The Nano's Here

So Nano's here! For those of you who have been staying in the caves, it's the much-awaited Rs. 1-lakh car from the Tatas. The car seems cute even to someone like me who prefers roomier cars with curves. And as an Indian I am mightily proud at this remarkable achievement! :-)

I was amused though at Mr. Ratan Tata's response to the query as to how this car was born. He said that the sight of an Indian family of 4 riskily negotiating the unruly traffic on a 2-wheeler was what made him bring out a car for a common man. I remembered the Vision, Mission, Strategy (VMS) session that I once attended in a company. "What is the reason for the company's existence?" the question was asked repeatedly and elicited many answers "to make superior products", "to beat the hell out of the competitors", "To provide best customer care". But no one came up with the obvious "to make money". C'mon Mr. Tata, we don't need the politically correct answer. We all know "The world revolves around money" so say it. I am sure that even if you had said so with tongue firmly in cheek the journos would have loved it!

But if Mr. Tata wasn't just being diplomatic, then I don't understand the sassy answers he gave to the reporters who were doing their job of asking uncomfortable questions. Like e.g. when asked about India's urgent need for better public transport he could have stopped at saying that he agrees with the need for the same. What was the need for the later "You are at the wrong press conference" or "We are not responsible for the public transport"?. The media reported that when Mr. Tata was questioned about the lack of driving skills in India he wondered if Tata Motors should start driving schools. Well, we don't need more schools, we need discipline and we need better roads. Isn't the Indian family of 4 driving a Nano going to be at risk when impatient drivers start cutting through the traffic? What's wrong in starting a 'Safe Driving" program? At least some people will start driving sensibly and who knows, others might decide to follow.

But I am afraid that it would have been difficult for him to give these straight answers because the truth is that the 1-Lakh car is going to make the traffic congestion worse. As my brother put it "my driver is going to get out of his Nano and then drive my Accord"! Where is the room on the road for more cars? Where are the parking spaces? What about more gas consumption? Is the average family going to be able to afford the gas? True, other auto manufacturers aren't asked the question of the possible shooting up of India's fuel exports but their cars are not going to be bought by everyone in the neighborhood. However, I agree with you, we have to start asking this question to the 2-wheeler makers.

One of my friends argued that such cars for the common man will put pressure on the governement for improving roads. I don't know but I am willing to wait and see.

Meanwhile I am sure there would be people across India who would be wondering if after October - when the Nano hits the market - it will be possible for them to move around in a chopper the way Mr. Tata does! :-)

(Just to be on the safer side, I read about Mr. Tata's answers to media questions in The Economic Times) :-))

Smoke without fire

It's said that if a dog bites a man that's not news but if a man bites a dog that's news! The following piece of news definitely fits the bill.......

A 10-person IT company in Germany fired 3 people because they were non-smokers and were "disturbing the peace" by demanding a smoke-free environment! Talk about there being smoke without fire :-)

If God was a Banker

It was a tough choice - "Guns of Navarone" or "Breakheart Pass". I had almost picked up "Breakheart Pass" because I have seen the movie "Guns of Navarone" but I wanted to sample
a book by Alistair MacLean.

Then I noticed the title of another book - "If God was a Banker" by Ravi Subramanian. The story woven against the backdrop of an entry of an international bank in India sounded interesting! I had liked the book "One night at a call center" by Chetan Bhagat. Thought this might be similar so I took home "If God was a Banker". Alistair MacLean can wait!

That was 3 days back. Now that I have finished it, I have a mixed opinion. Sure, I got quite a sneak peek at the workings of an International bank. And also at the ugly underbelly
of banking industry. The book definitely delivers on its promise on this front.

But beyond that, the lead characters seem very black and white - no shades of grey in between. Swami is always right and Sundeep is wrong most of the times. If that is so, then
Sundeep's change of heart at the end of the story sounds more like a villain's remorse just 5 minutes before a typical Bollywood movie ends. :-)

The sleaze fests between Sundeep and various ladies are described in graphic details - quite unnecessarily. At the risk of sounding puritan I must say that I cannot understand the author's intent in doing so.

One can understand the predicament of girls like Priya who don't have an option but to fall prey to such advances because they have pressing financial reasons. But a girl like Karuna who does it to advance the career of her husband and also maybe because she liked the personal perks that went with granting such favors doesn't merit an ounce of sympathy. She is as much of a guilty party as Sundeep is.

The author would have done well to avoid comunity specific references like the one made as "gujjubhai" when introducing the character of Ram Naresh. This makes one wonder why the author (who is a South Indian) has made all the good guys (Aditya Rao, Swami) South Indians while all bad guys (Sundeep Srivastava, Ram Naresh, Nidhi Agarwal, Anindyo Roy, Amit Bhalla) are from non-South Indian communities.

Oh and frankly, I found the epilogue bit about Ram Naresh struggling to make both ends meet quite funny.....totally in tune with "evil doesn't go unpunished" - the way it happens in stories we tell children at bedtime :-)

It's going to be "Breakheart Pass" next for sure :-)

Did anyone say cricket is a game of gentlemen??

I agree with at least one Aussie and that's saying a lot during this India-Aussie cricket crisis. But the Aussie in question is Peter Roebuck. And I agree when he says that the Indian team should pack bags and head home.

I agree that there are millions at stake but they don't matter when your honor is at stake too. It can be argued that this situation has to be dealt with professionally. Sadly, professionalism - like maturity - doesn't work when practised by one side alone. And the philosophy of "turning the other cheek" - though lofty in the long run - encourages the party at fault in the short run.

So guys, please come back home. Ricky Ponting and his band of ruffians are playing the version of cricket called "Galli Cricket" that is practiced in the bylanes (gallis) of India.

It's the only version of cricket that allows a kid who has brought the bat to keep batting till he is given out 4 times!

Gandhi magic or........

I did a double take when I read this news. See if you can stomach it.

A person in Nasik sentenced to 4 years' of imprisonment and about Rs 1000+ fine - for kidnapping and ransom demand - was given a copy of Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography "The Story of My Experiments With Truth". It so transformed him that he decided to mend his life. He started by admitting to the judge that he was guilty as charged and would accept the punishment. He followded this up with writing letter to the people he had wronged. And to top it all, he is now preaching other inmates to set their lives straight by reading the book.

And now the organization which had provided him the copy of the autobiography has requests from 5 inmates for copies.

A cynic that I am, I wonder if the original miracle and these further requests have got anything to do with the fact that the Mumbai based organization which had provided the copy paid up the person's fine and his punishment was also reduced from 4 years to 2 years following his change of heart!

If anyone asks me the question that Mel Gibson asks Joaquin Phoenix in Shyamlan's "Signs" - 'Are you a miracle person?' I would answer "Not Always"! :-)))

Digital Gallery on Mahabharata

The very land where Lord Krishna helped Arjuna fight the most decisive battle of his life is now all set to go digital. I came across the following:

"The Sri Krishna Museum at Kurukshetra will soon have a digital gallery with nuggets of information on the epic Mahabharata. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 2.96 crore for setting up the digital gallery in the town where the epic battle of Mahabharata is believed to have been fought. "A software is also being developed for the purpose," informed Haryana Chief Secretary Promma Issar.

She said the gallery would have all kinds of information about Mahabharata, and various performing and visual art forms related to it gathered from across the country
(Ravindra Nath Jha - Hindustan Times (Delhi Edition))"

Sadly, there is nothing new about the case of a spurned lover killing his love and then turning the gun upon himself to commit suicide. What shocked me was that this happened in ShantiNiketan. :-( I have never been there but it is definitely on my list of places to visit in India.

The trees which once swayed to the tunes of Rabindra Sangeet must surely have shuddered at the sound of the revolver going off.

The City of Golkonda

Many people think of Hyderabad as the City of pearls, the City of Nizams, the City of Biryani but for me it will always be the City of Golkonda.

Let's say I have this love-hate relationship with forts. I like to roam about where in old times the kings ruled. But at the same time I find such forts depressing, creepy and eerie, also rather sad. Many of them throughout in India are in a state of neglect. We have failed miserably in protecting our heritage. That makes me depressed and sad. About the creepy and eerie part - well, the deserted ruins do have that effect on me. Maybe the result of watching too many horror movies :-)

The feeling was not any different with Golkonda fort. I wasn't intimidated by the number of steps to climb but the ruins on top brought back that familiar creepy and eerie feeling. I remember I was very reluctant when friends told me to stay back for the light show.

What struck me as different was that this light show was not in any special area but right in the middle of the ruins. It was awesome to look at the fort in the gathering darkness. My enthusiasm was a bit dampened when some chemical was sprayed to get rid of the mosquitos but it was a minor inconvenience.

When the show started Amitabh Bachhan's rich baritone echoed through the ruins - almost taking be back to the era when the kings held courts, the queens walked decked in breathtaking jewellery and battles were fought with vigor. I vividly remember that at one point the narration was about the womenfolk of the royal family and suddenly on the left side of the audience there was this chiming sound of the anklets. The entire audience turned as one as if they expected some queen to walk out of the mists of time to be amongst us. I will always cherish that moment.

On teh downside, the narrative tends to ramble on a bit. They would do well to trim it down. It would be great if they could arrange for people to enact the scenes. That would make the experience so much better.

And as Sanjeev Kumar says to Suchitra Sen in the Fatehpur Sikri ruins in the movie "Aandhi" - "Kam se kam utane samay ke liye to yeh imaarate firse bas jayengi" (At least for that much time these ruins will bustle with people)!

Here's a quote that says a lot about "space" in relationships:

Drink your tea together but not from the same cup. :-)

Quotable Quotes

Programmers are in a race with the Universe to create bigger and better idiot-proof programs.
The Universe is trying to create bigger and better idiots.

So far the Universe is winning.

--Anon