 40% of Kerala's GDP this fiscal year if the trend continues. Some cite that Kerala needs to start cracking on ways to differentiate the super-rich and the rich from the poor as far as land ownership goes. Can the revenue stream generated from land transaction be brought ahead of the other 3 (i.e liquor, oil and lottery) mentioned earlier effectively taxing the rich more than the poor? It could well be a herculean task for the government. At the end of the day we do need a socialist welfare economy. Don't we?

Microsoft acquires Nokia's phone business

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 06:05:00 +0000

Almost a year back I wrote about Nokia’s chances of a possible revival. However, the just announced acquisition of Nokia’s mobile business by Microsoft came as a total shocker. It was a parting shot by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to the tech world. After a somewhat turbulent 13-year run, Ballmer is to retire from Microsoft . Ballmer’s attempts in the past to get his hands on mobile device business has been disastrous. With the acquisition of Nokia’s mobile business, I hope Ballmer has not put the final nail in Nokia’s phone handset coffin.

Back in 2007, an eccentric Ballmer had pooh-poohed Apple’s entry into mobile phone business. His take was that apple phone was priced heavily and it did not have a key board for handling emails. The success of the iPhone had proved Ballmer wrong. Yes, Apple iPhone was priced heavily but Apple proved that every cent spent on an iPhone was worth it and consumers did not care about the price if the product was filled with innovative technology and ease of use. And with a plethora of apps to download from Apple app store , the Apple gadget demonstrated boundless capabilities. Ballmer in his 13 years tenure as CEO failed to capitalize on several new consumer technologies and lost out to Google and Apple.

With the acquisition of Nokia phone business, Stephen Elop, the Nokia chief executive who was hired from Microsoft in 2010 will transfer back to his former employer. Elop entered Nokia like a trojan and as a first step steered Nokia’s adoption of windows mobile software in its Lumia range. A bold step by Elop but with just about 4% market share in phone software, windows mobile software just did not make the cut. To Microsoft and Ballmer it was a desperate attempt to establish a foot print in the mobile business. We all know Microsoft could not make a mark in the gadget segment beyond its successful Xbox game consoles. However it did make sense to Nokia especially when it was struggling under huge financial losses.

Finland’s greatest success story is over and finns are trying to make sense of what’s left with some even vowing to switch to a rival phone such as Samsung. You can’t blame them. At its peak in 2000, Nokia generated 4% of Finland’s gross domestic product and Nokia was a national pride.

Could this deal be similar to the failed takeover of Palm by HP? Could Microsoft pull off a surprise with new innovations on Nokia phones? Only time will tell. Let us wait and watch.

Solar Scam: Could it eclipse a sunshine industry in Kerala?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:41:00 +0000

While Kerala is still reeling under a scam termed as ‘Solar scam’, the guts of a lad who approached me recently to consider installing solar panels to bring down my energy bills totally took me by surprise. I asked him why at this juncture one would market a product when hearing the very term ‘solar energy’ raises many eyebrows? He said calmly that he is aware of the present issues and explained the business model to me convincing me that no upfront investment is required. Payment is only required after installation of the solar energy infrastructure and after I am totally satisfied with the result. Sounded like a fair deal and his explanation put me at ease as my apprehension lowered considerably.

As one politician in Kerala puts it ‘Solar energy has become a dirty term now’. A fraudulent solar energy company which used 2 women to create extensive political contacts and conned many has been hogging the headlines in the media. The turn of the events had all the ingredients of a soap opera such as women, sex and politics to keep everyone hooked. The question now is, could the solar scam eclipse a sunshine industry? Despite all the hue and cry, the total sum Team Solar could raise by offering to install power units was less than Rs 10 crore going by the complaints from cheated customers and prospective business partners. But the damage the scam has done to the solar energy sector, a fast growing industry in Kerala, is incalculable.

An electrical engineer who recently set up a solar energy solutions start-up with his peers had trouble finding office space in Kochi as building owners suspect some sex scandal.

Solar energy had emerged a sunshine industry in the past five years because of a high level of public awareness about green energy and thanks to government support. Kerala’s draft solar energy policy aims to generate 500 MW by 2017. Last year’s monsoon failure and this summer’s long power cuts gave a boost to solar energy.

I strongly feel that one should not allow a few con (wo)men to ruin the prospects of such a high growth industry. It will be a shame if multinationals wanting to invest in this sector and young engineers wanting to launch start-up shy away from this high potential business segment.

Oh My God

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:08:00 +0000

Well folks, it has been a while since I updated my blog. A number of things have kept me busy over the past few months and hence I have had no time to get my act together and update my blog.

What prompted me to find sometime to write this entry is after watching recently the movie ‘Oh My God’ a bollywood comedy film. I usually have very little expectation on Akshay Kumar starrer movies but I was pleasantly surprised to find this movie taking an unconventional route from usual hindi movies.

The plot of the movie revolves around the character Kanji Lalji Mehta played by Paresh Rawal a middle class Hindu-athiest who owns a shop that sells Hindu idols and antiques. One day, a low frequency earth quake destroys his shop and the movie goes further about how he fights against all odds to get compensated for his loss. When his insurance company declines his claims citing reason that damages caused by natural calamities classified under ‘act of god’ is not claimable, Kanji files a law suit against god, implying a fight against godmen who accumulates wealth from the common man. What a novel concept.

At a time when a set of fraud godmen commercialize religion reducing God into an industry, the relevance of the subject is admirable. Questioning the dangers of blind faith, the film unearths several hypocrisies deeply rooted in our society and it is thought provoking. It highlights rituals like, in the name of feeding god, how devotees pour several thousands of litres of milk that go wasted in some temples when 100’s of less privileged people wait outside for a single meal.

This movie showcases the various myths, outdated traditions and customs of most of the religions, which have lost their significance during current times. However, people in almost all religions and faiths are still not able to get away with them and blindly follow so many things in their life without questioning the significance of the same. Due to such blind following, most of these are proving to be detrimental to the human life giving a scope of proliferation to all those false prophets and priests who are capitalizing on the lack of knowledge of truth of the devotees.

When spirituality overtakes humanity it just serves no purpose at all. Spiritual paths and practises that distance us from what it means to be human are not good for humans.

The message here is, believe in God but not blindly. while following regular faiths of visiting temples, or other religious places come out and help those who are in needs.

Gangnam style - The most watched viral video on the planet

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 07:26:00 +0000

A hugely popular video and currently a rage among youngsters and elders alike is gearing towards the most watched viral video on the planet. It has been predicted that in all likely hood, the South Korean singer PSY's viral video Gangnam Style will hit 1 Billion views on youtube by the end of 2012, a feet that has never been achieved by any artists. Channelmeter a popular site that tracks viewing statistics of youtube videos, predicts that Gangnam Style's viewership will surpass that of Justin Bieber's hit video 'Baby'.

One may be wondering as to what is the secret of success of this particular song and its accompanying video? Firstly let us analyze the video in a little more details.

Here is the synopsis of the video. PSY is lounging at what looks like a sandy beach, but the camera zooms out to reveal he is actually at a playground. The video alternates between the playground, where a boy dances next to him, and a row of horses in stalls, where PSY performs his signature "invisible horse dance". PSY is shown horse-dancing on the roof of the ASEM Tower before the camera zooms out to reveal the Trade Tower in the background. As PSY (and two girls) walk through a parking garage, they are pelted by pieces of newspaper, trash, and snow. At a sauna, he rests his head on a man's shoulder, while another man covered in tattoos is stretching. He sings in front of two men playing chess, dances with a woman at a tennis court, and bounces around on a tour bus of seniors. The scenes alternate quickly until there is an explosion at the chess players. PSY walks towards the camera, exclaiming "Oppan Gangnam style". He and some dancers perform at a horse stable. He dances as two women walk backwards. He dances at the tennis court, a carousel, and the tour bus. He shuffles into an outdoor yoga session. He dances on a boat. The camera zooms on a woman's buttock, then shows PSY "yelling" at it.

At a parking lot, PSY is approached by a man with a red Mercedes-Benz SLK and a yellow suit; they have a dance duel. He then appears in an elevator underneath a man who is straddling him and thrusting his pelvis. The man in the yellow suit gets in his car and leaves. In a subway cabin, he notices an attractive young woman dancing. At one of the train stops, he approaches the girl in slow motion, and she does the same. Both scenes alternate quickly till they start to embrace. He then tells the girl "Oppan Gangnam style", and they horse dance along with some others at the train stop. He also surfaces from a spa and horse dance across a pedestrian crossing.

PSY sings to the girl at a night club as people in all sorts of costumes walk behind them. He raps "seriously" in an enclosed space, but when the camera zooms out, he is actually sitting on a toilet with his pants down. PSY and a large group of dancers do the horse dance and strike a final pose. After some additional footage of the dance duel, PSY says, "Oppan Gangnam style", and the video finishes with a cartoon graphic.

The video has enough ingredients to keep you hooked. You can't help but sit and enjoy the video over and over again. It is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Call it goofy, wacky or even vulgar. Endorsements from prominent figures like the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon, British Prime minister David Cameron and Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt are no mean feet and tremendously helped further popularize the song.

"Gangnam Style" is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district of Seoul, where people are trendy, hip and exude a certain supposed "class". The term was listed in Time's weekly vocabulary list as a manner associated with lavish lifestyles in Seoul's Gangnam district. PSY likened the Gangnam District to Beverly Hills, California, and said in an interview that he intended a twisted sense of humor by claiming himself to be "Gangnam Style" when everything about the song, dance, looks, and the music video is far from being high class.

People who are actually from Gangnam never proclaim that they are—it's only the posers and wannabes that put on these airs and say that they are "Gangnam Style"—so this song is actually poking fun at those kinds of people who are trying so hard to be something that they're not.

—PSY

The song talks about "the perfect girlfriend who knows when to be refined and when to get wild."

As for the genre of the song itself, it has been said that the song is a fusion of LMFAO's synth based party music and Ricky Martin's Latin dance music with some South Korean charm thrown in. The outcome is a lethal combination of absolute music madness.

Whe cares if the dance moves are goofy, the music video is far from being standard and song's genre is a combination of several artists' work you have heard in the past. None of them matter as long as it gives sheer fun for nearly 5 minutes. Isn't that all of us need?

So put your worries aside and make some dance moves in Gangnam style!

Kingfisher airlines - What went wrong with the king of good times?

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:00 +0000

King fisher brand has always been synonymous with good times or so what we thought. As the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced the suspension of flying license of Kingfisher Airlines on 20 October 2012, seven years after it commenced operation, the already financially crippled airline came to an abrupt halt.

The good times can not last for ever. Can it? Once voted the best carrier in India, the business model of Kingfisher Airlines was always a recipe for disaster. At least that is what the media reports. Its flamboyant owner Vijay Mallya has been the target of media bashing ever since troubles surfaced in Kingfisher airlines.

KFA was an airline for people with a taste for luxury. Fliers were treated to expensive wine, quality food and best entertainment facilities even on domestic flights. The airline staff were the best paid in the country until they stopped receiving their salaries from early 2012.

If everything about the airlines is so good, what could have gone wrong? Mr. Mallya wanted every one to have a good time. There is nothing wrong with that. Well, it would have been ok if the money splurged was from his own pocket. He borrowed money from the banks. The airline has never made profits to sustain in the business. No body is going to give Mr. Mallya a blank check to splurge forever. The airline’s in-flight service standards were set too high to maintain for a long time which made it out of bounds of the country’s biggest consumer section , the middle class.

When the going gets tough, the tough goes partying. Mallya, an industrialist and a liquor baron known for his flashy lifestyle and lavish parties, is away jet setting in his private jet. KFA is saddled with a loss of Rs.8,000 crore and a debt burden of another Rs.7,524 crore, a large part of which it has not paid since January. It was declared a non-performing asset (NPA) by bankers earlier this year. Kingfisher's lenders include banks such as SBI (State Bank of India), Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, IDBI to name a few.

Every individual is plagued by hard times, but how one goes about it is a matter of one’s position in the society. We begin with the aam admi who are identified as the ones who do their grocery shopping with ration cards instead of visa cards. These modest, hardworking people pray that they should be blessed to earn enough money to afford two square meals. Then you might belong to the class who constantly wail about their back-breaking work schedules, spend most of the days in a cubicle. These hard-working but not always modest people pray solemnly before an idol with several incense sticks: each stick denoting a 1000 rupee increment in their salaries. Next in line are the Page 3 elites whose idea of a prayer is to brainwash the Gods to take their side by offering golden doors to guard them at night in exchange of financial blessings. No wonder the incense sticks always take a back seat in front of god.

That is exactly what Vijay Mallya did recently to wave off his financial problems. His latest offering to god is a 2 kg gold-plated door for a temple of Lord Subrahmanya at a cost of a whopping Rs 80 lakhs.

After a bit of deliberation, one does feel regretful for Vijay Mallya. He had such a fine thing going. He was raking in billions from the liquor industry. And then he was an unfortunate victim of the ‘aviation virus’, infected by the bug that once bit Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic. And then he met the perpetually unlucky Capt. G.R Gopinath. Anything Capt. G.R. Gopinath touches turns to dust. He palmed off his worthless Deccan Airways to Vijay Mallya.

Things took a new turn when Vijay Mallya squandered away some more money to buy IPL Cricket team called Royal Challengers. Whatever liquidity was remaining was sucked up by the IPL cricket team. Whatever money Vijay Mallya made out of the liquor business snatched away by Kingfisher and Royal Challengers.

But what is more worrying is that Vijay Mallya has become an “inspiration” for other businessmen as well and let to their ruin as well. The latest casualty is T. Venkattaram Reddy, who was such a successfull and sober businessman, who created the Deccan Chronicle empire. However, after he was bitten by the “Vijay Mallya bug”, and splurged millions on the “Deccan Chargers”, a motley team of cricketers. Money which ought to have been spent on expansion plan for Deccan Chronicle was spent on having late night parties with celebrities. To make matters worse, T. Venkattram Reddy even splurged money on an aviation company called Aviotech, a chartered flight service.

Well, the predictable happend. To tide over his liqudity problems, T. Venkattram Reddy allegedly committed fraud and forged share transfer documents, meant for pledging with the lenders. Lenders of Deccan such as Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank and Yes Bank stare at the spectre of losing a substantial part of their lending (as high as Rs 4000 Crores).

So what is next for Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher airlines? Would raising a few thousand crores rupees salvage the flawed business model? A foreign partner taking a stake in the airline may not help matter much either unless the business model is overhauled. Kingfisher needs an able leader to fly the airlines and unfortunately that able leader is not Vijay Mallya.

The rise and fall of Nokia

noreply@blogger.com (Rajesh's Reflection) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Unless you have been living in a cave, chances are you would have used one of the above phones manufactured by Nokia.

Not so long ago, the 13-note ringtone of a Nokia handset was the de facto soundtrack of the mobile revolution. The world's largest cell phone maker for more than a decade, the company was a leading innovator in both design and technology that helped bring wireless life to the world.

Before it became a dominant player in mobile, Nokia was a shapeless conglomerate that had manufactured everything from paper pulp to rubber boots to cables. In the 1980s, its CEO decided to try and latch onto the boom in consumer electronics, including handsets, which led it to team up with a pair of Finnish telecoms on an undertaking that would change its fortunes, as well as the future of the cellular industry.

That project was the first digital telecommunications network, known as the GSM. At the time, Europe was dominated by a balkanized mess of analog mobile networks that varied country to country. This setup presented a logistical nightmare for companies in the business of making phones, which would have to build different models to meet the specifications of each individual market. As far back as 1982, engineers had been trying unsuccessfully to unify the continent under a single system. Nokia and its partners managed to get the network up and running in Finland by 1991. That year, the country's prime minister used a Nokia phone to place the first ever call on a commercial GSM Network.

GSM took off -- not only all over Europe but also in Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere.

All of this might just sound like neat history for tech nerds. But the change to digital had profound impact on phone technology. Perhaps most importantly: It enabled text messaging. Because Nokia had invested so much money and research into digital networks, it was ready to dominate markets where it was adopted. By 1998, Nokia was the leading handset maker in the world, with more than 22 percent of the global marketplace. It would peak at around 40 percent in 2008.

Nokia won by offering customers phones that were more advanced and better dressed than their competition's. Unfortunately for them, they weren't ready to do the same when it came time for the next transformation of the mobile industry -- when Apple convinced customers they should all carry small computers in their pockets instead of boring handsets.

It's tempting to try and characterize Nokia's failure as a classic instance of the "innovators dilemma" -- the theory that path-breaking companies often focus so hard on protecting the market which made them successful that they miss the next big thing that will disrupt the market. And to some degree, Nokia was guilty of sitting on its laurels. For instance, it missed out on the flip phone trend that helped revive Motorola's fortune early in the aughts. But it wasn't late to the smart phone game. As early as 1998, the company was talking about "putting the internet in every pocket." And in 2007, the year Steve Jobs unleashed the iPhone on the world, Nokia fans lined up outside stores to buy the company's new N95 smart phone.

The execution simply wasn't there. The design wasn't as appealing to shoppers. The operating system, Symbian, was clunky. Apple got the formula right, creating a phone that not only doubled as a fashion accessory, but also became the defining consumer item of its age. Samsung followed suit with its hot-selling Droid-powered models. Nokia, in turn, focused more and more on selling commoditized phones in developing countries, which increased their market share, but did little to improve their long-term outlook as more of the world embraced iPhone-style devices.

Nokia's Lumia 900, which runs on Microsoft's Window's 7 mobile operating system, seems to have recaptured that combination of elegant function and design that once defined their best products. But sales have been slow, and it may not be enough to save the company from its immediate problems.

Can Nokia ever bounce back again? Some analysts believe yes. Windows mobile operating system is projected to expand in market share more than any other. The Android system from Google is expected to decline the most. Samsung is reported to be looking at the Blackberry 10 from Research-in-Motion. Even with the manifold weakness of RIM, Samsung needs to look beyond the Android particularly after its recent loss in the Apple v Samsung court case.

The table below lays out the findings from the research of the International Data Corporation

Worldwide Smartphone OS Market Data

Smartphone OS	2012 Market Share	2016 Market Share	2012 - 2016 CAGR
Android	61.0%	52.9%	9.5%
Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile	5.2%	19.2%	46.2%
iOS	20.5%	19.0%	10.9%
BlackBerry OS	6.0%	5.9%	12.1%
Others	7.2%	3.0%	-5.4%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	12.7%

Secondly, Nokia still sells the second most mobile phones in the world. Nokia feature phones sales are still very desirable in countries such as India and Indonesia.

Lastly, it is easier for companies at the lower levels of a sector to move up with new products than it is for the elite to begin to offer stripped-down versions at cheaper prices to the masses. The car industry demonstrates this: Toyota started off selling economical cars before introducing the Lexus. The same with Volkswagen. But efforts by BMW, Mercedes etc to sell cheaper models to a broader class of consumers have all flopped. It should be easier for Nokia to sell more advanced smartphones than it will be for Apple to market a low cost version of the iPhone, if it would even choose to go that route.

Will you ever buy a Nokia phone again? Who knows? Many mobile makers disappeared from the market as fast as they appeared. But Nokia stood the test of time. Nokia synonymous with popularity still stand a chance to stay afloat much longer.