Gopinath's "ArTicKles"

IWOTY 2020

2021-01-09T08:15:00.003-08:00

IWOTY 2020

By Gopinath Mavinkurve

As you would all know, each year dictionaries and language societies across the globe have been announcing the Word of the year annually for several years now. Many of these words often would reflect the mood and times as experienced by the western world and would not really represent us Indians. I have been suggesting that we ought to have an Indian Word of the Year from a reputed Indian language publisher, but until then have filled in for this need for the past over 10 years now.

This year has been unique. The mood all over the world has converged onto a single theme, regretfully though, due to the global impact of the Pandemic. The choice has narrowed down as our minds have been wrapped around how to deal with this menace humanity has faced only since the last pandemic in 1919. Understandably, words like Pandemic [picked by Merriam Webster and Dictionary.com], Lockdown [picked by Collins], Covid-19, Coronavirus, Outbreak, Quarantine, Unlock and such other related words seem to be the obvious front-runners. Even the newly coined “Covidiot” [picked by Macquarie Dictionary] to describe those not heeding to the requisite behavior in public places such as wearing masks and social distancing has been in the reckoning.

Oxford Dictionary has called the year 2020 as the “Words of an Unprecedented Year” confessing that selecting a single word would be an impossible task and would not do justice to what we experienced this year. Shortlists have included words like “Black Lives Matter”, “Megxit” and such other regional favorites albeit, they can only be termed as “also ran” this year.

With this global backdrop, could we think of a theme that captured Indian minds and come up with an Indian Word of the Year 2020 or “IWOTY 2020”? Indians have grappled with the outbreak just as other countries and these words have been echoing across India even if we do not really know their equivalents in Indian languages. However, India has experienced hostility of our neighbors at the borders with the ‘dragon’ attempting overtures albeit unsuccessfully. This has led to a strong urge for national unity to ban Chinese goods and become “AtmaNirbhar”. Our PM has articulated this to mean being less dependent on other countries and playing a larger global player in trade deals - and not cutting off trade relations with any country. He has called for us being “Vocal for Local” and urged us to buy Indian goods over imported alternatives for our brethren to prosper.

“AtmaNirbhar” seems to be the clear choice for being the Indian Word of the Year 2020!

IWOTY 2017

2018-03-04T22:07:00.001-08:00

IWOTY 2017

By Gopinath Mavinkurve

Email: g_mavinkurve@hotmail.com

It is again that time of the year when Dictionaries and Language watch organisations announce the Word of the Year (WOTY). The choice is supposed to be reflective of the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past year, but also possess lasting potential to be a word of socio-cultural significance.

The Oxford Dictionaries WOTY 2017 is “Youthquake”, which it defines as ‘a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people’. Although it sounds like a new word to most of us, the word was coined in 1965, when emerging from a post-war period of tumultuous change, Diana Vreeland, editor-in-chief of Vogue, declared the year of the youthquake.

Merriam Webster Dictionary has announced “Feminism” to be the WOTY 2017. Although the rising influence of youth has been witnessed in India too, and the wave of feminism touched our social lives in our country, would we choose some other word that reflects the ethos, mood and preoccupation of Indians in the year gone by?

“Aadhar” is a worthy contender for the IWOTY 2017. Although it has been metamorphosing from the “unique identification” card to the “direct benefit transfer instrument” for government payments and later to a perceived “surveillance mechanism” to identify tax evasion, the card now plans to touch the lives of the haves, the have-nots and the minimally-existent non-entities struggling for identities alike. If one can break the rule here, how about a question as IWOTY 2017 instead? The question in point being:

“Have you linked your Aadhar?”

Another word that caught the youngster’s attention and perhaps changed their financial habits this year is SIP – an acronym for Systematic Investment Plan. The financial awareness campaigns by the Mutual Fund (MF) industry to inculcate the habit of investing regularly and spreading across good times and bad have resulted in a surge in SIPs. For the first time, the equity markets witnessed domestic fund flows of magnitudes which were hitherto seen only from Foreign Institutional Investors. Certainly a good habit to have for young earners, if done wisely and consistently over a long period of time. Needless to say the investment flow into Equity MFs has been a result of the current low interest rates prevailing on fixed income instruments. SIP hai to sahi hai!

All through the year, that “Mitron”-evoked announcement made in November last year was the talk of the town, gullies, public gardens, pantries, buses, trains and chai corners across the country – Demonetization or more popularly, “Notebandi” is being talked about with the same wonderment even to this day. While, the what-hit-us feeling is yet to wear off for some, one cannot deny that it is the only worthy contender for the IWOTY 2017.

Notebandi it is, i guess.

(Unless you have Aadhar ideas)

This article was published in the Kanara Saraswat Magazine February 2018 issue.

Owlish Stance

2014-03-16T20:42:00.002-07:00

Bankers aren’t boring any more. They discuss whether they are doves or hawks, as the RBI Governor appears to announce the monetary policy. Would his policy set the cat among pigeons? The cat: an unexpected hike in rates applied to commercial banks. And the pigeons: business heads of industries, who listen to every word the svelte financial official utters in rapt attention. Would the tweaking mean higher interest costs for the business or a respite, when all else is just too dreary? He has already proved that neither is his institution “caged” nor does he “parrot” the Centre’s lines. He has watched the flight of global money across borders, that sets currency markets aflutter in his previous instance. Now like the watchful eagle, he has set his sight on another soaring bird up in the sky – inflation!

But who’s listening? A retired senior may tune in to check whether interest rates would increase as inflation gnaws away at his meager savings, like a rat in FCI’s godown. Or the home-loan borrower, who cannot live like a cuckoo in a borrowed nest, with the hope that home loan interest rates do soften. The rare avid bird-watcher would be away in a wildlife reserve trying to spot a finch or an egret. He would not interested in this routine fiscal event. Neither would most youngsters who would be busy playing “Angry Birds”, “Flappy Birds” or perhaps tweeting. That’s as close as they get to birds in life. They know as much about birds as they know about personal finance - Zilch. As for me, I am easy game for real urban birds, it is their turn to play “Crappy Birds” - and I am their favorite target on Mumbai streets.

Springing a surprise is what he loves - no wonder interest rates move like flitting butterflies changing directions in a jiffy. Anyway, “Neither hawk, nor dove, but we are owls” declared RRR, referring to the stance the RBI took in announcing the latest monetary policy. He had been rather brave too. In a country, where an owl has been bestowed with the attribute of a fool – thanks to the Hindi phrase “Ullu”, and all who “banao” us well and proper “ullus”. Like, who in our country do you think knows that the West associates the owl with Wisdom? Or that the belief dated back to the Greek who believed that owls were wise since the Proto-Corinthian era circa 630 B.C.?

We in India would not care for such details, as we have been “made ullus” for ages by taxing the interest on bank deposits although the inflation has been higher. The Government has been taxing the money that we did not earn as “income”, but only just protected its value over time! We are so used to being “made owls” that we won’t even buy term-insurance as they don’t provide any “returns” or because some columnists asks us to be careful about insurance products which have low premiums!

Watch this ad in case you dont believe me.

So eager are we to become ‘ullus’ , that it has already become a widespread national affliction needing eradication. For this very reason, fly-by-night operators continue to con investors seeking higher than inflation real returns with their ingenious ‘get-rich-quick’ schemes. There are no legitimate means to beat inflation without losing an arm or a limb (read: invested capital). Like the magicians who produce doves from thin air, these financial magicians promise to double our hard earned money in double quick time!

When inflation eats away into our savings, some of us bury our head in the sand like an ostrich. That is the only way to deal with inflation, if we are not to fall for the scam-schemes. But we must hail the RBI Governor – he is not an ostrich like us, but an owl with his wisdom. He would like to rein in the soaring inflation for us all, so one would truly wish him all the success in this task. Just do that, Guv. It is time to ground inflation …like Kingfisher… er …. Airlines! Ok, we will not even call it Black Swan event if you do succeed.

Indianisms - New and Old

2014-01-02T01:08:00.000-08:00

Indianisms – New and Old

By Gopinath Mavinkurve

g_mavinkurve@hotmail.com

Twitter Handle: @gopinathmm

If there is one word I use at times, not knowing that purists of the English language may consider it incorrect, it is this: “Preponed”. If pushing the date of an event or appointment is postponed, why pulling one to an earlier date would not be ‘preponed’, one may argue? The fact remains that “prepone” is a classic example of what is now being termed “Indianism” in English - an Indian way of communication in the English language, albeit incorrect in the global perspective. The correct word apparently is ‘advanced”. There are many incorrect words or phrases doing the rounds in our enchanting land where a “cutting tea” means half a cup of the stimulating brew and not tea produced using ‘cutting-edge’ technology by folks who may ask you for your “good name”!

“What’s your good name?” perhaps owes its popularity in the North, where one seeks to know your “Shubh Naam”, nothing less. Thinking in our local languages and translating it into English is perhaps one of the several reasons for most of the Indianisms. Seeming to be just fine to most of us, is perhaps what makes the wrong usage of English words or phrases qualify to being termed as ‘Indianisms’.

“Revert to me at the earliest on this subject” is just another common phrase that seems to be a popular Indian request in emails signoffs. Language connoisseurs would point out that “Reverting” means “returning to a former state” and perhaps that is not what one is requesting in the communication. “Reply to me…” might be the right thing to say, but hey, we’re Indians aren’t we? And if you’re not, revert to me please – or better still, revert back to me please! We love to add ‘back’, when it is just not necessary. “Reply back” we say right in front of people – and what we say “behind their backside” could be as hilarious!

So then it is time to act upon this and “do the needful”, when what we mean is “do what is needed”. But what’s wrong with doing the needful, we ask. We can “Order for a Sandwich” when we need to just “Order a Sandwich”; we happen to “Discuss about corruption” when we ought to just “Discuss corruption”, because ‘discuss’ means ‘talk about’, doesn’t it? In a country where PAN is PAN Number, it ought to be perfectly fine.

We insist on someone being our “real brother” to stress that he is not a “cousin brother”. Elsewhere ‘brother’ and ‘cousin’ would do just fine. Not in our land, where we have coined the word “Co-brother”, which happens to be just two unrelated gentlemen married to sisters. Real sisters, of course! But just in case the alliance is yet to happen, one could be a “would-be co-brother”, perhaps?! But at the marriage ceremony, one is certain to have a “photo-take-outing session” with the real and not-so-real brothers and sisters. We are also said to be “out of station”, but we’re never out of ideas for newer and funnier Indianisms. For us, ‘sleep comes’, ‘rain falls’ ‘problem-became’ and ‘what-all happens’ you’ll never imagine!

I could come up with many more Indianisms if I ‘think hardly’. What I am ‘sure about’, though is that this trend has begun many “years back” – not “years ago” as it ought to. One never realized when even the press reporters seem to be ok with ‘years back’ these days. Gone are the days when a stickler of a teacher would correct us saying sternly, “‘Ago’ NOT ‘Back’.”, I guess.

Several years ‘back’…er… ago, when I was just a child in early school, I seriously believed that the word “Zaa” existed in the English language. I had learnt it from my teacher only, No? “2, 2, ZAA 4 | 2, 3, ZAA 6|…..” . That’s how the mathematical tables went... So one was not surprised with the Bollywood song “One Two Kaa Four” - just another mathematical expression perhaps ‘KAA’ was just a higher multiplier at play, one thought? Until later in life, one learnt with shock, that what teacher taught us was “2 2s are 4/ 2 3s are 6”..! Schooling for us was more about “learning by-heart” or in some parts of our country, “by-hearting” – an expression better understood by the rest of the world by the expression “learning by rote”.

In India, where “anything goes” [Sab chalta hai], we keep seeing such Indianisms around us “with our own eyes” and listen “with our own ears”, so if you do come across any interesting ones going around, please write in to me at my email id “today only”, “without fail”. But if I don’t revert to you, don’t “eat my head”! By the way, Fun came, no?

© Gopinath Mavinkurve 2014

IWOTY 2013

2013-12-25T07:19:00.001-08:00

Gopinath Mavinkurve

g_mavinkurve@hotmail.com

Towards the end of each year, it has become a popular practice that is been put in place in recent times that western lexicographers and ‘language watch’ organizations like the Oxford University Press (OUP), Merriam Webster Dictionary, Global Language Monitor and the American Dialect Society, do announce their chosen “Word Of The Year” (WOTY).

As a keen observer of language trends, one has been keeping an eye on the announcements in the last decade or so. While some of the WOTYs announced by the have taken me by surprise, some others have been just what one expected would make it to the winning post. The process of choosing the coveted word from among contenders for the honour appears to be methodic and even participatory democratic. Contenders vying to be the WOTYs are also put up by some language societies on their websites for a few weeks inviting the public at large to vote for their choice for the top slot, while some relying on language experts on their staff rolls to select the winner.

For example, the WOTY 2013announced by Oxford Dictionaries is “Selfie”,a term for clicking a picture of oneself or oneself with someone you met, acommon practice due to the front-and-rear cameras provided in modernsmartphones. More about the method of choosing the word in this link here. The runners-up can be found in this link here. Oxford had announced “Omnishambles” asthe WOTY 2012, a state of shambles all over, reflective of the financial andpolitical scene, from which the globe struggles to recover even to this day!

Merriam Webster has declared “science” as their choice for the WOTY 2013. The method employed has been the words that users of their online dictionary looked up on their website. More about it inthe link here.

Global Language Monitor has announced “404” as the WOTY 2013 and “Toxic Politics” as the Phrase of the Year 2013. Details in this link.

The American Dialect Society has yet to chose their WOTY 2013. It had chosen “hashtag” as their WOTY 2012. Hashtag is a ‘#’ placed before a word or phrase on Twitter (and now FB too!) which sorts out tweets by clicking on the hashtag.

From the above, it is obvious that words that have made it are either newly coined ones to reflect the changing times or at times, existing ones that have become popular again due to current events. In any case, they have caught the imagination of the public at large and have made it to the popular charts in their years of reckoning. Clearly one finds that while the WOTYs announced do reflect the socio-economic realities of the western world, they do not necessarily reflect the times and moods of people of India.

It is with this fact in mind that one wonders why cannot we have our own Indian Language watch organization that puts up some contenders for the Indian Word Of The Year (IWOTY) for us to select from? So when I posed this question on my blog a few years ago, my friends and ardent blog followers suggested me to do this each year until some reputed organization picks up the idea on a larger national scale.

Some of the past potential IWOTYs that have featured in my blog in the past few years:

Kolaveri – Outrage in our contemporary word that featured in the “Kolaveri Di” a song by Dhanush that became viral in 2012. Besides the ‘heart-breaking’ rage from his prospective life partner, that earned it the popularity it deserved, the apparent outrage on social media circuits about the state of national affairs.

Anna / Annagiri – Team Anna’s high-pitch campaign for a Lok Pal Bill seeking trial of corruption at top level and several other measures found news channels beaming the fast-unto-death threats as a tool of modern satyagraha being termed as “Annagiri”. Although not everyone agreed that a Lok Pal Bill would be a panacea for all our political ills, it gained support merely due to the widespread misuse of the power vested in our political leaders and one agreed that they ought to be independently investigated without political interference of their bosses.

Lok Pal – “Lok Pal” had became a popular term earning a mention in various published articles consequent to the campaigns of Team Anna.

Scamayana – Scams in India had grown to epic proportions, which prompted Indians to expect the chronicling of the current scams which could be called “Scamayana” for future generations to refer to and take note of. An era that would better be done with and dusted, though.

Below are some of the contenders that could don the “IWOTY 2013” cap this year. Readers may suggest more worthy contenders for IWOTY to my email id g_mavinkurve@hotmail.com

Modi-fication – The anointment of Modi as the PM candidate for the BJP has brought prospects of the Modi-fication of the Nation – a term used to imply that the progress of Gujarat model and the ideas of an Industry-friendly Chief Minister could well be spread across the nation with this development. Although this is an existing word suggesting change, what makes it a pun is the prospective PM candidates name itself! The nation awaits the results of this announcement with bated breath, but change seems to be what most Indians want and some kind of change is inevitable!

Aam Aadmi – The word, Hindi for common man, is back in the fray with renewed vigour ever since the Aam Aadmi Party clinched a sizeable number of seats in the Delhi State elections, albeit falling short of being called a ”clean-sweep of the new broom”. The common man himself is back in the reckoning. The power of the mainstream media, the impact of the social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, the manner in which the common man’s opinion is becoming increasingly important is apparent. The word is gaining prominence for all these factors as it is for this fledgling political party which has just tasted its first success.

Laal Batti – The Red Beacon on cars signifying that the persons travelling are “privileged” persons bestowed with special privileges at public places. It is becoming a common feature to find reports in the news media about the kith and kin of the “High-and-Mighty” to claim special treatment at Toll Nakas, Customs clearance gates and such other public amenities. Besides being misused by others who are not even remotely related to the public servants, who are currently eligible for this treatment, it is now in question whether such preferential and discriminatory treatment should be even be made to those in power? Lal Batti is not just about the Red Beacon on the car, more about all special privileges. Arvind Kejriwal has refused Z-Category Security, A bungalow in New Delhi and of course any other privilege that could be called a “Laal-Batti” treatment and shown exemplary leadership. But will other Mantris follow his example? Giving up the Laal-Batti status is not such an easy thing to do, apparently!

Siballed – Social Media users found themselves in a tight spot while commenting or ‘liking’ posts that usually showed the ruling party or those at the helm in bad light. Although freedom of speech has been largely enjoyed by Indians in mainstream and other media, there was a move by Kapil Sibal to amend Section 66A of the Information Technology Act to punish anyone posting anything “offensive” on the internet or social media sites like Twitter or FB and removing “offensive content” forthwith! Users who found some of their posts struck down or hauled up by the police were said to have been “Siballed”.

Mango Man – This comical translation of the ‘Aam Aadmi’ is a contender by itself. The term is widely in use in social media circles, playing upon “Aam” being a Hindi pun meaning both common and mango! This term also receives favour by Yours Truly, due to the Mango-connection that my surname bears:

Mavinkurve means “Mango Basket” in Kannada, apparently.

That makes me the “Original Mango Man”, doesn’t it?

Book Review - "The Man Who Will Not Bribe"

2013-09-22T23:50:00.001-07:00

The Man who will not bribe By Veeresh Malik

A true account of the travails of an upright founder of an educational institute of global standards built on strong foundations of ethics

Reviewed by Gopinath Mavinkurve

What happens when a bright IIT-Delhi (1981) and IIM-Ahm (1983) executive chucks his plush job with an MNC to pursue his dream of setting up an educational institute offering global standards and built on the principles of ethics? Lots could have happened, but when it is Dr. Varun Arya, the Director of Aravali Institute of Management (AIM), who takes on the challenges thrown at him with the undaunted determination, the answer is just this: Success at a steep cost!

Principles of ethics, dear readers, for Varun Arya means no bribes will be paid whatsoever - and no unethical practices to be adopted in his institute while seeking to excel in the field of providing higher education conforming to global standards! So you think that wouldn’t take his dreams anywhere, right? Wrong! Although the challenges thrown meant being falsely framed charges, turning down approval requests, refusing land use changes, applying unfair stipulations over competitors and what-have-you, the dogged pursuit of the applicant institute to get the approvals without paying a single rupee bribe is something one has got to read- unbelievable as it may seem!

One is much too familiar with the bureaucratic red-tape all designed to trap bribe-payers into loosening the purse-strings to get their much-needed approvals despite not being compliant with the regulatory conditions - or only just to speed up the process. It happens everywhere, you may say. One just gets around these hurdles and gets going, one may believe – but for Varun it was not “his way” of going about setting up an institute of learning! His principles were far too important to him – and what’s more, the entire teaching faculty and his entire team backed him to the hilt! Naturally, the hurdle race got tough – but certainly not un-surmountable.

One tool that he used to fight the menace of ‘demanding’ government officials was the Right to Information Act (RTI). Several RTI applications were filed time and again to expose the atrocities of the bureaucracy and the victimization of the institute vis-à-vis the other institutes. However, inspite of all these efforts, it is disheartening to note how the entire staff of the institute had to resort to a fast-unto-death to get their rightful approvals!

Do read the sordid saga of the struggles that the institute's founder had to go through and the wonders that they produced despite all the odds faced by them in this ebook available on AmazonKindle in this link here.

Veeresh Malik, a journalist and activist, who had earlier lent support to the institute in respect of the filing of RTI applications “assembles the book”(in his own words). A curator of the book, would perhaps be a better word for his role, as he weaves together several emails, letters, speeches and the memories of the events that occur in the life of the protagonist, the real life hero, Dr. Varun Arya - The Man Who Will Not Bribe.

May a thousand Varun Aryas bloom!

Special Effort for Special Kids

2013-09-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

Text of my article published in "Beyond Money" column of the Moneylife Magazine is reproduced below:

An educationist and social activist started a mission to help people overcome poverty through education when she was in her 80s. Gopinath Mavinkurve writes about this gritty effort

Rukmabai Tallur, fondly known as ‘ Rukmakka’, embarked on a mission on India’s Republic Day, in 1986. She decided to set up Punyatama Prabhakar Sharma Seva Mandal (PPSSM) in the memory of her brother, a freedom fighter and social activist, who had devoted his entire life to helping the poor. Rukmakka was an activist herself, in the Gandhian tradition. She always wore khadi, led an austere life devoted to education and staunchly believed that spreading literacy would not only help improve the lives of the underprivileged, but also give them respect in society. Since 1940, she had been teaching Hindi at Mumbai’s Seva Sadan in the belief that knowledge of the rashtrabhasha would aid our freedom struggle.

PPSSM was started with 13 members who pooled Rs500 each. Rukmakka herself collected a corpus of Rs2 lakh in the very first year. Although an octogenarian when she established the trust, she went door-to-
door collecting funds, clothes, books and uniforms. Even on her 100th birthday (on 8 January 2005), she donated the cash gifts that she received to PPSSM, to help tribal children with special needs. In April 2005, Rukmakka passed away and Shitala Pandit took up her dream project—to construct a residential school for special children.

Ms Pandit had to overcome several obstacles, including rising costs. Two residential schools for the hearing-impaired and mentally-challenged underprivileged children began operations in dilapidated old premises on 7 October 2006. Construction of the school at Igatpuri (Maharashtra), began in February 2007 even before the entire funding was in place. Several donors pitched in and the school was formally inaugurated in July 2009. Today, they have 100 students and a range of facilities including a library and nursery, and rooms for first-aid, physiotherapy, IQ testing, specialised speech therapy and computers.

Interestingly, despite getting an ‘A Grade’ from Maharashtra’s Social Welfare Department, special schools, like the PPSSM’s, do not receive government aid. The monthly expenses of this residential school, including food, clothing, medicines and maintenance for over 100 special students aggregate over Rs2 lakh. PPSSM is funding the entire expenditure from the interest earned on its corpus. The teachers also get a nominal honorarium, instead of a salary. Naturally, PPSSM is constantly striving to increase the corpus to meet rising costs and needs.

What keeps the effort of PPSSM’s committed teachers alive is the fruit of this dedication. In 2012, Nilesh Navle scored 86% in the school leaving examinations and joined an ITI where he stood second amongst normal students. In 2013, Vijay Ghorpade scored 69% in his SSLC examination and went on to obtain an electrical engineering diploma.
Dhanashree Pawar scored 71% and chose to specialise in fashion designing. Several students have also won prizes in inter-school competitions. These achievements are published on PPSSM’s website. The teachers, including the principal, Naval Sonar, have also received well-deserved honours and felicitations.

PPSSM hopes to be able to adopt many more children and help shape their future through education. It is working to build an independent corpus for three separate schemes, so that the work can be sustained with the interest earned. The Shikshan Prabandh, at Rs5,000 per student, takes care of uniforms, books and stationery for one child per year. Anna Prabandh, covers the food expenses for one child for an entire year at Rs6,000; and Shikshak Nidhi, at Rs5,000, supports the corpus from which honorarium is paid to teachers.

PPSSM has not only given these differently-abled children the chance to become self-sufficient but helped make their dreams come true. Donations to PPSSM are eligible for exemption under Section 80G of the Income-tax Act.

PPSSM
Shitala Pandit
9-11/12, Saraswat Colony,
Santa Cruz (West),
Mumbai 400 054
Tel 022 2660 1837
E-mail punyatma8@gmail.com.
www.punyatma.org

Weblink to the original article:

http://www.moneylife.in/article/special-effort-for-special-kids/34384.html

The Right Kind Of Giving

2013-08-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

One of my ex-colleagues, whom I happened to bump into during my morning brisk walks in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, seemed to be doing his bit of ‘giving back to society’ each Sunday morning. I would spot him carrying a large bagful of ‘jeera-butter’ – a bakery product he brought along to distribute to all those residing in the slums inside SGNP, every weekend. He even urged me to come along with him to help him distribute it on one occasion, which I gladly did on a couple of occasions. I observed that he was really enjoying all that he was doing – if children came rushing, he would tell them to queue up. He would tell an old, infirm lady not to bother getting up and coming over and go over and hand over some to where she was seated. When I told him I appreciated is kindness, he said in fact, he was doing nothing at all and really wanted to do much more!

Then one Sunday morning, he was walking down the long road to Kanheri caves empty-handed and he seemed forlorn, drifting without a purpose. When I inquired what had happened, he told me that the security guards had seized the packet and warned him not to bring any such foodstuff inside the Park! I gathered later, that the Forest Officer in charge was of the opinion that several kind-hearted visitors to the park were actually “spoiling” the slum-dwellers by offering freebies. Another regular morning walker justified his stand citing that such practices make them lazy and deter them from striving to improve their living standard through hard work in life! He mentioned that he always preferred offering to foot their education expenses to his relatives back home in the village, but never offered free money for day-to-day expenses.

On other occasions, I have been the recipient of advice not to give any money to the begging children at traffic signals. “They are being planted by gangs – they just handover the money which could be funding nefarious criminal activities – don’t give them any money” is a common line we urban residents hear from our all-knowing friends. So how exactly can we help these faces of obviously destitute people on the street that we see each day, one wonders? Give them food to eat, says another! So there we are back to giving food and making them lazy! What do these kids need? Perhaps what they really need is a rebirth into more fortunate well-to-do families? Or an NGO to spring up and teach street kids and turn around their fortunes? So we come home and write a cheque to an NGO who does good work for the less privileged and satisfy ourselves that our urge to help them has been met – if not fully, at least partially!

The nation is today at the same cross-roads – I am not alone! Ever since the Food Security Bill was tabled, experts have been telling us why this Bill will make our people lethargic and how the future of the country could be bleak if an entire population got free food! So are we saying that our current public distribution systems, mid-day meal programs for the weaker sections, other freebies that States like Tamil Nadu (famously, and other states too), have been making our people choose a life of leisure instead of struggling hard to come up in their individual lives? I do not subscribe to this view. There are enough incentives such as better housing, better education for their children, getting well-paid jobs in more organized sector jobs – in short a better lifestyle beckons those who wish to rise in this world. It is also seen that whereas many millions do hopelessly struggle and fail to make it, several stories of small-time rickshaw drivers have featured in newspapers for their children securing ranks in competitive examinations.

Basically, if any government scheme meant for the abject poor is implemented properly, it would only help the lower strata of our society to save their meager earnings to educate their children and come up in life. The newly introduced Food Security Bill is not a game-changer in that respect – we know of State Governments like Chattisgarh and Tamil Nadu already having implemented a fairly substantial food distribution system already. One need not grudge them their rightful, nor need to worry about “spoiling” these poor people, while relishing our gourmet meal at a multi-star hotel. As a taxpayer of the country, one would rather have our taxes go for such causes than to fund subsidies that aid fuel-guzzling SUVs that I cannot afford, what say?

The only real problem then is that of insufficient funds with the Government to meet the obligations the nation has taken upon itself – the ‘fiscal deficit’, as they call it. Now that could be a rather sticky problem to face - for the next government, that is. One really worries whether the FSB is effectively rolled out across the nation or not?! But one thing is certain, large-hearted donors running NGOs will continue to feed the people who need it – and hopefully reach out to more and more deserving and needy people of our country for several years to come!

The nation has done its bit of giving away well before the “Joy of GivingWeek” observed in India in the first week of October each year. It is now our turn to pick and choose the cause and the suitable NGO that we would want to support. Hunger is not everything, right?

Are Investors Con-Prone?

2013-08-19T07:11:00.003-07:00

Each passing day, newspapers and TV channels report how some unscrupulous business house offering miraculous money multiplying “opportunities” to the public vanish into thin air, leaving investors licking deep wallet-wounds. Some retired senior citizen even report to have lost all their hard-earned life-time savings, which they had invested in various get-rich-quick schemes. Reading such reports, one wonders what is it that makes such ‘scheming’ business houses successful, although the press has been time and again reporting Ponzi schemes which inevitably do the vanishing trick leaving investors in the lurch. Don’t such repeated acts of financial cheating make us investing folks all the more wary of tall promises and urge us to ask ourselves how these businesses can offer such high returns in such a challenging business environment and deteriorating domestic economic conditions?

The success of such schemes can be attributed several layers of urban and rural population which have been rising slowly but steadily from their hitherto hand-to-mouth existence up to a reasonable earnings and living standards due to changing economic fortunes. They do have investible surpluses (however meager), which they would want to put away for a better future, but do not have even the basic knowledge of investment, let alone financial prudence! This translates into thousands of lower middle class households eking out a living in Tier-III towns having small surpluses that are looking for a good return on their small savings. Private finance firms promoted by business houses exploit these conditions and plant ideas of how their schemes could help them beat inflation, whereas bank FDs offer interest rates lower than inflation, eating away into their savings!

Although every Indian is truly challenged on this count of inflation eating away into interest bearing relatively safe bank deposits, the fact remains that the more important aim of any investor - capital protection - is thrown to the winds, while attempting to beat inflation! Loss of capital is one aspect that every investor, big or small, needs to be concerned about. Return on investment is not the only criteria – return of investment is paramount. This is because while comparing investment options, a small investor takes this as a given and does not even think of such tragic eventualities as loss of capital. In reality, this question ought to prop up in the minds of small investors each time an offer with super-duper returns on their investment are offered to them! Another question that investors do not ask is: How come these business houses can offer such high returns in a competitive business environment? Obviously, overwhelming greed seems to pip investment rationale, even to those who are better equipped with the fundamentals of investment.

There is one important aspect that unscrupulous scheme offers bank on - that investors would not mind investing a small portion of their investible surpluses in such schemes. It is tempting to try it out with smaller amounts and then invest higher amounts in such schemes, if they taste success. Invariably, this trick seems to work for conmen! Several small investors trying out their hand at such get-rich-quick schemes (offering as high as 5%-10% per month at times), translates into cash-flows of several Crores of Rupees for such business houses! Most of the investors barely recover their invested amount, yet what is more intriguing is that once they find that the 2-3 months returns have indeed really been paid to them, their faith in the scheme soars sky high, prompting them to invest more!

A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation would tell us that even @10% per month, in 3 months they have got only 30% of their investment back – and although it is too early to judge them on return of capital, there is a mistaken sense of belief only because they did what investors least expected to be true – that they would give 10% per month, when banks cannot offer that even in the whole year! What is more, they even rope in other relatives and friends to invest in the scheme citing their own “success”. This is indeed a disastrous step, as, unwittingly one has now begun canvassing for the promoters of these schemes, while risking souring of relationships if the company defaults on payment of interest or principal repayments.

The basic problem is that most of us undergo education at schools and colleges, in which “investor education” is not a subject taught, as this is not part of the syllabus in any stream. Fundamental aspects of investment such as return on investment, safety of invested amount, liquidity and capital appreciation, investor rights etc. are least understood subjects and are learnt only the hard way – by losing money! The man who put in all his lifetime savings into such schemes had just to learn about the adage of financial prudence - “Do not putting all your eggs into the same basket” – and remembered it when it mattered most.

Several such small investors make fly-by-night financial product offers hugely successful by lending their small and big investments. Conmen regroup and form other financial syndicates to come back again and again to the public to raise monies, only to vanish again and reappear in different avatars. How long will this conning activities continue? Both widespread investor education and strong regulatory controls on raising public moneys are the need of the hour. Each and every one needs to know that “Too-good-to-be-true” Schemes are just that – Scams! One fervently wishes that enlightened members of the public ought to pledge not to support such schemes with even One Rupee of their hard-earned money. Instead one could donate that rupee saved for a good cause, if one would like to kiss it goodbye anyway!

Social entrepreneurs and activists have been educating the lay public by way of street skits, Magicians have been debunking fake religious heads for performing “miracles” that are nothing but a sleight of hand. They are spreading the word not to repose “blind faith” on those claiming supernatural powers. Similarly, some financial “wizards” seem to be offering “miracle financial products” to struggling masses and they too ought to be debunked in a similar manner. More recently ad campaigns on television channels on several social ills that one must guard against e.g. Consumer protection body has launched a series of successful “Jaago Grahak Jaago” ad campaigns on all TV channels. Investor protection campaigns need to be propagated on the same lines.

On one hand, tighter regulations are needed to ensure that any firm raising money from public gets his proposed scheme approved from the Government before embarking on the offer. Also, the Government through the various branches of the Public Sector Banks could also take up this cause of investor education and spread prudent financial decision-making skills to small investors so that the savings can be brought into the mainstream economy instead of losing it all to scam operators. The investment programs could be structured by SEBI, RBI and other regulatory bodies jointly. Instead of promoting complex financial products like mutual funds, investment-cum-insurance products which are all too confusing even to the financially savvy amongst us.

Jaago Niveshak Jaago!

© Gopinath Mavinkurve 2013

Blogger's Post-Script: Editors of newspapers, magazines and online editions of publications are requested to feature this post for wider reach. The post has been written in public interest and the blogger would appreciate any effort to spread the word around in any manner that they deem fit. Thanks! Wishing everyone Happy and Safe investing!

Book Review: The Good, The Bad and The Wierd

2013-08-04T07:58:00.005-07:00

Book Review - The Good, The Bad and The Weird

A debut novel by Eknaath Nagarkar

Available on Amazon.com Kindle Version – can be downloadedon PC/laptop Kindle reader

The story, set in Bangalore is about a pious, upright, honest teacher, Thonse Shivaram Rao (popularly known as “Meshtru”) who has helped many youngsters of all communities and have mould their early part of their lives. Many of his student grow to become well-known figures in their chosen fields, but they all have great respect and regard for Meshtru, who after his retirement heads the JGI Foundation for philanthropic purposes, formed by the successful industrialist Janardhan Rao (popularly known as “Johnny”).

When a struggling student seeks help to pursue his aspirations for medical education, Meshtru plays an instrumental role in getting him a seat and Vikram Jahagirdar (Vicky) feels indebted to Meshtru even when he strikes it big in the USA some time soon. A group of well-intentioned NRIs fired by the love of the mother-land plan to do something for the education of the millions back home, which culminates in the formation of a Foundation in which monies collected worth close to a Billion Dollars are planned to be utilized for the worthy cause of education.

The Indian counterpart who is entrusted with the task of this proposed foundation, Akshay Karnad, a Chartered Accountant and a son of a cabinet minister of Karnataka opens a proprietary concern to receive the moneys collected ‘pending registration of the trust’ which would be in due course. When the function to inaugurate the Foundation’s activities is organized with invitees including ministers of the Karnataka Government with a view to get vast tracts of lands, the ‘surprise announcement’ of dedicating the project to Meshtru backfires! Meshtru wonders why a dollar billion would be needed to help education of the poor millions here – he did it on a paltry sum and these figures are heard only in case of scams! His speech aborts the project and the generous donors are advised to support the ‘Ekal Vidyalaya movement’ and the ‘Friends of Tribals Society’ instead of such ambitious projects.

Akshay Karnad’s project, Kalpavriksha Foundation in the meanwhile had taken off into the building and construction activity in which the organization gains immense popularity for being honest, not supporting any bribe giving inspite of being in the construction line and delivering quality homes without charging escalation project costs! The good reputation of the group’s contribution to society is so rapidly spreading through the media that the growth of the organization is done through Akshay and his wife roping in most of their relatives – all successful professionals working in reputed organizations to join Kalpavriksha.

A residential complex adjoining the corporate office becomes the hallmark of the group and a committed team brings in all their life-time savings along with their lifetime commitment to support the organization they join with full faith in the Karnad couple’s leadership. However things change over time, and the inmates of the residential complex are learnt to be up to strange behavior lately which is rather uncharacteristic of the community they belong to - such as ill-treating their parents, pulling out children from schools, not attending community events to avoid mingling and other cult-like behaviours. A middle-writer finds out all about these strange goings-on and tries to have this reported in newspapers – but how can his unsubstantiated stories with the complete lack of complainants be taken up against a Goliath in the construction business known for his honesty?

Do read this book to find out how the committed Meshtru plays a role in stopping the mindless destruction of social values by a cult being forced on hapless employees of a reputed organization ably aided by other members of his community and to set things right. There is immense drama, action and detective work involved all along as you will read beginning to end this unputdownable thriller churned out by Eknaath Nagarkar in his own narrative style that grips you all along!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

From one National ailment to another

2013-04-30T09:00:00.002-07:00

Some time ago, we witnessed public rage over the wide-spread corruption in our country. With the help of the Right to Information Act (RTI), which empowered ordinary folks to take on the officials in government positions to deal with corruption. Activists brought to the notice of the general public, how vested interests had been exploiting the common man and depriving them of their rights and privileges. A wave of protests swept the nation – only to cool down gradually and disappear into the ethereal space that held other frightful prospects for the hapless citizens of India.

The prospect of being victim of heinous gangrapes! Not a single day passes without a report of a violent attack on some woman, girl child - or even an infant! Each case more shocking than the other! Society would certainly need to treat such mentally deranged members before they become offenders. But in these episodes, what emerges it that the accountability and dependability of the very establishment that is expected to protect the citizens of our country is now under question – the Police force!

I have just one question to ask them: “Tell me, what is your problem in filing an FIR?”

There is hardly an instance where the police have immediately registered the FIR when victims of horrendous crimes have approached the Police with their complaints. I have not heard a single valid explanation from any one on what prevents them from taking down the complaint and registering an FIR! Do they think that people just go to the Police Station with frivolous complaints only to harass them? Or do they think that problems will disappear if they drive them away with a wave (or strike) of their lathis? I am clueless! Aren’t they employed just for us citizens? Or are you waiting for a “Right to File an FIR Act” to be enacted and come into force?

As rampant corruption and violent crimes grow to gargantuan proportions, the economic and financial crimes, generally referred to as ‘white-collared crimes’ are not the kind to sit back and watch their darker cousins steal the limelight! Heartrending scenes of thousands of investors losing their hard-earned money can be witnessed on TV news channels, as the perpetrators vanish with their booty! It is amazing to find rural folks invest in chit funds and MLMs / chain marketing schemes – all because of a promise to give phenomenal returns. Schemes that offer unbelievably high returns are just that – unbelievable! Yet, several thousands of gullible investors allow greed to prevail over common sense and become victims of such financial frauds committed by ‘scheming’ innovative offerings. Some, who have invested their entire life-time savings, have ended up committing suicides!

I have blogged about MLMs and‘get-rich-quick’ schemes before. The question that one needs to ask is how could they offer such returns in the first place? What business could give so much return as to double the money in as fast a time as 6 months or a year? And as soon as we get a couple of instalments, we ask all our friends and relatives to join in the investment frenzy – so we all get rich together?!!

Readers of my blog would have been wise and stayed away from such traps, but what about the thousands of poor rural folk who get duped day in and day out? Spreading financial education, prudence and awareness among rural masses is a pressing need of our times. Should we not entrust this task to public sector banks who have a nationwide network to take on this task with the help of local NGOs rather than push mutual funds and complex insurance cum investment schemes? That way, we will be able to fill in the gap too and lend credibility to the banking industry. Some soul-searching by banking industry would be needed before we can expect that to happen! Or is it expecting too much from target-oriented professionals?

The other aspect that amazes us is the enormous sums that such funds and schemes manage to muster until the bluff is called. The inaction of regulators is a subject beyond the scope of this post. I can look forward to Moneylife Magazine to pick up the cudgels against such bodies. The magazine has never failed to take up severial causes of the investor in every issue – the reason why I have just renewed my subscription for another 3 years, without any hesitation! Moneylife NGO set up by them works on investor education, consumer protection and such subjects of public interest that sets it apart. One sees them play a big role in investor awareness so that fly-by-night operators fail in every of their effort to con the public at large. It is due to these ignorant, greedy and foolish investors that trust them with their money, that they flourish.

PS: Although I do not blog regularly, I share my thoughts and other interests and post some funnies on Twitter more regularly. My Twitter id is @gopinathmm Do follow me on Twitter.

Book Review – 'My Husband and Other Animals' by Janaki Lenin

2013-03-31T07:40:00.002-07:00

My Husband And Other Animals

Author: Janaki Lenin

Genre: Non-fiction

Imprint Westland
Format Paperback
Extent 296pp
Pub date Sept-12
Rs 250
ISBN 9789381626726

Reviewed by Gopinath Mavinkurve (Twitter Id: @gopinathmm)

A nature lover would certainly love to read this non-fiction book by Janaki Lenin, a compilation of the columns published by The Hindu, now brought out in the form of a book titled “My Husband and Other Animals” published by Westland. Janaki Lenin presents to the readers several episodes of her life lived entirely out of her choice – to be with animals in their habitat, the jungle! For a 5-year old who wished to have a pig as her pet, marrying a herpetologist of international repute and wild life conservationist, would be the ultimate gift of her life. One that she cherished for a lifetime, as Rom Whitaker, the founder of Madras Snake Park and Madras Crocodile Bank offers Janaki an adventurous life in the deepest forests of India and several other countries, as the couple go “snake-hunting” (they catch ‘em – not kill ‘em). As Janaki explains, there is no way one can watch snakes to study them – they need to be caught just as to be able to tell their species!

Opting for a home in rural Tamil Nadu to live with four dogs, a pair of emus, a flock of geese and a pig, would surely come with several pesky tree frogs, ants, weevils, porcupines, shrews thrown in good measure! But Janaki isn’t complaining! In fact, she tell us how nature can be best understood in their midst, rather than in the concrete jungles of the cities that most of us consider ‘safe’. So instead of eavesdropping on jealous neighbours of an apartment complex, you will be treated to the insights of the private lives of snakes and crocodiles.

Rom Whitaker, who single-handedly set up the Madras Snake Park and Madras Crocodile Bank, has several stories to share about the challenges in setting them up, but that is not all – several stories of his encounters with the King Cobra and how he survived several snake bites, while seeking out new species of snakes and how the early days of snake hunting with the Irula tribals for the Haffkine Institute for developing the snake venom anti-dote and the perils of living in a jungle as they find their dog falling prey to a leopard and several such experiences – both the pleasures and perils of living in the jungle!

Did you know that Crocodiles can be trained like dogs? One of them learnt upto 12 commands! Can you tell a Russel Viper from an Asian Pit Viper? Or that monkeys are the most dreaded animals if you had been making a living on farming? You will find hundreds of such gems of truths revealed in this book narrated in a matter-of-fact manner – no ‘save-our-animals’ pitch or ‘down-with-civilisation’ rants in these stories – just pure predators and preys and how they switch roles for the larger good of nature’s ways to keep our planet going as it always did!

Do read this amazing collection of columns from which one can learn a lot about life in a jungle – the closest you can get to Mother Nature. I loved reading this book immensely!

Thanks, Westland for gifting this book to me – that too, just for asking some questions in a Westland Chat event on Twitter!

Follow me on Twitter @gopinathmm Do look out for Westland Chats with Twitter Hashtag #Westlandchat (and for amazing gifts offers! :)

Rating 5/5

BMC's Heartless Apathy!

2013-03-26T11:00:00.001-07:00

When I read this Cover story report featured in the Mumbai Mirror on Monday 25^th March 2013, I was shocked at the heartless apathy of the municipal body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), that runs KEM hospital. Municipal and Government run hospitals are institutions to which the masses turn to for “affordable” healthcare services. The inverted commas that I have used when I keyed in the word “affordable” can be understood better when you read the report – of some who had to sell their jewellery to raise the amount of Rs. 60000/- to pay as deposit to have their child logged into a long queue for an open heart surgery! Read the complete report here

My blood boiled as I read THIS:

“In the two years since it applied for the tender, Sorin had moved on to making more advanced machines. Production of the older, less sophisticated, machine that the BMC had ordered had been suspended. Sorin was willing to give the latest machine without charging a penny more. But the stubborn mandarins of BMC would have none of it.”

What would you call this decision of BMC? To refuse a more sophisticated machine at the price of the older version? Stupidity or Foolhardiness? Or any of the synonyms that one gets when you right-click on these words? Or would we need a new word for this? I am at a loss to understand this stance of the hospital, although I am sure they would have a reason for such stupidity, one never knows! BMC ought to explain this to us laypersons who don’t understand their wisdom in refusing a more sophisticated equipment when they could darn well have surgically treated the hundreds of children in the waitlist for their heart condition and saved precious lives! Over to you, BMC, do tell us, you owe us an explanation!

Ms. Lata Mishra of the Mumbai Mirror needs to be lauded for her commendable report, which brought to fore the malaise afflicting the administrative functionaries of the civic hospital in the “Maximum City”, namely, “Maximum red tape”. A killer malaise, as it proved to be. Kudos to her and the publication! But what beats me is how come such an acute problem was not highlighted at all and went unnoticed? Have we become a society that does not sense the pain of masses that continued to bear it all as silent sufferers? I understand there are millions of NGOs registered in our country. Atleast a few hundred must be health-related NGOs? What were the regional political parties that contest municipal elections doing all these while? One is truly baffled at the heights – or is it depths of public apathy!

The report did shake several folks into action - The High Court, for instance demanded the BMC for an explanation. Dr. Devi Shetty the eminent cardiologist with a heart came forth with a plan to operate on the children at his Narayana Hrudayala, a well-equipped paediatric cardiac surgery facility at Bengaluru – at no extra cost! Read this report here.

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/15/2013032620130326053113465f06facf/Ray-0f-hope.html

I am sure more Cardiologists in Mumbai and other parts of the country and NGOs will soon press into action - rise to the occasion to help to save the lives of the poor children in the waitlist, the future citizens of our country! I shudder to think if there are more such waitlists elsewhere in our country, that have yet to be uncovered by the media and wonder what would’ve been the fate of these unfortunate angels registered in KEM hospital, had the facts not been reported by them!

I do hope all agencies come together and put a date by which they are committed to clear up this waitlist at once! I am sure the funds and resources will come by if there is a coordinated effort and the determination to tackle this problem right away.

Bhagwad Gita made easy!

2012-11-24T19:42:00.001-08:00

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya explaining how the Easy Chanting CD ROM aids in learning how to chant the verses of the Gita at a release function during Ganesh Chaturthi festivities in 2012 at Andheri West, Mumbai.

The team that was involved in the project and some ardent fans of the product.

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya with her brother, Bharat Savur at the twin release - The review of Bharat's book, A Way With Words in my previous post in this blog.

The Bhagwad Gita made easy - CDRom and Book

The Bhagwad Gita is undoubtedly the most revered of the ancient Sanskrit scriptures in the Hindu religion. It has been accorded this supreme position because it contains timeless wisdom as told and elaborately explained by God to Man - Lord Krishna to Arjuna. Mahatma Gandhi referred to it as his “spiritual dictionary”. The central part of the epic Mahabharata, the Gita serves as the guide in dealing with the battles within our minds. We often turn to the gist of the messages in the Gita, when our daily struggles require us to choose between several alternate courses of action. Without this handy aid, we would opt for inaction instead! The sacred texts have withstood the test of time when generation after generation turn to the pearls of wisdom contained in it have been referred to by scholars all over the world.

Across the globe, spiritual thinkers and modern day philosophers continue to believe that the ultimate truths about life have been explained in the Bhagwad Gita like no other work till date. It is believed that the battle really is all about the effort of man over his own 100 vices (Kauravas) for the 5 virtues (Pandavas) to emerge winners in life. One learns that the “Arjuna syndrome” affects us all as we find ourselves sulking when confronted with enemies – within us or amongst us - that we need to fight and conquer! Needless to say, we all need to absorb the timeless wisdom to cope with the challenges in life!

But the advent of the electronic media and several gadgets and the internet tend to sway the tech-savvy generations in different directions. There is the possibility of an increasing disconnect between the youngsters and the teachings of the Gita! In order to prevent this drift, Dr. Deepika Pandya (nee Savur), a medical practitioner and an avid Gita-enthusiast took up a project to produce an interactive CDRom for “Easy Chanting and Easy Reading”, with a book on “Easy Chanting” and one for "Easy Reading" to read and reflect upon. This is to help the future generations to recite the shlokas, and simultaneously understand their meaning in a simplified manner!

Dr Deepika Savur Pandya is the daughter of Savur Narsingh and Ahilya, both true yogis who introduced her to the Gita whilst very young. In 1965, Ahilya suffered from a stroke and Narsingh faced a severe financial setback. At such times, the essence of all these learnings held in good stead, as the family sported smiling faces as Deepika completed her medical education and set up a successful medical practice in Santacruz Mumbai. Dr. Deepika believes in righteousness and reaching out to the under-privileged sections of society.

In this project undertaken by Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya, several team members from various fields put in great amount of efforts. I had been privileged to be part of this project and contributed to it by doing the final proof-reading of this flawless work. In other words, I did nothing!. In order to understand the effort that went into the project, yours truly posed her some questions. The responses are as below:

Q 1: From the "Afterword" one learns that you were initiated into the Bhagwad Gita by your father when you were only 17. Please provide some details about how passionate your father was about Bhagwad Gita. What kind of writings did your father leave behind that motivated you to take up this project?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: My father was a many lettered man, but a man of few words. In my childhood, he was very regular about performance of pujas and rituals. Later, he took up reading, studying, chanting from, and writing his notes on various scriptures, mostly the Upanishads and the Gita. At 17, I was actually struggling with German, while my friends who knew Sanskrit were sailing through! Knowing Sanskrit would have certainly helped me, but later in life, it was my German that helped me learn Sanskrit – there was so much similarity between the two!

As I grew up, I read and made my own notes on the Gita, from various available translations and authorities. In 2006, my brother, Bharat Savur, came across Daddy's fountain-pen notes, of the 70’s which were almost crumbling, for having lain on the loft for such a long time. Knowing my interest in the subject, he brought this hidden treasure to my notice - it took me 2 years to organise these pages. They form a major part of our current text.

Q 2: Your command over the English language is apparent. What level of proficiency did you possess in Sanskrit language? Did you seek to improve your understanding of Sanskrit through this exercise and if so, how successful have you been?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: I was keen to learn Sanskrit, and began a self-study. I read from various available books, provided by family and friends. Several attempts, going over 20 years, taught me one thing: Sanskrit was an endlessly deep ocean. Grappling with its intricacies, I was barely able to keep myself afloat. Even a 2 years’ course at the Arya Samaj (with exams et al) took me just a few steps ahead - or so it seemed. It was then that I decided to attend Gita Chanting classes. These helped tremendously - I realised the importance of simultaneous listening, reading, reciting and writing (which my grandfather had put me through in childhood). This was the key which opened up the doors ahead.Soon, I decided to take up a methodical study of the Gita, aiming at simplifying it for myself to understand it better. Shalan Savur (nee Trikannad), my sister-in-law, showed keen interest and we decided to do it together. This was in 2009.

Q3: You have accredited several persons who have participated in this project due to their knowledge of Sanskrit and the Vedas. Could you please elaborate on the nature of support the Vedanta experts from Chinmaya Mission, and others provided while working on the Beginner's Guide?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: Before embarking upon the project, I sought blessings from our Swamiji Sadyojat Shankarashram in Talmakiwadi, on December 4, 2009.

In January 2010, I carried a demo to Bangalore, to seek the blessings of Swami Brahmananda-ji, of the Chinmaya Mission, whose rendition we have used. His response was very encouraging. He was the first to give me His instant approval and support for this project. He also gave a practical demonstration and explanation of how best to simplify and display the Text to help Easy Chanting.

Swami Swatmananda-ji is considered one of the most dynamic Teachers of Chinmaya Mission today. He gave excellent suggestions for enhancement of the presentation, insisting upon the inclusion of Basic information for the Beginner. Dr. Manu Kothari (Prof of Anatomy – Seth G S Medical College), a versatile speaker and well-known published author has written the Introduction in the Book.

Dr. Narain Bhatia, who heads the Chinmaya Mission, is a Teacher of Vedanta. He suggested people who would proofread the Sanskrit. He set me several tests on my knowledge of Vedanta, my skills of translation, and ability to remove ambiguity, by identifying the most difficult verses to work upon. When he saw my method of working, and was convinced about my ability to give him the required outputs, he agreed to guide me.

I was simultaneously recommended to work with Smt Pratibha Jobanputra, an expert on Vedanta. She has extensive experience in literary fields and proofreading of the Chinmaya mission texts, and was instrumental in allowing us to beautify the text in all ways possible. She went through the text, to ensure that there were no errors of commission or omission. The entire process of finalisation of text went on for over a year (through 2011).

Interacting with Brahmacharini Vibhooti Chaitanya was a uniquely beautiful experience. The Overviews emerged thanks to her ideas and helpful contributions, to give the beginner a good start for every chapter.

Shrimati Pushpa Adhyaru (shishya of Swami Brahmananda-ji) was my link to the Chinmaya mission and all the Swami-jis I needed to interact with. She was very enthusiastic from the start, and instantly introduced me to and connected me with the right people at the right time.

At times my fading knowledge of English grammar, of simplifying words, found me looking for synonyms, coining of new words would prompt me to believe that, perhaps I could do with some more help! Shalan and Bharat Savur – my sister-in-law and brother – who have been into journalism for several decades, were useful in editing and simplifying the text, as their skills in the written language, synonyms, punctuation and grammar – which I lacked.

Sheela Nair has an in-depth knowledge of Sanskrit, being well-versed in the study of various scriptures. She is an educationist and teacher of Carnatic music. She helped me temper down the heavy words which faced me, when I was reading all the available literature and translations, as also find suitable alternatives.

Poonam Sethi is the Vedanta expert who taught me chanting of the Gita and the Durga Saptashati, her enthusiasm pushed me to take the plunge.

Navaz Hilloowala, who has extensive experience training children and adults in spoken English, urged me to simplify in as many ways possible. She helped me in giving titles to the groups of verses in every chapter, and suggested we have an overview for each chapter.

Dr Mitra Mukherjee Parikh, head of the Dept of English in the SNDT University, is a linguist. She worked on beautifying the Overviews, which I consider one of the most difficult parts of the project. We were particular that we adhered to British English in our choice of words, spellings and syntax. We wanted to avoid archaic words, yet the language had to sound ancient (hence note the use of Thou etc.) and have an appeal for the newcomer.

I am blessed that I had the support from my husband Dr. Pankaj Pandya and the entire Pandya family and also the ‘help from above’ all along. At times, during my struggle with the text, suddenly a word I was seeking for days, would just look out at me, from a newspaper headline or a hoarding. I was happy meeting and working with all these people, picking up what I thought was best. They left me to make the final choice. Sometimes, working late in the night, I trained myself to invoke their faculties and think the way they would have. And Bingo! I would get the right word.

Q 4: What aspects had to be kept in mind to make the Bhagwad Gita "easy for beginners" as you aimed it to be indeed 'simpler' to aid the younger modern generation?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: We kept in mind barriers such as simplifying Sanskrit compound-letters, breaking of words into their constituent parts for ease, picked out the best font for visual clarity. We re-worked on the entire Roman font (despite several others being ‘available’) to make it easy to read. Wherever possible, we did away with the upper case to provide better readability. We worked on punctuation to simplify, without losing the essence of meaning. We removed all the ambiguity we came across (In earlier texts clod=lump of earth, innumerate=countless). We worked on adding colour coding to the speakers, and gave a comparative study in the CDRom (between the Translation in verse and the Meaning Simplified in prose) with the same idea in mind.

Q 5: The project includes an interactive CDRom containing the recitation of all the 700 verses of the Bhagwad Gita supported by the text in Sanskrit and English for the modern user. Could provide some details of the creation of the CDRom ?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: 700 verses are present in all the available texts. There is a verse added at the beginning of Chapter13, by a Sanskrit scholar, several centuries ago, to maintain continuity of the Text. This verse no. 701 is now incorporated into several of today’s accepted Texts. Swami Brahmanandaji very graciously allowed us to record his recitation of this additional verse live. I felt really that I was truly the privileged one, because I had never dreamt this would be possible.

Q 6: You also had to deal with modern Tech and IT related advancements whilst producing the CDRom, did you have experts in every field or did you have to grapple it all by yourself?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: Sukhvinder Singh Vasan from Jalandhar was my computer expert, who did almost 80% of the computer work with me. He taught me whatever skills of programming and designing I would need, from insertion/editing of the text in the Book, to animation in the CDRom. None of this was easy. Chapter 1 took us 2 months to put into the book. In the remaining 6 months the other 17 chapters were done. I learned as we went along.

Q 7: Could you share with us your experiences whilst dealing with Sanskrit, Vedanta and other theological experts that you interacted with in the course of working on this project? How long has you all been working on it?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: I am not sure how many hours all have put in, but most of them have just been there whenever I needed them. The entire work on the Text and the CDRom took about 2 years, and the page layout took about 9 months. It was done piece by piece, eg. Working on the Overviews took about 10 complete days, when Vibhooti-ji from the US, was here in India.

Some chapters had to be re-done and re-worked upon several times eg. We had to re-do the text of Ch 13 five times until it was approved by all. It took a great deal to convince the Sanskrit experts that all we were trying to simplify was the ‘appearance’ of the text, and not demean its rules or prove a point. It was only to help the purpose of the chanting.

Q 8: What are the benefits of Vedic Chanting, why do you think there is so much interest being evinced in this ancient language in times when translated text in English does express the essence of the Bhagwad Gita better to present generation?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: If you attend Vedic chanting at the Ramakrishna Mission on weekends (Swami Devarupanandaji’s) you will get your answer. Most times, we the students have difficulty with the words, trying hard to follow Swamiji’s fluent footsteps. Then there comes a stanza which we are familiar with. All at once, there is a sudden ambience created when everyone chants in unison. An unexplained wave seems to move across the entire hall, the echoes are in unison. No amount of reading can replace the effect of reading-recitation combined, which is satisfying and soothing.

Q 9: Do you think that the translations of the Sanskrit verses in other Indian languages would also benefit the spread of the message across India? Do you plan to venture into it?

Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya: Of course, it would. Ours is a vast and diverse population. And translations of other scriptures similarly would help. Unfortunately somebody else would have to continue this relay race. We also have suggestions that making a presentation with animated characters would reach out to the younger generation. The possibilities are endless.

Q 10: Is the CDRom with the Easy Chanting book freely available and how does one get them?

The Bhagwad Gita Beginner’s Guide books for Easy Reading and Easy Chanting and the complementary interactive CDROM are widely available at various locations as below:

Available At:

SHABD Publishing Proudly Presents:

The Bhagavad-Gita: A Beginner's Guide,

Easy Chanting and Easy Reading Books

By Dr Deepika (Savur) Pandya

Guidance: Chinmaya Mission

Easy Chanting - Swami Brahmananda-ji

Price: Rs. 500/-

The Bhagavad-Gita Easy Changing CD ROM is complimentary

“An eternal scripture linked to mass-media communication”

AT Mumbai

Kanara Saraswat Association Mumbai 13/1-Association Building, Talmakiwadi, J D Marg, -400007. Tel: 91-22-23802263; Email: editor@kanarasaraswat.in

Canara Union Office : 42, Canara Union Road (8th Main), Malleswaram, Bengaluru-560003. Tel: 91-80-23342625; Email: canaraunion@gmail.com, canaraunion_bgl@bsnl.in

Repro India Limited Mumbai : Marathe Udyog Bhavan,2nd floor, Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, -400025. Tel: 91-22-24313256, 24313527

Granth Mumbai : H M House, 30 A/2, Juhu Tara Road, Santacruz W, -400049. Tel: 91-22-26609327, 26609337; Email: info.juhu@granth.com

Shree Book Centre Mumbai : 8 Kakad Industrial Estate, S Keer Marg, Off L J Road, Matunga W, -400016. Tel: 91-22-2437-7516, 24374559; Email: shreebk@vsnl.com

Strand Book Stall Mumbai :’Dhannur’, Sir P M Road, Fort, -400001. Tel: 91-22-22661994, 22661719 Email: shop@strandbookstall.com

V L Nayak Newspaper Agents and Booksellers : Station Rd, Khar W, Mumbai-400052. Tel: 91-22-26484082,64515450; Email: nayaksons@yahoo.co.in

Jyoti Kati Mumbai : A-18, Karnataka Buildings, Mogul Lane, Mahim, -400016. Tel: 91-22-24308031, 91-9699488567; Email: svkati@yahoo.com

Pramod Pandit Mumbai : A/3 Saraswat Coop Bldg, Kashibai Navrange Marg, Gamdevi, Grant Road, -400007. Tel: 9967701463, 91-22-23855062; Email: pramod1948@yahoo.com

AT Bengaluru

Strand Book Stall Bengaluru S 113-4, Manipal Centre, Dickenson Rd, -560042. Tel: 91-80-25580000, 3057761/2/3 Email: shop@strandbookstall.com

Anasuya Pandit Bengaluru : 201, Suryadarshan Apartments, 43, 8th Main Road, 14th Cross, Malleswaram, - 560003. Tel: 91-80-23347164, 91-8197571598; Email: pramod1948@yahoo.com

AT Pune

Shobha Mundkur, Pune :‘Induprabha’-Flat B, Ground floor, 13 Anand Niketan CHS, Karve Nagar, -411052. Tel: 91-9503059659 Email: mundkurshobha@gmail.com

Book Review: "A Way With Words" by Bharat Savur

2012-11-11T22:34:00.002-08:00

Book Review: “A Way With Words” by Bharat Savur

Reviewed by: Gopinath Mavinkurve

For someone who has charted a successful career in all forms of mainstream media – print, radio and television and is all padded up for the silver innings of life, reminiscences of those opportunities to meet interesting people in all walks of life flashing through, would certainly be invigorative and rejuvenating. So it would have been, I imagine, for Bharat Savur, when wife Shalan Savur and his younger sister Dr. Deepika Savur Pandya toiled with the various cuttings of printed pages from the old newspapers and magazines, to select some amazing works published over the past 5 decades or so. With some apt notes penned by Bharat for each of the selected pieces, the book gets its fair share of juicy tidbits for readers to savour as he cruises through the different parts of “A Way With Words”.

The published works are interspersed with the author’s snippets about incidents associated with each of them, that very few have the pleasure of knowing. It is like having those “In the making of…..” juicy bits and pieces, a common feature while screening every new movie today. ‘A Way With Words’ by Bharat Savur, co-author of ‘Fitness for Life’ is not just a compilation of his past published pieces – it is a celebration of the life and times of the scribe who was just at ease with his cricket commentaries as he was with interviewing Bollywood Superstar Amitabh Bacchan or super-achiever Sachin Tendulkar when he was a promising cricketing phenomenon on the horizon that the world sat up and took notice of. The book offers to present ‘Musings, Mirrors, Memoirs, Moments, Mementoes, Milestones and More’ - and ends up doing all this and …. ‘Much More’ instead!

The author begins with his early days when his life was moulded by his aunts and uncles, his teachers, friends and some real achievers who crossed his path early in life with the gratitude that speaks of his humility and upbringing. The author has taken special efforts to thank each and every one that has helped him on his journey. Parents may have nurtured dreams of excellence in Math, Commerce and B-school, but his early attempt at dealing with figures only helped him figure out that these were not the figures that would shape his future. Weaving words would be his way forward.

With the opening up of electronic media, opportunities to feature in sports event coverage on television meant he would meet cricketing greats like Raj Singh Dungarpur, Khalid Ansari and Omar Qureshi, who appeared in the TV programme, “That’s Cricket” anchored by Ravi Shastri. Interviewing Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Sardesai, Clive Lloyd, Mohinder Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar and several such cricketing legends was just part of the mass-media communication job that Bharat Savur took up on Doordarshan, the National TV channel in those early years, but the style of his writings made each piece live beyond its calling and stand out for its readers. Features about cricketing careers of Gavaskar, Dravid and Tendulkar as they fared bring back memories of the struggles and challenges Indian cricket faced in those days. Also featured is a piece about boxing champ, Muhammed Ali and how he changes the game that heavyweight boxing was, forever. Trust the author to stick to his wicket – as he ventures out of his crease to cover a piece on the ‘towering corruption’ at the TV Centre!

It is not only about just cricket, as the reader is treated to the classic piece “Amitabh Bacchan – The A to Z of being B” , the writer’s foray into Stardust land and a piece on AB’s look-alike Vijay Kumar Saxena, who banked upon this writer to introduce to the Real one – and have the meeting covered in the press to boot! All these wonderful experiences have been complemented by ‘Author’s notes’ which give great insights into how these features were produced and some interesting anecdotes about how his residential Society’s manager mistook Vijaykumar for Amitabh and the consequential favour Amitabh did once again for our journo, Bharat!

The book offers more varieties as the author covers subjects such as “Mumbopoly” a game of monopoly as adapted to the city of Mumbai and its inventors; a feature on the KEM hospital; a heart-tugging piece of the plight of children of slum-dwellers and how some social workers are tirelessly serving them for their betterment. You can never guess the journey will take you next, but you know you would be served with another amazing piece of experience - like the couple’s foray into fitness awareness and coaching, travelogues of their journey Kanyakumari and about houseboat stays in Kerala, as in Kashmir, until the path leads to Dharamsala, the abode of the Dalai Lama of Tibet!

Then there are some revelations like his contributions to ‘Debonair’, which were hidden from an adolescent sister on the insistence of his mother. His stint as deputy editor of the magazine and his earlier contributions revealed themselves much after his younger sibling had become a qualified doctor. There is also this amusing episode of Bharat introducing the first ‘Cri-fi' (Cricket Fiction, folks) with the production of “Sunny the Super-Sleuth”, a comic book series featuring Sunil Gavaskar as the hero amongst other known names in cricket featuring in it! Besides such interesting revelations, one can expect a liberal dose of humour and wit as the author narrates his experiences through his career path and inspires the reader to go and live one’s life, experience divinity and creativity and to make peace with oneself, in his last word.

Worth a read for all those, who relish shared experiences – especially produced from the heart.

The book, published by SHABD Publishing is widely available at several locations as below:

AT Mumbai

Kanara Saraswat Association Mumbai 13/1-Association Building, Talmakiwadi, J D Marg, -400007. Tel: 91-22-23802263; Email: editor@kanarasaraswat.in

Canara Union Office : 42, Canara Union Road (8th Main), Malleswaram, Bengaluru-560003. Tel: 91-80-23342625; Email: canaraunion@gmail.com, canaraunion_bgl@bsnl.in

Repro India Limited Mumbai : Marathe Udyog Bhavan,2nd floor, Appasaheb Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi, -400025. Tel: 91-22-24313256, 24313527

Granth Mumbai : H M House, 30 A/2, Juhu Tara Road, Santacruz W, -400049. Tel: 91-22-26609327, 26609337; Email: info.juhu@granth.com

Shree Book Centre Mumbai : 8 Kakad Industrial Estate, S Keer Marg, Off L J Road, Matunga W, -400016. Tel: 91-22-2437-7516, 24374559; Email: shreebk@vsnl.com

Strand Book Stall Mumbai :’Dhannur’, Sir P M Road, Fort, -400001. Tel: 91-22-22661994, 22661719 Email: shop@strandbookstall.com

V L Nayak Newspaper Agents and Booksellers : Station Rd, Khar W, Mumbai-400052. Tel: 91-22-26484082,64515450; Email: nayaksons@yahoo.co.in

Jyoti Kati Mumbai : A-18, Karnataka Buildings, Mogul Lane, Mahim, -400016. Tel: 91-22-24308031, 91-9699488567; Email: svkati@yahoo.com

Pramod Pandit Mumbai : A/3 Saraswat Coop Bldg, Kashibai Navrange Marg, Gamdevi, Grant Road, -400007. Tel: 9967701463, 91-22-23855062; Email: pramod1948@yahoo.com

AT Bengaluru

Strand Book Stall Bengaluru S 113-4, Manipal Centre, Dickenson Rd, -560042. Tel: 91-80-25580000, 3057761/2/3 Email: shop@strandbookstall.com

Anasuya Pandit Bengaluru : 201, Suryadarshan Apartments, 43, 8th Main Road, 14th Cross, Malleswaram, - 560003. Tel: 91-80-23347164, 91-8197571598; Email: pramod1948@yahoo.com

AT Pune

Shobha Mundkur, Pune :‘Induprabha’-Flat B, Ground floor, 13 Anand Niketan CHS, Karve Nagar, -411052. Tel: 91-9503059659 Email: mundkurshobha@gmail.com

A picture of the author, Bharat Savur below.
Pic Courtesy: Riti Menda.

Book Review - The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian

2012-10-29T23:13:00.001-07:00

Book Review – ‘The Bankster’ by Ravi Subramanian

About the author:

The author, Ravi Subramanian, has been known for his fiction novels based on life in corporate sector in India, particularly the banking and financial sector. Debuting with “If God was a Banker”, followed by ‘I Bought the Monk’s Ferrari’, ‘Devil in Pinstripes’ and the Economist Crossword Book Award winner, “The Incredible Banker” the author has now come out with his fifth book of fiction, ‘The Bankster’ which has been recently published by Rupa & Co.

About the book:

‘The Bankster’ is a fiction thriller – a whodunit kind of mystery of a series of murders that appear to be accidents or suicides. Who is behind these gruesome killings? No one has a clue. It takes an ex-employee turned press reporter, Karan Panjabi to link several stories being featured in the newspapers, to come up with the true motives and pin down the culprits and crack this intriguing case. Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) is a multinational banking corporation with a significant presence in India and employs smart and intelligent youngsters to grow in a competitive banking environment. As is commonly found in such large MNCs, there are several systems, checks and balances in place to prevent financial frauds of any kind. But can the pressure to perform better and achieve seemingly impossible targets that would fetch one lucrative incentives drive these young executives to overlook potential fraudsters from taking advantage of being close to some powerful higher ups?

Woven into the story is the plight of a resort owner who lost his son to the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy and thereby pledges to safeguard the residents of Devikulam, where the Government is a few months away from commissioning a nuclear plant for power generation. Although with good intent, his movement is hijacked by politicians and activists with ulterior motives who lend support to the cause. This finds the pure-hearted resort owner in the midst of a controversy! There is also this globe-trotter, who has been striking shady deals and indulging in nefarious activities in several countries under different names and passports.

The author has mastered the art of revealing just a wee-bit, perhaps lies and deceipt, while concealing a whole lot, perhaps the truth, in his story telling. The author has mastered the technique of “misdirection” – I am not referring to the subtitle of Jaspal Bhatti’s serials – I am referring to the technique adopted by magicians through which the viewer is misled craftily in order to divert his attention from the truth. Through these masterly strokes of crafty writing, the author has spun a web of deceit as have the perpetrators of crime and fraud in order to appear to be faultless and committed to the bank’s growth. As a result this whodunit turns out to be an un-put-down-able page-turner. The author has also banked on some latest technologies to crack the case that the ex-employee journo uses to access messages and images that were perhaps impossible only a few years ago!

While the book has a great international appeal, the heavy use of local language - interspersed in the conversations of the characters - could well be a negative aspect. But this does not prevent the author’s latest book from pitching the author closer to being considered the “John Grisham of Indian Banking” that he aspires to be known as. A fiction thriller set in recent times that proves to be a must read!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Blogger’s Post-Script: The book was provided free by Blogadda under its Book Review Program seeking this review post.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com . Participate now to get free books!

Ravi Subramanian's presence on website(s) and social networks

Website: http://www.ravisubramanian.in/index.asp

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Authorravisubramanian

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SubramanianRavi

Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/authorravisubramanian

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/AuthorRavi

Book Review – The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

2012-09-17T02:43:00.001-07:00

Book Review – The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

The Krishna Key

Author: Ashwin Sanghi

Publisher: Westland

ISBN: 978-93-81626-68-9

Cover Price: Rs. 250/-

Pp: 470 pages

Genre: Fiction Thriller

About the Author, Ashwin Sanghi

This is the third book by Ashwin Sanghi, the author who published his first book, “The Rozabal Line” under the pseudonym of ‘Shawn Haigins’, (incidentally an anagram of his name) and his second book under his own name, “Chanakya’s Chant” being a political fiction thriller based on the historical figure drawing parallels in his inimitable style that has become his hallmark in Indian literature. I have read and reviewed his second book. My Book Review of "Chanakya’s Chant" can be read here.

More information about the author here:

About the Book

“The Krishna Key” is a racy fictional account of a group of Indian academic scholars into varied fields such as history, archaeology, atomic research and deep sea exploration, who get associated into an alliance on account of a plan envisaged by, Anil Varshney, the one who apparently knew it all and wished to safeguard a secret uncovered by his explorative efforts from the clutches of vested interests. But in this world in pursuit of quick riches and rare artefacts, Anil Varshneya is found dead – bled to death due to a stab wound in his left foot caused by a surgical scalpel. The killer cares enough to leave behind a Sanskrit Shloka painted with the blood of the deceased and a mark stamped on his forehead – what would be a signature style for a series of killings of his trusted associates.

Ravi Mohan Saini finds himself in all these places leaving his biological imprints like fingerprints and stuff at the scene of the crime and becomes a prime suspect in the eyes of the police. Ravi now dodges the police, apparently with the help of his doctoral student, Priya and her father’s connections in the legal and police establishments only to walk into another scene of crime! What are these killers seeking and what do the mysterious seals given by Anil Varshney to each of his four friends lead to? Ravi has to his aid several clues in the form of shlokas and messages - all encoded by weird word play by the first-killed victim Anil which he now attempts to crack. But each of the clues point to several possibilities!

Several conversations amongst the characters, about the possibilities of the secret key proving the existence of nuclear weapons in times of Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the enactment of the Mahabharata enthrall the reader all along. The mysterious and magnificent Kailash – whether manmade or just a natural wonder, the existence of Dwarka, the city built by Krishna off the coast of Gujarat being proved by archaeological explorations all play a part in the intriguing mystery at hand. The plot is quite complex with smugglers and crooked police officials pitching in the search for something that could potentially mean riches to be made!

But does the trail really lead to the riches as the money-obsessed world today knows it? Or do the clues lead to a better understanding of values and the philosophies as preached by Krishna when he narrated the Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna? Do read this book to enjoy the mysteries, the potential possibilities as they present themselves and take the reader through monumental and historical exploration into the stories of the past. Stories that seem so real as one reads them. One ends up wondering which part of the book is really the fiction and which the fact? Incidentally, Krishna tells the story of his life on earth in a parallel tale running 108 chapters as the modern tale of pursuit of the ‘secret’ behind The Krishna Key unfolds before the reader.

The author has woven an intricately complex story into an un-put-down-able thriller that binds the reader unto the end. The narrative has been enriched with symbolisms, imagery and references from ancient Vedas, historical texts of other religions and cultures across the globe, research findings of experts - all in an effort to analyze the possibilities before narrowing down on the probable answers. The various sources of the material researched and referred to in the book has been duly acknowledged in a listing provided at the end of the book. Ashwin Sanghvi, with this book proves to be a worthy contender to be considered as the Indian equivalent of Dan Brown!

All in all, “The Krishna Key” is a must read – and certainly the best by this author so far!

Rating 5/5

Blogger’s Post-Script: The book was provided free by Blogadda under its Book Review Program seeking this review post. This blogger is pleased at the new crop of books based on Indian Mythology written in a “sugar-coated” modern form of story telling by authors such as Ashwin Sanghi, Amish Tripathi and Devdutt Pattanaik and hopes that the trend is here , not just to stay, but to build into a crescendo!

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

My Latest Best Blogposts

2012-08-23T23:28:00.002-07:00

Dear Readers,

For the benefit of some newcomers to my blog, I am posting links to some of my best posts here.
Those of you who have been reading my posts may wish to read some of them again?!

Humorous Blogposts

'Apps'solutely Wonderful Event

From Apps-fixation to Apps-phyxiation

Anna-lysing the Situation

This ophi-whatever!

My latest perkytweets

The Mis-interpretation of lucid dreams

My Paulished ArTicKle

More Perky Tweets

Language Posts

Now you too can Palinate!

IWOTY 2011

And finally my old best blogpost list is here:

My earlier Best Blogpost list

Let me now resist from the temptation to post all my posts here!

Do read them and leave a comment / feedback in the individual posts please!

(c) Gopinath Mavinkurve

'Apps'olutely Wonderful Event!

2012-08-19T23:28:00.002-07:00

In my last post, this technologically-challenged blogger had described how one had been apps-fixated due to the charm of the enticing smartphones  finally resulting in my ‘apps-phyxiation’. If you haven’t read about this please do so before (or after) reading this post about my amazing experience and learning at the NokiaAppTasting event organized by Indiblogger, who turned 5 recently!

Blog aggregating platforms like Indiblogger are doing a great job trying to bring bloggers together! It is another matter that what may have really attracted us bloggers to the event could really be the wine, hors-de-ouvres and a good spread of delicious dishes that would be served ...

So when bloggers were asked are you a foodie or a techie, most of the participants admitted to being a foodie. A “foodie” to us Indians is hardly ever knowing much about the food or cuisines but just loving to eat anything on offer, as Vikas Khanna of the Masterchef fame learnt when he posed some tough questions to quiz participants at the event. Vikas, we learn is the “hottest” in US Kitchens after baking oven - and the tawa and bhatti he has taken to the US culinary landscape.

Apparently, Rajiv Makhni, the popular anchor of the TV shows ‘Cell Guru’, 'Gadget Guru' and 'NewsNet 3.0' possesed an ‘inbuilt app’, which he used to identify whether participants were ‘foodies’ or techies’! So when Vikas’s left-handed jibe sought to know how Rajiv could do just that – he replied (unconvincingly though) that he could see it in their eyes. The truth, however was just a few inches below – right in the middle! The slim-fit Vikas further tested Rajiv’s inbuilt-app and asked him whether he was indeed a foodie or not – which caught Rajiv’s eyes looking elsewhere seeking answers. He could’ve tried out the sorting hat a-la-Harry Potter series, one thought!

The joie-de-vivre between these two achievers in their respective fields,, Rajiv Makhni and Vikas Khanna, was great - it kept the audience laughing all evening. Both were Amritsar-born and had made it big – a story one finds too often whether it is cricketers, Olympian medalists or TV celebrities who make it big from Tier III cities in India! The wine and starters kept coming to the table faster than the questions in the quiz – thanks to Nokia and Indiblogger – but the real treat was the apps showcased by Nokia. The ‘Nokia City Lens’ – a useful app which could tell you establishments like restaurants, hospitals, etc in any direction, the distance, its contact details, offers etc. could be a rage among youngsters! So also was Morfo, an app that morphed images with fun effects or the Charlie Chaplin like movie that one could produce faster than you could cook Maggie noodles!

Several great app ideas emerged from the participants – practical ones and some impractical ones (like mine) came forth. The one that could connect random folks for car-pooling was a great idea I thought - but the one took the prize was an app that could help young women to put together good qualities of their choice in a prospective partners/grooms - and another - that would allow Indians to vote from their smartphones won the contest prize.

Through one of the quiz questions, one learnt that Vikas had served the POTUS (President of the US) with a Vada-Pav in honour of Mumbai! I wondered whether the dish was explained to the guests thus: “Spicy potato fritters stuffed in Indian bread – Mumbai style”? Vikas Khanna may have been disappointed with the answers to his quiz questions - especially the ones relating to Indian cuisine. But he was in for a surprise when the blind-folded soup-tasting contest yielded high scores! Just goes to prove that we Indian bloggers fare better when blind-folded, i guess?!?

For me, it was an occasion to meet fellow-bloggers and twitter friends, who had been interacting online for several years, but had never met in person before. It was the most important reason why I made it to this one, my first bloggers’ meet! That is what I told them at dinner with my mouth stuffed like never before as I left the venue with the complimentary T-shirt from Nokia and Indiblogger! (Nokia and Indiblogger - Thanks for everything).

And just in case they did not get what I was saying at dinner at this event – I thought I would post this here.

Ok – not really – it is for the Nokia Pureview prize for the best post about the event, really!

So if Indiblogger goes:     Who? Who?? Who??? Who????
I would go:                      Me! Me!! Me!!! Meeee!!!!

Apps-fixation to Apps-phyxiation!

2012-08-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

Having been fortunate enough to have landed a job in a progressive manufacturing organization that opted for computerization quite early in my career, it would seem strange to find oneself struggling to cope with features of the smart phone. My early tech-savviness may have helped me to learn how to use the features offered by the early versions of the cell phones, but “smart phones” are highly evolved species, I guess. I avoided the touch-screen variety and settled for the simplest form masquerading as a ‘smartphone’. It comes with a QWERTY-keypad and is the most affordable one available in the marketplace – just so that I can keep a tab on my emails to perform my professional duties. But this ‘smart’ move turned out to be the last ‘smart’ thing i ever did on my own – apparently.

Thereafter, my smartphone took over my mind and life - it decided all that I would do or would not. Can’t blame one’s spouse for the envy and hatred, can you? Smart phones possess all the qualities that are necessary to capture the owner’s attention all day - a worthy candidate of being the “Woh” in a potential remake of the old Hindi movie “Pati, Patni aur Woh”! Unlike the earlier mobiles I had purchased, this one was pre-loaded with some ‘apps’! Apps is short for ‘applications’, for the uninitiated. Basically, they are attractive looking icons that are extremely seductive – you end up clicking on these icons and believing that they will do wonders for you! One small problem: one doesn’t exactly know what they do!?! Several hours were spent exploring the features that came with the phone –but there still are several icons that one has yet to figure out the purpose or utility of, even to this day. I tried looking for a book titled “How to use a smartphone for dummies” - but to no avail.

The GPS app meant for navigation was the first to catch my fancy. On my way to office, I tried it out – and was amazed at the results! I would never be lost, I told myself! Until a business meeting scheduled at an unknown location really tested the app – “Darn! If only I had asked the corner paanwala for directions”, I muttered to myself as I rushed in over half an hour late! That did not discourage me to make the ‘smart’ gadget work wonders for me – I had to catch up with my friends and colleagues who were way ahead with their gizmos. I began reading articles in newspapers, magazines and websites about the wonderful apps that could tell me where to go if I craved for a Japanese sushi or a Mediterranean meal in Mumbai or the closest place i could have a sauna – all of which never really need!

Soon enough, I was apps-fixated! Newspaper supplements featured reviews of various apps, like book and film reviews - that could drive away mosquitoes; one that puts one to sleep; can monitor your morning walk; suggest you a better posture to avoid back pain and also claim to read minds! My search for the ‘app’ of my eyes led me to hours of online surfing on online stores of my mobile phone manufacturer and service provider. The result - a big fat bill for the first month! I didn’t need an app to tell me my heart had skipped some beats on seeing the damage to my finances!

A quick trip to the service center revealed that I had not got the “right data package” for my (rising) surfing needs, so one had to subscribe to a suitable data package to handle heavier downloads! That done, one was ready to surf the web again without worry of high bills, one thought! I began posting tweets and updated my FB status from my new smartphone – but soon, mysterious pop-up messages kept popping up! “Try highly rated apps?”

Not willing to be out-smarted by these new smart devices, I hurriedly clicked “No” each time it appeared. But who was I to take these decisions? My trusted ‘smartphone’ always did that for me, having completely surrendered to it, isn’t it? Within minutes, I got an SMS: “Thank you for downloading Top Ten Android games, you have been charged Rs. 99/- for the same”. But I had not requested for any games download - and did not know what to do! Was there an app to tell me what I should do should an unrequested download be forced down my throat? Over the weekend I received several dozen SMSes “thanking” me for downloading games, puzzles, online-tutorials, matrimonial services, marriage counseling advice, career guidance tips, astrologer’s advice, numerologist’s suggestions, IQ/EQ tests, stock tips – all of which I did not seek - nor order – and certainly did not intend to pay for!

Then it dawned on me: My smart-phone works for my service provider! I switched off my smartphone - I sensed that I was completely apps-phyxiated – a feeling of suffocation caused by apps! But had to switch it on again for I could not live without it either! I sent out SOS messages to my friends on WhatsApp – the latest addicting messaging service only to be advised more apps! An imaginary ad flashed through my mind: That of aged-looking Ranbir Kapoor look-alike serving me an exotic dish at a café, that I had not ordered at all and coming with a hefty bill for it! I rushed to the service providers “gallery” with only one last request: “Could I please have just this one final app : ‘ShutApp’?!” - with the hope that it would shut all other apps with just one click and return my life back to me!

Blogger's Post-Script: After a brief period of "app-detox" forced upon me by my service provider's malfunction, I am back to my mobile-surfing in moderation. The invitation from Indiblogger to participate in an app-tasting event is too tempting to resist! Hope to see you all there!

Parting Shot: Mamata Bannerjee is the latest to have an app custom-made for herself: It's called "Spot-the- Maoist" app!

SMJ - A Bitter Pill for Docs!

2012-06-03T04:00:00.002-07:00

Some years ago, a colleague mentioned to us, that both the print and electronic media largely focused on the negative aspects of our life and society in general and that there was a need for some newspaper or channel to feature only good, positive stories. Picking on these cues, some TV channels have begun featuring programs like ‘Positive India’ and ‘Real Heroes’. The website “The Better India” brings several positive stories on a regular basis. I love these features! These developments partially fulfill the wishes of our old colleague who would like to read positive stories happening around us.

When we read these stories, we find that standing up against our societal norms to bring about the much-needed changes in our society is not an easy task. These heroes have to struggle against all the odds and hurdles that the high and mighty throw at them. Several hardships have to be endured to bring about these change in the mindset of people before they get their success. With the growing trend in reality TV shows, would then one want another show to bring into focus our weakness, drawbacks, idiosyncrasies, the strange remnants of our past mores? Yet Aamir Khan’s ‘Satyameva Jayate’ does just that – but with a purpose – to unshackle the Indian minds of our stereotyped preset response to all our problems - by perpetually being in denial!
Although the reality show ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (SMJ) has been lauded for its efforts to bring to the fore such perverse anti-social and criminal practices as female foeticide, child sex abuse and dowry harassments in its first three episodes, the fourth episode which dwelt on the subject of ‘intentional malpractices’ of doctors seems to have ruffled the feathers of the medical fraternity. So we have an issue at hand with the 4th episode of SMJ! Reportedly, the doctors are up in arms (albeit without their scalpels) to protest against ‘the manner in which the show has painted all doctors with the same brush and tarnished their image’. Some doctors have also raised several questions about the veracity of facts presented in the show. This post does not wish to go into the correctness of the information, but to dwell about the main allegation cited above.

So has Aamir really painted all doctors with the same brush and tarnished their image?

Aamir had been careful enough to mention the following:

1. The show is not about medical negligence – everybody makes mistakes and this episode will not bring out any case about the harm caused due to medical negligence.

2. The show is only about bad intent.

3. There are doctors who do good service and do not indulge in any malpractices nor do phenomenal work in the interest of the society.

4. The aggrieved patients on the show are fighting legal battles and being subjudice, the show does not intend to influence the court proceedings.

5. Dr. Devi Shetty has been honoured for his innovative scheme for the poor in the show.

In view of the above, how then, one wonders, does the 4th episode be said to ‘paint all doctors with the same brush and tarnish their image’?

If the medical fraternity wants to come clean on the ‘cut system’ from specialists, diagnostic centres and pharma companies, several measures need to be taken by them collectively before they can prove or disprove this allegation! Dr Devi Shetty, when asked about this malpractice says “There is no denying this, but it is not rampant as yet, and before it becomes rampant, measures should be taken”.

There are several measures like spreading the awareness about generic medicines that the medical associations can undertake for the benefit of the public at large. There is very little information on this subject now! Why don’t the public at large know why the generic drugs are not prescribed and only branded medicine are?! There may be issues involved, but is it not for the same bodies that came up in arms to help the public understand the subject better?

Instead of cracking down on malpractices in medical education, can we continue to live in denial of these facts and continue to make medical practice a business due to the steep amounts to be invested upfront than ever before! Is it not time to clean up the Augean stables – or is it already too late?

This post began with these questions in my mind – Why do we focus on negative aspects of our society and not the positives? Why do we need another reality show that brings out our dirty linen in a TV show that enters our living rooms every Sunday? Why don’t we only read/listen about the good positive developments and not about the tragic, sad stories?

And the answer lies in this – That we live in denial, disown our shortcomings and would love to believe that all is well, push our troubles under the carpet and hope they vanish without so much as having to deal with it.

Many say what SMJ tells us is nothing new - but the fact is that reality shows like SMJ bring them out for us to ponder, compelling us to rethink and correct ourselves.

SMJ episode 4 proved to be a bitter pill for the medical fraternity. Would it continue to live in denial or quickly realize that something needs to be done to save the situation – have a hard look at whatever issues that really exist and deal with them with determination?

Only time will tell.

Blogger’s Post-script: One would have liked if two issues that face the general public great difficulties in respect of doctors -

1. Why do all doctors take holidays on Sundays? Where does one go if an illness comes a-calling on this day of rest and recuperation? Can some doctor be available in every region (in turns) or they can observe different days off so someone is available?

2. Why do doctors refuse house visits, even for ailing Senior Citizens, who can’t come to their dispensaries?

Pain Killers needed

2012-05-26T00:26:00.004-07:00

Many years ago, a close friend’s father complained of unbearable pain in the lower back region, that needed medical treatment. His family doctor advised him to see a neurosurgeon and hinted at a possible surgery that could mitigate his pain. When I recommended him to talk to a neurosurgeon I knew, he readily agreed to consult him. This neurosurgeon went through his X-Ray and Scan reports and advised him against any surgery! “If you do undergo this operation your lower-back pain will go. But chances are that you may develop pain higher up your spine after the surgery. You also face risks associated with any surgery and here we are talking about neuro-surgery!”

So, for my friend’s dad, it was back to physiotherapy, painkillers and oodles of prayers!

Economic experts talk today like that neurosurgeon did several years ago. Spiralling inflation, the Rupee falling, lower growth rates, no investors coming to India, no jobs for youngsters - we have more pains than one can ever imagine! If you don’t like the hike in the petrol prices, who do you think pays for the import bill, if the petrol prices aren’t hiked? Taxpayers! And that includes Income Tax payers and those that (fortunately or unfortunately) don’t have to pay Income Tax. Because those that who don’t have to pay Income Tax have to pay all the Indirect Taxes – Excise Duty, VAT/Sales Tax, Entertainment Tax, Octroi, Customs Duties on all goods that are purchased by us folks.

Some years ago, when a fellow-blogger and old friend invited me for a long drive to meet up some interesting folks, he broached the topic about why the Government controls Petrol prices? “Why subsidize the rich – just allow market forces to determine the price of petrol and if they can afford it they will drive their gas guzzlers and if they don’t, junk ‘em! Do you know the more we drive around and consume petrol the more benefits we get from the heavily subsidized petrol prices?”

The Government apparently was planning this - to decontrol Petrol prices – which they seemingly did some years later. Seemingly, because the Oil Marketing companies cannot just raise the prices – the telephone caller at the other end (read: Petroleum Minister) ought to give consent. But what options does the Government have? If the prices are not increased, the OMCs will take a hit. If the duties are reduced the fiscal deficit of the Govt. will increase. If the fiscal deficit increases, the Rupee will fall further. Investors will avoid coming to India… Gosh! My friend’s dad was certainly in better shape!

“So where do you want your pain?” is the question the Government is asking us all.
The power of Democracy - you get to choose!

And whatever your answer is, the pain will only increase unless the Government curtails its wasteful spending and have a re-look at its subsidies and its beneficiaries. Unlike the Surgeon (who had not been the cause of the pain), the Government in this instance IS the cause of the economic pains – ill-conceived Yojanas, badly-monitored disbursements of government goodies, inaction against misuse of MNREGA funds and wide-scale looting activities, employing an army of inefficient government workers AND several such black holes in our government schemes. These ARE the cause of the pain.

And since people have already lost hopes that the Government will indeed act - or act in our interest if it at all acts, we find ourselves sending SMS jokes about petrol price hikes - maybe to put back the smile on our long faces. And the UPA-II government thinks we are happy about them completing 3 years of its term!

Blogger's Post-Script: Some of us are also happy and smiling because we have bought a diesel car and not a petrol one! Take that! So why crib about Government policies - just learn to use it to your advantage. And keep smiling!

Free Speech - Don't ban bans!

2012-05-19T07:58:00.001-07:00

Some people in our country believe in free speech.

Well, I would prefer to be paid.

Jokes apart, free speech is important. How good an idea would it be to keep our thoughts to ourselves and not express them? So we have many amongst us sharing our thoughts with the rest of the world - some in text and some endowed with artistic abilities express it through their drawings and cartoons. RK Laxman’s cartoons in the Times of India was something I never missed reading ever since I was in school. If I knew what was happening in my world, it was perhaps because of my addiction to relish its daily offerings. If I don’t understand it, I would ask my grand-aunt, who brought me up, while my parents were away at work. From her I would know how this miniature piece of brushwork talked volumes of our lives and the times in which we lived!

My grand-aunt - I called her ‘Mami’ - would read all the editorials and opinion pieces and keep abreast of what was happening in our country. If at all she would get angry, it would be after she read these columns. She had not completed her matriculation, but had an opinion about everything that was happening around us! Oh wait - this post is not about her - it is about having an opinion and voicing it. Had it not been for the recent uproar in the Parliament about Shankar’s cartoon in the Textbooks, I would never have known that Shankar was the pioneer in the field of cartooning in the early years of India and not RK Laxman. I would also not have known that his cartoons, amongst others have made it to the textbooks in India!

I don’t know what contribution the communists have made for the betterment of our country, but I must thank them for all this uproar about a cartoon hitting at the slow progress in regard to the penning of India’s Constitution in Nehru’s time as early as in 2012! But wait – if you hear them out, it is that it featured in the Textbooks five years ago that they are upset about! What I am upset about is – why didn’t we celebrate this FIVE years ago? Cartoons in our textbooks was unthinkable! If some spirited folks have convinced the NCERT to feature several such cartoons in our textbooks, I think it is indeed a silent revolution in the field of education that desperately needs to change. Kudos to NCERT all those who made this possible.

I don’t really care if the ‘Snail cartoon’ stays or is pulled out from the textbooks due to the pressures from the easily offended sensibilities housed in narrow minds. What I am concerned about is whether the teachers to whom the students turn to (like I did my ‘Mami’), know so much about the context against which these cartoons were created in those days? Do young minds relate to the times that existed then? Could they draw parallels to those incidents with what is happening today or would they conclude that ‘nothing at all has changed’? Except, of course, the players in the game of politics?

There is a website which is appealing to the public to ban bans of all kinds! But those who want bans are only expressing their opinions and I don’t want them to voice their opinions to ban anything. I strongly oppose the move to ban bans! They are so very educative, entertaining and offer our people our moments of truth – of the true nature of our people. From what we want and what we don’t!

Blogger’s Post-Script: While the recent controversy brought the spotlight on humour, would it be possible that some of our humorous blogposts feature in a Textbook some day soon? OK maybe 50 years hence? Ok I cant forget that Snail!

Who is “in- Charge”. Me? No way!

2012-04-14T09:28:00.005-07:00

By Murlidhar Varier - A Guest post on my blog...

Ours is a typical middle class nuclear family where I am the eldest and supposed to be in charge.I am responsible for sizable slice of the monthly income. All decisions pertaining to finance (other than routine expenses) needs to have my nod also.

As a result, I found myself in a so called high pedestal, where any decision that mattered needed my approval. I was happy.

One day, on further analysis of the decision making process, I realized that I am only a paper tiger.

Sure, I gave my assent to the replacement of the mixer-grinder and a new set of vessels for our kitchen. We set out to buy them. The first sign and shock of “who is in charge” dawned on me when the selection of the mixer & vessels were done overruling my suggestion.

“You keep quiet” was the refrain.

The second salvo was fired when my spouse’s name appeared on all the vessels (with that ear piercing electric pen) as she looked nonchalantly at me.

On our way back she kept chiding me for not handling the package properly.
Once home, I wanted to have a feel of our new acquisition, and I promptly proceeded to unpack the grinder.

“Stop!” She shouted, “Don’t spoil it on day one.”

Having lost the plot I retreated out of the kitchen. On my way out I picked the plastic carry bag that housed the grinder, intending to use it for the old files that were to be consigned to the loft.

“What are you doing?” She looked at me and exclaimed! With the same look that one gives when somebody is caught red handed, stealing. I replied that I wanted the bags for my files.

“I will give you another one” she said and scurried out of sight for a few seconds.
When she returned she triumphantly extended a carry bag,( which seen better days and with one of its ears torn) towards me and before I could argue, she lifted her hand to indicate that the matter was closed.

The number of carry bags she has squirreled away over the years will put a mid- sized mall to shame.

The same story repeated itself when I picked up one of the new vessels for preparing tea, one day. It was promptly eased out of my hold and before I could gather my wits, the old one was thrust into my hands. I will tell you when to start using the new one she said.

That day was the last I saw of the new vessels, for many months, till one day one of the vessels appeared like cubs going out for the first time in a zoo, for public viewing.

I thought I would be better off with my son but then again my power was short lived.

My son wanted an expensive smart phone and we debated over it for months till I could mobilize enough money to buy it. There was nothing wrong with his existing phone, but since I did not get any expensive toys when I was a child, I agreed to buy one for him, reluctantly.

After a lot of research on specification and price the phone was ordered with great enthusiasm. On the day it was supposed to arrive by courier my son told me in no uncertain terms that my job was to accept the package and keep it safely till it arrives.

“Don’t even think of opening it”, he said. My spouse was included in that part of the instruction and I felt better.

I tried to reason that the box may not contain what we ordered and to this he said that seller had a 48 hour return policy.

Soon the phone arrives and disappears into his room. Occasionally he will hand it to me as if doing me a favour. The plastic bag will be claimed by the rightful owner, leaving me just the credit card bills. At least there I am still the boss.

I reconciled to the situation telling myself that, it is my love towards them that lets them get away with this outrageous behavior and I shudder to test the veracity of my claim.

Moral of this piece:

It does not matter if you are the eldest, or it is your money, you own the house, or you are physically stronger the power centre lies elsewhere.
If there are more stories like these please share them. We could also form an association of the “Powerless Powerful”.

About the Author:
Murlidhar Varier writes a column on personal finance matters in the Golden Glow magazine. This is his first attempt at humour. Best wishes and hoping to read more humour pieces in the days to come.

Blogger's Post-Script
The ArTicKles Blog would be pleased to feature more guest posts. Do send in your contributions to g_mavinkurve [AT] hotmail [DOT] com to feature in this blog.

Fire Drill Fiasco

2012-02-26T06:45:00.003-08:00

The recent incident in Bengaluru, in which a 25-year old woman, who lost her life in a mishap after having enthusiastically volunteered to participate in the mock fire drill organized by the local Fire Officer, shocked us! After watching the video-clip on a national television news channel, I tweeted thus:

@gopinathmm (me):
“ The B'luru Fire chief owes the people of India an explanation on the mock fire drill tragedy! Stupid execution, really - no net?”
@dhanyarajendran tweeted:
“Nalini lost her life for no reason! An eager citizen who wnted to participate in a mock drill! Who d hell were d firemen? Punish them

Many reacted strongly, demanding that the errant fire officer responsible for the accidental death of an eager citizen be sacked and some others said that it was a shameful incident for the Fire fighting squad in the city. Some even surmised that the rope that snapped may have been of lower quality due to the corrupt practices prevalent in public life.

Several questions come to mind in this regard:
1. Do even advanced countries have such fire drills in which an untrained volunteer is asked to descend to the ground from a higher floor using just a rope?
2. Would not such dangerous moves be demonstrated by Fire Brigade trained personnel first before asking volunteers to do it?
3. Has such an exercise been carried out before by any fire brigade in Bengaluru or any other city, successfully?
4. Wouldn’t the Fire Brigade use a rope ladder to descend in such a situation?
5. Wouldn’t there be a safety net in position below, in case the person slips during the mock drill?
6. Wouldn’t there be a written procedure and checklist to ensure that the rope is fastened properly to something firm (how firm is it?)-
7. What load the rope can carry/hold? Is the rope of adequate strength for the purpose?
8. Would it not have been better carried out from the first floor- rather than a higher floor? After all it was only a mock drill!

There might be more! I am sure these points will come up in the investigation that the Fire Chief at the helm of affairs would look into and set things in order.

The Fire Brigade personnel and officers are the real heroes in our society and have saved the lives of several citizens from imminent death in life-threatening situations, by risking their own lives. The kind of risks that the fire-fighting personnel face are un-imaginable and we owe it to them that they be equipped with proper fire-fighting gears that function when calamity comes calling! It is imperative therefore, that the best quality material is purchased without compromising standards

Needless to say, Corrupt practices compromising on quality are intolerable!

While mock drills are certainly needed, the manner in which they are conducted ought to be a well-thought out process, in which the demonstrators are well-trained in fire-fighting, evacuation skills before they are put on display before the general public! Personnel, that are well-trained to cope with emergecies, in offices, hospitals, malls, auditoriums and several such public places, are indeed the need of the hour. The AMRI hospital fire would have been better handled by their staff, had they been trained how to handle an evacuation by fire brigade officials.

More important is the aspect of prevention! How many public places are audited for safety? How many pass muster? Why don’t we make it mandatory for all public places to prominently display the latest safety audit reports/ratings for public information? Reports and ratings given honestly, of course! So that we know how safe we are when we enter them?

Would we be asking for too much?