THE ONLOOKER

Days are changing fast; the pace seems sometime out of many's reaches. Specially the functioning of some of government's organizations have gone under a sea-change. Though it may not be evident sometime to public. Not all the changes are healthy though most of them are likely to be. Don't you find the change in the working style of our nationalized banks? They are trying to match with their private or foreign peers. But what is unique about it, in private or foreign banks you mostly find the young and energetic staffs (though mostly outsourced) are manning the counters; on the contrary in our nationalized banks, the gray haired, aged, sometime with trembling hands are put behind the counter to cater the services. The customers expectations are also running high, so with the younger management staffs of the same banks. So, between demanding customers and inexperienced, young management staffs, the workmen of our nationalized banks are reeling. Unions,once omnipotent in the i...

The task of new government in India right now, to meet the expectations of the public. In a country where once a PM told that only 10 per cent of the funds allocated by government for development of public projects really reaches to the public or purpose. Late Rajiv Gandhi, was the PM and he belong to the party which rules now with almost absolute majority. His widow Mrs Sonia Gandhi is the President of the ruling Congress party, can she lead the party, the government to meet the goals it promised before poll. In Indian democracy, with its unique structure and arrangement, gives freedom to a Cheif Minister of State to spend exchequer's money for putting up her statues all over the states! Unthinkable in any democracy of the world; but here it is a happening thing!So there are many such incidents taking place all over the land of hungry millions; who cares! Let us see what budget offers/

Indian economy is following the global trend of recession despite of assurances from several quarters that Indian economy would not be hurt. All around slump in demand is perceptible. The first heat of global recession was received in stock market and that followed by demand slump in industrial sectors. The infrastructure, realty, transport and all basic industries linked to them are facing recessionary trend. Thank god! in India " election " and " politics " are also considered most dividend paying industries. Though former being actually the industrial fair and the later remains a matter of industry in true sense. So, in short run Indian Inc. is bullish about speculative market betting on election results. If you invest wisely (FIIs welcome), you can reap rich dividends in short run.

Satyam is a national shame! The recent submission by their promoter and Chairman Mr Raju of the frauds he committed to the tune to Rs 7800 crore has tarnished the image of India Inc. But it is not limited to that alone, it has taken a huge toll in the confidence of investors and public in general. What is it? How come a corporate house, regularly being audited can cheat the public, their clients, the global market as a whole? Does it mean that a single man can take still the gullible public in general for a ride, if he is influential or moneyed! The name of PWC or Price Water Coopers, their auditors who has been auditing them for years, has been indicted. Well that is also a corporate house, how about the Government agencies; say the income tax, the service tax, the sells tax authorities? Have they been sleeping. Styam has shown inflated profit, inflated sells; they must have accrued inflated tax liabilities, why not that has been checked? Will our Government answer?

A recent news attracted my attention regarding piracy off the Somalian Coast. In fact, off late there were lot of furor over sea piracy by Somalian pirates and world community taking cognizance of the alarming situation have stared patrolling the Somalian coast to safeguard their cargo ships, what are usually the pirate's targets. But the latest news from "The Independent" suggests that Somalian marine life is devastated by European nuclear dumps carried out stealthy. Since 1991, there is no government in Somalia, this offered a free hands for the European countries to get rid of their nuclear waste by getting them dumped off the Somalian coast. This is cheap, merits no compensation and done by Italian mafias secretly. Initially thousand of lives have been lost in the coastal areas of Somalia due to nuclear contamination . The radiation from nuclear waste caused havoc damage to the human and marine life . Looting of sea fishes by European trawlers from the Somalian coas...

Readers, sorry for inconvenience! It is due to some technical draw back I needed to shift the article ' 1973 Oil Crisis' . please click HERE for " The Ramadan War and Oil crises" .

There has been a short break from blogging for me. The reason for this I have explained in my other blog BUGULE . In case you are interested you can have look there. What I gathered from this short break is the current hot selling topics in the web marketing while global recession is setting in. In US and other developing economies lot many people are considering going for insolvency for their unpaid loans. The avenues available for them better than bankruptcy is the point of hot discussions. Many individuals and agencies are entering into this business; with a license from the concerned authority they are acting as debt consultants. Even for the lenders they show the way; that where the recovery of their funds is remote possibility, there are alternatives available for them to get back some of their money at least. US housing scam deluged their own banking system, towing others too. The measures of bailing out the faltering banking and insurance majors, is appealingly temporary soluti...

The importency of Hormuz Strait is understandable in the following statement – practically the entire oil from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are transported through this. About two fifth of all globally traded oil are transported through it. About 80 per cent of all Japanese oil imports transit through it and the same is applicable for 12 per cent of total American oil imports & 25per cent of total Western European oil imports. A reliable estimate predicts that by 2020 the amount is likely to double than what is transported currently, i.e 35 million barrels per day. That will require about 30 tankers each day. Though the strait is 95 km wide, but only to two 3 km wide channels are available for navigation. Each used exclusively for inbound and outbound traffic. If the prediction comes anywhere near to reality then the traffic will be hazardous and extremely slow. Congestion and prolong delay will be a matter of fact. It may be difficult to h...

Do you have any idea what in the terminology of transport geography `CHOKEPOINTS’ are? Straights are called `Chokepoints’ because they limit the capacity of sea passage that cannot be easily bypassed. Two thirds of world`s oil production are transported by sea routes. This has been in continuance since 1878, when the first oil tanker began shipping oil in the Caspian sea. Ever since the world`s maritime tanker fleet has grown substantially to become a specialized segment of the maritime industry. Like seven wonders, seven seas, seven days; the seven `Chokepoints’ through which oil is transported play a very crucial role, maintaining the global oil demand- supply equation and obviously the price! The seven `Chokepoints’ or straights are, Hormuz, Malacca, Bab el-Mandab, Boshphorus, Gibraltar, Panama and Suez. While the last two are manmade, rest all are gifts of nature. The world`s most important chokepoint is the Strait of Hormuz. This is the most important sea passage from the Persia...

“DARJEELING”, the very name of this hill station in India reminds you the colonial days and tea. Because it was the British colonizers; who were constantly on look out for cooler places, obviously in India it uses to be in hills what would remind them their home. The temperature in tropical countries, particularly in summer months use to be unbearable for them for mercury touching anywhere between 35 to 44 degree Celsius! In India Shimla and Darjeeling earned their reputation for hosting the colonial administrators with their staffs with families during summer months for running colonial administration for years. Though with English rulers, gone are the colonial days and prestige of Darjeeling, but it still holds name in world for its tea. It still the producer of world number one flavored tea and sold at a price, unthinkable for we ordinary mortals! Off late, a new hue for Gorkhaland is raised time and again. It stared in the decades of 90s, lot of agitations, number of strikes call...

In a recent move, Indian human resource minister, Mr, Arjun Singh promulgated a fresh bill that reservation should apply to the member of faculty in all government educational institutions even in premium institutions like IITs or IIMs! Here the ruling parties’ president, being self form a European country advocates the applications of reservations in corporate or private jobs as well. The vehement opposition by different industry leaders on any such move and a threat to move out elsewhere, if they are forced to recruit substandard staffs; for time being it is sent to cold store. All the chambers of commerce declared in unison that Indian government should take care of backwards in macro level for improving their lots, instead of pushing and absorbing them in government organization and educational institution, resulting poor quality and demoralizing the deserving lots. This hampers all the way national interest. It is well known that such policy is not sustainable in national interest...

I remember in my school days, we were asked to write a passage justifying an adage or moral. One of them was “Public opinion is humbug”. This still holds good, when we watch the political developments around the world based on public opinion thrives despite of being wrong. Like US and its cartel`s invasion on Iraq, on the plea of elimination of WMD (weapon of mass destruction) and its creator. After all democracy is “government of the people, by the people , for the people”, so all actions taken by government are supported by the majority . Now the term “majority” is critical. Different country adopted different terms for judging the opinion of major portion of mass. Even in most advanced democracy like France, till recent years women had not voting rights! Just think where they constituted no less than 50 per cent of total population, and during French revolution they took part along with their male counterparts. This gender bias plays its role elsewhere too. However, while justif...

I believe that the seed of communism was planted in the field of capitalism. With the advent of communism, in came few terms in our vocabulary and we were so used to them. Words like neo-rich, reactionary, proletariat, bourgeoise were circulated in 50s and 60s and gained momentum in 70s of last century. However gone are the days of Soviet Union, China; the communist citadel, Cuba and North Korea are in doldrums, it appears that socialistic (!) capitalism is the new mantra for survival in the era of globalization. Here again Russia, China, Brazil, India have taken the leads, former two are from communist bloc with capitalist outlook. Those of us born after World War II, have witnessed the rise and fall of communism are confused lots. We sometime fail to differentiate communism from capitalism. The former open offers the scopes to get rich, the later offers the same only to few, the party strongmen or henchmen. However after Second World War the countries like West German and Japan far e...

• Have you ever thought of that what exactly satisfaction is? Most of us are apt to think when you do not have anything to ask for, we are satisfied. Is it true? No! Never so; reason being that at that point of time you did not have urge for anything since you’re the then needs are met. But you have the yearnings; may be for years or decades! Satisfaction is a feeling that offers a sort of fullness mostly physically for time being. In fact you are satisfied truly when you want something and you get that. Not that after full course of lunch you are offered something what you might have not needed, you are served, you take it to oblige your host, and feel satisfied. Satisfaction is that what you get when you want the same.

Recently ended G8 summit and India`s move a step forward towards nuke deal; has raised lot of hues in media locally and internationally. Indian growth story, despite of it`s current depression due to uncontrollable inflationary pressure, is gaining popularity. Political mileage is being extracted to maximum extent by the ruling parties and its allies. Though; the leftist have withdrawn their support, portraying a bleak outcome of the deal in future, for imaginary reasons, best understood by them. The Government seems to be unperturbed. For the common men, especially the educated urban people, the inflation and the nuke deal both are important but the former merits immediate attention. The crude price is making record every passing day, breaking the previous high with no sign of respite, makes it impossible for India or any other developing nation to rein inflation. Indian growth story is passing, albeit hopefully for short period, though a bad time. But is the growth story consistent...

Here goes a story which has reference to Indian history during Mughal dynasty. Note, "Kulcha" .. is a hand made loaf, baked in manner to last for days and used to have tasty condiments within its thick and soft platter. This is not exactly a "funny" story. Nevertheless, it makes interesting reading because of a possible supernatural element in it. Perhaps this could be categorised under, "strange facts", but I am posting it here instead of starting a different thread for that. Before going out on an expedition to the Deccan, Mir Qamaruddin Khan, (a subehdar under Aurangzeb), visited the the sufi saint Nizam-ud-din Aulia to seek his blessings. The saint gave him "kulchas" to eat, and carry with him on his long journey to the south. When the subehdar was leaving Delhi, Hazrat Nizam-ud-din asked him whether he had eaten any of the kulchas given to him. Qamaruddin replied that he had in fact eaten seven of them and packed the rest for the journey. Pl...

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon. What a downer!!!! It was not at all about ummm u know what! It was all about the booze!!!