IWOTY 2013

Gopinath Mavinkurve

g_mavinkurve@hotmail.com

Towards the end of each year, it has become a popular practice that is been put in place in recent times that western lexicographers and ‘language watch’ organizations like the Oxford University Press (OUP), Merriam Webster Dictionary, Global Language Monitor and the American Dialect Society, do announce their chosen “Word Of The Year” (WOTY).

As a keen observer of language trends, one has been keeping an eye on the announcements in the last decade or so.  While some of the WOTYs  announced by the have taken me by surprise, some others have been just what one expected would make it to the winning post.  The process of choosing the coveted word from among contenders for the honour appears to be methodic and even participatory democratic.  Contenders vying to be the WOTYs are also put up by some language societies on their websites for a few weeks inviting the public at large to vote for their choice for the top slot, while some relying on language experts on their staff rolls to select the winner.

For example, the WOTY 2013announced by Oxford Dictionaries is “Selfie”,a term for clicking a picture of oneself or oneself with someone you met, acommon practice due to the front-and-rear cameras provided in modernsmartphones.   More about the method of choosing the word in this link here.  The runners-up can be found in this link here. Oxford had announced “Omnishambles” asthe WOTY 2012, a state of shambles all over, reflective of the financial andpolitical scene, from which the globe struggles to recover even to this day!

Merriam Webster has declared “science” as their choice for the WOTY 2013.  The method employed has been the words that users of their online dictionary looked up on their website.  More about it inthe link here. 

Global Language Monitor has announced “404” as the WOTY 2013 and “Toxic Politics” as the Phrase of the Year 2013. Details in this link. 

The American Dialect Society has yet to chose their WOTY 2013. It had chosen “hashtag” as their WOTY 2012.  Hashtag is a ‘#’ placed before a word or phrase on Twitter (and now FB too!) which sorts out tweets by clicking on the hashtag.

From the above, it is obvious that words that have made it are either newly coined ones to reflect the changing times or at times, existing ones that have become popular again due to current events.  In any case, they have caught the imagination of the public at large and have made it to the popular charts in their years of reckoning.  Clearly one finds that while the WOTYs announced do reflect the socio-economic realities of the western world, they do not necessarily reflect the times and moods of people of India.

It is with this fact in mind that one wonders why cannot we have our own Indian Language watch organization that puts up some contenders for the Indian Word Of The Year (IWOTY) for us to select from?  So when I posed this question on my blog a few years ago, my friends and ardent blog followers suggested me to do this each year until some reputed organization picks up the idea on a larger national scale.

Some of the past potential IWOTYs that have featured in my blog in the past few years:

Kolaveri – Outrage in our contemporary word that featured in the “Kolaveri Di” a song by Dhanush that became viral in 2012.  Besides the ‘heart-breaking’ rage from his prospective life partner, that earned it the popularity it deserved,  the apparent outrage on social media circuits about the state of national affairs.

Anna / Annagiri – Team Anna’s high-pitch campaign for a  Lok Pal Bill seeking trial of corruption at top level and several other measures found news channels beaming the fast-unto-death threats as a tool of modern satyagraha being termed as “Annagiri”.   Although not everyone agreed that a Lok Pal Bill would be a panacea for all our political ills, it gained support merely due to the widespread misuse of the power vested in our political leaders and one agreed that they ought to be independently investigated without political interference of their bosses.

Lok Pal – “Lok Pal” had became a popular term earning a mention in various published articles consequent to the campaigns of Team Anna.

Scamayana – Scams in India had grown to epic proportions, which prompted Indians to expect the chronicling of the current scams which could be called “Scamayana” for future generations to refer to and take note of. An era that would better be done with and dusted, though.

Below are some of the contenders that could don the “IWOTY 2013” cap this year.  Readers may suggest more worthy contenders for IWOTY to my email id g_mavinkurve@hotmail.com

Modi-fication – The anointment of Modi as the PM candidate for the BJP has brought prospects of the Modi-fication of the Nation – a term used to imply that the progress of Gujarat model and the ideas of an Industry-friendly Chief Minister could well be spread across the nation with this development.  Although this is an existing word suggesting change, what makes it a pun is the prospective PM candidates name itself!  The nation awaits the results of this announcement with bated breath, but change seems to be what most Indians want and some kind of change is inevitable!

Aam Aadmi – The word, Hindi for common man, is back in the fray with renewed vigour ever since the Aam Aadmi Party clinched a sizeable number of seats in the Delhi State elections, albeit falling short of being called a ”clean-sweep of the new broom”.  The common man himself is back in the reckoning. The power of the mainstream media, the impact of the social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, the manner in which the common man’s opinion is becoming increasingly important is apparent.  The word is gaining prominence for all these factors as it is for this fledgling political party which has just tasted its first success.

Laal Batti – The Red Beacon on cars signifying that the persons travelling are “privileged” persons bestowed with special privileges at public places.  It is becoming a common feature to find reports in the news media about the kith and kin of the “High-and-Mighty” to claim special treatment at Toll Nakas, Customs clearance gates and such other public amenities.   Besides being misused by others who are not even remotely related to the public servants, who are currently eligible for this treatment, it is now in question whether such preferential and discriminatory treatment should be even be made to those in power? Lal Batti is not just about the Red Beacon on the car, more about all special privileges. Arvind Kejriwal has refused Z-Category Security, A bungalow in New Delhi  and of course any other privilege that could be called a “Laal-Batti” treatment and shown exemplary leadership. But will other Mantris follow his example?  Giving up the Laal-Batti status is not such an easy thing to do, apparently!   

Siballed –  Social Media users found themselves in a tight spot while commenting or ‘liking’ posts that usually showed the ruling party or those at the helm in bad light.  Although freedom of speech has been largely enjoyed by Indians in mainstream and other media, there was a move by Kapil Sibal to amend Section 66A of the Information Technology Act to punish anyone posting anything “offensive” on the internet or social media sites like Twitter or FB  and removing “offensive content” forthwith!  Users who found some of their posts struck down or hauled up by the police were said to have been “Siballed”.

Mango Man – This comical translation of the ‘Aam Aadmi’ is a contender by itself. The term is widely in use in social media circles, playing upon “Aam” being a Hindi pun meaning both common and mango!  This term also receives favour by Yours Truly, due to the Mango-connection that my surname bears:

Mavinkurve means “Mango Basket” in Kannada, apparently. 

That makes me the “Original Mango Man”, doesn’t it?

Book Review - "The Man Who Will Not Bribe"

The Man who will not bribe   By Veeresh Malik

A true account of the travails of an upright founder of an educational institute of global standards built on strong foundations of ethics

Reviewed by Gopinath Mavinkurve 

What happens when a bright IIT-Delhi (1981) and IIM-Ahm (1983) executive chucks his plush job with an MNC to pursue his dream of setting up an educational institute offering global standards and built on the principles of ethics?  Lots could have happened, but when it is Dr. Varun Arya, the Director of Aravali Institute of Management (AIM), who takes on the challenges thrown at him with the undaunted determination, the answer is just this: Success at a steep cost!

Principles of ethics, dear readers, for Varun Arya means no bribes will be paid whatsoever - and no unethical practices to be adopted in his institute while seeking to excel in the field of providing higher education conforming to global standards! So you think that wouldn’t take his dreams anywhere, right?  Wrong!  Although the challenges thrown meant being falsely framed charges, turning down approval requests, refusing land use changes, applying unfair stipulations over competitors and what-have-you, the dogged pursuit of the applicant institute to get the approvals without paying a single rupee bribe is something one has got to read- unbelievable as it may seem!

One is much too familiar with the bureaucratic red-tape all designed to trap bribe-payers into loosening the purse-strings to  get their much-needed approvals despite not being compliant with the regulatory conditions - or only just to speed up the process.   It happens everywhere, you may say.  One just gets around these hurdles and gets going, one may believe – but for Varun it was not “his way” of going about setting up an institute of learning!  His principles were far too important to him – and what’s more, the entire teaching faculty and his entire team backed him to the hilt!  Naturally, the hurdle race got tough – but certainly not un-surmountable.

One tool that he used to fight the menace of ‘demanding’ government officials was the Right to Information Act (RTI).  Several RTI applications were filed time and again to expose the atrocities of the bureaucracy and the victimization of the institute vis-à-vis the other institutes.  However, inspite of all these efforts, it is disheartening to note how the entire staff of the institute had to resort to a fast-unto-death to get their rightful approvals!

Do read the sordid saga of the struggles that the institute's founder had to go through and the wonders that they produced despite all the odds faced by them in this ebook available on AmazonKindle in this link here.

Veeresh Malik, a journalist and activist, who had earlier lent support to the institute in respect of the filing of RTI applications “assembles the book”(in his own words).  A curator of the book, would perhaps be a better word for his role, as he weaves together several emails, letters, speeches and the memories of the events that occur in the life of the protagonist, the real life hero, Dr. Varun Arya - The Man Who Will Not Bribe.

May a thousand Varun Aryas bloom!

Special Effort for Special Kids

Text of my article published in "Beyond Money" column of the Moneylife Magazine is reproduced below:

An educationist and social activist started a mission to help people overcome poverty through education when she was in her 80s. Gopinath Mavinkurve writes about this gritty effort

Rukmabai Tallur, fondly known as ‘ Rukmakka’, embarked on a mission on India’s Republic Day, in 1986. She decided to set up Punyatama Prabhakar Sharma Seva Mandal (PPSSM) in the memory of her brother, a freedom fighter and social activist, who had devoted his entire life to helping the poor. Rukmakka was an activist herself, in the Gandhian tradition. She always wore khadi, led an austere life devoted to education and staunchly believed that spreading literacy would not only help improve the lives of the underprivileged, but also give them respect in society. Since 1940, she had been teaching Hindi at Mumbai’s Seva Sadan in the belief that knowledge of the rashtrabhasha would aid our freedom struggle.

PPSSM was started with 13 members who pooled Rs500 each. Rukmakka herself collected a corpus of Rs2 lakh in the very first year. Although an octogenarian when she established the trust, she went door-to-
door collecting funds, clothes, books and uniforms. Even on her 100th birthday (on 8 January 2005), she donated the cash gifts that she received to PPSSM, to help tribal children with special needs. In April 2005, Rukmakka passed away and Shitala Pandit took up her dream project—to construct a residential school for special children.

Ms Pandit had to overcome several obstacles, including rising costs. Two residential schools for the hearing-impaired and mentally-challenged underprivileged children began operations in dilapidated old premises on 7 October 2006. Construction of the school at Igatpuri (Maharashtra), began in February 2007 even before the entire funding was in place. Several donors pitched in and the school was formally inaugurated in July 2009. Today, they have 100 students and a range of facilities including a library and nursery, and rooms for first-aid, physiotherapy, IQ testing, specialised speech therapy and computers.

Interestingly, despite getting an ‘A Grade’ from Maharashtra’s Social Welfare Department, special schools, like the PPSSM’s, do not receive government aid. The monthly expenses of this residential school, including food, clothing, medicines and maintenance for over 100 special students aggregate over Rs2 lakh. PPSSM is funding the entire expenditure from the interest earned on its corpus. The teachers also get a nominal honorarium, instead of a salary. Naturally, PPSSM is constantly striving to increase the corpus to meet rising costs and needs.

What keeps the effort of PPSSM’s committed teachers alive is the fruit of this dedication. In 2012, Nilesh Navle scored 86% in the school leaving examinations and joined an ITI where he stood second amongst normal students. In 2013, Vijay Ghorpade scored 69% in his SSLC examination and went on to obtain an electrical engineering diploma.
Dhanashree Pawar scored 71% and chose to specialise in fashion designing. Several students have also won prizes in inter-school competitions. These achievements are published on PPSSM’s website. The teachers, including the principal, Naval Sonar, have also received well-deserved honours and felicitations.

PPSSM hopes to be able to adopt many more children and help shape their future through education. It is working to build an independent corpus for three separate schemes, so that the work can be sustained with the interest earned. The Shikshan Prabandh, at Rs5,000 per student, takes care of uniforms, books and stationery for one child per year. Anna Prabandh, covers the food expenses for one child for an entire year at Rs6,000; and Shikshak Nidhi, at Rs5,000, supports the corpus from which honorarium is paid to teachers.

PPSSM has not only given these differently-abled children the chance to become self-sufficient but helped make their dreams come true. Donations to PPSSM are eligible for exemption under Section 80G of the Income-tax Act.

PPSSM
Shitala Pandit
9-11/12, Saraswat Colony,
Santa Cruz (West),
Mumbai 400 054
Tel 022 2660 1837
E-mail punyatma8@gmail.com.
www.punyatma.org

Weblink to the original article:

http://www.moneylife.in/article/special-effort-for-special-kids/34384.html

The Right Kind Of Giving

One of my ex-colleagues, whom I happened to bump into during my morning brisk walks in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, seemed to be doing his bit of ‘giving back to society’ each Sunday morning.  I would spot him carrying a large bagful of ‘jeera-butter’ – a bakery product he brought along to distribute to all those residing in the slums inside SGNP, every weekend.  He even urged me to come along with him to help him distribute it on one occasion, which I gladly did on a couple of occasions.  I observed that he was really enjoying all that he was doing – if children came rushing, he would tell them to queue up. He would tell an old, infirm lady not to bother getting up and coming over and go over and hand over some to where she was seated.  When I told him I appreciated is kindness, he said in fact, he was doing nothing at all and really wanted to do much more!

Then one Sunday morning, he was walking down the long road to Kanheri caves empty-handed and he seemed forlorn, drifting without a purpose.  When I inquired what had happened, he told me that the security guards had seized the packet and warned him not to bring any such foodstuff inside the Park! I gathered later, that the Forest Officer in charge was of the opinion that several kind-hearted visitors to the park were actually “spoiling” the slum-dwellers by offering freebies.  Another regular morning walker justified his stand citing that such practices make them lazy and deter them from striving to improve their living standard through hard work in life!  He mentioned that he always preferred offering to foot their education expenses to his relatives back home in the village, but never offered free money for day-to-day expenses. 

On other occasions, I have been the recipient of advice not to give any money to the begging children at traffic signals.  “They are being planted by gangs – they just handover the money which could be funding nefarious criminal activities – don’t give them any money” is a common line we urban residents hear from our all-knowing friends.   So how exactly can we help these faces of obviously destitute people on the street that we see each day, one wonders? Give them food to eat, says another!  So there we are back to giving food and making them lazy!  What do these kids need? Perhaps what they really need is a rebirth into more fortunate well-to-do families? Or an NGO to spring up and teach street kids and turn around their fortunes?   So we come home and write a cheque to an NGO who does good work for the less privileged and satisfy ourselves that our urge to help them has been met – if not fully, at least partially!

The nation is today at the same cross-roads – I am not alone!  Ever since the Food Security Bill was tabled, experts have been telling us why this Bill will make our people lethargic and how the future of the country could be bleak if an entire population got free food!  So are we saying that our current public distribution systems, mid-day meal programs for the weaker sections, other freebies that States like Tamil Nadu (famously, and other states too), have been making our people choose a life of leisure instead of struggling hard to come up in their individual lives?   I do not subscribe to this view.  There are enough incentives such as better housing, better education for their children, getting well-paid jobs in more organized sector jobs – in short a better lifestyle beckons those who wish to rise in this world.   It is also seen that whereas many millions do hopelessly struggle and fail to make it, several stories of small-time rickshaw drivers have featured in newspapers for their children securing ranks in competitive examinations. 

Basically, if any government scheme meant for the abject poor is implemented properly, it would only help the lower strata of our society to save their meager earnings to educate their children and come up in life.  The newly introduced Food Security Bill is not a game-changer in that respect – we know of State Governments like Chattisgarh and Tamil Nadu already having implemented a fairly substantial food distribution system already.  One need not grudge them their rightful, nor need to worry about “spoiling” these poor people, while relishing our gourmet meal at a multi-star hotel.  As a taxpayer of the country, one would rather have our taxes go for such causes than to fund subsidies that aid fuel-guzzling SUVs that I cannot afford, what say?

The only real problem then is that of insufficient funds with the Government to meet the obligations the nation has taken upon itself – the ‘fiscal deficit’, as they call it.  Now that could be a rather sticky problem to face - for the next government, that is.  One really worries whether the FSB is effectively rolled out across the nation or not?!  But one thing is certain, large-hearted donors running NGOs will continue to feed the people who need it – and hopefully reach out to more and more deserving and needy people of our country for several years to come!

The nation has done its bit of giving away well before the “Joy of GivingWeek” observed in India in the first week of October each year.  It is now our turn to pick and choose the cause and the suitable NGO that we would want to support.  Hunger is not everything, right?

Are Investors Con-Prone?

Each passing day, newspapers and TV channels report how some unscrupulous business house offering miraculous money multiplying “opportunities” to the public vanish into thin air, leaving investors licking deep wallet-wounds. Some retired senior citizen even report to have lost all their hard-earned life-time savings, which they had invested in various get-rich-quick schemes.   Reading such reports, one wonders what is it that makes such ‘scheming’ business houses successful, although the press has been time and again reporting Ponzi schemes which inevitably do the vanishing trick leaving investors in the lurch.   Don’t such repeated acts of financial cheating make us investing folks all the more wary of tall promises and urge us to ask ourselves how these businesses can offer such high returns in such a challenging business environment  and deteriorating domestic economic conditions? 

The success of such schemes can be attributed several layers of urban and rural population which have been rising slowly but steadily from their hitherto hand-to-mouth existence up to a reasonable earnings and living standards due to changing economic fortunes.  They do have investible surpluses (however meager), which they would want to put away for a better future, but do not have even the basic knowledge of investment, let alone financial prudence!  This translates into thousands of lower middle class households eking out a living in Tier-III towns having small surpluses that are looking for a good return on their small savings.  Private finance firms promoted by business houses exploit these conditions and plant ideas of how their schemes could help them beat inflation, whereas bank FDs offer interest rates lower than inflation, eating away into their savings!

Although every Indian is truly challenged on this count of inflation eating away into interest bearing relatively safe bank deposits, the fact remains that the more important aim of any investor - capital protection - is thrown to the winds, while attempting to beat inflation! Loss of capital is one aspect that every investor, big or small, needs to be concerned about.   Return on investment is not the only criteria – return of investment is paramount.  This is because while comparing investment options, a small investor takes this as a given and does not even think of such tragic eventualities as loss of capital.  In reality, this question ought to prop up in the minds of small investors each time an offer with super-duper returns on their investment are offered to them!  Another question that investors do not ask is: How come these business houses can offer such high returns in a competitive business environment? Obviously, overwhelming greed seems to pip investment rationale, even to those who are better equipped with the fundamentals of investment.

There is one important aspect that unscrupulous scheme offers bank on - that investors would not mind investing a small portion of their investible surpluses in such schemes.  It is tempting to try it out with smaller amounts and then invest higher amounts in such schemes, if they taste success.   Invariably, this trick seems to work for conmen! Several small investors trying out their hand at such get-rich-quick schemes (offering as high as 5%-10% per month at times), translates into cash-flows of several Crores of Rupees for such business houses!   Most of the investors barely recover their invested amount, yet what is more intriguing is that once they find that the 2-3 months returns have indeed really been paid to them, their faith in the scheme soars sky high, prompting them to invest more!  

A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation would tell us that even @10% per month, in 3 months they have got only 30% of their investment back – and although it is too early to judge them on return of capital, there is a mistaken sense of belief only because they did what investors least expected to be true – that they would give 10% per month, when banks cannot offer that even in the whole year! What is more, they even rope in other relatives and friends to invest in the scheme citing their own “success”.  This is indeed a disastrous step, as, unwittingly one has now begun canvassing for the promoters of these schemes, while risking souring of relationships if the company defaults on payment of interest or principal repayments.

The basic problem is that most of us undergo education at schools and colleges, in which “investor education” is not a subject taught, as this is not part of the syllabus in any stream.    Fundamental aspects of investment such as return on investment, safety of invested amount, liquidity and capital appreciation, investor rights etc. are least understood subjects and are learnt only the hard way – by losing money! The man who put in all his lifetime savings into such schemes had just to learn about the adage of financial prudence - “Do not putting all your eggs into the same basket” – and remembered it when it mattered most. 

Several such small investors make fly-by-night financial product offers hugely successful by lending their small and big investments.   Conmen regroup and form other financial syndicates to come back again and again to the public to raise monies, only to vanish again and reappear in different avatars.  How long will this conning activities continue?  Both widespread investor education and strong regulatory controls on raising public moneys are the need of the hour.   Each and every one needs to know that “Too-good-to-be-true” Schemes are just that – Scams!  One fervently wishes that enlightened members of the public ought to pledge not to support such schemes with even One Rupee of their hard-earned money.   Instead one could donate that rupee saved for a good cause, if one would like to kiss it goodbye anyway!

Social entrepreneurs and activists have been educating the lay public by way of street skits, Magicians have been debunking fake religious heads for performing “miracles” that are nothing but a sleight of hand. They are spreading the word not to repose “blind faith” on those claiming supernatural powers. Similarly, some financial “wizards” seem to be offering “miracle financial products” to struggling masses and they too ought to be debunked in a similar manner.  More recently ad campaigns on television channels on several social ills that one must guard against e.g.  Consumer protection body has launched a series of successful “Jaago Grahak Jaago” ad campaigns on all TV channels. Investor protection campaigns need to be propagated on the same lines. 

On one hand, tighter regulations are needed to ensure that any firm raising money from public gets his proposed scheme approved from the Government before embarking on the offer. Also, the Government through the various branches of the Public Sector Banks could also take up this cause of investor education and spread prudent financial decision-making skills to small investors so that the savings can be brought into the mainstream economy instead of losing it all to scam operators.  The investment programs could be structured by SEBI, RBI and other regulatory bodies jointly.  Instead of promoting complex financial products like mutual funds, investment-cum-insurance products which are all too confusing even to the financially savvy amongst us.  

Jaago Niveshak Jaago!

© Gopinath Mavinkurve 2013

Blogger's Post-Script:  Editors of newspapers, magazines and online editions of publications are requested to feature this post for wider reach.   The post has been written in public interest and the blogger would appreciate any effort to spread the word around in any manner that they deem fit. Thanks!  Wishing everyone Happy and Safe investing! 

Book Review: The Good, The Bad and The Wierd

Book Review - The Good, The Bad and The Weird

A debut novel by Eknaath Nagarkar

Available on Amazon.com Kindle Version – can be downloadedon PC/laptop Kindle reader

The story, set in Bangalore is about a pious, upright, honest teacher, Thonse Shivaram Rao (popularly known as “Meshtru”)  who has helped many youngsters of all communities and have mould their early part of their lives. Many of his student grow to become well-known figures in their chosen fields, but they all have great respect and regard for Meshtru, who after his retirement heads the JGI Foundation for philanthropic purposes, formed by the successful industrialist Janardhan Rao (popularly known as “Johnny”).  

When a struggling student seeks help to pursue his aspirations for medical education, Meshtru plays an instrumental role in getting him a seat and Vikram Jahagirdar (Vicky) feels indebted to Meshtru even when he strikes it big in the USA some time soon.  A group of well-intentioned NRIs fired by the love of the mother-land plan to do something for the education of the millions back home, which culminates in the formation of a Foundation in which monies collected worth close to a Billion Dollars are planned to be utilized for the worthy cause of education.

The Indian counterpart who is entrusted with the task of this proposed foundation, Akshay Karnad, a Chartered Accountant and a son of a cabinet minister of Karnataka opens a proprietary concern to receive the moneys collected ‘pending registration of the trust’ which would be in due course.  When the function to inaugurate the Foundation’s activities is organized with invitees including ministers of the Karnataka Government with a view to get vast tracts of lands, the ‘surprise announcement’ of dedicating the project to Meshtru backfires!  Meshtru wonders why a dollar billion would be needed to help education of the poor millions here – he did it on a paltry sum and these figures are heard only in case of scams!  His speech aborts the project and the generous donors are advised to support the ‘Ekal Vidyalaya movement’ and the ‘Friends of Tribals Society’ instead of such ambitious projects.

Akshay Karnad’s project, Kalpavriksha Foundation in the meanwhile had taken off into the building and construction activity in which the organization gains immense popularity for being honest, not supporting any bribe giving inspite of being in the construction line and delivering quality homes without charging escalation project costs!   The good reputation of the group’s contribution to society is so rapidly spreading through the media that the growth of the organization is done through Akshay and his wife roping in most of their relatives – all successful professionals working in reputed organizations to join Kalpavriksha.

A residential complex adjoining the corporate office becomes the hallmark of the group and a committed team brings in all their life-time savings along with their lifetime commitment to support the organization they join with full faith in the Karnad couple’s leadership.   However things change over time, and the inmates of the residential complex are learnt to be up to strange behavior lately which is rather uncharacteristic of the community they belong to - such as ill-treating their parents, pulling out children from schools, not attending community events to avoid mingling and other cult-like behaviours.   A middle-writer finds out all about these strange goings-on and tries to have this reported in newspapers – but how can his unsubstantiated stories with the complete lack of complainants be taken up against a Goliath in the construction business known for his honesty?

Do read this book to find out how the committed Meshtru plays a role in stopping the mindless destruction of social values by a cult being forced on hapless employees of a reputed organization ably aided by other members of his community and to set things right.  There is immense drama, action and detective work involved all along as you will read beginning to end this unputdownable thriller churned out by Eknaath Nagarkar in his own narrative style that grips you all along!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

From one National ailment to another

Some time ago, we witnessed public rage over the wide-spread corruption in our country.   With the help of the Right to Information Act (RTI), which empowered ordinary folks to take on the officials in government positions to deal with corruption.  Activists brought to the notice of the general public, how vested interests had been exploiting the common man and depriving them of their rights and privileges. A wave of protests swept the nation – only to cool down gradually and disappear into the ethereal space that held other frightful prospects for the hapless citizens of India.   

The prospect of being victim of heinous gangrapes!  Not a single day passes without a report of a violent attack on some woman, girl child - or even an infant! Each case more shocking than the other!  Society would certainly need to treat such mentally deranged members before they become offenders.  But in these episodes, what emerges it that the accountability and dependability of the very establishment that is expected to protect the citizens of our country is now under question – the Police force!   

I have just one question to ask them:  “Tell me, what is your problem in filing an FIR?”

There is hardly an instance where the police have immediately registered the FIR when victims of horrendous crimes have approached the Police with their complaints.  I have not heard a single valid explanation from any one on what prevents them from taking down the complaint and registering an FIR!  Do they think that people just go to the Police Station with frivolous complaints only  to harass them? Or do they think that problems will disappear if they drive them away with a wave (or strike) of their lathis?  I am clueless!  Aren’t they employed just for us citizens? Or are you waiting for a “Right to File an FIR Act” to be enacted and come into force?

As rampant corruption and violent crimes grow to gargantuan proportions, the economic and financial crimes, generally referred to as ‘white-collared crimes’ are not the kind to sit back and watch their darker cousins steal the limelight!  Heartrending scenes of thousands of investors losing their hard-earned money can be witnessed on TV news channels, as the perpetrators vanish with their booty!  It is amazing to find rural folks invest in chit funds and MLMs / chain marketing schemes – all because of a promise to give phenomenal returns.   Schemes that offer unbelievably high returns are just that – unbelievable!  Yet, several thousands of gullible investors allow greed to prevail over common sense and become victims of such financial frauds committed by ‘scheming’ innovative offerings.  Some, who have invested their entire life-time savings, have ended up committing suicides!

I have blogged about MLMs and‘get-rich-quick’ schemes before.  The question that one needs to ask is how could they offer such returns in the first place?  What business could give so much return as to double the money in as fast a time as 6 months or a year?   And as soon as we get a couple of instalments, we ask all our friends and relatives to join in the investment frenzy – so we all get rich together?!!

Readers of my blog would have been wise and stayed away from such traps, but what about the thousands of poor rural folk who get duped day in and day out?  Spreading financial education, prudence and awareness among rural masses is a pressing need of our times.  Should we not entrust this task to public sector banks who have a nationwide network to take on this task with the help of local NGOs rather than push mutual funds and complex insurance cum investment schemes?    That way, we will be able to fill in the gap too and lend credibility to the banking industry.  Some soul-searching  by banking industry would be needed before we can expect that to happen!  Or is it expecting too much from target-oriented professionals?

The other aspect that amazes us is the enormous sums that such funds and schemes manage to muster until the bluff is called.  The inaction of regulators is a subject beyond the scope of this post. I can look forward to Moneylife Magazine to pick up the cudgels against such bodies.  The magazine has never failed to take up severial causes of the investor in every issue – the reason why I have just renewed my subscription for another 3 years, without any hesitation! Moneylife NGO set up by them works on investor education, consumer protection and such subjects of public interest that sets it apart.  One sees them play a big role in investor awareness so that fly-by-night operators fail in every of their effort to con the public at large.  It is due to  these ignorant, greedy and foolish investors that trust them with their money, that they flourish.

PS:  Although I do not blog regularly, I share my thoughts and other interests and post some funnies on Twitter more regularly.  My Twitter id is @gopinathmm    Do follow me on Twitter.

Book Review – 'My Husband and Other Animals' by Janaki Lenin

My Husband And Other Animals

Author: Janaki Lenin 
 

Genre:  Non-fiction

Imprint Westland
Format Paperback
Extent 296pp
Pub date Sept-12
Rs 250
ISBN 9789381626726

Reviewed by Gopinath Mavinkurve  (Twitter Id: @gopinathmm)

A nature lover would certainly love to read this non-fiction book by Janaki Lenin, a compilation of the columns published by The Hindu, now brought out in the form of a book titled “My Husband and Other Animals” published by Westland.  Janaki Lenin presents to the readers several episodes of her life lived entirely out of her choice – to be with animals in their habitat, the jungle!   For a 5-year old who wished to have a pig as her pet, marrying a herpetologist of international repute and wild life conservationist, would be the ultimate gift of her life. One that she cherished for a lifetime, as Rom Whitaker, the founder of Madras Snake Park and Madras Crocodile Bank offers Janaki  an adventurous life in the deepest forests of India and several other countries, as the couple go “snake-hunting” (they catch ‘em – not kill ‘em).  As Janaki explains, there is no way one can watch snakes to study them – they need to be caught just as to be able to tell their species!

Opting for a home in rural Tamil Nadu to live with four dogs, a pair of emus, a flock of geese and a pig, would surely come with several pesky tree frogs, ants, weevils, porcupines, shrews thrown in good measure! But Janaki isn’t complaining! In fact, she tell us how nature can be best understood in their midst, rather than in the concrete jungles of the cities that most of us consider ‘safe’.  So instead of eavesdropping on jealous neighbours of an apartment complex, you will be treated to the insights of the private lives of snakes and crocodiles.  

Rom Whitaker, who single-handedly set up the Madras Snake Park and Madras Crocodile Bank, has several stories to share about the challenges in setting them up, but that is not all – several stories of his encounters with the King Cobra and how he survived several snake bites, while seeking out new species of snakes and how the early days  of snake hunting with the Irula tribals for the Haffkine Institute for developing the snake venom anti-dote and the perils of living in a jungle as they find their dog falling prey to a leopard and several such experiences – both the pleasures and perils of living in the jungle!

Did you know that Crocodiles can be trained like dogs?  One of them learnt upto 12 commands!  Can you tell a Russel Viper from an Asian Pit Viper?  Or that monkeys are the most dreaded animals if you had been making a living on farming?   You will find hundreds of such gems of truths revealed in this book narrated in a matter-of-fact manner – no ‘save-our-animals’ pitch or ‘down-with-civilisation’ rants in these stories – just pure predators and preys and how they switch roles for the larger good of nature’s ways to keep our planet going as it always did!

Do read this amazing collection of columns from which one can learn a lot about life in a jungle – the closest you can get to Mother Nature.  I loved reading this book immensely!  

Thanks, Westland for gifting this book to me – that too, just for asking some questions in a Westland Chat event on Twitter!

Follow me on Twitter @gopinathmm  Do look out for Westland Chats with Twitter Hashtag  #Westlandchat (and for amazing gifts offers! :)

Rating 5/5                                               

BMC's Heartless Apathy!

When I read this Cover story report featured in the Mumbai Mirror on Monday 25^th March 2013, I was shocked at the heartless apathy of the municipal body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), that runs KEM hospital.  Municipal and Government run hospitals are institutions to which the masses turn to for “affordable” healthcare services.   The inverted commas that I have used when I keyed in the word “affordable” can be understood better when you read the report – of some who had to sell their jewellery to raise the amount of Rs. 60000/- to pay as deposit to have their child logged into a long queue for an open heart surgery!  Read the complete report here

My blood boiled as I read THIS:

 “In the two years since it applied for the tender, Sorin had moved on to making more advanced machines. Production of the older, less sophisticated, machine that the BMC had ordered had been suspended. Sorin was willing to give the latest machine without charging a penny more. But the stubborn mandarins of BMC would have none of it.”

What would you call this decision of BMC?  To refuse a more sophisticated machine at the price of the older version?  Stupidity or Foolhardiness?  Or any of the synonyms that one gets when you right-click on these words?  Or would we need a new word for this?  I am at a loss to understand this stance of the hospital, although I am sure they would have a reason for such stupidity, one never knows!  BMC ought to explain this to us laypersons who don’t understand their wisdom in refusing a more sophisticated equipment when they could darn well have surgically treated the hundreds of children in the waitlist for their heart condition and saved precious lives! Over to you, BMC, do tell us, you owe us an explanation!

Ms. Lata Mishra of the Mumbai Mirror needs to be lauded for her commendable report, which brought to fore the malaise afflicting the administrative functionaries of the civic hospital in the “Maximum City”, namely, “Maximum red tape”.  A killer malaise, as it proved to be.  Kudos to her and the publication!  But what beats me is how come such an acute problem was not highlighted at all and went unnoticed?  Have we become a society that does not sense the pain of masses that continued to bear it all as silent sufferers?  I understand there are millions of NGOs registered in our country.  Atleast a few hundred must be health-related NGOs?  What were the regional political parties that contest municipal elections doing all these while? One is truly baffled at the heights – or is it depths of public apathy!

The report did shake several folks into action - The High Court, for instance demanded the BMC for an explanation.  Dr. Devi Shetty the eminent cardiologist with a heart came forth with a plan to operate on the children at his Narayana Hrudayala,  a well-equipped paediatric cardiac surgery facility  at Bengaluru – at no extra cost!  Read this report here.

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/15/2013032620130326053113465f06facf/Ray-0f-hope.html

I am sure more Cardiologists in Mumbai and other parts of the country and NGOs will soon press into action - rise to the occasion to help to save the lives of the poor children in the waitlist, the future citizens of our country!  I shudder to think if there are more such waitlists elsewhere in our country, that have yet to be uncovered by the media and wonder what would’ve been the fate of these unfortunate angels registered in KEM hospital, had the facts not been reported by them!

I do hope all agencies come together and put a date by which they are committed to clear up this waitlist at once!  I am sure the funds and resources will come by if there is a coordinated effort and the determination to tackle this problem right away.