indiamattersdotcom

life in the interim

Long time since my last post. Many ideas, many emotions, all in mind, lack of net access, lack of time, all jumbled....

Mohammad Haneef is guilty... he escaped conviction in Australia coz of lack of evidence. Tomorrow the verdict on his work visa will be out. Come on, he begged for "honarary citizenship there" and got the big kick by Howard. How well deserving!! Honarary indeed.

What else... life is routine. Nothing great.

posted by jumanji @ 3:22 PM 0 comments

Attire for India

http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/jun/03ninan.htm

It is said "In Rome, do as the romans do."

It is very rightly pointed out that the "business suit" is not suited for India. It is a western tradition, where the temperatures are much lower than India.

Recently, I read that the Japanase are asking their workforce to shed the suits and wear shirts only so that they can reduce the air conditioning costs. So innovative and so practical and such a correct decision.

There is economics also involved in this. The rich and the top management can afford the suits. It pinches when the foot soldiers, that is the field staff and office staff is also asked to wear expencsive shirts with subtle checks and ties. For the field staff too!! Its nonpractical, and invites laundry problems too.

A nice clean light colored shirt and pants is best suited for Indian clime and it should be promoted widely.

posted by jumanji @ 12:10 AM 0 comments

Tax exemptions to go??

All, read this http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/may/17it.htm

The govt is bent upon pushing the middle class to ruins. The only relief the middle class used to get was tax concessions. In this highly expensive world, they are just torturing the tax paying public more. By including MPs etc they are doing any favor to the general public. The rich and affluent and the MPs and MLAs always find routes to avoid tax. It is the sincere tax paying middle class always towing the plough.

Why dont the govt catch the tax evaders and tax thiefs and contain corruption in the govt and govt agencies. They will be surprised at the amount of money they bring in. Please do that.

One thing is for sure, the next general elections, this govt is going to loose its deposit also!!

posted by jumanji @ 6:33 AM 0 comments

indiamattersdotcom

http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/22spec.htm

India too needs a hard shaking. The defunct parliament and assemblies should be scrapped for some time and the money saved be put in progressive and nation building purposes. Military or civil, whichever, civil backed with military would be best. But at the rate of corruption and mishandling of affairs in this country, where the farmer does suicide coz he makes the food and the consumer and the elite get richer inspite of being just consumer is a heart wrenching fact.

The GOI should step in to help out the farmers in the country whose numbers are dwindling by the 1000s with each passing season. Just because the industry lobbies and the other lobbyists cry and cry, they only get all the attention. There is a world beyond them too, if one cares to look.

I myself have been toying with the idea of a coup but I have neither the means nor the strength to go about it. I would like to put my country on the straight path to success if I could. If wishes were horses, I would be flying!

posted by jumanji @ 12:02 AM 0 comments

Google earth controversy

The GOI is going all "security breach" on google earth pictures. I think it is really unwarranted. It gives an immense opportunity for people to visit their old places of residences, especially children of defense personnel who in their lifetime live at least in 8 cities. Those who want to get hold of information and pictures can do it anyway. There is nobody to stop them.

There is just one thing that the visitors to google earth must remember is that they should not label military installations even if they know it so that we don't serve it to 'misusers' on a platter. This issue is something like the issue of camera phones, just because somebody, somewhere send bad MMSs, the camera phones should be banned. No that is not the solution. Both public and the security agencies should be vigilant.

The world is only going to become more technologically advanced. What all will the GOI control? First they should rein in the foxes in sheep clothing among their own corridors.

posted by jumanji @ 8:39 PM 0 comments

It beats me..

I am unable to understand why India should listen to someone calling for reduction in troops in the sovreign territorial area of India, especially when they are deployed to fight insurgency and hostile activites and not to wage a war. I am no politician and my knowledge about these things may be limited, but as a citizen of India, it irks me to hear such suggestions from across the border. Now, Mr. Omar Abdullah too is kowtowing the same line.

There is so much more to life that voilence and attrocities. Just like US fed the taliban to fight Russia and now they are "reaping" the crop, similarly, Pakistan started the insurgent operations to get hold of J&K but to what avail, a la Frankenstein. Are they themselves living in peace today? I would like to ask, if they had diverted the funds used to train militants, in peaceful and constructive purposes, Pakistan would have had a better social life today. Similarly, India's financial and human resources could have been used in better ways.

So many lives have been lost since 1990, how many more would it take?

Talks are going on with China. If they resolve amicably, hopefully, India will have one headache less, again, hopefully. We all need to go on with life.

If one were to graph all events on a timeline and step back and view things in a macro level, we all would find all this strife and war simply meaningless.

But alas nobody understands. Having said that, if I were to put down my arms, I know I would get killed. So what are my options?

posted by jumanji @ 1:56 AM 0 comments

A good read

This is a good read

http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/mar/14mba.htm

posted by jumanji @ 11:06 PM 0 comments

Sting op outcome

The outcome of the MPLAD scheme sting op is that the 4 MPs have been just suspended for some weeks and not disqualified. But the other outcome is a look into guidelines for sting operations. The MPs are clearly uncomfortable in their chairs given the spate of sting ops exposing them. So they got jittery and decided to rein in the media. Why are they not thinking about some guidelines regarding the MPLAD scheme itself and self regulating the MPs? If they think they are above all, judiciary, media, and aam jantha, then their behavior and conduct should also be exemplary and above all vice.

posted by jumanji @ 11:03 PM 0 comments