Something that happened to a friend of mine compels to make this post.
My friend works for large TELCO as a senior Manager. His wife, about 8 months back left a local firm she was working for a long time as a commercial executive, joined the branch office of a Japanese IT company excelling in Peripherals as a back office Executive. The nucleus family of the husband, wife and their kindergarten going daughter lives in an apartment in downtown Cochin. True to most of the youngsters of the day, my friend and family belong to the ‘upward mobile Indian’ citizenry.
A month back my friend’s mother got involved in a car accident. On their way to a famous pilgrimage center, the car in which she was traveling with her daughter and son-in- law met with a nasty accident. She was badly injured in the skull and underwent surgery soon after, at a nearby hospital. Later, she was shifted to a major medical facility at Cochin and she is undergoing recuperation, after swinging right and left many times, giving anxious moments to my friend and family. She is saved mainly duly to the timely, selfless and continuous intervention of a surgeon friend of us.
Due to mother being hospitalized with serious up and downs, my friend and his family were required to attend to her at the hospital. Both applied for leave from the job. Whereas my friend got the leave sanctioned, it was not allowed for his wife. The Japanese company manager told her that she hasn’t completed her probation of one year and the leave cannot be sanctioned. If she has to go, she could resign and go, she was given the ultimatum and was forced to resign from the job.
This sets me thinking. At one end we are talking about humanity, corporate Social responsibility and complete happiness of employees etc in modern companies, and at another end, we see such drastic steps being taken by corporates. Instead of consoling the employee for the great difficulties that she was undergoing, inhumanly, she was given the boot. It looks like in this Japanese company nothing else but performance mattered. ‘Productivity and profitability at all cost’ looked to be its mantra. How very sad!
This is a true outcome of the globalization that we are undergoing. These global giants and economic super powers had entered into India to capture the market with the sole aim of making money and nothing else. All they want is Indian market share. They are not worried about the ‘bloody’ Indians. The attitude that these companies management displays to its employees is that to slaves. ‘We are bloody paying you, shut up and work the way we tell you, else, get lost’ is the dictum. These companies do not have any compassion for its Indian employees. They are here to make money and the numbers matter to them, nothing else.
Amply, we see the pressure of these MNCs telling on its workforce in India. Money is there but happiness is not there. It is work, work and work. These guys are stressed out a lot. They have time for nothing. Life swings between the agony of slavery and the ecstasy of dollars! Medical problems (both mental & Physical), family problems (the warfare at home resulting in split homes), divorces, single parenting, alcoholism, etc are on the increase. In the end, these MNC employees will need all the extra money that they had saved to resolve crisis in life such as above.
Is this what we call life? Does it really make any sense to you?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
IS WRONG RIGHT?
It is some days that I had blogged. Activities are hectic both at job and personal front. There are so much of activities but results are not often commensurate with the efforts put. Something is missing somewhere. It is time to introspect. May be the festival season would give time for that. Some level of re-thinking and restructuring is required on life, I guess. The only thing that flies by is time. There seems to be no time for anything. Often, one is forced to do things in half hearted manner due to paucity of time. Such things do not deliver any happiness or satisfaction. Time to take stock has come.
The news that one reads in dailies are confounding. Apparently every one is making money through means that are not credible, transparent and legal. The hardworking, meritorious, transparent and legal means to grow your business has totally taken a back seat. After the Himalaya Group and Santhosh Swami, the vernacular dailies are out with the story of a Sabarinath , who in very short span, had built up a huge fraudulent real estate and Financial enterprise using goondas and anti social elements to run it. As usual, sensations are built around the guy gifting BMW to girl friend!
The new Indian Express carried a story last week of the new Pakistan President with the title, “Mr.Ten percent is Pak President”. Short, rhyming and interesting title. As again, look at the way Zardari had reached the presidentship of Pakistan. Yes, he had reached there at the cost of his wife’s life. It is the sad and gory death of Begum Benazir Bhutto that catapulted Zardari into this high point in life. Though from traditional and feudal family, our man grew up in abundance, having things such as exclusive discotheque at home etc. Later, he married the most well-known lady of the world politics. When she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was taking commissions on all deals that were happening in the country. He came to be called as Mr. Ten percent, for the cuts that he was collecting. I am sure his Swiss bank account must be stashed with funds. (Why do they need this much of money? May be, he could buy up people, army, politicians and Judges using the same). A couple of years back he was loitering in jail for criminal charges such as corruption and Murder – Benazir’s brother Murtaza is allegedly finished off by him, at least that is what Murtaza’s wife says-. What do one do, wish Zardari and Pakistan under him all the very best?
Look at what is happening in Zimbabwe. An old despot of a leader, absolutely unwilling to quit power. A country that was built and run by white men was taken over by Robert Mugabe and his socialist party about four decades back, to be converted into a messy, chaotic and pauper state. Everyone including Mugabe knows that nothing can be done by him to set right the maladies. He may need to have super human powers to restore normalcy in the country. The best is that he goes. But will he? One can only sympathize with the people of Zimbabwe.
The question therefore is, if there is a system or controlling power in the world (call it God, Allmighy, Godhead or whatever), which is supposed to take care of the villains and bring prosperity and happiness to the toiling masses, how come the villains are ruling the world now? A confounding and agitating thought indeed. What runs the world? Where is love, kindness and empathy gone? Where is the world leading to? What will happen to its people? Will truth, meritocracy, sincerity and hard work came back to prevail?
My guess is as good as yours. Amen!
The news that one reads in dailies are confounding. Apparently every one is making money through means that are not credible, transparent and legal. The hardworking, meritorious, transparent and legal means to grow your business has totally taken a back seat. After the Himalaya Group and Santhosh Swami, the vernacular dailies are out with the story of a Sabarinath , who in very short span, had built up a huge fraudulent real estate and Financial enterprise using goondas and anti social elements to run it. As usual, sensations are built around the guy gifting BMW to girl friend!
The new Indian Express carried a story last week of the new Pakistan President with the title, “Mr.Ten percent is Pak President”. Short, rhyming and interesting title. As again, look at the way Zardari had reached the presidentship of Pakistan. Yes, he had reached there at the cost of his wife’s life. It is the sad and gory death of Begum Benazir Bhutto that catapulted Zardari into this high point in life. Though from traditional and feudal family, our man grew up in abundance, having things such as exclusive discotheque at home etc. Later, he married the most well-known lady of the world politics. When she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was taking commissions on all deals that were happening in the country. He came to be called as Mr. Ten percent, for the cuts that he was collecting. I am sure his Swiss bank account must be stashed with funds. (Why do they need this much of money? May be, he could buy up people, army, politicians and Judges using the same). A couple of years back he was loitering in jail for criminal charges such as corruption and Murder – Benazir’s brother Murtaza is allegedly finished off by him, at least that is what Murtaza’s wife says-. What do one do, wish Zardari and Pakistan under him all the very best?
Look at what is happening in Zimbabwe. An old despot of a leader, absolutely unwilling to quit power. A country that was built and run by white men was taken over by Robert Mugabe and his socialist party about four decades back, to be converted into a messy, chaotic and pauper state. Everyone including Mugabe knows that nothing can be done by him to set right the maladies. He may need to have super human powers to restore normalcy in the country. The best is that he goes. But will he? One can only sympathize with the people of Zimbabwe.
The question therefore is, if there is a system or controlling power in the world (call it God, Allmighy, Godhead or whatever), which is supposed to take care of the villains and bring prosperity and happiness to the toiling masses, how come the villains are ruling the world now? A confounding and agitating thought indeed. What runs the world? Where is love, kindness and empathy gone? Where is the world leading to? What will happen to its people? Will truth, meritocracy, sincerity and hard work came back to prevail?
My guess is as good as yours. Amen!
Friday, August 22, 2008
FORTIFIED COMPANIES & FACELESS EMPLOYEES
One of the big disadvantages that the Internet/Telecom revolution brought to a customer is on dealing with companies when he has a difficulty with them. If you have a complaint on the product bought or service received, you are asked to call up a toll free number. The Tom and Jerry exercise starts thereafter. You will talk to a Toni or Moni or Soni (obviously, that is not their original names) and you have to give all the details (of purchase, serial numbers, warranty details, your details etc. etc….) before you get some response to the problems that you face. If it is resolved by this guy, you are indeed lucky. If not, God save you! You will be told that they would get back to you. Most of the Indian companies do not keep the promise. The escalated calls go and fall in the Arabian Sea! You call again, you hit the same Toni, Moni & Soni and you are nowhere. You ask them to connect you to their reporting officers but they are trained well to dodge the request. You ask for details of company’s higher ups and then you would realize that these Toni/Moni/soni is addressing your calls from an outsourced call center and do not have any connect with the company from where you bought and do not know anyone in the company. You hit a wall!
Recently I had an experience with the Internet broadband that I was using at home, provided by the largest business enterprise in the country, famous for ethical standards and customer focus. The service was disrupted totally and we had made 8 calls in 10 days to the same Toni/Moni/Soni, but of no use. They were parroting the same lines all over again. Even droppinging the name of the big man of the enterprise did not help. Several times in the midst, I called the regional office of the company to register the complaint and I always got directed to the Toni/Moni/Soni’s number. I went to the company's website to lodge the complaint and got a default reply stating that my complaint is registered and it would revert to us soon (never did that happen). Eventually I get the broadband connect back, after 15 days of the disruption of the service. In spite of being the ethical company with customer focus tag, this company did not take the escalation. You just are just a number and whom they have got to address you is the pappus, the Toni/Moni/Soni’s.
A professor friend recently narrated the story of a computer problem that he faced. The computer was sold by the company that claims to be closest to the customer. Two days after registering the complaint through the Toni/Moni/Soni route, an engineer landed up. He resolved the problem but by then there were two more subsequent problems which the engineer refused to attend stating that he was sent only for addressing the cited problem and nothing else. So the professor again went through the Toni/Moni/Soni route to have the next of the issues resolved. In all, it took only 10 days to resolve a set of minor problems which otherwise could have been resolved in one day through a normal direct route!
At our office, the commercial broadband connectivity went down seven days back. Compliant was registered with Toni/Moni/Soni of the company and nothing happened. This company is run by one of warring sons of the greatest of the entrepreneurs the country had produced. Since we had some business connections with this company, we talked directly to some of the senior officers there. Not only that nothing happened, one of them even justified by telling that it is possible for the DNS Servers to go down once a month!
The wonder of wonder is the notice issued by the same company in yesterday’s newspaper. If a big notice like this has to come out in the paper, one has to assume that it must be undergoing many challenges in this front. The notice looked very funny to me. It says once you register a complaint, if within seven days it is not resolved, you could call up a Nodal officer (whose details are given) and if within 10 days complaining to the Nodal officer nothing happens, you could go to the Appellate Authority with a written complaint.
What does this mean?
In this Internet age, in this nano-second based century, this company will still take so much of time to resolve matters. Therefore, if your line or website or broadband or billing or any service is down for seventeen days or more, you are advised d to suffer without getting any assistance from the company. Great!
God save us all from these fortified companies having faceless people!
Recently I had an experience with the Internet broadband that I was using at home, provided by the largest business enterprise in the country, famous for ethical standards and customer focus. The service was disrupted totally and we had made 8 calls in 10 days to the same Toni/Moni/Soni, but of no use. They were parroting the same lines all over again. Even droppinging the name of the big man of the enterprise did not help. Several times in the midst, I called the regional office of the company to register the complaint and I always got directed to the Toni/Moni/Soni’s number. I went to the company's website to lodge the complaint and got a default reply stating that my complaint is registered and it would revert to us soon (never did that happen). Eventually I get the broadband connect back, after 15 days of the disruption of the service. In spite of being the ethical company with customer focus tag, this company did not take the escalation. You just are just a number and whom they have got to address you is the pappus, the Toni/Moni/Soni’s.
A professor friend recently narrated the story of a computer problem that he faced. The computer was sold by the company that claims to be closest to the customer. Two days after registering the complaint through the Toni/Moni/Soni route, an engineer landed up. He resolved the problem but by then there were two more subsequent problems which the engineer refused to attend stating that he was sent only for addressing the cited problem and nothing else. So the professor again went through the Toni/Moni/Soni route to have the next of the issues resolved. In all, it took only 10 days to resolve a set of minor problems which otherwise could have been resolved in one day through a normal direct route!
At our office, the commercial broadband connectivity went down seven days back. Compliant was registered with Toni/Moni/Soni of the company and nothing happened. This company is run by one of warring sons of the greatest of the entrepreneurs the country had produced. Since we had some business connections with this company, we talked directly to some of the senior officers there. Not only that nothing happened, one of them even justified by telling that it is possible for the DNS Servers to go down once a month!
The wonder of wonder is the notice issued by the same company in yesterday’s newspaper. If a big notice like this has to come out in the paper, one has to assume that it must be undergoing many challenges in this front. The notice looked very funny to me. It says once you register a complaint, if within seven days it is not resolved, you could call up a Nodal officer (whose details are given) and if within 10 days complaining to the Nodal officer nothing happens, you could go to the Appellate Authority with a written complaint.
What does this mean?
In this Internet age, in this nano-second based century, this company will still take so much of time to resolve matters. Therefore, if your line or website or broadband or billing or any service is down for seventeen days or more, you are advised d to suffer without getting any assistance from the company. Great!
God save us all from these fortified companies having faceless people!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
THE GAMES MNCs PLAY
Most of you who had read my resume would know that I dwell in IT space, directly managing two companies, one in System Integration and the other, in software development.
Some of the recent developments that had happened in the SI Company that I run propel me to post this blog.
There is this MNC whom we represent in this part of the world. Though times had changed, this company is still in colonial mode. It will effect business only after receiving hundred percent advance, be the customer private or government. However as any other self-conscious company, it doesn’t mind going directly to the customers, bypassing the dealers. On one such occasion this company went to a major Bank and negotiated prices at ‘bone marrow’ levels. The Bank wanted multiple installation of the product across 150 branches and would pay only after completing the installation. In the fairness of things, it would take minimum ninety days to complete the process to receive payment. But how can our MNC supply without getting hundred percent advance? This was where the play came to effect.
The company’s local area manager (AM) calls me and asks me to attend a conference call with the regional manager (RM) based at Bangalore. Now the RM comes on to the line and very condescendingly tells me that he, based on the recommendations of the AM, he had decided to gift us this order worth INR 6 million. For us to execute the same, we would be given four percent commission. Whereas my principal would take the order directly, my company has to pay full amount as advance to it as coverage money. The money would be credited to us after we install the items at all these individual branches located at Godforsaken places across the country and after that, collect the payment from the bank’s HO and send to it. Many times in the conversation, he mentioned the GIFT aspect to me and the New VALUE that they had seen in us (!)
At the lowest rates of 1.5 % per month, by the time we collect the payment and get reverse credit from the principals, we would have incurred 4.5 to 6% expense on the interest itself (for three months). Now add the cost of installation, travel and follow up expenses. That would be another 2 % minimum. In effect, we would spend 6.5 to 8 percent to earn 4%. HOW DOES THE EQUATION LOOK? So much for its channel management! What are we, guinea pigs?
There is yet another case:
Some time back, we went into a jam with an institutional customer to whom we had supplied the most well known MNC IT company’s product. One year later to the supply, the customer realized that they ordered the item with a particular component but what had come inside was another. After verifying this, we went back to the company but it said that there is no chance for the mistaken delivery from them. Having not bothered to open up and verify at the time of delivery, with great difficulty, we organized the entire bunch of documents and communications of the past and submitted to them and then only the company relented. But said that it is a product technical issue. We asked as to why we were not taken into confidence when they decided to supply with a wrong component, they gave us a lame excuse which we are yet to understand. Now what? The customer wants the replacement (mind you, there are 50 numbers).We were advised by the principal that we buy this component from it by paying upfront and give to customer and it would compensate us just half of the amount (the other half is our share of the penalty) over a period of time in the form of commissions on new deals. It was unable to help us in any which way.
Now, we are the ones who had billed the item to the customer. If there is litigation from the customer, we are the one who will face the music. It is our goodwill that goes into dustbin. Eventually we had no other alternative but to oblige the customer. How does it look?
Before starting my entrepreneurship I had been working in IT marketing for about 15 years in reputed Indian companies and I too had handled dealers and channel partners. If there was a deal that had gone wrong due to our mishandling, I had always fought for the customer within my system. I do not know if that is ever possible for these MNC employees. These sales guys are paid fat salaries and immense incentives and they are used to the comfort and therefore, they have no other alternative but to sing the song for their companies all the way. ‘Customer, go to hell, dealer will take care”, That is the dictum these companies and its managers adopted.
And all these MNCs, in their annual reports will mention in BOLD GOLD letter about the highest customer satisfaction index that they had achieved over the year (who does the audit for them, I wonder!). And also the CSR (corporate social responsibility) that they have undertaken for the poor and for the environment, the earth, moon and the stars. The stakeholders sing ga ga for these MNCs and it’s shares goes the bull way!
Who suffer? The small time, small town reseller & dealer for whom this is the only livelihood. He is always sandwiched between the customer & the principal. He is the doer, sufferer & of course, the sucker.
Amen to that!
Some of the recent developments that had happened in the SI Company that I run propel me to post this blog.
There is this MNC whom we represent in this part of the world. Though times had changed, this company is still in colonial mode. It will effect business only after receiving hundred percent advance, be the customer private or government. However as any other self-conscious company, it doesn’t mind going directly to the customers, bypassing the dealers. On one such occasion this company went to a major Bank and negotiated prices at ‘bone marrow’ levels. The Bank wanted multiple installation of the product across 150 branches and would pay only after completing the installation. In the fairness of things, it would take minimum ninety days to complete the process to receive payment. But how can our MNC supply without getting hundred percent advance? This was where the play came to effect.
The company’s local area manager (AM) calls me and asks me to attend a conference call with the regional manager (RM) based at Bangalore. Now the RM comes on to the line and very condescendingly tells me that he, based on the recommendations of the AM, he had decided to gift us this order worth INR 6 million. For us to execute the same, we would be given four percent commission. Whereas my principal would take the order directly, my company has to pay full amount as advance to it as coverage money. The money would be credited to us after we install the items at all these individual branches located at Godforsaken places across the country and after that, collect the payment from the bank’s HO and send to it. Many times in the conversation, he mentioned the GIFT aspect to me and the New VALUE that they had seen in us (!)
At the lowest rates of 1.5 % per month, by the time we collect the payment and get reverse credit from the principals, we would have incurred 4.5 to 6% expense on the interest itself (for three months). Now add the cost of installation, travel and follow up expenses. That would be another 2 % minimum. In effect, we would spend 6.5 to 8 percent to earn 4%. HOW DOES THE EQUATION LOOK? So much for its channel management! What are we, guinea pigs?
There is yet another case:
Some time back, we went into a jam with an institutional customer to whom we had supplied the most well known MNC IT company’s product. One year later to the supply, the customer realized that they ordered the item with a particular component but what had come inside was another. After verifying this, we went back to the company but it said that there is no chance for the mistaken delivery from them. Having not bothered to open up and verify at the time of delivery, with great difficulty, we organized the entire bunch of documents and communications of the past and submitted to them and then only the company relented. But said that it is a product technical issue. We asked as to why we were not taken into confidence when they decided to supply with a wrong component, they gave us a lame excuse which we are yet to understand. Now what? The customer wants the replacement (mind you, there are 50 numbers).We were advised by the principal that we buy this component from it by paying upfront and give to customer and it would compensate us just half of the amount (the other half is our share of the penalty) over a period of time in the form of commissions on new deals. It was unable to help us in any which way.
Now, we are the ones who had billed the item to the customer. If there is litigation from the customer, we are the one who will face the music. It is our goodwill that goes into dustbin. Eventually we had no other alternative but to oblige the customer. How does it look?
Before starting my entrepreneurship I had been working in IT marketing for about 15 years in reputed Indian companies and I too had handled dealers and channel partners. If there was a deal that had gone wrong due to our mishandling, I had always fought for the customer within my system. I do not know if that is ever possible for these MNC employees. These sales guys are paid fat salaries and immense incentives and they are used to the comfort and therefore, they have no other alternative but to sing the song for their companies all the way. ‘Customer, go to hell, dealer will take care”, That is the dictum these companies and its managers adopted.
And all these MNCs, in their annual reports will mention in BOLD GOLD letter about the highest customer satisfaction index that they had achieved over the year (who does the audit for them, I wonder!). And also the CSR (corporate social responsibility) that they have undertaken for the poor and for the environment, the earth, moon and the stars. The stakeholders sing ga ga for these MNCs and it’s shares goes the bull way!
Who suffer? The small time, small town reseller & dealer for whom this is the only livelihood. He is always sandwiched between the customer & the principal. He is the doer, sufferer & of course, the sucker.
Amen to that!
Friday, August 1, 2008
THE INNER STRENGTH
Yesterday (31/07/08) evening, I attended the inauguration of the kick-off activities of Kerala Management Association for the year, at the KMA hall at Cochin. The honor to do so went to Mr. S Mohan, Director-HR, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), who is also the current President of Bombay Management Association. Mr. Mohan is a renowned HR professional and had put yeomen efforts in enhancing the professionalism within BPCL. One of the key objectives that he achieved there was the competency mapping of the personnel of the Corporation.
In his speech, he mentioned an initiative undertaken by his team as a part of the competency mapping exercise. This was to collate/compile the qualities and competencies of well-known CEOs in India, present and past. This required one to one interaction with business/management doyens such as Vindi Banga (HLL), Krishanmurthy (Maruti & SAIL), Naik (L&T), Rajinder Singh (NTPC) and many others of the same class.
While comparing the qualities and competencies of the above people with the western counterparts such as Alfred Sloan, Jack Welch, AG Lafley etc, Mr. Mohan said that many of the qualities and competencies matched very well. This confirmed that the essential qualities, values and competencies of efficient CEOs, are more or less the same, wherever they are. Though there are cultural differences between India & the western world, the running of a corporation requires these qualities and competencies, that is.
What attracted me in his speech was the additional quality/value that the Indian CEOs have over their western counterparts, which his team noticed. He called it as the INNER STRENGTH, which the Indian CEOs possessed. It dose not mean that the western CEOs did not have the inner strength but that was not an essential element of the CEO personality there, whereas dwelling in a developing economy called India, besotted with its pronounced diversity of culture, language and living, this inner strength played a major role in them coming through successful in their endeavors.
This element of inner strength takes us to the bearing of an Indian. For a nation which was highly spiritual from its genesis, a nation where Vedas and Upanishad’s originated, a nation in which multiplicity of thought processes on the way life such as Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism emanated, a nation that had pure leaders such as Gautama, Bodhi Dharma, Mahavira, Adi Shankara etc in the earlier times and Gandhi, Vinobha Bhave, JP, Amte etc later, is bound to have this INNER STRENGTH in every one of its citizen, by default. You could call this inner strength many names. Call it Self, Atma, Consciousness or whatever; the inner strength lies in every individual of this great nation.
The Indian CEOs mentioned by S Mohan, realized their inner strength and relied on it to a very great extent, in the execution of their vocation. No wonder they came to be noticed as very eminent CEOs of the country. The fact is that, in all of us lies this great INNER STRENGTH and it is unto us to realize it, bring it to the forefront and rely upon it in the execution of our own Karma.
Try it, people.
In his speech, he mentioned an initiative undertaken by his team as a part of the competency mapping exercise. This was to collate/compile the qualities and competencies of well-known CEOs in India, present and past. This required one to one interaction with business/management doyens such as Vindi Banga (HLL), Krishanmurthy (Maruti & SAIL), Naik (L&T), Rajinder Singh (NTPC) and many others of the same class.
While comparing the qualities and competencies of the above people with the western counterparts such as Alfred Sloan, Jack Welch, AG Lafley etc, Mr. Mohan said that many of the qualities and competencies matched very well. This confirmed that the essential qualities, values and competencies of efficient CEOs, are more or less the same, wherever they are. Though there are cultural differences between India & the western world, the running of a corporation requires these qualities and competencies, that is.
What attracted me in his speech was the additional quality/value that the Indian CEOs have over their western counterparts, which his team noticed. He called it as the INNER STRENGTH, which the Indian CEOs possessed. It dose not mean that the western CEOs did not have the inner strength but that was not an essential element of the CEO personality there, whereas dwelling in a developing economy called India, besotted with its pronounced diversity of culture, language and living, this inner strength played a major role in them coming through successful in their endeavors.
This element of inner strength takes us to the bearing of an Indian. For a nation which was highly spiritual from its genesis, a nation where Vedas and Upanishad’s originated, a nation in which multiplicity of thought processes on the way life such as Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism emanated, a nation that had pure leaders such as Gautama, Bodhi Dharma, Mahavira, Adi Shankara etc in the earlier times and Gandhi, Vinobha Bhave, JP, Amte etc later, is bound to have this INNER STRENGTH in every one of its citizen, by default. You could call this inner strength many names. Call it Self, Atma, Consciousness or whatever; the inner strength lies in every individual of this great nation.
The Indian CEOs mentioned by S Mohan, realized their inner strength and relied on it to a very great extent, in the execution of their vocation. No wonder they came to be noticed as very eminent CEOs of the country. The fact is that, in all of us lies this great INNER STRENGTH and it is unto us to realize it, bring it to the forefront and rely upon it in the execution of our own Karma.
Try it, people.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
22ND JULY 2008, A WATERSHED DAY FOR INDIAN DEMOCRACY
The 22nd of July 2008 will be remembered as a day of turning point for Indian parliament democracy.
The UPA Government led by Mr. Manmohan Singh sought the vote of confidence in the parliament after the left parties withdrew the support on account of the Indian Government proceeding with the nuclear deal with the United State of America. Politics makes strange bedfellows and with the help of Samajwadi party, the Congress led government won the vote of confidence with 275 votes coming in their favour as against 256 votes polled by the opposition, which include BJP, NPA allies and the left parties (again strange bedfellows, the BJP & the Left!). About 10 MPs abstained from voting, a majority of those came from the opposition parties.
For the last two weeks, the media was agog with the horse-trading that was happening in New Delhi, the capital of India. The rate quoted for each Member of Parliament (MP) went up to the extent of INR 250 million. Every party (not the congress party alone, it includes Samajwadi party, BSP, Left parties ...all) had tried its luck to buy the MPs. The total number of parties in Loksabha including the eeni meeni local parties (having single MP!) comes closer to 50.
Yesterday was indeed a day of shame for the Parliament and the Indian democracy because of the dirty act that happened in the afternoon. Three MPs belonging to the Bhartiay Janta Party smuggled in a briefcase containing INR 10 million brandishing it as the bribe received from the Secretary General of Samajwadi party, Sri. Amar Singh, for cross voting or abstaining. Whether there is truth in it or whether it is trick played by the BJP to malign Congress Party and the PM Mr. Manmohan Singh, one does not know. But suffice to say that 22nd of July 2008 will be written in the annals of Indian parliamentary democracy as the black day.
The Congress had won the trust motion with more votes than it expected (the expectation was 272 votes, Congress got 3 more). The margin was 19 votes and it really looked pretty good for the party. With the help of the rule that the speaker will not admit another non confidence motion for the coming 6 months, may be, Manmohan Singh could take up the courage to complete all those pending decisions that he did not take due to the pressure from the left parties in the past. One does not know how long will Manmohan Singh will want to rule before dissolving the parliament. It looks like it is really not an appropriate time. Developments in the coming months in the polity will decide the election dates for Indian Loksabha.
With this, Manmohan Singh had indeed emerged stronger. From a bureaucrat to the Finance Minister and then to the Prime Minister, every body called him a lucky person. But now he had really become a politician. His speech in the parliament (not made fully, it is available in PM’s website) is an indication of it. He spared no words to malign the opposition leader L K Advani and Prakash Karat, the Gen Secretary of CPI(M). Let us hope that now he can take decisions without pressure (of course, Sonia is there!). For a man who wrote India’s turnaround story in 1991, it is the ideal time to take the country from strength to strength. While people admire him, all that he lacks is grass root support within the party and probably it is time for him to work towards that.
At this rate, one is not sure if Mr. L K Advani will get an opportunity to lead the country. For a person in politics for close to 6 decades, PM-ship is the only thing that eludes Advani. The saying that you cannot get everything you wish, is quite apt here. Here is best wishes to him!
There is yet another person who will have to work hard and do a lot of explanation and that is Prakasah Karat. It is his steadfast tough stand that precipitated matters and led the situation to this extent. One is not sure if Harkishen Surjit was the General Secretary of the party, things would come to this pass. Karat is not flexible and inflexibility is a bane for a politician. The Bengal gang led by Jyoti Basu, Somnath Chatterji and others will haunt him for sure. He is definitely not on a strong wicket and has to play his cards very carefully for consolidating his position in the party and among the left front constituents.
It also looks like Congress party had finally found a partner more appropriate than the Left front and the BSP. Amar Sigh of Samajwadi is a perfect foil to the Congress veterans. His shrewd game planning will do the Congress a world of good. Though one is not sure how much will it cost the Congress to keep him.
One also hopes that that the ding dong parties having one MP, two MPs will get wiped away by the electorate in the coming elections enabling the ugly horse trading practices to come to an end and also for the smooth forward movement of democracy in India. The Ajit Singhs and Deva Gowdas must see the writing on wall and retire gracefully from politics or align with larger parties after throwing their ego in the dustbin.
Having watched the parliamentary proceedings for some time yesterday, I must admit that the quality of debate in it was above average. One enjoyed the speech by Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdulla. Lalu Yadav, as usual was in his elements (all said and done, one must say hat’s off to this guy for his ability to lighten up any tough and difficult situation)
How is it going benefit the India? Nothing in short term. In fact, inflation still is galloping to reach 12 mark and beyond. Cost of living indeed is getting hotter every day. There is no immediate respite in store. On long term, the aftermath of the agreement delivers energy security to the growing country and probably that should help the growth faster and easier.
Though we are the largest democracy in the world, this free for all democracy style must come to cease. It is time India matures as a strong democracy.
Here is hoping for a better and stronger India, both economically and politically
The UPA Government led by Mr. Manmohan Singh sought the vote of confidence in the parliament after the left parties withdrew the support on account of the Indian Government proceeding with the nuclear deal with the United State of America. Politics makes strange bedfellows and with the help of Samajwadi party, the Congress led government won the vote of confidence with 275 votes coming in their favour as against 256 votes polled by the opposition, which include BJP, NPA allies and the left parties (again strange bedfellows, the BJP & the Left!). About 10 MPs abstained from voting, a majority of those came from the opposition parties.
For the last two weeks, the media was agog with the horse-trading that was happening in New Delhi, the capital of India. The rate quoted for each Member of Parliament (MP) went up to the extent of INR 250 million. Every party (not the congress party alone, it includes Samajwadi party, BSP, Left parties ...all) had tried its luck to buy the MPs. The total number of parties in Loksabha including the eeni meeni local parties (having single MP!) comes closer to 50.
Yesterday was indeed a day of shame for the Parliament and the Indian democracy because of the dirty act that happened in the afternoon. Three MPs belonging to the Bhartiay Janta Party smuggled in a briefcase containing INR 10 million brandishing it as the bribe received from the Secretary General of Samajwadi party, Sri. Amar Singh, for cross voting or abstaining. Whether there is truth in it or whether it is trick played by the BJP to malign Congress Party and the PM Mr. Manmohan Singh, one does not know. But suffice to say that 22nd of July 2008 will be written in the annals of Indian parliamentary democracy as the black day.
The Congress had won the trust motion with more votes than it expected (the expectation was 272 votes, Congress got 3 more). The margin was 19 votes and it really looked pretty good for the party. With the help of the rule that the speaker will not admit another non confidence motion for the coming 6 months, may be, Manmohan Singh could take up the courage to complete all those pending decisions that he did not take due to the pressure from the left parties in the past. One does not know how long will Manmohan Singh will want to rule before dissolving the parliament. It looks like it is really not an appropriate time. Developments in the coming months in the polity will decide the election dates for Indian Loksabha.
With this, Manmohan Singh had indeed emerged stronger. From a bureaucrat to the Finance Minister and then to the Prime Minister, every body called him a lucky person. But now he had really become a politician. His speech in the parliament (not made fully, it is available in PM’s website) is an indication of it. He spared no words to malign the opposition leader L K Advani and Prakash Karat, the Gen Secretary of CPI(M). Let us hope that now he can take decisions without pressure (of course, Sonia is there!). For a man who wrote India’s turnaround story in 1991, it is the ideal time to take the country from strength to strength. While people admire him, all that he lacks is grass root support within the party and probably it is time for him to work towards that.
At this rate, one is not sure if Mr. L K Advani will get an opportunity to lead the country. For a person in politics for close to 6 decades, PM-ship is the only thing that eludes Advani. The saying that you cannot get everything you wish, is quite apt here. Here is best wishes to him!
There is yet another person who will have to work hard and do a lot of explanation and that is Prakasah Karat. It is his steadfast tough stand that precipitated matters and led the situation to this extent. One is not sure if Harkishen Surjit was the General Secretary of the party, things would come to this pass. Karat is not flexible and inflexibility is a bane for a politician. The Bengal gang led by Jyoti Basu, Somnath Chatterji and others will haunt him for sure. He is definitely not on a strong wicket and has to play his cards very carefully for consolidating his position in the party and among the left front constituents.
It also looks like Congress party had finally found a partner more appropriate than the Left front and the BSP. Amar Sigh of Samajwadi is a perfect foil to the Congress veterans. His shrewd game planning will do the Congress a world of good. Though one is not sure how much will it cost the Congress to keep him.
One also hopes that that the ding dong parties having one MP, two MPs will get wiped away by the electorate in the coming elections enabling the ugly horse trading practices to come to an end and also for the smooth forward movement of democracy in India. The Ajit Singhs and Deva Gowdas must see the writing on wall and retire gracefully from politics or align with larger parties after throwing their ego in the dustbin.
Having watched the parliamentary proceedings for some time yesterday, I must admit that the quality of debate in it was above average. One enjoyed the speech by Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdulla. Lalu Yadav, as usual was in his elements (all said and done, one must say hat’s off to this guy for his ability to lighten up any tough and difficult situation)
How is it going benefit the India? Nothing in short term. In fact, inflation still is galloping to reach 12 mark and beyond. Cost of living indeed is getting hotter every day. There is no immediate respite in store. On long term, the aftermath of the agreement delivers energy security to the growing country and probably that should help the growth faster and easier.
Though we are the largest democracy in the world, this free for all democracy style must come to cease. It is time India matures as a strong democracy.
Here is hoping for a better and stronger India, both economically and politically
Friday, July 18, 2008
THE GEN.Y AND THE VALUE SYSTEM
India is the land of youth. In no country of the world will you see such high percentile of youth to the total population. Consider the ageing west and many other nations in different continents, including the mighty China; it is India that has the largest number of youth available. A curse that we called as population explosion in the past, today turns out to be our distinct advantage!
The question is, what would we do with so much of youth? Our government and planners have to make available career to them as they come of age. Idle youth could be as good or as bad as the sparkling flame, for while the flame can give light, it could also burn-up and destroy anything around it. If there are no jobs in the country, will the nations of the world allow them to migrate to other countries? Tough question. No answers now. It is something yet to evolve.
Currently, educated youth is really enjoying the advantage. The country as the IT super power, is also gaining name as the back office of the world. ITS & ITES is going great guns and most of the youth is in it, and they are on the roll.
In the course of these developments, I am also watching the changing values displayed by the youth. Take it as the lamenting of a man belonging to the past, I cannot help but post it to seek the reaction of my readers.
I see the youth today running after the materialistic things. In matters moral, our youth is slipping very badly. As said by Mr. D R Nagaraj, Former Chairman NIPM, the “boys and girls” of today are full of selfishness, greed, disrespect to systems, carelessness, disloyalty and impatience. Aping the west in style and living, they are into cohabitation, dating, LIR and making merry. And on matters of global priorities, they show scant respect. Things as urgent and important as global warming, waste management, child labor etc do not figure in their thoughts. Actually they have no time for these. It is as if world is going to end tomorrow and they are trying to make the most of it, toady.
One does come across many students and job seekers. It is surprising that most of them are not nursing any dream. They are not planning their career. They drift from one job to other without weighing the worth of each.
In matters of spirituality they are nowhere. Good living to them is not of deriving of happiness but frolicking in materialistic comforts, the ACs, PCs, mobiles, iPods, automobiles and parties and all. There is no attempt to gain purity of body, mind and thoughts. (Neither do they understand that attaining these qualities will lead to good living, happiness and peace). All are part of the whirlwind. Life is indeed tumultuous for them. I could see the attendant stress writ large on their faces.
I took the attention of a friend of mine who had spent more than one and half decade in USA and is now back in India, to this aspect of Indian youth. His observation is as good as mine. I then asked him whether the youth in US is like this. His answer was a firm no. He says he see lots of dreaming and planning in the youth in US. Perhaps things such as recession and realization to the fact that many other countries are catching up with them is giving them some amount of apprehension, enabling them to resort to planning and activities to reach their dreams.
Sages and Gurus of India had been predicting a renaissance and growth of human qualities. Aurobindo said that man in the course of time would evolve into a Supramental being with higher level of intellect and purpose. Osho Rajneesh with his radical thinking (while chewing up religions and Godheads), said that man would evolve into Zorba the Buddha (someone who will enjoy the vivacious pleasures of this life but will eventually prepare himself to achieve enlightenment). In both, there is an understanding of a new generation of human being, active at achieving higher levels of intellect and mental well being.
Looking at the current generation, I reserve my comments. While I would desperately want the higher evolution to happen in people, I am disappointed at the loss of values and the degeneration of life.
Perhaps I am getting un-necessarily worried. Perhaps this is a passing phase. What we see now may be the indulgence in the windfall that had unexpectedly reached our doorsteps. Post this, may be things will get back for the higher evolution to happen.
Here is hoping that the Generation Y will realize its true potential and strive towards reaching higher mental growth and attain peace and happiness.
As a father, and as a well-wisher of the youth, I pray this happen.
The question is, what would we do with so much of youth? Our government and planners have to make available career to them as they come of age. Idle youth could be as good or as bad as the sparkling flame, for while the flame can give light, it could also burn-up and destroy anything around it. If there are no jobs in the country, will the nations of the world allow them to migrate to other countries? Tough question. No answers now. It is something yet to evolve.
Currently, educated youth is really enjoying the advantage. The country as the IT super power, is also gaining name as the back office of the world. ITS & ITES is going great guns and most of the youth is in it, and they are on the roll.
In the course of these developments, I am also watching the changing values displayed by the youth. Take it as the lamenting of a man belonging to the past, I cannot help but post it to seek the reaction of my readers.
I see the youth today running after the materialistic things. In matters moral, our youth is slipping very badly. As said by Mr. D R Nagaraj, Former Chairman NIPM, the “boys and girls” of today are full of selfishness, greed, disrespect to systems, carelessness, disloyalty and impatience. Aping the west in style and living, they are into cohabitation, dating, LIR and making merry. And on matters of global priorities, they show scant respect. Things as urgent and important as global warming, waste management, child labor etc do not figure in their thoughts. Actually they have no time for these. It is as if world is going to end tomorrow and they are trying to make the most of it, toady.
One does come across many students and job seekers. It is surprising that most of them are not nursing any dream. They are not planning their career. They drift from one job to other without weighing the worth of each.
In matters of spirituality they are nowhere. Good living to them is not of deriving of happiness but frolicking in materialistic comforts, the ACs, PCs, mobiles, iPods, automobiles and parties and all. There is no attempt to gain purity of body, mind and thoughts. (Neither do they understand that attaining these qualities will lead to good living, happiness and peace). All are part of the whirlwind. Life is indeed tumultuous for them. I could see the attendant stress writ large on their faces.
I took the attention of a friend of mine who had spent more than one and half decade in USA and is now back in India, to this aspect of Indian youth. His observation is as good as mine. I then asked him whether the youth in US is like this. His answer was a firm no. He says he see lots of dreaming and planning in the youth in US. Perhaps things such as recession and realization to the fact that many other countries are catching up with them is giving them some amount of apprehension, enabling them to resort to planning and activities to reach their dreams.
Sages and Gurus of India had been predicting a renaissance and growth of human qualities. Aurobindo said that man in the course of time would evolve into a Supramental being with higher level of intellect and purpose. Osho Rajneesh with his radical thinking (while chewing up religions and Godheads), said that man would evolve into Zorba the Buddha (someone who will enjoy the vivacious pleasures of this life but will eventually prepare himself to achieve enlightenment). In both, there is an understanding of a new generation of human being, active at achieving higher levels of intellect and mental well being.
Looking at the current generation, I reserve my comments. While I would desperately want the higher evolution to happen in people, I am disappointed at the loss of values and the degeneration of life.
Perhaps I am getting un-necessarily worried. Perhaps this is a passing phase. What we see now may be the indulgence in the windfall that had unexpectedly reached our doorsteps. Post this, may be things will get back for the higher evolution to happen.
Here is hoping that the Generation Y will realize its true potential and strive towards reaching higher mental growth and attain peace and happiness.
As a father, and as a well-wisher of the youth, I pray this happen.
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