कोई मुझे ये तो बताये!

ये कम्बक्थी मारे सारे दोस्त आज कल मुझे फ़ोन करके "चीनी कम, चीनी कम" क्यों कहते रहते हैं?

Fruits of Technology

I have often heard leading lights protest about technology being anti poor and so on. Recently on Discovery channel was this pretty anti-globalisation activist in Bangalore criticizing globalisation as anti human for the rich. Now once a while there is a loose-loose for poor because of "progress" i think over all the benefits outweigh the risks.
There is a story how Mr Sukhram- a ex telecom minister who had wads of cash discovered in his house by a police agency still won his elections. His singular contribution - he put up PCOs in every nook and corner of Himachal Pradesh. Apple farmers could call up buyers and fix prices and sell produce. While he may have been corrupt (or not, don't know if court has decided the matter one way or another) what mattered to the farmers is that their incomes increased.
The Economist has this story about fishermen in Kerala who use mobile phones to figure out where are the buyers and directly go there. Fish is a perishable commodity so in case of a good catch by many prices fall and hence a lot of stock had to be dumped. Not any more, fisherman can locate a buyer upfront and directly deliver there, problem solved.
Similarly ITC has put echoupal (choupal refers to Village meeting ground) where farmers can log in and check crop prices across market and directly deliver. Without this, they just have to hit across a market and hope they'll get good prices. Transport costs ensure that you have to get it right the first time. The only people who benefited earlier were the agents who would buy cheap because the producer could not take away the produce to another market after getting it to one for costs reasons. They could store and later sell higher.
Interestingly its the much maligned private sector that has lead these initiatives.
There are many such cases. Broadband can get masses access to world very cheap. Farmers eg can read about weather forecasts in their area as well as competing regions and decide on what to sow. Small producers can look up consumers. Artists can showcase their catalog, resturants can advertise food festivals, the list is endless. Technology empowers the masses. Often the proponents of politics of poverty get anti technology. This harms the poor (and helps the proponent), Whats the point of preserving excess manpower in say a textile firm when the competitor in China has half the workforce and twice the machines. We will simply stop getting orders, govt will subsidize a while and finally the whole nation will get broke and collapse. We almost had that situation in early 90s. Sometimes I wonder if actually the left has a hidden agenda to ensure India cannot compete with China?
Its not just the left though. The opposition to technology is widespread. Some out of ignorance, some out of malice. Ruling classes don't want the great unwashed to be empowered because than they expect results. Capitalists sometimes don't want to invest in costly upgrades, especially if there is a government willing to subsidize. Have a look at our fertilizer subsidies and many PSUs for examples.
But I have hope. TV is now so universally available, and it makes an impact. Not just the news items and such shows but even the soap operas impact the masses in many ways. It creates an aspirational culture and it introduces a world view in masses. Internet is getting ubiquitous and that brings unprecedented amount of unfettered information. Sooner or later masses will get on the bandwagon and discover the opportunities.
I just hope it comes within my lifetime.

Easy Way again

I have this grouse that our authorities always take the easiest way out of any work. Some pub had a brawl late at night, police reacts by closing down all pubs/discs by midnight. Most eating joints are closed by 11, because apparently late at night there is a security threat. Instead of doing its duty of policing for crime, the police exists to ensure that denial of basic citizen rights can be enforced.
The same goes for other streams. Someone wrote a book, objective or not is debatable, on some figure or event that is critical of certain beliefs and we ban the book. Some student had a party and create rukus and so our housing societies ban students. We never 'solve' problems we simply wish them away. Rationality has taken a backseat.
Now comes this clincher. Karnataka government has in effect banned women from night shifts, though they have apparently done it in a way that employers are forced to do it( read the news in Indian Express. What they have done is that employers can be punished for keeping women in night shifts. Suddenly we have our own Taliban, women cannot work, cannot study (just wait, some molestation in a school and they'll ban schools for women too someday. its a logical extension of the same chain of thought). Here we are with our bloated Indian ego, of being cultured and liberals (rem, all Hindus are liberal) and this is why.
And this is really a societal problem not just of 'authorities'. All of us behave that way in real life. Its a pity that while we are feudal in outlook, we are too lazy to actually act like a King who rules. We just enjoy the power

More About education

Economist makes an interesting case for a voucher based education subsidy. Given our own state of absymal education system (see my cribs on the poverty pushing jhoolawallah, that blight on our nation, I think this should come as an eye opener to those who decry any private initiative while simply burying their heads in sand about the shocking failures of policy past 60 years.
I wonder if we would keep going to same doctor prescribing same treatment for a malady that keeps getting worse when other treatment exists (some as shown here, even work). Somehow its so ingrained in our psyche that we must take it as gospel truth what our rulers spew.
Maybe system needs to answer
1. What has been the investment in education till now?
2. What is the annual expenditure on education today?
3. If this expense was instead directly given to students free to choose a public or private school in fees subsidy, how many kids could it have financed?
4. What is the quality of education been given in our public schools, measured in terms of success in objective exams by independent agencies over a period of time?

Enough of misleading people!

The great CPM ideologue Mr Sitaram Yechuri had an interesting piece in Hindustan Times. Interesting because he raises important issues and completely obfuscates them. The gist of his argument is that Public Private Partnership (PPP) in infrastructure projects is a scam that "may end up promoting private profit-making with public money".
Read the full article in Hindustan Times..
Let me quote another important observation of his from the same article- "The government, we are told, needs to move out of areas like hotels, etc (even while making profits) and concentrate on education and health. Then, we are told, since adequate resources are not available, both education and health need to be privatised. The government must concentrate on sanitation and water supply. And, now, we are told, that in this area as well, PPPs with user charges must be brought in."
The leader notices important symptoms but gets the diagnosis all wrong. I agree, government needn't move out just to give profit to select corporates. The nub of the argument is that we accept that the government has a right to favor select corporates? Why should that be? What makes a random babu in some ministry an arbiter of what I or another guy is capable of? Should not an enterprise be left to the entrepreneurs and government do the task of government. If I look at what MUST be a state concern - the police, the law and order, the emergency response systems, public health and sanitation, town planning- all are in shambles. An organization that so throughly messes up its primary responsibilities, then claims that they are the only ones competent to run Hotels? (HOTELS run by government? Why on earth?).
What our esteemed leader very conveniently leaves out is the performance of the government. Let us for a moment believe that the private parties are only there to mint money at the expense of the poor. What is the alternatives? I do not have this data but I am sure that if we take the amount spent my government on social schemes over a decent time period, just distribute the same amount directly to poor, have the profiteers do that work instead and charge a usage fee. I have a hunch that the money directly given to poor in place of government scheme will have some left over after the poor have used the money to pay the bills.
He makes an excellant point about education. The problem is not so much as of money as it is of accountability. The government schools are so useless that poor folks who want to educate their kids actually suffer deprivation and send their kids to private schools and THAT is what should have been discussed by Mr Yechuri but he will not because that is his votebank, not the poor kid in govt school with no future due to lack of proper education.
And why do we always raise this bogey of poor not being able to afford something? Do the poor get water now? or sanitation? or health services. The leaders who have rooms reserved for them in top hospitals, who fly to US for each of their treatment even know the kind of hospitals available to commoners. A recent report in Indian Express showed stray dogs roaming around in the city hospital in Pune (Sassoon Hospital). And mind you this is the district hospital of Pune - very big, rich and educated city. Now think of what will be the condition in small towns in hinterland India. So by preventing top private hospitals to come in, the poor don't get treated any better.
I do agree that government needn't subsidize the rich. No need to give land to Apollo for 1 rupee an acre. Let them buy land from market. Incidentally its the CPM governemt in West Bengal state which is in dock for forcibly buying land at cheap prices and giving it to a private firm. And India's political classes' favorite whipping party the BJP government in Gujrat (who incidentally I think did commit state sponsored atrocities) who have let the industry directly negotiate with farmers. The CM of WB is right, the only way to get living standard of villages up is by going for industrialization. We have too many people dependent on too little land for agriculture but no one tries to point that out.
Please read the excellent analysis by Swaminath Ankeleshwar Iyer in Economictimes.indiatimes.com on why the revised policy on SEZ after the messup in Nandigram chucks all the good out and retains all the bad in.
To those who still don't get it that growth is the best way to get people out of poverty should read the same columnist in Laloo Yadav beats Nehru hollow.

Resuscitation or Resurrection?

Medicine sure keeps doing interesting turnabouts. Which is always a good reminder to the best of us that what we may know for a fact today may be thoroughly debunked tomorrow. I always hear that if someone is deprived of oxygen for a short while, the lack of oxygen will kill within a few minutes. Now the latest research shows that in fact its not the lack of oxygen that kills. It is the re-introduction of oxygen which is more lethal!
So what does this mean? If someone is just fished out of the pool, should I not try and revive? Is it better to put a bag on head? No No I won't say all that. What I make out from the article is that maybe the technique for CPR will now change a bit.
Advancements in medicine are terrific. Imagine someone being clinically and brain dead and still be revived. brain dead does not mean all the cells are dead. So the whole notion of life and dead is getting changed. These also raises moral questions about the whole when do we consider someone dead.
Another interesting fallout of this whole treating the dead could be in spiritual terms. I personally believe that the concept of God (true or just a concept is not what I am implying) must have started when humans must have tried to understand death and failed. Its comforting to know that there is a God and a loved one doesn't really cease to exists at death. Thats my belief.
Now if medicine end up reviving someone dead and dead is a very comprehensive way but maybe not at cellular level where does that lead us? Does medicine and its practitioners become the new objects of Godhood? Or does science becomes so? How will religions try and reconcile to the whole idea?
Its an interesting chain of thought. Spirituality, the long source for explanations when in doubt, may end up searching for newer answers.

Food experience in Pune

Pune is pretty much the land of food joints. Anywhere you go, there is always an eatery nearby. On weekends any place that serves anything that may be conceptually called food is filled to the brim, waiting time often extending tortuously long. Now before you go gaga over the whole food scene let me let out a secret. Please notice the very subtle use of the avoidance of anything remotely resembling 'good in taste' kind of phrase. Lets face it, most food tastes the same most places and unfortunately it tastes of flavors I'd rather have it didn't.
Still the law of averages does catch up. While the majority of joints sorely disappoint the food sensualist in me, there are some notable exception. And again let me at the outset warn you, I am fond of Koregaon joints. Eating out for me is not merely about the food. Its also about the ambiance, the service, the taste, in short the entire experience. But yes Food taste is usually the factor upper most in my mind.
I studiously avoid having North Indian food at any joint in Pune. The only exception was a place called Shelley's in Kothrud Pune who usually had sumptuous Rajasthani food. It was a vegetarian only joint and what endeared it to me was that they actually had vegetables being served. If you look at most veg places, 90% of the dishes are either Paneer or mushroom. rest is Peas, potatoes, spinach, okra. This place would serve you varieties of Gourds, different pulses, Parvals and what not. The only thing to take care was to ask them if their usual cook was not on leave. When that gentleman was off, the food used to be bad.
There is another joint called Sanskruti which I have heard serves good Rajasthani food but I've never visited it so can't comment. I do have good memories of sampling local cuisine at Singharh fort. There is a good restaurant near SNDT on Karve road where you get good Maharashtrian fare at rock bottom prices. Otherwise you can get good local food in the Peth areas.
I used to like Ambrosia for the walks it offered. Last few trips the sign of place going down were visible. Cracked crockery, bad food and you can start making out. Then on weekends they started the DJ thing in lawns and that stopped the fun of a post dinner stroll. So i have stopped going there.
Aundh has a surprise in Polka dots which serves kind of 'original' mexican/italian/greek/mixed cuisine. They have managed to come up with great tasting dishes though. But 'Kobe' is a disappointment. For its prices, the food atleast need to taste good if not outstanding.
JM road has the highest number of eateries. I once had amazingly good Gujrati food in one of the joints but never rediscovered the place after a long stint out of Pune. But by and large its the typical udipi kind of experience at JM, an experience I aint too fond of. If you do land up there, take time out to sample the kachchi Dabeli at the begining of the road from Deccan side. Its a road side vendor who serves awesome Dabelis. THen there is this Sherbet guy near the Honda Showroom though I guess he puts up shop only during summers. There also used to be a small roadside joint opposite Barista. It was run by an old lady who used to made very good food. Haven't been there in ages so she may have vanished now, otherwise you can have a full lunch for a few rupees there.
Recently went to ZK's in Lulla Nagar. There restaurant is Ok, I tried some Italian there. Not the best but decent fare. Very recently I decided to get adventurous and check their lounge. Verdict? Don't. For the price of a Ferrari, they'll give you an Ambassador. The seating is all bad. A lounge has no business laying out seats like some office lunch place. The lighting doesnt help. The barmen confuse a cocktail with Sherbets. and the prices frankly are absurd.
Lets move to Koregaon now. Thats the place I generally go out to eat. Prices here may be on the higher side but the food usually is good.
My late favorite used to be Indyaki. I found their service to be 3rd rate for any joint forget something aiming to be upper crust still their cook esp for continental food made the place worth it. However the place seem to have vanished of late and no one seems to know why. Pity because when I used to frequent it couple of years ago it seemed to be doing well.
Then there is Arthur's Theme. I recently figured out their menu. Arthur is king Arthur and the theme seems to be royalty. So the dishes are all named after kings and queens. The food here is usually good. They for some reason do not have a wine menu, but do stock a few drinks. Alas no cocktails n all but you can get a basic red/white wine or beer or alcohol. Service is decent and prices reasonable. Overall probably the best bet in good dining out in Pune now.
ABC farms is another good place. What used to be Jazz Garden is now Soul. Jazz Garden had good food thought too much attitude in its servers. Soul has just enhanced the prices, the food I found disappointing. Swiss Garden was my earlier favorite in good food but my last trip somehow changed it. The oil tasted stale - maybe they fried the mushrooms in the same oil which they used for frying some fish earlier or whatever- the food was below par, the cocktails disappointing.
OVer all I noticed a certain downhill path for most places. Maybe with Pune growing the way it is and given the general eating out, the places do not bother to retain diners by taste.