How Sonia Gandhi Bought History...

Figure this

• The recently opened Bandra Worli Sea link has been renamed Rajiv Gandhi Setu


• The technology park at Chandigarh has been named after Rajiv Gandhi


• The newly opened IIM ,Shillong has been named Rajiv Gandhi IIM (none of other IIT/IIM's have been named after any other Indian dignitary)


• IIT kharagpur named its new school of intellectual proprietary law school as Rajiv Gandhi School Of Intellectual proprietary law


• More than 2 decades after the sensational reveleation of corruption in Rajiv's Cabinet the UPA govt gave a clean chit to Bofors CEO quatraochi


• There seems to be a hidden agenda at the south block to name every big thing coming up in India after the damned prime minister

Over the past 60 years of existence of Indian State,more than two thirds of the time the controlling power in India has belonged to the Nehru-Gandhi family.It was Nehru,Indira and Rajiv in the past and Sonia today.While the Nehru Gandhi failed to achieve anything sunstantial for the Indian people,over the years the dynastic control over the Indian state has led to many attempts to glorify the past.So while it was traditional during Indira's time to have institutions ,schemes and blah blah named after Nehru,Rajiv and Sanjay made a desperate attempt to glorify Indira,despite the fact that most people attribute Indira to be responsible for killing the ethos of Indian democracy,strengthening family rule and introducing suitcase politics in India.Fast forward 2009 and the current UPA govt ,puppet controlled by her higness Smt Sonia Gandhi seems to be all set to make an icon out of Rajiv. For one thing ,Indian public has a short memory,so stupid as these plans might sound they may infact work.So with Sonia having threads of all puppet ministers in her hands ,she seems to be all set to buy history for her dead husband and make him an icon responsible for the Indian growth story and technological transformation.

To bring out my argument ,let me pen down a bit of history.Rajiv GAndhi became teh prime minister of India when his dead mothers doffer won Congress the largest majority ever in Indian parliament.Congress won 411 seats in the Lok Sabha,meaning it had absolute power to introduce reforms and all changes that India so much needed.India was growing at the hindu rate of lowly 3-4% ,had a huge foreign excahnge deflicit and the economy was in complete shambles.There was geowing pressure from the World Bank and other foreign institutions to liberalise Indian economy,failing which India would face decreased aid and credit facilities.In this background when Rajiv became the prime minister with the image of Mr clean much was expected of him by the new junta.However it did not take him long to prove his worthlesness.Ministers were changed with ferocious velocity,top beuraucrats were the ones who were the top "chamchas" and reforms were undertaken with a half heart under tremendous pressure.As one of the beuraucrat quips under annonymity "Rajiv was very strict in mantaining distance with officers...".While the Rajiv Gandhi government functioned as usual,the outside clean image was broken when the then minister Mr VP Singh revealed how briefcase politics had become a core competence of the governmnet.Subsequently Rajivs name figured prominantly in the Bofors scam.Also significant wqas the Shah Bano case when Rajiv introduced a bill in parliament to reverse SC judgment allowing a muslim lady alimony on divorce.This was in regular congress tradition of Muslim appeasment to form a strong votebank.During Rajivs term as PM,the Indian rupee devalued from Rs12-Rs17 per dollar,the trade deflicit widened,governemnt became more inefficient.His tenure is best described in words of neutral UCLA SSC website

"Rajiv appears to have been singularly lacking in intellectual attainments, and his interventions in Parliamentary debates were notoriously prosaic and dull. His years in office cannot be described as having contributed in any healthy way to the political life of the nation"

While Rajiv's contribution ,and infact that of whole Nehru Gandhi family is debatable ,what puzzles one more is the fact that is our country so poor that we have to resort to Rajiv's name to name anything big coming up in our country.Perhaps the government views the contribution of Swaminathan-the father of Indian Green Revolution or Abdul Kalam or Ratan Tata as insignificant in front of those of Rajiv.(certainly they were significant,they didnt sell their souls,or killed democracy,or created fooled foreign policies).Clearly the South Block seems to be compromising the democratic ethos which our forefathers envisioned for us while writing the Indian Constitution.

Thus while Mrs Gandhi has a very direct relation to creation of the "rajiv" icon,in terms of personal satisfaction and future political career of Rahul Gandhi.Perhaps by making "Rajiv Gandhi" as the next "Sher Shah Suri" or "Akbar" of India Mrs gandhi not only wants to make the contribution of her family to the Indian context significant but also secure the future political career of the Gandhi Scion and her son Rahul.What better way to launch Rahul into prime-ministership than on the backdrop of Indian growth story so well "attributed" to his father Rajiv Gandhi.The Congress on the other hand seems to steadfastly support the move as it offers all gandhi chamchas an opputunity to appease "madam" and move up the heirchy..maybe a ministeral berth for all congressmen hav forgotten to even dream of being the PM one day.And what about the institutions ,that seem to accept the names with min of revolt,laying down the culminated brand value over the years.Well the feelings are best described in words of one HRD official "Sahab naam mein kya rakha hya..its easy to get fundings ones one attatches Rajivs name to the scheme"

So with Mrs Gandhi all set to re write history and name every major street,educational institution and achievment of the country after her husband..one million dollar question remains,"Will she succeed".Well in ancient India ,the kings and queens appointed biographers to write and glorify their era but yet history views them as they are supposed to be viewd.So Mrs Gandhi maybe you can buy some time,maybe a gnereal election but eventually you cant really imortalise someone who doesnt deserve to be.

The Political Sinner: 10 Similarities between MARKETS and GIRLS

The Political Sinner: 10 Similarities between MARKETS and GIRLS

10 Similarities between MARKETS and GIRLS

The previous few posts have been rather heavy and if I continue that way probably I would lose even the few faithful followers of my otherwise moronic blog :)..So just for gigs I created this post.Aall the meanings in this post are completely unintended and are just meant as an entertainer.
So here are the 10 similarities between girls and markets..the things most chased by all men

1)Both are unpredictable.You invested your life's savings when you were 100% sure markets would go up..the result you are penniless today.Just when you thought the girl liked you..she slapped you on your face and ran away with your best friend


2)Both rate high on sensitivity index.The Dow falls when Greenspan gets a cold,your gf starts crying when you forget where you first met.

3)Nobody figured out how both these things work.AIG and Lehman became bankrupt trying to figure out how derivatives worked...so many men have been slain in thieir quest to understand the FAIRER sex.


4)Both are influenced by hundreds of factors.The markets are affected by anything and everything.Try taking out a girl to buy out a pair of jeans and you will understand what I mean


5)Both are driven by emotions.Oil peaked this year when the supply was highest,she left me when I was at the altar

6)Both would make your blood pressure rise in the longer term.If you are not a girl theres no need for any explanation


7)Patience is the key for success in both markets and girls.Try being impatient and you'll be out of the markets in a few days and your girl will leave you in a few hours


8)Both can be interpreted in a million ways.A pause near the resistance zone is seen as a top by one analyst and consolidation by another.Her yes is seen as "no" by one boy and "yes" by another :)

9)Both have their own dark secrets-thousands of them.Insider trading and stock markets rule the roost in markets.Try asking the girl what she just talked about to her friend ...or your gf might know about your past,do you know about hers

AND THIS IS THE BEST


10)Both will leave you when you are broke.Market doesnt give you a chance to bet without money.Remember the girl who liked you but left you for that Harvard grad :)

REACTIONS BAR

Hi All
To all those returning readers I would like to thank you all for bearing with my long and oft boring posts :).To new readers I can only wish you luck for what is to follow.Beginning today 8th Dec,2009 I have activated the reactions toolbar.So whatever you feel about the posts ,please use the reaction checkbox at the bottom of each post to express your emotions.Annonymous comments are enabled :)..hoping to hear from all of you...feedback is the most imp too of improvement
Happy Blogging

Do Away with the IAS Exam

Yesterday evening,I had a chance to talk to my friends grandfather who served in The Indian Army during the Second World War.Our conversation drifted from one topic to another, until like most "argumentative Indians" ,we were discussing politics.And what followed was pure shock and disbelief,as twining his left mustache the old soul said "Beta jin logo ne angrezo ka zamana dekha hya ,woh aaj ka deskh dekh kar udas hote hya " ( those who have seen the British India,are just saddened at the plight of current Independent India")As I drove back home on thea cold December night,I thought about what the old man had just told me and eventually found him quite correct.
Independent India under the shroud of so called "democracy" ,is actually a nation of power hungry veterans,its a land where misuse is a rule rather than an exception.Its a jungle rule out here..."Survival Of The Fittest",...where your fitness is determined by your networking with the netas and babus.If we do a deep analysis ,none would be more responsible for the current crisis than the so called exclusive Indian IAS Officers.
The Indian Civil Services were started by the Britishers to select people from the Indo British Empire who could effectively implement policies framed in a foreign land.Over the years ,as with most Indian laws India adapted the system completely without realizing the need for changes that a dynamically changing democratic country like ours required.In addition the Indian Government over the years did away with various checks that the Britishers had put on their Civil officers to control the misuse of power,something that is so inherent in nature of all Indians.
Over the years ICS has been transformed to the IAS,the "bada sahib" and the "collector sahab" has transformed to "Indian Babu" and the motly "Ambassdors" of yester years have given to suave "lancers" but the "RED LIGHT" still lingers on .Despite the increasing temptations and ever increasing challenges that CIVIL SERVANTS have to face everyday the UPSC has changed little in the selection process of the top civil servants of the country.No wonder the UPSC and IAS Exam have failed the country.For every Sandhya Jain of RTI fame ,we have 100 corrupt Goswamis.With such a high faliure rate,clearly the process of filtering the candidates to top posts in India ,needs a major revamp.
Before I go on to out rightly criticizing the current selection process,let me analyze the principal requirements that an IAS officer must be endowed in today's challenging work environment.
1)High analytical skills and ability to come up with practical innovative solutions to meet challenging needs of Indian Sub Continent (rather than blindly copying standard western solutions)
2)Ability to keep an integrative moral and ethical standard under high performance and political pressures
3)Advanced knowledge of the particular field in which the IAS officer is supposed to deliver solutions
4)Ability to identify and respect the ground realities of Indian people and various supporting staff whose services are required to implement a particular solution
5)Ability to differentiate between social and commercial achievements of a particular task
6)Ability to implement a challenging solution while working in cross functional teams with people from different cultural backgrounds and people of different educational levels

The current IAS selection process is a three staged one.Beginning with a multiple choice preliminary paper which tests candidates on general studies and an optional subject (where most candidates take high scoring papers like psychology etc )followed by a main exam which tests candidates on two languages,a General studies paper and optional papers.The candidates who qualify the main exam then have to attend one interview.The candidates qualifying interview are allocated to various Civil Services on basis of combined scores of Main exam and Interview

A little thought on the above process and we can easily conclude that the process fails to test candidates on almost all of the above counts.While their is no stage (except a short interview) where candidates are tested on their analytical ability,what is worse is that candidates are tested on parameters which are useless.What is the need of testing candidates on optional subjects like psychology ,mathematics or history.I fail to see any significant role being played by knowledge of these subjects in performance of duties expected of a civil servant.Whats worse ,UPSC is known not even use the simple process of normalization while comparing performance in different optional subjects.(Is UPSC headed by fools or what..normalization is the basic of stats)To prove my point..would administrators like Sardar vallabh Bhai Patel or ancient strategists like Chanakya have been able it to make IAS .If not ,your system is flawed and needs to be revamped.Most aspirants point out that the flaws of written exam is made out by a rigorous final interview ,which is conducted by the who's who of modern India.I beg to differ on this.One interview can never successfully test candidate on multiple and challenging parameters on which a candidate is expected to deliever.Moreover IAS interviews are notorious to being conducted on the whims and fancies of panelists rather than a scientific selection procedure.Moreover most of the times the focus is more on testing the candidate on his knowledge rather than his approach to a problem,his creativity,his analytical ability and his moral integrity.
Most of the Western Counteries including our beloved UK ,that gifted us the Civil Examination system have done away with similar systems of selecting their civil servants.Among othe flaws already discussed above,the present system fails to allocate and use specialized knowledge of the candidates to specific domains.For eg a doctor can be made head of civil engineering dept and vice verse and then shifted to public reforms after a year.Most Western Countries now follow a competitive direct recruitment or Campus recruitment process.What do you think would be better recruiting IIT/IIM grads for running specific departments or babus selected from an old cracking system,the whole world has left behind.The top MNC's of the world recruit direct talent from our campuses and are certainly much more efficient than the "babu" system.So why is the government so shy to offering direct opportunities to our IIT/IIM grads who would love working with government but not waste few years of their lives preparing for a useless exam
So we need a revamp and we need it quick .Heres what I think should be done with the current system:
1)The openings at IAS level be filled in two ways and a specific ratio be mantained to the way in the use of following ways:
a)direct recruitment from premier Indian Campuses like IIT's,IIM,s,NIT and other premier universities (Planning Commission has already started recruiting from IIm's and IIt's)
b)The openings be filled by promotion of high caliber people already present in specific departments
2)Institute high growth accelerated programs for making the IAS service attractive.Establish quantitive performance matrices which be used for pay hikes,payment of variable pay and promotions through out the careers.Abolish the phenomena time bound promotions.In addition any IAS officers who fails to deli ever below a set standard be asked to leave the service
3)Recruitment be done as per requirements in specific departments.This MBA's be hired for heading administrative positions in districts while doctors be hired for administration in helathcare etc
4)A specific recruitment programme with tests on analytical ability,problem solving and psychometric be established to give chance to those candidate who are not studying in premier universities but have ability to deliver
5)A specific ratio be maintained for candidates selected through campuses and recruitment programmes

The above reforms might sound daring to some and foolish to others but they are really a need of the hour.In a competitive world which India hopes to dominate in near future if our "babus" continue to lurks in howlish circles of corruption ,greed and misuse of power,I have only one thing to say "GOD SAVE MY COUNTRY"..WAKE UP UPSC..perhaps somebody is listening

CAT 2009:the Farce Part2

CAT :anothe farce by IIM's Part 1 (http://thepoliticalsinner.blogspot.com/2009/07/online-catanother-farce-by-iims.html)

Nothing would give you more delight than seeing what you had predicted months ago turn into reality.But on this particular occasion when I see how CAT 2009 has really become a farce, a more useless exam than ever before ,I am saddend and wish things would have been different.Infact I am mortified,petrified,terrified by you-IIM's
Ok so CAT'09 is a farce.The reasons-I wont really waste time discussing them all.If you are really interested then google CAT 09 and view the first few posts on PAGALGUY (the beloved PG :) ) or any of the n forums we have on CAT in India.In a nutshell things as mundane and managable like technical glitches to statistical difficult tasks like mantaining same difficulty level across different exam slots have bothered the 200,000 plus candidates writing the CAT exam this year.
Now we are middle of a deep s**t and the stakes are high.Even if we assume the misgiving of prometric and IIM's have affected just 5% (I really doubt that no. though) of the total candidates,we would still be playing with careers of about 10,000 candidates across India---certainly not a small no.
So what should be done at this point of time?Many people are calling for a revert to the old pencil and paper CAT.while this is an easy option ,but moving back to the old pencil and paper CAT would rob it of the 100 improvements that IIM's could have done with the online version--ranging from making the test adaptive to doing psychometric analysis of the candidate as he takes the exam.In my view ordering an immediate re test or a revert back to the old system would be like taking one step forward and two steps backward.So here's what I think should be done to get out of this deep worm smelling s**t:

1)Allow the exam to be conducted and completed in the smoothest possible manner,ensuring all those who couldnt write the test get an oppurtunity to write the test again
2)After the test has been completed the IIM CAT committe should do a one way ANOVA analysis between the test slots and the CAT scores (the IIM CAT committee can decide to give lower weightage to questions which were repeated between slots and were easy )
3)The ANOVA results should be evaluated at 99.999% confidence interval to determine if their is a statistically significant difference between scores obtained by candidates in various slots
4)If a significant difference is seen in any of the slots then a DU PONT analysis should be done to ascertain the reason of the difference.The differencs that would concern the IIM CAT committe and candidates writing the test are :
a)Significant difference in aptitude level of candidates across the slots
b)Difference in the difficulty levels of the exam paper between any two slots
c)Avaliabilty of advanced information which helped candidates in a particular slot score more than candidates in other slots

THe DU PONT analysis can be conducted by number crunching the contribution of repeated questions across various slots.If the ANOVA analysis of scores obtained on repeated questions show no significant differences then (A) as the reason of difference can be rules out
If the tests were of similar difficulty level and candidates had same aptitude level then statistically contribution of difficult and easy questions in scores should be the same.This can again be determined by ANOVA,Z or chi distribution test of the score populations of diff and easy questions in different test slots
If the above is alos negative ,it would mean ( c) is the reason for diff in scores

5)If a is the reason then we can compare plain scores for giving out the initial shortlists
If b is the reason then normalization of scores would make the process fair
If c is the reason then,even at 99.999% confidence level we need to call for a RE TEST
While the statistical soln would not look applealing to many and be seen as complete moronic bull shit by others,I am of the view the methods are reliable to be used here.Alternatively IIMs might significantly increase the no. of initial shortlists.
Whatever it took one CAT to put IIM's at top of the world and it would take one CAT to put them back on Earth
Happy Blogging