Iraqi reporter throws shoes at Pres.Bush

Is Parvathy Omanakuttan our next Miss World?

The last time India won the Miss World pageant was in 2000. But experts busy grooming Parvathy Omanakuttan say she has the vivacity, warmth and beauty to bag the crown again for the country.

Standing tall at 5 feet 9 inches, 21-year-old Parvathy will compete with 109 contestants at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday. Zee Café will telecast the Miss World 2008 contest live at 8.30 p.m.

'She has the 'X' factor that sets apart a supermodel from the models. It's her vivacity and warmth that make her instantly likeable. She is a perfect mix of beauty with brains,' diction expert Sabira Merchant said in a statement.

Ace photographer Subi Samuel admires Parvathy a lot and believes she exudes class and confidence and this could do the trick for her.

Talking on the same lines, fitness expert Deanne Pandey said: 'She is an ideal blend of panache and poise. Her face just lights up each time she smiles.'

Ace choreographer Sandeep Soparrkar said: 'You cannot take your eyes off her even in a room full of gorgeous women and that is the hallmark of a beauty queen.'

Expectations from millions of Indians are acting as an inspiration for Parvathy as she feels 'this is a big responsibility' and is trying her best to live up to the hopes of everyone.

'This contest is not only about winning but with it comes the responsibility of upholding the name of the country. I am trying to be a stronger person to face the contest and I will try my level best to make every Indian all over the world proud,' she explained.

Like many beauty queens, Parvathy too is smitten by the big screen and says she would love to act if the 'right' kind of roles fall into her kitty.

'I would love to do a movie opposite Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan, as I have a big time crush on these guys,' she said.

Parvathy indeed has big shoes to fill as India boasts of Miss Worlds like Reita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yukta Mookhey (1999) and Priyanka Chopra (2000).

Courtesy - Yahoo! News

Bangalore Walks...Rally against Terrorism

Citizens,

November 26 marks a new low in our country's sinking security situation. We are now at a state where every major sphere of our life has been attacked - trains, temples, mosques, cars, markets, parliament, parks, offices - and now hotels. When does this stop? We pay crores and crores of taxes and levies, without even 1 paise bearing a semblance of accountability. We have blamed everybody from God to our politicians for the condition we are in; but the fact remains that we have failed because of our own unwillingness to act and to demand accountability.
We must take action atleast now - an action that is drastic, cumulative of years of not doing anything. Let us demand for accountability! Let us make our so called elected representatives account for every paisa of the money that we have paid up to ensure our safekeeping, good roads, continuous electricity, clean water, to mention the basics. Let us have them justify their Z-class and Y-class security, while we burn. Where is the accountability? Let us bring it back.

Here are a few numbers to quantify things:
Number of terrorist attacks in India since 1993: 33
Number of terrorist attacks in India since 2001: 30
Number of terrorist attacks in India in 2008: 10
Number of people killed since 1993: 1300+
Income Taxes collected from individuals for the Financial year ending 31st March, 2008: Rs. 10,37,40,00,00,000 (103740 crores)
Sales, property, petroleum and service taxes collected for the Financial year ending 31st March, 2008: Rs. 6,73,83,00,00,000 (67383 crores)
Income from Police, fines etc.: Rs. 14,67,00,00,000 (1467 crores)
Expenditure on Anti-terror squads, Police upkeep, Police development/improvement, equipment upgradation for past 5 years: 3700 crores

Here is a list of attacks in 2008:
May 13, 2008 - at least 63 were killed in 9 bomb blasts along 6 areas in Jaipur - 63 deaths

July 25, 2008 - at least 2 were killed and 20 injured in 8 low intensity bomb blasts in Bangalore -2 deaths
July 26, 2008 - 56 were killed and over 110 injured in 17 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad - 29 deaths
September 13, 2008 - at least 15 were killed and over 110 injured in 5 bomb blasts in Delhi Markets - 21 deaths.
September 27, 2008 - 1 killed and at least 17 injured in bombings at Mehrauli area 2 bomb blasts in Delhi flower market - 1 death.
September 29, 2008 - 10 killed and 80 in bombings in Maharashtra and Gujarat bomb blasts - 10 deaths.
October 1, 2008 - 0-4 killed and up to 100 injured in Agartala bombing - 4 deaths.
October 21, 2008 - 17 killed and at least 40 injured in Imphal bomb blast - 17 deaths.
October 30, 2008 - 45+ killed and at least 300 injured in Assam bomb blast - 77 deaths.
November 26, 2008 - At least 101 killed and 287 injured in a coordinated attack in Mumbai -185 deaths and increasing

The disparity between the requirements for our country's security and the actual disbursement has reared its ugly head in 2008. We are now faced with the reality that terrorism is deep rooted in India and we must act! Our Prime Minister, for his illustrious career and stellar academics, is as effective as we have been in handling terrorism; his address to the nation being ineffective, lacklustre, passive and non-commital, to say the least. Our Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, is known more for his propensity to dress up and for chronic foot-in-mouth comments and actions. It is with good reason that I do not attach the standard "Honourable" to these ministers. So when do we take action? The time has come.

The frequency of attacks is increasing exponentially, there have been 10 this year! And we have not seen even one step in terms of affirmative response, let alone affirmative-preemptive action and safeguards. Let us not wait for these attacks to get any worse. Let us demand answers. But first let us ensure that we do our part in turning things around. Let us first prevent ourselves from succumbing to cowardice. When times have taken a turn for the worst, we must step up with courage. Let us step out of our homes to demand our rights. When our parents, spouses, siblings and other loved ones fear for our safety and try to deter us from taking that step, we must assure them that we are doing so for our own continued safety, for if we do not take action now we have failed yet again due to our own weakness, for we are now only a step short of civil unrest and war. Let us head out and demand action!

We must not remain calm as is being called for by our politicians. We must show our anger, grief and resentment, and press for action.

People of Bangalore, on December 8th, 2008, let us peacefully set out from our homes, offices, schools, colleges, malls and shops and converge at Vidhana Soudha by 12noon, and demand the presence of Chief Minister Yeddyurappa and Home Minister V S Acharya, to put forth the following demands, threats and assertions:

1. If there is 1 more attack we boycott our schools, colleges, offices and professions till our safety is ensured.
2. If there is 1 more attack we do not pay any taxes and fines (income taxes, service taxes, even sales taxes on petroleum and groceries).
3. For every year that has a terror attack, we do not pay taxes and fines.
4. Every minister's security detail is removed until all the terror attacks of 2008 have been investigated and verdicts handed out.
5. Our security forces are trained to world standards in 3 years, by pioneers in the field, from Israel, France and the United States.
6. NSG Commandos to be decentralised from Manesar, and 1 unit each to be present at 5 locations across India - North, South, East, West, Central.
7. Every Minister with even a single charge of crime against his/her name to vacate office immediately and disbarment due to this condition be made binding for any candidate.
8. Every single entry point in to and exit point out of India (flights, road, trains, water vessels) to have severe and restrictive identity and security screening. Any discrepancy with any person to warrant immediate deportation to last port of exit.

On December 8th, let us begin the movement to make sure that we leave no stone unturned to bring back peace and security to our country. Let us set out to Vidhana Soudha and call other citizens to join the movement. Let us draw people from their homes and residences to join the movement. Let us have students and teachers walk together from the classrooms. Let us have employees and bosses walk together from the offices. Let us have citizens from every walk of life join the movement. If we have people who are not computer-enabled, let us read to them this message and spread the call. For unless it is a mass movement, it has no effect. If all people from the big bosses of IT and Financial majors to the daily-wage labourer, are not present we are under-represented and ineffective. When unions can take out strikes for reasons unknown or unclear, we can form together atleast to demand our safety. If the 10 attacks and 350+ deaths of 2008 are not enough to evince your action, whose death will it take?

Please spread the call, forward this message without fear of censure from superiors and peers, for this is the time to act.

Let our voices be heard on December 8th!

With all sincerity,

On behalf of Fellow citizen

AIDS Awareness Day. December 1

Today is AIDS Awareness Day

which means YOU & I need to spread the Awareness.

Please do it for this little child!

Barack Singh Dhoni - MS Dhoni India's Obama?

When George W. Bush barely scraped through in Florida in 2000, many Indian observers rightly pointed in glee to the successes of our own Election Commission and the inherent checks and balances in Indian democracy. At a time when America was turning red-necked, the seeming superiority of Indian democracy was underlined in 2004 with the emergence of a sikh prime minister, a roman catholic as head of the ruling coalition and a muslim as president (at the time). It now seems like a tired clich©, but the symbolism of 2004 lulled many into believing that the Indian system was inherently better.

Barack Obama has forced a rethink. It took Obama only five years to transform himself from an unknown Chicago lawyer to the next occupant of the White House. In contrast, Indian political parties, at the highest level, are essentially closed houses. A quick glance at the Indian political firmament confirms that the longevity of strongmen/ women and their cliques is a feature shared by virtually every political party in every state of the union. The Nehru-Gandhis have controlled the Congress party since independence, the firm of Advani and Vajpayee has held sway over the BJP since the mid-1970s, Farooq Abdullah's family has controlled the National Conference since its inception, the Chautalas' sway over Haryana's INLD remains unchallenged, Mayawati's iron-clad grip over the BSP is as solid as her mentor Kanshi Ram's was, Chandrababu Naidu continues to define the TDP like his father-in-law N.T. Rama Rao did, Mamata Bannerjee's Trinamool Congress is inseparable from her persona, the Left in West Bengal and Kerala has been defined as much by personality politics as other parties, Karunanidhi has controlled the DMK since at least the 1960s, and Jayalalitha has successfully controlled the legacy of MGR in the AIADMK. Politics in any society, after all, is about the nature of power and the patterns of social control, and our political culture mixes democratic processes with older forms of feudalism and organisation. At a deeper level, while India has undoubtedly grown more democratic with the empowerment of hitherto marginalized groups - OBCs, Dalits etc. -, the structures of political power even within these new groupings remain bound in immutable hierarchies.

So, can an Indian Obama emerge? The greatest symbolism of the Obama moment lies in the politics of his colour. While he achieved near universal support from the minority vote - Blacks and also from the Hispanics -, his political appeal transcended the minority. In contrast, our politics remains a prisoner of our caste and social divides. Mayawati, for instance, is a real agent of change but despite her recent alliance with the upper castes in Uttar Pradesh remains too divisive a figure, hostage to the Dalit discourse. Narendra Modi is trying to build himself up as the candidate of a new Singapore-like developmental India, but his past can never be wished away. Historically, Nehru remains the only Indian political leader who successfully managed to delink his politics from his social origins to emerge as the harbinger of an overarching idea of India. Rajiv Gandhi did promise to be the great white hope but fell prey to the system within two years of attaining power. On a somewhat diminished scale, Rahul Gandhi now promises to introduce a new politics of merit, but remains unproven.

Sure, we have had the politics of symbols. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad became the first muslim president as early as 1974 and K.R. Narayanan the first dalit president in 1997. But the head of state is not quite the same thing as the head of government. Moreover, the symbolism of the figureheads never quite translated into real political ascendance for disadvantaged social groups within mainstream national parties. This is why the Dalits turned to Kanshi Ram and Mayawati, and the Muslims of North India are still looking for a new direction after initial dalliances with the two Yadavs. One of the smartest things about the Obama campaign was that it changed the political geography of the US by tapping into the new demography of the young, and the minority groups migrating into the American heartland. In the youngest country in the world, can the BJP or the Congress take a cue?

On a recent television discussion, Ajay Jadeja pointed to Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the Indian Obama. This after all, is a cricketer from a non-traditional centre, who has arisen out of obscurity by sheer dint of his own effort and mirrors the hopes of an increasingly young and meritocratic India. Cricket, in that sense is a social mirror, but the hard fact is that the political equivalent of a Dhoni or an Obama remains a distant dream.

The author is a Visiting Fellow at Australian National University, Canberra

Courtesy : Yahoo! News

Bangalore Traffic - Who is to blame!

On seeing the pitiable state of traffic conditions in Bangalore, I am one of the many Bangaloreans waiting for a revival! During my trips to the most developed countries of the world I always used to think how I could contribute to make my country like those. Below is a list of ideas which I believe could bring a change for our city.

Attitude of Driving – Indians have a tendency to complain about the country that nothing seems to change in India. Little do they understand that only if the people change (we ourselves) India could ever change. It is very evident in the way we drive. We do not care to obey traffic lights and force ourselves to obey only if a cop is found on sight. We never follow lane discipline; We flock together on the road like cattle out of the cattle shed. We honk too much and yell at each other often. We use mobile phones while driving. We never wait for another vehicle to pass at intersections. We stop right in the middle of the road to alight. We park at no parking zones and sometimes park the wrong way.

Well, the list goes on and on. Now if you review the last paragraph it’s not the vehicles that are causing the issue, it’s the drivers! The so called “Responsible citizens of India”. I call it the WSI (Why Should I) phenomenon where people are concerned about themselves and when it comes to the well being of others or the country they simply think “Why Should I”. I strongly feel that the attitude of people should change. We need to inculcate the sense of order and discipline. If they object it needs to be forced or else we would end up in a pile of rugs worse than how we are now.

The solution would be to create awareness through television ads like the ones for AIDS & condoms and also hoarding, flyers etc. People should know what they do is wrong at least after seeing these. I always think about how an Indian father cannot stand to see his daughter talking to a boy on the road alone, thinking it’s a shame to the family heritage. The same father wouldn’t mind jumping traffic lights not knowing it’s a shame to his mother-land. The concepts of the awareness ads should be designed in such a way that people get the point straight on their head!

Responsibilities of the Traffic Police – I always feel pity on the police officers standing in the sun and struggling to control the traffic. But I generally find lethargy in almost all the police officers. They don’t seem to go that extra-mile! The best example is at the KR Puram bridge adjoining the Royal Heritage apartments. There is a pretty large bus stop bay with bus shelters. None of the buses enter into the bay instead stop at the middle of the road causing havoc. The bus stop bay is currently being used as a taxi stand. Isn’t pathetic? I know that there are many traffic cops around that area who don’t mind this and sit and watch the traffic getting strangled. It’s high time for the police department to conduct awareness classes to the traffic cops stressing their responsibilities as a responsible citizen of India.

Innovations from Governing bodies – Innovation is doing things in a unique and faster way! I always used to think if only we could find a better solution to parking, half of our traffic problems could be solved. I remember reading a forward email about a parking innovation where there is a huge steel tower erected which could house around 10-15 vehicles in each row. The circumference of these parking slots is incredibly small and can be stalled at a very small area. Imagine we having something like these on every road and there are no vehicles parked on the road! I don’t know the logistics of making this possible but innovations like these would certainly help us in many ways. The government could setup a panel to research on innovations and in turn the panel could come up with attractive prizes for citizens coming up with ideas to traffic clogs. In this way everyone can contribute to solve the issues as a whole.

Citizen’s Responsibilities – Every time I spot a person spitting on the road, I feel pity for our motherland to have children who spit on her. It’s very typical in our country where people can do just anything on the road. They walk on the road, a few who live, some who sleep and many who do business! Commercial street, infantry road are the best examples where people don’t care walking on the road obstructing the traffic. Another example is Residency road near Bishop Cotton boys school where there is a skyway built for pedestrians to cross the road. None of them use it instead walk across the road. Traffic rules should be made compulsory even for pedestrians and again it is the duty of the governing bodies to enforce it. I believe awareness programs, tv ads, hoardings etc could take the message to the people. It should be added to the curriculum so that children adhere to it when they grow up.

To summarize, we need to change for the country to change. Take my word, even if our roads get 5 times wider and our attitude doesn’t change we still would be running into the same issues we are facing now. I am worried about the many learned westernized software professionals who do not care to obey traffic rules. If literacy couldn’t mould us any better I can’t think of anything else that can change us. It’s high time we understand our responsibilities and act fast. Instead of trying hard for a visa to live a cozy life abroad why can’t we transform our motherland and stay here proudly!

Infosys encourages employees to go on a sabbatical and work for NGO’s

In the first time ever kind of move, Infosys has provided an option to employees to go on a sabbatical and work for NGO’s for a year. For an employee to qualify, he or she should be with Infosys for at least 2 years. Employees will be paid 50% salary during this time and the rest can be recovered from the NGO’s they are working with.

This news caught my attention for two reasons. One is the salary cut element. The other is the non-governmental organization (NGO) and Corporate Social Responsibility element. When I go through my feeds or the newspapers, what I see is either the job cuts or salary cuts or both. This is in addition to the bankruptcy and the recession talk. The job cuts are mostly coming from global companies but, Indian companies are not far behind.

Labor laws are a little strict in India and protect the employees in the private sector to some extent. This restriction has forced companies to look at alternative ways for reducing cost and work force. For this they are employing innovative ways. Weeding out non performers, firing over fudged bills and threatening to terminate are the things we have seen so far. But, 50% salary cut and going on a sabbatical is very new, innovative and takes the cake.

Coming to the second element which is working for a NGO element, drives the discussion to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The BS report states that, it is Narayana Murthy’s dream and has been on the cards for a while. It is the way one can give back to society. The details of this are still being worked out. It is purely voluntary and left to the employee to opt for it. I only hope more companies would follow Infy. I wish my company was offering this.

I would like to believe the reason is more to do with the CSR element rather than the cost cutting element. But, the timing of the move has coincided with turbulent times. Only time will tell if this was a strange coincidence.

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