When I started this blog, I had resolved to be regular -- regular in posting my thoughts online. Despite feeling lazy, I am trying to keep with a promise that I made to myself with my thoughts on the week gone by.
The Indian manufacturing dream is in grave danger -- the Tatas, who had actually conceived the Nano, which has the potential to be the car of the masses the world over faces a grave uncertainty due to "political" unrest camouflaged as a protest by the "100,000 odd" farmers in Singur fomented by the Didi! While the Tatas will pay a heavy price for not paying adequate "tributes" to the right people, I am told Singur never ever had 100,000 "farmers"!!!
The boil in Kashmir goes on -- but should we taxpayers pay dearly for ungrateful people who don't care? I am told Kashmir, which has a dead economy, sustains itself on a per-capita subsidy of an odd-Rs. 9000 as against Rs. 700 in more deserving Bihar. Waving green flags is one thing, but living life is another. It's a challenge -- if those waving green flags were to break away from India, they will barely survive a week on their own, without the Indian taxpayers' money doled out to them.
While Pakistan and stability are two different banks of a river that can never ever meet, I still feel that purely from an Indian perspective, we were better off with Musharraf as the president. At least he did try to think differently to resolve issues with India. "Mr. 10%" as president, would first fill his Swiss bank accounts before thinking of anything else!
The NSG meet for India went on expected lines -- while the New Zealanders, the Swiss and the Irish have voiced their concerns on exceptions being made for India, it is improbable that they would go against their guardian, the US, by blocking the deal. It seems they have adopted a mere face saving mechanism to satisfy their domestic constituencies by voicing their opposition now, only to let the deal through in September. Look at who is opposing the deal -- New Zealand for long enjoyed US protection under the ANZUS nuclear umbrella and Ireland continues to do under the NATO umbrella. How naive they are to put India in the same category as North Korea and Pakistan!!
The Russian revival post-Putin has sent shockwaves through the West. The misadventure and bravado by the Georgian Prseident Mikheil Saakashvili was set right by Russian intervention. Russia today means business and it has proved that it will not tolerate any nonsense in its backyard, especially when it comes to shady energy and arms deals by the Americans. Is India listening? We ought to do something similar in our region -- our regional nuisances -- Nepal, Bangladesh, etc. have taken us lightly for long. We need a Putin to set things right here. A friend whom I would not like to name here for obvious reasons thinks that Narendra Modi could do a Putin here if he becomes the PM.
India has had its best ever run at the Beijing Olympics -- a big haul of 3 medals, one of which is a gold fortunately. While our establishment, corporates and media have started deifying the winners, this inflection point in Indian sports could be used as opportunity to groom young talent for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics -- needless to say corporate support will be required.
Africa, which has been in the news for the last few months for the wrong reasons (Robert Mugabe and suppression of democracy in Zimbabwe, post-election violence in Kenya), lost a democratic leader -- President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia died after suffering a stroke in Paris. Zambia which has been holding on to the beacon of multi-party democracy in Africa after the ouster of Kenneth Kaunda, goes on to show that Africa can make the transition peacefully.
And as another week begins, I do hope I have something more substantial to write on than just do a Prannoy Roy again!!!!
The Indian manufacturing dream is in grave danger -- the Tatas, who had actually conceived the Nano, which has the potential to be the car of the masses the world over faces a grave uncertainty due to "political" unrest camouflaged as a protest by the "100,000 odd" farmers in Singur fomented by the Didi! While the Tatas will pay a heavy price for not paying adequate "tributes" to the right people, I am told Singur never ever had 100,000 "farmers"!!!
The boil in Kashmir goes on -- but should we taxpayers pay dearly for ungrateful people who don't care? I am told Kashmir, which has a dead economy, sustains itself on a per-capita subsidy of an odd-Rs. 9000 as against Rs. 700 in more deserving Bihar. Waving green flags is one thing, but living life is another. It's a challenge -- if those waving green flags were to break away from India, they will barely survive a week on their own, without the Indian taxpayers' money doled out to them.
While Pakistan and stability are two different banks of a river that can never ever meet, I still feel that purely from an Indian perspective, we were better off with Musharraf as the president. At least he did try to think differently to resolve issues with India. "Mr. 10%" as president, would first fill his Swiss bank accounts before thinking of anything else!
The NSG meet for India went on expected lines -- while the New Zealanders, the Swiss and the Irish have voiced their concerns on exceptions being made for India, it is improbable that they would go against their guardian, the US, by blocking the deal. It seems they have adopted a mere face saving mechanism to satisfy their domestic constituencies by voicing their opposition now, only to let the deal through in September. Look at who is opposing the deal -- New Zealand for long enjoyed US protection under the ANZUS nuclear umbrella and Ireland continues to do under the NATO umbrella. How naive they are to put India in the same category as North Korea and Pakistan!!
The Russian revival post-Putin has sent shockwaves through the West. The misadventure and bravado by the Georgian Prseident Mikheil Saakashvili was set right by Russian intervention. Russia today means business and it has proved that it will not tolerate any nonsense in its backyard, especially when it comes to shady energy and arms deals by the Americans. Is India listening? We ought to do something similar in our region -- our regional nuisances -- Nepal, Bangladesh, etc. have taken us lightly for long. We need a Putin to set things right here. A friend whom I would not like to name here for obvious reasons thinks that Narendra Modi could do a Putin here if he becomes the PM.
India has had its best ever run at the Beijing Olympics -- a big haul of 3 medals, one of which is a gold fortunately. While our establishment, corporates and media have started deifying the winners, this inflection point in Indian sports could be used as opportunity to groom young talent for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics -- needless to say corporate support will be required.
Africa, which has been in the news for the last few months for the wrong reasons (Robert Mugabe and suppression of democracy in Zimbabwe, post-election violence in Kenya), lost a democratic leader -- President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia died after suffering a stroke in Paris. Zambia which has been holding on to the beacon of multi-party democracy in Africa after the ouster of Kenneth Kaunda, goes on to show that Africa can make the transition peacefully.
And as another week begins, I do hope I have something more substantial to write on than just do a Prannoy Roy again!!!!
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