Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt is unusual to have a Prime Minister sitting on the back benches. Most finish their terms and fade away into history. This will be the first time where the tie for premiership within the party will be like an … Continue reading
Author Archives: Pradeep Kanthan
Afghanistan
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Reading Time: 2 minutesMy interest in regional security led me to read more about Afghanistan. A country that has seen misery, and which is in an unfortunate position to offer geo strategic value to the super powers and comparatively little natural resources. If … Continue reading
How to lose weight and keep it that way
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Reading Time: 3 minutesIt was the American insurance companies that introduced the idea of the height-weight chart. They wanted people to be fit and claim free, alas by a standard assuming one size fits all. There may be numerous researches to show the … Continue reading
The General’s Date of Birth
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Reading Time: 2 minutesThe dispute over recording the Chief of Army Staff’s date of birth has come to a head. This has become a matter of Indian national izzat (honour) vs that of the General’s. If one were to go by the credo … Continue reading
9/11 and India …
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Reading Time: 6 minutesThe recent bomb blasts in New Delhi, the high alert in New York and a sense déjà vu has made the world stand on an edge again because of terrorism. The fact of this asymmetrical war is that a few … Continue reading
Recognize Palestine — New Path to Peace
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Reading Time: < 1 minutehttp://www.avaaz.org/en/middle_east_peace_now/?cl=1236340258&v=10055 Lovers of peace please support the initiative. Come September the UN will be voting for Palestinians to be a country. Check out the link above and join the cause. Its not about religion … its about human beings!
Is the war within Libya over?
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Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe war in Libya appears to be over, but could be far from it. Qaddafi has asked for refuge in the Arab countries, and hopefully someone will oblige unless their handlers wish otherwise. Many questions about him need be asked. The … Continue reading
Ipaidabribe some statistics
Below you will find an analysis of bribes paid in lakhs in major cities. Now this is from the website www.ipaidabribe.com
In the first instance the statistics present a skewed picture showing Bangalore to be the most corrupt. This maybe true, but what it doesn’t bring out is the sample size. Bangalore has always been a middle class, educated city … thanks to Nehru’s socialism. Five major public sector firms were started in the 50’s and the current IT euphoria and progress can be attributed to generations of middle class educated living there.
I refuse to believe lower levels in Mumbai, Delhi or Calcutta. They have greater populations, it is just that they are not reported or captured in the statistics. Education therefore remains the key to managing corruption and not an andolan of sorts.
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China deploys advanced n-missile on Indian border: US – Indian Express
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Reading Time: < 1 minutehttp://www.indianexpress.com/news/china-deploys-advanced-nmissile-on-indian-border-us/836941/ In the nuclear warhead count China definitely has more than India. Some of it will be deployed against India for geo strategic supremacy. This can not be denied, but the news has little value in improving relationships with China. … Continue reading
The Lokpal Bill
Anna Hazare – a struggle well begun!
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Reading Time: 3 minutesAnna Hazare’s fast goes on now almost indefinitely and the government doesn’t seem to budge. There is a critical mass required to move those in power, it is known as making them uncomfortable or rocking the boat, which is yet … Continue reading
Songs of Blood and Sword – Fatima Bhutto
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Reading Time: 3 minutesSongs of Blood and Sword, by Fatima Bhutto, throws more light on the fibre of Pakistani politics. It altered my impressions and complemented my reading of The Last Mughal Emperor, by William Dalrymple, and Cross Swords by Shuja Nawaz. Politics … Continue reading
Anarchy in London – moving on
The special session of the British Parliament was a trying time for the Prime Minister. A few aspects emerged among the pastoral notes of MPs lamenting the plight of their constituencies. After incidents have happened, many bring up the inadequacy of the system to quell the violence and heated emotions question the actions or inactions of those in government. The riots in England do not reflect a political disaffection or a communal disharmony even though they possibly could be the genesis of the problem. Cameron rightly alluded to parenting and negligence of society to address social issues. Unfortunately the debate ran around more police on the ground, water cannons and raising more police. Why do we always try to fix problems by creating more problems impacting economy and society? More violence begets more of it. It is the law of nature. Alas for the world it is violence we know best and we take comfort in the fact that there will be more around. Non violence needs to be nurtured … you are right David Cameron; get on to the parenting stuff!
The stolen stuff has already got on to online auctions. I hope it will help catch the looters. There will be definite sentences for the crimes.
Anarchy in London
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Reading Time: 2 minutesAnarchy in London, spreading to other parts of England, is unfortunate but telling of a malaise within. While one can speculate on the causes, the finger will waver to point at anything specific. To merely analyse this from the bottom … Continue reading
Small Businesses and CRMs
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Reading Time: 3 minutesImplementing CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management Systems) are a tricky matter especially for small businesses. Here are some aspects to consider: Before undertaking the project it is worthwhile researching the support that you will receive. The software itself is not … Continue reading
The Last Mughal a book by William Dalrymple
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Reading Time: 6 minutesThe dynasty came to an abrupt end. This is perhaps the best book with a detail account of the happenings at that time. Continue reading
Over the top – Masood Hasan
Over the top – Masood Hasan (click to read the article)
It is not uncommon in history when women, the most beautiful, have been sent to soften up relations. It will be a bias to do down a woman who flaunts her beauty and style. The article by a Pakistani, is in praise of Indian lifestyle and humbleness.
Personalities are not the issue, it is a question of ending conflict and ensuring lasting peace. Indo-Pak talks go on and on, nothing really happens and perhaps that is the intention. The charade has new characters, Hina the latest.
If it is going to be war on high heels, Pak knows well that India has a larger, matching and bolder armoury, so bring it on!
Ramayana and the Harward Business Review
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Reading Time: 5 minutesYet another impression now by Harward Business Review HBR.(see a report of the survey below). All good, only one thing to add. Ravana himself was a very learned scholar and a great leader in his own domain, much-loved and respected. … Continue reading
How to loose weight got from the energy glut
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Reading Time: 2 minutesGlobal fatness is a reality. Weight loss is an industry that has come up as a result of it. A simple way out of it is to walk more. Here are some facts about weight and tips to loose it: You are … Continue reading
The politics of power … corruption
Imagine that there is no power associated with politicians only with politics. That means no privileges, a salary, and uprightness. It is not hard to do it because in many parts of the world politics are not necessarily vehicles to power and wealth. There is power, but not in a direct sense. Power is derived by the popular actions a politician wishes to undertake. Transparency has a very high role to play. Power with in a context, is perceived in a medieval sense. It is displayed and paraded. It is partly because of the lack of uniform education, that keeps public civic sense at a low or that a change is not possible. Everywhere we have the symbols of power. Power represents fear, more than respect. In a society that respects power through its direct representation, it has to be visible. Kings and royalty had to parade themselves on high elephants to reinforce their authority. Aloofness and granting of audiences was another aspect of power. Power was derived from the Gods and royalty that was deemed superior.
Religion will be a very hard route to take and education and civil law will be the next best choice. In some ways, religion has failed in many parts of the world and therefore there is more evenness in the power matrix. It is after religious wars, persecution, terrible conflicts, ethnic cleansing, ideological conflict that instruments such as the Treaty of Versailles and the Westphalia theory emerged. It took hanging of petty criminals at the market place over centuries to have laws that people respect. The apparent peace is the result of years of conflict and the power dimension through any other means is simply not a good choice.
Do we have to go through the violence, bloodshed, and hanging to come to an amicable low corruption society?
In the Indian context, there is corruption everywhere, with some exception. We can cut but not end it. Will this be the provocative question for the next decade, or will it be education and eradication of poverty?
I invite you to write your comments and thoughts.