Friday, December 10, 2010

Inferiority Complex of a Nation

Can a nation have inferiority complex? Individuals have it. But a nation? If the collective psyche of the individuals of the nation feel that their nation is not up to the mark or others are better and are envious of other's achievements it can have the inferiority complex. Then it does not act like the mongrel which put it's tail in between the hind legs and slither. It barks. It barks to its heart's content. What we are doing now.
And dogs bark but the caravan will go. The same way things will go on with no one giving much attention to this barking except for a non-committal apology. For what they should apologise at all!! For observing their procedure to the book?
I think the government should put in more attention when they select an envoy to another country especially a country with which we have much at stake. If it is some non-entity nation tucked in some godforsaken corner of the globe ruled by a tin-pot dictator, one can send any Tom,Dick and Harry. I fail to understand why our envoy to US get so much upset when the Security agent searched? On what ground? She should have known that diplomats are not exempted from security search as per US laws. It was foolish of her to flaunt all those papers. What would have worked here do not work there. Probably in US one can call the president 'Mr.President'. I am not sure of course. But here no one will dare to call Mrs.President I am sure. The previous envoy to US Mr.Sen has gone on record that he was also subjected to these. At least he did not make a scene. He quietly talked of this to US authorities.
Does anybody expect that US administration will pull up the person who did the duty as per norms? Had it been in India by this time the person would have been dismissed and jailed for misbehaviour.
All the patriotic janata has risen up in arms. They want to retaliate. Nothing short of stripping Obama or Hillary Clinton at IGAI. What an idiotic people.
All the civilized world must be laughing at our antics.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Freedom of Speech v/s Freedom from Hunger

It has come in papers that India is in a dilemma whether to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo as China has categorically said that there will be consequence if any nation attend that function. All those who has commented that India should attend the function. The reason is mostly that China is our enemy and we need not pay any attention to it. Some are worried about the human rights problem there. There is no freedom of speech or expression there. If anyone write in the comments columns as they do here before he can say Mao Tse Tung the Chinese police will be knocking at his or her door. Here  nothing of that sort will happen. Very good. I should be very much concerned if I am in China as I will not be able to write like this. So too so many of those who writes comment. The important question is how many are there who wants to express themselves?
The answer is they are just minuscule percentage of the total population. The silent majority are worried about making both ends meet. For them  the freedom from hunger is the primary requirement and not expressing themselves. The maid who is sweeping the floor was telling that she has lost work in another house and get another in its place. She has two boys, one in school and another in college. She is certainly bother about freedom of speech. A dog died in our gutter below the stone slabs covering it. the stench was unbearable. One boy of ten volunteered to take it out. Why because he wanted the few bucks he expects will be paid. The construction workers who work from 9am to 6pm in the hot sun is hardly bothered whether he or she can express himself or herself. Only when one's belly is sufficiently filled one think of other things. One can write a best seller 'Not by Bread Alone' when his belly is full. China has managed to see that there are no empty bellies or if it is there it is very very few. So that is more important. Let Liu or anyone express themselves but what matters is that of the common man.
The Western media has a paranoid fixation of hatred towards China. They will blow up only the negative points like poisonous toothpastes or lead painted toys. US has stopped some imports from China. But they have stopped from other  countries also which are more than that from China.
I have known directly or indirectly who have been in China and no one has been complaining. This is just Western propaganda.
And what our freedom of speech gives us. We have been freely complain about the corruption. Has it achieved anything? I don't anything. About what all scams we are talking and it goes on as usual. In China even without this freedom of expression the scamsters and corrupt are executed. Has anything happened here?
And our constitution gives us the freedom of speech. IPC takes it back. The restrictions are so many that our freedom of speech is limited to talking about  whether and such innocuous subjects. It should not hurt the sensitivity of religious sentiments, not provoke violence, not cause law and order problem and all. I am repeating what I have told. Somebody wanted to stage a play based on the book 'The Last Temptation of Christ' which was readily banned as some Christian association objected to it. Salman Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses' was banned because it touched the sensitivity of Muslims. Hussein's Sarswaty had a premature death because Hindu sentiments were aroused. The only concession is that one can criticise the government but need not expect any results.

Party Girl and the Molester

Mr.MSJ, I am not telling that guy need not punished. The girl had gone to such a place that such things can occur. She could have been more cautious or better not wait till the wee hours when people get too much drunk. When some girls have to go out for some real purpose lik BPO employees and such I am always with them. But this girl looke like one who is accustomed to go for late night parties. She had a bodyguard. Normally it would have been parents who accompany girls. Why a body guard. I don't have to tell how a late night parties will be wher boys and girls meet without chaperoning.

All ready two people have written what I too think. Of course the youth is faulty to slap that girl. But why she should go to such late night parties where drinks are served. Someone who are inebriated may misbehave and you can't help it. This is not like the regular news from Delhi and other parts where helpless women are attacked.

SID (India) replies to Guptan Veemboor VEEMBOOR
4 hrs ago (01:31 PM)
So according to u all girls sud be locked inside thr homes...coz if they step out who knows someone might do something.
 
saurabh (bangalore) replies to SID
53 mins ago (04:43 PM)
Do u fear, that your chances would reduce if girls started staying at home. according to me, girls should be told of the dangers that may happen in such parties, they shouldn't be locked.
 
ennvee (bng) replies to Guptan Veemboor VEEMBOOR
4 hrs ago (12:52 PM)
another dumb moron from the city which boasts of intellectuals and the indian institute of science ISRO etc
msj (USA) replies to Guptan Veemboor VEEMBOOR
5 hrs ago (12:36 PM)
Blaming the woman to go to such parties is not correct. If helpless women are attacked then the problem is in the system as people are not fearing the law and can do whatever they want without any fear of the consequences. We need to correct the system and punish the guilty instead of blaming the accused.
saurabh (bangalore) replies to msj
46 mins ago (04:50 PM)
she was not helpless...
Sonia (Mumbai) replies to msj
3 hrs ago (01:57 PM)
Dude, even at places wid strictest of laws such behavior exists, Saudi, Kuwait, Iran to name a few. Law does play a factor but eventually it's the individuals character that holds critical. Many of u have argued that the girl should have not gone late night and all, well she didn't go alone, had friends n most importantly had her own bodyguard. While girls do have a physical disadvantage, they should then however secure herself b4 going in such l8 night parties, especially where alcohol is involved. She had brought her bodyguard, so attacks on her by some of u is rather unjustified.
Hey this vemboor guys is all nuts
HS (Mum) replies to msj

Airlines Fare and price of Apartments in Bombay

I fear that I may be repeating the same thing again again. The problem with me is that I get my points at random. So when I introduce I am compelled to repeat many points again.
Now I just remembered one point. In Bombay to own an apartment even in far away places is a  great achievement. The prices are so high. I wonder how one manages to purchase one. Probably the housing loans must be helping. Normally the price increase is a one way affair. It never comes down.
But few years back it did happen. Not that the 'aam aadmi's'  1 BHK price came down. It stuck where it had gone. That of  3 BHK and above which the 'paise wala admis' were buying. The prices of those flats were being jacked up by greedy builders to that level that even the 'paisewala admi' could not afford. So there were no buyers. Many apartment complexes remained unsold. The builders were forced to bring down to the level where the buyer could afford.
Similarly if the fliers refused to be fleeced by not buying tickets at such exorbitant rates it will have to come down. Some one has pointed out that sometimes there will be some emergencies as in the case of a son to reach Hyderabad from Delhi due to the sad demise of his mother. Such things are not common but rare occurrences and whosoever it is will have to find out other means. Before the advent of private airlines when Indian Airlines ruled the Indian skies no one can say the airfares were cheap. It was beyond the grasp of common man. People had spent money even then in emergencies.

Reply to Mr.Gera

Mr.Gera there is merit in your arguement. But this is only passenger fare. Even if it had been cargo fare it should not affect the common man. Those things go by surface transport inside India. So common man should not get affected. Companies cannot directly pass on the increase in fare for their employees to the consumer. And your fear that other mode of transport will also jack up fares is misplaced. Railways which carry the bulk of passenger traffic will not increase their fare just because airfare has been increased. In US one can expect as Railway is privatised. Similarly the bus fares. Most of the interstate transport is done by state governments and they also will not increase. Private bus operators only will do that. That anyway they are doing irrespective of airfare increase. What it used to be Rs.250 is now Rs1000. And this reminds me. Nobody has cried foul. They are paying it. By the by you are welcome to my blog  http//topsyturvyviews.blogspot.com

Airlines Fare

In the Times of India I wrote about the increase in airfares like this.

In my opinion government's concern in the fare hike by private airlines is misplaced. First of all this hardly concerns the general public. Even now those travelling by plane is just a small percentage. Most of the people still depend upon what Shashi Tharoor would have described as the 'cattle class' mode of transport. Either by rail or by road. Even those who travel by air most of the people are employees of private companies for whom the fare is paid by the concerned companies. This fare increase has affected only a minuscule population who pays from their pockets. And they can afford it. Just because nobody wants to part with money they are crying foul. So government neither need not pull any airlines out of debt nor ask them to lower their fare. Let them charge as much as the market will bear. After all our set up is sliding towards capitalism and market economy. We have our socialistic roots and have welfare measures meant for those who needs it. This does not falls under that category. Once the government starts interferering in the price structure of private airlines then then the government will have a moral responsibility to help it in hard times. For that the common man's tax money will have to be used. Why the aam aadmi pay for the luxury which he never enjoys. In US the airlines change the fare according to the demand and nobody cries foul. Let it be here also . It is purely private affair and let them look after themselves. If a builder charges heavens for a f

Read more: Airlines to give fares by route in advance - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Airlines-to-give-fares-by-route-in-advance/articleshow/7056280.cms#ixzz17PphqQkv
 
Many have commented that my view is preposterous. I stick to my view. I once again assert that air travel is for the few in the upper strata. As I told that once the government starts interfering it will have to do so when they go bankrupt also. Government will have to come to its rescue with the taxpayers money which I say is not proper. I am giving the same view what Mr.Jairam Ramesh told of the SUVs using diesel. Diesel price is kept low by subsidy. It is meant to be used in tractor for farming. The SUV owner can very well afford petrol at market price. When a builder builds apartments he charges as he wants that is whatever maximum he can get. The prize is calculated as to what the market can bear. Does anyone cry that the price is too high and there should be a capping? Certainly not. Those who can afford it will buy. Those who cannot will go in search of something else they can afford. Like that if airlines raises the fares go to other cheaper mode of transport. If they do not get passengers if they raise it so much naturally they will have to reduce it. It will have to come down automatically. With so much investment they cannot afford to keep it grounded without any returns. If the fares are exorbitantly high stop buying the tickets. In this connection in another paper one has commented that the airfare fare from Baroda to Bombay has gone to 10k and was lamenting. The Western Railway runs many trains between Baroda and Bombay. The faster one takes less than six hours. If you consider the time you take to go to the airport and your waiting time there and after arriving at Santa Cruz and the time taken to your actual destination by rail you don't lose much. Here in Bangalore after the airport has been shifted all are telling for short distance flights say to Madras trains are better. People do not want to do that.  Then let them pay. If at a later date government spends any money on the private airlines it will be nothing but criminal