How I spent the Extra Second of 2008......

23:59:60 vs 00:00:00

Please look at time in figure carefully.This is a very interesting fact that most of us donot know. In 2008 we actually got One second extra, the last minute was 61 secs. We do always complain for extra time to God, but many of us didn't even realized that we had missed one second  that was rewarded.

This is fact and no fantacy. The second that we got was a leap second. A leap second is a second, as measured by atomic clock, added to or subtracted from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC) to make it agree with astronomical time to within 0.9 second. it compensates for slowing in earth's rotation due to earthquakes and other factors and is added during the end of June or December.

I was well aware of this fact in the eve of new year last year and was thinking of what to do in that one second that I would remember for ever. Then I was struck with an idea, I am always troubled by the clock ticking and running away. So I decided to score over the clock by switching off my watch for one second. In this way I kept myself updated with correct time at the same time and at the same time took off all my anger on 24 hr funda.

Friends, if you want to know when we will again get a second extra again, do visit the website of International Earth Rotation and Reference System twice in a year in the month of January and July. They do publish the update, six months prior to event. So next time you have atleast six months to plan how to spent this one second extra....... God is Great

I love Padma....

The Padma awards have always been in controversies. It sometime raises doubt in my mind. Are these awards are about government favour or are based on merit?? 

There are facts to support this doubt also. How was temperamental offspinner Harbhajan Singh, who was accused of sledging and even slapping a teammate, more deserving of a Padma award than, say, VVS Laxman, classy Hyderabadi batsman and one of the architects of the Indian cricket renaissance. What is the criteria to select Ashwariya Bachaan or Akshya kumar for the award? And irony of all ironies, how can one explain the exclusion of wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Bijendra Singh who got us bronze medals at the Beijing Olympics?

Fifty-four years ago, the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, and Padma awards (Padma Vhibusan, Padma Bhusan and Padma Shri) were instituted to honour exellence. Today with a few honorable exceptions, the award has become an object of  decoration, worth lobbying aggressively for. 

Strangely, the awards have no cash component, but since it is a National honour delivered on Republic day, there is a mad scramble for it. Do we need an independant body to judge the awards? After all these are not filmfare awards, these are the highest civillian awards being bestwoed to worthy citizens of the country.

How Much Secular Are we???

Greatest of all irony is always found in Indian Society. The issue I am stressing on today is no different. It is assesing on how much secular are we on book and off the book? We infact need not go too far to any riot prone area to asses ourselves. 

Everyone must have atleast once gone through the matrimony advertisement that comes up in sunday edition of Newspapers or matrimony websites in internet. We are also not unaware of the fact the way it is divided into religion, caste, communities. Last sunday I just went through the matrimony section, earlier I never paid any kind of interest, but I found a divided India infront of me. 

All credit to these newspapers who claim to be the face of nation, the way they divide us. I in fact had no problem finding a girl of my religion, my caste, and my community. The greatest fun factor was that I searched by religion without looking into even girl's name. The girl's character, education are secondary in selection process, the primary was religion.  

We buy this ideal from market, we follow this ideal to decide the most important decision of life i.e marriage but we still send our kids to school where the kid pledges to protect the preamble of India. Have we failed to emerge as a secular state? Do the promises we make at school are only to score marks? Why donot we show courage to fight this? 

There is no point blaiming these advertisements, they are there to sell what we buy. We call it as 21st Century confused India.

Slumdog who is not a Millionaire......

We will be future of India.......

There are a lot of social issues, about which we feel fascinated to stand on stage and deliver long speeches. Most of us in our lifetime, must have delivered either a formal or informal speech on child labour. However, after reading this blog I am quite sure that most of you will go speechless, the way I was after my conversation with a child in a train.

Last winter I was in Dhauli Express to Balesore. Surprisingly that day the train was not so crowded as it always used to. I was all alone and was feeling bored. Suddenly, I spotted a boy asking me money with a broom in his hand. I was curious to know about him, so I picked him up with two hands and offered him biscuits, but he denied. Then I requested him to sit beside me. Seeing my attitude the person next to me left his place and shifted to some other place but gave me a stray look as if either I have touched something untouchable or as if I am mad. Then the conversation started.....

me: To naa kana?  (What is your name?)

boy: Kana??  (What??)

me: Tate kana loka dakanti?  (what do people call you?)

boy:kichi semiti thae ki?        (Is there something like that??)

( I had not ever imagined that the boy donot even know that there is something called name been given to someone for recognistion)

me: tu kau train re jauchu janichu ki? ( Do you know in which train you are in??)

boy:naa (no) Mate kuha haichi ki khali Baripada parjanta jibu, au rati sudha Bhubaneswar asijibu.( I only know that I have to go to baripada and return to Bhubaneswar by evening)

(He dont even know which train he is going)

me: tu kete tanka collect karu gote dina re?? ( How much you collect in a day??)

(He showed me a bag and said I must have to reach half in a day,I showed him a coin and asked)

me: kete tanka eita?? ( What is the value of this coin??)

( he looked at me in dumb face)

boy: ame bhaina ku nai dai dau, se amaku khaiba ku dianti rati re au muthae paisa dianti.( We give all our money to guy who appointed us in the night and he give us food and a handful of coins)

I was taken aback. I had expected to carry on conversation with him for a long time, but neither he had that much time for me nor I had the courage to listen to him further. Before offering him seat I was determined to motivate him towards education. However, how can one put before a guy the value of education, who donot even have a name. 

We stand and deliver speeches. The budget comes up with new trains, bullet trains. But what is there Mr. Lalu for these guys in your budget??

'Work' or 'Crime' ?

"We believe that like anyother occupation, Sex-work is too an occupation and not a moral condition. If it is one of the 'oldest' profession in the world, that is because it must have continued to meet an important and consistent social demand."

"When prostitution starts with violence and sexual abuse how can we call it "work"?.. An action that violates human rights, how can we call it work?"

The two statements quoted above reveal the diametrically different positions held by two conflicting ideals, both working with and claimimng to represent voices of sex workers. There are many issues that needs to be addressed like the question of right of women in trade; human right violation with in the trade. In the first statement, sex-workers are seen as labourers, meeting an important social demand; in the second, prostitutes are represented as 'innocent victims', subjected to human right violation.

I have been following various issues attached with sex workers from last three years through various newspapers. Whether it is the highly organised Sonagachi in Calcutta or the tightly controlled but poverty driven red light slum of Malishahi in Bhubaneswar or the structure of family based sex trade in Tikirapada in Angul the issues remain the same.

Acute proverty remains the base line for these workers to take on sex as there profession. The super cyclone in 1999 created increased impoverishment in Orissa. The burden on the extended family increased and they left for this job. There are other reasons too that includes family disputes, willingness, misguided, tradition, kidnapped. Most of the factors that push them into this flesh trade are not binding to our morals, however truth is hard to digest -> There are 80,000 sex workers in Calcutta and more than thousand in Bhubaneswar and in total more 115,000 lives thrive on it. 

Government now seems to be in land of great confusion. This can be well explained by the position in which Orissa government is in. In a recent order passed by High court of Orissa, that ask the state goverment not to evict the commercial sex workers of Malishahi without proper rehabiliation. With Families driven into the buisness, they donot have any other options opened to them, due to the social stigma attached to the profession, so they are sticking to it as there family buisness.

After acquiring the status of “workers”, sex workers are now journeying towards achieving the title of “entertainment workers” this was their demand at the All-India Conference of Entertainment Workers 2007. There are 70 red light areas in West Bengal with 14 in Kolkata alone. Sex workers in Bhubneswar from August 2000 have started demanding legalization of their proffesion. 

However what next is not known to anyone. The number of commercial sex workers are increasing day by day carrying ID cards and participating in various AIDS awareness camps. The issue perhaps was not addressed properly when it was needed, and perhaps government is now in deadlock situation. Government is finding it quite difficult to address issues relating to health, rehabiliation of these workers and convincing them to leave their profession is the toughest job at hand.

Are we too are to be blamed for this senario of society? Is it that, we are the largest purchager of sex that made this trade so huge? What would be the next generation society if present generation fails to rehabilite these workers? Where this would lead us to......  Now this senario posses a single but a complicated question before us...... 

Prostitution as Livelihood 

      'Work' or 'Crime' ?

We don't know what holds,we six........

 

A unique bond binds we six,

We don't know what it is.

We don't even hold our hands

But live our life as it is.

A unique bond binds we six.

We tease and play as kids,

We roam and hover like bees,

But we don't know what holds we six.

We wish the friendship lasts for ever,

That there won't be any problem ever,

It doesnot even matter what is that which holds we six

We just wish that it stays as it is.

By- Dee, Suku & Jyoti

India's Fascination with Valentine's Day.....

This blog is dedicated to all extremists who complain about public display of love on Valentine Day. I understand the feeling of insecurity among such extremists, but we must first understand what Indian Culture on love is all about.

Among numerous God of Hindu pantheon, Kamdev is the lord of love. He wields a bow of flowers. Couples fall in love when struck by his rose decorated arrows. India is also home of Kamasutra, the most elaborate teartise on love making.Indians protesting against Valentine's Day celebrations make one wonder what has happened to the people who once sculpted the passionate love makers on the temple walls at Khajuraho.

In the mid of everything stands the great Taj Mahal of Agra, the most beautiful and largest public display of love. There are numerous folk tales of legendary lovers who kissed death with a promise to meet, or rather mate, in heaven. These old tales are so lurid they make Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet a pale afterthought.

The uniquess of Indian culture is its adaptability and flexibility. We are proud of aryan culture, at the same time we love mughal culture and respect all communities in this world. May it be God Kamdev or Saint Valentine, we need to understand that we have culture of public display of love imbibed in us. Had this not been the case, we donot have long processions on marraige occassions. 

India has gone global in last decade, and we must realize such cultural changes are inevitable to come. The celebration of V-day also opens up new avenues of card and flower buisness. With self proclaimed social police revolting against cultural pollution by western ideas must realize that world and Indian culture has changed. 

The present young generation must understand that we belong to a social system which is a bit conservative and changes in society donot come all of a sudden. The celebration must go on, we must celebrate love on this V-day, let it be in the name of Kamdev. However, do we all need to show some kind of restraint in the way we express our love publicly? 

A Cruel Quirk of Fate.......

How can fate play oddity with you, one can never imagine. I am going to share a real incident from Kendrapada.

A forest department employee is paid Rs 70 per day for taking care of his father's killer. The 25 year old youth's job is to take care of estuarine crocodiles, including one that killed his father eight years ago, kept by department in Bhitarkankia Wildlife Sanctuary.

When his father died he had no other options open before him, rather than to take up the job. he is also doing his job with honesty and dedication. Fate has really played a cruel joke on him.

There are many lessons to be learnt from this young man's life. He fought with himself, put his loved ones infront of him and adapted to situation. Many of you may call this as complacent attitude to life but we must all realize fate is an external entity and we donot have any control over any external entity. But still it keeps provoking a question in me 'Is This called Survival of the fittest??'

Is it Recession or simply a correction for Indian Economy?

People now days are talking about recession everywhere. It has become a talk of town. But what exactly is recession? In economics, the term recession generally describes the reduction of a country’s GDP for at least two quarters while the usual dictionary definition is “ a period of reduced economic activities”, a business cycle contraction. It is visible through real personal income, employment, industrial production and whole-sale retail sale, besides decline in real GNP(GDP+exports-imports).

But is India really going through recession or is it simply correction across all industries?

Sensex……. Correcting itself
Normally, recession starts with the crash in the stock market. The Indian stock market crashed in 2008, but wasn’t it enjoying an unrealistic high? The sensex level of 20000 were unheard until October 2007, making India the 20th nation in the world to have seen its stock market benchmark touch this milestone. It gradually reached its peak in January 2008 touching all time high 21000. But with in 10 days the market crashed by more than 2000 points and downward movement had begun.
But this is not the time to panic. It’s not that people have stopped making money in market, yes they are making money. Remember , ‘for every seller, there is a buyer in the market’

Realty….. the correction has begun
Owning a dream home in India especially in metropolitan cities had become a dream which couldnot be fulfilled by most city dwellers. The reason simply being unrealistic high prices of homes and rising home loan interest rates.
It slowly became a seller’s market and real estate giants continued to construct flats and apartments, but when there are no takers how can they make profits? Thus there needs to be a correction in real estate segment also. What we see today is not a crash in real estate segment, it is in fact a correction. It may be painful for time being but situation would start looking up when other economic factors will boost.

Industries across all sectors………. A correction has begun
Industries across all sectors were enjoying a boom till mid 2008. But various economic factors have put an unwanted pressure on them and a slowdown is seen across all sectors. Be it IT or aviation segment, the effect is everywhere.take the case of aviation industry, when the industry was booming, the players in the segment hired manpower on a large scale at high cost without taking into account cost to company(CTC) and return on the investment(ROI). The industries flourished and so did the employees. But, with the recent slowdown it is becoming increasingly difficult for these players to bear high costs and hence retrenchment.
In fact, industries across all segments, finance, manufacturing are bringing about correction with in themselves.

On a concluding note………..
The global nature of current recession scenario of world economy is bound to affect Indian economy. Our economy is not insulated from these shocks. However the fundamentals of Indian economy are quite strong. We can look at current recession as a correction of Indian economy and start brushing up our basics to emerge as a savior of world economy.

I want to work with Idris Jala………

Most of us may be unaware about this interesting personality Idris Jala. Idris Jala led the state-controlled Malaysia Airlines from brink of bankruptcy to record breaking profits. Now he wants to become what he calls a “five star value carrier”.

When Idris Jala became CEO at Malaysia Airlines, his goal was to keep the carrier flying. Now he wants to create a new breed of air services. Much has happened in his three years of intervention. Malaysia airlines, the southeast Asian country’s national carrier, was less than four months away from running out of cash when Jala took charge,in December 2005. In such a short notice he had no chance to change the organization culture and structure. The whole process would have taken a year’s time. At the same time he has to deal with inadequate yield management, an inefficient network, and poor cost control.

He straightforward attacked the anomalies in profit and loss statement (P&L). In his first board meeting he asked members “If you have to control the costs, you just go and cut the costs. If your network is inefficient, get rid of routes that are bleeding cash. And if you have problem with low yield, fix the yield.” What else you can expect from a man with no prior experience in airlines industries comes, studies P&L statement for one hour and next hour calls its board and picks up the problem. He even went to the extent of selling off of airlines headquarters for Rs. 191 crore that helped him to run the industry for 20 more days.

Then he made the turnaround plan for airlines public. Publishing helped the industry to build a winning coalition not only with the government but also with other stakeholders, like unions, the staff, and the public. Being upfront about P&L and making it all transparent were very important to bringing coalition together. With a bit of stability coming up in two months he set up small labs where he insisted on asking the experts to work on problems and come up with fast and sustainable results that can be implemented. The labs worked on profitable routes and business solutions. Today, the industry has individual P&L statement for each route-by day, by month, by flight number all data counting up to 160,000 P&Ls, which he receives everyday on his blackberry sharp at 5pm.

For any work that seems to be impossible to you, provides you an opportunity. First of all, you must believe deep inside that it can be done. If the leader does not believe in the journey, then it cannot begin. The leader is no one special; to be a leader you do not need followers. If one becomes leader of his own ideas then there would be people to follow you, support you and encourage you. A leader is like someone who cuts a clearing in dense tropical jungle. Everyone else is under the canopy, where they cannot see the sky and it is very depressing. The leader has to bring people over to that clearing, into the space where innovation begins. The single biggest thing a leader brings to a turnaround is hope.

The industry achieved the profits that they estimated to earn by 2008 in 2007 itself. So they have started dreaming big innovations. I want to be part of this industry where your innovations get reflected in P&L statement, where all dare to live their dreams.