Enron, Satyam, Lehman?

Just finished reading the letter of Ramalinga Raju to the Board.
The first question that strikes me is, How come Satyam was instantly barred by the World Bank for 8 years, while the Lehmans and the Merill Lynchs of the world were given a bailout bounty?

The people who knowingly converted sub prime assets into securities, sold them to semi institutional investors at a scale that they knew was large enough to upset the whole apple cart.. these people deserve no punishment? The Bailout package is handed out, not to the semi institutional or retail investors who suffered on account of this fraud, but to the very perpetrators of that fraud.

Why were there no prosecutions in the US, or at other places, for what was done with very fraudulent financial instruments?

By now, the heads of almost all the I Banks should have written a letter like the one Raju wrote.. to their own boards, to their own governments, and to their investors. Why is no such letter around?

Happy New Year

What is the starting point of a circle? A revolution is a circle(an ellipse, if u want to be technically correct). Why did we decide that, this point is where we will start the circle?

To the chosen starting point of the ellipse, then... May the next ellipse draw a happier path.

Jab we met - again

This time, it was Mampi, ~nm and moi.

~nm and i have met earlier. This was the first time that we were meeting Mampi... and the excitement at our end was incredible.

Mampi was there with her husband. She is a charmer if there ever was one, and effortless at it. She also has the cutest, most impish smile i have seen on anyone in a long time.. VERY different from the more serious avatar one sees online.

~nm's skill is slightly different. She can put u at ease in a jiffy, and she will have you yap yap yapping in under a minute. Her son Aniruddh takes right after her.. Anirudhh and Ishaan were playing like chaddi buddies within 15 minutes of meeting, though my son is a rather shy specimen.

Mahesh, Mampi's husband, deserves a special mention. He was the only husband stuck in that house (the other 2 husbands were playing "Find me if you can") , with the TV match for company. He was soo sweet about it! Mahesh, to you goes out an extra dose of gratitude for letting us have the time of our lives!!

Why do we bring children into this world if..

... This is what they have to finally meet?
Israel, Africa, Iraq... how does the name of the place matter?

I was way too disturbed by these pictures to put them up on this blog. maybe its what happens to a person after they have had a child. maybe its because i just saw my sleeping son, and one of these children looks uncannily similar..

Why bring any more children into the world?

The Doordarshan Quiz

Think you know your Doordarshan well? Try this and tell me what you think...
1. "Chitrahaar", the weekly program of Hindi Film songs, was telecast every _____________ .

2. This program was an adaptation of "Little Women": ______________.

3. This program was based on that eternal romance, "Pride and Prejudice" : _________.

4. "Malgudi Days" was based on a book by R K Laxman.
True/ False ?

5. This was the first serial based on mythology to appear on TV with a huge production budget. This was also the serial that marked the entry of a film production house into television. Which serial are we talking about?

6. Pankaj Kapoor made a mark as the carrot happy detective in a detective serial. The name of his secretary in the serial was _______________.

7. "Neev" was weekend viewing. The story was about a ___________.

8. Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi was made famous, justifiably, by this excellent execution of a historical. The serial we are talking about is_________.

9. They were staple faces in our drawing room once a week, as they smiled, discussed, and brought rich Indian culture into our homes - Siddharth Kak and Renuka Shahane. The TV series that brought them to us, and that played the game "Six Degrees of Separation" with its viewers was:

10. This was a 5 part serial based on Bheeshma Sahni's novel of the same name. The theme was India's partition.

11. This family saga was made special by Ashok Kumar's commentary at the end of each episode. The serial was ___________.

And your score is?

So, what are you doing?

Palash Sen has done a brilliant post in the Times of India today. His piece shamed me, as indeed, it would have shamed every other reader.

Therefore, I, the Citizen of India, hereby pledge that:
1. I will not drive against the rules. Small things, big things, any thing. I will follow traffic rules, safety procedures, even pedestrian lights.
2. I will not condone if my child cheats in an exam.
3. I will VOTE.
4. I will read party manifestoes before every election. I will look for forums to ask questions to the people purporting to be our leaders.
5. I will, once a year, contribute to the Armed Forces Fund.
6. I will not litter public places.
7. I will not bribe.
8. If I have a bad consumer experience, I will tell other people about it, instead of keeping quiet and thinking "why should i do this for someone else?"
9. I will do a refresher course on the Indian constitution, RTI et al, and ensure that my children do it too.
10. If there is an accident, i will try and get the victim to a hospital. Or i will not be a tamasha bystander.
11. I will speak to at least one person about population control in this month.
12. I will teach at least one child around me. Preferably a girl child.
13. I will NOT keep quiet if someone around me is being troubled for dowry, is being harassed, or has undergone female foeticide. I will, at the very least, break social contact with them in toto.
14. I will only vote for one reason - the administrative performance of the person. I will not become a vote bank for religion, for language, for caste. I will not become a part of the vote bank. Period.
15. When i see someone do something that they should not be doing, i will speak up. They may not listen, but I will speak up. Its not about someone else any more.

More on Mumbai

Unlike other people who are keen on "getting on with life" post Mumbai, I doggedly hold on to the negativity, until something more concrete than people losing plum jobs happens. Until there is a strategy in place for the protection of this country. Until our policymakers realise that the voter is not an idiot. The theme of destruction continues.

Can you feel
the clock ticking?
Time
licking its minutes away
as we lie perspiring
wrapped in a rug
on an old, war beaten street
that neither you nor I recognise.
The stones
yet as familiar
as if
they have gulped our blood down
their parched throats
and a little
streaming down the sides of the mouth ...

Is this a nightmare
or does the terror of war
actually transcend Births?

Message from The Other: JOIN THE TERRITORIAL ARMY. MAKE A DIFFERENCE. DO SOMETHING.

**********

my dear politician:

Terrorism is a combat topic. Keep your traps shut. The only combat you know is the one with your spouse. That experience does not count.

Please stop adding to the mayhem with your visits after the calamity. You only add to the logistical nightmare. Stay right where you are. Give that peanut sized mind a rest. Let the combat people take the necessary decisions.

- The Indian Citizen

Mumbai is not a stand alone incident. the venue has changed from Hazratbal to Mumbai. When Srinagar or Mizoram burns the country does not go into a tizzy. We should. We should protest the first atrocity to prevent the second.

Why did we not get on the media's neck to ask, "where were you when there were terror atrocities in the rest of the country? Why were you worrying abt Raju Shrivastava?" Why were we reading the gossip section before the national affairs section?

I second Tata Tea - Jaago Re. It's time to stop blaming. its also time to stop thinking "This is about someone else."

****

Edited to add: Isn't there such a thing as "Internal Security Threat" that allows us to declare an Emergency, go hammer and tongs after every lead, and do total pest control in this country?

Much as I hated her, at times like this, I miss Indira Gandhi. She could take a difficult decision. And Act on it.

Appendix:

Part XVIII of the constitution permits the state to suspend various civil liberties and the application of certain federal principles during presidentially proclaimed states of emergency. The constitution provides for three categories of emergencies: a threat by "war or external aggression" or by "internal disturbances"; a "failure of constitutional machinery" in the country or in a state; and a threat to the financial security or credit of the nation or a part of it. Under the first two categories, the Fundamental Rights, with the exception of protection of life and personal liberty, may be suspended, and federal principles may be rendered inoperative. A proclamation of a state of emergency lapses after two months if not approved by both houses of Parliament.

Two months. Enough Time.

Some days
are days
of easy bargains
when smiles
go cheap
just because
they are over-supplied

And some days
are days of auction
when
the mundane pains
bring a fortune
just because
people like
a little pickle
with their food.