Euthanasia and the case of social welfare

A highly debatable topic of Euthanasia is doing the rounds these days. This is the case of Aruna Shanbaug, who was brutally raped around 4 decades ago. Aruna, has been in a vegetative state ever since. Recent videos, show her plight and its very disturbing to say the least. To me it was depressing. I wonder how many people in our country have the right to live with dignity. A recent survey has shown that wealthier people are becoming poorer due to rising costs in healthcare. To me this is again a very disturbing phenomenon. However I am not thinking only of the costs but also about the state of mind when someone goes through all this and asks a fundamental question - Do we really have to live with all this? Will our death make an important difference? The kind of bad lifestyle and their purpose to live being crushed under a deluge of money, may make people really ask for death. Of course this may sound far fetched now but its not impossible. It is high time the government woke up to social welfare in its country thereby making our country a much better place to live.

Scams and Amnesty

The recent few months has been nothing less than a quicksand swallowing the people of India.

There seems to be no way out of any of these, as some new scam would overshadow the previous ones. However, there is a silver lining, and that is the issue of black money hidden in foreign banks. The government is sheepishly and sluggishly trying to initiate the return of black money which took a flight from India. All these scams, and the entire system seem to suggest that the government may resort to the amnesty carrot. All the money can never be recovered, and this is one of the best options.

IPL 3.0 Fiasco

Its here again one more scandal or so it seems. A few weeks ago Mr. Lalit Modi was featured on the cover of India Today - one of the leading weeklies of India. As the editor has mentioned he is one of those rare individuals, who has graced the cover of this magazine 2 times in 3 weeks under polarized circumstances. First things first, I still maintain that I am a fan of Mr. Modi simply because he a very creative businessman who conceived IPL, this is probably the best thing to happen to Indian Cricket. Thousands or even more Indians, awesomely talented, full of passion would like to play for India, but their dreams just remain that --- Dreams. It is a tournament which gives many a hope to play at an International level and earn a living. These young men have every right to a good living -name, fame and money - all gained through IPL. Unfortunately Politics seems to be above all, the last few weeks have seen the media taking focus off from Sania and Shoaib and then to some allegedly murky dealings. Politicians, celebrities and probably every unknown person seems to be targeting this poor man - Lalit Modi. WHile they all seem to forget no businessman is innocent. This is the sad story which no one seems to care about. I hope IPL4.0 under the foresight of some other BCCI official (which looks plausible as of now) will be a bigger extravaganza, but the original always remains an original

Book Review: Dream Reachers

Dream Reachers is an inspirational book by Betty Dravis.

This book interviews several celebs, and their inspirational lives.

The celebs, are the who's who among several fields such as Holly wood, authors, musicians, dancers etc. who overcame the heaviest of odds to succeed in life. In short a book that can spawn you into being a dream reacher yourself...

Happy reading

This book can be purchased at Amazon

BSE and NSE wassup???

Bse and Nse looks like they have shrugged off their bearish blues and are thundering ahead in what some analysts believe - a rally that could last up to 15 years this time and could reach 100000. However there is one more analyst who was thinking on the same line, that this could be a state sponsored rally. I wouldn't be surprised. There have been some FII buying once the US stock markets picked up in the last few weeks, after some subtle signs of economic recovery.

The election is just underway and may 16th 2009 onwards could see some sporadic volatility in the stock market, especially if there is a huddle among different parties to decide to support from inside or outside and what not. However as the dust settles, I hope the rally takes on again and does not tank. One also suspects that gains from the stock markets during these days could definitely help in any 'closed door' meetings that may help form the next government. I sincerely hope I am proved wrong

Elections 2009: The ever vulnerable Third Front

The so called Third Front is there ....(yawn).... such fronts were already there once every few years, starting in 1977. The people have seen through it, its only hunger for power which shows within a few days after taking up office, until then its all about serious issues. 1977 - against autocracy. 1989 - against corruption in high places. 1996 - anti incumbency coupled with hopeless opportunism. We all know the fate of such 'arrangements', and that is failure. These so called alternatives are already creating a few more sub fronts or a front within a front to shamelessly bid for the highest position - post poll 2009. Wake up, so called leaders.... people can see through this, and they are smarter than you politicians can think (if at all you do).

Lets bring development, lets bring secularism and security to the country. Lets have some path breaking laws... like Witness Protection, lets bring in a missile defence, after which we can never hesitate to teach a historic lesson to the perpetrators of violence in our countries. Wake up politicos... wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late.

Elections 2009: A rag tag alliance

This election will be a watershed in our country's history. Another rag tag alliance in the making... as of writing this blog, there seems to be a popular perception that a fractured verdict, consisting of approximately 150 seats each, for major parties i.e Congress, and the BJP. The rest will be a combination of several parties like the BSP (current favorite for winning close to 40 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Followed by a new party in Andhra Pradesh, called Praja Rajyam Party floated by none other than superstar Chiranjeevi. We also have AIADMK in Tamil Nadu which is riding high on an anti incumbency. For the first time the Communists in West Bengal are not expected to do well. This apart, we have two arch rivals Lalu Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan coming together to fight against the ruling and redoubtable Janata Dal (United). The Congress on its part, is sensing an opportunity to revive the party especially in Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar which is good for them. But the Congress must remember its years of neglect of several states when it was in power, which gave rise to the regional parties in the first place. The right candidate for the right seat, should be the mantra without neglect post elections.

Welcome to the National Investigative Agency (NIA)

Welcome to The National Investigative Agency (NIA).  An agency set up by a government, rudely woken up by an incident called 26/11.  I wonder what took them so long.  This should have been done as early as Dec 2001, when there was an attack on the Indian parliament.  Several serial bombings killing of helpless policemen and the stepping down of a home minister later, the government has decided that its necessary in our country.  At least now we need not sacrifice the first line of our defense - the havaldar/constable who has to face these faceless criminals, armed with sophisticated weapons, with just a lathi.  It is high time we also keep the police out of immigration, and hire people who are into law.  High quality law graduates are churned out in one of the best law schools in India, and they are competent enough to handle cases in immigration, or NIA etc.  The NIA is definitely a welcome step, albeit delayed.  This will definitely boost employment in high tech areas as well as criminology, psychology etc.  I hope the government does not dilly dally on hiring potential candidates only from IPS/IFS etc. and makes way for several brilliant minds in our country.  The last thing we need is bureaucracy and red tape at a time when a lot of damage has already been done. Welcome NIA, best of luck

Oil - are we headed in the right direction

As I had predicted in one of my earlier blogs, it would probably be the end of Olympic games 2008 which would signal the southward journey of oil prices.  And that is what has happened. Few surprises, it pretty much to realistic levels as I write this.  The Government of India is mulling to cut Oil prices by Rs. 5/- again.  They are also planning to cut diesel prices (a high point in bringing down inflation).  LPG - this is the thorny part, heavy subsidies have to continue.

I had rather the government maintain petrol prices as they are, instead of cutting it by another few rupees.  Instead focus more on diesel prices, as this could bring down inflation significantly, the losses could be cushioned by maintaining the same prices on Petrol.  Regarding LPG, its high time the government started aggressively promoting natural gas to households and making use of some good old "gobar gas" in villages or any such alternatives, thereby reducing demand in LPG.  Agriculture, according to me, should not be sacrificed to accommodate growth of bio - fuels.  

The flip side to oil prices could see the prices moving northwards again, although I sincerely hope it does not happen immediately. These low price scenarios are one of the best times to buy futures and options in Oil prices, so that any event of a major spike could definitely cushion India's gargantuan needs.

 

Loser number one - Pervez Musharraf

Dear Mr. Musharraf, I recently came across one of your statements, saying that 'You are not wearing bangles, in the case India launches surgical strikes'. Let me tell you, people wearing bangles have more dignity and self respect, are loving, caring and have humanity as opposed to some one like you who is worse than one can imagine, and that is a 'certified loser'. People wearing bangles are not losers because:

1. They do not hide behind nuclear weapons, given by their friends
   
2. They do not breed schools to teach infidels a lesson
   
3. They do not launch terrorist attacks and hide behind their nuclear weapons, daring victimized countries
   
4. They do not have an India centric policy
   
5. They do not shamelessly and childishly try to equate themselves with India, when they know they cant
   
6. They do not have a bad name wherever they go in the world
7. They do not simply keep boasting of things that they do not have
8. They do not stab people and violate trust with neighboring countries
9. They do not write books making baseless statements
10. They do not run away from occupied hills in Kargil, disown their soldiers and use a face saver - We withdrew because America interfered- Mr. Musharraf, India is too big for you, try some one your own size. Remember you can throw your nuclear bombs on us, but if we retaliate, your country will no longer exist

The list is endless .. too much for my blog

Please remember diplomacy is the best way to bring you down to your knees which is what India is doing and will definitely succeed. Your country is a sham in the name of democracy. Democracy is a joke for you guys, you only have elections but no proper democratic processes, several institutions are not under your control believe me you guys will never come up in your lives.

"Pakistan is also a victim of terrorism" said by you - point taken. As you sow so will you reap... this is a classic case

I hope you will stop issuing statements for public consumption, as your people are smarter and more conscientious than you are and clearly understand the quantum of punishment they will have to go through because of your misdeeds.

No Proof is enough proof

No proof is enough.. or so it seems. As of writing this blog, I was reading a newspaper report that the FBI is not being allowed to access Ajmal Kasab's village in Pakistan. The next obvious step, is denial of evidence given by India and the USA.  I wonder how many diplomatic offensives does India have in its arsenal after this?  stop water supply? get them to be branded as a terrorist state?  bleed them of their money?  So far these seem to be the options.  The other affected parties on 26/11 are the Americans, and the Israelis.  While its understandable, that America needs Pakistan for their war in Afghanistan, I wonder what is stopping Israel from sending their agents to punish the guilty, as they always seem to do.  Throwing bombs on Gaza and killing so many people seems to be justified as long as Palestine does not have the 'N-bomb'.  I wonder if thats the reason Israel hesitates to take the terrorists in Pakistan, out.  Come on Israel, Pakistan is the epicenter of terrorism.  This international migraine does seem to have a nemesis and thats you.  Your people have also been killed by these terrorists.  Go on and show the world that you are really ruthless

A warm welcome to Sheikh Hasina

The victory of Sheikh Hasina in the recently held elections in Bangladesh is definitely a welcome relief for India. I wonder if Indian interests were so strong that they provided her with any help required to win. Sheikh Hasina, a far cry from Begum Khaleda Zia is much more approachable to India than anyone else. It remains to be seen how the new government will deal with Pakistan based militants operating out of Bangladesh. India is now strong on both fronts, as far as Pakistan is concerned. One in Afghanistan and another from Bangladesh. Pakistan is being isolated diplomatically, and with their major arms being frozen via Bangladesh and Afghanistan, one only hopes, this is a major step towards disarming terrorists.

India Pak war - a media exercise

An India Pakistan War? .. well it all depends.

God forbid, if there is another terror attack on India, then Pakistan will definitely implode on its own weight.  This is one country where democracy is a farce.  A country with senseless leaders who leave no hope for themselves.  A possibility of war has arisen from the media and General Kiyani's military's overtures in Pakistan. The military seems to be the only institution that is the biggest beneficiary, cause its existence, and growth depends on war.  The causes for war are strongly supported by issues like Kashmir, Terror attacks, dealers in military hardware, which look like its conducted by some cartels within Pakistan's state institutions. The entire government of Pakistan should not be blamed for 26/11.  The peace process has definitely defeated the strong pillars of the beneficiaries, and it was probably their time to act.  I have also seen news reports that seem to suggest that after a few years, India may reach a  place where countries like Pakistan will find it hard to talk to.  That said, the current issue of proof needed to sentence Masood Azhar is a farce.  A person who can get a plane hijacked to free himself is ample proof that he is guilty.  There is no more proof needed.  His original place is in an Indian jail, where he needs to be de congested with the terror ideas he has preached unabashedly.

H1 B - do we really need this?

H1 B visa.. aahh, the name inspires many a dream among people all over the world.  H1B is a work permit which allows an employer to fill a position in his company, with a foreign worker.

The H1B visa is also seen by many an aspirant as the first step towards a green card.  The H1B program comes with a quota (65000) as of now, it was (195000) earlier.  There are also other types of work permits called L1 - which is only meant for transfer of professionals from some other country to USA within the same company.  Unfortunately, the quota is filled up, sooner than you think leading to uncertainty and can lead to unfilled positions which can hurt the growth of several companies leading to hurting the economy.  However there have been calls for scrapping the H1b visa for various reasons including abuse of visa, and lack of availability.  While these are true to some extent, there is also one more aspect to it, and that would be a points system mainly used in queen countries, which does not give the employer his whims and fancies to fire an employee, leaving him high and dry.  One category that is most affected is the International student community, which depends heavily on getting an H1 B visa, as they have a maximum of one year on their practical training, this leaves the community at the mercy of those companies (the so called third party consultants) who exploit such candidates by charging money (visa fees), low pay, poor work culture, and little choice.  The US government came up with a  plan to save the students who graduate from American colleges, who, unfortunately graduate at a time when the H1B quota would be exhausted.  The duration on their Practical training was extended by another 18 months.  This is definitely a welcome relief for all those candidates.  The best part of this work permit is that these students are not at anyone's mercy and reduces the exploitation factor, and red tape to a great extent.  This gives the job seeker every right to choose the place where he wants to work.  There was also a talk of just 2 year work permits which would be unlimited in number and would give a lot of relief to employers and employees by giving flexibility and travel at short notice especially for short term assignments.  H1 B visa, should become an option on its way to being scrapped, as some innovative ideas can definitely avoid companies to exploit desperate job seekers

War on Mumbai: Do not compare

War on Mumbai was a disaster waiting to happen.  Look at any news channel, and there are 'experts' giving their opinion.  Point taken my compatriots - but why do you compare India with USA?  These guys keep saying that there was only one 9/11 and after that there were no incidents inside mainland US. True..

USA is a developed country with systems and processes in place, which unfortunately India does not.  Albeit USA is much better than us, in terms of infrastructure, corruption etc.  US citizens are well aware of the fact that even their government cannot be declared efficient.

One of the best countries to handle terrorism is undoubtedly, Israel.  They are ruthless when it comes to dealing with them.  But my question is, did that stop terrorism?  Did that stop attack on their civilians?... maybe to some extent.  

Opposition parties in India are not of much help other than simply adding statements which suit them other than anyone else.

However, I feel some lessons have been learnt.  For instance, our people did not negotiate, and went ahead to smoke them out despite several foreign tourists being in these places.  media in Israel still believes that our response was slow and inefficient.  Compared to the Mossad? well...maybe...  They also offered their services, during this incident, but India like several other countries refused and moved ahead on its own.  With growing relations between Israel and India, I do believe this could be a point in the relationship wherein India could well learn to be a feared country than a soft target.  Also, we got to see our NSG commandoes in helicopters, rather than traveling by some van or truck which would eventually been struck in traffic... that would have been gut wrenching to say in the least.  

When are we going to have a separate department for riots? terrorist activity? and co- ordination with Intelligence?  Its high time the plain vanilla Home ministry was relieved of such demanding situations.  Internal security should be unique and distinct in a  way so that our Policemen do not get involved with the terrorists with just 'Lathis'.  The whole country's heart is going out to those policemen (one of the best in the department) simply becoming 'bakras' in front of the terrorists... All because we do not have a system in place.