Wednesday 16 May 2012

O World! You lovely traitor-ed, die with me...

An urge is buried in my heart,
that rankles me, vie with me...
O world! Such is the pain..
Please! Die with me..

She went away, far away..
I had always have her be..
But one wish does a Love have..
To shame the love in her eye..
But clever she never looked at me..
My insulted eye..Cry with me.

This sharp memory would crush me..
with pikes and pricks of old love..
Like a jilted belle, it hovers in head..
no place to hide but by being dead..
A world full of shrewd Love..
ought not to sully the Loves..
Sob! Sob! and lie with me...
Thou lovely traitor-ed...
Smile! Die with me.



Monday 7 May 2012

"Some vivid pre-cognitive predictions about Indian IT that went wrong."

The recent figures of BPO segment's revenues at 15 billion U.S dollars seems to have shaken up the rhetoric of certain masters in the similar business. Just an year ago, there were many who had been predicting that Indian IT would suffer a lot and BPO segment would face a bolt from the changing attitude of cash provider--the 'honorable' West.

To be fair, there were many signs about the possible plummeting of the ITES and BPO sector. The reasons being the increasing prices to maintain and manage operations in India, availability of alternate options in the form of Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and of course Philippines and Vietnam. There were talks about discussions factoring in the rising rupee which was making India less attractive. For example: if an Indian manager was to be paid Rs. 30k (750 US dollars) the companies could pay the same amount of Pakistani Rs. 30k (350 US dollars approx)--and I hope you got the drift. Also, the fall was substantiated by certain companies actually taking their call centers off India because of price for operations.

I believe that there are several possible reasons of the busting of all those predictions. One that is obvious is the more companies who had been out-sourcing their operations which could have led to increase of revenues.( The BPO segment revenues had been about U.S dollars 14 billion in 2010-2011.) There has been a flux of new names who had chosen India to outsource their service work. This can also be understood form the basic demand-supply analysis as was clear from the notion of ITES companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro who had consistently hired new students fresh from college. Had there been no demand for new recruits, the companies would have reflected in their HR reports.

Then the important factor is Indian companies realizing the importance of competitive advantage over other budding nations in IT department. The Indian IT companies have added new features in their offerings bettering their cost attributes and also building upon marketing their services to the First World in a brilliant way. Nandan Nilekani has always stressed that we also need to market our offerings and that merely sitting like geek-ducks won't serve the future growth curves. Efficiencies on all levels and at all scales possible has been the grappling point for Indian ITES and they have done tremendously well.

This--because the IT soothsayers too have a job of a kind--would make the fellows who like to predict to do so in a way as to factor in these two crucial things. Anyways, Indian entrepreneurs and managers  who are hands-on on IT tasks all the time are quite sanguine that the growth would continue if the global economic trend continues in the bad shape. (Joke in IT sections is for those who had move out and are to begin again with raised wages and other fixed costs.)

I would certainly say that the companies who are outsourcing are not to find the talent similar in scope and scale as in India anywhere else. Government, knowing that the biggest absorber of new graduates is IT sector have openly showed eagerness to dole out special incentives to such companies even in SEZs, free import of goods and services, excise CST and tax exemptions. It would be a shame, though, for the government to adopt this monolithic approach and not work for making other sectors--esp the farming, manufacturing, textiles--alluring for new investments.


"Going down the way of little 'unities' "

One of my little repines has been to hate the guy who once said "unity is strength." Not because it never turned out to be true but because there wasn't a thing he said which he should have, about the context behind that. So, we have--were we to talk only about India-- this mired purlieu where we have several little 'unities' that is destructuring India in worst possible way possible. The little unties of Dalits, Brahmins, Schedules Tribes, Ramghadias, Mazhabis and the list is as long as the cantankerous guts might allow.

These are still unties because they are untied--by faith, or by down-troddenness, lack of opportunities, discrimination etc etc. They have got a cause to unite and be a voice. It is often said that a voice can only be as strong as the cause it might be talking about. No doubt, we had the largest single united voice for the cause of Independence. In fact, it is a shame for us that what was the expected beginning for a new era of blooming generations was actually considered a terminal moment for the repressive, colonial past. So exalted we felt because of an achievement of large scale that we never realized, first-the importance of factors that led to that cause namely our courage, commitment and resolution working for the assimilation of a untied front against British; second, we didn't realize how important it was to stay united and continue with our work towards a prosperous India and not failing to do so by choosing instead to break down UNITY into several insignificant fooled version of little and pathetic unities and that VOICE was hewn and mangled at the chopping board of our wretched bias, prejudice and self-importance to be rendered as pieces of little 'voices.'

These voices are mere cries and whinnies now. They can't be substantiated on anything and would very soon fail to have even a convincing push-point on anything. We have been witnessing such things as these voices still get more and more narrow, with no mentors and sincere leadership. Individuals are expected to give shape to societies so that it can be a tool to build communities and administration forces to run the country. Sadly but, we have seen a terrible collapse of society into individualism in its worst form in which it ridicules itself by weltering in self-importance, arbitrariness, sham self-interest, frindlilessness, pettiness, and me-mine-myown wretchedness. And aah! the dire need to compare ourselves--sometimes with modernistic trends of west, soemtimes going back into medieval times of Guptas, Budhas--and never in the showcase of attempt to be ourselves, Indians who can take pride in collegiality and sharing and camaraderie and sympathy for each other. 

Saturday 5 May 2012

" .... "

"Kuch lamhe zindagi ke ...
 kisi benaam kavita jaise hote hai.
 na to naam le pate hai koi..
 na kabhi yaadon se ja pate hai...."

" Ik chota sa hi to safar hai zindagi..
  kat jayegi...kat jayegi...
  mitti se mast hai teri hasti mauji..
  mit jayegi...mit jayegi.."

" sahare ki aas par ik farmaan hai..
  sun lena, yad rakhna..
  ke mushkil me koi akela nhi hota..
  besahare ko besahare ka sahara...
  kisi bhi sahare se kam nhi hota.."

" aj dhool c lagi hai ankhon par..
  raah hai jo muh dekh rha mera..
  chalna mujhe hai par nazar saaf nhi..
  rasta na ho ye akhri safar mera.."

" khair chalna hai to chalna hai..
  raston se bhi kyi rishte hote hai..
  pag-dandi ik bhi na ho par kuch raste..
  kisi benaam kavita jaise hote hai..
  na manzil ko taraste hai..
  na kabhi 'naam' ko rote hai.." 

Friday 27 April 2012

"Little air to breath.."

So often it seems that the air has thinned...
Thinned; and robbed of its flavor..
Why? Didn't you feel the same..

The breathing was easy in littlehood...
very happily would the wind carry..
innocuous jokes, friendly bantering..
the fragrance of protection was there though unadmired...

Now, there is a miasma of offense..
less and less words have thinned the air..
there can be so waves as such..
no 'expression' to put my death-wish,
I would die, without choice..
In : "little air to breath."

"The widening gap of media and journalism.."

We now feel so much mellowed over the conversations of media being a 'corporate lolly.' So much so that the phrase seem to be deserving of the most reflective cliches of the nation's psyche. The issues that erupt ever now and then like the pesky wayward weeds after the moisture of weather, take on media as a prominently growing platform for paid bits with extra effort in moolah to smarmily call them 'news.'

This has been accepted by the t.v journalists --while some also have the extra smugness calling them as 'video journalists'--themselves which is an etching thing for this pillar of democracy. It is a shame that journalists themselves talk in dismissiveness of each other as such a print journalist would call a t.v anchor as some coiffed 'cutesy' (mirthfully applicable for both men and women) with affected glibness while the t.v journalists poking fun at the print journalists calling them as hacks or ill-informed or less-resourced. In the mire, if anything is degraded it is the institution itself and if anybody innocently laughs, it would be the people.

Often, every media house of any nature print, radio or t.v would try to raise the bar for itself asking for a collective journalistic effort to 'introspect.' There have been those who have rebuffed each other making allusive remarks or gesturing subtly about the channels like India T.V, Zee News and the likes where the flavor is sensationalism. The point of mootness would be to reflect that while making such efforts to denigrate their lesser counterparts, the mainstream media dilutes itself in terms of credulity, posturing like a femme. IT IS RIDICULOUS. The audience of good channels would always know why they are 'good' and what happens at other panels. They need not be reminded certainly not that it be informed to them, as they know it much better having the special privileged (verily so without any bias of sort) to sit on couch with an open mind and zap on the remote. Why the stooping then? Barkhas and Deeps, discard these petty allusions. (You are the most we have so far and as per the referendum figures, if there are any, the standards need be improved by grave margins.)

For Barkhas and Deeps: The audience is always wise to know what would suit them or their appetite for news. Nobody would hog India TV when there is an attack on the national security and people expectably wish to know about the real time ruckus happening. You can not impress them by idiotic posturing and cheaply sly references as if you have dodged the lesser to make a point to the intelligent. That is so egotistic and best be avoided. There should be concerns about how--given that there is a controlling monarch with deep pockets from where would outpour the funds for running of channel-- to tell the truth convincingly in plain words. The boldness would be intimidating, as it has always been in the history, for those who would vulgarly wish to have a little reign over it. They won't have the same credibility without you and would not in any case will to loose the face they have so laboriously built. The advertising rates for popular t.v shows on news media is an ample proof that the marketers are more wiser than you or your bosses. Please would some wads of relief into this widening gap of accidental media and injured journalism.

Thursday 26 April 2012

"Sachin--an absolute fit for Rajya Sabha"

It is a moot point to think whether Sachin should have been nominated for the Upper House of Rajya Sabha. There are so many disputations about it: whether it means a prelude to his fizzling out career or an indication of it, whether this would divest of the achievements he had made on the field of cricket in any way, whether he really should be opting it despite the nomination, will he be able to attend it, while attending performing in it and off it on the field and so on. I personally feel that it can only amount to some good being done for the nation.

Before defending, first of all it is the privileged discretion of the President of India to nominate certain members to the Rajya Sabha. The nominees in the past have been the prominent people from all walks of life be it sports, drama, films, theater, media etc and there can be no cribbing on whether Sachin should have been appointed or not. This question dies because it didn't matter whether he willed it or not, the privilege was with the President and she used it, wisely as I feel.

Important point is that this would in a good extent mild the cynicism that every Indian heart reserves for the Politicians. Sachin would--tell me if I am just wishing--at least have many people take serious note of politics if not policy framing and the importance it behooves for the general good of the nation. This is the point (the only point in fact) which I wished to argue before picking on the keyboard was to begin. May be there are those who would seek to watch the debate in Rajya Sabha for the mere intention to see their idol (if not God) sitting among the whites in the house. No need to say there would be some respect for the institutional framework at that moment even though the benches had been willing for the same since decades now. And of course, there would be the cameras standing outside the house asking (I know each and every time) the opinion of Sachin Tendulkar about the course of the debate or decision that might have undergone therein. I am sure that Sachin's point, however amateurish that might be, would be in sync with millions around. His presence would make the upper house all the more glamorous. So far I have totally discarded Sachin's involvement in any special way for the policy making. Those who say that Sachin would be a certified dud at that have no reason to make such wild assumptions--at least not until they have seen him perform at this field, too.

Then the media of course would be paying too much attention to the episodic bouts of Rajya Sabha also. They have always stayed away form the old walls of the Houses, but I believe that they would at least have one cameraman and a reporter from each channel to cover up his visit. At times,, there is every chance to believe that subsidiary matters of importance will also get the glare and if God wills, also to the ears and minds of listeners. Seeing him as a 'politician' others --particularly the youth--might have the ambition for the positions of the Parliament. At least those who do not want to wear the white kurta would have to think twice before they start with their cynicism, abstention, indifference, ignorance, or repugnance because a great sportsman has chose the same path. Incurable optimistic that I am, I would even delve in a special thought to imagine Sachin's love for this new game for I am sure that if anybody can turn out his love so brilliantly as to make a name in the field of that 'love', it would be Sachin. So I hope that he LOVES politics a lot to make a good score.