We talk about some western countries possessing double standards and being racially discriminating but right now what is happening in Maharashtra by no means is different. MNS and Shiv Sena are playing the religion card to persuade vulnerable Marathi voters.
I notice that some political parties have started playing this card very openly especially from last few years (Modi played it in Gujarat) and it is purely to gain some attention and votes. Shiv Sena played this card in 60’s 70’s, when they said South Indians are taking up all the jobs and should be driven out of the city. They funnily called it “lungi hatao” :) As expected it backfired, MNS today is also playing the same card; they are as odious as other fundamentalists. Let me be very clear, Bombay was not built by Marathi Manoos; it is built by every fucking Bombaikar.
MNS and Shiv Sena are nothing but two sides of the same coin. There is no rationale behind their actions, infact they are the ones who provoke people. Honestly I feel they don’t have the balls to compete, that are why they feel insecure. Tomorrow if same card is played by some politician in Hyderabad or Bangalore then all the Marathi speaking people who are working in Southern Indian states especially in BPO sector will meet the same fate. India so called largest democracy which we are proud of would become a joke.
Today, whether it is Bombay, Delhi, New York or London, it is people who came to these cities to earn their bread have made these cities and everyone should be proud of the city there are dwelling in. I strongly urge that everyone who reads this post should not vote to these parties. They are as bad as terrorists….don’t think I am over reacting :)
I have already decided to call the city Bombay...no offence it is my choice
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Parenthood
Yesterday, I attended the first session of our ante-natal classes, which are conducted by the local hospitals (by midwives) for parents-to-be. It is a great idea to help one prepare for labour, birth, and early parenthood.
First session was quite a handy one; we met a few families who more or less had a similar due dates. We were requested to ask every query/doubt we had in our mind. Interestingly, you have people coming up with all these funny queries for e.g. someone wanted to get the details on where to park (I guess it is critical when you are in hurry during labour). Someone asked about water birth at home, changing nappies etc. In India obviously majority of families have elders to guide and provide the right advice but here with the family setup being weak, local government spends a huge chunk of their annual budget on medical services to make sure common man has access to basic provisions of life.
I must confess that I took some time to mentally prepare myself towards parenthood but now I am really excited perhaps looking forward to it. I guess initially I was apprehensive because of the whole process but slowly now I realise it could be great fun. I pray and hope that I become a good parent and to be in a position give all the happiness to your child …already talking like a parent :)
First session was quite a handy one; we met a few families who more or less had a similar due dates. We were requested to ask every query/doubt we had in our mind. Interestingly, you have people coming up with all these funny queries for e.g. someone wanted to get the details on where to park (I guess it is critical when you are in hurry during labour). Someone asked about water birth at home, changing nappies etc. In India obviously majority of families have elders to guide and provide the right advice but here with the family setup being weak, local government spends a huge chunk of their annual budget on medical services to make sure common man has access to basic provisions of life.
I must confess that I took some time to mentally prepare myself towards parenthood but now I am really excited perhaps looking forward to it. I guess initially I was apprehensive because of the whole process but slowly now I realise it could be great fun. I pray and hope that I become a good parent and to be in a position give all the happiness to your child …already talking like a parent :)
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Corporate social responsibility
For many Indians, especially from rural India, when it comes to big organizations, it has always been Tata or Birla.
Tata is a name of trust, someone with sound CSR (Corporate social responsibility) values. Today, in every business school around the world, CSR is a mandatory subject. These values were re-iterated by Ratan Tata when Nano was first launched (we can argue about health and environment hazards but that’s a different story). But what is happening in Singur is something that is going against the name of Tata. It is high time they realise how much damage they are causing to their image before they totally lose trust from rural India.
Singur is highly fertile agricultural area and it is alleged that state and Tata have forcibly taken away their land for setting up the Nano plant. In a recent interview, Mamta Banerjee who is backing the protestors clearly highlighted that industry should not grow at the expense of agriculture, which is quite justified. The last thing what India doesn’t want is to lose its agricultural identity. Few years back agriculture accounted for 22% of India's GDP and employed half our country's workforce. Surely one would argue what about new face of India? Can we ignore industrial zones? Answer is 'No'. India is such a vast country and surely we can find enough place for industrialization...you don’t need fertile land to build IT parks or manufacture cars.
The offer made by Singur protestors is quite reasonable. They want Tata to return only 400 acres (out of 1000 acres) earmarked for ancillary units for the Nano car project. In return they are asking Tata and the WB govt to take the 500 acres of land lying just opposite to the Tata's Nano factory.
Certainly this is bad publicity for WB and India but then we all know that in India some drama has to happen especially when the stakes are so high and for the first time I doubt Tata's sincerity and their values.
Tata is a name of trust, someone with sound CSR (Corporate social responsibility) values. Today, in every business school around the world, CSR is a mandatory subject. These values were re-iterated by Ratan Tata when Nano was first launched (we can argue about health and environment hazards but that’s a different story). But what is happening in Singur is something that is going against the name of Tata. It is high time they realise how much damage they are causing to their image before they totally lose trust from rural India.
Singur is highly fertile agricultural area and it is alleged that state and Tata have forcibly taken away their land for setting up the Nano plant. In a recent interview, Mamta Banerjee who is backing the protestors clearly highlighted that industry should not grow at the expense of agriculture, which is quite justified. The last thing what India doesn’t want is to lose its agricultural identity. Few years back agriculture accounted for 22% of India's GDP and employed half our country's workforce. Surely one would argue what about new face of India? Can we ignore industrial zones? Answer is 'No'. India is such a vast country and surely we can find enough place for industrialization...you don’t need fertile land to build IT parks or manufacture cars.
The offer made by Singur protestors is quite reasonable. They want Tata to return only 400 acres (out of 1000 acres) earmarked for ancillary units for the Nano car project. In return they are asking Tata and the WB govt to take the 500 acres of land lying just opposite to the Tata's Nano factory.
Certainly this is bad publicity for WB and India but then we all know that in India some drama has to happen especially when the stakes are so high and for the first time I doubt Tata's sincerity and their values.
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