Modern Arthashastra

        Arthashastra is regarded as one the best bets, to master the art of politics and rule a state competently. However with time and research, as on date there is a Modern Arthashastra that can be mandated as the heart of political science. The following is the comparision of the chapters of the age old epic with the modern one.

    The various chapters of the Modern Arthashastra are collectively the core values of any political party in India and are listed below along-with the original ones in brackets (courtesy Wikipedia).

• I Defining the Conduct of the Party - (Concerning Discipline)
• II What the Leaders of ruling Party (shortly as WLP) can exercise at free will whereas others cannot - (The Duties of Government Superintendents)
• III WLP feels like, depending on the cases against the Party Leaders - (Concerning Law)
• IV The Art of the removal of Jaswanth Singh kind of. -(The Removal of Thorns)
• V The DOs and DON'Ts of the non significant members - (The Conduct of Courtiers)
• VI How to keep the party on the lines of the Leader's Heirs - (The Source of Sovereign States)
• VII  The Art of keeping the six stated above, intact - (The End of the Six-Fold Policy)
• VIII Art of staging sponsored agitations  - (Concerning Vices and Calamities)
• IX The Art of concerning and "controlling" foreign interventions - (The Work of an Invader)
• X The election strategies -(Relating to War)
• XI Art of providing grants and exemptions to foreign investments - (The Conduct of Corporations)
• XII How "not" to succumb  to the "friendly foes"  -  (Concerning a Powerful Enemy)
• XIII The Art as exhibited by fast till death, by certain people - (Strategic Means to Capture a Fortress)
• XIV Making people believe what is not true (Ex: KCR 11 day fast) - (Secret Means)
• XV The Art of exposing the demand for a new state when the Party is neither stable enough to win the elections nor has the credibility in the region - (The Plan of a Treatise)

Divide and Rule

           The Divide and Rule is not something new to hear about, at least for someone in the Indian-subcontinent. It has been used here in the past as one of the most effective and successful policies of all, in the world. All those who don't have a clue of their middle school history lessons can have a look at here and others can continue further on.

The Present Divide and Rule policy

     What's it all about? - The divide and rule policy at present is very less, in the lines of what was prevalent in our country under the British rule. However its a clear, violent and tag less civil war. There are a few perspectives to look at and they are as listed below in the order of precedence from the least to the most, which is the reason for the divide and rule as such to materialize. 

• Social and Geographical edge : The cultural impact, standard of living of the people,  social standard and of course the geographical inhibitions of the terrain and the Human as the resource, in large numbers, is the LAMP.

• Economical edge :  The economic status, growth and prospects w.r.t other regions surrounding it and at most times highlighted as the most important reason. This is ideally to be considered the OIL for this policy.

• The Political sphere : The people who're so vehemently protesting for this to happen, speak in terms of the importance and necessity of the two stated above however what they really have in mind is the lust for power and position more than anything else. Hence this leads us to what the FIRE is, that burns the OIL in the LAMP.

        After the proposed "divide" is complete, the "rule" starts and the FIRE being blown out with the LAMP and OIL taken care similar to the candle on top of a birthday cake, after its blown out.

Western We - Part II

...continued from Part I

What we have learned from the Western World

1. The moment we're adolescent, we "expect" ourselves to be treated on par by our parents and others, in opinions, decision making, being independent etc.
2. To deal with terrorism we've set up the NIA ( National Investigation Agency), supposedly the dubbed Indian version of the FBI.
3. We appreciate The Academy Award as the best recognition a movie can get, be it in any language, in the world.
4. Being a part of one of the hundreds of BPOs and KPOs around in our country, we would've definitely come to know  about how "wise" are the western customers and how we shouldn't be, the next time WE make a call for support, as a customer.

What we have failed to learn from the Western World

1. However adolescents in the western world groom themselves to be economically  self-reliant to a certain extent at the least and "make" themselves eligible for such on-par treatments.
2. Yet there isn't any agency or force in our country that is mandated to work and make decisions without the political intervention.
3. Understand that The Academy Award is an appreciation for a movie based on their set of likes and guidelines, expectations and feelings however our National Award is the one for an Indian movie which is adjudged by a jury who understands our genre. No clue  how people here as well as the Academy Award jury felt that the music was so worth-it in  Slumdog Millionaire that was NOT in Lagaan.
4. We, at the BPO or KPO industry are not given a job for what's up there inside the skull but just that we're a cheap alternative to a fellow Westerner in terms of cost and we may end up losing it if the few "real wise" Westerners finds an even more cheaper alternative.

             If it so has been the tradition that we've have seen, yearned for, adopted or even worshiped the numerous unlisted cues ONLY from the western world, be it good or bad, we also need to think about and realize how much and what good have WE been of an impact as a Western country (apart from being geographically) to all those countries that are to the east of us.

Western We - Part I

    The impact of the western world on our country and people has been slow and steady but gradually on the ever increasing trend only. The impact has been very diverse on various fields with the likes of IT/ITES, Fashion, Entertainment, Marketing, Business Model,Life-style,  Health, Culture, Beliefs, Food, Tourism, Terrorism, etc.

As a summation of those above, here are certain aspects which broadly fall under

1. What we have learned from the Western World
2. What we have failed to learn from the Western World

It has been categorized as comparative one and hence would make a lot of sense to go further  in such a similar manner i.e 1 vs 1... 2 vs 2 etc.

What we have learned from the Western World

1. The easily noticeable and foremost thing is their english accent or slang or however one can term it and we have started to accept that as the standard and acceptable way to speak that language.
2. Take the camera and shoot millions of photographs and videos of the numerous places we visit, and share with our friends and family as well as on social networking sites like FB, Orkut etc.
3. Try out their beachwear on ourselves and  enjoy the sensual freedom as well.
4. Wear, consume or use foreign brands and pay little or no heed to our local brand equivalents.
5. Their style, fashion and etiquettes, and we have westernized our Indian practices on these wherever possible.

What we have failed to learn from the Western World

1. Their interest and awe to learn other languages but NEVER forgo or disregard theirs as the primary language.
2. Do the same thing however with a lot more sense and  idealize a story out of it and make the people around the world know about it using platforms like NGC, Discovery etc.
3. Their mindset to look at people in beachwear with no difference and don't give a damn for what we are wearing (at least in most cases) however here it varies from curses to blunt stares and from intimidation to assault.
4. Promote the local brands onto the global platform as well as take the cue from them on their idea of importing the processed goods from us, adding their brand label on them and selling it back to us.
5. Learn and try out other fashion, style or etiquettes from elsewhere and make a separate business case out of it and make profits but rather not fiddle and dilute their as such existing practices.

to be continued...

Why not be a terrorist?

                With the economic crunch being felt heavily all over the world for the past year or so, people are finding it really tough to get a job. At this juncture, looking at the day to day incidents happening in the world, here's one avenue that is always booming and recruiting. 

• Here's where firing in the true sense that takes place and that's a part of your job.
• There are no non understandable HR policies, Team Leads or Managers.
• You will not need your passport, proof of residence, not even your real name, but just the spirit and passion to join.
• Those with experience on Project IGI, Counter Strike genre of games are given higher preference.
• After the training, your put up "on-site" for sure, sometimes the training too is "on-site".
• Hands-on experience, on world's advanced technologies.
• Just a hint of information on your organization's activity will be a heartthrob for News media houses worldwide and will be the top priority on their broadcasts.
• However its just your luck or rather fate how long you survive depending on various factors such the area of posting, job description etc.
• Guess what, certain countries offer top class treatment, facilities, free food and shelter, healthcare,  world-wide media publicity and what not, you name it and you got it.
• Of course, in this job too there are one or two dream workplaces where, even if you get caught red-handed by the Police, you would be given everything as mentioned previously,under their protection and one can live longer.
• Surprisingly this is one the few jobs which guarantee you a long virtual life after your death because you might appear often on History Channel, for years.
• Depending on your "at-work skills", Wikipedia may even dedicate an exclusive page on your name with information right from about the first cloth that wiped your a** to the last cloth that covered your face, for the world to know.

With so many perks which no common man can imagine in their regular lives, no wonder its not a surprise that many, world-wide are silently realizing this potential avenue and preparing  themselves to be a part of it. Who knows, maybe in near future there will be universities offering degrees to master the pure art of terrorism.

Discriminations - Unnoticed or rather unheeded..!!!

Gender, Color, Religion, Caste, Status, Nationality...etc

  The above list goes on and there had been countless occasions of discrimination where people have experienced and fought against many of these both in vain as well been successful. The word DISCRIMINATION has gained so much importance, sensitiveness and  no surprise it has become a weapon in politics.The above mentioned are some widespread and popular ones however if we just stop a while and take a look, there are quite a set of unnoticed discrimination that are still prevalent in the world around us.

• As a kid in school the same mistake done by a girl gets a different treatment that of the same being done by a boy.
• A younger one is almost always muted out of a conversation by the parents or other elders without neither having the slightest idea of the point they were about to make nor giving them an opportunity or space to participate.
• Going out with friends has always been a piece of cake for guys and not for girls, be it any age.
• Most buses have seats especially marked for ladies and the rest is untagged and hence ladies too sometimes sit there and no fuss is made until a guy sits in a seat marked up for ladies.
• When standing in a queue never a guy is pitied upon and made to jump the queue where as a girl is.
• The girls alone have to change their last names and many change their initials too upon marriage, hope some have their identity spared at least.
• The dowry system is still at large, exclusively demanded from girls, for ages now.
• Neither the society nor the family will question a guy who remarries because his wife can't bear a child but will react to the worst possible extent that they won't even let a girl think of remarrying someone else because her husband's impotency.
• There is no part of the world and even the world that proposed and practiced male polygamy accepted the polygamy of females.
• Even Barak Obama seems to have got the Peace prize not for his contribution to world peace but just that he's Black American.
• In local news media, its Flash news if its about Karunanidhi (DMK) or Jayalalitha (ADMK)  but the news about the rest of the world is just secondary.
• In the so called National media or the English news channels its breaking news even before rain hits New Delhi or Mumbai but its just news even after the casualties of the flood elsewhere in the country.
• In Orkut or FB, a community or person hosting a picture of Indian flag burning  is reported as abuse but not many bother to realize and help the actual Indian dying out of hunger, on the streets.
• Even the local native people started to accustom to believe Hindi or English being the medium of socially acceptable and appreciable language,music, culture, fashion, food and what not, compared to their native ones.
• In addition to that in service based entities like Gymnasiums, Spa, Disco etc....playing an English or Hindi song is termed cultural and even an etiquette but never a local native music, though umpteen good ones may exist.
• Dosas and Idlies have become once in a long time as compared to the daily burgers pizzas or dhabas.
• Though available in abundance and good for health as well, water is replaced by carbonated drinks by many people as a thirst quencher in-between meals.
• Almost every FMCG to automobiles and to mobile service provider make many of their advertisements neither in Indian locale nor use Indians actors but the products are marketed for being sold to Indians.
• Though men and women shop to their best possible extent, the variety of products are incomparably a lot for ladies than for men.
• The Indian movies are 99.99 % are themed for male actors and female actors just enjoy the so called glamorous heroine part, almost always.
• Internet is not spared nevertheless, the voice and video traffic is deemed high priority when compared to the  helpless data traffic.
• Last of this list and definitely my personal best in the list of discrimination is the age old game of chess where the White is always the first one to make a move, till date.

"SOFT"ware Industry Practices

      ".......Ram : Hey buddy how's your work going about  ?

            Ravan : It's really on my nerves man, had to work at least 12 hours a day and on most weekends as well...this is ridiculous and initially I thought it was because of some project deadline......I'm not that stupid to still believe that eight months down the lane...but what to do....got used to it man!!!

              Ram : Yeah....same story with me as well man...I thought at least you would've something different and happy to say about it......"

            Does this conversation sound familiar?? Are you just one amongst the few in the software industry having experienced or have heard of such a situation ?? If your answer is  YES to any of these questions then welcome to this industry.

            Here are some industry practices which can be found quite familiar at many corporates in the software industry.

• Desktops, Laptops, Meeting rooms, White boards, Projectors and Engineers are all collectively called as RESOURCES.
• All the RESOURCES are taken for granted to be available for work, 24x7.
• RESOURCES asking questions citing the HR policies of the company are often marked.
• RESOURCES who are slogging throughout without questioning whatsoever are quoted as examples of VALUABLE resources and are eye-washed by being given appraisals (which should have normally been given as remuneration to all who clock extra hours at work).
• RESOURCES who speak of the facts and raise the relevant questions pertaining to project planning are considered to have attitude problems and team compatibility issues.
• Redundancy of doing the same work is termed as Quality check.
• Freshers are entitled to have training on umpteen technologies irrespective of whether they're going to work on it or not.
• The training period for the freshers will extend indefinitely until the company decides to  make them permanent.
• Switching from one company to another at any level of designation is a frequent affair and some even call it a necessity for career growth.
• Some RESOURCES take advantage of the various work policies like work from home or flexible timings etc to the worst extent (burying all work ethics) that the HRs would by no other choice curb those polices and put in place some stringent ones, making a deep impact (unpleasant of course) in the work environment paving a way for higher attrition rates even.

 The above list will be updated as more views and inputs flow in.

School --> Engg College --> "TRAINING" --?!?--> Phew...Work !!!

                    Since the DOTCOM boom in the early 1990s, the growth of job opportunities has been soaring high ( Setting aside the recession what we have been experiencing in the past 20 months) . On par with that, the number of engineers coming out of college has been on the rise tremendously year after year. But still in spite of the demand, the quality engineers that the industry expects are sparse in the enormous quantity of engineers coming out of colleges every year. 


                  Making a sort of root cause analysis I felt the reason is narrowed down to just TWO. Its EITHER the mistake of the engineers themselves and the engineering institutions for not being up to the quality expectations of the industry OR the mistake of the educational system itself. Looking at the number of engineers who are deemed not qualified by many MNCs (its quite a LOT, needless to say), it doesn't make sense to say that all those engineers and the numerous institutions are erroneous, hence the latter is in the limelight.


                           In the early years of the last decade,  as and when the  engineers came out of college, if not all but most of them were offered a good position by various MNCs (sans the training what is given presently) because the curriculum prescribed by the educational system then, was ON PAR with the requirements of the industry. As time progressed, the technological advancements in almost every industry became a regular routine and of course their expectations and requirements too got REVISED accordingly. Whereas the corresponding change did not happen accordingly in the educational system. But since the industry cannot reject (as their HR requirements were ever growing) the subsequent genre of engineers just because they were not technically up to their benchmark, they introduced TRAINING for the engineers to ramp them up.


                             As time progressed there wasn't much of an updation to the curriculum (No idea why wasn't that the need of the hour, for the respective authorities) that made the engineers immediately employable. Hence the TRAINING process became a evident part prior to getting into any project and the latest is that it further worsened to eliminating people based on post TRAINING assessments. Even here, the incompetence of the engineers is not the major reason but the volume of knowledge that needs to be grasped and be materializable and the short training period is the actual mental pressure.


                               The present scenario is that the freshers are mostly quizzed and questioned by most of the MNCs on what extra certifications they have done and if so further on that and very less on what they have learnt as a part of their curriculum.


                    Its high time the brakes are pulled for bridging the "Technological gap" and the Industry - Institute coordination (in the true meaningful sense) be established for updation  either ways  which would make the passing out engineers feel truly competent and industry ready (in the technical front) as well as make the MNCs cut down their TRAINING expenditures and  get back to the ways it was recruiting in the past.

BREAKING NEWS !!!

I heard the phrase "BREAKING NEWS" for the first time on CNN, right after the 9/11 attack. It was flashing all day throughout the course of the entire episode. That was the period what I feel as "The Incubation" as far as the Indian television news channel industry was concerned. Very few players here then, who actually broadcast the BREAKING NEWS themselves. At that time I yearned for WHEN, will such a kind of quick response news be aired LIVE or in other words, news be broken on an Indian News Television. As time passed by, the Indian News Channel industry bloomed and umpteen number of News Channels came into existence and my yearning finally started to recede. For once I was happy on the fact that our Indian News channels have started to compete with the News Channel giants across the world in providing quality "BREAKING NEWS". But today, the objective of our news channels have shifted greatly into a way of using "BREAKING NEWS" everyday for highlighting all sort of stories which are not way worth it making to that category and hence the whole meaning, importance and essence of "BREAKING NEWS" is totally lost.

The trend as on date of our news channels are of providing EXCLUSIVE news footage rather than the actual news conveyed in its true sense. Every news channel on a daily basis will definitely have at least one such news item to use as their USP (sounds funny for a news channel though). With the advent of Internet, telecom and technology its happy to see the advancements in news channels (be it Online opinion polls or the Sms polls etc) but the questions many a time taken up for discussions or opinion polls aren't actually the questions that arise based on a particular news event but rather a discussion which actually gives new dimensions to the issue which dilutes the actual issue discussed in first place.

There was once a time where controversies or issues were brought to the light by news media but now the news media itself is being used as a medium to spark controversies and then being broadcast as something EXCLUSIVE caught on tape, making the little known people involved in it, a celebrity, overnight. It would be really incomplete if the advertisements doesn't have a mention here. Are the advertisements in midst of news or the other way round ?? Day by day the news footage space on screen is reducing with more and more advertisement blocks occupying the bottom of the TV screen.

Nowadays more often than not the News Media have come under the scanner of the Information & Broadcasting Ministry citing the media coverage of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks for instance. I feel the media hype or the media frenzy (to be more apt) that was created for the Swine Flu here has made the common man panic rather than be aware. The opportunistic side of such adverse coverage of Swine Flu situation has resulted in the sky rocketing demands for the face mask and medicines (that supposedly said they had cures for the Flu).

In a nutshell the news on TV is more of "re-engineered" news and "highlighted" entertainment rather than what it truly needs to be.