Posted 7:41 AM by The Consultant
Love

The ambulance whizzed past the building. He kept staring at it for some time. The siren died away as it rocketed its way to Pune. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was silent again. It was one of those quiet afternoons in December. There was little or no traffic on the expressway. It was a bit cold, despite the best efforts of a lazy sun winding its way to the horizon.

It was a relatively new building atop a small hillock overlooking the stretch of Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Though the construction was complete, nobody had bought any of the flats yet. The terrace still sported a few cement bags, some tools and gravel. No railing had been constructed for the terrace. He was sitting on the edge with his feet dangling in air. With one hand, he held one of the rods protruding from the construction. He kept staring at the ambulance as it sped towards the bustling roads of Pune. He turned away and stared at the Balewadi stadium. He sat there relishing the silence and gazing at the stadium. Occasionally a car would zip past the building creating ripples in the quite scene.

He was thinking about his fiancé. He recalled days when he debated whether to commit or not. Today, he was happy that he had made the right choice. He had seen so many movies. He had seen many relationships go sour. He had become a cynic. He had stopped believing that true love could exist. And today, as he savored the silence, he missed her. Every conscious moment that he spent without her seemed like a torture. He was so happy that he sometimes failed to believe that a person could be so happy.

He thought about their last meeting.

They had argued for quite a while…

“No, Priya, you are not coming there now!”

“Sanjeev, please listen to me. It is not that important a matter. It is not necessary that I do it. Nobody has specifically asked me to do it. And more importantly, I don’t want to do it.”

“Well, then I am asking you to do it. Just finish what are you doing there and then you can always come. There is always the next day, darling.”

“If we keep postponing our pleasures all the time, when do we really enjoy ourselves? Just remember what happened in Diwali. All I wanted to do was to go shopping with you. But you had some really important project.”

“Don’t digress now. What we are discussing is far more important than that. How can you just leave what you are doing for my sake? Do you really think that you wanted me to come shopping that day? Whose idea was it to buy the clothes in Mumbai instead? Wouldn’t you ask me to do the same thing that I am asking you to do now?”

And she had agreed. She looked very unhappy.
He had laughed.

“What is it, Priya? Do you think I will not wait for you?”

“Don’t say things like that. You never know what’s in store for you tomorrow.”

Then she had given him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

“Don’t worry dear. I will come later.”

…. He sat there staring at the setting sun. He thought about the countless evenings that they had sat huddled together watching the same sun go beyond horizon. He recalled the days when he found himself writing poetry, the days when he would wait for her at Vaishali Restaurant….

“You are always late! Do you know boring it is?”

“Oh, I am sooo sorry, Sanjeev. I will make it up for you. Do you want to eat ice-cream?”

“Oh great! Now my time is worth an ice-cream cone. Do you know how much the company pays me per hour? 400/- Rs. Per hour! “

“That’s because you are here in India and they don’t want to pay salaries to American workers. Convert it to dollars and you are making just 10$ per hour. That is just about the minimum hourly wage rate in San Francisco.”

“Oh, why did I choose an educated girl? You know how much dowry I command in the market right now?”

“Then why don’t you go ahead and take that dowry? You can buy lot more ice-cream cones.”

“But then who will marry the educated girl? Who will take her to Sinhagad Fort on a rainy day?”

“Wow! Lets start right now or it will rain!”

“I do hope that it will rain.”

…And then both of them were sitting under a tree that offered them no protection from the incessant rains or the fierce wind. No words were necessary. All they could hear was their hearts beating together.

…He suddenly felt very lonely without Priya. It always happened to him. Whenever she was not with him, he felt this insane desire to drop everything he was doing and rush to meet her. Today, he wanted to do the same thing. It had been very difficult for him to say those words to her.

“Hello, darling! How many times have I told you not to sit like that? You had promised me that you wont sit like this ever again.”

He got up quickly and within moments, she was in his arms.

Stars twinkled in a cloudless sky. Now that the last rays of Sun had disappeared behind the hills, the moon was able to make its presence felt. The highway was still quiet.

“Sanjeev, we are meeting after exactly 8 hours. Someone might think that we are meeting after years of separation.”

He did not say anything. He just stood there, holding her close to his heart. When he spoke, his voice was heavy.

“Why did you come? I had told you not to come like this.”

“Sanjeev, I have kept my word. Now, Let’s forget all that.”

He tightened his embrace. She smiled and comforted him…

…Both were now sitting on the edge. They were not holding onto any rods. They were just holding each other.

“It will be a wonderful, wonderful day when we get married. Finally, it will be just me and you.”

“Yes, Priya. I am waiting for that day when our life together will begin.”

“Aren’t we together right now?”

“But there are things that I cannot do now. Once we get married, I can do those things.”

“Ohhhh, what do you have in your nasty mind Sanjeev?”

“Okay, but don’t laugh. I want to come home early from work some day and make your favourite pohe so that I can see the look on your face when you come home to find me waiting for you with a steaming cup of coffee and plate of pohe. I want to keep watching you when you fall asleep in front of the television. I want to see that harassed look on your face when you are scurrying around in the kitchen on a Monday morning. I want to stay late at the office without calling you so that I can listen to your angry words that cannot hide the worry in your heart. I want to wake you up by squirting cold water on your face on a Sunday morning. I want to see you play with our first child while being completely oblivious to the fact that I exist. I want to see the proud look on your face when our children do well at school. I want to comfort you when our last child leaves our home. I want to see the look of concern on your face when I am hospitalized for some minor surgery. I want to suffer with you, dance with you and live with you all my life. I want to feel sad one day that I can live this life just once.”

“…….”

The moon shone in a cloudless sky. The world slept as these two dreamt their lives together for eternity.

……………………………………………………………


A news item in Pune Times on the next morning….

Pune Couple Killed in Tragic Accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

A Pune couple putting the final touches on their January wedding died tragically yesterday afternoon when a truck slammed into their Santro on Pune Mumbai Expressway.

23-year-old Priya Gadgil and 25-year-old Sanjeev Vaidya were travelling to Mumbai to do some shopping for their upcoming wedding. Both sustained serious injuries in the accident. Sanjeev died in the ambulance while Priya succumbed to her injuries in the hospital…

Posted 12:58 PM by The Consultant
Happiness

He was staring out of the window. There had been a small accident in the street below. He could see the two tiny drivers get out of their toy cars. He could see them arguing with each other. Probably they would fight, he hoped. For next five minutes, they were just yelling at each other. He got bored. He sighed and looked up at the sun. It was 4.30 pm. Sun was moving relentlessly towards a blue sea. There were no clouds in the sky. He scanned the sea for any vessels. He could not find any. He gazed at the sea for some time, then again shifted his gaze to the accident below. Damn, he had missed the fight. There was a small crowd down there. He could see some people holding the two drivers apart. A police car came and stopped. He got bored again and moved back to his big desk.

The work was waiting there for him. Three mergers and one Euro bond issue still left! Probably Mr. Davis, his boss would call him again tonight and request his cooperation for the hostile takeover that was not moving satisfactorily. He would again have to give him a few useless tips that even he did not believe in. Mr. Davis would then start talking about his divorce, his two kids in California and how his wife was ruining his life. He would have to listen all that crap.

He decided that the work could wait a bit. He walked over to the refrigerator and took out a can of coke. He chuckled as he opened the can. Imagine an investment banker drinking coke! His clients would be aghast.

He tasted the cool liquid flowing down his throat. He closed his eyesand enjoyed the feeling. Suddenly, he realised something. This was the first time he had genuinely smiled in months. He slowly lowered the can from his lips. He stared at the floor pattern for a long time. He was in a daze. It was as if you are living a fast life like a robot and suddenly you come face to face with your soul and everything comes to a standstill. You take a long hard look at yourself. Suddenly it dawns upon you that in the rush of fast lane, you have left your life far behind and you have traveled such a distance that your soul suddenly looks unfamiliar. Some aspects of your character that you had taken for granted now seem alien. You look at yourself and shake your head in disbelief. He had felt the same way about a year back. After four weeks of sheer work, one morning, he had woken up in some hotel room after just 3 hours of sleep. He had splashed some cold water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. At that time, he had had the same unnerving experience that he was having now. His reflection had looked at him and given a sad grin. “Where have you brought me, my friend?” the reflection seemed to ask. He had gone back to his bed in a daze. He had sat down and made plans. He had plotted out the course of his life. He would no longer tolerate any deviation. He would wrest the control of his life away from the circumstances. He would become of his own master. He would follow a path that would allow him to feel the life in him. He would no longer be on autopilot. He would make conscious efforts to enjoy his life and find the happiness. He had prepared a list of things that he was going to do in the next six months.

He tried to recall what was on that list. He could not remember anything on it. He suddenly panicked. He was losing touch with his soul. He no longer remembered what he was. He sank into his chair and organized his thoughts. This is just a temporary glitch, he assured himself. How can he forget what he wanted to do? That was just crazy.

He frantically groped for that wish list in the depths of his mind. He felt something in the darkness and pulled it out. Yes, he wanted to read some books. Books were his life once. He had read almost all the books in his town library. He would go trekking in thick, green forests, up the blue mountains and look down at glittering silver lines of streams rushing down the valley. He would sail across endless oceans in search of newer and more wonderful sunrises and sunsets. He would..

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Mr. Davis came in without asking for permission. His face was grim. The news was bad. Someone was acquiring the shares of a company that their client was targeting. The client was furious with the delay on their part. He immediately became engrossed in the discussion that ensued. He suggested a few strategies for identification of the other party. They finally decided upon a course of action and Mr. Davis left.

He thought briefly about the advice he had given. He felt that it was the best he could do. However, he felt that if he gave it some more thought, he could do a better job of it. He decided that he would finish the pending work and then rethink his strategy for the takeover.

He got back to the boring Euro Bond Issue with renewed vigour. Outside his room, another sunset went by unnoticed.

Posted 5:18 AM by The Consultant
Mr. Romeo

A couple of days ago, it happened again. Another guy got angry and shot his girlfriend. It happened in Sangli this time. This is not the first time it is happening in Sangli. About 5 years ago, the same thing had happened. But one good thing is that this time, the girl has survived the attack. Though she is still hospitalized, she is supposedly out of danger.

The story goes that the girl wanted the guy to pass his graduation exam and become independent before she married him. She happens to be a doctor while Mr. Romeo has cleared only the higher secondary exam. Mr. Romeo is 27. She is 25.

Mr. Romeo tried to commit suicide after his attack on his girlfriend. He is still alive though.

What drives these men? What is the reason that these rational human beings become so violent and crazy that they can attack their loved ones? Does it have something to do with our society, our justice (?) system or is it just another mutation in our gene pool?

It is high time that we identify the root cause and make sure that such things do not happen again and again. I cannot think of any deficiency in our system that causes such irrational behaviour. Any ideas?

Posted 11:57 PM by The Consultant
Moksha

What is Moksha? Why is it that sadhus and holy men all over the world are looking for Moksha? Why is it that people are not satisfied with the way they are living their lives? Why is it that they have to look outside their minds to find out the path to eternal happiness?

Before I launch into this discussion, I would like to thank Mr Tony Xavier for the wonderful book called “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse. I usually devour books in no time. But I have been reading this small 119 page book for the past three days now. It is really a wonderful book and I would recommend it to all of you. Now the discussion that follows has nothing to do with the book, so do not think that it is necessary to have read the book beforehand.

Now back to the discussion. Why do people want to achieve Nirvana? Why is it that people find it necessary to leave all the worldly pleasures for this pursuit? Why is it that the Sansara is something to be abhorred by those who wish to achieve Nirvana?

The mankind has been seeking the eternal happiness for a long time now. What I want to know is how essential is this goal to the human society as a whole? Do meditations, rituals really bring us closer to the One? Is it not an utter waste of time and resources? Is the quest for nirvana really more important than our duties and responsibilities to the society? Is not a person engaged in meditation evading his duties to the society or to his family? I agree that individual independence and freedom of choice is a fundamental right, but is it also not a fact that a person receives so much from his family and the society that he has some obligations towards that society and family? In Puranas, we read about young men who leave their families for the quest of eternal truth or nirvana. Are they not doing something wrong? Are they not dodging their responsibilities?

We have also read about people like Buddha, Mahaveer, Sant Dnyaneshwar who have attained Nirvana? Now I don’t want to hurt anybody’s religious sentiments here. But I have a genuine doubt? Is it really true that they achieved eternal happiness? I mean how different is this process of attainment of nirvana from brainwashing yourself? Suppose, I meet some person tomorrow who says that he has found eternal happiness. How do I tell that he has indeed done so or he is living in some unreal world that exists only in his imagination? Is this process of meditation, is this process of thinking and convincing yourself that I belong to God or He is in me, He is everywhere etc. some sort of brainwashing, deluding yourself?

Why can’t people just enjoy their lives, do the best they can in their professional and personal lives and may be give something back to the society if they believe that they owe something to it and be content? Are we not trying to complicate an already complicated issue instead of just simplifying it?

Any answers???????

Posted 8:00 PM by The Consultant
The Marine Engineer

Observing people is not really a hobby of mine. I am usually engrossed in my thoughts. But about a week back, I had a chance to observe something that I felt was quite charming in its own way.

I was going back to Sangli for my term break and I boarded the Mahalaxmi Express at Kalyan. Just as I was settling down on my window seat, another guy came in. He was about 40-45 years old. He was very fair and had a black walrus moustache. He wasn’t very tall, maybe around 5-5 or 5-6. He had a gruff expression on his face and looked ready to explode. He sat down, took off his black shiny shoes. Then he took off his socks, loosened his belt to give more breathing space to his bulging tummy. He gave a sigh, closed his eyes and relaxed his tired body. I could literally see the tension on his face fade away as he sank into the seat. After some time he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

It was at this time that I noticed something strange. He had a tattoo on his right arm. I expected some god or maybe some army thing. But it was a heart with an arrow, with names on each end of the arrow. [The signs that we usually witness on historical monuments.]

He saw me staring at it with surprise and gave me an embarrassed smile. He introduced himself. He was a marine engineer from Kolhapur employed in merchant navy. We had a nice chat after that. After some time, I told him that I was really surprised by that tattoo. I told him that going by his whole character, the last thing that I expected was a heart.

Then he laughed and told me how he got that tattoo. He once went overboard during one of his trips to Australia. Nobody was on the deck at that time and no one was expected for at least half an hour. He could see the ship moving away from him leaving him to his watery grave. But suddenly, he could see someone on the deck scanning the sea. Fortunately, the guy spotted him and soon he was rescued.

The only reason that guy came on the deck was to inform him that a message was received from his wife. Our hero was now the proud father of a daughter.

He said that after coming back to India, the first thing that he did was to get this tattoo. His name was on one side and his daughter’s name was on the other side.

Posted 1:16 PM by The Consultant
Wow!!!!!

Finally, I have done it! Another feather in my cap!!!

I was going through the referrals on the site meter site. Somebody searched for “poor jokes pjs” on google. And guess what?

I was 7th on that list!!!

There was only one individual who was ahead in the list. Mr. Gaurav Jalan has put up some jokes on his site. He has stated that those are poor jokes. Mr. Jalan, if you are reading this, let me point out with utmost regret that none of those jokes were poor. They made me laugh. Okay, as it is my opinion, that might not be the litmus test, but I am quite sure that you all will feel the same way.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank google. As far as pjs go, I have no or little competition.

Posted 7:26 AM by The Consultant
I am Back!!!

It has been such a long time. I have missed blogging regularly. Everyday, I looked at my blog, thought about it and then changed my mind. The commitments that I had made were far more important.

One amazing thing about blogging is that once you start doing it regularly, you become your worst critic. You think twice about each and everything that you want to put there. You want it to be just perfect.

Another thing. If one takes a bit of break from blogging, enforced in my case, one, kind of, misses one’s blog.

Last couples of weeks were really hectic. My club, Abhiyan, IIM Lucknow entrepreneurship cell, organized a nationwide competition for innovative business ideas. It was moderately successful. One of my classmates, Mr. Balark Banerjea won the contest with a fantastic idea.

To add to the workload, we had some rather big project submissions. So it was hectic even for a workaholic like me. :-)
I will be blogging regularly from now on, I hope.

I scanned my blog with PJ detector and to my horror discovered that I had not cracked any PJs for a long time. So I decided to go back to the theme called, “Picchhur, the Phillum”.

Readers may recall that some time in May there were a few stories on Gaurav’s blog as well as mine that discussed this concept. Now that we have decided that we are not going to do anything about it, I have decided to publish some of these stories. For people who are reading about this concept for the first time, let me explain in few words. It is or rather was a spoof that we had planned on Hindi movies and the predictable scenes in it.

So here are a few scenes that I am printing. I know that the claims that I made in the 2nd paragraph might sound hollow now, but then nobody is perfect.

Enjoy…

1.
The party has just begun. It is the usual party song where the hero moves around with hands in his pocket or nursing a glass of whiskey and singing about his sufferings due to the betrayal of heroine and how he is bravely taking it all without any complaints whatsoever etc. and the heroine moving around looking suitably crestfallen with the Mr. Nice Guy who will be giving up the heroine for the Hero’s sake or catch a bullet shot at the hero when he finds out the truth about the hero and heroine. Wow, what a long sentence! :-)
But this song is rather different. Our hero and heroine and Mr. Nice Guy are at the party looking very confused. There is another guy crowing about the agony of betrayal and another woman and her companion playing the parts of heroine and Mr. Nice Guy to perfection.

The hero finally gets sick of being confused and angrily accosts one of the important looking blokes there and asks with barely controlled fury,” What the hell is going on here? I thought we were supposed to sing a song here” The heroine and the Nice Guy vigorously nod their assent to the accusation. The bloke looks utterly uninterested in the proceeding. He informs them that those people were there first and have a right to have their song completed first.

By the time the song gets complete, the Nice Guy has come to know the truth and in the regrettable absence of any bullet shot at the hero has to satisfy himself to one rather small speech disclaiming that he is making any sacrifices and walks away with a smile on his face that fails to hide his misery. But just then, another girl who is walking away with a similar expression on her face bumps into him. They stare at each other and the Jodi is fixed. She, of course, is the female version of Mr. Nice Guy who has just sacrificed her love for some hero at another party.

2.
The hero is injured and lodged in the hospital. The red light outside the operation theatre is on and the parents and the heroine are eyeing it rather anxiously. A few nurses keep hurrying in and out of OR with trays or other such medical instruments. They refuse to answer any queries that the family has.
The music emphasizes the tension in the air. Finally the light goes off and the doctor comes out looking exhausted. The heroine immediately asks the doctor,” Kya Hua?”
The doctor looks irritated and states that the electricity has gone off and that has interrupted the operation. He is waiting for the generators to start.

3.
The sister and the mother and the heroine have been kidnapped and the villain informs the hero on the telephone and also gives him the details regarding the place where they have been kept. The hero makes some audacious plan through which he will rescue his relations. He may have a sidekick who is interested in his sister.
The hero reaches the place only to find that the police have already reached the place and have rounded up all the baddies.
The hero gets very angry. I mean how the hell can he prove his heroism if he doesn’t get an opportunity to display it? So he angrily grabs an inspector and demands the reason.
The inspector is looking ashamed of himself. He says with embarrassment that he reached the place rather early and had to round them up. He apologizes to the hero for being early and all of them leave.

I hope that you managed to survive them all.
Bye!!!

Posted 5:31 AM by The Consultant
Globe Explained

All of you must be familiar with the term "Globe" by now. Most of you must have read it on Gaurav's or Sunil's blog. This post presents an example of what it actually is:

Performance management

Purpose:
The purpose of the study is
·To understand the implications of the subject matter for Indian companies competing in an increasingly global scenario, examine the current practices and suggest improvements

·To make an inquiry into the subject matter and gain an understanding of the underlying practical intricacies for achieving managerial excellence in the future and acquisition of leadership tools

Objectives:
The Objectives of the study are as follows:
·Comparative study of various performance appraisal methodologies and suggestions for systems compatible with the post-globalization era

·Career planning and its implications vis-à-vis the organizational human resource management strategies

·Based on the findings suggest methods for achieving congruence between organizational objectives and career planning and management

Methodology:
The objectives of the study will be achieved through the following:
·Primary data generated through survey and questionnaires

·Consideration of relevant real life case studies

·Consideration of views expressed by experts in professional journals and books and other secondary sources

·Generated from above findings, a synthesis of the opinions and impressions formed by the group members



What it means:

"We will do something if we manage to find some time from our busy schedules."

Posted 11:58 PM by The Consultant
A Financial Thriller!!!!

The sudden clamor of the alarm woke him up. He sprang to attention. All around him, he could see only figures and figures. HDFC Bank… 250.45, ICICI Bank…. 159.05… Reliance…345.20…. HLL…167.15. He felt lightheaded. He still recalled the time when he was all fresh and raring to go. Now, he felt as if he had lost the will to compete in the game. In those days, he was one of a kind. He was not up to the mark anymore. Newer, younger and smarter operators had entered the market. He was no longer the star attraction. He missed the fan following he had.

Well, it can’t always go your way. There are always ups and downs in the stock market. Why should his life be any different?

With an effort, he completely expunged all these depressing thoughts from his mind. He concentrated on the job at hand. He did some quick calculations. If he gave a sell order now on HDFC Bank, he could make a quick killing on the downturn that would come near the end of the day. He thought about the previous patterns he had observed in the HDFC Bank shares. He felt that he should go ahead with the order. He immediately entered his price in the huge order book. The order book gave a disinterested beep to signal that the order had been received. Damn, even the order books nowadays knew that he was no longer important. “I will show them, I will show them that I am right. Experience does count for something.” He uttered to himself. He knew that the brain that he possessed was of exceptional caliber and he knew what he was capable of. It was just that his recent attempts had met with failure.

Beep!!! The order book beeped. His order had been accepted and the deal had gone through. He noticed with pleasure that despite his sell order, the price was going up. He did another quick calculation and then gave one more sell order. The order was executed by the system. The price continued to rise relentlessly. He could not believe his eyes. It was going to be a big day indeed. He gave another order.

Till 2.30 pm, he gave sell orders worth nearly 5 crore Rs. Now, he waited for the downturn that was bound to come. The newsflash when it came left him numb. “HDFC Bank posts 30% growth in Q1”. The price was already on its way up. The phone started ringing. He looked at it but didn’t feel like picking it up. With an effort, he picked it up. It was his boss. He heard him out, gave some feeble answers.

He stood up. A crazy thought entered his mind. He looked around. No one was paying any attention to him. He started walking, his mind made up! Suddenly he started running towards the glass window…

The next day, there was a small item of news.
“Rajesh Mehta,32,a noted stockbroker committed suicide by jumping out of the window. Almost all the share prices fell by a whopping 8%…”

The boss stared at the news item. Rajesh was always very smart. He knew what drove the market sentiments…..

Posted 7:49 AM by The Consultant
Creativity, Textbooks, Teachers and other question marks

What should be the ideal method of teaching? What should be the ideal education system? What should be its objectives?

All of us have been a part of this system for the first 20 years of our lives. Hence, it is not surprising that most of us have certain opinions about this system or the lack of it, as some may wish to point out.

Before I launch a scathing attack on this system, I must admit something. I am a product of this system. I am at a particular level because of the system. But I feel that there is some scope for improvement. (There is always some scope for improvement in every system ;-) )

Every person is born with some degree of curiosity about the world around him. As he grows up, he starts asking questions. Some kids ask more questions, some ask less. I feel that the best way to preserve this curiosity is to provide clues that will mystify the kids even more. The idea is to make them find out the answers themselves.

Our textbooks should be designed with this idea in mind. It will take a really creative mind to write a textbook in this fashion. Our textbooks provide ready answers to all our questions. There is no fun, no thrill, and no excitement in that. Reading a textbook should be like an exploration expedition of a semi dark cave full of treasures and tantalizing clues. The teachers should act like guides who know the path but will only show a clue or two once in a while.

Can you imagine a school like this? Where the pursuit of knowledge is not driven by rules and exams but by students and their unending thirst?

Education system tries to make conformists out of us. It tries to give a structure to the way we think. But the creativity is unstructured. It is like a bird soaring up and up into an infinite and unending sky. Giving it a flight path and asking it to stick to it does not make sense to me. For, the people handing out the flight path don’t know where the journey ends, if at all. The duty of the old generation is to arm the new one with imagination and then watch them disappear beyond their own brand of imagination.

Posted 6:53 AM by The Consultant
Why do we need exams??? Part 2

The point of this and the last post on exam is not to discuss whether or not the exams should be continued or not. The point is to establish that exam in its current form is a totally unnecessary procedure that does not serve any purpose whatsoever.

When was the last time that you felt that the question paper was really challenging and it was a real treat to answer that question paper? How many instructors possess the caliber to test the students?

Then what should an ideal exam be like?
1.It should be able to test all your knowledge about the topic.

2.It should be able to see whether you have gone beyond what was taught in the school and tried applying those concepts in challenging practical situations.

3.The examination should not be designed to judge whether a person has achieved bare minimum. It should be designed in such manner that the examinee would be able to assess his knowledge vis-à-vis the stringent requirements of the world.

4·The objective of most examinees is to achieve passing grades. Hence, they end up with some half-baked ideas about the topic that they actually go on and implement in the world.

I can go on and on…

But the central theme of all my ideas about the ideal exams is the practical considerations. If the practical life is robust enough to judge a person, then what is the reason for all these exams?

Is there any flaw in these arguments? Please let me know….

Posted 10:17 PM by The Consultant
Common Civil Code

There is some hope now that all the citizens of India will be equal in all respects. The Honourable Supreme Court has rightly observed that there is a difference between having religious freedom and having different laws for different religions.

But I doubt whether the political parties in India have the guts or the willingness to administer this bitter pill.

There have been many instances in the past where the Justice system has intervened on behalf of the citizens.

However, one fundamental and glaring inefficiency in our legal system has been ignored for too long. The delays and inefficiencies in our justice system needs to be addressed. More about it on Saturday. Have a rather tough exam at 2.00 p.m.

Have a nice day!!!!

Posted 11:10 PM by The Consultant
The Socialist

It was a glorious morning! It had been a long time since I had had 10 hours of sleep. Everything felt so right, so perfect. I opened the door and stared at our football field. It was a beautiful cool morning.

Suddenly, I realised that something was wrong. OH MY GOD!!!!!! There was no social justice! The capital assets of production were being owned by a few capitalist pigs! I looked at the contents of my room.

I felt dizzy. I had too many capital assets in my room. I had a computer, some books and a scissor. I had committed what I, a true socialist, would call the gravest crime. I was depriving my fellow countrymen from earning their daily bread. I hung my head in shame and self-recrimination. I thanked the lord for the enlightenment!

OH NO, another sin!!!!!! Thank Marx, I realised it just in time. I was thanking the god, a non-existent entity, a creation of the capitalist pigs, a peddler of the most dangerous drug called religion, a thing that I can call many more names. Hrmmmmpppppph!!

I dragged my computer, all the books and the scissor to the hostel common room. I came back to my room, my face shining with pleasure of satisfaction. I saw our safaiwala passing by. I asked him to stop and told him that he could use my computer and scissors whenever he wants. I wanted to tell him that he could use the books also, but then I realised that he cannot read English. The safaiwala looked at me, confusion writ all over his face. He was obviously trampled on for too long by these fat capitalist pigs. He had forgotten all about the social equality. I explained to him patiently that I was a socialist and that he was the victim of a capitalist plot. He had the right to use my computer, as it was something he could use to produce and make money. Then I started explaining to him the concept of socialism and how it is the only hope for the mankind. I could literally see the change in the thought process of the man. Initially he looked confused and bewildered. Then I could sense from the changing expressions on his face that he was beginning to understand. Suddenly, in the middle of my explanation, he asked me to stop. He looked at me as a fellow socialist would and said, “Babuji, I have understood what you are saying. I will always support you in all your endeavours. Now, I have some work to do right now. Meanwhile, please get some sleep as you look tired.” The concern in his voice was touching and I decided to follow his advice.

I flopped down on my bed and closed my eyes in bliss. I had just removed some inequality. As I slept, I dreamt of a socialist India. It was a really beautiful dream. Everyone was smiling a socialist and equal smile. Everybody was so equal that you could actually see the equality sign between two people talking to each other. Plans were afoot to uplift the downtrodden like the cats, dogs and pigs (not the capitalist ones!). Biologists were talking about genetic engineering to remove the physical and genetic inequalities. There were no classes in the society. Classification was banned in statistics.

As I dreamt, I smiled a triumphant smile. The victory was complete.

Be warned, all ye capitalist pigs! The socialist is going to destroy all your capitalist designs.

Posted 7:23 AM by The Consultant
Why do we need exams?????

Exactly 1,454,889,789 years ago, in a galaxy not far far away (In fact, in this galaxy itself) some bureaucrat suddenly became creative. His mind started racing so fast that he experienced dizziness. He got up from his chair to rest his back. (Bureaucrats need frequent breaks to rest their aching backs.) He cursed the chair that did not allow him to sleep properly. Then he tried to catch hold of the idea that he had thought of. But as bureaucrats don’t meet these creatures called idea very often, he caught hold of some non-idea creature in his mind and termed it idea. That non-idea creature was called evaluation process. The bureaucrat was pleased by the non-idea creature and decided to use it in practical life. It gave him new means to create obstacles, paperwork, problems and other such unnecessary things in the smooth lives of the non-bureaucrats.

Since the inception of this non-idea, lives of almost all human beings has been plagued by tension, trauma, failure and other such unnecessary things. I happen to be one of those human beings and I want to register my protest.

Exams or evaluation process of any sort is entirely unnecessary. But some people still float arguments that support this non-idea creature.

Let us examine these one by one.
1.People study only because the exams are there.
Quite true. But these are the subjects that they deem unnecessary in their lives. If a person is passionate about something, he will study it whether or not the exams exist. If someone does not want to study something, why should he be forced to do so? If in the course of his life, he finds that the particular stream of knowledge he had ignored in the past is quite essential for his survival, he will learn it by heart.

2.You cannot judge a person without exams.
How many exams really judge our abilities? How can we say that X is less capable than Y just because Y got more marks than X? Maybe Y really likes that subject and X does not. Maybe Y has a better handwriting. Maybe X cannot write that fast. How many evaluators are really good at those topics? How many evaluators really believe that they are doing something important? How can we ensure that the subjectivity element does not affect the evaluation process?

Remaining arguments in the next post. One disadvantage of having 3 finance courses and advanced marketing research is that you do not get much time to sleep and blog.

Posted 5:26 AM by The Consultant
Ultimate Joy!!!!!!!!!

After 6 years of hard work, failure and patience, finally the Gods have smiled. I have become a CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT!!!!!

It is one of the happiest moments of my life. Even getting into IIM Lucknow was not such a joyous occasion.

I hope that all of you experience the kind of happiness that I am feeling today.

Have a nice day, all of you!!

Posted 11:12 PM by The Consultant
Cricket Quiz!!!!!

My first cricket quiz and I made it to the finals!!!!! I was always skeptical about my quizzing abilities, especially after sitting through one of Gaurav’s quizzes in which I had no idea what on earth he was asking. So, when I got him as my partner for the cricket quiz, I was rather happy, though I doubted my ability to contribute to our team’s victory.

The elimination round had 25 questions in which I got some rather tough ones right. To quote a few, (How can I resist bragging?) –
1.What is the similarity between 1981 Headingley test (Botham leads England to victory despite following on) and Kolkata test (Laxman, Dravid, Sachin and Harbhajan)?

The answer is Peter Willey. He was a player in the first and umpire in the second.

2.Who is the only player to have scored unbeaten hundreds in both the innings of a test?

Aravinda Desilva

3.Southernmost Test Venue?

Dunedin (New Zealand). (Gaurav overruled and wrote Hobart. :’( )

In the finals, I opened our a/c with a guess that turned out to be true. However, the quiz was not conducted in a fair manner. : @

Some useless system called infinite rebound system (Suggested by Gaurav) was used. The sole aim of this system is to ensure that Pushkar and Gaurav get incredibly impossible questions. To give an example, in 1902, Adams hit the ball in the air that hit a sparrow, so identify the spectator who bought 456th ticket in that match.

But our competitors were getting some really easy ones.

Who got Tendulkar’s wicket in India-Zimbabwe match in 1999 world cup?
Tendulkar did not play in that match.

I don’t like this system at all. In fact, I have designed a system called “ The Management Guru system”. In this system, the quizmaster comes and shows us a piece of paper on which a question is written. Then, he shows us another piece of paper for exactly 8 seconds on which the answer is written. Then we have to dig deep into our memories and write down on a piece of paper what the answer is. (We may use the same piece of paper)

What a superb system! It tests the eyesight, the memory and the reading skills of the participants.

Then the quizmaster goes to the next team and asks them to guess the answer that we wrote. It is so simple and efficient.

I hope that Gaurav employs this system the next time he conducts a quiz.

Posted 1:19 AM by The Consultant
Conducting arguments through comments system is also not a good strategic move.

Posted 10:36 PM by The Consultant
The TechGod!!!!!

And finally I have done justice to my amazing programming talents! Soon this site will be full of amazing technologies like zonkboard, pictures, links of IIM Lucknow etc.

Posted 12:54 PM by The Consultant
Falling ill in a business school is not a good strategic move. All the promises that you had made to other people cannot be fulfilled. Your entire schedule goes haywire. You miss quizzes. Then people keep asking you why you missed them, telling in great detail how easy they were.

For last couple of days, I am watching the lives of other people flash by. The freshers are especially busy with their workloads, committee interviews and all. It is depressing when you see others busy with their tasks while you just sit idle doing nothing.

I remember my school days. In those days, it was fun to be ill. I didn’t have any deadlines to meet. I could just stay in the bed, read a book or two and enjoy the wonderful tomato soup that my mother made.

Falling ill is not a good strategic move if you don’t have anyone looking after you. :-(

Posted 10:40 PM by The Consultant
Forrest Gump

All of us have to make some choices in our lives. Many times, there is no doubt in our heart as to what is the right thing to do. Yet we end up doing the wrong thing. Then we try and justify it. We say that we were being pragmatic and sensible about it. But when we are alone and we have nothing to do, we keep thinking about these decisions wondering why we didn’t have the courage to do it the right way.

I wonder whether it is our intelligence that hinders us from making these right decisions. We think about the consequences, we determine the course of action that will benefit us the most. If we are only able to think what is right or wrong and not what is profitable or otherwise, will we make the right choice?

This is why I love this movie. Forrest is a simpleton. He has limited intelligence, but he knows what is right and wrong. He has very simple reasons for doing the things that he does. He does not care about the consequences. In a world full of insanity, this “stupid” is the one making all the sane choices.

Sometimes, the contradictions in our lives look so logical.

Posted 8:24 PM by The Consultant
War, Peace, Human Beings and Full Metal Jacket

Contrary to Gaurav’s expectations, I really liked Full Metal Jacket. Yeah, it is too explicit, but so is life!
I have read a few books on war like Catch-22, War and Peace and some Hemingway. I wonder if there exists a difference in opinions in the western world and the eastern world.
All the Indian war stories that I have read so far paint a very different picture. I wonder if there is any book by any Indian soldier who has fought in a war. It would be interesting to find out what an Indian soldier thinks about a war….
In the last scene of the Full Metal Jacket, the Joker shoots the sniper and moves on. I guess that is the only thing one can do about the war. Shoot, congratulate yourself that you are alive and move on!

Posted 10:02 PM by The Consultant
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!

People tell me that I am a very easygoing person. But read this and tell me if I was wrong in losing my temper.

Mr. Togadia seems to be suffering from delusions of grandeur. The (expletive deleted) actually thinks that he represents all the Hindus in this world. Maybe putting Vishwa in the name of the organization means that the organization has a right to think so.

In his latest case of verbal diarrhea, he has accused Mr. Vajpayi of being Mahatma Gandhi II. Now Mr. Gandhi may have done a lot of wrong things, but he also did a lot of good for the country. The man is too great for (expletive deleted) like Togadia to insult him.

The mere thought that one person could be responsible for the division of a country is absolute rubbish. I wont even try to defend Mr. Gandhi on this point.

One thing that Mr. Togadia said and which did make sense was that the growth in the population of Muslims. But the statement seems to suggest that all the Muslims in India are a bunch of irresponsible hooligans who would massacre all the innocent Hindus. That is not the case, Mr. Togadia! The situation is dangerous because one community is facing tremendous pressures of population without any source of profitable employment. In the absence of education, resources and enlightenment, the plight of the Muslims will always be miserable. Just passing some laws will not solve the problem. The situation demands something more constructive and radical. More about that later.

He also states that soon VHP will take steps to saffronise the Indian political scene. That statement is a great source of anxiety. If an organization headed by such a fanatic is allowed to function without any check, the future of Indian Democracy looks rather bleak.

Now one point that has been discussed to death in many articles and TV shows is the Babri Masjid – Ram Mandir issue. I am a Hindu. I seem to remember a story about Shri Hanuman, who tore open his chest to show that the God lived in his heart. Why do we need to have a temple there if we already have so many temples of Ram? Why do we need to waste our time and energy in controlling avoidable religious clashes instead of devoting our attention to things like education, water and good governance?

I believe that a religion should be something that is left to the individual choice. I won’t have any (expletive deleted) telling me what Hindutva (Hinduism) is.

Now that I have written the post, I wonder if I did the right thing in deleting the expletives.

Posted 10:41 AM by The Consultant

Bed Time Horror Stories for Insects

(This is the conversation between two bloodthirsty Insect-Terminators discussing their battles. Seven at one blow refers to the Best Performance by Sunil Joshi in his Insect-Eradication-Campaign. Pushkar refers to the other bloodthirsty not-so-gifted insect terminator.)

Pushkar says:
what is the latest score?
Seven at one blow! says:
atleast 100 killed so far...
Pushkar says:
eh?
Seven at one blow! says:
casualities on my side are... two blood stained slippers...and some stains on my table
Pushkar says:
what size and variety are we discussing?
Pushkar says:
whats wrong with you? were you breeding those insects in your room?
Pushkar says:
100?
Seven at one blow! says:
I dunno...they seem to be attracted to my room
Pushkar says:
at such times i feel like burning my room
Seven at one blow! says:
I have stacked old notebooks under the balcony door
Seven at one blow! says:
still they continue to come in as if by magic
Pushkar says:
my room has been air sealed by NASA yet these #$^#$s keep coming
Seven at one blow! says:
#$@%@#$%< insects
Seven at one blow! says:
and these ones are not hopping around..they are actually flying
Pushkar says:
oh god
Pushkar says:
the hoppers one can kill
Pushkar says:
the flyers are trained US army pilots
Pushkar says:
they can evade everything
Seven at one blow! says:
not me....
Pushkar says:
wow
Pushkar says:
thou art gifted
Seven at one blow! says:
Thanks
Pushkar says:
you must have been a vietnam soldier last time
Pushkar says:
i hope you havent encountered the large ponderous variety
Pushkar says:
those mammoth creatures that look you in the eye
Pushkar says:
and dare you to cross swords with them
Seven at one blow! says:
no ponderous ones here..though I have a feeling that these insects have superpowers..
Seven at one blow! says:
they can go through walls
Pushkar says:
10 hopping crickets were hiding BEHIND my drawers
Pushkar says:
yesterday night
Pushkar says:
i was about to sleep when one of them started his "into the shining sun"
Pushkar says:
so i killed him
Seven at one blow! says:
goood deed
Pushkar says:
but the next one took it up the moment i was on that boundry between sleep and reality
Pushkar says:
this happened 3 times
Pushkar says:
then i investigated, found the source and murdered them and left their mutilated bodies out side the 2 doors as warning to others
Seven at one blow! says:
doesnt work
Seven at one blow! says:
they actually are suicidal
Pushkar says:
yeah, you are right. It was the 1942 a love story ending outside the doors
Pushkar says:
they were all yelling "karenge ya marenge"
Seven at one blow! says:
lol
Seven at one blow! says:
hahahaha!!!
Seven at one blow! says:
bhayankar kalpana (Amazing Idea)
Pushkar says:
I am sure Gandhi was inspired by such incident in his life. At least one of his prison cell in SA had insect problem
Pushkar says:
insects are the originators of ahimsa(non-violence)
Seven at one blow! says:
interesting theory..you must write about this
Pushkar says:
great
Pushkar says:
i ll just put this conversation


P.S.
God knows how many historical incidents and ideas I am going to attribute to the existance of these insects.

Posted 5:51 AM by The Consultant

Why people stop believing in Him!!

I finally understand now! I have been mulling over it for a long time now. But the solution was so simple that I felt like slamming my fist down on the table in disgust and exclaim,"Oh, it was so simple, Della! Paul, you just bring that parrot in the court today and we will give Hamilton Burger some really nice time!"

But as I am not Perry Mason, I will have to slam some keys on this keyboard instead.

If you see thousands and thousands of creepy crawlies wriggling all over the place, if you see some rather nasty looking bugs jumping ten feet in the air like kangaroos, you stop believing in Him. Some of these individuals are the size of my palm and strut around the way criminals do in police stations.

Now some environmentalist or biologist might yell at me and lecture me on the food chain or some such stuff. But I have a humble query.

Food chain??? Hullo, the food in IIM Lucknow might be bad but it aint that bad! So count ME out of the food chain. There are not many birds in my room, so there is one missing link.

So there is no threat to the existance of these creeps!

I still remember my first day here at IIM L. I came here drenched in sweat at 23.55. When I went to the bathroom for a cool shower, I saw some million eyes staring at me with open hostility. A couple of them did those huge jumping acts. Then as if to settle the issue, one rather large individual jumped up and landed a couple of feet away from me. Then we had a not-so-friendly chat.

Bug De Niro: You lookin at me? You lookin at me???

Me: Oh no! I was looking at the floor but you came in between.

Bug De Niro: TRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR TRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR TRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Me: Pardon?

Bug: Hey, I am a bug. I am supposed to make that noise from time to time.

Me: Oh, sorry.

Bug: So what do you want in here?

Me: Oh, nothing!

Bug: Then stop "human"ing us and get out.

So I got out and went to my room. As I had left my door open, some of the bugs had gained entry and were on an inspection tour. Some were rather interested in my luggage. Some were resting on the bed.

I spent one sleepless night trying to read a book that I had brought while the bugs had a great party. Some latecomers could not enter thanks to a mesh door. But they kept inserting their visting cards through the holes hoping to join the party.

Next day, I shifted to Hostel 10 which is not so popular among the bugs.

The point of this rather meandering post is to prove a cause and effect relationship between the existance of insects and rise in the number of non-believers. But on a serious note, are all these bugs really a vital part of this food chain? Please enlighten!!

Posted 4:28 AM by The Consultant
Pushkar says:
btw, i realised something yesterday
Antonio says:
bol
Pushkar says:
believers realise that they are not atheists when they are in big trouble
Antonio says:
he he
Pushkar says:
most of em
Pushkar says:
arundhati roy suddenly becomes a believer
Pushkar says:
she is being targeted by some hindu/muslim fundamentalists
Pushkar says:
so she is running and the mob is chasing her
Pushkar says:
she reaches a dead end and the mob advances on her
Antonio says:
ok go on
Pushkar says:
she prays and asks the god to grant her this one big wish
Pushkar says:
the god appears in front of her
Pushkar says:
he says," what do you want? your life or some cadbury temptation?"
Pushkar says:
she snaps" of course my life"
Antonio says:
ok..
Pushkar says:
god says," nyaaaa, wrong answer"
Pushkar says:
i cant grant that favour
Pushkar says:
she is bewildered
Pushkar says:
she asks "why cant you do it"
Pushkar says:
he says" coj i am a god of SMALL things"
Pushkar says:
he he he
Pushkar says:
Pushkar says:
she prays and asks the god to grant her this one big wish
Antonio says:
aah

Posted 4:36 AM by The Consultant
Well, I was rather overconfident and overenthusiastic in that last post of mine. I still cannot figure out how the compartmentalization can be removed. Some of the implementation plans were utterly unrealistic. So I will put that on the backburner. In fact, I am putting this entire "I-am-the-saviour-of-Indian-education-system” episode on the backburner.

So, there are 2 things on that backburner. Now that I have backed out, I will get back to my usual self so that I can get back at Gaurav for his supposedly funny post on movie titles. After liberally using the word 'back' for no reason whatsoever, I guess the revenge is complete.

I did something for the first time in my life. I went to google and then translated this web page of mine into German. It was rather interesting reading the blog afterwards.

For a long time now, I have been thinking about putting up the links of all the blogs that I read here. But I have not been able to do it due to the simple fact that I am a poor commerce graduate who does not know HTML ( I hope so) coding. But I hope that my technologically gifted friends like Gaurav or Sunil can take care of the issue.
In fact, the comment system and the sitemeter links have also been put up by Sunil.

I guess I will end this utterly pointless post right here.

Posted 8:34 PM by The Consultant
Why do we have separate colleges for engineering, commerce and medicine? Why can't a person learn chemistry and economics at the same time? Is it not a fact that both the subjects are equally needed in the world today?

Such compartmentalisation ensures that the person does not possess the knowledge required to start a business. Why should not the education system change its focus? The real intention behind educating a person is to make him/her an independent and rational entity. But our education system tries make a person a good candidate for a job. Now if there are no jobs on offer, how can the independence and rationality survive? The education system needs to change its focus. The education provided should be such that the person will be able to start a business or get a job. The compartmentalisation should go.

How to do it? Next blog.

Posted 12:09 AM by The Consultant

Around 40% Indians are illliterate. Around 40% of the children are illiterate. This is the reality and it really bothers me. The govt spends 520 Rs., 915 Rs., 1577 Rs. and 2923 Rs. per student for primary, secondary, higher secondary and greater than higher secondary education respectively.

Now, I don't think that more than 60% of the money reaches the students. So instead of having all the babus and the infrastructure, can the following suggestion be implemented?
1. Create an infrastructure for evaluation of students for the primary, secondary and higher secondary level.
2. Offer 500/-, 900/- and 1500/- per successful candidate to the teacher who has taught the candidate.
3. Instead of recruiting the teachers, allow any person to become a teacher.
4. The courses should contain some practically useful courses which will help the candidates make some money in the future.

Posted 7:34 PM by The Consultant
How do I get a job? Too many young Indians are asking this question. Too many graduates and too few jobs. All that talk about economic development of India, globalisation and so on and so forth is of no use to the average unemployed graduate. I think that it is about time that the entire education system is revamped. So the next few posts will be on "How to improve the Indian education system: A Practical Perspective"

Posted 1:28 PM by The Consultant
It has been some time since I have written something. The reason is not the lack of words or thoughts, but the lack of internet access.
Will start updating from 14th June onwards regularly, I hope.

Will leave you with some really sad jokes. Please do not read them. Even I did not like them. Tony, this is the moment when you should click on that cross in the top right hand corner. And I bet that you took a look at the top right hand corner before you realised what you were upto. :P

What is the opposite of Rambo?
Two equally correct answers here.
a)Ram, don't bow.
b) Don't ram the bow.

Posted 5:09 AM by The Consultant

Baked vegetables!! Garlic bread!! A lot of Cheese!! No work!!! Pink Floyd!! AC!!! Not a single soul in the entire hotel!! Reading "War and Peace”!!! Sipping on my favourite fresh Strawberry milkshake!!!

Wow, what a lunch I had yesterday! I was so engrossed in the book that I actually managed to gulp down TWO HUGE BOWLS of baked vegetables without a break!

After the lunch I wondered why such a fine establishment suffered from an obvious lack of patronage. Then I understood!! The community of hotel owners had ostracized the owner of this particular hotel.

He had committed the ultimate sin! He had bought expensive furniture and it was COMFORTABLE!!!!!! I mean how could he do it? The sole aim of acquiring extravagant chairs and couches is to ensure that the person who sits on them suffers from all spinal cord diseases within moments. This hotel owner had, to his own detriment, failed to ensure it.

BTW, War and Peace is a wonderful appetizer. While eating some wonderful wada sambar prepared by my relatives, I managed to wolf down something like 30 wadas. :P:P:P:P

Posted 10:06 PM by The Consultant
I was thinking about the political situation in India yesterday. And I thought of some possible newsflashes if the things continue in the same vein.

1."Mr. Vito Gambini, an Italian tourist was elected as the leader of Congress. The tourist who is visiting India for the first time is rumoured to be a distant relative of Late Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. Mr. Gambini has refused the allegations in a press conference."

2."PM Narendra Modi has warned Pakistan to stop the crossborder terrorism immediately or suffer the dire consequences. He made the speech while inaugurating the Trishul factory. The Trishuls produced in the factory will be distributed among the policemen.”

3.“Ekta Kapoor announced the launch of a new serial called “ Kabhie Saas Kabhie Bahu Kabhie Sautan Kabhie Saheli” on her own entertainment channel “Kyonki”. The serial will feature her superstar brother Kusshhhhhaaaaaaar Kkkkkkkkkapppppppooooooooooooor”

4.“Indian Squad for the Olympics arrived at Paris today. The team contains 15479 officials, their families and the Indian hockey team. Indian hockey team will also take part in other events like swimming, athletics etc.”

Well, I will definitely add a few more items here. ;-)

Posted 2:33 AM by The Consultant
What do you do when you have free time, a computer and you are signed in on MSN? Why, it is so simple! You find an intelligent friend(s), and then invite some poor kid who hates poor jokes to your conversation. Then you change your profile to the same name of one of your friends (better if it is the poor kid’s profile) and the assault begins.

If I am not mistaken, Rajat Karol was the first victim when I tried this with Sunil and Gaurav. Though he was quite cool about it, he certainly was exasperated that day.

Here is a sample.

Poor Kid has been added to the conversation.

Poor Kid says:
Damn it; Stop talking to yourself Poor Kid

Poor Kid says:
GRRR

Poor Kid says:
Oh, why did I tell that to me?

Poor Kid says:
I need help!!

Poor Kid says:
Who is impersonating me?

Poor Kid says:
Oh, it’s me

Poor Kid says:
It’s me, you idiot! Not you.

These are the samples I can provide. Others are a bit too explicit to be included here.

Some precautions:
1.Have the same font, colour and size
2.Keep changing to other profiles if the victim changes his profile to join you.

Have fun! ;-)

Posted 7:27 AM by The Consultant
I just experienced a Paradigm Shift. Okay, maybe it is not that big enough to justify the term "Paradigm Shift". I will then coin a new term (In fact I coined it way back, was just waiting to use it somehow :P) and call it "Paradigm Vibration". This term denotes that the viewpoint is about to change but not quite sure whether the change is justifiable or whether the change is real.

Now, to the point. I feel that all the opinions that we have about the cities and places are to a great extent influenced by the events and experiences surrounding those places , cities and persons. I hate Haridwar because it took me 13 Hours to reach the place instead of 6 hours. The reason was typical Mayawati Raj. She decided that the National Highway will be used only by the pilgrims or "Kavadiyas" trying to emulate Shravan and not by the Buses and Trucks. But I love hrishikesh because I have fond memories of sitting with my feet dangling in the river Ganga on a beautiful evening. The water was rushing by at a tremendous speed and all the bad feelings created by the journey, the hot and humid weather of Delhi and Rajasthan, all my anxieties about my upcoming job as an articled clerk were just washed away. It was as if a thirsty desert was suddenly lashed by torrential rains. Whenever I think of Hrishikesh, I feel as if I am a green, cool and wet tree in a rain forest on a moonlit evening.

Today, after my work was done, I took an aimless stroll over Nasik. It was a wonderful experience. I had nowhere to go. I had toiled pretty hard. I had just watched Two Towers on a big screen for the first time. I had a bottle of Mountain Dew in my hand. Wow, I have never felt so peaceful, so privileged. Thank you, IIM Lucknow! Thank you for these wonderful two years in my life. Thank you Gaurav Sabnis for a new and wonderful hobby. Thank You Garware Ltd. for the project!

:D:D:D:D

Posted 2:42 AM by The Consultant

For a long time now, I have been thinking about writing something about the drivers of private buses. Today, the company bus that takes me from my place to the company just missed killing 5 people in a car. The driver was very upset at missing them. I guess too many people have ‘missed’ his bus lately. So I must dedicate this post to our driver.

He is absolutely amazing. I feel that he cherishes a fond hope in his heart to compete in F1 with his bus. Probably, he was told that he could take part soon. So he has been practising his art on the roads of Pune.

He has a few rules. All the people who are allowed, nay, privileged to sit in his bus are supposed to know them by heart. I guess they are roughly as follows.
1.The bus might not be my property, but nobody tells me how to drive it.
2.The place where you are supposed to wait for the bus is only for my general reference. I may stop anywhere within 100 meters from that spot.
3.You are allowed exactly 0.000000002 milliseconds per person to board the bus. (If you don’t know why, please watch the pit stops at F1 races)
4.The pedestrians that you see are, in fact, the ISI terrorists who have been cleverly disguised.
5.The brakes will be used only if the independence of India is at stake.
6.The ideal way to overtake a huge vehicle (preferably a tanker carrying petrol) is when the distance between the oncoming vehicle (again preferably a petrol tanker) and the former vehicle exceeds the width of the bus by 1 mm. (Actually it can be overtaken even if the excess is 0.00001 mm. But I believe in driving safely)
7.Why should I stop the bus just because you want to get down? People have jumped from speeding vehicles before.

I have tried hard to understand and internalize them. But yet he keeps surprising me with a new one every now and then. Today, I learnt rule no. 8.

8.People realize the importance of being alive only when it is threatened. Hence, I try to enlighten the masses with whatever meager skills that have been bestowed upon me.

Forget Narayan Karthikeyan! A new force is emerging.

Posted 11:40 AM by The Consultant
Today, after a long time, I had the privilege of traveling in the Local or the lifelines of Mumbai. It was one wonderful trip to Mumbai and what better way to end it than to travel in a crowded local!

Feeling rather worn out today after the traveling. So more about it in the next post.
Goodnight!

Posted 6:41 AM by The Consultant
The first time we met, he was sniffing my shoes. As soon as he sensed my presence, he gave a yelp and started running or rather waddling as fast as his tiny legs could carry his fat body. I picked him up and took a good look at him. He certainly did not cooperate. He kept squirming, making angry yet helpless noises.

I finally put him down, expecting him to run away. He did, but suddenly stopped after a couple of meters. He turned around and gave me a dirty look. Despite being such a small bundle, he seemed to have quite a character. He conveyed as much disgust and anger as his small shiny eyes could. Then, he snorted and waddled away as if he had all the time in the world. I ran after him and again picked him up. I carried him inside and found a nice biscuit for him.

As he gulped down the tiny bites, he wagged his tail vigorously, signing on the peace treaty. After completing the biscuit, he waited for more. As none were forthcoming, he cautiously advanced and sniffed me, making sure that his tiny wet nose will recognize me again. Then he went on the tour of a garden and I left him alone in his adventure.

It became a ritual. He started coming early in the morning. Once he gulped down his biscuits, he would take a tour of the garden where he would find new and exciting things everyday. Sometimes, he would lie down at my feet sniffing the cool morning breeze. Some evenings, as I returned from the office, he would materialize out of nowhere. He would chase my kinetic all the way to home.

He became a very busy dog, for his master was the watchman at the nearby construction site. He had a lot of responsibilities. He worked as an unofficial representative of the RTO Driving License Division. Whenever he sighted a scooter coming his way, he would wait on the side staring at the front wheel of the scooter. As soon as the scooter came close enough, he would go for the front wheel. The poor driver suddenly coming under this frontal assault would really panic. In his reign there, he managed to floor at least five drivers. Fortunately for them, none of them were hurt. He was a true gentleman. He never targeted female drivers. And I don’t know why, he never targeted my family members or me.

His main job was to ensure that all the workers in the nearby construction place remained alert and on their toes. He had a habit of moving around and making sure that he was exactly where no construction worker wanted him. He would develop a sudden interest in a fellow’s footwear the moment he lifted up a heavy load. He would take his naps bang in the middle of the way the construction workers usually used. He did not like the visits of the architects and senior engineers. Soon no engineer would enter the place unless he was tied up. But catching a free dog is not an easy task. So the poor fellow had to inspect the work with one eye on this fearsome looking dog barking and dancing all over the place with fury.

After about one year or so, the watchman and his family moved to another place. He also moved with them, for the dog does not distinguish between two human beings on the basis of financial status. But for next four mornings, he kept coming back for his morning treat. Soon his visits dwindled and then stopped all together.

Four years later, while I was going to meet my friend in Miraj, I saw a dog chasing my kinetic in my rearview mirror. I stopped and he caught up. He jumped all over me, dirtying my trousers with his muddy paws. He looked as if he had found a particularly tasty bone he had hidden a long time back. I smiled and patted him. I parked my vehicle and went into a nearby shop. He dutifully followed me inside the shop. I bought a pack of Parle-G biscuits- his favourites- and offered it to him. He sniffed them and gulped them down voraciously. Somehow, I felt that it was the first time he was eating them after the four years. He finished his treat and then sniffed my vehicle and me. He gave me a happy smile, left his “mark” on the front wheel and then he sauntered away nonchalantly.

I guess it was easy for him. But the goodbye was not so easy for me.

I traveled on that road many times afterwards. I always checked my rearview mirror, but in vain.

Posted 12:08 AM by The Consultant
“And whatever you do, however hard you try, well --- without cunning, without deceit, it’s quite impossible to live. Life is just that way, rot it… It would be fine to ascend to the heights, only the devil’s always clutching at one’s heels.”
M. Gorky

A nice way to sum up the confusions, the dilemmas that we face everyday. One is always debating whether to aim for the ever-eluding greatness or to take a practical and pragmatic (that’s the diplomatic way of putting things, isn’t it?) view and get on with our lives.

I recall reading a Marathi novel called “Tadjod” by Mr. Arun Sadhu. It talks about the life of a young confused politician. Once, the protagonist is talking to a corrupt politician. The corrupt fellow states that following the path that the fundamental principles of life dictate might not be an ideal thing. Instead, one could allow the disputed deal to go through and in return get some donation in the form of a land for a welfare project.

I guess that the life is and always has been gray.

Posted 2:42 AM by The Consultant
????!!!!!!!!

Something is wrong with me. For last three-four days, I have been thinking about the problems that India as a country faces. And I can actually see the solution. Yeah, the solution is very difficult to implement and it cannot be implemented by one individual. It has to implemented by all of us.

Why do we criticise the politicians for not paying enough attention to the people of India? Why do we criticise the people in corporate world for not caring about the investors/public safety etc. while running their respective businesses? Why do we criticise the police for not maintaining the law and order? Why do we think that the government servants are corrupt and lazy? Why do we say that the Government is useless and it is not doing anything for us? Why do we criticise and then conviniently forget all about it when it comes to our own behaviour? Why can' t we see that our own behaviour is the source of all these problems?

How many of us would stop to help in case of a road acident when not going to the work might mean losing our jobs? How many of us would attempt to stop any man from killing another man in a fight? How many of us would go and help that poor beggar who can't walk? How many of us can spare any time from our so called hectic life? Why do we consider business appointments superior to family commitments? When are we going to stop blaming the world around us for being the way it is? When are we going to stop pretending that we are not responsible for what is happening in India? Why do we not feel guilty when our own countrymen are slaughtered in pointless riots? We are responsible. We have to be responsible.

All these questions are equally applicable to me. I wonder when I will have the courage to admit that I owe something to this society and paying off that debt is far more important than my career, my aspirations and my dreams.

Posted 7:15 AM by The Consultant

I wonder

Why do people help each other? This is one question that I haven’t been able to answer satisfactorily. But let me clarify at the outset that I am not at all against the idea. I am just wondering what are the forces that drive such behaviour.

Is it because we feel that someday we might also need to be helped? Is it because we feel that it is the right thing to do? Or is it because we feel that it will help us at the time of the final judgment?

In my life, I have done things that have been helpful to the others. In some cases, I did it because I was sure that the fellow I am helping will certainly help me in the future, should the need arise. Those were purely selfish acts. Sometimes I have helped others because I did not want to regret not doing it afterwards. I have done some such things and then wondered afterwards why on earth I did those.

I don’t think that people do it because they feel that it will help them at the time of their final judgment. I don’t think that people really believe in that. And even if they do, I don’t think that such selfish motive is the cause of such behaviour.

I wonder if the answer lies somewhere in our past. When man was living in the jungle, there must have been incidents where one man has helped another from being mauled by some predator. The prehistoric men would have been helping each other against other species, against the forces of nature, just because the sense of belonging that they felt, just because they felt a need, an urge to protect ‘one of us’. Do people behave in such way because it is something that has become a part and parcel of our psyche since prehistoric times? Or is it because since the beginning of his era, the human being is intrinsically a nice person?

Posted 6:58 AM by The Consultant

The final aim

I wonder how many of us really know what we want to do with our life. The life keeps going on and we are dragged along with it. In a story by Maxim Gorky, a character states that most of us live our lives just getting ready for what we really want to do. We keep telling ourselves that once this or that event takes place, we will stop doing all these boring things and get on with what we really want to do.

Soon we are no longer in a position to achieve our dreams. Then we blame the circumstances in our lives for the failure. We say that had this or this not happened, I would have accomplished what I had set out to do.

In this regard, I would like to talk about a man that I respect a lot. He has influenced my life to a great extent. He was a teacher who wanted to start a school that is different from all the usual schools. He wanted it to be a school that really develops a child, makes a man out of him.

At the age of 58, he took his retirement like everyone else. Then, he set out to achieve his dream. The path certainly was not easy. He had to raise the money for the education society. He had to face the bureaucracy to get all the necessary permissions. It took him a long time. But finally, he achieved his dream. The first batch that appeared for the Board exam from his school passed with flying colours. Any person who is from Sangli will easily realize whom I am talking about.

I do not dare to write his name here, for despite all the hard work that he did, despite achieving what he wanted to do, the man prefers to stay away from the glare of publicity. He prefers to work and is satisfied only with the pleasure that the work gives him. I wonder how many of us, the young generation has the guts, the courage and the dedication

Posted 9:53 PM by The Consultant

Mayawati Raj

A couple of months ago, I had gone to Parivartan Chowk in Lucknow. Recently, they have put up 5-6 statues there. The statues are rather small when you compare them with normal statues. I was a bit curious and looked at the base of these statues to find out the identity of these unfortunate people. (Come on, do you think putting up these statues pleases anyone but the sparrows and crows?)

To my utter amazement, I saw nothing but “Sushri Mayawatiji” on all the statues. I took a closer look and found the names of the real fellows written below “Sushri Mayawati” who had inaugurated the statues. Now the font size utilized to write these names is usually used to write the ingredients on the small bottles of medicine that we buy.

Yeah, I am exaggerating a bit, but is this the way to honour the likes of Mahatma Phule and Shahu Maharaj? Who is Mayawati when we compare her with these great luminaries of the past? Even if it was not done on her instructions, surely she could have noticed the fact and asked for some changes to be made?

It is bad enough having these politicians around and realizing everyday that they are alive and well. Why do we have to bear the expense of their shameless publicity? Why should the public money be wasted in building statues and parks so that the whimsical wishes of some idiot are fulfilled?

Posted 4:16 AM by The Consultant


Whew!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, the CA Final Exams are over. Though, I don’t know whether it is the final time I am appearing for them.

Since I have joined this profession, I have always heard a lot of criticism about the Chartered Accountants. Whenever there is a fraud and whenever there is a corporate scandal, the fingers are pointed at the poor chartered accountant of the company.

I am writing this piece to make sure that the people understand the things as they stand from the point of view of the CA.

First thing: The CA is not chosen by the management of the company so as to suit their needs. The choice is made by the shareholders of the company. The appointment is made in the annual general meeting and if people holding more than 50% of the capital feel that the CA is good enough, he/she is chosen.

Second thing: The CA does not guarantee that there is no fraud in the company.

Then what does he do? He examines the books of accounts and states whether, according to the information he has, the financial statements show the true and fair picture of the state of company’s affairs as of that date.

A normal company has more than a million entries in its books. The number of documents, the number of people involved is huge. If one wants the CA to ensure that there is no fraud, no collusion between the employees, the charges for such a task would be sky high.

Another popular notion doing the round is that a CA will certify anything if you pay him. Well, it takes a lot of efforts and intelligence to become a CA. It is one of the toughest examinations in India. If the CA certifies something and then it turns out to be false, the fellow will lose his right to practice. In short, he will cease to be a CA, lose his source of livelihood. No person in his right mind will take this kind of risk.

CA is a profession and like all the professions, there will be a few black sheep. But some activism on the part of the shareholders of the company will drive them out.

How many shareholders bother to vote or even attend the AGM? How many shareholders invest their money after proper review of the company rather than some speculative motive?

I do not want to bore you with a lot of legal provisions that are there to ensure that a CA does his job. But believe me, it is not full of desperate crooks who will do anything if you throw some coins at them.

Posted 3:21 AM by The Consultant

Kodak Moments

Sometimes, as the life is whizzing past you, suddenly everything stands still. All the things that have happened to you make sense, right from the dumb clerks in the accounts department in your college to the time when you missed the food that you criticized so often at home. You notice that the humanity still exists even in the increasingly monotonous and mechanical world. It is a pleasant surprise to you, as if you have just found an old photo of yours in a cupboard you are going through to find some extremely irrelevant yet extremely necessary document.

Yesterday, I was waiting at Nal Stop for the traffic lights to change. Now anyone who has waited there at 6.00 p.m. will tell you that the pollution, the heat, the noise and the entire atmosphere is absolutely unbearable. I was standing next to a PMT Bus. A kid selling flowers and roses boarded the bus from the door next to the driver. The driver gave him an irritated look. He looked tired and harassed. The boy put his big basket full of roses, nishigandh and mogra next to the driver on top of the gearbox or whatever is there near the driver. The driver took a deep breath and suddenly, he didn’t look irritated. He suddenly forgot all the cacophony, all the pollution and all the aggravation one feels while driving in jam-packed streets. His face relaxed and he gave a wonderful smile to the boy and said something. The boy also smiled back, took one rose out of the basket and gave it to the driver. The driver accepted it and started to reach for his wallet, but the boy shook his head and said something. The driver laughed and put his hands back on the steering. I really felt sorry that I couldn’t hear anything they said.

I turned my attention to the traffic lights, adjusted my rear-view mirror and found myself smiling at my reflection in the mirror.

Posted 11:12 PM by The Consultant
Top ten ways of getting kicked out of Loksabha/Vidhansabha:

10. No, please complete your argument first. Let me listen to what you have to say.

9. Sir, I have a proposal to link our payments with our performance.

8. Sir, we are wasting too much time here. Why not deduct the cost from our
salaries?

7. I think we are spending too much on the security of MPs.

6. Hands up!!!!! …… Heh, heh, relax! It’s a joke!

5. Sir, I have these videotapes, which conclusively prove that…

4. Damn, how does this mike come off?

3. No, I do not have any criminal cases filed against me.

2. Sir, the truth is…

1. Sir, what about the People of India?

Posted 1:18 AM by The Consultant
An idea!

Today, I am going to talk about politics. There was a time when I was very interested in politics. In those days, I was a fanatic supporter of BJP. I used to read all the magazines and periodicals that were pro-BJP. People who talked with me used to admire the fact that this 12-year-old reads so much, knows so much about the Indian politics. But soon all my enthusiasm, my belief in the BJP disappeared. I realized that it was no different from any other political party. The change in BJP happened over a period of 5-6 years. Soon there was no difference between the Congress and BJP. I stopped reading all the articles that dealt with the politics.

Well, all that I just wrote is totally unrelated to what I am going to discuss now. :-)

I was thinking about the performance evaluation and its effect on the reward to the employees. (It had to do a bit with the project that I am doing in my summers. I do not like to think about the HR topics at all.) I suddenly realized that we could do the same thing in the Indian politics.

The politicians make a lot of promises. We can have a condition that if they do not implement their promises; they cannot stand for any election again in their life. This is the basic idea.

To implement the idea, it is necessary that all the promises that the politicians make should be in quantitative terms. As far the promises related to the number of jobs or the infrastructure are concerned, it is quite easy to quantify them. We will not be able to quantify the promises like,” I will ensure that there will be no riots etc.” But at least some portion of the manifesto can be quantified.

The politicians will also have to describe how much they will achieve at the end of one year, at the end of 2 years and so on. This will ensure that they cannot escape from their responsibilities just because the Government could not last the entire five-year term.

At the time of the new elections, only those politicians who have achieved what they promised they would, would be allowed to stand for the elections. It is quite easy to see that there are a lot of loopholes in the idea. There are a lot ways in which the politicians can argue that the idea does not make sense or cannot be implemented. But my point is that even if the idea is not 100% successful, at least some amount of development will take place. At least some incompetent politicians will be thrown out of the system.

I feel that the idea is more suitable at local level than at the national level. The ordinary citizen is more concerned about the everyday problems that he encounters. I feel that the idea might be a good solution at local levels, so that the incompetent people are thrown out of the system before they go up the political hierarchy.

Now, how do we get the idea converted into a law? I feel that there are some options here.
1. The idea can be implemented by one of the political parties voluntarily. (Which is a remote possibility)
2. Public interest litigation
3. Popular pressure on political parties.

3rd option seems to have the best chance to succeed, though it will be difficult to generate such pressure. But instead of trying to implement it on a national level, if we try to implement it a local level, it just may work. For example, if people in Pune decide that this regulation should be put into place for the local elections, it is quite possible that one or two local parties may accept the idea just to get some votes at least.

What do you think? Is the idea feasible?

Posted 4:21 AM by The Consultant
Picchur, the Phillum

You must have read about the Picchur, the Phillum on Gaurav’s website. (www.gauravsabnis.blogspot.com) If you haven’t, please do. For those, who do not have the time to visit the site, I can explain in a few words. It is the baap of all spoofs. It will ridicule all the clichés used in Hindi movies and try and make you laugh. There is one particularly funny scene about the pigeons that you must go and read about on Gaurav’s site.

I just composed a couple of scenes to put into that movie. Now, as Hindi movies do not have any storyline, I feel that it would be quite easy to put in these scenes. Now, this particular scene that I am going describe is sufficiently nauseating. So if you do not like PJs or Pushkar’s Jokes, as they are known in IIM Lucknow, I suggest that you skip this scene.

By the way, all the dialogues would be in Hindi, but I am writing them in English. This is not because I am targeting a global audience, but because my Hindi is as strong as Bangladeshi Batting.

Scene: Father is about to die, the Son comes running from wherever the hell he was.

Father: Beta
(not in a typical I-am-about-to-die voice, but more in the style of Dharmendra’s famous “Kutttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttte!!!!!!!!!!!!!”)

Son: Ji Pitaji

Father: Banno ki shaadi dhoom-dhaam se karna

Son: Ji Pitaji, yeh dhoom-dhaam kahan rehta hai?

Father: (ignoring the last remark) Do take care of your mother

Son: Ji Pitaji

Father: Khandaan ki izzat salamaat rakhna!
(Okay, how can I dare to translate this favourite phrase?)

Son: Ji Pitaji

Father: Do not indulge in corruption……………. (A lot of advice on the moral practices)

Son: Ji Pitaji. Do not worry. I will manage it all. But can you tell me one thing?

Father: What is that?

Son: (suddenly yelling in the “Kutttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttte!” Ishtyle)
What is so special about the Maggi Hot and Sweet Tomato Chilly sauce?

Father: Its Different!!

Sorry for that!
The movie will be co-produced by me and Gaurav and possibly Sunil Joshi if he wants to be associated with the likes of us. If you have any scenes, please do contribute. We can make the 3-hour script available on the net and may be send it to MTV or Channel V.

I guess that last sentence is the result of 1 year of managerial education where I keep looking for commercial possibilities everywhere.

Posted 10:04 PM by The Consultant
If You're Happy And You Know It Bomb Iraq

If you cannot find Osama, bomb Iraq.
If the markets are a drama, bomb Iraq.
If the terrorists are Saudi,
And your alibi is shoddy,
And your tastes remain quite gaudy,
Bomb Iraq.
If you never were elected, bomb Iraq.
If your mood is quite dejected, bomb Iraq.
If you think that SUVs,
Are the best thing since sliced cheese,
And your father you must please,
Bomb Iraq.
If the globe is quickly warming, bomb Iraq.
If the poor will soon be storming, bomb Iraq.
We assert that might makes right,
Burning oil is a delight,
For the empire we will fight,
Bomb Iraq.
If we have no allies with us, bomb Iraq.
If we think that someone's dissed us, bomb Iraq.
So to hell with the inspections,
Let's look tough for the elections,
Close your mind and take directions,
Bomb Iraq.
If corporate fraud is growin', bomb Iraq.
If your ties to it are showin', bomb Iraq.
If your politics are sleazy,
And hiding that ain’t easy,
And your manhood’s getting queasy,
Bomb Iraq.
Fall in line and follow orders, bomb Iraq.
For our might now knows no borders, bomb Iraq.
Disagree? We’ll call it treason,
It's the make war not love season,
Even if we have no reason,
Bomb Iraq.

Source: John Robbins
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokebombiraq.htm

Posted 8:59 PM by The Consultant
The life is one funny ride. People are such funny animals. The other day, I was criticizing the US policies for attacking Iraq. Today, in my summer training, I am thinking how the company for which I am working can sell its products in Iraq. By the way, the company makes some products, which are useful in certain situations during the construction of roads, bridges and flyovers.

Is this a normal reaction or am I becoming a vulture too?

Posted 3:28 AM by The Consultant
The beginning of the end

The war in Iraq is nearing its logical end. But this is not what the title of this particular post is referring to. I am referring to the end of United States of America.
No, I am not joking at all. In fact, I am quite serious. Please read this and tell me if I am wrong in my assessment.
The war against terror that Mr. Bush has started is turning out to be the war that will create new terrorists. The civilian casualties in Iraq have been mounting. I am not saying that USA is deliberately targeting them. But try explaining that to the relatives of the victims.
These incidents will spawn a new generation of terrorists who will target USA. With increasing spread of the nuclear technology, I do not feel that the day is far off when these terrorists will have these weapons at their disposal.
USA might be the world leader in weapon technology. But it is not the technology, but the people who determine whether a battle is won or lost.
But there is still hope that the citizens of USA will realize the stupidity of its rulers. Then, instead of the end of the USA, it will be the end of the attitude it is currently displaying.
I am in no way justifying the deeds of Saddam nor am I saying that USA does not have the right to protect itself from the perpetrators of terror. I feel the way they are going about this business is utterly wrong.
The right of a US citizen to lead a peaceful life is not more important than the right of Ali Ismaeel Abbas to lead a peaceful life. If USA refuses to recognize this, then it might be made to understand it the hard way by the embittered souls in Iraq.
So what could be the solution to the problem being faced by USA? After all, it is very easy to criticize someone if you are not going to recommend an alternative course of action.
Well, the first thing USA could do is to recognize the right of all the people to determine the way they live their lives. I believe that a country gets the ruler it deserves. In India, we have so many corrupt politicians making a mockery of democracy, because that is what we deserve. If the Indians do not make any collective effort to remove these elements, then that is what we will continue to get.
Hence, if Iraqis are suffering, it is because the lack of collective effort there. I agree that it is easy to pass these comments sitting in the comforts of my home. But, all the countries ruled by the dictators have faced impossible odds. But they have triumphed even against those odds. Iraqis should have been allowed to do the same thing. It would have been the logical thing to do.
But what should USA do if the weapons of mass destruction developed in Iraq target USA? I feel that the solution to this danger is to develop an advanced version of Patriot or some similar technology that will give it some protection. After all, Iraq is not the only country from which USA faces such danger and it cannot hope to solve such issues by going after each and every country.
I hope that sanity prevails in USA soon.