Reflections

IS PARIS BURNING  Dominique Lapierre / Larry Collins  A great book by the authors, but a very difficult one  to review, as it is set in a scenario with which not many Indians are familiar. Secondly, it is a largely fact-based interpretation of historical events, and requires an understanding of the underlying events. Therefore, before getting to the book per se, it is essential to get a feel of the underlying situation in France in 1944, and how it got there. This novel is set in a World War 2 scenario, centering on the liberation of Paris in August 1944  BACKGROUND  In May of 1940 the French surrendered to the Germans, who installed Marshall Phillipe Petain as the “head of the government” and gave under his control 2/5th of France {mostly the interior regions}. The regions on the coast and the along the Siegfried line remained under German control. This titular government reigned from “Vichy”, and was known as the Vichy Government  ...

The Hindu : News / National : Inside India's defence acquisition mess : 'via Blog this' http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3253952.ece http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/Popup/2012/3/29_03_12-metro8.htm http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/save-army-s-honour Continuing from my previous post, a simple perusal of the morning papers revealed an expected but nevertheless interesting scenario: Most news coverage was concentrated either on The General or on the Congress / UPA. Here we are- faced with a nearly 1962-like situation in terms of Defences, sitting on a powder-keg situation, nearly naked (if the Chief's letter is 100% accurate - which I dont doubt, judging from a series of critical articles in various sources over the past few years) - and the entire Media is focussing on anything but Defence. Most newspapers are sticking to their market positioning - which is fine under normal circumstances. If you are known for rep...

Army toothless: General VK Singh drops letter bomb on govt - Hindustan Times : 'via Blog this' http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3254276.ece?homepage=true http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/Edits/Not-all-quiet-on-this-front/Article1-831721.aspx http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_time-to-clean-up-army-but-who-ll-do-it_1668276 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Army-chief-vs-govt-Tension-escalates/articleshow/12443490.cms I am beginning to wonder what is required for the people of India to wake up from their abhorrent stupor... Institution after institution is collapsing with monotonous regularity due to abject neglect! School performance is the lowest in the world; rampant corruption; inefficient policing; falling economic indicators; Telecom tangle; FDI in retail imbroglio; Judicial activism; Satyam.... And now the Army. One point shines through this entire episode: The Media is more concerned with the Government...

ICRIER Report on Organised Retail:  http://www.icrier.org/pdf/Working_Paper222.pdf Knight Frank Report:  http://my.knightfrank.com/research-reports/india-retail-market.aspx   I have been arguing in my writings that the threat to kirana stores in India does not exist, and that the 2 can co-exist.... interested parties may refer the above researches that have been conducted in India circa 2008 & 2010. I admit that these are a bit dated, and might need to be re-validated. However, I have not observed any difference in any of the cities in which I have made queries and observations; the trend seems to be the same as before. Not one of the small retailers I have spoken to in any city has told me of a decline in business volume or profit. The key finding of the report are encapsulated below: 1) An initial fall of 23% in terms of volume. This loss is made up in the subsequent years 2) No evidence of a decline in overall employment in the organised sector ...

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Honesty can get you killed : 'via Blog this' " It has been openly acknowledged that a sizeable number of candidates, who were recently put up or elected to the State Assembly, at least in one State, had a known criminal record. There is no public outrage over it." "What is the practical course of action to prevent the mafia in Madhya Pradesh from striking again? The Chief Minister has ordered a judicial enquiry. This is the best way to ensure the truth about those who were behind the gory incident does not emerge, at least for a long time." " Things have now reached such a pass that you can speak and stand for honesty and adherence to the law only at your peril. Physical harm to you and your family are normally to be expected, and it is your luck if that does not visit you. This would not have been the case if these rapacious elements in society have not been lent unholy support by some of our elected representa...

Another IPS officer attacked in MP - The Times of India : http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/MadhyaPradesh/Tractor-crushes-IPS-officer-to-death-in-Madhya-Pradesh/Article1-822603.aspx 'via Blog this' Circa 2007 It is truly amazing how the simplest of experiences leads one to a train of thoughts transcending a multitude of subject-domains, as happened to me yesterday night. The event in itself was mundane, were it not for the extenuating circumstances: A motor-bike drive between 2 cities 44 kilometers apart. But what happened on that route has set my mental rollers rolling something fierce! I would like to enumerate these diverse thoughts, and justify my connection to and rating of the above topic.  The time was 9:15 PM at night when I left Bhilai for home, 44 kms away on NH-6 towards Nagpur. This is usually a very safe track, with hardly a policeman or checkpoint visible along the way. I have made this drive on bike as well as by taxi several times at night...

Digital divide: World gets 4G iPad, India still struggling for broadband - The Economic Times : 'via Blog this' While the west moves to 4G, we are still trying to get Broadband. Nothing surprising with that - we have been late movers in communication technology and therefore, it is only to be expected. But if you look at the Broadband scenario in India, the statement that we are struggling is simplifying the state of the market in this space. In India, Broadband solutions in the B2C space are given by Wired and Wireless technology platforms and at speeds ranging from the basic 256/512 kbps to 4 mbps and above. What has been their experience? Have they managed to cover costs? Is there a market for 4G services that is big enough to justify investments? My take on this is that it might just be premature to roll-out 4G services in a market that has yet to fully experience 3G and broadband. First, the market needs to mature and second, the current hypercompetitive phase of th...

India a superpower? Unlikely, says London School of Economics study - The Economic Times : 'via Blog this' As per the London School Of Economics, the 7 reasons identified that we cannot become a superpower are: The Challenge Of The Naxalites Hindutvawadis Degradation Of The Center Increasing Rich-Poor Gap Trivialisation Of The Media Unsustainable Resource Consumption Instability And Policy Incoherence Of A Coalition Government The first point regarding Naxalites can and should be extended to include terrorist threats that sap the energy from the atmosphere and prove to be a real impediment to development. Why state only Naxalites? India is facing a range of internal threats to peace that go far beyond the Naxalite problem. What is more, the threats are not showing signs of waning. We are nowhere in sight of a solution - and without a solution, this problem will continue to be a dead-weight around our legs as we strive for progress. The second point is, in my ...

The Day of the Jackal was penned around 1971, and was set in the French Republic of the early 1960’s. The story is based partly on fact, and partly on fiction, and revolves around a plot to assassinate the then French President Charles De Gaulle. The fact part is an attempt on the presidents’ life by a French army officer {Bastien-Thiry}. The rest of the book is fiction.     The beauty of this book is in the way it offers 3 windows into the same story: offering the reader a look from 3 view–points, which makes for fascinating reading. The 3 view points are the 3 parts of the book: The Motive of the perpetrators & the planning of the Jackal {The Anatomy of a plot}, The French investigation: How the plot is discovered and stopped, {The Anatomy of a Manhunt} and the final climatic moments,  {The Anatomy of a Kill}. This approach actually enhances your understanding, takes you deep into the plot, and gives you a 360-degree view of the the story....