The world has finally realised that unless things are done the GREEN way, the demise of our planet is inevitable. However the political will to make such changes happens seems to be almost non-existent. The mockery of Kyoto Protocol from the hands of US and other developed economies is a disheartening example of myopia which the world leadership suffers from.
Some changes are believed to take place from the fresh round of talks at Bali. Although it remains to be seen that can the participating countries even cut the emissions to the amount which was emitted by flights used by everyone to come to Bali. Australia's Mr.Rudd is trying his best to convince the world and save his country and others on the line of fire.
Now when international leaders are lobbying hard to change things, its high time that someone in domestic leadership gets aggressive about this. Apart from some NGOs and social activists, its difficult to locate a voice which is strong enough to make a difference. In fact, lets forget about politicians making an effort to save the planet. If someone can simply convince them to curb the massive wastage, he/she can make a huge difference.
Lets take Bangalore as an example (an infinitesimal sample as compared to the size of our country). Just within less than 1 year of my stay here I'm shocked to see the political fan fare. When BJP was about to take power from JD(S), whole city was colored in saffron. Total material used must be in the order of a few hundred tonnes of paper, plastic, and synthetic colors. BJP's status degraded within a week when it was forced to resign because of the political farce by Deve Gowda & Sons. But, the publicity material used will take a few life times of these politicians to degrade and might very well take the planet's life time. A few days back, Mayawati visited the town bringing with her the unpleasant sight of millions of plastic fliers with the elephant sign on it. Not only is this criminal expenditure (think those who go to bed hungry) but completely detrimental to the atmosphere we live in.
I hope that this technology revolution plays a bigger role in politics too when most of the campaign can be done on phone, internet and electronic media. Politicians - if you can't help India progress, please atleast don't reverse it. Go GREEN !
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Jack & Suzy Welch on How to fight Bureaucracy in the system
Given the damage bureaucracy can cause to the motivation of people, sometimes being tough is the only way to go.
http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/17003455/Success-Secrets--Breaking-thr.html
http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/17003455/Success-Secrets--Breaking-thr.html
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Refreshing Clarity......indeed !!
There are newspapers, then there are business newspapers, and then there is Mint!
Its promise of "Refreshing Clarity in Business News" is well delivered. The guys from HT and WSJ understand that on a daily basis there is not much news to be reported. So they don't try to fill up the newspaper with all the junk in the world (e.g. celebrity dog catching cold). Something that our media, both print and visual doesn't seem to understand.
What's important is that you help the reader understand the news you are reporting rather than thinking that everyone is a business expert. This is an unlikely case and if you read Nicholas Nassim Taleb (Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan) you would realize that the self proclaimed experts are no better than cab drivers at times.
The real value that Mint adds in the business papers domain is by its fantastic columns. In fact I would call it a "Blog Paper". People from diverse backgrounds provide their perspective from different angles to address readers with different interests. And with columnists like Vir Sanghvi, can you ask for more!! And if you are a foodie, don't miss Saturday's Lounge supplement for the great eating joint picks from your city.
So if you are in Mumbai, Bangalore or Delhi, grab your copy today and prepare to get addicted, refreshed, and clear!
Its promise of "Refreshing Clarity in Business News" is well delivered. The guys from HT and WSJ understand that on a daily basis there is not much news to be reported. So they don't try to fill up the newspaper with all the junk in the world (e.g. celebrity dog catching cold). Something that our media, both print and visual doesn't seem to understand.
What's important is that you help the reader understand the news you are reporting rather than thinking that everyone is a business expert. This is an unlikely case and if you read Nicholas Nassim Taleb (Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan) you would realize that the self proclaimed experts are no better than cab drivers at times.
The real value that Mint adds in the business papers domain is by its fantastic columns. In fact I would call it a "Blog Paper". People from diverse backgrounds provide their perspective from different angles to address readers with different interests. And with columnists like Vir Sanghvi, can you ask for more!! And if you are a foodie, don't miss Saturday's Lounge supplement for the great eating joint picks from your city.
So if you are in Mumbai, Bangalore or Delhi, grab your copy today and prepare to get addicted, refreshed, and clear!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
All good things in life are free....
and all great things are not that expensive. I'm a big foodie, not a great cook, staying alone and trying to save some money for rainy days. Hence, I'm always on a look out for places that give you the bang for your buck and leave you satisfied in mind and stomach.
This week I went to three places I'd heard a bit about but had never been to.
Pecos - This pub situated just off Brigade Road is housed in a run down building. You go inside and the sound of rock music (I personally hate it) fills your ear and you can only talk to your friend during the 2 seconds you get in middle of two songs. You order your pitcher of beer, two starters (beef, pork, squids available; can it get better :), one main dish and dosas! (oh my god! what dosas; If I had enough money I'll hire the cook to makes dosas for me till I die) - the damages : Rs.473/-. So if you ever want beer and some really great food to go along with it without making a whole in your pocket, Pecos is the place.
Kamat Lokaruchi - Situated on Bangalore-Mysore highway around 50 kms from Bangalore is this great retreat for Karnataka food lovers. You can get a meal from different corners of Karnataka for Rs.70 (all unlimited). I had a North Karnataka meal comprising of Brinjal Masala, Jowar Roti, a couple more veggies, rice, sambhar etc. etc. Also tried the Raggi Mudde made famous by Mr.Deve Gowda. Couldn't really understand how can one like something which is not even supposed to be chewed but only swallowed whole. Its really strange that Karnataka cuisine is not so famous given the great vareity and flavors. May be Kannadigas need to be a bit more enterprizing when it comes to food.
Tewari Brothers - This small sweet shop on Dickenson Road is a ray of hope for UPites like me. I cannot thank Mint Columnist Shobha Narayan enough for covering it in her articles a few weeks back. The chats, sweets, and Aloo Puri there are as authentic as you can get in Bangalore. I and my friend binged on Aloo Puri, Missi Roti with Gatte ki sabzi, Pani Puri, and Gazar Halwa - all for Rs.80/-. I hope to visit there as frequently as possible and relish the flavors I left a couple of decades back.
Given the fortunate existence of such places, I've almost started to hate overpriced fancy places. There you are continuously evaluating the food because you have paid for it through your nose. This takes away all the joy of eating and shut your taste budds off. And invariably you realize that you have been conned to pay heaps of money for absolutely average stuff. The other day I went to The Royal Afghan at Windsor Manor on a company party. The food was great but surely was very steeply prized. The biggest surprise came from booze. The cognac served after meal and some other drinks were Rs.3500 per 30 ml ($90!!). Before I could realize I was already down with booze worth $120 and other people were already flirting with $500-1000. Realizing that the watchman at my building who does 12 hr shifts without fail (and sometimes 48 hrs too) get Rs.3500 monthly, I simply could not push a single more drop down my throat. Is this kind of pricing and margins justified? We call ourselves civilized and upwardly mobile but don't think about the criminally wasteful expenditure. Are we even human?
This week I went to three places I'd heard a bit about but had never been to.
Pecos - This pub situated just off Brigade Road is housed in a run down building. You go inside and the sound of rock music (I personally hate it) fills your ear and you can only talk to your friend during the 2 seconds you get in middle of two songs. You order your pitcher of beer, two starters (beef, pork, squids available; can it get better :), one main dish and dosas! (oh my god! what dosas; If I had enough money I'll hire the cook to makes dosas for me till I die) - the damages : Rs.473/-. So if you ever want beer and some really great food to go along with it without making a whole in your pocket, Pecos is the place.
Kamat Lokaruchi - Situated on Bangalore-Mysore highway around 50 kms from Bangalore is this great retreat for Karnataka food lovers. You can get a meal from different corners of Karnataka for Rs.70 (all unlimited). I had a North Karnataka meal comprising of Brinjal Masala, Jowar Roti, a couple more veggies, rice, sambhar etc. etc. Also tried the Raggi Mudde made famous by Mr.Deve Gowda. Couldn't really understand how can one like something which is not even supposed to be chewed but only swallowed whole. Its really strange that Karnataka cuisine is not so famous given the great vareity and flavors. May be Kannadigas need to be a bit more enterprizing when it comes to food.
Tewari Brothers - This small sweet shop on Dickenson Road is a ray of hope for UPites like me. I cannot thank Mint Columnist Shobha Narayan enough for covering it in her articles a few weeks back. The chats, sweets, and Aloo Puri there are as authentic as you can get in Bangalore. I and my friend binged on Aloo Puri, Missi Roti with Gatte ki sabzi, Pani Puri, and Gazar Halwa - all for Rs.80/-. I hope to visit there as frequently as possible and relish the flavors I left a couple of decades back.
Given the fortunate existence of such places, I've almost started to hate overpriced fancy places. There you are continuously evaluating the food because you have paid for it through your nose. This takes away all the joy of eating and shut your taste budds off. And invariably you realize that you have been conned to pay heaps of money for absolutely average stuff. The other day I went to The Royal Afghan at Windsor Manor on a company party. The food was great but surely was very steeply prized. The biggest surprise came from booze. The cognac served after meal and some other drinks were Rs.3500 per 30 ml ($90!!). Before I could realize I was already down with booze worth $120 and other people were already flirting with $500-1000. Realizing that the watchman at my building who does 12 hr shifts without fail (and sometimes 48 hrs too) get Rs.3500 monthly, I simply could not push a single more drop down my throat. Is this kind of pricing and margins justified? We call ourselves civilized and upwardly mobile but don't think about the criminally wasteful expenditure. Are we even human?
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Where's Bangalore in Bengalooru Habba? - Part 2
Last week I was able to catch two programs at Bengalooru Habba. A classical music concert at Ambedkar Bhawan featuring a not-so-great percussion group "Madhalaya" (a bunch of artists representing a Gaussian distribution in ability and with a less-artist-more showman type) and a brilliant Dr.Smt.Ashwini Bhide Deshpande. Second was a great play by Lillette Dubey - "Kanyadaan" at Chowdiah. As noted earlier, not many Bangaloreans at either of the venues. I feel the publicity could have been handled in a more aggressive manner. I personally had to advertise the Habba in my office and push people to go to some of the events because they had no clue. The compere at the play requested people not to worry about passes for upcoming events and simply barge in :D
Coincidentally on Wednesday evening after the concert, I and my colleague stepped into a well known steakhouse "Miller's 46" at Miller's Road. To our surprise, Dhoni, Uthappa, and RP Singh were dining there at a corner and having some good time with friends. It was great to not see them thronged by people for autographs or photos. This definitely says something about the character of the city (or at least of a reasonable bunch of people) which sees so many things happening around, takes a note and move on to something bigger and better. Salaam Bangalore!
Coincidentally on Wednesday evening after the concert, I and my colleague stepped into a well known steakhouse "Miller's 46" at Miller's Road. To our surprise, Dhoni, Uthappa, and RP Singh were dining there at a corner and having some good time with friends. It was great to not see them thronged by people for autographs or photos. This definitely says something about the character of the city (or at least of a reasonable bunch of people) which sees so many things happening around, takes a note and move on to something bigger and better. Salaam Bangalore!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Where's Bangalore in Bengalooru Habba?
Today (Sunday, Dec 2) was the start of the much hyped Bengalooru Habba (well I'm not sure of the hype actually) - an 8 day cultural extravaganza which promises to establish Bangalore as a cultural capital. It has been sponsored by big corporates, the sparse banners are trying hard to communicate the phenomena, the newspapers are flashing schedules, and the website has been updated just recently. The final line-up seemed impressive with a plenty of illustrious names, myriad of activities spread all across the city. Something that would surely get a self-proclaimed cultural enthusiast as me reasonably excited.
So yours truly decided to go for the Hindustani Classical concert as my ears were craving for it (its been so long!). The concert was at Ambedkar Bhawan and featuring Vidushi Sunanda Sharma (Vocal) and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (Sitar). I personally hadn't heard their names/music before but after a brief googling I was convinced that it surely would be a treat. I diligently went to collect my free passes from the Cafe Coffee Day next door. I reached the venue at 6 pm for the show starting 30 minutes later. To my surprise the whole atmosphere outside was dull with no one in sight (I remember going there for a Jagjit Singh concert for which one should shell out anything between Rs.550 - 2500 and people were running around for tickets). As I walked in the hall was filled barely upto 5% its capacity. A bunch of young people walked in and asked for extra passes. The organizers smiled and allowed everyone in.
I don't know whether this was due to insufficient publicity, my early arrival, apparent worthlessness of anything avaible for free, diminishing interest in classical music etc. But I could not help asking the question - Where's Bangalore in Bengalooru Habba? Will the festival organized with so much expense of money and time live upto its purpose.
Alas, I recieved a call at 6:05 pm informing me that a long lost friend is in Bangalore and leaving within 2 hours. I had to force myself to leave the hall and rush home. These ears will have to wait. Luckily, Dr.L Subramaniam is playing at Palace Grounds as part of the Habba on Dec 7. Hopefully will also get some time to catch more action during the weekdays (have to get ready to witness more deserted venues. God only knows why they started the Habba on Sunday not Saturday).
So yours truly decided to go for the Hindustani Classical concert as my ears were craving for it (its been so long!). The concert was at Ambedkar Bhawan and featuring Vidushi Sunanda Sharma (Vocal) and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (Sitar). I personally hadn't heard their names/music before but after a brief googling I was convinced that it surely would be a treat. I diligently went to collect my free passes from the Cafe Coffee Day next door. I reached the venue at 6 pm for the show starting 30 minutes later. To my surprise the whole atmosphere outside was dull with no one in sight (I remember going there for a Jagjit Singh concert for which one should shell out anything between Rs.550 - 2500 and people were running around for tickets). As I walked in the hall was filled barely upto 5% its capacity. A bunch of young people walked in and asked for extra passes. The organizers smiled and allowed everyone in.
I don't know whether this was due to insufficient publicity, my early arrival, apparent worthlessness of anything avaible for free, diminishing interest in classical music etc. But I could not help asking the question - Where's Bangalore in Bengalooru Habba? Will the festival organized with so much expense of money and time live upto its purpose.
Alas, I recieved a call at 6:05 pm informing me that a long lost friend is in Bangalore and leaving within 2 hours. I had to force myself to leave the hall and rush home. These ears will have to wait. Luckily, Dr.L Subramaniam is playing at Palace Grounds as part of the Habba on Dec 7. Hopefully will also get some time to catch more action during the weekdays (have to get ready to witness more deserted venues. God only knows why they started the Habba on Sunday not Saturday).
A new beginning.....hopefully won't end soon
Well I'm back to the blogosphere after a long silence. My earlier attempt to blog regularly lasted 4 posts and 20 days. It was the result of my frustration due to a long break between passing out from school and joining my job. Then life took me to the left, right, and center of the world and before I could realize more than 2 years just flew by. Now I'm back home (actually a little south but its good enough) but time just isn't in the mood of standing still.
This new blog is an attempt to catch the multitude of things that go around which can be chronicled as history. As a bystander one observes a certain phenomena and misses hundreds. So along with this blog if you can manage to read a few hundred more daily, you will be able to get a comprehensive view of the world!
Again welcome to my space and I hope that one day you'll be able to find something here of your interest. I can't promise that this experiment will last a life time but as of now the intentions are good.
This new blog is an attempt to catch the multitude of things that go around which can be chronicled as history. As a bystander one observes a certain phenomena and misses hundreds. So along with this blog if you can manage to read a few hundred more daily, you will be able to get a comprehensive view of the world!
Again welcome to my space and I hope that one day you'll be able to find something here of your interest. I can't promise that this experiment will last a life time but as of now the intentions are good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
