Satyam Saga: Case of missing money

Something just doesn't square up in the Satyam saga. Raju's letter to SEBI mentioned figures to the rough tune of declared profits like 5400 crore and of this 5100cr is inflated. So that means actual profits are like 300 cr over a turnover of like 8000 cr. How is that possible and especially over a period of years?
My early days in IT while I was pretty much the end of food chain even then I had to explain a lot if my small team was below the margin threshold. and here is a firm that apparently has a 3% margin over all and its Project managers not realizing that their current project is like at 3% and their previous projects were at like 3% and their friend;s projects are like at 3% and yet they aren't being flogged by senior managers? And senior managers can't be flogging everybody?
And such state of affairs would have leaked out. So how can what is said by Raju be true that that's the extent of over reported earnings and only he and his brother knew. I would expect 2/3rd of the firm to know when there is orders of magnitude kind of differences. and if 2/3 of 50000+ know, all the world gets to know it very quickly. So things don't seem to tally up there.
Then there is the question of why did Raju confess it, why in such dire times? And why did PwC not uncover the fraud. How come only Raju knew? What about the financial analysts of the projects generating the invoices for clients? the finance guy collecting bills etc? Did PwC not check with banks? Was someone in banks giving Satyam false statements?
My initial thought was that maybe Satyam ran out of money for payroll so he confess to get a ligther sentence. But then there is the PwC angle. How come PwC didn't uncover anything? If a bank employee was giving false certificates what abt the other bank top brass who might be reading of a top client's disclosures and finding discrepancies?
Today's Business standard though gave another very plausible answer. Apparently after the Maytas fiasco Raju got Meryl Lynch to come and suggest some M&A activity. Meryl Lynch within 1 week of due diligence noticed huge issues with accounts and walked out. M L would have been obligated to report it to stock exchange so Raju came clean.
Which begs the question if PwC is not lying and they actually saw credible receipts than how did ML discover this? If that's not true then PwC is exposed? Maybe the truth is somewhere in between. The auditors where hand is glove with the embezzlers. But still that leaves the issue why did most of Satyam not realize the extent of fraud? Remember is not like 1 cr inflated to 3 cr, its more like 1 cr inflated to 30 cr which is very tough to carry out.
My hunch is that the real over reporting is not as bad as is made out in Raju's letter. They were earning more than 3%. But somewhere a lot of that money has been siphoned off. Apparently overstating profit while being a crime is a lot less serious crime than actual embezzlement of funds. And it might be done in connivance with auditors certainly in a group lot larger than 2.
Already there are reports in TV of how there are huge real estate investments done by promoters and some very credible people had already leveled charges of politicians awarding huge contracts and land allotments to the Rajus and these charges were levelled earlier.
It seems to be that some very serious crimes have been committed here and many shareholders and employees have been destroyed. This deserves serious examination

What letters reveal

Spent an interesting day reading some Pakistani newspapers. I usually find the Dawn pretty good and even at times pretty unbiased at least to the extent that they report what Indian media might be saying. However a quick perusal of the letters in the Statesman Pakistan was instructive. Except for one letter that probably came in during Mumbai attack that asked India not to finger point but work to find out culprits every other letter from private citizens apparently was to the effect that it is a RAW/CIA/Mossad/Indian Armed forces operation to foist a war on peace loving Pakistan. Some even said that Marriott blast in Pakistan was bigger and Pakistan didn't blame India for it then why is India blaming Pakistan for Mumbai!!
While it is possible that the newspaper selected only those letters that it found following its own world view a likely scenario is that the propaganda is so strong that majority of Pakistanis actually believe it so. Its surprising how many of the letter writers believed that 9/11 was enacted by US to start a war against Afghanistan and 26/11 was an in house job to inflame a war with Pakistan.
And that is the scary part. One person mentions how Kasab was apparently arrested in Nepal and framed for the Mumbai carnage? And this when TVs were showing footage of him strolling with an assault weapon in CST and people battling them. Really remarkable frame up where you 'arrest' someone (apparently against his will) and give him plenty of assault weapons and leave him loose? And people believe this story is what scares me and should scare all Pakistanis too.
The propaganda is so effective that most people are unable to accept the truth and deal with it. That is as much a problem because it makes even those in Pakistani establishment who might seriously want to confront the terror menace in Pakistan and actually work with India to really uncover the truth hesitate in the face of hostile public opinion since the public seems unable to see the truth. So someone comments that West is with India because of some conspiracy and China - Pakistan's old friend - is not supporting Pakistan enough because of commercial reasons? No one seems to consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe all other countries are supporting India because it has a valid case atleast this time?
There is that old saying that - if every one is coming your way, You are in the wrong lane. Alas many of us forget that. So many letters blame US/Israel/India for the creation of Taleban, the troubles in FATA, the Marriott bombings etc. On one hand someone will comment India did Marriott and the same person will also mention how innocents Pakistanis are fighting Taleban which is a menace to Pakistan. Unfortunately they seem unable to connect Taleban to Marriott etc. Which might be a reason why so much of Pakistan is unstable. Years of brainwashing has ensured that an objective assessment of reality is no more possible.
Cleansing such a head in sand view I believe is the tougher task ahead of us.

Lets follow the due process of Law

I am saddened that in their zeal to show their patriotism, some parties and many people have forced lawyers not to take on the cases of Kasab. Infact many bar associations have been guilty of such misplaced enthusiasm. If memory serves me right after the Nithari case too, UP bar association passed a resolution asking lawyers not to defend the accused.
A cardinal principal of rule of law is that accused be given a chance to defend him/herself and when lawyer associations of all try to force its members to go against it, its sad. A lawyer does not merely try to save a client, (s)he is an officer of the court charged with helping a court reach the truth and deliver justice. Let a lawyer serve the man and let the court decide how to punish.
Rule of mob, politicians, emotions will only make us stoop to the level we accuse these terrorists/Taliban of falling.

Why don't we still act

Yet another attack more vicious than before in Mumbai and we will hear the same platitudes. While the brave policemen are dying why don't we prosecute that clown who goes as our home minister for criminal dereliction of duty?
Its time the President sacks this government for failing to execute its prime duty of protecting the life and liberty of citizens. Heads of IB chief and those responsible for preventing such attacks should roll for such brazen incompetence.
28/11
IB needs a thorough revamp. Its top brasses should all be sacked for incompetence, not just the head. Same goes for RAW for if the attacks emanated from Pakistan, RAW should have been tracking it. The NSA needs to explain what was he doing all this time before being summarily dismissed.
Its easy to blame Pakistan and probably ISI did help these guys. But lets separate Pakistan from its army and more specifically ISI. If ISI indeed this play a part, we must now declare it a terrorist organisation and work to have other countries like USA/UK/France/China also do so. If that happens Pakistan army will be forced to disband ISI since well army only exists because US etc gives Pakistan huge aid and arm which the army corners.
Everytime there are attacks and same old platitudes by those who matter. Its time we see some very tough action. And if Manmohan Singh is not courageous enough to act, let him be dismissed too.
The NSG always airlifts from Delhi? Why cant super important cities like Mumbai/Chennai can't have permanent NSG units? Why did NSG come so late? I remember watching a Discovery/nat Geo program on an earlier plane hijack where the local police (and it was a very well trained Punjab police then) wanted to storm the plane but were asked not too since NSG is the units trained to handle such situations. And it took 3 hours for NSG to come to Amritsar where the plane was parked. Meanwhile the hijackers forced the plane to leave which eventually landed in Afganistan and India release many terrorists in ransom. And the NSA in charge then who took these insane decision one Mr Brijesh Mishra never had to answer for his idiocy and went on being a celebrated think tank for BJP!
Apparently we have not learnt those lessons as yet as we never do because our rulers are kings ruling by divine right and they can never be wrong. At this rate though sooner or later patience will break and people will take justice in their own hands ala the movie Wednessday. The clown going as the home minister and his minders are apparently great scholars. They do well to revise their history of French revolution for if the public patience breaks, that'll what it be and he and his minders the Mary Antoinette.

Race to Bottom

These reality shows it seems are more about race to bottom rather than finding real talent. What happens in most of these is that participants gang up to eliminate the good contestants earlier so that they get rid of potential threats soon. In shows like MTV roadies the participants keep telling the camera how they will vote out people not from their city and those that are strong. So the quality actually deteriorates as the show progresses. Why then do such shows allow participants to vote out other participants?
That is why its such a pleasure to watch shows like "So you think you can dance". There is not team voting, judges select the people getting eliminated. And it shows in the quality of talent where each subsequent shows is a bigger treat to watch since the least talented keeps getting eliminated. Alas in Indian reality shows there seem to be very few such formats except in case of some music shows where too having the audience vote often allows regional plays to override. and the judges too are sometimes of dubious quality.
Recently also came across the 'Last comic standing' which seemed another good talent show. Compare that to the Indian humor shows where the only contestants that actually get a laugh are the Pakistani who by and large do not end up being too crass and so are forced to be somewhat funny. Otherwise its the totally inane Sidhu's laugh at jokes that should force any humor loving guy to look for the nearest exit! We Indians just don't get humor. Look at our own telly. So few real good comedies that have come. Same for movies. Its all becoming a race to the bottom.

Demise of the wallet

How long before wallets exit from our lives? A modern mobile can scan visiting cards, make micro payments, keep notes, store pictures. Cash does have benefits of anonymity but soon there may be services that can make anonymous micro payments?
Then why will we need wallets?

सुट्टे पे ban: collateral damage

सुट्टे पे ban लग् गया
कोने पे बैठा पनवाडी lower middle class से गरीब हो गया

ps: its bad to smoke, for your health and for those nearby.

May You Live in Interesting Times

I have been thinking about the great game being played in Asia (Yeah Yeah I know I have too much time on hand!). The ascendancy of China to a regional and global power status and India's potential to be one. No wonder the US offered India a strategic alignment deal and a civilian nuclear deal. All the protestations to the contrary make no mistake, US and India and strategically aligning and it may not be a bad thing.
If one looks at the power equations of today and next 50 years the real economic powerhouses are the US, the European Union (esp Germany), Japan, China and India which is sort of breaking into the club. Japan is a bit of anomaly since while it is the 2nd biggest economic superpower, it does not have a military to match and that is mostly out of choice. However the Japanese navy is big and the nation is technologically advance enough to become a military power very rapidly. Again the same history probably holds it back from arming itself more so since its rearming might make its neighbors (not just China) very very nervous which is not a good state to be in.
European Union is primarily a trade union and does not seem to be heading in any sort of a military coalition (well there is NATO but that derives its strength from US). There is Russia which has inherited the mantle of erstwhile Soviet Union. Russian economy has picked up steam but its unlikely it will catch up with China or India anytime in foreseeable future unless energy prices do wonders to it. But as a military it is again becoming a potent force. That leaves the US, China, Russia and India as the possible players. US is the most powerful military nation in world history and will stay so for the near future though China will bridge the power difference quite a bit.
So there are 3 possible military alliances. US-Japan-China, US-Japan-India, India-China-Russia. I think it is unlikely if Russia will join US in any coalition unless China threatens Russia which is unlikely though there are some border issues in far east between the two. But the legacy of cold war and the inroads of NATO in what Russia considers its own backyards will probably keep US and Russia apart.
US-Japan-China is again unlikely since the rise of China will threaten US and Japan the most and while making friends with a competitor is sometimes a good idea, I find it a bit hard to believe that China will really be content with being a 2nd grade power to US in Asia. Japan again will make China nervous and of course Taiwan is a great irritant. US will not let Taiwan join China if it can help it and Japan will also hold the same view. Taiwan with US listening posts allows US and Japan to keep tabs on China Navy and that is too much of a strategic advantage to lose. Of course a Taiwanese groundswell to join mainland China will be a different issue and that could complicate the situation. It is in India's interest to also maintain that status quo since if Taiwan merges with China and Chinese navy then becomes a real blue navy then India is also threatened.
Russia-India-China nexus while the brainchild of Russia is not really a starter. Post cold war, US-India relations have really improved and unlike China, India has not real dispute with US. This is manifested in the warming of strategic ties with US post cold war and US pronoucement to help India become a 'great power'.
That leaves US-India-Japan as the most feasible nexus and it has great advantages to India too. US help can transform India, the former's technology and scientific lead enormous over all others. All 3 are democratic countries and have no real reason to hate each other. also the political nature of the 3 ensures that there can be no sudden course changes with will reassure the other alliance partners. Japan can contribute a lot with its own financial and technological prowess to India and India offers a great oppurtunity to Japan to increase its own economic growth rates. So this seems a natural alliance and this probably is why India suddenly seem to be getting such good deals like US military co-operation and by all indications a very favorable nuclear deal.
This also creates great opportunity for India but at the same times drags it into a great strategic game which can also be a potential liability. Hence the title. China feels like it is being encircled by US and India falling into US game plan will hurt the most. But then India has even more legitimate concerns of being encircled by China. China has setup listening posts in Myanmar, is fishing in Bangladesh and Nepal. China's play of Pakistan of course is of immediate concern. China gave nuclear bomb designs to Pakistan, gave it equipment and by some accounts actually gave it tactical nuclear weapons and military hardware post the Parliament attack buildup. That charge is a very very serious charge and if true it basically meant that China was joining Pakistan in a war against India were that to happen.
Therefore it is clear that India can take Chinese words on peaceful friendly neighborhood only with a fistful of salt. It has been Chinese policy to ensure peace while they develop their economy. An excellent policy since it has allowed them to grow their economy without distraction. It was also their policy to encourage Pakistan to not allow India the same luxury. Economic power is a precondition for being a great military power and Pakistan's shenanigans have ensures India wasting a lot of time and resources on maintaining peace without India. It will not surprise me if the recent increase in terrorist attacks in India are not entirely co-incidental since they come at a time when India seems to be busy sewing up agreements internationally and they distract from governance at a critical time.
Still India will not like to get into competition with China. The difference in economies are huge with the Chinese almost 3 times as big and India and that difference will not bridge in any foreseeable future barring natural or political calamities. At the same time India cannot simply play a peaceful neighbor not doing anything to anger china (aligning with US or Japan will anger China) since if India does not take US-Japan help it will be too insignificant militarily to do anything once China does become a superpower in 50 years or so. Indeed interesting times.
Can India then join a US-Japan understanding and keep China-India grouping too? Unlikely but not impossible. The trouble with China is understanding them. Its is not infrequent to see Chinese words and actions being opposites. Will an understanding like, we will not build up against you if You let Indian ocean to us and we let Pacific ocean to you. Indian Navy can escort Chinese ships from straits of Malacca to Africa and Mideast and China can do the same to Indian ships in pacific. Obviously India's very strategic location means that it is India's navy which will be escorting more. Still it does offer China a way of of getting into competition with India. china as of now considers India insignificant and its eyes will mostly be on US and Japan. So its not a terrible deal for China. The trick might be developing that trust between us.

To be continues

The Pen ceased its journey on paper

Passing away of Ahmed Faraz has taken away one of finest masters of Urdu poetry of our times. Pakistan will also mourn the loss who like Faiz also championed the cause of their own political ideology often at odds with the oppressive political order.
There are so few of the great Urdu poets left that one at times despair of the cause. The great subcontinent tradition of social and romance poetry will certainly miss his genius.
So long and thanks for all the gems of Poetry

ProtoLife, LHC and the End of the World Mad Scientist Party

What an interesting week this. First Wired reports that scientists are on the verge of creating a new life form synthetically. There have been earlier attempts but they used some existing cell as the base machinery. This seems to be completely synthetic.
Then the big one. LHC goes live today. Not the big bang that its expected to perform but the first scaled down run to test systems happen today (might have actually happened - slow net here so not in a mood to open too many sites). The world's biggest physics experiment starts today. LHC (thats a machine that 'accelerates' particles to near the speed to light) in CERN (a lab in Switzerland build by European countries. it was one of their scientist who built the "www" you see in internet to easily share documents) turns on today.
LHC will if all goes well in the full trial today, swing a beam of protons in an underground 27 mile long circular tunnel cooled by 2000 superconducting magnets and another in the opposite direction. If that goes well, they will attempt to do it many times eventually reaching very very high speeds and then collide the two protons. What will result is interesting. It will be like a billionth of a second after big bang (theory that says universe was created in a sudden instantaneous explosion creating mass and energy). Then they'll check for many things among which is a particle called colloquially the "God Particle" or Higgs Boson, something that is postulated but not proven. It is what is supposed to give a mass to every other things.
Apart from the sheer engineering there is also a lot of controversy on the experiment, one of which is that the collision may create a microscopic black hole that may eat up the world. Apparently many such microscopic black holes are produced also in upper atmosphere due to collisions with solar radiation and our atmosphere but they "evaporate" since they are so small they can just go through everything without actually bumping into anything (most of an atom is just empty space) so the world in majority opinion is safe. Another view is that the microscopic black holes created by cosmic radiations are created at near speed of light and so have the escape velocity while those created in LHC may be too slow to escape Earth's gravitational pull and may stuck around like bad guests.
Time to call for a End-Of-The-World-Mad-Scientist-Party?

CLASSIC PRESS CUTTINGS

While searching for something came across this page on BBC Radio. Read the CLASSIC PRESS CUTTINGS section. Have a cheery day or night

Synaesthesia - 5th dimension Movie

Synaesthesia - where the senses mix so you might end up hearing a picture or seeing a sound(read the BBC article here)? Remarkable thing if only moviedom could harness it.
Imagine a drug or a method that causes this temporary condition for say a couple of hours while u watch a movie (or play a game). Each of us will then sample the movie the way (s)he wants it. And no lousy audio systems to mess the pleasure.
You hear scene, taste a dish on the screen, feel that car lurching!

Question of Allegiance

Left Front chairman in West Bengal and Politburo member Biman Bose on the Somnath Chatterjee controversy as quoted in Indian Express
" He was following the Indian Constitution but we have to follow the party Constitution.” (link). So the Party Constitution is in conflict with Indian Constitution? And for members Indian Constitution does not matter if the Party lays a path in conflict? Interesting indeed.

Where is the inflation?

The prices of potatoes and onions may be rising but hey the MPs are coming cheap! I mean a mere crore to save a government? Its shocking I tell ya. Never have we sunk so low.
Now all we need to do is to include bribe rates in computing the rate of inflation. Its an essential commodity for most indians (for 'gifting'). These falling corruption rates will get the inflation rate down and generally create a feel good factor that might re-elect the government!

Its a Billion? 100 Billion? Its a Potato!

Zimbabwe introduces a 100 billion dollar bill! Hard to imagine that. Why not simply re-designate the 1 dollar bill to be equivalent to 100 billion dollar and save some paper? Given that the new bill will not even buy a loaf of bread it really makes me think how do business decide on price. If the 'official' inflation at 2.2 million percent is anything to go by, what you charge today will be too cheap tomorrow so how do you decide on a price?
Why not peg your prices to say a kilogram of say potatoes? While it will surely be comic to write on the plaque - this building costing a billion potato was dedicated to the glory of revolution by President Mugabe, it will also serve a reminder to future how an incompetent government can quickly ruin a rich country. A reminder we in India can do with. It might help us who are fortunate to live in a much more stable economy (at least as yet) to make sense of prices. And bring the much needed recognition to the veggie that has staved starvation for many.
Incidentally its a shame that the world has not done enough, a UN resolution being blocked by two of our own best friends Russia and China. I wonder why do votaries of morality in international politics that so eagerly jump on each Indian move with US as evil don't comment on that?

Updated Jul 30.
Apparently their reserve bank thought so too. They have introduced a new currently where 1 new Z$== Z$ 100 Billion of old. (Read is here on BBC). Potato has been denied its own currency

Why the farce

The farce being played out over the Indo-US nuclear deal while having huge entertainment value, is also instructive in its causes. The primary reasons I think on this is Congress's political incompetence matched by monumental hubris with another that we'll also discuss.
Hubris because as far as I can see, I saw no real effort in Congress trying to reach out to opposition (SP leaders even said it in so many words) and build a consensus over its merits. The same argument that goes that Left is guilty if they vote with BJP just because its BJP probably was at play or not. Lets assume both Left and BJP here have no hidden agenda and seriously think the deal is severely detrimental to Indian interest. So should the Left vote for the deal merely because BJP is opposing it even while fully believing that a party with national interest in mind will oppose it? The argument is dangerous in extreme. So if the only reason Congress did not talk to BJP overtly is this than God help India. Here you have 2 parties that together have been given more than 1/2 of all votes polled in India not talking even on matters of supreme national interest because of some new untouchability? This is both incompetence on Congress's part and monumental hubris if they thought that opposition's views never matter.

That is what comes of Congress's Durbari culture. Those who matter in the party are not those who understand politics or have talents useful to nation. They are there because they swear undying loyalty to the family. No wonder they seriously overestimated their hand and seriously underestimated the play of parochial interest that is so in our genes. But that is not the only juvenile political decision. Last year when the difference with Left first came out in open all the commentators were saying call the left's bluff and go for the kill. If Congress had actually gone in for the deal then they would have in all probability got a much bigger deal.

The fact is that the international momentum over the deal has largely fizzled out. Last year India would have had an upper hand in negotiations, now the government if it survives will still be perceived as a weak government that can fizzle out. Furthermore given the politics over the deal the impression is that plenty in India want to kill it which will give fodders to those opposed to deal internationally. Domestically the economy was doing very well, things were under control.
As the conventional wisdom says economic policy decisions take around 3 years to reflect in numbers. The good run till last year was more because of good fortune of favorable global outlook and earlier policies. Inflation of today is because of unfavorable global outlook and the supreme inaction of an emasculated government that had no substantial reform happening. Global outlook is out of our control but Manmohan Singh should have figured out that lack of reforms will come to haunt at some time.
Congress should have realized last year that BJP will not want an election while the economy was blazing and a feel good mood was around. Further more BJP as a party was moribund. left just had had Nandigram and Singrur and they would have hated an election even more. Granted Karat has never fought an election and hence doesn't care about public opinion but the Left governments in states do. They might have just backed out.

Congress has also been grossly incompetent in not emphasizing the various facets of the deal. It because for Left- a strategic alliance with US - which it is but its only a part of the whole, for others it was about energy which is also extremely important for a power starved India. But the deal is more than just that. For one, its about gaining entry to nuclear commerce club where US is not the only country. More importantly it opens doors to all sorts of dual use technologies. Indian scientists and engineers will be allowed to study such technologies in top foreign institutes. Dual use things like special alloys, fertilizers, space tech, military tech, doors will open to all sorts of collaboration with various leaders in the fields to India. Top talent can come over from abroad and work in Indian firms that will help raise the standard of cutting edge in India. Where is the even mention of all these things by the government.

The 3rd reason is BJP's own petty chagrin. As an MP in the Lok Sabha debate so eloquently put it the BJP's opposition is not because of substance of the deal, its because Advani's signature is not on it. There are reports in media of NSA and Manmohan briefing key leaders of BJP and those leaders accepting that the deal is very well done. Yet BJP chose to oppose the deal because of petty reasons.

The very fact that a party that has its base in urban India (arguably the future India) has nearly killed the deal that it itself started and knows is in national interest merely to score points, deserves itself being sent into political oblivion. The fact that I who hated the dynastic culture of Congress now hope that BJP is voted out humiliatingly should be a lesson to such parties. Those who are sent to parliament are supposed to work for the nation. If they are willing to sell out the nation of a mere red light on an antiquated car, they have no place in public life. And more than Congress which is mostly incompetent in this saga, it is BJP that acted evil and deserves to be taught a lesson.

Updated: Sometime later in the day:
A news report said that Ajit Singh and Dev Gowda have commented that Government seems to be winning and so they cannot predict how (their) voting shall go. Dev Gowda apparently has asked for Sonia's time later today. These leaders where in discussions with Both Government and opposition had publically gone anti government. Now that govt seems to be carrying the motion they are thinking of switching sides.
Translation: Sorry we made a wrong move but doesn't matter. You can hand over your money to us now.
Boy T20 wasn't half as much fun as this.

I wonder

I wonder if BJP might secretly be wishing for the Congress to win the confidence vote? That ways they will not have to make good their promise to 'renegotiate' the nuclear deal with USA. At the same time they can claim to have fought the deal if anything goes wrong in future!

PS: Amar Singh says SP now supports Congress on the nuclear deal since the deal is in national interest. He also says that 'communalism' is a greater threat to India than the nuclear deal hence supports Congress. Just wondering if the second biggest threat to nation can be in national interest?

Musings on a trip to a religious place

Its amazing the amount of violence devotees happily inflict on other devotees pushing and punching, jumping over ropes delaying those who actually wait in queue to get a darshan of someone who preached love and devotion!

PS: Those planning to go to Shirdi from Pune, the most convenient route is to follow the Yerwada road (if coming from Boatclub, get down the bridge and take a right. Just follow the route keeping always on left till Ahmednagar and there ask for directions to Shirdi.

Pesticide Free Vegetables?

So if you buy some fresh veggies and find insects, larvae etc alive on some, is it a good sign? A sign that its not doused in Pesticide?

Indian Museum of Human Development?

NYTimes has a report about an impending auction of some artifacts of science history. How I wish one of our Indian agencies/corporate buys up some of these and makes a science museum. Its such a pity that the land that gave the world such wonders of science like the decimal system, the zero, had plastic surgery during the time of Sushruta in 6th century BC does not have a decent science museum while we spend millions on statues year on year.

We can start with a nucleus of such a manuscript library and slowly build it up (hopefully adding few remaining Indian manuscripts on science etc. It might rekindle the scientific spirit in some of its wonder struck children visitors.