Reservation - Another Thought

I was thinking if reservation can really help underprivileged then let's extend the same concept to each and every field. And this post here from Lavanya explains the same.

Reservation - For whom??

A lot of heated argument is taking place about Mandal II bill.
Well!! here is my two bit for the protest of this bill with some reasoning’s.

Negatives of having reservation!!
Entrenching reservation on basis of Caste directly attacks the national unity, it will do nothing but create further divisions between the untouchables and upper cast.
Those that deserve the seat through merit will be at a disadvantage. That will reflect on the repercussions of unqualified candidates assuming critical positions in society such as that of Doctors, engineers etc and their by increasing chances of more fatalities in these areas because we will be sacrificing quality.

Extending reservations in educational institutes public or private will help only a small few élite of educated Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs. Such measures do nothing to lift the mass (really poor/underprivileged mass) of people out of backwardness and poverty.

Reason!!
If a family (which can extend from Brahmin’s to Rajput’s to SC/ST or OBS) is poor, then the head of the family would like his son/daughter to assist him in the farm/labor so as to increase the total household income, rather than sending his son/daughter to institutes. This means that the reserved seats would fail to attract these poor chaps from acquiring education.
As a result these particular sections of people would continue to remain underprivileged.
However a few elite of educated Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs, whose family financial condition is little better would surerly benefit from this reservation system, but then at the cost of more/better eligible candidate belonging to Non-OBC category.

A more better approach towards upliftment of these backword sections (which can be Brahmins/Rajputs/SC/ST etc) would be to assist them by means of scholarships/book bank facility/free meals etc. This would lure poor family to send their son/daughter for education with the hope that they might save some fund from the scholarship money and that their expense on daily meals would be saved for that candidate of the house.
This means I am asking for reservations not in Seats but in Scholarships/food grants etc.

Caste or Class??
The entire scheme of this reservation in education has been formulated on basis of caste distinctions. It has been assumed with no statistical facts that in present India, people belonging to SC/ST/OBC caste system are poor and underprivileged, which in my opinion is totally incorrect considering the present socio-economic condition of India.
The definition of underprivileged should be derived on the basis of CLASS and NOT CASTE. And it is not difficult to gather this statistics. Tell me how many under the SC/ ST quota are first generation college goers or from households where income is below par?

Who is underprivileged??
This paper from Prof. Pradipta Pradipta Chaudhury clearly indicates that the literacy rate seems to be strongly inversely associated with ritual rank. i.e. Literacy percentage amongst lower caste people is more than in higher caste. However if we go by class then definitely the literacy percentage bears a direct relationship with it. i.e. Lower is the class, lower the literacy percentage.

A Flawed Report
A more serious drawback of the Mandal II bill is that it is based on the facts collected quarter century ago. The Mandal Commision established in 1979 by Janta Party had then submitted a report that estimated that 52% of the total population (excluding SCs and STs), belonging to 3,743 different castes and communities was ‘backward’. The point to note here is that the commision declared that “Since population figures along caste lines were not available beyond 1931, the Commission used the 1931 census data to calculate the number of OBCs”. This means we are undertaking reformative action on basis of 75 year old data. Nothing sounds more ridiculous to me than this.

Can’t we pick a more recent census data which provides details on the lines of age, sex, religion, marital status, educational status and disability, and use it to derive what percentage of the mass is underprivileged then finding the reasons and then thinking of whether to go for reservation system or not and if at all yes then on basis of caste or class?


Mandal Report - The fact
SS Gill was secretary, Mandal Commission and he writes in Indian Express
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/2343.html

During its discussions the Commission was fully aware that reservations were only a palliative, and 27 per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs was only one of several recommendations. Briefly, other important recommendations were:

- the radical alteration in production relations through progressive land reforms;

- special educational facilities to upgrade the cultural environment of the students, with special emphasis on vocational training;

- separate coaching facilities for students aspiring to enter technical and professional institutions;

- creation of adequate facilities for improving the skills of village artisans;

- subsidised loans for setting up small-scale industries;

- setting up of a separate chain of financial and technical bodies to assist OBC enterpreneurs.

Understanding Law and regulations

This is one of the best post I have come across to understand the Law and Legal regulations.

Monopolising the DoP

I stumbled across this news today and stumbled further as I read it. It sounded funny in the beginning and I laughed my heart out at the imagination of Mr. Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State for IT and Telecom, as I read the complete post.
At the end of the post I was trying to find out something that would say “April Fool” or something…. Then I realized, no it’s not April yet and the guy is serious in getting this Law passed and deforming the already deformed structure of Indian Postal Services.

Instead of utilizing his thought (I will not say thoughtS, for he doesn’t seem to have much) in reforming the DoP by ensuring the ‘Reliability’ and ‘Speed’ of postal delivery by DoP, this man is trying to create a monopoly market that too in this century when the entire world is asking for free market free competition. This man sounds as if he is still living in the 18th century.

GOD SAVE INDIA!!!

Jamshedpur... need for Revival

Most of us Jamshedpurian’s are aware and feel proud that Jamshedpur has been selected as the pilot city for Global Compact City program. There is no doubt that Jamshedpur is one among some of the very few cities in India where the living standard, the social culture, the environment is not good but “Best”. I myself have grown up and spent 18 years of my life there, till I was forced to move out of such beautiful city in seek for better higher education and then for better Job.

And the same very fate was met by my batchmates/friends who in need for a good higher education and good job ahead had to sacrifice the pleasure of living in Jamshedpur. And it continues year after year with hundreds of young talent crowd moving out and settling in different cities. Reasons? There are certain things that this city lacks and in which it is not in pace with time. Things, the need of which, other cities like Pune, Noida, Bangalore and Hyderabad have realized and acquired.

Higher Education
It is not that the education in Jamshedpur is not good, it is ‘Best’. But that is only upto +2 level. Beyond that if one looks for a good reputed college where one can pursue Economics/Arts/Literature, he can find none in the city and so the only option they are left with is to move to Delhi/Pune/Mumbai.

Yes we do have an Engineering college (RIT) and a Medical College (MGM) in the city, but again when you compare the standards/facilities provided in these colleges as compared to the one you get in similar regional engineering colleges (or medical colleges) in other cities, the city stands far too behind.
One may argue here is that Jamshedpur has got XLRI, one of the best MBA colleges in India. Yes true, but what I am asking for is a good college to go after +2. Do we have good colleges providing courses which are talk-of-the-time nowadays like Mass-Comm, Interior Designing and Fashion Designing etc?

The city education establishment has a hole, a gap between under-graduation and post-graduation. Some good graduation Colleges for different subjects are the need of the day.
Establishment of such good colleges for higher education would prevent Brain Drain from the city and would also lure more corporate companies, other than those Core Industrial Units (which the City boasts of), to open up offices and establishments in the city.

Job Variety
The city lacks in job variety for the residents. It is full of core-manufacturing units but Industries other than that like Telecom, Financial Consultancy firms, IT, Journalism, Entertainment etc, you would find none.

Why can’t we transform Jamshedpur into a IT-Hub like Pune/Noida/Bangalore? How and in what way do we lack in what those cities can provide and Jamshedpur cannot?
All we need is enough supply of electricity, good road conditions and cheap lands to lure the IT Companies. And I am sure Jamshedpur lacks in none of these requirements.

Jamshedpur has got a good strategic location, similar to that of Pune, both being near to metro city, cheap land, cheap labor etc. Infact Jamshedpur enjoys the privilege of having large resource of minerals and ore mines in the adjoining areas and thus a larger scope of Job for educated and un-educated.

I could go on and on listing several such things that the city should have had by now ranging from Traffic Signals to Movie Halls to Multiplexes to Malls.....
It is time that the authorities governing the city should act now or else it would no longer remain a city that could provide a standard living life-style to its residents. And it would be just another city like Lucknow/Kanpur, which were once the most economically powered cities in India.

Man of the Match 'Faisala' at Faisalabad

I couldn’t understand why R.P. Singh was awarded the Man of the Match Award for the second test in Faisalabad. It’s understandable that award could not go in favor of batsman, because the pitch was in their favor and so it becomes imperative that any good work from the bowler’s side be rewarded, but then why not Zaheer Khan? He took 7 wickets and R.P. Singh took 5. They both bowled almost the same number of over and gave away almost the same number of runs and had almost the same rate.
Considering the fact that getting wickets in this dead track was almost an impossible task, having a lead of 2 wickets is a considerable achievement I suppose.
In addition Zaheer scored (with bat) more runs than R.P. Singh :)

RTI... a good thing for India

When the Central Government passed the RTI (Right to Information Act) bill sometime back, I was more than happy. For I knew this is one among several good measures taken by the Government that would help crib the corruption and expose frauds. And a true example is right here. All we need now is to make good utilization of this act and help make India better.

Wanna get Rich?? Forget IIMs.... Get into Politics!!

SC has sent a notice to Mulayam Singh Yadav, seeking explanation for the wealth/property acquired by him/his family members and for allegedly accumulating wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
This is the list of his properties as was presented by Indian Express:

In the name of Mulayam Singh Yadav
• 23,876.325 sq feet, converted to freehold by paying Rs 40.6 lakh to Lucknow Development Authority
• Lucknow plot in the name of Mulayam’s first wife Malti Devi
• 10,000 sq ft in benami name of Ranvir Singh
• 14 acres in Etawah
• Flat at Friends Colony, Etawah
• Bank FDs: Rs 26 lakh

In the name of son Akhilesh Yadav
• 3,100 sq ft in Lucknow
• House in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow
• One bigha and 6 biswas land at village Kamta, district Lucknow (sold to Lisa Builders)
• Najul land measuring 23,872 sq ft in Hazratganj
• Benami property in the name of RCS Rawat: plot of 300 sq m bearing Plot No. R6/21 at Vipul Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow
• Bank deposits: Rs 25 lakh; bonds and debentures: Rs 4.6 lakh
• Share in other properties worth: Rs 72 lakh
• Agricultural land 16.3 acres in Saifai; Flat at Friends Colony, Etawah

In the name of Dimpal Yadav, wife of Akhilesh
• House in Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Ward Hussain Ganj
• Bank deposits: Rs 16 lakh; Shares: Rs 13 lakh; Jewellery worth Rs 24 lakh
• House at Lucknow; shares in other properties worth Rs 22 lakh

In the name of Pratik Yadav, Mulayam’s son through Sadhna Gupta
• 18 biswas plot in village Kamta; house at 2/8, Vikramaditya Marg

Some years back the same question was raised against Jayalalitha, but the outcome was none. I guess Mulayam will also be able to get over this very easily.
I blame not Mulayam or the Indian politics, but I blame the Indian mass who despite knowing the fact elects these corrupt ministers from their state. And they do it again-and-again.

Shame India!!

Jamshedpur.... nurtured by TATA

This is one fine piece of article I received via mail from a friend, on Jamshedpur and the role TATA has played in maintaining and developing the city.

Lakshmi Mittal speaks :

"I visited Jamshedpur over the weekend to see for myself an India that is
fast disappearing despite all the wolf-cries of people like
Narayanamurthy and his ilk. It is one thing to talk and quite another to
do and I am delighted to tell you that Ratan Tata has kept alive the
legacy of perhaps Indias finest industrialist J.N. Tata. Something that
some people doubted when Ratan took over the House of the Tatas but in
hindsight, the best thing to have happened to the Tatas is
unquestionably Ratan. I was amazed to see the extent of corporate
philanthropy and this is no exaggeration.

For the breed that talks about corporate social responsibility and talks
about the role of corporate India, a visit to Jamshedpur is a must. Go
there and see the amount of money they pump into keeping the town going;
see the smiling faces of workers in a region known for industrial
unrest; see the standard of living in a city that is almost isolated
from the mess in the rest of the country.

This is not meant to be a puff piece. I have nothing to do with Tata
Steel, but I strongly believe the message of hope and the message of
goodness that they are spreading is worth sharing. The fact that you do
have companies in India which look at workers as human beings and who do
not blow their software trumpet of having changed lives. In fact, I
asked Mr Muthurman, the managing director, as to why he was so quiet
about all they had done and all he could offer in return was a smile
wrapped in humility, which said it all. They have done so much more
since I last visited Jamshedpur, which was in 1992. The town has
obviously got busier but the values thankfully haven't changed. The food
is still as amazing as it always was and I gorged, as I would normally
do. I visited the plant and the last time I did that was with Russi
Mody.

But the plant this time was gleaming and far from what it used to be.
Greener and cleaner and a tribute to environment management. You could
have been in the mountains. Such was the quality of air I inhaled! There
was no belching smoke; no tired faces and so many more women workers,
even on the shop floor. This is true gender equality and not the kind
that is often espoused at seminars organised by angry activists. I met
so many old friends. Most of them have aged but not grown old. There was
a spring in the air which came from a certain calmness which has always
been the hallmark of Jamshedpur and something I savoured for a full two
days in between receiving messages of how boring and decrepit the
Lacklustre Fashion Weak was.

It is at times such as this that our city lives seem so meaningless.
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata had created an edifice that is today a robust
company and it is not about profits and about valuation. It is not about
who becomes a millionaire and who doesnt'. It is about getting the job
done with dignity and respect keeping the age-old values intact and this
is what I learnt.

I jokingly asked someone as to whether they ever thought of joining an
Infosys or a Wipro and pat came the reply: "We are not interested in
becoming crorepatis but in making others crorepatis."

Which is exactly what the Tatas have done for years in and around
Jamshedpur. Very few people know that Jamshedpur has been selected as a
UN Global Compact City, edging out the other nominee from India,
Bangalore. Selected because of the quality of life, because of the
conditions of sanitation and roads and welfare. If this is not a tribute
to industrial India, then what is? Today, Indian needs several
Jamshedpurs but it also needs this Jamshedpur to be given its fair due,
its recognition. I am tired of campus visits being publicised to the
Infosys and the Wipros of the world. Modern India is being built in
Jamshedpur as we speak. An India built on the strength of core
convictions and nothing was more apparent about that than the experiment
with truth and reality that Tata Steel is conducting at Pipla.

Forty-eight tribal girls (yes, tribal girls who these corrupt and evil
politicians only talk about but do nothing for) are being educated
through a residential program over nine months. I went to visit them and
I spoke to them in a language that they have just learnt: Bengali. Eight
weeks ago, they could only speak in Sainthali, their local dialect. But
today, they are brimming with a confidence that will bring tears to your
eyes. It did to mine.

One of them has just been selected to represent Jharkand in the state
archery competition. They have their own womens football team and whats
more they are now fond of education. It is a passion and not a burden.
This was possible because I guess people like Ratan Tata and Muthurman
havent sold their souls to some business management drivel, which tells
us that we must only do business and nothing else. The fact that not one
Tata executive has been touched by the Naxalites in that area talks
about the social respect that the Tatas have earned.

The Tatas do not need this piece to be praised and lauded. My intent is
to share the larger picture that we so often miss in the haze of the
slime and sleaze that politics imparts. My submission to those who use
phrases such as "feel-good" and "India Shining" is first visit
Jamshedpur to understand what it all means. See Tata Steel in action to
know what companies can do if they wish to. And what corporate India
needs to do. Murli Manohar Joshi would be better off seeing what Tata
Steel has done by creating the Xavier Institute of Tribal Education
rather than by proffering excuses for the imbroglio in the IIMs. This is
where the Advanis and Vajpayees need to pay homage. Not to all the Sai
Babas and the Hugging saints that they are so busy with. India is
changing inspite of them and they need to realise that.

I couldn't have spent a more humane and wonderful weekend. Jamshedpur is
an eye-opener and a role model, which should be made mandatory for
replication. I saw corporate India actually participate in basic
nation-building, for when these tribal girls go back to their villages,
they will return with knowledge that will truly be life-altering.

Corporate India can do it but most of the time is willing to shy away.
For those corporate leaders who are happier winning awards and being
interviewed on their choice of clothes, my advise is visit Tata Steel,
spend some days at Jamshedpur and see a nation's transformation. That is
true service and true nationalism.

Tata Steel will celebrate 100 years of existence in 2007. It won't be
just a milestone in this company's history. It will be a milestone, to
my mind of corporate transparency and generosity in this country. It is
indeed fitting that Ratan Tata today heads a group which has people who
are committed to nation-building than just building inflluence and
power. JRD must be smiling wherever he is. And so must Jamsetji
Nusserwanji. These people today, have literally climbed every last blue
mountain. And continue to do so with vigour and passion. Thank god for
the Tatas!"

Stin(k)ing Politics and Media...

A lot was said during the infamous “Shakti Sting” operation that the conduct of trespassing into private spaces should not be allowed.
Noted Director Mahesh Bhatt opposed the Sting Operation and went ahead to say that it was aimed at "catching eyeballs" and boosting TRP ratings.
Condemning the way the sting operation was conducted, director Sawant Kumar had said, "had the actor been caught luring an innocent victim, it was understandable. But having a journalist pose and enact a drama is different... it appears to have been staged to trap him".

Like Bhatt and Sawant Kumar there were many from the Entertainment Media who joined the protest against the Sting Operation and raised a huge hue n cry.

Now the *same* episode has been repeated in the field of Politics, where 11 MP’s were caught negotiating for money to raise questions in the parliament. No Director/Actor or the like from the Entertainment Media had raised their voice this time in support of these MP’s.
This Sting appears all fair and just to these very gentlemen’s now. Why the disparity? If it was *privacy* then, it’s *privacy* now.

Only difference is that the people in Entertainment Media was baited with what they like (hot babes i.e.) and the people in Political Media was baited with their likings (money i.e.).

Political Media atleast took a corrective approach by suspending these 11 MP’s. But the Entertainment Media took no action of banning Shakti and the like from their Industry.

Why? Are the men in Entertainment Media even more immoral than these corrupt Politicians?

Bangalore to Bangaluru

So, the politicians of India are up at it again.

As if, changing of names of institutions, gardens and streets were not enough, a new trend has started - Changing names of cities.

After Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai finally it’s Bangalore.

The Karnataka government has 'finally' decided to rename Bangalore to Bengaluru !!

Well, how does it matter?

Perhaps Calcutta has eradicated poverty after being renamed Kolkata.

Perhaps Bombay has less corruption when called Mumbai.

Perhaps the water problem has been solved by calling city as Chennai and not Madras.

Who knows the road and infrastructure of Bangalore can be solved in a similar way!!

Or the idea is to give a new image to this city? We all know that Bangalore was in news recently because of the lack of infrastructure and good roads. Changing the name would simply wipe out this bad image acquired so far by “Bangalore” and Bangaluru can start fresh with clean history. A well know verse in hindi “Na Rahega Baas na Bajegee Bansuri”

Now Imagine the cost involved. All the streets, govt. records, maps, etc etc should be changed. If we know how much changing the name would cost we would certainly be wary of it. Later the govt. will need to implement the legislation.

The only people whom I can think of, who will be benefited with this change in name are those corrupt politicians who would now earn those *extra* emotional votes from the less intelligent man of the society.

Does it make us more Kannadiga when we call Bangalore, Bengaluru?
Will it make me more Indian when I call India as Hindustan, or Bharat?
Let the govt. publish how much it will take just to change a name, and we will see that all the sensible people will opt against such measure.

Laws should be enacted to avoid such name changing which has become the norm and the power should lie with the central govt.
Names should be changed only when "absolutely necessary".
(However I don't know why it would be "absolutely necessary" to change a name of the city after this 50 years of Independence.)

Three Cheers for Nitish Kumar…..

A recent statement from newly elected Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on spat between Maharashtrians and non-Maharashtrians at Mumbai’s J J Hospital campus is something to applaud for. This is what he said:

“Mumbai, being the economic capital of the country, is built on the efforts of all Indians and people from Bihar have contributed immensely to it. Like the national capital Delhi, the economic capital Mumbai too belongs to all.’’

Legislature overpowers the Judiciary at law

I had written about the reservations in Educational institutions some time back and about the fight between the SC and the Political parties for imposing these reservations in Private Institutes. Today reading this news I am totally shocked at the legislature’s behavior of ignoring the judicial decision and forcing the *law*. But I am confused now. If the decision of the highest body of Judiciary i.e. Supreme Court, who is responsible for law enforcement, itself is ignored, then who is going to make sure that this *law* is obeyed and practiced?

Lalu's Rise and Fall

This is an excellent piece of article that I received from rediff and I liked it so much, more because I had myself been a part of that ruined state of Bihar once, that I would like to reproduce the same here in my corner of the web. And despite this fact produced here our Prime Minister holds the gut to applaud and support Lalu.

November 22 is an important date in Bihar's electoral history. After 15 years of Lalu rule, directly and by proxy through his wife Rabri Devi, Bihar has now said enough is enough and shown the RJD the door.

The Rise and Fall of Lalu Yadav
Lalu Prasad Yadav is undeniably one of the most interesting and intriguing characters in Indian politics.
In his 15 years in power, directly or indirectly, he saw his state Bihar go from communal strife to communal amity to caste violence, underdevelopment to rabid underdevelopment.

It was a source of great wonder to the rest of India how Lalu ruled Bihar as the champion of minorities and the downtrodden, mastering the complex caste equations of vote bank politics. Can the Lalu conundrum ever be understood?

Here's a quick look at the highlights of the Lalu era in Bihar:

Lalu took to politics as a Patna University student, and was part of Jayaprakash Narayan's students movement. He won his first Lok Sabha election from Chapra in north Bihar in 1977, became Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly in 1989 and, a year later, became the Bihar chief minister, heading a Janata Dal government.
In the early days of power, Lalu the rustic was like a whiff of fresh air.

Those were the days of the Mandal Commission, and those were the days when Bihar was engulfed by riots in Bhagalpur and Hazaribagh, to name just two places.
After Lalu took over the state's reins, Bihar hardly saw communal violence again. It is one contribution even his severest critics cannot deny.

And his taking over the mantle was symbolic of the empowerment of the backward classes, reservations for whom were suggested by the Mandal Commission, leading to widespread protests throughout the country.

Caste equations were something Lalu was the master of. He carved the Muslim-Yadav alliance, and it was his key to power. A key he used to great effect.

In 1995, he swept the state elections, with an absolute majority of 165 seats in an assembly of 324. His main opponent and the new, rising force in Indian politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party, managed only 41.

Lalu's 1995 triumph was mainly the result of an event soon after he became chief minister. In 1990, BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani rode the crest of the Ayodhya Ram Temple movement by embarking on a nationwide Rath Yatra. It was seen as the ride of Hindutva forces, making the country's huge Muslim population uneasy.

On October 23, 1990, Lalu did what no state government could dare to. He had Advani arrested at Samastipur. It cemented Lalu's position as the protector of minorities, the champion of secularism. It was an image he would exploit in the years to come, by raising the bogey of communal violence to ensure the Muslim vote came his way.

In 1996, Lalu's named cropped up in a major scam unearthed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Millions of rupees had been embezzled from treasuries against the account of Bihar's animal husbandry department. The Opposition had finally found an issue to corner Lalu.

The Janata Dal was divided, and Lalu formed his own party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

When charges were framed against him in the fodder scam, it appeared as if Bihar's king had finally met his Waterloo. But in a political masterstroke, Lalu resigned as chief minister, and instead installed his wife and mother of his nine children, Rabri Devi as chief minister.

While Lalu spent short periods of time in jail, the real rise of criminals unfolded outside, in his state. Kidnapping became an industry, and in many ways Lalu's right-hand man Mohammed Shahabuddin signified all that was wrong with the state. Shahabuddin ran a parallel administration in Siwan even when he was in jail. He was one of the lieutenants who executed Lalu's strategy of dividing and ruling the masses and terrorizing the rich.

Shahabuddin became a Member of Parliament, even as there were arrest warrants against him. Meanwhile, Bihar continued to fare appallingly in every development index. Report after report slammed the state's complete lack of planning, complete lack of ensuring the basic minimum to its residents. But Lalu remained unperturbed, because his power was intact, if not growing.

As Sankarshan Thakur wrote, 'Ask Lalu Yadav [about the lack of development] and he may give you two kinds of responses.

'If he is on record, he will say, the Centre is "responsible for criminal neglect" of Bihar et al. If he is off record, and in a mood to talk, he will tell you development isn't an issue for him. "Development, development, what development? My constituency has lived in underdeveloped conditions for hundreds of years. Development is not an issue for them. Development is an urban middle-class demand, that is why the media keeps harping on it. "Hamra log development leke kya karega ji? Bekaar baat karte hain [What will my people do with development? You talk nonsense)]

Naxalites -- armed ultra-Left militants -- stepped in where the state feared to tread, and bloody battles between them and the upper caste Ranvir Sena became routine in the hinterlands of Bihar.

When Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000 and Shibu Soren made its chief minister, it gave Lalu two leverage points.
One, he now had a new excuse for the underdevelopment of Bihar: that the mineral and natural resource rich part of Bihar had gone to Jharkhand.

Two, he now had an ally in power in a neighboring state. An ally who was as against the BJP as he was.

Even as railway minister, Lalu sought to drive home the BJP's anti-Muslim image. Just before the Bihar elections in February, a railway enquiry committee declared there was no conspiracy behind the fire that engulfed the Sabarmati Express in Godhra in February 2002.

The Gujarat riots that followed the Godhra fire were sought to be justified as retaliation to the pre-planned attack on Hindu kar sevaks. The railway probe results debunked that theory, and fed to the belief that the riots were engineered by Hindutva forces, read the BJP. The message to Muslims in Bihar was clear: the BJP is your enemy. Vote for me, I will protect you.

One of the main problems of unseating Lalu, who enjoyed power without accountability, was the lack of genuine alternatives in Bihar. That began to change with kingmaker aspirant Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan entering the battle for Bihar anew. Paswan and Lalu had similar backgrounds: they were both products of JP's student movement, they were both self-avowed champions of the backward classes. But, Paswan was seen as close to the BJP, who the Muslim populace were wary of. Paswan was a minister in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. That gave him power at the Centre, but weakness in his home state.

On the other end of the political spectrum, Nitish Kumar, also a former Lalu co-traveller, had charted a fresh course, and was harping on the much neglected word in Lalu's Bihar: *development*

As Bihar went to polls twice this year, the chorus of 'remove Lalu, make way for development' had reached a crescendo. The champion of the downtrodden was appealing to the masses to give him one more chance. Just one example is enough to highlight what Lalu's era did to Bihar.

When Lalu found a groom for his daughter Rohini in Hichhan Bigha, the sleepy Bihar hamlet was transformed overnight, with power lines, telephone connections, new roads, water pumps.

After a year, all of it had disappeared, but for the cemented track that connected the village to the main highway. The cemented track was the only memory left of what the Lalu could have achieved, had he wanted to.

Now, out of office, perhaps he could find the time to mull over how, and where, he went wrong.

History’s Worst Software Bugs

This is something to read.... it lists the History’s Worst Software Bugs and tells you what small negligence or errors from programmers can lead to....

Sachin Vs Ganguly

I received this from an old school mate sometime back... thought of posting this but kept forgeting.... well better late than never... so finally it's here......

2,2,2,39,19,11,2,67,93,9,123,6,2,4,47,19,16,74,18,78,82,11,18,37.
31,2,19,20,5,26,51,18,4,9,0,22,55,22,0,48,0,90,90,7,24,25,79,39,60.
The total of the first row is 673. The total of the second row is
746.
Surprise,surprise.The first one is the total of last 25 ODI innings
of the Indian great Sachin.The second one is of Mr.Bong(according to
a famous ex-indian cricketer).

Lets go through some more figures.

16,41,52,52,94,36,32,20,3,55,248,5,2,8,1,8,2,194.
16,101,2,1,12,12,21,88,71,40,57,9,5,45,77,73,144.
The total of the first(sachin's last 18 test innings) - 869 and that
of second(Ganguly's) - 774.

The stats include Sachin's 248 against *Giants* Bangladesh and
Ganguly's 101 against *novices* Zimbabwe.If we take these two innings
out then we have 621 and 673 respectively.The first one is Sachin's
score,the second one of the *worthless* Bong.

If performance and not star system is going to be the key for
inclusion in India team,well then figures don't lie and they say it
all. Note that,I am not saying Ganguly is a better player than Sachin
but both are almost at the same level if their latest performances
are to be considered. So when some Ganguly haters start barking that
Ganguly hasn't been performing of late,the facts say that so hasn't
been Sachin. Shouldn't be the parameters for selection to the Indian
team be the same for all the players or when Sachin's turn comes
past performances and huge experience are the criteria. Then we
should start calling back Gavaskar,Shastri and the likes. Of late
whenever India needed Sachin to perform under pressure he almost
always failed. The latest being the ongoing series against SA and
proving himself in domestic cricket,when has Sachin last played in
domestic cricket? Ganguly has to score runs in domestic cricket to
prove that he is in form after recovering from injury but Sachin is
included in the team automatically after a long absence due to
tennis elbow. Again double standarsds and again no one asks questions.
So all you true cricket lovers think twice before you say something
because you can say anything but the figures will always tell the
truth.

Marketing through blog….

I had thought so far that blogs are meant to express one’s views, random thoughts etc. But surely it is not the thing to be used for *selling* your stuffs. But no I was wrong, Indian filmmakers have started to market their movies through blogs. Note that All links to other blogs provided here talks about the same upcoming movie Apaharan. Interesting….. huh!!

They Lost it…. but they got it!!

The first ODI between India and SA was interesting. Interesting in the sense that how Indian team has learnt to fight back and not loose hope, which they were so accustomed to in the past.
In the past the lower order batsman hardly had the spirit to pull through atleast 25-30 runs. Their had been several occasions when India just needed about 30 runs with enough balls to spare but just 3 wickets in hand, and they collapsed. But now you can confidently put your bet on the lower order. They have the courage and spirit to end the inning with an average of atleast 7 runs per over in the trail overs.
In today’s match, with the rapid collapse of the top order batsman, it appeared that India could not reach beyond 170. But a good partnership between Yuvraj and Irfan and then a brilliant knock from Bhajji, helped India reach a decent score.
Irfan Pathan has come up as a good All Rounder in the recent matches. He showed his caliber with both bat and ball in the series with Sri Lanka and he showed the same in this match too.
I am not hurt that India lost the game. Instead I am happy that India has learned to be in the game till the end. The 6-1 win against Sri Lanka may have instill enough overconfidence among the Indian players, and that be the cause for their loss today. But now that they have realized that they are up against a world no. 2 team, they will be more cautious in the next match. 2nd ODI would be a real good game, and I can vouch on that.

Zaheer Seals Ganguly’s Entry

In the recent Dulleep Trophy match between the East Zone VS West Zone, Zaheer got ganguly out for a duck in both the innings, exposing that the Bengal tiger still suffers from the same old weakness and has done nothing to improve on that ground.
Anyone having a slightest knowledge about Indian cricket knows the fact that Ganguly fails to pull the short ball bowled on the leg side, correctly.
Zaheer exploited this knowledge to the fullest and got rid of the east zone captain easily and proved the world that Ganguly is not yet fit to be in Team India.

PM’s Shameful act

So far I had looked at our current Prime Minister Dr . Manmohan Singh, as the best PM India had had in the last 2 decades, bringing about many wanted economical and social reforms. Being an Economist and have worked as the Finance minister, he understand the economical needs of India and the reforms needed better than anyone else. And so I had great esteem for this great man, though I hate the congress party in general.
In a recent election meeting held for seeking votes in favor of Secular Democratic Front in Bihar Assembly election, this very great man made a statement (quoted below) that could bring nothing but black spots in his good doings so far.
Dr. Singh praised Lalu Prasad Yadav saying “He is a leader of caliber and the state can make tremendous development under his and his friends' stewardship.”Not to mention, everyone in India having the slightest knowledge of politics know very well that it is Lalu and his ministry that is responsible for the sorry state of Bihar.
It is the state where we have Most Crime, Most Unemployed and Least Literacy, Least Development on social, economy and infrastructure fields (which covers all).
RJD has been ruling Bihar for past 15 years and since then nothing has improved in the state. Other states are almost upto the mark with the *India Shining* blaze, but Bihar is one state that is left 20 years behind. And all credit goes to Lalu and ministry for this. Yet a statement like this from our PM, just for the sake of seeking votes is extremely shameful, no doubt why L.K. Advani dubbed him the “Weakest PM India had ever had”.