Reflections

This is the first - and I sincerely do hope the last - co-authored book by Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson. Despite it being a page-turner, I am unimpressed; deeply unimpressed. Sorry, Ashwin - I admire your books; read them on pre-order... but this is your worst effort yet. And not because of your fault; it is because of the innumerable horrendous bloopers that fill the book. These bloopers take the fun away, cause irritation - even while the story keeps you turning the pages. The net result is that as you complete the book, the normal satisfaction one has on reading a great book is absent. This is not a book one can read a second time. And the clincher - this did not read as a classic Ashwin Sanghi... variety in writing is fine - but this is too much, sorry! THE PLOT The plot is simple, and yet totally implausible. A private detective agency is called in by the police, and all investigation of a rather strange murder handed over to it. This murder turns out to be a

How Aravind Became The World's Greatest Business Case For Compassion The Story Of a Hospital That Provides Free Treatment To The Community, And Is Yet The Best In Its Field In Terms Of Technology, Skills, And Throughput By Pavithra K Shenoy and Suchitra Shenoy Infinite Vision is the real story of a phenomenon, an anachronism that belongs more in the Satyug or Tretayug than in the modern cutthroat Kalyug, Anno Domini 2014; an absolutely unbelievable and yet completely true story of a family who redefined the concept of life, living... and Medical Care in the Modern World. A book that is guaranteed to take your breath away, a book that will challenge - if not actually change - the way you look at the world; a work of art, and a book that should be required reading in schools. I wish I could rate is 6 stars out of 5... stunning...  This is the real story of Aravind Eye Hospital - of how one man, one single man went about doing the impossible. The story of one ma

This is the second part of the article India's Forgotten Citizens - Forgotten By We Middle Class+ : An Ugly Reality A BALANCED PERSPECTIVE I have previously blamed the middle class and above fair and square for the continuing prevailing reality of poverty. Before I go into further detail on that, let us get a balanced perspective, in the interests of fairness, by looking at one or two factors that mitigate the middle classes performance and responsibility. How can a poor person come out of poverty? What are the avenues available to him or her? How does one earn money in the modern world? Answer - Do a Business Get a Job Is there a third alternative in front of the person? To get a job, or do a business, schooling is essential. It is only through education can true emancipation be brought about; till that happens, our dreams will remain unachievable. The question is how a can the son or daughter of a landless labourer, toiling all day just to live and avoid starv

Shining India... The rising regional power... one of the fastest growing economies in the world... one of the largest economies in the world... home to several Indian MNCs... the destination of some of the biggest companies in the world... the land of IITs and IIM, and the successful front-page NRIs... the land with the demographic dividend... the land with some of the best technologies the world has to offer, and some of the best facilities in its top cities... the land with the magical Mumbai Film Industry... the land of Tendulkar, Vishwanathan Anand, Saina Nehwal, Geet Sethi... I could go on and on literally indefinitely on these lines India, the land of the morrow, a nation which is set to a regional power of some note; and a nation that is the cynosure of all eyes for various reasons. India, a nation that is on the move, with its nascent open economy, and vast promise, combined with its pool of highly trained manpower and well-developed institutions and markets; a nation tha

As I noted in my previous post, the targeting of the BJP among a set of hardcore religious fundamentalist organisations, most with militant and armed wings - armed with the latest arms and weapons, with a history of armed struggle behind them - is highly suggestive, and confirms the stereotype the West holds us Indians, and especially Hindus, in, as well as underscores the colored glasses and biases held by the West towards Hindus. It pains me, a confirmed moderate, to use these words; but I now have no choice but to call it like it is.  The list is extremely though provoking, and incites deep questions, disquieting questions, for the BJP is chosen as one among a series of hardcore fundamentalist organisations, equating the approach of the BJP with these organisations, all of rest of which have far more serious repercussions for the USA than the BJP; all with either a chequered or violent history, and all of them being from unstable nations, or Islamic nations, or nations in deep

1st July, late evening... and our favourite, our media darling and our pet punching bag got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Yet again, caught at its irresponsible antics. I am referring to our "defining 21st century partner", "friend" The United States Of America. Good ol' Unka Sammie! Apparently, it so transpired on a sweet, sweet 2010 morning that some people within the USA asked for permission to spy on a select few political organisations, namely :  The Amal - Lebanon Pakistan People's Party Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt Bolivarian Continental Coordinator National Salvation Front, Egypt The BJP, India My, what august company to be in. Amal is thought to have links with the Hezbollah; an Islamic Organisation with know and proven militant and armed wings, and as per some reports is suspected of Anti-US attacks. Bolivarian Continental Coordinator is said to have links with FARC, yet another armed group. Of the remaining parties, it can