Rule 49-O of the Constitution???

49-O? Constitution of India? What the heck is that?

Of late, in wake of the Mumbai attacks, a chain email which was hitherto being circulated during election time has surfaced again. This email, funnily enough, claims that (sic) "there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969 act, in section " 49-O" ...  convey the presiding election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!"

A clinical dissection of this email is warranted because if the Constitution of India allows us to not vote for jokers, then the writers of the Constitution (may their souls rest in peace) need to be thanked profusely!

Okay. Google for Section 49-O of Indian Constitution. What's this? All results points to pages which have the contents of the forwarded email! Hmmm... Must dig deeper to solve this mystery. Does the author mean the Constitution? Or does s/he want us to refer the Election Commission Rules? Is there any link to the Conduct of Election Rules? Will Radgovin aka Gman be able to unearth the truth in the quest for knowledge to destroy ignorance? Will he stop asking rhetorical questions? The answer of course is no.

I wonder what the Election Commission of India has to say about this:

Link 1.: http://archive.eci.gov.in/
No link to the Conduct of Election Rules on this site. However, there is a link which says, Proposed Electoral Reforms. Which brings us to:

Link 2.: http://archive.eci.gov.in/PROPOSED_ELECTORAL_REFORMS.pdf
Okay. This says that there is a need to amend the Rules 22 & 49B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 so as to maintain anonymity of the voter who has voted for no one i.e. he has chosen to reject all probable candidates. This has been pending with the politicians (who make the rules, of course) since 2001.

Link 3.: (after a lot of searching) http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/subord/cer1.htm
The Motherload!!! Here's what the Rule 49-O is all about:

49-O.   Elector  deciding  not  to  vote. - If  an  elector,  after  his electoral  roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in  Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon  as required  under  sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to  record  his vote,  a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry in Form  17A  by  the  presiding  officer  and  the  signature  or  thumb impression of the elector shall be obtained against such remark.

Does not make sense, does it? I mean, the right to voting secrecy is the cornerstone of democracy. The fact that all our politicians are united against such an act goes to show that our "major" political parties are not all that "divided" after all. I mean, they are always united against a common enemy: the educated masses. Whenever the "educated" class gets agitated, these (*^*%$^) find ways and means to quell their anger. In the mean time, the poor uneducated masses are given hand outs just before the deadline for election commission rules to kick into place. Just to keep their memories fresh so that they know which button to press on election day. A look at the figures of voting in cities vs. voting in towns / villages will show you why the politicians who are in power are in power. Check the living conditions in constituencies of some of the powerful ministers in any state. And I am sure that you will not be surprised to see the people there living contented, peaceful lives. Can't really blame them for that.

And what are the "educated" doing in the mean time? Lamenting about the lack of leadership in the Government, commenting on the state of traffic, security, roads, environment, health care, life style, moral righteousness. Oh, that & forwarding emails spreading disinformation. Don't get me wrong; I am part of all of this myself. I am not one to claim that I am over all of this. I am as susceptible to criticizing all that is wrong around me as the other guy.

I am an Indian, after all.

Another good link to read about the Right to Say No:
http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/indian-polity/1220-article-49-o-right-say-no.html

/Radgovin

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Good Blogs: How to Find & Keep them

These days, every tom, dick & harry (and even his cousin) are into writing blogs. How then do you differentiate between the flotsam of the internet and genuine blog writers? At the insistence of Yuri, I am writing this article on finding & subscribing to good blogs around the blogosphere!

Searching for good blogs

Tip 1: Ask your friendsNothing beats personal opinion. Google blog search and other related devices for searching for blogs on the internet can only take you so far. For example, I am currently subscribed to two Arsenal related blogs - A Cultured Left Foot (ACLF) and Arseblog, which in my opinion offer damn good reading material for Arsenal fans. However, these two do not appear in the top 20 or so search results. Most of the top results will be populated by popular sites where the "aam junta" go for their daily kicks. However, when you are looking for specific reading which will appeal to the thinker within you, it makes sense to take advice from like minded people. Ask your friends, chat to people about blogs they like (with topics of your interest), ask on orkut/facebook/wherever.

Tip 2: Check wordpress.com / technorati for "happening" blogs of the dayThese sites display a list of the hottest blogs of the moment. There is a reason that a blog article appears on the front page of such sites: popularity. And not just popularity amongst the general masses; popularity because they are good blog articles appreciated by chronic readers! There is a blog I subscribe to: Angry Aussie. The guy has a knack for humour & I picked up the link to his blog via Wordpress. Another pointer for a good blog is the number of comments it has. A blog having multiple comments by different people over a period of time is more likely to have good content as opposed to the blogger interjecting to reply to every other comment.

Tip 3: Once you find a good blog, check for related linksThe best bloggers hunt in packs. Correction, make that "write" in packs. That is not to say that they know each other in real life. Writers write because they have read a lot and cannot control the urge to pen down their own two pennies worth. The very fact that they are writing well suggests that they are reading well. Check the "blogs I visit" section of any good blogger. You are bound to find some wonderful reading stuff over there as well.

Subscribing to good blogs

Tip 4: RSS & SyndicationNow that you have found a blog that regularly updates and has exceptional content, you want to ensure that fresh material uploaded there is made available to you at the moment it gets posted. There are three ways to this: RSS via browser, feed reading software, online syndication providers. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication where your browser automatically downloads latest posts on your "favourite" blogs. These are simple text downloads and will not be as effective if the blogger of your choice has a penchant for the visual media. Nevertheless, these are a very good starting point for you to decide whether a blog is worth reading or not. Syndication softwares download stuff to your PC and the best one around is FeedDemon (available for free download). Similarly, you can go online at google reader / bloglines / etc. to get fresh updates of your favourite blogs.

Tip 5: Sign up for emailSo you are tired of firing up your browser to visit that blog that you like reading the most. Check if there is an option to receive the feed via email. This is a very nifty option that most bloggers like to give to their readers. Nothing as convenient as getting the latest article in your inbox, is there? :)

Improving the content of blogs

Tip 6: Never thought that you could actually improve blogs in the blogosphere?Think again. Writers write because they want people to read. How will there be an impetus for a writer (unless s/he has a compulsive typing disorder) to keep on doling out good reading material? The answer is: feedback. Bouquets & brickbats are typically welcome and the best of bloggers take the time to read each and every comment posted about what they have written. Wherever improvement is warranted, it is usually implemented. So go ahead and type out that witty comment that you thought of. It might just make some one's day! :)

/Radgovin

Your article in the Times of India dt. 19/11/2008

This is an email I wrote to the Editor of The Times of India for the headline of the day's
newspaper.

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to your article in The Times of India dt. 19/11/2008.

I would like to state up front that I am not in support of any political party that claims
to be working for the benefit of the local Maharashtrian.

Your article states that the data has been sourced from Maharashtra Government.
What were the means used to source these data? Was it gotten under RTI Act, 2005?
Again, the data is for industries in the private sector i.e. the so called micro, small, medium
& large industries. What about the data for Government organizations such as the MCGM,
the Railways, BEST, et al.? Why not publish data from the above records?

As I recall, the pro "sons-of-the-soil" parties are all agitating because of the Government
"safe" jobs being given to outsiders. You have very cleverly deflected attention from that
by publishing data of private sector and pumping up the high percentages.

I am all for equality in employment. I don't care who gets the job (Maharashtrian or otherwise)
so long as that person is capable to handle the responsibilities of the job & eligible for the vacancy.
I believe that the private sector employs people on the basis of their abilities and irrespective
of their background i.e. there is no scope for reservation. That they have employed more number
of Maharashtrians probably points to the fact of the superior ability of the said employees.
Either that, or the local Unions are strong holds of the locals. However, to me it seems more of
an exception rather than the norm.

I am sure that your headline will get lots of attention. I am also sure that you are going to get lots
of flaming emails in your inbox. But you deserve all of the hate that you will get; simply because as
an irresponsible media person, you have published an article for the sake of publicity and not for sharing
of "news".

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

Compaq 301TU review

This is a review I had written for my own laptop (for a contest organized by a leading monthly magazine)

A laptop is about as effective as its owner wants it to be. In spite of all the hype surrounding newfangled laptops available in the market today, my plain old vanilla Compaq C301TU scores over them when it comes to sheer basic productivity. Sporting a spartan configuration of 1.6 GHz Celeron processor and 512 Mb RAM, the C301TU is not F1 class laptop material. However, it does provide for fundamental office work applications and simple gaming.

Review:
Performance: Since I am running Windows XP, speed is never a concern for me. The 512 Mb RAM suffices for most office applications and I can easily multi-task between office applications and roller coaster tycoon, if I so desire. Of course, for resource intensive tasks such as CAD, it makes sense to have minimum applications running. Switching between applications is a breeze and there is hardly any lag when switching from movies to office and vice-versa.

Looks and Handling: I opted for the understated look of the Compaq over the glossy finishes of the HP/Dell laptops. The C301TU is black and silver, has a wide screen and handles well. It can be carried around for hours without being a pain in the shoulder!

Connectivity: Wireless capability for a low price is the USP of this laptop. Coupled with a standard RJ-45 ethernet LAN port, this makes the laptop one for those addicted to the internet.

Battery life: The C301TU has consistently given me battery life of over 2 hours over two years. Since I live in an area prone to load shedding, this utility comes in really handy when work needs to be done and there is no power available. Even with movies/audio running, battery life is over 1.5 hours.

Applications: The laptop did not come loaded with a lot of software. However, a basic investment in office software makes the laptop very useful.

Support: Compaq (HP) offers good customer care, with all the software/hardware drivers available at their site. However, I have had to send constant reminders to the local dealers for getting an extended warranty. This is probably an area that requires HP's attention.

Cost: The deal is made sweet by the price, which was a modest 32k when I purchased the laptop over two years ago.

Overall a nice and cheap laptop to own and maintain. Great value for money for the corporate types on the move.


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Arsenal 2008-09 Season

Okay. Some people might think its a tad too early for this article. After all, pre-season has just dawned on us and there is still a fortnight for the 2008-09 English Premier League to start in all earnest. However, the clairvoyant in me cannot resist the urge to pen down my feelings: if only for the sake of posterity (or even better, for the sake of "I told you so!")

I've been an Arsenal supporter for eight years now. Come to think of it, I think I became a football fanatic (as opposed to a cricket fanatic) because of Arsenal. Much was made of Manchester United's treble achievement in 1999. I think it was a Reader's Digest article I read about this which made me sit up and take notice of this sport. Till then, football for me was just the game to be played during the rains (when of course, there was no way of playing cricket) Also, I had been recently introduced to the EA Games FIFA series of games.

The first team I noticed in the English Premier League was Arsenal. The symbol was the legendary cannon on the red background. And I thought to myself - that's an interesting name, Arsenal. It conjured up images in my mind of players running on the ground with guns drawn, gunning down opponents who dared to stand in their way. Incidentally, the first FIFA game I played, I chose Arsenal as my side and played against Liverpool. As is wont to happen to a newbie to football (and especially, football played on the PC) I lost.

However, the name of the team and some of the players stuck. I found that I was often selecting Arsenal to play against a plethora of opponents. I found that I could interlink passes between a certain Dennis Bergkamp and a Marc Overmars pretty well. And there was this chap called Thierry Henry, who would constantly outrun defenders at will. I was slowly falling in love with this team called Arsenal.

I don't remember the exact time I made the transition from cricket to football. However, I think that getting admission to an Engineering college which had football enthusiasts aplenty had a lot to do with it. Circa 2001, I started following the Premier League. And in 2002, Arsenal won the EPL under Arsene Wenger for the second time. There had been some records set during this season; however, I was to be made aware of these only after two years.

I took up playing football when in college and realized that I had certain qualities essential for a footballer. One, the ability to spot my team mates. Two, being in the right place at the right time. Three, a loud voice to shout out instructions to team mates. :)
I realized that Arsenal represented in every way the way I felt football should be played. It epitomized team work and passing and the bonding of the team was evident in the celebrations. No matter who scored, the entire team would join him to celebrate. And so would we fans.

The 2003-2004 EPL season was a realization of dreams of sorts. Arsenal played great football and won the Premier League after going unbeaten through the season. Every goal was a treat to watch and every match won was a thrilling spectacle. It was quite befitting then that the most successful team in the history of the Premier League should end this unbeaten streak. What was not befitting was the subsequent results that the team faced. A certain Mr. Mourinho took advantage of this and took an unknown Chelsea team to the top.

The seasons after that were nothing to write home about. We knew that Wenger was in the process of rebuilding a team and that honours would come. That a coveted prize came within our grasp and was snatched away was the cruel twist of fate. Although history will show Arsenal as the beaten Champions League finalists of 2006, live witnesses will remember the game as one totally dominated by Arsenal.

I digress. This article has got nothing to do with the past and / or my love of Arsenal. This article is about the coming year.

I last recall looking forward as eagerly to a season like this in 2003. The previous season, we had been unlucky in losing out the title to United. The 07-08 season was another heartbreak for the same reason. Yet, whatever I saw during that season enthuses me with confidence for the coming season. There is a sense of expectation, an anticipation of glory coming to The Emirates.

We have in our midst, for the first time in many years, a Winner. Something that was lacking all these trophyless years. Sure, we had Thierry Henry, Ljungberg and other veterans who had all been there and done that. However, they were at times out of place in the new squad that Arsene was building. Right now, Arsenal have a gem of a person in Cesc Fabregas. The young lad of 21 has under his belt a Euro win. And that win alone is enough to sustain his hunger for further titles.

Already, there are other players at the club who look up to this guy, who is short in stature but large in accomplishments. Look at his experience: filling up the boots of the erstwhile Patrick Vieira, taking up the creative responsibility in the midfield at a tender age of 18, Champions League silver medal at 19, being selected for the Spanish national team, Euro win at 21. So much accomplished in such a short time. Yet, the difference now is going to be the fact that he has won something. And it is reflected in his statements. Once you get a taste of winning, you have the confidence to go ahead and do it again.

Then again, we have winners with never-say-die attitude in the team. Players like Sagna and Eduardo, talents unearthed by Le Boss who have it in them to turn matches on their heads. Plus, they don't have the mental baggage of past losses; of just being there and not winning. The team is young and they are more athletic and agile than the other teams of the EPL. That this fact has not been used to our advantage is the only sore point I have.

There is so much to look forward to. And so much media pressure on these young chaps. I am sure they will cope well. I believe this team has what previous Wenger teams lacked: the so-called bottle that is required to grind out results. A combination of bad luck and loss of focus resulted in them losing out on a rightful Premier League title. However, this time around, things are going to be different. All because of a win.

This year, as always, Arsenal are placed first in the EPL at the start of the season because of the alphabetical arrangement. At the end of it, they are going to be at the top of it because they deserve to be. More importantly, they also have the desire to be.

Career Planning

Following is an email I have written to a friend who is at the crossroads of his life and facing a "quarter-life" crisis [as opposed to mid-life crisis]

Hope that something good comes out of this long letter for the chap! :)


Dear Confused Friend,

Its good to see that you have managed to set a timeline for your future after LnT. I am sure most of the people your age will never have done such a thing. Heck, even grampa's like me don't do that sort of stuff! :)

I am sure that the email took more than an hour to type [and around a month to think up]. I am sure all that thinking will help you though. Here are my two cents worth:

1. Do you really want to start your own firm? Are you the kind of person who can get work done out of people? This point is definitely worth thinking about because the gist of your email [as I understand] is that you want to take up higher studies [MS/MBA] with the eventual aim of starting your own business. While owning a business is a swell thing, there are many hurdles in the path to success. The most basic one of them being: you have to pay other people their salary before you can claim your own. I am not going to insult your intelligence by saying that you have not thought of these things. However, I will advise you to delve into the business of owning your business a little more.

2. In today's world, you really don't need an MBA to make it big with your own business. Sure, it looks good on your visiting card and on your company website to write Mr. Such N Such, MBA, Stanford. However, with the passage of time, people [your customers] will be impressed only by the quality of your work and not your high CPI at some obscure course during an MBA education.

3. You need not have experience in "two of the biggest categories" to strike gold. You are expected only to understand the basics of finance and there should be a willingness to learn. What do you & I know about finance and/or accounting? Or consulting for that matter? You cannot have relevant work experience in those fields unless you work for such a firm. Since you are stuck with LnT for another year, why not try and get into the financial aspects of things? Work with Marketing to get a feel of cash flows and project finances. Work with Proposals to get a feel of market prices and how LnT is affected by it. Work with Contract Management to understand how to deal with Govt. of India organizations and learn about indirect taxation. I'd suggest working in at least one of the above dept. to add to your repertoire of skills. [if any!!! :)]

4. Don't disregard whatever you have learnt over the last year [even if it seems trifle to you]. Once you are out in the market for other jobs / starting your own work, you will realize the value of all the Excel / SAP / soft skill knowledge that you gained here. Spruce up your resume by making even mundane work sound exciting. I have no doubt about your conversational skills [you are second only to me! ;)]. A resume can get you an interview with a new employer / client. However, your speaking abilities and quality of work will get you the job.

5. Charity begins at home. Speak to Ms. Mabel Abraham, PGM and get involved in some of the volunteer programmes organized by LnT. I don't know if you can get a certificate for your volunteer work. However, you can and definitely will get references. An US MBA is all about networking and building contacts. So, to them, what people say about you is as important as what your GMAT scores / Chem. Engg. percentages say about you. Americans are known to weigh extra curricular activities more than academic. You've got it made with footer, now go get some volunteer experience.

6. As regards your dilemma over the behemoth vs. start-up company, I've only one suggestion to give: take your time. You've got time on your side - you are just 23. Work with both companies to have a feel of how things run. LnT will have already exposed you to the nuances of running a big business and interacting with people. Working with a small firm as an employee will give you closer control over costs and more personal interaction. Get more interested in the financial aspects of all work you do because eventually, when you have your own business, its all going to be about the money. The sooner you understand the nitty-gritties of finances, the better it will be for your start-up.

7. Its not necessary to get a Post Grad. to start a firm in environmental management / any new field. Starting your own company is all about managing people at the end of the day. You can & will always get people who are smarter than you, more intelligent and more knowledgeable. However, if you have the vision, they will willingly follow you to create riches for both you & themselves.

8. Last but not the least, I have written this information with a larger intended audience in mind. I will be putting this stuff on my blog. [with your name removed of course!] I hope you don't mind. And even if you do, I am going to post it anyway! :)

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

P. S. I never lose an opportunity to get an article for my blog for free! :)

Letter to HR

This is a letter I am contemplating sending to the VP of HR of my company.

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to the "GET Problem" email you will have received from a GET today.

I don't agree to the forum and the means that said GET has used to convey his message to you. However, the message in the email is of pertinence. You will appreciate that Mumbai is a costly place to live in, even for the most affluent of people. For a GET who is earning 15,000 per month [and will probably earn around 18,000 per month after being confirmed] there is no scope for savings / investments. Most of the salary amount will end up in some landlord's bank account and the remainder will serve for daily necessities and miscellany.

I am a PGMT, and considering the fact that I hold a Masters Degree from IIT Bombay, my remuneration is not commensurate with what my classmates are receiving. However, since I like the work I am doing [and also since I have a permanent residence in Mumbai] I see no reason to leave our company. The same may not be true for other new joinees and one really cannot fault them for that.

Our company has introduced a policy of personal bond for retaining "talent" for two years. However, the futility of this will be evident once the current batch of 2007, leaves for greener pastures in 2009. People working here for two years will not serve any purpose. In two years time, we will not be able to recover the time and effort that has been put in the training of a GET.

In the ten months or so that I have spent in our company, I have seen some hard-working and intelligent team members leave. Some have left for higher education, some for higher pay packets and some for convenience. These people could have been retained and their loss is being felt in their respective SBUs. Ready-made replacements will not be available and the additional lag phase while the new joinees acclimatize to our company may turn out to be crucial. Our company is involved in time critical projects. A matter of few days can make a huge impact on our bottom-lines.

I am writing to you with the intention of sharing my thoughts with you. I am sure that you are already aware of these "problems" and have taken measures to counter this. Its just that I feel that these efforts are not being showcased properly. Some more work in this direction is warranted in light of the discontent.

Keeping a person on a bond for two years is not the solution to our problem.

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

Quotas in IIT-IIM and Salaries

Following is a letter I wrote to the Editor of DNA after reading an article on salaries in IITs and IIMs and the so-called inequality based on caste.

Original article can be found here:
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1173139

Below is my letter to Editor, DNA India

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to your article in DNA on the 24th of June, 2008 titled "For SC/STs, quotas are route to inequality at IITs, IIMs"

The report claims to question the quota system, yet it is nothing but an attempt to stoke the quota vs. no quota debates raging all over the nation. As per the article, the RTI act was used to source this information. While the use of the RTI for such a report is commendable, one really wonders about the motives for the same. In representing and comparing the average salaries of general category and reserved category students, you have painted a picture which sends out the following message: general category and reserved category students have different placements in IITs/IIMs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

IITs/IIMs have a very fair and judicious system of placement for students, wherein companies coming to the campus for interviews are allowed to set their own standards in terms of students they want. eg. Company A visiting the IIT Bombay campus for placements might require students having a CPI over 6.0 [which is equivalent to a First Class in other universities, and is a fairly common requirement] Similarly, companies visiting campuses of other IITs and IIMs will follow this routine or slight deviations.

The article however sends out a false message that there is a differentiation on the basis of caste in IITs/IIMs when it comes to placement of students. This is a totally false and baseless claim.

In addition to this, the article does not mention the number of drop-outs every year from the general category. Why limit the article to information about drop-outs only from reserved category students? Why not include your "RTI" data to show general category drop-out numbers? Each and every technical college has drop-outs from all sorts of backgrounds and the reasons for people dropping out are varied and not limited to incapability for technical education. Some students realize that they have different interests and hence choose this way out.

Again, coming back to the salary issue. The article points out the discrepancy between salaries received by all and sundry. Since the peak salary is 70lakhs and the average salary is 15lakhs, it means there are sufficient number of people who are getting a salary below 15lakhs. Why not publish that data?

A very poorly written article, which does not even pretend to be a "non-sensationalist" headline. I expect better from a national daily.

Regards,

Govindraj S. Umarji

Oil Companies - Best / Worst of Times

This is a letter I wrote to the Editor of The Indian Express after reading Mr. Vikram Mehta [Chairman, Shell Group of Companies, India] in which he claims that private oil companies all across the world are at cross-roads of the best and the worst of times. The article can be found here: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/305822.html

Dear Sir,

This is in reference to the OP-ED article Two stories of oil by Mr. Vikram Mehta.

The author is trying to build a case for oil companies by saying that they [oil companies] are facing hardships in the current market scenario. This could not be any farther from the truth. Consider the following points:

1. Although oil prices are increasing [due to lowered availability and increased demand] there is increasing research in the fields of fossil fuel recovery. Fossil fuels these days are being recovered from sources which were "economically unviable" till a few years ago. This is because of the increased demand of petroleum products.

2. There is lack of sufficient funding in the renewable energy sector and hence a major ground-breaking, fossil fuel industry shaking invention is nowhere on the horizon. That the world has slowly begun to take notice of the ill-effects of fossil fuel utilization is thanks to the relentless efforts of environmentalists all over the world. Yet, given the proliferation of the fossil fuels, acceptance of renewable energy is still low and is likely to remain that way in the near future.

3. Oil companies express concerns over global warming and depleting natural resources cause them sleepless nights and furrowed brows. Yet, barring a few exceptions, how often do we see oil companies sponsoring research in the renewable sector? It might be worthwhile for all oil companies to start a future fund for renewable sources of energy. That way, they will ensure a "sustainable" business for themselves and also cleaner environment for future generations.

I find it hard to agree with the author's assertion that oil companies are facing the hardest of times. They are in the best of times and stand to face better times if they decide to invest in the future.

Regards,

Govindraj Umarji

Indian Institutes of Technology and Engineers

This comment is a response to an article which I read here:
http://helloji.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/iit-insufferable-indian-tribe/

(quote) engineering by definition is mediocre science at best. Try to come up with a name of a great engineer and you will see how far short it falls from a great mind (end quote)

Whoa! Hold your horses, my dear friend. I am not against you taking a swipe at my "tribe". In fact, the very fact that someone is taking out time to write about us is proof enough that we possess qualities which are worth writing about! :)

Till such a time as you are speaking about IITians [IITans, whichever way you spell it, it harldy matters] and making generalizations left, right and centre under the pretext of humour [correct, UK english spelling] you are treading a well trodden path. But the moment you make a demeaning statement about engineering, you are showing the hollowness of your thinking and the limited capability of your brain to process information fed to it.

Consider this: the very PC/laptop that you are using to rant about IITians was created by an Engineer. The Internet, which you are using to spread the ramblings of your "jaded" mind [nice name, very fitting] is likewise. Consider all the good things in life: a house to live in, quicker travelling, availability of medicines, ability to communicate over large distances, et al., and you will realize that there is an engineer responsible for it and proud of it. What you don't realize, and probably your own "inflated" ego prevents you from doing so, is that engineers contribute to society as much as any chartered accountant, medical professional, airline pilot, sea diver, army man, etc. does.

You might have apologized for this statement of yours. I see that some people have already made references to this. It's alright even if you don't apologize though. We, as engineers, are content with the satisfaction we derive from the utility of our creations. After all, it takes a lot of creativity and effort [which this post could have used] to convert an idea into a practically usable item.

I see that your post is quite popular, and you might take a moment to reflect that many posts are by IITians. This might suggest that we have a lot of time on our hands! :)
But then, that also means either that we can find time to write/comment on things that matter to us or we are so financially well off that we don't have to slog like mere mortals do!

Arsenal achievements (unparalleled)

21st February, 2006 - First English team to defeat Real Madrid at the Estadio Bernebeau

04th March, 2008 - First English team to defeat AC Milan at the San Siro

The Frail Human

There is a story about Yudhishthira, of Mahabharata fame. When asked what is the most beautiful thing on this planet, he says it is “Maya”, which is the magic that keeps the world running. Everyone knows that death is inevitable, yet the will and desperation to live is so intense that each person thinks that s/he is invincible. That bad things can happen only to other people and not to them and their near and dear ones. And then one fine day, the bubble bursts…

The frail nature of the human flesh was revealed to me just yesterday, in quite a grotesque way. On the way to my office, I came across a traffic jam. Initially the source of traffic jam was not apparent. However, as the vehicles on the road inched forward, the reason became evident. There were police men visible, not traffic police, but regular police. And they were directing the traffic. That can only mean one thing: an accident further up the road.

An accident it was and it was not a sight for the squeamish. The body of the deceased was covered with a white cloth. However, the reason for the death was evident from the mess that lay around the body. Suffice to say, that the person driving a motorcycle (for the last time) was not wearing a helmet. My estimate is that the bike slipped and …

This incident lead me to think about the frailty of the human body. A severe blow to certain sections of the head, or a pin-prick, strategically executed. And life is converted to after-life. In the everlasting battle of life and death, eventually death does triumph. Every day, life does its best to come out tops. Life gives small victories which lead the living to believe in invincibility. And yet, therein lies life’s biggest paradox: the longer you live, the greater your probability of dying with every passing day.

I am sure the person who never made it to office/home yesterday did not know that it was not meant to be for him to reach his destination. I am sure he never thought about it. Neither does anyone of us when we are performing everyday activities, such as crossing the road, boarding a train, switching on an electric appliance. All these activities have the potential to be life threatening. Yet the living remain oblivious of them.

And that is exactly what Maya is: the living wish to live indefinitely, though death is the constant force surrounding them.

/Radgovin

Safe Haven

Safe Haven

"I told them, I know who planted bombs in the train!" exclaimed Rahul to the crowd, which was watching him with glazed eyes and unwavering awe.

"I went on to describe them. One had orangeish hair, with a scar down his cheek. The second guy had pink hair. He had grotesquely coloured blue-red eyes. The third was a female, or so she seemed to me, and she was wearing no clothes!"

Silence in the gathering.

"Its amazing, isn't it? But their response was more incredible. 'Are you crazy, you lunatic?' they said"

A few appreciative chuckles ruffled through the gathering.

"You are certifiably crazy, one of them said. I denied that. I told them I was not drunk. Their tests confirmed that. They took me to a shrink, where I repeated my story and also rattled off my other heroic; how I saved the world from drowning by drinking a lot of the flood waters from that gutter of a river"

Clapping from the assembly.

"That's how I ended up here" finished Rahul, pointing towards the seven storied building housing the mental asylum.

Later, Rahul was joined by another person of similar standing, Rohit.
"You love blabbering, don't you? However, I wish you'd stop that. I fear, one day, they are going to realize our game and chuck us out of this safe haven"

"Safe haven is right. Where else in this city can you get free food, clean clothes, and good medical care? Better live a secure life in an asylum than as a destitute roaming the unsafe streets of the metropolis" said Rahul.

"What if they catch onto us?"

"Who cares? I am sure both of us can cook up another tall story to come back to this particular tall story!" said Rahul, again pointing towards the aslyum building.

[This story has been submitted for consideration in the Flash Fiction contest being conducted by Caferati as part of the Kala Ghoda Festival. More details can be found here: http://caferati.blogspot.com/]

Finance Basics

Everyone can do with understanding the basics of Finance. Same is applicable for me too! :)

Sr. No.	Term	Meaning
1	Liquidity Ratio	It shows the ability of a firm to pay its short term debts as they mature
2	Current Ratio	Current Assets / Current Liabilities
3	Quick Ratio (Acid-test)	Quick assets / Current Liabilities where, quick assets = current assets - inventory
4	Profitability Ratio	It is used to measure a firm's efficiency & ability to generate profits
5	Gross Profit margin	Gross profit / Sales
6	Net Profit margin	Net Profit (PAT) / Sales
7	Ownership Ratio	This helps to analyze the present and future investments in a firm & to compare the investments with factors such as Debt, Earnings, Dividends & Stock price
8	Return on Equity or Net Worth (RONW)	RONW = Net Profit / Avg. Equity
9	Earnings Per Share (EPS)	EPS = Net profit / No. of shares outstanding
10	Price Earnings Ratio (P/E)	P/E = Market price of shares / EPS
11	Debt Equity Ratio	Total debt / Total Equity
12	Debt Service Coverage Ratio	(PAT + Depreciation + Non cash expenses + interest on loans) / (interest on loans + Repayments)
13	Average Net Funds Employed (ANFE)	ANFE = Average Net Working Capital + Average Net Fixed Assets
14	Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)	ROCE = (PBIT - TAX) / ANFE
15	Economic Value Added (EVA)	EVA = (ROCE - WACC) x ANFE

For further reading: http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/invest/glossary.htm

Movie Review: Taare Zameen Par

All the citizens of this great country that we live in, i.e. Bharat, will agree with me that some of us, or even most of us, are the biggest hypocrites in the whole wide world. Not only that, we are among the worst racist and non-secular people in the world. There is ample proof of all these qualities everywhere. I will cite a few examples:

• Policy formers emphasize the need for increase in female to male population ratio. Policy formers reside in New Delhi. India's highest rate of female infanticide occurs in the northern states of India.
• We talk about equality for all. And then we go ahead and have reservations for backward classes and women, when economic concessions are the need of the day.
• We talk about equality and yet when the time comes to implement a uniform civil code, we make hasty reversals in policy.
• We crib about how the west has zero respect for women, how women are treated as objects in the west and how, traditionally, India has always been kind and generous to women. And then we have incidents such as rapes, molestation and groping that take place every day.
• Worst of all, we have got a very poor media: one which is interested in marketability of the news as opposed to the impact. A media which excels in doling out sensationalist oeuvre as opposed to journalistic excellence. A media which leaves no stones unturned when gets an opportunity to calumniate any individual/organization - an opportunist media, in short.

Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that cinema has chosen over the last few years to make movies which deride this phenomenon of rapacious journalism. Also, movies over the years have criticized the attitude of the Indian masses: the chalta hai attitude, the over dependence on fortune as opposed to hard work and the ineptitude of the junta to realize plights of differently abled people in this country.

The movie Taare Zameen Par, which speaks about learning disabilities, comes as a breath of fresh air. For me, there was serendipity in how I came across to seeing the movie. Me and MsF had gone to watch Welcome [which by the way is a good brainless comedy to watch and forget about your worries for a while]. Since the theatre we went to was not playing the said movie, we decided to watch TZP. This was what we call a run-time-decision (RTD). And like most of my RTDs this proved to be an amazing experience.

TZP is the story of a boy Ishant Avasti, born to middle class parents in the city of Mumbai. Therefore, that puts him into a category of millions. He is, therefore, no different than any other kid roaming the streets of Mumbai and that is exactly how his parents treat him. What his parents do not realize though is the fact that their child is unique. He has abilities that very few other people on this planet possess. That of looking at the world in a different way than is taught at schools, imbibed by parents and reinforced by interactions with peers. He is a dyslexic: he has learning disabilities. Unfortunately for him, even his parents do not realize this disability. However, with this disability he is also in possession of a wonderful gift - that of an amazing ability of capturing what he sees as pictures - pictures which range from tranquil colourful panoramas to intense, soulful paintings showing the pain in his small heart.

TZP scores maximum points for the rendition of the lead character's emotions. The movie revolves around the child actor [sometimes a tad too long!] and Aamir Khan plays a wonderful supporting actor role. He lets his lead actor direct the pace of the movie, involving himself just at the right time when he feels the movie might be losing some steam. Although the movie has a running time in excess of conventional hindi cinema, at no point is the viewer forced to think about taking a breather. The musical score by SEL is brilliant, especially the track "Kholo Kholo". This depicts the state of mind of "the brash and confident child who loses his confidence because his parents don't understand his plight and send him to training school where he meets a teacher who helps him understand himself and regain his confidence so that he can shine in this materialistic world".

A must watch movie for people who have been deprived of good viewing fare over the last year, with ostentatiously crappy movies such as OSO and Saawariya hogging the limelight. 4.5 stars to this movie out of 5!!!