123 Agreement and the Indian Media

The 123 Nuclear agreement between India & the US has ruffled some feathers in the Indian politics. The Left Front is vehemently opposing the deal while the Congress is hell bent on going ahead with the deal. Things are so bad that it might lead to the fall of the current Indian government. Here are two ways in which the Indian Media is handling the situation.

1.
This one is definitely exxagerated but not very far away from reality.
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KARAN: NEWS ANCHOR
DEVESH: REPORTER

KARAN: GOOD EVENING VIEWERS WE HAVE SOME BREAKING NEWS FROM THE PARLIAMENT ABOUT THE NUKE DEAL IMBROGLIO
KARAN: HELLO DEVESH U HAVE SOME LATEST BREAKING NEWS, DON’T YOU?
DEVESH: THAT’S RIGHT KARAN, ITS ABT THE LEFT
KARAN: RIGHT ?
DEVESH: NO, THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT DECIDE TO BREAK
KARAN: OH U MEAN THE LEFT AS USUAL
DEVESH: RIGHT
KARAN: I AM SORRY DID I GET U WRONG THERE? WHO HAS LEFT RIGHT NOW
DEVESH: THE LEFT
KARAN: RIGHT? BUT U SAID THE RIGHT JUST NOW
DEVESH: NO, I SAID THE LEFT
KARAN: THE LEFT?
DEVESH: RIGHT
KARAN: OK I AM CONFUSED. DEVESH PLS CLARIFY WHATS IS THE LEFT SAYING, AND WHAT IS THE RIGHT SAYING
DEVESH: KARAN, THE LEFT SAYS THE DEAL IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO GO
KARAN: OK U MEAN THE RIGHT SAYS THE DEAL IS ONLY WAY LEFT ?
DEVESH : NO THE LEFT SAYS THE DEAL IS NOT RIGHT WAY LEFT
KARAN: RIGHT
DEVESH: THE LEFT IS SAYING THE DEAL HAS LEFT OUT WHAT SHOULD BE RIGHT
KARAN: LEFT OUT WHAT SHOULD BE RIGHT? OH U MEAN WHAT’S LEFT OUT OF THE DEAL OR THE LEFT IS RIGHT OUT OF THE DEAL OR THE LEFT IS RIGHT OF THE DEAL OR THE LEFT IS LEFT OF THE DEAL?
DEVESH: RIGHT
KARAN: RIGHT????
DEVESH: RIGHT OUT OF THE DEAL THE LEFT
KARAN: WHO IS LEFT AND RIGHT? THE LEFT IS RIGHT OR THE RIGHT IS LEFT
DEVESH: THE LEFT. THE LEFT HAS LEFT RIGHT OUT OF THE DEAL
KARAN : THE LEFT HAS LEFT RIGHT OUT OF THE DEAL?
DEVESH: RIGHT
KARAN: OH NO U MEAN THE LEFT HAS LEFT RIGHT OUT ?
DEVESH: RIGHT
KARAN: WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN
DEVESH: THEY JUST LEFT RIGHT NOW
And the suspense continues
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2.
Well, all is not bad with the India media. There are some really good journalists too. Take Karan Thapar for example. He is one of the best talk-show interviewers I have ever seen. Read below some excerpts of how he strips CPI leader Sitaram Yechury naked over the 123 agreement. Sitaram Yechury couldn't say much except pick on Karan Thapar. Read the whole interview here.
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#1:
Karan Thapar: Except, that is in non-binding sections of the Hyde Act. It's in 102 and 103, which are non-binding and you know that.
Sitaram Yechury: Please argue like an Indian, you are not a US citizen.

#2:
Karan Thapar: If it was denied, then it would say under no circumstances can such technologies be sold. They are not. They are actually saying pending an amendment.
Sitaram Yechury: You are talking like a US lawmaker.
Karan Thapar: I am not talking like a US lawmaker, I am talking as a man who understands US law. You are talking as a man who is misunderstanding, and deliberately misunderstanding, US law.
Sitaram Yechury: I understand English, which you may not.
Karan Thapar: In which case you are misunderstanding the language. Your August 7 statement said 'denies access in any form'. Those five words are wrong.
Sitaram Yechury: You are neat-picking for no reason.
Karan Thapar: I am not neat-picking. I am just pointing out that your August 7 statement is wrong.
Sitaram Yechury: My interest is my country's interest, it’s not in neat-picking like you are doing. For India, unless this clause is amended, these technologies are not available. Period, simple.
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Toilet Technology & Management

Does anyone of you have a fetish of shitting in the public? Can't do it due to the fear of law? Worry no more, the swiss people have come up with a see-through loo which has a one-sided glass. People outside cannot see you but you can see everyone outside.





If the above pics showed toilet tech, the below one shows toilet management. An excellent example of process control and how to reduce spillage.



and how about this pic below? am sure it can only lead to increase in spillage! :-D

FAQ??

A frequently asked question in India...hehe!!

Do we have to pay any bribe for getting work done in KIADB ?

No, If any Board Official demands bribe or inordinately delays processing of papers and /or misbehaves in any manner, the same should immediately be brought to the notice of CEO & EM either orally or in writing.

Not a joke..this is a question in the FAQ section of the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board..check it out here

Moral Policing

Democratic values?

Came across this recently -

"In USA you can kiss in public places but cannot shit; in India you can shit in public places but cannot kiss"

Very aptly describes how democracy could mean different things in different places.

Advertising Battles

The battle is on for the control of the Indian skies!!
Am sure Naresh Goyal won't be amused though....

Maradona vs Messi

There is lot of comparision going on between the recent goal from Messi and Maradona's goal in 1986 world cup. There is a very striking similarity between the two goals, but there is one reason why Maradona's goal was special - 'Context'

Not taking anything away from Messi though.

'The twenty-first century is India's to lose'

Came across a nice article recently. This article outlines a lot of issues that India currently faces and how it is still able to move ahead.

Read it here

Some favorite excerpts from the article:

1. India is like a truck with twelve wheels: even if one or two are punctured, the truck moves on. China, on the other hand, has fewer wheels that enable it to move faster, but others wonder what the consequences will be if a couple of wheels fall off.

2. The shining India that every newspaper praises as the country of the future is thwarted repeatedly when it seeks to acquire the trappings of a great power like permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

3. India never loses an opportunity to lose an opportunity.

Media blues!

After India was thrown out of the cricket world cup, Sharad Pawar, the BCCI chief made the following comment on Greg Chappel(according to PTI)...

"Definitely there is a responsibility to train properly but at the same time one can show water too hot but cannot compel him to drink."

Water too Hot!! I think Pawar meant to say "water to horse". Not sure who made the mistake here, did Pawar really say it wrong or did the journalist goof it up?

Whatever it is...PTI needs to careful what it releases or else we could have a big problem...


Read the article here

Somebody get the pig a glass of champagne!!

Nicolette Hanh Niman writes in the New York Times -

"As a cattle rancher, I am comfortable raising animals for human consumption, but they should not be made to suffer. Because we ask the ultimate sacrifice of these creatures, it is incumbent on us to ensure that they have decent lives"

Read the article here

Don't know what to say, people are ok with killing animals to satisfy their hunger, but, they would like that the animals they eat, live in good conditions. Talk about human(pig) rights in the stomach!!

0.5 MBA

Its the end of trimester 2, meaning am halfway through. Another 8 months to the finish line.
This was the longest trimester, with the christmas break in between. The first half was frentic-paced and the second half was pretty relaxed.

T3 promises to be more balanced. Am taking some heavy-duty courses this trimester.

1.Global Business Management in Manufacturing: The fomer chief of Nissan, America; BMW, Japan is taking this course. The course deals with Japanese manufacturing expertise with a special focus on the Japanese automotive industry.

2. Life Sciences - A business perspective: This course deals with businesses relating to the biotech and pharma industry.

3. Corporate Business Strategy: This course focuses on the application of strategy theory and principles. "Think like a CEO" is what the prof mentions.

4. Statistics & Research Methods: The objective is to build the design and analysis skills necessary to carry out applied business research.

5. Competitive Strategy: This course examines how firms build sustainable competitive advantage.

6. Strategy Implementation: All about the issues encountered when implementing strategies.

Pretty interesting stuff.

Insecurity?

Have been experiencing this since school times, albeit in different proportions. Was the most in school, a little less in college and lesser in the MBA, nevertheless it still exists.

Am sure most of u must have heard your friends telling you "Kitna padhega yaar, bas kar"
Is that out of genuine concern or is it the insecurity? In most cases, its the insecurity, the person asking you this statement is worried more about himself/herself than about the person he/she is asking the question to.

The situation becomes more evident in the opposite case. You wont find many people asking you "Kitna cigarette fookega, bas kar". Only people who are genuinely concerned will tell you this.

Time to change...so now if you see a person smoking tell him/her, "Kitna cigarette fookega, bas kar" and if u see a person studying, you say, "Arre tu padh raha hai, padh padh. Main bhi join karta hoon".

In MBA lingo, channelize your tension in an efficient manner to do value-adding work rather than bring the other person down and hamper overall growth!!

Taxi Talk!

The taxi wala's in Singapore can be quite interesting and knowledgeable. I have now had 2-3 episodes and thought its high time I wrote something about them.

Episode 1: As soon as i get in, the taxi guy says "Namaste, Aap kaise hain?"...and he was not Indian..was a Singaporean with Chinese origins. I reply to him and then ask him where did he learn this. He says from his passengers. Then tells me teach something more in Hindi.

Episode 2: This time its a local Singaporean muslim as the taxi guy. We are travelling back to the hostel and he starts talking about life. And i was taken aback, he had such passionate thoughts that he could become a preacher. Some of the things he told us,
1. "I do everything for a reason, I do not know why people go on vacations (we were coming back from a vacation in Indonesia). Its the same air, same earth everywhere. Its the same eyes and nose you have. So why go on a vacation? Its all in the mind about getting stressed or de-stressed."
2. "Mother is the most loving person on earth. If there are complications during pregnancy, the mother is ready to sacrifice her life to let the baby be born. A baby who is unknown to her. A baby who might not listen to her or might mistreat her one day."

Epsiode 3: Its again a local Singaporean guy. We ask him a general question of how bad is the taxi problem during christmas. And he says "Its bad during christmas, but will not be very bad this time around. The Singapore economy is not doing very well. People do not have much money to spend as compared to last year. Singapore has become like a saturated market and news jobs and company headquarters are going to India and China. Singapore needs to pull up its socks if it wants its economy to keep growing."

A customer friendly driver, a human behaviour specialist driver and an economist driver! I am impressed! Wonder if these guys did their MBAs! If not, then the MBAs of the world are in for some competition from the Singaporean cab drivers!!

Courses taken up in Trimester 2

Following is what I have taken up in Trimester 2

1. Supply Chain & Logistics Management (6 week course): All about how to build a lean supply chain and theory of constraints.

2. Accounting for Decision Making and Control (12 week course): Project/Product Costing, how to use and infer accounting information to make managerial decisions.

3. Marketing Management (12 week course): Basics of Marketing.

4. Managing Presentations (6 week course): A soft skills course aimed at improving presentation skills using peer and self assessment techniques.

5. Mergers & Acquisitions (12 week course): A strategy course based on mergers between & acquistions by companies. Ability to decide from a strategic point of view whether to merge or acquire and if yes then how much to pay to acquire?

6. Strategic Technology Management (6 week course): Applying strategy frameworks to understand the dynamics of technology and technology-driven companies.

7. Business Process Management (6 week course): Discussion on techniques and issues in transforming intra and inter-organizational processes in the digital age.


Brrr...lots to do...have my hands full!

T1 tidbits

Economics:
1. There is nothing called a free lunch.
2. Accounting profit is very different from Economic profit and its very difficult to earn an Economic profit.

Financial Accounting:
1. Accountants have lots of ways to twist things, so be careful while investing.
2. Do not emphasise on Net Profits, the better indicator is Cash flows.

Managing Business Operations:
1. Doing a thorough process analysis gives a lot of information which aids in decision making.
2. Scheduling jobs and stuff is not that difficult if you are able to formulate a LP model.

Financial Management:
1. A dollar in hand today is worth more than a dollar in the future.
2. Money does not come for free, there is a cost associated with it.

Generally:
1. MS Excel is one of the most powerful tools anyone could have.
2. It depends on you how you want to make the MBA work for you.

Some more B-school Gyaan....

This is from a friend at ISB. They asked one of their profs abt the Dos and Donts in a B-school.
This is what he replied "Do not go too far to one extreme or another: too much networking or too much book learning. Those who spend lot of time on parties miss out on learning from academics, and those who neglect socializing, miss out on learning from others".

A little bit more....
“If yesterday was not yesterday, today would not have been today”!!

Dada speaks...

Dada ka baat hua gyaan....

Beta life mein do cheez yaad rakhna....

1. There is nothing called a free lunch
2. The person in front of you is as capable as you are, do not underestimate him.

The Shit smells the same everywhere!

Literally!!

I passed by a sewer truck on campus today and for a moment recalled Dharavi.
Different races, different religions, different food, different nations...but yeah the shit smells the same everywhere! Talk about Global standards!