Teacher's Day - A Realization

It's Teacher's Day today .. and a time to remember the ones who taught you.

That's the least one can do .. respect the one's who taught you how to handle this funny thing called life. Yes, my definition of 'teacher' transcends the obvious school/college teacher.

I believe that one can have 'teachers' at different stages of one's life - I know I've had many ... and who knows how many more to come!

Though in School, I was fortunate to have some really good teachers - but there were a few who had a lasting impression on me, some of them immediately, and some much later - whose real worth I have begun to realize only now, when I see my wife teach my kids...

Mind you, these are not the ones who were the best teachers for me, academically - in fact some of them never taught me a single subject ! Its just that they left a lasting impression on me - some for academics, some for other reasons.

I thank my Teachers, named below in no particular order:
Mrs. Lulu Fernandes
Mr. Rudy Fernandes
Mr. Rasik Shah
Mrs. Yvonne Pinto (nee Fernandes)
Mrs. Cleta Vallace (nee Correa)
Mrs. Lata Munjal
Mr. Ambani (not to be confused with any of the Reliance family!)

Teachers, here's a big thanks for everything, especially for teaching me lessons to equip me to deal with life - and I am continuously striving to do my best in whatever I do. Hope I have done some justice to your efforts.

I'm aware that naming a few, may 'upset' the others, but, hey, I've never always been 'politically correct' - and believe in standing up and speaking my mind.

There have been other teachers who were really good at their work - but somehow, when I look back, I find that my memories keep gravitating towards these.

Out of the education system, I have had many other teachers - my mother (in the ways of life), my father (in the ways of work), another close friend of mine, my wife, my kids, my watchman, my sweeper, my blog-commentors ... yeah, sure I learn from them everyday ..

And by the way .. sorry Teachers, but I know that there's no word like 'commentors' - at least not yet :)

Keep learning, and keep growing ... and here's to all my teachers - a big THANK YOU!

Well, and that's how I feel ...

Jai Ganesha - My obeisance !

It's festival time here in Mumbai! Though I'm not very 'religious' in the strict sense of the term - I would rather consider myself as being 'spiritual'.. and there's a subtle difference there ;)

Anyway, here's my bit to pay obeisance to the most 'people-friendly' God.... Lord Ganesha.. a.k.a. Ganapati.

I guess, he's the most popular Indian God outside of India. From the many foreigners I've met, they seem fascinated at the concept of the 'Elephant God'.

Also, every time anyone would recite the famous Ganesh Mantra, I always wondered what that meant, so I went and found out - and here's the translation for those who are also curious.

"Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakotee Sama Prabha Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa"

Translation...

"O Lord Ganesha of Large body, curved trunk, With the brilliance of a million suns, Please make all my work free of obstacles, always."

(OK - I know the Internet is public domain - but I would like to acknowledge that I got this from http://www.allelephants.com/allinfo/ganesh.php and that may not even be the official and actual translation - that was a disclaimer for those who feel I have committed blasphemy!)

The image is, by far, one of my favourite pics of Ganesha.

May Lord Ganesha give you all, the strength to face your obstacles better .. and if you think that He's gonna remove them you .. well think again .. He only helps those who help themselves, right?

So while you keep PRAYING, make sure you are also DOING the right things - that way you stand a BETTER chance of beating the odds against you..

Happy festivities ...

Well, and that's how I feel...

Wisecracks - Part 1

I have often come across many wisecracks and one-liners at many blog posts and thought of contributing my tuppence worth also...

So here's Part 1 of my collection of Gags, Wisecracks and Witticisms. Hope you enjoy them, I sure did, putting it together.

1. He got a letter from his estranged wife.. "Hi Ed, I missed you yesterday. Come back home again, and let me have another shot. Love, Erma."

2. While out with the car one day, she ran across a few old friends...may they rest in peace!

3. Scotch is a wonderful drink. It not only makes you see double, it makes you feel single!

4. Signboard in a shop..."God help those who help themselves"

5. Mr. Smith finally had his wife crawling on her hands and knees last night. She kept shouting, "Come out from under that bed, you coward!"

6. She hated when he referred to her as his 'awfully wedded wife.'

7. She married a Sailor, because she wanted to have children and rear admirals.

8. The difference between a smart girl and a good-looking girl: one has to make up her mind, the other has to mind her make-up.

9. The theatre critc, while writing a review: "I can't remember the author's name, but his farce is familiar."

10. There's a new Directory being compiled in Hollywood, it's going to be named, "Who's Whose."

11. The first thing a pilot learns to control is ... the air hostess!

12. She always wears a faint perfume. One sniff - and you'll faint.

13. A fool and his money are soon parted .. but boy, what memories!

14. A diamond can cut through the hardest metal, and it's not too bad for softening women, either.

15. Liquor improves with age, the older you get the more you like it.

16. At breakfast the priest told the General's pretty wife, who was unwell, "I was praying for you last night." She batted he eyelids and replied, "You silly man...all you had to do was call!"

17. This country is full of willing people. Just a few willing to work .. and the rest willing to let them.

18. The best time to visit Paris is .. between your 18th and 25th birthday!

19. Joe and his fiancee are always together. They're what you call, insufferable.

20. Her brother said, "I remember when we were kids, my sister used to play with dolls and I used to play with soldiers. Now we're all grown up and things are reversed.."

More later...

Let me know which ones you liked best :)

My latest Fav Music Video

Just saw 'I wanna be a Rockstar" by Nickelback.

Great video!

Enjoy, here's the link on Youtube!

... and well, if you like to singalong (like I do),
here are the lyrics!


I'm through with standing in line
to the clubs i'll never get in
It's like the bottom of the ninth
and I'm never gonna win
This life hasn't turned out
quite the way I want it to be

(tell me what you want)

I want a brand new house on an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub big enough for ten plus me

(yeah,so what you need)

I'll need a, a credit card that's got no limit
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the mile high club
At thirty-seven thousand feet

(Been there done that)

I want a new tour bus full of old guitars
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard
Somewhere between cher and
James Dean is fine for me

(So how ya gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair and change my name

[CHORUS]
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
Live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blonde hair
and well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels
Hire eight body guards that love to beat up a**holes
Sign a couple autographs
So I can eat my meals for free

(I have a quesadilla... on the house)

I'm gonna dress my a**
with the latest fashion
Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion
Gonna date a centerfold that loves to
blow my money for me

(So how ya gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life
For fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair
And change my name

'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
Live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blonde hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary in today's who's who
We'll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial
well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I'm gonna sing those songs that offend the censors
Gonna pop my pills from a pez dispenser
Get washed-up singers writing all my songs
Lip sync 'em every night so I don't get 'em wrong

Well we all just wanna be big rockstars
Live in hilltop houses drivin 15 cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blonde hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary in today's who's who
We'll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial
well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

62nd I-Day after 61 years, right?

Every time there is a festival or an occasion and we have a barrage of emails/sms-es that we are 'spammed' with (by the way, should we still call it 'spam' - when we're bombarded with unwanted and unwarranted sms-es??)

In fact, this year, instead of being a mute spectator and at the the 'receiving end'; I decided to initiate a message and 'spam' everyone else.

Here's what I sent out...

"Have we really built the country that people died for 61 years back? If NOT what are YOU doing about it? Let's not stop at 'Good' and go for .. 'Great'! Don't just read this SMS & stop...DO
something!!.. & well, a Happy Independence Day, anyway! - Sandeep Ohri"

I was attending my kids' school function when this came to mind and it took me less than a minute to come up with this and send it out.

Within seconds I received a response (make that responses) I thought it may be a good idea to just document these - after all a blogpost will survive a lot more than the stored sms on my cell.

I have reproduced them here (in toto, typos and all) and since most of the co-spammers are my friends, their identities have been protected...

1. Dis is sumthng u hav written?

2. :) Bhes badla par des kab badlayenge. Happy Independence Day.

3.'Falak ki zid hai jaha bijliyan girane ke, hamein bhi zid hai waheen ashiyana baanane kee'. Fight against terrorism. HAPPY 61TH INDEPENDENCE DAY JAI HIND.

4. This day reminds of the liberty for all that still eludes. Let's keep doing our bit to assert our liberty. We shall overcome.

5. Freedom in the Mind. Faith in the words.. Pride in our Hearts and memories in our Souls..Let's salute the nation on 61st Independence Day! Vande Mataram.

6. Thank you and wish you happy indipendence day. Give me a call,will join you for a good cause. Regds.

7. No more words. :-):-) let our works speak. :-). You are absolutely right.

Go on .. feel free to add some more..I know you are dying to :)

And just for the record, its our 62nd Independence Day after completing 61 years of independence.. do the maths. Last night, Sagarika Ghosh on CNN-IBN very boldly stated it is the 61st independence Day .. while the scroll at the bottom of her screen said, 'nation celebrates 62nd Independence Day".

I began to wonder whether I had committed a faux pas in my morning sms, so I sat back and did the calculations. 15-8-1947 was our 1st I-Day, then on 15-8-1948 we had our 2nd I-Day after completing the 1st year ..and so on... Therefore, on 15-8-2008 we are celebrating our 62nd I-Day after completing 61 years...right?

Well, 61st or 62nd, the fact remains, what have we really achieved? Have we really done justice to the efforts of those who actually DIED for this?? Think, just think... what were they thinking of when they actually took a bullet for the country's freedom? ..what was the thought in their minds and in their heads, when they gasped their final breath?

I was in dual minds when I heard the children at the school make the (mandatory?) laudatory speeches in English, Hindi, Marathi & Sanskrit, extolling our nation's achievements (incl our latest poster boy, Abhinav Bindra).

I realised, I had done the same when I was in school - and actually believed that our country had been progressing at a fast pace. But as the age of innocence gave way to age of disillusion and then the age of reasoning and now the age of understanding, I really wonder whether we should 'fix' this or not.

Should those children have been corrected and told that we are a nation suffering far more ills than our achievements? Should their 'bubble' be burst? Should we take away their zeal and their
innocence? Should we tell them about the harsh realities that they are going to face as soon as they step out of their cocooned comfort zone? Should we tell them about the big-bad-world of politicians and underworld dons and how they muscle their way around?

Or should we let them hang onto their dreams of a resurgent India, the India that has produced the likes of ...Rabindranath Tagore, Sachin Tendulkar, Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams (?), Abhinav Bindra, Subhash Chandra Bose, Nehru, Sardar Patel (notice how the post-Independence ones are mostly non-political?)

Woke up at 6am and started typing... I am still in a dilemma .. and just can't stop thinking of it!

Electricity from Nuclear Power – A layman’s research!

Ok .. so the government won the Trust Vote (amidst accusations, mayhem and a general mockery of the Indian democratic system) - but what does that mean to you and me and the rest of the (unsuspecting) masses?

According to me there are 3 main issues ..
1. Is the cost of electricity from a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) really cheaper?
2. Is Nuclear Power better and ‘cleaner’?
3. Does India have to depend on the US (only) for Uranium?

Hey, I said, “according to ME” .. ok? This is MY blog…and I have the right to rant here :)
Anyway, I found no ready answers in our print & television media, as these guys are more obsessed with sensationalizing the shameful proceedings that went on.

So, I decided to spend some time Googling (is this now a valid word??) on another wet 26/7 in Mumbai, and here’s what I found.

Ok, here’s a caveat - I’m NOT an expert and there may be mistakes, but I have tried to summarize what I have understood from my readings across the Internet.

Here goes…

Question: Is electricity from Nuclear Power, cheaper?
My Answer: YES

From what I understand, when speaking of costs, there are two types: Internal and External. Internal costs are those which are incurred directly while generating energy, while External costs are those which are incurred in relation to health and the environment. External costs are quantifiable, but not built in directly into the cost of electricity.

In terms of Internal costs, Nuclear energy incurs about one-tenth of the costs of coal, so that makes it really cheap. And here’s the clincher, if you add up the (quantifiable) External costs, the cost from Coal increases by another 100% and that from Gas, increases by another 30%, making these two even more costly – and all of this is without adding the costs of global warming (since this is not quantifiable yet).

At first glance, the costs of setting up (and fuelling) a NPP seem much higher. However, when costs are declared for Nuclear energy, these always HAVE to include the entire cycle of costs (spent fuel management, plant decommissioning and final waste disposal), whereas, the costs for other technologies need not account for these directly.

So though, at first glance, such figures may seem higher, when you actually take into account carbon-dioxide emissions, waste disposal, etc., Nuclear energy is actually cheaper.I came across one official study done in Finland in August 2003 which compared all the costs (fixed, running and emission) of a Nuclear, Coal & Gas Plant. The final figures worked out to Nuclear 23.7 euro cents per MWh, Gas 39.2 cents and Coal 44.3 cents.

The study also analyzed the effect of the doubling of basic Fuel prices. If Fuel prices doubled, the cost of Nuclear energy would rise only 9%, but energy from Coal would rise 31% and that from Gas would rise 60% !! This is because the cost of Fuel in a NPP is relatively smaller percentage than the cost of Fuel in a Coal or a Gas power plant.

Next Question: Is Nuclear Power better and ‘cleaner’?
My Answer: YOU BET!

Coal-powered plants use 3,200 Million Tonnes of Coal each year to produce 38% of the world’s electricity. NPPs use only 61,000 Tonnes of Uranium for 16% of the world’s electricity.

Coal is generally used in the country where it is mined and sometimes has to be transported over a large distance to the Power plants, which further requires energy (in transportation) and causes greenhouse gas emissions (on the way).

In comparison, very little Uranium is required to do the same job. Consider the following facts:
1. A 1000 MWe NPP requiring 27 tonnes of fresh fuel per year is an average of about 74 kg per day.
2. A 1000 MWe Coal plant needs 8600 Tonnes of coal to be delivered every day.
3. Nuclear Plants have a Carbon Dioxide emission rate of 16 g/kWh, while Gas Plants emit 356g and Coal Plants emit a whopping 891g.
4. Every 22 Tonnes of Uranium used, we avoid an emission of 1,000,000 Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide, relative to Coal.
5. When the electricity comes from Coal, 1 kiloWatt hour (kWh) of it results in about 1 Kg of Carbon Dioxide being emitted.

Last Question: Does India have to depend on the US (only) for Uranium?
My Answer: NO !

Uranium is a slightly radioactive metal that occurs throughout the earth's crust. It is about 500 times more abundant than gold and about as common as tin. Over half of the world's production of uranium from mines is from Canada (23%), Australia (21%) and Kazakhstan (16%). USA does only 4% of the production.

In 2008, the world would require 64,615 Tonnes of Uranium only for NPPs generating electricity. The largest requirement is of the US 29%, followed by France 16%, Japan 12%, Germany 5%, Russia 5%, South Korea 5%.

India’s requirement right now is a miniscule 2% at 978 Tonnes if its 17 reactors operate at full capacity. Presently, on account of the lack of supply, many of these are operating below capacity, some at around 50%.

The combined installed capacity in India stands at 3779 MWe which generates about 16 billion kWh of electricity - a mere 2.5% of our total electricity generated presently.

India also has huge reserves of Uranium - about 56,000 Tonnes of it! But this is of poor quality of ore which cannot really be used for the NPPs and hence we need to buy this from other countries (Australia, Canada & Kazaksthan). Now these other countries will not supply it to us, unless we are part of a global agreement that agrees to not use this purchased Uranium for military purposes.

So, if we sign the agreement with the US, we can get to buy the Uranium from other countries, to fuel our NPPs and use it for civilian (non-military) purposes.

Well, as I see it, it seems to be a win-win situation! See, India produces about 430 Tonnes of good quality, usable Uranium per year. Most of this goes to the NPPs and maybe some part, towards our own military purpose.

In future, the situation will change as we have another 25 Nuclear reactors (planned and/or under construction) taking our capacity from 3779 MWe to 20,115 MWe. This is almost 5 times our present requirement. Now WHERE are we going to get the Uranium to Fuel this if we don’t sign the agreement!

Obviously, when we started off planning for these reactors, the government KNEW that we cannot produce this Uranium within the country and we would HAVE to purchase this from outside… so why create a hungama NOW when the time to sign the Agreement has come?

If we didn’t want to give up our so-called ‘nuclear-independence,’ why did the Government plan to construct so many Nuclear Reactors in the first place?? It’s pretty obvious we didn’t have the Uranium then, and we don’t have the Uranium now!!

Now, here’s an interesting bit of news. NPPs can also use a mineral called Thorium – of which India has a whopping 319,000 Tonnes of, which is almost one-fifth of the world’s reserves. Here’s the good news. All of this is usable for NPPs, after some amount of processing, which we already DO even now.

So here’s my take .. let’s sign the Agreement, buy the Uranium from outside for electricity generation purposes and lets process our own Thorium for generating Uranium for our military purposes ..

Hey, doesn’t that sound too simple ?? So why the hell didn’t someone just tell it to us like this??

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Oct 2006-Jul 2008: It's been a long struggle...

It was in October 2006, I used to run a small scale unit in Mumbai and I received my first escalated electricity bill from Reliance Energy.

(For those who came in late... my bill went from Rs. 210 for 11 units to Rs. 10,800 for 14 units!!)

It was then that I woke up and smelt the coffee .. oops .. the mud, about how Reliance Energy had been hoodwinking its consumers.

Ever since then and with the help and guidance of Mr. Rakshpal Abrol (President of the Bombay Small Scale Industries Association) I was made aware of the depths of this bottomless chasm. He warned me of the gravity of the situation, but I was determined to 'do something' - after all this was 'wrong'!!

Since then, I jumped in and ...

... started 'blogging' (this one here and mirrored on Rediff iland and then later also Bijleepower).
... formed (and still Moderate) the Bijlee Yahoo Group
... started an Online Petition for removal of monopoly in Mumbai's electricity supply
... sent out many emails (more in frustration and desperation) to demystify the electricity issue
... participated in public meetings on creating awareness
... became the Moderator of the Electricity section at Karmayog.org
... was hit by threatening Legal Notices by REL
... initially refused to pay their illegal bills (later relented in the interest of feeding my staff)
... initiated a legal battle with REL in the Consumer Court (after they chopped off my electricity)
... made presentations at MERC's public hearings
... was interviewed by TV & newspapers on the issue (some called me 'Power Activist', Ha!)
... made presentations at the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity at New Delhi
... got REL penalised for not turning up at the Tribunal hearing !
... was referred to in many of MERC's Orders. See here (pgs 12/24/25) and here (pgs 39/40)
... and even helped file a case against REL in the Supreme Court

There was a time when people have come up to me and told me, 'Don't take "panga" with the Ambanis.' Well, it was never personal and so I was never 'afraid' ... he is a businessman in his own right and I have my rights as a Consumer.

This journey has by no means ended (hey, life is a journey .. to sound cliched) and things will go on. I have moved on from my small scale unit into a challenging corporate environment. People have become more aware of the electricity situation ... and of their rights ...

And now in July 2008, the Supreme Court has given its verdict on the interpretation of Tata Power's Distribution License .. that Tata Power can also supply electricity to retail consumers in Mumbai.

Thus paving the way, once again, for competition in this sector and giving me a sense of accomplishment-of-sorts.

Sure, we have a long way to go, but I think we have set the ball rolling and now there are enough people who have been made aware of the situation.

Looking back, I have learnt a lot from this experience and the point of this entire blog is that if you feel deep down you are right about something, its worth pursuing (and pursue it like hell).

The results may seem elusive at first and even impossible - but if you are on the right track, the small spark that you carry can actually become a forest fire !

Do not underestimate your own capabilities. When this happened, I was a complete novice (I believe, 'newbie' is the right word ... or is it 'noob'?) in the ways of the Internet - but now I can get myself around.

Don't give up ... Believe in yourself ... Take on the world ... and whether you get the results you desired or not .. YOU will be a different person !!

Cheers !!

End note: It's Guru Purnima on July 18th .. I would like to pay my respects to my Guru, Mr. Rakshpal Abrol, who taught me the ropes in this entire struggle of mine. Sir, with folded hands I pay my humble respect to you. Thank you.

Sonia vs. EC vs. Constitution of India

Just wanted to contribute my tuppence worth to the ongoing issue of Sonia Gandhi accepting the "Order of Leopold" Belgium's 2nd highest Civilian honour, in Nov 2006.

The news items appear here ... TOI, HT, CNN-IBN.

It seems this Belgian award has also been given to Marshall Tito, General Patton and President Eisenhower as well - and hence, its a big deal. Full list here at Wikipedia.

Now the issue was brought to light on a Petition made by someone (from Kerala? - not that it makes a difference which State - but Kerala DOES have the highest literacy rate in the country!).

The controversy arises on account of the fact (?) that the acceptance of the award implies "allegiance" to that country (in this case: Belgium) - and if that is true, then its a problem - as Sonia Gandhi is a Parliamentarian and a "Citizen" by marriage - as per the Constitution of India.

Well, we all know that the Constitution is SUPREME. No Court can interfere with what is written in the Constitution - they can only attempt to interpret - not modify, alter or add to the meanings of the Articles within the Constitution.

So what DOES the Constitution say ..

Here is Article 18:
"18. Abolition of titles - (1) No title, not being a military or academic distinction shall be conferred by the State.
(2) No citizen of India shall accept any title from any foreign State.
(3) No person who is not a citizen of India shall, while he holds any office of profit or trust under the State, accept without the consent of the President any title from any foreign State.
(4) No person holding any office of profit or trust under the State shall, without the consent of the President, accept any present, emolument, or office of any kind from or under any foreign State."

Here is Article 102:
"Disqualification for membership -(1) A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of either House of Parliament-
(a) If he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State other than an office declared by Parliament by law not to disqualify its holder;
(b) If he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court;
(c) If he is an undischarged insolvent;
(d) If he is not a citizen of India, or has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign State, or is under any acknowledgement of allegiance or adherence to a foreign State;
(e) If he is so disqualified by or under any law made by the Parliament."

Also, check these articles by S Gurumurthy, here and here.

Ok, so now tell me .. should the EC have issued a Notice, or not??

In my opinion, if the award entailed some kind of "allegiance" to Belgium, then I guess it is justified.

And if so, why should Sonia Gandhi be "above" the Constitution?

THINK ... THINK ... THINK ....

Patriotic Songs .. or Inspirational Songs ??

Just an observation ..

Come Jan 26th (and also Aug 15th, for that matter) and we have schools holding Patriotic Song Contests.

I attended one such competition and was surprised that out of the 4 songs that were sung, only 2 could be classified as "Patriotic."

The others were just, pure "inspirational" and "motivating" - at best.

Guess who won ?

The teams that sang the really "Patriotic" ones - came 3rd and 4th !!

I guess its more the fault of the Teachers and Judges who didn't make it clear to the children as to which songs were really classifiable as Patriotic.

Which also got me thinking .. just how many Patriotic Songs do we really have? The only ones I know seem to be the ones I have seen in movies at some time or the other.

Coincidentally, the same day HT Cafe (Mumbai, Jan 26th) ran a cover story on Patriotic songs!!

Being the good samaritan that I am (Ha ! Modesty does seem to have taken a back-seat!) I thought of reproducig that list - and have added some others that I remembered.

Here goes ...
1. Aye mere pyare watan (Kabuliwalla)
2. Jahaan daal daal pe (Sikander-e-Azam)
3. Vande Mataram (Anand Math version)
4. Aye Watan, Aye Watan (Shaheed)
5. Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna (Shaheed)
6. Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon (Haqueeqat)
7. Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye (Sarfarosh)
8. Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyaara Hai (Roja)
9. Yeh jo des hai tera (Swades)
10. Rang de Basanti (Rang de Basanti)
11. Dil diya hai Jaan bhi denge (Karma)

Feel free to send in more suggestions .. so that come Aug 15th, schools can refer to this list !

Jai Hind !

Can we accuse MFs of "insider trading" ??

Just read the article, “When MFs raise capital & a stink” (Economic Times, Mumbai, Pg 15) by Gaurav Pai & Muthukumar K.

Very interesting stuff ..

The mutual fund companies ofetn invest in their own Group companies - but of course, SEBI has a limit, which they do not cross ;)

Did you know...

1. Reliance Mutual Fund has invested Rs. 1,726 crores of YOUR money, in its own R-ADAG group companies like Adlabs, Rel Comm and Rel Energy?

2. ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has invested Rs. 678 crores of your money in its own ICICI Bank?

3. SBI Mutual Fund has invested Rs. 459 crores of your money in its own SBI?

4. Birla Sun Life has invested Rs. 251 crores of your money in Hindalco, Grasim and Idea Cellular?

HDFC Mutual Fund seems to be the most prudent! It has invested only Rs. 74 crores of your money in HDFC and HDFC Bank. And the article state that Tata MF and Kotack AMC have a miniscule investment in thier own Group companies.

Kinda makes you think, right ?

Shouldn't there be some rule on "insider trading" ... because at the Top management level - these guys are the SAME !! Are you listening SEBI ??

Unless, you actually believe that the Head of Reliance Mutual Fund DOES NOT know what the rest of the Group companies are up to .. yeah, sure .. !

And we wonder why Reliance MF has become the No. 1 MF with the highest AUM (Assets Under Management) ...

Coincidentally, at the same time the R-ADAG group companies' market capitalisation has almost doubled in the last one year...

THINK .. THINK .. THINK ...

Sleepless Nights ...

Check out the latest post at http://bijleepower.blogspot.com/ on the MERC hearings

Back after a long hiatus !!

It's been a crazy three months .. travelled to Singapore, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur .. and have now got some respite.

The far-east really has a rich cultural heritage. Much like our own. And from what I've seen and experienced, they are proud of it.

They are not "fanatical" about their religious heritage being "run aground" by western influence - and I wonder why is it that we here in India feel so "threatened" by western influences. The Thai, the Koreans and the Malaysians enjoy BOTH, without feeling any guilt - but here in India, we make (those who "adopt" western styles) guilty of "abandoning" their roots !! Why ??

Just thought I'd make this point here ....

By the way, on the "bijlee" front, we had some small successes - and I have only managed to keep updating the yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee/ .. will also update the http://bijleepower.blogspot.com/ pages ..

Here's wishing all of you a very safe and peaceful Diwali and a successful and productive New Samvat Year !!

Independence Day .. 60th .. so what ?

Greetings, to all proud Indians, on our National Independence Day.

The fact that it is our 60th is no big deal - I really dislike it that people (and some sections of the media) have created this hype - that since it is our 60th so it is "special" - this is not a total score of a test match - that we're waiting to get to a higher number !

Each year is equally important.

What we should really be measuring is how high we climb on the really relevant numbers:
- Like the decrease in number of hungry, under-fed and malnutritioned children and people.
- Like the decrease in the rate of infant mortality.
- Like the decrease in the number of pending cases in the Supreme Court and all other Courts.
- Like a decrease in the number of pending cases with the State Information Commission (under thr RTI Act).
- Like a decrease in the number of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and Corporators, who are "full-time" politicians. (Let them prove themselves in various fields and then be elected/nominated).
- Like the increase in the rate of overall literacy.
- Like the increase in the per capita income of each District, measured separately.
- Like the increase in the year-on-yeargrowth rate of number of school-going and college-going students.
- Like the increase in the rate of working women, which will show that women empowerment is really working.
- Like the increase in the overall Social/Human Development and other related Indices.

I would like to see THOSE numbers being made more important than just the fact that we have hit 60 .. so what ? In ten years, we'll hit 70 .. then 80 .. and so on .. it's never going to stop ! .. or is it ? .. and which is the reason why some people think its a "big deal" that we've hit 60.

Once a nation gets Independence, its just going to keep going !!

And while we're celebrating this, let us ...
... resolve to continue to work relentlessly towards the betterment of our country.
... gain independence from the disharmonius forces that have tied us tangled in knots.
... free ourselves of the notion that an individual person is helpless.

When each one of us does this, I feel we will REALLY have a reason to celebrate an Independence Day!

Jai Hind!

New post at bijleepower

Those who keep checking here - don't miss the latest post on http://bijleepower.blogspot.com/.

You will be shocked to know that MERC is so casual about consumer representatives.. and you were wondering why is the electricity tariff rate just going on zooming !

Lara & Katrina on Koffee with Karan

Just caught a glimpse of this program - couldn't understand what Lara kept finding so funny .. what an irritating prattle .. !

.. and the rapid fire took like ages to finish .. I didn't bother to find out who won .. like hell it matters ;)

.. and why am I even blogging about this ???

Its Raining .. and the light's have gone out !

It's June 30th .. and its been raining since last night.

Finally, the lights went out in Kandivili (East) at around 12.45 in the afternoon.

I guess I don't have to pay Reliability Charges any more .. so much for Anil Ambani spending Rs. 100 crores of MY money on his so-called Disaster Management!!

And no one is answering REL's complaint number 3030 3030 .. so that's another couple of 100 crores down the drain in setting up the Call centre ...

... the only Disiaster we have .... is REL as our electricity supplier ;)

Words of Wisdom - 3

I came across this beautiful capsule entitled "The Power of Attitude" by Mac Anderson.

I'm sure this must have done the rounds of the Internet, but I thought I'd put it down here as well, if nothing .. just for my own "Refresher Course" ... :)

The Power of ATTITUDE

1. DREAMS: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Chinese Proverb.

2. PURPOSE: Your vision becomes clear when you look inside your heart.

3. PASSION: Belief fuels passion, and ... passion rarely fails - M. Anderson.

4. People are like sticks of dynamite. The power's on the inside ... but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit.

5. COURAGE: Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quite voice at the end of the day, saying "I will try again tomorrow."

6. GOALS: Take a long view ... one day at a time.

7. STAY POSITIVE: You become what you think about - Earl Nightingale.

8. Attitudes truly are contagious. So ask yourself one question ... Is mine worth catching ?

9. SIMPLIFY: Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least - Goethe.

10. LAUGHTER: Laughter is sunshine in any life- William Thackeray.

11. Laughter is your heart's way of telling your face to smile - D. Green.

12. EXPECT THE BEST: Its a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it - W. Somerset Maugham.

13. KINDNESS: Its not the things you get, but the hearts you touch, that will determine your success in life.

14. SING YOUR SONG: A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song- Chinese proverb.

15. LOVE: Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile - Franklin P. Jones.

16. RENEWAL: The will to win ... the will to achieve ... goes dry and arid without continuous renewal - Vince Lombardi Jr.

And, finally ..

In many ways, we're alike;
However, one LITTLE difference
Makes a BIG difference
The little difference is ...
ATTITUDE

A wonderful movie with the above text and pleasing visuals is available here: www.powerofattitudemovie.com

Aamir & Amitabh are Farmers, or not ??

Ok, so now Aamir Khan is also part of the controversy on who is a "Farmer". First it was Amitabh Bachchan....

By the way, just WHO is a "FARMER"???? Where is FARMER defined ??

Certainly NOT in the Constitution of India ... !!

Surprised? Yup, the word "farmer" is not defined by our Constitution. Article 366, which deals with "Definitions" defines "Agricultural Income" but "Farmer" is not defined.

Which means, this is now open to interpretation by all and sundry - unless the High Court and/or Supreme Court have laid down some definitions (I'm not a lawyer, so I wouldn't know..)

However, here's an interesting Case study ...

When we got Independence, there were a number of landlords (Zamindars) who owned Agricultural land. Most of these had hired help ... (bonded?) labourers ... to till the land for them. In one stroke, the Government abolished the Zamindari system and made the actual tillers, owners of the land - and compensated the Zamindars (with Bonds, I think).

Thereafter, one such labourer now became the owner and then in turn, also hired some additional help. Over time, the labourer-owner became old and his children (who were educated, as he could afford to educate them) didn't want to do farm-activities any more. They moved to the city and took up other career options.

Eventually the old man passes away bequeathing his (legally-owned) farm land, to his children.

Stop the press...

Questions:
- Are the children "Farmers" ?????
- Do they need a "Certificate" to prove that they are "Farmers" ?????
- Does Amitabh need a Certificate ? If yes, WHO is the Competent Authority to issue such a Certificate?
- Does Aamir need anything more than the fact that his father owns/owned Agricultural land???
- What is the status of our Politicians?

It seems the thumb rule being applied everywhere is that "if you owned farm land at any place in India.. you ARE a Farmer" ...

By this logic, we need to open the Pandora's Box and examine each and every Politician (and Administrative Officer) who has declared that they "own" farm land.

For those who were born much later (your's truly, included), India was a predominantly Agricultural country when we got Independence... so most of our fore-fathers, were "Farmers" anyway ...

I think this is political vendetta .. especially, in Amitabh's case. His obvious proximity to the (loud-mouth) Amar Singh and Jaya's obvious show of Respect (?) to Mulayam Singh (those who saw Koffee-with-Karan will know) has done him in.

Unfortunately, the politicians themselves and the IAS officers and other Babus involved have gotten away ... FIRs should be filed against these guys first, before anyone does that to Amitabh ... and the less said about Aamir's case, the better ...

Let all the Ministers who have made statements against these two, first prove that THEY are also "Farmers" - IF they own any "agricultural land" ... let them also "prove" how is it that they are being called Farmers ... when they themselves hardly ever till their land, nowadays ..

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

New Music Videos ...

Last night I managed to catch a few of the new Music Videos on VH-1.

1. There was Sophie Ellis Bextor's "Catch You" from her "Trip The Light Fantastic" Album. The lady seemed to have a major Madonna-in-her-hey-days hang up.

The same bright red (vermillion?), frilly, latin american-style dress, hair, gelled (oiled?), pulled back in a bun, Venice, Gondola, sepia tone shots, etc.

The clincher was the shot where she is sitting on a three-seater sofa with arms outstreched on the headrest ... reminiscent of what the Cicconne babe had done for Playboy (or was it Penthouse .. but does that matter?) .. except that she did it in the buff ;)

Verdict: Ho-hum !

2. Then there was "Boss's Life" by Snoop Dogg Featuring Nate Dogg .. whatta crappy song .. with an equally crappy video to boot.

Snoop Dogg is a 6-foot, tuff, rugged-looking, broad-shouldered BOY, complete with the hood on his head, et al ... and, oh yes, he also wears pig-tails in the video !!

Ha! Talk of a confused child..!! And oh, yes, there was the token, skimpily clad black girl in stillettos (and nothing much else) in the vid ..

Verdict: Lousy !

3. Finally, there was a true Rock video .. "Home" from Chris Daughtry (remember this guy ? Looks like Vin Diesel.. bald pate ..) He was the fourth last to be eliminated from last season's American Idol . Great vid .. great song ... great lyrics.

Incidentally, this song was chosen by this years' American Idol season, as the "going-away" number (the number they play in the background when one of the contestants is eliminated). Last season's song was "I've Had a Bad Day"...

Verdict: Beautiful !

Didn't wait to see further .. just shut the box after Daughtry ...

I also, managed to catch Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" (my daughter's fav song ... "Ooh Dad, I just love this video...").

Typical, girlie-vid ... high-school babes trying to "eliminate" much-wanted boyfriend's present girlfriend ... Ha !

So now you know what to expect from the vid ... there are the token shots of the present GF falling in the pool and making a mess of herself ... predictable stuff ..

But you know the kids these days ... "Ooh Dad, she is just sooo cooooool ... !!!"

Verdict: Cooool (just because my daughter is sitting next to me ...)

"DTH customers may get adult content"

Just read this news item on rediff.com (http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jun/02dth.htm).

The news item does not clarify if CAS and/or IPTV media are also included.

A TRAI report puts the total number of cable & satellite viewers at 70 million and the article says that there are 3.2 million DTH subscribers - so only 4.5% of the viewers will be "entitled" .. (or should I say, "privileged") to watch adult content.

The Govt is going to "reward" this 4.5% for investing in DTH systems, by allowing them to view "adult" content ...

So, according to the Govt (or is it only TRAI?), 95.5% of the viewer population is NOT mature enough to handle adult content !

This smacks of a business deal, where the DTH players are going to use the excuse of a TRAI-approved plan for "promoting" their product.

They will make it look like the TRAI has done this only because access-control is easier through DTH .. but what about CAS and IPTV? These are also "controllable".

In any case, it is absolutely discriminatory to make such a move - any such decision should be inclusive.

I have written to TRAI asking for a clarification ... but who knows if they will reply!

Just thought that you all should know :)