Desicritics Category: Culture: Bureaucracy

What an Idea?

Suresh Naig — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:29:37 EST

I exclaimed “What an Idea?” in disgust, because of its foolishness and lack of forethought. My son was in possession of a prepaid SIM from the service provider Idea Cellular, which along with the handset he had lost a couple of days back. When I called up the number, surprisingly someone answered and I sincerely felt that the handset and SIM were in the hands of some Good Samaritan. However I was jolted when the person arrogantly answered that the phone and the number belonged to her, which she was in possession for over a year.

I immediately called the customer care division to register the loss and block the number. I was in for a second round of shock. The call was transferred to an executive, and after listening to my complaint he said a prepaid cell number cannot be blocked, as per the company rules. Instead he gave me a docket number acknowledging my complaint reporting loss of SIM. I also learnt to my consternation that any person can pay and augment the talk time which will not be refused by idea cellular, in spite of the docket number.

If a handset with a SIM which is lost cannot be blocked, and can be used by any person whose identity could never be established, is it not a farce to demand ID proof while activating the connection. Is it not a possibility, that any person with criminal intent can acquire a SIM and later report loss, so that he can be absolved of a crime, still the SIM continues to be used by his associate?

I feel the Government had banned the sale of prepaid SIM cards in Kashmir, due to this loophole. It is time the Government changes the rules to plug this loophole, lest criminals will continue to rejoice, “What an Idea?”

Book Review: Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers

Anuradha Goyal — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:40:24 EST

Jim Rogers and Paige Parker along with their anonymous team of videographer and web designer traveled 152,000 miles in three years covering 116 countries across the world, setting a world record. It takes a great deal of courage, conviction, resilience, patience and probably a bit of madness to take up this kind of a challenge. People start feeling homesick after a few days of journey and when they are thrown out of their comfort zone. To throw yourself in the middle of total chaos, to fight for visas on every border, to find a place to sleep and to locate your next meal, even when you have the resources to pay for everything, is no mean feat. The adventure is something that would keep inspiring whole lot of aspiring travelers like me.

The book with its 340 or so pages is too small to capture an experience that is so vast. So you do follow the couple’s journey as it happened chronologically, but you miss out on the details for most places. Author talks a lot of border crossings, the problems or the surprises that they had while crossing with their car. He also talks about the stock exchanges in all major countries, and how easy or difficult it is for a foreign investor to invest there. As they spend most of the time on the road, they do talk about the quality of the roads and have their own list of best and worst roads across the world. He also makes the book personal by talking about his marriage, his father’s illness and his death during the trip. He almost ends the book by talking about his visit to his father’s grave.

In the last chapter which should have been his reflections on the trip after coming back, he actually takes it as an opportunity to thrash America and how it is making enemies and alienating itself from the world. He also takes all possible digs at Alan Greenspan, who he hold responsible for fraudulent reporting by US government and responsible for inflated economy numbers. I am not an expert to say how good or bad his observations are, but I found them irrelevant in a book that should have been about his travel adventure and about his insights into investing in various economies around the world.

Considering that they traveled 150 miles a day on average, they had not more than 2-3 days per country that they traveled, so their connect per country per day is not really enough for them to be able to make any inferences or decisions on the country overall. Jim stops by to give investment advise on all these countries, and giving an impression that the decision is solely based on the 2-3 days spent in the country which seems unlikely. He and his wife also got married while on the trip so the trip also served as their extended honeymoon, no wonder they stop at certain places and find them romantic. I found his investment advises too shallow, as they lacked all rationale and the logic given was too high level. He only talks about balance of trade, demographics and the free trade as the only parameters to consider while trying to invest in an economy. I am sure there is far more to an economy and to investor’s decisions than this simplistic view.

The author makes some common observations like:

1. You can learn more about the country by talking to the madam at the brothel or a black marketer than by talking to a public servant or a government minister
2. Bureaucracy is a problem in every country and public in every country thinks they have the worst bureaucrats. ( Based on my conversation with people of at least 20 nationalities, I agree here)
3. Successful investing means getting in early, when things are cheap, when everything is depressed and when everyone is demoralized.
4. Everyone blames the foreigners when economy goes south. Always.
5. Immigrant always has to run a bit faster, which increases productivity.

For any travel enthusiast, this is definitely an inspiring book, but as a book I would rate it as average. The author had so much to share, but in the process of putting a bit of everything, he missed out on the depth on all aspects. He could have either written a book on each aspect or divided the book into various segments like travel, investment and personal story. Somewhere you just seem to be running along with the author, without stopping by to admire the beauty spread around, the insights lying here and there to be uncovered, the thrill of fighting against odds, the way to get out of the tricky situations, the dilemmas faced and resolved, surprises encountered and the whole aura around the travel.

As an author Jim could have definitely been better. Nonetheless, do read this book if travel is what your dream is made of.

IIM CAT Snafu Continues - Mismanagement and Inconvenience

Aaman Lamba — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:19:45 EST

The first online Common Admission Test (CAT) for the Indian Institutes of Management presented a poor showing for the institutes and the company conducting the test, Prometric, as problems continued to plague some test centres, impacting a number of students across the country.

Problems started on the first day of the CAT, which runs up to December 7th, with students being unable to log in to the test, and a variety of excuses being made by the test centres and IIMs, ranging from hardware problems and virus attacks. Test examiners and invigilators did not appear to have been well trained. Often, computers hung while tests were underway, creating an unfair advantage for the student. The central server is reportedly affected by a virus or malware, and it is strange there was no backup server. Fail safes and alternatives did not seem to have been sufficiently planned, and students were mostly left in the lurch with little to no clarity about students taking the test at alternate dates. Many students travel across the country, take leaves, and generally prepare mentally for the test, thus new slots might be inconvenient in various ways, and affect the general outcome.

Over 50 out of the 360 labs were reportedly closed and problems have continued on day 3. A press conference convened by the IIM Convenor and Prometric representatives seemed to have nothing concrete to offer, apart from platitudes and promises to accommodate all the unfortunate students who had faced problems. The convener seemed to have not taken care of even basic courtesies like turning off his cell phone before the conference and provided generic answers to questions, before trying to pass the buck to the test vendor, Prometric, not best practices from a management institute. As the Wall Street Journal put it, the IIMs need to practice what they are supposed to preach,

The weekend CAT fiasco, in which 50 of the 360 centres had systems fail and students could not take the test, has reinforced the perception of poor coordination and collaboration of IIMs. Going by feedback from some of the candidates who took the test , it seems they not only failed to manage the technical aspects of the test but also did a bad job in training the staff present in various centres. If good management is about reducing uncertainty and systematic errors, then the IIMs have failed that test .The way the coordination committee of the IIMs reacted to the fiasco is also a matter of concern.

The HRD Ministry, under whom the IIMs function, has sent a letter to the IIMs and the CAT Convenor, Professor Satish Deodhar, asking for a factual report on the disruptions of the Test.

The CAT fiasco also creates a problem for broader adoption of computer-aided testing, that is expected to be a major growth industry for test-happy India.

Praising the British - A Psychological Malady

Suresh Naig — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:07:45 EST

As a part of my work, I was involved in discussion with a person regarding some chunk of land put up for sale. He was one of the persons having interest in the land and we were verifying the survey diagrams with the official records. During the process of discussion he was praising the British for the meticulous survey records officially available with us now. He implied that, but for the English we would not know records keeping and land survey.

The person who made the comments was highly qualified and in no way could be considered ill informed. These statements are familiar, for I have come across similar ones right from my school days for a long time. During my school days I was made to believe that, but for the British we would not know school education and we might have stayed as nomads without knowing trousers and shirts. After a very long gap when someone made a similar statement belittling our capabilities, I realized that propagating ignorance in the name of spreading knowledge is easier and effective.

Most of the inventions are need based and that is why we say “necessity is the mother of all inventions”. Egyptians knew geometry so many years back, which is borne out of sheer necessity. When the man made land boundaries used to be devastated by the regular floods of Nile, they resorted to an ingenious method of preserving land records. They preserved burnt clay models defining the boundaries of landed properties, so that after every flood they could easily identify the boundaries.

Ancient monuments such as the Sun Temple of Konark, Hawa Mahal of Jaipur, Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjore are the standing testimonials for our civil engineering capabilities. In spite of our rich knowledge in executing civil engineering marvels, I am dismayed by the people proclaiming our inadequacies vis-à-vis the British supremacy. Extrapolating the statement, one should conclude that land records should not be available in the countries which were not colonized. It is common for many persons to praise the English for Indian Railways, Postal department, Parliamentary democracy, our Constitution etc.

If the statements are to be true, we should have stayed where the English have left us without any advancement. It is common knowledge we have made impressive strides in the fields of agriculture, space research, Information Technology, Tele communication etc. Since we have either departed significantly from the olden ways or started afresh, we could attain significant progress in these spheres.

We have deteriorated in many areas, because of our lack of will to depart from where they have left us. Parliamentary form of democracy, Bureaucracy and Judiciary are the glaring examples of our inept English legacy.

Why Aamir Khan Should Not Lobby for Kiran Bedi

Ruchi — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:54:09 EST

[EDITED - DELETED]

Will Manmohan Get An Economic Nobel?

Vivek Sharma — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:44:01 EDT

It is about time our Sardarji got it. Sardarji who is credited as father of optical fibers managed to dodge the Nobel by a whisker. I often look at that name on the wall of the Subway stop of Kendall Square/ MIT, and marvel at our inability to remember and recognise his name. But Manmohan Singh is a name that strikes a familiar chord in the West. Had there been no Manmohan Singh, we, Indians, could have been eating chai-pakoda, filter coffee-samosa, thumbs up and chaat in place of MacDonald's Burgers, Pizzas and KFC nuggets. The man who leads the greatest democratic nation in the world, (and emphasises the fact that India has more voters than the living and dead voters of the United States in the twenty-first century), the man who leads the most destitute crowd of voters into a capitalist, globalized economy, the man who has helped India become a keyboard thumping nation of 'code-monkeys' and 'phone-donkeys', making late-night forays into their stylised cubicle prisons from where they answer phone-calls with assumed Western accent / name, that man, his team, his party deserves some Western pat on the back. But maybe Sardarji will not get it for precisely these reasons and others that we will see in rest of my post.

Manmohan will not get it as he is overqualified as a politician. He is too gentle with words, too urbane and he lacks the element of drama so essential for getting credit for things. He does not offer to change the world, he has already done that to 1/5th of the world (or been largely responsible for guiding it through). He does not have a monstrous predecessor who ruled his country before him, he is neither fighting any wars nor spending great amount of public money on financing big banks that hand out million dollar bonuses. Manmohan does not have the charisma to carry a Nobel Prize into the front-page controversy anywhere except in Pakistan and in China. Both these countries are significant to the stability of the world, and who would want to enrage them by offering the prize to an Indian.

In fact, we Indians would be enraged if he got a Nobel, after all Gandhiji did not get one, after no writer after Tagore managed to get one, Bose (aka Bose-Einstein theory) got none, Bose (aka JC Bose) did not get one. We are happy this way; this Nobel is quite inconsistent with Eastern values, where we don't value individualism and temporary success as much as we value good karma, i.e. good action, and success which arises in form of good effects seen by coming rebirths and generations. Nobel prize in economics has been awarded in past to people who guided world economy into great recession of this decade: showing it is a transient award, given for predictions rather than results. It is given for things that look mathematically consistent (though all real life conditions are ignored), for things that help the richest country now remain the richest country with people carrying greatest amount of personal debt, which finances luxuries that requires largest per capita consumption of energy, causing oil companies to become rich by waging monopolistic campaigns in oil-field-carrying nations, causing first rate energy crisis which will follow. It is given to policies that create Banana republics, not to policies that provide cheap health care and education to masses. Exceptions are always there, and of course, if it were not the free flow of ideas that spawned this post, I would have believed and said the opposite to everything I said here so far. I don't verify facts and figures while writing such conundrums, and sometimes awards are given in similar vein, so maybe my approach to saying things here is not totally vague.

Maybe the Chinese Premier must be given the Nobel, for allowing Marxism to be reinterpreted in such a way that China has now more billionaire than any other country, that is if we forget to count the billionaires in United States. To redefine communism in this way took less than two centuries after the issuance of Communist Manifesto. I am sure Karl Marx is re-reading his theories and trying to understand what went wrong, that his brainchild Marxism is now interpreted in this way. Also the Maoists in India, who want a China-like communism in India, must be quite confused by the turn of events in China itself. Perhaps by shifting 70% wealth into the hands of 1% people (according to some unverifiable propaganda estimates), by reinventing the meaning and purpose of communist party, and keeping 1/5th of world population under control while they did it, the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese Premier have made an unprecedented economic breakthrough that deserves a nod of approval from the Nobel committee. Maybe Arvind Adiga or his character from White Tiger, are already rooting for the Chinese Premier. China already produces every toothbrush, shoe nail, nut, bucket, dinner plate, door handle, undergarment, comb, hairbrush, (maybe even flags of other nations), TV remote, table-lamp switch and imitation weapon (read Charlie Wilson's War for details) used by people in rest of the world. Such progress deserves a prize, more than our progress indicated by our Sardarji's facts and figures.

Who knows though, maybe Manmohan will get it anyhow. He might get it as the committee has never given a prize to a person of his community and its about time that the economic prowess of Punjabis was awarded. He might get it as they begin to comprehend that the growth rate on Indian GDP and inflation has defied most of the World Bank estimates in the past two decades. It will be a good idea to award him the prize and claim that International Monetary Fund, and the intellectual and economists are supportive of former professors even after their leaving practices and posts for offices of political intrigues and power-plays. It is no small matter however that when Chanakya, the famed economist of Mauryan empire from twenty-three centuries ago, was the prime minister, the Indian contribution to GDP of the world was a decent 33%. We are only off by the second digit in that figure, and 3% is not bad by any means. We had 1/3rd of world' population back then, and through middle ages, the GDP was decently high, provoking so many attacks on the nation. To safeguard ourselves from colonists, Mongols, Greeks, Huns, Islamic tyrants from beyond the Hindukush, to safeguard ourselves from a repetition of those bloody war, we as a nation decided to stop being so rich. But Manmohan wants to make India look rich, and he needs encouragement. He definitely needs encouragement. We could have been spending money on getting rid of insurgents everywhere, on borders, in bordering states, in Maoist-infested states. We could have been spending money on providing possible places for professors and researchers to make their grand discovering in India. We have avoided all these temptations, ensured that we export our talent, and we keep our farmers dependent on foreign seeds, so that our commitment to world economics is not questioned.

For this level of incongruity in practice and values, in poorman's pocket and rich man's mansion, in supposed technological advances that create only code-monkeys & phone-donkeys, for this level of dedication to profits of world's multinationals, for this level of focus on removing hunger by letting the hungry die, for removing insurgents by giving them the lands they ask for, for liberating India from licence-raj, where politicians made direct fortunes, and taking it into an era of economic liberalization where politicians still make money, and unknown forces get the profits, for all this chaos and trying to make sense of it, I recommend Manmohan for the Nobel prize of economics, and if that is not possible peace. The nomination process for 2010 will open up soon: start casting your votes in his favour folks!

NSG Security Cover Withdrawn By Home Ministry

PrOgMaN — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:07:19 EDT

Multiple Policemen flashing Sub-Machine guns or Black cat commandos toting AK-47's and a long cavalcade of red-beaconed cars and jeeps; all these have become more of a status insignia than a measure of security. This was clearly evident from the hysteria which was created after the review committee decided to downgrade the security cover of few politicians. Prominent among them were Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Murli Manohar Joshi and Lalu Prasad Yadav. But the humorous part of this entire fracas were the comments issued by some of these leaders after the Home Ministry announced this decision;

"You are insulting those leaders who are fighting for social justice. You are putting our lives in danger by proclaiming that you are reducing our security"
-SP Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav

(You are absolutely right Sir. If banning English and Computers is your way of fighting social justice, then you are surely in a grave danger from the numerous people who are qualified, those who wish to get a better education and those who vouch for a prosperous and developed India)

"If anything happens to me, then Home Minister will be held responsible"
-RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav

(The entire India is hoping that something happens and Lalu Prasad develops a strong yearning for developing Bihar rather than simply demanding more trains from Patna to Mumbai!)

Jokes apart, a glance at some of these figures will have you flabbergasted. Our government annually spends Rs 175 lakhs per politician in providing them with a Z+ Security, add to that Rs 1 Crore for a yearly NSG cover, 8-15 Lakhs for bullet proofing of a single vehicle (a full convoy may consist of 6-8 Bullet proof Cars), installation of high-end security devices at the offices and houses of these politicians, not to mention the fuel and ammunition cost and you have a bill that runs into hundreds of crores. Also, the above estimate is just for the Z+ security, add to it 3 different types of security covers (Z, Y and X) which are currently being provided to approximately 6000 VIP's all over India and you will have a number that is way difficult for my pea-sized brain to calculate!

One solution to this problem can be to make use of services of private security instead of NSG or para-military forces like CRPF, CISF or ITBP. Another solution may be to formulate a completely new force altogether whose only task will be to guard our "revered leaders". And by looking at the way in which SP and BSP leaders protested the downgrading of security, I thought the one person who needed security cover (may be a Z++) the most was our poor old LS Speaker! God save his a**!

What I Would do if I was in Nandan Nilekani's Shoes

Venkatesh Sridhar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:44:04 EDT

Nandan Nilekani has taken over as the Chairman of the National ID project. That ignited a thought in my head as to what would I do if I were him.

1. Create a matrix structure: It is essential for Nandan to create a matrix structure so he can keep the structure flat to be able to keep a close eye on the bureaucrats. It will take time for both Nandan and the 'crats to get to know each other's working style. One is enterprising, quick and fast, the latter procedure oriented. A matrix structure will allow Nandan to create a culture in which things will happen fast and move fast.

2. Evangelize the bigger picture: You have got the opportunity, make it big. Take the concept to the next level, eventually even replacing the passport, voters card, driving license, ration card, PAN card, etc. Keep talking about this vision, kick it up always. This will ensure that you will leave a legacy behind for someone to follow it up, remember you are doing this for India.

3. Use social media to gauge feedback and ideas: Make appropriate use of social media to gauge feedback and get ideas from people. It will make people part of the process and get more and more involved.

4. Leave Infosys out of the bid: If I were him, I would definitely ask Infosys to stay out of the bid. It has the potential to raise heckles. Yes we all know that Infosys and the associated folks are known for their values but it will still set an amazing example and will ensure no one kicks any kind of dirt later on, especially if Infy ends up winning the project.

These are major things that I would do if I were he. What will you do if you were in his shoes?

School Mints

Maaya — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:19:52 EDT

My daughter's School's Chairman was roughed up by parents. My daughter's current school is supposedly one of the better schools in Visakhapatnam

When she started school, there was much debate about which school she should go to. I remember poring over lists, speaking to various parents, friends and researching other sources.

What decided our choice was an excellent argument from one of our friends. She said every school has its good teachers and bad teachers. Your child will be concerned about the teachers. The management of the school makes for a good school or a bad school and the child never comes in contact with the management. Hence no matter which school you choose, the quality of teaching will not be much different. I found that excellent advice. We chose a school which had good ambience, larger, free and open spaces, and with smaller class strengths. We never regretted our decision.

The current school, however, seems to be part of her fate. She went to this school for her 11th and 12th as this school offered the combination of subjects which we wanted. That's where we got embroiled in the management problems. The school has a history of management problems, with stories of the director embezzling funds to this recent insane fee-hike.

The school, this year, arbitrarily increased its fees by 80%, without prior information to parents in adequate time. When we opened the fee book in June we saw that the fees had been almost doubled. The management had played clever. They waited until June. They did not inform anyone. We could not pull our kids out of the school and take them elsewhere. We were stuck. The problem was the method adopted. The slyness and underhand way of going about the monumental increase in fees. Parents with 2 or 3 kids in school would feel a major crunch.

The Parents Association has raised a hue and cry. They have been fighting the management, have brought orders from the District Department of Education, but to no avail. The management is adamant, in spite of 'dharnas' in front of the school.

In this context and atmosphere, the AP government's proposal for a fee ceiling is welcome. Private schools have become places of rip-offs. They charge incredibly high fees, but the quality of teachers is less than mediocre. We spend tons on tuition. Classroom and toilet conditions, simple comfort levels, attention to non-academic and creative activities etc. are much less than adequate.

Education, has become like politics. A dirty place. A quick, fast way of making huge money, and a no-options situation for the public. With so much push and awareness about education, every parent now, whatever economic situation, vies for the best education for the child. But do we get it? Education has remained mediocre. Teaching methodologies, management policies, classroom and school conditions have not shown the escalation that the fees have shown. I am not even going into education and its impact on the child - that is another can of worms.

Under these conditions, what is the common (wo)man supposed to do?

Continental Airlines Gets Notice for Frisking Abdul Kalam

PrOgMaN — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:19:52 EDT

Some facts about Dr. Abdul Kalam:

Director of the project to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III)
Responsible for the evolution of ISRO's launch vehicle programme, particularly the PSLV
Responsible for developing Indigenous Guided Missiles at Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)
Responsible for the development and operationalisation of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles
Chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC)
Author of 4 books "Wings of Fire", "India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium", "My journey" and "Ignited Minds - Unleashing the power within India"
Awarded the coveted civilian awards - Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997)
11th President of India…and the list goes on

Such is the stature of one of the most respected and distinguished personalities of modern India. No doubt, a furore was created when a foreign airline was involved in frisking him, making him wait in the aero-bridge and treating him like a “normal airline passenger” as a part of the routine airport security exercise. However, what boggles my diminutive brain is, what crime did the airline officials commit?

The airline officials lucidly stated that, they did what is to be done according to their company policy i.e. to scrutinize every person using the airline, irrespective of whether that person is a VIP or a VVIP. Instead of applauding them for their unprejudiced and impartial act, they were forced to dole out a public apology. The fundamental question to be asked here is why is there a different set of rules for a different set of people in the first place?

This is one of the many flaws which makes way for other debauched malpractices like Corruption to seep into the system. Our great MP’s and MLA’s have customized, reshaped and revised the red-tape in such a manner so as to be suited for their own convenience. No matter in which part of India you are, there is always a separate parking space, train berth, airline seat reserved for our dignified VIP’s. Heck, there is even a fully furnished “cell” waiting for them when they are sentenced to a jail term.

The irony of the fact however is that, according to the airline officials, Dr. Abdul Kalam was very cooperative and underwent the entire process without any hitch. So who were the ones who created such a ruckus over the entire issue? None other than those very same politicians who felt that their VIP stature was at stake if they would be subjected to such “blasphemy” as “airport security”.

So next time, if you want to smuggle that expensive 80 Gig IPod or bootleg that chic Sony PSP you desperately wanted to lay your hands on, you know whom to call; Your friendly neighborhood VIP, of course!