Blogcritics Author: Chanakya

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

India and the West: Changing Lanes in a Flat World

Chanakya — Mon, 4 Dec 2006 12:39:26 EST

In the not-so-distant past, India had the dubious distinction of being noted for just its beggars, the Taj Mahal, and Mother Teresa. A land of snake charmers and rickshaw pullers, they said, largely impoverished and illiterate to boot. The west's perception of India left much to be desired. The fact that this land of a billion was - for centuries mind you - until a few decades ago under the mis-rule of the west is easily and conveniently forgotten. India, for her part, has not done much better herself. Post-liberation from its colonial wrongdoers, corruption, religious strife, and war marred the first few decades. A slow but steady progress ensued thereafter till the early nineties. During this era India's perception of the west was equally warped and jaundiced as well. The fear of the colonizers still haunted it. It was both an excuse as well as a means for political mileage. Bash the west. The change of heart that the erstwhile colonizers claimed to have were treated with skepticism and mistrust. Claims of India's ethnic culture and traditions being more respectable than the hippie west were many. "Who needs the west?" went their rhetoric. It still sounds like sour grapes. For a while, it seemed like India was happy to be known for its beggars, the Taj, and Mother Teresa only. Nothing more. Right around the time of the noble nun's death in the late nineties, the west's notions about India and India's notions about the west changed dramatically. A notable essay on the change is Thomas L.Friedman's upbeat take in The World is Flat. It is a compelling read. His description of the ten world-flatteners, ranging from Columbus's quest to the fall of the Berlin wall to the Internet to open-sourcing to out-sourcing, is a telling tale on how we got here. It is a veiled take on where the world is with regard to free-market and capitalism. Some hail it as an eye-opener while others accuse it of over-sensationalizing the obvious, with Friedman not being able to extricate his emotional self from the narrative. Now that the din of its debates has abated, it looks like a good time to revisit and assess what it means in the current global context, more so in how the warped notions have changed vis-à-vis India and the west. With the stock markets pushing western businesses into an iterative growth spurt each quarter, companies were forced to seek lower cost alternatives. While staying away from the politics and merits of outsourcing, at a cultural perception level there was a paradigm shift -- a shift that states that the once defamed land of snake charmers was indeed capable of much more. With a large majority of its younger generation adept at English and technically trained, it was a gold mine waiting to be discovered. India, on the other hand, had the infrastructure to produce technical talent with very little of it being used. English was abundant. So was the notion that it was just a vestige of the erstwhile British raj. Given the new order, it seemed like a match made in heaven. The perfect storm lined up in the form of the Y2K millennium bug. The west needed help and the land of the snake charmers was more than eager to help and dispel its tag. India did much more than to merely dispel its tag. It has come a long way since the Y2K era that gave it the much needed exposure. It has steadily garnered a good and respectable share of the low- to medium-cost IT outsourcing pie. Not just stopping there, it has moved up the value chain to be a part of the Internet revolution with Indians contributing significantly to the World Wide Web revolution. Silicon Valley has Indian executives managing key units of very many Fortune 1000s. Though you cannot say the same about India's Olympic medals haul or human rights, India in technology is a force to reckon with. Until recently, that brainpower mostly went in one direction, from India to the west, benefiting the west more than India. Today, we see a bevy of chip, software, and e-commerce startups in both nations, mobilizing billions in venture capital. The economics are so compelling that some venture capitalists demand Indian R&D be included in business plans at the onset. New age visionary companies like Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft have long heeded this and set up large research centers in India. These are not just relegated to low-end support call centers. It is to engage in top of the line research. It is paying rich dividends. The Indian arms are leading the way in patent filings. Considering Indian cyberspace uses Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo as extensively as the west, it is only appropriate that they be a part of the development. Not withstanding the outsourcing hue and cry, even before IT shone its spotlight on the country, India has been a strong supplier of textiles and precious stones to the west. Indian grey cells are as much behind Hotmail as behind Bose acoustics, or India’s indigenous nuclear, space, and ballistic technologies. A new India has emerged. If one had a penny for every time Bangalore was mentioned in the west, he would be a millionaire many times over. But what is oft ignored is that China and India represent not just threats to the developed west, but also great opportunities. A low pay, low respect job in the west translates to a high pay, high respect job in the east and at a fraction of the cost. This comparative advantage that mandates an Indian techie in Bangalore will, on the backend, spend his newfound higher-than-the-norm income to buy the products from the west. That is west's comparative advantage, the proverbial ying and yang. Per Newton, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The gain in India's IT sector is not without its share of costs. A job loss in Ohio is as much a heartache as is the loss of a few due to mom and pop restaurants closing, courtesy of McDonald's and Burger King. If the Indian low-cost technology has killed a job position in Ohio, high volume, deep pocket corporations of the west are doing very much the same for Indian businesses. The newfound money in Indian IT has found its way into the bottom lines of Nikes, Microsofts, HPs, McDs, Burger Kings, INGs, Fords, and Hollywoods. Newly sprung department stores that are brightly lit with shiny marble floors and endless aisles of well-stocked, neatly stacked inventory resemble any Macy's or Sears in New York or London. Fast food restaurants, smoothie bars, and coffee shops line the food courts while stylishly dressed young Indian men and women, garbed in a mix of designer western brand names and traditional Indian clothes, wander in and out of stores with shopping bags, while chatting on the newest style cell phone. From the Volvos that take the techies to the HP work desks that run Microsoft, to the Cokes and Pepsis consumed to the Nokias used, to the Jay Leno or Hasslehoff on a Samsung or Sony, it is the west and its businesses flourishing. Given the amount of dependency the east has on the west and vice versa, it looks like the world is flat. Like it or not, this is how business will be transacted in the future, experts opine. So how does this equation reflect on the largest democracy and the most powerful democracy? The United States dominates the global policies like no country since ancient Rome. It has been at the forefront of global policies, pushing for open markets, open trade, and democracy. All of it much needed. India needs the United States to be its partner for its economic growth and to ensure peaceful co-existence with its non-trustworthy neighbors, an economic partner and a geopolitical deterrent. India has much to offer the United States and this has not gone unnoticed. Apart from a new, untapped, one billion person strong market for its wares, the largest democracy all of a sudden seems a much better bet than any Islamic fundamentalist-ridden country the United States has courted in the past. Pakistan and Afghanistan are rife with sectarian violence and are more headaches than true allies. Communist China needs to be contained. On the economic front, if critics are to be believed, outsourcing is imminent for the United States to be competitive and India is the outsourcing mecca. As opposed to the baby boomer retirement wave that is hitting the United States, the Indian population's median age is twenty five. Even within the United States, Indians are among the highest earners when segmented ethnically. They are largely peace loving and stay out of trouble. The number of Indian students, 70,000+ in U.S. universities, is one of the largest of any ethnic group. A lot of this is true for India with other western powers as well. So with the realities on the ground drastically changed, no wonder the warped wrongful perceptions have since straightened out on both sides of the table. Myopic vision which illusioned a blurry horizon just had a much-needed LASIK surgery to see the world as flat. The paradigm shift for India has been to see that the west is not bad. Many were colonialists; they have changed. We have the manpower sans the money; they have money and need manpower. We are spoken of as having potential; we need the west to realize our true potential. The paradigm shift for the west has been to see that India is not worthless and poor. India has illiteracy; but India also has a scientific pool that even the United States taps into, constantly at that. India has beggars; but India is not a nation of them. India has her problems; but India is not a problem. India needs the west as much as the west needs India.

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

A Rather Aggressive March of Dimes

Chanakya — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 06:25:11 EST

Holidays are a time to give, a time to be grateful for what providence has bestowed on us and do our bit for the less fortunate. We in America are givers. We gave $260 billion or more in charities for the year 2005. In our family we do our bit and ensure 10% of our earnings are earmarked for philanthropy. We deal with some very good charities, but there are some that leave a lot to be desired.A few days ago a routine stop at the mailbox started a mini debate between the wife and me. It was about my dumping of a bunch of charity-based mails into the trash without bothering to open them. I had my justification, but to my wife, when it comes to helping the needy and given the holiday season and spirit, no reason was good enough. I see her point, but something had to be done.We moved to our new home six months ago. Soon after we moved in, we got a nice set of address labels, courtesy of March of Dimes, and a request for a donation. We gave a $25 donation for the year as we had committed to other charities before hand; more so as a reciprocal gesture for the thoughtful address labels. Three weeks later we received another set of address labels with a donation request. We ignored it. We repeated the same treatment for the next couple of mailers and then came a polite emotional taunt of a mail. "Now that you are enjoying the labels and the notepad, have you thought of donating yet?" Though it irritated me I decided to ignore it as well. It was a charitable organization, after all, and not a big bad corporation. I would ignore it. To my dismay, my wife fell for the emotional blackmail and promptly sent in a check; a case in point that the emotional pulling of strings works.I had to take action. I called them up and requested they remove us from their mailers, as we were not planning on donating anymore this year. I was promised the mails would stop. All would be well, or so I had hoped. It has been three months, and now we have mailers from the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and a couple of others apart from March of Dimes. Great, they decided to share my information! Now I need to deal with a bevy of them.I have resorted to what I can without much of an issue -- dumping the mails without even getting them home, labels in tow of course. Wife is unhappy about the situation. She feels it is a waste of someone's charitable monies that went toward the making of the labels. I agree. My take is, I did not ask for it. Add to it, I have even called to request for a stop, which has not happened.I offered to use the labels and ignore the donation requests. Wife is not kosher with it! Honestly I would not be either, but it was just me messing with my wife for a few laughs. That laughter evades us at the mailbox these days. Everyday the drill at the mailbox has me sorting the mails and forwarding the philanthropic ones unceremoniously to the trashcan. Silence joins my wife and me till we get home and have something else to break the uneasy calm.With charities being run like corporations and the ever-growing need for funds, some form of coercion is understandable, but is excess not counterproductive? It is sure to push people away. I for sure will not donate to these charities again. In trying to get more from patrons, they are losing them all together in the bargain. Why bite the hand that feeds you? Is it worth it? The worst part is, it is the beneficiaries of the charities who suffer. I feel horrible about that. Am I denying a homeless person in Fargo his Christmas meal? Most definitely, chimes the wife. So should I be Mr. Sucker and get fleeced, hoping a larger good is happening at the end of it, or do I take a tough stand? If this is not countered, a part of our donations will go back to this aggressive campaign as well and someone else will be peeved. It's not an easy decision.My dad's oft repeated words echo out loud. "Do not come to me with a problem unless you have spent time to come up with a couple of possible solutions as well." Fortunately, in charities we support there are a few that do let you decide how you want to give.United Way: At work we have a tie-up with United Way. A monthly deductible goes to help the needy. To make it fun and give a little bit of an impetus, $30 a month will also qualify for switching formals to jeans every day of the month! Who would not go for that? Yes, but the point I am trying to make is, you stop when you want and you increase or decrease when you want. You are in control.Children's International: For $18 a month they support a child in third world slums. They do send requests for more than the signed up amount, but they do it with finesse. The request is interspersed with the child's photo or a personal note or a progress report. It takes the sting off the request to give more for the special occasion, be it a birthday or Christmas.Sankara Eye Foundation: For a $25 donation they give the Gift of Sight to needy poor in remote villages of India. I donated $100 last year. I did not expect much, as it was a third world based charity. To my surprise I received a hand typed thank you email with a local US contact if I had doubts or questions. I was given the option to register for email updates, which I opted out of. The only postal correspondences I received afterward were my contribution statements for tax deductions at the end of the year and a thank you note with a list of four people and their address in India who had used the $100 I donated.I am pulling out of the aggressive March of Dimes and diverting to United Way & Sankara. If your charity causes you a headache, it is not worth it. You need to feel good and be motivated to give more. You don't need to be pissed off and fret every time you go to the mailbox, right? Maybe yes, maybe no.

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

Four Billion Tickets Sold and 1000 Movies Each Year ? Not Hollywood, Silly...

Chanakya — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 10:53:48 EST

Have you heard of Bollywood? There is no typographic error there. I do not mean Hollywood that produces 400+ films a year. I mean Bollywood, which churns out twice Hollywood's number and a tad more at 1000 movies a year. Yes, close to 1000 movies a year and all of them full length feature films averaging three hours each. Chances are, you have not heard of it. Bollywood is a mammoth industry. Fourteen million viewers throng the theaters each day to lap up its movies. Four billion cinema tickets are sold each year. According to published reports, in 2004, more people globally watched Bollywood movies than Hollywood movies - 3.8 billion vs. 3.6 billion (Paul Brett, British Film Institute [BFI], UK). I’m sure 2005 and 2006 numbers were similar or better. Bollywood movies compete for top slots in the UK box office. In the US, it fares in the top 20-30 despite very limited runs. Bollywood, Bombay’s Hollywood, is the Indian film industry. It is a tacky and sometimes controversial name given to the Bombay (now Mumbai) based Hindi-language film industry of India. When combined with the rest of the Indian film industries, it is considered to be the largest film industry in the world in terms of number of films produced. Almost all of Bollywood's films are musicals. There have been a few exceptions to the norm in recent years. Movie soundtracks (released prior to the movie hitting the theaters) and their success (or lack of it) contribute to a film's profitability and can be partly responsible for the movie's fate as well. A run of the mill offering is the masala movie. Like the mixture of various spices in a masala (seasoning for Indian curries) the movies are awash with songs, dances, love interest, comedy, and daredevil thrills -- all of this neatly packed into a three hour-long extravaganza with an intermission. Like western musicals, the tone is melodramatic. Often the good triumphs over the evil. Heroes are omnipotent and are portrayed as being able to overpower a gang of villains. They are the defenders of the society and the sons every mother would wish for. Formulaic ingredients such as star-crossed lovers, corrupt politicians, twins separated at birth, conniving villains, angry parents, courtesans with hearts of gold, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenient coincidences are almost always woven into the story. Bollywood movies are usually bright, colorful, and grand. Bollywood satisfies the escapist nature of the Indian middle class. Fraught with corruption, poverty and various other issues, a commoner in India sees his/her share of woes each day. When they hit the theaters, it is usually to forget these woes for a brief three-hour duration before returning back to it. Musicals to Indians are as staple as a saree or a naan bread. Indians have been brought up on musicals. If the music fails, the movie has a greater chance of tanking at the box office as well. All of the heroes and heroines sing. But fortunately for them, it is playback singing with professional singers doing the voice and actors just lip-synching. Lyrics are almost always poetry written for the movie and not the gibberish of an aspiring singer. Almost always, both the playback singers and the composers are rooted in one of the meticulous Indian classical branches of music. With 1000 movies a year, you can take your pick -- quite a few picks, actually. While drama and comedy are aplenty, animations and children's movies do not find much favor. The Bollywood box office, thought not as diverse as Hollywood's, is impressive. From India to the Middle East to Africa to North America to the UK and Russia, Bollywood has a very devoted fan following. Bollywood is probably one thing that Pakistanis readily like about India. It serves as a cultural bridge between the two estranged neighbors. Post-Taliban regime, there was a mad rush in Afghanistan for the erstwhile banned song- and dance-laden Bollywood movies. They are still very popular there. Though times are changing, typical Bollywood fare will not have the characters kissing. Public display of affection is still a taboo in India, ironic as there is a lot of affection behind closed doors to produce the 1.1 billion-strong Indian population! With kissing being taboo, anything more is unthinkable, so you will not find explicit sex scenes in mainstream cinema. Songs are usually understood to be dream sequences, so that explains why the heroes and heroines dance their hearts out in exotic locales ranging from the Swiss Alps to the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. It is not uncommon to see more than one country in a song that has numerous costume changes. Elders are revered and touching of their feet to seek their blessings is a common occurrence. A bindi (dot on the forehead) on a woman signifies that she is a Hindu while a lack of one could mean that she is a Muslim or Sikh. Some of the biggest stars in Bollywood include Amitabh Bacchan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Aishwarya Rai. Amitabh Bachchan is an over 60 actor with more than a billion fans. In fact all of these actors have a comparable fan following. But BigB, as Bachchan is called, takes the cake. He has assayed various roles in his much-varied 40-year career. He is an actor that can do it all. He has had great success, whether it be comedy, drama or action. His movies are excellent to watch, but best appreciated after an initiation of sorts into Bollywood. Shahrukh and Aamir are current box office favorites. Aishwarya Rai is a much talked about beauty of Bollywood. Touted as one of the most beautiful women in the world, the former Miss World has thousands of websites devoted to her.For a westerner wandering the numerous bylanes of Bollywood movies, a primer is recommended. With a century of movie-making and the recent times being prolific, there is much to choose from. I would be tempted to revise my list a month from now, forget someone else! I would suggest digesting a few contemporary movies before delving into classics like Sholay, Mother India, Guide, HareRama HareKrishna, Pyaasa etc. So for the 101 on Bollywood, I would recommend the following to take the sting out of over-exposure to an unknown culture and to gradually introduce you to this dream land. English versions of these/original with subtitles are available at Indian grocery stores for renting and buying. Online stores like EROS entertainment lists many of these as well. Bollywood 101Veer Zaara is a love story between an Indian man, Veer Pratap Singh, and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan, who meet under strange circumstances and commit the sin of falling in love. Zaara’s father, very influential Muslim politician in Pakistan, is against this for obvious reasons, Veer being an Indian and a Hindu as well. The lovebirds are separated with Veer landing in a Pakistani jail, courtesy Zaara’s dad and languishing there for 20 years. A young good-hearted lawyer who is pained by this saga takes up Veer’s cause to get him back to his home, India. Though the story is almost a seemingly run-of-the-mill tragedy, it is the treatment that makes this worth its weight in gold. A must watch. Apart from rich insights into Indian and Pakistani cultures, it has melodious songs and beautiful Himalayan locales. Cinematography is first class and very powerful performances from all make this a treat to watch. Swades is a movie about an American Indian torn between the two countries. Mohan, a NASA scientist on a visit to India, is drawn to its earthy rustic charms and affable people. He is however peeved at how people have resigned themselves to what is meted out to them by the government and are content at playing the blame game. He inspires the villagers to cultivate self-help and sustainability. He starts out to light a bulb. This forms the core of the movie. Though the movie deals with issues plaguing India, it is deftly dealt by it’s Oscar nominated director and realistically portrayed , but with dignity. It compares and contrasts America with India but does justice to both. While Mohan strives to bring about change in India he stands up for America when it is wrongfully blamed. A must see movie with a heart of gold. Superb performance by the lead actor Shahrukh Khan as Mohan adds to the movie's mettle. Dil Chahta Hai (The Heart Desires) tells the story of three friends – Akash, Sameer and Siddharth. Akash is a non-believer. To him love is a misguided conception created to ruin perfectly healthy relationships. Sameer is a believer. He is love smitten. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he is out there persevering, he is sure that he will find that 'special someone', as long as he keeps trying. The searches provide a riot of laughs. Siddharth on the other hand is mature, sensitive and understanding. He pines for an older woman. Life takes these friends on different journeys. Their troughs, valleys and realizations make up this interesting fare. This is a very good reflection of the contemporary urban upper middle class in India. It's a light feel good movie(see clip).Teen Deewarein (Three Walls) is a movie inspired by Shawshank Redemption. This is not your typical run of the mill Bollywood kinds. It is artsy and deals with raw issues plaguing India. It is the story of three prisoners Juggu, Nagya and Ishaan who've been sentenced to death. Juggu has resigned himself to his fate while Nagya is hopeful of a change to his wrongful conviction. Ishaan on the other hand is realistic, accepts his fate as a matter of factly and is always looking out for an escape. To this mix add a compassionate warden who intends to reform the prisoners. He does not consider prisons human cages and has entrusted Chandrika to make a documentary on the capital punishment convicts and his prison reform. Director Nagesh Kukkunoor is a USA seasoned individual who also plays Nagya’s role. The movie showcases characters that are far from ideal role models, but it looks at hope as well as redemption that can occur in the darkest of areas. Krrish (a short form of Krishna) as expected has rewritten box-office history this year. For the first time an Indian superhero in the mould of a Batman or Superman has emerged. A hero with a mask and a cape has invaded the Indian screens. It has the fight of the good vs. evil at the heart of it -- a super hero with magical prowess ending the reign of an evil tycoon. Rohit played by Hrithik Roshan, the Indian hunk with amazing good looks, body, dancing abilities and smile wards off the evil industrialist. The highlight of the movie is the usage of special effects and thrills that take the film to an altogether different level. Though special effects are a staple for the western audience, Hrithik should be a good enough reason to watch the movie. Bollywood 202 Sholay (Flames) - Touted as the greatest film of India, this movie is an Indian Western with two former convicts employed by a former warden to kill a dreaded dacoit. The reason why this is in the list far below is to help you graduate to it. Apart from the stars that grace the movie with powerful performances, the highlight of the movie is its dialogue. It would be a crime to watch this movie without being able to understand it that well. So to enable better digestion, this masterpiece is listed below. Almost any of Amitabh Bachchan's movies: Anand, Abhimaan, Deewar, Don, Coolie, Baghban, etc. Iqbal - A moving story of a mute kid from a village who has a great talent in cricket (a very popular sport in India). Powerful performances amid realistic settings make this a treat. But this needs a skinny on Cricket to get past and hence is listed down the order(a cricketing term). Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (I’ve Lost My Heart to You, My Dear) - A grand movie with extravagant settings. It tells the story of Sameer who is of Indian origin but brought up in Europe. He returns to India to gain expertise in Indian classical singing to aide his opera performance. He falls in love with his teacher’s daughter Nandini and the teacher does not approve of their love. Against her wishes Nandini is married to Vanraj. Upon discovering the truth, Vanraj sets out to find Raj and unite the forlorn lovers. The prime highlight of the movie, apart from the beautiful Aishwarya Rai, is the state of Gujrat and its colorful culture. Cinematography is top of the line with soulful music. Bollywood 303, Anyone ? This includes what most Bollywood purists would recommend as the must-see of Bollywood. The reason I qualify the above with a most -- no two Bollywood aficionados may agree on the entire list or some selections in the list. Additionally I have added a few which are the biggest hits of their times as well. Lagaan (2001) Mr. & Mrs. Iyer (2002) Deewar (1975,oldie not the newer one) Naseeb (1981) Aradhana (1969) Bombay (1949) Devdas (1956) Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2000) Mughal-e-Azam (1960) Mother India Awara (1951) Andaz (1949) Baghban (2003) Bobby (1973) Pakeezah (1971) Pinjar (2003) If vivid cinematography, vibrant colors, pleasing music, and a step or two to go with it interest you; if different cultures intrigue you; if you want to learn about middle of the road India -- then Bollywood will not disappoint you. The two-and-a-half to three-hour run time does seem excessive. But like a good novel, a good Bollywood movie is an attention grabber.

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

Justice Served or Travesty of Justice ? A Saga Ensues in the Troubled Paradise

Chanakya — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:10:22 EST

Mohammad Afzal Guru, the terrorist convicted in the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament, Thursday filed a mercy petition before Indian President seeking pardon of his death sentence. Major Indian political parties, unwisely, have taken their stand on the clemency plea fuelling a raging debate on the issue. The brazen attack on the seat of Indian democracy in 2001, attributed to a prominent Kashmiri extremist group, stirred emotions never seen before. The shock and pandemonium that ensued culminated in the sensational capture of Afzal amid media frenzy. The media played a big role in fomenting the hysteria. Even before the police recorded Afzal's statement, they presented him to the media before whom he made what appeared to be a complete public confession. He has since recanted the confession and alleged police brutality and coercion. The Indian majority is baying for his blood, while Kashmiris are questioning the haste in sending him to the gallows. At the heart of all of this emotion is not Afzal -- it is the troubled state of Kashmir. Cradled in the lap of majestic snow-capped Himalayas, Kashmir is a very beautiful place. Or rather, used to be. Once hailed as the Switzerland of India, the picturesque landscape is dotted with lakes that are afloat with numerous houseboats. On visiting the Valley of Kashmir, the Mughal emperor Jehangir (father of Shahjahaan of Taj Mahal fame), is said to have exclaimed: "If there is paradise anywhere on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.” Apart from being an excellent tourist destination, Kashmir is the gateway to Asia, Indo-China, and Indo-Russia. Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan right from the inception of the two countries in 1947. Pakistani claims of the Muslim majority preferring it to India, and India's counter claim that if Muslim majority is the basis there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, just stratches the surface of this dispute. There is a border issue with China as well; roughly 60% of the state is in Indian control, about 30% is Pakistan occupied and 10% occupied by the Chinese. India and Pakistan have waged four wars in the last five decades. Pakistan has lost all. The third war in 1971 ended with Pakistan losing control of East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh. Having lost one too many times, Pakistan has resorted to subversion tactics. Pakistan's secret services arm, the ISI, is fuelling the religious discord between Hindus & Muslims and sponsoring terrorism by means of funding, arms, training, and support. The same variables of extremists justifying this as Jihad, liberation, and hence violence being acceptable and noble brings Iraq to mind. But the violence in the valley predates Iraq. In the wake of growing Islamic terrorist threats and heinous acts, a mood of helplessness and despair is rife among India's majority. Any semblance of bringing these Islamic extremists to justice is awaited with much anticipation. Afzal is a former confirmed terrorist. He had crossed borders into Pakistan illegally to get trained. Thousands of Kashmiri youth are ensnared by Pakistan's ISI-backed terrorist organizations in their so called war. He did however make an attempt to quit his bad ways. He once surrenderd to authorities. However, upon getting a new lease of life, he has not made very good choices. He resorted to getting back to his terrorist ways and being a conspirator to the attack on the temple of India's Democracy. Afzal's background adds veracity to his guilty verdict and brushes aside the recant of his confession and claims of being framed. But to Afzal's point, he is a classic case of trial by media. He was convicted in the court of public opinion long before his hearing started with a majority of Indians baying for his blood. With much at stake, everyone has added to the smoldering cauldron. The advocates of his death sentence point out that Afzal has neither shown any remorse nor begged for forgiveness since his arrest. Afzal maintains that he is innocent, and he does not need to. The Indian police, average at best at deft handling of sensitive cases, are riddled with human rights violations. The police seem to have ill treated Afzal aiding to his claims of being framed. Politicians are not far behind. The right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has flayed clemency support statements by its opposition, the Congress party, and many local Kashmiri parties as well. None of the parties are doing anything objective. Cutting across party lines, politicians are using this as a tool to garner support with the next elections in mind. Congress is doing what it always does best; bending over backwards to appease the Muslim minority. The right wing BJP, claiming to be the representative of the Hindu majority, is using it to lash out at Pakistan, and whoever supports it from Indian soil. Kashmiri political parties fear a divide in the state on Hindu-Muslim lines and the execution of the death sentence fuelling that. If that happens, sectarian violence a la Iraq's Shia-Sunni tussle is a possibility. The bigger opposing parties, India and Pakistan at the opposite ends of the table are content at trading rhetoric. Neither is innocent nor wrong. The efforts at resolution reek of their vision for Kashmir jaundiced by their historic emotions and the ill the other has inflicted. India's attempt to fence the border is staunchly opposed by Pakistan for obvious reasons. India too is not all that sincere, as its sole aim is to save the region from cessation. India's track record with regard to terrorism is better than Pakistan's. In all this, the Kashmiris have had little to no say in the matter. When they have spoken, it's the extremists who have, using violence and Pakistan. There are other factors that influence the conflict: India's growing economy and presence in the world as a third world power, and it's ability to compete in key areas with the rest of the world, a la IT, biotechnology and engineering. Successive Pakistani governments, having ignored reforms, find the country lagging behind their prospering neighbor. So to fan their egos and electoral bases, they need this alive and unresolved. Returning to Afzal, in his fate lies the future and hopes of many of the numerous stakeholders. Kashmiris who want him pardoned, Indian majority (sans the Kashmiris) for whom anything less than gallows is a judicial mockery, media who are out to fuel their sales, politicians who just have the next elections in mind, Afzal and his family, and several social organizations. Add to this the verdict by the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land. Granting clemency is tantamount to slapping the judiciary in the face, albeit valid. In-fact the Supreme Court in it's verdict has called Afzal a "menace to society" whose "life should become extinct" to satisfy the "collective conscience of the society". The vast Indian majority sees this as a stern message that needs sent to the terrorist groups. It has suffered 30,000 deaths at the hands of these extremists over the years. But under repeated doubts about the fairness of the trial Afzal received, marred by public vents both for and against, one is forced to take a step back and reconsider. At the end of the road, it is death we are prescribing. We as a society have had reservations about capital punishment for confirmed, proven beyond doubt sociopaths. So unless we have powerful and unequivicable evidence, we should probably hold off. We can always send this former terrorist to the gallows when proven beyond doubt that he was involved. But flooring the pedal on this and accelerating to a finish that does not have any chance at reversal would have serious consequences. Kashmiris are sure to lose faith in the Indian judiciary. Any current terrorists having a change of heart and wanting to confess their sins(la Afzal) will reconsider. Given that, some social activists have argued for Killing the sin and not the sinner. It begs a thought. War they say, is never about who is right, it is almost always about who is left. I neither have respect nor sympathy for religious extremists, be it in Iraq, Kashmir, or elsewhere. Pakistan, the key ally in president Bush's war on terror, is a source of terror itself. It is obvious and there for all to see. Numerous articles in The Washington Post and The New York Times have highlighted this marriage of convenience with a country ruled by a dictator. But for now it's not about India and Pakistan. It is about this man Afzal, a former terrorist and his rights at getting a fair trial. I have my reservations on the issue and, unless proven beyond doubt, I find it unwise to take a stand on the matter.

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

When Stupidity Happens to Intelligent Projects

Chanakya — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 01:08:18 EST

"There are only two things that are well and truly infinite. The constant in my theory of relativity and human stupidity!” - Albert EinsteinQuestioned if the constant in his theory of relativity was really infinite, Albert Einstein replied with above quip. Life is replete with human stupidity. Some of it provides much needed comic relief to the hectic rat race and draws a smile. Smile, it increases your face value. Touché. On a more serious note, a smile needs 3 facial muscles co-coordinated as opposed to a frown that needs 63. Are you smiling yet? Good. Lets move forward, shall we? Here's an effort to make you smile drawing from life's comical situations. If you do smile, spread the smile. It is the only contagious thing worth spreading. Conserve and save the Planet! A tropical day in the Midwest stirred nostalgia for my days in Florida. I had to move out of Florida in 2003. The good thing was, it was just before the state became a hurricane playground. Prior to that, most of the state was parched from a severe drought. Water conservation was high on the agenda. Lawns could be watered only on specified days for a half hour. In the midst of this crisis arose a genius with a clever plan that could easily be implemented. Simply reduce the capacity of the water used to flush the toilets from the existing four+ gallons to three+ gallons. That would save a gallon with every flush. Brilliant? Well, a few days past the mandatory upgrade, water consumption skyrocketed. When they unravelled the mystery, it was simple. Three+ gallons wasn't enough water, so people were flushing twice. Nice. I'm sure some careers got flushed down the toilets as well. Thank god they didn't come up with a conserve water, shower once a week program.My job dragged me from sunny Florida to the frigid Midwest. Work is definitely better, so I am stomaching the cold. A typical day at work: My manager is in early and yet is still late for our seminar. I had sent him my part of our presentation and supporting documents, a couple of megabytes in size. He was to forward my mail with his attachments added to it. Send he did, to all the 300 people in the seminar, but he'd missed the new rule about e-mails and attachments. To help reduce network load, the system deletes attachments in a forward -- unless you specify explicitly. He didn't specify. No one got an attachment.So he went back and resent it. Or he thought he did. There was this other new rule he'd misssed that restricts the size of attachments. Mine was too big. One has to wonder, shouldn't the system have been set up to warn people about the file size? So he had to go back, split the attachments across 2 e-mails and send them out, one last time. Lets take a moment to examine what we have here. Three hundred mails needed but thanks to the new policies to reduce network traffic and load, we sent 300 x 4 = 1200 mails. Not to mention the loss of face. It's the same story all over the enterprise. Clear and present dangersI worked for a firm whose Human Resources VP--a former teacher who forgot to leave her lecturing in class--lived for platforms from which to impart knowledge. A silly Internet e-mail provided an opportunity, and she moved in for the kill. The email read, 99.99% of the women in the world are beautiful and the remaining 0.01% work for our firm. No question -- this was in bad taste. Someone got it from the web, changed the company name and sent it to a handful of people in a department. Ms. HR, on finding this, decided to condemn it in the strongest possible terms. She had a printout of her admonition in every break room and forwarded the same to the entire company. Worldwide, too, may I add. A seemingly harmless banter (albeit in bad taste) was now making rounds across the globe. The admonition served as a good propagation tool. Thanks to the publicity, instead of making the ladies in the firm proud, it made them run for cover.I'll never forget the time there was a system outage at a client site. It mandated a password reset for a generic user id used by a large number of people in a department. How best to communicate the change? How about a public address broadcast over the entire campus. No excuse for not having the password now. The GPS1 system password for user id ComeGetMe has been changed to Doh123, I repeat ComeGetMe id's password has been changed to Doh123. And yes, they were ISO certified and CMM level 3 as well. Corporate woesDilbert opines management is real easy. Consolidate if you are diversified, and diversify if you have consolidation. As if to prove that, a large bank in the area three years ago was consolidated in financial space, doing quite well. What do they do? Exactly -- diversify. They acquired an insurance company. After three years, they dumped the insurance company, citing the need for concentrating on core offerings, i.e. consolidation. As if to further reiterate Dilbert's notion, an insurance company in the area is delving into banking. Just a matter of time before they trim fat and consolidate again. What's the flavor of the year? What if you’re are not a CEO and just an IT manager? You just need a watered down version of the same parlance. Centralize the applications if decentralized and decentralize if centralized. Elementary my dear moron.During a particularly difficult merger, the infrastructure was slated to have a complete overhaul as well. The facility we were in was spruced up. The generator we maintained to run the campus of 10,000 in the event of a power failure was decommissioned. The local electric company would provide an alternate guaranteed backup supply if their primary supply went down. Trimming the non core areas being the key (yep, Dilbert's consolidation at work), the generator was decommissioned in a flash. All was well, till a grid tripped due to rains and the primary lines got fried. Well, the secondary would kick in. Right? Err no.., Why not ? Because they put the secondary line right next to the primary and it was fried turkey as well ! Neat !Can your hear me now You should love it when your telephone company wants to give you money? Not me. When I hit the broadband phone bandwagon and closed my account with AT&T, I paid my bill ahead of the due date to avoid having to deal with it later. That's a good thing you say ? Well apparently not. Unfortunately the local county decided to do away with one of the myriad of taxes and come final billing time, I was slated to get a 3 cent payback. I got a check for the 3 cents, which I duly ignored. 2 weeks later, I got a reminder that I still had a positive balance and the account could not be closed. AT&T being committed wanted to ensure I encashed it prior to closing. Two more of those later, I decided to get that put into my bank account and be done with it. Well, not so fast. The ATM thought I was stupid and refused. 3 cents was less than the $1 limit for the ATM ! I called up AT&T and asked them to just write off the positive balance. They did that, or so they said. A week later, I got another reminder and a new check in tow. Thoroughly frustrated I went into a retail branch. I had to endure the glares of the cashier who looked at me like this was an Ashton Kutcher's punked ! After explaining the situation, she did process the check. A month later, a $6 service fee cropped up for the same on my bank statement. AT & T called to confirm that my account with them was now closed and inquired if I wanted to return back to AT & T? I hung up on them and put their number on the do not call list ..Every time I relive these moments, it brings a smile to my face. Hope it does the same for you. Add your own dumb corporate stories in the comments.

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

Acceptable Risks: Beware The Grammar Police

Chanakya — Thu, 9 Nov 2006 21:10:16 EST

Writing is a laborious process. But at times, it's a welcome relief from the mundane, hectic drudgery of daily routine. It is the fresh scent of earth after the rain; it is like Christmas in June. Like driving, writing is good while the going is good. But if you hit a couple of roadblocks, it is not the same again. As students, we were often told to write without worrying about grammar in the first draft. It was important to not lose the train of thought, for the mind is fickle. Grammar could be added later like pepper, to adjust the taste. There were opposing schools of thought on the matter. From the perspective of the grammar police, language wasn't much without proper grammar. Others frowned at the idea of precious thoughts lost in the process of getting semantics right. There are some very good languages that now languish, unspoken, in books because of their overtly difficult grammar. The ancient Indian language of Sanskrit is one such victim. Sanskrit grammar is one of the toughest. Once hailed as the language of gods and spoken widely across the subcontinent, it is now relegated to high school courses. Having endured it for three years in high school myself, I don't blame people for not using it in their daily lives. Grammar that makes a language tedious without supplementing it is like a flood of traffic signs in an unpopulated region. Traffic signs are there to manage traffic. But if they start interfering with traffic flow, there's something wrong. That demands simplification. That simplification is seen with Indian languages derived from or influenced by Sanskrit. They seem to enjoy keeping things simple. The same is true for programming languages as well. A tedious grammar linearly affects the adoption rate. Wanting to delve deeper into grammar, I purchased Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The first 50 pages were engaging. Then it started to wear on me. One good point to note though was how famous authors sometimes circumvented the rules of grammar for emphasis and/or flow. So, I am not alone!There are a few pet peeves of mine. Use phrases only in headings for instance. Per a popular chef conundrum, it is important to feed the eyes before you feed the stomach. Applying the same parlance, it is a writer's prerogative to engage the reader with what best describes his perspective. If that warrants a sentence or a phrase or a quote, so be it! Why stifle the poor soul? Extra spacing is another. How many would even notice that there is a spacing issue? I can bet my top dollar it will not be a high number. Bold and italics are two other wretched souls who are relegated to obscurity by editors. Given that a user on a typical web page takes 15 seconds to decide if he/she will read further or pass, it is a given that the key elements stand out in an article. But not to the copy editors. They still like the insipid prose sans any gimmicks, but astute in grammar. Grammar should supplement the language and the spirit of the story. Mandating perfect grammar while inducing a lag in a story's time to market is counterproductive. Before I get labeled as someone who hates grammar, let me make my point clear. Grammar, like spice, should add to the entree. Letting the dish go stale for want of getting all the needed spices right is missing the point. Maybe a majority would have still liked the dish, not minding the omission or inclusion of one of the many preferred spices. The dish here is communication. Should that not be the center stage? Constantly harassed for his non-eloquence and clumsiness with words, President Bush still holds court. Replete with grammar, many movie sketches are favorites with the people. Borat, anyone?Anyone who is not a part of the solution is not essentially a part of the problem! My stand on this is neither black nor white. It's grey. A good yardstick for grammar (admittedly light and self-serving) is a spell check of MS Word or any others of its ilk. If it passes it and a read scan, it should be good. If it ain’t, it's an acceptable risk!

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

As American As Apple Pie, As Indian As Curry

Chanakya — Thu, 9 Nov 2006 02:33:43 EST

Being from Indian descent in the Yankee land one fails to stop the endless compare and contrast iterations desis (people of East Indian descent) go thru. They are oft thought to be neither hither nor thither. I must admit I have been there very many times myself. And the bad part is, it is a no-win situation. Try to explain to an American that between a software guru and a beggar in Calcutta, there are a billion Indians, much varied and diverse. That a Swami’s Indian (Tamil) is different than my Indian (Hindi). Or that there is much more of India than just the Taj Mahal, Gandhi, Yoga, and beggars. Blame the idiot box for American stereotyped imagery? Hang on, for back home in India, the situation is not much different. The fear of the ills that plague America has no bounds. America is where family values are thrown by the wayside and they change partners like they change clothes. Chalk it off to the boons and banes of communication? Or rather, miscommunication, did you say? Agreed and duly noted.For me as an American Desi trying to defend India in America and America in India, the battle is lost before it begins. You are not American enough in America and it's the same tale in India. Is there a silver lining to all of this or is it just despair ? All I can say is, I look at a things as half full rather than half empty and it's better to try and fail than fail to try. In those trials and tribulations lie some awkward moments that could possibly elicit a few grins.India, being the land of color and spices, has a vibrancy for colors that is too stark for the American palette. I am often amused as to how for the first 10 years of a child's life we in America color it with a "Pink" or a "Blue." Not wanting to fall into the stereotype, my wife and I decided to dress our 6-month-old daughter in different pastel shades. A few puzzled looks later, a checkout clerk asked if we had a son or a daughter? Upon reply, she suggested we put a "bow" on her head the next time we do not dress her in pink! It's easier to people to decipher, she added. I added, will all due respect, I don't care that people not know! She was game and saw my perspective. Over the last decade, instances like the above have cropped up to give much-needed comic relief. One time, a friend of ours was surprised to hear that her desi business partner would give her a ring. "I hardly know the guy," she protested. Little did she know that he meant he would call her (Riiinnnnggggg!). Another time, an English-challenged desi colleague of mine (a fine programmer though), landed him in soup for using "embrace" when he meant to use "embarrass." Trying to save the situation, he requested the female colleague to please bare with him!My parents visited us recently. It was my mother's first visit to the USA. She is blessed with a dry sense of humor and is fun to be around. She has this penchant for reading signs aloud, wanting to know the details of what this or that establishment is about. I was cringing at a traffic light with Hooter’s neon lights blazing. Fortunately, she was too busy looking intently at a restaurant ad on a roadside screen, away from the neon. The idea of my mother, being a vegetarian and looking intently at a steak-house ad, tickled me. Before I could taunt her about it, though, she went off as to how this made no sense. It says it's good food! It's a slab of meat dripping with fat. Who is it supposed to be good for? Your doctor's purse? Added to that it says if not completely satisfied, we will send you another one for free. Satisfied that your arteries are completely clogged I'm guessing! As if that's not enough they will throw a free order of fries!My daylong lecture about how an Indian carbohydrate-rich diet was bad was steaked out! So, trading a bowl of rice for a bowl of fat with fries in tow is good ? Does it need an Albert Einstein to decipher all cultures have it's pitfalls?My American friend the other day observed, is it just me or have I not heard anything on India winning in the Olympics? I said he was correct about our haul. It usually involved the biggest invention attributed to India: Zero. Zero was invented in India and like we all know, is a cornerstone to the decimal system. Though the Indian in me wanted to come up with itsy bitsy stuff good about Indian scientific and sports arcana, little was there for me to grapple with.Introspection is a very good tool. So is self-deprecation. It disarms a conversation. My mom and my friend bring to the fore a very valid and pure perspective that we are blind to. Or have gotten used to. Incidents like these, though embarrassing at times, ensure that life is a laugh-fest. Suffer the moment, good for laughs later !PEACE

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

The Power of Healing and Inspiration Without Religion

Chanakya — Wed, 8 Nov 2006 05:42:06 EST

A couple of months ago on a crisp, tropical Floridian morning, my wife and I were headed to a state fair. Tourist traffic in the beach town was mulling with a swelling crowd. In the midst of the diaspora, a T-shirt caught my eye. "Religion. It's a powerful, healing force in a world torn apart...by religion." - Jon Stewart, The Daily Show Given that I'm a Jon Stewart fan, it did not seem like much of a surprise that I took an instant affinity to the quote and it's ironic yet gospel-like truth ( given the present day religious spectrum). An hour later the Floridian weather started acting up and the heavens opened up. It started raining cats and dogs with little to no warning. We were running like madcaps trying to find a shelter and saw this matriarch of a woman with a warm smile step out of a tent and beckon us to get in. We were truly touched by the humane gesture - or so we thought. What followed for the next 30 minutes was a diametric shift from the humane heaven to the despairs of hell. Having ushered us into the tent, the lady inquired if we would like some coffee. We gladly accepted the offer. The tent was dimly lit, 20X20, with neatly arranged chairs and tables. Elderly citizens seemed to be at work talking to eager listeners. I started to feel a sales pitch of sort waft thru, but the simplistic folks sans the suits did not seem to be the kind to drive a hard sell. Given the selfish motive of evading the rain, we stayed on. The lady returned with more than just coffee. She had a book that had progressively graduating colors with the first page being black and the last page being a rich gold. She asked me to interpret what the book could be about. The agnostic me, sensing a religious connotation, tried to keep it generic by suggesting it seemed to imply from darkness to light and good ending. That made her happy, but what rolled out of her mouth consistently after left me aghast - the long and the short of it being that the Indian gods were too gory. Her religious fold had a savior who had already bled for the sins of his followers and we should look at converting. Polite refusals led to spirited anecdotes about how someone who had refused, just like us, was run over by a truck just as they were leaving. That was the last straw. I took the material she had handed us, pulled my still shocked wife out of her stupor, threw the reams of paper into the trash (Miss Missionary still gaping), and headed out to the pouring rain. The rain was a welcome break. It seemed to cleanse. I'm not sure what - maybe the anger I felt at her insensitivity and her faith? As if to rub it in or calm me, I saw the Jon Stewart T-shirt again. The incident got me thinking why it's innate in us to argue that my god is better than yours. Why do we bother? As long as one is happy with what he follows, should he not shut up and be content? Isn't that what the Karmic-like doctrines of all religions preach? Do good, help the needy, do not wish bad etc. On the way back to break the uneasy silence amid my string of expletives, my wife switched on the CD player. An Indian tune from an erstwhile era hummed: "Insaniyat his sab se pehla dharm hai insaan ka, Uske baad hi panna kholo, Geeta aur koran ka" ("Humanity is the utmost religion of a human post that think of the pages of Gita or Koran"). For some strange reason, that sentence seemed to have the power to reign me in and restore the perspective I had lost. Not wanting to blame a faith for the ills of some of its followers, I decided to think about what the verses of the song proclaimed. Humanity! What were the most humane things I had heard/read about? Humanity wonIt's the Paralympics (Olympics for the physically challenged). In a race with various handicapped participants, the final 8 lined up - some on crutches and some in wheelchairs, as if to try and underline the win of determination over adversity. Half way thru the heat in a silent arena, one of the contestants fell and started to sob. Some stopped to see, but one started to abandon the race and head toward the fallen soldier. Slowly but surely all of the contestants abandoned their quest for personal glory, got to the fallen man, and walked over the finish line arm in arm. They were all winners. Words have power you do not even begin to comprehendThis is a fable about a bunch of donkeys in a forest. The group lived merrily wandering the forest. One day in their quest for food, two donkeys fell into a deep narrow ditch. After many unsuccessful attempts at rescue, the chief decided to mercifully kill the two. The rest of the group pushed boulders into the narrow ditch. After a brief struggle, the first donkey conceded defeat and its life. The second one, on the other hand, would evade the rocks. The group, frustrated by this donkey, would try to yell some sense into this ass, but to no avail. The group kept up the effort and a short while later, as the donkey started standing on top of the felled rocks, realized they could save their friend. The focus shifted and they slowly hurled the rocks farther so as to not hurt the donkey. Very soon the donkey was able to make a successful reunion with the group. Once on land, the group hailed the bravery of the brave donkey. Slowly it dawned on them that this brave animal was deaf. All along, while they were yelling abuses about how it's better to embrace a fast death, the deaf animal thought it was being cheered on and supported. The other donkey that could hear heard his friends give up, conceded a premature defeat, and paid the price. Of perceptions and stereotypesA young man, good at heart, got a brand new car. He stood there at the street corner admiring his ride. A young lad's voice wafted thru, "That's a mighty nice car mister." The young man saw a little kid, not so well to do, admiring his car. Being good natured and flattered, the young man offered to drop the kid near his home. The kid was overjoyed. Upon reaching the vicinity of his home, the kid inquired if he could be dropped at his doorstep. The young man obliged. Upon arriving at the doorstep, the kid had another request. Could he wait for a few minutes while he went in and came back? The young man obliged again. While the kid was gone, and amid the curious glances of the neighborhood kids, the young man was certain the kid would get his folks, a younger brother in tow probably, to boast of the ride he came home in. The kid came with his younger brother all right, but carrying him in his arms. Showing the car to his crippled brother, the kid said, "This man's brother got him this for his 21st birthday. I promise I will get you a similar one for your birthday." All along, the young man was expecting the kid to gloat, while all that the kid was thinking of was his crippled brother. A tear trickled down the young man's face.Being agnostic, I have worshipped nature and tried to do well. Sharing a fable or two that is in some way inspirational is my form of prayer and possibly repentance for the anger I felt toward that ill guided woman. Peace.

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.

Gender Wars, Courtesy Forbes?

Chanakya — Tue, 7 Nov 2006 22:19:06 EST

Guys: a word of advice. Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do, don't marry a woman with a career. Well, before you bite my head off for the obvious male chauvinism that's reeking in that statement, let me clarify that those are the words of Forbes editor Michael Noer and not yours truly. The editor, in this "Point-Counterpoint" styled article, goes on to describe how the "... more successful she is, the more likely she is to grow dissatisfied with you." We are told that the spouse's parents' marital status is a very important consideration, as is the greater likelihood that she may meet someone better than you while working. While you are left wondering if this is pushing us to an era of female subjugation a la Taliban which forbids women venturing out for similar reasons and begin to sympathize with the opposite sex, the counterpoint comes by and misses the mark by a zip code (albeit still better than Mr. Noer). It is about how guys need to start out by going to the gym and how they need to be "connected to the world" by sampling movies and books. Point noted, but will someone talk about the two people involved in a relationship here? The only noticeable mentions are when they are talked of as cheating and running off with nymphets. Makes it seem like an everyday happening and there are not very many respectable relationships around. Maybe they are talking of Hollywood? Or maybe I'm hallucinating. Statistics is a wonderful tool when used well. But when used to justify things like these, they become a laughing stock. There's probably research available on the web on any given fickle issue and statistics to back it as well. But that definitely does not make it right.In my humble opinion, this is one of the silliest articles I have read, and a good way to start a ruckus. Both sides couldn't be more wrong. For some unknown reason, we as humans have the need to slot things and expect everything to conform, more so, here in the USA. What works for one might not work for the other. There are numerous cases where successful working parents (both) have taken lesser roles and pay to support the family needs. On the opposite side of the spectrum people have had to re-tool and start afresh after long gaps. So be it a career mom or a stay at home dad, it's entirely an individual family's choice. To say one is better than the other without considering the variables, constraints, and parameters of each individual situation is naive at best. Few things in life are black or white -- almost all of it, always, is grey.I need to admit I do not know much about the authors, but I have had to squirm many a times when they get the so-called experts to opine. It's usually some dude that has read and published a paper with almost no practical or pragmatic experience. Please bear with the digression, but in a recent Newsweek article about Bollywood (India's Hollywood, with 900+ movies a year and one billion fans) the front page was graced by Padma Lakshmi. Exactly. "Padma who?" Lakshmi is an actress/model who is married to author Salman Rushdie. Does she even know the ABCs of India ? Well, being linked to Rushdie, who has Indian roots, should be enough. Karma and yoga are two other overtly misused and misinterpreted topics. People who cannot even utter Omkara are yoga experts. Every other fitness center boasts of a yoga program that's essentially calisthenics marketed as yoga.In all of this, the Forbes authors seem to have lost the essence of marriage. The pillars of trust, honesty, faith, and love seem to have been unceremoniously tossed by the wayside. Both talk of how so many silly things are important but fail to realize that eventually, it's the two people involved that can make it or break it. When they do want it to work, all other things won't matter. Marriage needs work, and consistently at that. Roadblocks always appear. But when you are in a ditch and providence provides you a rope, you can either use it to get out of the ditch or hang yourself. What you choose defines you. These authors are definitely looking at hanging themselves -- the easy way out.

A Software Manager borne,born and raised in India and calls USA home. Current events,Humor are the interests. Hypocrisy and pettiness tick me off.