Season's Greetings

Let 2007 bring happiness to you all.

Dear Reader,

It's time to thank you for patronizing my blog.
Whatever it is today is because of your unstinted support.

I'll take a break this week.
Do expect to see KolkataMusing again from Monday, Jan 8 (perhaps earlier)
- with all flavors intact.

Till then, good bye.
And yes, do enjoy the dawn of new year.
Thank you.

Milestone 2006

In early 1990s, when Narasimha Rao led government embarked upon liberating Indian economy from the shackles of outdated regulations, the wave did not touch the ‘shores’ of West Bengal. While other states leapfrogged in taking advantage of newfound liberal industrial climate, West Bengal stagnated and refused to come out of the age-old dogma that believed everything that adored capital was bad.

Events have proved what a self-destructive step that was. Thus even as much of India marched ahead at furious pace with new industries, West Bengal remained deafeningly aloof and the state’s ruling class continued to be staunchly mired in the cesspool of negativity.

Things at last started turning for better after it dawned on the left-front government in the state that after all industry is not bad for the people. It took them awhile to ultimately recognize that there’s simply no alternative to big-ticket investments and that investments need congenial climate to sow and grow.

In a way, 2006 is the year when at long last capital is being viewed with admiration and invited with open arms. This has received a boost after the recent elections saw the ruling front romping home with landslide majority on the plank of industrial development.

Looking at it objectively, the situation in Bengal today is unprecedented. From virtually negligible investment to an avalanche of that, Bengal is experiencing a unique transition.

This is happening because while Bengal hasn’t seen much investment in the last 2 decades and more, the country as a whole has in the meantime progressed by leaps and bounds, so much so that a double-digit GDP growth is now a reality.

In my opinion therefore, the landslide re-election of the present government is the most important milestone for the state in 2006. If the state’s overall economy does stage a turnaround in the time to come, then this electoral victory will undoubtedly go down as an important event in Bengal’s history.

On the eve of a new year, let us all hope for a golden future for West Bengal. Time is upon us to join hands and work together to welcome a new dawn. Let’s not falter yet again.

CAS to rule in 2 days

Despite large ads in newspapers, not many people have so far rushed to opt for pay channels (me included). The reason is perhaps we want to actually see what it means without a set-top box. Not that it affects everybody.

Those who are happy with just the daily quota of freshly baked news (like me) need not worry much. For, almost all news channels are what is termed free-to-air channels. And that includes Star Ananda (my favorite), Star News, Times Now, and of course the Doordarshan bouquet.

It’s still not known if NDTV 24x7 and NDTV Profit too are free. If not, I’ll be a bit unhappy because I see both and I like them. The other channels I like are BBC and NatGeo (National Geographic), but then they definitely are pay channels. Never mind, I’ll gradually get used without them, albeit may be temporarily.

Why temporarily? Because I’m not yet sure what is good for me. Is it CAS or DTH (see my post, DTH versus CAS)? Now even as Tata Sky is leaving no stone unturned to tell us its many virtues, I’m still sunk in indecision.

Perhaps the only way we the Indians prefer to learn is from others’ experience. Am I skeptical? May be, but then instead of being an early bird, who knows it’ll turn out that he who waits is more wiser.

Indian Railway’s golden future

He doesn't hide his ambition of becoming PM [Picture source]

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s fame has taken a new turn. He is no longer known as the torchbearer of a lawless Bihar, he is now recognized as the main architect of Indian Railway’s dramatic turnaround. Accolades from within country have been pouring in for quite awhile, what with his addressing students and faculty alike at the IIM, Ahmedabad some time back.

And now students from premier US institutes, Harvard and Wharton Business Schools, have come all the way to hear Lalu Yadav on Dec 27 on the success of Indian Railways. Their coming happened only after the professors of the elite business schools came earlier and satisfied themselves about the veracity of the turnaround story.

The episode speaks volumes about what a capable person can do when there’s no meddling from outside in what he’s trying to do. One suspects Lalu Yadav himself didn’t imagine that Railway would indeed achieve the impossible. However, in spite of negative perceptions, he went about his job ensuring primarily that the monolith gets full value for its resources put to use.

And yes he did make sure that the people at the helm of Indian Railway have the liberty to take and implement decisions without undue interference. He didn’t let prejudices and lofty advices from self-acclaimed economists judge the events unlike his predecessors, achieving in the process what was hitherto considered unthinkable.

Now that the weight of expectation is hanging heavy on his shoulders, Lalu Yadav is proceeding on other fronts as well. IRCTC’s (Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation) recent innovative ventures are an example (see my post, Visit India, courtesy IRCTC)

IRCTC owns Rail Yatri Niwas at almost every major station, but none have so far spinned good amount of money due to lackadaisical attitude on the part of Railway. Now they’re being hived off for private management even as the ownership stays with the Railway.

Thus, while 36-room Rail Yatri Niwas at Howrah is to be managed by Vizag-based Meghalaya Hotels Private Ltd, the 90-room Delhi Yatri Niwas is being handed over to none other than Indian Hotels Company Ltd of the famous Taj group. The private companies will not only inject their fund to run them, but will also give license fees and share profits with IRCTC (refer report in ET, Kolkata, Dec 29).

But there is more in the offing for the Railway. Come next year, Indian Railway is set to allow private container train operators on their tracks. This is expected to boost Railway’s income manifold in view of booming Indian economy. And once the dedicated freight corridors come into being, there will be no stopping the Railways.

All this apart from the fact that the Railway hasn’t yet unlocked its another treasure, which is the highly-valued huge land bank it has through the length and breadth of the country. Add them up and it’s not difficult to see that for Indian Railway the golden peak isn’t something inaccessible.

It can very well be within grasp in not-so-distant future. All the best wishes to Indian Railway and its charismatic chief, Lalu Prasad Yadav.


Technorati Tags: indian railway, railway, lalu prasad yadav, lalu yadav, india, indian

Mamata's fast ends

To everyone's obvious relief Didi has ultimately called off her fast today a little after midnight. This was her 25th day of fasting, and now as she is admitted in a nursing home, all are hoping that she soon recovers. [Picture source]

Predictably, political analyses have started in right earnest as to whether her fast can bring her tangible results in foreseeable future.

Whatever that happens on account of her sacrifice, ordinary people like me only have some simple hopes for consideration of Bengal's political class:

• Let agitational politics like bandhs and abarodhs be resorted to only in extreme cases, when there is public support too. For example, there was spontaneous outpouring of grief in many places when Indira Gandhi was assassinated in October, 1984.
  
  
• Let Bengal's industrial revival be not obstructed at any cost. I've seen on TV many opposition leaders arguing that the LF government hasn't done 'anything' for industry in the past 30 years.
  
  While that without doubt is true to a large extent, let it not be the reason why the opposition must now stop industrialization in Bengal, that too at a time when things are really looking good.

On that note, let's begin the new year looking forward to a Bengal with all its glory long overdue. And let's again fervently wish that Didi becomes well soon.

Technorati Tags: mamata banerjee, mamata, singur, kolkata, calcutta, west bengal, bengal

Ratan Tata on Singur

Today’s headlines scream Ratan Tata’s comments to Barkha Dutt in an NDTV interview that was partially telecast yesterday afternoon on NDTV Profit. I’ve seen that and I’ve also read what the main newspapers have to say this morning. [Picture source at right].

Opposition leaders in Bengal threaten to sue Tata for defamation for saying that his company’s business rivals are fueling the Singur controversy. Here is what he said (excerpted from today’s The Telegraph, Kolkata edition):

Let me just say it is not just political, because I happen to know that some of our competitors are also fuelling some of this fire, which they would be very happy if the project got delayed.

If, going by the main opposition’s charge, he said his business rivals are ‘sponsoring’ their agitation against Singur plant (though clearly Tata didn’t say that), let’s see what is happening on ground.

It is easy to conclude from newspaper and TV reports that there is a heterogeneous mass of protesters at the dharna manch where the opposition leader is on indefinite fast. From ultra-left to ultra-right, they all are there. Even Medha Patkar had to run in occasionally to lend her support (not to dharna manch though).

When disparate groups meet for something, there is a cause for suspicion. Because, even though the immediate plan here is to scuttle Tata’s Singur plant, each has its own long-term agenda. They’ve met together since on their own none has enough mass support to carry on its ‘struggle’.

It’s here that Ratan Tata’s remark assumes significance. Since a motley group with individual interests has congregated on Singur issue, who knows if one or two elements in them are actually playing a proxy game!

Supposing that is so, what is noteworthy is that despite an emotional agitation for more than 3 weeks interspersed with bandhs and rasta-rokos, there is virtually no groundswell of support for them. This is so glaring that this must be telling on those who are taking part in the agitation.

I’ve a strange feeling that the opposition leader’s indefinite fast is in fact her way of atonement for the unprecedented shameful vandalism her colleagues unleashed at the Assembly House not long back in her presence (see my post, SHAME).

This then is the truth on ground. In spite of massive inverse publicity on Singur issue, people in Bengal have remained steadfast in their belief that perhaps the car plant at Singur and more such plants are an absolute must for the state’s industrial revival. This is precisely the reason why Ratan Tata made these ‘famous’ remarks (excerpted from today’s HT, Kolkata edition):

If I believe that we were doing something wrong, then I will be the first one to pull out. If I believe that this is being manipulated and turned around to meet some specious cause, then I think, what I would do is to dig my heels in. I am unfortunately a person that has often said, you put a gun to my head and pull the trigger or take the gun away, I won’t move my head.

There is no doubt that such powerful comments can indeed come from a person of the stature of Ratan Tata, a man of eminence, who is a Padma Bhushan having received the honor on 50th Republic Day in the year 2000.

Today he turns 69. It’s my privilege to wish him happy birthday. For him here’s a slightly altered Douglas McArthur quote:

Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up hope wrinkles the soul.

Related reading:

• Ratan Tata's interview by Rajiv Dubey on the future of Indian Manufacturing.
• Arundhati Roy and Singur
• Bengal's Singur

Technorati Tags: ratan tata, tata, singur, kolkata, calcutta, west bengal, bengal

Kolkata of 30s

I happened to come across these pictures of this great city as it was in 1930s in this website. The images are a treasure too good to miss and I'm happy to have them here.

The pictures seem to belong to MeriFiles as the respective links will show, though it's possible they actually belong to some other entity. Be that as it may, my thanks goes to whoever that actually owns the pictures.


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Race of wings

This X-mas, while people came out in hordes to make most of their day out, including peeping in at the scene of didi’s indefinite fast at Esplanade East if that fell on the way, a congregation for a different sort of enjoyment happened in a field off EM Bypass.

It was the annual South Kolkata Pigeon Flying Contest, organized by Dakshin Kolkata Payra Premik Association. Thousands of enthusiasts turned up at the venue, and over a hundred pigeon trainers from city’s south and southern fringes participated at the contest.

The rule of the competition is simple. Once set free from the cages at the sound of whistle at the venue, the pigeons have to return to respective homes. The owner who has the maximum number of birds returning to him in the shortest possible time is declared the winner.

In Bengal’s pre-independence heydays, flying pigeons used to be a favorite pastime - other than kite flying - for the wealthy, and some say a measure of their affluence was determined by the number of pigeons one had – especially the racing pigeons.

Over the years, rearing pigeons has become passé, what with rising cost of the birds’ food and diminishing passion to take the trouble. In pockets in the city and suburbs however, the interest remained, a culmination of which are the flying contests held on zonal basis across the city. The grand finale is held at the Brigade Parade Grounds in January.

Picture of flying pigeon above sourced from here.

Related reading: In a flurry of feathers, a race begins

Technorati Tags: pigeon, flying pigeon, racing pigeon, kolkata, calcutta

Kolkata’s first boutique-heritage hotel

In a fitting tribute to Lady Ranu Mookherjee’s monumental contribution to Bengal art, her mansion on Ho Chi Minh Sarani is now being planned for conversion into a heritage hotel keeping its ‘original glory intact’.

Lady Ranu, who is remembered for her undying passion of art, music and culture, was instrumental for founding of Academy of Fine Arts, first when it was still housed at one corner of Indian Museum, and later when shifted to the present campus beside Rabindra Sadan. Though her fame was mainly because of her efforts for the cause of Bengal art, she was the wife of illustrious industrialist Sir Biren Mookherjee, son of Sir Rajen Mookherjee.

Sir Biren played a big role in the growth and development of IISCO (Indian Iron & Steel Company Limited) at Burnpur in 1920s, which was then the second biggest (after TISCO at Jamshedpur) integrated steel plant in the country. In fact at that time there were only these 2 steel plants in India. Incidentally, on Dec 24 the PM inaugurated IISCO's long-awaited modernization (see my post, All steels' week).

With so much pedigree to go for it, there is no doubt the mansion’s present owner, Aditya Poddar of Singapore-based Wellside Group of Companies, is a proud man. His project of over Rs.200 crore will not only be an attempt to add a hotel to it, but also ensure that the mansion doesn’t loose any of its rich heritage.

This is what Aditya Poddar has to say about his plan:

This is going to be Calcutta’s first restoration project proposed to be conserved as a heritage hotel. It is the best heritage city in the country and the venture can be a model project for property owners and developers here. Also, it is my way of giving something back to the city I was born and brought up in. See The Telegraph story.

In search of bottom

As and when Tata Motors’ Rs.1 lakh car comes to market, for them it’ll be technological breakthrough in terms price to consumers, while it’ll gladden the hearts of millions of prospective Indian buyers.

Initially, Tata Motors’ plan to make car that cheap was pooh-poohed by other makers as they thought it was impossible. But now as Tata Motors takes the concept from drawing board to actual production in its upcoming plant in Singur, the competition is now sitting up, clearly feeling the heat at their back.

And why not? If indeed the car rolls in the market by early 2008 as announced by the Tatas, it’ll take the massive Indian lower-middle class aspiration by storm. After all, owning a car is considered as a sure indicator of affluence, and coming to think of it, isn’t it that a one-lakh-rupee car and a ten-lakh-rupee car will occupy the same road space? That’s a great leveler.

The picture looks so juicy for carmakers that several of them are said to be lining up plans to manufacture small cars in India. Luck permitting, going by news reports, car giants of the likes of Toyota and Hyundai may feel inclined to set up shop in Bengal to make small cars.

If a one-lakh-rupee car makes you waiting on edge, there is even more in the offing. Mobile phones, that other dream thing that separates lower-middle-class have-nots from upper-middle-class haves, are set to become cheaper than Rs.1000.

While Texas Instruments have developed a ‘single-chip platform’ that can enable manufacturers like Nokia and Motorola to launch sub-Rs.1000 monochrome handsets, BSNL is rumored to have firmed up plans to sell such sets in the coming year (2007) in association with Taiwanese and Chinese manufacturers (refer ET, Kolkata, Dec 26).

Experts say if handset cost comes down below Rs.1000, then in tandem with lower call rates, India’s mobile connectivity in terms of new subscribers per month will simply explode. Currently, every month 6 million new mobile users join the list of subscribers. If handsets cost less, this figure is expected to go up to at least 8 million in the near term.

Looking at the way things are moving owing to technological marvels, average Indians may have good reason to change their age-old belief that once price goes up, it never comes down. Now, how about that?

75 years of Indian Statistical Institute

In the 20s of the last century, the premier institute of higher studies in the country, Kolkata’s Presidency College saw the founding of India’s first statistical laboratory at the hands of the famous mathematician Proshanto Chandra Mahalanobis.

Poet Rabindranath Tagore was a great inspiration for the unique endeavor at Presidency College, which he used to frequent in order to boost the morale of scientists working there.

Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) came into being on December 17, 1931 at Presidency College and later in 1942 shifted to its present campus on BT Road that was once the residence of Mahalanobis. Statistical research received further boost in 1959 when the government accorded ISI the status of institute of national importance.

Today ISI has spread to many places in India. Its yearly expenditure that was once a princely sum of Rs.238, has now become 1.5 crore rupees.

Yesterday, PM Manmohan Singh inaugurated the platinum jubilee celebration of ISI at its BT Road campus. In his speech he stressed that statistical research in India has not kept pace with its advance in other countries. He urged that similar to IITs and IIMs, ISI too must open more branches in the country.

While a sum of Rs.12 crore has been earmarked for overall improvement of ISI, the PM declared that PC Mahalanobis’ birthday on June 29 will henceforth be remembered as the National Statistics Day.


Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore [Picture source]

Bengali film in America

The first Bengali film shot in America is going to be Raj Basu’s Piyalir Password. Shooting in US locations has been completed early November, and one may perhaps look forward to a Nababarsha release.

Director Raj Basu, himself a US resident, an NRB (non-resident Bengali), was an engineer and a computer professional in that order, before choosing to do film courses in Hollywood. His first full-length feature film, Wings of Hope in 2003, starring Roshan Seth and Deepti Naval among others was reasonably successful.

Piyalir Password, a murder mystery, presumably Raj’s second feature film, has good lineup in the cast, including Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Rituparna Sengupta and Rupa Gangopadhyay. There are of course actors from US, and also from Russia and Bangladesh.

If Piyalir Password is the first Bengali film shot in US, Aniruddha Ray Chowdhury’s Anuronon is the first Bengali film shot in London. Adding to that list is perhaps another first, Sandip Ray’s Tintorettor Jishu, a Satyajit Ray’s Feluda thriller, whose major portion is shot in Hong Kong.

Sandip Ray’s Bombaiyer Bombete is still fresh in mind, and one hopes Tintorettor Jishu, which centers around mysterious disappearance of a painting of 16th century Italian painter, Tintoretto, will be another clincher.

Tintorettor Jishu was to have released this month, but perhaps a later release is now scheduled. Cine-lovers like me are eagerly looking forward to Bengali films of foreign locales. If these films succeed on box office, may be we can feast on many more Bengali films in coming days.

Even as today’s ABP says that Switzerland Tourism is trying to attract Tollywood filmmakers, film-buffs know locales do matter in order to attract viewers. Which is why, apart from masalas, Hindi films now-a-days are nearly always shot in picturesque environs. Needless to say, so too are Hollywood films.

Technorati Tags: bengali film, film, satyajit ray, sandip ray, bengal, west bengal

Merry Christmas

20,000 homes

The largest public housing project in Kolkata, Shukhobrishti, of mind-boggling 20,000 flats is going to have foundation stone laid today (Dec 24) in New Town at the hands of Jyoti Basu.

On a day when PM Manmohan Singh inaugurates rejuvenation of SAIL’s IISCO steel plant at Burnpur at a cost of Rs. 9600 crore, the housing project is surely a big boon for the cause of big-ticket investments in Bengal.

Shukhobrishti is being built by Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) group, which is not only one of the oldest construction companies in India, having established in 1865 in Mumbai, it is also one of the biggest in the country.

Among the coveted projects that SP group is presently engaged in is The Imperial, a 60-storey twin residential tower close to Mumbai Central station, billed as the tallest residential building in the country thus far.

The highpoint about SP group's Shukhobrishti in Kolkata is not only the sheer scale of the project, but also the fact that the 20,000 apartments will be offered to LIG and MIG populace at affordable costs ranging between 3 to 6 lakh rupees. The project is said to be worth Rs. 1500 crore.

SP group’s arrival in Kolkata’s real estate scene is perhaps the first from Mumbai’s high-profile construction companies. The other ones like the Hiranandanis and Rahejas may now be expected to set feet here. For that matter, the Delhi biggies like the Unitech and DLF have already commenced their projects in and around Kolkata.

Which of course indicates that Kolkata’s development is now finally on the ascent. Bravo to that!

Related reading: When local real estate players go national

Update on Dec 26:
Many readers have been asking details about Shukhobrishti. I've no information better than what is gained from newspapers. Interested viewers may like to contact at Shapoorji Pallonji's office in Kolkata. Here it is (collected from their ad in ABP, Dec 24):

Shapoorji Pallonji & Co. Ltd.
Real Estate Office:
4th Floor 'Shrachi', 686 Anandapur,
EM Bypass, Near Ruby Hospital, Kolkata 700107
Phone: 6555 1830, 6555 1837, 2443 1942, 2443 1943
Fax: 2443 1941

Site Plot:
E-1 & E-2 New Town
Action Area III, Kolkata

Technorati Tags: kolkata, calcutta, shapoorji pallonji, housing, bengal, west bengal

School of Intellectual Property Law

The name of the institute is Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSOIPL), named after the late PM of the country. Its first academic session has commenced in July 2006. RGSOIPL is the first is the first law school in India whose students will be able to practice as Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) attorneys.

RGSOIPL is promoted by joint efforts of IIT, Kharagpur and Vinod Gupta, who is CEO of InfoUSA and Life Fellow of IIT Kharagpur. It’s because of Vinod Gupta’s untiring efforts that the institute has come into being. He also contributed USD 1 million for setting up the law school.

A big plus for RGSOIPL is technical assistance in terms of curriculum, faculty, learning materials and exchange programs from The George Washington University, US, whose law school is considered as the best in the world.

More information is there at IIT, KGP website.

Related reading:

• Studying law
• IIT, Kgp reaching out

Happy time is here again

Leaving the autumn festivities (Durga Puja, Kali Puja, et al), the only time Kolkata dresses up is during the week from Christmas to New Year. Strange it may sound, but many people are so nostalgic about Christmas in Kolkata that they just cannot think of spending time elsewhere.

As it happens during Durga Puja, so it is at the time of Christmas. The festive spirit is too pronounced to give a miss. It’ll be not be uncommon to find small-sized Santa and little decorated Christmas trees lined up in para shops for sale.

And there will be cakes of all shapes and sizes on offer. For many of us, Christmas in Kolkata without buying a Santa for home and a mandatory treat of cake is just not done.

Exchanging season’s greetings, wishing each other merry Christmas, roaming on streets and malls in the evening and soaking in the revelry all around are must-dos. Capping them all, a film or 2 on Sanata Claus that now come on in movie channels like HBO and Star Movies provides a nice feeling.

Okay, let's now enjoy some images, a song (Dear Santa on YouTube) and a graphic account of his Christmas, quizmaster Derek O'Brien's article, Little town of Bethlehem, in city of joy (don't miss it).


Christmas lighting at Park Street [© copyright, Luckystreak; Picture source]

St. Paul's Cathedral - people from every walk attend midnight mass [Picture source]

Sean Morey's song, Dear Santa

All steels’ week

It’s a week of steel stealing a march in Bengal. For the industry-starved state, the year looks poised to end with good news, even though wayward opposition by vested interests against Tata’s proposed car plant at Singur still sticks in the neck.

Coming to investments in steel in the state, one is a government initiative, the other private. IISCO (Indian Iron & Steel Company), that was once a blue chip trading on LSE (London Stock Exchange), is today like a skeleton of former self. Its 130+ years old Burnpur plant (near Asansol) is no longer a viable producer of steel because of lack of modernization.


Burnpur plant - fresh lease of life [Picture source]
After much dilly-dally, IISCO will now see an infusion of Rs.9600 crore toward expansion and improvement of its facilities, which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister tomorrow, Dec 24. It must be said that the upturn in global steel cycle post 2002, presumably led by the surge in demand on account of 2008 Beijing Olympics, is the reason why IISCO‘s modernization is felt more than necessary.

Massive investments are being made for steel plants in India’s east coast. South Korean giant Posco and the world’s biggest steelmaker, Mittal-Arcelor have chosen Orissa to make huge steel plants. Tata Steel too is acquiring large tracts of land in Jharkhand to expand their Jamshedpur facility.

And now, Sajjan Jindal’s JSW Steel has chosen Salboni in West Midnapore district to start their steel plant at an estimated cost of Rs.10,000 crore for 3 million tons of the metal plus a 600-megawatt captive power plant in 3 years time. This plant will ultimately scale up the capacity to 10 MT in 6 years and is billed as the single largest investment in the state.

As the steel scene hots up here, Tata Steel’s attempt to take over the Anglo-Dutch steel company, Corus gets a boost as the European Commission (EC) approves the takeover proposal. Tata Steel’s competitor, Brazil’s CSN’s proposal is also under EC’s consideration, awaiting approval.

As the year draws to a close, here’s raising toast to Bengal’s steely prospect of industrial resurge. Come what may.

Technorati Tags: tata steel, steel, mittal-arcelor, jindal, jindal steel, iisco, bengal, kolkata, posco

Kolkata’s new airport

Dum Dum airport, aka NSC Bose International Airport, is shortly becoming passé. Its modernization is in progress, a second runway being readied extending toward Barasat. Besides, expansion of terminal area, more number of parking bays for aircrafts, additional check-in counters with independent conveyor system, and so on are also progressing at quite a pace.

But, looking at what the future might hold, especially in view of multi-faceted growth of Indian economy, what with economists of different hues almost agreeing on double digit GDP growth, it can be safely assumed that there’ll be unprecedented surge in air traffic (both passenger and cargo) in the years to come.

Thus when a new green-field airport for Kolkata was first mooted, it did not come as a surprise. Although, going by newspaper reports, the civil aviation ministry at the center tried its best to obfuscate the need of a new airport for Kolkata – similar to what the shipping ministry is doing in case of a deep sea port off Sagar Islands – the PM understood its necessity and fully backed our CM for the same.

Kolkata’s new airport is proposed at Sonarpur-Baruipur belt at the southern fringes of the city on 6000 acres of land. At a total investment of around Rs.1200 crore, the airport is planned to have 2 runways, at least 15 hangars and multiple passenger gates so as to easily afford multiple flights around the same time.

When will the new airport come up is anybody’s guess. Land hasn’t probably been acquired so far, and if the opposition’s current attempt to thwart industrial progress at any cost is any example, the new airport is truly a long way off.

If however it does come into being on the back of relentless effort by the present Bengal regime, its annual capacity to handle 4.5 million passengers will become handy to project the city as a great destination. Same goes for the deep sea port as well.

This article is based on the pullout, Makeover Matrix, brought out by The ET, Kolkata, Dec 21.

Related reading: New airport in offing

Why are girls less?

It took no less than Prof. Amartya Sen to bring home the truth, girls are conceived and born less. Prof. Sen has been the guest editor at the business daily, The Economics Times on Wednesday, Dec 20.

Among the issues he tackled came the question about sex ratio, and this is what he has to say:

Everywhere, less girls are conceived and born compared to boys. The German ratio is 91 female for 100 male foetuses and 95 girls for 100 baby boys.

Eastern and southern Indian states From Assam, Orissa and West Bengal down to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have European sex ratios.

If so, why is this really the case? In many north Indian states, there is a strong discrimination against girls being born, which is why sex-ratios in states like Punjab, Delhi and Haryana are shockingly skewed in favor of boys.

In European states though there is no question of such discrimination. Yet the sex ratios are tilted against baby-girls. One wonders if there’s any scientific explanation behind this phenomenon! Or is it just another statistic that hasn’t been explained?

Technorati Tags: amartya sen, girl, girls, boy, boys, sex ratio

A great relief

Cancellation of the proposed 48-hour bandh is a great relief from abject absurdity and thoughtlessness. On TV (Star Ananda) last evening, the opposition MLA, Sadhan Pande said that the bandh was in protest against government’s complete disregard of their opinion. Facts though speak otherwise.

But if for a moment Mr. Pande’s argument is agreed to, which is tantamount to the assumption that the government is acting like a dictator, let us remind ourselves that the condition in his party is even worse. Voices of dissent are rarely heard and in fact the party runs completely along the whims of a single person.

The moot point is however not who is more dictator-like and adamant and who is not. The way protests are being organized against Singur plant indicate there is more to it than what plain eye can see.

That the opposition will try to grab political opportunity to thwart state’s industrial progress can still be understood, though nowhere on earth does this happen except perhaps some banana republics in Africa.

What is disturbing is that many people seem divided on the issue. Let me specifically take the example of what one Bhaskar Bhattacharjee of Srirampur, Hooghly wrote in today’s ABP (Anandabazar Patrika, Letters to Editor, Dec 21).

If I understood him correctly (the letter is written in Bengali), Bhaskar makes 2 points in his narration:

1. Since the left came to power in the 70s on the back of struggles in favor of peasants and workers, therefore today for them to talk about investment is nothing but surrender to big industrialists.
   
   
2. Since the government is not listening to the opposition, and since the latter has only few days back carved out a place of shame in history by ransacking the Assembly House, who will therefore effectively don the mantle to oppose the government’s ‘misdeeds’?

Strangely, none of the 2 arguments deals with the main issue, which is whether or not we must have the car factory, and if yes where? Will it be a place chosen by the investor or one directed by the government (or the opposition)?

I’m very curious to know if any of the protesters will agree to build their own house in places forced by the government. If not, then going by the adage 'charity begins at home', no protester has the moral right to ask an investor to do what he/she will not do with his/her own money.

But Bhaskar Bhattacharjee speaks about 70s. Going by his argument, today’s LF government must not abrogate its past, and must remain stuck to its dogma of 70s. Unfortunately for him, no dogma, no ‘ism’, no stance is indestructible. Every ‘concept’, unless backed by science, has limited shelf-life, no matter he likes it or not.

For that matter, does he ensure that his sons and daughters and their sons and daughters do not aim for big achievements in life, I wonder? To justify his love for 70s he must, because at that time options for aiming big in life were just not there. Once again, don't you agree that he must do ‘it’ at home before mustering courage to preach others?

Bhaskar’s 2nd point is even more laughable. He is more concerned about who will oppose the government. Doesn’t matter if the opposition is detrimental to people’s interests, has far-reaching damaging consequences, but oppose one must.

If that be so, why there is no opposition, no campaign, no struggle against nepotism and corruption at every sphere of life? Does Bhaskar Bhattacharjee have any answer?

Related reading:

• Arundhati Roy and Singur
• Bengal’s Singur

When IT comes calling

India’s common man’s first encounter with anything computer was perhaps occasioned when Indian Railway introduced online booking of long-distance train tickets. Then came computerization in nationalized banks where even small account holders could get their passbooks updated by the ubiquitous machines.

Initial resistance to computers – especially by left trade unions – soon melted into unprecedented euphoria in favor of computer literacy. Today computer education is made almost compulsory in schools, which means in another ten years’ time a large number of young Indians, who are fortunate to study in schools, will be fully conversant with computers.

If this has been a remarkable achievement, credit must go to rapid spread of Internet, and of course the tireless endeavors of IT companies. Yet when the turn comes to do some number crunching in order to evaluate how IT has benefited the country’s economy, not enough figures are available for easy consumption.

It is to allay these doubts that Infosys chief Nandan Nilekani’s address at the 3rd LSE Asia Forum in New Delhi Dec 7 assumes importance. To oft-repeated skepticism that IT’s advance in India is not commensurately linked with growth in the country compared to what IT biggies are doing in other countries, Nilekani gave some concrete examples to prove otherwise.

Share trading for example is now paperless and completely above board, thanks to efficient software that has made it possible. The days are gone when brokers could manipulate rates and also charge hefty fees. Banks and intermediaries who act between the stock exchange and individual customers have facilitated the entire process of buying and selling of shares and fund transfer between accounts, and all this has been made possible with the help of software only.

Explosive growth of mobile telephony is another excellent example of IT application. Those who know about VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) will readily acknowledge how voice and data communication on Internet has become easier over time. Popularity of free service by Skype, the proprietary peer-to-peer VoIP network, acquired by eBay a year back, is a case in point.

Indeed, the mushrooming of BPO companies in India has come about only because of superior digital communication that has in one stroke brought Birmingham and Atlanta closer to our home than we could ever imagine earlier.

Engineering and pharmaceutical companies that use high-end software for top-class research works are other examples of IT’s supremacy. But since common people will not be able to appreciate this, Nilekani reveals an ace from his arsenal that is more easily understandable.

Which is that the central government’s revenue department has installed powerful software that can readily inform details about tax evasion. With its help, the central tax revenue has risen by over 35% in the first 6 months of this financial year.

Well, while you and me will forthwith proceed to cling to our pockets so as not to let any more ‘pilfering’ by the tax authorities, the taxman can surely afford a broad enough smile at such windfall. Now perhaps we’ll never complain that IT hasn’t brought its share of advantage for us. Shall we?

Related reading: IT and Growth

Technorati Tags: information technology, IT, software, skype, infosys, nandan nilekani, india

One school 2 many

Come to any marketplace in the city and it’s unlikely that you’ll miss similar-sounding names of shops. For example:

Chhaya Stores
New Chhaya Stores
The New Chhaya Stores

Dhakeswari Bastralaya
Adi Dhakeswari Bastralaya

Guinea Emporium
Guinea Emporium & Sons
…and so on.

If you inquire, you’ll know each cluster of similar-sounding closely located shops has the same original owner. As generations progressed, the original business got divided, but the successive owners would not let go the ‘brand name’. Which is why you get to see multiple shops clutching to it, never mind that makes no difference in the minds of shoppers.

If you feel the name-clutching syndrome is prevalent only among shop-owners, here is the news that even school-owners too have it too. Read this story, Schools jostle for space.

It goes like this. In Kidderpore, on Kolkata Port Trust’s (KoPT) land comes up the school, Arya Parishad Vidyalaya (APV) in 1935. In 1994 APV completes a new building with Rs.10-lakh grant from KoPT. Ram Payare Ram, the local member of legislative assembly (MLA), who played active role in APV’s 1994 endeavor, soon parted ways and started another school in the same campus.

The new school has now come to be known as Modern Arya Parishad Vidyalaya (MAPV). Surprisingly, MAPV has no recognition from any higher education board, yet has 1200 students on its rolls from I to X. News reports say, thanks to the MLA, there is even a political party office in the campus.

All this only suggests that when personal feud and ego go beyond a limit, they affect other people and vitiate the society. Whether this small incident, or Mamata Banerjee’s 48-hour bandh call, the game of one-upmanship continues to be the bane of Bengal.

One recalls Rabindranath Tagore’s famous saying:

sat koti santan-ere hey banga jononi
rekhechho bangali kore, manush koroni!!

Ram – might is everything! [Picture source]

Predicting cancer

Advanced medical research is catching up fast in India. Country's rapid economic development means that more and more people have high disposable incomes. And they're willing to shell out money for better living.

In keeping with this new dynamics, several pathbreaking initiatives are happening in medical field. For one, Kolkata will shortly have a full-fledged state-of-the-art liver transplantation facility cum advanced research center inside SSKM Hospital campus.

For another, Reliance Life Science's (RLS) biotechnology venture is another great step. RLS has a test that predicts the chances of a woman developing breast cancer in future, that costs Rs.44,000 presently (refer ET, Kolkata, Dec 8).

This is what another ET report (Dec 15) has to say about RLS' plans:

Reliance’s vision is to script a new paradigm in healthcare with cutting edge predictive diagnostics that will help a person know the chances of developing diseases such as cancer and get therapeutic intervention at the earliest. See the article.

RLS is also in cord blood banking that promises to usher in the latest technology to treat ailments in future. LifeCell, a division of Asia Cryo-Cell Pvt. Ltd, is the only other Indian company to offer cord blood bank service with R&D tie-up with Saneron. See my post, India's cord blood banking.

All this of course means that more Indians will now have recourse to advanced medicare. The only glitch is the cost, because of which there is no doubt average Indians cannot hope to avail them.

Calcutta International School and Forum

What’s common to Forum, that famed Elgin Road shopping plaza, and Calcutta International School (CIS)? The answer is The Courtyard. The what, you may ask.

Well, The Courtyard is in fact the name of what Forum plans to build in the school’s erstwhile 20 Lee Road campus. It is that patch of land, which is adjacent to the existing plaza, and it is here that it plans to expand horizontally even as the school has shifted to its new campus off EM Bypass, close to Ruby Hospital.

It’s good for both. CIS’ new campus is spacious, and the building it has built with wings on either side looks really impressive. The students and the faculty though are a tad uncomfortable in big rooms and plenty of space, habituated as they were in the school’s cramped building earlier.

If it’s good news for Calcutta International School, so it is for Forum. It has apparently acquired the school’s Lee Road land on which it now plans to build the annexe, The Courtyard, that will connect with the main building at all levels through bridges and corridors.

What’s more, the annexe is being planned as a cube-like sophisticated exterior in which there will be spiral shaft from second to sixth floor that will accommodate all of 550 parked cars. The basement, ground and first floor will have 40,000 sq ft of retail space in addition to the anchors, Shoppers Stop and INOX and others.

The highpoint is of course the car park, and who knows the aces up their sleeves may well propel Forum ahead of many other malls coming up elsewhere. The focus is at last shifting in favor of convenience of shoppers, which is welcome.

Related reading:

1. Mall plus elbow room
2. First global school in new avatar

And now, Sourav motivates

We know Sourav's gritty half-century at Wanderers Saturday last against South Africa paved the way for re-recognition of his tenacity and fighting spirit. Critics who till recently spoke foul of him, are suddenly seeing great virtue in him.

But nobody was prepared to see the way South Africa was decimated by Indian bowlers. Indeed it was a big surprise after their abysmal show in one-dayers.

I'm not a big cricket lover, yet I felt compelled to see the match which is ultimately convincingly won by India today. There is no doubt in my mind that it is Sourav's determined effort that has motivated the rest to put up a grand team-show. But I'm not alone to so think.

Yesterday, Star Ananda ran a poll among its viewers for the question if Sourav's performance in first innings rubbed off on his teammates. Perhaps for the first time ever in any TV poll, 100% response was a resounding 'yes'.

Dravid, for all his ability, is a copybook captain. Seeing him failing to invigorate the team on the field, it is easy to conclude that he is not the man to lead in adverse conditions. One shudders to think what he will do in Australia!

Fortunately for him, there is no visit there before the world cup. I'm tempted to say that if Rahul Dravid (and the mentor, Greg) really has strong character everyone says he has, he must rise to the occasion and admit that the first test win in SA has been possible entirely because of Sourav's admirable display of determination.

If he doesn't do that, it will only mean he lacks courage. No surprise that, but then let there be no pretension either. History will record what is what, and looking at overwhelming praise for Sourav's efforts from every corner of globe, there is no doubt that his place is already etched in the pages of Indian cricket's history.

Technorati Tags: sourav, sourav ganguly, rahul dravid, cricket, indian cricket, indian, india

City on rails

There are many ways to differentiate a Kolkattan from his another city-mate. Living in city’s north or south is one. Supporting East Bengal or Mohun Bagan is another. Traveling by rail or bus is yet another.

I use the word ‘rail’, but more aptly it ought to be suburban trains, because after all who wouldn’t have traveled in metro or tram for that matter, both of which run on rails. But I’ve come across many Kolkattans who would rather not prefer anything other than buses to commute.

Of that surely there are many a choice, but to tell it frankly, Kolkata buses are the worst I’ve seen in any big Indian city. Strange they – especially the blue-colored smoke-belching extremely uncomfortable box-like ‘private’ ones – haven’t changed over time. Which obviously points to a powerful vested interest in act.

If buses are not changing, one has nothing else to do except fret and fume. However, Kolkata’s face is gradually changing so far traveling on rail is concerned. The tram tracks for example are largely concretized and there is a lurking hope that the present age-old tramcars are shortly due for replacement.

But it’s the metro that is now the talking point. One hears that east-west metro is going to happen at long last, a 19 km journey from Salt Lake to Howrah Maidan, passing beneath the Hooghly and touching important transit points like Sealdah, Howrah and BBD Bag. Most of this is planned on elevated track with some portions to be underground.

Down south, the existing metro is extending from Tollygunge to Garia and one hopes it will soon be operational. And now, in the north, its route is likely to extend from Dum Dum to Baranagar, an eleven km addition. Newspaper reports say the Baranagar extension may be included in forthcoming railway budget.

Another hope-invoking plan is to build light-rail-transit or LRT from Joka to Esplanade. If this happens, it’ll be a great succor for people in Behala and thereabouts because presently the only connection available there is the severely-congested Diamond Harbor Road, where in spite of its being a wide enough passage, traffic indiscipline is so head-churning that it defies plain logic as to why this must really be tolerated that way.

Whatever it is, you can’t blame Kolkattans for being not tolerant. There is no real choice to speak of. Like many ills that plague the city, and indeed the people at large, commuting is a big nightmare.

The government in power close to 3 decades has very little imagination and willingness to break away from the mold. As a result, whatever it plans, some of which as said above are really good, are seen as ad hoc measures at best, because in the end nothing much transforms on ground.

One wonders if ever that will change, big plans notwithstanding. If not, it won’t be wrong to rank Kolkata among the worst cities to live in so far commuting is concerned.

Is this Tata's proposed Singur car?

These are some images of the proposed Tata Indiva car sent by my friend from UK. I'm not sure where they're sourced from, but the car surely looks very impressive. If you want to know more about Indiva, this is a good place to look at. The moot question though remains: Is this the car Tata Motors plans to build in the much-talked-about proposed Singur plant?













Technorati Tags: tata, singur, tata indiva, tata motors, bengal

Fat aids cancer

When my father was operated on for removal of tumor in large intestine after he was detected with cancer in colon, the surgeons were aghast to find he had many layers of fat in areas around his stomach. After the surgery, the doctors inquired of my mother if the fat had been a recent occurrence on account of tumor.

She said ‘no’ and the docs expressed grave concern that unless he shed fat post-operative, he might find it difficult to recover.

Eventually, my father did shed lots of fat and recover remarkably to live another 17 years. He was 6-footer with good physique and he loved his food. I don’t remember he ever made distinction between low-calorie and high-calorie food.

He would frequently say any food that tasted okay was good by him. No wonder, in the process he gathered fats that found his body a ready home to reside safely.

When the time came to say goodbye to fat, my mother took care that he didn’t hurry in cutting it down. Among other things, she would give him just about enough fruits, vegetables and fish spread over several intakes in a day, though to be honest, there were no such things on hand as diet charts or expert opinion.

The care came from her everyday experience, tested over time, and so within 6 months after he had the last spell of chemotherapy the docs prescribed subsequent to removal of tumor, my father was shortly fit and looked forward to resume travel which they so much liked.

I was at that time staying away from them, posted as I was in north India. When they came visiting there, their first visit away after his recovery, I was pleasantly surprised to see him trim, and more lean than ever.

Fat there was little, shirts fitting loose, face a little gawky, and though looking a tad tired, he was eager to make most of his coming.

He still loved his food, but would barely touch anything without a nod from my mother. That didn’t mean she was very strict in what he would have, but nevertheless he understood he just couldn’t have whatever he liked anymore. For example, deep fries were not given to him, while red meat would be served no more than once a month.

Gradually, over time he became accustomed to less food in general, and after he touched 80, he was more or less reconciled to the fact that to eat less was not bad after all. But he would still not accept that youngsters of today felt it important to have controlled diet. For them, he must have thought, dieticians are an unnecessary evil.

As I look back to his time, I cannot help feeling that cutting on food was then never imagined in remotest of dreams. Indeed, in my childhood, one of the most heard dictums would be none else than ‘unless you have food, you won't grow’.

Things have now changed like never before. Hassles on way to decent living are now noticeably on decline, which means more and more people lead sedentary lifestyle, more so in advanced countries.

If normal working doesn’t entail too much of physical labor, it becomes doubly difficult to motivate oneself to voluntarily do even the basic workouts like walking, jogging, stretching, etc.

Which is why, experts feel, there is an alarming rise in obesity among urban populace. And now, going by the findings of Dr. Allan H. Conney and his team of Rutgers University, we come across that excess fat might raise the risk of cancer.

Dr. Conney’s paper being too technical for me to understand, when I speak to my mother on this, she agrees readily. Her logic is simple. Which is that if you eat more than what you need to, yet do not allow your limbs to do much work, you’re in fact allowing your organs too much leeway to conspire against your health.

She would less than often say no to have food as you like, but she strongly suggests lot of exercising. She is 77 and still works hard. I have no reason to doubt her opinion.

Related reading:

1. Obesity and Cancer: Questions and Answers
2. Physical Activity and Cancer: Fact Sheet
3. Fat Cells and Cancer Risk
4. Drink and walk to live healthy

Technorati Tags: cancer, fat, health, lifestyle, physical activity

DTH versus CAS

Large quarter-page ads from the government are appearing in newspapers intermittently for the past several days that seek to inform TV watchers about the soon-to-come CAS or Conditional Access System. CAS debuts in metro cities from Jan1 next, and all fingers connected to the issue are firmly crossed as to how the newbie is likely to fare.

For a long time, cablewallahs (ubiquitous those who arrange TV signals through cables), as they are commonly called, have milked the Indian TV-viewers to their hearts’ content, as if there is no tomorrow.

But talk to them about commensurate service you feel you deserve, you’re likely to be dismissed like a fly in the ointment. So if you want to catch up on the latest on BBC News while most in your locality prefer a Hindi soap, no amount of your shouting will help if that doesn’t fall into the cablewallah’s scheme of things.

It took the government immeasurably long time to realize that TV-viewing is a serious occupation of average Indians and so some amount of regulation to rein in waywardness of cable people is necessary. But then, it’s better late than never. And so at long last CAS is coming as an eagerly awaited relief.

Under CAS there’ll be a distinction between free channel and pay channel. Instead of a fixed tariff that a viewer currently pays, she will have a choice to pay only for those channels she wishes to view, while presumably not paying anything, except perhaps for barebone link charge, if she doesn’t want to view pay channels at all.

But how will there be a link from your TV to the thin air from where to catch the signals? For that one has to go for one-time refundable deposit for a set-top box for Rs.900 and Rs.30 per month for the link. Read more.

Meanwhile, DTH (Direct to Home) satellite TV services have already debuted. Tata Sky is a major player in this segment. Similar to CAS, DTH too needs to a set-top box to be installed where the TV is, in addition to a small dish antenna. DTH looks costlier at the outset. Tata Sky offers the hardware for Rs.3000, plus another Rs.1000 for their installation and 12-month warranty (see this report).

There’s a monthly subscription of Rs.300 for Tata Sky, and so taking all of that together, its service certainly costs quite a bit. But then, as it says, you’re likely to enjoy world-class viewing, what with 108 channels that include nearly all the popular programs and several other options like gaming, split viewing, hot movies, and so on.

Say we’ll be spoilt for TV viewing. And pray why not? After all, isn’t the idiot box a great family entertainment in most of our homes?


A crash course – technology matters [Picture source]
Technorati Tags: dts, tv, television, direct to home, india, indian

Thursday’s bandh

Several truths – you may call them lessons – came upon us during this Thursday’s bandh called by the left trade union, CITU (Center of Indian Trade Unions).

• If CITU wishes, life in Kolkata (and indeed in entire Bengal) can be brought to a total standstill. Nothing, but nothing can move. Not on road, none on rail, certainly nothing in air, not even on water. Whatever moved were those who used their feet to walk (like human beings, cattle, dogs, etc.), wings to fly (birds) or fins and tails to swim (fish, duck, etc.).
  
  
• Even though common people were advised to walk to their destinations, there were notable exceptions. For example, CITU vice-president and state’s transport minister, Subhas Chakraborty had no qualms to use his official car to race on empty roads, thus enjoying to his fullest such rare rides.
  
  
• Very few people knew what the bandh was all about, which was okay with CITU because all it wanted was to enforce stoppage of any movement, no matter what.

Lest you think that bandh was all bad, here are a few reasons why it brought some cheer too:

• Since Kolkata consumes something around 450 kilolitre of petrol and 4000 kilolitre of diesel on a weekday, one may safely assume that Thursday has literally been a huge blessing for the city’s environment. It will not be wrong to say that the city’s air breathed a big sigh of relief on the bandh day.
  
  
• For city’s workaholic people, Thursday was a grand occasion to de-stress mind and soul. There was simply no reason to move out because nothing was open or moving, which meant one was perforce confined at home.
  
  Here at last was a chance to spend an entire day idly, catch up on family matters, give quality time to near and dears, and discover the magic that is 'home'.

To that extent, day before yesterday’s bandh was indeed a great gift to savor and recoup. Not bad that, don’t you think!

Related reading:

1. Tomorrow’s bandh
2. Who’s against a midweek break?

Network for a dream job

Well, this networking is very much actual, not virtual like what I wrote in my last post. With me is a Roger Eglin article, Charm your way into a job, from UK’s The Sunday Times, in which he says to:

Throw your tired old CV into the bin and network your way into a new position. Research shows that it can work for all age groups..

A lively story it is that urges serious job-seekers to reach out and mix with people and who knows that may well land one a good job he hasn’t otherwise imagined. What are the traits that are crucial for successful networking? Here are 5 of them that I excerpt from the article:

1. Strong self-belief with clear life and career goals and a set of priorities.
   
   
2. Genuine concern for other people and interest in them as opposed to being interested in things. Good listeners who can engage with people.
   
   
3. Unashamed humility. These people are never afraid to ask for help.
   
   
4. Persuasive energy. They are able to persuade people to see them in a very positive way.
   
   
5. Colourful courage. Having the courage to try networking or take a risk.
   

In his story Roger says that a survey brings out that among those below 35, 25% got jobs through networking. Between 35 and 50 years of age, the success rate was 50%, and above 50 years the figure was as high as 80%.

As in jobs, so in other fields, the success in life clearly depends on well you can network, and how affable and charming you can afford to be. As I write this, it’s a lesson for me to learn and imbibe, as much as I believe it perhaps is for others who happen to read it.

Social networking

If you notice, you’ll see each blog-post here has options for viewers to tell others about it if they wish to. How can they do that? It’s rather simple. The series of icons at the bottom of every post and the 2 links right below each post’s heading at the top are in fact gateways to larger sharing of contents on the Internet. A new term given to this is social networking on the web.

Members from anywhere across the globe – unknown to one another in most cases – can be part of a social network, who are likely, but not necessarily, to share a common idea or theme among themselves. Let’s take DIGG for example.

Founded by Kevin Rose in 2003, DIGG came into shape when Rose hired Owen Byrne, a skilled programmer after listing his project idea in Elance. Today DIGG is a popular social network site, whereby once you become its member, you can ‘digg’ a story (meaning you like it) or ‘bury’ one after it’s listed (if you do not like it).

It has been seen that after a story is ‘dugg’ (that is, listed on DIGG), it may turn out highly popular within a very short time, which can lead to sudden surge in traffic to your website. This new phenomenon has given birth to yet another way of optimizing websites, called Social Media Optimization (SMO), for driving targeted traffic from sources other than search engines (see this story, Introduction to Social Media Optimization).

Reports say that almost 94% of DIGG users are male, of whom 88% are 18-39 years old and 52% are related to IT (see this story, Is Social Bookmarking the Next Big Thing?). Perhaps other social networking sites like Yahoo!’s del.icio.us (acquired by Yahoo! a year back) also have similar story to tell.

In spite of this skewed user profile, such is the hullabaloo over social networking that many websites now consider SMO a must-do in the lines of SEO, link building, press release, etc. in order to be a step ahead of competition with regard to generating organic search traffic.

Is SMO the next magic door to the pot of gold called 'traffic'? The jury is out on this, and the verdict is still a long long way off. Any comment?

Related reading: Have you socialized today?

Technorati Tags: digg, networking, social networking, social media optimization, smo, seo, traffic, search

Visit India, courtesy IRCTC

With Lalu Yadav at the helm, Indian Railway is going places. For sure he has ideas, but so had others who came before him. But perhaps he is a person who ‘means’ it when he wants something done. Persons like him, when they lead, are likely to give more freedom to their subordinates to bring plans to fruition. Furthermore, the latter would get ‘protection’ from undue interference as long as the job is getting done.

Lalu Yadav has stressed that Indian Railway has many avenues to earn money, most of which haven’t been fully explored. True to his words, he ensured that freight rakes do not run anything less than full. He did some other corrections too here and there, as a result of which the railway has been earning profits, something unbelievable earlier.

Probably pegged on by him, Indian Railway is now all set to enter the tourism industry. And what better time can there be except now? The IRCTC or Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation plans to organize package tour to Sikkim and Darjeeling this Christmas. It’s likely to be a 3D/4N affair and the cost will include 3-tier a/c journey, onboard dinner, stay in hotel at destinations, sightseeing and some adventure sports.

Commencing on Dec 22, this package, which is very distinct from the Palace On Wheels tours in Rajasthan, will mark a new beginning for IRCTC. If done well, it may as well plan more such tour packages. That will be wonderful because the costs are likely to be less even as everything related to tour (except perhaps food at destinations) is taken care of.

Travel enthusiasts will eagerly want IRCTC’s new venture to succeed. For, that will surely open up more opportunities to see the lengths and breadths of our wonderful country.


Palace on Wheels - class apart! [Picture source; Copyright: Ivan of hat.net]
Related reading:

• Trains take tourism track
• Palace on Wheels across India soon

Technorati Tags: irctc, indian railway, railway, palace on wheels, tourism, india, india tour

Are Bengalis afraid outside?

We’ve heard this before. And now Kapil Dev says this again on ‘Frankly Speaking’ when interviewed by Arnab Goswami, the NDTV veteran and now the editor, Times Now. He is asked what he thinks of Sourav Ganguli.

Kapil Dev’s surprise reply is that Sourav epitomizes courage and aggression, so unlikely in a Bengali. For good measure he adds that Bengalis are ‘kings’ in their paras ('own' locality), but crumble outside. He says Sourav is an exception from this typically Bengali syndrome.

That Sourav is certainly so is agreed (see this post, Sourav's comeback). But Paaji’s sweeping remark is nothing but unfortunate, because it’s not true.

Bengali’s typical heroism as meant by Kapil is actually reflective of turbulent times of 70s, when every para here used to have one or 2 mastans (toughies/ruffians) who would protect his ‘turf’ through coercion. There used to be frequent street-fights among them to proclaim supremacy in which crude country-made bombs and one-shot guns would be freely used.

Youth of Bengal of that time had a hidden admiration for these mastans. On ground this meant that they would behave with uppity when they went to other places, believing their assumed arrogance would make them somewhat invincible. What would instead happen was that they would flee the scene at the slightest hint of strong challenge.

That was more of rowdyism, which in today’s world of free speech and free movement has no ready acceptance. Many feel Bengalis per se are argumentative (not bad) and quarrel at the drop of hat (surely irksome), but they are not any different from anyone else in being less or more fearful or fearless in adverse conditions.

Coming back to Kapil Dev’s interview, he himself later says that Rahul Dravid now and Sachin Tendulkar – when he was – ought to be more assertive as captains. Don’t their meekness suggest that they lack the verve to lead the team?

For that matter, when Paaji broke down in uncontrollable sobs in a Karan Thapar interview on BBC some years back, asked as he was about his involvement in match-fixing scandals, didn’t that indicate his vulnerability?

If theirs are not signs of submissiveness that would rank low in how Kapil Dev looks at things, certainly he can have no reason to think about Bengalis the way he does.

Technorati Tags: kapil dev, sourav ganguli, karan thapar, ndtv, times now, bengal, bengali

Tomorrow's bandh

I asked Sudeb, the vegetable vendor in the local bazaar today morning, if he would open tomorrow in view of bandh called by left trade unions. "Not a chance," he said without looking up, "but I must sell all that is here." He busied himself with arranging his stuff, keeping the fresh and old stock mixed so that he could have most of that moved before noon. That may be a tough call since today is a weekday and there won’t be many customers coming to market.

Sudeb will suffer loss in two ways. His unsold vegetable will perish, which will be a drag on his meager profits. Further, he cannot hope to earn a dime tomorrow since markets will remain closed and no vehicles will ply. Sudeb’s plight is not uncommon. In fact whoever earns his/her bread through daily labor will have no earnings tomorrow.

Let’s remember tomorrows’ is not a spontaneous protest, this has been announced months back, and so no one can say it wasn’t known. If that is so, the question that pops up is who supports the bandh. Truth be told, very few people support bandh, yet everyone enjoys it.

If you notice a dichotomy here, there’s no mistaking that it’s so indeed. Bandh in Bengal has become a social event that occurs almost every month. People weigh its likely effects depending on who calls it. If called by ruling party or any of its wings, the bandh will perforce be ‘successful’.

Which means that a ruling party bandh called months in advance is a firm signal of a holiday ahead. Which also means that daily wage earners can afford to have very little reason to complain. After all, hadn’t they known about the bandh long back?

It’s another matter that tomorrow’s all-India bandh will have no bearing whatsoever anywhere in the country, save the 3 leftist states. Work stoppages planned in advance always lack truth and spontaneity. For that matter, no bandh bereft of strong emotional appeal can ever succeed in the whole country.

Why then is such a farce enacted in Bengal ever so often? This can be a good topic for social scientists to ponder over.

Technorati Tags: bandh, strike, bangla bandh, kolkata, calcutta, bengal

Neotia Elbit Healthciti

Among the property developers who have brought in a breath of fresh air to the city’s staid old concepts, Bengal Ambuja must rank at the top.

In the 90s, when EM Bypass was yet to be recognized as part of the city, Bengal Ambuja started large-format housing project where Santoshpur meets the Bypass. This was arguably the first such housing project in Kolkata.

Bengal Ambuja’s success paved the way for more similar projects, and today Kolkata is home to several big endeavors, some so big like Ciputra group’s West Kolkata International City (see here) that they can be easily comparable to the largest projects in India.

Bengal Ambuja also brought City Center, occupying an entire block in Salt Lake. Once City Center defined how a large shopping destination ought to be, many are following suit in exactly the same way.

Now we’re going to have the group’s second City Center in New Town, which promises to be bigger and even more exciting than the first one.

Blazing a trail, Bengal Ambuja is now embarking on a 1000-bed multi-speciality hospital close to Peerless Hospital off EM Bypass. It is called Neotia Elbit Healthciti, to be built at a total cost of $500 million in alliance with Israel’s NASDAQ-listed (EMITF) Elbit Medical Imaging Ltd.

The first phase at $230 million or Rs.1000 crore will be operational by 2010 with 500 beds.

The highpoint about the hospital – rather health-city – is that other than world-class state-of-the-art non-invasive treatment facilities of several ailments, it will have biotech research center offering stem cell therapy (see my post, India's cord blood banking) and other support services like service apartments for patients’ families, alternative medical center, nurse training institute, medical mall (whatever that means), and to cap them all a heli-ambulance facility, everything in the same campus.

Like all its earlier ones, there is little doubt that Ambuja group’s this project too will be a grand success. That they do it with aplomb is fairly evident when the JV-signing ceremony is held at nowhere else but Writers’ Buildings in the august presence of Chief Minister and the Israeli ambassador to India, David Danieli, who said that this is the largest private investment by Israel in India.

Doing it with a bang, you bet!

Technorati Tags: ambuja, bengal ambuja, elbit, kolkata, calcutta, health city, hospital