Reflections

Article in The Times Of India of 30th August... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Reckless-TV-coverage-of-26/11-operation-put-national-security-in-jeopardy-Supreme-Court/articleshow/15969434.cms Article in The HIndustan Times 29th August http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsOthers/Hanging-the-hashtag/Article1-920882.aspx To be or not to be... that is the question.  Tame social media... or let it free? That is the big discussion that is acquiring increasing media attention worldwide. In India, the recent banning of a few sites by the GOI has got everyone up in protest... is it justified? Or did the government over-react? I am myself totally against needless control on Media, as it is one of the most powerful tools in a functioning democracy. An independent Media is a pre-requisite to a good democracy, for it is only through Media that leaders can reach the people most effectively. Secondly, it is only through Media that governmental excesses, views that ...

The Krishna Key - Ashwin Sanghi The Krishna Key is the latest in the genre started by Dan Brown, and which has now become a rage. This by itself is not a disparaging comment: Whodunits were started by Agatha Christie; Similarly, Historical Puzzle based thrillers were first presented by Dan Brown. What is disturbing, however, that while the story is quite different in some ways, there are clear cases where the story has been obviously inspired by the iconic Da Vinci Code. Is it a good book? Yes? Is it worth a buy? Yes. Is it best-in-class? Unfortunately, no... THE CHARACTERS Ravi Mohan Saini: Easy-going, smart, intelligent and quick-witted professor of history Priya: 40, smart, doctoral student plus....  Radhika Singh: Bull headed but honest police officer Sunil Garg: Head of the CBI...  Taarak Vakil: Serial Killer THE PLOT Raja Man Singh left 4 seals kept in a base plate, which together point to a secret that will point the way to Lord Krishna'...

MP govt assures action against cops who let stabbed youth die at Indore police station : North, News - India Today : 'via Blog  this' Our police - and our apathy - just gets better and better. One man - who tried to protect his sister - was stabbed; the police first wrote the report and then took him to the hospital! The poor man died... who is responsible? The shocking insensitivity of the police forces defies belief! Are these policemen human beings or not? Was their paper-work more important than a man's life? And listen to their lame excuses in this video: http://www.firstpost.com/india/injured-teen-dies-after-being-stalled-to-finish-police-paperwork-426002.html The ambulance took time to come! Just who do these stupid inhuman policemen think they are making a fool of? Havent you heard of private cars? Taxis? Autos? And where are all those lovely police vehicles which are used for all sorts of senseless purposes? Why have a police force if both th...

Rightsizing modern retail - Hindustan Times : 'via Blog this' It feels great to have confirmation of an analysis or a strategy drawn on the basis of observation and deduction... the latest article on Modern Retail confirms what I have posted on my blog earlier; that things are not all hunky-dory for the Large Format Retail outlet. As I outlined in my earlier posts: http://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/2012/01/organised-retail-100-fdi-storm-in.html http://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/2012/01/organised-retail-reality-check.html http://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/2012/01/category-analysis-of-organised-retail.html From the above we can conclude that: (as concluded in the Articles above) The higher strata of society will be tapped by the LFRs  There might be an initial slack in monthly sales turnover from kirana stores in the short term, especially in the vicinity of LFRs, but over the long term this will be compensated by alterations in stocking patterns, population...

Differential Diagnosis Edited by Leah Kaminsky; written by various contributors Every once in a while you come across a book that redefines the very concept of reading; every once in a while you come across a book that makes you drop whatever you are doing and get absorbed; once in a while…. This is one of those books. A book with simple clean prose, an engaging writing style (especially considering its content), a book that leaves its mark on your memory, a book that takes you deep into the emotions of doctors – and yet is interesting to read as well as fast paced! A book written by doctors – actual, practicing doctors: Atul Gawande, Sandeep Jauhar, Perri Klass, Robert Jay Lifton, Danielle Ofri…  You would expect to read boring repitive stuff; or perhaps great cases handled by these doctors; or maybe stories of that leave you depressed at the ugly aspect of life. You couldn’t be more wrong; you are treated instead to a veritable kaleidoscope of the colours of...

A simple perusal of the movements of the past 3-4 days throw up a very interesting scenario. Anna Hazare and team have, for all practical purposes, accepted that pushing a workable as well as effective Lokpal through the current set of polticians is going to be next to impossible. They have gone to plan-B - namely, trying to provide a political alternative; thereby effectively vacating the plank (at least for now) of the Lokpal. Simultaneously, Baba Ramdev organises a "dharna"  And, unfortunately, the locus of the demand - and the media and public pressure - shift from the Lokpal to bringing back black money. Nothing wrong with that in principle; with one significant caveat. While the Lokpal focuses on solving the root of the problem and affixing accountability, the "bring back black money" movement very neatly shifts the focus from the core of the problem to its effects. It is like treating the fever, not the illness...  What is even more interesting is t...

The Characters • Peter Janson: The born leader… • Karen King: tough, intelligent, independent, smart • Rick Hutter: constantly baits Karen, but is tough nonetheless • Eric Janson: Peter ‘s elder brother- a successful Executive at Nanigen • Vin Drake: The quintessential villain • Alyson Bender: The “halfway” sidekick!!!! • Dan Watanabe: Doughty Police Officer • Danny Minot: I, Me, Myself • Jarel Kinsky: Tricked, and trapped… The Supportive Cast: Important nonetheless! Erika Moll, Amar Singh, Jenny Linn, Johnstone, Telius The Plot The story starts with 7 research students getting a visit from the elder brother of one among them. Through the efforts of the brother – Eric Janson – they get invited to a state of the art research lab for a visit. This lab specializes in Nanotechnology on a level and scale that is unprecedented. On the eve of the visit, Peter (Eric’s younger brother) receives an sms from Eric: “Don’t come”. To complicate matters, Eric...

Jill McGIvering has worked in Journalism for 25 years in positions such as senior foreign news correspondent & South Asia Correspondent for the BBC. Currently based in London, she travels extensively to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Last Kestrel is her first novel, although she has already written non-fiction, short fiction and plays THE CHARACTERS • Ellen Thomas: News Correspondent; doughty, tough; never-say-die; a person without any prejudice; responsible and sensitive… • Hasina: A Mother…  • Major Mack: Can be called the quintessential commanding officer… except that he cares too much for his boys and their welfare… • Jalil: An Honest Afghan translator who got caught in the middle • Najib: Jalil’s reluctant but honest friend • Aref: Hasina’s son; wounded and dying; a picture of a tragic nation…. THE PLOT Ellen Thomas is a news correspondent on the hunt for the killers of her translator Jalil; her 10-year association with Jalil and his f...

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Disturbing trends in judicial activism : 'via Blog this' An interesting article on Judicial Activism in India by a senior advocate in the supreme court has highlighted cases where the apex court intervened. A look at the areas where the court passed orders is most revealing: Control over automobile emissions Air, noise and traffic pollution Parking Charges Helmets Cleanliness in housing colonies Disposal of garbage Control of traffic in New Delhi Made compulsory seat belts Ordering action plans to control monkey menace Ordered measures to prevent accidents at unmanned crossings Prevent ragging in colleges Collection and storage of blood banks Control of loudspeakers and firecrackers Baba Ramdev Eviction from Ramlila grounds Exclusion of tourists from core areas of tiger reserves Investigation and prosecution of ministers and officers in the Jain Hawala case Taj Corridor case 2G telecom case Distribution of food grains t...

The past 18 months have been a roller coaster ride for Team India Against Corruption - starting with the massive interest in the movement in April 11, moving on to the next few heady months... right till the peace in December. During this period, the Team IAC saw it all: heady adulation, vicious targeting and misinformation campaigns etc; they saw the mass frenzy in their support, and also the loss in followers after the initial euphoria. Not a bad experience for a team whose core agenda is to eradicate corruption But first, the Lokpal. The much vaunted Lokpal, as I had observed in one of my earlier posts  http://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/2011/12/is-lokpal-solution.html, cannot be the final solution; it can only be one of the cogs. The problem is far too deeply entrenched for it to be legislated away. When just about everyone you see is involved in some form of corruption - whether as the taker or as the giver - then a statutory body can only do so much. Further, anyone ac...