Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
IVF 'greed': clinics shun cheaper treatment
Private IVF clinics are resisting moves to offer cheaper treatment, which would give more Australian women a chance to conceive a child, because they are worried about their profit margins, according to one of the world's leading fertility experts.
Professor Alan Trounson, who delivered Australia's first test tube baby in 1980, said cheaper IVF was available to women overseas, including a method being trialled in Africa for less than $300 a cycle, plus labour costs. While the method would be more expensive here because of the high price of labour, it could still be provided at a fraction of the price private clinics now charged for their treatments, he said.
Medicare covers about 80 per cent of standard treatment fees but out-of-pocket costs can range from $1000 to $3000 per IVF cycle, making it too expensive for many couples.
Professor Trounson, founder of The Low Cost IVF Foundation, said the low-tech method, which he piloted, was as effective as treatments used now in Australia and should be made available to all women - particularly those in developing countries and on low incomes.
But he said a widespread rollout would be scuppered by those with commercial interests at all stages of the IVF process. ''This should be about freedom of choice, but everywhere you go there's entrenchment,'' Professor Trounson said from San Francisco, where he is president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. ''We've got under-resourced populations that can't access IVF, and the ethics committees say 'well, they shouldn't get a lesser treatment', but that's not a reasoned argument.
''Clinicians who work in this area make an awful lot of money and they have an interest in keeping it that way.''
IVF is an increasingly common procedure in Australia, with more than 85,000 babies born since the technology was introduced. There is a growing global push for low-cost or ''minimally invasive'' IVF amid concerns increasingly expensive drugs and refined technology are making fertility treatment the preserve of the wealthy.
Professor Trounson's low-tech procedure strips treatment back to its early days, with basic equipment and oral drugs that are cheaper and have fewer side effects than hormone injections used in conventional treatment, meaning fewer blood tests and ultrasounds are required.
The drugs stimulate the body to produce one or two eggs per cycle, with a 12 per cent pregnancy rate, compared with 10 to 12 eggs per cycle and a 30 to 35 per cent success rate with conventional IVF. Fertility doctors are divided on its efficacy, with critics saying it is unethical to offer women a ''substandard'' treatment that has a lower pregnancy rate per cycle.
But supporters argue that over several IVF cycles the success rate is comparable. This is because the low-cost method is less gruelling, allowing patients to start another cycle within a month rather than having to delay their next attempt.
The method has been delivered in pilot form in Sudan, Namibia and South Africa for less than $300 a cycle. Some countries, including Japan, are already offering women a low-cost option. Women in Britain can access publicly funded IVF through the National Health Service.
In Australia, a few public hospitals do offer discount IVF but the waiting lists are long.
But Geoff Driscoll, founder of IVF Australia, who left the organisation in 2002, said prices would remain high here as there was no competition between the private equity groups that now owned the major clinics.
''The commercialisation of IVF is a potent disincentive to deliver the product cheaper,'' said Professor Driscoll, who is director of reproductive medicine at the University of New South Wales and is on the scientific board of the Low Cost IVF Foundation.
He said pharmaceutical companies were pushing the most expensive drugs. ''It gets back to the the philosophy of offering [IVF] to the masses. Not everyone needs caviar. Many people can get by with rice.''
Gab Kovacs, international medical director with private clinic Monash IVF, argued that Australian treatment was relatively affordable. Optimal treatment incurred costs for services including nurses, embryologists, doctors, counsellors, laboratory work and blood tests which might not be available with a low-cost model.
''It's not up to the IVF units to look after people who can't afford it, it's up to the government,'' Professor Kovacs said.
''This is not a medical decision, it's a social decision, and our politicians have to decide whether IVF is something that should be made available to poor people free of charge.''
Jill Stark
February 13, 2011
Professor Alan Trounson, who delivered Australia's first test tube baby in 1980, said cheaper IVF was available to women overseas, including a method being trialled in Africa for less than $300 a cycle, plus labour costs. While the method would be more expensive here because of the high price of labour, it could still be provided at a fraction of the price private clinics now charged for their treatments, he said.
Medicare covers about 80 per cent of standard treatment fees but out-of-pocket costs can range from $1000 to $3000 per IVF cycle, making it too expensive for many couples.
Professor Trounson, founder of The Low Cost IVF Foundation, said the low-tech method, which he piloted, was as effective as treatments used now in Australia and should be made available to all women - particularly those in developing countries and on low incomes.
But he said a widespread rollout would be scuppered by those with commercial interests at all stages of the IVF process. ''This should be about freedom of choice, but everywhere you go there's entrenchment,'' Professor Trounson said from San Francisco, where he is president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. ''We've got under-resourced populations that can't access IVF, and the ethics committees say 'well, they shouldn't get a lesser treatment', but that's not a reasoned argument.
''Clinicians who work in this area make an awful lot of money and they have an interest in keeping it that way.''
IVF is an increasingly common procedure in Australia, with more than 85,000 babies born since the technology was introduced. There is a growing global push for low-cost or ''minimally invasive'' IVF amid concerns increasingly expensive drugs and refined technology are making fertility treatment the preserve of the wealthy.
Professor Trounson's low-tech procedure strips treatment back to its early days, with basic equipment and oral drugs that are cheaper and have fewer side effects than hormone injections used in conventional treatment, meaning fewer blood tests and ultrasounds are required.
The drugs stimulate the body to produce one or two eggs per cycle, with a 12 per cent pregnancy rate, compared with 10 to 12 eggs per cycle and a 30 to 35 per cent success rate with conventional IVF. Fertility doctors are divided on its efficacy, with critics saying it is unethical to offer women a ''substandard'' treatment that has a lower pregnancy rate per cycle.
But supporters argue that over several IVF cycles the success rate is comparable. This is because the low-cost method is less gruelling, allowing patients to start another cycle within a month rather than having to delay their next attempt.
The method has been delivered in pilot form in Sudan, Namibia and South Africa for less than $300 a cycle. Some countries, including Japan, are already offering women a low-cost option. Women in Britain can access publicly funded IVF through the National Health Service.
In Australia, a few public hospitals do offer discount IVF but the waiting lists are long.
But Geoff Driscoll, founder of IVF Australia, who left the organisation in 2002, said prices would remain high here as there was no competition between the private equity groups that now owned the major clinics.
''The commercialisation of IVF is a potent disincentive to deliver the product cheaper,'' said Professor Driscoll, who is director of reproductive medicine at the University of New South Wales and is on the scientific board of the Low Cost IVF Foundation.
He said pharmaceutical companies were pushing the most expensive drugs. ''It gets back to the the philosophy of offering [IVF] to the masses. Not everyone needs caviar. Many people can get by with rice.''
Gab Kovacs, international medical director with private clinic Monash IVF, argued that Australian treatment was relatively affordable. Optimal treatment incurred costs for services including nurses, embryologists, doctors, counsellors, laboratory work and blood tests which might not be available with a low-cost model.
''It's not up to the IVF units to look after people who can't afford it, it's up to the government,'' Professor Kovacs said.
''This is not a medical decision, it's a social decision, and our politicians have to decide whether IVF is something that should be made available to poor people free of charge.''
Jill Stark
February 13, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
India Marches Against Corruption - There is still some hope!
Thousands of people will take to streets to demand effective anti-corruption law
J M Lyngdoh, Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan, Most Reverend Vincent M Concessao Archbishop of Delhi and others will march from Ramlila Grounds to Jantar Mantar on 30th January, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, at 1 pm to demand enactment of a law to set up an effective anti-corruption body called Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta in each state (the existing Lokayukta Acts are weak and ineffective).
Kiran Bedi, Justice Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan, J M Lyngdoh and others have drafted this Bill. Please visit the web-site for full text of this Bill. A nation wide movement called “India Against Corruption” has been started by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Swami Ramdev, Swami Agnivesh, Most Reverend Vincent M Concessao Archbishop of Delhi, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Devinder Sharma, Sunita Godara, Mallika Sarabhai and many others to persuade government to enact this Bill.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi recently announced that Lokpal would be set up. However, the Lokpal suggested by the government is only a showpiece. It will have jurisdiction over politicians but not bureaucrats, as if politicians and bureaucrats indulge in corruption separately. And the most interesting part is that like other anti-corruption bodies in our country, the government is making Lokpal also an advisory body. So, Lokpal will recommend to the government to prosecute its ministers. Will any prime minister have the political courage to do that?
Please participate in large numbers in this march to persuade the government to enact the Bill drafted by the people. Please turn overleaf to read how this Bill will help in effectively checking corruption.
Can India turn around?
There was much worse corruption in Hong Kong in 1970s than we have in India today. Collusion between police and mafia increased and crime rate went up. Lakhs of people came on the streets. As a result, the government had to set up an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), which was given complete powers. In the first instance, ICAC sacked 119 out of 180 police officers. This sent a strong message to the bureaucracy that corruption would not be tolerated. Today, Hong Kong has one of the most honest governance machinery. India can also turn around if we also had similar anti-corruption body. Hong Kong government enacted ICAC Bill because lakhs of people came on streets.
Join the march on 30th January (Assembly at 1 pm at Ramlila Ground, New Delhi)
If you plan to join or volunteer with us, do call us +919717460029
How will the Lokpal Bill drafted by citizens help curb corruption?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
This is no light bill
Antilla is not just a landmark, a month after Mukesh Ambani moved in, it also generated the city’s biggest power bill for a residence: Rs 70 lakh(152,000 USD approx)
The asymmetrical stack of floors is lit-up like a jewellery box, illuminating the indigo sky, its opulence casting everything around it into a paler shade of their selves. Mukesh Ambani’s Godzilla-sized home, Antilla, has just notched up another headline. In the one month since he moved in with wife Nita and their three children, the tycoon has generated a power bill of Rs 70,69,488, the city’s highest residential electricity bill.
According to the bill for the month of September, made available to TOI, Antilla consumed 6,37,240 units of power. To put it in perspective an average Mumbai household equipped with all electronic amenities consumes 300 units per month. Ambani was in fact, as per BEST norm, given a discount of Rs 48,354 for prompt payment. The 70 lakh quoted earlier is minus this amount. Experts say the RIL boss’s tariff is roughly equivalent to the monthly power bill of 7,000 homes in Mumbai. The 27-storey Antilla, named after a mythical island, with its three helipads, 50-seater theatre, nine elevators, swimming pool and residential quarters takes up 37,000 square meters of space which is larger than the Palace of Versailles and according to the Guardian newspaper of the UK, its estimated value is pegged at Rs 4,567 crore.
“Extensive air-conditioning and elevated parking are big energy consumers,” says a BEST official not wishing to be quoted. Further, he adds, the building is lit up through the night, showcasing the bling. Though, a report in the Forbes magazine says that a four-storey hanging garden was especially built as an energy-saving device, to keep the interiors cool in summers.
Perhaps it is taking effect, for in October their power bill marginally came down to Rs 61,28461, for consumption of 5,96,800 power units. The family is among BEST’s high-tension consumer, a category created for bulk users. Save for a small part of the building which is designated as office space where commercial rates are applicable, the lower residential rates apply to the rest of the building. But even here it’s fortunate that Antilla is located where it is. Altamount Road falls under the BEST radar which has the lowest tariff among all power suppliers. Had brother Anil’s Reliance Energy been their power suppliers, Mukesh’s bill, as half of Mumbai can vouch, would have been further inflated.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A High-Tech Titan Plagued by Potholes
Despite this nation’s rise as a technology titan with some of the world’s best engineering minds, India’s full economic potential is stifled by potholed roadways, collapsing bridges, rickety railroads and a power grid so unreliable that many modern office buildings run their own diesel generators to make sure the lights and computers stay on.
It is not for want of money. The Indian government aims to spend $500 billion on infrastructure by 2012 and twice that amount in the following five years.
The problem is a dearth of engineers — or at least the civil engineers with the skill and expertise to make sure those ambitious projects are done on time and up to specifications.
Civil engineering was once an elite occupation in India, not only during the British colonial era of carving roads and laying train tracks, but also long after independence as part of the civil service. These days, though, India’s best and brightest know there is more money and prestige in writing software for foreign customers than in building roadways for their nation.
And so it is that 26-year-old Vishal Mandvekar, despite his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, now writes software code for a Japanese automaker.
Mr. Mandvekar works in an air-conditioned building with Silicon Valley amenities here in Pune, a boomtown about 100 miles east of Mumbai. But getting to and from work requires him to spend a vexing hour on his motorcycle, navigating the crowded, cratered roads between home and his office a mere nine miles away.
During the monsoon season, the many potholes “are filled with water and you can’t tell how deep they are until you hit one,” he said.
Fixing all that, though, will remain some other engineer’s problem.
Mr. Mandvekar earns a salary of about $765 a month. That is more than three times what he made during his short stint for a commercial contractor, supervising construction of lodging for a Sikh religious group, after he earned his degree in 2006.
“It was fun doing that,” he said of the construction job. “My only dissatisfaction was the pay package.”
Young Indians’ preference for software over steel and concrete poses an economic conundrum for India. Its much-envied information technology industry generates tens of thousands of relatively well-paying jobs every year. But that lure also continues the exodus of people qualified to build the infrastructure it desperately needs to improve living conditions for the rest of its one billion people — and to bolster the sort of industries that require good highways and railroads more than high-speed Internet links to the West.
In 1990, civil engineering programs had the capacity to enroll 13,500 students, while computer science and information technology departments could accept but 12,100. Yet by 2007, after a period of incredible growth in India’s software outsourcing business, computer science and other information technology programs ballooned to 193,500; civil engineering climbed to only 22,700. Often, those admitted to civil engineering programs were applicants passed over for highly competitive computer science tracks.
There are various other reasons that India has struggled to build a modern infrastructure, including poor planning, political meddling and outright corruption. But the shortage of civil engineers is an important factor. In 2008, the World Bank estimated that India would need to train three times as many civil engineers as it does now to meet its infrastructure needs.
The government has “kick-started a massive infrastructure development program without checking on the manpower supply,” said Atul Bhobe, managing director of S. N. Bhobe & Associates, a civil engineering design company. “The government is willing to spend $1 trillion,” he said, “but you don’t have the wherewithal to spend that kind of money.”
Sujay Kalele, an executive with Kolte-Patil, a Pune-based developer of residential and commercial buildings, said the company’s projects could be completed as much as three months faster if it could find enough skilled engineers.
“If we need 10 good-quality civil engineers, we may get four or five,” Mr. Kalele said.
Beyond construction delays and potholes, experts say, the engineering shortfall poses outright dangers. Last year, for example, an elevated span that was part of New Delhi’s much-lauded metro rail system collapsed, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen workers. A government report partly blamed faulty design for the accident; metro officials said they would now require an additional review of all designs by independent engineers.
Acknowledging India’s chronic shortage of civil engineers and other specialists, the national government is building 30 universities and considering letting foreign institutions set up campuses in the country.
“India has embarked on its largest education expansion program since independence,” the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, said in a speech last year in Washington.
But the government may have only so much influence on what students study. And while the Indian government runs or finances some of the country’s most prestigious universities, like the Indian Institutes of Technology, fast-growing private institutions now train more students. About three-quarters of engineering students study at private colleges.
Moreover, many civil engineers who earn degrees in the discipline never work in the profession or — like Mr. Mandvekar — leave it soon after they graduate to take better-paying jobs in information technology, management consulting or financial services.
Industry experts say a big obstacle to attracting more civil engineers is the paltry entry-level pay. The field was considered relatively lucrative until the 1990s, when it was eclipsed by the pay in commercial software engineering.
Ravi Sinha, a civil engineering professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, says professionals in his field with five years of experience make about as much as their counterparts at information technology companies. But those starting can make as little as half the pay of their technology peers.
That is partly because of the lead set by government departments, where salaries for civil engineers are often fixed according to nearly immutable civil service formulas.
And in the private sector, developers and construction companies have often been reluctant to pay more and invest in the training of young engineers, because executives believe that new graduates do not contribute enough to merit more money or that they will leave for other jobs anyway.
“If companies take a holistic view,” Mr. Sinha said, “they have the opportunity to develop the next generation’s leaders.”
In fact, a construction boom in recent years has led to higher salaries in private industry. Kolte-Patil now pays junior engineers $425 a month, nearly twice the level of five years ago.
Larsen & Toubro, a Mumbai-based engineering company that builds airports, power projects and other infrastructure, offers Build India Scholarships for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in construction technology and management. The program produces 50 to 60 graduates a year, who are hired by the company.
“You don’t get the best quality in civil engineers, because today the first choice for students is other branches” of engineering, said K. P. Raghavan, an executive vice president in L.& T.’s construction division. “We are compensating with lots of training.”
By VIKAS BAJAJ (NYT)
It is not for want of money. The Indian government aims to spend $500 billion on infrastructure by 2012 and twice that amount in the following five years.
The problem is a dearth of engineers — or at least the civil engineers with the skill and expertise to make sure those ambitious projects are done on time and up to specifications.
Civil engineering was once an elite occupation in India, not only during the British colonial era of carving roads and laying train tracks, but also long after independence as part of the civil service. These days, though, India’s best and brightest know there is more money and prestige in writing software for foreign customers than in building roadways for their nation.
And so it is that 26-year-old Vishal Mandvekar, despite his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, now writes software code for a Japanese automaker.
Mr. Mandvekar works in an air-conditioned building with Silicon Valley amenities here in Pune, a boomtown about 100 miles east of Mumbai. But getting to and from work requires him to spend a vexing hour on his motorcycle, navigating the crowded, cratered roads between home and his office a mere nine miles away.
During the monsoon season, the many potholes “are filled with water and you can’t tell how deep they are until you hit one,” he said.
Fixing all that, though, will remain some other engineer’s problem.
Mr. Mandvekar earns a salary of about $765 a month. That is more than three times what he made during his short stint for a commercial contractor, supervising construction of lodging for a Sikh religious group, after he earned his degree in 2006.
“It was fun doing that,” he said of the construction job. “My only dissatisfaction was the pay package.”
Young Indians’ preference for software over steel and concrete poses an economic conundrum for India. Its much-envied information technology industry generates tens of thousands of relatively well-paying jobs every year. But that lure also continues the exodus of people qualified to build the infrastructure it desperately needs to improve living conditions for the rest of its one billion people — and to bolster the sort of industries that require good highways and railroads more than high-speed Internet links to the West.
In 1990, civil engineering programs had the capacity to enroll 13,500 students, while computer science and information technology departments could accept but 12,100. Yet by 2007, after a period of incredible growth in India’s software outsourcing business, computer science and other information technology programs ballooned to 193,500; civil engineering climbed to only 22,700. Often, those admitted to civil engineering programs were applicants passed over for highly competitive computer science tracks.
There are various other reasons that India has struggled to build a modern infrastructure, including poor planning, political meddling and outright corruption. But the shortage of civil engineers is an important factor. In 2008, the World Bank estimated that India would need to train three times as many civil engineers as it does now to meet its infrastructure needs.
The government has “kick-started a massive infrastructure development program without checking on the manpower supply,” said Atul Bhobe, managing director of S. N. Bhobe & Associates, a civil engineering design company. “The government is willing to spend $1 trillion,” he said, “but you don’t have the wherewithal to spend that kind of money.”
Sujay Kalele, an executive with Kolte-Patil, a Pune-based developer of residential and commercial buildings, said the company’s projects could be completed as much as three months faster if it could find enough skilled engineers.
“If we need 10 good-quality civil engineers, we may get four or five,” Mr. Kalele said.
Beyond construction delays and potholes, experts say, the engineering shortfall poses outright dangers. Last year, for example, an elevated span that was part of New Delhi’s much-lauded metro rail system collapsed, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen workers. A government report partly blamed faulty design for the accident; metro officials said they would now require an additional review of all designs by independent engineers.
Acknowledging India’s chronic shortage of civil engineers and other specialists, the national government is building 30 universities and considering letting foreign institutions set up campuses in the country.
“India has embarked on its largest education expansion program since independence,” the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, said in a speech last year in Washington.
But the government may have only so much influence on what students study. And while the Indian government runs or finances some of the country’s most prestigious universities, like the Indian Institutes of Technology, fast-growing private institutions now train more students. About three-quarters of engineering students study at private colleges.
Moreover, many civil engineers who earn degrees in the discipline never work in the profession or — like Mr. Mandvekar — leave it soon after they graduate to take better-paying jobs in information technology, management consulting or financial services.
Industry experts say a big obstacle to attracting more civil engineers is the paltry entry-level pay. The field was considered relatively lucrative until the 1990s, when it was eclipsed by the pay in commercial software engineering.
Ravi Sinha, a civil engineering professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, says professionals in his field with five years of experience make about as much as their counterparts at information technology companies. But those starting can make as little as half the pay of their technology peers.
That is partly because of the lead set by government departments, where salaries for civil engineers are often fixed according to nearly immutable civil service formulas.
And in the private sector, developers and construction companies have often been reluctant to pay more and invest in the training of young engineers, because executives believe that new graduates do not contribute enough to merit more money or that they will leave for other jobs anyway.
“If companies take a holistic view,” Mr. Sinha said, “they have the opportunity to develop the next generation’s leaders.”
In fact, a construction boom in recent years has led to higher salaries in private industry. Kolte-Patil now pays junior engineers $425 a month, nearly twice the level of five years ago.
Larsen & Toubro, a Mumbai-based engineering company that builds airports, power projects and other infrastructure, offers Build India Scholarships for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in construction technology and management. The program produces 50 to 60 graduates a year, who are hired by the company.
“You don’t get the best quality in civil engineers, because today the first choice for students is other branches” of engineering, said K. P. Raghavan, an executive vice president in L.& T.’s construction division. “We are compensating with lots of training.”
By VIKAS BAJAJ (NYT)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Why I Killed Gandhi?
This is a hair raising address of Shri Nathuram Godse which he gave in court during his trial. After reading this address no one can say that he was a fanatic, lunatic, insane or even ignorant but the only thing which comes to mind is that he was a true patriot. He was well read and a perfectly sane person who knew what he was doing and has no regret or remorse for his act. He even refused to give a mercy appeal. What an irony that today when this country needs more patriots the likes of him we find none. Please read his address carefully and till end, that might remove many misconceptions we still have.
From the second day of hearing the Court declared in-camera and people were denied access to his arguments. Murder should not be a weapon to achieve something. Were Godse's forceful arguments published in the newspapers, there would have been a big upheaval and hence the decision to bar press coverage. Nathuram Godse was arrested immediately after he assassinated Gandhiji, based on an FIR. filed by Nandlal Mehta at the Tughlak Road Police station at Delhi. The trial, which was held in camera, began on 27th May 1948 and concluded on 10th February 1949. He was sentenced to death. An appeal to the Punjab High Court, then in session at Shimla, was not favourable and the sentence was upheld. The statement that you are about to read is the last made by Godse before the Court on the 5th of May 1949. Such was the power and eloquence of this statement that one of the judges, G. D. Khosla, later wrote, "I have, however, no doubt that had the audience of that day been constituted into a jury and entrusted with the task of deciding Godse's appeal, they would have brought a verdict of 'Not Guilty' by an overwhelming majority"
A different perspective, whether one likes it or not. It is outstanding and touching speech and something I did not know till I
read the court transcript.
WHY I KILLED GANDHI?
Born in a devotional Brahmin family, I instinctively came to revere Hindu religion, Hindu history, and Hindu culture. I have, therefore, been intensely proud of Hinduism as a whole. As I grew up I developed a tendency to free thinking unfettered by any superstitious allegiance to any isms, political or religious. That is why I worked actively for the eradication of untouchability and the caste system based on birth alone. I openly joined the RSS wing of anti-caste movements and maintained that all Hindus were of equal status as to rights, social status, and religion and should be considered high or low on merit alone and not through the accident of birth in a particular caste or profession. I used to publicly take part in organized anti-caste dinners in which thousands of Hindus, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Chamars and Bhangis participated. We broke the caste rules and dined in the company of each other. I have read the speeches and writings of Ravana, Chanakya, Dadabhai Naoroji, Vivekanand, Gokhale, Tilak, along with the books of ancient and modern history of India and some prominent countries like England , France, America and Russia . Moreover I studied the tenets of Socialism and Marxism. But above all I studied very closely whatever Veer Savarkar and Gandhiji had written and spoken, as to my mind these two ideologies have contributed more to the moulding of the thought and action of the Indian people during the last thirty years or so, than any other single factor has done.
All this reading and thinking led me to believe it was my first duty to serve Hinduism and Hindus both as a patriot and as a world citizen. To secure the freedom and to safeguard the just interests of some thirty crores (300 million) of Hindus would automatically constitute the freedom and the well-being of all India, one fifth of human race. This conviction led me naturally to devote myself to the Hindu Sangh ideology and program, which alone, I came to believe, could win and preserve the national
independence of Hindustan , my Motherland, and enable her to render true service to humanity as well.
Since the year 1920, that is, after the demise of Lokamanya Tilak, Gandhiji's influence in the Congress first increased and then became supreme. His activities for public awakening were phenomenal in their intensity and were reinforced by the slogan of truth and non-violence which he paraded ostentatiously before the country. No sensible or enlightened person could object to those slogans. In fact there is nothing new or original in them. They are implicit in every constitutional public movement. But it is nothing but a mere dream if you imagine that the bulk of mankind is, or can ever become, capable of scrupulous adherence to these lofty principles in its normal life from day to day.
In fact, honour, duty, and love of one's own kith and kin and country might often compel us to disregard non-violence and to use force. I could never conceive that an armed resistance to an aggression is unjust. I would consider it a religious and moral duty to resist and, if possible, to overpower such an enemy by use of force. In the Ramayana, Rama killed Ravana in a tumultuous fight and saved Sita. In the Mahabharata], Krishna killed Kansa to end his wickedness; and Arjuna had to fight and
slay quite a number of his friends and relations including the revered Bhishma because the latter was on the side of the aggressor. It is my firm belief that in dubbing Rama, Krishna, and Arjuna as guilty of violence, the Mahatma betrayed a total ignorance of the springs of human action.
In more recent history, it was the heroic fight put up by Chhatrapati Shivaji that first checked and eventually destroyed the Muslim tyranny in India. It was absolutely essentially for Shivaji to overpower and kill an aggressive Afzal Khan, failing which he would have lost his own life. In condemning history's towering warriors like Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Gobind Singh as misguided patriots, Gandhiji has merely exposed his self-conceit. He was, paradoxical as it may appear a violent pacifist who
brought untold calamities on the country in the name of truth and non-violence, while Rana Pratap, Shivaji, and the Guru will remain enshrined in the hearts of their countrymen for ever for the freedom they brought to them.
The accumulating provocation of thirty-two years, culminating in his last pro-Muslim fast, at last goaded me to the conclusion that the existence of Gandhi should be brought to an end immediately. Gandhi had done very well in South Africa to uphold the rights and well-being of the Indian community there. But when he finally returned to India he developed a subjective mentality under which he alone was to be the final judge of what was right or wrong. If the country wanted his leadership, it had to accept his infallibility; if it did not, he would stand aloof from the Congress and carry on his own way.
Against such an attitude there can be no halfway house. Either Congress had to surrender its will to his and had to be content with playing second fiddle to all his eccentricity, whimsicality, metaphysics and primitive vision, or it had to carry on without him.
He alone was the Judge of everyone and every thing; he was the master brain guiding the civil disobedience movement; no other could know the technique of that movement. He alone knew when to begin and when to withdraw it. The movement might succeed or fail, it might bring untold disaster, and political reverses but that could make no difference to the Mahatma's
infallibility. 'A Satyagrahi can never fail' was his formula for declaring his own infallibility and nobody except himself knew what a Satyagrahi is.
Thus, the Mahatma became the judge and jury in his own cause. These childish insanities and obstinacies, coupled with a most severe austerity of life, ceaseless work and lofty character made Gandhi formidable and irresistible.
Many people thought that his politics were irrational but they had either to withdraw from the Congress or place their intelligence at his feet to do with as he liked. In a position of such absolute irresponsibility Gandhi was guilty of blunder after blunder, failure after failure, disaster after disaster. Gandhi's pro-Muslim policy is blatantly in his perverse attitude on the question of the national language of India. It is quite obvious that Hindi has the most prior claim to be accepted as the premier language. In the beginning of his career in India, Gandhi gave a great impetus to Hindi but as he found that the Muslims did not like it, he became a champion of what is called Hindustani. Everybody in India knows that there is no language called Hindustani; it has no grammar; it has no vocabulary. It is a mere dialect; it is spoken, but not written. It is a bastard tongue and
cross-breed between Hindi and Urdu, and not even the Mahatma's sophistication could make it popular. But in his desire to please the Muslims he insisted that Hindustani alone should be the national language of India. His blind followers, of course, supported him and the so-called hybrid language began to be used. The charm and purity of the Hindi language was to be prostituted to please the Muslims. All his experiments were at the expense of the Hindus.
From August 1946 onwards the private armies of the Muslim League began a massacre of the Hindus. The then Viceroy, Lord Wavell, though distressed at what was happening, would not use his powers under the Government of India Act of 1935 to prevent the rape, murder and arson. The Hindu blood began to flow from Bengal to Karachi with some retaliation by the Hindus. The Interim Government formed in September was sabotaged by its Muslim League members right from its inception, but the more they became disloyal and treasonable to the government of which they were a part, the greater was Gandhi's infatuation for them. Lord Wavell had to resign as he could not bring about a settlement and he was succeeded by Lord Mountbatten. King Log was followed by King Stork. The Congress which had boasted of its nationalism and socialism secretly accepted Pakistan literally at the point of the bayonet and abjectly surrendered to Jinnah. India was vivisected and one-third of the Indian
territory became foreign land to us from August 15, 1947.
Lord Mountbatten came to be described in Congress circles as the greatest Viceroy and Governor-General this country ever had. The official date for handing over power was fixed for June 30, 1948, but Mountbatten with his ruthless surgery gave us a gift of vivisected India ten months in advance. This is what Gandhi had achieved after thirty years of undisputed dictatorship and this is what Congress party calls 'freedom' and 'peaceful transfer of power'. The Hindu-Muslim unity bubble was finally burst and a theocratic state was established with the consent of Nehru and his crowd and they have called 'freedom won by them with sacrifice' - whose sacrifice? When top leaders of Congress, with the consent of Gandhi, divided and tore the country - which we consider a deity of worship - my mind was filled with direful anger.
One of the conditions imposed by Gandhi for his breaking of the fast unto death related to the mosques in Delhi occupied by the Hindu refugees. But when Hindus in Pakistan were subjected to violent attacks he did not so much as utter a single word to protest and censure the Pakistan Government or the Muslims concerned. Gandhi was shrewd enough to know that while undertaking a fast unto death, had he imposed for its break some condition on the Muslims in Pakistan, there would have been found hardly any Muslims who could have shown some grief if the fast had ended in his death. It was for this reason that he purposely avoided imposing any condition on the Muslims. He was fully aware of from the experience that Jinnah was not at all perturbed or influenced by his fast and the Muslim League hardly attached any value to the inner voice of Gandhi. Gandhi is being referred to as the Father of the Nation.
But if that is so, he had failed his paternal duty in as much as he has acted very treacherously to the nation by his consenting to the partitioning of it. I stoutly maintain that Gandhi has failed in his duty.
He has proved to be the Father of Pakistan. His inner-voice, his spiritual power and his doctrine of non-violence of which so much is made of, all crumbled before Jinnah's iron will, and proved to be powerless. Briefly speaking, I thought to myself and foresaw I shall be totally ruined, and the only thing I could expect from the people would be nothing but hatred and that I shall have lost my entire honor, even more valuable than my life, if I were to kill Gandhiji. But at the same time I felt that the Indian
politics in the absence of Gandhiji would surely be practical, able to retaliate, and would be powerful with armed forces. No doubt, my own future would be totally ruined, but the nation would be saved from the inroads of Pakistan. People may even call me and dub me as devoid of any sense or foolish, but the nation would be free to follow the course founded on the reason which I consider to be necessary for sound nation-building.
After having fully considered the question, I took the final decision in the matter, but I did not speak about it to anyone whatsoever. I took courage in both my hands and I did fire the shots at Gandhiji on 30th January 1948, on the prayer-grounds of Birla House. I do say that my shots were fired at the person whose policy and action had brought rack and ruin and destruction to millions of Hindus. There was no legal machinery by which such an offender could be brought to book and for this reason I fired those fatal shots. I bear no ill will towards anyone individually but I do say that I had no respect for the present government owing to their policy which was unfairly favorable towards the Muslims. But at the same time I could clearly see that the policy was entirely due to the presence of Gandhi.
I have to say with great regret that Primes Minister Nehru quite forgets that his preaching's and deeds are at times at variances with each other when he talks about India as a secular state in season and out of season, because it is significant to note that Nehru has played a leading role in the establishment of the theocratic state of Pakistan, and his job was made easier by Gandhi's persistent policy of appeasement towards the Muslims. I now stand before the court to accept the full share of my responsibility for what I have done and the judge would, of course, pass against me such orders of sentence as may be considered proper. But I would like to add that I do not desire any mercy to be shown to me, nor do I wish that anyone else
should beg for mercy on my behalf. My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism leveled against it on all sides. I have no doubt that honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof some day in future.
Now you decide how history should judge me! Jai Hind!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
A brief but complete History of India written by a 10th Grader
Please pay special attention to the spellings and the "derived" nomenclature.
The original inhabitants of ancient India were called Adidases, who lived in two cities called Hariappa and Mujhe-na-Darao. These cities had the best drain system in the world and so there was no brain drain from them.
Ancient India was full of myths which have been handed down from son to father. A myth is a female moth. A collection of myths is called mythology, which means stories with female caricatures. One myth says that people in olden times worshipped monkeys because they were our incestors.
In olden times there were two big families in India . One was called the Pandava and the other was called the Karova. They fought amongst themselves in a battle called Mahabharat, after which India came to be known as Mera Bharat Mahan.
In midevil times India was ruled by the Slave Dienasty. So named because they all died a nasty death. Then came the Tughlaqs who shifted their capital from Delhi because of its pollution. They were followed by the Mowglis.
The greatest Mowgli was Akbar because he extinguished himself on the battlefield of Panipat which is in Hurryana. But his son Jehangir was peace loving; he married one Hindu wife and kept 300 porcupines. Then came Shahajahan who had 14 sons. Family planning had not been invented at that time. He also built the Taj Mahal hotel for his wife who now sleeps there. The king sent all his sons away to distant parts of India because they started quarrelling. Dara Seiko was sent to UP,Shaikh Bhakhtiyar was sent to J & K, while Orangezip came to Bombay to fight Shivaji. However, after that they changed its name to Mumbai because Shivaji's sena did not like it. They also do not like New Delhi , so they are calling it Door Darshan.
After the Mowglis came Vasco the Gama. He was an exploder who was circumcising India with a 100 foot clipper. Then came the British.They brought with them many inventions such as cricket, tramtarts and steamed railways. They were followed by the French who brought in French fries, pizzazz and laundry. But Robert Clive drove them out when he deafened Duplex who was out membered since the British had the queen on their side.
Eventually, the British came to overrule India because there was too much diversity in our unity. The British overruled India for a long period. They were great expotents and impotents. They started expoting salt from India and impoting cloth. This was not liked by Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to produce his own salt. This was called the swedish
moment. During this moment, many people burnt their lion cloths in the street and refused to wear anything else. The British became very angry at this and stopped the production of Indian testiles.
In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi was married to one wife. Soon after he became the father of the nation. In 1942 he started the Quiet India moment, so named because the British were quietly lootaoing our country. In 1947, India became free and its people became freely loving. This increased our population. Its government became a limited mockery,
which means people are allowed to take the law in their own hands with the help of the police. Our constipation is the best in the world because it says that no man can be hanged twice for the same crime. It also says you cannot be put in prison if you have not paid your taxis. Another important thing about our constipation is that it can be
changed. This is not possible with the British constipation because it is not written on paper. The Indian Parlemint consists of two houses which are called lower and higher. This is because one Mr Honest Abe said that two houses divided against itself cannot withstand.
So Pandit Nehru asked the British for freedom at midnight since the British were afraid of the dark. At midnight, on August 15, there was a tryst in Parlemint in which many participated by wearing khaki and hosting the flag.
Recently in India , there have been a large number of scams and a plaque. it can be dangerous because many people died of plaque in Surat . Scams are all over India . One of these was in Bihar where holy cows were not given anything to eat by their elected leader. The other scam was in Bofor which is a small town in Switzerland. In this, a lot of Indian money was given to buy a gun which can shoot a coot.
Presently India has a coalishun government made up of many parties, left, right and centre. It has started to library the economy. This means that there is now no need for a licence as the economy will be driven by itself. India is also trying to become an Asian tiger because its own tigers are being poached. Another important event this
year was the Shark meeting at Malas Dive. At this place, shark leaders agreed to share their poverty, pollution and population.
The original inhabitants of ancient India were called Adidases, who lived in two cities called Hariappa and Mujhe-na-Darao. These cities had the best drain system in the world and so there was no brain drain from them.
Ancient India was full of myths which have been handed down from son to father. A myth is a female moth. A collection of myths is called mythology, which means stories with female caricatures. One myth says that people in olden times worshipped monkeys because they were our incestors.
In olden times there were two big families in India . One was called the Pandava and the other was called the Karova. They fought amongst themselves in a battle called Mahabharat, after which India came to be known as Mera Bharat Mahan.
In midevil times India was ruled by the Slave Dienasty. So named because they all died a nasty death. Then came the Tughlaqs who shifted their capital from Delhi because of its pollution. They were followed by the Mowglis.
The greatest Mowgli was Akbar because he extinguished himself on the battlefield of Panipat which is in Hurryana. But his son Jehangir was peace loving; he married one Hindu wife and kept 300 porcupines. Then came Shahajahan who had 14 sons. Family planning had not been invented at that time. He also built the Taj Mahal hotel for his wife who now sleeps there. The king sent all his sons away to distant parts of India because they started quarrelling. Dara Seiko was sent to UP,Shaikh Bhakhtiyar was sent to J & K, while Orangezip came to Bombay to fight Shivaji. However, after that they changed its name to Mumbai because Shivaji's sena did not like it. They also do not like New Delhi , so they are calling it Door Darshan.
After the Mowglis came Vasco the Gama. He was an exploder who was circumcising India with a 100 foot clipper. Then came the British.They brought with them many inventions such as cricket, tramtarts and steamed railways. They were followed by the French who brought in French fries, pizzazz and laundry. But Robert Clive drove them out when he deafened Duplex who was out membered since the British had the queen on their side.
Eventually, the British came to overrule India because there was too much diversity in our unity. The British overruled India for a long period. They were great expotents and impotents. They started expoting salt from India and impoting cloth. This was not liked by Mahatma Gandhi who wanted to produce his own salt. This was called the swedish
moment. During this moment, many people burnt their lion cloths in the street and refused to wear anything else. The British became very angry at this and stopped the production of Indian testiles.
In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi was married to one wife. Soon after he became the father of the nation. In 1942 he started the Quiet India moment, so named because the British were quietly lootaoing our country. In 1947, India became free and its people became freely loving. This increased our population. Its government became a limited mockery,
which means people are allowed to take the law in their own hands with the help of the police. Our constipation is the best in the world because it says that no man can be hanged twice for the same crime. It also says you cannot be put in prison if you have not paid your taxis. Another important thing about our constipation is that it can be
changed. This is not possible with the British constipation because it is not written on paper. The Indian Parlemint consists of two houses which are called lower and higher. This is because one Mr Honest Abe said that two houses divided against itself cannot withstand.
So Pandit Nehru asked the British for freedom at midnight since the British were afraid of the dark. At midnight, on August 15, there was a tryst in Parlemint in which many participated by wearing khaki and hosting the flag.
Recently in India , there have been a large number of scams and a plaque. it can be dangerous because many people died of plaque in Surat . Scams are all over India . One of these was in Bihar where holy cows were not given anything to eat by their elected leader. The other scam was in Bofor which is a small town in Switzerland. In this, a lot of Indian money was given to buy a gun which can shoot a coot.
Presently India has a coalishun government made up of many parties, left, right and centre. It has started to library the economy. This means that there is now no need for a licence as the economy will be driven by itself. India is also trying to become an Asian tiger because its own tigers are being poached. Another important event this
year was the Shark meeting at Malas Dive. At this place, shark leaders agreed to share their poverty, pollution and population.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Israel: Wishing You A Happy Independence Day
Sometimes Pictures Speak Louder Than Words!
I was pleasantly surprised when I received this email from Orna Sagiv, the Consul General of Israel for India. The Israelis did not have to do this for our girl-children! Think about it....And please watch the movie clip as well.
India, the world's biggest democracy, and Israel, one of the tiniest democracies, surprisingly have much in common. Both are the cradles to the world's most dominant religions. Thus, for over 5000 years they have sprouted the foundations of human culture, as we know it today. Both these countries have many sites, which are considered the holiest to the largest number of followers all over the globe. Both countries received their independence from the British in the late 40s and both have ever since been trying to recuperate from the aftermath of geographic division based on religion. We have many cultural and social similarities. We both built our nations from scratch; we value education and hard work. We are quick to adapt to a new methodologies and we thirst for success and recognition.India and Israel are among the most significant democracies of the modern world. People are encouraged to make choices and more importantly be heard.
Given India's strong scientific and technological base, Israel is keen on strengthening professional medical ties with India.
If we have to emulate a nation in education, nation-building, defence, education, research, science, technology & National-pride, it should be only Israel.
We are natural allies...will get closer as these turbulent & violent years pass by! Whether Israelis & Indians want it or not, I see a stronger partnership between these vibrant democracies in the years to come.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Kumar Paswan & his Parasitic Twin
This youngster from India has his own twin in his womb. Well it's really weird, maybe this is the first case in the medical history of the twin in the womb in his village in rural India. Kumar Paswan has a difference with the other boys in his ages. Kumar Paswan has his twin inside his womb.
To some in his remote Indian village he is a living version of India 's multi-limbed God Lakshmi and worshipped every day as holy. To others eight-year-old Kumar Paswan is a monster, is stoned on sight and forced to hide away his astonishing medical condition. But all the tragic youngster wants is to be normal and has launched an appeal for the thousands of pounds needed for an operation to remove his parasitic twin.
The twin stopped developing in the womb before it separated fully from Kumar and has left him with seven limbs. "When he was born the doctors said he wouldn't live long but here he is and apart from how he looks he is very healthy," said his dad Veeresh Paswan, of Bihar, eastern India . "I am tired of being different. I just want to live normally," added the youngster.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
In my next Life, I would like to be born an Indian!
Must read for all Indians, especially the coconuts ...'You know brown outside, white inside' and the CD's - "confused desi's"...duhh!!!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Capital Suggestion
By Dr Farrukh Saleem
Here's what is happening in India :
The two Ambani brothers can buy 100 percent of every company listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) and would still be left with $30 billion to spare. The four richest Indians can buy up all goods and services produced over a year by 169 million Pakistanis and still be left with $60 billion to spare. The four richest Indians are now richer than the forty richest Chinese..
In November, Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex flirted with 20,000 points. As a consequence, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries became a $100 billion company (the entire KSE is capitalized at $65 billion). Mukesh owns 48 percent of Reliance.
In November, comes Neeta's birthday. Neeta turned forty-four three weeks ago. Look what she got from her husband as her birthday present:
A sixty-million dollar jet with a custom fitted master bedroom, bathroom with mood lighting, a sky bar, entertainment cabins, satellite television, wireless communication and a separate cabin with game consoles. Neeta is Mukesh Ambani's wife, and Mukesh is not India's richest but the second richest.
Mukesh is now building his new home, Residence Antillia (after a mythical, phantom island somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean ). At a cost of $1 billion this would be the most expensive home on the face of the planet. At 173 meters tall Mukesh's new family residence, for a family of six, will be the equivalent of a 60-storeyed building. The first six floors are reserved for parking. The seventh floor is for car servicing and maintenance.. The eighth floor houses a mini-theatre. Then there's a health club, a gym and a swimming pool. Two floors are reserved for Ambani family's guests. Four floors above the guest floors are family floors all with a superb view of the Arabian Sea. On top of everything are three helipads. A staff of 600 is expected to
care for the family and their family home.
In 2004, India became the 3rd most attractive foreign direct investment destination. Pakistan wasn't even in the top 25 countries. In 2004, the United Nations, the representative body of 192 sovereign member states, had requested the Election Commission of India to assist the UN in the holding elections in Al Jumhuriyah-al Iraqiyah and Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanistan. Why the Election Commission of
India and not the Election Commission of Pakistan? After all, Islamabad is closer to Kabul than is Delhi .
Imagine, 12 percent of all American scientists are of Indian origin; 38 percent of doctors in America are Indian; 36 percent of NASA scientists are Indians; 34 percent of Microsoft employees are Indians; and 28 percent of IBM employees are Indians.
For the record: Sabeer Bhatia created and founded Hotmail. Sun Microsystems was founded by Vinod Khosla. The Intel Pentium processor, that runs 90 percent of all computers, was fathered by Vinod Dham. Rajiv Gupta co-invented Hewlett Packard's E-speak project. Four out of ten Silicon Valley start-ups are run by Indians. Bollywood produces 800 movies per year and six Indian ladies have won Miss Universe/Miss World titles over the past 10 years..
For the record: Azim Premji, the richest Muslim entrepreneur on the face of the planet, was born in Bombay and now lives in Bangalore. India now has more than three dozen billionaires; Pakistan has none (not a single dollar billionaire) .
The other amazing aspect is the rapid pace at which India is creating wealth. In 2002, Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh and Anil Ambani's father, left his two sons a fortune worth $2.8 billion. In 2007, their combined wealth stood at $94 billion. On 29 October 2007, as a result of the stock market rally and the appreciation of the Indian rupee, Mukesh became the richest person in the world, with net worth climbing to US$63.2 billion (Bill Gates, the richest American, stands at around $56 billion). Indians and Pakistanis have the same Y-chromosome haplogroup. We have the same genetic sequence and the same genetic marker (namely: M124). We have the same DNA molecule, the same DNA sequence. Our culture, our traditions and our cuisine are all the same. We watch the same movies and sing the same songs. What is it that Indians have and we don't?
INDIANS ELECT THEIR LEADERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And also to mention: They think of construction of own nation, unlike other nations who are just concerned with destruction of others...
Simple answer why the Indian fare better than the Pakis'. They don't focus on religion and neither do they spend time and money in devising ways to kill their own and everyone else over religion!
(Written by a Pakistani journalist about India!)
Here's what is happening in India :
The two Ambani brothers can buy 100 percent of every company listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) and would still be left with $30 billion to spare. The four richest Indians can buy up all goods and services produced over a year by 169 million Pakistanis and still be left with $60 billion to spare. The four richest Indians are now richer than the forty richest Chinese..
In November, Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex flirted with 20,000 points. As a consequence, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries became a $100 billion company (the entire KSE is capitalized at $65 billion). Mukesh owns 48 percent of Reliance.
In November, comes Neeta's birthday. Neeta turned forty-four three weeks ago. Look what she got from her husband as her birthday present:
A sixty-million dollar jet with a custom fitted master bedroom, bathroom with mood lighting, a sky bar, entertainment cabins, satellite television, wireless communication and a separate cabin with game consoles. Neeta is Mukesh Ambani's wife, and Mukesh is not India's richest but the second richest.
Mukesh is now building his new home, Residence Antillia (after a mythical, phantom island somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean ). At a cost of $1 billion this would be the most expensive home on the face of the planet. At 173 meters tall Mukesh's new family residence, for a family of six, will be the equivalent of a 60-storeyed building. The first six floors are reserved for parking. The seventh floor is for car servicing and maintenance.. The eighth floor houses a mini-theatre. Then there's a health club, a gym and a swimming pool. Two floors are reserved for Ambani family's guests. Four floors above the guest floors are family floors all with a superb view of the Arabian Sea. On top of everything are three helipads. A staff of 600 is expected to
care for the family and their family home.
In 2004, India became the 3rd most attractive foreign direct investment destination. Pakistan wasn't even in the top 25 countries. In 2004, the United Nations, the representative body of 192 sovereign member states, had requested the Election Commission of India to assist the UN in the holding elections in Al Jumhuriyah-al Iraqiyah and Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanistan. Why the Election Commission of
India and not the Election Commission of Pakistan? After all, Islamabad is closer to Kabul than is Delhi .
Imagine, 12 percent of all American scientists are of Indian origin; 38 percent of doctors in America are Indian; 36 percent of NASA scientists are Indians; 34 percent of Microsoft employees are Indians; and 28 percent of IBM employees are Indians.
For the record: Sabeer Bhatia created and founded Hotmail. Sun Microsystems was founded by Vinod Khosla. The Intel Pentium processor, that runs 90 percent of all computers, was fathered by Vinod Dham. Rajiv Gupta co-invented Hewlett Packard's E-speak project. Four out of ten Silicon Valley start-ups are run by Indians. Bollywood produces 800 movies per year and six Indian ladies have won Miss Universe/Miss World titles over the past 10 years..
For the record: Azim Premji, the richest Muslim entrepreneur on the face of the planet, was born in Bombay and now lives in Bangalore. India now has more than three dozen billionaires; Pakistan has none (not a single dollar billionaire) .
The other amazing aspect is the rapid pace at which India is creating wealth. In 2002, Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh and Anil Ambani's father, left his two sons a fortune worth $2.8 billion. In 2007, their combined wealth stood at $94 billion. On 29 October 2007, as a result of the stock market rally and the appreciation of the Indian rupee, Mukesh became the richest person in the world, with net worth climbing to US$63.2 billion (Bill Gates, the richest American, stands at around $56 billion). Indians and Pakistanis have the same Y-chromosome haplogroup. We have the same genetic sequence and the same genetic marker (namely: M124). We have the same DNA molecule, the same DNA sequence. Our culture, our traditions and our cuisine are all the same. We watch the same movies and sing the same songs. What is it that Indians have and we don't?
INDIANS ELECT THEIR LEADERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And also to mention: They think of construction of own nation, unlike other nations who are just concerned with destruction of others...
Simple answer why the Indian fare better than the Pakis'. They don't focus on religion and neither do they spend time and money in devising ways to kill their own and everyone else over religion!
(Written by a Pakistani journalist about India!)
Monday, December 29, 2008
Indians most likely to get 'completely lost' abroad
Indians, along with Brazilians, are most likely to get "completely lost" abroad, a fascinating survey in 13 countries on people's sense of direction and navigational habits, has found.
The survey by Finnish telecom giant, Nokia, also revealed that New Delhi is among the easiest city across the world for tourists to navigate around.
"Indians, along with Brazilians, are the most likely nationalities to get completely lost abroad," said the survey, described as one of the largest navigation studies to date into people's sense of direction and navigational habits in countries like India, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Russia and Singapore.
"The Indian results are fascinating not least because their love of shopping seems to help them with their sense of direction, with more than one in ten using local shops as a point of reference to help guide others to their destination," Nokia said in a release.
However, surprisingly, one in five Indians are more likely to rely on a mobile satellite-navigation device to get them from A to B, it said. The survey showed that 31 per cent of Indians like their Brazilian counterparts were the most likely nationalities around the world to get lost when abroad.
However, New Delhi was among the easiest cities across the globe for tourists to navigate around, with less than one per cent singling it out as a confusing city.
Renowned for their lavish weddings, one in ten Indians confessed to missing a wedding because they got lost more than double the global average which was four per cent. Indians were also the most likely to miss a birth of a child (two per cent), the survey said.
The survey showed that nearly one in five (19 per cent) tech savvy Indians rely on a navigation device to get from A to B. Indians are the most trusting when giving directions, with less than a quarter (23 per cent) admitting to deliberately sending strangers the wrong way.
Indians clearly love shopping as they are the top nation for using shops as a point of reference when giving directions (15 per cent), the survey found.
Providing regional highlights of the survey, Nokia said one in ten (10 per cent) people who live in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune will miss a job interview. People living in Mumbai are the "most stubborn" in India, with one in ten (10 per cent) never asking directions from a stranger.
As far as Delhi was concerned, the survey said, "Homely residents in Delhi and Ahmedabad are the least likely to get lost when in their own city (two per cent)." However, in a sad case of affairs, 5 per cent of residents in Delhi miss funerals, the survey showed.
Turning to Kolkata and Ahmedabad, the survey said that the eastern metropolis as well as the western city had India's navigation experts, with a quarter (25 per cent) claiming never to have been lost in their cities.
A third (30 per cent) of residents in Kolkata blame tiredness as the cause for getting lost. In South, the residents in Chennai get lost the most when at home (11 per cent), the survey said. In Bengaluru, the people prefer to put faith in nature, as nearly one in ten (7 per cent) guide themselves by the stars.
In Hyderabad, nearly one in ten (8 per cent), double the national average, believe in science and think that a sense of direction was genetic. Moreover, nearly a third of residents (31 per cent) blamed being in rush for making them lost.
In the western city of Ahmedabad, over of three quarters (77 per cent) of residents rate their sense of direction as good. One in ten (10 per cent) residents in the city get lost on the way to catching a flight, train or bus to their holiday destination. As far as the people of Pune were concerned, they missed a quarter of weddings (24 per cent), the survey said.
Surat has turned out to be the "most organised Indian city," with over a quarter (26 per cent) of residents meticulously planning their route before heading out, the Nokia survey said. Over a third (39 per cent) of shopaholic residents in Surat use shops to signpost directions to others, it said.
Pune emerged as the "flirtiest city in India", with 16 per cent asking for directions as a chat up line, it said. One in ten (8 per cent) residents in Pune bizarrely believe that a sense of direction is due to the magnetic pull of the earth.
Describing Kanpur as the "most disorderly city," the survey, conducted among 1000 Indians, said 5 per cent of residents claim to take up to two hours to find their way when lost. However, Kanpur residents were most reliant on technology, with nearly a third losing their way (30 per cent) without their navigation device.
The survey by Finnish telecom giant, Nokia, also revealed that New Delhi is among the easiest city across the world for tourists to navigate around.
"Indians, along with Brazilians, are the most likely nationalities to get completely lost abroad," said the survey, described as one of the largest navigation studies to date into people's sense of direction and navigational habits in countries like India, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Russia and Singapore.
"The Indian results are fascinating not least because their love of shopping seems to help them with their sense of direction, with more than one in ten using local shops as a point of reference to help guide others to their destination," Nokia said in a release.
However, surprisingly, one in five Indians are more likely to rely on a mobile satellite-navigation device to get them from A to B, it said. The survey showed that 31 per cent of Indians like their Brazilian counterparts were the most likely nationalities around the world to get lost when abroad.
However, New Delhi was among the easiest cities across the globe for tourists to navigate around, with less than one per cent singling it out as a confusing city.
Renowned for their lavish weddings, one in ten Indians confessed to missing a wedding because they got lost more than double the global average which was four per cent. Indians were also the most likely to miss a birth of a child (two per cent), the survey said.
The survey showed that nearly one in five (19 per cent) tech savvy Indians rely on a navigation device to get from A to B. Indians are the most trusting when giving directions, with less than a quarter (23 per cent) admitting to deliberately sending strangers the wrong way.
Indians clearly love shopping as they are the top nation for using shops as a point of reference when giving directions (15 per cent), the survey found.
Providing regional highlights of the survey, Nokia said one in ten (10 per cent) people who live in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune will miss a job interview. People living in Mumbai are the "most stubborn" in India, with one in ten (10 per cent) never asking directions from a stranger.
As far as Delhi was concerned, the survey said, "Homely residents in Delhi and Ahmedabad are the least likely to get lost when in their own city (two per cent)." However, in a sad case of affairs, 5 per cent of residents in Delhi miss funerals, the survey showed.
Turning to Kolkata and Ahmedabad, the survey said that the eastern metropolis as well as the western city had India's navigation experts, with a quarter (25 per cent) claiming never to have been lost in their cities.
A third (30 per cent) of residents in Kolkata blame tiredness as the cause for getting lost. In South, the residents in Chennai get lost the most when at home (11 per cent), the survey said. In Bengaluru, the people prefer to put faith in nature, as nearly one in ten (7 per cent) guide themselves by the stars.
In Hyderabad, nearly one in ten (8 per cent), double the national average, believe in science and think that a sense of direction was genetic. Moreover, nearly a third of residents (31 per cent) blamed being in rush for making them lost.
In the western city of Ahmedabad, over of three quarters (77 per cent) of residents rate their sense of direction as good. One in ten (10 per cent) residents in the city get lost on the way to catching a flight, train or bus to their holiday destination. As far as the people of Pune were concerned, they missed a quarter of weddings (24 per cent), the survey said.
Surat has turned out to be the "most organised Indian city," with over a quarter (26 per cent) of residents meticulously planning their route before heading out, the Nokia survey said. Over a third (39 per cent) of shopaholic residents in Surat use shops to signpost directions to others, it said.
Pune emerged as the "flirtiest city in India", with 16 per cent asking for directions as a chat up line, it said. One in ten (8 per cent) residents in Pune bizarrely believe that a sense of direction is due to the magnetic pull of the earth.
Describing Kanpur as the "most disorderly city," the survey, conducted among 1000 Indians, said 5 per cent of residents claim to take up to two hours to find their way when lost. However, Kanpur residents were most reliant on technology, with nearly a third losing their way (30 per cent) without their navigation device.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)