Incredible !ndia

In my efforts to promote trade, tourism and culture, my thoughts on the the sector which very few of us Indian have given a thought.

India’s tourism ministry plans to expand the sector from 9% to 12% of the economy in five years, creating 24.9 million jobs in the process. About time too – if anything, the target is unambitious. Tourism yields many benefits like boosting employment, creating revenue (organised & unorganised sector), placing India on the gloabal map through its diverse culture, food and festivities resulting in spillover effects impacting how societies treat their heritage and people. Accounting for 7.6% of global employment, tourism’s economic potential is highly significant in India. For every million rupees invested in tourism, 78 new jobs get created – a similar investment in manufacturing yields 45. Further, tourism employment stretches across differing levels of skills, pulling in porters to managers, attracting the young and eager as well as the experienced and skilled. Importantly, women account for 70% of travel and tourism’s workforce internationally; the benefits of widening and deepening this sector in India can only accrue across the board.

However, for this to happen, a basic need is more tourists. In 2010 an estimated 17.9 million foreign tourists visited India, when comparatively minuscule Malaysia hosted 24.6 million. For tourism to grow, it’s vital we build on strengths – and correct weaknesses. India is blessed with a vivid palette of attractions, offering history, culture, nature, healing and adventure within the same land. The vast coastline across the western region in India from Maharashtra to Kerala is rich in food(agro as well as coastal cuisines) and diverse in culture as one moves across coastlines of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerela. Like Thailand, we could showcase temples, monasteries and spas. Like New Zealand, we could develop exciting adventure sports. Like Italy, we could present stunning regional cultures through cuisine and crafts. And we could combine these with medical, historical and environmental tourism. Unlike many other nations, we have the resources to fill each of these niches. What we lack is infrastructure, decent hospitality across diverse classes of tourists, the knack to be smart in this line of business and safety for voyagers. For this what we require is just a little more effort from the ministry and the local community.

It’s time we begin devoting serious attention to these – for only then can we be truly
Incredible India.

The future is coming. Are you ready ?

I read this very interesting article on the growth of the much used device for everyday requirements. Below are some very great thoughts that the author has shared which I completely agree upon..

Hope you find it interesting...

Forty-six years ago, Intel cofounder Gordon Moore published his observation that the number of transistors that could be put on a silicon chip doubled about every two years—meaning that computer capacity would also increase geometrically.

At the time, Moore believed that this growth might continue for “perhaps 10 years.” In fact, he was off by three decades and counting. Over time, advances in chip technology have proceeded almost like clockwork, with capacity sometimes doubling even faster. This spring, Intel announced yet another new chip that keeps Moore’s Law right on track.

Intel says a vertical ridge on its new 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge 3-D Tri-Gate chip creates much more real estate for transistors. “Just as skyscrapers let urban planners optimize available space by building upward, Intel’s 3-D Tri-Gate transistor structure provides a way to manage density,” according to the May 11 announcement. But how long can this doubling go on?

At one extreme, pessimists argue that it can’t continue for too much longer—that the circuits are becoming so tiny now that physics will prevent it. Already, the scale is difficult to comprehend: Intel’s May release noted that “more than 6 million 22nm Tri-Gate transistors could fit in the period at the end of this sentence.” The pessimists say that the shock of running into a wall will be a terrible blow to the high-tech sector, which has worked in an environment of exponential growth for years.

At the other extreme, some futurists contend that Moore’s Law will hold for many more decades. Indeed, they say, we stand at the cusp of a “singularity,” another point like the invention of agriculture or the industrial revolution when suddenly everything changes.

THE NEW BIG BRAINS IN TOWN

Some of these writers and thinkers predict that the time will soon come (writer Ray Kurzweil points to 2025) when computers will be, briefly, as smart as people—shortly after which, they will surpass us, leading to some very strange consequences.

In his 2005 book, The Singularity Is Near, Kurzweil argues that “the pace of change of our human-created technology is accelerating and its powers are expanding at an exponential pace … within several decades, information-based technologies will encompass all human knowledge and proficiency, ultimately including the pattern-recognition powers, problem-solving skills, and emotional and moral intelligence of the human brain itself.” By the end of this century, he believes, “the nonbiological portion of our intelligence will be trillions of trillions of times more powerful than unaided human intelligence.”

Kurzweil says that this shift will lead to revolutions in medicine and other fields as brains faster and better than ours solve problems with ever-greater rapidity. Others see negatives ahead, including a complete collapse in the value of human labor—and maybe even a decision by the new management that our services are just generally no longer required.

This scenario might sound farfetched, but the singularists can’t be dismissed out of hand. Exhibit A is the astonishing technological progress made in the past 50 years. In his book, Kurzweil talks about being given access to the biggest computer in New England in 1968, an IBM 360 Model 91, which had 1 megabyte of core memory and rented for $1,000 an hour. Today, the most basic Dell desktop comes with 2 gigabytes of random access memory—2,000 times more memory than the 360 had—and it can be purchased for $279, or $43.80 in 1968 dollars.

High-end capabilities keep growing as well. In 1997, Deep Blue, an IBM computer, beat Garry Kasparov in chess. This year, Watson, another IBM super computer, beat two all-time champions of the long-running U.S. trivia game show, “Jeopardy”—perhaps less of a mathematical challenge than the chess game, but a testament to the virtues of a 4-terabyte memory. (A terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes.) “I for one welcome our new computer overlords,” quipped contestant Ken Jennings at the conclusion of the three-day match.

SURE THINGS

Whether Kurzweil’s singularity is near or far, the consensus seems to be that chip capacity, bandwidth speeds, and storage capacity—the three key elements of IT growth-—will all keep increasing at exponential rates for at least the next 10 to 20 years.

Chip capacity.

Intel’s latest chips are just 22 nanometers wide, not far off from the point where the rules of classical physics no longer apply. Ten nanometers is the absolute limit for transistor miniaturization—any smaller and you’re getting close to the atomic level, where non-classical effects arise, says Bruno Thedrez, a professor of communications and electronics at ParisTech. However, he adds, stacking chips will provide a third dimension for growth for some years to come.

Bandwidth

Jakob Nielsen, the Internet design guru, has noted that the amount of bandwidth available to high-end Internet users has grown by roughly 50% every year since 1983. Nielsen, in an update, recalls that he wrote his original article on this topic in 1998 on an ISDN line that could download 1 megabyte per second, and that this year he could download 31 mbps. Looking ahead, Thedrez says that scientists have pushed 100 gigabytes per second over a single-wavelength optical fiber and that within 20 years there is now no technical reason that fiber capacity couldn’t climb to 50 terabytes, or 50,000 gigabytes. Wireless bandwidth growth is a bit more problematic, Thedrez says, first because the power required would make your phone too hot to handle, and second, bandwidth is already divided by governments. It’s a lawyer limit, he jokes, the one kind physicists have no tools to fight against.

Storage

Mark Kryder, former chief technology officer at Seagate, the hard-disk company, and now a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, says that the capacity of hard disk drives increases about 40% every year. He estimates that by 2020, people will be able to buy a 15-terabyte, 2.5-inch disk for less than $150—and says that he thinks there is a good chance he is being too conservative. To put it into context, that’s a much more powerful and compact disk than anything available on the market today for consumers at any price. By comparison, Best Buy now offers a 10TB external disk for $1,799 that’s about 5.9×7.3 inches.

However, Kryder says he suspects the storage industry’s 40 percent growth rate will break down between 2020 and 2025. At that point, he says, the industry will either move toward a different technology or, if exponential growth is continuing in other parts of the computer, such as the processor, more effort will be made to ensure that storage can keep up. “If one component (processor, memory, storage, for example) becomes much more costly, resources will be shifted to bring its cost down and in line with the others,” he says. “Economics really does control what gets developed.”

HOW THINGS WILL CHANGE

But do we really need a 15-terabyte disk drive? “Throughout my 45 years of working in the storage industry, people have always said that they couldn’t imagine what they would do with more storage capacity, but demand has always been there for the exponential increase,” Kryder says. “Today, for example, we look at YouTube videos that have much less than HD resolution. Why don’t YouTube videos come in 3D HD? As processing speeds, communication speeds, and storage capacities increase, they probably will.”

Assuming all this acceleration stays on track, will it matter? Beyond the joys of 3D YouTube video, will such advances bring any real gains to humanity?
The answer seems to be, yes. While Thedrez observes that applications have always expanded to fit the available bandwidth-—sometimes in ways rational thinking would not predict—he also says that future growth should help the trend toward cloud computing and pave the way for the coming Internet of Things. In addition, many complex problems should become easier to solve. Consider the impact on medicine, where computers seem likely to change everything.

My opinions - I also remember once during one my B-School projects that I had worked on for Microsoft where I had read about IBM using idle pc's during office hours when employees have lunch or take a break from their work by locking their workstations. This unique feature would help IBM solve global issues of solving complex health related projects by using the processor speed of idle computers to enable faster time for completing a said process or task. Several of IBM's machines as I type today are still solving complex issues from identifying remedies for cancer and AIDS to reaching to the remotest of people in the deserted areas of Africa.

We can contribute ourselves (virtually) to the global evolution by helping such organisations in eroding poverty and gaining victory over diseases for which we yet have to find solutions

Till next time lets look up in the sky and watch the clouds while the IT geeks manage us through the virtual cloud.

- Prasad

New TV Channel

-- From Dr. Manohar Pandit (Shared)

C Channel India inauguration was to start in a short while. At the stroke eight the EBC test card disappeared and a bright montage started appearing on the screen. The Alps, the US one hundred dollar bills, gold coins, façade of Swiss Banks and a crisp white Gandhi cap figured prominently in the montage. In the background was the exciting music that was fused with the sound of coins pouring out of slot machines. For a moment the screen went blank and then appeared the gold moulded logo of CC India. The imposing logo disappeared and what was seen on the screen was a posh office cabin with a huge executive table and the CC India Chairman sitting behind the same. He got up from his chair, waved and started walking towards the camera. He stood under a spotlight, paused for a moment and started his inaugural speech. He emphasised the need for his channel. He vouched that he is the pioneer to start such channel. He mentioned that there are large numbers of channels dedicated to different interests and activities. The Chairman continued, ‘switch on the TV and you have channels from news to nature, from fashion to food, from sports to spiritualties, from monks to money. You name it and you have a dedicated channel. But CC India is different, it’s the first of its kind in the world to have a dedicated C channel. It’s for the C that has become an integral part of daily life of every Indian. It’s this C without which no Indian can ‘see’ the desired. This C has not only survived the odds but also had a spectacular growth.

Yes, this C stands for corruption. Nowhere in the world has corruption had such magnificent growth as it has in India. Corruption has successfully blunted the conscious in all strata of our society. What was done in the past infrequently and for few rupees is now a routine and involves billions and billions of rupees. With globalisation the rupee has become convertible (partly officially and fully unofficially) and found a solace in form of USD in Swiss Banks. Corruption is no longer limited to taking bribes in Indian Rupees. Wine and Women are rampant but relatively insignificant in today’s corrupt society. These are still the stepping stones for the multibillion dollar scams that are here to stay. The vision of CC India is to make every citizen well-versed about corruption. We need to teach our citizens to effectively practice corruption. We will telecast interviews of prominent personalities who successful practised this art. In fact we plan to station OBVs in Tihar and similar jails for instant and better coverage. We also have in mind talent search programmes and reality shows for showcasing innovative ways of corruption. We will on grand scale organise the award presentation ceremony for corruption practices in different fields. We would call for nominations, though the process will not be immune to the corruption. CC India also plans to have a management school for the post-graduate diploma programmes in Corruption Management and Corrupt Practices. E-corruption will be offered as super specialisation. We have a long list of eminent faculty for this. We feel those who graduate with this diploma will have an edge over others in government jobs. The details for this programme will be available soon.

Broadly we will have dedicated programmes like talk shows, quiz etc on corporate corruption, political corruption, household corruption. Corruptions in service sector will have priority and will include banks, insurance, hospitals, sports, schools etc. Our focus will be on younger generation. We have already bribed the school authorities to show our programmes to them as these are our building blocks and will take India to newer and unsurpassable heights in corruption. May the demons bless us for success. Long live corruption” The Chairman concluded.
Fortunately there was a power failure and TV went blank. Perhaps CC India missed out on bribing the power distribution company.

Disclaimer: This is a fiction and there is no resemblance with any living or dead person or with any institution. If any then it is just a matter of coincidence.

This blog aims at creating awareness to curb corruption. The blog is a part of a fiction written by the author. Those who desire to read full story may electronically request the author.

India’s Entrepreneurial Deficit

One of the drivers of India's growth going forward is how well the professional class adapts to emerging opportunities in the new India. Historically, Indians have been reasonably riskaverse, preferring salaried jobs rather than take the plunge into doing something on their own. These days, the IIM graduate taking the entrepreneurial road is still the exception than the rule — which is why these cases make headlines in newspapers rather than being the norm.

The reasons why so few of our qualified people take the plunge are manifold. First, there is the issue of financial safety. Most of us who come from middle class backgrounds simply do not have sufficient funds to take risk, particularly when there is no financial back up. Family commitments can also intervene and diminish risk-taking capability — children's education, parents' medical, retirement worries, etc. Surprisingly, education can often become a handicap. You have more to lose when you can get a job in a good investment bank or consulting firm or a leading corporate. And, therefore, the safer path often seems more attractive.

Second, many communities and societies do not have a risktaking culture; it's simply not built into their cultural DNA. Plus there is no family or community knowledge or network of how to go about starting a new business or the issues involved in doing so. Equally, there are other communities where risk-taking and starting new businesses are in fact the norm and the expected thing to do. But these communities are fewer than we need.

India's culture of promoters is also unique. Banks require personal guarantees, private equity investors need there to be a strong promoter/manager and investors need a prominent face. All this militates against a professional set-up and reinforces the need to put yourself as the entrepreneur even more on the line. A number of people could be, and are, uncomfortable taking on this added burden. Much better to simply carry on doing your secure job.

This is a shame. To broadbase our growth, India needs an army of entrepreneurs. New businesses create new jobs and increase the value added in the economy. Profitable businesses contribute to enhanced tax collections and make the economy more efficient and streamlined while creating new and unique opportunities for growth. Over time, some of these firms could globalise and become world leaders in their respective areas. Indians have the talent, expertise and increasingly the experience to start new businesses in knowledge-based areas so that we have the opportunity to become the innovation centre of the world, gradually taking on the mantle from the US. As more ideas spread and businesses start to capitalise on opportunities here, capital will surely come in to support such endeavours. All of this will create a virtuous cycle of new investment, new jobs, more trained people and higher GDP growth. This private enterprise will also find its way more and more into rural areas and we are already seeing that with the many “bottom of the pyramid” strategies.

Hence we must foster and encourage such entrepreneurial activity. However, how to do it? Clearly, we need more risk capital at play. But more than anything else, we need more entrepreneurs. Business schools should encourage courses on entrepreneurialism and foster a higher degree of risk-taking. IIMs and other B-schools should create communities of alumni where active mentoring can happen during the coursework and internships should be organised in start-up companies so that students get a firsthand feel of such environments. Similarly, mid-career entrepreneurs should also be encouraged as they could have specific domain knowledge or understanding of their business which can help them differentiate their ventures. Capital providers are also more likely to back such individuals.

Successful entrepreneurs should get the basics right. From day one, they should have a “best in class mindset”. It is impossible to create a world-class service or product without a world class organisation. Or at the very least, with a highly effective organisation. Hence a lot of thought should go into the team and the organisation build.

As far as financing is concerned, it clearly should be linked to the business's growth plans. However, it must be methodical and planned from the beginning. All too often, the capital structure strategy and financial planning is an afterthought. Second, the business should be staffed with a good CFO who can help put in place good controls right from day one, and help plan for downside eventualities. Entrepreneurs are apt to get carried away by their own sales pitch. There should always be a Plan B in case things do not turn out as expected.

From a people standpoint, it is always a challenge to migrate from a start-up, to hiring and managing other professionals as business grows. Often the entrepreneur's own competency could be an issue and recognising this can be a difficult task. Good people systems should be created early in the game as retaining good people will always be a challenge in India in the foreseeable future. Stock options can be handy here.

From a governance standpoint, it helps in the long run to get excellent directors — those who are independent, involved, and unafraid to give point of view. Over time, they can help tremendously in adding value to a business. Also ensuring the best compliance and reporting systems helps in valuation.

To sum up, there is no doubt that India needs the practice of starting new businesses to grow and become broader. Our educated and trained young people need to be encouraged to hew their own paths and thus help create a more jobs for a growing India and broaden the development paradigm.

Introducing traceability in financial transactions will strike a blow against black money

On my views of having a transparent banking system and its future growth in India, I quite liked the views of the author of the below article (Ashok Jhunjhunwala, a teacher teaching electrical engineering at IIT Madras and a member of the PM’s Scientific Advisory Committee) share his views on the same. Some of his views are quite realistic but I'm afraid that the challenges and mechanisms proposed could be easily dented if adequate secure monitoring isn't carried on.
None the less something new for a better tomorrow...
--
Dictators in Tunisia and Egypt have fallen. Internet technologies played their small part in this. India is not like Tunisia and Egypt. Its economy has belied expectations and grows at 8 to 9% year after year. As large sections do not benefit adequately from this growth, there has been considerable focus on government programmes to make it inclusive. At the same time, our press has demonstrated its independence. The RTI Act enables citizens to demand and get information. Our CAG stands tall, just as our Election Commission and courts do. Yet India is in a crisis. Its citizens are tired of governance deficit, corruption, black money and an inspector-raj.

Everyday we see scams (sometimes even when they are not there) being exposed in the media, demonstrations, Parliament jams and court orders. But there is little positive action. What is needed is action against black money, the driver of all corruption. Are we citizens ready to move beyond protests and take a small step that could hit at the heart of black money?

Black money thrives in the cash economy. If we introduce traceability in financial transactions, it will be difficult to hide. We can do this using some simple available technologies. It is possible to carry out all transactions in electronic form, where money is transferred from the payer’s bank account to the payee’s. The back-end core banking system of almost all banks allows that. ATM withdrawals, any-branch banking and Internet banking thrive on it. The Internet, however, is used by a small section. Credit card (and debit card) based payments and transaction could be another way, but have not caught on much (except for use of debit cards for cash withdrawals).

But India has over 750 million mobile phone connections, and growing at 15 million per month. Over 500 million individuals are believed to have mobiles. In a few years, mobile telephony could touch most of India’s adult population. It is now possible to link one’s mobile phone to a bank account. So, it is possible to carry out most transactions including money transfer, bill payments, balance enquiry and checks on past transactions. A bank’s computer uses the caller line identification (CLI) and a customer’s PIN to authenticate her, following which any transaction can be carried out using an application loaded on her phone. End-to-end encryption makes transactions secure. Transactions are instantaneous: for example, any payment is notified by sending an SMS to the payer as well as payee.

The Mobile Payment Forum of India, RBI and National Payment Corporation of India worked with banks, telecom operators and technology providers to make money transfer possible between customers of any two banks, any two operators and any two technology providers. One does not even need the bank account number to make payments, as the payee’s mobile number and a mobile money ID (MMID) uniquely map to her bank account.

Mobile payments would make cash redundant. One could pay a vegetable vendor who displays a mobile number and MMID at the shop. Similarly, auto fare or kirana shop payments can be made instantaneously. Money can be transferred whether the recipient is near or far. Doing so from Mumbai to an Orissa village would now be a simple matter. A single day amount could be small, say Rs 50, or as much as Rs 50,000.
Safe, secure, simple, instantaneous, and with a complete list of payments and receipts in one’s passbook, there is no reason why anyone would not use this method. Using mobile payments instead of cash could be our way to bring in traceability and say no to the black money economy.

Do all banks provide mobileto-mobile payments? About 10 banks do and another 15 will by the end of next month. Will there be teething troubles? Sure, but nothing that can’t be handled. Will transaction charges be too much? Banks and telecom operators can make transactions below Rs 1,000 free and charge one or two rupees for transactions up to Rs 10,000. Will SMS come in real time? Telcos can ensure that.

One may argue that many in rural India and some in urban India do not have bank accounts. With financial inclusion initiatives, no-frill accounts can be opened quickly. In fact, mobile payments would incentivise people to open such accounts. Further, telecom operators are tying up with banks to come up with phone-based pre-paid cards (mobile wallets) for making payments and transferring money as in mobile banking. Will illiteracy be a bottleneck? Several banks and technology providers use mobile voice banking: one just has to speak to carry out a transaction. So, there may be some hiccups, but there are technological answers.

Many of us will remember that computerisation of railway reservations in the 1980s dealt a blow to rampant corruption. As an example of technology being used to bring in transparency, mobile payments give us a much bigger opportunity. In due course, we would demand that government recalls 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and makes it mandatory for all shops and vendors to accept only electronic payments. But let us take the initiative. Let us get our MMID and start making mobile payments instead of using cash. Let shops start displaying their mobile numbers and MMID. That would be a big statement against black money.

- Prasad

Money Losing Value Drop by Drop

A major outcome of relentless food inflation is the declining share of each individual item in our grocery basket. The decline may be in dribs and drabbles. But added across 800 million households, the number is now large enough to start affecting business.

Cooking oil is a good example. Last January, a kg was available for 48. This year, it’s worth 60. City people who buy branded packs have no choice. But what does a village family do? It is used to buying ten bucks worth loose oil daily. Last year, that fetched a full 200-ml bottle. Now that bottle is a quarter empty. Does the family increase its cooking oil budget? It can’t afford to. Not when atta, vegetables, sugar, rice and salt are all simultaneously more expensive. The family merely uses each teaspoon more carefully. Very soon it will buy even fewer teaspoons. A good crop of soyabean, groundnut and cotton seed last summer led to ample local oil supply. What we are eating today for 60 is this home-grown produce. This is also the cheapest oil will ever be this year. A good mustard seed harvest is on its way in March. That should extend local supply by another month. By May, it will run out.

Thereafter India is back to depending on imported palm oil and soya oil. Both are at least 20 more expensive than desi oil. Local prices have to match that to make import worthwhile for traders. You can expect oil to touch 80 by June. That village family’s bottle would then be almost half empty. This is the true meaning of inflation. Its ten bucks are worth less and less. India’s loose oil market is four times the packaged oil market. When millions of families with similar purchasing habits face the same budget constraint, the impact is immediate. Demand is slowing. Last week, wholesale prices fell by 100 per quintal for two straight days for want of buyers. Even though Holi and the marriage season are only one month away.

Is business worried? You bet. Industry likes oil to be at 40. That is when business booms. Rising prices make the oil in corporate tanks more precious but harder to hawk. After growing 10% annually for several years, India’s cooking oil market is decelerating. It grew 7% last year due to high prices. This year, industry would be lucky to see 4% growth. In case global prices start spiraling due to bad weather in producers Malaysia, Indonesia and Latin America, accelerated Chinese consumption, or the wider inflow of hot money into commodities, Indian household demand could weaken further.

The upshot of demand uncertainty is a corporate crisis of confidence. Refineries for imported crude palm oil at Mundra and Kandla owned by giant Indian and multinational companies are currently shut or running spasmodically because tanks are full. Betting on a bull run, many imported a lot of crude palm oil in October-November. Since local oil was cheaper, they lost money. Several fingers were burnt.

Logically, their business should improve in summer once local oil finishes and imported palm oil is the only supply. But how much should one import when there are few takers even at 60? If everyone contracts, oversupply could lead to price undercutting and loss. If few do, spiraling prices would scare away more consumers. Besides, it might push the government into imposing stock control limits. When net profit margins are 2%, credit limits are tight, breakeven a fantasy and crude palm oil is worth $1300 a tonne, the risk becomes exceptional.

Brands are more insulated from demand volatility, being urban and middle class. But they are a fraction of the total. In a $16-billion edible oil market, they are worth only $4 billion. Already margins are squeezed by rising costs, advertising expenditure and competition. Sales promotions will further reduce profit. There have been seasons when we tolerated branded sunflower oil for 100. Today, with everything more expensive, it pinches. We will switch to something cheaper.

Cooking oil shows the grim aftermath of general price rise. Free trade has brought ample oil and fair prices. Inflation has driven away buyers. Instead of supplyside constraints, it faces a demand slowdown. Instead of moving up the value chain to brands, India will regress to more loose oil.

For stretched Indian families, it is the only way left to still buy some...

Living the dream...

Got this interesting article in today TOI, interesting observations:

At last, a dream job offer! "You have a job offer! Would you like to be a police officer? Please click on the link below," said an email from an old friend. A dream job, what with all that i could collect including the royal salutes i would get, i thought. But who would offer someone on the wrong side of 50 a job in the police force, i wondered? Had my old friend married the police chief's daughter, i tried to recollect – and in any case, why would my friend who had not bothered to keep in touch all these years except for a friend request on a social networking site, want to pass on this opportunity to me?

Never mind, i told myself – if he had such a lucrative offer for me, it was for me to grab it and enjoy the good times that come along with it, not to question it to extinction. I would begin my day with the kanda-poha at the 'zunka bhakar' stall, which incidentally did not sell any zunka-bhakar. I could now amble into the closest sabzi mandi and the vendors squatting there would hand over a bunch of the green veggies – all for free! All the farm produce would be my privilege, although out of reach for the common man on the street – real farm produce, mind you, the stuff which we sit down to at lunch and relish, not the colourful, exotic ones on Farmville. Then i would be entitled to my pav-bhaji at the street corner vendor who had put up his stall in the middle of the road flouting all urban rules. Several 'chai-paani's awaited me!

Being a cop, i would no more be the aam admi reeling under the burden of the spiralling food price index that stoked the inflation fire in our country. I
would be khaas – not aam! No more meaningless ranting about rising prices on my blog – just do the daily beats around town and find your choicest picks for your family's living needs. I was elated. I had always regretted not having chosen the enviable IRS or IAS career options at the appropriate juncture in my career. It could've been a great life if i had, what with plum postings and lucrative inflows guaranteed to come my way, which was assured once i was deeply ensconced in the bureaucratic race.

I even convinced myself about how i was cut out for the job – being suspicious in nature, i was not the kind to fall into the trap of the several forms of windfalls – of millions of dollars and pounds to be claimed – by way of inheritance, lotteries or for simply being the claimant of my email account, which i was often informed to be a lucky one. Never the easy pawn for such clever trappings, one had always avoided responding to such spurious offers.

One had also been wiser by the steady advice from friends which warned me about the perils of clicking on files with bizarre sounding titles like 'Black President in the White House' or any other enticing titles. But this was a lucrative job offer!
So what was i waiting for when life's greatest opportunity was a knock, er, a click away? Click! A new window opened up to Citiville, another game on the social networking site, Facebook, on the lines of Farmville and Fishville. "Allow access?" it asked me, when, thankfully, realisation dawned upon me – that i would have to make do with the onions without stench and live on that Farmville produce, and bid goodbye to the moolis and the moolah i was dreaming about!

Water Matters

Water Matters!
The water sector in India has long been neglected and ignored but lately has been given great importance. And why not? Many states in India today have abundant supply of water, but how well is this resource used? If you come to think of it, the management of water today in the country has not lived up to its expectations.

For example, in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka water is one resource over which fights have risen and have gone to such extent that river directions have now to be re-routed to specific states to satisfy water requirements. Although, this has been well debated even at several instances, how well is this water utilized? Of the total water available in the country, much of it has been used primarily for drinking, irrigation, household and industrial purposes. Drinking water today has been contaminated to such extent that MNC’s today s are so proud of selling products that speak about safe water for all. The health ministry launches several campaigns for people talking about drinking clean water and utilizing water efficiently, but is the ministry today taking attempts to ensure how well these campaigns are monitored.

The solution to all these problems lies with the efficient use of water and its proper management. Before each one starts taking potshots at each other, we have to look deep within our own households and organizations about what effective measures do we take to use water wisely. Recent statistics indicate that there is huge gap between the water supply and its water treatment. The result: Contaminated water getting discharged into the sea and risking the life of aqua marine creatures in addition to damaging flora and fauna. For us to improve our society we need to co-operate with the health authorities by ensuring the efficient use of water using various methods like rainwater harvesting, groundwater management and not simply keeping taps running waiting for monsoons and municipal water cuts. Industrial units and hospitals need to comply with strict measures of ensuring safe disposal of waste. Residential buildings should lead effective programs for their societies thus treating waste water in their premises reducing the burden of its treatment on municipal corporations. Several projects in the country have now been awarded contracts under JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) to undertake safe disposal of waste water such that it doesn’t interfere with drinking water pipelines and keeps the society clean and safe. The World Bank has also awarded several millions of dollars for such projects and looks at India ahead than a developing country.

It’s time that we use water safely and allow organizations to participate in helping the society be one place where water reaches even those corners of the country at the most lowest prices. Just as we spend money on drinking clean water it’s also our priority to spend some part on its treatment

Let’s all strive to make a joint effort today for a better tomorrow…
(Written for the Deccan Chrnoicle, Hyderabad, India)