Another Election, another hung Parliament,is this what we want....
With the General Elections in India approaching, a question that may arise in every Indian's mind is what type of party system do we require??? A two party system or the multi party system, that is there in India at present. We can all remember the phase 1996-99, when we were forced to three General Elections. This is a waste of tax-payers money. In spite of using it for development purpose, it has to be used for meeting election expenses. This amounts to crores of rupees. And this time it is estimated the money that is to be spent will be more than the money spent in America's Presidential elections. Anybody can imagine now the amount. And who can give the assurance that again there won't be hung Parliament. Ultimately its the common man who suffers due to the rise in prices caused by elections.
Now, if we get into the implications of two party & multi party system in case of India then we will find that both have their pros & cons. A two party system brings more stability to to the government. Government can take tough decisions for the welfare of the people. It also don't have to look after its allies for the support. But India being a diverse country(one of its kind in the whole world), with two party system all the sections and communities of people may not get proper representation. Some sections may not get proper forum to express their views.
Whereas a multi party system leads to instability. There may not be a single party that gets a clear cut majority as we often see this happening in our country. A government can't complete its full term. But here anybody willing to form a party & contest elections can do that. All the regions, communities & ideologies have their party. People have more choices to vote.
This debate has been continuing and will continue as and when there will be a problem of hung parliament or assembly. Our policy makers need to discuss it at the appropriate level so that some solution may crop up.
One way we can do that is allowing only the National parties to contest General Elections and not state elections whereas state elections to be contested by regional parties and they can't contest General Elections. In this way number of parties in the election fray will decrease.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Woman: A life not a day………
Today I was talking to a friend of mine over phone, I was just praising her or rather the whole women fraternity for some reason and in reply she asked me, am I doing that because today is woman’s day. And what she said is definitely thoughtful. I did not give notice to it at that time but later I realized, somehow she was telling the truth only. She was telling what it happens in reality. May be while I was saying I didn’t consider that.
Over the years we have seen the condition of women. Though our culture places them in high position but whether our society does the same is a question that needs to be answered. Over the ages we have been telling that women are the form of goddess, they are our mothers but when it comes to performing the same we falter. We hardly give their due respect and position in society. Our society always considers them to be an object or a material that is to be exploited from time to time. Though with modern education, we are saying all those stuffs about equality but still gender bias exist.
Still a girl child is not welcomed in most of the houses. Whenever a girl is born, her parents start thinking about her marriage and all the money that would be required during that. She is always thought to be someone else’s property. So general idea is that give her little education, make her know some house-hold works and get her married. The condition was such even hundred years back and the condition is same even today, may be a little improvement with relentless work of handful of reformers. But on general terms it’s still the same.
There are still cases of child marriage, sati ‘pratha’ which is the most inhuman and barbaric of all. Cases of female foetecide are still prevalent in India. And even the so called high class society is not away from that. The number of girl dropouts from schools and colleges is at an alarming high rate. Even though we have passed laws banning dowry decades ago, it is still widespread in most of the Indian societies. We do get cases of unnatural female deaths within months of their marriage. The number of rapes and other anti social acts on them is on an increase and every day after opening the newspaper the front page is full of such news.
So what we require today??? I definitely don’t think by allocating a day to them we have done enough. Participating in various lectures and meetings on that day and talking all the good things about women upliftment and emancipation will not solve the purpose. Doing nothing and forgetting them for the rest of the year, it’s not at all required. We have been hearing all these years about 33% reservations for women. But are we serious in that, if we would have been serious it should have been passed in the top most Panchayat of India since most of the parties are supporting it or at least the two largest national parties are supporting it. Then why there isn’t a law till now. It’s nothing but a vote bank politics. Our leaders are more interested in garnering votes than to do something for the welfare of the masses. They talk about consensus but I want to ask, do we require consensus to pass and make any other laws. Then, why in this case. Have women got their due share in the society?
My question to every body is that why do we dedicate a day for them? They don’t require a day but a life of equality, peace and happiness. They don’t require such people who say about them on this particular day and forget for the rest of the year. Work must be done at the lower level to see that every girl, every woman is getting equal justice and benefit from the society. if we can’t do that then after another hundred years the condition will be nothing but the same.
Over the years we have seen the condition of women. Though our culture places them in high position but whether our society does the same is a question that needs to be answered. Over the ages we have been telling that women are the form of goddess, they are our mothers but when it comes to performing the same we falter. We hardly give their due respect and position in society. Our society always considers them to be an object or a material that is to be exploited from time to time. Though with modern education, we are saying all those stuffs about equality but still gender bias exist.
Still a girl child is not welcomed in most of the houses. Whenever a girl is born, her parents start thinking about her marriage and all the money that would be required during that. She is always thought to be someone else’s property. So general idea is that give her little education, make her know some house-hold works and get her married. The condition was such even hundred years back and the condition is same even today, may be a little improvement with relentless work of handful of reformers. But on general terms it’s still the same.
There are still cases of child marriage, sati ‘pratha’ which is the most inhuman and barbaric of all. Cases of female foetecide are still prevalent in India. And even the so called high class society is not away from that. The number of girl dropouts from schools and colleges is at an alarming high rate. Even though we have passed laws banning dowry decades ago, it is still widespread in most of the Indian societies. We do get cases of unnatural female deaths within months of their marriage. The number of rapes and other anti social acts on them is on an increase and every day after opening the newspaper the front page is full of such news.
So what we require today??? I definitely don’t think by allocating a day to them we have done enough. Participating in various lectures and meetings on that day and talking all the good things about women upliftment and emancipation will not solve the purpose. Doing nothing and forgetting them for the rest of the year, it’s not at all required. We have been hearing all these years about 33% reservations for women. But are we serious in that, if we would have been serious it should have been passed in the top most Panchayat of India since most of the parties are supporting it or at least the two largest national parties are supporting it. Then why there isn’t a law till now. It’s nothing but a vote bank politics. Our leaders are more interested in garnering votes than to do something for the welfare of the masses. They talk about consensus but I want to ask, do we require consensus to pass and make any other laws. Then, why in this case. Have women got their due share in the society?
My question to every body is that why do we dedicate a day for them? They don’t require a day but a life of equality, peace and happiness. They don’t require such people who say about them on this particular day and forget for the rest of the year. Work must be done at the lower level to see that every girl, every woman is getting equal justice and benefit from the society. if we can’t do that then after another hundred years the condition will be nothing but the same.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Recession: Engineer's Perspective
I don't know a damn about Economics, least of all RECESSION. But in the last one year, I have not counted, it would be innumerable times I have been asked about recession. People think that I, being a just to pass out engineer, will know everything about the term 'recession' and the repercussions that it has on the future of engineers like me. But no myself being from non-economics background, I have no information on that term which is affecting so many lives world wide. Of course, I can tell something about the miseries people are suffering because of it. Perhaps we Indians are lucky, we are affected in a lesser degree, but no doubt we have also fallen into its vicious trap.
Very recently, a cousin of mine who is an IT professional took a leave to marry but he was not sure whether after returning back the company will need him & more so if at all the company will exist. Every day thousands of employees are shown the door with either little or no compensation. Another incident happened with a passed out senior of our college, he was working in an MNC which is of good repute in our country(I don't want to name it) & was handed the pink slips even after having an experience of eight long years. Now, devastated to such an extent as to how he will pay back all the loans taken from banks to buy a car and a lavish flat that he came to a professor out here and requested to somehow manage a job of even five thousand bucks. He also has a family to sustain. All the major companies are into cost cutting efforts and the days of effluent and lavish spending and living are gone. Salaries are slashed in most of the companies. Gone are the days when people dreamt of earning in dollars and pounds by moving to the developed countries, as there is a growing trend in U.S. and Britain to offer jobs only to their countrymen in this situation of job losses & unemployment. And to me it sounds good also as I too won't like someone from another country eating away into jobs in my country.
Its not such that only the IT professionals are affected but it has taken into its sphere of influence all avenues of life starting from the petty daily labourers to the top level executives. The export business is the most affected. As India has the largest diamond cutting industry and the polished diamonds are then exported, the industry has to suffer heavy losses. Thousands of workers lost their jobs in those industries. You can understand the hardships they now have to face. perhaps semi-skilled workers in our country are the hardest hit.
Talking of all, how can we forget the ones who are to join the job market this year. They are the most unsecured of the lot. They don't have any experience to rely on for searching jobs. Even the companies that have offered jobs are trying to get away from them and these includes big names. Some though are not directly saying, they won't give offer letters but definitely joining dates are going to be delayed. The market that so recently was in upswing and felt there is a shortage of skilled workers has taken U turn. Companies used to hire professionals in advance so that whenever new project comes, they can be absorbed into them. No longer is the same case now. All the companies are taking a strategy of wait and see. Many job seekers have also changed their priorities as they no longer want to run after high salaried private jobs but settle into more stabilized government jobs.
The share markets climbed rapidly as there were lots of foreign investments and when they felt they made enough profits, started withdrawing their money from the markets. The share markets ballooned and then busted. It is one of the primary reason for all that having now.
Now, when I am talking so much into the effects of recession in people's lives, how can I stop without saying its impact on me. And as all of you can see I have jumped into the blogosphere.
But the silver lining is that experts are of the opinion markets going to improve in the near future & it would be much more stable than it was. This is the only hope though may be against the hope. Then there is no other way out also.
Very recently, a cousin of mine who is an IT professional took a leave to marry but he was not sure whether after returning back the company will need him & more so if at all the company will exist. Every day thousands of employees are shown the door with either little or no compensation. Another incident happened with a passed out senior of our college, he was working in an MNC which is of good repute in our country(I don't want to name it) & was handed the pink slips even after having an experience of eight long years. Now, devastated to such an extent as to how he will pay back all the loans taken from banks to buy a car and a lavish flat that he came to a professor out here and requested to somehow manage a job of even five thousand bucks. He also has a family to sustain. All the major companies are into cost cutting efforts and the days of effluent and lavish spending and living are gone. Salaries are slashed in most of the companies. Gone are the days when people dreamt of earning in dollars and pounds by moving to the developed countries, as there is a growing trend in U.S. and Britain to offer jobs only to their countrymen in this situation of job losses & unemployment. And to me it sounds good also as I too won't like someone from another country eating away into jobs in my country.
Its not such that only the IT professionals are affected but it has taken into its sphere of influence all avenues of life starting from the petty daily labourers to the top level executives. The export business is the most affected. As India has the largest diamond cutting industry and the polished diamonds are then exported, the industry has to suffer heavy losses. Thousands of workers lost their jobs in those industries. You can understand the hardships they now have to face. perhaps semi-skilled workers in our country are the hardest hit.
Talking of all, how can we forget the ones who are to join the job market this year. They are the most unsecured of the lot. They don't have any experience to rely on for searching jobs. Even the companies that have offered jobs are trying to get away from them and these includes big names. Some though are not directly saying, they won't give offer letters but definitely joining dates are going to be delayed. The market that so recently was in upswing and felt there is a shortage of skilled workers has taken U turn. Companies used to hire professionals in advance so that whenever new project comes, they can be absorbed into them. No longer is the same case now. All the companies are taking a strategy of wait and see. Many job seekers have also changed their priorities as they no longer want to run after high salaried private jobs but settle into more stabilized government jobs.
The share markets climbed rapidly as there were lots of foreign investments and when they felt they made enough profits, started withdrawing their money from the markets. The share markets ballooned and then busted. It is one of the primary reason for all that having now.
Now, when I am talking so much into the effects of recession in people's lives, how can I stop without saying its impact on me. And as all of you can see I have jumped into the blogosphere.
But the silver lining is that experts are of the opinion markets going to improve in the near future & it would be much more stable than it was. This is the only hope though may be against the hope. Then there is no other way out also.
Jinnah's secular speech & today's Pakistan
L.K.Advani was few years back in the midst of all sorts of controversy for terming the speech delivered by Jinnah on 11th August,1947 in the constituent assembly of Pakistan as a secular one. But anybody going through the speech available here has to say that it is indeed a speech required to guide a newly formed nation. It tries to do away with all the anomalies in the system. He categorically mentions about maintaining law & order, protecting all religious beliefs, eradiction of bribery & corruption, etc. He also says how black marketing is a crime & evil of nepotism.
He stressed the need to vanish all angularities among different religions and instead build a nation where there would be no division based on religious communities. He perhaps may have had a great vision for the newly formed country but does Pakistan achieved anything of these...
As we being neighbours of Pakistan, any developments taking place there is affecting us also. There is no denying the fact that the present state in which Pakistan stands today is a cause of concern for us. Pakistan has become a safe heaven for the terrorists and even the government is succumbing to them. It has become an insecured state with hardly any law & order.
The recent declaration of Islamic rule in a certain part of that country & killing of journalists & reporters out there is nothing but a great shame in the name of democracy, which itself had eluded Pakistani people with a long history of military coups. The terrorists are not sparing games & sports from their sphere of activities. The constant denial of the Pakistani government's support to all such sorts of activities further aggravates the situation.
Its high time for Pakistan to understand that it would no longer serve their purpose to be in a state of denial in whatever India says & asks for. They should stop the blame game and instead realise that terrorists are acting from their country only & supporting them would in turn make their cause even worse. Their not taking any action to evidences provided by the Indian government perhaps adds digs last nail to the coffin.
For India, its more of a cautious as well as aggressive approach that needs to be taken. India has been constantly & repeatedly asking for demolishing terror camps that have flourished in their land but all these have been into deaf ears. Pressure must be built on them to take necessary actions against the terrorists through proper diplomatic channel as war is not the ultimate solution.
He stressed the need to vanish all angularities among different religions and instead build a nation where there would be no division based on religious communities. He perhaps may have had a great vision for the newly formed country but does Pakistan achieved anything of these...
As we being neighbours of Pakistan, any developments taking place there is affecting us also. There is no denying the fact that the present state in which Pakistan stands today is a cause of concern for us. Pakistan has become a safe heaven for the terrorists and even the government is succumbing to them. It has become an insecured state with hardly any law & order.
The recent declaration of Islamic rule in a certain part of that country & killing of journalists & reporters out there is nothing but a great shame in the name of democracy, which itself had eluded Pakistani people with a long history of military coups. The terrorists are not sparing games & sports from their sphere of activities. The constant denial of the Pakistani government's support to all such sorts of activities further aggravates the situation.
Its high time for Pakistan to understand that it would no longer serve their purpose to be in a state of denial in whatever India says & asks for. They should stop the blame game and instead realise that terrorists are acting from their country only & supporting them would in turn make their cause even worse. Their not taking any action to evidences provided by the Indian government perhaps adds digs last nail to the coffin.
For India, its more of a cautious as well as aggressive approach that needs to be taken. India has been constantly & repeatedly asking for demolishing terror camps that have flourished in their land but all these have been into deaf ears. Pressure must be built on them to take necessary actions against the terrorists through proper diplomatic channel as war is not the ultimate solution.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Mockery of Exams
Its not something I want to say because I study in a professional college and it happens in our college or with me but anybody, anywhere in any professional college can relate to it.
Exam in a professional college is more of a mystery and its very difficult to resolve by outsiders.
Moreover to do good in exams it doesn't matter how well you have attended classes but how smartly you have studied the day before the exam. 90% of academic year or semester gets spent in all the nuisances, its only the previous day of exams that maximum of the students get to know properly the name of the subject, the prescribed books, what the teachers have taught, etc. Everybody can be seen running to the academic topper's room (who in all other cases may be losers and for the whole semester, he has not been given any attention but on that day he is in heavy demand) and collecting notes and also pleading them if they can take out little amount of time from their busy schedule of time and make them understand some topics so they can at least score pass marks.
But there is another group of people who collect notes as usual but then they don't study to understand but to know the topics in the notes & in which portion & after that they get busy in preparing the chits from which they will copy in the exams. To everybody's surprise also they get maximum questions common which even the toppers after burning midnight oil couldn't get.
Students in professional colleges study to learn something but to get jobs and while studying also they give more stress on those topics that are frequently asked by interviewers.
But the group of students who are in most advantageous position are the ones who have maintained good links with the teachers because they know performance in exams doesn't matter while evaluation in their cases. They are well aware that teachers will give good marks and grades whatever the case with their exams. And mind it their group strength is quite a sizeable one and among its rank some of the so called toppers are also counted. If possible they also collect the questions that are going to come in the exams as it happens often that some students are seen trying to solve those questions(ultimately they won't be able to solve without the help of others) which in the wildest of dreams also, no one can think that these questions will come in the question paper and these questions come.
The group that suffers the most are the ones who try to be honest and don't adopt any unfair means and definitely I don't want to count myself among them. They are actually the losers though in society they may be gainers.
And the funniest thing happens when after the exams & before declaration of results, the answer scripts are shown to the students(especially in institutions with deemed status), a situation of fish market like atmosphere erupts wherein maximum students, with a special mention of the 'chatua' publics, try to get their marks increased by the teachers. Those who can, are the ones benifitted the most & luckiest of all in the whole examination process.
Exam in a professional college is more of a mystery and its very difficult to resolve by outsiders.
Moreover to do good in exams it doesn't matter how well you have attended classes but how smartly you have studied the day before the exam. 90% of academic year or semester gets spent in all the nuisances, its only the previous day of exams that maximum of the students get to know properly the name of the subject, the prescribed books, what the teachers have taught, etc. Everybody can be seen running to the academic topper's room (who in all other cases may be losers and for the whole semester, he has not been given any attention but on that day he is in heavy demand) and collecting notes and also pleading them if they can take out little amount of time from their busy schedule of time and make them understand some topics so they can at least score pass marks.
But there is another group of people who collect notes as usual but then they don't study to understand but to know the topics in the notes & in which portion & after that they get busy in preparing the chits from which they will copy in the exams. To everybody's surprise also they get maximum questions common which even the toppers after burning midnight oil couldn't get.
Students in professional colleges study to learn something but to get jobs and while studying also they give more stress on those topics that are frequently asked by interviewers.
But the group of students who are in most advantageous position are the ones who have maintained good links with the teachers because they know performance in exams doesn't matter while evaluation in their cases. They are well aware that teachers will give good marks and grades whatever the case with their exams. And mind it their group strength is quite a sizeable one and among its rank some of the so called toppers are also counted. If possible they also collect the questions that are going to come in the exams as it happens often that some students are seen trying to solve those questions(ultimately they won't be able to solve without the help of others) which in the wildest of dreams also, no one can think that these questions will come in the question paper and these questions come.
The group that suffers the most are the ones who try to be honest and don't adopt any unfair means and definitely I don't want to count myself among them. They are actually the losers though in society they may be gainers.
And the funniest thing happens when after the exams & before declaration of results, the answer scripts are shown to the students(especially in institutions with deemed status), a situation of fish market like atmosphere erupts wherein maximum students, with a special mention of the 'chatua' publics, try to get their marks increased by the teachers. Those who can, are the ones benifitted the most & luckiest of all in the whole examination process.
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