Immortals of Meluha : My Opinion

“Damn it.. Y haven’t I read this book till today” was my reaction when I finished a fourth of “Immortals of Meluha” the first part of Shiva Trilogy. Off late, I became an ardent reader and admirer of Fiction combined with reality, right from I got my hands on Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”. While Brown tries to make the readers work hard to imagine what is in his book,  Amish Tripati excelled in the art of letting the readers’ imagination carve a picture of the what they are reading on mind’s canvas. Brown’s work needed more than simple effort either to understand or imagine what one is reading and what is happening unlike Tripati, whose work will automatically pull you into it and takes you with it through every part of the story letting you physically be there.

Immortals of Meluha is a beautiful journey of a man – Shiva and his transformation into a leader. This book is all about one man Shiva and his ideology “One who stands for his belief is human.., One who stands for what others believe in him is The Lord – Mahadev.”

The first part is all about Shiva, his tribe and how he was brought to an Utopian world, which needed him more than how much he needed them. Each and every step of the journey leaves you in awe, wondering about how can a writer imagine such a country, custom, create an imaginary view, which appears to be totally true and existent. The second part has a promising start, but the book is yet to reach me, so I would let you know about it in a week’s time.

IOM has to be read not only for sheer brilliance of the writer, but also to understand how one’s journey to live a noble and pious live should be and how one should react to various circumstances he comes across. Shiva running away from a crying woman haunts him even after he grows up and transforms into a leader, telling us not to show our back, whatever be the situation. Shiva’s agony explained painfully when Brihaspati died on Mount Mandar lets us know what effect a noble friend can have upon us.

Each and every character in the story is etched with perfection, none lower than the other, and none above the other. The ending of the book leaves you with a slight disturbance along with Shiva, now the Neelkanth and forces you to get your hands on the second part as soon as you can.

For the book readers out there, this book shouldn’t be missed. So read it if you haven’t till now.

For Indian readers, www.flipkart.com has the book for 167 Rs. and both the parts can be bought at a combined price of 310 rupees.

For American readers, www.amazon.com has the book for 12 dollars and 15 dollars. So, get it if you want to experience excellence.

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Indian Cricket and the Mess it is in…

The other day, when Irfan Pathan stood against media to emulate that there are no conflicts within the team, particularly between Dhoni and Sehwag, it is clear that his fumbling prove that there is something going on in the team. Who is to blame for, what is to be cleared form a latter part of the story. It is important atleast to keep the players clear off the disputes between seniors and focus on the game instead – unfortunately, which is not happening. Who is responsible for this ? – Players ? BCCI ?

A game which is held high by an entire nation and win or loss command the prestige of the country, the body of cricket and the game itself are answerable to public in India. Recent spate of defeats, confusion in selecting players in the name of rotation, fluctuating priorities and now these differences between the top two players made public – all disturb a common indian fan who is already exhausted by the team’s dismal performance in the ongoing series. There are times where defeat is taken gracefully.. but not in the manner happening now. At the heart of this unraveling of team interests is a contentious rotation policy. It’s not much of a policy except that the team’s top three batsmen take turns to sit out a game, either in order to give juniors a turn, or to improve the team’s fielding. The players are not sure which.

Either way, it has only served to open old wounds in a team packed with big egos who have fallen on hard times. The BCCI has chosen to react the only way it knows how: first by denying discord, then by declaring that Sehwag had been misquoted — on live TV at a post-match press conference seen by millions — for suggesting he disagreed with Dhoni’s policies.

The BCCI needs to answer some questions.

Why was Walia, a media manager whose advice to the media was to ‘forget’ the affair, doing the damage control in the first place? For long, the post of BCCI media manager has merely been a rotational ‘junket’ doled out to state association officials in turn. Walia, for no fault of his, is a freeloader in this ad-hoc system. The role of the media manager is not clearly defined.

Why the world’s richest cricket body cannot afford to select a permanent manager to control players’ mouths when talking to media ? The way team is being composed and selected, it seems that even the greatly acclaimed coach also do not have a chance to voice his opinion. If he does, why cant he come into the center, clear the air and calm the issues? Either side he can to choose.. but he has to choose. When will the board incorporate professionalism in dealing with matters within the body ? when will an action taken by the body or captain has logical reasons ? (Considering the rotation and sacking of players)

The captain and the board needs to stick to rules. Be professional. Clear the airs and talk to media whenever needed and whenever they are supposed to be. There are many Mandatory appearances skipped by the players, be it be Dhoni or Sachin or any one. One such instance to quote is that In August 2010 in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, the skipper played football after a defeat in full view of the waiting media, which eventually boycotted the interaction. Dhoni came in hours late and casually declared he had been “doing some cardio”.  It has been standard practice in the Indian team to either not send anyone at all for media briefings on bad days in a Test match, or send a rookie.

Australian cricket treats its media as an ally and co-operates with them, gives them the facts, keeps them at par to garner enough support in times of disdain. And as we witness, India does the quite opposite.

For Indian cricket, which is struggling to regain its balance, these are not good signs. Continuous disputes with much respected Sponsors(Sahara), sudden cancellations of broadcasting deals(Nimbus), BCCI needs to change. If it doesn’t, moving ahead will become a tough task and the body may disintegrate eventually.

Courtesy: Google, Times of India, The Hindu.

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Team Anna lost its battle : Yes ? No ? Why ? How ?

When Anna Hazare revolted against the ruling congress party way back last year, the country expected a big revolution, drastic change in politics and dethroning the corrupt government as fast as they can. But, with the proceedings of the Lokpal bill, cases pending in courts, team Anna dropping their sail, things haven’t actually changed as expected. Let alone bringing the change, but the survival of the movement itself is at stake. Reasons – many.. Solution – ???

Starting from the time the movement started, if one has closely observed the way team Anna marched forward for what it believed will change the country’s fate – the Lokpal, there are many a flaws to be noted. Some of them --

Initial Success Hangover:

When the agitation was launched, it drew unprecedented support from across the nation. For the first time, there was a mass movement against a below-par political class. Team Anna connected with the average Indian like no party ever did. For the first time, 'people power' dictated the schedule of Parliament. Anna Hazare became a rock star-like youth icon. There was glee all around at the plight of the all-powerful politician being held to account. But soon, Team Anna got carried away, ironically, by its own success. From being an effective pressure group, the general feeling was that it had become too arrogant to be a super-Parliament.

Political Orientation towards a particular Party:

The frequency of and the force with which Team Anna attacked the Congress gave the impression that this was an anti-Congress, pro-BJP movement. Why Anna was angry with Congress is understandable, but the tone and language that was being used, gave the feeling that this was another political slugfest. Team Anna did little to focus on corruption in BJP-ruled states like Karnataka. Also, the team let itself be used and abused by the political class. The statement, "We will campaign against the Congress" was a huge blunder. Even if Team Anna didn't mean it, that was a clear political statement.

Projecting only themselves and ignoring others fighting for the cause:

The message that was going out was that everyone except members of the anti-corruption movement are corrupt; that only Team Anna has the solution; that Lokpal is the magic wand that will, one fine morning, end all corruption. Lokpal was being made out as a super-powerful authority. While the obsession with Lokpal was disconcerting, the Utopian scenario that was being made out, was too good and unrealistic to believe.

What Team Anna can do to keep the movement alive and bring the change:

- Ensure the observers that they are not oriented towards any political party, rather they are working for a better country tomorrow. Let them clear the airs of having a political agenda – dethroning the congress.

- Do not step into political arena. Many mouths make the conversation meaningless. So, let one speak at a time and let them clear the country about what the team wanted to achieve and how it can be achieved. Stay away from politics.

- Stop projecting Lokpal as a magic wand that can kill all kinds of demons prying on this country. Explain the common man the real intention behind bringing the law, educate the youth and uneducated about how to use the bill.

If the team continues to run its movement in the same way it is doing now, I guess there is not much time left for it to perish. Rather, I’d expect them to open their eyes and work on succeeding in what they ‘ve taken up for the country.

 

Sources: Times of India, Google, flickr.

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Homosexuality in India : What’s your stand ?

The issue of homosexuality has taken the hot seat in India with the growing conflicts between the Court and the Parliament (Congress as a matter of Fact). Its been an year since the Supreme court decriminalized the acts of sex between two persons of same sex with their full consent and in private. But, the government, today opposed the verdict, stating that there are still a majority of people who consider homosexuality is immoral in our society. In the wake of this issue, lets look at ourselves and where we stand in this particular issue.

According to me, there are four types of people who respond to this issue of homosexuality.

First, Conservative people and those who consider themselves protecting the Indian culture, do oppose this bluntly and strongly as an immoral and unfaithful move.

Second, pretty open minded people, who assume that each individual has his/her own right to choose what to do, until it doesn’t affect the people around them.

Third, people act as being open minded, support homosexuality, but still pray god that their own sons/daughters are not gays/lesbians.

Four, people who give a damn about those homosexuals and make a cheap mockery of such individuals.

Well.., Since this is my blog and being honest doesn’t hurt me, I like to say that I fall in the category of those people who act as open minded, but are really not. This may be attributed to the mix of cultures I have been through, being brought up in strict conservative family and having strong cultural roots, and also getting into the modern world that everybody dreams to make a step into. I am really not much into either of these perspectives, so both of these influence my perception about homosexuality. When the time comes to make a stand, I would always bend towards my culture, values that I am brought up with and would say a strict No-No to homosexuality, but also would consider not to criticize them or those who practice it, recognizing that change is essential in a society and it is what which stays constant. Yes.. Change is the only thing that is constant in the society.

Where do you stand in the above categories and what is your stand on this issue will expose the face of India to the world.

Though off the topic, I would like to stress on the words that Hon. Minister Gulam Nabi Azad uttered a few months ago “The disease of MSM (Man having Sex with Man) has been a part of developed world, and its sad that our country is now infected with it”

Dear Sir, This is truly immoral and irresponsible on your part to make such obnoxious comments on the individuals who excel in all aspects of their life and take India ahead of other countries faster than what you can do. Their sexual practice is their choice and you/me doesn’t have any moral rights to comment or criticize them.

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Israel–Iran : Possible ways of waging a war.. !!

With the unrest growing between both the nations, war seems to be inevitable in the near future. at least the present scenario indicates so. Lets see how many ways Israel and Iran can wage a war among themselves and what may be the consequences of such methods.

1. War through Lebanon, Syria.

Iran, sensing that its Syrian supply line to Hezbollah could disappear at any moment, decides to pre-emptively activate its co-religious Shiite militia in an attack on Israel’s northern border towns.  With upwards of 200,000 Iranian missiles already in hand, Hezbollah could put on quite a show, triggering a massive retaliation campaign from Israel designed to temporarily reduce the militia’s firepower capacity.

With guns already blazing and Israelis already dying, Netanyahu could decide he’s already facing the Iranian counterattack scenario, so why not pursue the air attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities at the same time?

2. Taking the war to Iran through Bahrain

Iran, desperate to divert attention elsewhere, does its best to re-ignite a Shiite rebellion inside Bahrain, forcing the Saudis to send troops yet again and shifting the international community’s attention back to the evil of Sunni autocracy there.  The Saudis then may green light Israel’s long-standing offer to attack Iran through Saudi airspace.

3. Stop Obama from interfering by waging a war during elections

Israel simply plans its attack for the eve of the U.S. presidential election, knowing President Barack Obama’s hands will be tied. The Pentagon’s many China hawks, eager to test out their new high-tech Air Sea Battle Concept, readily accept the challenge, sensing a golden opportunity to signal strategic intent - and capabilities - to Beijing.

4. Create Unrest in the country by destroying civil infrastructure

No, we’re not talking actual strikes with nuclear bombs.  Instead, in a bold step, Israel’s triggers a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) by detonating a nuclear device over Iran. Whatever facilities in Iran come under its line-of-sight radiation blast suffer a permanent shorting-out electrical effect.  While the impact on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities wouldn’t be decisive, Tehran’s ability to control its own population would be temporarily devastated, possibly opening the door for internal rebellion.

So, it is interesting to see how Israel reacts to Iran’s moves in the near future. Till then, fingers crossed.

source: Global public square, Google images.

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Maldives: Operation Sandhya, Coupe d’etat

 

The second one in the series of Maldives’ revolution focuses on its preceding coups and how these led foundation for a 30 year unfazed presidency of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Named Operation Sandhya by Indian armed forces, the 1988 rebellion by a group of rebels led by Abdullah Luthafi and other activists of People’s liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) is aimed at overthrowing the then Government in the Island Nation, but was unsuccessful, thanks to the intervention of Indian Armed Forces at the request of Maldivian Government.

Prior to Operation Sandhya in 1988, there were two other minor coupes targeted at the government in 1980 and 1983. Whereas the 1980 and 1983 coup d’etat attempts against Gayoom’s presidency were not considered serious, the third coup d'état attempt in November 1988 alarmed the international community. About 80 armed PLOTE mercenaries landed in the capital Male before dawn aboard speedboats from a freighter. Disguised as visitors, a similar number had already infiltrated Malé earlier. The mercenaries quickly gained control of the capital, including the major government buildings, airport, port and television and radio stations. However, they failed to capture President Gayoom, who fled from house to house and asked for military intervention from India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi immediately dispatched 1,600 troops by air to restore order in the capital city, Male.

The operation started on the night of November 3, 1988, when IIYushin 76aircraft of the Indian Air Force airlifted a battalion of the Parachute Regiment from Agra Air Force Station and flew them non-stop over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi) to air-drop them over the Malé International Airport on Hulhule Island. The Indian Army paratroopers arrived on Hulhule less than 12 hours after the appeal from President Gayoom.

The Indian paratroopers immediately secured the airfield and restored control of the capital to President Gayoom's government within hours. Some of the mercenaries fled toward Sri Lanka in a hijacked freighter. Those unable to reach the ship in time were quickly rounded up and handed over to the Maldives government. Nineteen people reportedly died in the fighting, most of them mercenaries. The dead included two hostages killed by the mercenaries. The Indian Navy frigates Godavari and Betwa intercepted the freighter off the Sri Lankan coast, and captured the mercenaries. Swift operation by the military and precise intelligence information successfully quelled the attempted coup d'état in the island nation.

After the Rebellion groups were silenced and captured by the Indian government, Gayoom continued his ruling for almost 30 years, until he was dethroned again in 2008. The next one focuses on the rule of Gayoom and the condition of Maldives under his rule.

 

Image Courtesy: Google.

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Maldives: Island Nation rattled by revolution and democracy..

With the rise of revolution again in Maldives and the coup trying to dethrone the president and form an alternate government, Maldives gathered attention from all parts of the world. Prior to knowing about what is happening there in the present time, it is also important to understand how Maldives has grown into what it is now, and how the country headed to be one of the smallest democratic nations in the world.

Maldives, a collection of 1200 small Islands is located near the country of India. Maldives gained total independence from the British in 1965. However, the, continued to maintain an air base on the island of Gan in the southernmost atoll until 1976. The British departure in 1976 at the height of the Cold war almost immediately triggered foreign speculation about the future of the air base. Apparently the Soviet Union made a move to request the use of the base, but the Maldives refused.

The greatest challenge facing the republic in the early 1990s was the need for rapid economic development and modernization, given the country's limited resource base in fishing, agriculture and tourism. Concern was also evident over a projected long-term rise in sea level, which would prove disastrous to the low-lying coral islands.

Maldives is also one of the smallest Islamic Nations, with most of the citizens following Islam religion. The advent of Islam started when the middle eastern countries eyed the availability of specific type of corals which were used as a form of money during the 16th century. With the country turning Islam and people tending to run the country in the manner in which most of the Arabic countries run – under the king’s rule and monarchy, there were occasional revolutions in the country, but curbed successfully.

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ruled the country for almost 30 years, from 1978 to 2008 until when there was  a revolution and people demanded for democracy. The episode of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and his ruling of Maldives forms a very crucial part of the country’s history. Wait for my next post to know about the ruling of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, conditions which led for a revolt and how he was dethroned and democracy was setup in the country in 2008.

Images courtesy: Google.

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India–Iran Oil Trade: will the US stall Nuke Co-operation ?

The bilateral hearing of India – US nuclear ties regarding the nuclear cooperation and other economic sanctions from the United States came to a near halt when the Indian counterpart insisted on not backing off from oil trade with Iran in the presence of US Indian Ambassador, Nancy Powell.

The reactions of US senators is expected and it is harsh, given the growing closeness between Washington and New Delhi in the recent past in areas of power, military and civil cooperation. The senators didn’t hold themselves back gushing out their anguish on New Delhi, when Ranjan Mathai, the Foreign secretary of India made the country’s plans clear to Ms. Hillary clinton by presenting New Delhi’s perspective on this and other issues standing between the both countries.

New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez took a step ahead and liberty to accuse india of “rebunking economic Sanctions (US led)” for considering the payment in terms of gold and looking for other way around to counter US move to halt money flow into the Iran. ''For our sanctions to be effective, it's really crucial that all nations, particularly democratic nations like India, work together to confront Iran,'' Menendez said, urging Powell to convey to New Delhi that this is a ''policy priority'' and the US will not hesitate to take appropriate action under its law to enforce the sanctions, a step that will hurt Indian companies if they continue trading with Iran.

Outside these two niggles, there was the usual buoyant assessment of US-India ties, with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry reiterating the broad Washington consensus that ''America is an interested stakeholder in India's increasing ascent to greater economic and greater global power and participation.'' Powell, a veteran foreign service nominee who Kerry described as ''one of our best'' agreed, describing India as ''leading security partner of the US in the 21st century.''
Describing India as a ''net security provider in the Indo-Pacific region,'' Powell, considering a shoo-in for the New Delhi post with confirmation a mere formality, said the ''number and kinds of interactions between our two countries at all levels is staggering in its breadth and depth.''

Does the reactions of these senators convey the message that US is not going to take it easy on India – Iran’s relations regarding oil and money flow ? Is it the time for India to see another way around to develop a sovereign and unsanctioned methods to revive its nuclear capacity, may it be civil or defense and counter the wrath of United States. Well, the developments in the coming days prove to be very interesting with regard to the senators’ comments on Indian determination to continue its business with Iran.

For the reader SUN, who asked the sources, here are a couple of them dude.

1. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Oil-imports-India-Iran-work-out-rupee-trade-mechanism/articleshow/11873283.cms

2. http://www.pravasitoday.com/transcript-of-press-briefing-by-foreign-secretary-ranjan-mathai-on-pm%E2%80%99s-visit-to-united-nations-general-assembly

I hope the above two sources will give u a better knowledge of the deal than what I tried to provide here. Please let me know if you need some more. I will look for them.

Source: Times of India.

Images Courtesy: Google.

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India - Iran Rupee Trading : Mechanism and Benefits

As a follow – up for the Yesterday’s post about Oil trading between India and Iran, I would like to specify rupee trading system and the developments taking place in this regard and how will this benefit our country.

As a recent development proposes, India and Iran governments successfully worked out Rupee trading mechanism for payment of India’s oil imports from Iran, rather than using the US Dollar and this development comes into practice in two months. The reason for Rupee trading – US and EU’s sanctions on Iran and the countries trading with them.

Mechanism:

“Whatever oil India imports from Iran and for that oil whatever money India is supposed to pay, part of that amount will be retained in a bank in India. Thereafter, any Indian who exports to Iran need not have to bother about some US bank. Once (export) documents are negotiated, the designated Indian Bank, where the money will be kept, will pay the exporter the equivalent amount in Indian currency.” says Anup Pujari, Director General of Foreign Trade in a press conference.

This decision was taken after a bilateral meeting between Iran and Indian officials as trade cannot be done using International Standard Currency, the US Dollar, as a consequence of economic sanctions imposed by United States on Iran. Rahul Khullar, the Union Commerce secretary expressed a concern that oil imports from Iran is enough for only 20 to 25%, thus emphasizing the fact that India is looking for an increase in the amount of exports to Iran.

As the so called barter system is coming into effect in 2 months, there are a small amount of pros and cons of this system.

Pros:

Indian imports and foreign trade with Iran will no longer be dependent on American Dollar or EU’s Euro, thereby alienating itself from any fluctuations in the major currency values of the world.

US’ impact on oil trading and its grip on world oil trade will be in question and India will be least affected in terms of oil imports from Iran.

Cons:

Drawing US’ wrath by trading with Iran despite its objections is one major blow to India and its policies.

The civil nuclear co-operation, military sales and dealings and other economic benefits that India receives from US may be at stake or else will at least be affected because of this move by Indian government.

Time will answer the response of United States government regarding this and how this deal shapes up will get interesting in the near future.

Anup Pujari’s Comments : from The Hindu.

Image Courtesy: Google.

 

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Dhoni’s 112m six in CB series Match 4 Vs. Australia

 

Dhoni’s 112m six that won the match Vs. Australia

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India’s Oil Trade with Iran : Necessary and Compulsive ?

With the growing Oil dependence of India on Iran, the United States stands against this trading as the country is planning for economic sanctions against India. Why the United States opposes the move, what effect does this trade have on US – India’s bilateral ties and what if India decides to stop its oil trading are the questions in discussion.

Indian industries are fuelled only by the imported oil in most of the regions even though the country has its own oil reserves. Iran’s oil constitutes of 12 percent of India’s imports and it is difficult at this point of time to just stop it at once. India holds firm on its stand to trade with Iran, despite the pressures from US, Europe and also the increasing conflicts or disturbances regarding Indo – US civil nuclear cooperation, military sales and trade sanctions. The reason is clear. India needs Iranian Oil to boom its growing cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. There are some refineries built in India which do run only on Iranian oil. Stopping trade with Iran also puts them out of business, which the Indian government cannot afford given its economic condition now.

It also should be noted that India tried to reduce its dependence on Iranian oil in the recent past citing the reasons of US’ economic sanctions and the sanctions imposed by the Federal government on banks dealing with Iran. To counter this move, India has been paying the Iran companies through a bank in turkey, which may not also be possible after this year.

Well, the reasons that India prefers Iran oil are plenty, with the distance between the two countries is less than the middle east and oil can be transported easily, Iran offers India to pay 45 percent of the money in Indian rupees rather than US’ dollars (primary concern of US) and also looking into an option to pay the rest of the money through barter system, if not by money. India too, is against Iran developing nuclear weapons and asks the country to disclose itself as a non nuclear nation under the NPT. This is a concern shared along with the US, but is not that strong as to stop the whole trading thing with Iran. The reason – India needs Oil and Iran has it.

Though talks are going on between India and United States regarding this oil trade, it is difficult to expect India to back out at this point and also much can be expected from the United States in the form of sanctions or lesser help in other regards such as nuclear cooperation and military dealings.

Images courtesy: Google.com

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One of the beautiful songs in Telugu movies till date -- Sirivennela gaaru rocks

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Stars’ War in AP Politics: Chiranjeevi Vs. Balakrishna

From the past two decades, the TFI, telugu film industry knows only two super stars – Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna. When they ruled the roost in Telugu cinema, K Chiranjeevi and Nandamuri Balakrishna were like wary stags circling each other. Off the record, they led caste based rivalries, Chiranjeevi being the Kapu’s Icon and Balakrishna, the Kamma elite. Backgrounds of both of them are different, Chiranjeevi rising from nowhere and Balakrishna, entered into the industry commanding utmost respect as the son of legendary NTR. Though NTR was sidelined from politics by CBN long ago, the politics now circle around NTR’s family with Balakrishna as the center as soon as he announced his entry into state politics.

Said to be good friends off the screen, Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna turned out to be bitter enemies or rather politicians with the latter’s entry onto the public stage a month ago. Daggers are drawn by each other as soon as Balakrishna took the flexibility to comment about incompatibility of Chiranjeevi to run a party and merging it into congress at the end. Fans fight for their stars, shed blood and get to the streets in support when the two fight each other with words at the top.

The instance Balakrishna announced his entry into politics and took liberty of talking about Chiranjeevi’s failure and subsequent merger of PRP into congress, scuffle started between both the parties and took a rather worst turn when the merger is described as a money – grabbing act by Chiranjeevi. Well.. then came the retort from Chiranjeevi saying that “Balakrishna is Childish” and the rest is known to the state.

Though Chiranjeevi signaled peace by calling Balakrishna a good friend,  the latter went on a spree of unveiling his father's statues, at one event, he thumped his thigh—his trademark screen mannerism—and declared that Chiranjeevi could not hold a candle to his dad: “My father, even though he was chief minister, took only `1 rupee as salary, used his own car for official duties and entertained official guests at his own expense. And so, those who take his name as ideal (Chiranjeevi) cannot even match his footsteps.

CBN and his party faces a major opposition in the form of Jagan Mohan Reddy in the coastal region and Balakrishna would serve the party’s purpose in that area too. As a film star, he draws crowds, matching Chiranjeevi. Moreover, Balakrishna is fresh in the minds of voters, having just reprised a mythological film in which he played the role of Ram, made famous by his father. And since everyone's playing caste politics, Balakrishna is ideal to keep the Kamma flock close to the TDP just as Jagan is attracting the Reddys and Chiranjeevi is being primed to get the Kapu vote for the Congress.

The reason for chiranjeevi being less aggressive in the recent past is he has another task in his hand, strengthen his position in Congress and fight another bunch of enemies within the party.  Having submerged his Praja Rajyam Party into the Congress, he is finding that his MLAs are no longer his. He is understood to have realized that instead of becoming an important leader in the Congress, he is faced with the prospect of his men rallying behind PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana, a fellow Kapu.

The Megastar of Telugu cinema is still fighting to firm his feet in congress and doesn’t have a clear plan of what he is going to be in the party. These histrionics from both the stars and proof of their caliber is necessary. Even though the assembly elections are two and half years far, there is this by-elections for about 25 assembly seats, which stand as preliminary test to the mettle of both this stars.

With this kind of star war ahead, People are eager to know who will come out as the winner and who is going to bite the mud.

Well.. readers’ opinions also count in this regard and let me know about them in your comments. Thank you.

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Obama’s Outsourcing Policy–Effect on Indian Companies

With the elections coming up and Obama announcing new outsourcing policy, It is important to understand what toll does it take on Indian Companies. Most of the American companies are against the policy in the sense that the new policy increases their operating costs, whereas the Indian companies are in a dilemma about what to do.

The objective of this article is to understand the position of American and Indian companies who outsource their jobs way back to India from US. For this, We should first understand what is the difference between Outsourcing and Offshoring.

Offshoring is when a US company sends jobs that once existed within that US company overseas to a subsidiary of its own, for instance, if an Cognizant project engineer’s job gets moved to Bangalore or Hyderabad or New Delhi, but the new employee is still a Cognizant worker. Outsourcing is when a US company pays another company altogether for doing that job, much of it ends up in India, but a big store in New york lets another company in Illinois to do its book keeping job is also technically offshoring.

The difference between both forms does matter, with the new format of tax codes, off-shoring may become a little expensive for US companies, with the extent of the increase depending on the tax rates of the country the jobs go to. In some of European countries, the tax rate for foreign companies is as less as 12% whereas in India it is 44%, way higher than United States.

he change, as best as I can understand from the opinions of tax experts in United States and India, will reverse a Bush-era policy where US companies were able to "defer" paying corporate tax on income earned overseas until they brought it back to the US, either as dividends or as retained profits on their balance sheets. They got a tax credit for whatever tax they paid overseas already, and paid the difference to the US Government.

Now, if the change goes through, US companies must pay US corporate tax immediately, but will continue to get that credit. Keeping in mind that companies spend a lot of money figuring out loopholes and deductions to keep their tax rate low, the difference between US and Indian corporate tax rates is pretty low already, no more than a few percentage points.

So, the off shore companies get their work done outside United States and the amount they pay in India is very lesser than that they pay in United States. The profit they make through this difference is much higher than the tax they pay to the United States government.

As far as outsourcing goes, which arguably has resulted in a large number of jobs being created in India instead of the US, the impact is even less. The US subsidiaries of Indian companies like Infosys or TCS do have some earnings in the US or from non-India based operations but the bulk of the earnings, which add up to billions of dollars a year, are generated in India. So far, there is nothing in the Obama budget or even any clear policy that affects Indian companies directly.

So, the Indian companies, which serve as the first step of outsourcing for US companies are waiting to see what is Obama’s next move and till then, they still have a bit of relief since the tax rates are in control and the US companies do not defer from outsourcing their jobs.

Well.. any comments you have…., feel free to voice your opinion. If you like this article, share it.

Images Courtesy: Google.

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IPL Auction Vs. NBA Drafting–An Insight

With another season of IPL nearby, lets take a look on the auction procedures of these two games and what good does these procedures do to their respective formats of the game. First, lets start with the IPL, the Indian Premier League which is being the center of debate every year whether it contributes to the game or does it kill the real essence of the game – CRICKET.

IPL Auction:

Well – as we all know, IPL auction procedure is pretty simple. It is held every 3 years and then the players are bought by the franchise for 3 seasons of the game. As the regular rules of auction, the process is quite simple with all the teams having given the maximum limit for the amount they can spend on players, each team can bid for every player it thinks will add value to its team and can go ahead with buying the players at whatever be the cost they are bid to.

Clearly, the players do prefer the franchises which try to pay them more or give them off the field contracts such as advertisements, brand endorsements etc.. This doesn’t do any good to the game as franchises with more off the field value tend to attract better performing players and the teams down the chart stay down there every year.

Clearly, the players play for the franchise, but not for the game or to contribute something to their game when it comes to IPL and doesn’t actually focus on their team’s performance or rankings, but work hard towards their individual performance and eye on more bid rate the next season. Does this do any good to the game ? Do these players develop the standards of the game ? I guess No.

NBA Drafting:

The NBA drafting is totally different from that of IPL, where in the teams that have finished at the bottom of the list the previous year tend to get the first pick for players coming out of universities and state leagues. In this manner, the teams with worst performance rate get a chance to pick a better performing players for the next year, thereby boosting their chances of getting up the list in the next season.

For the 11 non-playoff teams that season, the team with the worst record would have 11 chances (out of 66) to obtain the first pick, the second worst would have 10 chances, and so on. Similar to the previous system, this weighted lottery system was also used only to determine the first three picks, while the rest of the teams selected in reverse order of their win-loss records.

Thus, each and every team will get their chance every season to better their performance, get quality players on their board and the players too, play for their team. The interaction of the top players of the game with some of the players in the lower rung will help the players at the bottom to increase their knowledge of the game, tactics, improve their performance on par with the better players in the team etc., This really does contribute to the betterment of the game on a whole.

Though Money plays major role in these two formats, it is the NBA, which is ahead of IPL in terms of contributing and adding value to the game, giving valuable experience to entry level players and thereby increasing their dedication to perform better for their team. Well – I guess IPL needs to study the procedure of drafting if it really decides to add value to the game, not the franchises.

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The Dark Knight Rises - - Legend Ends

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IAS Officers–Are they independent ?

A. Srilakshmi, B.P. Acharya – the two IAS officers who were hailed for their intellect, for their excellence and for their clean record now count the bars in the jail for one reason. Obeying the orders of their ministers and signing the papers according to the politician’s wishes.

The case of Y.S. Jagan mohan reddy amassing a huge fortune and wealth almost equal to a state budget (1,00,000 crore expected) surfaced after the death of his father, late Y.S. Rajasekhar reddy. More precisely, the case surfaced after Mr. Jagan quit congress party in 2009. Though this is an expected move from the side of congress, given their history of using CBI and law on those who revolt against the party, the issue actually raising main concern is the IAS officers during YSR’s regime are being made scapegoats in one or the other way.

A. Srilakshmi, became an IAS officer at the age of 23 and foresaw a promising career until the recent past. But, when the illegal mining of Gali Janardhan reddy was caught up by CBI and the Apex court of the country, it is the same Srilakshmi, who became the prime accused. Gali is a close associate of YSR and everyone knows how brotherly relationship they maintained. The then Mining minister, Ms. Sabitha Indra Reddy was the sixth finger of YSR, who does what ever the CM ordered her to do. In such a way, many of the mines were illegally alloted to Gali and Co, and as evident, the prime accused here should be the minister and the deceased CM.

But, at the end, it is the Secretary, Ms. Srilakshmi that is made scapegoat and was put behind the bars, crushing her bright future under the hammer of law.

The same is with Mr. B.P. Acharya, present home secretary and accused in illegal allotment of lands to Emaar properties during YSR regime.

Doesn’t the ministers and politicians have nothing to do with this ? Is it only the officers that are responsible for these illegal proceedings ? Though all the people in the state know the truth, CBI and the court doesn’t consider the real beneficiaries as accused. At the end, it is these officers who sign on the documents that are made scapegoats.

Can we still assume that bureaucrats can work independently ? Can we see a change in their subordination to ministers in the future ? only time will answer these questions.. but, before the answers, there are many such officers who are in line to get into the clutches of CBI and get into Jail, lose their Cadres, future and reputation. Rest in Peace my dear intellect.

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Rural India–Does it really need Education ?

Well.. being jobless now a days is helping me to spend more time here I guess. Lol.

Anyway, let me tell you about what went through my mind today.

I go to this place, a bus stop on the outskirts of my town to smoke. I go there once or twice a day. So, it is a stop for all the private buses that come from and go to nearby villages. Most of the villagers, whose main occupation is irrigation and petty businesses frequent that place for transportation. I see a lot of people and observe some of them almost every day.

Most of them are illiterates I guess. and they look so too. . They are busy everyday, travelling, transporting their goods from one place to other. Some of them visit their kin and kith, some of them come to the town for business, some of them come for daily labor chores and yeah.. u get to see a lot different lifestyles there.

All of them are busy.. awaiting buses and as soon as they reach, these people fight to board. Looks pretty similar to software lifestyle in Bangalore right ? yeah. it is. These people are uneducated, from farming families, or those who stand on their own feet doing various types of businesses and are successful in their life.

One thing I noted common among all these people is that many of them are not answerable to anyone – except themselves. Doesn’t have any deadlines, project plans, bosses to answer, team leads to worry about, Nothing really. and we, try to educate them, get them into schools, and as a result many of them leave their professions back home and get to these metros in search of real jobs where they are forced to work under someone, take an enormous amount of pressure and be answerable to someone always in their life and then brag about what they lost. Isn’t it what we are doing .. ?? Talk a lot about bosses’ harassment, project pressures, deadline tensions, etc..,

I doubt if there is really a necessity to educate them and bring them to our place, so that the void they left is filled by no one and we wonder why irrigation and agriculture are declining in our country everyday. Is it necessary for them to come to these cities and work under someone in the name of development and modern culture ? Is it necessary for those people who are independent to become slaves of some multi-national companies ?

Yet, we try to educate them and convert them into white collar slaves. Is this the kind of education they need ? Is this the kind of education that our real India needs (Villages are the true face of India – M.K. Gandhi). Well .. some one has to clear me.  

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All Hail ‘Team India’–The team that finally won..

Raina and Jadeja Thrilled after a wicket

Finally.., after almost a couple of months, Indian fans tasted a victory. The Indian team gifted us a victory in rather a sheepish manner. As it is said, ‘One win is all it takes.. !!”, will this win silent the debate about Dhoni’s Captaincy.. ?? I guess so. I also guess not. Well.. Before you make an opinion, let me mind you that I am not bashing the team now. I am ardent fan of team India, it doesn’t matter whether they win or not.

Credit goes to fielders and Dhoni for an awesome display of athleticism on the field and a good keeping after a long time by Dhoni. Rohit Sharma and Jadeja excelled on the ground with their fielding and give the fans a ray of hope to expect a win in couple of matches at least during the coming Tri-Series with Oz and Lankans.

Dhoni – all beaming during the presentation showers all the praises towards the fielders “The Best fielding side I ve seen” he says.. well he is true for a reason. Kohli, Jadeja, Raina, Rohit Sharma displayed absolute excellence on the field committing no mistakes today.

Jadeja Congratulated after Running out George Bailey

Man of the Match.. awarded to Jadeja.. couldn’t understand why the commentator said it is going to be a controversial decision when he really deserves that better than anyone on the field today.

But, I wish the debate about the pitches in India, composition of team and search for fast bowlers in the country should go on. There are many factors that led to the recent test debacle of the team. IPL, over dependence on the senior clout, inefficiency of the bowlers to take 20 wickets – the main characteristic needed to win test matches. Let the intellectuals pour their thoughts into these, debate among them, come up with a solution and implement it before the senior clout phases out of the team leaving rest of the team clueless when they play abroad.

Till then.., we just enjoy this win to the fullest and debate on the test debacle.. who knows .. the next one may be as soon as possible .. or as late as never.. .. what say folks ??

Photos Courtesy: espncricinfo.com

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Let the ‘Taj’ Collapse.. !!!

In the wake of the reports that say Taj doesn’t last for more than five years.., I wish the Taj collapses before that. Yes.. I may sound weird and attract bricks and bats from you people.. but I wish the Taj Collapses.

Well.. the Taj has been the symbol of love, pride of the nation for so long that even I feel the monument is tired of keeping us, Indians on the top, when we do not actually deserve it. The alarm was raised long back and the people, government, activists everyone had a sore eye on the monument till date, and we react and protest now when there is no chance of bringing it back to life and guarantee it another life period extension. So, I do wish the Taj Collapse.

As soon as the alarm is raised, ASI team has assembled in the rear of the monument only to release a press note that states that there is no danger to the monument in the near future. But, when we preserve something of that great importance and which personifies our national heritage, I assume that the government should at least have a knowledge of the monument, its construction and methods to extend its life period.

Polluted Water from the River Yamuna, collected and displayed by SaveYamuna.Org foundation.

Ironically, that didn’t happen till the recent past.

In 1987, a Unesco-backed experts committee of BM Feilden and P Beckmann noted with concern that there was remarkably little information about the foundations and the nature of the sub-soil.

"In a building of this supreme importance to the world cultural heritage, it is essential to have full knowledge of the foundations and the soil to assess the effect of possible changes in the sub-soil and water regimes such as industrial water extraction and the consequences of seismic activity," the committee's report said. (Times of India, 9 oct 2011).

This is the interest we do have in the great structure that resembles a nation’s heritage. Such an interest is commendable and for this, the nation needs to be punished. So, I do wish the Taj Collapse. The other factor for the monument’s deterioration is the pollution of river Yamuna. The wooden foundations of Taj Mahal needs to be wet with water of Yamuna all the time so as to stay strong and put. With the rise of Industrialization in and around Agra, Yamuna River is polluted to such an extent that the effect is now almost irreversible. Concerns have been raised so many times, for which the government and the industrial world turned a deaf ear and now everybody is ready to save the monument. Why don’t we react early? Why don’t we react when it is the time to. Why do we always react only after something happens.

May it be the 26/11 attacks or Kargil insurgency or bombings in Mumbai, we react only after they happen and yes.. that reaction stays alive for two days. When India wins another cricket match, everything is forgotten and shelved. They are brought down by the so called leaders and politicians only when they believe that it will serve their purpose of attracting votes.

Who is supposed to change here.? The politicians ? and I know it is foolish to expect them to change. well.. atleast in the near future. It is we, the people of India, youth.. who are hailed as the new face of India are supposed to change. Stand for what we want.. Stand for what we believe.. Stand for what we want to pass on to the next generations. Time to buckle up and save our national heritage and let the world believe that we changed. we changed for good. If the collapse of Taj is necessary to bring the change we want in the country,

I wish.. Let the Taj Collapse.. !!!

 

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Egypt Soccer Riot–Who to blame for ???

 

 

The riot that killed over 70 people and injured almost 1000 spectators is the hot sport topic of the world. Well.. I don’t want to give you a news about this event as all the news agencies have already covered it, but would like to see where sport is taking us and what command it has on an individual’s perception towards other team fans.

The fans of local Al-Masry team chasing the visiting Al-ahly team fans with knives and daggers, pelting stones towards them when they are crushed by nothing but a closed gate at the exit corridor doesn’t actually seem to be spontaneous, but a planned attack by whoever it is. The links of these riots will be dated back to an year where the military leader Hoshni Mubarak was brought down from power by the people and his supporters waiting for an opportunity to hit back at the protestors. I guess these riots have nothing to do with sport, but are elevated as a soccer riot by the media. A group of fans, “Ultras” blaming the police for letting the rivals attack them and promising to have their vengeance clearly indicates the political angle of this riots and the consequent protests at Tahrir Square made this a national problem.

‘Ultras who support Cairo's Al-Ahly and Zamalek clubs have long been bitter enemies of the police who wielded wide-ranging powers under Mubarak-era emergency law. The fans' anti-police songs, peppered with curses, usually go viral on the Internet, an expression of the hatred many Egyptians feel toward security forces.’ (Huffingtonpost News).

“A complete Crime” this is.. the parliament’s defense committee head Abbas Mekhimar says. And yeah.. I agree with him because a rampage targeting a group of people cannot be done instantaneously and over a spur of defeat. Whoever it is behind this, It can only be said that this riot has nothing to do with the sport though it has brought a malignant image to Soccer in Egypt and turns the world’s heads towards the country with yet another incident claiming 74 lives.

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Why I'm Obsessed with sleep --

Well.. I slept all the day and now still i feel sleepy. This has been going from last 1 month. Usually, i don't sleep much when i have to go out or work somewhere. But, whenever there is something important coming up in the near future, like an exam or an interview, my brain automatically forces me to sleep.


       And yeah.. mind you.. this is not the 8 hour sleep that we usually do. But this is 18 hour sleep a day. Given a chance, i will sleep even 24 hrs a day comfortably. I don't know why, but i developed this disorder right from my school days. An exam is coming up, i am gearing up for sleep.. an interview is coming up, i am getting ready to sleep.. 


       Any number of teas or cigarettes don't work for me. They don't keep me awake. I don't know the reason why. Any disorder this is ?? OMG.. i ve had enough.. i don't want to add one more to this list. I have an important exam coming up in the next 8 days and now i am sleeping 8 hours completely -- 2 times a day.. i.e. a total of 16 hours a day. When the exam is done, i will not be able to sleep even if i want to. This has been happening from so long and i think some one should suggest me to do something to stop it. because i ve tried everything and tired by now. 




Good night.. :( 

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Things My Dad taught Me.. !!!!

• The Measurement of my finger from the tip to the first joint is 1 inch... depth for planting peas. 
• The measurement to the second joint is 2 inches... depth for corn.
• Return borrowed things in better shape than when you borrowed them.
• There are two types of trouble -- One is the trouble you knowingly walk into, the other is the trouble that just happens. It's important to know the difference. 
• Walk Softly, but carry a big stick.
• If you have to use the said stick, make sure who you use it on, doesn't get up.
• Grits are good.
• Foul language is a sign of limited vocabulary.
• Everyone is a friend until proven otherwise.

• Don't Watch the clock when you are at work. 
• Respect the elders. 
• Never go to bed angry. 
• That which does not kill you will hurt like the dickens, but it will make you stronger. 
• Family is the most important thing on earth. 
• The true meaning of "Self Made Man".
• If you don't know something, go to the library and learn it.
• The phrases "I Don't know", "I Forgot", or "I tried (and failed)" are excuses. 
• There is a difference between an excuse and a reason, know the difference. 
• Take care of your appearance -- even if its just a tee and jeans.
• The world can change everything about you, except your point of view... unless you allow it to. 

and yeahh.. i have only one word for you.. Thank you Dad.. !!

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122 2G licences Cancelled -- Who is the winner here ??

Flash News -- Supreme Court cancels 122 2G licenses. 

Though Many hail this as a victory of government on corrupted practices, the reality is far different i fear. As the law says, the licences are cancelled and Chidambaram got a breather with the case being referred to trial court.

Pros: I dont see any.

Cons: As all the licenses are cancelled, the government has to pay the deposits collected from those companies with a 11% interest, and anyway i am not interested in calculating that whopping loss to our treasury. Above that, there is no one big head who is acquitted/convicted in this case and the case is going to spend another couple of years in the trial court with Chidambaram getting a breather and ample time to tamper with evidences, make money in a new fool proof way the next time.

Who is the winner here .. ??


1. The government ??

2. Our very own Chiddu sir, who got another chance to mint money, in a better way this time not to get caught.

3. the telecom companies which will receive a hefty amount of interest on their deposits and will definitely get a chance to bid again for lower prices and who knows, the scenario might be repeated coz none of the persons accused are relieved out of their duties, except for quite a few who doesn't hold any power now.


Some one please explain me where my country is heading towardssss.. !!!!

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Sparrrowwwwwwwwwwwwww.. !!!!!!

In the times when i walked to home frm school.. :) ..
One day.. as am walkin, saw a bird.. a small bird.. a sparrow..
Twas flying here nd there.. but was around me all the time..
the sparrow as lukin so cute.. with many colors on its body.. (i knw its not a sparrow.. but am used to calling every small bird a sparrow.. ;)
i Can seee red, blue and green on its feathers..
luks like it has beeen searching 4 its mother from ages..
the day was so windy, that the bird cannot fly higher..
I was walkin.. the bird flew from tree to tree.. following me..
wanted to keep it with me.. at the same time.. thought it shud find its mom..
so bade her a good bye.. left it for the day and got into my home.. forgettin abt it..

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Some onez got a wand ???

If anyone has a magic wand that will solve all the problems in life, I'm interested in looking at it or buying it from you.

Would be interested in seeing the wand's past accomplishments and achievements to verify that it actually does what its supposed to. May request a demonstration. Prefer a fast acting wand, one of the later models that come with the instant gratification package or enhancements. If it isn't the instant gratification type, preferably one that lets you know whether or not anythings happening and gives a forecast of what's happening after waving it.

If it's portable that would be great, especially if it's pocket sized.

Color, not important.

Prefer machine washable in case I forget to take it out of my pockets in the laundry.

Larger sized wands have to be storable in my apartment but am able to work around the size issue.

Prefer to have instruction manual if you still have it.

Am able to drive anywhere to pick it up.

Submit picture if possible!

Thanks.

Oh, If you have a magic lamp instead that you need to be relieved of that still has wishes, I'm interested in that as well.

Thanks!

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