any aphrodisiac for shopping?

The most strenuous cerebral exercise i have had after taking the CAT was when i went shopping at a mall. It was an exercise in how to confront complexity and multiplicity of choice while buying clothes (how similar to CAT!). But it would be wrong of me to label the whole visit a waste because it was educative. I learnt practical lessons in sociology and developmental economics. The mall isimilar to malls that infest other parts of the city and country offering nothing unique from architectural beauty to solving buyer's dilemma. I sometimes wonder why do malls serve as an entertainment option. In ahmedabad people make mall visit a picnic, dont they have better things to do like watching classics, listening to music, playing any sport, watching drama, etc. Another shocking aspect was the astronomical prices of the clothes i had gone to buy, it left me wondering whether all this talk of disposable income was glib and superficial. There were more window shoppers and few buyers, typically the ratio would be 10:2. people wont buy because their mall errand was entertainment to them. The full import of what suhel seth said that malls need more revenue footfalls and not footfalls dawned on me. I also found the customer representatives lacking in soft skills, most of them were standing like mannequins, none came to ask me what were my sartorial preferences. I found shopping very boring, it compelled me to ask myself is there any aphrodisiac for shopping? something called shopogra.

A gourmet's delight

Its essential to be a deviant. Its essential to find out what value do you provide to your customer. But restaurateurs in Ahmedabad dont seem to take heed of these simple marketing ideas. Customers are also to be blamed equally. Foodies need to enliven gastronomic outings by trying different varities of the different cuisine rather than going to a food joint just to flaunt their wallet power. People have become more conscious of where do they eat because it affects their 'status'. Most restaurants are bereft of anything unique due to technological standardization and less demanding customers. I realized all these thanks to a friend, who prodded me to have dinner with him at a highway side dhaba. I was wee bit apprehensive but assented to accompany him. The dhaba turned out to be, as i had imagined, a typical food joint straight from a bollywood pot boiler. The food was very delicious and I think if Bertram Wooster had eaten it he would have said," I say, Jeeves, have we hired Anatole for an evening." The best revelation, which my friend and I revelled in, was the quintessential tandoori roti. The sabji's were in true sense 'punjabi sabji'. The creamy kheer at the end of dinner was the icing on cake. All in all, we had a whale of a time and also realized you dont need to have deep pockets to enjoy life just the lust for life will do. Thank you Abhishek.

Tourism- ho!

I would like to convey my heart felt thanks to Indian I.T. professionals, grass root innovators and new age yogis(who have made a banal function like breathing a selfchange tool). I thank them because they have restored world's faith in India and more importantly our faith in ourselves. This manifests into various forms: increase in FDI, GDP, etc. But one area or sector that ought to have grown exponentially is Tourism. But it has not and this is the reason to worry. I would like to reiterate the cliche, India is a diverse country offering a host of experiences from spiritual and royal to inspirational. Then why there was tourist inflow of only 3.9 million in 2005.

We need to package and market India as a country rather than a bunch of states warring for everything from water to central funds. We need to change our attitudes and ourselves and become a nation of avid travellers.In my opinion a tour across India is enough to satisfy a wanderer's soul. Because then we would know what it takes to make tourism a success. Real India cannot be experienced by reading about it in secondary level history and geography textbooks. To experience the grandeur of the Taj Mahal or the stature of Mahatma Gandhi one has to visit the Taj Mahal or the Gandhi Ashram respectively. But can an average Indian afford such visits or does he have time, mired as he is in the drudgery of earning a living. In boosting tourism abroad we have forgotten the tourist that lies in every indian's heart. Let us address his concerns first and then the concerns of his global counterpart. Because both are sequentially related. What are the concerns of an Indian tourist : budget hotels, cheap transport, credible guide, etc. Probably all of them are absent or present at certain centers of tourist attraction.

The main hindrance to tourism development, as usual, is the bureaucracy. At one point of time 5-6 ministries are some or other way related to tourism. Given such a condition how do we expedite development. Why cant we learn from I.T. companies who have achieved their success through relentless pursuit of innovation. My suggestion to our finance minister. Sir, why cant you incentivise leisure travel in our taxation system. Provide tax benefits to companies that offer 2-3 weeks off to their employees for leisure travel. This is one suggestion from a layman. But I know you wont do it busy as you are in taxing fringe benefits.

In final reckoning, lets make it our duty to promote tourism in our personal capacity. Let us travel first, as often as possible, and make it a virtue worth internalising.

The Sachar Committee report: an eye opener?

The Indian express by revealing piecemeally the findings of the Sachar committee on the status of muslims in India did raise alarm in the society. Discounting the statistics the basic conclusion of the committee is that the muslim population is faring badly in almost all areas of education and employment and in certain areas worst than OBC's. The moot point is why are we shocked by the findings of the report? Lets accept that we know the status of an average muslim and any layman can say that by simply travelling across any city or town. One need not go to any obscure village to verify it. At best what Sachar committe has done is quantify the status of muslims on various parameters. We need to factor in that muslims are covered under Scheduled tribes and OBC. 70% muslims come under the 0BC. Despite reservations the status of muslims has not improved satisfactorily.

The problem, as Arif khan wrote in the toi, goes back to colonial times. Even then muslims were to be found in negligible percentage in colleges and institutes of higher learning. Extreme religiosity and authority of maulvis has played an important role in the abysmal performance of muslims across the spectrum. The muslims have not been able to adapt with times and make religion a very public affair rather than keeping it a personal choice. The muslims are economically backward because they didnt and are not making education a priority. I believe an average muslim considers education and religion mutually exclusive or antithetical to each other. They are not open to views from different cultures and always look up to the holy koran to seek legitimacy of their deeds. Compare with this the how the hindus have performed economically. Being a hindu i can testity that hindus put a lot of premium on education and this doesnot mean we are less religious. Most importantly hindus have been open to different cultures.

Whatever be the problem its our collective responsibility to improve the status of muslims. There is no panacea that would solve all the problems. A multi pronged attack is the need of the hour. We should begin by encouraging cultural interaction between the muslims and other communites this would give the muslims, especially the youth, an idea where the world is moving, what are the latest developments in technology because its the biggest driver of change these days, etc.

The sachar committee report is not an eye opener because are eyes have been open on the status of muslims since a long time its only we have turned a blind eye to it.

This Bond is real

After watching the latest Bond flick, Casino Royale, i am compelled to write something about it. But I must confess that as I came out of the movie hall I felt a flush of adrenaline in my body and rode off on my bike to my place at a terrific speed. Such was the effect of the swashbuckling british secret agent. I have seen many Bond films and this is the only one close to reality. The starting action sequence was a harbinger of what was to come : a bond not detached from reality(earlier bonds seemed to have been imported from utopia, nevertheless, it was fun watching the utopian bond), a story reflective of the current global problem( i.e. terrorism) and ofcourse the usual Bond accompaniments like the aston martin, wonderful scenery and literary rich language sans expletives. From Daniel craig's physique to not so suave demeanour is a welcome surprise and has also earned him the tag of best bond after sean connery. But i think it would be unfair to both the bonds to compare them because they were products of their era. Comparison betweeen Pierce Bronsnan and Craig may be legitimate. Whatever may be the debate, its a superb movie and I am already awaiting the next flick.

Learn from the masters

Shooting at foreign locales and equipping technicians with sophisticated technology doesnot a good film make. These are peripherals. I have always felt that in India the main issues are relegated to the realms of non-issues and the peripheral issues become the kernel of discussion or for that matter a project. Recently, i read an article in the ahmedabad times the author which claimed that film audiences prefer fast, sleazy action movies than the ones with emotions and drama. I beg to differ. What about the movies of karan johar and sanjay bhansali? Their movies have raked in lucre and often critical acclaim. The success of a film comes down to basics like story in which the director has faith and not the producer or the marketing firm roped in for promotion, hiring actors who can potray the characters well and finally marketing the film to the target audience. What is happening is the reverse: story in which the producer has faith, actors in whom the marketing firm has faith and targeting the wrong audience. Of course this is not the case with every film. Success of movies like Black, Rang de Basanti, etc.. have proved that the right mix can not only fill up the coffers of producer but also the shelf of director with awards (i am not referring to filmfare awards which is more of a marketing gimmick than awarding the deserving talent).

The country still has not been able to make films that could match international standards. After watching hollywood films like Gandhi, A beautiful mind, Schindler's list and Basic Instinct i felt that movie making more to do with breathing life into characters and less with marketing. It was simply a memorable and inspiring occasion to watch Ben Kingsley play Gandhi ( its a shame on us that a foreigner made such a brilliant movie on Gandhi while we were busy shooting songs on swiss alps) , Russel crowe brilliantly potray the character of schizophrenic mathematician John Nash ( it compelled me to read Nash's biography), Liam nesson play Oscar Schindler and the superb erotic scenes sharon stone and michael douglas in Basic instinct. These films were not made on outlandish budgets or nor did they resort to heavy publicity but on the strength of characters, story and direction. Compare this with total mismatch characters in upcoming film Dhoom-2. One can easily make out the character of ash as Hrithik's accomplice in crime. But can ash potray a role of a seductress and conwoman. In the promos ash looks like a malnourished anorexic bimbo. She is simply thin and doesnt have a curvaceous body,to say the least. She suits perfectly in roles like that in Hum dil de..., Umrao Jaan but please not a role of seductress and conwoman. The role should have gone to lisa ray or for that matter any sexy model because dhoom2 is not about acting.

Shahrukh fitted so well in 'Swades' because the film demanded an'actor with ordinary boy door looks. Full marks to God, because Ashutosh Gowariker first approached Aamir for the role of mohan bhargav.
Bollywood needs to learn from its master hollywood in the art of film-making and not financing or technique because we are already good at it.

The Ruckus Over SEZ's

India is facing a dilemma which is endemic in any developing economy. In an increasingly globalized world where borders are literally blurring, India is finding it difficult to decide what is going to be its growth trajectory which would integrate it to the world. The country is facing an agrarian crisis and also registering 7-8% G.D.P growth. This dichotomy, due to its perpetuity since independence, has stopped to shock us. 57% of the population still earns its primary living from agriculture. We have to transfer the extra labour from agricuture to other industries. One way to do it is through SEZ. But even before the success of a SEZ, the whole idea has triggered a battle between commerce minister Kamal Nath and finance minister Chidambaram, the former is for the idea of increasing the number of SEZ beyond 150 and the latter against it. This post seeks to study the whole SEZ idea from its inception to its future in India.

What is a SEZ?
Special economic zone or SEZ is basically a restricted geographical area where the government,provides tax benefits and labour and FDI flexibility,to businesses willing to start their operations in that area to enhance export, employment opportunities and gain competitive edge over other countries.

Why SEZ in India?
Poor infrastructure, virtually bankrupt government and massive unemployment has made SEZ a very alluring idea. India needsmassive investment to make it a developed economy and for that it has to woo foreign investors. SEZ will do the same as it will give MNC's access to cheap labour and Indian market. Moreover,the responsibility of developing the SEZ will be divested off the government to the companies investing so the cash strapped government will only have to create an environment of facilitative rules and regulations. The commerce ministry is toying with the idea of sanctioning 400 SEZs. Some of the big players already in the SEZ arena are Reliance Indstries led by Mukesh Ambani which has committed a whopping Rs. 55000 crore in SEZs in Navi Mumbai, Haryana and Jamnagar; Mahindra and Mahindra, Infosys, Accenture, Posco,etc. After passing of the SEZ act in february 2005, 28 SEZs have been formed, which have attracted investment of Rs 2000 crore and providing direct employment to 1.23 lakh people. The commerce ministry is expecting an investment of Rs. 1 lac crore in the next three years with a potential to provide direct employment to 5 lac people. If such is the scenario then why is Chidambaram,Rahul Bajaj and Raghuram Rajan opposing increase in number of SEZ from 150 to 400.

We need SEZ but not so many

The finance ministry has problem over the potential revenue loss to the government. It is reckoned that SEZs will cost the exchequer corporate income tax of around Rs 132,000 crore and loss from customs, excise and other duties will be around Rs 10000 crores over the span of 10 years.

A land scam?

The contention of R Kavita Rao, senior fellow at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, a govt think tank is that SEZ will be a real estate scam because developers of SEZ will be able to use 65% of the land for residential and shopping purposes, hotels and malls. The basic purpose of making SEZs export centres will be undermined. The developers will procure land at cheap rate and have the freedom to allocate the space on commercial basis. IMF chief economist Raghuram Rajan fears dislocation of companies at substantial cost to the society as every company will try to transfer its business to SEZs. The tax benefits enjoyed by IT companies will come to an end in March 2009 so they will be willing to shift their base to SEZs to get extend tax breaks for another 10 years.

Another issue which has not been debated much is that the developers will have monopoly over providing basic facilities which is actually the job of municipality. Such powers which are in contravention of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment relating to Panchyati Raj can be challenged in court

India doesnt need SEZ...

Professor Jagdish Bhagwati of Columbia University, a staunch exponent of globalization( he lost this year's nobel prize in economics narrowly) argues that India doesnt need SEZ. He says ''SEZ's are a sort of scaffolding with which you climb into more openness. But now that you have the building, why do you need the scaffolding. We dont need to learn lesson from china anymore. We should concentrate on making further reforms that would integrate India with the world''

Well the arguments for and against SEZs will go on, lets wait and watch how the future unfolds.

Information source :

The Times of India

The Indian Express

Outlook Business

Wah Vicky Babu!

'The secret of being a bore is to say everything'
- Voltaire

Mr. Voltaire, there is an exception to your saying. Vikram seth has not only done justice to his muse by not limiting his books to 400-500 pages but also to his soul and millions of homosexual people in India by leading a high profile signature campaign which seeks to do away with the draconian Sec 377 of the IPC. The other signatories are Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen, lawyer Soli Sorabjee. The section makes homosexualtiy a crime in India. It is terribly difficult for such people to come out and assert their sexuality in a country like India where even mainstream sex is not discussed. Add to it the criminality attatched to it, which is invariably used by the police to make homosexuals feel they are children of lesser God as if the society's hostility is not enough. Surely this section should be annulled and homosexuals be given a new life. I am with Vikram Seth in the campaign. It came as a surprise to me that the reclusive Seth agreed to lead the campaign and come on television and propogate it. For readers who dont know, Seth is a bisexual and has referred to it in his poems. He didnt mind when his mother, Leila seth, former Chief Justice, mentioned fleetingly to his sexual preferences in her biography,' ON BALANCE'.
I have immense respect for Seth because I really enjoy reading his books and hope he wins the Nobel for literature, which he truly deserves. Seth is considered to be the contemporary Pushkin and Tolystoy, a born story teller. His books are not meant for readers wanting to have a fleeting reading experience but for them who seek a true literary journey. ' A Suitable Boy' and 'Two Lives' are not gripping but engaging. It seems he wants to convey a message through his works, though in an understated manner, but not trivially. He can do everything write poetry, paint, play the piano, the flute, sing, read and write languages from Chinese to Tamil. He studied mathematics at undergraduate level and opted for economics at the post graduate level. For Phd in economics he went to China but got fascinated by the chinese language and calligraphy, leaving the Phd half way, he travelled across China and Tibet, result of which was the travelogue,'From heaven lake'. It won the Thomas Cook Travel writing award. But the book which made him a celebrity overnight was the 'wrist spraining' 1349 page novel 'A suitable Boy'. Kushwant Singh writes in his memoirs, 'long last India has produced a writer of international calibre who would win highest laurels for his country.' The novel established him on the international literary circuit and made him the contender for the Nobel prize. He surprised the publishing world by getting highest non fiction advance, 1.3 million pounds, for the memoir of his uncle and aunt, 'TWO LIVES.'

Vikram Seth has said and done everything and is still not a bore. I cant but say, ' wah Vicky babu.'

Why is the M.E.A. silent ?

Gen Musharraf released his much awaited memoirs, 'In the line of fire', this week. The dubious content of the book vindicates the claim of many a strategic affairs experts in India, that the people of Pakistan can be trusted but not Musharraf. The book is infact a roster of Musharaff's dreams which he never was able to materialize. His claims in the book regarding the Kargil war has shocked the whole world, especially India.

Mush's claims : 1) It was India who initiated the war and theirs was just a reply. In reality there was spurt in infiltration and terrorists activities across the L.O.C. before the war. 2) Pakistan won the kargil war. In fact India won the war by reclaiming all the territories which were under Pak army. After the war, Pakistan disowned the bodies of 250 soldiers of their army and India had to bury the bodies.

There are many other false claims. What has shocked me is that why is the M.E.A. silent about it. It should give a formal statement that it disagrees with Mush's claims. Has the government no duty towards the Indian army which bravely fought one of the toughest wars in Indian history? surely such silence will dishearten any soldier, who under worst conditions gaurds our borders.

As for Mush, he is a shrewd politician and a scheming military general, always looking for an opportunity or creating one (eg. his memoirs) to achieve his utopian dreams. How can we trust a man who masterminded the kargil war, who said in 2004 that there is no cross border terrorism and now says we need to tackle the menace of terrorism together.

We are treading on a path fraught with people who are opportunists. Let us be extremely cautious.

The Eternal Icon

We are the Pilgrims,master; we should go
Always a little further: it may be
Beyond the last blue mountain barred with snow
Across that angry or that glimmering sea....

We travel not for trafficiking alone;
By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned,
For lust of knowing what should not be known,
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand.

- James Elroy Flecker


How true, after all our achievements and failures, exaltations and disappointments, we are ultimately pilgrims and our only duty is to ' move a little further' and finally meet the glorious sunset that awaits us.

But there was one man who was an eternal pilgrim. A pilgrim who blazed a new trail, showed India that true religion has to be practiced and not simply followed. A business man with a capitalist mind and a socialist heart. An entrepreneur who cared for others, least concerned with how will it affect his group's bottomline.

Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, U.N. Population Award, Tony Jannus Award for aviation... and many more. These awards were just incidental to his work.

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata(1904-1993), known as 'J.R.D.' or 'Jeh' to friends and common man,would not have thought how important role he would play in the development of India and ofcourse the Tata group. Its interesting and important to know that how much a top businessman can do beyond business if he intends to.

Homi Bhabha, father of India's atomic programme, would have achieved nothing, if not for J.R.D. After returning from Cambridge, Mr. Bhabha was disappointed that there was no infrastructure for advance scientific research in India. Mr. Bhabha wrote to J.R.D. 'if an institute was establish, instead of returning to Cambridge or Princeton after the war, I would stay on in India and raise a team of highly qualified scientists'. J.R.D. asked him to submit a concrete proposal of his plan and if its accepted by the board of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, he would support him in his endeavour. The proposal was passed in 1945 and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was established.

J.R.D. played an active role in establishing the Tata Memorial Hospital. The board was debating about keeping the hospital's expenses at a mangeable level, they were not thinking of research. At that time J.R.D. came up with his own vision for the hospital ' This hospital should be able to carry out the triple objects of treatment, research and education. We should treat research almost as important as treatment.' In 1941 the hospital was inaugurated. Even today 33% of the patients are treated free of charge and most of the expenses are borne by the Tata group.

My intention behind mentioning these contributions is that every one of us have to do something for the larger good of the society. Otherwise what was the need for J.R.D to establish institutes and a hospital. He could have been happy as the chairman of the Tata Group. But he thought it was his duty to serve the society because he was blessed with far more riches than his poorer brethen. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are following the same philosophy.

J.R.D. was the chairmanTata Group for 53 years (1938-1991). He put India on the civil aviation map of the world. Under the leadership of this unassuming visionary Tata became a household name. Tata means many things to many people. For some it means ethics, integrity and philanthropy; for some it means adventure and daring; for some it means a way of life.

A dashing debonair and a chivalrous man, he became a Pan-Indian icon. Even in his late eighties he could be seen skiing on the swiss alps. He had a wonderful sense of humour. While preparing for a heart surgery, he saidtoRusi Lala, "nobody cares for me...... except the ladies" Lala said " whose hearts have you broken" J.R.D. retorted " no, whose favours I seek."

He died a natural death in Geneva. His last words were ' You know, I am going to another world, and its exciting, very exciting.'


Oh Jeh,how I wish you were alive today. Nevertheless you will remain for me and this vast country with its myriad people, ' AN ETERNAL ICON'

In Gujarati,

Ek vyakti je saahas nu saakar rup hata

Ek Bharatiya je rashtra ni prerna che

Ek ehtihaasik purush je sada amar che

In loving memory of my hero, J.R.D. TATA.

Short memory or loss of ethics

These days, Railway minister Laloo prasad yadav has become a much sought after C.E.O by management institutes. The dramatic turnaround of Indian Railways' finances and improvement in functioning is attributed to him. He is now the subject of a case study done by I.I.M-Ahmedabad. Suddenly, Laloo is in news for all the good reasons. But I am not surprised, this is our innate characteristic of labelling a person as corrupt and the next moment making him a hero and a role model. But I thought I.I.M's were saved from this malaise. Have they forgotten that this is the same Laloo who has brought Bihar to the current state of affairs, whose brother-in-law's still run a parallel law system in Bihar, who has been criticised by scholars and layman alike. How can I.I.M make such a person a subject of a case study. Have they fallen short on ethics or have they forgotten who Laloo is?

If this habit of making role models out of people who have achieved success or should I say made money by hook or crook continues, I fear some day we will have Dawood giving management lectures at I.I.M's on how to remain in hiding and then also run 'business' successfully. Probably the biggest catch of all will be Bin Laden teaching, as a visiting faculty, on how to compete with American companies and beat them on their own turf. As a youngster planning to pursue a management course I am confused by this whole affair. Should I know start following people who are successful without knowing the way they made their riches. Is the Tata philosophy of doing business with ethics and integrity flawed or not relevant in today's world. Any answers?

the purpose

i started the blog to just be a part of the growing community of bloggers, but never thought seriously about making my blog a reflection and a receptacle that would hold my views and perception of the world as i experience it. from now onwards whatever posted by me will never be done with a purpose to evoke or hurting the feelings of any community be it religious or any other. i invite discussion on topics that i may touch. i truly believe in discussions because it helps me make my mind clear of all notions that might be inimical to my progress as an individual or a professional.