Mehar Bhargav Killer Shot says Financial Express but ...

Sachin Pahari, the main accused in Mehar Bhargav killing has been shot by he still managed to escape says this Financial Express article.

I see a trend of protest, however small and fragile, starting in India. People protested for Jessica Lal, now they are protesting this senseless killing of Mehar Bhargav. We still may not take to street like the French students but we have started making use of technology, through SMS and blogs to protest. Maybe something larger will come out of it? That is my very fond hope. At least, this nascent form of protest gives me hope that there are many among us who go hopping mad and our blood still boils over such issues. Otherwise if I go by Slimes of India and their likes, it seems we are nation obsessed only by the page 3 culture. I firmly like to believe we are not.

The World is Round says Laurence Prusak

I have not yet read 'The World is Flat' by Thomas Friedman. My brother-in-law has a copy and all I have to do is to borrow it. I am not at all sold out to the idea that world has become flat. Why? Laurence Prusak says it beautifully through this HBS article:

Yes, we are interconnected on a truly astonishing scale. But Gates, Friedman, and many others make a fundamental error when they argue that brute connectivity will level the playing field, giving that twentysomething in Shanghai the ability to compete head-to-head with anyone, anywhere in the world. Their mistake is that they’re confusing information with knowledge.

This isn’t a new idea. College professors have forever struggled with students’ efforts to pass off the former as the latter. But consultants, journalists, and businesspeople have dangerously blurred the distinction as they’ve championed trillions of dollars worth of IT purchases made with the intention of “managing knowledge.” For the most part, what we’ve built is a vast global IT infrastructure that is very good at moving information, but not knowledge, from one place to another.

Have a look at the article.

This is what I had said when HBS invited reader's comments on the level playing field or the flat world:

I wonder if it is more meaningful to address the question "What is a Level Playing Field?" to:

A person who doesn't have roof over his or her head.

A person who has to force his or her children into child labor to make ends meet.

A person who has gone hungry tonight or does not know where his or her next meal is going to come from.

Someone in a village where there is no electricity, roads, or even a school.

And then, probably, we should wonder what we are doing to create a level playing field for them or even if it is a priority.

You can see the reader's comments in full here.

Sad and Disgusting

"Consider this, a gun happy, politically backed, world renonwed scientist (sorry scientists really have no value now-a-days) culprit guns down a 52 year old Meher Bhargav for doing the most of terrible crime in Indian history. And what was the crime? She tried to protect her daughter-in-law from eve teasing. Shame on you Mrs. Bhargav, you deserve to die. Don’t you know that women are public property in India."

Oz has more. At the moment all I have the energy for is to link to this post.

Stupid Questions

My colleague Shibu doesn't like some of the questions he is asked. I will have to ask him to do one on the questions our students ask.

What the Hell!

According to this BBC Story a six year old girl is being charged with criminal activity by the police in Ara, Bihar.

The girl has been charged by the police in the northern Indian state of Bihar with attacking them and helping her father escape from police custody.

This is despite the fact that under Indian law, the police cannot file a criminal case against a child below seven years of age.

"When the police lodged the case, they claimed Rani was 10 years old, when she was actually four years old. How could a four-year-old girl have attacked three policemen and freed me?" asks a distraught Bir Bahadur Pandey, the girl's father.

Oh! why do I try to read news the first thing in the morning?

Varanasi: How it Hurts Business after the Blasts

After the TV crew almost have moved to the next event Banarasri Saree weavers try to come up with the aftermath, says this Indian Express news report.

PS. I know this blog needs a proper travel post, but semester is about to come to an end (three, just three more weeks of teaching, but before I become too happy, after that mountain load of correction work will follow). I will try to come up with a proper travel post soon.

Another One From IITK Days

Mess Food Anyone? I ordered an omelet once and found something else 'free' altogether.

Indian Corporate Blogs: How Many?

I was searching for information on Indian corporate blogs and could find these two:

• Tata Interactive Systems
• Tekriti Software

Am I missing something? If you know about an Indian corporate blog please let me know in the comments section. And what is it with T? Both the companies having a blog have names starting with letter T!

Beer instead of Water in the Taps?

Naah, not for us, but it happened to a lucky lady in Norway. She got beer in the Tap.

And you have a very happy and safe Holi.

Another IITK Post and a New Template!

I managed to write another IITK Days post:

The First few Days

I think I will try for one post per week for this blog.

Oh! and this new template is courtsey Saurav from The Glass Palace I am so thankful to him, he took so much trouble on my behalf.

Video Cameras in the Staff Rooms of a College?

I used to work in an engineering college, teaching compulsory Economics and Management papers. I have ranted before about it:

They once held a meeting of the so called research committee, where the director (retired IIT Delhi faculty) asked us to do research. I asked them if they are willing to provide me a PC, as after teaching 20 classes a week, I need a PC on my desk rather than running to the common lab where the computers take 20 minutes to boot. They agreed in the meeting probably to save face. But later the so called dean (retired IIT KGP faculty) called me to his office, and told me that a computer costs 40,000 rupees and do I even knew to open and close a computer and asked me to demonstrate '‘how to close a window'’ on his 1988 model laptop!

Though I left that job in April 2005, I am still in touch with a few colleagues and students there. A few days back a student wrote to me saying the management has placed video cameras in the staff rooms and corridoors of the institute! I was quite taken aback. I thought I will ask a faculty friend. And to my horror she said they have placed video cameras inside each and every staff room! Can you imagine?

This place did not have a decent internet connection, they had no money to give a PC to their faculty members, they had no money to put AC in every staff room but they have the money to put the video cameras in faculty rooms. And I thought academics is one of the most liberal professions in the world.

I fail to understand why anyone would like to monitor their faculty members through video cameras. It makes no sense and leaves me horrified. I am so glad I left that job before all this happened.

A Chat with Gopi from MeraTrip.com

Some time back I started interacting with V. Gopi Krishna of MeraTrip.com. Gopi is a BITS Pilani Almuni and we had the following email discussion about his website that gives Air fare hot deals at the moment but the plans are for more.

Tell us something about yourself and your interest in travel.

I am a B.E Computer Science from BITS Pilani. Worked for a couple of years in the USA with Electronic Data Systems. Currently residing at 'Oxford of the East' - Pune.

How did you start Meratrip.com?

Around October of last year I was waiting for a good airfare deal for an upcoming vacation. Every day I went to the web sites of all the airlines (Spicejet, Air Deccan, Goair etc.) and checked for any good deals.

And one fine Friday, Air Deccan published a good deal in the newspapers (not their web site) and since I don't read newspapers these days, I missed that deal and by the time I got to know it two days later, the sale tickets were sold out.

I learnt two things from this experience -- 1) There must be a single place to find out about all the deals being offered by airlines without the need to checking their individual web sites everyday 2) There must be a way to get alerted via email/sms when hot deals are announced. And so, out of this personal itch, MeraTrip.com was born.

Where do you want to take it from here?

1) Hotels and Vacations: Hotel Deals and Vacation Deals are the two other key areas that we plan to offer in the next 12 to 18 months.

2) Configurable Alerts: We will offer the capability to Configure alerts based on selected criteria. For example, you can be alerted via email/sms whenever a new deal from Mumbai to Delhi is available.

3) The power of a crowd: We will add Forums in the near future. Each deal that we publish can be discussed on the forum.

How have been the journey this far?

We were a bit skeptical about how customers would react to the value proposition of MeraTrip.com. I must say that the initial response we got has been beyond our expectations. This has cemented our belief that MeraTrip.com offers something customers actually want and can benefit from. At the end of the day, if MeraTrip.com can save time, money for our customer's, we consider our job done.

What places are on your 'must see list?'

Ladakh, Auli, Kerala Backwaters, Vaishno Devi, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Anything else you would like to share with us?

Air travel is going to get better and cheaper in India in the coming years. Timing is everything when you buy your air tickets -- The person sitting besides you in the plane could have paid Rs.5000 for his ticket and while you got your's for Rs.2000. -- Hard to believe, but that's the reality.

MeraTrip.com makes it easier for a customer to stay on top of all the deals being offered out there:

- Visit MeraTrip.com to look at current deals.

- Let us know how we are doing -- Please give us Feedback.

- Be the first to know about hot deals! -- Subscribe to our FREE Travel Deals E-Mail Letter.

Varanasi Bomb Blasts

I PROTEST: The Horrible Act of Cowardice?


I PROTEST: The Politics Being Played in the Aftermath of it


BUT I PROTEST: PEACEFULLY

CNN-IBN reporter

Narendra Nag is blogging about it from Varanasi. I say, read it for the comment section.

Shams we Play: Delhi Police Files a FIR Against "Unknown Accused" in Jessica Lall's Murder Case

I was reading this Indian Express report on filing a second FIR against unknown accused in Jessica Lall's murder case after acquitting all the nine accused in the first place. Oh! What a mockery. I mean it is a relief that the FIR is being filed but against unknown accused, whom are they kidding? Quoting from the story:

Two weeks after the acquittal of all nine accused in the Jessica Lall murder case provoked widespread public outrage—from former Chief Justice of India Justice V N Khare to thousands of anonymous citizens—the Delhi Police today announced a probe against “unknown” persons who may have tampered with evidence in the case.

Admitting that there were “mistakes in the probe”, Police Commissioner K K Paul said a fresh FIR had been lodged against “unknown accused who entered into a criminal conspiracy with common intention to fabricate documents and destroy evidence.”

Had Delhi police been sleeping?? Unknown accused, my foot. Is it not their job to know? I hope at least in this case the media and the public outrage will continue to be so huge that murderer sons of blot on earth kind of politicians do not roam free.

Thrid Blog: Looks Like I Have Nothing Better to Do!

I decided to maintain a blog about my IIT Kanpur (PG) days. First, I tried to do it anonymously but it takes a lot of energy to promote a blog and I was not up to it. Secondly, I was always worried that I might reveal my identity by mistake. So, I finally decided to blog about my IIT K days openly :)

So here I go.

Public Transport in India and My Misadventures

I was waiting at a crowded metro station for the train to come. It was hot and sultry, my shirt was sticking to my back. I was dreading the jostle that would follow the arrival of the train. My companion was oblivious; she seemed not to have a care in the world. The crowd did not daunt her the way it got to me. How I envied her!

I hate traveling in crowded public transport in India. So many times, I have picked up a fight. I remember an educated young guy, who was sitting too close for my comfort in a bus, telling me to travel by auto when I objected and asked him to move aside. Another time, I just took a cigarette from a guy’s hand and threw it out of the bus window because he would not stop smoking even after repeated requests. There have been wandering hands (on so many occasions) in my direction and my loud protests, even an occasional pushing away someone rudely and physically. All these scenes were passing through my mind while I was waiting.

Finally, the train arrived and I moved along with my friend to board it. Somehow, we were the first few people to get inside. I was bracing myself to face the crowd as they started pouring in. My jaws dropped up to my knees as I found people, guys actually, tiptoeing around me to get in.

No, I was not dreaming. I was boarding the train in Singapore (it was way back in 1999) and it was my first ever visit abroad. Having experienced only the Indian crowd (which is rowdy in most of the cities, apart from a few exceptions) I expected the same hassles there. My friend had been staying in Singapore for the past three years and thus was totally unconcerned.

How I wish this scene would become true of India in my lifetime, but I have very little hope.

This post is part of the Blank Noise Project's Blog-a-thon 2006