UN Politics: The Sweeter, the tougher

Obama's state visit to india is largely a success- more for yankees and less for indians. Obama came here as a salesman in disguise and was pretty successful in his pitch. He signed 20 different deals worth US $10 Billion. india is buying all kinds of stuff from US starting from Military transpost aircraft to passenger aircrafts to jet engines to oil and gas equipment. He claims that he created 53670 jobs for americans. Well quite true! But most of the americans still think that india is taking out their jobs. As obama pointed out, these are "old stereotypes and old concerns ignore today's reality".

But what india got? Nothing solid but assurances that US will back india's quest for UNSC permanent seat and will use its leverage on pakistan to bring 26/11 responsibles to justice. Out of these two,UNSC is definately more important and interesting. 26/11 is gone and Ajmal kasab has already been through trial and the world knows that pakistan is now the epicentre of global terrorism and is unfortunately a soon-to-be failed state. While we keep the past in our head and learn from it,its also important to focus on future. India is back in UNSC after a very long time. The happy moment came after the embarrasing fiasco of 1996 where india was deliberately set up to lose (which i think is western countries punishment to india for being too close to communists). That was what i say " ab tera kya hoga kaliya?" situation.


But things have changed now. India is a growing economic and military giant and has shown it to the world that embargos, corruptions and forced isolation cannot stop this nation to claim it's rightful place. In recent elections India garnered something which can be a UN record. Normally a country needs 2/3 votes to be elected as a member of UN security council but India got the assent of 187 out of 192 possible voters. But as they say great power comes with great responsibilty. What can india expect out of this stint in security council? And how should india work?


Well, the expectation ball was rolled when prez Obama asked india's intervention in myanmar situation. Quite true! India is acting like a rock when it comes to myamnar crisis (today i heard that suu kyi is going to be released). Once in the security council, people will expect india to take steps regarding Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Sudan, Palestine and global terrorism. Suddenly the responsibilities will expand. Western countries are already performing war games with indian forces to increase the interoperability. So the mentoring and grooming has already started for some time now. But in UN - it all about international politics and mature diplomacy. India may have to offend many friends like iran- so we will have to learn the fine art of negotitations.




Pakistan is already miffed with the US endorsement of india's bid for UNSC perma-member seat. Out of the five perma members, China can shoot down india's aspirations. Rest of the four countries US,UK France and Russia are already in sync with india. 


Perma seat is still few years away but india has to prove a lot before reaching that level.

Kashmir Problem: A Must Read

Arundhati Roy's comments has brought out one important question on the general awareness about the whole kashmir problem.There's a gross misunderstanding and confusion on why the conflict happened and how the events unfolded which gave birth to present situation. It is definitely a sensitive issue and people commenting on this issue should be aware about all the aspects.


MSN published this article which is worth a read. This article is written by E Jayakrishnan  


here it is..


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Arundhati Roy says Kashmir was never a part of India. We look at why she is wrong & why India’s position is not as vulnerable as it is portrayed to be

Myth-I

"Kashmir has never been an integral part of India": Arundhati Roy

The story

At the time of Indian independence, none of the princely states - Hyderabad, Gwalior, Mysore, Baroda and Kashmir, to name a few - were part of India. They were called princely states - quasi-sovereign states ruled by the Indian princes under the "suzerainty" of the British. There were as many as 568 states in India when the British decided to leave India.

In 1947, under the Mountbatten Plan, they were given two options - either India or Pakistan. Though most of the Princely states thirsted for freedom, that option was closed at the insistence of the Congress party. Though the choice of which entity to join was left to the rulers of the Princely states it was largely understood that religious denomination of the majority of the citizens and geographical contiguities of the states will be preponderant determining criteria.

Kashmir fulfilled both these paramount criteria to join Pakistan - geographical contiguity with the newly-formed state and religious domination of the majority of its citizens.

However, there was a problem. The Hindu ruler of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh wanted something which was not on the table, namely azadi, or freedom from both India and Pakistan - to remain independent. In spite of entreaties from various quarters including from the Governor General of India Loius Mountbatten, the Maharaja continued to dither and be non-committal. The situation reached a stalemate.

Jinnah and Pakistan perceived the intransigence of the Maharaja as a clever ploy of the India and Mountbatten to pluck Kashmir surreptiously from Pakistan's grasp. So in an operation that today can be seen as a precursor of the Kargil Operation, Pakistan launched a military invasion of Kashmir on October 22, 1947.

Pashtun tribals and irregulars, morally and logistically supported by the Pakistan army, were sent in to force the Maharaja to accede to Pakistan. The invaders reached the outskirts of Srinagar, the capital. And were threatening to besiege the city.

A frightened and panicky Maharaja radioed Delhi for military help. The Indian leadership argued that it not be legally possible to send in the Indian army unless Kashmir acceded to India formally. After another bout of resistance, the Maharaja finally yielded and Mountbatten's aide V P Menon was sent to Srinagar to secure his signature on the Instrument of Accession. Once signed (on 26 October 1947) the Indian army was airlifted to Srinagar and beat back the Pakistani invaders, but not before they controlled about one-third of Kashmir.

The Reality:

As soon as the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession, Kashmir's accession to India was complete in the legal and formal sense - the same Instrument of Accession that was signed by more than 500 other princely states. That is a fact of history, which cannot be disputed without stretching the truth. It's there is black and white. In fact, it can be argued that it was Pakistan's folly of invading Kashmir to usurp it, overplaying its hand, which sowed the seeds for the Kashmir imbroglio.

Myth-II

India refuses to hold the UN-mandated plebiscite to give the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people.

The story

When the irregulars from Pakistan invaded India on October 22, 1947, Prime Minister Nehru went to the UN in good faith to call on the world body to intervene and ensure that Pakistan pull back its troops. Based on the Indian complaint and the counter-arguments of Pakistan, the UN Security Council called for not only an immediate ceasefire, but also a plebiscite to determine the wishes of the Kashmiris.

Ignoring the advice of his Home Minister Sardar Patel and the army commanders that India should not agree to a ceasefire before the area captured by the invaders are reclaimed, Nehru went ahead and not only ordered an immediate ceasefire but also agreed in principle to the plebiscite. A promise that has not been kept.

The reality

This is the instance used to castigate India for not only breaking the spirit of the UN resolutions but also ignoring the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

But just look at what UN Resolution 38 of 17 January 1948 actually says about the run-up to the plebiscite--

"The Government of Pakistan should undertake to use its best endeavours: To secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistani nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purposes of fighting, and to prevent any intrusion into the State of such elements and any furnishing of material aid to those fighting in the State".

Please read that again.

The much-bandied resolution used to whip India with, by the critics clearly states that Pakistan will "withdraw" all "Pakistani nationals" and "tribesmen" who infiltrated on October 22, 1947 from the soil of the whole of Jammu and Kashmir as it existed then, without exception. This was the UN resolution's 'first condition' for the beginning of the process towards the plebiscite.

Has that condition been fulfilled by Pakistan? Has the land 'occupied' by the Pakistanis and the tribesmen in 1947 been vacated? Isn't the reality that Pakistan occupied and continues to occupy more than one-third of the territory of Kashmir.

As a way to fulfill the mandate and hold the plebiscite, will Pakistan be willing to vacate PoK now; 63 years after the resolution? The answer is written on the wall.

For all intents and purposes the UN resolution on Kashmir is as good as dead.

No wonder then that the wily but pragmatic General Musharraf gave up the usual Pakistani harping on self-determination in Kashmir for a more practical and doable out-of-the-box solution, which unfortunately is being disowned by the present Pakistani government.

Myth-III

Pakistan has always stood by Kashmir, as against the brutality of the Indian security forces in the Indian side of Kashmir

Pakistan in Kashmir

a) Pakistan has carved out the Northern Areas (now called Gilgit-Baltistan, almost 72,971 Sq km) from Kashmir into a separate administrative and political unit. This area which was part of the undivided Kashmir at the time of Pakistan, has been 'annexed' by Pakistan as it where and separated from Kashmir.

b) In 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,800 sq km in the Trans-Karakoram Tract to China. The Tract was part of the original state of Jammu and Kashmir.

c) Pakistan actively encourages "other people" to settle in PoK and have even allowed the Chinese a huge presence in Gilgit-Baltistan, ostensibly for developing the infrastructure of the region.

In contrast:

a) Territorially the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is the same entity that existed in 1947, except for the portions gobbled-up by Pakistan/China.

b) The Freedom House Report, 2010, on the level of 'freedom' in PoK characterised it as "not free', while the Indian side of Kashmir was defined as "partly free".

d) No non-Kashmiri can buy as much as an inch of land in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. There has been no attempt by India to change the demographics or the state's ethnic character. The only demographic change that has happened in the state has been the "ethnic cleansing" of the Kashmiri pundits from the Valley. A mass exodus which has largely been ignored by the media and the powers-that-be.

Therefore, there is nothing much really that India has to feel defensive about. Whatever Arundhati Roy or others may put out. 

Chinese Rise and Big Bite

China is growing with such speed that it creates some world record every other week. With 1.4 billion people it uses more mobile phones than any other country. It has more high speed rail links. It has more internet users and it has now overtaken US as the biggest energy consumer. Although china admitted that fact with lot of reluctance but apparently every energy report showed that for last many months. It's worlds largest importer of minerals. Last year it dislodged Germany from the pole position of highest exporter.

This week, China surpassed japan and came right behind US as the second largest economy. It was hardly a surprise as everyone expected that to happen. Chinese media didn't covered the news as a front page item. In fact China emphasized on areas of improvement and continued commitment to make further economic breakthroughs. Even in japan, media didn't give much coverage to this. But it would be interesting to talk about what would be the implications of the rise of dragon- On the world and on India specifically.

China has shown a remarkable progress and it's rise can be an inspiration and a strong blow to those capitalist who say that communism cannot deliver. It's definitely an important milestone. F or almost 43 years japan remained the 2^nd largest economy. Now many economist are predicting that the dragon may soon fly above US, maybe within a decade. China's rise may prove to be a huge benefit for Africa, Latin america , Russia and ofcourse Asia. China has significant stakes in africa and latin america. These areas have long been the places for conflict and have not seen much economic and social development.

The rise will have effect on chinese people as well. As trade is growing, chinese people are interacting more with outside world and are appreciating the democratic governance system which provides much more freedom and security. It would be tough for Chinese Communist Party to handle this new situation. But I think chinese people also acknowledge the fact that communism worked wonders for their country. The west is yet to acknowledge china as a responsible super power, especially with it's policies to support renegade governments and initiating nuclear and weapons proliferation. Some might say that western approbation is not required. But you cannot expect china to rise on it's own.

This week as china moved to number two position on world's top economies list, one of india's biggest business delegation was concluding a visit to shanghai. This delegation's main objective was to persuade chinese government to lift non-tariff barriers to trade and create an environment more conducive to the expansion of indian enterprises in china. Dragon's rise will have significant effects in india. And the course of these effects will be decided by the very nature and perception of indian and chinese people about each other. Most of the people in both the countries are suspicious about the indo-china relations. But it's time that we shed the negativity and try to explore the opportunities we might have in a big consumer market like china. China has build itself as a strong export based economy. But now it has started to look inwards , to accommodate and satisfy domestic needs . Chinese people have comparatively high purchasing power and it could hardly be better timing. Labour costs, power and maintenance costs are almost one-third of the costs in india. You can be granted funds on as low as 6% annual interest rate. That is just not possible in india. In India the funds are scarce and the interest rates are relatively higher and don't forget about huge power and maintenance bills. Chinese people are making money and that money is going to create new markets and strengthen emerging markets. China is gradually opening it's shores for outside business houses and entrepreneurs. China would definitely be a difficult market so an early entry can provide good opportunity to understand and market the products and services in china. Trust me, the timing is just fine. We as indians can shed the negativity and can think of china as a huge potential market. Remember , improved and deeper trade ties will also effect the geo-political truce between these two nations.

Let's talk about few opportunities here:

• China is the workshop of the world and it has started to acknowledge the side effects of that. The zealous and unidirectional focus on manufacturing sector has created huge environmental problems. It has polluted its rivers, denuded forests and caused severe air pollution. By 2020, china is expected to generate 400 million tonnes of waste, which is surprisingly close to the total amount of waste generated by the planet in 1997. There's ample opportunity for waste management programs and re-cycling industry. And as you can think that the cost would be delightfully low.

• I's tourism and hospitality industry is opening up and there' s huge opportunity for indian companies to help them provide superior and quality tourism service.

• Service sector is the best sector which can make deeper holes in China. Indian industry is a customer centric, service oriented industry. Out service maturity level is much higher than chinese. Setting up an IT and services base will enable companies to target far east and tougher markets like Japan and Korea.

• Education and skill Development is another industry which can make inroads in china. Chinese education system have been unchanged for a very long time and it's far from being a global education system. India can help it to devise, administer and manage a truly global education system.

• There are others fields like Finance, Biotechnology, R&D which are looking promising and needs to be explored.

China has well established manufacturing sector and has a very pro-active supply chain system feeding it. Indian companies need to plug into this supply chain and reap the benefit. And the first thing india can do is to push for lowering non tariff barriers. Entrepreneurs can study detailed and comprehensive reports about chinese business environment through trade organizations like CII and FICCI .In any case, it is impossible for india to bypass china. Indian entrepreneurs will have to come up with new ideas and techniques to reap the benefits of this potential market. No doubt it would be difficult, but it's also an opportunity. 

"America! You are depressed!"

I really thought a lot before publishing this post. And i hate to post this. But you know, some things are so intolerable and shameful that you hardly keep it to yourself. Democrat senator of new york Charles E Schumar is spitting out criticism on companies that outsource high end tech jobs to indians. He thinks that companies like infosys are "chop shops " where used cars are dismantled and parts sold seperately. The comments were made during the disccusion of border security meeting.

This senator needs to know that his america doesnot produce enough skilled people to do these high end tech jobs.Mr Senator, you need to tell your kids that boozing and fuckin around is fine but not sufficient to build nation. Mr senator you also need to know that america is technologically dependent on these "chop shops". Should we give you a demo- Let's make 15 august an absolute holiday. Shut down all support, maintanence and operations supporting american lines. What do you think will happen? It would not be less than an information blackout in US. Someone tell him how many engineers are working in american organisation like Microsoft and IBM. This senator is a complete jackass and puts a big question mark on american people's judgmental ability. The senator shows the current picture of american people- Low IQ, Arrogant fool, Selfish giant and a Shining Gasbag.This senator represents the class of american people who are afraid of hard times, competition, co-existence, mutual support and politeness. His statements are really sad and shows that he is frustrated and lacks the ability to analyse the facts, judge the right path and act accordingly.American people like him are bringing down the image and popularity of  this pioneering nation.

I hate to say this but america is definately a racist country. White americans still hate black americans. British don't like you, French hates you, Russians make you uncomfortable, Arabs wants to kill you, Chinese say "mind your own business", iranians say "Go fuck yourself", Pakis are making fool of you..and the list goes on. Mr Senator, it seems india is the only friend you have got. Those who have not seen racists in 21st century america can actually see Obama's presidential campaign movie. America as a country is very greedy, self centric, arrogant and impolite.

America needs to change it's self perception. Come down to earth , ol man!. Be modest and humble.Regain the respect of other people. Don't blame others for your own mistakes.You went through recession because american people created sub prime mortgage crisis, because you spend billions on war- not because indians snatched your jobs. you need to stop fighting and arguing with others. You are america, but the world is still big for you ol' man!Take responsibility of your own actions.

The world is an imperfect place but the people who are knowledgeable and are from advanced civilisation can come together to make it little more perfect. I still see america as an often right, often wrong country but the time asks for bigger changes in american mindset and thinking.

Crooks, Currency and Commonwealth Games

Hello...

I am returning to maverick's zone after a long time. I was bit busy with OptSEO and so far things are going steady with it. Within last few months lot of things happened and really wanted to write about those.So will try to cover some of those in this post.

 The most disturbing of those was about Commonwealth Games(CWG). Games are barely 60 days far and it certainly looks like a nightmare and huge embarassment for india. Politician and bureacrats are busy passing the buck, indian media is making huge sensational drama out of it and indian people , as usual , are not bothered about it. i wish people were more aware about "Tax- payers money".I think it's high time that each government organisation gets an inbuilt but independent quality control department which can report directly to central vigilance, parliament or PMO. When i hear and read about these huge scams i wonder why everyone calls india so poor.There's lot of money but indians don't want to share it with their own countrymen. Rich people in delhi want to earn but don't want to pay tax, people in mumbai want to snatch everything, people in kolkata will die or kill for 25 paisa and people in chennai will not spend the money on anything. It's sure a land of variety but one thing is present in almost all indians- they are easily corruptible and they can infect others with this. Bofors scam saw italian job, bhopal tragedy saw american selfishness and commonwealth saw corruption crossing boundaries and touching the shores of england and australia. Last month Mr David Cameron said that there's no need to sent development fund to india as rich indians should be able to take care of their own countrymen. Instead, after a week he came in india to sell 50 hawk jet trainers and sign many trade agreements. I don't know what others are thinking about india- a cash pond maybe. Uh ..Indians are already called as cash cows in australia. So much for a third world country. I wonder what Mr Kalmadi is thinking ..or what is going through the mind of DDA officers. An apartment in paris maybe... with euro bills in swiss bank. Mighty dream ..isn't it? Mighty dreams calls for desperate attempts..like stealing money from own country..Country ??? Wait a minute...what the hell are you talking about?..It's globalization age. The world is the country. India is for poor . I want to have an apartment in paris and want my children to work in big investment firms in US. Indian dreams are apparently bigger than any other dream and you know what..it's growing.

But what would be more worthly- the rightous path or just the destination. What is worthy is a complex question and iam sure people like Mr Kalmadi skip that question every night before going to sleep. Mr Subroto Roy also shared some lime light when he got his “public appeal” printed in the daily copy of Times Of India. He actually asked media to stop the CWG scam coverage till the end of the game. According to him this issue can be handled after the games. Mr Roy..I think I should tell you that it's information age. You cannot contain information and do you really think that “later” word has much importance in this situation. You are basically asking for more time - for cover up maybe!

I think let the world know that our politicians and beauracrats are actually sophisticated crooks and are complete jackass. I think all the development funds from so called rich countries should be stopped. India is self sufficient. I think people should stop paying the extra tax in delhi, independent cost analysts and engineers should check all the documentations related to CWG obtained through RTI and let this scam be a trial by the people, through the people and for the people.

Uh..here you go..Another drama was hatched in bihar few weeks ago and just now it reached delhi. Mr Nitish Kumar is in delhi to ask for Rs 5000 Cr. Oh no..He is not putting up a request to host CW games in bihar. He is really touched by the drought situation in bihar. Now this is strange, I knew that bihar suffers from flood disasters. I thought that bihar has pretty well water sources and it gets good rain every season. So much rain that rivers Ganges and Damodar floods half of the bihar. Mr Nitish kumar certainly needs lessons in natural resource management- water management to be precise. But Mr kumar what will you do with Rs 5000cr? That's a lot of money.I think bihar will vote for next assembly within next few months. The election commision team is already there in patna..isn'it?So how are you planning to spend the money- Deposit 1000 cr in your swiss bank account, 2000 cr for your peers, goons , renegade ganglords, 500 cr to buy independent MPs and maybe spend some of the remaining on the relief work.Oh ...but you have relief in your mind..what about re-construction, rehabilitation. Hmmm..so you are already thinking about your next trip to delhi..How much will you ask next time? maybe Rs10000 Cr? But i wonder what happened to bihar's savings account...is it empty? Oh i forgot..Your state is one of the poorest provinces in the world..majority of the people don't fall under income tax slab and those who fall don't pay it...also Mr Lalu Yadav sweeped the savings account a decade ago. I understand Mr Nitish ...You do a tough job in Bihar!

Ma, Mati Ar Manush

Mamata banerjee sweeped the kolkata municipal election just to prove that marxism is no longer viable in bengal and urban bengal wants to get some momentum. Didi's slogan of 3M's or Ma, Mati and Manush has been accepted by the people of urban bengal. Not long ago Buddha babu dismissed this slogan saying "Oh! it's a jatra'.

Municipal elections are not that big in magnitude and most of the people(outside that particular municipality) are not bothered about who forms the council to administer the urban areas. But kolkata municipal elections were really important. Bangla has been under lot of media coverage- mostly for bad things- frequent bandhs, Lalgarh, Singur, Falling Industries and lowest GDP. This election, smaller in magnitude but was of utmost importance.People in delhi were also concerned about this election. Why? Well the loss of marxism shows that the decades old communist bengal is ready to rub off the rust and wants to be in motion and embrace a new life.

Here are the results for this year's civic polls in bengal

Battle for Bengal (Total 81 seats)
	Left Front	18 (-36)
	Trinamool	33 (+22)
	Congress	7

	Battle for Kolkata (Total 141 seats)
	Left	33 (-42)
	Trinamool	95 (+53)
	Congress	10 (-5)

Mamata's Ma, Mati and Manush really worked well and connected with people. But many people don't know that this indeed came from a jatra. Long back, in 1975 when mamata was 20 and buddha babu was being groomed for bigger thinbs things in life, a jatra called Ma-Mati-Manush, scripted by Bhairab Ganguly, was topping the charts in Bengal. The coinage has struck the bengal people and communists are really not happy about it. Elections are always fun to follow, people spitting on each other faces, throwing shoes on each other and giving statements and counter-statements in media. Lot's of things happens and infact those people who think that politics is no good can try to think again. These times can be really entertaining1..yes you heard it right..entertaining.

For Example, Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee during the run up to civic polls said...

“Every day, some new train is being inaugurated like duronto, uronto, jhulonto, dubonto (fast, flying, hanging, sinking). What is happening? Is this maa, mati, manush?’’

 

Maoist: A problem and Opportunity

Every maoist attack in dantewada or else, shakes the nation. But the  most surprising issue is the inability and lack of foresightedness in new delhi. Monday;s mayhem has shown that states and centre are not working together on a plan.They are still "working" on strategies. Government don't want to use military against maoist. And That should be fine. Most of the people in country don't give much attention to this "Red problem". Why these people from the jungles of Orrisa,Chatisgarh and Bengal have beacome a problem?

Well It's a long story.To make it short it's the anguish and frustration, accumulated over years. These tribals were neglected for decades. Reds are not different, they are part of this nation.All they want is their right to live..live like humans.They don't have food,shelter,Health facilities,Clean water,education,jobs and many more things.They never complained for last fifty years. But the patience has dried up.Just last weekend, I heard my neighbor shouting and abusing the customer care agent over the phone. Reason, Because his broadband connection was working very slow and he was not able to download the Ironman movie. They are fighting for basic amenities. People on top don't want them to live like humans and neither they want them to fight.If you go by goverment developmental plans, these people should be getting govenment jobs pretty easily. why? because they fall under "scheduled Caste" and "Scheduled Tribe" category. Then what's the problem? The problem is local authorities sold SC and ST certificates to people who can pay for it.Developmental funds were allocated to the states for the betterment of these backward regions. What's the problem? No audits..no folllowups were done and ministers and bureaucrats ate up all the funds. India sure is a country of great contrast. One part of the country boasts of flashy malls and other part of the country eats ant eggs. Every article about maoist problem talks about "How to defeat them in war". I think it needs to be changed. People should start asking questions? Re-evaluate the development work and initiate plans. Bring these people in sync with the rest of the country.Show them the results. Make them feel that this is their home and they have equal rights to live and dream.but the big question is how to do that? Government will say- "No development before surrender." Start working on those areas...and drop the idea of asking to surrender. The maoist problem has grown out of proportion and is spreading fast. 

People in these areas are dying because of diseases like jaundice,malaria, dysentery.Lalgarh hardly has a proper hospital. Don't just sent police and paramilitary..sent doctors, teachers, agriculturists also. They won't kill them.They hardly have done any damage to civilian population. Government will have to abandon it's inflexible policies and take the "step of faith". Don't just talk about deploying army and air force. You are scaring them. Talk about rehabilitation, bringing their kids to state run schools and colleges,teaching them the basics of modern agriculture, connecting them with communities.and trust me these will show results.Publish success stories.Give them hope and a path to come back. Otherwise this would become like a cancer. We, as a country need to stop it.

Stupid Americans…Get a brain morons!!!

Fox News has been showing President Obama’s speech throughout the day. Obama says that he is going to raise the taxes on those companies who ship their jobs outside the border to countries like India and china.He also says that american kids should be mentored well so that they can take on to the “lads from bangalore and beijing”. Obama’s speech was full of contradictions and he’s just trying to cover the deeper revelations that awaits in next few years. Many americans don’t know and don’t give a damn to what is happening with economy. They care about the economy only when they are turned down for loans, mortage or credit cards.They care when their credit score dives down rapidly for using too much credit.History says that after 19th century, every major international problem has the american factor attached to it. The wars in last two decades, economic crisis ..everything. Jesus…That’s why most people don’t like americans. Well ,people like McDonalds,KFC and Pepsi but not american people.

Alright coming back to the main issue.what exactly is Obama hiding? well he is not saying how exactly he’s going to bring back the jobs from asian giants. How exactly he’s goin to improve the debt condition.Right this momemt ,public debt is around $40,000 per american. That’s lot of amount. American banks are sending out huge amounts to infrastructure companies in china and service industries in india. After all they can lend money to only those people who can pay back the money..right!! And there’s only two countries which have the ability to pay back massive loans and have negligible public debt- India and china. Let’s suppose that Outsourcing is shut down..what will happen? Banks like american express, Bank Of America, Washington Mutual will not be able to sustain their operations because of cost overruns. Auto companies like GM are already taking a beating and are pleading for stimulus.They are trying to cut down expenses and raise the profit margins.Asians are providing “quality service” under a very cheap rate. Their Railways, airlines, Telecom, Banking, even retails are managed and maintained from Off shore locations. It’s the social, economic and technical network and one Obama will never be able to de-tangle it. If they try to withdraw it then they are sealing their fate…they will never be able to recover. One after another the big american companies will fall like dominos. 

Personally i don’t have much appreciation for americans. They are the worst of modern human race. But given the fact that much of our clients are americans…so can’t help it. I would like to do business with europeans rather than americans. In larger ways, they are always part of the problem..for them and for others…And when it comes to fix the problem they only think about themselves.

  Their leaders are just making fool of them. What they don’t know is within next 2 years their household debt will increase to $100,000. They talk about protectionism..keeping everything within their boundaries. It’s gonna worsen the situation. What they should be saying is building partnership to get support at this crisis. Distribute manufacturing and services to enhance productivity and quality. That will put the sale on upward curve.Sale means profit.simple Economics.Cut down extra spending on irrelevant bills and unnecessary projects  .But the americans don’t want to sit tight. It’s no more 1980s and 1990s.If you cannot buy Burgers and pepper soda then buy a pack of noodles. Minimize the use of credit. That will give lot of breather to Banks. Man! all simple things, just need some dedication and understanding.

 

I will not be surprised to see if one fine morning americans start yelling socialist slogans and head out to get communist bangel or che Guevara tattoo.

Republicanism: The Reality Check!

India became a republic on 26th Jan 1950. This was the day when we were granted our fundamental rights. However with the course of time, all of us have made our own set of rights(which are not exactly the right things). For instance the right to not pay taxes, right to drink and drive and right to not exercise one’s vote. And many of us take great pride in exercising these. It seems like “RIGHT TO BE WRONG” is the cool thing….or is it?????

 

Perfect republic is a very slow and fragile process. But the idea of republicanism is a idea which is millennia old. From Rome to Greece and even in ancient india one can find bits and pieces of modern republics. It took ages and big sacrifices to build a free and sustainable nation.So it’s very important that people understand the concept and implications of being a republican nation.It’s true that people don’t understand the importance of those things which are easily or readily available. What if india was a tighter republican country like Russia where civil rights are fairly restricted or like china where you don’t have absolute right of speech.Many people asked me what could have happened if Netaji was elected to form the goverment? It would have been better. But it would have been a hybrid republicnism. Part Authoritarian- Part republicanism. In the wake of economic growth and growing ‘standard of living’ do people still take pride in tri colour which is sold at almost every nukkad. Do these national celebrations stir the same kind of emotions as they used to. People want their kids to learn science, mathematics, swimming , tennis but they cannot take time and teach what is the importance of being a republic, our pledge as a nation and the future course of country.

Even at 61st year it is just a public holiday. For many though, the day holds the moment when a nation was born.Many people say that “I am patriotic”. Oh yes! we are patriotic only on 26 jan and 15 aug and rest of the 363 days we think about being a software engineer and secure a green card or go to some american university to get higher education and never come back to this land. The other day ,sitting in O’ Hara ,i heard few MNC managers saying that “Jana Gana” is our national song. I interrupted , well i cannot possibly stand back and let this pass over me. Man, that was shocking, none of these high fliers knew that “Jana Gana’ is our national anthem and ‘Vande Matram’ is our national song.It was though not that shocking to hear that they don’t know the composers of these songs, that was expected! many people don’t know the sequence of colours in our flag and the sysmbolic significance they hold. Many people don’t even knew that we as indian people , were not allowed to hoist national flag at our home or offices. It was done after Navin Jindal took the matter in court and won.

Many people think that it is utter nonsense to waste time and money to show off military might and cultural bits at India Gate. Is it so? what do you think?

 

This is the day when we actually became a nation. this is the day which reminds me and assures me that i belong to a sovereign country. the so called show off at india gate is to tell the countrymen that we are safe and no one can deny us our rights.

USE YOUR RIGHTS FOR LIFE AND LIBERTY AND RESPECT THE MOMENT WHICH CAME AFTER MANY SACRIFICES

The titan who destroyed BENGAL

Jyoti Basu was chief minister of west Bengal for straight 23 years. Two days ago he took his last breath in the ICU of Advanced Medicare Research Institute In Salt Lake, Kolkata. For the past few days he was valiantly fighting all that nature threw at him. By the time he died all the vital organs  resigned and he was on life support system. In the eyes of his “devotees” he will remain the finest prime minister India never had. yes! Many people won’t be able to recall that during 1996 election he almost made it to 7 Racecourse. It’s a different and i would say , “fortunate’ thing that his own politburo vetoed out that proposal. Why fortunate? well, many people who are not bengalis or have never lived in bengal would think that he was a legendary communist and leader. Sure he was a leader but look what he did to Bengal. He presided over the fading of “Once glorious state of Bengal”. So i say that those who experienced Basu’s Bengal as opposed to those who idealized it from far would prefer a cold-blooded assessment.

Like me, there are many people who don’t live in bengal anymore. From Bombay to Boston, about every buzzling city has it’s share of bengali refugees. You can find “probashi bongs” who were compelled to re-locate because of contraction of opportunities to different parts of the globe, Only to occasionally return to the land once called the cultural and educational hub of country. West bengal is not a place of contemporary relevance; it’s the place time forgot.Kolkata now is a museum piece. somebody cruel once said that “it’s the worlds largest old people’s home”. You go there as if you are a heritage tourist, a nostalgic junkie or have a particularly beloved patriarch to visit one final time. Many claim, including few of my friends who are die hard communist, that he is worshipped by millions in rural bengal. I always wondered how true is this? In the 70’s and 80’s when india was embracing the revolutionary 5 year economic plans and was trying to make small attemps to come out of the days of misery and fallout . Basu deliberately resisted new technology and trade in bengal. State board schools were not allowed to teach english before 6 standard. Computers were kept out of the schools and government offices. Business was hounded and bengal lost that golden shine. What a pity! i remember my maternal uncles used to say that Calcutta looked exactly like London.Those same bronze street lights, stone paved roads and clean and majestic building lines. This was the state which taught indians how to speak english. During british period poets like Tagore and Sarat Chandra were giving European poets run for their money. Education was at it’s best and many used to compare Presidency college, Scottish Church with the best in the world. After basu came to power these colleges became the hub for student politics and hooliganism. Many would remember the ‘cadre-cracy’ of CPM. What happened with all this? As an early industrial state West bengal should have led the march into post industrialisation . With it’s excellent educational institutions and strong middle class, it should have been a service sector’s natural. The first IT companies and IT-ES boom should have happened in Calcutta. Basu didn’t allow this. History will never forgive him. Nor will all those people who are compelled to leave their birth land. Basu was a well travelled man. He himself studies English Honours in Presidency college, Kolkata( I still hear that it’s one the best departments in Literature studies) and also studied law in london. He knew what are the global trends and what will happen if technology and english are driven out of the country, all in the name of anti-elitism. Alright, back to the question..How successful was Basu in Rurals? My state has 18 districts and 14 of these districts are amongst the poorest in india. I ask what has changed. The comrades in communist parties have long cried about inequalities between kolkata and rest of the districts. I ask what have they done about it. People are revolting in Jhargram and Midnapur, many people in north and south dinajpur don’t have enough food for their familes ..they live in mud houses which are washed away by the river flood, every monsoon.

 

The path he charted, led my land to the heart of Darkness.I wish we can bring him back to life and put him on a public trial. He sent his country men to the period of misery and agony. I really think that he got a very easy death. But I am also sure that in his last few moments he must have asked one question to himself- What have I done?

A show for all ages….

 

       

The still captures almost every age at the inauguration of president Obama , as they look on at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.

US Subprime Mortage Crisis : Everybody's Fault

Uh..It's good to be back in bloggersville...It been 15-20 days that i have not opened my blog. Then i don't get time these days....Lotsa things happenin in office..Last month we saw the melting of financial giants..this month we saw the the melting of Satyam and near-disaster at Wipro. So much data is flowing for reproccesing or verification that we financial data security people hardly get any time. and again with the implementation of Siebel CRM the work has increased many folds. I sometime think that working on a financial vertical is notall a good option but sometimes it feels good coz in many situation you will be the first to know abt things. For Example the meltdown of American Mortage sector. When i joined the Equifax team the mortage sector was already extended for lower middle class, immigrants and students on some terms and conditions which , now quite evident were not sufficient.

At that point of time nearly one in five U.S. mortgage borrowers owe more to lenders than their homes are worth, and the rate may soon approach one in four as housing prices fall and the economy weakens, a report on Friday shows. Banks and Capital depositors are central to any economic model- be it Capitalism or Communism. They are responsible for the liquidity and availability of capital. On Monday, 20 Octoder 2008 I recieved a advanced alert report from Carelogic about a possible rise in Negative Equity. We were also dealing with Data breach at CountryWide Home Mortagage and BM Melon. We also got some advanced reports on irregularities in the books of Wachovia and AIG. A stupid can also guess that a big organisation like AIG or Lehmann Brothers cannot go bankrupt in a single day. This is the result of inefficient policy making and poor control. About 7.63 million properties(it's abt 18%) had negative equity in September, and another 2.1 million will follow if home prices fall another 5 percent. We identified seven states which were badly hit by the crisis- Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio . Together these states accumulated 61% of all "underground" borrowers and the shocking thing was this is about 41% of US Mortage. That blew the minds. I said " Jesus! they granted mortgages to these people. How in god's grace these companies will manage to pull up the money." It was quite evident that these companies were left with little and it would be hard to steer away from this situation.

On 1 November CNN-IBN was broadcasting a interview with David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's...according to Mr. Wyss ""This is very much a regional problem, and people tend to forget that".One of my collegue was furious "This is so typical american..kis *****ye ko le kar aaye hai"....m********do ko samaj nahi aata ki lagne wali hai....sale hamari jobs aur salary kha jayenge"....Well in a way he was right...i think we were more concerned about the meltdown. If something happens there we will have to share the consequences- Projects will be withdrawn, People will loose jobs or salary cut. Mr. Wyss Continued ""Most of the country is not in bad shape. Things seem to be stabilizing in Michigan, but the big bubble states -- Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada -- are still very overpriced."

I was wondering is this a honest way to avoid any economic panic or he's just trying to patching up irregularities. In reality about 68 percent of U.S. adults own their own homes, and about two-thirds of them have mortgages. Now the situation is like JPMorgan Chase & Co, one of the biggest mortgage lenders offered to modify $70 billion of mortgages to keep a potential 4 lakh homeowners out of foreclosure. Bank of America Corp, which bought Countrywide Financial Corp in July, also has a large loan modification program. Despite a series of expensive government programs to spur lending, mortgage rates are rising, making it tougher to borrow or refinance. The rate on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage jumped this week to 6.46 percent from 6.04 percent. Now it seems like New York is also under fire. We're going to see home prices coming down pretty significantly in New York. I think It's the after effect. Obama Sure will have a tough time in White House. But GoodLuck to You, Mr. President!

And from our side we are making honest attempts to save American money- for our betterment and our country's.

Taiwan Vs PRC: A David Vs Goliath Story

The roof of World is boiling again after almost 2 decades. In response to the strict Chinese hold on the social, economical n religious life of Tibet, thousands of monks and local youths “marooned” the streets of Lhasa- the caital of Tibet. Native people and communities are protesting against strict laws on practicing Buddhism, setting up Trade and many other basic Rights. The Migration of Han-Chinese people into tibet and implementing major changes in and around the land is causing huge amount of agitation and it’s clearly evident from the magnitude of the protests. While Chinese forces are aggressively marching this “peaceful” part of world attracting lot of diplomatic and religious attention, I think there’s another aspect which is equally disturbing , both in terms of politics and military affairs. The attitude of Chinese communist government towards Taiwan is a pretty long stand and as a matter of fact complicated also.It all started when Kuomintang (KMT) armies of Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949 after their defeat at the hands of the Communists. Chinese red army was going great guns with this win, setting up diplomatic relations and ties with neighboring communist countries and against anything which is “pro-capitalist”, but the plucky island nation has seen many unique transformations. The KMT had ruled it in its traditional dictatorial way, with the larger than life image of Chiang stamped on Taiwan. But Taiwan progressed economically to become a world centre of excellence in computer technology,biotechnology and modern business methodologies. Taiwan is way different from mainland china.Taiwan is a modern industrial megalopolis with the fringes of old culture.If u step out from chaotic Taipei you will know why it is known as “IIho Formosa” aka “The Beautiful Island”. Sitting beside Siouguluon river and enjoying bunon dance is a nice way to experience the beauty of this island nation. It’s mountainous terrain in the east and gradual slope towards the west strangely echoes it’s geo-political policies which are widely pro-west.
After the US repudiated diplomatic links with Taiwan in a reversal of policy towards the mainland — mid-wifed by Henry Kissinger in 1971 — leaving a military lifeline for the island, the KMT lived by its wits. It’s different thing that under the table and out of media’s attention US remained the main arms supplier and diplomatic back for this tiny but gutsy island nation. The “grand old man of Taiwan”, Lee Teng-hui, the father of the island’s independence movement, helped install Chen Sui-bian in office as President as the island took a dramatic turn towards democracy. Chen’s greatest gift has been the sharpening of the Taiwanese identity, and, except for China, most countries are reasonably happy with supporting a majority of Taiwanese who feel comfortable with its virtual independence. China has not taken off the table the use of force to bring Taiwan into the Chinese State. The United States has accepted Beijing’s "one China" policy but retains an agreement to come to the island’s rescue in times of distress and is the main supplier of arms.
In 1996, the Chinese had lobbed missiles into the Taiwan Strait to discourage the island’s voters to support Lee Teng-hui, a tactic that badly misfired, apart from provoking the US to send a massive naval armada towards the island and installing permanent bomber and tactical air force activity on the Taiwan strait and Indian ocean.The incident also changed the activities of US navy’s Seventh Fleet, Indian Navy and NATO forces stationed at Japan. Today mainland China have become more sophisticated in terms of economy, social structure , wooing Taiwan with promises of lovely future although a formidable array of missiles facing Taiwan remains in place on the mainland. This is a strategy and principle china has been adopting for long- A “White rose” bouquet in one hand and a “Rifle” in another hand.
For one thing, the Taiwanese are in no mood to accept the "one China, two systems" formula under which Hong Kong and Macau became part of the mainland. Taiwan’s transition to democracy has become a new hurdle to the island becoming part of a one-party state, but the Taiwanese identity chiseled by Lee and Chen has encouraged a sense of nationalism, Beijing will find hard to dent. Taiwan has enjoyed de facto independence for close to 50 years and its background as a Japanese colony had kept it out of mainland Chinese mainstream for many years. So there’s less probability of integration, atleast in near future.
Taiwanese Government promises to try to make peace with the mainland by promoting a better security relationship through military confidence-building measures, but it is in effect putting "reunification" on the back-burner for at least some decades. Thus far, Taiwan’s efforts to gain international recognition have become a game and a ritual. The island is recognized by few countries; those that do are small Caribbean, African or other island nations. Every year, Taiwan seeks entry into the United Nations – it was replaced by China in the UN Security Council after the United States transferred its recognition to Beijing – and its application is routinely shot down at the procedural stage. At regional economic group meetings, its representation is pegged at bureaucratic, rather than political levels in deference to Beijing’s sensitivities. In international sporting events, it must compete as Chinese Taiwan.For Taiwanese, these rituals serve a purpose, however hopeless the island’s prospects of wider recognition in the face of strong opposition from Beijing.
It is strengthening the feeling of being Taiwanese. The key question remains: will Beijing have the patience to smother Taiwan in an economic embrace over several decades – an embrace it cannot leave because the two economies will become fused? Or Perhaps Beijing will make a gesture by removing inland some of the intimidating missile batteries aimed at Taiwan.

Sheltered Crimes.....Mafia N Bhai

Through out history crime has existed in many different forms and structures.It has been committed by individuals as well as groups......some commited it for money .....some for power......some for lust...n some for hatred....Crime knows no precints...It committed by All races ...all classes of society and it exists in every time period. Crime exists in Organised as well as un organized way and strangely for some itz a life style and no less then religion .The Mafia of Italy and America...The Bhais of our own amchi Mumbai.....all are forms of organized crime and are propelled by more than cash bundles or power plays....These are source of a dark and very attractive religion. Itz dark but itz seems so spectacular .People like me who always loved power and guns think it as religion. Many fall into it and few able to escape it. The first rule of this religion is that itz easy to enter but itz impossible to leave it..there’s no retirement...Only death can grant u freedom .Joining the mafia and Bhai’s gang is like joining a religion.Many are there who are smitten by the bedazzling effect of this religion.Who can forget Al pacino in GodFather and scarface......robert de Niro’s The untouchables .......n again al pacino n Jhony depp starrer Donnie Brasco......N closer to home...Our Malik bhai n Chandu bhai....

Leave reel life n look in real life ...look back and u will see Charles Luciano, The great Boss of Bosses n his infamous Murder Inc. in manhattan. In 1920’s he used to control the full prostitution business of manhattan...Manhattan itself describes that itz not street type prostitution and many high profile people were his regular customers.He was kidnapped,beaten n stabbed severely and repetedly with an ice pick...Miraculously he survived and took the oath of “Omerta” which was a vow never to reveal any mafia secret under penalty of death and torture. He rose to the rank of Boss of bosses and strangely helped America in the invasion of sicily...Look at his reach and power that he facilitated one important international political event.In return of his help American authorities deported him to Rome. He died of a heart attack in 1962. Myer Lansky was also a prominent name in American mafia circuit.He was an close associate of Luciano.
Mafia world is governed by Gun, Money, Power, Silence but the mafia philosophy is also also strange...Oh ya They have some philosophy also.........There philosophy is centered around the word “ Omerta” which refers to the idea of “ A man resolving his own problems”. Today the Italian-american mafia remains the most powerful operating and controlling crime groups in Sicily, Chicago and New york city. The term mafia has now expanded and being used for many other groups involved in organized crime like the Russian mafia, the Japanese mafia...)...Itz a religion which grows on blood and will continue to attract many ....As the mafia book says “Your free when you are dead”.

Dawn of targeted Assassination In Pakistan

Last many hours have been really dynamic...Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was shot down by a fidayeen bomber .The suicide bomber was behind her and shot 3 rounds on her .The weapon was a handgun so the bullet probably was magnum or from similar group.The Bullet fractured her skull resulting in serious hemorrhage. The conditions in Pakistan are really deteriorating fast and there’s a special concern about this as far as India is concerned. She had fallen in a game which is not new in Pakistan. Army Generals and Extremist Leaders have repeatedly Disturbed Pakistani political system. I am sure Jinnah never thought about this..He never had a clue that Pakistan will turn to a path of becoming rogue state.There’s an increased amount of activity of intel agencies in India, Afganistan and CIA substations in Southern Asia. Remember that Pakistan is a nuclear state and the disturbed political system can be a real threat to the national interests of many countries including NATO countries.

Pakistan is fighting insurgents and tribals in the Pak-Afghan border and for last weeks there’s also a rise in the anti-government activities of rebels in Waziristan Area. Al Qaeda and Other associate organizations are working hard to dismantle the hold of Pakistani military on weapons of mass destruction. But the smuggling of few nuclear devices cannot be ruled out. Pakistan military has some trained soldiers and officers who can assemble n dissemble a nuclear device and there's high probability that few of them can defect to terror organization. There’s one player in this game which plays every time but remains invisible. This player have been the reason of Pakistani military’s hold on political leadership.I am talking about Inter services Intelligence.ISI is an important player and right now it's difficult to pin point it’s role in the assassination. But there’s one thing for sure that ISI had the tip of this Assassination Plan .

One name that comes into my mind is that of Mehsud. Mehsud is a Hard Line Islamic Extremist leader in North Waziristan and is closely associated with Taliban.He may have the direct role in planning the assassination. There’s an indication that he marked Bhutto for assassination right from the month of October.There’s also indications that Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid is also involved in the operation.He is Al-Qaeda’s afghan War commander and has earned lot of respect from Queda Governing Board.The involvement of yazid connects to the deputy commander of Queda Network Ayman-Al Zawahiri.It can be said that Zawahiri may have issued the order for this assassination operation.

This operation would have been a failure ,if ISI or Mujhahideens tried to do it alone.I believe It is a joint effort.But the consequences will be dangerous than this.As of Now the general elections are cancelled and musharraf is the sole power in islamabad.