Bane Or Boon?

“The romance and the effervescence, the aroma, of the delicate art of letter writing, now encapsulated on a 'hard disc'. And the most beautiful part of the exercise – the wait – that look of anticipation at your door for the postman. To study from the expression whether he has something for you. The dejection when he does not and the elation when he does.” - Big B in his blog (Day 338, March 27, 2009).

Big B's above blog takes us to the nostalgic pleasures of writing letters and receiving letters from our loved ones, handed over personally by the postman with a huge smile. The memories of those exciting moments are still fresh when we sent our 17-year son to USA for studies and would wait for his long hand written letters narrating his first encounters with the western culture, far away from home. Postman then used to be part of your private world and riding on his cycle he would wave to us from some distance with a broad smile, giving a hint that he has a letter from our son for delivery.

Not all tools given by modern technology, however magnificent they may be, can replace conventional methods which in many cases are more reliable, colorful and effective. This was amply, though inadvertently, proved at the world's high-tech capital, the Silicon Valley in California, USA. A college there, preparing to reopen after long summer vacations, continues to employ a contractor every year who brings his herd of goats to graze on the wild growth of shrubs, for days till the grounds are cleared of the wild growth. In the same high-tech Silicon Valley, a sewage-line plumber relies on the smelling power of his pigs to locate the leaking spot in the underground sewage line. Donna Karen, the world renowned fashion designer, has her home-gym in New York equipped with the latest high-tech fitness accessories, but the exercise she enjoys doing is to send her car and driver to office with her bags, while she walks to work. Indeed, there are innumerable examples where men and women have access to numerous high-tech gadgets, but they are happier doing things the traditional way. Can a pullover produced on the most modern knitting machine match the warmth and beauty of a hand made sweater, knitted with love and care by a loved one? Fax may be the fastest way to send your communication, but it is certainly not meant for men who make reading and writing a romance of life. Hands and human endeavor cannot be obliterated by computers, microwave ovens and the rest. Let us put gadgets properly in their place before we become all too willing slaves to them.

Wires, cables, gleaming metal and blinking lights – these are the tapings of the modern office. As much as I love my brushed steel Imac, however, the cold lights and white cords can feel cold and sterile. Without doubt many gadgets are great, even if they make life stressful. Cell phone is almost a necessity now, but then it makes you available 24x7, no matter what. Handheld devices give you access to email anywhere – why? Email is a communication device and can wait. Same for internet access on handhelds. A young scientist in India has now come up with a device that puts on your palm all that you had on handsets. Don't be surprised if very soon you see people reading their palm on the roads. There was a time when I felt very concerned for the man on the road who was talking aloud to himself. Poor man, I thought, must be under too much stress or worse still, a victim of nervous breakdown. No more concern or compassion for the man now. Not that I have become callous or insensitive, but because I know for certain that the man is not sick, he is only using his cellphone, discreetly designed to be invisible to others. And he has company, most others on the road doing the same thing, talking to themselves while walking or driving. To them it is the best way to shorten the distance to their destination, even if it may shorten the life of others on the road. A survey conducted in California (USA) concluded that cellphone users made a major contribution to road accidents and a bill is under consideration to ban the use of cellphones while on the wheel. Till then men like me, who are conspicuous on the road for not talking to themselves, need to be careful from those who do. Ironically, most of the time we all talk to ourselves when talking on 'phone. It is because of the prevailing trend not to pick up the phone, but to let the caller keep talking to the answering machine. Incidentally, answering machine is actually a 'no answer machine'. It loses its voice after the beep. You may keep talking into the machine but without expecting it to answer your queries. The right to answer rests with the owner of the machine, who may respond to your call at his will, or may not call back at all, depending on your identity as a caller. Unlike simpleton servants of the old times, who would pick up the receiver and respond, “Sahib kehte hein weh ghar par nahin (Master says he is not at home)”, the modern day answering machine is too smart to give a hint that the called one is very much there and listening to the caller's message on the machine. Gadgets like this motivate the modern man to play games with another man, rather than have the joy of reaching out to him with a warm response. But then this is how the world works today. Those others like me are likely to be left behind, who pause to ponder if the modern machines are a bane or boon.

United Scams of America

Behold the dark side of the electronic age in this millennium. The highwayman of old lurked in the dark and preyed on the unwary; the hold-upper used to lie in wait in a grimy street corner and pounced on his prey. These days, to go about his dastardly deed, he sits in a corner of his room, possibly in his pajamas trolling the net, banging away on a keyboard or frequents some smoke-filled internet café hatching schemes, halfway around the world. Those of us who log on to the net are all at risk, unless and until we take the necessary psychological precautions to deal with this and become relatively "scam proof." I am not talking about an email offering you a generous proposition of being the beneficiary of an unclaimed bank account with millions of dollars somewhere in Africa, or an email stating you have won a fortune in a UK lottery, even if you haven’t bought a ticket. I am not even talking about the Wall Street scams causing billions of dollars worth rip off to the rich investors. It is the Main Street scams which the man in the street has to deal with every day, that I am concerned with. No one is sacrosanct from these scams. Con artists rarely ever see the faces of their victims or know the full extent of the damage that they wreak on real people with real lives. Here are some samples to give an idea of how hard hitting these scams could be, not only to Americans but also to others aspiring to move to the US, especially from India:


Green Card Lottery Scam

This scam, like the Visa lottery, is an annual event and it preys on the hopes of many uninformed would-be immigrants to the USA. The scam informs its marks that they've won the immigrant lottery visa to the USA and should claim their visa by sending $1200 to $2000 (the sums vary) to bogus addresses, along with their passport data and personal information. So to all visa applicants and would-be immigrants to USA, visa frauds abound, some of them perpetrated by the very institutions one applies to for visas.

Economic Stimulus Scams!

These scams involve identity thieves posing as the IRS and sending out spam e-mails promising an economic stimulus check. All the person has to do is download the attached form, fill it out, and send it back to the IRS to receive the check. The trouble is, the form is an identity theft tool that steals the personal information entered into it. And the address isn’t to the IRS.

Bogus Job Offers for Indian Nationals

In recent months, there has been a high incidence of bogus Employment/Job Offers in the USA, targeted to people specifically living in India. These jobs have come from a variety of sources, but are usually traced or linked to a company based in the United States of America, that are IT (information technology) consultants, contractors or simply a specialist employment agency These companies have clearly stated that they will "assist" or even outright claimed that they will "obtain" the necessary working permit visas (H1x) on behalf of the proposed employee.

Foreclosure Rescue Scams

These foreclosure "rescue" scams aren't new, but they are exploding across the country as criminals try to capitalize on the surging number of victims of the foreclosure crisis. These criminals promise hope when there might be none. They take money upfront and say they will help modify the victim's mortgage; instead, they steal the money -- and sometimes the victim's property.

Real Estate Frauds

Real estate fraud has now firmly emerged as the country's fastest-growing white collar crime - all, in essence, polite forms of bank robbery. In over 80 percent of the cases, scammers are helped by an insider. The buyer they send is completely full of holes, fake everything, and slippery enough to try to pull it off. A bottle of expensive booze and $500 cash help grease the wheels.

Invention Marketing Scams

You may have a great idea for a new product or service, but a great idea is not enough. Some invention promotion firms may help you get your idea or invention into the marketplace. But be aware, some inventors have paid thousands of dollars to firms that promised to evaluate, develop, patent, and market inventions and got nothing for their money.

Students Scholarship Scams

With millions of students seeking ways to fund college each year, some become victims of scholarship and financial-aid scams. Potentially phony lines in scholarship offers: “The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back,” “I just need your credit-card or bank account number to hold this scholarship.”
“The scholarship will cost some money,” “You’ve been selected by a ‘national foundation’ to receive a scholarship.”

In tough economic times, it’s important to be on the lookout for scams trying to exploit your fear. The wheels of justice grind exceedingly slow and you sometimes wonder, if justice would ever catch up with this distinct, yet devastating phenomenon of our time. For now, all we can do as ordinary users of the net is to be on guard. A healthy dose of cynicism and common sense work as well as an ounce of prevention.

People are more susceptible to scams after going through adverse life events — a job loss, foreclosure or some other financial hardship. So it's not surprising that America's deepening economic crisis is creating a whole new universe of potential scam victims every day. Remember when CPWD in India was infamously known as the Corrupt Public Works Department, because of too much corruption rampant in the department; and Delhi's DDA came to be called the Deadly Development Authority because of deaths due to its buildings coming down during construction caused by use of sub-standard material. On the same lines, it could make perfect sense to call USA, the United Scams of America!


















































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"Just Do It!"

There was a time when the papers would predict outcome of the polling on the basis of the percentage of votes cast at a particular constituency. Higher the number of votes cast, better the chances for the ruling party to win, and lower the number of voters, the party was doomed to be declared a loser. It was so because the poorer or the ordinary among the population were believed to form the vote bank of the party and ironically, it was they who were more enthusiastic on voting than the richer and the intelligentsia.

This is a blog not for those poor or the ordinary, who are unabashedly in love with democracy, who look forward to election year with patriotic zeal directed first of all to the nation and second of all to one of the political parties. I write instead for the rich and the intelligentsia, who are generally absent at the polling booths; who feel deep in their bones that the entire political process is a sham; who think that by voting, you simply reinforce a system totally polluted by money and corruption that ultimately has nobody's best interests at heart; who feel that our country, whatever its previous merits, is accelerating in a decades-long slide; who believe that voting for any party is merely a decision about the hand-basket in which to ride to hell. In short, I write for those who, faced with the prospect of choosing between the different parties, are nearly in despair about democracy and who are consequently planning to skip the whole sordid affair rather than soil their consciences.

To those thus afflicted I say, “Cheer up and vote.” Politics is always a sad compromise. If you’re waiting for the perfect political regime and the perfect political party before you vote, you’re expecting divine things from the merely human. This is a fallen world. There never has been a perfect political regime; there never will be. India is no exception. But since no one is ever born into a perfect regime, then we shall be judged only by how well we acted amid whatever imperfections fall to our historical lot. We shall therefore be judged, in part, on our voting record. So come, friends, let us reason together, and see things from the proper perspective.

We won’t be judged, then, on how we would have acted if things had been perfect, nor even on how we would have acted if things had been better. We will be judged on how we acted in the midst of the actual imperfection into which we were born and under which we lived. More accurately, recalling that sins are also committed by omission, we will be judged on how we did not act, as well as on how we did. If we wait to vote until we have a party of the perfect intellectual and moral caliber, then we will be responsible for the repeated election of a rogue’s gallery of leaders during our repeated sins of omission.

For different reasons, both the big parties seem unappealing. All too many are either not voting or throwing away their votes on no-win, third-party candidates. Salvation doesn’t come from either party, or from democracy itself. Salvation comes through grace and through our adherence to the moral, pre-political truths by which all political parties—-Congress, BJP, Communist, and any mixtures thereof—-are and shall be judged. We shall be judged on how well we acted amid the political imperfections into which we are cast, the very imperfections among which we are called to vote. Voting is a sloppy, ineffective way of setting and resetting the political order, supremely subject to manipulation, flattery, and demagoguery. That is why the partisans of extreme democracy generally avoid it. But voting is still the way that we’re called to exercise what political power remains in the hands of ordinary folk, and it’s our duty to use this power as best we can.

Not voting means handing power to those in either political party who make us feel so uncomfortable about voting. On a deeper and more desperate level, we must vote for the sake of democracy. Do not expect more than democracy can deliver, but do help deliver democracy from itself. The one thing most needful at this point is to do whatever we can to restore the moral, pre-political foundations of this nation. Let that be the wisdom that guides your vote.

A crucial election day is only weeks away. At stake are vital political, economic and moral issues of concern to all Indians. During the next five years, there will be important debates about the way our government does business. Legislation on significant issues such as security, employment, education, health care, civil rights and support for the common man is likely to be considered by the next Government, in addition to making crucial decisions affecting our lives. With the stakes so high, we must work to reverse the trend toward declining percentages of voters. As citizens we have an obligation to participate in the elections to ensure that our country's policies ensure commitment to social justice. Every vote counts and plays a defining role in setting policy agendas. It is our civic duty to register promptly, educate ourselves about the critical issues and VOTE!

It is somewhat easy to take an increasingly cynical and disengaged view of politics , the national shouting that has replaced debating, polarizing rhetoric, mud slinging, the seeming lack of real progress on issues important to you, the relentless screech of bad news and the sense that all of this is beyond your influence. But, that is just what you must not do. Each and every one, who is eligible to do so, must go to the polls on Election Day and cast his or her vote. Voting in this and every election is not just important; it is part of our stewardship of life and living. As the commercial says, "Just Do It"…

Make Raggers Dance 'Dola Re'!

Four medical students accused of ragging a junior leading to his death were arrested and charged with culpable homicide as the Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday ordered a magisterial probe into the shocking incident. The four were remanded to police custody for varying periods by a local court in connection with the death of 19-year-old Aman Kachroo, a student of Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda... Source: TOI

GUNTUR (AP): An agriculture engineering student was allegedly made to dance nude as part of ragging by her seniors following which the girl attempted to commit suicide. The 20-year-old student of Government Agriculture Engineering College in Baptla town here consumed pesticides after senior girls in her hostel forced her to dance in front of them without clothes on Thursday, police said. She was rushed to hospital where she regained consciousness on Thursday night.

In the U.S. hazing (ragging) has resulted in several deaths and serious injuries. Matthew Carrington was killed at California's Chico State University on February 2, 2005.

In Indonesia, 35 people died since 1993 as a result of ragging initiation rites in the Institute of Public Service (IPDN). The latest is in April 2007 when Cliff Muntu died after being beaten by the seniors.

Hazing is considered a felony in several U.S. states, and anti-hazing legislation has been proposed in other states. There is anti-ragging legislation in several countries, e.g. in France (the French term is bizutage) imposing a punishment up to six months in prison or 7,500 euro. In the Philippines, ragging accompanied by any forms of temporary or permanent physical injuries (from light injuries to injuries resulting to death), sexual abuse (in any form) or any acts that lead to mental incapacity are punishable by law. Penalties vary depending on how serious the offense is. In India, ragging has been banned for the last few years . Recently, in a historical judgement, the Hon. Supreme Court of India directed the police to lodge criminal cases against those accused of ragging. State governments have also been ordered to deal with ragging strictly. But it is not enough that the law is after all catching up with ragging. Something else has to change: the mindset that considers ragging just part of college life. Ragging is not about harmless traditions or silly antics—ragging is about abuse of power and violation of human dignity. Ragging is simply a systemised form of abuse and exploitation. We are told that ragging can be fun. Yes, it can be — for the ragger. Just like Abu Ghraib was fun for the American soldiers in those pictures we saw. And we never saw pictures of similar abuse in India's college hostels, because no one took those pictures. Those who died or committed suicide are no longer there to tell their raggers how much fun ragging can be. We must fill that gap.

Ragging is a parent's nightmare and a nagging fear for the people who run colleges and universities. The system is carefully drilled into the fresher's mind. You will be told, ad nauseum, that 'ragging can be healthy within limits'. All such arguments in favour of ragging talk about the extent of ragging. The problem is not the extent but the idea of ragging: the idea that you must abuse and exploit just because you joined this college a year or two earlier. The problem is with even the mildest of ragging. Even the harshest ragging begins with mildly, and often the ragger loses self-control, and does things that he never thought he could do. A fresher is ragged not once, and not by a single senior: he is ragged again and again, by the same senior and by other seniors and by their friends from outside college. He is ragged day and night, and more in the night, throughout the night. Just when he thinks the worst is over, comes another ragger whose name he does not know. This goes on for months with no respite.

In order to make meaningful change, it is important to identify the key barriers to change and work on dismantling these. Common barriers to eliminating ragging include:

* Denial of the problem
* Dismissing ragging as harmless
* Silence
* Fear
* Insufficient support for victims of ragging
Cultural norms that promote acceptance of ragging as “normal”

In the context of eliminating the above barriers, especially the last one, here ia a heartening news from Chandigarh:

Chandigarh: The PUSU president Simranjit Singh Dhillon has organised a peace rally at Panjab University from Gandhi Bhawan to Students’ Centre with a pledge to end a ragging menace in educational institutes of Chandigarh.According to information, the students’ have taken an oath to end ragging in each and every institute of Chandigarh.


If ragging has to go, it has to be replaced with a new system that brings freshers into the college mainstream. The system of responsible seniors being appointed student 'guides' or 'counsellors' for freshers is the only one that has worked so far. It is successfully followed by western universities, and in India, by IIT Kanpur. The freshers on their part can bring in the change by offering flowers to the seniors, as a sign of respect and reconcilliation, fashioned on Gandhigiri Munnabhai style. If this does not help, they have to be brave to try the bolder option, adopted by Munnabhai M.B.B.S. as a fresher in the medical college - show their collective strength to seniors and turn the tables on raggers by making them dance to the tune of 'Dola Re Dola'!






























































































Four medical students accused of ragging a junior leading to his death were arrested and charged with culpable homicide as the Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday ordered a magisterial probe into the shocking incident. The four were remanded to police custody for varying periods by a local court in connection with the death of 19-year-old Aman Kachroo, a student of Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda... Source: TOI

GUNTUR (AP): An agriculture engineering student was allegedly made to dance nude as part of ragging by her seniors following which the girl attempted to commit suicide. The 20-year-old student of Government Agriculture Engineering College in Baptla town here consumed pesticides after senior girls in her hostel forced her to dance in front of them without clothes on Thursday, police said. She was rushed to hospital where she regained consciousness on Thursday night.

In the U.S. hazing (ragging) has resulted in several deaths and serious injuries. Matthew Carrington was killed at California's Chico State University on February 2, 2005.

In Indonesia, 35 people died since 1993 as a result of ragging initiation rites in the Institute of Public Service (IPDN). The latest is in April 2007 when Cliff Muntu died after being beaten by the seniors.

Hazing is considered a felony in several U.S. states, and anti-hazing legislation has been proposed in other states. There is anti-ragging legislation in several countries, e.g. in France (the French term is bizutage) imposing a punishment up to six months in prison or 7,500 euro. In the Philippines, ragging accompanied by any forms of temporary or permanent physical injuries (from light injuries to injuries resulting to death), sexual abuse (in any form) or any acts that lead to mental incapacity are punishable by law. Penalties vary depending on how serious the offense is. In India, ragging has been banned for the last few years . Recently, in a historical judgement, the Hon. Supreme Court of India directed the police to lodge criminal cases against those accused of ragging. State governments have also been ordered to deal with ragging strictly. But it is not enough that the law is after all catching up with ragging. Something else has to change: the mindset that considers ragging just part of college life. Ragging is not about harmless traditions or silly antics—ragging is about abuse of power and violation of human dignity. Ragging is simply a systemised form of abuse and exploitation. We are told that ragging can be fun. Yes, it can be — for the ragger. Just like Abu Ghraib was fun for the American soldiers in those pictures we saw. And we never saw pictures of similar abuse in India's college hostels, because no one took those pictures. Those who died or committed suicide are no longer there to tell their raggers how much fun ragging can be. We must fill that gap.

Ragging is a parent's nightmare and a nagging fear for the people who run colleges and universities. The system is carefully drilled into the fresher's mind. You will be told, ad nauseum, that 'ragging can be healthy within limits'. All such arguments in favour of ragging talk about the extent of ragging. The problem is not the extent but the idea of ragging: the idea that you must abuse and exploit just because you joined this college a year or two earlier. The problem is with even the mildest of ragging. Even the harshest ragging begins with mildly, and often the ragger loses self-control, and does things that he never thought he could do. A fresher is ragged not once, and not by a single senior: he is ragged again and again, by the same senior and by other seniors and by their friends from outside college. He is ragged day and night, and more in the night, throughout the night. Just when he thinks the worst is over, comes another ragger whose name he does not know. This goes on for months with no respite.

In order to make meaningful change, it is important to identify the key barriers to change and work on dismantling these. Common barriers to eliminating ragging include:

* Denial of the problem
* Dismissing ragging as harmless
* Silence
* Fear
* Insufficient support for victims of ragging
Cultural norms that promote acceptance of ragging as “normal”

In the context of eliminating the above barriers, especially the last one, here ia a heartening news from Chandigarh:

Chandigarh: The PUSU president Simranjit Singh Dhillon has organised a peace rally at Panjab University from Gandhi Bhawan to Students’ Centre with a pledge to end a ragging menace in educational institutes of Chandigarh.According to information, the students’ have taken an oath to end ragging in each and every institute of Chandigarh.


If ragging has to go, it has to be replaced with a new system that brings freshers into the college mainstream. The system of responsible seniors being appointed student 'guides' or 'counsellors' for freshers is the only one that has worked so far. It is successfully followed by western universities, and in India, by IIT Kanpur. The freshers on their part can bring in the change by offering flowers to the seniors, as a sign of respect and reconcilliation, fashioned on Gandhigiri Munnabhai style. If this does not help, they have to be brave to try the bolder option, adopted by Munnabhai M.B.B.S. as a fresher in the medical college - show their collective strength to seniors and turn the tables on raggers by making them dance to the tune of 'Dola Re Dola'!

Mother Of All Roll Models!

Women in today's world have created a distinct place for themselves. In India, women were respected even in ancient times. The Vedas and the epics have upheld the equality of men and women. During the medieval period, the position of women deteriorated. The dowry system, sati and veil system have downgraded woman. Crimes against women have taken varied forms. These include female feticide, dowry death, eve teasing, molestation, abuse at workplace, wife beating and rape. Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. It is a problem of pandemic proportions. At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today, it devastates lives, fractures communities, and stalls development.

Despite all the legal advances, little has changed for women who report a rape, the crime no one understands, because in far too many instances, juries don't believe the crime exists. Jeffrey Marsalis has been charged in USA with rape 10 times but never convicted of that crime. This story is a warning to all women. The testimony of 10 women wasn't enough to get a single rape conviction against him. The outcome reveals a disturbing truth about the justice system, worldwide. The only solution to the problem lies in the strength of the victims, the women. A group of women formed an alliance in India to fight sex offenders on gender divided trains. Not only did these women form a group, but they armed themselves with bats and when the men would break in, they would beat the crap out of them! These are the women who really are the finest role models in today's world to fight crime against women. And if that is not enough of inspiration to deal with the deadly criminals, let the women look to the all powerful, Durga Maa. Durga manifests fearlessness and patience, and never loses her sense of humor, even during spiritual battles of epic proportion.

Goddess Durga is an awesome deity amongst the devout Hindus the world over, who, by Her raging demeanor brings even the worst evil-doer to the doorstep of justice. The divine exploits and magical powers of the Goddess are reserved for not only Her worshippers, but also for the poor who seek justice. In Hindu mythology, Durga is a fierce form of Devi, the Mother Goddess, the all-powerful almighty goddess. According to a legend the gods could not defeat the buffalo demon Mahishasur, who was threatening the existence of the universe. They begged Shiva for his assistance, and Shiva advised all the gods to release their shaktis. The shaktis of the gods emerged in female form. These goddesses fused together in blinding light from which arose a magnificent goddess with many arms. She was as beautiful as she was deadly. Durga was born fully-grown and is depicted as extremely beautiful and full of rage. The gods called this goddess Durga, the invincible one, and they armed her with all their weapons. Thus armed, Durga rode to the top of a mountain on a lion. In a bloody battle, she defeated Mahishasur and his army of demons and thus saved the Universe from this demon’s menace.

Two instances of women power in recent history are an example of Durga Maa's blessing on those who bravely fight the evil forces. Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi was probably the bravest of all the leaders who fought for India’s independence against the mighty British. She died in battle as she led the Indian mutiny in 1857, the first armed uprising against British rule. Lakshmibai's courage, strength, and ability as she valiantly fought the British army's vastly superior forces, are remembered to this day. Indira Gandhi, one of the best-known women of the 20th century, was Prime Minister of India, and daughter of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Her leadership qualities came to the fore during India-Pakistan war in 1971 that resulted in liberation of Bangladesh. India achieved decisive victory over Pakistan in the face of diplomatic opposition from both China and the United States and a lack of international support from almost every other nation except the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries. Indian victory over Pakistan led to a great surge in Indira Gandhi's popularity and she was compared to Goddess Durga by ordinary Indians.

On this Women's Day 2009, let all women look to Durga Maa as the mother of all roll models.