Sunday, August 13, 2006

Independence Day 2006

Things have been happening fast – in India, abroad and in a few other aspects as well that would keep me occupied for the near future. That is the reason posts in Clearway have become fewer and far between.

Blogs are beginning to be heard and are becoming louder in the media these days. As is said, the success of an individual is measured in the changes that he manages to bring about in the lives of others. The billionaire or the baron is as good as the particle of dust floating around with the wind if all that he has thought about is his own self and his kin. So can be said of Blogs – what change this Compulsive Expressive Disorder brings about in the lives of people and how powerful it is in enhancing living standards of those in dire straits would determine the success of this medium.

Independence Day Celebrations and the accompanying inevitable terror threats have given fodder for channels to conduct Talk Shows and surveys – “How vulnerable do you feel this Independence Day?” Heck, if we really had Independence, why would we feel vulnerable at all? It’s only when you think your fate depends on some other mortal that you feel vulnerable! Well, you have as much chance of having your head blown off by the Human Bomb as you have of tripping on a stone and suffering a fatal head injury or slipping off the exit while you emerge out of the plane that has just safely landed! You were born, you are bound to die.

Wishing fellow Indians a Great India soon on this Independence Day, Clearway takes a few days off Blogging. But then, as you know, the dusk always has its dawn. Let’s all live to see India flourish – and Humanity wake up to the reality of Peaceful Co-existence. Clearway will be back.

Monday, July 31, 2006

The Have's and the Have Not's: Protect your Head - Use the Helmet!

Issued in the interest of the general public by Clearway!

Traffic Constable: Hey, Stop . . Stop!
Bike Rider pulls up - looks at the TC.
Bike Rider: Yeah dude, what's up? Why did you want me to stop?
TC: Where's your helmet?
BR: Why? I lost it a few years back while I was on a picnic. Don't know where it is now.
TC: A few years back? So, you never bought a helmet after that?
BR: No. My daddy bought one for me but strictly instructed me never to take it out. It was a very expensive helmet and he was afraid I might break it if I fell from my bike!
TC: Do you know the new helmet rule that's on from today?
BR: There's no helmet rule, I have withdrawn my order.
TC: Huh? Your order? What do you mean your order?
BR: My name is the same as that of the Chief Minister of the state. And all is in the name. So, Im the Chief Minister of the State.
TC: Hmm, okay. But even in that case, we have not got any papers revoking the order from you, Mr Chief Minister. We go by the original order. You need to cough up a fine.
BR: Heh? You wanna have a showdown with me, the Chief Minister?
TC: See young man, the helmet is meant only to protect your head.
BR: Big Deal! Don't you see that it's my own individual prerogative to decide when and where to break my head? What's your problem?
TC: I think you dont watch movies. John Abraham always wears a helmet and he asks others to wear one as well.
BR: Mr TC, I have two reasons not to use a helmet. One, I did not have sufficient time to purchase a helmet.
TC: No Time? But in your own words, you were the one who gave the orders in the first place! And it has been more than a couple of months since your order came. Are two months not enough to buy one helmet?
BR: Buying a helmet is a long procedure. We need to advertise in the news papers and call for tenders, the tenders would have to be opened in a transparent manner and a source decided and the order awarded. And the most important factor is that the helmet must suit the shape of my head.
TC: Okay, so what's the other reason that you did not buy a helmet for, Mr Chief Minister?
BR: Well, the other reason is that I don't have anything in my head that I may have to protect. So, I have nothing to lose. It's like, if you don't have anything in your house, would you lock it at all?
TC: Yeah, that was obvious, the moment you said you were the Chief Minister merely because your name is the same as his name.
BR: Yeah, you are right. So, why should I pay the fine?
TC: I concede. You do not have anything to protect and hence you don't have to wear a helmet. But those who have something in their heads, should they not be wearing their helmets? Is it not your responsibility, as a Chief Minister, to show the way by example? After all, medical bodies have come to this conclusion after studying so many fatal head injuries. Why all this debate at all?
BR: That's because, we are conducting a survey as to how many people have stuff in their heads and how many people of the state have empty heads. We could not design a perfect test for that. So, the best way is to let people decide by themselves whether their heads are filled or empty. Now we know - those who wear a helmet are the "Have's", and those who do not wear one are the "Have Not's".
TC: That's great. So, you are a proud "Have Not". Congratulations Mr..

Friday, July 21, 2006

Meet the Fockers: Ban on Blogs

Mr Home Minister,
As far as this Blog is concerned, you don't exist. Nor does your Government which has had the guts to put a lock on my home, seal it without notice and then open the doors sheepishly as if nothing ever happened.
Where were you when the bombs were placed in Mumbai rails? Were you cuddled in the comfort of your Air conditioned rooms when hundreds lost their lives and loved ones? What do you plan to do to stop the next attack in the city? Or perhaps, was it the divine intervention that prompted you to block blogs so that no further attacks were effected? Do you have to guts to come over to my place and look at me in the face at this very moment?
You better not! I would make you feel sorry if you did that! Browse the net and see if you can get some tips on National Security. Take a crash course if you please. But never ever think of laying hands on my Blog! India prides itself on its Democratic credentials and on being Super Power material, whether they are facts or myths. Don't blow the cover exposing your weak underbelly. If you can't do your job, resign!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Post for Victims of the Tata-VSNL Conspiracy

They are the latest swindlers in town - and they have made a fortune out of others' money. Tata and VSNL are the twin names that stand for anything evil. They swindle, they rob, they rape - they do anything for money.
As the growing list of victims supports a case for the Government's Black-listing the Tata group, Clearway lists the contact details of Tata group obtained from the web in this post. For those who missed the action, details of the modus operandi of Tata Indicom Broadband Dons can be found in some of the previous posts:
Contact details of some commanders of the 'yet-to-be-banned' organisation are available here:

CMCS. V. Ramanan, head (corporate communications)
Indian Hotels, Raghunath Kale, director (internal communications)
Rallis, Annahita Kapadia, manager (MD’s office)
Tata Chemicals, Sujit Patil, manager (corporate communications)
Tata Coffee, C Jawahar
Tata Consultancy Services, Pradipta Bagchi, general manager (corporate communications)Email: pradipta.bagchi@tcs.com
Tata Elxsi,
Tata International, Shernavaz Colah, corporate communicator
Tata Motors, Debasis Ray, head (corporate communications)
Tata Power, Shalini Singh, assistant general manager
Tata Steel, Sanjay Choudhry, chief (corporate communications)
Tata Tea, Rashmi Mehta
Tata Teleservices, Suroor Hussain, manager (direct marketing)
Titan, Manoj Chakravarti, general manager (corporate communications)
Trent, Neeti Chopra, head (marketing)
Voltas, B. N. Garudachar, general manager (corporate communications)
VSNL, G. C. Banik, chief general manager (public relations)
As you would have noticed, the only e-mail id relevant to VSNL is that of G. C. Banik, Chief General Damager (Public Relations). However, efforts to mail him have been futile - his mail box is already full!
So, dear victims of the Tata-VSNL conspiracy, do not hesitate; just shoot mails to any of the e-mail id's (preferably, each one of them) available. They are all from the same gang anyway!
PS. If any of you could get some more e-mail id's of the gang, please leave comments here.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Militants pack up as Government Deregulates Terrorism

Mumbai is in the news again - and for the wrong reasons! Repercussions of the blast have made the US tighten up its security. That is vigilance, perhaps. Our Intelligence has been caught napping - snoring, in fact.
To be able to blast eight spots in a row, one after the other with the precision of a scientist in experimental conditions is no mean task. Whoever did that seem to have had all the time and freedom to plan, move and act at their leisure. I never knew planting bombs was child's play!
What followed was the lethargic act of convening of a high profile meeting by the Prime Minister, statements by DGP's confirming that the blasts were planned indeed and no act of accident, bodies piling up, relatives grieving, and Intelligence waking up trying to understand what hit them. Heck, I feel so bored to be typing this stuff that happens as if it were some dragging episode in a soap that has been running for years! To be precise, bomb blasts have lost their charm! I mean, they are not exciting anymore, are they?
I really feel anyone could walk up to our President with a bag of explosives and gift him the bag after a warm hug. And I dont think our President would object to that anyway; and our Intelligence folks would promptly put the pieces together as would our Government in declaring a mandatory mourning period. I mean, bombs are plain boring these days!
I would suggest terrorists wind up their business and try some other more profitable and glamorous avenues. And I personally would like to apply for a job where I would have no pressure whatsoever, relax at my will, read the news paper and speak to the media once in a while when some loud noises erupt in buses or trains or market places in the metros. Any idea where I could try my luck?

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Mumbai, Delhi, Democracy and Dr Venugopal

Rains wreak havoc in Mumbai! Is that news? Well, definitely not! That's an annual event, much like the Summer Festival; just that this doesn't have much to do with anything Summer. One would be surprised if work doesn't grind to a halt once or more than once a year in India's commercial capital. And what can the administration and authorities do when Rain Gods work overtime? You don't expect the Government to sack the Rain Gods, do you?

Talk of 'Sacking'! If one were to believe media reports, that's something out government seems to be good at - along with ransacking. What would you do when you want to be constantly in the news and you run out of ideas? You sack someone of the stature of Dr Venugopal a day before his Birth Day and insist that he got what he deserved for not having performed his task.

Sack a Chief, will you? Nah, I did not mean a Chef at your home - a Chief. You conceive a meeting for a couple of hours, lodge your complaints, read them out, be your own justice and spell the verdict out - well, that's no Democratic stuff. So, there’s no way it could have happened in the biggest democracy; definitely not when Mumbai is let to go into hibernation every year as if it's nobody's business to do something about the infrastructure at all. Our governing authorities never budge even in the worst hours of crisis - they just let the system take its course. Don't tell me the AIIMS Director was sacked by some hooligans - not in India!

Monday, June 26, 2006

Nightmare Kills Aussie Dream!

None but the diehard Italian optimist would have hoped for Italy to join the elite club into the next stage of the World Cup knock out. And for the sarcastic pessimist of all the hype blown out of proportion surrounding the football gala, there must have been some reason to think twice in his next line of attacks on the millions of maniacs.
Beckam did the trick yesterday to justify the Indian 'International' movie's name; and what a slice it was indeed with the artistic touch of a master craftsman, sliding right past the goal post, squeezing through the gloves of the desperate goal keeper! The one free kick made all the difference yesterday. And today, it was a twist of fate from the Aussie stand point! And it was indeed ironical that the Yellow shirts, who went into this game as underdogs were actually quite aggressive and dominated over the favourites for most part of the game. Frustration was written all over the face of the Italian coach who had nothing to do but to gesture wildly in the air, wondering if he really deserved to be in his seat at all with such a meak show by the Italians. A ball possession ratio of 61 - 39 against the Blue men did not quite tell the whole story. The Italians looked dead on the field; they stood as if they were just out of a deep depression, struggling to find their true selves, doubting every cell of theirs before making a move. Most of the game was played in the Italian half. Well, the Aussies surely deserved a win today!
Just as the Italians struggled to avert conceding a goal and getting the game extended into the extra time came the horriffying act that stabbed, killed and burried their opponent for the next four long years. For a team that thoroughly dominated the opponents, conceding a penalty in the last 10 seconds of the game would be a nightmare that would haunt the Aussies for the rest of their lives. "Cruel" was the word the commentator used to describe the situation - and there couldnt have been a better adjective! The Aussies were aggressive, confident, dominant, valiant - and the most unfortunate!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

"Clearway against Football": Critics Grill Clearway!

Critic: Is it true that Clearway is a headstrong blog?
Clearway: No idea what you mean by that. But if you are hinting at Head and Shoulders, Clearway doesn't advertise in its space.
Critic: I concede that might not have been the best way to start an interview.
Clearway: There are no defined paths to go about doing things. I never accused you; so you dont have to concede anything.
Critic: Well, the main purpose of this chat is to draw your attention to the way you are being perceived.
Clearway: I dont see what is to be achieved by that and how that would affect me.
Critic: Alright, let me get to the point. Why have you not reported the World Cup?
Clearway: I would have reported it if there was no other way people could have known that the World Cup had started. I did not report it because people already knew that the event was underway.
Critic: Is that a valid reason? I find it as more of an excuse.
Clearway: Well, that was a response; you may categorise it as you wish.
Critic: The point is, what do you plan to achieve by choosing not to report an event as big as the World Cup!
Clearway: Well, there is no point in reporting it. I told you that.
Critic: An event that draws all eyes to it, that has so much of History about it, the biggest entertainment of the world, a feast for every football lover, and you see no point in talking a word about that?
Clearway: So, what do you expect me to say? That the World Cup has started off in Germany? That is a mere news and makes no sense. I might report the event if the football got lost when the game was all set to begin and all the stores in Germany ran out of stock just then.
Critic: That's being cynical about something Historical.
Clearway: Im being neither cynical nor historical; Im just being practical.
Critic: Okay, what's your opinion about Brazil being the most favoured team?
Clearway: Everyone talks about Brazil because they do not know much about the other teams; and they can't imagine not talking about football in a World Cup season!
Critic: Does it mean that you discount Brazil and dismiss it's world renowned skills?
Clearway: Im not a Discounter nor am I an employer of the Brazilian team to dismiss them. I was talking about the froth in all the talk about Football.
Critic: The discussion is not about people; it's about football.
Clearway: Perhaps, that might have been a reason why I did not report the event?
Critic: Okay. Which country do you think would run away with the World Cup?
Clearway: It would definitely not be India. As for running away with the World Cup, anyone could do that. But winning it is different.
Critic: Ahemm . . . so who do you think would WIN the World Cup?
Clearway: I can easily predict that. But suppose my prediction turns right, the winning Team will have to give me the World Cup and walk back home.
Critic: Whatt???
Clearway: Don't worry; I have some other cups with me. I shall give one of those to them.
Critic: The whole discussion leads me to infer that you are not interested in the World Cup, or you are not a Football follower or you want to stand out from the crowd desperately.
Clearway: Whom do you refer to as the Crowd?
Critic: The Bloggers of course. You do not want to be associated with every other blog and you consider yourself superior.
Clearway: How sure are you about that?
Critic: Otherwise, a blog the reports News and Views from India should definitely have talked about Football in its space. And you have chosen not to do so.
Clearway: Getting back to your point about your inferences, Number 1. Yes, Im not interested in the World Cup. If I were, I would have played in it and tried to win the Cup all for myself. Number 2. Yes, Im not a follower of Football. The football gets kicked all around the ground and I can't keep following it to every corner and into the goal posts. Number 3. You yourself have termed the Bloggers, a "Crowd", a strongly objectionable term, considering the individuality of every Blog. I take strong exception to your usage of a term that was totally unwarranted.
Critic:
Clearway: And what I want to achieve by not reporting about the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, and why I'm hell bent on writing not a single word about the colourful event followed by mad people all around globe is entirely up to me. You never deserved an explanation about that.
Critic: So, finally, are you going to write about it or not . . . ?
Clearway: That's a Straight "NO"! And no reasons would be furnished, whatsoever. I have other important things to do than write something silly about Football!

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Let there be some Space for News: Media

Alright, it was a tragedy! That Pramod Mahajan was fatally shot by his own brother, that he was such a young and promising leader, that the family had to go through the ordeal in the days that followed the incident till his demise and to cap it all, that his son kissed the doors of death and returned to life while his aide was not all that fortunate, all of these couldn't have been any worse for the family.
But why waste all the front page space on a family affair? And this seems to go on and on in the media that seems not to be getting enough news to fill its pages. The BJP leaders have visited Rahul Mahajan who is now in police custody - that is only to be expected of them and is an act of basic courtesy that they do so; the party ought to stand by the family of its senior member when the family has been torn apart. But again, that's a Party affair!
The sorry story of Rahul Mahajan is more of a human interest one than anything of National interest. There could be other important events happening around that may have a deeper impact on the lives of a typical reader. Let the media have its heart in place and think with its head.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Dr Wrong, think again!

Its Reservation Reservation everywhere! And no there's no reason why it shouldn't be. I winder if this protest against this R word would go down in history and into the History Books as one of the most vociferous expressions of disapproval of a Government Sponsored move by the public. So much so that even a casual talk of Railway "Reservation" or an airline "Seat Allocation" is making heads turn!
Whether this is justified or if the revolting voices would be pacified upon assurances of their own "Safety" remains to be seen. What is unsettling, however, is the way ordinary citizens are made to suffer for no faults of theirs, caught in the cross-fire. Why would an ailing woman or an old man remain unattended on the pavements of hospitals, while physicians are busy shouting slogans and holding placards? Does a senior Doctor have the same responsibility as that of a striking student? Would the same Life-saving magician ignore his patient and go along with the mob, if the patient were his own mother or father or sister?
Dear Doctors, whether you are right or wrong is decided not by your guts in shouting in the crowd - it has to be announced to the world by your actions backed by convictions. You have been brilliant enough to gain entry into the medical colleges beating every odd; you definitely shouldn't have problems conceiving novel ways of protests while protecting those who have surrendered their lives to you!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Don't even THINK of buying VSNL!: Escape from Tata Indicom Part 3

The woes from Tata Indicom continue, prompting a third post on the same issue at Clearway! Here goes the script of the next e-mail to Tata Indicom from out Tata victim!
Im tired of lodging complaints with you folks!

Tell me something, is this an ISP or a bunch of Jokers sitting out there, talking merrily to whoever speaks on phone and sending the same set of e-mails in response to every complaint, irrespective of what the matter is or who the sender is?

It's the same routinie these days:

I lodge complaint
You give me a complaint number
I wait for your call
I call you again
You assure me of the best of services and advertise about your dial up connections
I mail you and blast you
You reply coolly as if you have got an award from me
The service is up for a couple of hours
The service goes dead
Time for another complaint!

I need a solution. Or at least, give me an answer: Do you provide internet services at all? Or did you get the money from me to call me up and mail me? How many times do I have to complain in a day? Dont you get sick of giving the same dumb responses everytime I complain? Well, I certainly am getting sick at the way your company, or the bunch of folks that call themselves a company, works!

Your Service Enginieer poses as if he is the busiest person on the planet and asks me over phone if the net is on! And there is absolutely no use shooting mails to you folks! Because, I know that even if the net functions for a couple of hours, it's going to go dead again and I would have to "Complain" to you yet another time!

I understand you do not have any other job than sitting in front of PC's in Whitefield, and typing some stuff and dispatching them to inboxes. Lucky you! Unfortunately, we poor subscribers have other works and some of them happen to depend on something called the "Internet", a term which Im not sure if you are aware of!

The so-called Broadband connection that you advertise of is something more than a couple of green lights constantly blinking atop the modem!

The link that I have provided here is a free service for you:
http://www.google.co.in/blogsearch?hl=en&q=tata+indicom

As I told you in my last mail, I have already put the issue on-line and your High Level Service is getting popular on the same Internet that is your bread and butter. And this mail goes on-line as well, for prospective victims to Escape from Tata Indicom! This would continue till my Internet gets working continuously for at least a week, without going dead. Or, get me Mr Ratan Tata on phone - it's high time he knew of what he heads!

PS. I would definitely see if I could get this on Main Stream Media!

Monday, May 15, 2006

All that Glitters . . . Escape from Tata Indicom - Part 2

After all the struggle, the connection finally seems to have become alright at our customer's. He seems to have received calls in double digits from Tata Indicom on Monday morning (from different executives but) before someone ventured in to solve the issue.

Strangely enough, there wasnt any written commnication from Tata, responding to the strongly worded mails from our consumer. And the consumer himself had to make a few calls in the morning before the soldiers from Tata Indicom realised the problem.
It is disappointing that a premier business house of the country, which has been pioneering stuff for years, has not bothered to be moved till the consumer went all out for the services that he rightfully deserved! And it certainly is baffling that in this era when "Customer Service" is a basic tool, well established organisations that are supposed to be all ears to sense what the customer feels, have ignored him totally, merely minutes after the sale had been effected!
It definitely gets irritating when one has to brief scores of executives of the same problem over and over again! Where has organisational structure gone? Could someone imagine 20+ sales people visiting a corporate customer for a sale and convince the Purchase Manager of the quality of their company?
This tale sadly proves that all that is a "Brand" may not "Solid" - they may merely be "Myths"! Tata would definitely have to get back to its basics. Or, it would have to face such posts as these growing in numbers and echoing loudly in the market.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Red Alert: Escape from Tata Indicom!

The following is the communication between a consumer and a company, over e-mail. Clearway got access to this chain of e-mails, that shows the shabby work that ISP's do in this country.
9 May 2006, Tuesday
From: Consumer
Subject: Internet Connection not working
Hi,

My Log in Id is ******. My Application Number is ******.

My account was activated today by your service personnel. However, Im not able to access the net now. I logged off once after my account was activated. When I try to log on, I can see that the net is on (100 Mbps) but web pages are not opening up.

I spoke with one of your Customer Service Executives - she said there was some problem with the connection, though the net was on. However, the call got disconnected. Please check the problem and rectify it at the earliest.

Regards,
*****
11 May 2006, Thursday
From: Tata Indicom
Dear Mr ******,
We regret for delay in responding to your mail. Thank you for writing your concern regarding unable to login to our notice.

We understand and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you in this regard.

With reference to your email, we would like to inform you that your concern has already been noticed to the network team and they are working on high priority basis. Our team will call you with the feedback at the earliest.

We need your valuable time and patience during this period which helps us to serve you better.

For any further assistance, please feel free to contact Customer Service http://www.tataindicombroadband.com/contactus.html (the link contains the location wise contact numbers) or mail us on http://us.f327.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=customerservice@vsnl.co.in. We will be delighted to assist you.

Warm Regards,

******,
Customer Service,
TATA Indicom Broadband.
11 May 2006, Thursday
From: Consumer
Hi,
Thanks for the mail.

But the problem is that there have been only problems since I registered with you. Initially, the connection was promised in 8 - 10 days after I paid through cheque - it took more than 3 weeks since then.

And in these 3 days since the connection is up, I have complained thrice - and the problem is still very much there, intact. I dont think I can stand this poor service from you any longer if you do not rectify the situation immediately.

This is a prepaid service and no life membership. I would opt to cancel my membership if I do not get my connections from tomorrow, Friday, 12 May. If you state that may not be possible, I can assure you I would never renew any of my services with anything associated with Tata. And be sure I would spread the word about your shabby services as much as I can.

I was promised that you would call me in 24 hours and it's been more than that now. I do not want any more calls. The problem gets rectified tomorrow or I walk out. Period! Customer servise is no lip service. Tata should have known better.

******.
12 May 2006, Friday.
From: Consumer
Hi,
Im disappointed that you have not cared to respond to a mail where I had virtually set a deadline for you to act. You have touched new low in Customer Service.

I cancel my subscription to your services. You may please send your personnel to pack the rolls of cables back into their bags from my residence. My association with you has been nothing more than complaints and headaches, not to mention the amount that I spent calling your Customer Support Executives.

I hope you wouldn't create problems at least when Im winding up my association with your esteemed organisation. Be sure, this is no way to do business.

******
13 May 2006, Saturday
From: Tata Indicom
Thank you for bringing your Broad band connection issue to our notice. With reference to your email, we trust the needful has been done and your concern regarding No Browsing of your Broadband connection has been resolved after the assistance provided by our Customer Service Executive. We hope everything is working fine. Should you require any further assistance, please feel free to write to us to serve you better. Thank you for your time and patience. For any further assistance, please feel free to contact Customer Service at http://www.tataindicombroadband.com/contactus.html (the link contains the location wise contact numbers ) or mail us on http://us.f327.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=customerservice@vsnl.co.in. We will be delighted to assist you.
Warm Regards,
******,
Customer Service,
TATA Indicom Broadband.
13 May 2006, Saturday
From: Consumer
You are unbelievable!

I wonder how you could "trust the needful has been done", when I, who lodged the complaint, havent expressed my satisfaction yet that the problem has been rectified!

And you have mailed me in such a cool tone as if everything has been working perfectly fine, not a word of apology, not a sign of efforts towards pacification!

I understand that your systems are not in line with the advances in Information Technology. I guess that's the reason you have not been able to rectify a problem that has been pestering me right from the day of inception of your services - if at all I could use the word "Services" to describe what you have been doing!

Be sure - I am not able to connect to the net still. Please do not sit in an ivory tower and dream that all your connections are working perfectly alright. Tata Indicom Broadband connections are a mess, as I have recently discovered.

I do not need a stereotypic mail from one of your customer services personnel; I need to know that the problems in the field have reached those at the top. And Im going public about all the sloppy "Services" that you have been providing. At this moment, this issue could have been published in any of the media or discussion forums, so that the world knows what you are and the consumers escape from the nightmare that your company has come to be!
That was the latest news about "Customer Service" in India. Stay tuned for more news about fresh action.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Breaking News - "Bribes are Perfectly Legal" and "Spineless Worms cast their Votes"

This election was different; they legalised Bribes. And the election commission condoned it; and the people watched it, actively participated in it and accepted it merrily.
Alright, this is a Democracy - but aren't these folks taking Democracy too far? Or, they are taking it too lightly, perhaps? Whichever way it is, Elections are no longer the results of a 5 year performance; they are a sham; they are a Shame! Just as a Food marketeer would sell a sack of rice and announce a pack of pickles "Free", just as an FMCG company would bundle a soap with a bottle of shampoo, so have the parties been announcing freebies - Colour Televisions, Gas stoves, Gold, Cows . . . the list seems endless and is ridiculous.
This election season brought to light, what was one of the dark realities of our society - that Bribe is in the texture of a Democracy. That the Vigilance Department, or whatever it is known as, is a farce. That the election commission is nothing but an "Event Management" organisation. That democracy is a system designed to make people crazy. That political parties are liars and rogues and would sell anything and anyone to get to power. That we, the people, are worms squirming haplessly in the filthy ditch that our society is!

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Sad End of an Innocent Victim

It couldn't have been worse for the family of the Engineer who was abducted and beheaded by some brutal elements called the Taliban. What they achieved through this cowardly act is not clear. If the Taliban call themselves a force, they should have fought their enemies; to kidnap an unarmed civilian and murder him mercilessly and keep hiding like eunuchs makes them look the meanest of creatures on the planet.
Hope the bereaved family musters the strength to face the hell that its life has turned into!

Thursday, April 27, 2006

What will you do?

I got a lot of brick bats for my last post. Some threatened to walk out of my blog; some said they had never seen anything sillier than that; some said they were so upset with my post that they didnt eat for a couple of days!
Actually, it was all serious business around that I thought I had to make some sense out of it. In any case, there is some food for thought this time.
When an ambulance gets stuck in traffic, what is the public supposed to do? When there's no where to move, what will the public do? When the arrogant thick skinned wooden heads dont know they have to give way, what can one do? When some one is fighting for life amidst the traffic, can anything be done at all?

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Moral of the Story: Nothing is Impossible!

I have been an ardent proponent of the school of thought that there is something about the way Indians do whatever they do, that can not be matched all that easily by rivals. They have their own patented ways of going about things - just the way the Japanese are known for their technological inventions, Germans for their Engineering prowess or Americans for their unused brains when it comes to External Affairs.
I was travelling by bike the other day in a blend of Urban and the Rural, at normal speed. I could hear the sound of a weird engine approaching me. Since I had to concentrate on the road to avoid any damage to the shock absorbers, I didnt take much strain in turning back to look at the source of the sound - though I kept wondering what it might be. I could hear it nearing me, gradually. It must have been travelling slightly faster than me; in a while, I could see its shadow overtake my bike and then, I could see the wheel. Strangely enough, it was another bike. But the noise was something that I wasn't used to. As I turned to have look at who was riding it, I was shocked!
Not because of the person who was there - but because of the place where he was! He was sitting on the Petrol Tank of the bike and was leaning on the handle bar. And Im sure even if he wanted to move a couple of centimeters forward, it would be an agonising experience for him. His feet were on the crash guard and his folded knees were in front of the bike, right above the wheel. Well, in a nut shell, it was an awkward position - you wouldnt want to give it a try; that's for sure!
Even as I was wondering why he chose to ride a bike that way, the vehicle kept overtaking me. I didnt want to risk losing my balance while trying to grasp the gravity of the situation - still, kept glancing at it. Then, I came to know why he had placed himself that way - there was one more guy sitting , well, not on the seat, but on the petrol tank, again! He was leaning against the back of the first joker; he held his head atop the first one's shoulders, and he had his hands on the bike's head light. I didnt have the time nor the courage to see where he had placed his feet - because, by then, I could see that there was one more man behind the second person.
I almost lost balance then and decided enough was enough. I managed to pull up at the road side, and stopped safely, letting the threesome move ahead! To my horror, it was not a threesome at all! The three were followed by two more gentlemen! The third one was on the seat, the fourth one fully on the seat and the last guy, half on the seat and half aerial! There was a sack tied at the end of the bike, just beneath the last man!
I was lost! Here I was, trying to focus on the road, avoiding pot holes and riding so carefully, all alone - and here was a five man army, that kept overtaking me slowly and steadily, and kept going even as I called it quits!
I was trying to figure out something - I had to find the answers to some questions! "Of the five, who was actually Riding? How many of them knew how to ride a bike? How did they get into their positions? How would they fill petrol? Okay, if a police constable wanted to check their licenses, who is to be held responsible? How many licneses are necessary to ride a bike in such a way? Should all of them be above the age of 18? Can there be more than two "Riders" for one bike? Who would change gears? Who would apply brakes? Or was there only one driver and were the rest, navigators? Or were they passengers? Well, were there just two wheels???"
I was confused! And I decided that I had to find the answer to the puzzle that would make the Chief Justice resign!
I re-started my bike. I over took the train. I wanted to see how they stopped the bike. I blocked their way as I reduced the speed gradually, in such a way that the train had no other option but to stop on its way. The ten eyes were frowning and the five faces were annoyed, even as they came to a complete halt! I blocked them completely and got off the bike.
I could see ten feet on the ground - still couldn't make out who the driver was! I approached them.
"What?" asked one of them - I wasn't sure whose voice it was, of the five.
"I have a problem with my bike and have a long way to go" I said.
The gang looked puzzled. Five voices followed. "So?"
"Can you give me a lift please???"

Friday, April 14, 2006

Shame on you, Bangalore!



There was absolute anarchy right in the heart of the famed Silicon City! With shops plundered, every visible glass broken, petrol stations damaged, showrooms rampaged, the scene in Bangalore by the evening of 13th April 2006 was that of a war zone. Worse, despite all the pillage, not much security was visible on the roads that evening; in other words, anyone could easily have taken advantage of the absolute lawlessness and the prevailing commotions. Whether such incidents have been reported remains to be seen.
What follows is a sample of the havoc that a mindless mob wreaked on the Capital City of Karnataka, following the demise of Film Icon Dr Raj Kumar. The snaps are not exhaustive - they are all from the vicinity of the residence of the departed Hero. Worse incidents have been reported from the other parts of the City - including that of a Police man on Duty having been beaten to death!
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Karnataka has interestingly remarked that a major reason for the commotion was the dispatch of police forces in huge numbers to the neighbouring states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on election duty! That does raise some speculation as to the logical abilities of a state that sent so much of its force out as to not provide security to the path along an 11 km long procession.
On the other hand, it makes on wonder if the solution for a perennial menace has been dug out by the new Government - if Karnataka has been benevolent enough to pack all of its force out to its neighbours on their election duty, the Government would certainly let all of River Cauvery run down to Tamil Nadu this summer. So, do we rejoice at the prospect of a dramatic solution to the River Water issue?




































Thursday, April 06, 2006

She was not meant to be mortal: Medha Patkar

What would you make of the arrest of Medha Patkar? Is it an alleged instance of the "Government machinery having been let loose on peaceful democratic demonstrations?" Does it illustrate the chicanery of politics in having found an escape route from a deep rooted problem? Is it proof of how thick-skinned rulers have become when it comes to the salvation of the weak and the vulnerable? Does it show the autocratic ways of power in a democratic country, which is adamant on raising the dam at the cost of the public, irrespective of public moods?

The move to arrest Ms Medha Patkar could involve all of those aspects. To me, it is an unintentional noble deed that resulted from ulterior intentions. It's sad that Medha Patkar hasn't received even a fraction of the attention that has been showered on Ms Sonia's (Gandhi) "renunciation" of power. To have people who are ready to die for the lives of others, in this age, is a miracle! To dedicate one's life for a selfless cause propels Medha Patkar to the echelons of the likes of Mother Teresa. Ironically, even the Mother's beatification was done after much debate, posthumously.

The Government's intentions could well have been to avoid a huge public uproar and the prospects of the situiation veering off control if her indefinite fast proved to be fatal. But it might well result in the noble deed of saving the life of a great person whom India has to be proud of. People like her are not supposed to be victims of their own strengths. They have to live on - as they have the power to change the lives of many more. Medha Patkar would be able to make a difference to the state of affairs not by dying for one cause - but by fighting for many more, still greater causes.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Media, are you Listening?

Things are not supposed to be bad. But reality is never the ideal. Having said that, to accept reality as it is and call it "being practical" is a farce! "Escapism" or "Opportunism" - both of these terms would fit in to describe the scenario then.
It is good to note that some people in power realise they have a responsibility as well and take the initiative in voicing their thoughts, when they sense things turning from bad to worse! Aamir Khan is sensitive to the trends in today's media and has chosen to speak out - precisely, to the point. His interview to Tehelka slams the media for what it is - and what it has become over the years, faced with hectic competition, well on its way towards saturation in the industry. Some cheap stuff on the stack have decided to set the rules rather than living within the boundaries - and have set the ugly ball in motion, that could very well pick up momentum and spread filth all around.
My observations upon personal interaction with youngsters - teenagers in particular -has been mixed; it has reaffirmed my belief in their willingness to change things; it has hinted of their feeling of desperation at the way things are in this country. Pessimism has already found its way into some of the young souls. In a nut shell, they all realise that where they find themselves is not the best of situations.
It becomes a very important responsibility of the media, then, to support the youngsters in their quest for the ideal. But what happens in reality - as is mostly the case, against the ideal - is evidence of the media pandering to the sensuous yearnings of the rotten mind, oblivious of its powers in shaping the future of the society - and the effect that its behaviour has on the present generation.
Aamir Khan may be having his personal reasons for the opinions that he has - but there is a greater end that is being served in what he has said; and he has realised the importance of his words and has uttered them with a purpose. We need a lot more of such voices that remind the media of the purpose behind its existance. Voices can be more powerful that legislations - and a proactive attitude by the intelligentia could even make laws redundant!
Wake up - before it's too late!