This one is so true and relevant that I had to post this on my blog.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Nina Davuluri, the "Arab Terrorist" who won Miss America
Nina Davuluri...she's all over the news, isn't she? And, for all the wrong reasons, unfortunately.
Yay, she graduated from U of M, so I guess we share a common link!
The one that was the best (funniest or saddest, I don't know which) is this:
******
“Well they just picked a Muslim for Miss America. That must’ve made Obama happy. Maybe he had a vote,” griped Elizabeth@EJR Buckeye.
******
Trust a Buckeye to get it completely wrong! I'm amazed at the ignorance of some people in this world. And, their arrogance is directly proportional to their ignorance.
Here's a few more tweets I read on the Web:
******
One commenter wrote the message ‘9/11 was 4 days ago and she gets miss America?’
“WHEN WILL A WHITE WOMAN WIN #MISSAMERICA? Ever??!!” asked another.
One Twitter user wrote: ‘This is Miss America... Not Miss Foreign Country.’
Another had this observation: ‘Shes (sic) like not even american and she won miss america.’
One Twitter user, DallasRobinson8, wrote: “I am literally soo mad right now a ARAB won. #MissAmerica”
Jakeamick5 added: “How the **** does a foreigner win miss America? She is a Arab! #idiots”
******
Yay, she graduated from U of M, so I guess we share a common link!
The one that was the best (funniest or saddest, I don't know which) is this:
******
“Well they just picked a Muslim for Miss America. That must’ve made Obama happy. Maybe he had a vote,” griped Elizabeth@EJR Buckeye.
******
Trust a Buckeye to get it completely wrong! I'm amazed at the ignorance of some people in this world. And, their arrogance is directly proportional to their ignorance.
Here's a few more tweets I read on the Web:
******
One commenter wrote the message ‘9/11 was 4 days ago and she gets miss America?’
“WHEN WILL A WHITE WOMAN WIN #MISSAMERICA? Ever??!!” asked another.
One Twitter user wrote: ‘This is Miss America... Not Miss Foreign Country.’
Another had this observation: ‘Shes (sic) like not even american and she won miss america.’
One Twitter user, DallasRobinson8, wrote: “I am literally soo mad right now a ARAB won. #MissAmerica”
Jakeamick5 added: “How the **** does a foreigner win miss America? She is a Arab! #idiots”
******
Curse me if you think I'm being anti-Indian. I was on the scooter exiting our apartment complex when a youngster on another scooter went past me (he exited our apartment complex, as well) and then abruptly turned right on to a road without waiting for oncoming traffic to stop. A car coming in the opposite direction had to brake hurriedly to prevent an accident. I turned right, too and was right behind him. Next, I saw him reach down (while driving) and throw an empty, plastic bottle casually by the roadside and continue. This is, in all likelihood, the educated son of a well-to-do, educated person living in our apartment complex. The audacity and callousness with which a lot of youngsters in India behave tells me that parents are doing a poor job of bringing up their kids to be socially responsible and mature, which means that India's future cannot claim to be in good hands. If the next generation is not taught (and will not learn on their own) to be decent, upright, honest, proud citizens of the country, then what chance does the country have?
Monday, May 21, 2012
Who's proud to be an Indian?
I've watched two very thought-provoking episodes of 'Satyamev Jayate', hosted by Aamir Khan. The first one, a couple of weeks ago, talked about the abhorrent practice of female foeticide. The second one, today, was about the practice of dowry in Indian marriages.
The thing that struck me the most about these programs is the fact that its not a case of a few bad eggs in basket of good eggs. No, if anything, it's a case of a very few good eggs in a huge basket full of rotten eggs. In other words, the cases that are being brought to light in SJ are only a small sample among a large unreported set of such incidents.
Granted that there are many good Indians with pure hearts, noble intentions and ideas and opinions that are not stuck in the Dark Ages. But, they still pale in comparison to the huge number of Indians that are selfish, greedy, self-serving, narrow-minded, cruel, unfeeling, heartless, miserly, lazy or a miserable combination of all these.
Here's where Malcolm Gladwell's concept of the "Tipping Point" comes into play. For any groundbreaking effort / movement to succeed, it needs to reach a tipping point, a critical mass that will keep the momentum going. Today, with India's population crossing a billion, that tipping point implies a number that simply cannot be brought to bear on such a positive movement that SJ hopes to generate. For every brave / righteous person who stands up, speaks out or takes action against such heinous practices, there will be a dozen of the "baddies" waiting to silence him, buy him off or even eliminate him from the face of the earth.
In other words, I strongly believe that the mentality of the Indian populace cannot be changed by external forces (like policing, laws, punishment, etc) alone. The most powerful force is that of self-realization, the 'a-ha' moment that occurs to a human being where he/she understands / realizes the extreme inhumanity of his/her actions and not only corrects himself/herself, but spreads the good word and takes action to prevent more such acts of inhumanity. That, to my mind, is a more powerful and self-sustaining force.
Having said all this, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for these changes to happen in India any time soon and neither do I expect my children or my grandchildren to see any significant changes.
Coming to the topic of this post, I see so many of my FB friends posting links/images that talk about being proud to be an Indian. Why? What exactly is it that the average Indian is proud about? I'd really, honestly like to know. If this was somebody from the Indian Army/Navy/Air Force, I can understand. They're doing an incredible service to the nation and they can certainly feel proud to be an Indian and defend its borders. But, let's see what the average Indian reads/sees/experiences in an average day. He reads/sees/experiences murders of innocent people, murders of righteous people, murders of brave people, suicides by repressed people, suicides by hungry/desperate/helpless people, incredibly rich people cornering more and more of the country's wealth illegally and still not feeling satisfied, rich/educated/sophisticated people taking advantage of precious natural resources, looting the country or it's people to increase their own standing/wealth/power, people flouting all written laws and unwritten laws of society to get a leg up on the others. I can give a dozen examples from each day of living in just one city like Bangalore. People throwing garbage all over the place, drivers breaking every conceivable traffic rule to get ahead of others at traffic jams, people spitting and peeing willy-nilly (yes, that's a pun!), people tapping electric and phone lines to avoid paying bills, it goes on and on and on.
So, please, please don't ever try to convince me that I should be proud to be an Indian. I am not an Indian technically and I will not fancy carrying that tag any time soon. The natural follow-up question (posed to me) is: So, why did you decide to return to India and stay here? Now, that's a topic for another post, another day.
The thing that struck me the most about these programs is the fact that its not a case of a few bad eggs in basket of good eggs. No, if anything, it's a case of a very few good eggs in a huge basket full of rotten eggs. In other words, the cases that are being brought to light in SJ are only a small sample among a large unreported set of such incidents.
Granted that there are many good Indians with pure hearts, noble intentions and ideas and opinions that are not stuck in the Dark Ages. But, they still pale in comparison to the huge number of Indians that are selfish, greedy, self-serving, narrow-minded, cruel, unfeeling, heartless, miserly, lazy or a miserable combination of all these.
Here's where Malcolm Gladwell's concept of the "Tipping Point" comes into play. For any groundbreaking effort / movement to succeed, it needs to reach a tipping point, a critical mass that will keep the momentum going. Today, with India's population crossing a billion, that tipping point implies a number that simply cannot be brought to bear on such a positive movement that SJ hopes to generate. For every brave / righteous person who stands up, speaks out or takes action against such heinous practices, there will be a dozen of the "baddies" waiting to silence him, buy him off or even eliminate him from the face of the earth.
In other words, I strongly believe that the mentality of the Indian populace cannot be changed by external forces (like policing, laws, punishment, etc) alone. The most powerful force is that of self-realization, the 'a-ha' moment that occurs to a human being where he/she understands / realizes the extreme inhumanity of his/her actions and not only corrects himself/herself, but spreads the good word and takes action to prevent more such acts of inhumanity. That, to my mind, is a more powerful and self-sustaining force.
Having said all this, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for these changes to happen in India any time soon and neither do I expect my children or my grandchildren to see any significant changes.
Coming to the topic of this post, I see so many of my FB friends posting links/images that talk about being proud to be an Indian. Why? What exactly is it that the average Indian is proud about? I'd really, honestly like to know. If this was somebody from the Indian Army/Navy/Air Force, I can understand. They're doing an incredible service to the nation and they can certainly feel proud to be an Indian and defend its borders. But, let's see what the average Indian reads/sees/experiences in an average day. He reads/sees/experiences murders of innocent people, murders of righteous people, murders of brave people, suicides by repressed people, suicides by hungry/desperate/helpless people, incredibly rich people cornering more and more of the country's wealth illegally and still not feeling satisfied, rich/educated/sophisticated people taking advantage of precious natural resources, looting the country or it's people to increase their own standing/wealth/power, people flouting all written laws and unwritten laws of society to get a leg up on the others. I can give a dozen examples from each day of living in just one city like Bangalore. People throwing garbage all over the place, drivers breaking every conceivable traffic rule to get ahead of others at traffic jams, people spitting and peeing willy-nilly (yes, that's a pun!), people tapping electric and phone lines to avoid paying bills, it goes on and on and on.
So, please, please don't ever try to convince me that I should be proud to be an Indian. I am not an Indian technically and I will not fancy carrying that tag any time soon. The natural follow-up question (posed to me) is: So, why did you decide to return to India and stay here? Now, that's a topic for another post, another day.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Easter egg in Facebook??
I would like to stake first claim for this finding. This worked for my and Sahana's Facebook accounts. Do the following:
a. Go to your Facebook home page.
b. On the top-right corner of the page, you will see 3 buttons/links: Your name, Home and a arrowhead pointing down (a dropdown menu).
c. Hover the mouse just to the right of the last button (the arrowhead). There is no image / icon there, but when you hover the mouse over it, you will see a rectangular button-like space get highlighted. The pointer will also change.
d. Click on it and you will be taken to http://plus.google.com!!
I have no idea why this happens or whether this happens consistently for everybody across the world. Try it out and let me know the results.
a. Go to your Facebook home page.
b. On the top-right corner of the page, you will see 3 buttons/links: Your name, Home and a arrowhead pointing down (a dropdown menu).
c. Hover the mouse just to the right of the last button (the arrowhead). There is no image / icon there, but when you hover the mouse over it, you will see a rectangular button-like space get highlighted. The pointer will also change.
d. Click on it and you will be taken to http://plus.google.com!!
I have no idea why this happens or whether this happens consistently for everybody across the world. Try it out and let me know the results.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
'The World from Above' on Discovery HD
"The World from Above" is a wonderful program on Discovery HD. Not sure how many people watch it. These are aerial fly-overs of different countries or regions, along with interesting tidbits of information gleaned from history. Today's episode took us over Portugal and I learned about:
-
Guimarães [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimar%C3%A3es]
- Peneda-Gerês National Park [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peneda-Ger%C3%AAs_National_Park]
- Bom Jesus do Monte [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bom_Jesus_do_Monte]
- Tenões [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten%C3%B5es]
- Santuário do Sameiro [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sameiro_Sanctuary]
- Porto [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto]
- Mateus Palace [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mateus_Palace]
- Almeida [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almeida,_Portugal]
I looked for DVDs of this documentary series but couldn't find any.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Mumbai bomb blasts and other random thoughts
"YET AGAIN" screams the Times of India newspaper today. They should keep that headline lying around because they'll keep needing to use it. Let's face it. It's near impossible to protect India against these kinds of terrorist attacks.
As you walk around, observe the narrow lanes / alleys. How will you protect every square foot of India? There are countless unnoticeable places where a person with malicious intentions can plant a bomb. Observe the teeming crowds. Any one person out of the thousands of people that you pass by every single day could be carrying a bomb. No amount of intelligence is going to be enough to counter this. As far as I know, the information that intelligence agencies gather are more general in nature. They are not privy to specific information like the exact target areas or identity of people carrying out the operation.
India is a cursed nation with a lot of factors working against it.
As you walk around, observe the narrow lanes / alleys. How will you protect every square foot of India? There are countless unnoticeable places where a person with malicious intentions can plant a bomb. Observe the teeming crowds. Any one person out of the thousands of people that you pass by every single day could be carrying a bomb. No amount of intelligence is going to be enough to counter this. As far as I know, the information that intelligence agencies gather are more general in nature. They are not privy to specific information like the exact target areas or identity of people carrying out the operation.
India is a cursed nation with a lot of factors working against it.
- Population: 2nd most populous nation
- Area: Huge population crammed into a relatively small area. India's density of population is, by far, the highest among the top 5 most populous nations in the world. China - 80th; India - 33rd; US - 179th; Indonesia - 92nd; Brazil - 193rd
- Infrastructure - old, aging infrastructure (buildings, drainages, roads, power transmission, etc)
- Government - yes, let's face it, democracy is absolutely the worst form of government for Indians. For a democracy to work effectively, the people elected to power should, for the most part, be truly concerned about the welfare of the nation. In the process, if they can prosper personally, so be it, but the nation should not suffer. In India, however, politicians and bureaucrats only care about personal gains and completely ignore the plight of the people who elected them.
On to a slightly unrelated note. I believe that there are two major problems facing India today. And, both problems have something to do with selfishness.
- Complete apathy by the people who matter. People who are in positions of power, either political or financial, show absolutely no intention to improve the state of affairs. Almost everybody in any position of power is more concerned about increasing that position of power, either in the form of wealth or political clout.
- Self-centred existence by the Indian plebeian. When I observe what happens at traffic signals or queues, all I see are instances of one-upmanship in silly / trivial ways. People want to get ahead of others by hook or crook with complete disregard to rules, regulations or fairness.
Friends and relatives on my social networks take pains to point out the positives in India, like when somebody performs acts of sacrifice, kindness, generosity, etc. The other common refrain from the youth of India is to "go out and vote" to ensure that the right candidates get elected to power. But, these examples are too few and far between to gather any kind of momentum. I am reminded of Malcolm Gladwell's 'Tipping Point'. For any new initiative or movement to catch on and establish itself, it needs to attain a certain 'critical mass'. That 'critical mass' is unfortunately too great for a country as large and populous as India. India, on the whole, is a country where the people are too caught up in their own misery and blame everybody else for it. This, in turn, causes them to take actions and make decisions that ensure their own survival at the cost of others' downfall. How will India gain that critical mass, in such a situation?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Some thoughts...
A friend / ex-colleague recently asked me if I would be interested in taking up a position as an Architect (Software, that is) in a company that he was about to join. In his opinion, my strength was technology although I was most recently working in a senior leadership position (Director - Product Development). Although I feel there is some truth in what he said, it made me wonder. Would I really be able to do a good job as a Software Architect? After all, I've been so cut off from all forms of coding (Java or otherwise) that I am not so sure that I will be able to contribute effectively as an Architect, nor will I be able to compete against the hordes of young, energetic programmers that seem to be gushing out of the reputed Indian colleges (mostly IITs, NITs & BITS).
The more I think about it, the more I feel that the best analogy for my role would be that of a conductor like Zubin Mehta. I know how to read music (requirements) and translate that into tasks for different groups of instrumentalists (programmers, testers, analysts, managers). In order to produce good music, I need to hire talented musicians for my orchestra, equip them with high-quality instruments, ensure that they maintain them periodically, understand the strengths and weaknesses of each artist and position them appropriately to emphasize their music (or drown them out, as appropriate), understand the music and twirl my baton in the right way to ensure that every artist plays what is required, when it is required.
Now, is this analogy clichéd? I don't know. I know that I didn't steal it from anywhere, so I hope I don't get pulled up for plagiarism. Sure, there may be some holes in this analogy, but I thought it to be apt for what I feel my role is.
That's it...peace out!
The more I think about it, the more I feel that the best analogy for my role would be that of a conductor like Zubin Mehta. I know how to read music (requirements) and translate that into tasks for different groups of instrumentalists (programmers, testers, analysts, managers). In order to produce good music, I need to hire talented musicians for my orchestra, equip them with high-quality instruments, ensure that they maintain them periodically, understand the strengths and weaknesses of each artist and position them appropriately to emphasize their music (or drown them out, as appropriate), understand the music and twirl my baton in the right way to ensure that every artist plays what is required, when it is required.
Now, is this analogy clichéd? I don't know. I know that I didn't steal it from anywhere, so I hope I don't get pulled up for plagiarism. Sure, there may be some holes in this analogy, but I thought it to be apt for what I feel my role is.
That's it...peace out!
Friday, July 01, 2011
Some thoughts on India...and Indians
Why do so many Indian men feel the urge / need to urinate in public? Do they realize that this act:
a. is socially deplorable
b. results in an unholy stench
c. can lead to germs and infections
Is it really a matter of not being able to hold it till they reach their destination? Can they not find one of those roadside toilets? When I argued this point online with a few of my classmates during my Exec Mgmt course, some of them said that it is because these people are not well off and that their houses may not have bathrooms. My response was that:
a. a lot of these people are very decently dressed and they are usually riding a bike or driving a car when they stop to pee.
b. there are several roadside toilets built by the government that are either free or require a small fee to use
Next, spitting. This applies to Indian men and women alike. Why do they feel the urge / need to spit in all kinds of places, including indoors in office buildings? Yes, I had been to an RTO to get my driving license and as I climbed up the stairs, I noticed dozens (or more) of paan stains on the walls and corners. And, everyday, as I drive or walk on the roads, I see phlegm-laden spit all over and it's a real task for me to hop around and avoid them. Would these same people spit inside their own house, I wonder? Would the provision of spit-buckets by the government help?
a. is socially deplorable
b. results in an unholy stench
c. can lead to germs and infections
Is it really a matter of not being able to hold it till they reach their destination? Can they not find one of those roadside toilets? When I argued this point online with a few of my classmates during my Exec Mgmt course, some of them said that it is because these people are not well off and that their houses may not have bathrooms. My response was that:
a. a lot of these people are very decently dressed and they are usually riding a bike or driving a car when they stop to pee.
b. there are several roadside toilets built by the government that are either free or require a small fee to use
Next, spitting. This applies to Indian men and women alike. Why do they feel the urge / need to spit in all kinds of places, including indoors in office buildings? Yes, I had been to an RTO to get my driving license and as I climbed up the stairs, I noticed dozens (or more) of paan stains on the walls and corners. And, everyday, as I drive or walk on the roads, I see phlegm-laden spit all over and it's a real task for me to hop around and avoid them. Would these same people spit inside their own house, I wonder? Would the provision of spit-buckets by the government help?
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Seeking God's blessings....even if it kills us!
A few days ago, while I was driving in my car, approaching a temple, I noticed a lady abruptly stopping in the middle of the lane. She proceeded to take off her footwear right there and stood in the middle of the road to pray in front of the temple for a few seconds before wearing her footwear and continuing to cross the road! This was during peak hour in the morning, with impatient drivers in two- and four-wheelers. She was willing to take the chance of getting run over in order to seek blessings from a divine being.
Similarly, I've seen drivers of two-wheelers who take one hand (or both hands) off the handle when they pass in front of a temple to fold their hands and pray for a millisecond. Do they realize that they may be putting their own or other lives in danger by doing so?
Monday, June 13, 2011
The Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge + extras
I am planning to take on the 'Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge', in which I visit the railway stations at the extreme compass points of the nation. These stations, from what I have understood, are Dwarka (West), Udhampur (North), Ledo (East) and Kanyakumari (South). In addition, I want to do a couple of other interesting trips that I have heard a lot about. The first is the 'Dhulghat Spiral' and the other is the Igatpuri ghat section. Information about these is given below for your review.
I am looking out for companions who can go with me on this trip. It is a lot more fun than going alone. I have done the first cut of scheduling this trip and I believe that it will take about 17 days to complete it. Tentative start date is 17th Aug, 2011, returning to Bangalore on 3rd Sept, 2011. The cost for the train tickets alone will run to about Rs.10,000-12,000, especially because there are a couple of Rajdhani Exp legs involved and also because I want to travel at least once by 1st Class AC in Rajdhani Exp (currently the Delhi-Guwahati leg). You will have to add food & lodging expenses to the train ticket costs. Lodging should be very minimal because the train will be our 'lodge' for the most part.
I am also looking for causes that we can advertise or raise money for during this trip. Any ideas from my to-be companions are welcome.
Dhulghat Spiral: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhulghat_Spiral
Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge: http://gcirc.wordpress.com/, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=372971199730
Tentative Itinerary
| Leg # | From | To | Hops | Train | Runs On | Date of Travel | Avbl | Class | Price |
| 1 | SBC | CAPE | 16526/Kanyakumari Exp | Daily | 08/17/11 | Y | SL | 325 | |
| 2 | CAPE | TVC | 16525/Bangalore Exp | Daily | 08/19/11 | Y | AC3 | 120 | |
| 3 | TVC | DWK | TVC-BRC | 12431/Rajdhani Exp | Tu,Th,Fr | 08/19/11 | Y | AC3 | 1940 |
| BRC-DWK | 12906/HWH-Okha Exp | Su,Mo,Th | 08/21/11 | Y | SL | 259 | |||
| 4 | DWK | UHP | DWK-ADI | 59548/Okha-ADI Pass | Daily | 08/21/11 | Y | SL | 124 |
| ADI-NDLS | 12957/Rajdhani Exp | Daily | 08/22/11 | Y | AC3 | 1210 | |||
| NDLS-UHP | 12445/Sampark Kranti | Daily | 08/23/11 | Y | SL | 274 | |||
| 5 | UHP | LEDO | UHP-NDLS | 12446/Sampark Kranti | Daily | 08/24/11 | Y | SL | 274 |
| NDLS-GHY | 22424/Rajdhani Exp | Th | 08/25/11 | Y | AC1 | 4140 | |||
| GHY-LEDO | 15603/InterCity Exp | Daily | 08/26/11 | Y | SL | 241 | |||
| 6 | LEDO | AK | LEDO-GHY | 15604/InterCity Exp | Daily | 08/27/11 | Y | SL | 241 |
| GHY-HWH | 15960/Kamrup Exp | Daily | 08/28/11 | Y | SL | 332 | |||
| HWH-AK | 12130/Azad Hind Exp | Daily | 08/29/11 | Y | AC2 | 1532 | |||
| 7 | AK | INDM | 52974/AK-RTM Fast Pass | Daily | 08/31/11 | Y | SL | 100 | |
| 8 | INDM | IGP | INDM-KNW | 52975/RTM-PAU Fast Pass | Daily | 09/01/11 | Y | SL | 80 |
| KNW-IGP | 11062/MFP-LTT Exp | Su,Mo,We,Fr | 09/01/11 | Y | SL | 194 | |||
| 9 | IGP | SBC | IGP-MMR | 17617/Tapovan Exp | Daily | 09/02/11 | Y | SL | 54 |
| MMR-SBC | 12628/Karnataka Exp | Daily | 09/02/11 | WL #2 | AC2 | 1362 | |||
| 12802 |
Sunday, July 18, 2010
My croak list
You've heard of the bucket list. Now, here's my variation of the same thing. The 'Croak List', namely, a list of places to visit before.....you know, I pass beyond the veil, hand in my dinner pail, etc.
So, in no particular order of priority, here's my croak list.
So, in no particular order of priority, here's my croak list.
- Jordan
- Jerusalem
- Egypt
- Peru - Machu Picchu
- Brazil / Argentina - Iguazu Falls
- Angkor Wat
- Scotland
GreeceItaly- China - Great Wall
- Yorkshire Dales
OK, now, we've got that out of the way. If I can find the time and money to check all the places off the list shown above, then I have a nice-to-have croak list to work on. Here it is.
- New Zealand
Austria- Kenya
- Zambia / Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls
- Kauai Island in Hawaii
- Java / Sumatra
- Switzerland
- Islands of Hebrides
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Frustrations in Indian traffic
Whee, my second post of the day! Somebody STOP me....
Anyway, have you noticed a common and extremely irritating habit among drivers in India? When you've stopped at a signal (traffic light) and there's a long-ish wait, after a little time, these 2-wheeler and auto drivers slowly start creeping up on the right side of the road (against oncoming traffic) and try to squeeze in ahead of you when the lights turn green. Sometimes, I've seen this being done by cars, too, and more rarely by insanely stupid bus drivers.
Here's the two consequences of this incredibly stupid, asinine and selfish action by these drivers. First, they end up blocking oncoming traffic and earn their wrath and curses. Second, they cut in front of other drivers who have been waiting patiently in their lanes when the light turns green. Now, I am wondering what's going through these people's heads. Do they think that they are more important people? Do they think that their time is more valuable than everybody else's? How can they look themselves in the mirror (the car's rear view mirror, that is) when they do this? Even without these kinds of shenanigans, traffic is a nightmare in Bangalore due to the sheer volume of vehicles and the unpreparedness of the infrastructure; these driving habits only serve to exacerbate the situation, in my opinion.
And, almost nobody shows any degree of courtesy while driving. When I come out of the office parking lot in the evening, there's usually bumper-to-bumper traffic backed up about half a kilometer on either side. I wait patiently for 10 minutes but nobody lets me merge on to the road. If there happens to be a slightly big gap between one vehicle and the next and I try to squeeze in, the second vehicle honks loudly and accelerates in a threatening way, so that I have to back off and continue to wait. It's only when a vehicle in the left lane tries to turn into my office parking lot and ends up blocking traffic behind him that I get an opportunity to get on to the road.
Final topic. Roundabouts in India. Almost daily, I get stuck in the roundabouts (circles) where there's a deadlock created when vehicles from all roads leading up to the intersection come to the circle because there's no policeman monitoring the situation. Again, nobody wants to think a bit and understand the obvious benefit in waiting for a couple of minutes to allow the traffic around the circle to clear before approaching it.
Anyway, have you noticed a common and extremely irritating habit among drivers in India? When you've stopped at a signal (traffic light) and there's a long-ish wait, after a little time, these 2-wheeler and auto drivers slowly start creeping up on the right side of the road (against oncoming traffic) and try to squeeze in ahead of you when the lights turn green. Sometimes, I've seen this being done by cars, too, and more rarely by insanely stupid bus drivers.
Here's the two consequences of this incredibly stupid, asinine and selfish action by these drivers. First, they end up blocking oncoming traffic and earn their wrath and curses. Second, they cut in front of other drivers who have been waiting patiently in their lanes when the light turns green. Now, I am wondering what's going through these people's heads. Do they think that they are more important people? Do they think that their time is more valuable than everybody else's? How can they look themselves in the mirror (the car's rear view mirror, that is) when they do this? Even without these kinds of shenanigans, traffic is a nightmare in Bangalore due to the sheer volume of vehicles and the unpreparedness of the infrastructure; these driving habits only serve to exacerbate the situation, in my opinion.
And, almost nobody shows any degree of courtesy while driving. When I come out of the office parking lot in the evening, there's usually bumper-to-bumper traffic backed up about half a kilometer on either side. I wait patiently for 10 minutes but nobody lets me merge on to the road. If there happens to be a slightly big gap between one vehicle and the next and I try to squeeze in, the second vehicle honks loudly and accelerates in a threatening way, so that I have to back off and continue to wait. It's only when a vehicle in the left lane tries to turn into my office parking lot and ends up blocking traffic behind him that I get an opportunity to get on to the road.
Final topic. Roundabouts in India. Almost daily, I get stuck in the roundabouts (circles) where there's a deadlock created when vehicles from all roads leading up to the intersection come to the circle because there's no policeman monitoring the situation. Again, nobody wants to think a bit and understand the obvious benefit in waiting for a couple of minutes to allow the traffic around the circle to clear before approaching it.
Overtaking in Indian traffic
I've noticed one really annoying and scary thing in Indian traffic. It's got to do with the way drivers of 2-wheelers overtake other larger (usually) vehicles. They overtake the car or truck/lorry/bus and then immediately cut in front of it, completely ignoring the fact that the other vehicle is also moving at a fair rate of knots. This forces the "overtakee" to slow down abruptly to avoid hitting the 2-wheeler that just overtook him/her. I'm curious to know whether this is caused by a) complacence of the driver of the 2-wheeler b) complete ignorance of basic traffic rules/etiquette or c) complete callousness of the possible consequences.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Foreigners in India, watch out!
Yesterday, I had gone to the FRRO to extend Ashwin's residency permit. There was an African national who had come to Bangalore to study in a "college" called Bangalore City Institute (I think). He was extremely angry and frustrated. Apparently, since he came to India, no classes have been conducted; there seems to be a paucity of teachers; the principal keeps asking for more money, citing different reasons. To top it all, it appears that the principal has the audacity to act very high-handed and aggressive. This African guy wants to seek redressal, but doesn't know where to go. He has already tried to request the police to intervene with no results. So, he had come that day to talk to the FRRO to see if they could help in any way.
As I stood in line, I witnessed the verbal exchange between one of the officials in the FRRO and the African and it was really appalling. The official was completely uncaring; he didn't bother to properly listen to the complaint; he kept brushing him off, saying that the police are the only people who can assist in the matter. I'm not saying that he was wrong, but he could at least have helped him contact a police station and set up some kind of arrangement, so that the FRRO and the cops could work together to assist the African. Instead, the African ended up leaving the FRRO even more frustrated and angry. Mind you, he spoke English extremely well and he was quite a well-read person. He showed his degree certificates which showed that he had some qualifications in IT/Software/Computers. In addition, the file / folder he was carrying contained documents that were very neatly organized (including some BESCOM bills, I may add!), which again is a sign of a well-read and systematic person.
All in all, the experience reiterated the lack of a proper structure for foreigners in this country. There appears to be no framework or support structure that is easily understandable or widely published that will help foreigners in times of need. Rules are made in a very arbitrary manner and left open to interpretation and enforcing by individual officers. For example, one official told us that we need two copies of all documents for submission; another told us that one copy is enough; a different official told us that we should attach a copy of our PAN cards; but they finally accepted the docket without the PAN cards.
So, that's my India grouse for the day! Still many more to come....
Friday, April 30, 2010
Resolved once again to resume blogging regularly. So, what have I been upto since 12/21/2006?
Visited UK on a business visit in Nov 2007.
Visited Ann Arbor, MI on a business visit in Jan 2008.
Visited north India with cousins in April 2008.
Joined an year-long certificate course in Executive Management from IIM-Kozhikode.
Quit Sterling Commerce on 12/16/2008. Took a break to concentrate on the course.
Got an offer from Altisource Portfolio Solutions (then Ocwen) in March 2009.
Joined Altisource on 03/24/2009 as Director of Software Development.
Bought a second-hand, automatic transmission Honda City in Feb 2009.
Visited Orange County resort in May 2009.
Went to Paris & London for a vacation in September 2009.
Drove to Kozhikode for my eMEP graduation ceremony in Feb 2010.
Drove to Wayanad in May 2010.
Drove to Kukke Subramanya in June 2010.
Drove to Wayanad in May 2010.
Drove to Kukke Subramanya in June 2010.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Joined Sterling Commerce
Today was my first day at Sterling Commerce in Bangalore. I joined Sterling Commerce as a Technical Architect. Sterling Commerce develops full lifecycle Supply Chain Management solutions. Their website is at http://www.sterlingcommerce.com.
Joining formalities took more than an hour to complete. After that, I was introduced to a couple of folks and shown to my desk. There was no phone yet, nor was there any reading material. I picked up a few information brochures that described their products. These were tailored for consumption by prospective customers, so it appeared a bit biased. I had difficulty keeping my eyes open till lunch. After lunch, I tried following up with IS to get my laptop, but it got delayed till 4:30. I had a meeting with my boss and other Project Managers from 3pm to 4pm, during which I learnt a bit about the current projects and customers. I spent time between 4:30pm and 6pm playing around with the laptop and installing necessary software.
Joining formalities took more than an hour to complete. After that, I was introduced to a couple of folks and shown to my desk. There was no phone yet, nor was there any reading material. I picked up a few information brochures that described their products. These were tailored for consumption by prospective customers, so it appeared a bit biased. I had difficulty keeping my eyes open till lunch. After lunch, I tried following up with IS to get my laptop, but it got delayed till 4:30. I had a meeting with my boss and other Project Managers from 3pm to 4pm, during which I learnt a bit about the current projects and customers. I spent time between 4:30pm and 6pm playing around with the laptop and installing necessary software.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Interview with Tyfone
I interviewed with a company called Tyfone today for the position of a Technical Director. Tyfone is a small startup and they wanted somebody who could lead the development efforts for a product they are building for the mobile industry. The interview went quite well and they ended up offering me the job! The pay was very, very low but they threw in a bunch of stock options to sweeten the deal. The work sounded pretty interesting to me, but I had a lot to consider before I accepted the offer. The people I spoke to were nice and seemed reasonably knowledgeable.
Going to and from the interview by auto, I was quite taken aback by the number of people who always appeared to have something to do or somewhere to go. The sidewalks are always crowded and there is no "rush hour" in traffic. The traffic is stop-and-go for almost 12 hours a day (8am to 8pm), in almost every major road in Bangalore. And, everybody accepts it as a fact of life. There are traffic lights almost everywhere, but not all of them are working most of the time, so there will be a policeman directing traffic.
Let me highlight one positive and one negative about Indian traffic. First, the positive. At almost every major traffic signal, there will be a digital display that shows the amount of time remaining for the signal to change to green. So, people (car, auto, bus, bike, etc.) turn off their engines till 5-10 seconds before the light turns green. In the long run, this will definitely result in significant fuel conservation, reduction in pollution and longer life for the engines.
The negative? Actually, there are quite a few, as you might imagine. Invariably, people will get a headstart on the signal, so they will cross the intersection when there's still 3-4 seconds for the light to turn green. At the same time, people who had the green signal till then (cross traffic) will not stop when the light turns red. They will continue crossing the intersection 3-4 seconds after the light turns red. Obviously, this can result in grid lock in the middle and at worst, cause a serious accident, especially when you consider that the vehicles involved can be as diverse in size as huge lorry/truck and a small moped (mini motorbike). At night, people will invariably ignore the lights completely and depend on coordination with other vehicles to get through intersections. Most lorry/bus drivers are egomaniacs with very poor road sense, so they'll drive rashly in narrow roads. In theory, the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more responsibility that is on you to drive safely. But, that is just what it is...theory! In practice, the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more other people had better watch out for their own lives!
Going to and from the interview by auto, I was quite taken aback by the number of people who always appeared to have something to do or somewhere to go. The sidewalks are always crowded and there is no "rush hour" in traffic. The traffic is stop-and-go for almost 12 hours a day (8am to 8pm), in almost every major road in Bangalore. And, everybody accepts it as a fact of life. There are traffic lights almost everywhere, but not all of them are working most of the time, so there will be a policeman directing traffic.
Let me highlight one positive and one negative about Indian traffic. First, the positive. At almost every major traffic signal, there will be a digital display that shows the amount of time remaining for the signal to change to green. So, people (car, auto, bus, bike, etc.) turn off their engines till 5-10 seconds before the light turns green. In the long run, this will definitely result in significant fuel conservation, reduction in pollution and longer life for the engines.
The negative? Actually, there are quite a few, as you might imagine. Invariably, people will get a headstart on the signal, so they will cross the intersection when there's still 3-4 seconds for the light to turn green. At the same time, people who had the green signal till then (cross traffic) will not stop when the light turns red. They will continue crossing the intersection 3-4 seconds after the light turns red. Obviously, this can result in grid lock in the middle and at worst, cause a serious accident, especially when you consider that the vehicles involved can be as diverse in size as huge lorry/truck and a small moped (mini motorbike). At night, people will invariably ignore the lights completely and depend on coordination with other vehicles to get through intersections. Most lorry/bus drivers are egomaniacs with very poor road sense, so they'll drive rashly in narrow roads. In theory, the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more responsibility that is on you to drive safely. But, that is just what it is...theory! In practice, the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more other people had better watch out for their own lives!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Got my LL
I got my learner's license to drive a 4-wheeler! Contrary to most people, I'm completely comfortable driving in India, even after spending 12+ years in the US. I never had any qualms about driving here, even on my infrequent visits to India when I lived in the US.
The experience of getting the license was, at best, eminently forgettable. We (Sahana & I) went to the RTO (Road Transportation Officer) office in Yeswantpur. Earlier, we paid Rs.1300 to a "driving school" to do the paperwork for us to help push the thing through faster. We were asked to meet a person at the branch office of the driving school which was located on the premises of the RTO office. However, when we reached the place, we found a large, disorganized group of people clamoring to get their license (learner's or permanent). Believe it or not, it took the guy at the counter an hour to get to my papers, and all he did was stick my photo to it and fill a few fields with some information. Then, he sent us to the RTO and asked me to take the test.
When we walked up the stairs to the room where I was supposed to take the test, I noticed the red stains where people had spit "paan" on the walls. For the umpteenth time, I was puzzled by the huge difference in the thought processes of humans in India which made them think that it was OK to spit inside a building!
Before taking the test, I had to get my papers checked by an officer and for this, I was asked to go to a different room. Here, there was a long bench, where people had to sit on while they awaited their turn to be called by the officer. However, there was no queuing system in place. People who came to the bench after me would casually walk past me and sit in an empty space somewhere in front of me! Ethics and morality appear to have no place in the lower elements of Indian society! It's not as if they do it because they want to break the rules. It's because they're not aware that there are rules to follow. I realized this when another guy came in and tried to break into the line in front of me and I told him firmly to go to the back of the queue. I was surprised at how apologetic and polite he was in his response.
The test was quite easy, although I got a few answers wrong. Still, I passed and that's all that matters! The whole process took about 3 hours :(. I wonder how long it would have taken if we hadn't paid Rs.1300 to the driving school. Anyway, there's a waiting period of 1 month before I'm allowed to apply for a permanent driving license.
The experience of getting the license was, at best, eminently forgettable. We (Sahana & I) went to the RTO (Road Transportation Officer) office in Yeswantpur. Earlier, we paid Rs.1300 to a "driving school" to do the paperwork for us to help push the thing through faster. We were asked to meet a person at the branch office of the driving school which was located on the premises of the RTO office. However, when we reached the place, we found a large, disorganized group of people clamoring to get their license (learner's or permanent). Believe it or not, it took the guy at the counter an hour to get to my papers, and all he did was stick my photo to it and fill a few fields with some information. Then, he sent us to the RTO and asked me to take the test.
When we walked up the stairs to the room where I was supposed to take the test, I noticed the red stains where people had spit "paan" on the walls. For the umpteenth time, I was puzzled by the huge difference in the thought processes of humans in India which made them think that it was OK to spit inside a building!
Before taking the test, I had to get my papers checked by an officer and for this, I was asked to go to a different room. Here, there was a long bench, where people had to sit on while they awaited their turn to be called by the officer. However, there was no queuing system in place. People who came to the bench after me would casually walk past me and sit in an empty space somewhere in front of me! Ethics and morality appear to have no place in the lower elements of Indian society! It's not as if they do it because they want to break the rules. It's because they're not aware that there are rules to follow. I realized this when another guy came in and tried to break into the line in front of me and I told him firmly to go to the back of the queue. I was surprised at how apologetic and polite he was in his response.
The test was quite easy, although I got a few answers wrong. Still, I passed and that's all that matters! The whole process took about 3 hours :(. I wonder how long it would have taken if we hadn't paid Rs.1300 to the driving school. Anyway, there's a waiting period of 1 month before I'm allowed to apply for a permanent driving license.
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