Here is the silver lining........

Many a hearts have broken over the past one year........ several people across the world have lost their jobs and several others will loose theirs in the months to come. But, according to a recent report, all is not lost for these people and regardless of how turbulent the times are, there are certain industries which are still doing good business and will continue to do so in the days to come. One such industry is the online job search and placement portals. Eversince the lay offs began, these sites have seen a slur of new job applications in various fields....... Not only are these companies making huge profits, they are now coming in a situation where they can hire heavily from the market and become a force to reckon with in the field of job creation. Most of these sites have shown very good business figures in recent times and their business will receive a major fillip when the businesses across the world start to recover, as more and more skilled professionals would be required to take up the corporate responsibilities.

There are other avenues which promise to perform well in the coming times. One such avenue is the education sector. As trends suggest this year is going to see the maximum no. of applications for full time and part time MBA courses in various MBA colleges across the world. More and more professionals have evinced interest in taking up a dedicated course in business administration to further their career growth in the future. The colleges have also received a record no. of applications for the entrepreneurial training courses. This indicates a trend towards innovative business reasoning and a detachment from the corporate bandwagon.

Continuing on the entrepreneurship aspect. Recession has often provided good business opportunities to people who dare to take the risks. These protagonists who wage their bit against the trying times will become bellweathers of the up and coming corporate houses. Business opportunities galore in the time of recovery. This has been proven in the past several times and would be no exception if it happens again. One only needs to keep up his spirits and wait for the right opportunity.

A lesson to learn.....

We are all aware of Mr. Ambumani Ramadoss's fixation with tobacco control. The health minister has tried many a trick from his cache to control smoking but most of it has gone up in smoke. The latest addition to these efforts has been the law that bans smoking in public places. Needless to say that even this law has had minimal impact in stemming the rot that tobacco has brought upon us. However, here is a story which can help us fight the problem and walk out of this predicament. New York governor Mr. David Paterson has recently announced a hike in the taxes levied on cola and other fizzy drinks. The objective is to help the New Yorkers slim down. The new taxes will increase the prices of these drinks by a whooping 20 to 25%. Mr. Paterson plans to levy such taxes on other junk food items as well. This decision has not gone too well with many sections of the society but can have a decisive impact on the society in the long run. 

 

           In India the amount of money spent on the treatment of people suffering from tobacco related diseases is much more than the revenue earned on these items. Rates of public parking in many cities were revised to curb the no. of vehicles on the roads and these efforts have started to bear fruit. Similar steps should be taken to reduce tobacco consumption in the society. Increasing the cost of tobacco items and keeping them out of reach of the common man will certainly pave the way for a healthier tomorrow. Apart from these laws social initiatives can go a long way in this regard. For example, cigarette shops should be banned in places frequented by families. The govt. should also ensure that no tobacco shop exists in the vicinity of a school or any educational institution. Similar laws and initiative should be taken to reduce the consumption of alcohol and other frivolous items. 

 

             The govt. earns a lot of revenue from tobacco and alcohol products. Steps to curb tobacco and alcohol abuse will have an immense impact on the govt. earnings but this should not be help as a pretext to initiate any program to fight tobacco abuse. The health ministry has definitely done it’s bit to fight this menace but sometimes I feel their concern for the problem and their steps to eradicate it are phony. After all what sense does it make to increase the cost of cigarette and let the bidi business thrive? The price of cigarette is increased multiple no. of times but there is hardly any thing done to increase the price of bidi which is much more lethal as compared to the cigarette. The govt. should start taking firm steps rather than just adopt populist measures.  As the impact of globalization and modernization become more profound on the Indian society, the need for responsible social behavior becomes all the more pronounced. Even if the govt. fails in dispensing it’s responsibilities we should take the initiative to bring about the change. After all the least we can do is to ensure a healthy future for the coming generations.

 

Green IT a noble concept.....

The past few years have seen phenomenal growth all across the globe, in almost all the sectors. However, this growth has set up a global trend in resource depletion, air and water pollution, energy consumption and climate change. The preliminary signs of environmental change are alarming and many corporations across the world are vying for green alternatives to inhibit the rapid deterioration of the environment. One such initiative is Green IT. IT & ITES is one of the fastest growing sectors of the modern times. The sector generates a lot of employment and has become an important constituent in spurring economic growth of many countries like India.

However, as we revel in the success of the IT industry, a larger threat looms. The IT industry is a huge consumer of energy and it is contributing significantly to the already high pollution levels. The reasons behind this problem are the data centres, inefficient use of technology, wastage of realty space and over burdening of resources. Let us see how IT can play it's part in helping the cause of the environment.....

1. Improve Data Centers: Energy consumption in the data center is predominantly from two loads: servers and cooling. Increasing server density compounds the problem. Use of efficient servers and better technology can ensure the mitigation of the pollution caused due to these factors. Energy-efficient servers are available from the major vendors, most notably Sun's CoolThreads technology that Sun says makes servers more efficient by a factor of five. The payoff of efficient servers is twofold. Servers that consume less energy also throw off less heat, requiring less energy for cooling. On the technological front, virtualization is a good concept which comes in handy for reducing power requirements.

2. Make workstations more efficient. Outside the data centers the workstations account for the huge power bills. This is because of the sheer no. of workstations in use. However, the energy consumption of these power guzzling machines can be reduced by up to 25% through effective use of power management tools.

3. Convergence: Integration of from home and within office activities. High speed broadband connections are available all across India. The companies should promote more and more employees to work out of their homes. This way the company is able to save on the realty cost and also other miscellanea like AC cost, lighting cost etc. We will be able to save a lot by leveraging the communications infrastructure and making the infrastructure more efficient for corporate use. Further, this way we are able to reduce the average commuting hours and miles for any employee. So, we save time and money and reduce emissions as well. Further, activities such as teleconferencing save on the cost of traveling and allow seamless integration of business processes.

4. Improve the building. Most of the high tech facilities need high volumes of power to sustain business activities. With frequent power cuts these facilities have to rely heavily on generators which further escalate energy costs. A lot of energy is spent on lighting, temperature maintenance etc. These issues can be dealt efficiently with the help of Energy Management Systems (EMS). EMS go farther, centralizing the control of lighting, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning with the goal of reducing the energy those systems consume.

These measures ensure the efficient use of energy and ensure high levels of productivity. Many IT giants such as CSC have already started the initiative to incorporate these practices in their facilities. Meticulous implementation of these schemes will definitely ensure a greener and safer tomorrow.

Of changes and us

Post-Mumbai attacks, the fear and anger remain. The anger is at our government for being ineffective and inept, at our political class for being insensitive and callous and our bureaucracy for remaining slow and inefficient. It is hard not to sympathise and support this anger, but it is important that this anger is well directed and produces the desired results.

Barack Obama in his first speech after being elected the president of the USA mentioned that America has changed and that the Americans have changed for good. At this juncture of time I feel that there is a more dire need for change in India, than anywhere else. Change in the way we confront terror - our worst adversary in recent times, change in the way we perceive of ourselves in the wake of these terror attacks, change in the way our central and state govt. responds to this situation, change in the way the police and other law enforcement agencies are directed and politicised, but most importantly change in the way we seek things of ourselves. We are the biggest democracy in the world but little do we realise the power vested in us by the system. This is probably the reason for low voter turn outs at the elections year on year basis and the gross criminalisation of our politics. Various ads and informercials seek to address this issue, but all of them fail miserably. This is because we are trying to work only at the apex of the pyramid and not it's bottom. Changes manifest and realise only at the grass root level. To make the people aware of their power, we have to make them aware of themselves. Spendings towards the infomercials should be directed for poverty elimination, employment generation and mass modernization schemes. More than 70% of our population lives in the villages at mere subsistence level. These people are hardly aware of what is happening at the national or the international level. Special efforts should be taken to integrate these people with the mainstream. Empower and train the people so that they realise what they deserve. It is only demand that creates supply. By empowering our countrymen we will be able to put the much desired impetus behind every vote that is cast. It is our insurance towards a bright and a secure future. An educated populace will definitely be in a condition to appreciate the govt. decisions and make the best of the opportunities available to it. Drawing upon this power the people of our country would be able to call greater control over govt. policies and laws.

Apart from education and employment there are many other vehicles which can allow smooth governance. Just like our corporates the performance of our representatives should be available for periodic appraisals. It should be mandatory for every parliamentarian or legislator to apprise the constituency of the work that he or she has performed in the last appraisal cycle. The people should then decide whether they want to continue with the same representative or they want a new one. Such provisions for the replacement of the elected representative exist in Canada and Venezuela. It might be argued that setting up such a device will consume a lot of govt. funds, but the govt. earns through us and we should have a say in the way this fund is dispensed. Such changes will definitely put the power back in the hands of the people who elect our govt. and will serve as a harbinger of a brighter and a more secure tomorrow

Go Gay

Recently I was watching the movie Dostana. Two of the most in demand males in Bollywood go gay in this movie. Despite the presence of these two hunks and the gorgeous Priyanka Chopra the movie is a drag, but the idea that came to me after watching the movie isn't. We are a nation of over a billion and little is being done to control the population of our country. Every year a vast multitude of humans are added to the toll of already suffering populace. I think it is time we take the initiative to introduce the change on our own. The Dostana way is of course the best solution to contain the libidinous youth of our country. After all what is virtue in being straight when your future is hopelessly twisted. Going gay will certainly ensure the transformation of paucity into abundance. Not just this, it is potent means to fight casteism and the other virulent social agendas. After all who will be what if there is no one at all :-)

Add to it the fun of the big fat Indian wedding. The groom a symbol of virility... dressed in all his finesse approaches the bride who too is a symbol of virility..... ahm.. only in a different way. Think about the creative marriage proposals and add to them the Punjabi twist....
"Sada munda twade munde nal pyar karda hega,unhanu duniya di saari khushiyan dega... assa bhi twade munde nu dil jigar se pyaar karange... unhanu ankhan vich basa ke rakhange..
Rab de waste ye rishta kubool kar lo". Not very humorous, try this one... The groom's father demands a huge dowry and threatens to break the betrothal if his demands are not met. "Bride's" father "Rab de waste aisa zulam mat karo. Saada munda budnam ho jayega.... phir us-se kaun vyah karega... mai aapki saari mangein puri kar dawanga.. bus ji ye rishta na toro"
And the saga continues.... just like our hindi movies...

Recently the MNS declared that going gay is not good because it could hurt the individuals in contention. But, don't you feel that this all is worth the pain. Let us institute a new social order, the Dostana order and why not! the concept is not just novel but noble as well. I say that Mr. Rahul Gandhi be elected the chairman of the commune and vociferously raise the demand to include more and more impotent politicians to join the same. After all these politicians have little to do apart from making empty promises. This way at least we will be able to stem the growth of the poisonous lineage of inefficient hags. Don't you think this will work... I am pretty sure it will... and if you think it won't then let me know in your comments....

Looking forward to them....
Love to all..

What a farce....

I have been following Mr. S A Aiyer's articles in the Sunday Times for a long time, but never before have I felt as aggrieved as I felt today. According to Mr. Aiyer we are overreacting on the Mumbai terror attacks (See article ) Not only is this statement callous but it is an exact antithesis of human emotions. This is the probably the last thing we could have expected to hear after our noteworthy politicians saw it as a small incident in a big city. Others had a dekko at the lipstick and powder appearance and still others ridiculed the family members of a martyr who laid down his life in the combing operation.

Some days back I was wondering, what makes us so vulnerable to terror attacks. The answer came today, we just don't give a damn. We have seen a spate of terror attacks in the past six months or so, but we have hardly responded to any of them with vigour and intensity. Our quietitude has often been termed as our resilience, which on the contrary is our oblivion to the cause of those who die in these incidents. We just don't care as long as we are safe. Mr. Aiyar talks about diplomatic measures and strong international pressure as tools to defeat this menace. Don't we know how fickle international pressure is. The only thing that motivates response from the US and other western states is their vested interests, quite evident in the case of Mumbai terror attacks. US citizens were exclusively targeted in these attacks and some of them were killed as well. It is now mounting pressure on Pakistan to take punitive action against those who were responsible for these attacks. We cannot rely on such quarters for support and solidarity for our cause. We have to take strong measures, beef up our security, enhance our intelligence services and above all instill confidence in the people of our country. The Americans castigating Pakistan gives us vicarious pleasure but that certainly not is the harbinger of peace. There are so many home grown terror outfits in our country. Even if the US acts against Pakistan, it is going to have marginal or no effect on these outfits who in turn will get another reason to proliferate their virulent agenda. The solution is in unity and assertive action. Let the entire world know that we Indians value our motherland and our people above everything else and that we are ready to go any length to ensure peace and harmony in our country even at the cost of our lives. Several diplomatic efforts have been in the past to call peace with Pakistan. One such effort saw the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri under suspicious circumstances. Pakistan is not the kind of nation that can be appeased through diplomatic measures. Conservative and radical Islam rules the roost in many parts of the country. Until and unless the country is alleviated of this menace, no political dialogue is possible. However, there is a silver lining in this predicament. The people on the other side of the border are equally troubled by these terrorists. A concerted efforts by the populace of both the countries can do a world of good for both the nations to fight insurgency. But, as is in most of the cases, such efforts can bear fruit only through impassioned and zealous initiatives. I hope I have got my point clear. The answer is action and not longing.....

My favourite video.... Creed simply rocks...




Creed-With Arms Wide Open