TO BE OR NOT TO BE …

To be or not to be one of them is one question which can keep haunting you before, during and at the threshold of the finishing line of the sprint.
India is recognized today as one of the most powerful emerging economies in the world. The cheap yet so skilled labour is one of the many reasons for this. The various high profile and prestigious institutes of education is responsible for the production of this skilled labour. The most coveted and sought after degree is none other than the M.B.A. degree. Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to have an M.B.A. degree in his armoury for the obvious reasons. Fat pay-packets and a ticket to 'green pastures' are the primary causes for opting for this degree. The purchasing power has grown by leaps and bounds and a thing which was an item of luxury ten to five years ago has more or less turned into an item of necessity. The living standards have improved and this has tremendously contributed to the G.D.P. of the country. However, the recent economic crisis is bound to have a negative impact on this trend as is evident from the latest placement records. The primary reason for this slump is the failure of some big financial institutions which were the biggest recruiters. People who dreamt of greener pastures have to be content with grey pastures and for this too there is a rat race. Moreover, those who invested a lot in this degree are now in doldrums and prior to income there is insecurity with debt. So, fortunately or unfortunately, the herd which followed each other for a degree will need to introspect and possibly look to alter the direction a bit and for this too, the herd members can only wait for another degree to evolve which can be followed. This is so because these people (members of the herd) have always been followers and when a situation like the present economic crisis comes into being, they have no option but to wait for someone to lead them in a lucrative direction.
So it is a tough call to be or not to be a part of this herd and this decision or for that matter indecision will keep on haunting us.
All was well if not great till December of 2007 for the Indian stock markets which was described by the Prime Minister of India as the symbol of shining India. Little did the small investors, primarily Indians, know the cause behind the booming of the Sensex. The option of earning extra bucks turned into greed and then into a blind obsession which led people to invest their lifelong savings, borrow debts and loans from financial institutions and invest in the stocks. Many were led by the false impression that the Indian economy is insulated from any global turmoil and the stock markets will continue to boom. Stocks of companies like RIL (Reliance Industries Limited) which traded at around Rs. 500 during June 2004 pumped up to around Rs. 3200 in October 2007. But the unavoidable happened and when crisis hit foreign lands, particularly Uncle Sam, the prime investors in the stock markets, the FIIs (Foreign Institutional Investors) began pulling out money in huge amounts and stock markets nosedived taking along with it the small investors. A few suffered from mental sickness, a good number of them had cardiovascular problems and many committed suicide. Here too, the herd was formed and people followed each other to book short term gains and when this stopped happening, people had no one but themselves to curse. So the stock markets which were considered as chicken which laid golden eggs not only stopped laying eggs but even disappeared.
Hence, again it is tough to decide whether to be or not to be one of them and it is one question which can keep haunting you before, during and at the threshold of the finishing line of the sprint.

cHaK dE INDIA!!!!!

To begin with, I have been compelled to write this blog as I, like many Indians for the day, could not resist the joy and emotion associated with India doing the impossible. All right! Clearing of the air, I am talking about one of the most exciting and ‘exhausting’ cricket matches I have ever seen. A target a huge as 387 is not only (near) impossible to chase in the sub-continent but to this day was considered either overambitious or for that matter illogical to think of, particularly on a wicket as tricky as the one at the Chepauk.

History:

The Chepauk has always been a happy hunting ground for the Indians barring the arch rivals. Although, the last test match between India and South Africa was a dull draw thanks to the batting feast offered by the curator, the Chepauk, in the past few years, has produced results. To add to this, these results have never been a one-sided affair. One will always keep on guessing which way the pendulum swings.

The memorable ones have been those involving the Kangaroos and one against Pakistan in 1999.

Current One:

I would take this opportunity to first thank the English Cricket team for coming as a full strengthened side and showing solidarity in the aftermath of the horrific incidents of Mumbai.

England began well by winning the toss and as is the case in the sub-continent, elected to bat first. A superb century opening stand between Andrew Strauss and Alistiar Cook provided the dream start to England. After many speculations and hiccups, England somehow got past the psychological figure of 300. A target which seemed modest at the beginning of the Indian innings, proved too good for the famed Indian batting line-up which fell three quarters of a century short. England began their second essay cautiously and after some anxious moments of brilliant bowling by the Indian seamers, lost way when they lost three quick wickets when they had a lead of just over a hundred. But then the Englishman for crisis, Paul Collingwood, and the first innings centurion Andrew Strauss got together and ensured that England set a target that till date had never been achieved in the sub-continent.

When all the experts were concluding on two results, the Najafgarh’s Nawab, Virender Sehwag walked in with a different recipe. Although India lost the prestigious wicket of Sehwag, the mammoth target of 387 was reduced below 260 to get with a day’s play left. It was heartening to see the Indian batsmen come with positive intent to the crease and although there were some anxious moments, the little master and the dashing Yuvraj carried India home in what looked to be a comfortable manner.

Turning Point:

Many believe that the innings by Sehwag was the turning point of the match but I thought another factor played an important role.

This was the lack of experience of the English thinktank. I personally believe that England started losing in the post-lunch session of the fourth day when they scored a mere 57 runs with two boundaries in 22.5 overs. Taking nothing away from the Indian pace duo, it was surprising to see that England was not attempting to up the tempo even with a lead in excess of 300. It looked as if England were wary that if they get out quickly, India will get enough time to achieve the target and hence they tried to kill the time.

It is important to observe that apart from Flintoff, there is no player who has consistently performed for England for the past 5-6 years. Moreover, the coach, Peter Moores, has never represented a national side. This was evident in the post-lunch session and I am quite sure that fingers will be raised in the British media.

Conclusion:

Having said this, nothing should be taken away from India and also from England for giving us such a treat to watch and as a die hard Indian fan, I think it is high time India, instead of pushing and shoving for the second spot, should press the top gear (by becoming consistent) and dethrone the Aussies.

We Are Safe. Are we??

The news and talk that is in the air is the recent horrendous act of terrorism in the commercial capital of our country. I am not going to carry forward the blame game or for that matter do an autopsy of the event.

The point of focus is that who is next. We have had attacks on our parliament and now on the luxury hotels. The security has definitely been beefed up in all major institutions of economic and strategic importance. So naturally there is a feeling of a sense of security prevalent in all quarters except one. This target is so vulnerable that the defenders have to be none other than the inmates and any casualty, if there is any, wull be the inmates. These institutes produce skilled labour not only for one of the fastest growing economies of the world but also for many developed countries.

Yes, I am talking of the premier engineering and medical institutes of the country. It is indeed surprising to see that an institute that is home for thousands of grey cell owners are secured hardly by a quartet of gunmen whose guns, quite surely have been carried around without a shot being fired. It should be kept in mind that one of the premier research institutes of the country, the IISc, fell prey to terrorism. The security was such that it could not save the life of a professor. To talk practically, these institutes are secured by nothing but the campus walls which can be easily overpowered. Even if there is some security, it is limited to the main entrance of the institute with practically no security cover at the other inlets.

So, instead of providing a cure, which is generally if not always the case, we should go for a preventive approach for providing security to these ‘temples of learning’ .