The War Of Words

4 years of blogging

January 18, 2004, I posted my first blog post. It has been more than 4 years and 400 posts now. Would this make me one of the first Indian bloggers? I dont know. Has this helped me? Certainly it has. Would I keep doing it? Yes I would.

Cleartrip.com introduces Train Search

My favorite travel site has come up with yet another feature. Train search. Now I have alternatives to irctc and indianrail.

Try it here.

You cant book the tickets just now. You can just see a list of stations the train would go through.

What does it mean for cleartrip?
1. They move beyond just air fares (and occasion hotels) and go a step closer to being a complete travel solution provider.
2. Get more traffic (of people interested in trains).
3. More conversions from train travelers. If cleartrip could introduce another widget right next to the train search results and show the traveler that air travel is real cheap, bookings rate would shoot up. And I can bet, this feature is on its way.

Currently, apart from IRCTC, Makemytrip.com offers trains. But they also are limited to rail tours. They don't have a listing of stations (the way Cleartrip has). After all the hoopla about train bookings, looks like Cleartrip has emerged the winner. Yet again.

Keep watching. The online travel operator war is just beginning to start.

Related Links
Online Travel Agents in India
Cleartrip.com earning report

President and Vice-President of India

I randomly asked 10 friends who is President of India. Dont be surprised with the results ... Only 2 out of 10 knew who Mrs. Patil is. And for all the readers who don’t know the answer, it’s Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

Then I asked the same set of people who is our Vice President. And guess what.. no one knew. They had no clue at all. When I told them it’s Mr. Haimd Ansari, they were as confused as a kid in a nude bar.

India Shining?

What seems to be the problem?
One is that I asked people who are my age (25 +- 2 years). These people are so-called future of India and would drive the economy and country in the years to come. Most of these people are more bothered about the kind of money they can make rather than the kind of difference they would make to the country.

Second is that media - the driver of intellect and thought in India is really pathetic. Media in India is a business. With profit motives. As I have said earlier too, gone are the days when media would want to educate, inform and evoke thoughts from the citizens rather than pursuing profits generated by advertisements, sensationalizing news and paddling

How has this shift happened? Why are people less concerned about the state of affairs? Why are we becoming yet another society where politics is left to people without jobs, oldies, influentials and other larger than life people?

Thoughts anyone?

Links
http://presidentofindia.nic.in/
http://vicepresidentofindia.nic.in/

Microsoft to buy Yahoo for $44.6bn? Why?

Yes, Microsoft has offered to buy Yahoo for $44.6 Billion.

This is not a news anymore. Every living soul on this planet would know it by now. But why are they interested in Yahoo? And this is after Microsoft valued Facebook at $15 bn.

Few immediate thoughts
1. Race to own the Internet and eventually the world.
It is not hidden from anyone that Microsoft is not the best when it comes to Internet. They are third when it comes to search engines, social networking has never been their forte (LIVE failed miserably and probably the sole reason for Facebook stake), Google Adsense is the most widely used advertisment platform, Yahoo mail is used more than any other free email service,

2. Online advertising is too lucrative a business to let go.
Obvisouly, with Google taking bulk of search traffic, there were only two options. Come up with a better, faster and easier search engine than Google (which is becoming increasingly dificult - even mahalos and wikias of the world are finding it difficult to do) OR d something drastic. Trying to buyover Yahoo is nothing less than drastic.

3. Time is a factor.
With every passing day it was becoming too difficult for Microsoft to complete with Google. With Google infringing upon the software arena, the core business of Microsoft was in danger. Every passing day they were loosing ground to Google. Microsoft needed to take on Google. And fast.

What remains to be seen is if Microsoft can actually buy Yahoo. And if there are any counter bids from Google (hehe) or any PE firms. Frakly, PE firms dont really have a lot of money right now due to fears of recession and all. Only person who can take on Microsoft as far as Yahoo goes is Warren Buffet (obvisouly, he is not keen on technology companies - just wanted to throw his name).

On serious note, even if the merger goes ahead, a lot of things would have to sorted out including the identity crisis, culture mix, gaps and above all business.

The Mahatma

Mahatma Gandhi was shot down on this day in 1948 by Nathu Ram Godse. Every history book credits him for standing against aparthied, for getting India her independence, for propagating the path of truth and honesty and preaching non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi, in his 72 years of life did more for his country than anyone else could ever do in 7 lifetimes. Now these are strong words that I am using. And I will have to defend them.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi could have taken the path trodden by everyone else and could have been a meek spectator to the Indian freedom struggle. He was after all a qualified lawyer and he could practise law at London or at South Africa. But he chose a different stance. When he was kicked out of a railway carriage, he could have cursed the Brit and sat in the third class compartment but he stood his ground. There are numerous incidences like that.

In short, he had this ability to stand for what he thought was correct. Most of us admire him for this very reason. Even when odds were against him, he would make sure he stood his ground. For me, the best thing about Mahatma Gandhi was his ability to connect with the masses when newspapers were limited in reach, television was a privilege and Internet was not even born. His messages and letters could bring the entire nation to its feet. Managers in this era should learn from his methods and way he influenced people. And this influence was not a particular section of people but on everyone. Hindus, Muslim, Educated, Villagers, Men, Kids .. think about a strata and he had reached them.

Many people have blamed him for partition of India and Pakistan. He is also blamed for all the problems we have between Hindus and Muslims. He is known as a bad father. His relationship with his son Haribhai are still as big as a folklore. But all things said an done, he was after all one of the key reason we got our independence. His contribution was no small one and he will always be missed.

For me, he is one of those few people who died too soon. His death anniversary is a time to take stock of the situation. What we could have been and what we are now. And finally the way ahead for future.

Reliance Power IPO Allocation Status

I just checked stats for this blog and I was surprised to see a lot of hits for Reliance Power IPO Allocation status. And since this is what people want, here it is.

Every retail investor who applied for 225 shares of Reliance Power in the IPO at the cut-off price will get 15 shares. People can check the status of apllotment at this link.

Sadly, Investors who did not apply for 225 shares at cut-off price are not getting any.

Share listing is happening sometime in Feb. Obvisouly I dont know the exact date.

Related Posts
Relaince Power IPO Fast Facts
Reliance Power IPO. Power On. India On.

IBNLive.com > News or Sleaze?

I have wanted to join theatre for quite some time. I entered a query on Google and was directed to homepage of Mumbai Theatre Guide. And right on the top was this ad from Google Adsesne.

The copy read

Watch the hot pics of Indian Women in the world on IBNLive.com Now!

Is the biggest and the best media house in India trying to sell it website by paddling pictures of Indian Women?

Imagine. IBNLive.com is the internet presence of IBN7 – part of TV18 group and a news channel that goes with the punch line "Khabar har kimat par". I used to think TV18 is an awesome company. I am in awe of Rajdeep Sardesai and Raghav Bhal. I know competition on internet is huge but these small cheap tricks to get more visitors on a website will not take them very far. Are they winning medals for journalism by showing hot pics of Indian Women? Are they creating personal fortunes and big companies by selling soft porn?

Coming on to the other side of the issue, do these women know that their pics are being advertised? That their personal lives are being used by IBN to promote their website? If they don't, isn't this breach of their personal privacy? If they do know, doesn’t this amount to crime? Paddling soft porn? Ms. Sushma Swaraj are you listening/reading?

Can someone forward this to TV18 group? And specifically to Mr. Bhal and Mr. Sardesai?

The Bus. Stopped.

This bus also did not stop. Third bus in as many hours. AJ can't quite figure out this indifference on part of bus drivers. He is standing in sun, at a crossing in middle of nowhere, trying to wave down that hourly bus that can take him to the next town. Next hint of civilization.

He thinks that world has always been unfair to him. Parents, relatives, friends, teachers, neighbours, even strangers. He left his home in morning. For a journey. A never-ending journey. In pursuit of happiness. Happiness that has always eluded him. A journey to help him discover why world has been so unfair to him. Even the bus drivers seem to be unfair.

He was an average guy by all standards. Average looks. Average brains. Average in everything he ever did. Yet he thought that people hated him because of something that he had. Or maybe something he did not. He knew something was wrong somewhere.

He had only one wish. He wanted to see someone being honest to him. Someone thinking about him. He had decided that moment someone is fair to him, he would stop start looking at the world in a new light. He would ignore previous shortcomings.

He was looking for that one faint glimmer. One small signal that god actually exists. That he can trust people. That people are not out there to get him. That he is average. Very average.

Now, on the horizon, he can see yet another bus. Another ray of hope that he knows will fade away. Another bout of depression coming his way. He has long given up on things. Things like a bus stopping and he boarding it. Ever. He decides to sit and let the bus go.

And, the honking, rickety bus stops.

Note: This is my first attempt at FlashFiction. In short, a fiction in less than or equal to 300 words.

Note: Still editing

Perils of Indian Education System

I was reading The Man Who Knew Infinity and I came across this interesting line on the status of education system devised by British when they were ruling India.

It was designed, after all, to churn out bright, well-rounded young men who could help their British masters run the country, not the “restless and ambitious spirits”

Think more on it and you would realize the perils of Indian education system.

Like a lot of other things, we have inherited the education system from the British. They enforced a school, college and university system of education on masses of India.

Indian society always had manpower in abundance. Jobs were hard to find. Money rested with a fraction of a fraction of people. For a commoner, education and degree was the fastest way to economic freedom and stability. People made sure they get that coveted degree and get a stable job. A degree became something revered.

Perhaps, no where in the world you have university examinations where you are made to read Psychology, English, History, Geography and others, if you want to become a computer programmer. There are umpteen more examples like that. All the courses are made mandatory and you have to take them in order to get a university degree. You can not choose, mix and match these courses. You cannot decide what you want t o do in life. You have to live is the way others thing you should.

If we had something called the credit system where you could pick courses that you want to read, India would have lot more evolved people (for example schooling and college in USA). With Indian system, the entire focus of students and teachers and parents is on getting maximum grades. It is very likely that a student crams a text book and tops the examination and gets all the accolades. He might not even know how to reach his home from a remote corner of the country. And, on the other hand, a truly smart student has to bear the brunt of not performing in these text-book examinations. He might be the next Ambani, Bose, Gates or Jobs but he will be discouraged to take the road less travelled.

I used to be an academic topper till about 10th standard. I really believed in and wanted to excel at examinations. I would do everything from cramming text books to fill water bottles for teachers to make notes to cheat and to everything imaginable to get good marks in exams. And it was not only me. All my friends and their friends and their friends wanted to excel. By hook or by crook. If i came second, parents would not congratulate me. They would ask why I wasn’t first. If I got 97, they asked me what happened to other three marks.

This made my knowledge and understanding of the world bookish. I would always go by the book and would never think of an alternate way to do things. My creativity was constrained in a box. Every time I thought of a novel way of doing things, I was stopped by teachers. I was told to adhere to what teacher thinks is the best solution. I could not innovate or improvise. We should take cues from other education systems that are more hands on. Where students are required to innovate and improvise if they have to get grades.

Coming back to the text, this kind of a bookish education is good for developing people who can serve. This system would produce copy-cats. Not innovators. Followers. Not Leaders.

Someone has to change the education system. The onus can come from the industry. Currently if you are to recruit someone, you look for credentials in terms of education and pedigree of the institution. If you start recruiting someone who is good with logic and has no formal degree and encourage that, a lot of fresh ideas can be brewed. Except for my employer, I have never come across a company that prides itself in hiring dropouts. In fact in my case, for recruiting me, they made an exception. They hired me even though I am a MBA from one of the best institutes in the country and had never flunked or dropped out.

With more and more people taking the alternate route now, I am very hopeful that we would break away from the mandatory courses and llot less lives would be wasted because of our education system.