If you have a sense of deja vu reading the title of this post, don’t worry. That appears to be most apt description of the man (and I use the word loosely), with each new multi-lakh crore scam coming out in the open.
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Author: Atanu Dey
Economist.
On Nehru, Communism, Antonia Maino, and the Foreign Influence
India’s present predicament can be fully ascribed to the flawed policies of those who guided India’s destiny since 1947. The person most notable among the lot that set India along a disastrous path is Jawaharlal Nehru. Scores of places, institutions, roads, ports and government schemes are named after him. New Delhi, the city I am currently visiting, is festooned with not just his name, but the names of his relatives. Nehru Place, Kamala Nagar, Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Rajiv Chowk, Indira Gandhi International Airport, JN Urban Renewal Mission, . . . the list is virtually endless. And that is just in one Indian city. A comprehensive list of things named after the Nehru-Gandhi family would be tiresomely long. Indians have been fed tons of BS about Nehru and his clan. But truth eventually prevails, as the Indian motto Satyam Eva Jayate (truth alone prevails) says. Nehru was a communist.
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Basant Panchami Greetings
Greetings from New Delhi on Basant Panchami. It is also the day for Saraswati Puja. And for the worship of Kamadeva, who is also known as “Atanu” !! You all may bow in reverence to me 🙂 Continue reading “Basant Panchami Greetings”
Reasoning is Unnatural
I am persuaded that the ability to reason is not natural. It appears that illogic and irrationality is on the increase but it could be just that the internet delivers more examples of stupidity these days than before when it was not possible for the retarded to gain access to the internet. I cite two examples for your consideration.
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Nursery Schools and Government Malfeasance
Mumbai makes me mad. Never mind the alliteration, I cannot stand the horrendous traffic, the repeated demented wail of mosque loudspeakers, the incessant honking of vehicles, and the crowds. But then, I was on Bangalore a few days ago and it was not much better. (Bengaluru is now the proper name but it sounds strange to a Bengali.) Bengaluru too has horrendous traffic, demented wailing from a few thousand mosques, the honking, . . . Signs of urban decay and disastrous descent into chaos is depressingly ubiquitous and inescapable. If that has not cheered you up, continue reading.
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The Gods Must be Crazy
If you have not seen the movie “The Gods Must be Crazy”, you have a treat waiting for you. And if you have never heard of the “natural resource curse”, you are sure to be intrigued. They both point to the counter-intuitive nature of the world, and suggest in some sense why India is poor.
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Traveling Places: Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi
This is a travel alert. I am going to be in Bangalore 29th Jan through 31 Jan. On 29th Saturday, I am speaking on “Why is India poor?” between 4 and 6 PM. Venue: To be announced. After Bangalore, it will be Hyderabad. I am speaking at the Indian School of Business on the 1st of Feb. The Center for Emerging Market Studies at ISB is holding a round table discussion on “Where do new cities fit on India’s urban roadmap?” My job there is to take a wide-angle view of the big picture. Back to Mumbai 2 Feb and then leave for New Delhi on Sunday 6th Feb for a week. I am considering writing a very interesting post on the blog. Perhaps I will later today. Cheers.
Narayana Murthy on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
“Netaji could have taken us past China” — the TOI quotes Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy. Here’s a bit.
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The Plain-spoken Mr Lee Kuan Yew
The English word “mealy-mouthed” comes from the German Mehl im Maule behalten, “to carry meal in the mouth, that is, not to be direct in speech,” the dictionary says. Its opposite is “plain-spoken,” as in “Mr Lee Kuan Yew is as plain-spoken as Dr Singh is mealy-mouthed.” This is not an English lesson, however. It’s just that the word came to mind while reading this AFP report “Lee Kuan Yew urges Muslims to ‘be less strict’.”
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Goodbye Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, the illustrious exponent of Hindustani classical music of the Kirana gharana, passed away in Pune yesterday. The one and only time I had met Pt Bhimsen was in 1991 in Pune during the Sawai Gandharva music festival. As it happened, I was in Pune yesterday.
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Atanu Dey : Life is a Random Draw 