India needs a New Set of Rules, not Rulers

“we should invite britishers again to manage our country step by step. first Bihar & UP last kerala. like they developed Hong kong.”

That’s a direct quote of a comment from a reader, Jitendra, on a rediff.com article, “India’s ‘real’ Poverty“. Don’t bother reading that rather pointless article — it goes into details of how the poverty line should be defined and what the level of real poverty is in India — but let’s ponder that non sequitur quoted above. Continue reading “India needs a New Set of Rules, not Rulers”

Truth in Advertising

That ad is from 1979. It says, “Via PIA” but if there was truth in advertising, it would be “Via Pakistan”. [via Liberty News Central.] And talking of Islamic terrorism and advertising, here’s something that does not surprise me. Continue reading “Truth in Advertising”

From the archives: “The Lumpy Universe”

I am off to Mumbai for a couple of days. I hope to write a real post later today but for now, I recommend this one hauled from the archives of “the tangled web” series on “The Lumpy Universe.” Now I must go as I have a train to catch. Bye.

In Defense of Village Idiots

If the people of the village, in the best traditions of the hallowed democratic process, elect the village idiot as the King and Supreme Ruler of the village, I cannot for the life of me bring myself to find fault with the village idiot. It’s not the idiot’s fault that nature dealt him or her a lousy hand in the random genetic draw of life. He’s a congenital idiot and makes no demands on being recognized as a paragon of wisdom and insight. Based on that principle, I indicted the American voter for electing — not once but twice — Mr George W Bush. I can see no reason for not applying that principle to India. Continue reading “In Defense of Village Idiots”

TOI’s Cunning “Aman ki Asha” Plan

The Times of India recently came up an idea that essentially amounts to this: if Indians and Pakistanis have a love-fest, there will be no war. That reminded me of this piece of dialog from Rowan Atkinson’s Blackadder: Continue reading “TOI’s Cunning “Aman ki Asha” Plan”

The Best is Yet to Be

Are you surprised to see the blog back to its old form? I had redirected the URL of my blog to Asian Correspondent for a couple of months. It was like going traveling — you do like the places you visit but in the end, there is no place like home. Continue reading “The Best is Yet to Be”

Is it our Moral Responsibility to Save Drowning Children?

Most emphatically yes, if it is within your power to do so. A child accidentally falls into a river and your jump in without a second’s thought – assuming that you can swim – and save the child. But what if there are people who are thoughtlessly or even deliberately pushing children into the river. Should you continue to be fully engaged in saving the drowning children or must you at least tackle the problem where it originates, and go tie up the adults who are dropping children into the river? Continue reading “Is it our Moral Responsibility to Save Drowning Children?”

For everything else, you must have the unique ID.

Quick question: In the near future, what is that one thing that the government of India will allow the people living within the borders of India to do without having the unique ID number? Think for a bit. I know it is hard to imagine an action you would be free to do without that number. You will need that number to get anything done at all. The government is working hard towards making it impossible for its citizens (and even non-citizens living in India) to move a finger without the express consent of the government. But I kid you not, there is one thing that you will be able to, as before, without having that unique ID. Continue reading “For everything else, you must have the unique ID.”

Diwali Greetings

diwali007

Diwali, or Deepavali, is the festival of lights. It is also the festival of wealth. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth is worshiped on Diwali. Among Bengalis, Mother Kali is worshiped during Diwali. The tradition is attributed to a number of occasions. Continue reading “Diwali Greetings”