Much Ado about Reservations

The whole of India has been exposed to a lot of drama around what can rightly be termed the most important socio-political issue of recent times - Reservation of seats in higher education for OBCs. Media came out with captivating reports on the protests by the"Youth for Equality", protests by the medicos across the country pioneered by the AIIMS students, some odd incidents of self-immolation attempts (thankfully, they were underplayed by the media), pro-reservations rallies taken out by JNU students, some clashes between the "pro" and the "anti" reservation students and activists, some add incidents were police clashed with the protesters (even though it was a peaceful protest) and lots and lots of debates and discussions on the pros and cons of this reservation proposal.
We also supplemented this with our own coffee table discussions, debates, some blogs and lot of other means of self-expression. There was an online petition created by some-one upholding the anti-reservation views. If you are interested you can find it at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ps0424/ . I got forwards from many asking me to send a message to the Prime Minister requesting him not to implement these recommendations on reservation. If you are interested you can also go to this website http://pmindia.nic.in/write.htm and send a message under the category "Social Justice" stating your views to the Prime Minister (and hope he cares).
In the whole debate, I was disheartened to see both sides coming out with some extreme views which are totally untrue, and not gentlemanly.
Though, I personall support anti-reservation views wholeheartedly, I am not of the opinion that reservation kills merit. But, reservation definitely defies the logic of a just and merit based system, where merit also means being at the right place at the right time or having the right background or backing. I was disheartened to see the whole issue turned into mockery by people claiming that reservation will also be introduced in Indian cricket team. I was even more disappointed to see the skewed views of the reservation supporters who argue without having proper data, or are not ready to accept the data presented to them. This includes the honorable HRD Minister himself. I was appalled to hear arguments like "it is high time Brahmins stop dominating, they have done injustice in the past, so they better pay now". Well, injustice was done to Jews, it would be ridiculous to claim that they go ahead and wipe out 10 million Germans now in revenge.
Anyway, the idea is not to go into the merits and demerits of the proposal. That, we are all doing, in various ways. But, what prompted to write here was some articles I came across, some very sensible articles, which will set us thinking. I would like to share that with you all.
One was a column by Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar which came in the Times of India last Sunday. You can read the article here - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1581082.cms where he takes on the argument of merit and argues against view that reservation kills merit. But, the views expressed in the article on what could be the "right" step to elevate the so called backward communities in the social strata are really worth noting. I wish our politicians were listening with a clear conscience.
The other one was a blog from an CNN-IBN employee which came in their blog section. This examines the facts very objectively, with a statisticians view. Please read the article at http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/sushantmehta/329/11476/this-seat-is-reserved.html.
Worth reading is also the transcript of the chat with Arjun Singh in the program Devil's Advocate. What stands out is the prejudice and malice our minister displays which defies all laws of democracy. Probably, it is just a reflection of our political system, a reflection of our society. Read this at http://www.ibnlive.com/news/devils-advocate-arjun-singh/11063-4.html.

Education is a greal leveler, many great men have said this. If it is so, why is it that a truth as bright as the sun does not shine upon the minds of our policy makers. Reservation will benefit only a very small section of the society, a section of the society that is already doing well for itself because of an educated penultimate generation. I would like to draw your attention once again to the views of Mr Aiyar, where he proposes introduction of quality primary and higher secondary education even in the remotest parts of India, possibly with a public-private participation. Can't we divert our energy and efforts to that. Isn't that a better way to go, a way to build a better India!!!

The Godfather Trilogy

Now, what do I write about what is treated as a series of timeless classics which Hollywood has produced. But, I just can't hold myself back.
I devoured on the first two parts of this series over the weekend, and felt weak to continue with the third one, after seeing the overwhelming performances of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. I did not fail to notice De Niro though, with his brilliant potrayal of the Don in his younger days.
I do not consider myself competent to judge the performances of Marlon Brando or Al Pacino, I am not even making an attempt. What really captivated me were the characters themselves, the complexities of their minds, the situations and events which affect their thinking, the subtle nuances therof. Mario Puzo!!! Wow!!!
I was especially impressed by the way the character of Michael Corleone develops, from the highly patriotic college drop-out who enrolls himself into the US Marines during the Vietnam war, to the very cunning, ruthless, scheming and plotting Don, and following the changes that comes about in the character is a journey in itself.
Also, the way Mario Puzo takes us through the life of a boy who is suddenly orphaned as a result of some vendetta, migrates to America and grows up to be the head of one of the "five-families" of New-York is captivating. And full credit to the director Francis Ford Coppola for rendering on screen what Mario Puzo would have put down on papers.
Though Mrs. Corleone (Kay Adams) has a seemingly small and not so important role to play in the main story line, Diane Keaton has performed this role with complete honesty. Especially in the second part of the trilogy, one can see how important a part she plays even without occupying much of the screen time. The strong character Mrs Kay is, Diane Keaton comes out with some awesome display of emotions when she reveals to her husband that she aborted her child, because she didn't want to bring another Corleone male child into this world of crime, emotions ranging from rage and frustration at herself for having a wrong choice, the despair and anguish at having to kill her own child in her womb, and total exasperation at what her husband and family has become over the years!!!
I can go on and on... I would wait, probably watch the part two a couple of times more, before I see the thrid part. Well, I have to really prepare myself, set my expectations right before I move on to Godfather III. Waiting for the weekend, waiting for some more of this visual feast!!!

Monday morning blues!!!

Come to think of it, this might be one of the most used titles for a blog. But, what the heck, I am still going to write about it.
It was a pleasant weekend in Bangalore, with slight drizzles on Saturday, and lots of lightning and showers on Sunday night. I really enjoyed the weekend, the cool breeze, my usual outing to the club, an hour's swim in the pool, lots of time with my lil naughty daughter and lots of loving care from my wife. Reality struck me hard on Monday morning, I need to get going, I need to be in office!!!

I decided to drive to office instead of taking the office bus, for which I am still cursing myself. I couldn't believe the mess I saw on the road. The colours I saw on the road varied from caramel cream to black-forest, but, believe me, there was nothing pleasant about it. So much of mud, slush, overflown sewage and all kind of dirt on the road, all due to slight showers that "blessed" the city over the weekend, unbelievable!!!

Well, I do not wish to get started all over again on the infrastructure problems the city is going through, but I can't help calling out, "Oh God!!! When are you going to send your Son to deliver us from this pain!!!"

My new schedule!!!

For a long time, I was trying to get over the starter's dilemma of how to start, what to start with. Today, finally, the time has come!!!
It is also a great day for me, a very important and a long awaited one.
The working hours at my office have been changed!!!
Like many other companies in Bangalore, in an effort to alleviate the traffice related woes of the employees, our company decided to change the working hours, the new schedule - 8:00 am to 5:00 pm came into effect today, after much careful considerations and negotiations.
There was a whole lot of discussions on how we can manage with less overlap time with other locaions like US and Germany, but sense prevailed!!!
This would mean that, my daughter might not get to say "bye" to me in the morning, but, I could be home much before my daughter says "good-night" to me. That is a great relief. Also, there is the fact that I would now be forced to get up early in the morning, which I woudn't do otherwise.
Well, then there is the obvious advantage of the time I save in travel.
So, it is a momentous day, also because, I finally could amass enough courage to write something which others are going to read...