70 Million Employable Indians: Strategies for Competitiveness

The below post is part of the presentation which we gave at a competition organized by AIMA (All India Management association) in the year 2007.
The subject was " 70 million employable Indians: strategies for competitiveness"
We focussed on few sectors which we thought formed as pillars of our economy and shared few ideas to bring about a change in those areas

A country so rich in resources in every term has taken a rather slow trajectory to growth. Why it is that while the world is today looking at India as a lucrative business destination it still struggles with issues like poverty, lack of education, unemployment  high Mortality Rate.

AGRICULTURE:

18 percent of total GDP in India originates from agriculture but growth rate is minimum. When overall growth rate of India is 9%,but growth rate of Agriculture is only 1.5%. Though India’s 70% population is rural and depending income from agriculture. India exports only 7% of agricultural products.

In India most of the agricultural land is fragmented, Due to this we are not able to employ new techniques, machinery and advanced methods of farming. A result of which is the low quantity and quality of output, which gives tough competition to our agricultural products in world markets.

If we develop a system where, corporate consolidate all the land held by individual farmers into one big area n carry out the farming procedure. The land will still be owned by the individual farmers who would get returns according to the amount of land holdings.

They would also be trained and employed for the farming process. This will increase the productivity of the land per hectare and also improve the quality of the output and thereby increase the demand of our agricultural products in the world market.

Since it will be corporatized, a totally new avenue will be opened up for the educated and skilled section of employable people in the form of manufacturing setups or export firms.

Another approach would be encouraging initiatives like E-Choupal by ITC or project shakti by HLL.

Another avenue for development of farming in India could be done in the form of agricultural co-operatives. The focus of such co-operatives would be on education and upliftment of the farmers with equitable sharing of profits giving them the autonomy, similar to the dairy co-operatives e.g. AMUL developed by Verghese Kurien.

This will also solve the problem of migration to the cities in search of employment, thus leading to an equitable development of the country.

TOURISM

India with its diverse cultures, landscapes, climatic conditions, sports, spirituality, religions, food, festivals, wildlife, and history provides an ideal destination for tourism.

New avenues wait in form of adventure sports or village tourism.

Medical tourism can be broadly defined as provision of 'cost effective' private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment. This process is being facilitated by the corporate sector involved in medical care as well as the tourism industry - both private and public.

It has lead to availability of cheaper medical facilities compared to other developed nations like USA or UK.

In order to drastically change things in favour of India, it needs to focus especially in providing of the high quality expertise of medical professionals, backed by the fast improving equipment and nursing facilities, and above all, the cost-effectiveness of the package

Problems in tourism development lie in lack of awareness about India in rest of the world and infrastructural facilities in our country.

We need to market ourselves efficiently in various world exhibitions and trade fairs etc.

One more major factor that is crucial for the development of tourism is development of infrastructure in terms of roads, connectivity, hotels etc.

OUTSOURCING:

India is now shifting up the value chain from BPO to KPO by focussing on knowledge based outsourcing. The trend is towards high skilled jobs ranging from legal services, chip design, engineering design, tele-medicine and financial analysis.

The wide pool of young talent available in our country should be trained through university and industry partnership

ENTREPRENEURSHIP:

India needs a change of mindset from job seeking to job creating in order for development.

The government should provide appropriate environment conducive for entrepreneurship. Government should reduce the bureaucracy and red tapeism prevalent that acts as deterrent. Provide incentives in form of tax holidays or rebates and easier regulations.

One of the major setbacks that people face in entrepreneurial ventures is financial support, which can be provided by banks and financial institutions.

Woman entrepreneurship should be encouraged.

Now we see the answer to why has India been not able to achieve the development we ideally should have by now.  They appear as bottlenecks on the form of

Bureaucracy, corruption, lack of transparency and accountability, legal framework

 The future lies in the educated and skilled youth. Economic development of a country in its true sense would only be achieved when there is an improvement in the standard of living of the last man standing. This approach may not be grand enough to be called a strategy but it is what India needs to improve on its competitiveness.

Golmaal hai bhai sab Golmaal hai

http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/PeEeoZDtYuSt0AuQnKBkQN/Fiction-made-from-dodgy-data.html

http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/LCjcIzT0AY3nDdDnIT3x5I/Rebuilding-the-map-of-economics.html

The recent articles mentioned above about the erroneous claims by noted macroeconomists took me back to my blog post regarding the credibility of the data being used for the purpose of policy making.

http://complexityisthefatherofsolution.blogspot.in/2011/07/few-answers-and-some-more-questions.html

however my questions still remain unanswered. Some of these question were raised in one of the articles.

The inflation which we are facing today is not a completely demand led inflation and which cannot alone be resolved by changing monetary policies inorder to curb demand. The entire system needs to be looked at and requires a serious overhauling.I tend to believe that it is a supply driven inflation which needs to be addressed by focusing on the supply side of the economy. There is a serious need to relook at our food distribution channels for the various loopholes. Or else, is it possible that tonnes of grains are rotting away in a country which is facing steep food inflation and quite a considerable segment of its population is below the poverty line.

Excerpt from one of the articles:

An unfortunate case of such denials and misreading of facts is the case of inflation management. Despite evidence that inflation in food prices was structural, using monetary policy to curb inflation has not helped inflation management in the last four years but has certainly affected investment and growth because of high interest rates. The problem in India today is not only a policy paralysis but also the absence of an honest assessment of what is wrong with the economy. This can only happen when facts are interpreted objectively and not based on the priors of the government of the day.

 It is a very sad but true state. Our economic policies are based on such dodgy data. The markets come crashing down based on the news regarding IIP data, RBI’s monetary policies etc.

 But how accurate are these decision and on what kind of sound research have these decisions been based upon…

I doubt if I will ever find answers to my questions but there is one thing which keeps the world going.. and that is HOPE.

Oh My God!!!!

The movie 'Oh My God' reminded me of my blog post Religion v/s God . I would give 5/5 rating for this movie as it serves the purpose it was made for. It hits the mind rather than touch the heart of the viewers.. very few movies are capable of doing that. the last movie which had that effect on me was Rang De basanti... in 2006... I very much agree with the point put across by the movie.. Believe in God.. not in the fear of god created by the so -called god men....or god's men.. the movie perfectly describes the Godly Business ( yes you can call it that)as it is happening in the current scenario. I would rather call it a potpouri with large amounts of extortion and corruption invovled with with tiny bits of faith, hope, and love for god or the creator as i would like to address.

I still fail to understand how religion or the fear of god is so deeply instilled in each one of us that it even fails common logic or quality of high education one might have had in life..
Religion was created to bring people together , however what we see today is that it has become a means to extort money ..
Seeing the things happening around me, my mind is hounded by following questions ... Is god a Mafia Don ? and if you dont give him his share of your earnings then he will get you knocked out of this world r something bad will befall on you or your loved ones ? till how long can you evade what is written in your destiny. isnt our destiny supposed to be written by god? so did he write the bad things in it , inorder to extort money from us? so that he can get richer? and what would god possibly buy from all those riches? and suppose we pay those exhorbitant amount of money to calm the long departed souls or save us from the  fury of god... would these so called god men insure your well being . will they promise you that no harm will ever befall  upon you or family and will be blessed till eternity.. and even if some harm/ illness / tragedy does come across, will they indemnify for the Act of God?? will they settle the hospital bills as well?

the movie also reminded me of the funny incident... when i ask such questions, i am asked to shut up as saying anything against God will incurr his wrath upon me.. ( this is exactly as shown in the movie... ) . and then I wonder am I speaking against God? or the religious priests? the self proclaimed demi gods? and whose wrath am I supposed to call upon? Further.. is god is soo egoistic?

So what is the image of God that we have created in our minds?
A self obseesed Egoist, a mafia don, a corrupt babu( with whom you can fasttrack the things which you want by paying a bribe) would such a being be worthy of being called GOD?

Religion helps us to  find the path of dharma.... Religion is soo misunderstood in today's world.. it is show us the path of dharma .... and not carry out adharma in the name of god...

Well..I continue to believe in the philosophy...strive to be a good human being... believe in the religion of humanity... instead of offering money to god or buying flowers and agarbattis and chadaars and candles to be offered to god.. buy a packet of biscuits or any food item and feed a hungry human being or an animal.... as all are god's children. he would be much happier rather than the gold or silver or the money that you would shower him with. If one believes that by offering money to god will help them attain nirvana or give them all materliasitic happiness in the next birth, or this birth... please get the punya for yourself directly rather than through some medium of the so called religious charitable organisations...and if you really have lot of money, then please sponsor the education for a child who cannot afford it

Well for me, my God is a creator... for whom all his children are equal...he has already set his laws which we fail to understand. His love is equal...and he is the forgiver.. the torch bearer to show you the right path.... and i als beleive that he resides in us. in our conscience... to guide us and to correct us when wrong..

It is not in words that God is called to be Omnipresent and Omniscient... He really does know everything and he truly is present everywhere.. your Heart is where God really resides.. keep it pure....:)

I am Alive!!!!!

I Am Alive!!!

A second blog post with the same title...but seems to be apt given the current scenario

This post is the excerpt from the series of thoughts that streamed through my mind on my way to work on the day after the blasts at Delhi high court.

The newspaper carried reports of how some people were lucky to have missed being killed by the blast and how someone was unlucky by being early in reaching the court on that particular day....

Suppose one does manage to escape from the terror attacks. But hwo does one surive through the innumerous factors which are out there to attack.. if you survive the terror attacks, then there are natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis!!!

If one manages to survive even that, then there are innumerable accidents especially in a city like Mumbai.

The way people travel in the local trains during peak hours is plainly crazy. One has to be really lucky to be coming back home alive. god only knows how many people die each day in rail and road accidents everyday.

Suppose one still survives the accidents and makes it to the next day...

What next...

The Rising inflation flares its hood...
1) Hike in fuel prices: petrol, diesel, cng,lpg, piped gas
2) Food prices escalating. : but farmers still commiting suicde... no improvement or relief in their lives...
3) taxes rising...now perhaps very soon along with educational cess we might even have to shell out a cess for healthcare benefits.. ( Wonder.. healthcare for whom though...wonder how much of the educational cess that we have paid has helped in eradicating illiteracy from our country )

4) Real estate prices rising

5) adding to the woes of rising property prices is the rising interest rates making home loans dearer. So if one dreams of owning a house, it would only remain as a dream or would bleed one till death.


Ok.. so suppose one still manages to fight the above battles... tries to earn money in order to live for one more day... tries to work hard... but s/he has to fight another battle at work.

1) the boss!!! your growth/ happiness/ how much you will earn... all depends on the boss and the boss's perception about you.. no matter whether you work hard/ slog/ die... nothing matters...so you better please your boss...

2) Fight to get a better pay packet.. try to find a better job.. say things which you don't believe ...please people....so that they like you and offer you a job or perhaps give you a good hike in the salary

3) The strike at will contest.... Bus strike, auto strike, taxi strike, motormen strike, truck drivers strike, political strike.. (read enforced 'BANDH').. wonder what will happen the day the Common man decides to go on strike and whether if such a thing will ever happen

But people still survive these slow and silent killers. They still get married and make babies; oblivious to all thats happening around...Maybe thats the only thing which takes their minds off such things...

and perhaps this has lead to the growing business of all the possible babas and matas that we have around offlate. . people just want a way to escape this madness of the world around us. or the ever increasing line of 'Navas''" at lalbaug cha raja or the never seen before crowd at Mount Mary...apart from the innumerous holy places that we have...

Dont know about me.. but our Gods are definately getting richer... ( read the reports on the offerings at the various ganapati pandals in mumbai alone).



So... I guess.. I am just plain lucky to be alive at this moment and to be writing this blog post... :)

Good Morning???

Today: 7 a.m
Location: My cozy bed with 4 newspapers

and the headlines go as below:

1) CNG and piped gas rates to be hiked

2) stock market crashes on a the fears of looming greek economic crisis and US and its recession

3) property prices on the upward trajectory

4)Six die as slab crashes in bhayander

5) Thanks to RTI , now even the PM is under the scanner for 2G scam along with the Home Minister

6) a garland seller who lives on the footpaths of Mumbai with his family and spends Rs. 57 per day ( has only one meal a day ).. is not poor as per our planning commission

7) Illegal Mining in Goa


in addition to the general news of late:

1) Sikkim earthquake
2) Rise in fuel prices
3) all possible scams
4) terror Attacks
5) Rising interest rates making loans costlier
and the list continues..

Wonder if one can say GOOD Morning.. any more!!!!

Jaankari: an e-RTI initiative by Bihar government.

While Anna Hazare's Fast hogged all the possible media attention, there are some more instances of fight against corruption which has probably not received the attention that it should...

I read an article in today's paper about confiscation of property of corrupt officials and using it for public service. The Bihar government seized the mansion of a corrupt officer and converted it into a school for poor children. These schools were being run in rented rooms. The details can be read at the link provided below.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2436881.ece

On further research i found out about Jaankari. an e-RTI initiative by Bihar government... All of us know about RTI and its benefits to the society.. However the process is cumbersome for the common man to fully utilise the benefits fo this act.The details of the current problems and how it is addressed through Jaankari was provided in this PDF file shared on Bihar CM's website.



Excerpt from the report is provided below.Objectives of RTI The "Right to Information Act" was passed by Government of India in June,2005 with the following objectives:
(i) to provide for setting out practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities;
(ii) to promote transparency and accountability in the working of everypublic authority;
(iii) to set up Central Information Commission and State InformationCommission and for matters connected therewith;
(iv) to contain corruption and to hold governments and theirinstrumentalities accountable to the governed;
(v) to harmonise revelation of information with public interests includingefficient operations of the governments, optimum use of limited fiscalresources and the preservation of confidentiality of sensitizeinformation.What does Right to Information mean

It includes the right to –
i) inspect works, documents, records;
ii) take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records;
iii) take certified samples of material;iv) obtain information in form of print outs, diskettes, floppies, tapes,video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through print outs.

Who are Public Information Officers (PIOs) ?

PIOs are officers designated by the public authorities in all administrativeunits or offices under it to provide information to the citizens requesting forinformation under the Act. Any officer, whose assistance has been sought by the PIO for the proper discharge of his or her duties, shall render all assistance and for the purpose of contraventions of the provisions of this Act, such other officer can be treated as a PIO.

Project "JAANKARI"-A Facilitation Centre Approach

It’s common experience that masses often are oblivious and ignorant about how the Government decisions are made. This lack of transparency acts as a barrier which prevents the masses not only from actively participating in the Governmental functioning, but also from raising questions and protecting from impaired or ill-advised decisions.

Non-transparency also promotes and disguises official graft and favoritism.

It’s here that e-Governance can play an essential role in bringing the governmental policy and processes to light.Government transparency should be embedded in the decisions of all ICT systems. For example, official corruption can be reduced by re-organizing activities, such as licensing, permit, etc, and creating an online monitoring system to track each application, whereby official could be identified and held personally accountable for any action or inaction at anystage. It was felt that highly-placed public officials can expedite transparency and accountability efforts by making their offices positive examples of openness. While putting services online, citizens should begiven the ability to track the status of their applications.

Government programmes. Such technology programmes must tackle the twin issues, of e-literacy and accessibility especially for the disadvantaged groups of the rural Bihar.

Problems of the citizens:

Many people cannot fill Form A, as mentioned in the relevant Rules or draftapplication. Some of them are illiterate and due to this factor alone, RTI cannot be used by a huge section of population.• People do not know which Department to approach for different issues. And without this knowledge, it is impossible to file an RTI application easily.
• Even if one knows the Department, there are multiple Public Information Officers (PIOs) in a Department and it would be quite difficult for a personto know who is the right PIO, suited to his requirement.

Depositing application fee of Rs.10 is another nightmare. One has to eithergo in person to the concerned office to deposit cash or make a Demand Draftor a postal order. Apart from a financial implication, it also involves spending a lot of time investing Bank/post office.

If one does not the get "right" information, filling an appeal is even more complicated and tiring process.

RTI Act has major role in promoting e-literacy, especially among the poor and disadvantaged sections of the society. And to ensure e-literacy, the factor of accessibility must also be taken care of. Governments must be sensitive to the special needs of poor, physically challenged and disable persons. It must design its services with appropriate interfaces suited to the disadvantaged persons.

However, this accommodation and customization has significant cost implications.The poor, disadvantaged and challenged section of the population can substantially benefit from e-government services, as they may not be able to travel to government officers or the downtrodden people may not be able to articulate their demands.

Solution- Project "JAANKARI" - an ICT initiative

Visualizing the ramifications of the RTI Act for people’s empowerment and its effectiveness in reduction of corrupt practices in government offices, which result mostly due to holding of information and avoiding transparency, the State Government of Bihar decided to make provision of RTI Act more broad based and easily accessible to ordinary people. It was decided that ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) be innovatively and effectively employed for expanding the base of the RTI access and that a Facilitation Centre Called "JAANKARI" for RTI be set up, for the first time in India, Bihar Government's RTI Facilitation Centre “JAANKARI” for filing RTI application with the concerned State government Department works on premium rate services of BSNL.

System designed to enable a citizen wishing to file an application forseeking any information under RTI Act, without any hassles of physical movement for purchase of postal order ( for the requisite RTI application feeof Rs.10/-)going to the designated RTI Officer of the concerned department.
The primary and mandatory requirement was to charge RTI applicationfee(Rs.10/-) from the citizen without physical transaction of money. This could be fulfilled with the help of BSNL Premium Rate Services.

All the facilities were quickly put up in place and the “JAANKARI”Facilitation Centre was located in the State Government’s SoftwareTechnology Park in BISCOMAUN Tower, Patna. The State Government asked Beltron to procure the necessary hardware, software & authorised to operate it.
The operation was outsourced to a government neutral agency.The Facilitation Centre executives were not from government and hencewere unbiased. The Software was designed in consultation with officials who had been operating another e-Janshikayat software from CM Secretariat.

Necessary amendments were made by the State Government in the relevant rules to lower the fees for filing first and second appeal to Rs. 10/- each, to enable e-transactions through phone call to receive payments.
Executive Orders were issued and the Facilitation Centre “JAANKARI” was designated and authorised to receive phone calls from public at the prearranged premium rate i.e. a call costing Rs. 10/per call (rupees ten per call) to take care of the prescribed application fee and generate RTI application on behalf of the caller.The Facilitation Centre executives were trained and sensitized. They were to receive calls and convert the voice demands into "electronic format",compatible with RTI, Act. Since issues involved varied with each request and it was difficult to pinpoint the exact PIOs dealing with the issue,
One senior administrative officer was made available to Facilitation centre to help in co-ordinating with PIOs and departmental heads. The official was well versed with the governmental system and its "Rules of executiveBusiness" which assigns specific work to a department and also mentions itsdelegated powers.

This is the first and unique experiment aimed at RTI empowerment of people.

Procedures for filing “Request for Information”:

• The Government after realizing a Facilitation Centre, advertised two phone numbers to the public. One of the numbers is RTI Help-line Number (RHN)and the other number is RTI Application Number (RAN).
• RHN is an ordinary number with hunting line facility with normal Callcharges. If any citizen wants to get any help about how to use RTI, he can use this number.
• When a person calls up RAN, he is asked to give his name, address, what information does he want and from which department does he want thatinformation. This conversation is voice recorded and also typed on computersimultaneously by the Facilitation Centre executive receiving the call request.
• If the citizen does not know the department concerned, then the Facilitation Centre staff will help him identity it. But in some rare cases, even the Facilitation Centre staff would not know about the exact department. To deal with such cases, the Government has assigned a government official to oversee the operation-centre. The official knows the functioning of each department and the relevant issues connected with it. So, he can supervise the operations at the centre and can facilitate in ascertaining the correct PIO/APIOS.
• Many ordinary citizens may not even know what types of information to askfor. They would just know their problems. Facilitation Centre staff would be trained to help and deal with such cases. A good amount of handholding is required to help the not-so-literate people. A patient, effective conversation with a caller results in generation of one application.
• Once an RTI application has thus been filled the Facilitation center (FC) will confirm its contents with the caller again & than take two copies of it and send the first copy to the applicant. Each of these generated applications will have a unique reference number, which will be assigned by the computer S/W, itself .
This reference number can be quoted on the helpline to ask for the application's content (with proper mechanism to respect one's privacy and address the security issues).

• The Second copy will be sent to the concerned PIO and The PIO will have 35 days (from the date of receipt of application in CC) to provide information. During this period, the PIO should prepare information and send it to the applicant directly.

Advantages to Citizens :
1. Sitting at home-Power of information is just a phone call away. Project
application was designed after wide consultations. Citizen is the focus of the
initiative,
2. No hassles of physical movement to PIO Office for filing RTI application,
3. Money saved by way of travel time/lost as well as for making drafts/Postal
order from Bank and Post offices,
4. Government bears the cost of the Facilitation Centre, cost of transmitting the
application to the concerned PIOs as well as substantial cost on providing
the premium call service,
5. The Project keeps in mind differences in local culture when seeking to
engage citizens,

Corruption.... A speed breaker to growth?

Due to Anna Hazare's fast, the fight against corruption has met with fervor across the country. Though i do support the Fight Against corruption and believe that it is corruption indeed which is hampering the growth of our country. Or else , if you talk about resources.. be it human , material or natural.. we have all in abundance... its just the lack of opportunity or failure to channelize of our resources. The major reason for the same being improper systems which is also a cause and effect of corruption. Our food distribution systems, public welfare schemes like NREGA, various housing schemes, employment schemes, are not actually reaching the poor in the way they should be.

Anna Hazare and team's fight to bring lokpal bill will not solve the problem of corruption. It might reduce it to some extent but not curb it since it is a reactive measure and not a proactive one. It deals with punishing the guilty and not eradicating the crime in the first place.. If people feared stringent laws then there wouldn't be any crime in our country or the world for that matter... The solution to this problem lies in changing the system. By bringing transparency into the system and continuous improvement.

RTI Act was a major step towards bringing about transparency. One of the major causes of corruption is lack of information... This can be dealt with use of technology. for. e.g. Use of technology has brought about transparency and convenience in Tax Filing and refunds. ( an input shared by a friend ). The tax refunds are faster now.

Why does corruption occur in the first place.. ok.. greed .. yes.. but lets leave the top level scams etc..lets talk about you and me.. the common people.. the public.. for example.. I need to buy a property.. I have no clue about the procedures or regulations, taxes or duties to be paid.. Still I go to the government office and am lost in the sea of people around with no clue where to go or what to do.. So what do i do... Hire an agent.. who will be the shortcut for me.. What did i do??? bought a little bit of convenience for myself... ok.. i had to pay a little extra.. but what the heck.. my job is done... without having to wait in queue.. I bought preference for myself and convenience..

Now how can this situation be avoided?... If all the systems are made online. i.e. online payment of your taxes.. stamp duty, registration etc, then this would reduce the human interface and thereby automatically reduce corruption.. because all are at the same level.. there is no preference.. and it is the easy and convenient way...and one has all the information required at one click.

Take another instance... You break the traffic rules and the cop catches you...and the cop tells you to shell out the fine... and you find out that the fine has been hiked... what do you do? pay him a bribe and drive away.. easy and convenient option... in this scenario is hiking the fine a deterrent to commit such offences or an incentive/pay to pay a bribe?

Its just that a law alone will not end corruption, we need stronger systems and a complete revamp of our system which cannot happen over a single day .. It has to be a continuous process. But yes, the Jan lokpal bill is necessary since it will empower the government to deal with the corrupt.

There are other ways also to fight corruption which perhaps has missed the media attention.. followed in the next blog...

Till then..

Sau mein se Ninyaanve beimaan... Phir bhi.. Mera Bharat Mahaan..

Jai Hind :)

Few Answers and Some More Questions!!!

Recently, I read a speech on ‘Statistics in the world of RBI’ by Mr. Duvvuri Subbarao, on the occasion of World Statistics Day, which answered quite a few of my queries related to inflation.

The report talks about Statistics in RBI’s Policy Making which includes (i) Quality of data; (ii) Data revisions; (iii) Data interpretation; and (iv) Data gaps.

This post is in three parts:
I. Questions with theirs answers from the report.
II. Additional Info gained
III. Questions which still need answers

I. My Questions answered
a. Why do we adopt a WPI based measure of inflation instead of CPI?

CPI (Consumer Price Index) would be a better indicator of the rise in prices due to demand side pressures. However RBI adopts a WPI system instead of CPI.

Below is the excerpt from the report:
The use of WPI as the headline inflation index is flawed, as it does not capture the final goods prices that consumers actually experience in the market. RBI should be guided more by the CPI, which more accurately reflects demand pressures because it is demand pressures that monetary policy action can influence.

Conceptually, the CPI is a better indicator of demand side pressures than the WPI. An increase in wholesale prices, if sustained, either results in an eventual increase in prices by retailers or a squeeze in their margins. If demand is strong, retailers may exercise pricing power and pass on the increase in wholesale prices to consumers. In case demand is weak, retailers will be forced to partly absorb the increase in wholesale prices in their margins. Thus, there is no denying that consumer prices better reflect demand side pressures than wholesale prices

Even so, in India, we have opted for WPI over CPI as a second best choice for a number of reasons. First and most importantly, we do not have a single CPI that is representative of the whole country. Until recently we had four, and of those, currently we have three CPIs representing different segments of the population. While WPI is computed on an all-India basis, CPIs are constructed for specific centres and then aggregated to an all-India index. Second, WPI is available with a slightly shorter lag than the CPIs. Third, WPI has a broader coverage than the CPIs in terms of the number of commodities, number of quotations, inclusion of non-agricultural products and tradeable items.

b. Which is the base year upon which the rate of inflation is calculated?

A. Excerpt from the report:
The revision of the basket for CPI series lags that of the WPI series. Last year, the WPI series was revised to the base of 2004-05 whereas the existing CPIs continue with the old base - for CPI-RL (1986-87), CPI-AL (1986-87) and CPI-IW (2001) which makes CPIs ill-equipped to capture the price behaviour caused by the rapid structural changes in the economy.

c. Which products are included in WPI index?

A. The Report doesn’t mention the details of the products included in the WPI, but gives some information about the class of the goods and the number of items included.

Excerpt:

The revision of the base year in the case of WPI also led to some increase in the weights towards fuel and power and manufactured products away from primary articles. Although changes in the weights for manufactured products were not substantial for the group as a whole, there has been a tilt in the weights towards non-food manufactured products reflecting changes in the production pattern over the decade. The number of commodities included in the new WPI series increased from 435 to 676, even after dropping/revising 176 items from the old series.

II. Additional Info gained:

1. Quality of Data:

The data on which the policies are made is not reliable. E.g. data on unemployment and wages show a certain paradox.
Certain statistics like for. E.g. the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) statistic shows counter- intuitive trends.
Excerpt.

During the period when the global financial crisis was at its peak - December 2008 to June 2009 - IIP growth was positive according to the then available IIP series. This was contrary to our assessment of the underlying trend of some deceleration on account of the crisis. The new IIP series, revised with 2004/05 as the base, now shows that IIP growth was, in fact, negative during that period vindicating our intuition. Again, the old IIP series indicated that industrial activity slowed in the second half of last year (2010/11) relative to the first half but the revised IIP series shows that industrial growth maintained roughly the same pace between the two halves of the fiscal year.

2. Data Revision:

The data on which the policies are based are not Real time.

Excerpt:
The Reserve Bank’s policy formulation is also handicapped by frequent revisions to data. We make policies in real time and if the provisional data that these are based on are inaccurate, the resultant policies can turn out to be sub-optimal choices. Take estimates of GDP growth. For the year 2009-10, for example, the Advance Estimate of GDP growth rate at market prices from the expenditure side, that came out in February 2010, was 6.8 per cent. That was changed to 7.7 per cent in the Revised Estimate in May 2010 and further to 9.1 per cent in the Quick Estimate in February 2011. Therefore, policy that per force had to use information on Advance Estimate of GDP was fraught with the risk of underestimating the growth momentum

3. The report also mentions about the exclusion of Service sector and the Price index in inflation calculation. It also mentioned need to monitor the Financial Stability especially after the recent economic crisis faced by the world.



III. Questions, which still need answers:


1. Is the high rate of inflation that we are facing currently influenced by increase in demand or lack of supply?

The monetary measures implemented by RBI would only curb the demand but what measures are being taken by the government to increase the supply? Have any import tariffs/ quotas eased?. Has there been any measure taken to discourage export of essential commodities? Has there been any measure taken to increase the production? As we have seen in the above report, the IIP figures are not completely reliable.

2. Our sentiment driven capital market is highly influenced by the RBI reports on inflation, IIP figures etc. Considering the accuracy of the data as mentioned in the report, where are we heading? Our markets either shoot up or crash based on such inaccurate data!!!

3. The world was facing a recession, then how were the prices increasing? How could inflation and recession co-exist? There were no hike in salaries stating the reason of recession and yet the prices kept increasing due to inflation. How can such two contradictory terms co- exist?

Last question:
4. Where are we heading?

The ever-increasing prices, their effect on the society at large and on the common man would require another post. The effect would be very similar to Abhimanyu’s chakravyu . There is no way out of this vicious circle.

The entire report by RBI can be accessed at the link provided below.


http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/Speeches/PDFs/SDASD060711.pdf

Religion V/S God

I am not sure if many would agree with this post as the subject is a delicate and a very intimate one. For many the two words Religion and God .. go together.. synonymous rather.. or for some.. one is the offset of another....however I wish to differ.... Religion is not an offset of god but of society. Its the people who created religion. It is nothing but a reason to come together. one of the many reasons why we have clubs, fraternities alike. Probably religion was created with the view of binding people together. however in recent times it has been the reason for the divide rather. If one asks me whether I am religious, my answer would be a 'No'... but if one were to ask if I believe in god.. then the reply would be a 'Yes'... it confounds some..but i have my reasons to believe so... When the civilizations began to form.... they formed religion too..So initially these religions were specific to a particular location which later spread to other parts of the world through the medium of travellers, conquerers and and the people who migrated from one place to another. Some were formed before the others. Whatever be the difference in the ways of worship... the common factor was that divine power which everyone revered.irrespective of the location constraints.. everywhere the faith was same... The faith was placed in different objects... So there had to be some force..a common force which made everyone around the world feel it and beleive it..that makes me beleive in the existence of god...whereas religion is just a man made concept. .... but it is soo deeply ingrained into us that we are even ready to kill each other for it which is absurd. We follow a religion just because it is bequeathed to us. What if we were actually born to parents following a particular religion and raised by another set of parents who followed another religion.... to which religion would the child belong??? . so does religion run in our blood or in our minds?? so are we hindus, muslims, catholics, jews, sikhs, etc by birth or by upbringing? For me... I have my different ways to reach god. Its not that I dont believe in idol worship.. even I do that... I have a small ganesha at my desk gifted by a friend... the little idol is a source of strength for me.... Whenever I pray to ganapati bappa..I think of him seated in that small temple my mom's school.( Which now has changed and modernised though ). But its just my faith there... I have never understood when people say... an idol of god is more powerful at a particular location. for instance LalBaug cha Raja. Dont wanna hurt any sentiments here.. but seriously.. Is Bappa who sits at Lalbaug different from my bappa who sits in that small temple away from all the crowd? Are these different clones of the same god? Cant be right??? It is nothing but the faith and belief that we place in the inanimate objects and divinify them. God does exist and religion is just means to reach that Supreme Being. some do it with folded hands and some with open hands... but all the prayers reach the same ONE...

Just ONE Question....

Well offlate there has been lot of noise over Kasab's trial. Some were happy with the verdict while some Human Rights activists decried it. The laggardness of our judiciary compared to the judicial system of other countries would require another post to write about....
However I have just one question to the so called human rights preachers... who say that kasab should not be killed and he should be given a a chance to reform.
Suppose we are attacked by our friendly neighbours and are at war.. what do we instruct our soldiers to do? tell them that their attackers are after all HUMAN BEINGS.. Who have equal rights to live just as you do... so you should not kill them.. but offer yourselves to be killed..so that finally after they have conquered and killed all of us.. they attain enlightenment just like Ashoka... and reform themselves????

I would just quote a line from my favourite movie "Lakshya' in answer to these human rights preachers. " Hum kisi ki Mulk pe hamla karne nahi gaye the. Hamla hamari mulk pe hua hai." The people who died thanks to Mr. Kasab were innocent who were going about their daily lives. They were our people who were killed. It was our land that was attacked. We never waged a war against anyone.But we have been attacked again and again. Thanks to our fantastic judicial system which fails to deliver justice and the tolerant attitude of our government. And I am not supporting or asking for war out here... because that would lead to further destruction and losing our men...

But I do agree with the Human Rights Preachers.... Kasab should Not Be Hanged.... definately not...
He should publicly crucified... He should be handed over to the public.. To be granted death by hanging is a blessing for such creatures. Did they expect to go back alive after what they did. Ofcourse they had come with death and murder in their eyes and mind. So a death penalty would only ease his suffering.... He should be tied at the centre of the city.. and everyone.. each and every person of my city or my country should be asked to go and cut a piece of his body.. in which way they can.. i know its gruesome but anything less than that would not do justice to all those people who were killed on that night and the days that followed.... when we lost our brave soldiers.

But then.... it is going to be the same fate for Mr. Kasab just as his counterpart Mr. Afzal Guru. The Human Rights activist can rejoice as our judicial system is so adept that Mr. Kasab will never be hanged. he will rot in jail for rest of his life and our government will spend crores of money in keeping him alive and safe till some important politician is taken hostage and then his freedom is bargained for. but he will nto be hanged.... it doesnt matter if those crores could have fed many families who dont get even one square meal a day. or could have made life a bit easier for our soldiers who die for our country... by giving them basic amenities like medicines or food.


Rejoice... Human Rights Preachers!!!!..... Have faith in your Pseudo Democracy!!!!

Mind v/s Matter

Mind and Matter( Brain) two things different from each other but very often used interchangably.


The powers of the mind are yet to be uncovered.


Today we have the best of the scientific knowledge and years of research on neurology or the study of the brain. however what we know is only 10 % of what our brain can actually perform. the rest of the powers of the brain is still unknown. There is so much that the human brain can perform that is still not explained.



so how is the mind different from the brain. somewhere feel tthat the Brain is the apparatus and mind is like the experiment. the intangible asset but very valuable and much powerful over the brain. more like a subset of each other. together yet apart.



we are aware of the various functions of the brain and how each part of the body or each activity is ruled by the brain. be it anything from any biological, emotional , physiological need or activity. each and everything is controlled by the grey matter residing in that cubic space between your two ears.



few things that i had read about made me think about this subject . one was the ability of the ancient sages to create miracles. It was no magic but pure utilisation of the powers of the mind.these sagess could create things out of mid-air just by using their highest level of concentration power. the entire universe is made of particles. its only when these particles come together in a specific combination thats when we get what we have. So these sages just used the power of their mind to bring together the particles in the air, combine them in a specific manner and to create materialistic things such as fruits or water.

What these sages did in ancient time does continue even today though in a different manner. practice of reiki or what we call the telepathy are the examples of the power of the mind.

I feel the Human mind is the most beautiful creation of God. Mind lets you think, imagine and dream. The brain shows you the way to acheive it, helps to realise your dreams.

The Unconventional Life

Been wondering about this topic since i seem to be using this word " Unconventional Life" a bit too often these days.

So what do i write.. what the conventional life is and how i perceive the unconventional life to be?

or what i expect from life...little things which are unconventional... or rather people think they are so..

ok.. so whats the conventional life about.... in my perception... conventional life would be.. the typical one.. very similar to the existence of an animal for that mattter or any living organism. you are born.. you fight for survival. for food.. to mate.. for shelter.. and then once ur job is done.. then fine day.. its end of the story.. and teh cycle continues with a new hero or herione..and so it goes on... similar to humans.. there r so many of us.. Who just Exist.. for the sake of it. Maybe even I am doing the same as of now. Just leading a mere existence.. and not leading a life.. these two happen to be very different things..Do we actually understand the difference between the two.. or we do understand but fail to acknowledge it.. maybe due to different reasons... at times it could be that we are so engrossed in the rat race that we often tend to forget to LIVE!!!!

thats what i mean by "Unconventional Life".. a life where you LIVE by your terms. do things that satisfy your soul and not because it would satisfy someone else's demands. (I aint hinting at being self obsessed or self centred and be ignorant towards our duties.)

Somewhere even that "I" is important... need to listen to your heart.. what your heart wants.. fulfill its wishes... thats the way to keep it happy... just live your life by your own rules... make your dreams come true..trust your instincts.... live life by the moment.. you never know if you would make it till the next moment.

and if ever there are any moments of distress.. just tell your heart.. " AALL IZZ WELL"".. and so shall it be ....:)

Jago Re!!!

Election time is here again!!!!
Earlier the mantra of the political parties would be Vote Do Vote Do!!! Now it’s the junta which says Vote Karo Vote Karo!!!!
Par koi yeh toh bataye.. vote kare toh kare kisko???
Nowadays there are these social groups or organizations who have taken voting and the elections as their mission. Objective is to change the system. The youth is being targeted as they seem to be a considerable size of the vote bank.
Yeah we are aware it is our fundamental right to vote. And it is a duty towards ourselves, our society and our nation at large for every individual to vote. Also heard other phrases such as every vote counts, we have the power in our hands and the likes. (We did study some civics in school)
But…ting tong... Come back to reality. Is just voting going to bring about the desired changes in our Indian political theatre… which has the best possible drama happening of all the time!!! And secondly does our responsibility end by casting our vote?
Next Question: whom should we vote??? Well we have a wide variety of options available in our country (thanks to ridiculous and innumerous reasons for which we have political parties formed) but unfortunately not many have proved their worth or their words. How can we build a democratic system where the fundamentals of the parties are based on issues like religions, castes or regions in a country which is supposed to be secular since ages? Do we focus on being progressive or tend to be rather regressive in our approach towards development and growth? Do we wish to have an overall development or just focus on developing certain sections of the society or certain areas. This brings us to the point: are we truly a democratic nation? Do we actually believe in the fundamentals which were laid by ours leaders or the freedom fighters? Or is it just pseudo democracy or pseudo Secularism that we follow. Are we focusing at developmental politics or divisive politics??
Going back to the question so whom should we vote. If you consider at the national level as of now we have the UPA, the NDA and the Third Front. Can we choose one amongst these? There is no one best out here... So obviously has to be the one who is the least worst… have to work the other way... Tick off the worst ones….. Its all about choosing the lesser Evil!!!!
The above questions have been bothering me for some time now. How my one vote would make a difference to the nation? I guess I won’t be the only one who would be thinking so.
To begin with I decided to change my thought process. Instead of asking how my one vote would make a difference I decided to ask myself ‘How can I make a difference with my one vote?’ How can I ensure my vote doesn’t go waste and somewhere somehow it makes a difference to my country.
Answer: Read more. Grab any bit information that is available.
Know more about the people who are going to be in the policy making chair.
Be unbiased. Don’t let any prejudices overrule your thought process. Have an open approach. Judge strictly by weighing the positives against the negatives (well negatives happen to outbalance the positives over here but when pitted against the negatives in each other we can get some breakthrough)
Do your own research. When you talk to people on these issues there are chances you might tend to be influenced by their thought process subconsciously. So hear all that you can but listen to what your mind says.
Analyze what you want from the government. What are the issues that need to be addressed? Which things need to be condemned: corruption, criminal record of the politicians, exploitation and abuse of the power? Finally try to meet your ideas with that of the political parties for the best interest of the country. Overall we have an idea what each of the three coalitions stand for. So choose which one you would want to support or rather work it from the other way. Choose the one you would never want to support. Maybe that would be easier.
If each one of us puts some efforts to in order to make our vote worthwhile maybe then we would have a somewhat democratic government where no matter who is forming the government there would be some amount of the nation’ s say in it.
And let us not forget the most important thing. Our duty does not end by casting our vote. In fact that’s where our job begins and it is a continuous one. Stop blaming the government for each and every thing. You are equally responsible towards your country. Try and understand that something’s are beyond anybody’s control. Some things good or bad will always happen. The difference lies how each one deals with such situations.
Next time you blame your government for unclean roads. Stop littering in the first place and stop others from doing so. You are stuck in the traffic and wish to blame the government for not providing proper roads ensure you follow the traffic rules before you do that. Try and minimize your contribution towards environmental pollution. Analyze your every action and the repercussions associated with it.
There is a lot to do if we wish to for our country in our own little ways. We just need the will to do it. And for a change act rather than just talk or blame.
When we point a finger at someone else there are always the other four pointing at us.
Start Thinking. Ignite Your Mind!!!!

Will the Mindless Killing Ever Stop???

Offlate when someone asks How Are You? ALIVE !!! seems to be the only possible reply that I have.



Seems like the terrorists were bored of playing their computer games.. n as and when they like.. they go for some live CS...



makes me wonder if this hatred , mindless killing, ever stop? instead of blaming one another..instead of mindlessly killing ..will we ever fight against Terrorism and Not Religious Terrorism??? Will we perceive Terrorism as a serious national threat and do something about it?

Will people ever understand a simple basic fact that the terrorist do NOT belong to any religion!!!. No god ever calls for ruthless killing. when will we stop this hatred over pieces of land... in the name of religion, region...



I fail to understand what is it that these people want? Do they want to hamper the growth of my country? Attack the stability and progress?
Will this ever stop?????? Can we breathe peacefully ever?? Can we be assured of returning home safely and that we wont be burnt alive, shot at, butchered , assaulted.... just because we belong to a different sect, religion, region, race ?????

Whose Mumbai is it?

One man holds the city at ransom for days and goes scot free the next!!!
What an amazing show put up by our judiciary. It is said that our judicial system is one of the best since our judiciary is seperate from the state and no one can be above the law. However the events of this week seem to prove something else. one man can do as he wills, kill innocent people, spread violence and terror across the city, bring a city like Mumbai to a standstill, cause riots and still be treated as a hero?? a Warrior?? a Saviour???

Is violence justified???In order to have your way??? And the government or the law just acts as a bystander and watches the drama? Tries to put a gag on the person's mouth and expects him to follow a maun vrat? Disappointing!!! The government and the law has let its people down once more.

I do not understand the logic. So according to the revered Mr Thackeray, every state has to close its borders to the rest. Instead of having an open approach we are focusing on closing our doors to our own countrymen. If the same philosophy is to be applied everywhere, All the IIM's and IIT's should admit only local students. All the maharashtrians working in MNCs across India or outside India should be brought back home. Nobody should be allowed to work beyond their Regional Boundaries. All maharashtrian engineers and doctors across the world should be asked to come back or rather forced to come back and work only in maharashtra. aamchi maati aamchi maansa after all...

Has anyone stopped maharashtrians from driving taxis or do any of the jobs that at present is being done by the so called outsiders. or nonmumbaikars. Just that they never did it because they probably found it demeaning.

I believe Mumbai is different from the rest. A mumbaikar is not a maharahstrian or a north, south east or west Indian. Its a completely different sense of belonging and pride which only a mumbaikar can feel, understand and experience during the innumerable tough times Mumbai has gone through over the years.At such times its the average mumbaikar who is always ready to lend a helping hand. To recount recent incidents, during the 2005 floods or the 2006 blasts, the hand which reached you was not a bihari's or marwari's or south indian or maharashtrian's. It was that of a true mumbaikar. Its that spirit which is common between all of us.
Why don’t people understand this simple fact. A Politician does not belong to the people. People think Mr. Thackeray is addressing their issues and fighting for them.. but is he really??? Is He really bothered about the poeple or His people for that matter? Does he care? If he did would he say his party activists would spread terror if he were to be arrested? Isn’t it heights of self obsession? He probably feels proud seeing his people being beaten up while he rested in the car and was given top security?? while the common man suffered? The one who survives on daily wages had to go hungry for that particular period? Who gives people right to decide for others? and destroy and harm the rest just because they do not follow the same religion or do not belong to the same region???

Is violence justified and accepted in our country? Now we know why its easy for the terrorists to spread their terror in India as and when they wish.Its because we let them. We have lot of tolerance and patience. Thats the reason one man has the guts to hold the city to ransom. People are scared to move out of their homes or offices. Why should we be scared of such people? The Indian Common Man is a toy for the terrorist, the government, the politicians. To play around with their lives is their favourite pasttime.

All I feel is Mumbai cannot be restricted by boundaries. The spirit cant be killed and its there in each person in this city. no matter how many people try to stop it and have been trying to do the same for years, it still gets back on its feet and ready for the sprint with each new day.

That’s what I love about Mumbai and feel proud to be a Mumbaikar. and nobody can take that spirit away from any Mumbaikar!!!... The ones staying in the high rises or the ones living in the slums of this beautiful city which has its own charm. :)

As K L Prasad says... Mumbai kisike Baap ki nahi... (Kudos to him)!!!Mumbai har Mumbaikar ki hai!!!

Its Time... TO ACT!!!!

Some of us want to live in a Developed India... some believe we can never be one...to each his own.. for some.. it just doesnt matter...
but what are we actually doing to change things??? We complain incessantly for every little thing.. about the Indian Standard Time, about lack of proper infrastructure, education system, transport, healthcare, population .... blah blah blah.... But do we actually do something constructive inorder to help our country be a developed nation??
We feel proud.. when someone in the United States goes to space even if they are remotely related to india, when we win the world cup, when the number ofIndian engineers in NASA rises... We have loads of engineers , doctors, etc who make us proud. They have done their job. but what about us.. what about the common man? Isnt it our responsibility to keep our city/town clean as much as the government's? Why do we shrug off our DUTIES when we protest for our Rights??

Its time we move on from talking about the things for the sake of it and actually get up and do something.
We blame the government for the floods in mumbai, the drainage system isnt proper, its not cleaned etc often unrealising that we are the reason for the drains to be clogged.

This was an initiative which was told to us by a professor. She had initiated it and wanted us to be a part of it.She talked about being responsible and conscious and refuse to throw any waste anywhere but in the proper place and also prevent others from doing so. often as we travel in trains there are people who throw waste conveniently out of the window. You can politely ask them if you could keep it for them and throw it in the dustbin later. Well hopefully most would get the message and do the needful. Some might get upset but its worth the effort. You have nothing to lose and its like a cascading effect. You leave others feeling responsible for their actions.
If all of us decide to do the same wont our city too be a beautiful place?? wouldnt it be easier to achieve the dream of living a Developed India if we share the responsibility and act accordingly.

There is so much to be done if we WANT to do... Let each one of us contribute in our small ways.. kehte hai.. katre katre se sagar banta hai.. Our efforts wont ever go waste.. somewhere somehow it always makes a difference...

Well I still hope, Wish and Dream that one day I am going to live in a Developed India and I know I WILL :)

What can you do for your country?

Ask what you can do for your country and not what the country can do for you--- Famous quote seems to have lost its meaning. I don’t think many would be agreeing with the same today.
Since most of us seem to be having only one thing on their minds. Whats in store for me? We all pursue higher degrees., better jobs.. look for a great living… and rush towards countries which can provide us with that.

But what are doing towards our country, towards our society??? We blame the government for everything. For the 26/7 floods to traffic and every possible..
But do we ever realize that even we contribute towards it.

Is it just to blame someone without even looking within ourselves? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if instead of raising our finger to point at someone we extend a helping hand???

Who is the Real Hindu?

The above article about the violence against catholics in Orissa by Mr. Karan Thapar in the Hindustan Times lead to an interesting debate in BOTI (Box of Tulu Idiots). Prasad as usual was great and provided very strong logical points. He obviously didnt agree with Mr. Thapar who disapproved such acts of violence in the name of religion. He was pro VHP.
I somehow had some different views about the same.... would like to share them.

I dont see anything wrong in the conversion... did we ever go n help those people, when they were dying of hunger?They might have been lured to change their religion but does religion really help you in survival?When u see your kids dying of hunger, would you stick onto your religion or be practical n convert if it that is what it takes to see ur kids have food and clothes??? abt the latur earthquake and bihar floods.Most of the the relief proceeds went to the relatives of the politicians.the help that is provided to the farmers never actually reaches them because it is gobbled up since it comes through the bureaucratic process. tell me what do these VHP and bajrang dal do for these people?? does visiting temples and and carrying out the age old rituals etc help these people get food??? Or by killing people, destroying public and private property does VHP provide them a source of income???
and do you think the VHP bajrang dal n the rest really care for religion?? All politicians make the people dance to their tunes in the name of religion and take the utmost advantage of it.It is means to make their presence felt in the crowd.
Who gave us the right to decide the fate for someone else?When we couldnt create anything ... who gave us the right to cause destruction around??]
Did anything productive arise out of the riots and violence thats being carried out by the religious activists???All i could see around from the riots was pain.. anguish.. destruction..death.. fear.. is that what we really want???
When we talk abt growth and progress.. can we achieve it when we are so engrossed within ourselves and focus on such petty issues.. The political parties make people lose their common sense in the name of religion...and gain the required political mileage out of it.... Or else why would this issue get blown to such proportion when the elections are around the corner whereas conversions have been carried out since years. Why now??

I dont think religion gets you life .. does it??? If you are in your death bed due to starvation.. is all the mantra jaap gonna save you or the food ???
If you really want the conversion to be stopped.. Wouldnt providing the people who are dying of hunger with food and shelter be a better option than killing them...If we kill innocent people is it going to stop them from converting their religion ??Infact it would increase the number.. I would really be ashamed to be known as a hindu then...this is what has happened to islam too.. just because a certain section of the community creates all the trouble, today their counterparts all over the world have to pay a price for it.. Is that justified?? just because they follow a common religion every muslim is looked upon as a potential terrorist??? Tomorrow what is happening to muslims...might happen to hindus too.. ofcourse unless we realise everybody has a equal right to live their life the way they want just as we do..

It is always easy to blame and criticise others and follow the group syndrome.. ek ne aisa kiya toh saare ke saare waise hi hai... consider this case.. u r a hindu..the VHP guys are also hindus but would u ever kill someone for the reasons that they did??? but since u r a hindu.. the people who were effected by their acts of vandalism will always be wary of you when you have done absolutely nothing n would never even think of doing any such thing.Hatred spreads very quickly.Try and notice it if you can.. jab hum bitch bhi karte hai kisi ke baare mein emotions kitne easily bahar nikalte hai. flows freely.wahi agar hum kisi ki tareef kare.. no matter how much we love that person .. it still stops somewhere.. but with bitching there is no stopping.. agree or disagree?Thats the quality of the negative emotions.It spreads like a virus.How many of us have actually read or tried to find about what Islam really says??? If even we like the illiterate public give up on reason and logic and justify brutal killing.What is the use of our education if it couldnt give us the capacity to use our brains, think rationally and look at things from a different perspective for a change??

This lead me to think.... What is more important .. Religion or Survival??? Being a Hindu, Muslim, Catholic , Sikh or being a HUMAN BEING??