Random Thoughts

Introducing Bridge To Beginners

2023-10-08T03:41:00.074-07:00

Introduction to How Bridge is Played

Bridge is a card game that combines skill, strategy, and teamwork. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and enjoyed by four players, divided into two teams (partnerships). Partners sit across each other.

Sitting Arrangement. Each player sits on one side of a 4 sided table. The sides are called North, South, East, West. North and South are partners, East and West are partners.

W E

The game is played in two main phases: the Bidding phase and the Table Play phase, each requiring distinct skills and tactics.

Bidding Phase: The goal of the Bidding phase is for the partners to agree on how many tricks they will make and what will be the trump (or if there will be no trump at all). The final bid is called the contract. Once the contract is determined, the Play phase begins.

In the Bidding phase, players use a system of bids (called convention) to communicate about their hands to their partners. There are many conventions played by millions of bridge lovers in the world but only few are popular. A convention between partners cannot be kept secret from their opponents. Hence their opponents also know what they are communicating. This includes details about the number of high-card points (Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks) they hold, as well as the distribution of their cards among the four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs). Bidding revolves around a few key elements:

Level: Players bid the number of tricks their partnership aims to win. Bids range from level 1 to 7, indicating the number of tricks they intend to win. Level 1 means 7 tricks and level 7 means all the13 tricks.

Trump or No Trump: Players specify a suit (spades, hearts, diamonds, or clubs) as the trump suit, or they bid "No Trump" if they intend to play without a designated trump suit.

Combined Strength: Players communicate the number of cards they have in a particular suit to help their partners gauge the strength and potential of their combined hands.

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Dealing the Cards: When four persons sit down to play, who deals the first deal?

Answer:

-When you are not playing a tournament: you cut for deal (take out a card from the pack (deck)). Highest card person deals. But what if more than one player have same highest cards, like two have Aces? Then Spades are higher than hearts which are higher than diamonds which are higher than clubs. This is called hierarchy of suits.

Note: This hierarchy is very important during the bidding phase.

Cards are dealt clock-wise, first card to the person sitting left of the dealer.

Etiquettes:
Traditionally two packs are used for playing bridge. While dealer is dealing with one, the partner shuffles the second pack and keeps it on her right side, ensuring that it is ready for the next dealer to deal. Dealer turn also comes clock-wise.

Licking thumb or fingers: Some people have the habit of licking their fingers or thumb to arrange or select a card. This is a strict NO NO.

-When you are playing a tournament: Players do not deal. An already dealt board with N,S,E,W (13 cards each) is given to players and who the dealer was is also mentioned there itself.

Importance of who the dealer is: The dealer gets the first chance to bid. Next bidder is the player on left of the dealer and so on, clock-wise. So if South is the dealer, he will make a call (bid) first, then West, then North, and then East and then South again and then West etc, till three players say pass consecutively.

Example of Bidding Process and Continuation to Play

Suppose North is the Dealer and players hold following cards:

North

♠K, ♥A Q 9 7 6 4 3, ♦6 4, ♣A 3 7

West East

♠A Q J 5 4, ♥10 5, ♦9 3 2, ♣ K 9 8 ♠9 7 6 3 2, ♥ , ♦A J 8 7 5, ♣ 10 4 2

South

♠10 8 ♥K J 8 2, ♦K Q 10, ♣ Q J 6 5

Note: This is just to show how bidding is done. It is not an example of any convention.

The bidding starts with North, and players take turns to make bids or pass. To pass you can say Pass or No Bid but whatever you choose to say, you have to say that consistently during the tournament. Here's how the bidding process might unfold:

North: "One Heart." It means heart is trump and they will have to make 7 tricks

East: "Pass." East does not have much of good cards.

South: "Two Hearts." South has good heart support with the King and Jack, so he raises the bid to "Two Hearts." Now they will have to make 8 tricks with heart as trumps

West: "Two Spades." He shows he has good spades suit and some other decent cards. If bidding stops here, East and West will have to make 8 tricks with spades as trumps.

North: "Four Hearts.". Based on biddings, North thinks they can make 10 tricks with hearts as trumps.

East: "Pass." .

South: "Pass." South also passes.

West: "Pass." West also passes, indicating they have no further interest in the bidding.

The final contract becomes "Four Hearts," with North-South as the declaring side, and they aim to win at least 10 tricks (the bid level plus 6). Hearts are the trump suit.

This example shows how players use bids to communicate about their hand strength, their preference for a particular suit, and their willingness to compete for the contract. Bidding is a dynamic process where partnerships work together to find the most advantageous contract based on the cards they hold. It requires careful consideration of not only your own hand but also your partner's and opponent's bids. Information inferred from opponents' bidding is also very useful during the play of cards.

In this example, because North first said Hearts, he becomes the "declarer", which means East will play the first card - called "opening lead" of the play. In this example, once East plays the first card, declarer's partner's (South in this example) cards come down on table for everyone to see. South becomes "Dummy" in this example.

The Dummy (south in this example) cannot in any way interfere in the play. Declarer (North in this example) alone has to plan how to make the 10 tricks and play the game.

In this example after South's cards have come down, a card from South will be played, then West and then North to complete the round. Whosoever wins the trick shall play first card of next round, As there are 13 cards in each hand to start with, there will be 13 rounds to make 13 tricks in one deal.

Note that you have to follow same suit as the lead (first card of the round), if you have that suit in your hand. If you do not have, then you can trump it or play from some other suit. Note: In a "No Trump" contract, there are no trumps.
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Concept of Game, Part Games, Scoring, Double, Redouble and Vulnerable

We have discussed Bidding and Playing phases of Bridge. So what happens after all the 13 cards of the hand are played? How do we know who is winning and who is losing after many deals?

This is where Scoring comes into picture.

When You Make the Contract:

Suppose you bid 1S or 1H and make it, you get 30 points. Similarly if you make 4S or 4H, you get 120 points. If you make 7S or 7H, you get 210 points.

But…

If you bid 1D or 1C and make it, you get only 20 points. If you make 5D or 5C, you get 100 points. If you make 7D or 7C, you get 140 points.

For this reason Spades and Hearts are called Major suits, while Diamonds and Clubs are called Minor.

There is a further twist in the tale. If you bid and make 1NT, you get 40 points. However for each additional trick you get 30 points only. So if you make 3NT, you get 100 points (40+30+30). A 7NT fetches 220 points, if made.

What if you bid 1 of a suit or NT, but make 8 tricks, meaning one more than required? This extra trick is called overtrick. You will get 70 or 60 or 40 total points depending on whether the contract was in NT, Major suit or Minor suit. However points will be split between what you had actually bid and overtricks.

There are more rules regarding scoring when you make the contract - will be discussed later.

When You Fail to Make the Contract:

When this happens they are called under tricks or simply “Short”. Supposing you bid 2NT but made only 6 tricks instead of required 8, you are 2 short (or you made two undertricks) and for that you give a penalty. In other words, instead of you, your opponents get points. How many - we will see details later.

Game: If you bid and make a contract worth 100 points or more, it is said that you have made a game. You get extra points for that as a bonus in tournaments (or if make the rubber in a rubber bridge). You are also called Vulnerable now. Therefore 3NT, 4S, 4H, 5D and 5C make a game in one shot. If you bid and make less than 100 points contract, you have only made a Part Game. Your two or more part games can make a game if they add up to 100 or more, provided your opponent has not made a game after your part games.

Double: Suppose your opponents say 2S, meaning 8 tricks with spade trump, but you feel they will not make it. You can say Double to double the penalties if they do not make it. Please note, if they make, they will get double the points (double of 2S is 4S) and make a game. There will also be a difference in case your opponents are vulnerable.

Redouble: if you double but your opponents are confident of making the contract, they can redouble. This will make their points 4 times of undoubled play if they make. Vulnerability will also make a difference regarding points in case they make or fail the contract.

This link gives details of scoring: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_scoring. There are some differences in rules for scoring in Duplicate Bridge and Rubber Bridge.

Duplicate Bridge is played in tournaments, while Rubber Bridge we play in homes and clubs.

2018-05-22T23:33:00.001-07:00

एक कहानी

एक बगीचे में बहुत से आम के पेड़ थे। उस बगीचे की देखरेख के लिए एक माली जो देखने में बड़ा सुन्दर व ईमानदार दिखता था, रख लिया गया। किन्तु उसने व उसके घरवालों ने बड़ी चालाकी से धीरे-धीरे आम के पेड़ो को काट कर उसकी लकड़ी बेच दी और बेच कर जो पैसा मिला वह भी हड़प लिया। बगीचे के मालिक और उसके बच्चों को पता ही न चला कि यह सब कब और कैसे हो गया। परन्तु एक दिन जब उनकी नींद खुली तो उन्होंने एक दूसरे माली को ढूंढना शुरू किया।

अब वह माली तो रहा नहीं था, उसके बच्चों ने जैसे उस बगीचे के ऊपर कब्ज़ा सा कर लिया था, हलाकि कानूनी तौर पे तो बगीचा उसके सही मालिकों के पास ही था। वो बच्चे बोले, "हमने बड़ी मेहनत करके इस बगीचे को संवारा है, हमें ही माली बने रहने दो। "

लेकिन बगीचे की हालत तो सबके सामने थी। कोई भी अब बगीचे की देखरेख के लिए उन बच्चों को माली के तौर पे नहीं रखना चाहता था। इस बीच एक और माली आया और उसने कहा कि वह बगीचे को फिर से हराभरा कर देगा व आम भी सबको फिर से मिलने लग जायेंगे। उसकी बातें सुन, बगीचे के मालिकों ने बगीचे के लिए उसे नए माली की नौकरी दे दी।

अब नए माली ने काम शुरू किया तो पहली मुश्किल यह पाई कि नए पौधों के लगाने से पहले उसे पुराने कटे हुए पेड़ों को जड़ से उखाड़ना था। जड़ें ज़मीन के नीचे बड़ी ज़ोर से जमी हुई थीं। उसे काफी समय लग गया इस काम में। इस बीच पुराने माली के बच्चों ने देखा कि नया माली सही दिशा में जा रहा है, तो वह घबरा गए। अभी तक तो वह सोच रहे थे कि नया माली कुछ कर नहीं पायेगा और कुछ दिनों बाद मालिक लोग फिर से उन्हें ही बगीचा वापस सौंप देंगे। परन्तु नए माली को सही दिशा में जाते देख उन्होंने बगीचे पे फिर से कब्ज़ा करने के लिए कुछ और हथकंडे इस्तेमाल करना शुरू कर दिए, जैसे शहर का कूड़ा करकट ला कर बगीचे के अंदर और बहार फेंकना, फाटक के बाहर अपनी गाड़ी खड़ी कर देना ताकि उखाड़ी हुई जड़ों को नया माली बगीचे के बहार ही न ले जा पाए, इत्यादि।

इन सब मुसीबतों के बावजूद माली अपना काम करता रहा। मालिक लोग भी देख रहे थे कि पुराने माली लोग क्या गन्दगी फैला रहे हैं। वो नए माली के काम करने के तरीके से काफी संतुष्ट नज़र आ रहे थे।

यह देख पुराने मालियों ने एक नया तरीका अपनाया। नए माली ने पुरानी जड़ों को काट कर आम के नए पौधे अभी लगाए ही थे कि पुराने माली लोग चिल्ला चिल्ला के कहने लगे,"देखो मालिक लोगों, आपका नया माली तो कह रहा था कि वह बगीचे को फिर से हराभरा कर देगा। वो यह भी कह रहा था कि आम फिर से मिलने लगेंगे। आप ही बताइये, क्या बगीचा हराभरा हो गया? क्या आम मिलने लगे?"

नए माली ने समझाया कि भाई फिर से हरियाली लाने और आम के पेड़ों को बड़ा होने ताकि वह फल देना शुरू कर पाए, में कुछ समय लगता है। किन्तु कुछ नासमझ मालिक पुराने मालियों के झाँसे में आ गए और वो भी पूछने लगे कि "आम कहाँ हैं?" यह देख नया माली थोड़ा दुखी भी हुआ कि यह कैसे मालिक हैं जो अपने सुन्दर बगीचे को बंजर होते हुए देखते रहे पर सालों चुप रहे और अब जब बगीचा फिर से ठीक होने की दिशा में जा रहा है तो सवाल कर रहे हैं!

और थोड़ी उसे खीज भी आई पराने मालियों पे कि वह कैसी अनर्गल बातें कर के मालिकों को उकसा रहे हैं। इसलिए उसने उन मालियों से बदला लेने की ठान ली। जहाँ कहीं भी वो पुराने माली किसी नयी नौकरी की तलाश में जाते, ये भी वहां पहुँच जाता और उनकी पोल खोल कर वह काम भी अपने हाथ में ले लेता।

धीरे धीरे नए माली को पुराने मालियों का काम छीनने और उनकी तिलमिलाहट देखने में बड़ा मज़ा आने लगा। बगीचे के मालिकों को भी इसमें मज़ा आता था, पर धीरे-धीरे उन्हें लगने लगा कि बगीचे में नए पौधों के लगने की रफ़्तार धीमी होती जा रही है। उन्हें यह एहसास हुआ कि नया माली पुराने मालियों से बदला लेने में इतना उलझ गया है कि अपने प्राथमिक कार्य, यानि बगीचे को फिर से हराभरा करना और आम के पेड़ों को लगाने से उसका ध्यान बट गया है। कई बार उन्हें यह भी लगा कि जिन निंदनीय हथकंडो का इस्तमाल पुराने माली करते थे जिनकी वजह से वे उनकी नज़रों से गिर गए थे, वही हथकंडे अब नया माली भी पुराने मालियों के खिलाफ इस्तेमाल करने लगा है। यह देख उन्हें कुछ अफ़सोस सा होने लगा। नए माली से उन्हें ऐसी आशा नहीं थी।

इधर नए माली को जितने समय के लिए ठेका दिया था, वह समय भी नज़दीक आने लगा। बगीचे का काम अभी पूरा नहीं हुआ था। अधिकतर मालिकों को मालूम था कि आम के पेड़ों में फल आने में समय लगता है, नया माली भी ठीक-ठाक काम कर रहा है, पर उन्हें नए माली का पुराने मालियों के साथ हर समय की तू-तू मैं -मैं भी अच्छी नहीं लग रही थी। वो सोचने लगे, क्या नए माली को फिर से ठेका दें? या पुराने मालियों को एक और मौका दें? वो शायद सुधर गए हों... ?

नया माली बार बार कहने लगा, मेरा ठेका इतने ही समय के लिए और बढ़ा दीजिये, फिर देखिएगा बगीचा!

पुराने माली वही पुरानी रट लगा रहे थे, "कहाँ हैं आम?"

और इन सबके बीच मालिक लोग असमंजन में....

आगे क्या होता है जानने के लिए बने रहिये हमारे साथ।

Was Nehru Worst Indian Prime Minister?

2017-08-17T02:08:00.000-07:00

We got our independence in 1947 and just after a short period of 15 years (winters of 1962) Prime Minister Nehru made a public address on All India Radio in which he stated "Freedom is in peril. Defend it with all your might." It was during China war.

So if we think about it in a dispassionate manner, what kind of governance did Nehru provide to the nation that our freedom was in danger in just 15 years, all over again?

Can there be any bigger crime by the person who is sitting at the helm of affairs of government, to let his country come close to enslavement? Judging him by this alone, Nehru should be judged as the worst PM of India so far.

Add to this his inept and disastrous handling of Tibet and Kashmir, Nehru further cements his position in this ignominious position.

Will our school books teach us the truth?

The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor Humiliation

2017-05-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

The recent participation of USA and Russia in Sino-Pak's corridor being built on land that belongs to India in POK, should open eyes of all Indians - there is no such thing as true friendship between nations in this world. Had Russia or USA been true friends of India, they would have raised objection to the corridor. They didn't because they know India can only talk, it cannot assert it's rights militarily or economically against the mighty China.

EVEN IF INDIA IS UPSET WITH US, WHAT CAN IT DO? This is the thinking of all nations, including so called friendly ones.

This brings home the point once again: when push comes to shove, Only Militarily Powerful Are Respected In This World. To be militarily powerful, you have to be an economic powerhouse first. But can India really become an economic powerhouse that can sustain continuous investment that is needed for becoming and remaining a militarily powerful country? All this and still remain a democracy?

Yes it can, but it is difficult.

If we look at democratic countries who are powerful too, we will notice they have low level of corruption in their day to day life. In these countries they do not have to bribe officials for registering their house. These countries do not indulge in quota system to get votes. Meritocracy rules these countries as per their laws. In India meritocracy comes after quotacracy, which itself is a form of government sponsored corruption. Yes, when deserving people are deprived in favour of less deserving people by law, the system is inherently corrupt.

Unless we become a corruption free government and society, we can forget about becoming an economic superpower and consequently military powerhouse. With current value system in our country, we should be ready to face even more such humiliations.

Modiji, Please Do Not Repeat Mistakes of Nehruji

2016-11-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Open Letter To PM Modi

Dear Modiji,

By demonetizing Rs. 500/- and Rs. 1000/- notes from 9th Nov 2016, in one stroke you have wiped out about 70-80% of black money (just a guesswork) from Indian economy.

In a manner of speaking we are back in late 1950s, when the amount of black money played marginal role in our economy.

If Nehruji had shown total intolerance towards dishonesty which had just started showing it's ugly head in early 50s among politicians and bureaucrats, had he nipped the bud of corruption ruthlessly right in the beginning, there would have been no historical speech at 8.00 pm IST on 8th November 2016. There would have been no necessity for that.

Now is the time Modiji to take next logical step and be ruthless with dishonest people - across all segments of society - starting with your own people first.

Modiji, you should not surround yourself with passively honest people who are honest themselves but do not enforce it down the line.

You need to surround yourself with people who hate dishonesty and make sure people working under them down the whole chain of hierarchy also are like that - people who cannot see corrupt people prospering.

If we miss this moment in history to stamp out corruption, the benefits of demonetizing will come to naught in just a few years.

If you do not act now, life will continue as usual, bribes will continue to be paid and taken and new mountains of black money will be generated in just few years once again.

Modiji, please do not repeat Nehruji mistake.

Modiji, the whole of India is with you in this fight against corruption. If you take the lead whatever some political pundits may say, BJP will be back in 2019 with thumping majority.

Kyunki yeh jo public hai woh sab janti hai, yeh jo public hai...

Jai Hind.

An Ordinary Citizen

Open Letter To Actors in Bollywood

2015-08-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

Bollywood Actors: Show Some Character And Refuse To Let A Convicted Rapist Touch You. This Is The Least You Can Do If You Truly Find Rape & Rapists Repulsive.

Do Not Welcome Them Back And Hug Them As If Nothing Happened.

Otherwise Don't Take A High Moral Ground If Unfortunately A Similar High Profile Case Occurs In Future. Words Don't Matter - Actions Do.

AIB: Is it our birthright to be vulgar in public domain?

2015-02-04T22:11:00.002-08:00

I received an appeal from a pro AIB person to sign a petition on change.org which claims, if we take all the frills away, that using foul, obscene and vulgar language publicly is one's birthright. Not just that, some are even calling it a bold attempt to new way of humour. My programmer's response to that is:

If shameless exposition of vulgarity = boldness then I = coward

Our previous generation did not stand up to corrupt practices in 1950s when graft in public life was at nascent stage. Today we can see what monstrous proportion this beast has taken.

If we allow space to such proponents of vulgarity in public life and not nip it in the bud right now, I wonder what our society would be like after 50 years. All in the name of "freedom of speech", "double standards", "hypocrisy" etc to make those of us in favour of decency, feel guilty.

Let's be clear about it, what one does in his or her own bedroom or what is acceptable language within a close circle of friends can never be the same in public domain. To claim it is hypocritical to differentiate between the two sets of behavior is itself hypocritical.

Open use of abusive and vulgar language in places where it was unthinkable few decades back has already become common. If you are sitting in a rickshaw and the traffic is not to the liking of rickshaw driver, today he is quite capable of using expletives without bothering to care whether its a male passenger sitting in his taxi or female. Not that using expletives in front of a male passenger is right, but you get the drift.

In fact things have come to such a passe that in certain circles if you express your dislike for foul language, you may be considered 'uncool'! If you object to language being used on a table next to yours, it could be you who is considered disruptive by the restaurant establishment!!

Yes, things are already bad. But to allow such a behaviour by law would be a shame. I hope our government will take the right steps to curb such behaviour in public domain and not get bogged down for fear of being labeled as 'moral policing'. It has nothing to do with morals and everything with maintaining decency in public life.

I hope those who believe in decency in public life, those who think there should be a Lakshman Rekha between public and private life, will stand up against the onslaught of vulgarity in public life and give open support to government officials who can enforce if needed.

Election Commission, Kejriwal and Bribe Statement

2015-01-28T08:09:00.001-08:00

Should Arvind Kejriwal now tell the electorate in his election rallies, "I agree with the EC, you should not take bribes when they are offered in cash or kind by our opponents, but please vote for AAP"?

A Day To Be Proud Of And Show Off !

2014-08-13T09:33:00.001-07:00

Yes sir, I am proud and WILL show off.

Today 5 names were announced for Fields Medal and Nevanlinna prize winners. Two of them are of Indian origin! Obviously I am proud!!

But there is more to it, and once I disclose what it is, you will yourself say that I have good reasons to SHOW OFF!!!

I am showing off because I am basking in the reflected glory of being connected to both in some manner!!

First, Manjul Bhargava, the winner of Fields Medal (considered Nobel Prize of mathematics), is my nephew! His mother Mira jiji is my first cousin. My mother and Dr. Purushottam Lal Bhargava (Manjul's grandfather, HOD of Sanskrit Department in Rajasthan University, Jaipur) were sister and brother. So yes, I have every reason to show off my nephew :-).

Now comes Subhash Khot. Of course unlike Manjul, I do not know him personally - but the fact that he and I are both from IIT (though he is from IIT/Bombay, and I from IIT/Kanpur), is enough for me to roam around like a proud peacock.

Here are the links to articles about them...

2014 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize Winners Announced

Khobragade Case: Visa Fraud Plus Arrest and Strip Search Are Two Separate Issues.

2014-01-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

Khobragade is coming back to India.

If she is innocent of any wrong doings, her running away from USA should be seen as lack of confidence by India in US system of justice. Therefore if US also shows lack of confidence in Indian system of justice (by 'evacuating' Sangeeta Richard family to USA), we should not raise such a hue and cry. On the other hand if she is guilty, she should at least be punished in India now - although punishment in USA was preferable for bringing shame to India. Rule of law - let it be seen to work.

Strip search is a separate issue. If strip search is not a norm in such cases and was performed solely to humiliate her then it should be taken as deliberate attempt to humiliate India. For this India should take a stand that educates USA suitably.

Let Sangeeta Richard not be forgotten in all this. We must know whether she was exploited or not. If Indian government wants, I am sure it can get to the truth. There must be plenty of witnesses to tell us as to what hours she was keeping and the type of work she was performing. Surely it is one of the easier things to do for many of our investigative agencies.

Devyani Khobragade's Arrest: Are Indians suffering from Animal Farm syndrome?

2013-12-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

I am not very clear what our (Indian's) main gripe is. Is it that 'an Indian woman' was subjected to strip search? Or is it that our diplomat who in our view should have enjoyed full diplomatic immunity, was arrested and handcuffed? My confusion is that I do not understand what our stand will be if some other Indian lady is arrested and strip searched as per the law of the US land. Is it a case of Animal Farm's famous line "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

Riots in poor villages and towns

2013-12-16T04:04:00.000-08:00

An interview of a young woman who seemed to be in her thirties, by NDTV, on the site where blankets were being distributed, revealed that she had lost 2 of her 6 children.
This probably gave me an insight into possible causes of the real problems which are simmering under the surface. These simmering problems need just an excuse to manifest themselves into such riots.
While it is necessary to apply ointment on the open wounds, unless we identify the root cause, a permanent cure is not possible.
In this case I was appalled to hear that this young woman already had six children. These days even middle class families try to have keep the number under three, if not just one. What's happening in our villages?

Where is the space in Uttar Pradesh to have six children in each family in a village or town or a city? Where are the resources for even passable parenting, forget good parenting, if a couple has six children? Do parents even have time (forget money) to teach their children on how to become a good citizen, if they produce six children (or more - this lady definitely seemed fit enough)? Won't teenagers of such families be simply loitering around? How can families keep producing children and expect the state (tax payers at the end) to provide for them?

There was a time when family planning was a given great push, for many years. "Hum Do, Hamare Do" was the slogan behind every state bus. What is happening now? Should not there be accountability to justify the funds being used under the banner of 'family welfare'?

During emergency Family Planning got a bad name and for good reason as some people in power went overboard and in order to reach the "quota", they became ruthless. But it does not mean that the concept itself is bad. In India we need to perpetually educate the masses about 'Family Planning' for next 100 years.

Popular keywords in Google

2013-12-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

I was doing some search on Google for keywords for my software solutions. I didn't find what I was looking for, but encountered a page which claims that following keywords are most costly:

The Top 10 costliest Keywords are:

Insurance: Most probably it must be for any type of insurance like car insurance or life insurance
Loans: Like insurance loans can also be multiple types: car loans, house loans, education loans
Mortgage: Loan and mortgages have close relationship. Many a times you mortgage something valuable to secure a loan.
Attorney: Nothing surprising as attorneys are likely to be involved at every stage. An attorney may be needed while mortgaging your property for a loan or even later if one is unable to repay a loan as per agreed terms.
Credit: Loan and Credit are one and same almost so nothing surprising that credit is searched so much also.
Lawyer: obviously lawyer and attorneys are interchangeable words for a common man. Professional lawmen of course differentiate between a lawyer and an attorney.
Donate: This seems unconnected to above. May be blood donation is researched. Or may be here donate may be just for sites where a software developer asks for donation for a free software
Degree: Not sure whether degree here is used for educational or legal purposes as the word degree is used in both
Hosting: Surely hosting is used in connection with web hosting. I can't think what else will make "hosting" a costly keyword.
Claim: Claim brings us back to top six keywords. Claims is a word used commonly in insurance, mortgages, court cases (hence attorneys and lawyers).

The next ten most expensive keywords were the following:

Conference Call: It shows people are looking for reducing cost of doing business. Conference calls can drastically reduce cost of travel. Conference calls save time and money.
Trading Software: Wow! This is interesting. Trading software being searched is a good omen for software developers! It also means that trading companies are actively looking for software to computerize their businesses
Recovery: I feel recovery here is more related to the top six keywords above than for recovery used in medicine or recovery word used for taking a broken car to garage.
Transfer: Not sure why transfer is so costly. What transfer? Call transfer in PBX? or transfer an officer from one city to another? Or transfer money?
Gas/Electricity: Gas and electricity, I guess people must be searching to find out, hot to reduce cost of. Both gas and electricity have become very costly of late.
Classes: The search for word classes may either be for education or programming like C+ or other object oriented programming languages
Rehab: The unfortunate widespread use of drug may be the reason why rehab is being searched.
Treatment: The word rehab above and treatment here definitely point to medical reasons of treatment of drug abuse and then rehab of patient.
Cord Blood: I have never heard of this term cord blood. But I guess it could be used in blood transfusion where a cord (tube) is used for blood transfusion.

Government & Corporate Corruption: Are they related?

2013-12-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

During a discussion a friend of mine opined that government and corporate corruption is not related. I beg to differ. Here, I am including public sector companies with 'government' and by corporate I am presuming privately owned companies was meant in the discussion.

If we only try to see a little beyond the obvious, we will notice the invisible link. Why would I pay bribe to the accounts department of a privately owned corporation to get my payment? The answer is that I wouldn't if there is a viable alternative. I would stop doing business with such a company. Period. And in most of the cases I would have had an alternative, had the government owned companies, "the Public Sector", worked honestly. For example, if the now defunct HEC Ranchi was run honestly, it would have given so much business to other companies that they wouldn't go to other privately owned suppliers. When that happened, the purchase department of private company would not have guts to ask for bribe to place an order. BHEL would have diversified and added family car manufacturing to it's portfolio. Vijay Deluxe (do you remember?) would have produced millions of scooters and people in 1960s-80s would not be waiting for 5 years to buy Bajaj Priya or pay Rs 10K premium for a 5k two wheeler. BEL would be dumping market with fingerprint, face recognition and other bio-metric instruments, ECIL (does it even exist now?) would be making big bucks with PC, Tablets and what nots. By honesty I do not mean just bribes. I mean doing the work they were actually supposed to do, honestly.
The word "Reforms" in industry has become almost synonymous with selling off of Public sector companies. Why have we not been able to run these great public sector companies profitably and innovatively? The lack of enthusiasm among public sector employees is because they are disgusted and demoralized with dishonesty at the topmost management level - who are inevitably hand in glove with corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. So yes, in my opinion, there is a strong connection between corruption in government and corporate world. Moreover, honest governance will create an environment where it will be very difficult for corrupt practices to prosper.

My point in the original discussion was this: we need not worry too much about the corruption in privately owned companies - the oxygen for corruption here comes from corruption in government. If the government is run honestly, the ills of corruption in privately owned corporations would go away almost on their own, automatically.

A Lesson In How To Create Favorable Statistics

2013-12-09T04:27:00.001-08:00

The anchor at Zee News channel is arguing that by not forming a government in Delhi, the top two parties BJP and AAP are (a) insulting the voters and (b) betraying the public which turned up to vote in huge numbers this time.

Therefore they are asking viewers to vote ZN A if you think that AAP should take the initiative to form a government or ZN B if you think BJP should do that.

Very conveniently they have ignored the NOTA option, where the viewer may actually feel that re-election is a better option. A re-election gives an opportunity to the electorate to come out of it's muddled thinking and give a clear mandate.

It seems for people working in Zee News, the assurance given by AAP before elections that, post elections, they will neither give nor seek support from others, has no meaning. Perhaps they are so much used to the politics of underhand dealings, it is beyond their comprehension that AAP could actually not be seeking power at any cost. In eyes of Zee news, it may actually be foolishness on part of AAP.

There is another possibility though. The Zee News staff may be banking on these political parties to indulge in some horse trading, which would create spicy news for them while sitting in the comforts of the studio. Without this, they will now have to go out and work for their salaries.

In any case, if you want numbers to show only what you want to see, do take lessons from Zee News. They are amazingly good at it.

Skand Bhargava
+971 50 6340258

Election Results & Mammohan Singh & Mr. India

2013-12-07T23:28:00.001-08:00

Spare a thought for our Prime Minister Sri Manmohan Singh. The Congress party has faced devastating defeat in Delhi and two more states. All TV channels are having a great time discussing victories and defeats of BJP, Congress and AAP. They are talking about and to Gahlot, Raje, Anna, Kejriwal, Rahul, Sonia, Raman Singh, Shivraj Singh and many other politicians. I mean so many different names are being thrown up, but the TV channels are not at all interested in bringing up the name of Sri Manmohan Singh, our Prime Minister!

I wonder how the PM is taking it. Is he happy that no one is holding him responsible for the Congress debacle? Or is he feeling totally humiliated for being totally ignored by media and his own party, what to say of other parties and general public.

Anil Kapoor played the role Chief Minister in the movie "Nayak". How I wish Sri Manmohan Singh had emulated him in real life. Unfortunately he chose to become Anil Kapoor of Mr. India

Regards,

Skand Bhargava
+971 50 6340258

Can We Justify Not Walking As NOT Cheating In Cricket?

2013-08-23T23:09:00.001-07:00

In billiards if you touch the cue ball while taking the aim, you will forfeit your chance by announcing that you touched it, even if the touch was so light that no one could notice it. Similar standards of honesty are expected of you in golf.

The rules are clear in cricket. If you hit the ball and a catch is taken cleanly, you are out. So if the umpire has not called a no ball and you can clearly see the catch being taken cleanly, shouldn't you walk?

Let's switch the subject.

You get only one lifetime to achieve something. But if in your country corruption is so high that unless you bribe every small to big official, nothing moves, should you be called a cheat if you also play along and bribe people to get started in your enterprise?

If in cricket the umpires mistakenly declare you 'out' when you are not, which may catastrophically result in your team losing or you being dropped from the team or even ruining your career for ever, should you still walk when the luck has played your way this time due to umpiring error?

I am sure everyone has his or her own opinion on this moral dilemma.

Spot Fixing in IPL: Shocked? No. Shamed? Yes, a bit.

2013-05-16T01:26:00.000-07:00

Why should I be shocked? A country whose "Leaders" are so corrupt, what else do you expect from the "Followers"? Shamed because when someone of your own is caught cheating, a sense of shame is natural. So if an international Indian player is caught in a spot fixing racket, it is natural that we feel a sense of shame. Not to worry, it will go away in a day or two...

Honesty & PM Manmohan Singh

2013-05-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Honesty is not just about taking or giving bribes. It is more to do with following your conscience about what is ethically correct. In that sense it saddens me to find my PM failing me, for he was one person who I held in high esteem before he became PM.

Who Is Responsible For The Rot That Is Set In India?

2013-04-22T01:17:00.000-07:00

Has Indian society suddenly become so rotten with rape cases being reported everyday ? Or was the rot set long back and only now it is being exposed more often? I believe latter is the case.

Simply put, we are a society of selfish people. Recent reported rapes are mere manifestation of these traits of ours. From childhood we are taught to take advantage of others by unfair means, as long as we do not get caught. Doesn't a rape fall into same category?

In schools, on lower classes, children are given projects to do. The purpose behind these projects is for the youngster to use his or her own imagination, resources and skills for self development. It is only fair that these projects are later evaluated and given some marks as well as exhibited.

But what really happens? In many (most?) cases it is the parents who do the projects.

It is evident that the project was not done by the student and yet these projects get higher marks and recognition in the class and school exhibitions. Why does this happen? It happens because the teachers are competing among themselves - whose class exhibition is "best"?! This, to impress the principal or head master or supervisor. Neither teachers nor the parents care if in this "match within a match", wrong values are being imparted to kids!

What do the young minds learn at that tender age?

1. Winning at any cost is ok, if you are not punished for wrong doing.

2. Teachers do not mind you cheating as long as it gives them some benefit.

We are creating young criminals who have lost any sense of fair play. When they grow up, they commit heinous crimes, sometimes in the knowledge that even if they are caught, they would get away by greasing the palm of authorities.

All this has been happening for decades now. It is an open secret that promotions and placements can be purchased in government departments by paying bribes to higher ups and politicians.

Therefore, while every rape case continues to horrify me, I would like to ask all those parents who completed project work for their children in schools and all those who purchased or sold promotions and favourable transfers through bribes, why should it surprise you? You are the ones who created these monsters – the rapists.

Zee News vs. Jindal - The Rs. 100 Crore Bribe Case

2012-11-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

Last week for a day or two, TV channels were going full steam into this alleged bribe case.

Then suddenly there was this deafening silence!

Corruption in business houses and media are not unheard of, but the players involved in this case were too high profile to be ignored within a day or two. So why this silence overnight? Has the media been muzzled, bought over or has just conspired to remain silent?

Badminton Association Forces Women Players To Wear Skirts

2011-04-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Seems outrageous to me that girls are being forced to wear skirt to bring in more glamour to badminton so that it becomes appealing to spectators! If this is not treating women as sex objects, then nothing is. What dress a player wears is her business, as long as it is not obscene and vulgar. She should wear the dress in which she feels most convenient, physically and mentally. Her thoughts should not be diverted to issues like "where is my skirt at the moment...got to take care of it..."

I find it highly objectionable that such a dress code is being imposed on girls by world body.

Skand Bhargava

http://www.softoolsme.com/chess

Revival of Indo-Pak Cricket Ties after June 2011?

2011-04-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

PCB is reporting that India may play cricket with Pakistan in Pakistan in near future. Considering Rana's confession that ISI was actively involved in 26/11 Mumbai attacks for which no one in Pakistan has been brought to justice, it seems a bit odd. I wonder how Indian public will view this. The other question is how keen Indian players would be to tour Pakistan after what happened to Sri Lankans. May be India will use this to force Pakistan's hand in bringing to justice people who had hand in 26/11 carnage.

Crown Prince To World Chess Throne Is Born

2011-04-14T01:21:00.000-07:00

Aruna and Viswanathan Anand have been blessed with a son. The heir apparent is here!

Tharoor's Resignation

2010-04-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Why should I be considered a simpleton just because I insist that politics can be simple too?

If Tharoor has committed a crime then just his resignation is not enough, he should be taken to court and prosecuted for betraying the oath he took when he was sworn in. If he has not, then those who forced him to resign should be taken to court for the same.

Who will pay for all those trips that this minister of state made visiting countries in line of duty round the world which have now come to nought?

Surely, there must be some law under Indian constitution that covers instances when an MP, MLA or a minister betrays the nation?