CAT 2009: A Tasty Dish gone Stale

A lot has been made of the technical glitches in the CAT,2009, of the students who could not appear for the test on a given day.I however, think that there is more to CAT,2009 than just the technical glitches.
I believe that IIMs will ensure that everyone eligible appears for the test though on a different date. And some technical issues were to be expected. Afterall, it was first such exercise, where such a large number of candidates appeared for a test on a given day. Not even the best of test taking agencies could have guaranteed a hassle free CAT.
So lets bear with it, the technical aspect. Hopefully, next year onwards it will be much more smoother than this. My concern lies somewhere else, on the test pattern,their contents and the motives behind them.

When IIMs announced a reduction in number of questions with no such cut in the time allotted, everyone expected the questions to be of a quality atleast at par with a level similar to previous years.Cometh the 27th November, and the mysterious CAT surprises everyone with its turns.The questions turned out to be much easier than expected and add to that the repeated questions from previous years,it was even more.I have heard many candidates attempting even all the 60.Though there have been such instances where questions were much tougher,but they can be discounted as exceptions only. On a broad level,everyone agrees that questions were easier and the percentage of attempted questions has been much higher than previous years.What does that mean for students and for IIMs?

For students it means that many more students are going to clear the sectional and overall cutoffs and even if someone clears all the cutoffs they cant be sure of calls.For IIMs, it means that they have a much larger pool of qualified candidates to choose from for the calls.Probably, here comes in the picture,additional factors which all of a sudden have assumed disproportionately high importance because written exam is no more the distinguishing criteria among applicants. These factors are your work-ex, 10th-12th Marks, and Undergrad Academics. This changed scenario also serves a dual purpose for IIMs which are :

1. They are no more going to be answerable as to why someone who has cleared all the cutoffs and blah blah was not given a call. They can hand pick candidates for the calls with whatever criteria they think is favorable to them. Even RTI can't come to the rescue of students this time.

2. As is known since time immemorial, such institutions as IITs and IIMs have openly expressed their dislike of coaching institutes who prepare students for the competitive exams. With easier questions,they are reducing the dependency of students on coaching institutes. The questions are easy(10th-12th standard at best) and time is ample,what do you need coaching for? Even if someone finishes the paper in 1.5 hrs with the help of a coaching institute,he wont get better marks than someone who finishes the paper in 135 minutes without a coaching.

Once the attention from IT aspects of CAT subsidies , these questions are bound to erupt which are much more important for candidates and the IIMs.Some of my friends feel, its not the same exam that used to invoke a sense of excitement and anxiety.
CAT 2009 is stale and boring compared to the previous versions which were famous for their unexpected behaviour.They feel with such questions,the dignity of this prestigious exam has been compromised.There were days, when IIMs could challenge the government on even small interferences and people supported them.Now, almost daily, you can read headlines with someone, somewhere criticsing IIMs and Prometric. A time to introspect for everyone and yeah may be for them too, the so called hallowed institutes of Management.

||सत्यम शिवम् सुन्दरम ||

आज विचार हुआ कि हम हिंदी में लिखें. फिर सोचता हूँ क्या लिखूं ? सप्ताहांत पे ही थोडा समय मिलता है कुछ लिखने का , परन्तु दफ्तर की व्यस्तता के कारण आजकल समय थोडा कम मिलता है |
पिछले सप्ताहांत मैं उज्जैन गया हुआ था और महाकाल के दर्शन किये | महाकाल शिवलिंग कि विशेषता ये है कि यहाँ प्रातः काल ब्रह्म मुहुर्त में भगवान की भस्म आरती कि जाती है |ये भस्म एक जलती चिता से चंडाल द्वारा लाया जाता है | कहा जाता है कि जब आप किसी ऐसे इंसान से मिलें या फिर ऐसी घटना का हिस्सा हों जहाँ आप खुद को असहज महसूस
करें , तो जान लीजिये कि ये आपके मानसिक सीमाओं का विस्तार है | महाकाल कि भस्म आरती भी हमारे लिए एक ऐसा ही मौका था |

हमारे समाज में लाश और चिता अत्यंत अपवित्र माने जाते हैं | किसी के मरने के बाद ११ दिन का कर्मकांड होता है पुनः पवित्र होने के लिए| लेकिन यहाँ हिन्दू धर्मं के सबसे बड़े देवता (यहाँ में राम और शिव के बीच कोई तुलना नहीं कर रहा ,मैं दोनों को ही बड़ा मानता हूँ ) शिव ,जिनके नाम का शाब्दिक मतलब भी कल्याण होता है (और कहा भी गया है 'सत्यम शिवम् सुन्दरम ') को चिता भस्म का श्रृंगार किया जाता है | विडम्बना ये रही की भगवान के दरबार में भी जाने के लिए हमें रिश्वत का सहारा लेना पड़ा | बात ये थी की भस्म आरती में बहुत भीड़ होने के कारण सरकार एक दिन पहले ही पास देती है , और सिर्फ पास वाले लोग ही भस्म आरती देख सकते हैं | चूँकि हम उज्जैन शाम को पहुंचे ,हमें ये पास एक दुसरे आदमी से खरीदना पड़ा और इस निःशुल्क पास के लिए हमने दिए ५०० रूपये |अंतत: हम खुश ही थे की इतनी दूर से आने के बाद , भस्म आरती देख पाएंगे. भस्म आरती सुबह ४ बजे प्रारंभ होती है , शिवलिंग पे जल चढाने के बाद हम मंदिर के गर्भगृह के बाहर प्रांगन में बैठे जहाँ बाकि पासधारी बैठे हुए थे |अभी भी मेरे मन में या उत्कंठा बनी हुई थी की भस्म चढ़ने के बाद भी शिवलिंग क्या उतना ही पवित्र माना जायेगा या फिर से उसे नहलाया जायेगा पवित्र करने के लिए. क्या भस्म राजित शिवलिंग को छूने के बाद मैं खुद अपवित्र नही हो जाऊंगा, क्या मुझे भस्म प्रसाद ग्रहण करना चाहिए ?

इस उधेड़बुन के बीच आरती प्रारंभ हुई , शिवलिंग का अभिषेक होने लगा , और मंत्रोच्चार के बीच थोड़ी देर में एक अधनंगा ,काला कलूटा इंसान जिसकी हालत ऐसी थी मनो अभी होली खेल के लौटा हो और होली भी कीचड वाली | पहचानते देर न लगी की ये शमशान से भस्म लेकर आया हुआ चंडाल है | और उसे सीधा मंदिर के गर्भगृह में प्रवेश मिला, जो जगह अत्यंत पवित्र मानी जाती है ,वहां २४ पहर श्मशान में बिताने वाले एक चंडाल को प्रवेश !!! खैर, ये भोले बाबा की ख़ास बात है वहां तो भुत पिशाच ,देव,दानव सबको जगह मिलती है , सब एक सामान | शिवलिंग के श्रृंगार के बाद , एक पुजारी ने सारी महिलाओं को अपने चेहरे ढँक लेने को बोला क्यूंकि अब भस्म चढ़ने वाली थी और महिलाओं को ये दृश्य देखने को माना किया जाता है | क्यों? ये मुझे नहीं पता, शायद इसलिए की महिलाएं कोमल ह्रदय की होती हैं, उन्हें शमशान पे जाने से मना किया जाता है , इसलिए चिता भस्म चढ़ते देखने से भी माना किया जाता है | और अब वो कार्यक्रम प्रारंभ हुआ जिसके लिए हम इतनी दूर से आये थे, भस्म श्रृंगार | ये दृश्य कई मायनो में जीवन और मृत्यु को एक साथ दर्शाता है | जीवन की क्षणभंगुरता को दर्शाता है और मृत्यु के सौदर्य को भी इंगित करता है | शिव के कई रूप हैं , अर्धनारीश्वर , पंचमुखी इत्यादि लेकिन इस महाकाल रूप की विशेषता है की इसमें मृत्यु रूपी एकमात्र सत्य को प्रदर्शित किया गया है | मंत्रोच्चार के बीच ,शिवलिंग पे पड़ता भस्म ये एक ऐसा दृश्य है , जो कोई भी जल्दी नहीं भूल सकता | पुरे गर्भगृह में बस भस्म ही भस्म , मनो स्वयं यमराज नृत्य कर रहे हो महाकाल को रिझाने के लिए | थोड़ी देर में ही वो शिवलिंग पे पद रही राख उड़ कर हमारे तक भी पहुँच गयी , समझ में नहीं रहा था की चिता की राख के संसर्ग में आने के बाद , क्या हम भी अपवित्र हो गए ? फिर खुद में ही ये विचार आया की पवित्रता, अपवित्रता तो शिव से ही निकली हैं , न हम शिव को मानते न खुद की पवित्रता या अपवित्रता का ख्याल मन में आता | और जब ये राख स्वयं शिव से ही निकली है तो फिर क्या सोचना , क्यूंकि शिव से जुडी हर चीज को हम पवित्र ही मानते हैं |

यूँ थोड़ी देर के अन्तः द्वन्द के बाद मन के अन्दर की एक दुर्बलता दूर हुई | पवित्रता या अपवित्रता तो हमारे विचारों की होती है ,निर्जीव पदार्थों की नहीं | वैसे भी हमारे ग्रंथों ने इस सत्य को बार बार कहा है की , हमारा शारीर पंच तत्वों का बना हुआ है और मृत्यु के बाद ये उन्ही पंच तत्वों में विलीन हो जाता है |
उज्जैन यात्रा के बाद मैंने इस कथन को सच पाया की जहाँ आप खुद को असहज पाते हैं , वहां आपके मानसिक विस्तार की तयारी है ऐसा मानिये |

Amidst the Nature and Closer with God

This weekend I undertook a trip to a few beautiful places around pune. These places assume additional significance for me as they provided an ideal blend of spirituality with nature. The places I am talking about are Triambakeshwar and Bheemashankar . These two belong to the most revered dwadash jyotirlinga(the 12 most auspicious Shivlings on the planet).

Here are a few pics that I took at these spots. However, I must add that these pics fall way short of depicting the woooooowwww effect when one sees the picturesque valleys at these places.



------A Beautiful Confluence of Mountains,water and Greenery-------



--------------------------Isn't It Beautiful--------------------









------ Triambakeshwar : Adya(The First) Jyotirlinga------




-------------------- I am in love with this place------------------




-------- Bheemashankar Temple : Amidst a wildlife Sactuary---------

GMAT Prep (Remaining Part..)

I am not sure from where to start this. But let's try to breakup the details into individual sections. I would focus on Verbal mostly because this is the bleeding area for many of us.

Sentence Correction :
This is an ideal section to start your preparations with because Critical Reasoning(CR) and Reading Comprehension(RC) require a slightly higher level of abstraction. An added advantage of starting the prep with SC is that with so many rules and Idioms of the section ,the transition to preparation mode is made easier.You instantly get a feel that you are learning something while in CR and RC ,it may not be so.Keeping the structure of GMAT verbal section in mind,this is the section you can improve the most in a given time. Speed and accuracy in SC will help you save time for RC and CR.For my preparations,I devoted more than 50% of time on SC. A major difference between CAT(for IIMs) and GMAT is that the SC section of GMAT is quite organised and you'll have concrete reasons while eliminating a particular option.

The Manhattan SC Guide has got all the things organised extremely well and you should not hesitate reading and re-reading it many a times. One should remember all the rules given in this book on his fingertips. Regarding Idioms, the new version has a huge list of Idioms and I got hold of this version only 10 days before the G-day. Hence,I had to skip that part.But its always helpful to remember the Idioms especially for us i.e. non-native english speakers.After you are done with Manhattan SC guide once,go through the sentence correction of Kaplan GMAT 800 book, look into the explanation thoroughly, even for those question you have answered correctly.

A regular reading habit comes very handy when it comes to Idioms.Initially focus on accuracy in verbal and speed will come automatically later on. In SC, by the time you reach the peak of your prep,you should take approx 75 seconds per question as you need to save time for RC and CR section.

Critical Reasoning :

The powerscore Critical Reasoning Bible is a very good guide for CR preparation. However,Manhattan CR guide is a good alternative if the former is not available.
Go through the book once very thoroughly and then when needed at any later time you can refer to review section of each chapter in the book.When done with the book, its time to attack the Official Guide questions of CR. As mentioned earlier,look for the explanations very deeply. However,for sitter questions,you may like to skip the explanations. Once done with OG, you can go ahead with Kaplan GMAT 800.

Reading Comprehension :

This is the section abt which I was not sure as to how to approach till the very last day. Kaplan and Manhattan both stress on the importance of jotting down the gist of paragraph while reading the passage. Manhattan advises a little different strategy than Kaplan,however ,the underlying theme is same which is Keep noting down the theme of each paragraph of the passage as you read.
Most of us tend to loose track of the flow of passage when reading it.In GMAT this is more important than memorizing the specific details in the paragraph. I would say,its not at all necessary to remember the specific details mentioned in the passage.you can always come back to the passage to look for those details if needed for a particular question.Just keep track of the flow of the passage. Jotting down the main points of the individual paragraph helps you do this.
Initially, I also did it almost religiously. Later in the preparation,I realised that jotting down took me 1-2 minutes for a single passage. In GMAT ,there are four passages,so straightway the time taken is anything between 5-6 minutes. That means four additonal questions considering you spend 90 seconds on each question. That was too much for me because initially in the mocks,I always found myself short of time and hence was looking to save time on a few things.
So my advice about this section is, initially you can jot down ,but later on with practice, you can avoid loosing track of the passage even without noting down.

Quantitative :

I underestimated the section right from the begining and later paid the price in the actual GMAT scoring just 49 (which is 87 percentile..shame, I call myself an engineer!!!). I didnt even care to look at the OG questions. For my entire preparation ,I devoted not more than four hours on Maths,which was a big mistake.
Dont do this ,no matter how strong your quant section is. Atleast ,finish the OG completely(remember,it should be your bible).
Six CATs of manhattan have very good maths questions, and those were the ones who saved me from further humiliation(though I could take only three CATs due to lack of time)

Miscellaneous :

Keep taking practice tests in between your praparation . You can start with one diagnostic test given in the OG to start with.Normally you can take one practice test each week irrespective of where you are in your preparation. The torrent I have shared in the previous post has got ample of practice tests,so dont worry about lack of them.
As mentioned earlier,two CATs of GMAT prep and six of Manhattan are good ones and hence us them judicously.The analysis of each test, I maintained in a notebook ,which was very helpful.Also,while solving OG questions,maintain a track of which one you got right and which one wrong. Try attempting the wrong questions in the final stages of your preparation.

Regarding the scores you get in the mock,dont worry..really. My scores would give you an idea of what I am talking about :

(1) GMAT Prep 1 - 680
(2) Manhattan CAT(free online) - 590(a true disaster)
(3)Kaplan 1 -640(Kaplans are notorious for low scores)
(4) Kaplan 2-630
(5)Manhattan CAT 1 - 740(Many repeated questions hence a bloated score)
(6)Princeton 1- 690
(7) manhattan CAT 2-690 (Quant was proving to be a achilles heel)
(8) Manhattan CAT 3-690 (2 week before G-day)
(9) GMAT Prep 2-730 (was a big relief :),One week before the G-day )

The message,I want to convey is, even if you dont get much scores in the mocks,dont loose heart. Just look for what mistakes you did and then work on them. You need to have faith in yourself.

And finally, start cooling down a week before the G-day. I started meditation( neways,I loved meditation :) GMAT was a good excuse to begin it again ).
Though its easy to say,but very hard not be anxious on the evening before G-day.
I could sleep just for 4.5 hours.My normal sleeping hours in that week were 7-8 hours and hence you can gauge the anxiety level.In the morning ,I clearly was not feeling fresh enough.Tried to meditate and it helped.Do whatever that makes you feel good on that day and you'll nail the GMAT.

Some Resources for GMAT Prep

Last week I appeared on GMAT and scored a decent 760(q 49, V 44).As suggested by some of my friends,in the below paragraphs, I would be sharing my experiences and the materials I used for preparation.

I would try to breakup this article into some frequently asked questions.

How Much Time do One need for GMAT preparation :

Though it depends on person to person,an average person who has got decent reading habits(if you love spending time amidst this information jungle called Internet,I am talking about you only :)) needs anything between one and half months to three months depending upon how much time one can take out from his daily schedule.Normally 2-3 hrs a day for 2 Months should be enough. This much time I spent on my preparations.

Best way to assess the time required for GMAT prep is to get yourself involved into it. one week into this and you'll get an idea of the time required. Now is the time you should book a GMAT date based on your assessment. Yeah,you heard it right,book a date first,it helps you avoid procrastination. If you dont book a date,then you are not serious about the preparations.

Which materials should one have in his kitty before embarking on this journey :

Well,on internet you'll find too many resources and most of the time its very confusing as to which one to use. Based on my experiences,these should be enough :

Books :

(1) GMAT Official Guide -12th Edition:
This should be your Geeta,Ramayan,kuran or Bible, whatever you would like to call it.
Most authentic source of retired GMAT questions with the explanations by none other
than the writers of the test.Can be purchased with any book store. I bought it only on the landmark website .

(2) GMAT official Verbal Review :
When you fall short of practice questions,additional questions can be found in
this book.However,if you are pressed for time,you may like to skip this.

(3) Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction Guide :
The quintessential GMAT sc guide. Can't overstress its importance. Go get it,that's all I have to say. For an older version of the book click here. However,for newer improved version you can always order it on the ManhattanGmat official website. On the purchase of this book you get 6 CAT(Computer Adaptive Tests) which will prove to be an invaluable tool in this journey. They have added some advanced chapters in the new edition which I found very useful. Plus the new edition is in synch with the 12th edition of OG (Official Guide) whereas the older one refers to the 10th Edition OG.

(4) Powerscore GMAT critical reasoning bible :
One of the few good books available in the market on critical reasoning. Though
critical reasoning questions are based on common sense but when you ascend higher levels of difficulty in the CR preparation,you need additional resources and then this books comes into picture. A little voluminous than its competitors (eg Manhattan CR guide) its worth its length. The book may seem boring and stressing on very trivial things initially but in later chapters one realises the importance
of this triviality.Be patient with this book.Can be downloaded from here .

(5) Kaplan GMAT 800 :
A very good book for those aspiring higher percentiles. But a word of caution,dont jump into the book at the start of preparation.This book is more helpful when you are aware of the structure and nuances of the GMAT questions. I did the mistake of starting my prep with this book only and hence had to reread it later.The verbal part of this book can be downloaded here.However,you can always purchase the full book from any book store on online.

GMAT CAT softwares :

Its very important to keep judging your preparation from time to time with the help of various tests. These are the ones I found useful -

(1) Official GMAT prep Software :
By none other than the GMAC,the owners of GMAT. This contains two free tests available for free download from mba.com. These are the two best tests in the market and hence use them judiciously. Dont waste them just for diagnostic purposes.

(2) Manhattan CATs :
On the purchase of any book from Manhattan these tests are available for free. Closer to the real GMAT than any other CATs available in the market.

(3) Kaplan Tests :
Whenever,you feel you have got you preparation under controle,just take one of them and you'll soon hit the ground :) . Best tool available to keep you on your toes. But stop taking them atleast 15 days before the actual GMAT as its notorious low scores can hamper your confidence badly.

(4) Some GMAT practice Sets :
I got them from a friend of mine.Since these are not adaptive sets,better take them as sprint tests when you need to assess individual verbal sections,. Can be downloaded from here.

(5) princeton and 800 Score tests : If you need further testing material,use these .

The above all tests can be downloaded from the torrent I have shared in this esnips folder.Its a bulky thing (4.4 gb),so download only the ones you think is necessary.


When armed with these ,you are all set and prepared for a battle called GMAT :). In the next part I shall try to enlist how I approached the preparation. But as I believe,everyone is unique in his abilities and hence the strategies adopted may be different from person to person. So if you wish to,you can start your preparation with this much only.
(To be Contd..)

CAT 2009-The Starry Days

I dont know how to put it, but I cant resist it . Astrology has always been close to my heart and I love doing a bit of experimentation with it . This is another of my attempts at the same .

As I already mentioned in a previous post of mine, the 10 day window for CAT,2009 does allow stars to play a part and ppl like me who are believers in astrology,if given a chance would pick an astrologically ausipicious day for the exam.

Below is an attempt to provide you with the most favourable day according to your moon signs for the purpose of CAT in the given duration i.e. 27th November - 07th December. The principles, I have applied all correspond to vedic astrology and signs\rashis mentioned here are Moon Signs . In case you dont know what your moon sign is,you can enter your birth details here and find out your rashi(It has nothing to do with Priyanka chopra's upcoming muvi,'what's your rashi'[:)]).
Now let's quickly get down to the business :

Aries\Mesha : Any of the sundays i.e 29th November or 06th december will be good for you. However,if given a chance choose the later one.

Taurus\Vrishabha : Auspicious days are : 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th december. The one on 2nd december will suit you the most .

Gemini\Mithun : Stars want you to face the opening deliveries :). Choose anyone from 27th or 28th November.

Cancer\Karka : Auspicious days are : 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th december. The morning session of 7th will suit you the best.

Leo\Simha : The majestic of all signs. Choose any date starting from 29th november uptil 2nd december and fortune will favour you. However,best one is 2nd December.

Virgo\Kanya : Choose any one from 1st, 2nd 6th or 7th december . The one on 2nd december is best for you.

Libra\Tula : Three days full of fortune all equally blessed, 4th, 6th or 7th december.

Scorpio\Vrischik : Of all the signs,you people are particularly blessed in the given 10 day window. Opt anyone from 27th nov, 28th nov ,1st dec or 2nd dec . 1st december ,tuesday will be good for you. However,avoid the afternoon session on 1st december.

Sagittarius\Dhanu : Just two days, but power packed ones: 29th and 30 th november. 29th is preferable .

Capricorn\Makar : 29th November to 2nd december,choose from among them. second day of december should be preferred if given a chance

Aquarius\Kumbh : Similar to capricorn .

Pisces\Meena : Stars have given you more options to choose from in November 27th and 28th and in December, 1st,2nd,6th or 7th. Choose anyone from these. Howver, 6th december and morning session of 1st should be preferred over others.

The above is just a broad picture for the twelve zodiacs. Individual charts are likely to give a better result. However, in case you dont want to go into complicacies of individual charts(yeah,it is complex),above dates are good pointers.

30 Minutes with Anshoo Gaur

What would you say about a man who happens to be in the industry just for 14 years and is the India head of a company widely known as the market leader in its domain(OSS & BSS),add the fact that the india centre of the company is the largest world over.
I had a chance to meet this person one-on-one in his office and with the silly,sometimes childish questions which I shooted on him ,he showed a remarkable patience.

Back in december,2008 when i first attended a townhall by Anshoo Gaur, Head Amdocs India, i could hardly resist myself from getting impressed by the flair and charm of this person. I must add that two most impressive personalities I know at amdocs are Anshoo gaur and suresh menon,another director at amdocs, . FYI, suresh is part of my network at linkedin and I have already met Anshoo(haha,just to impress you :) ).

The meeting was scheduled at 1300 hrs and his secretary reminded me two times in the day in case I had forgot.How could I? I was looking forward to the meeting and a few of my colleagues too ,whom I had told abt it. Reached his office 5 minutes earlier,was told to wait in the lounge and I had already started feeling the aura around a CEO. On the table were two nasscom magazines costing a few dollars(I have this habit of looking at the price of anything I come across) and I could barely look into it when the secretary told me to go inside .

Went inside,shaked hands and it began,Anshoo looked out for my performace report in his database,cudn't find it so he had to rely on whatever I told him about me.After a few formal questions which are meant to be confidential for a company and hence I wont go into their details, I started with my barrage of questions.

To start with, I asked him that Amdocs should keep visiting ISM,Dhanbad for the school was a good one and was looking to forge a long term relationship with Amdocs. Anshoo then dwelt upon the quality of campuses they visit and how low they had recruited from campuses this year. However, he noted my point and promised he'd talk to the Recruiting Head,HR.

Moving on, I asked him about his stellar success he had in the industry in just 14 years and from here onwards I took control of the discussion though,he was the one talking for most of the time(hehe).

The first word that came out of him was hard work,he said that he was not ashamed in being called a workaholic. According to him, if you work hard, most certainly you'll get lucky. For him luck means being in the right place at the right time and hard work was the key to it. Then he stressed on the importance of doing a valuable work and not just any work . Though most of the things he said sound cliched,but when the words come from a person who has applied those cliched principles in life, they assume significance and penetrate deeper.

The discussion also gave me an insight into how amdocs wok. For eg. when he said that in his earlier days at sabre during requirement gathering sessions,he used to promise his client more than 15% productivity without even looking at the difficulty of project, I could easily relate it to my life at amdocs. Most of my colleagues at the company would agree to the fact that probably that's how the sales team of amdocs works. Being a nascent developer,I have often bore the brunt of fulfilling a particularly hard requirement that was promised by the site team .

Going forward,he talked about the future plans of amdocs india and how they plan to cut on costs by recruting more and more freshers. Although, freshers require an investment in terms of training ,but once ready they are productive as well as cost effective. When we were done and the clock was showing that we were approaching the end time,anshoo said "I want you to leave with the note that coming year is going to be very exciting for India development centre and there will be ample oppurtunities for the personal growth of employees as well as the for the growth of amdocs india".I could sense genuine optimism in his words as only a few days back, amdocs had managed to win a major client.

I have often wondered,how he managed to climb the top echelons of amdocs management in just 2 years of his stay in the company? After the meeting I was clear,how he has managed to do this. The answer was still the same old cliched word 'HARD WORK'.

Swine Wala Flue..

Being in Pune is thrilling these days,thanx to 'Swine Wala Flue'. Every morning, newspapers comeup with a news item that presents a picture grimmer than yesterday.
All of a sudden the pandemic is so near. Just heard the news that 3 'Swine Flue Suspects' have been detained(read quarrantined) in the nearby building.
The good news is,it is totally curable.The bad news,it is highly contagious and spreads like anything.
Below is a bit of do's and dont's to avoid this pandemic :

Dos

 Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, tissue in the trash after you use it. Use disposable masks in airports, crowded markets.
 Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
 Use alcohol based hand cleaners (e.g: Germ Free).
 Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
 Always maintain high levels of personal hygiene, especially before and after food preparation and in & out of toilets.
 If you are sick, PLEASE stay at home and limit contact with others as much as possible.
 While in an affected region, seek immediate medical attention if you develop influenza ike symptoms. (High Fever, body pain, coughing and red nose)
 Get plenty of sleep, rest and take plenty of liquids
 Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious food

Don’ts

× Touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way
× Visits live animal markets, poultry and pig farms in affected countries
× Shake hands or hug in greeting.
× Spit in public.
× Take medicines without consulting a physician
× Forget to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
× Neglect yourself and seek medical advice if needed

It's The Climb..

People like me have a habit of poking into any topic evenif they dont know ABC of it,but there are some people who speak words of wisdom,written by experience on the slate called life.I oftem chit-chat with this colleague cum friend of mine while returning from office to home.Today also seemed no different and then the talks moved on to a altogether different plane. Suddenly we were talking about meanings of life and success. Unlike my nature,this time I preferred to listen, for the words smelled the wisdom of experience.

I won't reveal the identity of the person,but the tale I would, definitely.Its not a script full of cinematic climax,just a plain story of three friends,two among them inebriated, biking at some 100 kph,a headon collision with a fast moving Bus and my friend reached that grey area between life and death,where they play tug of war between them, with you as the trophy. Life won in the end but left behind some lessons which I think he is not going to forget for the rest of his life.

The lessons :

Think about what consequence your next action is going to have on your life.In his case the accident changed the course of their life. The consequences of that unfortunate moment,he and his family are still facing today.
He says "If you think about 10 positive outcomes before doing anything,think atleast about 20 negative outcomes and be prepared for them". The statement seemed negative to me,which I thought were arising out of deep impact of an unfortunate incident.But he clarified,you got to have a fallback plan in place.Move on the path you dreamed of, but be sure to calculate after you walk a certain distance whether this is the path you dreamed of,whther the grass that seemed greener from the distance is really so.He meant to say that you always need to keep gauging and correcting your path,if needed.

Though I like the phrase 'A spectacular failure is better than a mediocre success',his words made me think and hence this blog.
Moving onto a different note, in recent days,I have collected a few good video songs
which can pull you out from deep agony and frustation.

This one,i rate best of the lot. Watch it for these lines :

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to loose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about whats waiting on the other side
It's the Climb ,yeah!!!It's the Climb



This one is also an awesome video..'Eye of the Tiger'.Watch this video for these lines
So many times, it happens too fast
You change your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive

Enjoy..

stanford,white tiger and lonavala...

This is just one of the days when I am writing not because I have something very interesting to share to,but becuase I feel upbeat and need to express it.What better a medium than blog.


So what do I write?I was going through this years Essay questions for Stanford GSB and one thing they were stressing again and again is be yourself.Write as if you are talking to yourself,as if exploring yourself.This really is important,isn't it?According to a dean of a prominent business school,the biggest mistake applicants make is try to impress the admission committee.Dont do it.


Moving to a different track altogether,I finished 'The White Tiger' by Arvind Adiga.I find the style of writing pitty good,but contentwise it gave me a picture of someone who has done his best research about rural india and poverty without ever visiting the place he intends to write about.The booker thing about the book had already raised my expectations sky high and obviously it wasn't at par.The book is about a servant\driver who kills his master,takes his bag full of notes to a different place(banagalore),starts a new business,makes a fortune and establishes a new identity among the ellites of the society.
And,I must add that I have heard of such a person who followed almost the same route except that he opted for politics instead of a business and is a prominent name in the regional politics.May be,Adiga has taken his story from there.I dont know,just a guess work.

I am planning to make a visit to nearby locations around pune,my friends are saying it really gets very beautiful in Lonavala,khandala these days.one of my wishes include to blog from a mountain peak :).Let's hope I am able to realise it this monsoon.

OZ Attacks : Deja-Vu??

This is going to be a little harsh on us.Bear with me..

MNS must be a very happy outfit these days.I guess so,because they have found some unsolicited support in the form of those unknown aussie junkies who have happened to script quite a few headlines in India as well as OZ.Thakreys' support base is increasing,from a tiny belt of maharashtra,it has extended well into the unchartered territories of Australia.

I wonder how strikingly similar, the attacks in Australia are to the attacks on North Indians a few months back in maharashtra.I shall better enumerate them :

(1)Indian students went to Australia in search of better oppurtunities and good life,in the same manner as people from UP & Bihar landed in Maharashtra.Both bear the burnt of some local rowdies for eating up into their share of development.Both end up getting thrashed. :)

(2)I dont have any matrix but if there was any,then I would propose a equation like this :

Development(AUS):Development(IND) :: Development(Maha):Development (North India)

In words,The way we Indians see Australia as a developed nation and hence a land of oppurtunities,in the same manner Mumbai\Pune is perceived by people of North India wrt to their own states.

(3)The way we Indians consider ourselves more intelligent,smart than our aussie fellow,quite similarly, people from Bihar and UP think about themselves on comparison to the ones from western India.

(4) Inspite of our Indian diaspora being everywhere around the globe and considered hardworking and Intelligent,we have been unable to pull India out of poverty.Perhaps in a similar manner,North Indians, despite of making it in largest chunks to IITs\IIMs every year,topping Civil Services and having spread almost everywhere in the Nation, could not lift their respective states out of the clutch of backwardness.

(5)None of the culprits were booked in Mumbai that time and none have been caught this time too in Melbourne.

So remember,you reap only what you sow. Dont cry your heart out on watching those footage of an Injured shravan Kumar in Melbourne or a nephew of harbhajan been killed,it was same scene in Patna on watching Rahul Raj being murderred live in Mumbai.But then many of you choose to remain inside the comforts of your AC room,sipping a nescafe and watching news on your TV set.
Dont stage a demonstration now,for you didn't do any then.We are calling the recent attacks racist,were the similar attacks on North Indians not of same nature? How can you accuse Australian people of being racist,when you yourself don't have the courage of standing against racism in your own backyard?

Someone said 'Charity begins at home',I would like to add 'Racism too'.

Mandate 2009: A Move Towards Maturity

After the elections were over,a few of my friends asked me to write a piece about the mandate and its consequence on Indian polity.Many of us were surprised the way congress gained a clear majority,but i believe there were enough indications of it already.Deep inside,I had expected that either BJP or Congress will emerge too stronger to be dictated terms by their allies in the day to day functioning of the government.I had expressed the same views two months back in a blog post and I am happy that I have been vindicated by the Results.(The Link is http://ashutoshdubey.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-our-multi-party-character-at-its.html)

Now coming back to the Election results.The way I see it:

The election has proved beyond doubt that Indian Masses want national parties to call the shots at North Block.Its not that regional parties will loose their importance,they will be important, but only in case of Assembly elections.From here onwards,we can see a clear trend of Regional parties getting comprehensive victory in assembly elections only to be kept out of picture in general elections.Yeah,Indian democracy is showing its first signs of maturity and moving towards a state of federal equilibrium.

One very important outcome of this mandate has been that all the hitherto immensely powerful regional satraps have been left either bruised with defeat or severely dented in their capacity to arm-twist the government.Even if they have respectable numbers as DMK,Trinamool,Sp,BSP,NCP, they are in no position to negotiate with congress and will have to be content with whatever compassion Singh & Sonia show on them.Those outside the UPA as Nitish,Naveen Patnaik will also find themselves totally out of the scene from the national politics.Others like Lalu,Bal thakrey,Ramvilas Paswan find themselves in the most vulnerable of situations in their entire political career.(More on these later)

The rise of Gandhis is one phenomenon that has been blown out of the proportion by the Media.Remember,the Trio (Rahul,Priyanka and Sonia) has been fully concentrating in the UP for more than 5 years, yet they manage to get only 1/3rd of total seats and we call it a victory.The fact is,it has more to do with the distraction of people from regional politics at National level.The real strength of Congress in UP will be seen at the time of assembly elections.

Bihar,never in last two decades,Lalu was so vulnerable and I am happy he is.Lalu trying to snatch a moment so that he can shake hands with Priyanka is a story that tells it all.Any other day,he would not have even cared for where even Sonia is,but as someone said 'Time is a great Leveller'.Leaders like Lalu Yadav,Mayavati,Bal Thakrey thrive on power & power only to maintain nd increase their support base.A few years out of power and their magic wanes.Nitish in all these years has made some severe dent in the support base of Lalu and the maverick politician will have to come up with something fresh to counter the Person who in political circles is often called as 'Chanakya'.

Overall,this is a government which looks committed to deliver.Somewhere,I get a feeling that they will deliver too.As of now,there are so many hot items waiting on the platter for the government, turmoil in Pakistan,tamil crisis in Sri lanka and political crisis in Nepal to name a few.

CAT,Jyotish and Timing

So the ever elluding Billi has taken a giant leap and goes cyber.I'm happy..really..not because I'm very comfortable with computer based tests,I have appeared for none so far.The thing that makes this nerd happy is now I have a little flexibility with which I can choose a date based based upon planetary combinations.
I know what you are thinking,that one who's to depend upon his stars for CAT is hardly worth it.Point taken,but here is my take...

Timing being the common thread between CAT and Astrology,the 10 day window is bound to give astrologers a hectic schedule.And I believe,just as we see during marriage season,a particular day being more auspicious and hence traffic busier.In the same way,stars in the sky will decide to a large extent, how many geeks bang their head infront of the monitor on a particular day.

CAT has always been associated with a high quotient of luck factor.Those 2:30 Hrs..I can't overstress the important role your luck plays into it.one question incorrect,you are 5 marks down and your percentile drops below cutoff.

Confidence is the another key thing besides luck which draws the line between who made it and who could not.Add to this,going into the exam with the belief that your stars are there to help you can be a great confidence boosters for believers.
Anyways,choosing a particular day from the 10 days window is going to involve different parameters for different set of people.
Students may choose it on weekdays,given they have the flexibility to bunk a few classes.Professionals would go for Sunday as this wud give them some time to relax on saturday and a few like me would add an extra parameter of planetary combinations.


I have already started looking my hora software....Why leave any stone unturned?

Tits & Bits

Starting on a lighter note...That Astrologers had some say in deciding at what exact hour India would get Independence did had a positive impact when we see Pakistan in tatters today which deliberately choose to have a different Hour for Independence than that of India.


Last week I watched two documentaries,One 'Dispatches' (By a pakistani Female Journalist) on Pakistani Taliban and Other one 'Story of India' by BBC.

It was evident from 'Dispatches' that the threat of Terrorism has assumed new proportions with almost a whole generation of pakistani kids aspiring to be a Suicide Bomber. Partly due to extreme hopelessness for future and partly due to wrong policies of United States.Specially for India,some overhaul in policies pertaining to pakistan seems a must.Use of brute force has its limitations, more so when you have the whole generation of a nation as larger as pakistan aspiring to fight against you.India needs to engage civilians of pakistan on a much more broader scale and specially should help build the democratic institutions as media and judiciary.

The neighbouring Island Nation is facing a grave humanitarian crisis and it's time everyone including the governments and the opponent organisations realise the Importance of human lives.I had some disturbing pics of the atrocities committed by Sri Lankan Army on innocent civilians including kids and women,but those pics were so horrible,that I refrained from posting it here.
There are times in history when being silent can cost you being labelled as 'callous' by coming generations.Anyone who doesnot raise his\her voice against the Sri Lankan Government today faces that risk.
As a government, the first and foremost task should be to ensure the safety of its civilians irrespective of their ethnicity.On the contrary,Sri Lankan government today is engaged in ethnnic cleansing of tamil population in the disguise of eradicating the menace called LTTE.I am not a supporter of LTTE,it's not that i don't sympathise with their cause,but killing of innocent civilians cannot be justified no matter how great the cause may be.If LTTE was at the wrong side of humanity in all these years,the Sri Lankan government is walking that extra mile today to cover up and I would not be wrong if I say, has managed to surpass LTTE.

Election Trivia

Here's an interesting bit of election trivia. The Valsad Lok Sabha seat is unique. The party that wins this seat has invariably been forming the government at the Centre since Independence. Until 1997, the Congress won this seat and formed the Government. In 1977, the Janata Dal candidate won and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. Again in 1980 and 1984,the Congress won this seat, and formed the Government. When the BJP (NDA) came to power twice, the BJP candidate won the Valsad seat. And then in the last General Elections, the Congress candidate won the Valsad seat. Needless to say, the UPA formed the government. This may be just political coincidence, but both the BJP and Congress candidates are telling voters to elect them, so that their party can form the Union government.

Modi enters UP and colour of his Shirt changes from White to Saffron,that's the kind of psychological trick he plays.Though,he has not used his famous Hindutva dictionary in his speeches so far,but the colour does have an impact.Message is still the same,just he is displaying it and not speaking.Model code of conduct??




Shivraj Singh Chauhan : A refreshing break from the hate preachers, corrupt, inefficient, communal or secular politicos. Shivraj Mama, as he is fondly called by his people,is one politician to look for.Combines Integrity,Honesty,efficiency with
the astuteness of a politician and that makes him a robust leader.In for a long run.

Dear Prime Minister Sir

11th April,2009


The Prime Minister,
Republic of India


Ram Ram,

(I know this salutation will make you a little uncomfortable,but as u know,this is how our rural folks use to greet each other).Today in newspapers, I read your statement about yourself,so I assume you must be telling truth as you are known for your Integrity.Quoting you, "I am not a good speaker, but I take decisions.I believe that the proof of the pudding is in the eating." Unquote.

Dear Sir,in a democracy as large and diverse as India, being a good communicator is the first requirement for anyone vying for the top post.Army officials all over the world are known for their decisiveness or for that matter our corporate honchos are second to none,do we make them our prime-minister?

If you mentionn any great ruler\leader in any democracy,you'll almost always find that one thing that sets them apart is their ability to communicate.In Indian Context,whether be it Mahatma Gandhi,Jawahar Lal Nehru,Indira Gandhi or Atal Bihari
Vajpayee ,all of them have been known for their distinctive style of communication.Even in international arena,great leaders have always been a cut above the rest in the art of public speaking.

A prime Minister is supposed to be the representative of the whole nation.He needs to be aware of peoples' aspirations and feelings in order to take policy decisions.He is expected to communicate to the whole nation his policies and views through mediums as parliament(which are a forum of public speaking).I believe, your self admitted 'poor public communication skills' makes you critically dependent upon
your advisors for a pulse of the nation.

Dear sir,sorry to say but we expect our Prime Minister to be aware of what we think.we expect him to have his own independent views on matters of public policy and not that of a borrowed one from his advisors.If decisiveness and academic
skills would have been the sole criterion then Union Public Service Commission would have been the ideal body to select our Prime Ministers.Rather,We would be having a national level aptitude Test on skills as decision making or other such inter-personal skills in the place of General Elections.

But sir,our constitution makers instead decided to elect our Prime Minister through elections,one who would represent people.One who can communicate to the whole nation and eventually to the larger world what a particular group of people think,however small they may be.

Sir,I would like to wish you all the Best for your 2nd prime Ministerial pursuit.But please do give a thought to joining a crash course on public communication before taking oath.

Regards,

Ek Voter

A Trip to Ayodhya

Yesterday was Ramnavami(The day Lord Rama took incarnation on Earth),and I just learnt it in the night while talking to my Mother on phone that it was Ramnavami today.For the first time since I can remember it's been so that I didn't offer my prayers on the ocasion and I feel a little upset about it.Blame it on office works or anything else,It shouldn't have happened.

A few months back,I was to Ayodhya on the ocasion of Chhath,It was my 3rd trip to the sacred city(not so scared politically though).In Ayodhya,as my dad keep saying,Lord Ram rules every part of life and everyone,without making any discrimination.
The politics encircling the Ayodhya seems to have left untouched the residents there and around.
It was an Ocasion AkshayNavami then and I could see a large number of villagers from around Ayodhya flocking it to the city.It's difficult to guess for what they'd been praying to the lord,Moksha(Freedom from Death & Birth Cycles) or Material desires.But one thing was for sure Ram ruled their Heart.Probably,the political wave that marred Ayodhya for a while has downgraded and Lord is back to his usual business i.e. blessing his devotees.

In the evening,I went to 'Kanak Bhavan',the most revered temple of Ayodhya.One thing which amazed me was that inspite of all the halla-hooplah around Ram Janm Bhoomi Temple,people of Ayodhya pay highest regards to 'Kanak Bhavan' and treat it above the Janm Bhoomi Temple.'Shayan Arti'(The Arti before the Lord goes to sleep) at Kanak Bhavan is one event where one can find a large number of local residents,bussinesmen coming to have a Darshan after their daily works.The logic as someone explained to me latter was a little funny but still it showed the place which Lord Ram occupies in their Heart.It was..
"Let the lord remain free for other piligrims for the whole day as we are his people, his nagarwasi(persons belonging to same place) so we'll get a special treatment if we go to see him when the lord is most relaxed i.e. the sleeping time.[:)]"
The arti sung at this time is also a different one and reflects this atitude of the locals there.
Can't really say,whether the Locals are getting a special treatment from their lord but they seem contented with their Lord.They seem to be making no complaints...

A Mock Election for Real

Venue : Village School,Khairadeep,Aurangabad,Bihar
Date : A Month of April Probably,Year 1993
Time:Classes Resuming after Lunch Break

HeadMaster : We shall study the The Chapter of Bal Sabha today.
(Bal Sabha is a concept that was introduced by Bihar State text Book Corporation to make primary students familiar with election process in a playful manner.)

As was the custom,students read one paragraph each followed by Master Saab explaining
the paragraph.The concept of bal sabha was thrilling enough for these 4th standard Kids who were not even in there teens.Mohan,a student of the class was feeling restless to say something.He was the topper of his class and a favourite of Master saab.

Mohan : Master saab,can we organise Bal Sabha in our School?

That's how it began,the kids were about to have their first tryst with something called election.Excitement was in the air.Hurriedly,whole of the school was summoned inside
the only hall or room in the school.Kids were happy to have got relieved from studies for the remaining day.The process was explained to everyone,everybody had to write the names of the candidates they wished to endorse.

Master saab asked for candidates to come forward.Mohan being the one who proposed was the obvious choice,a girl surabhi also came forward and the process kicked off with 100 odd voters and two candidates for the post of Prime-minister of Bal Sabha.
Counting was done by master saab himself and mohan emerged winner.

HeadMaster:Boy's a prime-minister is helped by his cabinate in carrying out his duty.We'll have our cabinate too.

Some posts were created by Master saab for the cabinate and he himself handpicked the post-holders too.The posts were :
Bagwani Mantri
Safai Mantri
Prarthna Mantri etc.

Surabhi was Made Bagwani Mantri and Bal Sabha started funcioning from next day onwards.Surabhi,being the bagwani mantri ensured that she collected all the varieties of flowers available in the small village and get them planted inside the school premises.Safai Mantri took care that school campus was properly groomed every morning and ensured the participation of each student.He also proposed "Leepai" every thursday for the campus(Leepai is done with a mix of cow-dung and water on the bare soily surfaces,considered auspicious).This was the most popular move,as every student
involved in leepa got a official permission from master saab to have a dip in canal flowing by so that the students could get themselved cleaned of cow-dung on their bodies.Swimming in canal was always a popular activity among those school kids.

With flowers blooming and the campus cleaner,the mood in school was festive.The kids found their first encounter with the democratic process called election more than good.However,they were told by Master Saab that it was a mock election and they should see the real ones too.

A few months later,assembly elections took place in Bihar and the same school was choosen as polling booth for a couple of neighbouring villages.The kids having grown a little older were eager to watch this 'real election' with the memories of the
'mock election' still fresh in their mind.

A few gun shots,hooliganism and extremely tense faces,this is how the real election marked their first impression on kids.As they grew older further,more of such 'real elections' were held. The memory of Bal Sabbha\Mock elections gradually got replaced by that of Real Elections.

After some 16 years later,on the eve of another real election,one of the kids
remembers his first encounter with election(though a mock one) and wishes
"If my first impression could have been the last too".

P.S. : Mohan ---> The Author

Inbetween Life & Death

24th March,2009:: Tuesday:: 00:19 Hrs

First few pages into Randy Pausch's,The Last Lecture and out of nowhere a wish came,a wish to have pancreatic cancer,just as Randy had,with some months or a year left into my life,So that,I wud have an excuse to unburden myself of my expectations and do my own Dasvidaniya.

No,it's not being pessimist,rather an Extreme Optimist.The optimism that this one year wud be far more satisfying than the 40 or 50 years I'd live under normal circumstances.It's like an intense desire to experience the state where I have a few months of my life left and then test myself.How would I behave,what great a height or low a depth I will achieve?

Perhaps,I could do it without a pancreatic cancer too,but then it'd be difficult to justify it to me myself and then probably I will never do it.

That's all for now ,let me dive deep into the book...

Ashutosh

Is Our Multi-Party Character at its Peak?

Never has it been that we have so many wannabe PM's going into election all at a time.This election is probably the Local Maxima of India's Multi-Party Democracy and I sincerely think that 2014 will see a much more consolidated fight between two projected PM candidates.
From 1989 onwards multi party democracy has seen a steep rise of influence with many regional satraps playing a major role in deciding who occupies the coveted chair at North Block.We have seen many maya,mamta or jaylalitas causing tremors across delhi with just a sneeze.But now I believe that this all will end,not immediately but over a course of time and we'll see the trend catching up in 2014 elections.Well 2014 is 5 years away and I'm not predicting this on the basis of planetary postitions either,I have some reasons to say so....

(1) The two national parties over the past few years have worked on their Second Generation Leaders and probably it's the last time that Advani will decide who's who at BJP or Sonia Gandhi will play Rajmata.In all probability,Rahul Gandhi will take on the baton from her mother and Narendra Modi from Mr. Advani.Both of them have mass national appeals and them participating against each other will see a strong polarisation of votes.

(2) Don't you think,it's too much of uncertainity over who will be our next leader?
The public after having been perplexed by so many choices will finally zero on to two or three(The Rule of Three :)).This I see as a gradual evolution of Indian Democracy into a matured one.Indian Public after having been disappointed by National Leadership looked on to Regional Leaders and as is clear,the aspirations are still unfulfilled barring a few exceptions(eg Uttaranchal) so once again the mandate will move to national leadership.

(3) Unlike National Parties,state based parties are still nascent ones and rely heavily on Individuals for their existence.Once the Magic of Bal Thakrey or Lalu Yadav wanes,their votes are likely to be up for Grabs and with national parties gearing up so well,I think they'll have this chunk.

(4)The betrayals at Bhuvaneshwar and Patna is a lesson enough for both BJP and Congress that alliances can't be a long term solution and already we can hear talks that going alone this time in some states will prepare them well for future elections.
Though a bit shocked,BJP in Orissa and Congress in Bihar & UP is relieved to go alone and test the waters.

(5)A likely fractured mandate this time will see further distraction of public from regional politics and I rely heavily on the our Democratic Intellect when I say that 2014 will see a reversal of fortunes for regional parties.

With Thakreys fighting a battle for survial and Lalu being in the most vulnerable state this time,we can see the signs of future to come.
We'll have to wait till 2014 to know whether I have been correct or not,but for Now we have a very interesting contest going on and let us savour it as India has never seen an election as chaotic as this one...

General Elections and Prospects for India

Taking a leaf out of my last post,I thought about an array of leaders whom I can mention as 'better than the lot',alash!!none could I find.
Someone had shown immense capabilities as a statesman taking his state on a path of prosperity,but his sheer disrespect for Human Lives has made me nauseating to say the least,the other has a nice little chocolaty, dimple wala face,but has shown no capabilities as a politician so far, other than using his surname.So on and so forth,I could find none whom I could admire from my heart,except the one I mentioned in my previous post.
Probably yes,our politics has stooped to such a low level that we hardly have any National Icon from among our politicians.The irony being,inspite of all this,you'll find many living iconic figures hanging from the walls of secretariat and ministries.

Make no mistake,coming time is going to test our character as a nation and we need a strong government to steer us through this chaos.


All of our neighbours are facing major national crisis.

Pakistan: The state is imploding and the very idea of pakistan is in danger.Politicians are fighting among themselves,army is being a mute spectator watching talibani mullahs dictating the way of lives to general public,and a large part of the nation in under the effective controle of fundamentalists.

Bangladesh : Already having seen a revolt by Bangladesh Rifles,the nation is slowly moving to disintegration.The Goevernment being so weak as to take the help of a foreign agency for probing their home grown mutiny.That tells the whole story.

SriLanka : Though at the moment facing a civil war.But I think we have light at the end of tunnel.We may well see the end of 20 year long civil war in the Island Nation.However,we may also see a large number of tamil refugess flocking our southern coasts and this may augur further problems to us.

Nepal : Though peaceful for sometime now,the goverment has clearly shown its inclination towards china.this doesnot bode well for India.

With economic recession deepening further,going by the indications of world bank and IMF,we need more economic stimulus and this requires some strong decisions politically.

All thess make a strong case for a Stable and Decisive government at the centre.We don't want the situation of 97-98 where PM's were changed sooner than cloths.

Having said that,recent political developments refuse to provide any such signal,rather the opposite.NDA is in tatters,UPA is still not in a position to form a government,third front is rising from its ashes only to make the scene more chaotic.
A fractured mandate by us will see horse trading at centre.Ministries as Railway,Home,Finance,Defence will be distributed to placate many wannable PM's and we shall have a goevernment with the only aim to spend as much time in the office as possible.

Let's hope some miracle happens and we have a stable government at the centre.otherwise...Pray for India..

The great Indian Festival..general Elections 2009

With general elections so near,I can't resist my political views and will be putting some blogs related to politics.
The one about Narendra Modi and Taliban is already for you to see..
Today I shall be discussing about some politicians who I think are better than the lot.




The first Person coming into my list is Omar Abdullah,The CM of J&K and the political scion of Abdullah family.Though coming from a political dynasty,he has shown extra-ordinary maturity the way he has handled the Affairs of state So far.And it's this quality that puts him far ahead of many babalog(read Rahul Gandhi,Jyotiraditya schindhia) of his time.Probably it's his defeat from Gandarbal Constituency in 2004 that made him more sensible and practical politically.At least he does not look for a safe nest unlike others.He contested from the same constituency from where he had tasted defeat and went on to become the CM of his state.
Finally the terror torned J&K had its Bout of Luck in the form of Omar Abdullah becoming the Chief Minister.Probably,destiny decided that for a state like J&K which is always under the glare of International attention and ravaged from terror, none other than a Omar would do .Good Luck to Omar and J&K.

will keep adding to this list as and when I get time...

Ramblings...

(1)Spent Last weekend at Goa sponsored by Company.It was an awesome experience..specially the two nights spent at Beaches..In the night the sea level rises and waves were almost touching our couch.Beneath the open sky,waves touching your couch,fog getting denser by every hour and some russian couples playing it out a few meters away(We came to know abt their identity as they took some time off their hectic activity and came to us asking for cigarrette for more than one time),It was an unforettable experience. So my suggestion to all goa goers,go with your friends and spend a full night on beaches.

(2) As one of my friend puts it..Daru Bechne wala Buys Gnadhi's Vision(He called his specs his vision once)..Kalyug hai..

(3) I was just wondering ,how hit a movie Based on Kunwar Singh's life would be?
For those who don't know abt kunwar singh,he was a legendary freedom fighter from Arrah in Bihar.He gave Britishers a hell of a fight during 1857 revolt and finally when he was shot in the Arm,he himself cut the ailing part and threw it in the Ganges flowing by.That shud be pitty normal for we have heard of so many such brave deeds,but what would you say if the man in question was 80 years old?Yes,he was 80 years Old.Now doesn't that make a perfect script and ideal role for someone like Amitabh Bacchan? Probably I shud write this idea as a comment on Amitabh's Blog.Who knows he might like it and the...

(4) That the attack was planned on Lankan Cricketers and Not on Pakistani Cricketers Does show that talibanis have something for pakistani cricketers..do they love cricket or pakistani cricketers? i do think so...though they may never admit...

Bring in the Man..

Among the current generation of Veteran Leaders,I like Lal Krishna Advani the Most..Among the likely probables of PM ,we don't have a better choice than him.

But i feel,BJP this time is loosing a big oppurtunity by not bringing in the Man whole of India is waiting for i.e. Narendra Modi.Though of late,BJP has started a aggressive campaign reaching out to ppl, specially youth .But all in vain,being a youth myself I can testify to this.Instead,given a choice youth of India will choose Narendra Modi by a massive margin.
Having been heaped on tons of praise by the corporate leaders,he is the one leader our younger population can look forward to for a better and secure future.

However,there is something else that has prompted me to go for this piece.Thinking from the BJP's point of view,the current happenings in pakistan may have a massive impact on Indian General Elections than anticipated.Provided,the leader in question rises to the ocassion.
If he can make a daemon of 'Miyan Musharraf' out of literally nothing and use it to his advantage,he can use the current takeover of swat valley by Talibanis in a way that'll leave other parties handcuffed.This time we have a real and a far more dangerous threat looming around in our neighbour in the form of taliban.This makes an ideal setting for leaders like narendra modi who in the past have effectively used the fear wave to further their politicial ambitions.Pakistan in the hands of taliban is making indian public apprehensive and this makes for an ideal batting pitch for narendra modi.Public in such a time is looking for a strong leader who can gaurantee them safety as well development.

With economic crisis deepening further,unemployment & economic development is going to be a major issue in the forthcoming elections and again the one leader that comes to my mind is none other than Narendra Modi.

So.in my view with Narendra Modi as the Prime-ministerial(which is highly unlikely) candidate and Terror & Unemployment as major election issues BJP is going to make it.

The Rule of Three and Indian Telecom Industry..

Below is a piece written by Anshu Gaur,Chief,Amdocs,India.
The article carries out an In-depth analysis of Indian Telecom Market in a vey lucid manner.Though Long,but it's worth your time,if you happen to have a stake in India Telecom Scene.Thought,it would be useful to you...Enjoy..In Anshu's Words:

The Rule of Three and Indian Telecom Industry

Before I begin this blog, I would like to touch upon the essence of my previous blog “Speaking Hebrew in Hindi”. It was interesting to hear different thoughts/comments associated with the content. The intent was to get us to work more effectively across cultures and leverage cultural diversity to deliver enhanced value to our customers.
In reference to one of my earlier blogs (“India IT industry…”) would be interesting to see how Satyam saga impacts the India IT industry, even though the recent moves being made by stakeholders are very positive. Also, one of the comments was a request to discuss the impact of the economic slowdown on the India Telecom industry; so here goes…..my views on how this sector could evolve over the next few years….
Rule of 3 (Ro3)
Before we begin let us review the” Rule of three”; the contention in this rule is that in a mature market where competitive forces are allowed to thrive, free of government interference or other special circumstances, the market driven result will be the situation where three companies and only three will dominate any given market. Whether it's U.S. fast food restaurants (McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's) or South Korean chipmakers (Goldstar, Hyundai and Samsung), or US car manufacturers (Ford, GM, and Chrysler), each industry has its "big three" dominant players. The current challenges in the US with the auto industry could be attributed to this rule playing out….where the Japanese makers, especially Toyota, and Honda have become “domestic” manufacturers and the space clearly is now crowded…resulting in competitive pressures on the “auto big three”, where it is unlikely that all of them will continue to exist in their current form (it is simplistic to blame employee pension costs for the problems that the US auto big three face). The CSP industry in the US has AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
Many of you will think “So why not two or four?” The proponents of this rule explain that consumers value a manageable choice between three suppliers, but that further choice just creates `clutter', and confusion in the market. Finally, the dilution of market share with four major players can also lead to instabilities, driving the weakest into the ditch. Industry consolidation is the key force playing a major role in the application of the theory, and this trend gathers steam whenever growth slows.

Indian Telecom industry

The Indian Telecom industry is shining belying slowdown blues. It’s the fastest growing telecom market globally with subscriber base of 384 million (please do not quote these numbers….they may have changed already!!!) and expected to go up to 500 million by 2010 and 750 million by 2012. Financial projections also indicate that the revenue generated from this sector will grow from current $ 20 bn to $ 35 bn in 2010.
It’s been a long journey (albeit rapid) for an industry that started with just one government player, i.e. BSNL, catering to the communication needs of the entire country. Till not very long ago, BSNL operated with antiquated switching equipment and cumbersome manual exchanges. Today, there are multiple players – domestic and international catering to the ever increasing demands of Indian consumers. With startup spectrum provided to 6 new operators and 3G spectrum auction round the corner, Indian telecom industry is surely changing rapidly.
The India telecom market is in rapid growth stage where incumbents and new entrants are vying for “market space” (adding new mobile phone users both in rural and urban India). Interestingly, profitability of successful India service providers continues to improve, despite the fact that there is continued investment in network coverage expansion, and declining ARPUs (Average Revenue Per User, typically expressed in $ revenue/user/month). One of the ways service providers are able to achieve improved performance is by rapid product, service, and business model innovation, examples include; a) Reliance’s leverage of the CDM IT and Network Infrastructure for GSM launch, Bharti’s revenue/usage sharing models for IT and Network.
As I mentioned earlier, Ro3 is relevant when growth has slowed and competition is for “market share”. My view is that in 5 years (by 2014) the competition will be for “market space”. With penetration levels reaching ~65% of the population, with network coverage exceeding 95% of the population…and with the government allowing market forces to dominate, we should see the Ro3 playing out. The leading effects of Ro3 forces should start shaping the market by 2013.

The Players

1. The Clear Incumbents: Airtel and Reliance—there are two largest players in the market today and there should be no doubt that these 2 providers are the clear Ro3 incumbents
2. The Contenders: Vodafone, Tata Teleservices (TTSL), Idea, Aircel
3. The Start-ups: Unitech Wireless, Shyam Telelink, Swan Telecom, Datacom, Loop Telecom, and Stel.
4. Propped up Navratna Players: MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd—services the Delhi and Mumbai metros), and BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd—services the rest of the country) are promoted by the government
Of the above, only Reliance, BSNL and Airtel are triple play operators providing voice (wireless and wireline), data (high speed), and/or DTH (Direct to Home) satellite services. Vodafone, Idea and Tata Teleservices are limited to providing voice and data. The others focus on voice.

Ro3 Influencers

The way I see it the following factors could play a role in influencing the outcome when the Ro3 plays out:
1. Government: Regulatory direction on Mobile Number Portability (MNP), the minimum holding period before M&A can occur, 3G/Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum allocation guidelines, and divesting ownership in BSNL/MTNL (if and when)
2. Foreign operators’ interest in expanding their brand into India: Vodafone is a successful example, the DoCoMo stake in TTSL, and others like Telenor, Telecom Italia, Sistema and Eilisat have taken stake in the start-ups
3. Spectrum availability and congestion: Currently all GSM and CDMA operators have crossed the DoT criteria for spectrum congestion and hence some of the small operators (possibly the start-ups) could get acquired for the spectrum that larger operators need (essentially they could “spectrum” plays)
4. Corporate Governance: It is hard not to add this as a determining factor on who survives and thrives because of corporate governance concerns in a post-Satyam India

Ro3 Crystal ball:

As I share my view on the possible end state, want to be state that getting to the “Three” is a process, and in a free market this process will inevitably take time to play out….a lot of water will flow down the Ganges, and a lot of money will be made between now and then.

Clear Incumbents:

Airtel is the leading provider, has demonstrated brilliant market strategy, is innovative in products and services, has a great brand, and is a well run organization. Airtel has continued to one-up the completion and has increased their market lead despite fierce competition. Finally, the chances of acquisition by a foreign player are remote….the other way around is more likely. Airtel is here to stay.

Reliance with its deep pockets, ability to compete on price, strong dealer network, brand recognition, and successful launch of GSM services, and BIG entertainment vision will inevitably be a very strong force here and abroad and it’s fierce completion with Airtel will imply that there are no marriages there, and hence it will certainly be the other one to be around.

Finally, Reliance and Airtel both being fiercely nationalistic it is hard to see them sell out to foreign operators (Vodafone had expressed an interest in Airtel before it settled for Hutch Essar).

Reliance and Airtel thus get my first 2 votes of the future Mega carriers.

Contenders:

I see the impact on the contenders as follows:

1. Idea and Aircel strengths are very complimentary. Aircel has strong presence in the enterprise market and is a Wimax player. Idea is primarily focused on the consumer segment. I can see a merger here. The other possible option is for a foreign operator to acquire stake in one or both of them, they are better candidates than the start-ups. Either way, I see that eventually either the combined entity, or acquired entity(s) will consolidate with the Mega Carriers above or the one below

2. Vodafone has made impressive gains since the acquisition of Hutch Essar, and is well positioned with the global Vodafone brand and deep pockets. It is likely Vodafone will use 3G to survive and thrive. This would be the 3rd Mega Carrier in my view and gets my final vote

3. TTSL: Will leverage the benefits that come from being a part of the Tata empire and will take the longest to give up or go away, it is hard to see how it could survive even with the strength coming from group companies and sister company Tata communications. The only way I see that TTSL could be a player is if corporate governance issues impact any one of the Mega carriers. The staying power and Tata group’s reputed corporate governance will allow TTSL to capitalize on that opportunity and join the big league



Start-ups:

The start-up operator story has been interesting, in most cases it is a story of successful business houses, with reasonable liquidity (at the time when they initiated moves) who felt that they could partake in the rapid growth of the telecom market and probably make money (at some time in the process) by selling out. I believe that all the companies involved have smart business people and they know that their ability to be a Top 3 player is between remote and non-existent.

My initial thought was that one or more of these start-ups would come to the market with disruptive strategies like; pursuing the most profitable segment of the population (Top 9% of the current subscribers contribute to 29% of the revenues, and 45% of the margins across all providers) and getting them to switch. Further, being a subscriber myself (and I am sure many of you will agree with me), I know that with the poor quality of service….I am yearning for THE ONE who can promise better quality of service. Instead, in listening to industry insiders and analysts, it appears that the start-ups are gearing up to capture customers in the low income category, and in the rural masses, this segment across all operators comprises 71% of the subscriber base, 27% of the revenue, and 15% of the margins. Servicing this population incurs a higher network operating cost (driven by unavailability of electricity, logistics issues etc.), and hence the task for these folks is really uphill. All combined, it is hard to see how the start-ups will capture more of that mid-single digit market share over the next 3 years (the government mandated lock-in period).

What the foreign operators see in the start-ups to me is questionable, it could be the desire to participate in the growth story or maybe do a “Vodafone”—this in my view is not possible anymore and not certainly with the start-ups. The current market environment and the inevitable risk-averse future will raise questions about these moves…and I believe some will look for a way out, or simply back out.

Net-net, I do not see a single one of these operators being around in their current shape…and none of them of them will be a contender when the Ro3 plays out. In the most likely scenario, I see them end up (following different paths) as spectrum plays for the Mega carriers.

Navratna (translates as nine gems, term used for successful public sector enterprises majority owned by the government) players: One has to give credit to BSNL/MTNL for adoption of competitive business practices; aggressive pricing, good branding and advertising etc. and become relevant in the current cut-throat marketplace. BWA offering launched recently at compelling prices is another great move…..however, it rides on preferential treatment they get from the government giving them the first mover advantage. BSNL/MTNL assets are significant….and I see them of great value to anyone who can acquire them. The question of the government divesting stake in BSNL/MTNL or letting them be acquired in my view is a matter of “when” not “if”….the decision boils down to electoral politics. The journey BSNL/MTNL take will not impact the Ro3 outcome, unless TTSL gets hold of them (as was the case of VSNL being acquired by the Tata group…current called Tata Communications Limited). I do not believe the Mega carriers will allow this to happen, but I did want to rule out that possibility.

So the Mega carriers of the future in my view are:

1. Airtel

2. Reliance

3. Vodafone

Back-up: Tata Teleservices. NOTE: Used only if corporate governance issues, or other unforeseen events (like selling of BSNL/MTNL to TTSL etc.) impede the growth and success of one of the Mega carriers above. The one of the three that drops out in such a scenario is difficult to predict…this would depend on the nature of the events.

The Inevitable comparison

It is hard to write an article about the Telecom growth and possible evolution in India and not talk about what could play out in China. So here goes….
There are some key differences in the business environment in the two countries.…a basic one is that in India, entrepreneurship and competition in the Telecom space is vibrant, service providers are making significant EBIT, most India providers (one can argue) are successful in-spite of the government red tape etc. Market forces will play out and we will see the unfolding of the Ro3, along the way the process will give rise to interesting opportunities for big, small, domestic, and international players alike.
In China, the government is the entrepreneur, and a good one at that. So, in China we see that the government has fast-tracked the process to generate the outcome. I see that China is taking the Ro3 seriously and has virtually folded the major Telco’s into China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom…the new kings in China’s $100 billion-plus telecom kingdom with 625 million mobile phone users. What is interesting is that the government has even done the Technology selection/allocation for the operators.
It is hard to not fall into the trap and question; which is the better approach?, my view and suggestion is that rather than falling into that trap, let us understand the journey that these two economies are taking are inherently different and are governed by culture and values of each system….one should read/listen to Tarun Khanna (HBS professor) who argues compellingly that both cultures are powerful and are very complementary.
In summary, a constant and updated understanding of the Ro3 and how it could shape the world’s growth markets allows products and service providers to strategically position themselves for long-term growth and success. Long-term growth is important to deliver enhanced value to a company’s shareholders.