INDIA with ME....

Exposing “Godmen”: A typical Indian thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:51:00 +0000

The idea for this post came to me when I came across an article in a very prominent political magazine. The article was based on the hype around the sad demise of Shri Satya Sai Bab recently. The author included Sai Baba amongst the likes of Chandraswamy and Nityananda who are an example of wily con spiritual fraudsters. I am no follower of Shri Satya Sai baba but I am saddened by such reactions of some of the prominent Media houses after this unfortunate incident. It’s not about Sai Baba in particular but it’s meaningless to simply stamp all the spiritual leaders and sadhus as dhongis just because of some Nityanands and Chandraswamys in history.

You may want to read the post on Outlook (Click Here). The author argues that all the Spiritual Babas have only one aim and that is to squeeze money from people’s pocket. He overlooks the nexus between the powerful and the likes of Sai Babas and Ramdevs. The Author questions the money that comes in hands of the spiritual leaders. My simple reply to the Author on all this is that he is overpowered, to an uncontrollable extent, by the typical how-could-he-do-it-and-not-me attitude. He has been blinded to an extent that he’s not able to see through that how beneficial these Spiritual leaders are proving to the Indian Society. Talking in Particular about Shri Satya Sai Baba, he has built an empire which runs Hospitals, Medical Colleges and Ashrams where the poor are fed and taken care of.

Now, if some foolish author, driven by his illogical paranoid attitude of pointing out faults in almost everything, comes and proves that so-and-so minister’s black money is being poured into Baba’s empire then I would weigh Baba’s contributions to the society more than looking into where the money is coming from. In fact, if it is so, then he is using the black money (robbed from the public) in causes beneficial for the public only. Well, that’s the case of Satya Sai Baba in particular and I am not saying that this Black money chain (as claimed to exist) is right. But, the importance of Spiritual leaders should not be ignored.

I think we are so much involved, attracted and influenced by the western culture that we are ready even to let go our spiritual leaders and their learning in the name of being practical and so-called “modern”. I am not saying we should be a restrictive society but to be an open to an extent of criticizing everything without taking into account its benefits just to look ‘Cool’ and care-free is not justified either.

A strange fact that I came across my mind is that we middle and higher-class Indians are so much busy in our lives that we don’t get time to even look into issues of society. How many of us would have ever gone to help in social activities as teaching unprivileged kids or helping people at an old-age home. Lack of time is our excuse. Surely, some of us must have done this. But, aren’t we lost somewhere in race for money?? If someone like Satya Sai Baba, Baba Ramdev and Sudhanshu Ji Maharaj drives us to do all the good things by their preachings and they themselves initiate the helping deeds why to waste time criticizing them??

At last, whatever the world may say, I would believe Baba Ramdev more than a scientist in US when he says that he can cure Cancer. This isn’t a superstition, but a belief in him and the people around me whom he has cured by bringing in light hundreds of aasans of our very own Yoga.

Thanks!!

Lokpal Bill: A Long Leap but still longer way to go

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:41:00 +0000

From the whole episode of the Lokpal Bill that has unfolded in last few weeks has left me with only one thought: “It’s just a step of getting rid of the Spoilt branches of a tree. The real infection still lies in the Roots”. The people who would likely be punished and prosecuted by the upcoming Lokpal bill (if at last it came into effect) are not aliens; they all are from amongst us. Punishing them may bring a satisfactory feeling for a person who’s suffering at the hands of Corruption.

But, if we have to end the Corruption, as a whole, we have to change our attitude, education system, the ideals and the environment which we are giving to our younger generation. If the cure isn’t done at the roots we wouldn’t be able to stop the infection from paralyzing the branches.

I have no intention of diluting the importance of the steps taken by Mr. Anna Hazare. His initiative is commendable and he has really given a way to most of the Indians to express their concern about the degrading Indian society at the hands of Corruption. It is sad to see that we all have the same attitude and feelings towards on issue but we wait for an Old man to abdicate his meals and keep his life on edge to make us come together. Mr. Hazare’s initiative has brought the Government at its feats and will hopefully bring a revolutionary change in the constitution to curb the acts of Corruption at higher levels.

What I want to bring into notice is that we need a same revolution in changing our mindset and attitude towards what we are teaching the younger generations. I am of the view that people like Raja and Kalmadi are not culprits. They are just scapegoats. Any Indian in their place would have done the same what they have done, ‘Chance pe Dance’ if I would explain in simple Hindi. It’s not they who grabbed all the money it’s their attitude and their nurture that made them do so. Most of us have the same attitude towards making money. We are running an endless race of collecting ‘moolah’.

From the beginning we are taught to study and work-hard to get a good job to make money. One may argue as to what’s wrong in that, after all, to be financially secure is the first and foremost priority in life. But for most of the Indians the word ‘Financial Security’ amounts to endless money. What I think is the real problem to be solved is this attitude towards life. Our greed is ruining us.

I hope we shouldn’t be waiting for some other Gandhian to surrender his meals to make us realize that it is us who has to change to avoid another Raja and Kalmadi in future. Moreover, this is for our own values in life and better living standards. Teach tolerance and accountability to the coming generations and they ma thank you for what you did for them.

Thanks!!

Happy Diwali to all

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 05:43:00 +0000

I wish you all a very Happy and safe Diwali. May this festival add more prosperity to your lives and may all your wishes come true.

Thanks!!

Sachin Tendulkar: We need more like Him but not in Cricket

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:21:00 +0000

This post has nothing to do with the recent double century of the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar against Sri Lanka or his invaluable contribution in leveling the series. I don’t think these innings matter anyhow on the Legend’s image. This was only an exemplary show of his caliber and the reason why he is “The God of Cricket”.

What I am writing here is about the legendry attitude that the Little Master carries. His rapport in the Cricketing world is that of a sober simple ethical player who is calm and is full of spirit of the game. His confidence in his abilities makes him answer his rivals and critics on the field.

He is not a legend because of some denouncing acts; instead he is a legend because of his ability to stay calm when the rivals criticize his acts and reply them on the field when they also are at their best. Such an attitude is needed not only on the cricket field but in many spheres of life. Hats off to the Little Master!!

Now what I am concentrating here are the two events that took place a couple of weeks ago. Here comes the first. Honorable minister Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyer made his wish public that he would be glad if the CWG proves to be a disaster.

He wished that all this money would have been spent for development of athletics in the Country. I think his reason is quite good but may be the failure of games is not the only solution of what he actually wishes. I’ll surely take up this issue some other time but for now I wish the person opposite to Mr. Aiyer would not have been Mr. Kalmadi but a sensible person who is as calm as Sachin always is. It would have been better if Mr. Kalmadi would have taken up the criticism as a challenge and not as a personal abuse.

Instead of replying Mr. Aiyer by saying he is “anti-nationalist”, if he would have kept quiet and concentrate on his work then the actual Games in October would have been a reply to Mr. Aiyer’s criticism. But, he screwed up his image. We need Sachin’s temperament in dealing issues that are not only cricket but unfortunately we have only one Sachin Tendulkar and that too in Cricket.

Second incident what I want to bring up throws light upon the best quality of the personality that the little master carries. Being a legend is no license to criticize people. Not a single match, out of the 500 matches that Sachin has played we have seen him criticizing any of his rivals. He knows that experience and legendary achievements can be washed away with a single irresponsible statement.

Unfortunately, this is what has happened with Mr. Bedi. He criticized another legendary spinner M. Muralitharan by calling him a “Chucker” because of his unusual bowling action which, on the contrary, has been given a clean-chit by the ICC itself. I don’t know what made him say this and moreover at the time when Muralitharan was about to retire with an exemplary record number of wickets to his credit. Can’t we let people do their job? Is it Mr. Bedi who has to decide what kind of bowling action Muralitharan has?

Then what was the need for him to denounce the legendary bowler? It’s just a habit of poking into other’s job, which most of us have, that has depreciated the status of Mr. Bedi by this incident. Had he been a sportsperson as mature as Sachin he would have congratulated Muralitharan on his last day on the field. It’s sad that he in turn questioned the ability of the legend to have his own image depreciated.

India is blessed to have a personality like Sachin on its soil. But we need more like him to spread the fragrance of his calmness and result-oriented personality in other fields as well.

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy: Rediff.com

Independence Day Wishes to All..

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:23:00 +0000

Happy Independence Day to all my Countrymen

May this be the start of a new Era of Indian Culture and Progress. May this be the start of an Era of peace and Unity. May this be the start of the best times for our Country.

I shall hereby leave you with an excerpt from the Address of the president made on the Eve of Independence Day.

"In every village and in every colony of every town, city or metropolis, people can come forward to form groups to work for the disadvantaged. Some amongst us may ask, what difference can these small efforts make? For them, I recall a story of a man walking down a beach, moments after a storm. He noticed a person ahead of him picking up starfish washed ashore and throwing them back into the sea.

He asked the person how his efforts could make any difference, as the beach was long and there were lakhs of starfish washed ashore who would die. The person looked at the starfish in his hand and threw it into the water saying, "it makes a difference to this one". The message is clear - every effort, big or small, does make a difference."

Thanks

Prateek

P.S.:- To read the full address of President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil please visit the below link -

http://presidentofindia.nic.in/sp140810-2.html

26th July 2010: A tribute to Kargil Martyrs

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:34:00 +0000

“The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins”

On 26th July 2010 we celebrated 11th Anniversary of the Victory over Pakistan in Kargil War. the war was a striking blow on the face of the tyrant enemy who dodged our every effort of peace and co-operation in the region. We pay tribute to our brave-hearts on this day and wish that the lives and sacrifices of our martyrs inspire more and more people to fight for the truth.

I hereby present a small tribute to the Soldiers of the Indian Army who fought and Won war for our better future. May god give strength to the families of our countrymen who laid down their lives on the hills of Kargil.

Thanks!!

Indo-Pak Talks or No Talks: Solution is at home…

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:19:00 +0000

The early days when we had Bollywood movies on The Indian Independence struggle and on the likes of legendary Bhagat Singh and M.K. Gandhi, the lesson they taught or the reason, they portrayed, as to why we were ruled by British for so long, was the diversity that India had. We had many states and as many Kings ruling different parts of the country. The only reason I can make out for the successful invasion of India by the British is the lack of a unified defense against the enemy forces. This was an inevitable result of the environment of mistrust and non-cooperation between the small-small princely states prevailing in those ages. Most of the small states were only self-sustainable and were unable to help anyone outside their territories. Altogether, people across the country had no trust in single command and we as India were not united which opened the door for outsiders to rule us by the successful implementation of “Divide-and-Rule” policy.

Today, I see the same happening again, and this time the enemy is our neighbor who seeks to utilize every opportunity of mistrust amongst our people for weakening our defenses. I am pointing to the violence and chaos that is prevailing in Kashmir from so many days. They are our own people and yes, just like sometimes children get angry by their parent’s behavior, our people in Kashmir are angered by Government’s attitude and this anger is being utilized by Pakistan to ignite chaos in the valley. I will not deny the fact that Kashmiris have often been meted out with a different behavior by the security forces. I will also not deny the fact that they don’t have many opportunities to better the conditions of their lives. But, I think the solution lies within the country, amongst our own people and not on the other side of the border.

Why should we talk to Pakistan when our first move to any problem should be to get all the Indians on board together to strengthen our defenses?? Why should we struggle for the confidence-building measures with the evil neighbor when the same trust-building measures with our own people in Kashmir would bring us a victory over the wrong doings of Pakistan?? Why should we waste our money and minds on such talks, as the last one which had no result, when the same effort can win hearts in the valley?? Do we think Pakistan holds the key to this problem?? I guess, if we think so then that’s the most insane thought one could ever think of.

In 1972, Ireland faced similar incident when the British Army shot down 26 innocent youths protesting for the cause of Northern Ireland. A fierce protest was made by the people of Ireland and finally the Prime Minister apologized for the gruesome act. I wish something similar could have been done for consoling our people in Kashmir. I can’t make PM to apologize for the act but from my side I can apologize for the loss incurred by my countrymen in Jammu & Kashmir. I want them to know that we care for them and that they can give us a chance to prove ourselves together as a Nation.

I want my Kashimiri people to know that there are no less opportunities waiting for them. There are many government projects going on in Jammu & Kashmir which bring them endless opportunities of a Happy Life. The only thing we need to understand is that all these Confidence-building measures have to done between our own people and the government so that we do not give an opportunity of Divide-And-Rule to yet another vile entity. And, in-turn we solve the problems, about which we are talking to our neighbors, at home.

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy: NDTV.com

Times Magazine article on Indian – Americans: Face the Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:17:00 +0000

“We assumed all Indians were geniuses”. This is an extract from Joel Stein’s article in Times Magazine which comments on the presence of Indians in Edison, a flourishing American Town. Then why is the article so criticized?? The reason is that the writer says “in the 1980s, the Indian doctors and engineers brought over their merchant cousins, and we were no longer so sure about the genius thing”. I am of the view that Joel Stein’s observation is not fully wrong and that we Indians have made people like him think about us in such a manner.

I am of the strong view that if one goes to some other country; he or she should not make the hosts feel uncomfortable. It’s similar to what we feel when we drop in someone’s home as guests. The behavior of a few people from a community is enough to set up a good or bad image of that community in the world. Unfortunately, the writer has met typical Indians who never improved their ways and standards of living even when in the most developed nation. We are still loud, careless and irresponsible as far as the civic sense is concerned.

“In the 1990s, the not-as-brilliant merchants brought their even-less-bright cousins, and we started to understand why India is so damn poor”. We can easily make out what impression the chain of relatives, of the well settled Indian- Americans, had on the natives. We try to make a little country of ours wherever we go. Most of us are too stubborn to adopt the new ways and culture and mingle up with the hosts and so we try to make “little India(s)” wherever we go. Communicating with Indians abroad and grouping them all in a host country is not at all wrong unless it makes the host feel outnumbered by us. Everyone has a sense of security and if that is threatened then the results would be devastating as we have seen in Australia.

There’s no doubt India has talent and brilliance. But if we are so stubborn in adopting cultures and are so easily offended with the statements like “group of people whose gods have multiple arms and an elephant nose”, then we better be at home and use our talent in India itself. I hope rather than transforming places in world as “Little India”, people, who really want to settle down abroad, adopt the new culture of natives and present a good image, of millions of Indians back home, in front of the world.

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy: time.com

Kargil War Gallantry: Captain Vikram Batra “Yeh Dil Mange More”

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:11:00 +0000

“Ya to Tiranga lehrakar aunga ya to Tirange main lipta chala aunga, par aunga jaroor” (Either I will be back after hoisting the flag or I will be back wrapped in it, but I will come back for sure). It takes this level of exemplary courage and unmatched confidence at a Warfield to battle out with enemy single-handedly. And what do you think, in the midst of such emotions, could be the answer to challenging enemy officer who says “Why have you come here Shershah?? You will not go back”?? This is what an Indian Army officer had to say to this moron- “We will see who remains at the top of the hill within an hour”. Param Veer Captain Vikram Batra, codenamed ‘Shershah’, was the one to give this confident reply. Captain Batra accomplished what he said and within an hour Batra and his men ran over craven-hearted Pakis to capture Point 5140 in the early morning of 20^th June 1999. What follows here is a tribute to a gem we lost in Kargil War.

Born on September 9th, 1974 in Palmpur, Himachal Pradesh to Mr. G.L. Batra and Mrs. Jai Kamal Batra, Vikram proved to be a very intelligent and jolly personality in school. During his graduation days he decided to Join Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. He was very fascinated by the life of a soldier. He is believed to be of the view “A soldier lives by chance, loves by choice and kills by profession”. After his graduation he was inducted in Jessore Company of Manekshaw battalion of IMA. As a brilliant Gentleman Cadet (GC) in IMA he was commissioned in 13 Jammu Kashmir Rifles (JAK Rif). IMA days earned him a nickname ‘Shershah’ for all his courage and enthusiasm that he had.

The first task given to his company was of capturing Point 5140, strategically important for the Kargil Sector. Captain Batra decided to lead his team from the rear of the peak to take the enemy by surprise. As the team neared the hilltop they faced a stiff machine gun fire from the enemy. Undeterred by the enemy fire Batra and his men reached the top and blew up the mortar position by grenades. He himself killed three enemy soldiers in a close combat. He was injured during the battle but continued fighting until the last enemy soldier was finished. Motivated by the courage of their officer the troops fell upon the enemy and captured point 5140 at 3:30 a.m. on June 20, 1999.

“Yeh Dil Mange More” was the new war cry invented by Captain Batra in this War. After his interview with NDTV from his bunker in the Kargil sector this slogan became the symbol of unstinting valor and courage of the Indian Army. In the interview just after capturing point 5140 Captain Batra is seen relaxed and calm but still hungry for more success and victory over the enemy. Such are the men of the Indian Army for whom fear is the word unknown. In reply to a Pakistani’s taunt that we will leave Kashmir if Indians give them Madhuri Dixit, Captain Batra shot the taunter and said “From Madhuri, With Love!!”. His was a perfect reply to the morons and he made them pay for their deeds.

The victory on Point 5140 was precious and paved way for other valuable victories as on Three Pimples, Point 5100 and Point 4700. After his successful attack on Pt. 5140 Batra led his men to victory at point 4750 and Point 4875. While rescuing a fellow officer during the attack on Point 4875 he was critically injured and later succumbed to his injuries. He was awarded Param Veer Chakra (posthumously) for his exemplary valor and bravery in the face of enemy.

We still remember the legend in our hearts and may god give such a strength to every child of this nation.

P.S.: Captain Batra's character was portrayed by Abhishek Bachchan in the movie L.O.C. Visit the below link to see Captain Batra’s interview from the Warfield.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs_KTxPugVc

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy: bharat-rakshak.com

The World of Entrepreneurs: Mr. Sabeer Bhatia (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:43:00 +0000

Continuing with the Entrepreneur legendry of Mr. Sabeer Bhatia today let me unleash the story of the hard negotiation Sabeer made with Microsoft biggie Mr. Bill Gates and that too in the Indian style, as he describes.

In the end of year 1997 Microsoft top officials started approaching Sabeer for a buyout. Sabeer at that time had a price of about a billion dollars in his mind but this was not a serious market value he had decided. It was just a jokingly decided price of his company. He was actually unclear of the price at which he should accept the deal. They offered some tens of millions and he refused. Microsoft kept approaching him for weeks after weeks in vain.

Side by side Sabeer started to evaluate his company’s market value. He approached a venture firm with the buyout deal and was offered a $200 Million. When he refused this also he was told by the head of the Venture firm that if he gets somewhere amount equal to this in the market then he would have Sabeer’s statue in the front lobby of his office. Well, at that time, probably, the Venture capitalist didn’t know he would have to fulfill his promise one day.

Finally the day arrived for the meeting with the stalwart. Sabeer and two others were flown to Redmond where they were scheduled to meet Mr. Gates. Returning from his trip to Russia Gates didn’t waste any time and came arrived for the meeting at lunch. Face-to-face with the smartest businessman Sabeer was a bit nervous. They started asking questions to Sabeer “tell us about your company”. Soon after, Mr. gates, in his Socratic style of finding weaknesses in the negotiator, started grilling Sabeer and his team.

Sabeer recalls that it was this moment when he realized that they were asking the same questions which he was generally being asked by his investors. He realized, in the midst of his nervousness, that Bill Gates was not a superhuman. “He is also a simple human being with flesh and blood”, he says. After this realization Sabeer explained his company’s key features very confidently.

But where is the Indian style in this whole story. Here it comes. As a child grown up in Bangalore, Sabeer had encountered many times the scene of people negotiating with the street vendors. They often said “I can pay you only this much” or “I don’t have more than this, I can’t give you more”. He knew how to tackle such vendors. Microsoft was aggressive and desperate. They started flowing cash on table, $200 Million then $300, $350 Million. But Sabeer didn’t succumb to the offers so easily. There were times when Microsoft negotiators stormed out of the conversation frustrated.

Finally on the New Year’s Eve, 1997, the deal was struck for $400 Million which left all biggies in the Silicon Valley astonished. Sabeer Bhatia was the new name amongst the rich of this Valley. The whole saga of building up of a company and negotiations brought out the real confidence and intelligence that this Indian entrepreneur had. He used every little experience of his life to sharpen his Entrepreneurial skills. There’s a lot to learn from this legend.

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy: msn.com

Kargil War Gallantry: Param Veer Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:12:00 +0000

To commemorate the legends of the Kargil War today I would be writing about a gallant officer of the Indian Army, Param Veer Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey from 1/11 Gorkha Rifles. Born in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, Manoj was a very intelligent and energetic personality. He completed his schooling from Uttar Pradesh Sainik School, Lucknow and soon after joined National Defense Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. He had a keen interest in sports, especially Boxing. He excelled in sports at the NDA too. After graduating from NDA in the 90^th course from M squadron he was sent on the forward post. After serving in Siachen, when his company was to return back to home, the first intrusions of the Pak Army were detected on the Kargil Heights.

Considering the Gorkhas to be the best fighters for the terrain they were deployed in the Kargil Sector. Captain Manoj, as described by his Commanding Officer, Col. Lalit Rai, was a very confident and caring officer. He was a highly optimistic personality who once said “Some goals are so worthy, that it’s even glorious to fail”. But, the word “fail” was not in this young’s officer’s vocabulary. Captain Manoj is credited for leading his men to some of the early victories of the Kargil War. He ruthlessly ran over the enemy at Jubar top. Jubar was the most important strategic point for the Indian Army.

This young officer’s appetite of victory was not yet over. When a deadlock occurred for the troops at Khalubar Hills, Captain Manoj volunteered to lead the troops to the hill top. On the night of 2/3 July 1999 a team led by Manoj took to the most difficult path to the hilltop. After reaching half the way the Pakis fired from the top. The fire was heavy and Manoj quickly decided to distribute the team in two. One was sent to attack from right and the other he took with him to attack from left. Fighting ferociously Captain Manoj went from bunker to bunker killing the enemy in a hand to hand combat, shouting the Gorkha War-Cry “Jai Maa Kali, Aya Gorkhali”.

Shot in right shoulder Captain Manoj killed to enemy soldiers and cleared the first bunker. Seeing their officer’s valor the team was encouraged to cut the enemy into pieces. They fell upon the Pakis like never before. Colonel Lalit Rai recalls the situation “It was amazing to see 5 feet Gorkhas jumping courageously and chopping heads of 6 feet Pathans”. He remembers the sight of falling heads of Pak soldiers down the hill as he was climbing up along with his men.

Such was the encouragement that Captain Manoj had filled in his men. Unfortunately, while clearing the second bunker Captain Manoj got fatal shots in leg. However, undeterred by the pain he advanced towards the other bunkers and cleared two more. He succumbed to the injuries soon after assuring that the Khalubar has been fully cleared off the enemy. The last words of the Gallant officer were “Na Chodnu” (Don’t leave them).

What a huge loss it was for the Army as well for the country which was deprived of one of its brightest son. Captain Manoj was awarded Param Veer Chakra posthumously on the 52^nd Independence Day. National Defense Academy, thereafter, named its Science block after the legendry officer as Captain Manoj Block. His gallant and valor would prevail in the hills of Kargil forever. His confidence and the appetite for success is a constant source of inspiration for youth all over the world.

It’s true that for every evil (Raavan) on this earth a Brave-heart (Ram) is born somewhere on the same planet. For us, men like Captain Manoj play the role of God in disguise. May his soul rest in peace.

P.S.:- Character of Captain Manoj was portrayed by Ajay Devgan in the movie L.O.C.

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy : mod.nic.in, bharat-rakshak.com

26th July 1999: The War India will never forget

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:01:00 +0000

Vijay Diwas, the celebration of victory in Kargil War 1999, the war that India will never forget, is a month away. Kargil War not only is a symbol of India’s superior Armed Forces but also was an eye-opener for us of the betrayal by our neighbor. Our soldiers fought bravely and regained the portions of our land stepped on by the enemy. Kargil War was an emergence of a new confident younger generation in India. As the news channel reporters risked their lives reporting from the front, they made every Indian feel the pain of soldiers fighting for the country. Kargil War truly brought the spirit of unity.

I still remember the news those days. Everyone was trying to help the forces in any way he or she could. People were sending valuables, eatables for the soldiers. Even young school kids contributed from their pocket money for the Kargil funds. It’s not the amount of money they donated but the spirit of helping and contributing without hesitation that reflected at that time. I myself was very much fascinated by the likes of Capt. Vikram Batra, Capt. Manoj Pandey (from my city) who were the real heroes of the War. It was one thing to read about bravehearts as Bhagat Singh in history books and a totally different experience to see them in real. Captain Batra’s interview and his famous “yeh dil maange more” war cry was an unparalleled story of confidence and undying spirit of an Officer of the Indian Army. They are the real leaders. They are the one who have made India proud.

From now I will be starting a new series of posts to unleash the valor of Indian Armed forces. As Bhagat Singh once said “My sacrifice for the nation will give birth to hundreds like me in future”, I wish the stories of the Indian Warriors would inculcate a confidence and a spirit of unity that is a scarce these days in my country.

May God give strength to the families of Kargil Martyrs to bear the pain of their losses. It’s a loss for the nation as a whole and we should not forget the contribution of these bright minds that have shown an incomparable valor in conditions much worse than what I and you can ever imagine.

Thanks!!

World Of Entrepreneurs: Sabeer Bhatia...The Hotmail

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:40:00 +0000

Few are such courageous and creative people who build up an enterprise and rise up the ladder of success. Very few amongst them are such who do not succumb to the pressures of a buyout by the stalwarts in their fields. Others are those who make a smart deal to turn their hard work of few years into a negotiating tool before the big players.

Mr. Sabeer Bhatia belongs to the latter group of Entrepreneurs. His two year old enterprise, Hotmail.com, was bought by IT giant, Microsoft, for a whooping $400 million in 1997 and thus, his hard work and negotiating capabilities earned him a lot of respect in the Silicon Valley. Companies across the valley were shocked about the deal and were curious to know about the man who made Microsoft empty its wallet on a two year old company. Let’s figure out how he made this task possible.

A product of Stanford University and BITS, Pilani, Mr. Sabeer Bhatia is a confident and innovative personality. At Stanford he got inspired by the likes of Steve Jobs and other entrepreneurs and after completing his MS he joined Apple Inc. After few years of work experience in Apple, he along with a colleague at Apple joined a startup company named Firepower Systems Inc. This was the place where he was truly exposed to the entrepreneurial environment. He learned a lot about Internet applications and new techniques coming up on the Internet.

While working in Apple he and his colleague, who were very much interested in entering into the entrepreneurial world, were not able to communicate to each other about their ideas on the official mail. This left them frustrated and from here came an idea of free e-mail accounts over the internet. Thus, in 1996, Sabeer broke into a niche business concept on the Internet, a web-based database named Javasoft. Then came the concept of Hotmail.com. Initially the HoTMaiL (capital letters representing HTML, language on which the web pages were designed) was funded by venture capitalists. Hotmail.com was an explosive concept and had a historic start. American magazines termed the growth of Hotmail as the fastest – 1,25,000 users signing up every day – faster than the growth of renowned companies like CNN or AmericaOnline.

Sabeer was very accurate in his evaluation of the company’s prospects.

He estimated a venture of $3Million as 15% stake of the company and walked out when a venture capitalist estimated the same as 30%. His confidence made the venture capitalist repent and accept the deal as offered by Sabeer. Sabeer admits that his greatest achievement was not to build a company but to convince people related to the company. He convinced the first 15 employees of the company to take the stock options instead of salaries. “I convinced them that this is their company”, he recalls.

The company flourished faster than expected and attracted the big fish, Microsoft. In the next post I will look into how Sabeer’s witiness made him negotiate with a smartest businessman till date, Mr. Bill Gates. Sabeer’s confidence and ability to estimate conditions in future has brought him glory and wealt which many say was a sheer luck. But, was it luck or was it a will to do something great?? I’ll go with the second one.

Thanks.

Photo Courtesy: Rediff.com, msn.com, miportal.edu

Bhojpal to Bhopal: The Ordeal

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:02:00 +0000

I still remember the days of my sojourn in the beautiful city of Bhopal. The centric city on the Indian map is one of the oldest cities of the country and has a glorious history accredited to it. It was founded by Parmar King Bhoj who ruled from 1000 to 1055 A.D. The city was firstly named as “Bhojpal” after the name of its founder king. Since then the city has been under several Kingships and has seen a great enhancement in its beauty. With time the city was renamed as “Bhopal”. The city was a leaping towards development until this “City of Lakes” was turned into “City of Death” on the night of December 2-3, 1984. The ordeal 25 years ago, unfortunately, has overcome all the bright history of the city on the World map. But as every event has its own significance, this bad experience of the city has taught us one thing….Be a paranoid. The question – is it good for us??

Union Carbide (UC), the company responsible for the gas leak incident, was one of the first companies entering in India with a hope to utilize (or rather exploit) the cheap labor. They went for a full-fledged cost cutting spree with low salaries, no promotions and even cutting the jobs of supervisors and maintenance engineers to take keep a check on the functioning of the equipments of the plant. Just a few days before the incident employees of the UC Bhopal plant were fined 70% of their salaries for refusing to compromise the standard safety norms, as demanded by the UC management. Altogether, the tragedy was waiting to happen due to ignorance of the safety norms by the company as well as by the government. But, nothing to blame this US company for this. When it has been now almost declassified that our own government had a hand in letting the culprits escape easily then there’s no point in blaming the US for it. UC is nothing more than a perfect example of the double standard policies being maintained by the US from ages.

What the UC thinks about this incident is clear from the statement of one of the company’s spokesperson, “A $500 is plenty good for an Indian”, made in 2002. There’s no point in bringing the then CEO Mr. Anderson to justice 25 years after the tragedy. This is only a media buzz to highlight the issue in a wrong manner. The real issue is to identify the people within who let this happen and they are the ones who should be brought to justice. I also believe that the sentence given by the court is fair. The way the facts were presented before the court 25 years ago made it look like a normal incident instead of a homicide and finally the decision came accordingly. When we can respect the decision of the court to divert funds from UC to Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Center (BMHRC) in 1998 to treat the victims then we should respect this sentence too. If the law minister today says that the then CJ screwed up all the case then why dint the government challenge his decision then and there itself??

The point is that even after 25 years we are not able to make our own people speak about what actually happened and who is responsible for this mess up. Mr. Arjun Singh is in hiding and we can’t bring him to justice because it would probably take another 25 years to do so and by that time there will be no Arjun Singh to answer. Another point is the relief that has been given to the victims. The government of Indian demanded a compensation of $3.3 billion from UC but settled for $470 Million. Still, the whole sum has not reached the victims and the relief is far from sight.

Moreover, the names of people who were so-called “Good” in politics have also come in this whole episode. I am pointing to the first family member, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. Now whom to trust?? Does this not make us feel suspicious about everything around us?? I fear that this incident would go down in the history as a beginning of paranoia amongst the Indian Civil Society which would be followed and taught from generation to generations. I may be wrong but when people are dodged by their own people they tend to lose trust in the world around them. History has shown characters as Hitler and Stalin as the victims of this kind of paranoia. I hope India doesn’t have such victims in future (pun intended).

Thanks!!

World of Entrepreneurs: Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani(Continued).. Outlasting the Critics

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:10:00 +0000

So I am here back again with the continuation of the life history of the legendary Mr. Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani. In 1977 Dhirubhai established his first textile mill in Ahmadabad. This brand was named “Vimal” and it soon became a household name across the country. Such was the managing ability of Mr. Dhirubhai that even the World Bank team visiting his textile mill for the first time rated it as “excellent” as per the International standards in those years. Soon, he jumped into the share market by releasing an IPO for Reliance Industries. Initially itself Reliance had around 58,000 investors, small or big from all across the country but mostly from Gujrat. Dhirubahi can be credited for bringing the equity culture amongst Indian public. The success of reliance attracted many more investors and the annual meetings of the company were held in Stadiums. In 1986, Ambani’s net worth was estimated to be around 1 Billion. Such a fast growth he had in such a short span of time.

Ambani’s life has been portrayed in a famous Bollywood movie “Guru”. Most of the part is based on truth just like the character played by Mr. Mithun Chakraborty. He portrays a former friend and then a hard-core critic of Dhirubhai Ambani, Mr. Ramnath Goenka. He used to publish articles against Reliance Industry everyday in his newspaper, The Indian express. But Dhirubhai never succumbed to criticism. He continued his great Entrepreneurial spirit and Reliance flourished year by year.

The biggest controversial incidents involving Mr. Dhirubhai was the one in 1982 when a group of stock brokers termed as “Friends of Reliance” outplayed a bear cartel from Kolkata and made profits at Stock market. The matter, in a nutshell, was like a group of stock brokers sold the shares of reliance and promised the delivery at a future date hoping that the price at the future date would fall and they would make profits in short selling of shares. But they dint knew whom they were dealing with. Mr. Dhirubhai appointed another group of stock brokers who was purchasing those shares and never let the price go down. On the final day, the Bull cartel was in trouble and had to buy the share and pay a penalty of Rs. 2 per share. The incident shot up the share price of Reliance to Rs. 180 from Rs. 150 in minutes. The bull cartel had to buy shares at a higher price and add a penalty to it and then give it to the other group of brokers favoring reliance. It is said that those shares also were provided by Mr. Dhirubhai himself. He surely made a lot of money that day using his wittiness and intelligence. To investigate this whole incident the market was closed for three working days and government made an official statement describing the events in detail. Such was the hold of this legend on the market that he made all wonder that how can a simple textile owner can topple the whole national market. It’s all in the vision!!!

In addition to this incident Mr. Dhirubhai was criticized of meddling in the government policies and molding them to his advantage. He even had differences with Mr. V.P. Singh, the former PM of India. But, he outlasted them all and emerged as the most successful Businessman of the country. I think what all he did for continuing his business was correct and he did it not only for himself but for many others whom he was responsible for, his employees. If he paid off government to favor Reliance, I think, he did so because the officials themselves were corrupt and saw an opportunity to extract money from this businessman’s pocket. He did everything possible for his company’s survival. May be, many of my readers must be having some different opinion on this.

Whatever, be the opinions on the life of Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani he was no doubt a life saver for millions of Indians. He has generated millions of jobs in the country and today Reliance is the biggest enterprise in the country. Thanks to the daring and risk-taking ability of this legendry entrepreneur.

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy: rajputanaandaz.com, Reliance India

Who cares for Medal, We have plenty…Isn’t it??

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 15:07:00 +0000

So finally, India has given away a probable Gold Medal to other contenders from its large chest of medals won in Asian Games and Olympics. The latter part of the sentence actually makes me laugh “the large chest of medals”, as if we have a bundle of medals won in International events and are kept somewhere in Delhi. But, I think, for BCCI this is not a joke. BCCI has seen this large bundle of medals somewhere in Delhi that is why they have decided single-handedly that Indian Cricket teams would not go for Asian Games in November this year. The reason, they have commitments from the ICC. The unofficial reason, they have revenues related to these commitments. Who gets paid for playing in Asian Games??

The Cricket world has grown but has not become matured which has been proved by this incident. The Cricket Authorities in India are behaving like a celebrity who has just tasted fame and is not able to handle the riches in a mature manner. BCCI is just after money, it clearly seems to be like that from its activities. BCCI has power to change the decisions of ICC and it has proved this at many occasions. BCCI has never succumbed to any pressure from ICC. Even on critical issues like WADA it has never bowed down to International body’s decisions. Accepting all this means BCCI could have requested the postponing of the New Zealand series in Nov to take part in Asian Games. At least they could have tried this. Isn’t it!!

Asian Games are not just games. They are a symbol of pride. When a player wins a medal the whole country is delighted. It boosts up the moral of even the common man. In India sports, especially cricket is a game of emotions and pride. Was it correct to let away an opportunity of a probable Gold Medal in Asian Games??

We all know what the track record of India has been in Olympics- from 1952 to 2008 only 5 Medals (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze). A good performance in Cricket in Asian Games could have paved way for us in Olympics. But no, we don’t promote games other than Cricket and we don’t play Cricket for national pride. That’s the story in a nutshell. Participating in Asian Games isn’t just a matter of playing and winning. It also involves mixing up with athletes from around the world, a cricketer can learn fitness tricks from an athlete or vice versa. It would have been a great experience for young players. By this decision, Cricket has restricted itself to some pet nations and some regular places where it is being played year after year.

I wish the inclusion of Cricket would have been done a decade ago or even long before that. Till now, probably, Cricket would have been inducted as an Olympic event and we would have got a bunch of medals for the country. Teams of Kapil Dev and Azharuddin would have gone for the events in Asian Games proudly. Sachin would have had to his credit Gold medal wins for India. But, today, there’s no Sachin and no Kapil. All we have is a bunch of greedy administrators who will use the teams to their benefit.

Thanks!!

World of Entrepreneurs: Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 30 May 2010 10:29:00 +0000

This person is the most respected Businessman of India till date. His life and methods have inspired many youths to achieve their dreams. He has proved, in the real sense, that where there is a will there is a way. He has built an empire called Reliance against all odds posed by the not-too-liberal Indian Economic Policies. Today, I am taking an insight into the life of the Business Legend named Dhirubhai Ambani.

Mr. Dhirubhai was born on 28 December 1932 in Junagadh district of Gujrat in India. Dhirubhai was the second son in his family which had very little earnings. His father was a school teacher and his parents knew how to make the utmost use of every single penny they earned. Highly intelligent, as he was, Dhirubhai was never interested in classroom studies. He preferred to go for works that used his physical ability rather than spending time in classes and lectures. Dhirubhai’s abilities and business mindedness came into light at an early stage of his life when he started off with a small business of Onion/Potato fries stalls at village fairs. For a person in a family like that of his it was a bit difficult to think out-of-the-box, but he did so and was successful in improving the financial conditions of his family.

His professional career started in Yemen. He worked with A. Besse & Co. where he was promoted to the managerial level at company’s filling stations at port of Aden. Now, here comes the second example of his being a manipulator. In those days the Yemini Rial was made of silver coins and was very much in demand in London Bullion exchange. Dhirubhai used to collect the silver coins and melt them into pure silver to sell it into the market. He later admits that he made some lakhs of rupees by this manipulation. To grab such opportunities is the biggest quality of this business stalwart, as we’ll see it throughout his life story.

Finally Dhirubhai started his own business of Polyester Yarn in South Mumbai. He started importing Polyester from Yemen and exported Spices in turn. The first office of Reliance Commercial Corporation had one room with one table and three chairs. His family used to live in a single room apartment in South Mumbai. He was never famous amongst his partners in business as he was a known risk-taker and thus never missed out the opportunities at hand. An entrepreneur has to take risks initially as he is the one who brings in something new in the market. This is what Dhirubhai did. At the time when no one believed in him and in the business of Polyester, he was the one who kept going with the idea confidently.

“He had unbelievable managing skills”, recalls the employees of his company of those days. He made an Open-door policy in his office which meant that anybody can go to his cabin and discuss about the problems of any sort. Dhirubhai was always a step ahead of his competitors. After polyester he started importing rayon. Rayon was very much in demand in the country and thus he made huge profits. When Rayon mills started coming up in India itself then he imported Nylon. This much was his innovation and Business skills that he was always updated of the new products outside the country which had surplus demands. Moreover, initially he used to export spices and that too at loss, just to get permission to import Polyester. Then he started exporting rayon, again at loss, to import nylon. Here, another lesson for Entrepreneurs. Money is the ultimate goal of business, no doubt in that. But, it is not the immediate goal. Think in a long-term view. If Dhirubhai would have stopped exports at loss he would not have imported the commodities in demand. Surprisingly, he carried on with the exports at loss and made a profit of over 300 percent every year with the imported material.

Dhirubhai is said to be great fixer. He had his own ways of tackling government officials and he was an expert in getting his work done. His wittiness brought him under fire several times. I would be describing some of such events from his life in the next post. I don’t care what his critics say about his methods but I think that for being an entrepreneur one must be a little hard hearted as Mr. Dhirubhai was, in his business.

Thanks!!

Photo Courtesy: NDTV, Reliance

The Scapegoat for all: ‘System’

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:17:00 +0000

There were two incidents in the last couple of weeks that made me think that we as a nation have found a new scapegoat for our deeds and that is ‘System’ or ‘Law’ or Constitution as we may call it. The two incidents that I noticed are from the fields that were a decade ago totally different but now are on the path of a merger. I am talking about Cricket and Politics. Well, nothing new about it but then from where did this Scapegoat concept came from?? Just read on!!

The first Incident!! Just a few days ago when the Indian team lost in T20 World Cup our young Captain blamed it on the IPL parties and stressed travels that it had in schedules. This I think shows how mature the captain has become by quickly absorbing the changing scenarios of Cricket world and has started thinking politically. I call this “IPL way of thinking”. I wonder if he was prepared to say the same if he would have lost the Finals in IPL3. This statement I think was totally rubbish. Of course, the players would have been fatigued because of the IPL schedules and parties. I am not against the parties on IPL evenings; of course they have a right to enjoy their win. But, if they were fatigued why the skipper didn’t raise the same issue then and there itself when this whole saga was going on?? Why has he blamed the IPL system when the team was hundreds of miles away from the IPL land?? The reason behind this, what I can make out, is that he found this IPL ‘System’ as a scapegoat for the loss that team India faced in West Indies. Just blame the system and feel free. I have no arrogance against the team that lost in the world cup. Of course, every time India cannot have the same luck and performance. But, this should be accepted and a promise should be made to perform good next time. That’s it!! Why blame the ‘System’ and that too at a wrong time. Had it been done during IPL it would changed the trends that are going wrong. It feels like Mr. Young captain symbolize the young blood of India but not the zeal to bring the change flowing in the veins of young Indians.

Next one is related to a close pal of Cricket i.e. Politics. After the sentencing of Kasab, the media suddenly woke up from sleep and raised the question of Afzal Guru’s hanging. The Government has still not woken up on the issue and that too in the times when India is strongly gripped in the clutches of terrorism. Guess what would have happened when they were asked to clarify the reason of 8 years delay in executing SC orders on Afzal Guru. Of course, they found a scapegoat. “The System has its own proceedings and let the law take its own course” was the statement made by government spokesman in one of the discussions. I don’t know how a system can be standardized when it not at all correct in the view of majority of citizens. If the system takes 8 years to execute court orders against a person who has waged war against the nation then do hell with such system. Why don’t we change it, amend it?? Or are we giving a message to the morons sitting across the border that they can backstab us anytime?? What is the message that is going across to the world with this Kasab and Afzal’s case?? It’s simple, that these people can do anything on our land and if somehow they are caught they can enjoy on our money waiting in the queue of other insane convicts who have the same fate as theirs. Pity!!

I wish we stop blaming system and think in a positive way of how to change it for the betterment of all of as a nation. Rather than accepting the errors in the system as our fate, I hope, we would strive hard to correct it. These incidents made me understand the pun intended in the saying –

“Many folks misunderstand bad management as their fate”.

Thanks!!

World of Entrepreneurs: Infosys Mentor (Continued)

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 16 May 2010 07:19:00 +0000

As a continuation to the new section of this blog, The World of Entrepreneurs, I would take forward the lessons from the life of Mr. Narayana Murthy. The second and third most important events in his journey of entrepreneurship were the challenges he met during the early days of Infosys.

As he recalls, in his speech in New York University, it was the day when all the Infosys partners met to discuss upon an offer to sell out Infosys for $1Million. All the partners were convinced that this is the offer they were waiting for and that they would not let this opportunity go without making any money. The scenario, as Mr. Murthy describes, was such that in the small office room they all were sitting and one by one sharing their views. Mr. Murthy was the last speaker. He waited for his turn patiently and when he started, he made a stunning offer to buy out his companions himself, even when he didn’t have a single penny to do so.

There was a stunning silence in the room as if people were thinking how they should react to this foolish offer. But, Mr. Murthy broke the silence by recalling the early days of Infosys, their small office and their collective struggle to bring them here where they are today. He was of the view that to create a big company they should all be confident and optimistic and that they should not go for offers of some millions to sell it. He was confident that collectively they have a capability of creating a company which is a thousand times bigger than the petty sum of $1Million. He recalls that even if he didn’t knew at that time that Infosys will become so big after a decade or so, he had the confidence that this offer was for sure not the best way to go. He finally convinced all his partners and thus gave a new birth to Infosys.

Market capitalization of Infosys today is $28Billion which comes out to be 28,000 times more than the $1million offer they were given that day. He proudly says that this is the result of the promise his partners had made to him and he is glad that all of them had lived up to it.

The last story goes back to the summer days of 1995, when one of their major clients (contributing Infosys’s 25% income) called all the Indian vendors for a re-evaluation of contracts. It was an aggressive exercise of filtering the unsuitable vendors as per the client’s standard. They were minnows amongst other vendors the corporate had invited. During the interviews their reasons to show Infosys as the best and to justify their product prices were in vain. Finally when the choice was left for Mr. Murthy either to take up the offer or to reject it, by accepting the odd terms of the customer, he clearly told them that they would not be able to accept the terms as the corporate was are trying to make them what they are not and this may lead to an unsuccessful venture.

However, he suggested, that they could come to common point where none of the interests are compromised, which will lead to an efficient collaboration. This was in fact the turning point in the history of Infosys. Moreover, after this Mr. Murthy formed a separate risk analysis department which would ensure that they do not depend so much on any one client as they did this time. The action he took learning from the incident had positive effects and today Infosys is not much depended on a single corporate or client for its income.

Finally, Mr. Murthy urges all to take lessons from life and take actions according to these learnings. Being confident and courageous is the first and foremost requirement for an entrepreneur. You have to be consistent and keep the fire burning inside which will drive you towards success. Everything else, he says, is not of much worth in life, not even money. He is of the view that after being successful we should share the wealth with the ones less fortunate. I would leave you with a remarkable saying by Mr. Murthy which clearly defines what makes a Successful enterprise.

“Performance leads to recognition. Recognition brings respect. Respect enhances power. Humility and grace in one's moments of power enhances dignity of an organization”

Think out of the System. Think more than what your daily job can make you think. Life can’t be same all the days otherwise it’s not life it’s like stagnant water, and even stagnant water stinks after days. Good Luck and Happy reading!!

Post-script: Mr. Murthy has authored one of the best books in Indian History “A Better India, A Better World”. Do get this one to read.

Thanks!!

Kasab Case: A long way to go!!

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:27:00 +0000

By hearing the final verdict in 26/11 case I was struck by a scene from a famous Bollywood movie “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.”. The scene shows a thief being caught at a Railway Station in an unsuccessful attempt of pick pocketing an important character of the movie. As soon as the public discovers that he is the guy who has done something wrong they start beating him like anything. Mr. Sunil Dutt plays the role of the person who catches the thief and then he is the one who saves him from public. He rightly says that this public is frustrated and has accumulated anger on many issues. And this thief will be used as a punching bag by them to spill their frustration and anger and moreover, they will forget all this after thrashing him. “Sir phod denge tera”, he tells the thief. So, how can I relate this scene to Kasab case?? In short, I don’t want India to do the same with Kasab. Read on!!

The case decision was correct. No matter what many of us think about giving him a death penalty but truth is that this is the ultimate punishment for his crimes as a person. Rather I would say that his death penalty should be the rarest of the rare as was 26/11. He should be shot in public. India should be setting a tough image for all those silly Jehadis waiting for their death on the other side of the border. But, Gandhian kids, as we are, we don’t have courage to do something beyond what system makes us do. My point is that the death penalty is the punishment of the physical Kasab whom our forces caught on 26/11. What about the ideology that brought Kasab as a puppet to Mumbai?? What about the masterminds who brain-washed boys like him to go and give a bad name to their religion by their deeds?? This is what I am trying to convey. I don’t want India to spill all their frustration on a mere puppet, Kasab. The fight and revenge should go on beyond this case. The morons behind 26/11 should be caught by any means, whether lawfully or unlawfully.

If this is not possible by democratic means then no more Democratic methods we want on this issue. Why can’t we behave like Israel even when we are much more powerful on economic and military grounds than them?? Am I not being practical?? Everything that started was impracticality once. So why not we take a stand that is harsh and tough for our enemies across the boundaries and not merely Kasab.

A salute to Martyrs

http://searchfreak.blogspot.com/2009/11/mumbai-terror-attack-261108-list-of.html

Thanks!!

World of Entrepreneurs: Mr. Narayana Murthy

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:44:00 +0000

Today, I am introducing a new series on this portal which will give you an inside about the personalities of some of the renowned Entrepreneurs of the emerging India. Entrepreneurs have always been seen with a great respect in our country because most of us know the pain of starting up a business in India and all sorts of hooks and crooks you need to do for it!! First of all, most of us don’t even think about it because we never think off the track. Amongst others, most of them who try to swim down this big ocean of success succumb to the waves and obstructions coming their way. The other lucky ones who swim successfully reach milestones that previously seemed to be unreachable. This series would highlight successful stories about some of such entrepreneurs. I wish the courage and confidence like that of these Entrepreneurs prevails in every child of this country. Let’s think differently!!

“Progress is often equal to the difference between mind and mindset.” This is what Mr. Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy, the Chief of biggest Indian Corporate, namely Infosys, has to say when asked about progress. The quote seems to be simple but has a deep meaning inside especially when brought to practicality. But, this man Mr. Murthy has made it look so easy while nurturing his company, his child, Infosys. Born in 1946, an IIT Kanpur Alumni, with first job as System Programmer in IIM Ahmadabad, he dared to change his path and start his own company in 1981. As often said “Where there is a will there’s a way”, Mr. Murthy got funds from his wife’s earning for the initial investment. Along with six other friends Infosys started to flourish soon. The success story of Infosys is very long and out of scope of this portal. However, I would focus on the main events in Mr. Murthy’s life that broadened his vision and let this success story happen.

During his speech in New York University in 2007 Mr. Murthy clubbed his experiences in a total of four events. In first part I would recall his journey to Nis, a border town between Serbia and Bulgaria. Mr. Murthy recalls that he had to catch Sophia Express on a Saturday night. When he got inside he realized that only two more people were there with him in the train. He started conversation with one of them in French. After sometime Bulgarian guards came and arrested both of them. Later it was known that the third person on board had called the police interpreting their talks in French as the criticism of the communist government in Bulgaria. Mr. Murthy in fact says that the interpretation was a bit exaggeration of the conversation he was having. The other person was actually just telling him about the pains of living under communist rule.

Mr. Murthy was kept in an 8*8 lock up room for 72 hours and then dragged to a guard’s compartment of another train which, as he was informed, will take him to Istanbul. Somehow after 108 hours of starving journey he finally he came back to his hometown. But, in his dark, lonely journey to Istanbul he went into deep thinking about Communism. The piece of conversation that landed him into trouble was a great lesson for him. He realized, at this point, that entrepreneurship is the only mode which can create jobs on a large-scale thereby eradicating the poverty. With this realization, his little bit of affection for communism was also gone. Mr. Murthy says he’s thankful to the Bulgarian guards for their contribution in his experience of odds in life.

This event, as Mr. Murthy recalls, had a great effect on his thinking and his decision to start his own work and be an entrepreneur. This man has a great ability to learn from experiences and interpret them optimistically. Not only this, he continued to use these experiences in his journey at Infosys.

There’s a lot more to be discovered about the legend. Wait for the next one…….

Thanks!!

IPL Vs Dantewada: Kahi Dhoop Kahi Chaav

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 16:17:00 +0000

What an irony this is for the Indian state where a few weeks ago they had to deal with the Maoists in country’s underdeveloped parts and now they have to deal with a big nexus in an event which symbolizes developing India. These two episodes recently have raised a question on the whole concept of a developed nation which we have in our minds, if at least we have any.

This whole IPL (Indian Paisa League as it is being called now) episode is nothing new for Indian Public. Every two or three years there are couple of scandals coming in picture involving huge amount of money. Then there are I-T raids, cases and sentences (if any) otherwise they go on and on for years and finally die out. Here also, people are expecting nothing new. Truly speaking, I don’t consider anyone of them, whether Mr. Modi or anyone else, at fault. They are just investing their money to grow it from millions to billions. That’s it!! But, I m saddened by the fact that this million billions game called IPL has only become a brand of India in the international market. What are these millions useful for if India can’t feed its own people?? How does it matter to India’s image in the world if our soldiers are still suffering at the hands of enemy within the state?? Aren’t we gilding in front of the International Community??

Some may feel that I m not talking practically. But I would like to share some facts to explain this. In IPL2, which was held in South Africa, IPL identified four schools in the vicinity of each host city to grant them a donation of 1Million Rands. This was termed as a mission of IPL to plough seeds of development into South African Education system. Nice!! I appreciate the concern of IPL for the education system of SA and for making legitimate use of the money they are endowed with. But, was it continued in IPL3?? No, as far as I have seen. Because in SA, they used to call the school principal and Mr. Modi would himself give a check to them with school children and cameras all around. Tell me if I have missed seeing this happening in IPL3. Is it that there are no schools in need of funds around Kolkata, Bangalore and other host cities?? Or India has a very good and improved education system?? Or does IPL body thinks that by doing this they would reveal the reality of India through their own platform?? I am speechless.

If at all they could have done the same legitimate use of the money then they could have made a much better image of themselves at home other than of just being a money making machine. Moreover, this huge amount of money has now also taken the time of Mr. Home Minister unnecessarily at the time when he is needed more to deal with the internal security issues. Pity!!

Let the enquiry go on. Let the names come out in this whole saga of IPL. But will the result be fruitful for India? I doubt. Even if people are held for the charges of clash of conflict will the enormous amount of money they earned be taken away and used for the development of Maoists ridden parts of the country or for the families of the soldiers who died in Dantewada??

The events in past one month have made it clear that we will have to choose one of the options. Either we choose to show off the image of India as a developing nation with more and more brands as IPL which turns millions to billions. Or we should show some sense of responsibility, even as a brand, to help out India in ground level development. Choice is ours!!!

Thanks!!

IPL’s Best Match: Modi Vs Tharoor

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:09:00 +0000

It is clear what this post is going to talk about. But, is the title suitable for the whole episode that took place last week? I doubt. I think this is the clash of ideologies. One side is taken by the new corporate world ideology that demands results and nothing else. Opposite side is taken by the old ideology of Indian politics which sees all the money making businesses in the country as its property. What started as a tweet by Mr. Modi has now given a chance to his detractors within the BCCI and in politics to enter the wealthy world of IPL administration. Mr. Pawar and Mr. Abdullah are few of the heinous politicians who want to be grab this opportunity by making useless comments on this topic. I fear that this whole episode would end up leaving one of the most successful institutions of India, the IPL, in the clutches of politicians.

As far as Mr. Lalit Modi is concerned why can’t we consider him as a whistleblower? If he produces relevant proofs for the allegations of being influenced by Mr. Tharoor then why can’t he be treated as the person who brought out the wrong doings in IPL in front of the whole nation? The detractors of Mr. Modi would be of the view that he himself has conflict of interest in many teams of IPL, so why shouldn’t he be punished for that. Absolutely correct!! But, somewhere this will have to start. May be after solving Kochi team’s case of mysterious investors others team would be lined up for the similar kind of investigation. Of course, that should be done.

But, what I am talking about here is that Mr. Modi has delivered perfectly on what he was hired for by the BCCI. He has taken IPL to the world stage. He should not be scrapped from his due just because some union minister doesn’t like his tweets. IPL should work like a corporate and judge him by his result delivering capabilities and not according to the views of some minister. Till now Mr. Modi was an entrepreneur of modern India. Now, he has become a villain, a drug peddler and god knows what all these media people have brought out from his past. This is the beauty of media that counts only one mistake and not hundreds of good things.

Same is the case with Mr. Tharoor. I am not against Mr. Tharoor until Mr. Modi produces relevant proofs to support what he said in his tweets about the share of Kochi team and the phone calls made by the minister himself. I think Mr. Tharoor’s stand as a mentor for the team (what he claims to be) is fine. Even if he has invested money in the team it is ok. If I would have had such huge amounts of money then IPL would have been the best investment opportunity. Nothing is wrong in that. But, will the government show the same zeal in scrutinizing the wealth of the ministers and politicians as it has shown by sending I-T people to IPL office?? I doubt on this one.

At last, one thing is clear. This episode has raised many questions and has till now answered none of them. The system needs to be changed for accommodating the new visionary ideas like that of IPL.

Thanks!!

IPL: The new Version Unleashed

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:44:00 +0000

Before writing this collection of creative ideas relating to the next season of IPL, I would like to present a disclaimer. Firstly, what I am describing here is not Indian Premier League but Indian Political League so I am not violating any copyrights (I want to be in good books of Mr. Lalit Modi, who knows he may raise a team of techies in next IPL, I don’t want to lose my chance).

Secondly, all these ideas have been clubbed during a lunch time office discussion in between the hectic times so these should be taken as pure humor only and not as a personal attack on someone (not even on Maya’s elephants and Mulayam’s bicycles). Thirdly, I would welcome all the new ideas to make this League more interesting and entertaining. Lastly, after reading please come forward in auctions of the teams of this league. Trust me, your money will in safe hands and we’ll invest it in building your statues in all the stadiums across the country where your teams will play.

So, the fun begins. The first team is of Lucknow. Behan Maya is the Icon player and undisputed Captain of the team. Ambedkar Park in Lucknow city is the home ground since all other stadiums and grounds are crowded by statues of the skipper. The biggest advantage of this team is that the owner would not have to spend much on the transportation of the team players. Behan Maya would be providing elephants for this purpose. Since, all the money has been spent for statues so one elephant per two players. That’s even cheaper!! Moreover, the owner will be having a right to claim that the millions of rupees spent to buy the team have been given by the “Party Workers”. This claim would keep the I-T department away. So, by any ways this team is the most profitable.

Here comes the second team, Mainpuri. Mr. Mulayam is the Icon player and captain of this team. A premature warning to the bidder- there’ll be no discussion on the vice-captaincy of the team. That would be held only by his son otherwise you will have to buy Mr. Amar’s team. Moreover, competing with Behan Maya, Mulayam has made his team profitable by using cycles for transportation. This is what his winning concept is – to reach the stadium before the players on elephants do and thus win the match by time-out!!! Wow..such an innovative captain. The billionaire who’ll buy this team will be the luckiest. But, player selection will depend on the fact that they are the real sons of the soil who don’t know English at all. After all the captain had made this promise in last time election so this is the time to implement that promise.

Third team is of Bombay…oops…Mumbai. Mr. Raj is the Icon player and the skipper. A warning to the competitors- the skipper is a very serious man and if he doesn’t win then his players would break your head shouting something or other in Marathi which you will not understand. This warning ensures that this team would win all the matches even before playing. The best bet is here for an interested investor. Moreover, transportation profitability can be seen here also. This team will play only in ground of Maharashtra so not much transportation charges. Moreover, cricket kits and bats are already available with the players since they have a good experience of using them in their vandalizing activities. Thus, more profit to the owner. Players must be Marathi speaking and the commentary would be in Marathi only. For this, the owner need not worry, Mr. Skipper would himself do the recruitment.

Finally the best team comes here, Patna. Mr. Lalu is the Icon player and the captain of this team. Sometimes when he’ll be on an outing to some Indian prison his wife would lead the team. The owner of this team would have the least headache in planning the activities for the team since all the players would come from the family of the skipper himself and thus less hard work is needed to search for the players. Moreover, even if this team loses a match Mr. Skipper would produce legal papers to prove that they are the winners (don’t even dare to think that they are fake). Mr. Skipper would also be providing consultancy to the owner on the issues as how to keep the I-T guys away, and that too free of cost. Going a step forward in transportation profitability, Mr. Lalu would provide a train for the players. The fuel would be contributed by the “Party Workers”, thus, the owner need not worry.

Only these few teams are to be introduced this season. Many more would come in the next. Keep Watching!!! All the above ideas have been contributed my innovative co-workers. Thanks to all of them. The IPL season is on and has gripped us in its unending entertainment. Jai Ho IPL!!

Disgraced Shoaib....What Next??

noreply@blogger.com (Prateek Tandon) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:48:00 +0000

India has rarely seen example of quick response from police and authorities, especially in cases like that of big scandals. Indian police has always kept its image of a latecomer, as shown in the Bollywood flicks. This fact has been the only one close to reality in Bollywood. But, today I wanted to discuss what I see as a change in the attitude of authorities which has been seen in the recent Shoaib Malik case. What a prompt response police have shown in questioning him and moreover confiscating his passport. May be it was a much hyped episode that made authorities to lose no time in acting over the FIR.

Whatever be the truth and result of this case, I am glad that this time we did not show “Gandhian” ways of treating the neighbor with leniency and rather went by the procedure of law. Moreover, the treatment of Mr. Shoaib has been allegedly not of VIP standard which is often the case with celebrities in our country. The much hyped marriage has become a dilemma for former Pakistani skipper. I don’t think Mr. Malik and the people around him would not have predicted this course of events before coming to India especially when they knew that alleged 1^st wife of Mr. Malik is a resident of Hyderabad. They in fact had thought of using Sania’s family’s political influence to sideline Ayesha and make way for their marriage. Moreover, the image of Indian law and court system is like a playground for celebrities. I may be wrong but it seems Mr. malik has been caught under this image and now is paying price for it.

The marriage that was becoming a symbol of so-called good relations between the two countries has become a nightmare for the Groom. A confused, panic-struck Shoaib coming out of the police station was a toast for the media. This whole episode had something humorous in it. It made me laugh to think of the future of Mr. Malik. Give a thought to this.

What if Shoaib is found guilty and arrested?? There would be sharp rise in infiltration on the western border to carry out an attack and free him away. Nah!! Who needs a skipper in Pak team now when the whole team has been fired and no one is left to be commanded on the cricket field. Or may be some IPL team owners will use their political influence to pass a bill in parliament to allow cricketers who are in prison to participate in IPL. Then, of course, Shoaib has a bright future. Moreover, if this is the case then probably the whole disgraced Pak team would land here to follow the footsteps of their skipper. By hook or crook IPL will be the destination for them.

Whatever be the case, whatever is the judgment, the prompt response of Police authorities on the issue was appreciable. I wish the same media now diverts towards other people who are enjoying life outside the prison even after being accused. Our authorities also need to show a prompt response in bringing those people to justice. If they are following the procedure of law then they should follow it completely to set an example before the world as this one.

Thanks!!