Election Campaigns - Its a big joke!!

With the largest democracy in the world, in the midst of the world's largest electoral exercise, battles are getting heated up.  And why not, a lot is at stake! The license to rule (??) India for the next 5 years is up for the grabs.

But when you see the way election campaigns have evolved over the years, its indeed a big joke. The most glaring one about the 2009 General Elections is that, more often than not, we see people (candidates) trying to convince the people as why he/she should not vote for the other candidate, and not why they should vote for him! Generally, whenever someone wishes to represent the people, they need to tell the people why he is the best choice for them. What are the top priorities in his agenda should he be elected, and how he intends to address the issues of concern to the people. Rather than doing this, all political parties, no matter their size, are busy in mudslinging. So much that, it has turned too personal at some places.  All the election rallies have become mere means of accusing others and the other person replying to the accusations throughout. Party X says that in the last election Party Y promised such and such things but has not managed to deliver. Party Y reverts saying Party X had promised such and such things, but has failed. These gentlemen fail to understand that those who stay in glass houses should not throw stones at others. Other than these, I have never managed to see anything significant in these campaigns.

One sad part which I came across in these electoral campaign, was one of the most "respected" faces in the central government making a public statement that Independent Candidates spoil the show and people should vote for only party candidates. I was shocked to hear such a statement from a leader of such repute. And the biggest irony was that in spite of being a "party candidate", he does not have the guts to go and stand for elections to the Lok Sabha. In fact a sizeable percentage of our Union Cabinet has ministers, who have been rejected by the public. When the Constitution allows any Indian citizen irrespective of his background to aspire for becoming a representative of people, such a loose comment was definitely uncalled for. And this inspite of knowing that there still are a good number of Independent Candidates winning and coming to the Lok Sabha.

The only good thing about this elections has been the continuous updates shown by the media and the analysis done to varying depths, enabling the common man to make a decision. The write ups about the constituency, the candidates, their past history, the major issues in the constituency etc have definitely opened the eyes of many and made us aware of many things which we had no idea about. Yes, I do agree that there are chances that these opinions can be biased. But equally important is the fact to note that, its an attempt well done. One thing I have learnt over the last couple of years, is to appreciate the attempts made by someone to improve something however insignificant it may be and whatever be the outcome of the attempt.

I would like to give another funny aspect of these elections. When I was in Hyderabad till a couple of weeks back, the local newspapers carried a series of photographs of the sitting MP of one of the constituencies in the city. He was on a massive tour of a constituency he had never even bothered to visit in the last 5 years. And he was trying his hands at various professions at which people were involved viz. tailor, barber, weaver, blacksmith etc. The ironical part was the caption under it which in essence said that a majority of people who gathered in hundreds to see him, were not even aware that the person in front of them, was in fact a sitting MP and they themselves had elected him 5 years back! Are these the type of people we want, to represent us??

On a lighter note, there is a rumour that all future public meetings, press conferences and anything involving politicians and ministers are going to be held under strict scrutiny and among various things that are not permitted for the gatherings, footwears are also going to be included in the list. Every day, someone or the other is being targetted with an angry protestor's footwear which ultimately leads to another blame game.

On a concluding note, I would have loved to see live debates between two candidates or the top leaderships of major political parties, held in a more explicit way, on the lines of what happens in the US of A and other developed nations.  There have been indirect debates already on varied topics like "Should it be made mandatory that the PM should be from the Lok Sabha?", "Should voting be made compulsory for the people?" etc to name a few. I would really appreciate if this can happen in a direct way. Technology also has to be used to the maximum possible extent to ensure penetration and creation of awareness among the masses. I would even love to see some youth icon, urging the people to go and vote. (Though the EC had earlier conceived the idea of roping in MSD for the same, I dont know what happened to it.)

All said and done, I am definitely going to vote tomorrow. How about you??

The Tata Nano is going to cost much more than Rupees One lakh!!!

With the Tata Nano finally launched, and bookings closed for the public, all expectations are on Ratan Tata and his team when the cars will be delivered to the proud owners. Having said this, much furore has been made over the cost of the vehicle and more often than not, we hear people complaining that Ratan Tata had promised to give a car at One Lakh, and now its gonna cost much more than a Lakh. And added to that, it does not have all the features like power steering, ABS, airbags, power windows, AC etc. 

Some facts. Ratan Tata made the promise way back in 2003. When he had made the comment, it was only a passing reference which was blown out of proportion by the media. Having said that, coupled with the commercial success of Ace, gave him more confidence and Tatas came out with a concrete plan for the same. But ever since material costs have sky rocketed like anything in the last couple of years. The frequent delays caused due to various reasons, some being political and some other, has definitely not helped the Tatas' case. Time and again, he has been ascertaining that its going to be very very difficult to keep the costs within the 1 lakh threshold. Having come across so many hardships, its really commendable to be coming out with the Nano, at whatever price it is being offered to the customers.

Yes!! Nano is going to cost more than one lakh. Though a lot has been done to cut the costs, viz only one windshield wiper, only one rear view mirror, no power steering and simplification of various linkages, replacement of steel with fibre wherever possible, it still was difficult to contain it in the range that was promised. The base model comes to Rs.123000 which is the most simplest model. Advanced versions which have central locking, power windows and air conditioning are going to cost upto Rs.175000. And these figures are only ex showroom prices on which VAT, Life Tax, and other expenditures have to be incurred by the consumer.

What bothers me most is the way critics are making a mountain of a mole. If Ratan Tata has not been able to give a car at Rs 1 lakh, whats their problem. Atleast he has made an attempt and atleast he is giving it at 1.5 lakhs. Which other manufacturer in India has even thought about that?? And look who is speaking. Its not the common man for whom it has been designed. Its not the barber or the butcher, whose dreams of owning a car is coming true. It is them, who already have enough cars in their homes, who are cribbing about Nano. Come on guys, have some respect for the person who has seen the dream of rural India, the dream of an average middle class family to drive safely in the comforts of a four wheeler. In fact I really admired Tata, when he had the idea of selling the Nano to only those customers who do not have any other vehicle. This would mean restricted marketing and sale in cities and metros. Going by statistics, almost 72% of cars in India are sold in A and A+ cities. By cutting down on this, please calculate how big a risk he has taken. Its a different matter that with the launch of Nano, that statistic will change! And yeah, please be aware, that Tatas are selling Nano's at a very minimal profit. Neither the company nor the dealers are going to make anything out of it!!

People have also raised the issue on the quality of the car. For your information, the car conforms to all the necessary statutory requirements in terms of security. Using simple common sense, if Tata's compromise on the quality of the car, they themselves will be at the receiving end having invested so much and having faced so much of trouble so far.

Eminent environmentalists have questioned about the eco friendliness of the car. The car has been certified by ARAI (a GOI body, having nothing to do with Tatas) to meet the norms of BS III for emission. And it is definitely wrong to blame Tatas if there are more cars on the road. Yes it will raise the demand for fuel, it will lead to congestion in roads, it will lead to huge parking problems. If an Indian city is unable to cope with this, its the Government which is to be blamed for not having provided the required infrastructure. Atleast they had enough time to plan.

After seeing through all the hardships, of varying magnitude starting with the Singur pull out(which has hurt Ratan Tata the most), to the recent resentment over the pricing and concerns over various issues regarding the performance of the car, it is highly commendable that the Tata's have finally managed to come out with it. A two cylinder 624cc rear engine, coughing 33HP of raw power, running at a maximum speed of 120 kmph, a 15 litre petrol tank, offering a decent fuel consumption of around 20 kms per litre, is infact a great deal. If you still want AC, power steering, ABS, airbags, central locking etc for one lakh, GIVE ME A BREAK!!! You don't even deserve to own a car!!!

2009 - A year of making decisions!!!

As the sun set for the last time in 2008, little had I expected that the next year will be so. It has been really a great year so far, testing my skills in decision making and choosing between 2 or 3 options. It’s been such a simile, that having wanting to pursue my higher education in management, I was encountered with practical situations in the same and what better could one have expected. Though there have been a few instances which has required a lot of planning, thoughts and implementation from my side, I would like to mention 3 big instances where my decision making skills were put to a tough test.

The first one came as early as the first day of the year itself. It was about choosing between a career in the company which promised growth in the same company which I had been working and attending an important interview for admissions to the MBA program of a B School. The Career Development Workshop (CDW), as it is called, is a dream of every graduate engineer who joins the company. The sooner one attends it, the faster he grows. It’s a combination of formal, semi formal and informal events where your managerial capabilities are judged and a growth plan is arrived at the end of the two days. I too was happy to find my name in this year’s list, but the only hitch was it was scheduled in the second weekend of February, which almost eclipsed with the dates of my interview at Pune. Unfortunately, this particular institute did not even give us the choice of picking our dates. As a couple of weeks rolled on, the dates were announced and as luck would have had it, it fell on exactly the same day as my CDW!! I did not want to let the opportunity go out of my hands, nor did I want to miss the CDW. Also, I did not even want to give any hint to my colleagues and company, by being absent from the same. I tried my luck by sending a mail to the institute and luckily for me, they obliged to my request and my interview dates were preponed by a couple of dates. This enabled me to attend both the important events. That I did not attend the CDW later, due to some other reasons was a different issue. But the toughest part here was the anxiousness and the tense moments I had to spend, in the weeks that ensued between the time I applied to the institute and the day the interview dates were out. Even the few days when I was awaiting a reply from the institute for the change of interview slots were equally tense.

The second one came sometime in mid march. By this time, I had already put in my papers and was set to leave from the organization. I had received final admission calls from 3 institutes where I had applied, and was in a big dilemma over choosing among the three. The problem here was more about the approaching deadlines. I had to send the first installment of fees (running into a few lakhs of rupees), before a specified date, failing which I would forfeit my seat. So the pressure of arranging for funds, within the right time and for the right institute, was really huge on me. At times, I even made a few blunders at work, which were overlooked by my boss understanding the phase that I was going through.

The third one was the most difficult and the toughest one. I still don’t know whether I have made the right decision, but then let the people involved in the same, take a call. Two of my closest friends got married on the same day. And the difficult thing was, one wedding was in Bangalore and one in Udupi. Adding to that, one more of my college mate, with whom I had grown reasonably close over the last couple of years, also was tying the knot on the same day. It was a case of triple trouble. One of them is my classmate from Standard 3. We have been together, all through our life. We have been undeclared heroes of our class, where the first two positions were always reserved to the two of us. In the class, the competition always started from the third rank onwards. Together we have won many competitions and awards and were famous in our district. In college, we were roommates, sharing the same room in the hostel. And as luck would have had it, we were both placed in the same city Hyderabad. I met this second friend of mine, in 11th. He had migrated from his hometown to Udupi in search of good higher secondary education. And what an association it has been. For the two years of pre university education, we were literally partners in crime. We have played so many pranks together and so many tricks here and there. I even remember one chemistry problem in our 12th, where the entire college, including the lecturers got it wrong, and we had single handedly fought it successfully to become heroes in those days. Our association continued in engineering days as well, where though he was in a different branch, we were always together. And the association has continued to this day, where we both take each other’s opinion in every small and big step we take in life. The third friend I have has been a good acquaintance in college. He was a day boarder and we were not so close in college. Once we moved out of college, he found himself abroad, working for an MNC. And because of the time difference, our chat timings used to match. We grew a lot closer online, and I always wanted to attend his wedding. Now attending one wedding would definitely mean disappointing the remaining two. At times, I have even considered the option of not attending any of the weddings. But then, making one friend happy is definitely better that making none happy. Believe me, it was one of the toughest decisions of my life. And having taken the decision, I hope all my friends, especially the ones who I disappointed (all 3 of them, know each other), understand the type of pressure I was under and take no offence at my absence.

I have believed, that God has always helped me take the right decisions, and I am sure that in these instances also, He is behind me.

Phunny Inccident!!!!

This is arguably one the funniest incidents that I enjoyed in my 33 months at my previous organization and I thought I should blog it down. So here you go.

It’s 10th April 2009, less than a week for me to be relieved from my current job. I have already put in my papers on the 1st of March 2009 and was asked to work till the 15th of April which I have obliged. Having said that, as per the advice of my friend, I have tried to have the maximum fun out of these 45 days.

Our GM was on a two day visit to Hyderabad, supposedly happy at the good performance we had put in at this year’s CSI studies. He wanted to visit some dealers and wanted to motivate them and their team as well as the team at our end, who made it possible. He came to Hyderabad yesterday, and after a couple of dealership visits, he opted to spend the evening with a few of his childhood friends, who he claimed to be meeting after 15 years. So, we (me and my boss) accompanied him till a place where we were working on a project, and he proceeded and went on to check in to one of the posh hotels in the city. We had agreed to meet at 9:00 AM, this morning.

Today, I picked up my boss on my motorcycle and proceeded towards the hotel where he was staying. I parked my bike, and we went up to the receptionist and asked her to leave him a message. Promptly, within 5 minutes, he came down and with a few more minutes he checked out from the hotel and proceeded with our dealership visits. No sooner had he checked out, he received a sms on his cell thanking him for the stay in the hotel. Once we were done with all the visits for the day, we had lunch and by 3:30 PM, we bid him goodbye after which he headed to the airport and we took an auto on our way back to the hotel where my bike was parked.

Now the last couple of weeks were very hectic, primarily because of the summer and more so because of the financial year change. Having involved in a lot of planning and deployment of the same, we were totally drained out. And going back to the office would again mean getting back into the same routine again. Having seen the same tired expressions on my boss’ face, I thought of some plan.

Me: “Why don’t we go and have a small nap at the hotel??”

Him: “Are you out of your senses?? He has already checked out and checking in again would mean a huge amount. Remember he is a GM, and his bills are paid on actual!!”

Me: “Let’s at least give it a try Sir!!”

Him: “Okay. Do whatever you want, but please ensure that you don’t screw up our image. As it is, you are going in a week’s time. It doesn’t matter to you. But we have a lot at stake. ”

Me: “Don’t worry. I won’t land you in any trouble!!”

We walked to the receptionist. She remembered me from the chat we had in the morning. I asked to speak to the manager and she introduced me to him.

Me: “We are from XYZ Co. Our colleague had checked in to the hotel last evening at 6:00 PM and checked out today morning at 9:00 AM. As you would have observed, we were having some discussions in the lobby in the morning and we need to discuss more about that for about an hour. So it would be great if you can give us a room for an hour or so. We have to catch a flight at 8:00 PM”

He did some calculations and got back. He asked us to confirm the name and cell number of the GM which we promptly did. After punching some more details into the system, he handed us the key card.

Mgr: “We are sure you will be leaving by 6:00 PM right??”

I had a smart glance at my watch and said, “We’ll vacate the room by 5:30 PM. Don’t worry. And yeah, thanks a lot!!”

Holding the key card in my hand, I turned back victoriously, to see an expression of shock and disbelief on the face of my boss. No sooner had we crossed the lobby and entered the lift, we both laughed our hearts out. It was only 4:00 PM and we had one hell of a nice rest, that both of us needed the most for us to work consciously for the next few hours!! I was only hoping that once we checked out again, my GM did not get the Thanks for staying message again!!!

To vote or not to vote - The big Question!!!

With the country heading towards the largest electoral exercise in the world, more than 75 crore Indians will decide the fate of who will govern the country over the next 5 years. And with every passing day, the campaigns are reaching newer levels.

I was in CCD yesterday, when I overheard a conversation from the next table. They were discussing on whether to vote or not to vote. With the type of the public that generally frequents these types of outlets in the country, the discussion was not surprising. Having overheard a few of their thoughts, I just couldn’t smile. We too picked up the same topic and started discussing among ourselves. And the slow service at CCD, in fact gave us enough time to ponder across lengths and breadths of the topic.

The fundamental question which runs in every teenagers mind is whether we should go out and vote in the elections at all. And most of the people who have just acquired their voting rights, unlike me (I was very excited about my first vote in any general election), seem to be over pessimistic about voting. The common reasons given are, the candidates who stand for the elections are not capable enough, there is so much of corruption around, one vote is not going to make any difference to the crores of votes, what’s the point in going and voting when the accessibility to the leaders (or rather representatives) of the people is literally not there and so on and so forth.

The point is not that. I consider voting as a duty rather than a right. More than anything, as responsible citizens of a country, we all should vote. According to me, it’s totally wrong to talk in the air, without being able to justify things. During our debate, one of us told that most of the people who contest elections are all school drop outs and illiterate. But that was a gross understatement. We have ample number of qualified people and by qualified I mean people with real good educational background. We have people with basic graduation degrees to MBA’s from Wharton and Yale and PhD’s from Stanford and Harvard. Of course I do agree that there are people who are illiterate who contest for the elections, but then I am pretty sure that their number can be counted with the fingers.

Coming to the point of educated people being in politics, as long as the people are able to conduct themselves well, as long as they are able to understand life better, and as long as they are able to administrate decently, there is no real need for these big degrees. After all education is supposed to do only this!!

Often candidates standing for the elections are termed as incapable of the job and so on. But majorities of the people, who make these statements, are actually not even aware who is contesting the elections from their area. So how can anyone generalize the statement of candidates being incapable? Of course there will be a fair share of people belonging to that category also. But the best thing to do is find out a bit about the candidates and vote for the most capable person.

Now there is every chance that all are incapable. It does happen. And this is where our system fails. At least earlier, with manual ballots, one had the option of registering an invalid vote, thereby not electing anyone. But with the advent of EVM’s that option is ruled out now. I have read a couple of forwards about provisions being in the constitution for not voting for any candidate, but still registering a vote. I don’t know how far this is actually true. Maybe some research in this area would do some good.

I often come across people who crib about lack of amenities, poor infrastructure in terms of roads, water etc, and corruption in the system etc. What we all fail to understand is that we are a part of the system too. And if the system has a problem, we are a part of the problem. And when we are the part of the problem, part of the solution also lies with us. I always advise people who always complain, to try the system first, and then comment on it. I had this boss of mine, who always used to say, “Unless you have tried something, don’t even say that things are not possible”. I completely agree with him. If you have tried and failed, then you have every right to talk. But without any efforts, talking in the air is actually ridiculous.

Who says there is no system in the country? The system may be delayed, but it still is there. It may be painfully slow, but its there. Or else how would you even explain the powers that the Election Commission is able to execute in enforcing the Model Code of Conduct during the election time. 15 years ago, this was unthinkable. Now, anyone who violates the code stands the sure chance of getting booked under law. What happens next is a different question. But the point I am trying to make, is that things are changing in India, and they are definitely changing for the good.

Many more examples like these can be given, but the essence of these is very simple. India today, is definitely far better than what it was during our parents’ days. And as people of a society, it’s our bounden duty to make it even better for the next generation to live. And believe me it’s not difficult. One classic example I can quote here is that of the massive campaign launched by “Jaagore” in enrolling eligible people in the voters list. Something which has been conceptualized and implemented by some common man like us? If someone can do it, why not us? We only have to introspect, and as ourselves the question. We need to understand that, unless we change, we cannot expect the world to change. I too used to voice the same pessimistic opinions till a few years back. Then I realized that this is simply not the way.

On a concluding note, I would like to emphasize on the fact that, just as in other cases, if you don’t perform your duties, you won’t be eligible for your rights; if you do not vote, you have no right complaining whatever happens in your society. Be it as small an issue as frequent power cuts or as big an issue as a terror attack on your city.