A cellphone rings in any given place, and a dozen hands reach out for the hip pocket. Hard to believe, but it wasn't always like this.
Just three short years ago, cellphones were still objects of desire for the young. Now, just about every 16 year old seems to have one. What happened?
Several things. Phone companies realized that latching onto the youth was the key to growing the subscriber base. Affordable prepaid cards were pushed aggressively, no thanks to competition from Reliance CDMA.
Rs 330 - which is the minimum monthly prepaid card- is no big deal for a working young adult. Or even the student with a part time job. But there's still a large population of teens entirely funded by parents. And Rs 7000 a year (taking into account airtime charges + a basic Rs 3000 handset) is money a middle class Indian householder usually thinks twice about.
So, how did a non essential expense suddenly become so much a part of life?
A conversation between parent and teen a couple of years ago would go something like this:
Teen: Mom, I need a cellphone.
Mom: I don't think so.
Teen: But Aparna has one
Mom: Aparna is a spoilt brat.
Teen: You have an excuse for everything.
Mom: Look I'll think about it, maybe next year.
Then, parent bumps into Aparna's mother at kitty party and there is a conversation about how there is 'so much peace of mind' now that beti (daughter) has a cellphone. "You know, it's so essential these days in case of an emergency. And so many times children get late from tuitions..."
Aha. There is now a perfectly rational reason to buy your kid a cellphone - without seeming like an over-indulgent parent or one who succumbed to peer pressure. It's not a luxury but a necessity.
The paradox of technology
Parents may feel a sense of security in knowing 'where their kids are', but the truth is - they have less idea than ever before. In simpler times, when you went to a friend's house for a sleepover you left your friend's telephone number behind.
In the cellphone era there's no way to tell where you really are. And when you don't want to be reached, you can always claim the signal was weak or you are out of network coverage. I'm not saying all teens use the cellphone to deceive their parents but many sure do.
Further, there is unprecedented privacy for the young person - especially girls from less liberal backgrounds. No longer can paranoid pappas vet all incoming calls and ask to know why such and such boy keeps calling.
The balance of power has shifted. Calls can be received after midnight on silent mode, with nobody the wiser for it.
It's happened before
Remember computers? Every parent thought he was investing in an important educational tool for his kid. The 'education' bit is true to the extent that merely being habituated to using a computer is an important skill in the job market today. But beyond that, were kids using the computer for essential school projects? Or was it primarily for internet surfing, email, chat, gaming - even accessing porn.
It took a combination of peer pressure ('everyone has one so my Raju should too') and rational argument (after all it is educational) which led to the computer becoming a fixture in every upper middle class household. And of course the drop in prices of computers/ availability of financing was another welcome factor.
I think this is a pattern now being seen in digicams. The average home user shoots 3-4 rolls a year which costs about Rs 1000 in film and processing charges. It will take a decade to recover the Rs 10,000 invested in the digital camera.
Yet, the purchase is usually justified by saying digicams are 'economical' to use - instead of outright admitting I-want-to-have-it-coz-its-so-cool.
Conclusion: If you're looking at the teen market - don't forget the parent. The right mix of (perceived) utility and value pricing is key to a new technology taking off in a big way.
Once the teen is a young adult with an independent income you can hope to sell the feature-rich, status-heavy stuff. But don't bet on it. There's a calculator of cost vs benefit still ticking away in the average Indian brain...
Showing posts with label Parallax View. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parallax View. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
IISc attack: A never-to-forget sad day for science
Army establishments.
National monuments.
Political figures.
These were the original terrorist targets.
But this didn't instill fear in the common man, so they started attacking places of worship, railway stations, cinemas, random marketplaces.
And then, they chose to attack a scientific establishment.
CNN IBN reported: An armed intruder opened fire at the Indian Institute of Science premises in Bangalore on December, 2005, killing former professor of IIT Delhi MC Puri and injuring four others. Intelligence sources said the attack might be linked to Abu Salem's presence in the city that time.
The intruder, came in an Ambassador car around 1845 hrs (IST) and started firing indiscriminately near the Tata Auditorium where a seminar, International Conference on Management Studies was being held. Professor Puri was among the 250 professors attending the seminar.
A symbolic target? Or just a soft and easy one. A kid who's just passed the KG level in terrorist training can be entrusted a rifle and let loose on such a campus. A campus where brain is at a much higher premium than brawn.
I mean, sure, there would have been some routine security checks at the gate but who seriously believed that a bunch of scientists gathered to discuss string theory or particle physics could be of interest to the Lashkar-e-Toiba?
Laymen envision all scientists as variations of Einstein. Unfortunately not all scientists are that photogenic - most look rather ordinary, and could have been working in State Bank of India except they dress shabbier and attend office on Sundays of their own free will.
Well, at least that's how scientists are. Which is also why the IISc shooting was something that was to be taken note of.
And of course people as usual asked : why was there no security? But although there was talk of scientific establishments being possible targets, army-like security was a little alien to the laid back culture on these campuses.
The question is: how many soft targets can you eliminate? How hard would it be to enter an IIT tomorrow and open fire at the crowd gathered ??
A terrorist attack is a terrorist attack be it on a military establishment or an educational institute. It is despicable. Terrorism has now become an industry and it is only flourishing with time. Innocent killings have to be deplored. The terrorists try to get targets that are vulnerable as well as something that will bring to their cause publicity. Sometimes the cause itself becomes a vested interest and is perpetuated without rationale.The cost is too high in terms of innocent lives snuffed out.
But looking at other side of the picture, it is not possible and even feasible to provide high security at all places. Not all the terror attacks that takes place in our country are religious in nature. The entire militancy in North-East, the MCC, the PWG...and to some extent LTTE was driven by various ideologies nothing to do with religion. And I condemn all of them, irrespective of any great ideal or religious reasons. Every movement starts with good ideals and intentions, but if the means are wrong (i.e. resortment to violence), they nevertheless degenarate to the levels we see today and finally hurt the same group which had espoused it in the first place.
Gandhiji was right! An eye for an eye will lead to the whole world becoming blind. If we trace down the issues to the grass roots, shouldn't we step up security at the points where people can come in? (Airports, seaports, borders etc). Our corrupt officials get bribes and let in people with fake passports, illegal documents and such illegal immigrants may end up being criminals. To top it all, I fail to understand, how some people who were born and brought up in our country, get conditioned by those illegal immigrants and are ready to bomb or attack people/places in our country? Shouldn't the country welfare be put before religion?
Why only the IISC, IITs and IIMs ..this holds true for any institution imparting education in India..Imagine tomorrow terrorists barging into a primary school...what would happen..Well the consequences will only be too grave to think off..We live in a very fickle world...we dont know what happens next and where ...
It's a fact that in the near future we'll have to live with this menace called Terrorism. And many more attacks to come. Unlike US or Isreal we are still caught with the our hands tied...Must we wait till we bleed to death...
The immediate reaction is to fortify places. But how many can we fortify and for how long? The next question in the mind is "why is it happening, how can we change this?" For a country with so many religions and tolerance record, how this ugly black pit called terrorism came to stay?
Mine is not a loney voice, there are so many out there , wondering helplessly. Can't we all join together and look for solutions at the grass root level? I am sure there are ways to curb these acts of hate. Shall we all explore together?
Because life is precious. More precious than any abstract ideology. Or concrete cause. Any motherland or fatherland. Any zid, jehad or junoon.
National monuments.
Political figures.
These were the original terrorist targets.
But this didn't instill fear in the common man, so they started attacking places of worship, railway stations, cinemas, random marketplaces.
And then, they chose to attack a scientific establishment.
CNN IBN reported: An armed intruder opened fire at the Indian Institute of Science premises in Bangalore on December, 2005, killing former professor of IIT Delhi MC Puri and injuring four others. Intelligence sources said the attack might be linked to Abu Salem's presence in the city that time.
The intruder, came in an Ambassador car around 1845 hrs (IST) and started firing indiscriminately near the Tata Auditorium where a seminar, International Conference on Management Studies was being held. Professor Puri was among the 250 professors attending the seminar.
A symbolic target? Or just a soft and easy one. A kid who's just passed the KG level in terrorist training can be entrusted a rifle and let loose on such a campus. A campus where brain is at a much higher premium than brawn.
I mean, sure, there would have been some routine security checks at the gate but who seriously believed that a bunch of scientists gathered to discuss string theory or particle physics could be of interest to the Lashkar-e-Toiba?
Laymen envision all scientists as variations of Einstein. Unfortunately not all scientists are that photogenic - most look rather ordinary, and could have been working in State Bank of India except they dress shabbier and attend office on Sundays of their own free will.
Well, at least that's how scientists are. Which is also why the IISc shooting was something that was to be taken note of.
And of course people as usual asked : why was there no security? But although there was talk of scientific establishments being possible targets, army-like security was a little alien to the laid back culture on these campuses.
The question is: how many soft targets can you eliminate? How hard would it be to enter an IIT tomorrow and open fire at the crowd gathered ??
A terrorist attack is a terrorist attack be it on a military establishment or an educational institute. It is despicable. Terrorism has now become an industry and it is only flourishing with time. Innocent killings have to be deplored. The terrorists try to get targets that are vulnerable as well as something that will bring to their cause publicity. Sometimes the cause itself becomes a vested interest and is perpetuated without rationale.The cost is too high in terms of innocent lives snuffed out.
But looking at other side of the picture, it is not possible and even feasible to provide high security at all places. Not all the terror attacks that takes place in our country are religious in nature. The entire militancy in North-East, the MCC, the PWG...and to some extent LTTE was driven by various ideologies nothing to do with religion. And I condemn all of them, irrespective of any great ideal or religious reasons. Every movement starts with good ideals and intentions, but if the means are wrong (i.e. resortment to violence), they nevertheless degenarate to the levels we see today and finally hurt the same group which had espoused it in the first place.
Gandhiji was right! An eye for an eye will lead to the whole world becoming blind. If we trace down the issues to the grass roots, shouldn't we step up security at the points where people can come in? (Airports, seaports, borders etc). Our corrupt officials get bribes and let in people with fake passports, illegal documents and such illegal immigrants may end up being criminals. To top it all, I fail to understand, how some people who were born and brought up in our country, get conditioned by those illegal immigrants and are ready to bomb or attack people/places in our country? Shouldn't the country welfare be put before religion?
Why only the IISC, IITs and IIMs ..this holds true for any institution imparting education in India..Imagine tomorrow terrorists barging into a primary school...what would happen..Well the consequences will only be too grave to think off..We live in a very fickle world...we dont know what happens next and where ...
It's a fact that in the near future we'll have to live with this menace called Terrorism. And many more attacks to come. Unlike US or Isreal we are still caught with the our hands tied...Must we wait till we bleed to death...
The immediate reaction is to fortify places. But how many can we fortify and for how long? The next question in the mind is "why is it happening, how can we change this?" For a country with so many religions and tolerance record, how this ugly black pit called terrorism came to stay?
Mine is not a loney voice, there are so many out there , wondering helplessly. Can't we all join together and look for solutions at the grass root level? I am sure there are ways to curb these acts of hate. Shall we all explore together?
Because life is precious. More precious than any abstract ideology. Or concrete cause. Any motherland or fatherland. Any zid, jehad or junoon.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The 'person' of the year problem
It's that time of the year again when we look back at the 'year that was.' And agonise over who might be worthy of the title: 'Person of the Year'.
Time magazine - the guys who invented the concept - just chose U2's Bono, along with Bill Gates and his wife Melinda.
"For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow," were the reasons given by the magazine .
One of the other 'persons' who made it to the shortlist was Mother Nature. In light of the tsunami, earthquakes, Katrina and other unusual natural phenomena shaking our world, a strong case indeed. But not one providing any inspiration or hope. You can't tame nature, can you?
But you can celebrate the good being done by mere mortals. Especially those who 'are not the people you expect to come to the rescue'. As the essay accompanying the mugshots elaborates:
Rock stars are designed to be shiny, shallow creatures, furloughed from reality for all time. Billionaires are even more removed, nestled atop fantastic wealth where they never again have to place their own calls or defrost dinner or fly commercial. So Bono spends several thousand dollars at a restaurant for a nice Pinot Noir, and Bill Gates, the great predator of the Internet age, has a trampoline room in his $100 million house.
It makes you think that if these guys can decide to make it their mission to save the world, partner with people they would never otherwise meet, care about causes that are not sexy or dignified in the ways that celebrities normally require, then no one really has a good excuse anymore for just staying on the sidelines and watching.
Offbeat choice but eloquent justification. I buy it!
'Surprise'!
Once upon a time, the Economic Times also announced its 'Person of the Year'. No, not Manmohan Singh or the Ambanis or any of the usual suspects. It was Abhishek Bachchan.
Granted, a pink paper does not have to select a businessman to 'capture the new spirit of confidence that's emerging across India Inc. and represent the spirit'. But the connect they've tried to make between Aby's career and Indian business is well, not that convincing.
"So, why is he on top of the heap these days? Because he worked at it. And that is our connection with the confident new India. None of these companies had it easy (care to elaborate "which companies?"), they faced competition and hurdles ("doesn't every company, and every individual?"), both nationally and internationally, and had to overcome their small-town image ("maybe in the year 2000! With India now the acknowledged hub for IT and outsourcing... what are they talking about??)
This part is more well reasoned.
"An Indian company becoming a global leader? AB Baby becoming a hot stud? Yet it's happened. With some luck and a lot more professionalism, hard work and sheer grit..."
Very true but 'hard work' and 'grit' are such boring cliches. Isn't it also about being in the right place at the right time? A number of factors have come together to script the 'emerging India story'. A youthful demographic, burgeoning middle class, low-cost worker advantage etc etc.
Same is the case with AB Jr. Shahrukh turned 45 this year. India needed a hot new, 'youth' star. Aby finally started working with better film makers. And he decided not to shave.
The star's success was born out of working with the right people and the right projects. Just like business mostly is.
The problem really is not AB. Poor guy. His whole life, he'll try and prove to the world that he can be something as magnanimous as his father...what a complex (reminds of Krishna's pseudo brother Balram. Krishna had the babes, knowledge, respect, aura, brains, and a publication - The Bhagwad Gita :) ...and what did Balram have ?? A HULL !!)
Around Mallika, around MMS scam, around Delhi Univeristy (what bull) and other stuff...ET does it again! They keep exposing their dumbness everytime with their man of the year or personality of the year!!
If ET had selected NRN again as person of the year or some Business Tycoon, it may have had to throw a conservative party where the tycoons just speak in whispers and talk tall of the growing Indian community. Whereas, by choosing a film personality, ET can call more filmi people and add glamour to the show and make the party more "marketable". Pink paper will sell like hot cakes then!! And since, AB baby endorses some brands nowadays, Ad revenues too add to ET's kitty :) Apart from this, I don't see any reason for ET to choose AB baby as the person of the year..
The "go fida" ad really sucked ! What was Ford thinking? They thought they were getting a good deal in getting a not-shaven hunchback stud???!?!?! No wonder FORD is going into losses! I guess this was the first campaign and hopefully the last with him.
I love Bono unquestioningly. Mostly for his music, but it makes me happy that someone in his position is doing something, no matter how haphazardly, to make a difference. At least, I think, he's informing many of us who can't point out Rwanda on a map that there are people much worse off than the rest of us who could do with a better deal.
In Hindi they say "Ugte suraj ko har koi salaam karta hai" Its exactly the same scenario here. If there are no gods, we create our own gods. Media can do it very easy. In the end, we the mass always look for someone who can inspire us. So here is just one more of those attempts.
With this post, my assessment of ET being a shallow paper remains intact. Only ET can stoop to this level and give an award to somebody who, even after more than a dozen flops, survived in the show business only because of his father's demigod status. No prize for guessing who will win the Filmfare award for Best Actor.
Why is the media sucking upto Abhishek Bachchan so much??? He is neither a tremendous looker..neither a great dancer...nor a great actor...then why is Indian media hyping a person only because of his lineage, contacts and power in the industry??? It really upsetting to see the "real talent" is being ignored and the undeserving walk away with all the glory.
"When Aby Baby rocks, India rolls..." says ET. For those still looking for their cool, offbeat, under-30 'person of the year'...
"When Sania serves, India lurves..."
"When Mallika reveals, India squeals.."
"When Irfan takes a wicket, India buys a ticket "...
"When Amitabh groans, India moans.."
"When Shahrukh dreams, India screams.."
"When Bollywood dances, India advances..??
The possibilities are endless!
Time magazine - the guys who invented the concept - just chose U2's Bono, along with Bill Gates and his wife Melinda.
"For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow," were the reasons given by the magazine .
One of the other 'persons' who made it to the shortlist was Mother Nature. In light of the tsunami, earthquakes, Katrina and other unusual natural phenomena shaking our world, a strong case indeed. But not one providing any inspiration or hope. You can't tame nature, can you?
But you can celebrate the good being done by mere mortals. Especially those who 'are not the people you expect to come to the rescue'. As the essay accompanying the mugshots elaborates:
Rock stars are designed to be shiny, shallow creatures, furloughed from reality for all time. Billionaires are even more removed, nestled atop fantastic wealth where they never again have to place their own calls or defrost dinner or fly commercial. So Bono spends several thousand dollars at a restaurant for a nice Pinot Noir, and Bill Gates, the great predator of the Internet age, has a trampoline room in his $100 million house.
It makes you think that if these guys can decide to make it their mission to save the world, partner with people they would never otherwise meet, care about causes that are not sexy or dignified in the ways that celebrities normally require, then no one really has a good excuse anymore for just staying on the sidelines and watching.
Offbeat choice but eloquent justification. I buy it!
'Surprise'!
Once upon a time, the Economic Times also announced its 'Person of the Year'. No, not Manmohan Singh or the Ambanis or any of the usual suspects. It was Abhishek Bachchan.
Granted, a pink paper does not have to select a businessman to 'capture the new spirit of confidence that's emerging across India Inc. and represent the spirit'. But the connect they've tried to make between Aby's career and Indian business is well, not that convincing.
"So, why is he on top of the heap these days? Because he worked at it. And that is our connection with the confident new India. None of these companies had it easy (care to elaborate "which companies?"), they faced competition and hurdles ("doesn't every company, and every individual?"), both nationally and internationally, and had to overcome their small-town image ("maybe in the year 2000! With India now the acknowledged hub for IT and outsourcing... what are they talking about??)
This part is more well reasoned.
"An Indian company becoming a global leader? AB Baby becoming a hot stud? Yet it's happened. With some luck and a lot more professionalism, hard work and sheer grit..."
Very true but 'hard work' and 'grit' are such boring cliches. Isn't it also about being in the right place at the right time? A number of factors have come together to script the 'emerging India story'. A youthful demographic, burgeoning middle class, low-cost worker advantage etc etc.
Same is the case with AB Jr. Shahrukh turned 45 this year. India needed a hot new, 'youth' star. Aby finally started working with better film makers. And he decided not to shave.
The star's success was born out of working with the right people and the right projects. Just like business mostly is.
The problem really is not AB. Poor guy. His whole life, he'll try and prove to the world that he can be something as magnanimous as his father...what a complex (reminds of Krishna's pseudo brother Balram. Krishna had the babes, knowledge, respect, aura, brains, and a publication - The Bhagwad Gita :) ...and what did Balram have ?? A HULL !!)
Around Mallika, around MMS scam, around Delhi Univeristy (what bull) and other stuff...ET does it again! They keep exposing their dumbness everytime with their man of the year or personality of the year!!
If ET had selected NRN again as person of the year or some Business Tycoon, it may have had to throw a conservative party where the tycoons just speak in whispers and talk tall of the growing Indian community. Whereas, by choosing a film personality, ET can call more filmi people and add glamour to the show and make the party more "marketable". Pink paper will sell like hot cakes then!! And since, AB baby endorses some brands nowadays, Ad revenues too add to ET's kitty :) Apart from this, I don't see any reason for ET to choose AB baby as the person of the year..
The "go fida" ad really sucked ! What was Ford thinking? They thought they were getting a good deal in getting a not-shaven hunchback stud???!?!?! No wonder FORD is going into losses! I guess this was the first campaign and hopefully the last with him.
I love Bono unquestioningly. Mostly for his music, but it makes me happy that someone in his position is doing something, no matter how haphazardly, to make a difference. At least, I think, he's informing many of us who can't point out Rwanda on a map that there are people much worse off than the rest of us who could do with a better deal.
In Hindi they say "Ugte suraj ko har koi salaam karta hai" Its exactly the same scenario here. If there are no gods, we create our own gods. Media can do it very easy. In the end, we the mass always look for someone who can inspire us. So here is just one more of those attempts.
With this post, my assessment of ET being a shallow paper remains intact. Only ET can stoop to this level and give an award to somebody who, even after more than a dozen flops, survived in the show business only because of his father's demigod status. No prize for guessing who will win the Filmfare award for Best Actor.
Why is the media sucking upto Abhishek Bachchan so much??? He is neither a tremendous looker..neither a great dancer...nor a great actor...then why is Indian media hyping a person only because of his lineage, contacts and power in the industry??? It really upsetting to see the "real talent" is being ignored and the undeserving walk away with all the glory.
"When Aby Baby rocks, India rolls..." says ET. For those still looking for their cool, offbeat, under-30 'person of the year'...
"When Sania serves, India lurves..."
"When Mallika reveals, India squeals.."
"When Irfan takes a wicket, India buys a ticket "...
"When Amitabh groans, India moans.."
"When Shahrukh dreams, India screams.."
"When Bollywood dances, India advances..??
The possibilities are endless!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Ethics of MBA's
Felt rather disgusted when I read this.
In a shocking case of corporate misgovernance, a senior executive of Samsung India Electronics, the Indian arm of the South Korean electronic giant, misappropriated funds worth several crores of rupees from his firm, using ingenious methods to achieve his task.
Vivek Prakash, vice-president, sales and marketing (IT division), had everything going for him. He was only 34 years old and, in the firm’s hierarchy, he was next only to the director, drawing a handsome salary. His total package amounted to Rs 40 lakhs per annum.
Yet, he put in his papers abruptly one fine morning. When he did so, his bosses in India and in South Korea were not surprised. From the past year, they could detect irregularities in his functioning. On scrutiny, they stumbled upon something to give them sleepless nights for many days.
Using R S Sahu, manager, accounts (receivables), an officer who was reporting directly to him, as an accomplice, Prakash had duped the company of Rs 18 crore. While the Delhi Police’s economic offences wing (EOW) had already laid its hands upon evidence on the embezzlement of this amount, there was a feeling that the magnitude of the fraud could be bigger.
Was even more disgusted when I learnt that this guy was an IIM grad (Bangalore - '95 batch).
Yes, on one hand there was Manjunath who sacrificed his life, unwilling to be bought out and on the other hand there was this Vivek Prakash who sacrificed his honour, who so willingly sold out.
And for what? Why would someone who had everything going for him take such a risk? I guess he thought he was just too smart to get caught.
But he did and the future looked pretty bleak. The Delhi high court refused his application for anticipatory bail.
Smarts vs Ethics
There was a hectic debate going on in some of the IIM e-groups and mailing lists. One alum wrote:
I suggest IIMs and alumni collectively should have taken the lead in denouncing this guy (and any other alumnus caught doing such things or worse)... take back the degree, etc. To send the message that while even IIMs may have black sheep, we strongly condemn such behaviour, and will take the lead in punishing him, in whatever ways we can.
Another adds: I just finished reading a book about the Enron collapse ("Smartest Guys In The Room"), where most of the fraudsters were very highly educated. Education is no guarantee for ethics... But still, it is a shock - coming so soon after Manju.
Of course in the case of Enron it wasn't one individual but an entire organisation built on a culture where the bottomline came first and nothing else mattered.
Oh, they did have an 'Official Code of Ethics'. As Michael Miller described it: The July 2000 booklet is nearly 65 pages of take-the-high-road legalese that must have made employees feel they were working for the Vatican or some other equally pure and clean organization...
As they say it's all about what you do and not about what you say or preach. And a conscience is something that ought to prick you when no one is looking. This is the very pride which destroys the image of IIM grads in the eyes of so many corporates and people who believe that they are snobbish and have an attitude many times rightly so.
IIMs are a great brand value and it fails us when it makes you think that its the place where characters can be moulded and ethics driven in. The students of IIMs are typically of the age 22-24 and a lot depends on their upbringing and the circumstances of their further work life that might make them get into the booby trap.
If you still believe that those 2yrs in an IIM are the reformatory period of an individual, then well God save all those grads.
We have made the IIM brand a tad different by choosing a different career line but by making ourselves stand out as belonging to a "privileged" community will only make all think of the IIM grads as snobbish.
One's level of education is only mildly correlated with one's ethics. One's ethics are a function of one's nature plus upbringing plus opportunity/context. When opportunities present themselves in the context of power that one possesses, the path down the slippery slope begins to beckon. It doesn't look slippery at first. The stakes are small, the temptation is small, the first transgression is small. This serves then to inoculate you against the next, bigger transgression. That's what happened to the folks at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco etc.
Another question which pops out is what does ethics have to do with the IIM's? Aren't students from other B-schools taught ethics? There are scores of management graduates pouring out into the corporate world every year and every once in a while we hear such instances. Would it have generated so much interest had he been from some other institiute? Agreed that the IIMs are great institutes and all but once you're in the corporate world for a few years it doesn't really matter any more, what counts are your actions. Besides, while two years in a B-school does alter the course of your life, it does not in any way guarantee whether or not a person will be caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Solution offered : Let the IIM's make a policy of recording each student's PAN number (similar to SSN in the US). Any offence that this student commits should be reported to IIM, and the student given a chance to respond. The record of student offences should be public at the IIM. When any IIM alumni takes up a new job, the employer can look up his record...
But can the two years in a college change the fabric of ethics and values? Do we really believe it will override the 20 years of life before an IIM?
We have been privileged to attend these institutions; ethics and values are part of what we are meant to have imbibed there.
There is this old saying : more money = more problems , err maybe an old equation but now i would like to say more IQ = more problems, because eccentricity is the price you have to pay for being a genius.
Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principals which direct them.--Napoleon Bonaparte
To that extent IIM grads do have a 'role model' effect. Of course, every individual's acts are based on his own character. But if today people are talking about 'IIM graduate Manjunath' on its front page, tomorrow it may be referring to 'IIM graduate Vivek Prakash'.
There are some things money can't buy. The honour and respect of one's peers is one of them. "Character is what we do when no one is looking." Education doesn't guarantee you a place in the Hall of Integrity.
Corruption is a far big problem in India than what this case displays. All of us give or take money to get the routine work done. Everyday most of our politicians are eating our money by illegitimate means.
The crux of the problem is that most of the people who are not at these posts where corruption is an easily viable option, want to be here to do corruption. This means punishing these guys will not be enough but it requires a larger effort correcting the attitude of people.
The latest KPMG Forensic Integrity Survey says companies are more aware of ethics, but that unethical behavior is continuing unabated. That suggests companies are doing a fair bit of spin when it comes to ethics.
Regardless of his IIM status it should have come across as disgusting. But I find the reaction a bit typical (the one that you talk about on the e-groups) of the insular attitude taken by the A-list colleges.
This chap got caught. God knows how many people on that e-group are lurking around after years of deceit, or evading tax, or making bill-less purchases and killing the VAT. Mob-justice is as disturbing as lynching. It assumes a collective virtue (as opposed to collective intelligence).
IIM or any other college is a reflection of the society that feeds students into it. As a country, we accept bribery and swindle as long as we don't get caught in the act - It's getting caught that appears to be more shameful than the act of commission. It may upset some yes, but hhmm.. nothing extraordinary.
I believe that in India stealing from big organisations is considered cunning and not theft. Why do we think that IIM guys can't do anything wrong at all. Temptation maybe anything and in any form ...why do IAS officers become corrupt after all, even the IAS exam too is tough. In the IAS, honest offiecrs are hard to find. Why do Doctors sell kidneys? The list goes on perhaps why do people become spies and betray the nation? Nothing to do with the degree that they get. It's the values and ethics they nurture.
Hardly feel that there is any connection between this guy having swindled the money and he being from IIM. That does not mean all the hundreds of IIM graduates who pass out are Mahatma Gandhis. There are Gandhis and Godses every where whether it be the medical field, IIT, IIM, XLRI etc.
This is the case which is to be condemned by one and all of the country. Mere a passout from a good B-schools doesn't ensure that he/she is ethical and is imbibed with good values. The whole system is creating and encouraging such individuals . After all, they are human beings too. There is nothing exceptional in them except for the two years of "extraordinary" education they go through. They too are driven by the whims and fancies of the mundane world and commit gross crimes, including non-payment of loans or fraudulent transactions.
But yes, in some small way his individual decision to embrace the Dark Side does leave a small blot on the collective brand equity of IIM graduates. Just like Manjunath's principled stand added a positive shine to it.
We, who condemn corruption at large should highlight the need for ethical practices in business. And along with Manjunath, include a case study on Vivek Prakash to be taught in B schools as well!
In a shocking case of corporate misgovernance, a senior executive of Samsung India Electronics, the Indian arm of the South Korean electronic giant, misappropriated funds worth several crores of rupees from his firm, using ingenious methods to achieve his task.
Vivek Prakash, vice-president, sales and marketing (IT division), had everything going for him. He was only 34 years old and, in the firm’s hierarchy, he was next only to the director, drawing a handsome salary. His total package amounted to Rs 40 lakhs per annum.
Yet, he put in his papers abruptly one fine morning. When he did so, his bosses in India and in South Korea were not surprised. From the past year, they could detect irregularities in his functioning. On scrutiny, they stumbled upon something to give them sleepless nights for many days.
Using R S Sahu, manager, accounts (receivables), an officer who was reporting directly to him, as an accomplice, Prakash had duped the company of Rs 18 crore. While the Delhi Police’s economic offences wing (EOW) had already laid its hands upon evidence on the embezzlement of this amount, there was a feeling that the magnitude of the fraud could be bigger.
Was even more disgusted when I learnt that this guy was an IIM grad (Bangalore - '95 batch).
Yes, on one hand there was Manjunath who sacrificed his life, unwilling to be bought out and on the other hand there was this Vivek Prakash who sacrificed his honour, who so willingly sold out.
And for what? Why would someone who had everything going for him take such a risk? I guess he thought he was just too smart to get caught.
But he did and the future looked pretty bleak. The Delhi high court refused his application for anticipatory bail.
Smarts vs Ethics
There was a hectic debate going on in some of the IIM e-groups and mailing lists. One alum wrote:
I suggest IIMs and alumni collectively should have taken the lead in denouncing this guy (and any other alumnus caught doing such things or worse)... take back the degree, etc. To send the message that while even IIMs may have black sheep, we strongly condemn such behaviour, and will take the lead in punishing him, in whatever ways we can.
Another adds: I just finished reading a book about the Enron collapse ("Smartest Guys In The Room"), where most of the fraudsters were very highly educated. Education is no guarantee for ethics... But still, it is a shock - coming so soon after Manju.
Of course in the case of Enron it wasn't one individual but an entire organisation built on a culture where the bottomline came first and nothing else mattered.
Oh, they did have an 'Official Code of Ethics'. As Michael Miller described it: The July 2000 booklet is nearly 65 pages of take-the-high-road legalese that must have made employees feel they were working for the Vatican or some other equally pure and clean organization...
As they say it's all about what you do and not about what you say or preach. And a conscience is something that ought to prick you when no one is looking. This is the very pride which destroys the image of IIM grads in the eyes of so many corporates and people who believe that they are snobbish and have an attitude many times rightly so.
IIMs are a great brand value and it fails us when it makes you think that its the place where characters can be moulded and ethics driven in. The students of IIMs are typically of the age 22-24 and a lot depends on their upbringing and the circumstances of their further work life that might make them get into the booby trap.
If you still believe that those 2yrs in an IIM are the reformatory period of an individual, then well God save all those grads.
We have made the IIM brand a tad different by choosing a different career line but by making ourselves stand out as belonging to a "privileged" community will only make all think of the IIM grads as snobbish.
One's level of education is only mildly correlated with one's ethics. One's ethics are a function of one's nature plus upbringing plus opportunity/context. When opportunities present themselves in the context of power that one possesses, the path down the slippery slope begins to beckon. It doesn't look slippery at first. The stakes are small, the temptation is small, the first transgression is small. This serves then to inoculate you against the next, bigger transgression. That's what happened to the folks at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco etc.
Another question which pops out is what does ethics have to do with the IIM's? Aren't students from other B-schools taught ethics? There are scores of management graduates pouring out into the corporate world every year and every once in a while we hear such instances. Would it have generated so much interest had he been from some other institiute? Agreed that the IIMs are great institutes and all but once you're in the corporate world for a few years it doesn't really matter any more, what counts are your actions. Besides, while two years in a B-school does alter the course of your life, it does not in any way guarantee whether or not a person will be caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Solution offered : Let the IIM's make a policy of recording each student's PAN number (similar to SSN in the US). Any offence that this student commits should be reported to IIM, and the student given a chance to respond. The record of student offences should be public at the IIM. When any IIM alumni takes up a new job, the employer can look up his record...
But can the two years in a college change the fabric of ethics and values? Do we really believe it will override the 20 years of life before an IIM?
We have been privileged to attend these institutions; ethics and values are part of what we are meant to have imbibed there.
There is this old saying : more money = more problems , err maybe an old equation but now i would like to say more IQ = more problems, because eccentricity is the price you have to pay for being a genius.
Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principals which direct them.--Napoleon Bonaparte
To that extent IIM grads do have a 'role model' effect. Of course, every individual's acts are based on his own character. But if today people are talking about 'IIM graduate Manjunath' on its front page, tomorrow it may be referring to 'IIM graduate Vivek Prakash'.
There are some things money can't buy. The honour and respect of one's peers is one of them. "Character is what we do when no one is looking." Education doesn't guarantee you a place in the Hall of Integrity.
Corruption is a far big problem in India than what this case displays. All of us give or take money to get the routine work done. Everyday most of our politicians are eating our money by illegitimate means.
The crux of the problem is that most of the people who are not at these posts where corruption is an easily viable option, want to be here to do corruption. This means punishing these guys will not be enough but it requires a larger effort correcting the attitude of people.
The latest KPMG Forensic Integrity Survey says companies are more aware of ethics, but that unethical behavior is continuing unabated. That suggests companies are doing a fair bit of spin when it comes to ethics.
Regardless of his IIM status it should have come across as disgusting. But I find the reaction a bit typical (the one that you talk about on the e-groups) of the insular attitude taken by the A-list colleges.
This chap got caught. God knows how many people on that e-group are lurking around after years of deceit, or evading tax, or making bill-less purchases and killing the VAT. Mob-justice is as disturbing as lynching. It assumes a collective virtue (as opposed to collective intelligence).
IIM or any other college is a reflection of the society that feeds students into it. As a country, we accept bribery and swindle as long as we don't get caught in the act - It's getting caught that appears to be more shameful than the act of commission. It may upset some yes, but hhmm.. nothing extraordinary.
I believe that in India stealing from big organisations is considered cunning and not theft. Why do we think that IIM guys can't do anything wrong at all. Temptation maybe anything and in any form ...why do IAS officers become corrupt after all, even the IAS exam too is tough. In the IAS, honest offiecrs are hard to find. Why do Doctors sell kidneys? The list goes on perhaps why do people become spies and betray the nation? Nothing to do with the degree that they get. It's the values and ethics they nurture.
Hardly feel that there is any connection between this guy having swindled the money and he being from IIM. That does not mean all the hundreds of IIM graduates who pass out are Mahatma Gandhis. There are Gandhis and Godses every where whether it be the medical field, IIT, IIM, XLRI etc.
This is the case which is to be condemned by one and all of the country. Mere a passout from a good B-schools doesn't ensure that he/she is ethical and is imbibed with good values. The whole system is creating and encouraging such individuals . After all, they are human beings too. There is nothing exceptional in them except for the two years of "extraordinary" education they go through. They too are driven by the whims and fancies of the mundane world and commit gross crimes, including non-payment of loans or fraudulent transactions.
But yes, in some small way his individual decision to embrace the Dark Side does leave a small blot on the collective brand equity of IIM graduates. Just like Manjunath's principled stand added a positive shine to it.
We, who condemn corruption at large should highlight the need for ethical practices in business. And along with Manjunath, include a case study on Vivek Prakash to be taught in B schools as well!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Sting Thing
What an amazing sting! Amazing because just a few days ago Aaj Tak was pleased as punch that apna patrakaar managed to sneak into Amitabhji's hospital room.
Operation Duryodhana, executed in partnership with Aniruddha Bahal's Cobrapost , the channel gave a real and powerful example of what being 'sabse tez' can be about.
Yes, competition may have dumbed down TV but with it also comes the incentive to take risks and do something to rise above the clutter. Something like Operation Duryodhana.
It's great that Aaj Tak recognised 'we can't do everything'. No major media house would have the expertise, the patience or the balls to pull of a sting operation of this magnitude. Working 8 months on one story? Uh, 8 days is a major 'well-researched' magazine cover. 8 hours is more like it on most days.
For Cobrapost too, the Aaj Tak tie up made a lot of sense. Remember what happened with Tehelkagate? Sure it got coverage but by giving co-ownership of the Duryodhana story to the Today group, Cobrapost's sting made a huge impact. And it didn't die down easily either.
Within hours all the parties whose MPs were implicated had suspended their MPs. Excepting the RJD.
In contrast with the Tehelka scandal where those caught on camera remained defiant and instead tried to harass Tehelka. Probably thinking: woh log chhote hain, unka mooh band karva sakte hain.
Now, it ain't gonna be possible. You can attack Aniruddha Bahal and his team but can you malign the India Today group and get away with it?
Win-win
The Aaj tak tie up also made great financial sense for the Small Guy. 5 lakhs were paid in bribes to the MPs alone. There must have been thousands of other incidental expenses. And of course the cost of running the Cobrapost operations - salaries, cellphones et al.
Instead of worrying about how the office electricity bill - as well as how to create an impact with the story - Cobrapost could concentrate on its core area of expertise: conducting the sting operation.
And it looked like they invested in some really great spy cameras 'cause the picture quality was far far superior to the grainy visuals generally seen in a sting operation.
As far as Aaj Tak was concerned what was Rs 15-20 lakhs? Or even more?? Sure there was a small risk that things would not come through but with Bahal's reputation that was a risk worth taking.
The result was a story that gave Aaj Tak eyeballs worth several crores. Given that the channel had Star News nipping at its heels, this was surely just what the TRP doctor ordered.
And it went on to show that no matter how many times you change your channel graphics, the ratings will come only when you give viewers a reason to tune in for your core offering - NEWS.
Giving Credit
The issue is of such national interest that no competitor can afford to ignore it. But surprisingly, this time almost all were graceful enough to acknowledge it was a Cobrapost-Aaj Tak sting operation.
This included even the biggies like TOI and HT although curiously ET had not done so and in its online article TOI was a little more coy, only mentioned Aaj Tak.
Only NDTV appeared to be in denial and sulking. . No mention of this news at all on their homepage
In their late night bulletin the top story was 'opening of Pune International airport'.
Star News, meanwhile, took a 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' view and was airing its own series of 'look, these are your dirty politician' bulletins.
Questions
Getting politicians from across the spectrum of parties was a really smart idea. Perhaps that's what took the operation so long?
Given that 6 BJP MPs succumbed to the Dark Side one can infer that those in the party out of power had less avenues for 'income' and could be tempted more easily.
But how come there were no MPs from Left parties? Could the public conclude they have more integrity?
Secondly, did all the MPs approach/agree to take bribes? Or were there some who refused? That was interesting to know.
Some of the questions MPs agreed to raise were absolute rubbish. eg an imaginary genetically modified "Catch 22 cottonseed" . And the ROTFL :
“Is it true that while NRI firms such as India Uncut of USA, Sepia Mutiny of Britain and AnarCap Lib of Netherlands have been allowed to invest in Indian SSIs, the reputed German investment firm Desipundit has been denied permission? If so, the reasons thereof?
Was the Union Government of India planning to make automatic the long procedure of permission for SSIs to import new technologies such as Trackbacks, Pingbacks, Blogrolls, Splogs and Hitcounters?”
This question was submitted with the purpose of getting a reply from the minister of Small Scale Industries. Thankfully, there were some brains functioning in Parliament house because from Cobrapost's press release it would seem that none of the faltu questions actually made it to the floor or even as questions worthy of written replies.
But yeah, they made for a great story. It was good to see the Cobrapost guys retain a sense of humour in what must have been a tense and trying time.
If you offer an individual a bribe to do something corrupt, it is but natural that most of the time they will accept it, so it's the briber who is at fault for offering it in the first place? If we lose even the ability to be shocked by this kind of thing, times really are dangerous.
Of course, nobody's claiming that the media did this with purely altruistic motives -- of course they wanted a scoop, of course they wanted greater hits and TRPs. But in the process, if they revealed something as ludicruos as this, surely that was a good thing? And when you say the media could produce such scoops to serve their own ends, what you don't realize is that the media has too many checks built into the system. Nobody works alone, too many people are in the know and it's difficult to guarentee everybody will keep their mouths shut.
Made great business sense to conduct such sting operations. Behal & team also deserved credit to make honest & investigative journalism lucrative. Hope to see more Behal's in the future. Second, the Parties immediately suspended their MLAs because they had seen the Tehlaka days & they realised that it will harm their image, even if they fought it legally. This is the beauty of our system. No, Bangaru & Jaitley (jaya) weren't treated differently beacuse they were big fish.
The parties would have played defiant had this not had the potential of rewriting their political future.
All around us know about the court clerk who takes bribes, (except the police, of course), and so the media people will also have known who to invest their 15-20 lakhs on.
With all the reactions these sting operations have created in the country, I'm surprised that no one has flipped the coin and looked at the other side. The whole operation was a publicity stunt based on the fact that somebody will definitely fall for a bait. The question is, in any country with a corruption statistics like ours, how many politicians follow these ethics strongly, because for those who follow it with little lax can happily take this bribe since its not doing any direct harm to anyone (or is it ?). I'm not taking any sides, but I do think that the way media-power is rising in country, they'll surely become a big part of the corrupt system and use their power against/for political parties, but guess what, their misuse won't be technically termed as 'corruption'.
Jaya Jaitley and Bangaru Laxman were presidents of their parties instead of a everyday MP. Also since it had names of two main political parties, the parties knew the pressure wouldn't be on a single one. So best way out was take a high moral ground.
This sting operation was indeed something to be appreciated unlike the cheezy ones conducted by India TV which were more inclined to peek a boo in the private lives of the rich n famous .... Operation Duryodhan surely had to do something with the common man ...i m sure there will be many more like this and hope all the other political whizkids learn a sabak from this ....
Anyways the crux of the matter was that Aaj Tak had definitely got the TRP"S rolling its way ..
And I love the name 'Operation Duryodhana'. Although it's not apt in the literal sense coz the operation was more of a political 'vastraharan'.
This time the Duryodhan's were the ones getting 'exposed'. And ironically, it was a woman - Cobrapost's intrepid Suhasini Raj - who was doing the exposing.
And much as I'd like to see who she is, I hope she and the rest of the sting ops team stays away from the limelight. So we can look forward to many more such Duryodhans and vastraharans!
Operation Duryodhana, executed in partnership with Aniruddha Bahal's Cobrapost , the channel gave a real and powerful example of what being 'sabse tez' can be about.
Yes, competition may have dumbed down TV but with it also comes the incentive to take risks and do something to rise above the clutter. Something like Operation Duryodhana.
It's great that Aaj Tak recognised 'we can't do everything'. No major media house would have the expertise, the patience or the balls to pull of a sting operation of this magnitude. Working 8 months on one story? Uh, 8 days is a major 'well-researched' magazine cover. 8 hours is more like it on most days.
For Cobrapost too, the Aaj Tak tie up made a lot of sense. Remember what happened with Tehelkagate? Sure it got coverage but by giving co-ownership of the Duryodhana story to the Today group, Cobrapost's sting made a huge impact. And it didn't die down easily either.
Within hours all the parties whose MPs were implicated had suspended their MPs. Excepting the RJD.
In contrast with the Tehelka scandal where those caught on camera remained defiant and instead tried to harass Tehelka. Probably thinking: woh log chhote hain, unka mooh band karva sakte hain.
Now, it ain't gonna be possible. You can attack Aniruddha Bahal and his team but can you malign the India Today group and get away with it?
Win-win
The Aaj tak tie up also made great financial sense for the Small Guy. 5 lakhs were paid in bribes to the MPs alone. There must have been thousands of other incidental expenses. And of course the cost of running the Cobrapost operations - salaries, cellphones et al.
Instead of worrying about how the office electricity bill - as well as how to create an impact with the story - Cobrapost could concentrate on its core area of expertise: conducting the sting operation.
And it looked like they invested in some really great spy cameras 'cause the picture quality was far far superior to the grainy visuals generally seen in a sting operation.
As far as Aaj Tak was concerned what was Rs 15-20 lakhs? Or even more?? Sure there was a small risk that things would not come through but with Bahal's reputation that was a risk worth taking.
The result was a story that gave Aaj Tak eyeballs worth several crores. Given that the channel had Star News nipping at its heels, this was surely just what the TRP doctor ordered.
And it went on to show that no matter how many times you change your channel graphics, the ratings will come only when you give viewers a reason to tune in for your core offering - NEWS.
Giving Credit
The issue is of such national interest that no competitor can afford to ignore it. But surprisingly, this time almost all were graceful enough to acknowledge it was a Cobrapost-Aaj Tak sting operation.
This included even the biggies like TOI and HT although curiously ET had not done so and in its online article TOI was a little more coy, only mentioned Aaj Tak.
Only NDTV appeared to be in denial and sulking. . No mention of this news at all on their homepage
In their late night bulletin the top story was 'opening of Pune International airport'.
Star News, meanwhile, took a 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' view and was airing its own series of 'look, these are your dirty politician' bulletins.
Questions
Getting politicians from across the spectrum of parties was a really smart idea. Perhaps that's what took the operation so long?
Given that 6 BJP MPs succumbed to the Dark Side one can infer that those in the party out of power had less avenues for 'income' and could be tempted more easily.
But how come there were no MPs from Left parties? Could the public conclude they have more integrity?
Secondly, did all the MPs approach/agree to take bribes? Or were there some who refused? That was interesting to know.
Some of the questions MPs agreed to raise were absolute rubbish. eg an imaginary genetically modified "Catch 22 cottonseed" . And the ROTFL :
“Is it true that while NRI firms such as India Uncut of USA, Sepia Mutiny of Britain and AnarCap Lib of Netherlands have been allowed to invest in Indian SSIs, the reputed German investment firm Desipundit has been denied permission? If so, the reasons thereof?
Was the Union Government of India planning to make automatic the long procedure of permission for SSIs to import new technologies such as Trackbacks, Pingbacks, Blogrolls, Splogs and Hitcounters?”
This question was submitted with the purpose of getting a reply from the minister of Small Scale Industries. Thankfully, there were some brains functioning in Parliament house because from Cobrapost's press release it would seem that none of the faltu questions actually made it to the floor or even as questions worthy of written replies.
But yeah, they made for a great story. It was good to see the Cobrapost guys retain a sense of humour in what must have been a tense and trying time.
If you offer an individual a bribe to do something corrupt, it is but natural that most of the time they will accept it, so it's the briber who is at fault for offering it in the first place? If we lose even the ability to be shocked by this kind of thing, times really are dangerous.
Of course, nobody's claiming that the media did this with purely altruistic motives -- of course they wanted a scoop, of course they wanted greater hits and TRPs. But in the process, if they revealed something as ludicruos as this, surely that was a good thing? And when you say the media could produce such scoops to serve their own ends, what you don't realize is that the media has too many checks built into the system. Nobody works alone, too many people are in the know and it's difficult to guarentee everybody will keep their mouths shut.
Made great business sense to conduct such sting operations. Behal & team also deserved credit to make honest & investigative journalism lucrative. Hope to see more Behal's in the future. Second, the Parties immediately suspended their MLAs because they had seen the Tehlaka days & they realised that it will harm their image, even if they fought it legally. This is the beauty of our system. No, Bangaru & Jaitley (jaya) weren't treated differently beacuse they were big fish.
The parties would have played defiant had this not had the potential of rewriting their political future.
All around us know about the court clerk who takes bribes, (except the police, of course), and so the media people will also have known who to invest their 15-20 lakhs on.
With all the reactions these sting operations have created in the country, I'm surprised that no one has flipped the coin and looked at the other side. The whole operation was a publicity stunt based on the fact that somebody will definitely fall for a bait. The question is, in any country with a corruption statistics like ours, how many politicians follow these ethics strongly, because for those who follow it with little lax can happily take this bribe since its not doing any direct harm to anyone (or is it ?). I'm not taking any sides, but I do think that the way media-power is rising in country, they'll surely become a big part of the corrupt system and use their power against/for political parties, but guess what, their misuse won't be technically termed as 'corruption'.
Jaya Jaitley and Bangaru Laxman were presidents of their parties instead of a everyday MP. Also since it had names of two main political parties, the parties knew the pressure wouldn't be on a single one. So best way out was take a high moral ground.
This sting operation was indeed something to be appreciated unlike the cheezy ones conducted by India TV which were more inclined to peek a boo in the private lives of the rich n famous .... Operation Duryodhan surely had to do something with the common man ...i m sure there will be many more like this and hope all the other political whizkids learn a sabak from this ....
Anyways the crux of the matter was that Aaj Tak had definitely got the TRP"S rolling its way ..
And I love the name 'Operation Duryodhana'. Although it's not apt in the literal sense coz the operation was more of a political 'vastraharan'.
This time the Duryodhan's were the ones getting 'exposed'. And ironically, it was a woman - Cobrapost's intrepid Suhasini Raj - who was doing the exposing.
And much as I'd like to see who she is, I hope she and the rest of the sting ops team stays away from the limelight. So we can look forward to many more such Duryodhans and vastraharans!
Till debt do us part
While the oil mafia tried to entice him with bribes to turn a blind eye on fuel aduletaration, murderd IOC sales manager S Manjunath refused to waver in the line of duty, despite his own financial constraints.
So reads the poignant story in the Indian Express.
Details printed by the paper reveal that of his modest monthly salary of Rs 25,000, Manjunath was paying Rs 10,100 as EMI's towards two education loans (of Rs 3.5 lakhs) taken to finance his studies at IIM Lucknow. In addition, 3 months ago, he had availed of a car loan from his employer (EMI: Rs 1300)
It feels odd and a little sacrilegous to read about the private details of a deceased person's life. But in this case, the details are being published to make a point - that Manjunath could easily have taken the bribes offered and made his life easier.
He had apparently defaulted on the previous month's EMI for the PNB loan, prompting his father to write a stern letter to the son. A letter the son did not live to read...
Feeling Loansome?
In the last 10 years, education loans have become a way of life. Fees at professional schools - whether medical, engineering or management - have shot up. If and when students complain, they are offered a quick and ready solution: "take a loan".
And yes, getting a loan is not difficult. Loans upto Rs 4 lakhs don't even require margin. But repaying the loan is not all that easy. The interest rates charged by banks like SBI and Bank of Baroda is 10.5%.
This is linked to the BPLR (Bank Prime Lending Rate). Compared to housing loans which are available at 8-8.5%, education loans are pricier. But here's the surprise -BOB will even give you a car loan at 2% below the prime rate (ie at 8.5%).
I am not a banking expert so I can only conjecture that educational loans (below Rs 4 lakhs) are unsecured and hence the 2% additional interest rate charged is to cover the risk of default. In case of both cars and houses, the bank can attach the asset in case the borrower fails to repay.
Student loans have long been a millstone around the neck of college goers in the US. Interest rates (linked to their BPLR) are lower than in India, but the sheer number of people who take loans (practically every college-goer!) means the overall student loan market is huge.
The happy news for them however is that interest rates on federal student loans dropped to an all-time low - at 4.06% some five years back.
This is a political decision. "The Bush administration was committed to helping students and their families finance college and career training," declared Secretary of Education Rod Paige while announcing the rate cut.
Student loan-seekers are not yet a big enough interest group in India but in years to come they will be. Future PMs, please take note!
Soon enough there may be a market for loan consolidators as well.
Think before you...
The point is 'how to finance your studies' is the easy part. But before joining a particular institute, make sure you have an idea of the kind of salary you will earn on passing out. Most banks offer a 6 month grace period after which EMIs begin.
The average salary from the average B school is about Rs 15-20,000 p.m. Ditto for engineers getting into IT jobs. Can you afford to live in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore on Rs 10,000 a month (rent, transport, food, bijli et al) and repay Rs 10,000 as EMI?
Of course, you'll eventually earn more but not right away! I'm not saying this would happen to everyone - but it's a very real danger!
But the worst off would be medical students. Given that they earn paltry sums until they complete their MDs, it makes sense to take a loan only if your dad owns a nursing home or is willing to shoulder your EMI burden for several years to come!
Loans for studies abroad (which require collateral, and attract higher interest rates) are another case in point. You can take a loan - even upto Rs 50 lakhs. But will you be able to earn in dollars or pounds after finishing the degree - at least to recover your tuition costs?
If not, are your parents wealthy enough to start forking out the rather large EMIs that will follow??
So be a 'loan ranger' but make doubly sure the country you choose to study in has work permit possibilities. And that the institute you join has genuine campus placements.
Though it makes good sense to leave higher education to market forces and subsidize primary education, the approach of government in providing means- scholarship is loathable. Government provides huge sums of money to premier institutes (at least IIT's) to help those who can't afford to pay high fees. But it has become yet another case of a good scheme with poor planning.
One of my friends whose family income was just greater than the limit set by governement couldn't benefit whereas a fellow who owned a bike and laptop could! The difference was that former's father was in service and paid full income tax and the latter's father being a businessman showed lesser income than what he actually earned. The result - my friend had to take a loan to fund his studies.
I think such a scheme would exist in IIM's too but does it really help the needy? The whole problem is because people value the so called education provided in college too much and are willing to pay the exorbitant amounts demanded by colleges. It is high time society gives school and college education its true worth and stops behaving as if school or college education is a great thing. Only then will the extortion of people by those involved in the education business stop. After all college education is only a matter of timepass and brand building and is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated in the world as nobody ever uses what they learnt in college.
The same applies for healthcare as well where unnecessary tests and surgeries are done and it is high time some corrections happened in that regard.
And even then, be prepared for some amount of struggle in the initial years. The best education adds long-term value - and you have to be willing to pay the price.
The problem is, not all degrees, diplomas and quasi-degrees/ diplomas are really a value-add. But we live in a culture where people think an 'additional qualification' is definitely an asset. At least it looks good on paper...
Unfortuntely, sometimes it's better to keep that kaagaaz kora. Save on those EMIs. And write your own destiny.
So reads the poignant story in the Indian Express.
Details printed by the paper reveal that of his modest monthly salary of Rs 25,000, Manjunath was paying Rs 10,100 as EMI's towards two education loans (of Rs 3.5 lakhs) taken to finance his studies at IIM Lucknow. In addition, 3 months ago, he had availed of a car loan from his employer (EMI: Rs 1300)
It feels odd and a little sacrilegous to read about the private details of a deceased person's life. But in this case, the details are being published to make a point - that Manjunath could easily have taken the bribes offered and made his life easier.
He had apparently defaulted on the previous month's EMI for the PNB loan, prompting his father to write a stern letter to the son. A letter the son did not live to read...
Feeling Loansome?
In the last 10 years, education loans have become a way of life. Fees at professional schools - whether medical, engineering or management - have shot up. If and when students complain, they are offered a quick and ready solution: "take a loan".
And yes, getting a loan is not difficult. Loans upto Rs 4 lakhs don't even require margin. But repaying the loan is not all that easy. The interest rates charged by banks like SBI and Bank of Baroda is 10.5%.
This is linked to the BPLR (Bank Prime Lending Rate). Compared to housing loans which are available at 8-8.5%, education loans are pricier. But here's the surprise -BOB will even give you a car loan at 2% below the prime rate (ie at 8.5%).
I am not a banking expert so I can only conjecture that educational loans (below Rs 4 lakhs) are unsecured and hence the 2% additional interest rate charged is to cover the risk of default. In case of both cars and houses, the bank can attach the asset in case the borrower fails to repay.
Student loans have long been a millstone around the neck of college goers in the US. Interest rates (linked to their BPLR) are lower than in India, but the sheer number of people who take loans (practically every college-goer!) means the overall student loan market is huge.
The happy news for them however is that interest rates on federal student loans dropped to an all-time low - at 4.06% some five years back.
This is a political decision. "The Bush administration was committed to helping students and their families finance college and career training," declared Secretary of Education Rod Paige while announcing the rate cut.
Student loan-seekers are not yet a big enough interest group in India but in years to come they will be. Future PMs, please take note!
Soon enough there may be a market for loan consolidators as well.
Think before you...
The point is 'how to finance your studies' is the easy part. But before joining a particular institute, make sure you have an idea of the kind of salary you will earn on passing out. Most banks offer a 6 month grace period after which EMIs begin.
The average salary from the average B school is about Rs 15-20,000 p.m. Ditto for engineers getting into IT jobs. Can you afford to live in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore on Rs 10,000 a month (rent, transport, food, bijli et al) and repay Rs 10,000 as EMI?
Of course, you'll eventually earn more but not right away! I'm not saying this would happen to everyone - but it's a very real danger!
But the worst off would be medical students. Given that they earn paltry sums until they complete their MDs, it makes sense to take a loan only if your dad owns a nursing home or is willing to shoulder your EMI burden for several years to come!
Loans for studies abroad (which require collateral, and attract higher interest rates) are another case in point. You can take a loan - even upto Rs 50 lakhs. But will you be able to earn in dollars or pounds after finishing the degree - at least to recover your tuition costs?
If not, are your parents wealthy enough to start forking out the rather large EMIs that will follow??
So be a 'loan ranger' but make doubly sure the country you choose to study in has work permit possibilities. And that the institute you join has genuine campus placements.
Though it makes good sense to leave higher education to market forces and subsidize primary education, the approach of government in providing means- scholarship is loathable. Government provides huge sums of money to premier institutes (at least IIT's) to help those who can't afford to pay high fees. But it has become yet another case of a good scheme with poor planning.
One of my friends whose family income was just greater than the limit set by governement couldn't benefit whereas a fellow who owned a bike and laptop could! The difference was that former's father was in service and paid full income tax and the latter's father being a businessman showed lesser income than what he actually earned. The result - my friend had to take a loan to fund his studies.
I think such a scheme would exist in IIM's too but does it really help the needy? The whole problem is because people value the so called education provided in college too much and are willing to pay the exorbitant amounts demanded by colleges. It is high time society gives school and college education its true worth and stops behaving as if school or college education is a great thing. Only then will the extortion of people by those involved in the education business stop. After all college education is only a matter of timepass and brand building and is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated in the world as nobody ever uses what they learnt in college.
The same applies for healthcare as well where unnecessary tests and surgeries are done and it is high time some corrections happened in that regard.
And even then, be prepared for some amount of struggle in the initial years. The best education adds long-term value - and you have to be willing to pay the price.
The problem is, not all degrees, diplomas and quasi-degrees/ diplomas are really a value-add. But we live in a culture where people think an 'additional qualification' is definitely an asset. At least it looks good on paper...
Unfortuntely, sometimes it's better to keep that kaagaaz kora. Save on those EMIs. And write your own destiny.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Want to be a 'creative commando'?
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But then the headline says join the team of "creative commandoes" at GAIL and unleash your creative prowess.
GAIL - as in "Gas Authority of India"? GAIL and creative prowess?? The company is seeking executive trainees in the field of corporate communications with a 2 year full-time diploma in Mass Comm/ Advertising or PR.
The recruitment ad takes up 70% of the page and the headline tries to convince the prospective candidate it's a really 'creative job'. But, the entire copy reads like a typical old-school government job advertisement.
The payscale, age limit, company benefits - OK, those are relevant information. But under "how to apply" there's a long list of 11 points including please send "mailing address with pin code; tel nos with STD codes".
It's a step-by-step guide on how to write a resume! Considering the profile of candidates they're recruiting, is that really necessary?
There is no job description whatsoever. Or indication of how the candidate, if selected, will be allowed to unleash their 'creative prowess'. Unless you count the 'creative commando' photo, which I would not count as a good example of creativity!
What's more, a 9 pt caption notes that the people posing in the pic are 'the creative team at GAIL led by DGM (Corporate Communications). Why the mention of DGM? Because, it's a government organisation after all. A bit of fancy dress and war paint doesn't change that...
I wonder how effective this ad will be. And why companies go to such lengths to produce 'cool sounding' recruitment advertising. A job is a serious matter. Tell me what the job is. Not just how much fun it's going to be.
And never be creative for the sake of being creative, especially if it's for a 'creative' position.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Impressions of a Small City
Chhote chhote sheheron se, khali bore dopaharon se, hum toh jhola utha ke chale...
What is it that defines a 'chhota sheher'? By population, a city may be large by 1.8 million residents - double the size of Chandigarh.
And yet, Chandigarh is not a city you associate with being a 'small town'. It's almost 'metro' in its attitude and way of life. A small city, on the other hand, is still a chhota sheher at heart.
I would define a chhota sheher as one where the residents are still very worried about log kya kahenge. Many choices an individual makes are within certain 'acceptable' boundaries. Boundaries set by the elders and some amorphous being known as 'society'.
One important point to note here is the large population of traders and businessmen from the Jain, Maheshwari and Agrawal community in any given city in India. That partly explains why a small city may be far more 'traditional' than any sub-metro.Punjabis are far more freewheeling and free spending, while Banias tend to be quite attached to prathas- or social conventions.
Which is why elderly ladies find metro gals rather vexing. No sari, no bangles, no sindoor, no toerings... "Kam se kam bindi to pehen ni chahiye", is what they would like to point out after silently observing.
Kam se kam logon ko pataa to chale you are a 'decent married woman' is what they mean. But are too polite to declare, in so many words.
As they say - in a small city, do as the localites do. Which is why a hoarding for Dena Bank featuring Juhi Chawla - without any bindi in Mumbai - has a prominent red dot painted on - in a small city!
Ek alag soch
'Progress' is a strange creature. Mother-in-laws do not mind daughter-in-laws taking guitar lessons or choosing to have only one child (a daughter). But, they insist that the bahus wear only saris while the latter much prefer to switch to salwar-kameez - but accept silently.
Meanwhile, these small cities are on the radar of all consumer marketers. But does the junta here think and behave like Mumbai or Delhi? Not yet.
Joints like Dominos and Pizza Hut set up shops... and subsequently shut down. "Sau rupaye ka pizza kaun lega?" reason the locals. Ditto with the Lee-Levis variety of outlets which they say, hardly any customers patronise. The unbranded options give them more bang for the buck and offer acceptable quality/variety.
That ain't good news for all the malls and multiplexes dying and vying to throw open their doors in these cities. But perhaps housed in a mall - with a concentrated 'feel-good' ambience - the same brands may have better luck. And hopefully sales.
As of now, the residents are quite kicked with the local 'Vishal Megamart' (a chain which offers 'Fashion Street' kind of clothing in a/c environs). For now, 'value' scores over 'snob value'. But values can, and do, change over time.
What is 'value' anyways?
Consumers are complex creatures. That's evident from the consumerism practiced in India. A battered and seldom-used semi-automatic washing machine stands in one corner. The television is an ancient model of BPL and there's no cable connection. "Bachchon ki padhaai affect ho jayegi", is one reason. 350 bucks a month is too much to shell out - is the other.
However, the same household has a computer, with a broadband internet connection. Why? "Bachchon ki padhaai ke liye zaroori hai". Even though they aren't planning to take up 'hi-fi' careers, an investment in a computer is seen as 'worth it'.
And now, mamaji's and chachaji's want to buy a laptop. "Kaun sa brand achcha rahega?" they ask. I wonder why they need one. The answer is surprising but simple: dhande ke liye.
You see, most often these ji's are into 'investment advising' and 'stock broking' options (Yes, stock and investment has caught up with the fancies of rural India leave alone small cities.) and they have a loyal clientele base, there's a whole lot of competition now from new players. The likes of Citibank, HDFC and HSBC have set up small shops and their army of young, locally recruited MBA’s are on the prowl.
These MBAs wear suits and ties and make jazzy presentations on laptops "Impression jamaane ke liye".
What the Citi’s and HDFC’s can't do is offer the 'personalised' service many clients require. For example, there are ladies who will specifically ask jijaji to come to their homes after their husbands have left for work - they wish to make certain 'private investments'.
Yup, these housewives want to make FDs or post-office savings - of money received from the maaika, or quietly salted away from the household budget. Like many other clients, these women use our address to receive their official correspondence. "Hamare ghar mein roz ke itne courier aate hain ki sab delivery waalon se acchi khaasi jaan pehchaan ho jaati hai," say these ladies dryly. The perils of 'customer relationship management'!
The future
And yet, the picture I have painted so far does not tell the complete story. Although still small and not very visible, many 'small new cities' are coming up. These new cities consist of nuclear families, multi storeyed apartments, women clad in Babli kurtas and an emerging professional class. They house a 'multispeciality hospital' and 'IIM preparation coaching centres'. Of course, IIM's are only a technical part - physically they are many kms outside and mentally, a completely different world.
But there are MBA schools like 'Prestige'and 'IMS' which have cropped up practically everywhere, and by the city standards, are decent. The students may not be CAT-level but speak fairly good English and don't look all that different from college kids in Delhi or Mumbai. They also have more 'freedom'. The difference thus: "On Valentine's Day, students even auction roses...". Boys have plenty of friends who are girls - but no girlfriends. And, that's a conscious choice. Shaadi to arranged hi karni hai, they reason. So, bekaar ke lafdon mein kyun padna?
When these generations get settled or married outside their shells and locate to a Metro they get so defensive about being from small towns. Meanwhile these small towns don't offer women that much choice. The problem in a lot of small towns is that women can't do what they want to because they or their families fear "ki log kya kahenge?" The anonymity and fast pace of life of a metro on the other hand offers that freedom. Often in many baniya families a daughter in law isn't given a choice in terms of her attire, more so in small towns. Though the laid back pace of life and relative safety are advantages that small towns do offer. But at the same time, a lot of small town people often lament about the fast pace of life, lack of safety and coldness and insenstivity of a big city as well...
But on the contrary a small town has these goodies which metro's can't boast of :-
1.) Childhood Days
2.) Grandparents Stories
3.) Media/ Newspaper
About the food
1.) "Poha with Sev"
2.) "French Toast"
3.) "Mutka Kulfi"
What I think needs to be promoted in these cities is :
- Unbaised Education. Good Educational Infrastructure.
- Culture/Heritage Marketing.
- Irradication of Fundamentalist/Orthodox Forces.
- Metropolitan status to be granted.
- Perservance Of Heritage.
- Aforestation to Restore Greenery
- Improvement & Standarisation ( Planned ) Infrstructure, more of townships than some isolated multi storey apartments.
India is a lot more than most would know it staying in the metros.
The Actual reasons why these small cities remain small
At heart, these cities don't want to be a "Chota Sheher", but there are several factors which have prevented it from growing. Here are some of them :
1. Lack of Infrastructure: Take a one hour drive through the various roads and you would find the answer. For any manufacturing unit, the basic requirements are Water / Electricity / Proper transportation. Do these cities provide any of them ? The problem is at the State Govt. Level as well as local admin. level.
Ten years back, the government used to take pride in calling Pithampur as the "Detroit of India". But Pithampur has now reduced to a troubled industrial area with several sick units struggling to survive. They are now arranging their own power and water, and just hoping for the roads to improve (which has not happened in the past 25 years).
These cities have a huge resource pool of Engineers / Post graduates. Just go to the top 10 software companies and Banks / Financial institutions in India, and you would see hundreds of these guys working there. But the same companies cannot think of opening a development center or an office at the places from where these guys come. Reason: Power ?? Communication ?? I cannot imagine how they can survive with power cuts / Network failures etc. Most of the companies have identified these cities as a potential spot for expansion, but it is too big a risk for them. Which company would like to risk an investment of multiple crores ? The cities can provide a descent stength of employees to Call centres and other back-office operation firms. But are the firms comfortable with the idea of venturing into a city where they would lose connectivity every hour.. where there is no power for their AC's / Network servers and other devices.
I suppose the residents have accepted bad roads as a way of life. Narrow roads full of potholes and dust are a trademark of the city. Go out on the streets at dusk and see the level of dust pollution. See the thick mass of dust hanging in the air.
Then we have train lines which are connected on Broad guage to just one side... Because the government never had enough budget to lay a Broad guage railway line through out the country. Imagine the advantages if we could connect all the cities to a common line.
2. An Inefficient and Corrupt Local administration : The local administration probably does nothing. Go to the Municipal corporation / PWD or any other government office during the day and you would know why these cities are in such a pathetic state. Why can't these cities have government run public transport ? Why are we left to the mercy of the "Nagar Sevas" whom people call "Yamdoot".In an attempt to pick passengers,these "yamdoots" surely have created an impressive track record of killing people on streets.
The concept of town planning just doesn't exist. One can be shocked to see new roads with a width of 20 feet being laid in new colonies. Would these be able to take the load of traffic after 20 or 50 years? Some cities are also coming up with the concept of flyovers which are not less than "puliyas" and then again to congest that they link it up with cross bridges. Then what's the point? Compare this to 17 flyovers in Mumbai (in 1 year) and dozens of them in Hyderabad, and you would have a clear picture of the how efficient is our administration . There is complete lacking of a "vision" how a city should be.
New complexes are growing like mushrooms, and the Municipal Corp approves their designs without even considering the most important factor : Parking space ! Huge complexes and dozens more are just a few prominent examples. I really wonder what the Town planners do. I've seen Multi Storeys being constructed in plots of 30' X 40'. This is ridiculous !
The Private colonisers are causing havoc by illegal constructions. Suprisingly none of this is ever noticed by the administration. The local police also leaves a lot to be desired. Especially in the matters of Traffic regulation. It seems that the policemen lack a basic sense of duty and are happy to sit on the chairs and see people breaking traffic laws. Lane cutting, driving in the wrong lane (or mostly on the wrong side altogether) are common everywhere.
3. Ignorant (and complacent!) population: The people lack a basic sense of civic sense, responsibility and self regulation. I'm amused to see how they take pride in breaking traffic laws, encroaching on roads, parking illegally, and destroying public parks. The "chalta hai" attitude is the killer. They'll collect all the trash from home, and happily throw it on the street without giving a second thought. Probably lack of good education is the biggest factor!
4. Politics: Other states of the country are not lagging far behind UP and Bihar. We can also boast of Criminal politicians. Hurray! Track down any illegal business / construction and it invariably belongs to one of these politicians or their relatives. The administration then decides to ignore them, and they just go on unquestioned and with complete disregard to any regulations. Land-Mafia is one of the favorite businesses of these gentlemen.
Though these factors might not seem closely related, but the cumulative effect is BIG. Acting together, they are chocking the country suffocating the honest, educated citizen. As long as the citizens are not aware of their rights, duties and responsibilities, it is tough for these cities to become any better. The "Chalta hai", "aisa hi hai" attitude must go. I just hope a positive change happens, else all the "bunties" and "bublies" would ultimately leave these cities and move on to places where they can find a job and to lead a better life..
Every culture has its own traditions and pros and cons but so does being mindlessly modern or western. The current western "pop" culture is unsustainable, and it deteriorates pretty fast into being "unhuman".
Whereas, we have been sustaining our culture for a very long time, though, not without problems.
Whereas, we have been sustaining our culture for a very long time, though, not without problems.
Woh Dilli ki dopaharein.
Woh loo ki chalti leherein.
Woh 2 rupiye ki double-roti.
Woh dukaanein chhoti chhoti.
Woh nange paaon nikalna.
Woh garm zameen ka jalna.
socha tha kho na jaaye...
mera sheher bahot yaad aaye...
mera sheher bahot yaad aaye....
Woh loo ki chalti leherein.
Woh 2 rupiye ki double-roti.
Woh dukaanein chhoti chhoti.
Woh nange paaon nikalna.
Woh garm zameen ka jalna.
socha tha kho na jaaye...
mera sheher bahot yaad aaye...
mera sheher bahot yaad aaye....
It is a generation trying to adopt western culture at the same time holding back their Indian values.
1) In most "bada shehars" you have an old city which at its soul remains the "chota shehar" be it Mumbai, Delhi, Pune or Chandigarh. In most of them they have an aggressively growing "bada shehar" and a cutely preserved "chotta shehar" separated by a quintessential mark of progress an over bridge above the railway line that passes through the heart of the city.
2) In every bada shehar the malls and multiplexes run because of the so called "modern face" of the city.
3) Though less visible and active only in specific spaces - the city has a much larger "metro like" diaspora then what you believe. The explosion of malls/multiplexes just helps them be more visible and hence expand faster.
4) There is another definition to the "bada shehar" - Liberal society's ugly face - increased sex related crimes and flesh trade - both of which also thrive. Recently, NDTV had done a story on how college girls living in hostels find it easy to make money by going on a weekend trip with friendly "customers". As for crime - just read through the major dailies and you would know that there is a thriving "bhai" culture of extortions, kidnapping and suparis.
A small town is where people are not yet perpetually bored, where chaps play cricket on the local maidan instead of roaming around on bikes, where the local katta has not been replaced by the pool club, where “ganne ka ras” is still available on street corners, where people are not afraid of strangers and where the entire mohalla turns up to welcome newcomers and celebrate homecomings.
But 85% of India is still 'traditional' that way. The people who live at a place more or less make its culture. Those who inhabit it coming from outside have to follow suit and fit into the frame. Beyond a certain level, population, infrastructure etc don't really matter. What really matters is the attitude of the citizens towards their own city. A 'chhota sheher' would be 'chhota' if a significant proportion of its young population would be looking to move out from it to a bigger city, for reasons which are not solely employment-related.
Conversely, a big city is one in which, if employment is not a factor, the population would stay on. Which is why Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Calcutta are equals in the big city league. Most people from these cities would never move if they got the jobs they like. Even when their jobs force them to move, they keep making efforts to go back to their beloved home towns. What factors other than employment would make someone shift their base? Social life, safety, entertainment options, schools and colleges for kids, family, and certain "x factor" where you just love a city. In a nutshell, a big city is a place where people aspire to settle down, buy houses, bring up their kids and maybe grow old, all the while, letting their career flourish.
It remains to be seen how long young people who still form the majority - continue to think this way. Until then, 'small town' status will remain safe. And so will the sale of bindis!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Ask not what your country...
But can we, the urban 'elite', DO something about it? The answer is - it's never easy, but you can make a difference.
This piece I wrote on ADR (Association for Democratic Reform) shows you what kind of commitment and perseverance it takes. But, pay-offs do come. Of course, the statistics are of 2005, and the figures have increased to a horrible figure or for that matter a sorry figure. A figure which can bring any Indian to shame.
And yes, it is a matter of great pride that the founding trustees of ADR were professors and alumni of IIM Ahmedabad.
A few good men. B-schools are not known for people fighting to clean up politics. But some do.
The political and commercial morals of the US are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet, commented the inimitable Mark Twain. That being the case, the state of Bihar - as it goes to the polls almost every year- would certainly qualify as a public orgy. Affidavits filed with the Election Commission reveal that one in three candidates fielded by major political parties have chargesheets pending against them.
But there's a story behind the statistics. A story of how a few good men can take on a mighty messed-up system, and make a difference.
The story begins in August 1999, when a group of intellectuals got off their armchairs and formed the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in Ahmedabad. The 11 founding members included eight professors of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), two IIM-A alumni and a professor from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
The challenge before them: to make the voting public think, and thinking people vote.
ADR decided to start by addressing an issue, which almost inevitably cropped up in the post-prandial conversations on problems facing India: the criminalisation of politics. Public interest litigation (PIL) was the chosen route.
In December 1999, Kamini Jaiswal filed a PIL on behalf of ADR in the Delhi High Court, seeking disclosure on criminal charges faced by candidates, as well as their financial and educational history. The PIL was upheld, but the Congress, Samata Party and the Union of India appealed against the judgement.
In May 2002, the Supreme Court again upheld the PIL and on 28 June 2002, the Election Commission issued a directive implementing the judgement. With remarkable alacrity, 21 political parties met on 8 July 2002 and unanimously 'rejected' the court orders. They decided to pass an ordinance to circumvent the judgement.
Founder-trustee and IIM-A 1984 alumnus Ajit Ranade recalls the tensions prevailing at the time: "A group of them met the then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and explained the situation to him. Kalam returned the ordinance but the Cabinet sent it back unchanged. He had no choice but to sign it the second time."
ADR and several other organisations moved the court once again. In March 2003, the Supreme Court ruled in their favour, linking its judgement to the citizens' 'fundamental right to know'.
It was a well-earned victory, but even before the formal judgement came in, ADR had initiated its first ever 'election watch'. The battleground: the post-Godhra Gujarat elections of September to December 2002. ADR issued 40 advertisements appealing to the public for information and collected over 1,000 affidavits filed by candidates.
Names of 138 candidates with criminal records were released and widely reported in the print and electronic media as well as disseminated to political parties, bureaucrats and NGOs.
The 'election watch' movement has now spread across the country. In every state, ADR ties up with local NGOs and citizens' groups to help in collecting, compiling and disseminating information among public.
In Mumbai, ADR worked closely with AGNI; in Bihar it collaborated with Lok Samvad, a network of NGOs it has identified and trained. Says Bibhu Mohapatra, ADR's full-time co-ordinator: "The affidavits are written in a language that is gobbledegook to the lay person." ADR's task is to simplify the data and amplify it through the media so that voters can make more informed choices.
Of course, critics argue, many candidates file false or incomplete affidavits. Mere criminality is not a ground for disqualification of candidates and, sadly, criminals often romp home victories anyway. Counters Trilochan Sastry, a founding member of ADR and now a professor at IIM, Bangalore: "But there are many early signs of change." For example, MPs are paying up their electricity and telephone bills as liabilities must be disclosed.
Founder-trustee and IIM-A professor Jagdeep Chhokar believes the idea is to build up pressure on parties themselves to field cleaner candidates and the indication is that "it's happening". Rome wasn't rebuilt in a day, and one thing ADR is not short on is patience.
Fighting long drawn-out court battles, travelling through cities like Bhagalpur and Begusarai and taking on the establishment are not the general domain of IIM professors or alumni. Thinking 'out of the box' is an old management dictum. In this case, the pandora's box that is Indian democracy has actually been opened.
There are indeed many organizations who are working selflessly but are very much publicity shy.
some of the so-called 'thinking class' actually doing something concrete. I think its high time the educated classes stood up and fought for their country instead of the current apathetic attitude on display for generations. The workers will work, the educated classes will pay taxes and the politicians will stay corrupt... too long this has been accepted with the convinient excuse of 'what can a single person do'.
It would be great to actually contribute than be a by-stander all the while!!! For more info log on to www.adrindia.org
The unholy 'jehadi'
Traditionally, you wake up on a Diwali morning and the first thing you look at is a silver coin or rupee note. It is believed that "Laxmiji ke darshan" on the day of Laxmi puja brings prosperity and luck in the coming year.
Additionally, you wake up on one fine Diwali morning and the papers are full of stories of children who will never see their parents again. Of entire families wiped out by serial blasts. I wonder where the HR activists take shelter during such events ? Where's Amnesty ? What steps do they take to put pressure on governments that have terrorism as a state policy ?
Again, most nations including our neighbour condemn the blasts. Mere condemnation amounts to nothing. This only highlights the impotency of institutions like the UN...then why are we trying for a UNSC seat...would being a permanent member help matters ?
Now I have that fear in mind that before any festival, auspicious day, there is going to be a bomb blast and tears everywhere. It might be a natural cause or a man made one. With earthquakes, tsunamis, train mishaps and bombings, I wonder should we still feel happy about a Festival.
I fail to understand why do we need any symbol of protest from a particular religious group who are as much Indians as anybody else. Heinous acts are to be condemned by everyone. Time and again we should stop expecting a sympathy statement. I am sure that even if a hundred thousand people take to the streets it won't make any difference to the Jihadis who have been brainwashed by the ISI .
I am in favour of getting the POTA back. As for HR Activists they care for the life of one terrorist rather than the hundreds who are victims of the terrorists. The problem of taking stern actions against Jihadis are acts and ordinances like POTA, MCOCA etc. If the Govt. uses it, you have HR activists up in arms saying that these acts violate HR.
Besides, such acts leads to more misuse than use. If the GoI comes up with something like the Patriot Act, you have no idea how much trouble folks are going to be in... I feel that more than the community the country as a whole should take a stand against these acts of JEHAD. The Government should not treat it as another of those JEHADI acts that plague our country. A stern action needs to be taken. A message should be conveyed "No more ruthless acts of violence on the common masses in the name of HOLY JEHAD".
Its high time that someone from this community stands up and says that all this going on in the name of JEHAD will not be tolerated ...enough is enough...everything has a limit and it has been crossed in this case, a probable solution to this problem will be to set a meet of all the important and intellectual members of this community to take drastic steps against these fedayeens , outcast them, penalise them, punish them to give them a strong and stern message that these things will not be tolerated now. Nothing can stop these men except humiliation from their own community.
'Jehadis' plan and execute unimaginably evil acts during the very month of Ramzan when they are enjoined by their God to undertake fasting and penance to purify themselves.
Can the elders, leaders and imams of their community please stand up and declare strongly and clearly, that they will burn in hell? So far I've seen one picture of Shabana Azmi in some kind of protest march and I'm afraid she is not the kind of person whom the average jehadi looks up to for career guidance.
Additionally, you wake up on one fine Diwali morning and the papers are full of stories of children who will never see their parents again. Of entire families wiped out by serial blasts. I wonder where the HR activists take shelter during such events ? Where's Amnesty ? What steps do they take to put pressure on governments that have terrorism as a state policy ?
Again, most nations including our neighbour condemn the blasts. Mere condemnation amounts to nothing. This only highlights the impotency of institutions like the UN...then why are we trying for a UNSC seat...would being a permanent member help matters ?
Now I have that fear in mind that before any festival, auspicious day, there is going to be a bomb blast and tears everywhere. It might be a natural cause or a man made one. With earthquakes, tsunamis, train mishaps and bombings, I wonder should we still feel happy about a Festival.
I fail to understand why do we need any symbol of protest from a particular religious group who are as much Indians as anybody else. Heinous acts are to be condemned by everyone. Time and again we should stop expecting a sympathy statement. I am sure that even if a hundred thousand people take to the streets it won't make any difference to the Jihadis who have been brainwashed by the ISI .
I am in favour of getting the POTA back. As for HR Activists they care for the life of one terrorist rather than the hundreds who are victims of the terrorists. The problem of taking stern actions against Jihadis are acts and ordinances like POTA, MCOCA etc. If the Govt. uses it, you have HR activists up in arms saying that these acts violate HR.
Besides, such acts leads to more misuse than use. If the GoI comes up with something like the Patriot Act, you have no idea how much trouble folks are going to be in... I feel that more than the community the country as a whole should take a stand against these acts of JEHAD. The Government should not treat it as another of those JEHADI acts that plague our country. A stern action needs to be taken. A message should be conveyed "No more ruthless acts of violence on the common masses in the name of HOLY JEHAD".
Its high time that someone from this community stands up and says that all this going on in the name of JEHAD will not be tolerated ...enough is enough...everything has a limit and it has been crossed in this case, a probable solution to this problem will be to set a meet of all the important and intellectual members of this community to take drastic steps against these fedayeens , outcast them, penalise them, punish them to give them a strong and stern message that these things will not be tolerated now. Nothing can stop these men except humiliation from their own community.
'Jehadis' plan and execute unimaginably evil acts during the very month of Ramzan when they are enjoined by their God to undertake fasting and penance to purify themselves.
Can the elders, leaders and imams of their community please stand up and declare strongly and clearly, that they will burn in hell? So far I've seen one picture of Shabana Azmi in some kind of protest march and I'm afraid she is not the kind of person whom the average jehadi looks up to for career guidance.
Home 'too sweet' home
The last time we shifted, we found out a fridge magnet which read "A clean house is a sign of a misspent life".
I would partly agree. I mean, sure, you don't want to live in a dirty house but I do so hate picture-perfect living spaces. They look so very unlived in!
So let me modify that to an 'immaculately interior-decorated' home, to me, is a sign of a misspent life.
When I step into a house where everything matches with everything else, not a cushion is out of place - and it's not even a formal dinner party - I feel a small, inward cringe. If the home is truly outstanding, I even feel a little bit like a kid in a china shop.
Growing up, there was one home of this kind in our locality. In a colony of teachers where the prevailing fashions were divans and rexine sofas, this one home had carefully laid out expensive antique furniture. It reminded me of a museum no one ever visited.
The aunty in this house was rumoured to be related to some royal family - no idea if there was any truth in it. The kids were the only I knew outside Enid Blyton books who actually went to boarding school.
The lasting impression I have of this 'lovely' home : cold and unwelcoming. A very personal - and perhaps biased - impression but hard to erase.
Perfection comes not from adding things, but taking them off. Imagine a newly built up house, don't you think it looks better without the furniture than with the furniture? I would say, keep it really simple and neat. The more stuff you add, the more messy it becomes and the more the time you spend on cleaning it up.
Rather, for me it extends to people also. Infact I have difficulty maintaining my place in semi-messed condition, as I find it difficult to decide what should be in place, and what should not... So, for me it starts with a picture-perfect one, stays like this for some time then slowly starts messy.. and gets (and stays for sometime) messier...
I mean it's personal choice, how much time and energy (and money) you want to invest in home decor but I would much rather eat, read or sleep than bother about putting together a living room that could make it to the centrespread of 'Inside Outside' magazine.
But if I really really had to put my passion into a building project (assuming I ever have that kind of money!) - 'Amazing Vacation Homes' (Discovery Travel & Living) would be the way to go. Amen.
I would partly agree. I mean, sure, you don't want to live in a dirty house but I do so hate picture-perfect living spaces. They look so very unlived in!
So let me modify that to an 'immaculately interior-decorated' home, to me, is a sign of a misspent life.
When I step into a house where everything matches with everything else, not a cushion is out of place - and it's not even a formal dinner party - I feel a small, inward cringe. If the home is truly outstanding, I even feel a little bit like a kid in a china shop.
Growing up, there was one home of this kind in our locality. In a colony of teachers where the prevailing fashions were divans and rexine sofas, this one home had carefully laid out expensive antique furniture. It reminded me of a museum no one ever visited.
The aunty in this house was rumoured to be related to some royal family - no idea if there was any truth in it. The kids were the only I knew outside Enid Blyton books who actually went to boarding school.
The lasting impression I have of this 'lovely' home : cold and unwelcoming. A very personal - and perhaps biased - impression but hard to erase.
Perfection comes not from adding things, but taking them off. Imagine a newly built up house, don't you think it looks better without the furniture than with the furniture? I would say, keep it really simple and neat. The more stuff you add, the more messy it becomes and the more the time you spend on cleaning it up.
Rather, for me it extends to people also. Infact I have difficulty maintaining my place in semi-messed condition, as I find it difficult to decide what should be in place, and what should not... So, for me it starts with a picture-perfect one, stays like this for some time then slowly starts messy.. and gets (and stays for sometime) messier...
I mean it's personal choice, how much time and energy (and money) you want to invest in home decor but I would much rather eat, read or sleep than bother about putting together a living room that could make it to the centrespread of 'Inside Outside' magazine.
But if I really really had to put my passion into a building project (assuming I ever have that kind of money!) - 'Amazing Vacation Homes' (Discovery Travel & Living) would be the way to go. Amen.
On 'changing the world'
Hmm, hate to say I told you so but way back in one of my previous posts, I expressed a similar thought. Of course, I merely stated Sania was 'more than a tennis player'. The New Statesman, described by HT as one of the 'most respected political-literary-cultural weeklies in the UK has listed Sania as one of the men and women who will "transform the world".
In his article on Sania, Jason Cowley writes about the “world-transforming potential of a young, attractive, articulate and media-smart teenage Muslim tennis star”. Like it or not the 'M' word has been used. The scarcity of Muslim women in any profession involving wearing of short skirts is glaring enough to lead to that reference.
But this being the NS, the idea is to see Sania — and her sport — as a symbol of a bigger, more sociologically significant phenomenon. “Muhammad Ali, Pele, Evonne Goolagong, Viv Richards, the so-called ghetto Cinderellas Venus and Serena Williams and the Chinese basketball star Yao Ming — these sporting icons, because of their fame, achievement and corporate power, have helped to transform the way mainstream sporting audiences think about race, gender and the old political structures that once controlled the games we play.
“Can Mirza have a similarly transformative effect, not only in India but also throughout the world? She may not have won a major tournament, yet already she occupies a role through which flow many of the most significant intellectual and cultural currents of our times: the clash between secularism and political Islam, the emancipation of women in the Muslim world, the dominance of celebrity, the tyranny of the image, the emergence of India as a world power,” Cowley writes.
Well, I would really like to buy into this - though Sania has a long way to go before she can be compared to Pele and Muhammad Ali in terms of sporting achievement. I personally believe she will get there but even if she doesn't reach the heights of a Serena Williams, I would not crucify her. She's gone further than any Indian woman has gone before in her sport.
And what can’t the media do…… Sania Mirza, the tennis player who can change the world…
If just posing for a few ads, playing tennis and wearing some short skirts can change the world, then why not all of us try? If some people think a girl belonging to a conservative religion playing tennis in a short attractive skirt is revolutionary, then they definitely have got the definition of the word wrong.
Well, just one question – If Sania had been just another girl, dressed in a knee-length skirt (not in minis) and not good-looking, would she have had the potential to change the world? Probably she would, for the mere fact that she went out and fought herself into the international picture, but definitely not according to the media. If Sania played so well and gave her opponents a tough time, but not win, what’s lacking in her? The spirit to put up that fight till the end… And if that’s the case, we will see her putting up a good fight in all her matches and not win a single match . I don’t see how she will sustain herself in international tennis …
Near winners cannot change the world, real winners can try to.
Probably the media can moderate their opinion, good or bad, about Sania or any person .
Unlike when we started winning Miss India, I couldn't think one Sania could have inspired many other girls (or boys) to take up tennis or sports in general. A sporting career requires far too much dedication and commitment! Not only from the player but his / her family!
Glamour on the other hand is a quick fix, you can always fail at acting / modelling but then marry a rich guy with your improved looks :)
Hope I am wrong, but there's just too much hype and some 5 years is the most she'll survive. She will scale some heights, but I feel most of the comments we hear from competitors, commentators sounds like "Wow!! A female tennis star from a third-world country of ONE BILLION people emerges after FIFTY EIGHT years of independence. And she looks good to go on the cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition as well. And she's a Muslim. How amazing!!!". Let's face it. She's good, but just not fit enough for the game. 3 tournaments and a injury. Loads of attitude, which is so good because it's something we Indians in general never show. But I fear, that's just about it. Attitude.
Will be so happy to see her make it to the top...and I mean the TOP because a country of ONE BILLION people so starved of heroes and heroines has to somewhere stop accepting that being in the top 10 is good enough. It's not. #10 means 9 people are better than you. Is it a fair expectation? Maybe not. But for the number of products she's going to endorse very soon (will surely beat Sachin with two more tournament wins), she better make it to the TOP or it will be another case of flattering to deceive. By the way, anyone heard of P.Gopichand after the All England Open win? Or Koneru Hampi or Anju Bobby George? Let's stop going ga-ga about sports(wo)men for giving us something to cheer about, we express our gratitude quite adequately by buying the products they peddle.
Sania has handled all the pressures brought about by the unprecedented hype created by the media! That by itself shows her inner strength and calibre to be a high achiever! Sania Mirza and Koneru Humpy-achievers yet poles apart. Like Sania Mirza, Koneru Humpy is a 'first' for an Indian woman. Born on March 31, 1987, she is a chess grandmaster. Her April 2004 FIDE ELO rating is 2513, placing her as No. 3 in the world for women. Humpy was originally named Hampi by her parents but her father later changed it to Humpy, a more Russian sounding name. Koneru Humpy has setup a new World Record of becoming the Youngest-Ever Woman to achieve the Men's GM Title. Humpy has achieved the Men's GM Title at the age of 15 years , 1 month, and 27 Days beating Judith Polgar's record of 15 years, 4 months and 27 days.
Fellow-Hyderabadi Sania Mirza is only a year older. Since her debut at the US Open, in which she made it to Round 4, before losing to top-seed Maria Sharapova, Sania is ranked No.32 in the WTA rankings. Sania is an icon in India, is grabbing endorsements left, right and centre and has suddenly become the poster-girl of international sports. Where does that leave Koneru Humpy? Literally-nowhere. She's had her moments on national TV and a page or two in national news magazines, but then its zippo.
There is a not-so-subtle difference between the two, you see. Sania is the streaked, midriff-baring , PYT with loads of attitude, huge earrings and a nose-ring to match. Humpy Koneru, in contrast, is the bespectacled, shy, youngster-certainly not one who looks like she can keep pace with Gen X. Is it not enough to be an achiever anymore? Has the age of superficial behaviour reached such mammoth levels that achievers must also be spin-doctored to look and act a certain way? What if Sania resembled Humpy and didn't attend post-match media interactions in T-shirts which say 'I am cute? Not s***.?'
We have heard how Sania's favourite colours are red and black, how she likes Ocean's 11 and Brad Pitt and Hugh Grant. Likes listening to hip hop including Eminem, ... also likes playing cricket and swimming ... most admires Rahul Gandhi ... also admires tennis play of Steffi Graf. And we want to hear more. The country and several parts of the world are in the grip of a Sania Mania and no one is denying it, or wanting to anyway. Research and researchers tell us that in society, attractive people tend to be more intelligent, better adjusted, and more popular. This is described as the halo effect - due to the perfection associated with angels. Research shows attractive people also have more occupational success and more dating experience than their unattractive counterparts. One theory behind this halo effect is that it is accurate -attractive people are indeed more successful.
The poignant part would be if beauty takes away from achievement and becomes the new benchmark for choosing icons. But really, in context of the game at large, she is a top 50 player, thats it. To give her the kind of attention she gets (there were huge articles in the newspapers on how her ranking fell from 31 to 32!!) isn't really being fair to her. But then again deifying and expecting the world of our sportsmen and women isn't something new to us Indians. It's almost a national passtime to set them up for a fall. If she has the capacity to be a top 10 player is something that only time will tell but would she be a media burnout before she gets there, that is something that is in the media's control. Will have to agree that she has been a fantastic in how she has handled media and popularity so far. I think the media is largely responsible for giving Sania this 'larger than life' image. I think we in India like to idolize people provided the person fits into a particular profile.
The media has been very unfair at least in the case of Anju Bobby George who is at present ranked no.4 in her sport and has been winning consistently in all the major tournaments and who I believe has achieved much more than Sania has done until now. Of course, the sport nor the athlete is as 'media-friendly' as Sania. Not to take any credit away from Sania, but I believe she needs to go a long way before she can be acknowledged as a 'transformational' material.
Let's give Sania some space and not fire the gun! The 'M' reference might be a subtle reference to the state of minorities in a particular country. I mean, if a Muslim teenaged girl in short skirts is considered an idol in India, then things must be pretty optimistic. Reality might be different but the image sure looks impressive. Its easy to be the second or third best when there is only one strong opponent. Indian Cricket is precisely that. We can take pride on our global achievments in Cricket and Kabbadi only because there are few worth competition. Sania Mirza's victories are much more significant than a Cricket World Cup second.
But still, one cannot say cricketers are far worse performing. Well Sania has till date won just WTA event . She has potential but is not yet in the top league. Cricket is a team game and we do get brilliant individual performances but right now the team isn't clicking . So, unfair to say that Sania is better off . No logical comparison can be made . The silver lining is that Sania is getting as much attention as any of our top cricketers do. And that is a great sign !!!!
Whenever she speaks I'm amazed she still has her young head on her shoulders. Which is more than can be said about our not-so-young (and far worse performing) cricketers.
Also on the New Statesman list: US Prez Barack Obama, Physicist Anton Zeilinger, Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf, Environmentalist Aubrey Meyer, the Emir of Qatar, Kierra Box, "20-year-old politico-prodigy", Net entrepreneur Brewster Kahle, Victoria Hale whose healthcare group brings cheap medicine to the poor, and Mo Ibrahim chief of the fastest growing mobile phone group in sub-Saharan Africa.
Glad to see a list of relatively unknown names... that itself is a welcome change in a run-of-the-mill-celeb-hungry media world!
In his article on Sania, Jason Cowley writes about the “world-transforming potential of a young, attractive, articulate and media-smart teenage Muslim tennis star”. Like it or not the 'M' word has been used. The scarcity of Muslim women in any profession involving wearing of short skirts is glaring enough to lead to that reference.
But this being the NS, the idea is to see Sania — and her sport — as a symbol of a bigger, more sociologically significant phenomenon. “Muhammad Ali, Pele, Evonne Goolagong, Viv Richards, the so-called ghetto Cinderellas Venus and Serena Williams and the Chinese basketball star Yao Ming — these sporting icons, because of their fame, achievement and corporate power, have helped to transform the way mainstream sporting audiences think about race, gender and the old political structures that once controlled the games we play.
“Can Mirza have a similarly transformative effect, not only in India but also throughout the world? She may not have won a major tournament, yet already she occupies a role through which flow many of the most significant intellectual and cultural currents of our times: the clash between secularism and political Islam, the emancipation of women in the Muslim world, the dominance of celebrity, the tyranny of the image, the emergence of India as a world power,” Cowley writes.
Well, I would really like to buy into this - though Sania has a long way to go before she can be compared to Pele and Muhammad Ali in terms of sporting achievement. I personally believe she will get there but even if she doesn't reach the heights of a Serena Williams, I would not crucify her. She's gone further than any Indian woman has gone before in her sport.
And what can’t the media do…… Sania Mirza, the tennis player who can change the world…
If just posing for a few ads, playing tennis and wearing some short skirts can change the world, then why not all of us try? If some people think a girl belonging to a conservative religion playing tennis in a short attractive skirt is revolutionary, then they definitely have got the definition of the word wrong.
Well, just one question – If Sania had been just another girl, dressed in a knee-length skirt (not in minis) and not good-looking, would she have had the potential to change the world? Probably she would, for the mere fact that she went out and fought herself into the international picture, but definitely not according to the media. If Sania played so well and gave her opponents a tough time, but not win, what’s lacking in her? The spirit to put up that fight till the end… And if that’s the case, we will see her putting up a good fight in all her matches and not win a single match . I don’t see how she will sustain herself in international tennis …
Near winners cannot change the world, real winners can try to.
Probably the media can moderate their opinion, good or bad, about Sania or any person .
Unlike when we started winning Miss India, I couldn't think one Sania could have inspired many other girls (or boys) to take up tennis or sports in general. A sporting career requires far too much dedication and commitment! Not only from the player but his / her family!
Glamour on the other hand is a quick fix, you can always fail at acting / modelling but then marry a rich guy with your improved looks :)
Hope I am wrong, but there's just too much hype and some 5 years is the most she'll survive. She will scale some heights, but I feel most of the comments we hear from competitors, commentators sounds like "Wow!! A female tennis star from a third-world country of ONE BILLION people emerges after FIFTY EIGHT years of independence. And she looks good to go on the cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition as well. And she's a Muslim. How amazing!!!". Let's face it. She's good, but just not fit enough for the game. 3 tournaments and a injury. Loads of attitude, which is so good because it's something we Indians in general never show. But I fear, that's just about it. Attitude.
Will be so happy to see her make it to the top...and I mean the TOP because a country of ONE BILLION people so starved of heroes and heroines has to somewhere stop accepting that being in the top 10 is good enough. It's not. #10 means 9 people are better than you. Is it a fair expectation? Maybe not. But for the number of products she's going to endorse very soon (will surely beat Sachin with two more tournament wins), she better make it to the TOP or it will be another case of flattering to deceive. By the way, anyone heard of P.Gopichand after the All England Open win? Or Koneru Hampi or Anju Bobby George? Let's stop going ga-ga about sports(wo)men for giving us something to cheer about, we express our gratitude quite adequately by buying the products they peddle.
Sania has handled all the pressures brought about by the unprecedented hype created by the media! That by itself shows her inner strength and calibre to be a high achiever! Sania Mirza and Koneru Humpy-achievers yet poles apart. Like Sania Mirza, Koneru Humpy is a 'first' for an Indian woman. Born on March 31, 1987, she is a chess grandmaster. Her April 2004 FIDE ELO rating is 2513, placing her as No. 3 in the world for women. Humpy was originally named Hampi by her parents but her father later changed it to Humpy, a more Russian sounding name. Koneru Humpy has setup a new World Record of becoming the Youngest-Ever Woman to achieve the Men's GM Title. Humpy has achieved the Men's GM Title at the age of 15 years , 1 month, and 27 Days beating Judith Polgar's record of 15 years, 4 months and 27 days.
Fellow-Hyderabadi Sania Mirza is only a year older. Since her debut at the US Open, in which she made it to Round 4, before losing to top-seed Maria Sharapova, Sania is ranked No.32 in the WTA rankings. Sania is an icon in India, is grabbing endorsements left, right and centre and has suddenly become the poster-girl of international sports. Where does that leave Koneru Humpy? Literally-nowhere. She's had her moments on national TV and a page or two in national news magazines, but then its zippo.
There is a not-so-subtle difference between the two, you see. Sania is the streaked, midriff-baring , PYT with loads of attitude, huge earrings and a nose-ring to match. Humpy Koneru, in contrast, is the bespectacled, shy, youngster-certainly not one who looks like she can keep pace with Gen X. Is it not enough to be an achiever anymore? Has the age of superficial behaviour reached such mammoth levels that achievers must also be spin-doctored to look and act a certain way? What if Sania resembled Humpy and didn't attend post-match media interactions in T-shirts which say 'I am cute? Not s***.?'
We have heard how Sania's favourite colours are red and black, how she likes Ocean's 11 and Brad Pitt and Hugh Grant. Likes listening to hip hop including Eminem, ... also likes playing cricket and swimming ... most admires Rahul Gandhi ... also admires tennis play of Steffi Graf. And we want to hear more. The country and several parts of the world are in the grip of a Sania Mania and no one is denying it, or wanting to anyway. Research and researchers tell us that in society, attractive people tend to be more intelligent, better adjusted, and more popular. This is described as the halo effect - due to the perfection associated with angels. Research shows attractive people also have more occupational success and more dating experience than their unattractive counterparts. One theory behind this halo effect is that it is accurate -attractive people are indeed more successful.
The poignant part would be if beauty takes away from achievement and becomes the new benchmark for choosing icons. But really, in context of the game at large, she is a top 50 player, thats it. To give her the kind of attention she gets (there were huge articles in the newspapers on how her ranking fell from 31 to 32!!) isn't really being fair to her. But then again deifying and expecting the world of our sportsmen and women isn't something new to us Indians. It's almost a national passtime to set them up for a fall. If she has the capacity to be a top 10 player is something that only time will tell but would she be a media burnout before she gets there, that is something that is in the media's control. Will have to agree that she has been a fantastic in how she has handled media and popularity so far. I think the media is largely responsible for giving Sania this 'larger than life' image. I think we in India like to idolize people provided the person fits into a particular profile.
The media has been very unfair at least in the case of Anju Bobby George who is at present ranked no.4 in her sport and has been winning consistently in all the major tournaments and who I believe has achieved much more than Sania has done until now. Of course, the sport nor the athlete is as 'media-friendly' as Sania. Not to take any credit away from Sania, but I believe she needs to go a long way before she can be acknowledged as a 'transformational' material.
Let's give Sania some space and not fire the gun! The 'M' reference might be a subtle reference to the state of minorities in a particular country. I mean, if a Muslim teenaged girl in short skirts is considered an idol in India, then things must be pretty optimistic. Reality might be different but the image sure looks impressive. Its easy to be the second or third best when there is only one strong opponent. Indian Cricket is precisely that. We can take pride on our global achievments in Cricket and Kabbadi only because there are few worth competition. Sania Mirza's victories are much more significant than a Cricket World Cup second.
But still, one cannot say cricketers are far worse performing. Well Sania has till date won just WTA event . She has potential but is not yet in the top league. Cricket is a team game and we do get brilliant individual performances but right now the team isn't clicking . So, unfair to say that Sania is better off . No logical comparison can be made . The silver lining is that Sania is getting as much attention as any of our top cricketers do. And that is a great sign !!!!
Whenever she speaks I'm amazed she still has her young head on her shoulders. Which is more than can be said about our not-so-young (and far worse performing) cricketers.
Also on the New Statesman list: US Prez Barack Obama, Physicist Anton Zeilinger, Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf, Environmentalist Aubrey Meyer, the Emir of Qatar, Kierra Box, "20-year-old politico-prodigy", Net entrepreneur Brewster Kahle, Victoria Hale whose healthcare group brings cheap medicine to the poor, and Mo Ibrahim chief of the fastest growing mobile phone group in sub-Saharan Africa.
Glad to see a list of relatively unknown names... that itself is a welcome change in a run-of-the-mill-celeb-hungry media world!
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