The American Dream

We must have all been approached at some time or other over the phone by different banks for taking 1. Personal Loan, 2. Some Special Insurance Policy, 3. Having a Credit Card, free of cost.
They stick to you like lice and babble what they have memorized as soon as you pick up the phone.
My wife and I normally have this method of handling them. I cut them short and ask. If your call is for giving for Personal, Insurance or Credit card, we are not interested. Now tell me. In most cases they thank me and hang up.
Thanks to our culture we Indians do not like to take loans. We live within our means, cut our coat according to the cloth.
Standard Chartered, HDFC and ABN Ambro have offered me Credit Cards, free of cost. The former two even sent me the cards. My cards lapsed after a year without a single transaction.
On the other hand the Americans are compulsive spenders and it is their Government and Banks who train them to spend. Spend now and pay later, if you have the money, otherwise take a loan.
Thus the USA has the highest debt in the world.
I remember in the ‘60’s when India’s food production was very dismal, we used to get wheat from the USA under PL-480. At that time, it used to be said that every newborn Indian baby had a debt of a few thousand Rupees as soon as it is born.
The wheel has turned a whole circle.
Now it is the US baby, which has a debt of USD 39000.00 as soon as it is born..
The US Government has been printing notes to cater to the spending prowess of its citizens without backing in resources and the US banks and financial institutions have been spending money knowing the their Government would bail them out in case of failure. But that has stopped now.
The government refused to bail out Lehman Brothers, the fourth largest investment bank in USA and it had to file for Bankruptcy as Bank of America and Barclays refused to take over Lehman’s debts.
Merill Lynch, another reputed financial institution was luckier as Bank of America agreed to take over Merill Lynch..
AIG, an insurer of assets is also on the brink of collapse and proposes to sell its assets/units.
And think of the irony.
These are the companies who used to certify the credit worthiness of India.

I have given below, this weeks article in the weekly newsletter I receive from “Equitymaster” since it is very pertinent to the issue I am discussing

The collapse of Lehman Brothers has caused tremendous upheaval in the world's financial and share markets with the Indian Share market losing 1000 ponts in two days.



Most people spend their weekends with their families. Since India offers very few choices in terms of playgrounds, we take our children to the malls – the modern day temples of fun and enjoyment.
After fighting our way through unforgiving traffic, we squeeze our way into the parking garage entrance of the mall – the gap of dusty air between the unfinished wall on the left of the car and the shaky bamboo sticks on the right side of the car. These bamboo sticks probably bear the weight of the entire building. We shudder at that thought but move on to the fun and games of a weekend at the mall.
Gold at the mall
Once inside the air-cooled environment - with some relief from the dust - we let the children run up and down the escalator. I remind myself to write a letter to the Ministry in Charge of Sports and Promotion of Youthful Exercise and Better Daily Habits to consider introducing a new sport in the Olympics, the one which India plans to host in 2020. (Please read – A 2020 Olympic). “Dear Sir”, the letter will read, “Please can you introduce the Escalator Race in the 2020 Olympics which your esteemed organisation will be hosting. It is possible that a child from India may win a gold medal in that sport.”
An interesting statistic: students (former and existing) of Stanford University in USA won 25 Olympic medals in China, of which 8 were gold, 13 were silver, and 4 were bronze. If Stanford were an independent country, it would have ranked as the 9th in terms of gold medals won and 11th in terms of total Olympic medals won. Stanford, by the way, probably has 15,000 students and maybe 500,000 former living students of all ages. Probably 50,000 are US citizens of the “Olympic relevant” age. India - with the 200 million young people (the “Olympic relevant” age) that Goldman Sachs wrote so excitedly about in their BRIC report - won 1 gold medal and 2 bronze medals for a tally of 3 medal – ranking at 50th. Well, that is a start.
But, we were talking about the weekend. Yes, the joy of letting your children run around in an air-cooled mall and then buying them a few cookies or an ice cream. And watching young teenagers on their first awkward date - they walk around and eye each other like peacocks in a mating dance. And nodding a weak “hello” at other parents who also bring their children to play around in the mall.
Yes, the Indian mall business is booming. Though not as a place where people spend money, but more as an air-conditioned garden. Many politicians took the land owned by municipalities for building schools and playgrounds away from the people. They were sold or auctioned off for commercial buildings and malls. In a twist of fate, those malls have become playgrounds again.
Mall mauled
Look around you and a typical mall and count the number of shops with people standing in front of the cashier line, ready to pay for a purchase. Look around and count the number of people with shopping bags in their hand. Are those bags large and fall, or small and light? Hmm, we spent two hours in the mall and bought ice creams and cookies. Add the parking bill and a typical family spends Rs 200 in 2 hours. Maybe the mall developers should consider leasing their empty buildings back to the municipalities and convert them into playgrounds – a few slides, see-saws, swings, and some sand and mud would do the trick. They could always work out a Build Operate and Transfer deal which would push the losses of the malls built, now running up a huge operating loss, back to the municipalities. With some innovative agreements, they could even make a profit from the over-built and ugly malls that they have constructed. But the death of the Indian real estate bubble – ready to crack in N ovember - is not the subject of the story.
An American weekend
Ah, yes, we were talking about the weekend. And what we typically do on a weekend. That is, try to avoid spending money. Families in the US though do go to malls – and they love shopping. Spending has become a national past time. If there was a gold medal for that, the US consumer has won it. No competition. No one even close. In fact, to prove that they know how to spend, consumers in USA borrow money. They use their credit cards to buy now and leave the worrying about paying the money for sometime in the future. The New York Times, commenting on data compiled by the US Federal Reserve, suggested that the debt habit has not gone away.
Total debt taken on by US consumers has crossed the USD 2,500 billion level (about 20% of GDP) and the credit card debt is about to touch USD 1,000 billion (about USD 3,000 for every child, adult, and retired person). This excludes any loans they have taken on their homes. And that debt is about USD 11,000 billion. So, households in the US have a total debt of about USD 13,500 billion. A child born in USA today begins life with a debt obligation of USD 39,000. Welcome to the world, Sam, you owe the banks USD 39,000. Now, now, stop crying, my little baby.
So families in America spend their weekend adding to debt. Governments reflect their people – and people reflect the governments they have. So Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, is the biggest spending American on record. He loves weekends. And he loves shopping on weekends. But he does not take his family to the mall and nor does he take his children to the mall to ride escalators. The US teams won 110 medals in the recent Olympics (more than the 100 medals won by China, although China won more gold medals). So on Sunday, March 16th, Mr. Paulson helps sell Bear Stearns to J. P. Morgan. The Fed provided financing for the sale and agreed to “support” USD 30 billion of the less liquid assets held in the balance sheets of Bear Stearns.
The main dish
But that was only for starters. On Sunday, September 7th the US government stepped in to take over control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – the two quasi-government companies which hold about USD 5 trillion in mortgages (2x the consumer debt referred to above). The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that about 4 million homes (9% of total mortgage loans) were delinquent or late on their payments. No one knows how much that bit of Sunday shopping will cost the US government and its tax payers, but there will be a price.
And now Lehman Brothers is in trouble. And the car companies want USD 25 billion in loans from the government to help their business. Aha, the joy of weekends. So much shopping to do!
We know there are some costs in these Sunday shopping expeditions. But we don’t know if there is any benefit of these takeovers and government guarantees. We know that poor baby Sam born just a few weeks ago may see his obligation of the debt could increase by an extra USD 14,300 from the USD 39,000 he already owes the bill collectors. Yep, that’s him crying his lungs out.

Trading day before rescue packages	Dow Jones	Bail out of	US government guarantees	Per capita guarantee
March 14, 2008	11,951	Bear Stearns	USD 30 billion	USD 86
September 12, 2008	11,422	Fannie Mae Freddie Mac	USD 5,000 billion	USD 14,286

But shopping is addictive. Luckily, there are many weekends in a month and many months in a year and many years in a decade. So, the shopping has just begun. Enjoy it and watch it live on TV – you may get a gold medal for keeping your eyes and mouth open in shock for the longest time!

I would like to add here, that neither my wife or I have been inside a Mall as yet. You my call me tightfisted. It is hereditery. My father also did not like spending unnecessarily..My elder son Ajay has my genes but the younger, Jay, has his mother's. They like spending.

Passing the Baton - Thondup

When we were in Goethals we were lived in a cocoon and hardly knew what was going on in the rest of India.
We used to read about the caste system in India in our history books, I think Furtado was the writer. I used to think it was all history.
It was only when I started living in Bihar that I received the full blast of the caste system.
There was reservation for the SC & ST even then but we in school treated everyone as equal and did not know what SC & ST meant.
Like the cuckoo who pushes out its young ones to fend for themselves after they reach flying age, we too were pushed out after ICSE to fend for ourselves.
Many of us have had many experiences.
Richard Johnson had asked us to pen our experiences.
Here is one first hand experience by one of our boys. It was a struggle against all odds, with both failures and success greeting him.
He had initially sent this piece to the TOI but it was never published.
Our papers always publish sanitized articles which would not hurt or embarrass the establishment or their owners.
The TOI especially does not have an editorial policy. Its editorial consists of two views presented side by side
They tell you, read what you like.Ignore the rest.
The Statesman was the best in publishing your letters as they did not care much for the establishment. They had to suffer for this and the paper is passing through difficult times.
The Telegraph also does not hesitate to publish your letters, be they pro or anti establishment.
It was one of the reasons why this blog was started.
First to bring all Goethals boys in contact and
Second, to express our views on events occurring in our country which our papers never publish, for their own reasons.

Radheshyam

"It is the best of Times and it is the worst of Times … that is for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Here I am today – nigh thirty years after having last used my privilege as a member of a Scheduled Tribe to enter the hallowed portals of IIM , Ahmedabad – and I do not know whether I should proclaim my status with the same regal air of those intoning with hurt dignity “ I am a Brahmin” (T. Surendar ) or mumble in apology “Sorry, but I am an ST ”. Or should I speak plainly and say “ Yes I am an ST and I intend to jolly well take advantage of the rights granted to me by the Indian Constitution “. Why these conflicting undertones? The apologetic tone because even though I did get into IIM A, I could not graduate? Or because I have met better “Brahmens” – pardon the male chauvinism – who did not get the chance I did? The matter-of-fact proclamation of my rights because I have suffered from the prejudices of the Brahmin / Forward Class (FC) (to quote Sam George) against my ilk? And the indignation because all those who have been heard in this case have treated the entire phenomena as an intellectual exercise having no personal experience but only imaginary projected fears? My voice is tinged with all these different emotions.

As all stories go let me start at the beginning. I was born in 1950 and the Constitutional rights gifted to the SC/ST communities started with those of my generation. My parents were uneducated but they literally tied their belts a couple of notches tighter to see that all of us children were given the best education that they could afford. As a result my eldest sister was one of the first Sherpa graduates and another sister the first Sherpa doctor. As for myself the only advantage that I felt over my ‘Brahmen’ peers was that I received a princely sum of Rupees 3000 as annual stipend during my college days. And that an archaic rule of the Indian Railways ensured that my status as an ST granted me a further concession on the railway fares – therefore I traveled First Class when going home for the summer vacations and even paid less than what my ‘Brahmen’ peers did. They traveled Third Class – so much for my first blow against ‘Brahmin’ supremacy. This was in the late Sixties. Even though I studied in St Xavier’s College in Calcutta it was perhaps the because of my circle of friends that I never even got to hear about the IIMs – or for that matter the nearer home XLRI. However it was not until after I graduated did I realize the magnanimity of the Constitution’s gift to our community. That is when I started responding to the advertisements of the Public Sector / Banks / Government vacancy notifications. Even then my first application for a job was to The Times of India for the post of Trainee Journalist. Please note - The TOI did not have any reserved quotas.

TOI conducted tests, if I remember correctly, in 5 zones – all the 4 cardinal points of the compass plus the Central Zone. There were just 2 candidates who passed from the East Zone – my classmate A. Bose and I. For the final interview in Bombay there were 22 candidates and 10 were selected – I came 11th. This may not seem pertinent at this point of the story but please bear with me.

A few days later I applied to the State Bank of India for the post of Probationary Officer, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the post of Management Trainee and to IIMA. I sat for the admission / entrance tests to all three Institutes and received calls from all of them. Since the first letter I received was the appointment letter from HAL I left for Bangalore. While in Bangalore I received letters from the SBI and IIM. I was still clueless about the prospects of IIM – even though I had applied – so in the HAL Staff College in Bangalore I sought the advice of a Wing Commander who was in charge of the training. I was advised that IIM was just a hyped up study and that in all probability even if I did join IIM I would, at the end of my studies apply for a job similar to the one I just had!!! I believed the Wing Commander. Had I been better exposed, more street smart (for want of a better expression) perhaps I would not have even consulted the Wing co but would have quietly packed my bags and bought a ticket for Ahmedabad. Again. this may not seem pertinent at this point of the story but please bear with me.

Anyway it was in HAL that I first got my taste of the power of Brahmanism. A few months into the training course and having been exposed to the politics of the different caste system – Tamilians versus Kannadigas versus Malaya lees versus Andhraites etc – a Brahmin colleague asked me a seemingly innocent and straightforward question
“Assuming X and Y were to appear for an interview and the Chairman of the board was Z–all things being equal who do you think would be favored and given the promotion ?”
My answer was “X”. He then asked me for the reason. “ It’s simple – X is a Malaya lee and so is Z – the Chairman of the Board ” I replied. My friend laughed. “ Sheroo, you may have learn’t that all South Indian are not Madrassis but you still have not learn’t the caste equation of India. X and Z may both be Malayalees but it is Y who will get the promotion. X is not a Brahmin whereas Y and Z are.” That is the moment I became acutely aware of the significance of Quotas and reservations. Before any of my readers retort that this is the rabid logic of an ignorant low class Brahmin let me add that my friend, it pains me to say, had been a lecturer in college before joining HAL. In the class of 22 he was by far not the only Brahmin – and not an exception in terms of the casteist behaviour / views held by those of his ilk. Some of them were even surprised that I spoke and wrote English as I did!!!! And in the initial monthly quizzes they would demand a rechecking of the papers if I managed to score better than them

Years later, and after one promotion, I would accompany the senior most executives of the company to the various IITs and other Regional Engineering Colleges for Campus Recruitments. Looking back over the years, and reflecting upon Sam George’s letter “ I am a Dalit ” I can only agree with him. There were some brilliant FC candidates, many above average and quite a few below average. And the number of Below Average candidates consisted equally of Brahmin / FC as well as SC/ST. The only difference was, and here I am being brutally honest to the cost of my case , that some of the SC/ST candidates seemed to approach the interviews with a confidence which sadly was based on their confidence in the Reservation card than on their own technical merit. Does this have a bearing to my story – yes? Please lend me your eyes for a few more moments.

On a lark, and in order to lend moral support to two of my FC engineering colleagues I was persuaded to apply to the IIMs along with them. All of us got through and in 1979 we joined IIMA. Mathur ( MTech IIT Powai ) and Sai Prasad Rao ( Mtech IIT Madras ) graduated in 1981 whereas I ( BA English Honours ) flunked. To be fair to the IIM faculty I was not only given special coaching classes in MSM by Professor Mallya and encouragement by Professor Mote but at the end of the year I was also given the choice of repeating the year in only those subjects I had flunked – Accountancy, Mathematics (MSM as it used to be called ) and Production Planning and Control (who says Maths isn’t omnipresent?) For personal reasons and also based on my own aversion to suffering through another year of academic leprosy I declined. I was 29 years old whereas some of my classmates were just 20. And yes, this does have a bearing on what I have to say.

Fast-forward twenty years to the year 2000. Same city, Bangalore but this time I am here with my daughter who has applied to Mount Carmel for BCom. Does she deserve admission – I think so. With an aggregate of more than 85% in her Class 12 exams (with 98% in her Accountancy) I believe she could have qualified for even Shree Ram College of Commerce, Delhi. But I opt for Bangalore because I feel that education is more than just a degree. And living in the South will broaden her vision. She is refused admission. No cognizance is given to her ST status and I am verbally told by the Principal that my daughter should have stayed in her home state and not come to Karnataka. . As a sop she is offered a course in some vague subject, which is going a begging for applicants. Simultaneously she tops the merit list of Reserved Candidates in Christ College and is offered a scholarship / stipend to boot. I inform the Archbishop of Bangalore and we are somewhat appeased when His Reverence sends me a very warm letter in apology and I believe His Reverence does initiate remedial measure I have also put in my complaint to the SC/ST Commission in Bangalore – it is a waste of time and postal stamp nothing is done by the Commission.

Fast-forward three years to Calcutta - my alma mater St Xavier's. My son has not done too well in Class 12 – just 67%. While approaching the Vice Principal for admission there is a young girl ahead of us in the queue. Her appeal to the Vice Principal for admission into the English Honours course is based on just two facts – a 65% in her Class 12 and the claim that her father is an ex-student of St. Xavier’s. She is granted admission.
I then repeat the same litany with the added points that not only am I an ex student of St Xavier’s but that I had passed out doing English Honours and that my brother too is an ex student and to top it all my son has secured 67% and he is from the
ST reserved quota whereas the girl had secured 65% and did not belong to any Reserved Quota. We are rudely told to go away. Then there is a further rejoinder that students from the North East are not welcome and that we would do better to stay in Darjeeling and to study in St Joseph’s College there. Inflammatory remarks and the last bit goads me , once again, to write to both the Archbishop of Calcutta and to the Minorities Commission in Writer’s Building. After several trips to Writer’s Building I am “unofficially “ told that I am, to put it colourfully, pissing against the wind. It seems that there have been complaints in the past against the same institution but they have all been squashed / swept under the carpet because a very high-ranking bureaucrat is on the College Board. Once again we receive a formal letter of apology from the Arch Bishop but in this case His Reverence regrets that St Xavier’s is out of his jurisdiction. Game set and match to the duo of the SC/ST Commission and the Establishment. Or in the more popular parlance – 2 matches out of 2 matches in the 2 matches One Day Series.

Now that I have come to the end of my stories of the 3 cities – not heard / read third hand but experienced personally – I would like to, as they say in managerial terms, come to the nitty gritty analysis. And here I borrow from not only T. Sunderan and Sam George but also P.V. Indiresen ( Former Director IIT Madras and TOI April 2, 2006 page 14 )
and Mr Gurcharan Das ( Panel Discussion on Reservations in the Private Sector aired by a Private Channel about 9 months ago ). In the spirit of IIM assuming that all the above are Case Studies what then, dear readers, is your take on them. Personally speaking

1. My brief foray into the world of Journalism vis-à-vis the success of being chosen as one of the 2 candidates from the Eastern Sector told me that, academically, I was as good as my Brahmin / FC friends.

2. My ignorance, or call it my lack of vision, about the importance of XLRI / IIM was just the product of having been brought up in a deprived milieu, or should I call it “unaware ” Scheduled Tribe surroundings. In those days the Happy Himalayan Disposition of the Hills people was also because of our ignorance. Did I hear someone chant “ Where ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise? “

3. The subtle segregation by my colleagues – aah the fine nuances – on account of my ST status only encouraged me to ensure that in spite of the pressure from my superiors – in those days the Chief Authority of the Public Sector would be held responsible if Reserved points on the roster were left vacant - I never allowed any post to be filled based solely on the strength of the quota reservation. Rewarding unfit candidates based solely on quotas, I felt, would be doing disservice to the candidate and to his / her community at large. How would you expect to improve or even encourage others to improve if the example was of an unfit candidate being rewarded solely on the basis of his SC /ST certificate?

4. Though I did not get my degree from IIM I did get an education. I got to meet the best of the country. In fact the best of the best. The best – actually the second best since the best had already left on scholarships for

5. MIT, UCLA etc – from the IITs and St Stephens etc etc. I learnt that more than the degree it was the attitude. I learn’t the meaning of true humility when I saw a Professor invite a student to dispute his mathematical model and allow the student to present a better method and then sincerely applaud the student along with the rest of the class. I never saw discrimination based on caste / community. I learn’t that I was worthy of respect just by being there. I learn’t that the Institute was eager to see that all of us do well and the entire Faculty were rooting for the students. I saw academic excellence in the easy interaction between the faculty and the students. I learn’t not to be cowed by any fear…. And most important of all I learn’t that the books and those in authority are not always right. And it is these lessons which have helped me genetically modify the ST genes I was born with and also to believe that, irrespective of the academic outcome , as many SC/STs need to enter IIM if there is to be a qualitative change in the reserved community. And this is a priority – not the basic education that everyone is trying to fob us off with.

6. And it is this education which has prompted me to write to you today.

7. Nearly 40 years ago my sister was given the opportunity to study medicine – thanks to her ST status. It was an opportunity that was given and nothing else. The medical syllabus was not changed for her. Years later she landed in Norway, learn’t the language, sat in a competitive examination, was selected to study psychiatry and is now a successful and well known psychiatrist in that country.
Incidentally Messrs Inderesen / Gurucharan Das and Sunderan, Norway does not have an SC or ST quota.She was just another Doctor from India applying for further specialization. My sister is in Norway because the ST quota gave her the opportunity to become a doctor. Without reservations I doubt she or any SC / ST would have the opportunity to study medicine or engineering. To paraphrase Sam George –“ Gentlemen, why do you begrudge us that opportunity? Or are the hallowed portals of higher education the exclusive preserve of the Brahmins and the Forward Classes ?
You speak of improving basic education forgetting that the improved basic education, denied to us all these years, is what you have had for the last 2000 years.
Nearly every soldier in the Gurkha Brigade belongs to some ST community.
Is that all we are good for ? Cannon fodder and a cursory condescending pat on the back whenever there are rumblings along our borders ?
Tailpiece – I now have a niece who is a Pediatrician and another who is an Income Tax Officer – all fruits of us first generation educated STs in the family.

8. Sam George’s population figures, endorsed in approximation by the Editor, is of 3% Brahmins. SCs / STs and OBCs put together would constitute approximately 50% of India’s population. Now take the number of Ministers, Top Level Government Officials, Famous lawyers, Judges, Principal Secretaries , Doctors Engineers and also Professional Managerial Captains of the Indian Industry
SC/ST / OBCs : 0.001 % FC/ BRAHMINS : 99.999 %
Aside: And, although it is the fashion today, I have not taken the P3P into account!!!

9. Professor Indiresan and his group prophesy that if reservations are extended they will spell doom for the quality of education in the IIms and IITs and that “ they will become breeding grounds for the worst form of castesim” end quote. Professor, more than 3 FC candidates skulked out of IIM within the first 1-week when I was there. They could not handle the pressure. They were all Brahmins / FCs . I stayed on and got mauled BUT in the end I got an education. My failure / presence in no way detracted from the quality of the graduates who passed out. My best friends – in Dorm 7 – were the top 2 students of the year of 1988-90. One has opened his own Bank in the USA and the other I am sure is doing well. So are my classmates. When I last met one of them, ten years ago, he was the Vice President of City Bank, in their branch in Nepal. I do not think that the IIM faculty watered down their courses for the likes of us…. Please note there were other dropouts too and they were FCs.

Taking a very lopsided logic – since all the Brahmins and FCs tend to believe that 60 years of reservations should be more than ample compensation for 2000 years of deprivation I guess I can indulge in one of my own: I think the FC / Brahmins who get into the IIMs / IITs - after 50% has been hogged by the SC/ST/OBCs - should be grateful . They will have less FC / Brahmin colleagues to compete with come Placement Day. And as the basic economic Theory of Demand dictates - Stagnant or Increased demand BUT decreased supply equals higher price…. Talk about 1 crore rupees … the bright FC / Brahmins will then be able to dream about 1 khokha in Dollars / Euros and not in Rupees !!!!! Perhaps by then, and with your grace, a few of us SC/ST/OBCs can hope to be in the 1 peti slot… but the stint in the IIMs /IITs itself would do more for our community than the rat race of “mine is bigger than yours ( pay packet ). And isn’t this the objective of being granted the opportunity to enter these Institutes?

10. Finally, a few months back there was a debate on a private TV channel regarding reservations in the Private Sector. There was a senior leader from one of the Reserved caste / community and two other including an ex CEO of a major MNC who I respect for his professional achievements as a Professional Manager and a “think tank” . He is also a regular contributor to your Sunday editions. The debate was heated and both sides had their own logic and the ex-CEO carried the day. He was right – private Industry cannot and must NOT be forced down the reservation path. However what made turn me around totally against his logic – absolutely correct as they were – was his last salvo. For a person so fluent in English he burst out in irritation against a remark passed by the leader from the reserved community. I do not remember the exact imprecation but it was either
the word “Damn” or “Bloody”. Whatever it was two
thoughts ran through my mind

a. That in officialese is an “unparliamentary “ word deserving censure but the TV Anchor Person seemed too much in awe of the Ex CEO

b. Had the other person been Narayan Murthy or Ratan Tata or Azim Premji would the exCEO have still used that swear word?

And this basically is the moral of my story. Give us the chance to earn our dignity. We do not need your help. We do not need your condescension. It is the display of such attitudes which will turn even the most sane person into an extremist regardless of his better sense and proclivity to agree with you.

I realize that the politicians are making capital out of this issue. To them I say –first set right the concessions already enshrined in the Constitution. To those of you who are baying for Bramhin / FC blood along with SC/ST / OBC votes prove your sincerity by scrutinizing whether the SC/ST norms are actually being practiced by the IITs / IIMs and other academic bodies. It is only after you have done that and ensured that the law is being implemented should you think of the next move to the OBCs. Otherwise it is all a political stunt and none of us – the SCs nor the STs nor the OBCs will benefit . If at all we will be the worse for it. Denigrated for being granted the concessions and destroyed by being deprived of them – Sheep hung out as wolves.

Finally to Sam George , wherever you are, thank you. No one could have articulated it better. And in the words of Humphrey Bogart all I can say, on behalf of all of benighted lot is “ Play it again, Sam “.

Yours etc

Thondup Tsering Sherpa

USA, and Hurricanes

We Indians are always cribbing about our misfortunes.
Sometimes earthquakes, sometimes floods, sometimes drought,sometimes tsunamis and sometimes the political rot.
Did you know that poor USA, God Save that Country is battered by hurricanes every year.
V P Thacker has sent a map of the hurricanes which have struck or going to strike the USA this year.
We say misfortune does not strike twice in a year.
Well here are five misfortunes which have already struck them with maybe more to come.
Sarah which sruck Washinton D.C will be having a very lasting affect on not only the USA but the whole world
Radheshyam

My Teachers

Whenever we talk of teachers all the teachers who have taught me pass through my mind like a movie.
My first teacher was a Brahmin pandit in Bangla Desh, we called him Maithili Maharaj. He taught us the tables in Hindi.
My second teacher was a Muslim person, Chunnu Mullick. He put the fear of maths in my mind.
I went then to Goethals and had a series of teacher. Mrs. Ackoy(Sister Irene), Mrs P Roy, Mr Mackenzie, Sir.,Mr. Lobo, Bro. Foran, Bro Hughes, Bro. Morrow.
Sir and Bro Morrow removed the fear of maths which Chunnu Mullick had instilled in me.
Naturally both of them have left their indelible marks on my mind and heart.
So, when I read of any good things said about teachers, these two immediately come to my mind.
The following quotes by different people from Rex Barker is what I mean.

I never did very well in math—I could never seem to persuade the teacher that I hadn't meant my answers literally.
- Calvin Trillin

I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.
- Lily Tomlin

You know how to tell if the teacher is hung over? . . . Movie Day.
- Jay Mohr

Modern cynics and skeptics...see no harm in paying those to whom they entrust the minds of their children a smaller wage than is paid to those to whom they entrust the care of their plumbing.
- John F. Kennedy

A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.
- Horace Mann

When you teach your son, you teach your son's son.
- The Talmud

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
- Henry Brooks Adams

Teachers, I believe, are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth.
- Helen Caldicott

Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.
- Japanese proverb

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
- Anonymous

Education is light, lack of it darkness.
- Russian proverb

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.
- Chinese Proverb

You are rewarding a teacher poorly if you remain always a pupil.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

As long as teachers give tests, there will always be prayer in schools.
- Anonymous

My education was dismal. I went to a series of schools for mentally disturbed teachers.
- Woody Allen

Serial Bomb Blast at Delhi

I was just preparing my weekly mails to our boys when I received a message from J K Ghosh regarding serial blast occuring in Delhi.
I put on the TV and found that five bombs had gone off at different places and some three bombs had been diffused. About 18 people have been killed and about 100 have been injured.
I started a chat with JK regarding the blasts asn other related events.
I am giving belwo the range of our discussion which do not require any further explanation.
We are fed-up of this appeasement policy of the government.

J: Today there is again serial blasts in Delhi, as expected.
Sent at 20:04 on Saturday
me: It is to be expected. We are so tolerant to the muslims because of their vote bank.
J: As long as Pakistan & Bangladesh exist, bomb blasts will continue.
Bengal is a haven for terrorists.
me: You cannot wipe out Pakistan and Bangla Desh. What we can do is treat all citizens alike and not treat Muslims with kid gloves because of their vote bank. Our prime minister says we should not utter the name Muslim if they are associated with crimes
I only wish Parliament is blasted so that our politicians are wiped out
They are the cause of all this destruction
J: Just as you have stated. The Muslims have been given a special status. If you touch them, you become communal. But if they touch us, we have to be tolerant.
J: But, unfortunately, the Parliament is empty on most days. Very few MPs attend Parliament.
me: Pakistan is important for just that. I hope they send some terrorists to blast parliament when it is in session
J: We'll have to send a message to Pakistan to do that. It is very easy to bomb Parliament, because our security is very soft.
me: No, it is not easy to bomb parliament unless you bomb from the air. These politicians are very careful of their own security. See how they use all the letters of the alphabets to denote their security, the highest being Z class
J: My daughter in law works in Karol Bagh. She rang me up that serial blasts have occured. Fortunately she got a bus in time, otherwise she would have been stuck.
me: Thank God!
J: In our country there is a minority loan given to Muslims. Naturally, the loans are never repaid. Our system of governance is funny and lobsided. Poor Hindus are never given loans. I think I told you before that long ago one Bihari gentleman told my father that "Hindu se raj nai chalta, khas karke Brahmin se"
J: Tolerance is our curse.
me: You are right. The two higher castes, the Brahmins and kshatriyas are the cause of the present day ailments in Hindu society. Using their intelligence and power they dominated the poor people and did not allow education to become universal in India
me: Now even after 60 years of independence, we are having caste war in parts of Bihar and UP. It is this differences which the Christians try to use for conversions
J: The poor people have been exploited for ages. Even now. The creation of Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh are examples. The unrest in North East is due to negligence on the part of centre as well as the state governments. All schools, colleges and hospitals are run by Christian missionaries. Only in Arunachal there is one school run by the Ramakrishna Mission along with a hospital. There is no government support in these areas.
J: That is why you will find Christianity flourishing in the North East.
J: I can hear crying and shouting in the TV, such chaos. Who is to blame?
me: India has been ruled after independence by the north Indian cow belt states of UP and Bihar because they sent the maximum number of MP's to Delhi. Most of them were uneducated but had good caste strngth. They never knew that India had other states after Bengal in the East and considered all south Indian as Madrasis. The founders of our constitution made a mistake in allowing anybody above 18 to fight elections. Criminals and uneducated should have been filtered out. But our leaders were so much in a hurry to enjoy power that they did not give that a thought. They just wanted to enjoy the fruits of their "fighting for independence" Even now people 40 years of age are getting "freedom fighters" certificates with all the ensuing benefits.
J: You are absolutely correct. "Freedom fighter Pensioners" are increasing every month. When I was in Ashoknagar, there were 5 ledgers of Freedom Fighter pensioners. In fact there were so many pensioners that one battalion could have been formed. There was an investigation regarding the authenticity of the pensioners. But for some unknown reason the investigation was stopped. The landlord of the Bank building was involved in this racket. He would prepare all the papers and get the pension sanctioned. The arrear payment from 1947 would be pocketed by him and the pensioner would get the pension. But the fellow suffered for his sins. One son was insane, another turned out to be a 420, just like him, and himself died a premature death.
J: Anyway, forget all this. Have you written anything in the blog today? I haven't written for a long time. I'll start next week. On Monday I'll have to submit the DDA application after taking my son's signature and attaching his photo.
me: Our chat has been quite interesting today. You can go through it again. If you agree I propose to put it in my weekly mail to everybody, if you agree
J: Sure I agree.
J: Again loadshedding, or what?
me: Good, I will be posting today with proper editing
No actually I had copied our chat and was just editing it for slight mistakes
J: OK. So, I shall say good night for today, shall I ? Or want to continue.
me: Actually our police take action after the event occurs. That is a mistake.
The police should be proactive. Every now an then, they should surround areas and check each and every house for terrorists
It will never be possible to keep a watch on every place in India
J: Very good. When are you expecting to be grandpa?
me: Any day now. POTA should be reintroduced but with the elections in sight they will never do it
me: Unless the police is proactive and arrest people before they commit the crime, this will always continue. Arrest can only be made if the make surprise raids in selected areas.
J: What you are saying is not at all possible. I don't know if you have followed the interview of the ex-Security Chief of USA after the 9/11 blasts. He said that the security at the airports was so lackadaisical that he boarded planes from 57 points with arms without being questioned. This happened just 2 months before the blasts. The gentleman submitted a report on the security lapses and warned that a serious accident could happen any day. But, unfortunately, nobody bothered. And the 9/11 happened.
J: As for making surprise raids in selected areas is out of the question. It would be sacrilege.
me: I know. We should make raids in other areas also so that they cannot point out that we are being unfair.
me: But, if one criminal is found in Hindu areas, there will be 10 in muslim areas. They constitute 15 to 20% of India's population yet they commit 90 % of the crimes in India
J: Maybe. But to do that it requires a tough and coolheaded person. The persons we're having at the centre are all nincompoops.
me: If anybody can do so, it will be Modi in Gujarat
J: You're absolutely right. He's the only one with guts.
me: Actually the Hindus are all fed-up now. It is only the Western press people like Karan Thapar and other intellectuals who although they may be thinking on the same lines personally but do not like to mention it in public for it would destroy their reputation of being enlightened
me: Modi, just gave the Hindus in Gujarat a rallying point and that was followed by a corruption free government that delivered. That is why he is so popular in Gujarat
J: Nobody wants to lose the centre's favour. No matter what the personal opinion is, people like Karan Thapar, keeps the centre happy for favours doled out to them from time to time. You know, accomapanying the P.M. on foreign tours, things like that.
me: Yes, that is probably the reason why he favours the congress so much
J: Recently, Modi was not permitted entry to USA. So, speaking one's mind is very dangerous in politics. One has to flow with time, no matter how much one dislikes it. Speaking the truth, no matter how bitter it is, requires guts and self-confidence, which Modi has.
me: It is perfectly OK if the USA refuses entry to Modi. USA has certain criterior for entry. If anybody does not meet that criterior, they are refused entry.It is only if if you become powerful and do not care for world opinion then people respect you. Inspite of human rights violation by China, the USA has been made to lick it's boots because now China has become powerful. If you want respect just because you have a large population, nobody will respect you
J: In politics, guts, self-confidence and timing are very important. One must have an aim to achieve. That must be very clear. Then comes strategy. Which may change according to the situation, that's where guts and self-cinfidence come in. Then timing, with an element of surprise. Then hit the hammer on the head.
me: Yes, it is dirty
J: What others think of you is unimportant, if your goal is clear.
me: I don't know where India would have reached if we had honest politicians
One man in China Deng Xiaoping has changed it completely with his foresight
I wish we had somebody like him in India. We have too much freedom
Criminals are summarily executed in China
J: Corruption has eaten into our marrows. Honest politicians don't have a place in our brand of politics. They would be liquidated. Even in the USA Robert Kennedy was killed because he went for cleaning the country. He went after big business houses.
me: One couple is allowed to produce one child in China. Those people who lost their child in the recent earthquake were given special permission to have a second child
me: There are certain aspects of China which India would gain if it replicated
J: Maybe China has improved in many fields, as displayed in the recent Olympics, but I don't trust China. It's a big threat to India, worse than Pakistan.
China is a two-faced snake.
me: Yes, neither do I trust it. But India would be stronger if it followed China in certain things
me: As I said, nobody respects you if you are weak. Nehru made the first mistake when he quietly acquiesced when China invaded Tibet
J: That is true. But then a lot changes would have to be made in our constitution, which is not possible.
me: The politicians cannot make the change. I am only hoping they chose a President who they think is a lamb but turns out to be a lion, like T N Seshan
me: Nobody knew what power the election commision had. He put the fear in the politicians. The president too has enormous powers, only he has to use them
me: I have no confidence in the present lot of politicians of any party. They are all scoundrels
They will never be able to improve India
J: The problem with India is it has displayed itself as peace loving nation, tolerance - ready to get slapped on both cheeks. Always afraid what other countries will think of India if it takes any strong step. Lacking confidence. Mrs. Indira Gandhi was the right person under the circumstances. When she declared Emergency, the general public enjoyed much more comfort. All govt. offices functioned smoothly, all trains ran in time. Everything ran smoothly. It was the selfish politicians who shouted rape. I really enjoyed the period of Emergency. Do you remember the 1971 war? How she conducted it. Made a hurricane tour of all the countries explaining the true situation and then declared war. She even dared the 7th Fleet. She was Confidence impersonated. We want a leader like her.
me: Yes, Indira was a good leader, but corruption also started with her. She favoured her son right or wrong, that was what got her down
Before Indira, we did not have corruption in such a large scale
me: J L Nehru, L B Shastri, G L Nanda were all honest.. Just as Kalug came with Parikshit, corruption came with Indira
me: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Indira Gandhi suddenly got absolute power and she became arrogant and corrupt
J: It was Mrs. Gandhi who initiated scientific progress. It was during her period that every inch of the country was surveyed by the GSI. When she declared that an Indian ship had landed in the Antartica, the whole world was stunned. No country had an inkling that India was sending a ship to the ice continent with scientists on board. You know why ? Those so called developed countries thought that the continent was their paternal property. Indira Gandhi had the guts to defy them.
me: Her father too had absolute power, but having had power throughout his life, it did not go to his head
J: Mrs. Gandhi may have had faults. But she did something for the country. You may dislike her method, but I liked it. Our lower grade leaders need the boot to keep them in line. Prime Ministers before her did nothing.
me: But the centre has been weakened so much by paracholism of individual states, that we can never have a strong central leader now. It will all be compromise between different pulls
me: You are right in that. But I think Rajeev Gandhi made a greater contribution to India's development than India. If he had not brought in Sam Pitroda and brought in the communication revolution we would probably still be making urgent call, lightning calls and fixed time calls over Calcutta telephones. The poor chap died because he was honest and did not know the rules of corrupt pokiticians
me: I agree that there should be a strong leader who can take action and say "THE BUCK STOPS HERE"
J: For your information, Rajeev Gandhi had taken bed sheets and napkins from one of our bank units in U.P. for a hotel in Italy and never paid for it.
me: Yes, he may have. Everybody has committed certain idiotic things in their youth. We have done them in school and college, but that does not take away our basic values
J: Well, RS, I think I'll say good night for today. Dinner bell has rung. Son has just come in. We'll chat tomorrow.
OK, good night. It was a good discussion
Sent at 22:45 on Saturday

Messages from Old Boys 37

Msg from Atul
Coming to the article. To sell themselves media does not realize the consequences that it can have on the people involved, this in the name of highlighting crime towards Humanity not with the purpose of actually highlighting but with the purpose of finding more audience thus more revenues. “We are not Holier then Thou” and our media likes to focus on one off incidents by highlighting them to such an extent where the actual incidents get camouflaged and the real issue get side tracked. All these articles are subjective and the rat race by the media only gets murkier.

Don’t you think, Pollution, Environment, heart diseases, etc are bigger threats then all these terrorists or religious fundamentalists put together? That we highlight so much about. Don’t you think this is a bigger killer then anything else?
Msg from Peter Remedios

Very few of us have the intelligence or social position to talk about most issues so I will keep my comments to myself but give you some food for thought by Karan Thapar...Please read and be enlightened !! ...and lets keep Religion out of blogs and message groups !!
Subject: Who's the real Hindu?- Karan Thapar, Hindustan times..

Who's the real Hindu?
Karan Thapar, Hindustan Times
August 30, 2008

Does the VHP have the right to speak for you or I? Do they reflect
our views? Do we endorse their behaviour? They call themselves the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, but who says they represent all of us? This
Sunday morning, I want to draw a clear line of distinction between
them and everyone else. My hunch is many of you will agree.

Let me start with the question of conversion - an issue that greatly
exercises the VHP. I imagine there are hundreds of millions of
Hindus who are peaceful, tolerant, devoted to their faith, but above
all, happy to live alongside Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists,
Jains and Jews. If any one of us were to change our faith how does
it affect the next man or woman? And even if that happens with
inducements, it can only prove that the forsaken faith had a tenuous
and shallow hold. So why do the VHP and its unruly storm troopers,
the Bajrang Dal, froth at the mouth if you, I or our neighbours
convert? What is it to do with them? Let me put it bluntly, even
crudely.

If I want to sell my soul and trade in my present gods for a new
lot, why shouldn' t I? Even if the act diminishes me in your eyes,
it's my right to do so. So if thousands or even millions of Dalits,
who have been despised and ostracised for generations, choose to
become Christian, Buddhist or Muslim, either to escape the
discrimination of their Hindu faith or because some other has lured
them with food and cash, it' s their right. Arguably you may believe
you should ask them to reconsider, although I would call that
interference, but you certainly have no duty or right to stop them.

In fact, I doubt if you are morally correct in even seeking to place
obstacles in their way. The so-called Freedom of Religion Acts,
which aim to do just that, are, in fact, tantamount to obstruction of
conversion laws and therefore, at the very least, questionable.

However, what' s even worse is how the VHP responds to this matter.
Periodically they resort to violence including outright murder. What
happened to Graham Staines in Orissa was not unique. Last week it
happened again. Apart from the utter and contemptible criminality of
such behaviour, is this how we Hindus wish to behave? Is this how we
want our faith defended? Is this how we want to be seen? I have no
doubt the answer is no. An unequivocal, unchanging and ever-lasting
NO!

The only problem is it can' t be heard. And it needs to be. I
therefore believe the time has come for the silent majority of Hindus?
Both those who ardently practice their faith as well as those who
were born into it but may not be overtly religious or devout? to
speak out. We cannot accept the desecration of churches, the burning
to death of innocent caretakers of orphanages, the storming of
Christian and Muslim hamlets even if these acts are allegedly done in
defence of our faith. Indeed, they do not defend but shame Hinduism.
That's my central point. I' m sorry but when I read that the VHP has
ransacked and killed I' m not just embarrassed, I feel ashamed.
Never of being hindu but of what some Hindus do in our shared faith's
name.

This is why it's incumbent on Naveen Patnaik, Orissa' s Chief
Minister, to take tough, unremitting action against the VHP and its
junior wing, the Bajrang Dal. This is a test not just of his
governance, but of his character. And I know and accept this could
affect his political survival. But when it' s a struggle between
your commitment to your principles and your political convenience is
there room for choice? For ordinary politicians, possibly, but for
the Naveen I know, very definitely not.

So let me end by saying: I' m waiting, Naveen. In fact, I want to
say I' m not alone. There are hundreds of millions of Hindus, like you
and me, waiting silently? but increasingly impatiently. Please act for
all of us.

Importance of Proper Education

This has been sent by Karanvir

Last week I read about the first suicide in Sangur (thanks to Samachar.com and Radheshyam’s weekly message). Someone realized that what the politicians had promised was not exactly how things were going, and they probably stood to lose instead of gaining leading to this drastic action.
The number of farmers that have committed suicide in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in the last few years leaving behind devastated families is big. These farmers killed themselves because they could not pay back loans taken from loan sharks at very high interest rates as they could not get cheaper loans.
But were these the real reasons why these deaths occurred?

Everyday we learn through the news channels about people going on rampage and killing other human beings in the name of religion, tribe, nation, etc. Isn’t it unbelievable that these things are still happening in the 21st century, and not only in India but also in other Asian countries, Africa and Europe.

I believe that the real cause lies in the fact that most of the people involved lack fundamental education. They do not have the knowledge and know how to be able to improve their lives. Institutions do not have time for these unfortunate people. And therefore they are dependant on what ever they were told by unscrupulous people who build their success by using the poor and uneducated who are unable to evaluate what they are being taken into.

The last few years and working with some rural development projects in India I have learnt more about the importance of education, not only for children but also for women. Wherever women have got even basic education things have improved much faster. It is the reason why micro credit has been so successful. If we want things to change for the better in the world I believe the key lies in education. And I also strongly believe that the few of us that have been fortunate to get a good one have a moral obligation to assist someone who does not have a similar opportunity.

Our own school has a wonderful programme going of educating girls from poor families of the area. Just think of the combination they live in today – girls, poor, uneducated! Without some education what chance do these girls have in life except to end up in (modern day) slavery of some sort. Radheshyam has already brought the project run by Br. James to our attention, and same has also been circulated by some Old Boys’ Associations. But there hasn’t been much of a reaction from the old boys as was hoped. It is not the amount that is contributed that matters; it is assisting someone get an education, and that too through your own school that should be the driving motivation for us in assisting this project and making it successful. I hope that more of the old boys will consider it and come forth with much needed contributions.
There is no better religion than helping the less fortunate.
Karan