Double Standards Abound

The whole world is obsessed with equality and human rights, advocated mainly by the west and agencies in Scandinavian countries do their own bit by writing damning reports about third world nations for the violation of human rights and the absence of freedom of expression and speech. An amnesty international report was severely critical of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan for its apparent lack of respect of human rights. The report said that the new anti-terror laws passed in India and the retention in custody of over 70 people for more than 2 months without trial were uphauling, Serious cases of human rights considering that India is the only nation to have tough anti-terror laws whereas the Unites States have been providing 5-star accommodation to Afghanis and Iraqis in Gitmo and Abu Ghraib.

The violation of human rights in India is a serious matter and we do have our own agencies looking into the matter. More troubling are the matters in several other countries, but when the world's biggest muscle power provide mute permission to the worlds greatest human rights violation, no one can really do nothing about it. An entire population in the West Bank and Gaza are being exterminated by Israel while it is being watched by the international community. Israel is taking four times as much water as the Palestinians from a vital shared aquifer, Israelis use 240 cubic metres of water per person against 75 cubic metres for West Bank Palestinians and 125 for Gazans, and in some areas of West Bank, it is as low as 10-15cms per person according to the World bank (The Hindu, Friday May29, 2009-"Israel: 80 per cent of West Bank water for Israelis"). A wall has been built to protect Israelis from attacks across the border, but what this has only achieved is the siege of a small strip of land supporting thousands of people, who are simply going to die due to lack of basic resources.

Last Christmas saw some of the most horrifying attack on a group of helpless population by a nation that is growing fat from the cash inflow from the United States(Israel has long been the biggest beneficiary of US aid) which can simply trample upon its helpless neighbours with the ease of crushing a fly. Is not this a violation of basic human rights? May be this does not involve the violation of our freedom to speech, which I think is the only type of human rights violation that is considered by these international agencies, for they highlight cases in Burma, China, Iran etc with great emphasis.

The media also follow up, but all this is merely a cover-up of the actual violation basic rights that happen in the west. Discrimination on the basis of race still exists and immigrants are still looked down upon. Cuba still suffers from the US blockade, a remnant of the cold war era and one based only on ideological difference. Amnesty International was founded on a newspaper article that emphasised the quote "I detest yourviews, but am prepared to die for your right to express them." by Voltaire. There may be differences in our belief, religious, political or others, but you have the right to express them and also practice any belief or ideology and in the case of Cuba, communism the offending ideology. Isn’t that an internal matter and one that should be left to the island-nation's own decision?

A resolution was moved to investigate war crimes in the recent conflict that ended the LTTE reign of terror in Sri Lanka. All that happened was that a decisive government felt the moment was right to end a bloody struggle waged by an organisation that has left thousands dead, (not to mention a former Prime Minister of India) and also acted as the beginner and inspiration for the new mode of terrorism and insurgency that is threatening the entire world. The enthusiasm and interest shown must be appreciated, but what about what is happening Gitmo, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan? Don’t they amount to any rights violations or require any investigation into war crimes?

It's a wonderful life

I would like to recommend a movie that all of you should watch.

I just saw the movie “It's A Wonderful Life” and it is one of the best I have ever seen. It is one of those movies that will definitely put a smile on your face and also a few tears of joy. It is such a wonderful story and I would call it the best Christmas movie ever. It's about a nice guy (George Bailley) who falls into trouble after his uncle accidentally looses the money from the bank that they are running and when the auditors come that day, there is a shortage and he is about to be arrested making him wish that he wasn’t born and that’s when his guardian angel comes to try and rescues him. This angel has not yet got his wings as he has not qualified yet and if he is able to help the guy (George), the angel would get his wings. Watch the movie to see whether the angel gets his wings and whether our hero is able to save himself.

We do feel sad and we at times wish that we were not born or we would rather that things were different, but this movie shows how one life touches so many others and how important we all are to this world. The movie teaches us a lot, but I sincerely hope all of you could just watch the movie 'It's A Wonderful Life' instead of me blabbering about it. I can assure you one thing, once you see this movie, it will change the way you look at yourself and also will feel a lot happier.

Make hay while its dark and damp

An article in The Hindu dated 25 Feb,2009 read 'No Joint Ventures for Rail Projects'. Railways had initially decided to invited bidders for 33 Joint Venture projects, but recently announced that it would be completed by the railways by itself as the response by the bidders were poor. The reason such a turn of events could be-

In this time of economic crunch, organisations are looking for cross-sales(more sales or profits from existing customers or their existing field of work) and are disinclined towards going into unchartered territories.

This is for the first time that the railway is offering a JV on Electric and Diesel locomotive Factories and Coach Factories and these heavy industries require enormous investment and technical skills. This requires lot of money, which the companies do not have and it needs new human resources in terms of qualified engineers, technicians and skilled labourers which adds to the cost and a lot of technology which might be unfamiliar to the company.

It is therefore essential that the government utilise this time. The price of raw materials have come down, there is an economic crisis looming and unemployment is rising. The government must initiate employment generation programmes in the form of infrastructure development and invest in education. The benefits are

1) Once the recession is over, we will be in a better position to jump ahead in the race. In Formula-1, when the safety car is on, the race cars are required to drive slowly. During this time, most of them take a pitstop to refuel and change their tyres so that when they can resume racing, they are well positioned to leap ahead. India must adopt this strategy.

2) Low raw material price means we can complete more work than before, when the price of commodities like cement, steel and fuel were sky-rocketing.

3) Investment in education, especially higher education means that more individuals will now go for specialising their skills. More graduates will prefer going into the teaching, pure science, research and development field as it is much more secure. Till now, these were neglected due to the slow rise in pay and promotion and the hardwork involved. Increased investment in education will result in highly qualified workforce for the coming projects, a highly experienced teaching force and more thrust to science and technology.

There are companies that are making use of this downturn. The developers of the Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone had asked for permission from the Board of Approval (BoA) in the Union Commerce Ministry to almost double the power generation capacity at the sector-specific SEZ at Kutch in Gujarat (The Hindu, May29-2009 ‘BoA to decide on Mundra, DLF plans’. The developer had given justification for raising the generation capacity stating that economic slowdown had resulted in a reduction in the price of power plants and the lower capital expenditure. This decision is based on the sound reasoning that once the recession is behind us, there will be a spurt of developmental activity and if they double their capacity, they will be ready to make use of the opportunity much before anyone else can even think come to a decision about their future course of action.

A little bit of foresight will enable us to overcome the economic downturn, if not benefit from it. We often hear the saying 'Make hay while the sun shines', I say 'Make mushrooms while its dark and damp'!

A True Champion

Even in the jaws of defeat, one man showed incredible character and unparalleled talent, that’s what made me a fan of Roger Federer. Until that night in July, Federer was a Tennis hero, someone who had decimated his opponents, generated comments that put him among the greatest to have ever played the game and his defeats were referred to as mere proofs that he was from this planet and human, but to me, he was just another great player, which in itself is a very short list. But the Wimbledon Final of 2008 was the greatest tennis match I ever saw and whatever happens, nothing will come close to it.

Federer was decimated by Rafael Nadal in the French Open just a few weeks ago, the only slam Federer was yet to win. But Wimbledon was a different story, it was his SLAM. He had equaled Bjorn Borgs record of 5 straight Wimbledon titles, and had not been threatened by anyone during these 5 years, apart from a small scare perhaps by Andy Roddick or Lleyton Hewitt. Federer had done it all and was going for a record-setting 6th Wimbledon title. It was a dream final, but what happened was beyond the expectations of anyone. Tennis was just a sport that I paid attention to, but rarely had I seen a live match until then.

Nadal won the first two sets and looked like he might romp to victory and a major landmark in his career as his first slam outside of the Philippe Chatrier court. In the 3rd set, serving against Nadal who was on Championship Point, I saw the greatest comebacks in history and a true miracle. A string of Aces to win the game, Federer clawed back into the game and won the 3rd and 4th set.

Although Nadal won the match and the Championship, it was in defeat that I saw Federer rise up above everything humanly possible and something beyond belief. That was when I became a fan of Roger Federer, a true champion. On this occasion, when he has overcome that one thing that can be the only stumbling block from calling him the greatest ever, he has won the French Open. Some might say that he has not won the "Grand Slam" and that his record against Nadal is not great, but I just do not care, as Bjorn Borg has won only the French Open and Wimbledon and he is called a great.

Is Federer human or something beyond? Well, he is human, but once on that court, he is god and it is a world that he rules over with grace, skill and at times, the most unbelievable of miracles.

Vivas, Tests and some TP

Actually wanted to write about today being Friday the 13th, but since I already send that out as a mail to almost everyone in my mailing list(including my Father's cousins who are using their corporate mail ids which will now make them think twice about handing out their mail IDs to net trotting jobless college kids!).

Morning started out with a Test on Bonding in Inorganic Compounds, which pretty much went bad for everyone and our instructor is going to be definitely pissed with our performance. He is one of the nicest profs we got and its sad that none of us where able to do decently. There will be serious consequences for that and I hope all of us can redeem ourselves in T-2.

I wasted another 3 hours today waiting for Chemical Experimentation Viva where again the Chemistry faculty showed how much they love us :P. Need to wait and see how mine goes as so far only 14 or so people have completed their viva and 10 of us are left and I will be the last one to go, since it is in the order of our roll numbers.

Slept off and went for Microprocessor lecture which was sounding more and more like some ancient, long lost tongue for me. Started writing some stuff in my book, which eventually ended up as-

Let the mind roam free,
To relish the feast the world offers.
Let it fly, let it grow,
do not let fear take hold of you.
"Fear threatens to overcome me,
No chance of life I see",
the thought to be banished,
if the mind is to be harnessed.


Thats it for now. Good night and Good luck!

Plays of TIMES NOW

During the Mumbai terrorist attacks on Mumbai in Nov, The Times of India and its television version brought to us the heart-wrenching visuals of grief and people trying to escape the carnage, graphic images of terrorists firing at innocent civilians and showed live footage of them holding one of Mumbai's most famous landmarks hostage and the last moments of those who went in to stop these culprits.

As a former US President told about Mr.Ed Murrow, they brought the fires of mumbai to our living rooms and the bullets and bombs were aimed at us. The reporters from the channel and the newspaper went to great lengths to cover the event as it was unfolding and gave upto date information to the world. But TIMES did more than that, they stamped their trademark on it, which I must say is not one to be proud of.

I would like to quote the front page news that appeared on The Times of India sometime during April 2004, it said 'Two Women, One night. Rs.60,000'. How could a self-respecting person not be ashamed by what they were forced to read first thing in the morning? The bigger question here is, how could the editor and reporters of such a prestigious establishment allow itself to descend to such lows? This is unfortunately the trademark of the TIMES these days. Sensationalist reporting, with several "unconfirmed reports" and claims from "unofficial sources" adding spice and taste to the days news. There were instances where the channel telecasted live footage from Ground Zero as the army operation was going, which could have given the terrorists some advantage as it might have given away the army's position or could have threatened the lives of those who were still holed up in their hotel rooms. TIMES was not alone in this act, but I am merely pointing out what they did.

Most of the news reported by the channel is also equally rubbish, so much so that it made me feel it had a group of people who were paid just to come up with stupid, spicy and sensationalist news that would catch the attention of the people and is of utterly no news value at all. They have taken journalism to a new low and the Mumbai attacks is just another example. After the attacks, repeated telecasts of the Kerala CMs statement insulting the family of one of the soldiers who laid down his life in the operation proves how sensationalist and untrue to the spirit of journalism the channel has become.

Both the newspaper and the channel, normal days, devote a lot of space and time for 'all the news that is unfit to print', which although is a play on the slogan of the New York Times, fits The Times of India only too well. Gossips, rumours and all that about celebrities and entertainment consumes so much space and importance that the real purpose of a responsible newspaper and news channel is easily forgotten.

A lot of people who I know are subscribing to the TIMES do it just for the gossip and the entertainment and use other newspapers and channels to get the real news. TIMES will become a medium just for those looking for entertainment and maybe that will do. They do give the people what they like and want and not what they should be deserve and need.

I do not say that the Times is not part of a responsible media, but those who are looking for the real news and not spicy gossip would do well to stay away from the channel TIMES NOW and the Times of India newspaper.

P.S-One could say that there are other worse offenders, but I cant go through the pain of watching those channels or those newspapers.

Political Parody

The Mumbai terrorist attack has brought to light again the cancer that plagues our politics. Politicians have seen the oppurtunity to gain an edge over its opponents as elections are about to take place in 5 states and the parliament elections are due within the next 5 months. The resignations of the Maharashtra CM, change in the central government portfolios and the comments of the CM of Kerala are getting equal attention as the terrorist attack itself.

The comments made by Vilasrao Deshmukh reflect the attitude of the politicians towards the post they occupy. He said that he has informed the high-command of his willingness to resign. I would like to know who is the high-command for him to inform. He said if is required he will resign with, but said that with so much ease as if it was just another task that he would do. The fact that party affiliations are stronger than a politicians commitment to the people itself defeats the purpose of democracy which is supposed to be a government for the people.

At this juncture, I would also like to know what is our obsession with the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty? Why is it that we cannot produce a leader from outside that family? A nation of one billion people requires a person of Italian origin to rule us? Officially, it is Dr.Manmohan Singh who is our PM, but we all know who is really making the decisions. If ever there is one more person from that family becoming PM, it will be a failure from our part. The government spends nearly Rs.180 crore on the security for the Gandhi family, but the entire budget for the NSG which is entrusted with safegaurding the nation from terrorism is only Rs.158 crore. Who are these people whose lives are worth more than that of the entire Indian population? What inherent right to rule do they have in a democracy?

The resignation of Mr.Shivraj Patil also came without any effort. He just said he was resigning due to his failure to prevent such repeated attacks. It was like an irresponsible captain leaving a sinking ship and not doing his duty by refusing to solve the problems that had arisen while he was in charge. The resignation is an insult to the people of this nation as it is a step that has come too late and adding to it is the fact that elections are just a few months away which means that the government would become for all practical purposes a lame duck within the coming two months and so his resignation does not make much of an impact.

The senseless comments made by the CM of Kerala, which I would not like to repeat, is unfortunate if not shameful. I would like to remind him that if he was not the CM of a state, not even a dog would have listened to him. I have no regrets to this comment.

The apathy shown by the politicians is a matter of shame for the worlds largest democracy. The ministers from Maharashtra also joins Mr. Shivraj Patil as they resigned just like that as if the the posts they had occupied was something that was not worth much and so one could afford to throw it away. The anger of the people of this nation is justified as for a long time we have seen politicians mesemrise with sweet words and promises but have actually delivered nothing. A wind is blowing and hopefully it will gather enough strength to throw away existing blockades to our nations well-being and usher in a new era of responsible poiliticians who work for the peoples good and not just for the good of their own family.

WAVES-09' Summer

It is a blur to me. The last 3 days. The events I saw, I participated and also the event I conducted. It was 3 days of fun, joy and sleepless nights too! But when the dust settles, you are only left with a hangover, not just for the boozers, but I am sure everyone was intoxicated by some of the best days we had in campus.

From a personal point of view, I am very happy. As the Secretary of the Quiz Club in BITS-PILANI, GOA CAMPUS, it is very heartening to see something that you love grow and attain success. We were able to bring in Shamant Rao, a quizmaster from Karnata Quiz Association for our highlight event, Waves Quiz, and this was followed a wide publicity campaign, which involved post in various blogs and posters being put up inside the campus. Another important incident which I must mention is the conversation I had with the quizmaster of the Waves Quiz. He, like everyone else, was simply blown away by our Auditorium, he was impressed by our infrastructure, the settings and surroundings of our campus and the enthu shown by the crowd and also the standards of our quizzing, which although is not the best in the country, is something which will slowly be a force to reckon with. Also, I was able to learn a lot and receive sound advice for my future and career.

It was worth the effort since we were able to attract 89 teams for the Waves Quiz(meaning 287 participants) for the quiz and the lecture theatre was nearly full. My friends tell me that this was the most succesful LT event(do not know whether it is true) and even if it wasn't, I would settle for the fact that we made our presence felt and we too were able to add spice to our fest.

Although the event I did was not a huge hit, it was good enough and I learned a lot from it, not just from the quizzing point of view, but in general. I must also mention the personal succes I had during the fest, by winning and XBOX! Funny thing is, I do not know what to do with it!

It was only yesterday that we were all celebrating, having fun and with no care in the world having some awesome fun. It is all over and tomorrow, I have a mid-sem viva, a 3 hour lab session followed by another 3 hour make-up lab. Life can turn around fast eh? As the Blues song goes,
'Its kind of funny, how life can be,
Can flip 180, in a matter of days'

This post must conclude by congratulating all those who participated in our fest, especially all our outstation teams who covered all that distance to make our fest a success, the audience and spectators who are the soul of such an event, the event managers and all clubs and departments. Hats off to all of you for giving us a Waves that swept us away!

Change, I must

There comes a point in life when you must change and that time has come for me. This sem has been hard and has questioned everything I believed, everything I wanted and everything I have so far done in my life. It is time to rethink what I am doing and my priorities and to go back to the fundamentals and start over again or, to go back to the point where you diverted to this path and then walk another road, in another direction.

I do not count it as a failure, but rather I would say that I chose the wrong path for me. I must go back and start over again. It might be difficult, but I must do it if I am to continue doing what I have loved the most in this world. There has to be a change and I must find a new path.

I do not know whether I will succeed, but I must and I believe I will. I started off by failing for three years and it was then that I realised anything is possible. Well, lets try and do it once more.

I like.....EXAMS!!

I never ever thought that I would ever say this, but here we go. I have said it. But before someone throws me back into the asylum, do hear my reasons for saying so. Once you hear me out, you will say that is the sanest thing you heard in a long long time.

My reasons for saying so originate from the long hours I spend in the lab each week and that too in some of the most inhospitable conditions the college can offer(not that the lab is too warm for this time of the year or dangerous, but I rather not specify the exact reasons) and the hours spend trying to understand what is happening. I am actually scrutinising my timetable each day trying to figure which classes I can bunk without serious threat of any repurcussions! Gone are the days when I would just decide impulsively to take the afternoon off and have nap or bunk a lecture because it's too boring or sometimes even just for the heck of it. Every day starts off with the hope of some free period (reminds me of my school days) and by the end of the day, you are just tired from the 3 hours of standing in the lab and hours spend setting up the apparatus or writing reports.

There is precious little time, but the last few days have been surprisingly pleasant. I had exams from last Saturday and my exams finished one day ahead of all my other friends' on Tuesday. No labs, no reports and no assignments, just the 2 hours spend writing the exam and that is it. It was the relaxing time I had this semester and let me tell you it was much better than any other break I have ever taken in my life. My battery is charged and I am good to go, but how long before I get fed up of the labs is another question.

I hope I have convinced you my friend about my sanity and that exams are fun, in my case atleast.