Wednesday, September 23

Who are outsiders?


As mentioned in the story published dated 22/9/2009 the words outsiders are used for whom?

Is it used for citizens who keep a watch on administration?

Is an outsider the vigilant citizen?

Is an outsider the opinion makers?

Is an outsider the public pressure groups?

Is an outsider the one who works at their own expense to keep a check on the Government officers who are perpetual at fault and who take laws in their hands?

Is an outsider the one who keep the head above the shoulder?

Is an outsider who is earnest?

Is an outsider a nature lover?

Is an outsider who raises questions on time?

Is an outsider one who writes the PM for action?

Is an outsider the one who wrote to the Chief Wildlife warden?

Is an outsider the one who exposed the faults made by the Van Vihar officers to impress the Minister?

Is an outsider the activists?

Is an outsider the one who do not take grants for their work?

Is an outsider a sensitive person?

Is an outsider a courageous person who makes his/her voice heard?

Is an outsider the social worker who works for the betterment of the society?

Is an outsider inhuman?

Is an outsider the one who points out defects in the system?

Is an outsider who is working for the betterment of the society and nature?

Is an outsider who raises voice where Public Option is under siege?

Is an outsider better than the so called elite who know all but do not react?

Is an outside r who believes that the road is made by walking?

Is an outside the one that breaks a window to rescue a child from a burning car?

Is an outsider the one who is talking to keep everybody alive?

If all these are outsiders I am proud to be known as outsiders. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence.


It’s a shame who calls the vigilant citizens outsiders.

Friday, September 18

Twitter, Tharoor and the Indian Politics

Holier-than-thou.

Before I write I must say that the Congress and BJP should have an English teacher.

Mr Tharoor's track record in our country reveals one clear distinguished feature. His ability..to gather controversies .lol. if I am not wrong it all started the very day his name was announced as the contestant from Trivandrum. From the burning of his effigy to the National anthem controversy he has emerged out amidst personal attacks pertaining to his American Connection, Israel soft-corner, literary works, Canadian wife and affluent lifestyle.

A former UN diplomat, a prolific writer, a political debutant and an inveterate Twitter-e. In all fairness to Tharoor, Cattle Class is an accepted and widely frequented synonym for Economy Class travel. He has used it as a run-of-the-mill response but this is where the words and phrases find new and out of context ...I fail to understsnd.. what is the fuss all about ? A wise crack has been made into a controversy. Twitter, Tharoor and the Indian Politics is being discussed for no reason leaving the more important discussion on the Indian media houses who thinks whatever the media vomits and excretes are sacred offering. From debates to research, to polls a complete waste of time and money on the nonsense. The omnipresent television folks are ready to spring upon anything, and under the present Indian circumstances the media verdict is interpreted as the people's opinion.

The recent Five Star Hotel non-issue brought the man again back in frame. Shashi Tharoor, the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and a member parliament is in big controversy due to his statement regarding the people traveling in economy class. Before the Hotel nonsense was dead the next one has crashed down on all of us, this time with the effect of a Tsunami! And this one seems bad enough, with Tharoor's trendy aide, Twitter, letting him down this time.

What’s more astonishing is the fact that airlines has taken no an action on the remark but definitely our Politicians who are trying to be Holier-than-thou. Does anybody remember the infamous 'dog remarks' by Kerala CM Comrade Achutanandan? Same settings, same ploy, same error, same comedy and same emotions …Now if Achumama was wrong there, Tharoor is wrong here. You take out the 'if' from the previous sentence, it still holds its fact, sadly.

It’s not an astonishment to see lack of sense of humour among the political and the chattering classes. People who are unfamiliar with English usage and with the nuances of the language suddenly take offense at phrases that are perfectly normal and acceptable.

Shashi Tharoor usage of the words “cattle class” and “holy cow” will get a political debate on is funny. The humorless politicians who are good in manipulating once again show their aptitude, social and political realities. Shashi Tharoor is not an average man or a fuddy-duddy Indian politician.

A student of St Xavier’s Collegiate School, Calcutta, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston is being targeted. The Congress party has gone on an overdrive with its austerity procedures. This is wise and good. But this should not mean that the leaders of our country should abandon the ability to laugh at themselves. Fusion with the BJP senior leaders on the issue shows the true colours of our politicians and the love for the cattle class. That’s how they treat the aam admi

Our politicians tend to be earnest, self-righteous and holier-than-thou. This is what Mr Tharoor was poking fun at when he spoke of holy cows. Lets re-look at the political, societal and security developments related to India as it readies to reclaim its position among the great nations of the world.

Twittering back, Mr Tharoor has negotiated the "cattle class" slight uncomfortably, arguing that it was a "silly expression" not meant to disrespect economy travellers. Instead, he says, it was airline companies who "herded passengers in like cattle".

He also came up with a somewhat revisionist and semantic take on the phrase "holy cow". "Holy cows are NOT individuals but sacrosanct issues or principles that no one dares challenge. I wish the critic would look it up," he writes. "Now I realise that I shouldn't assume people will appreciate humour and I shouldn't give those who would willfully distort your words an opportunity to do so.".

To my limited knowledge goes, "holy cow" is used as an exclamation, in American slang something negative..

It’s silly to ask the minister to resign. If this is diplomacy I have no words. Sadly, humour sense and common sense is not something very common in our set-up, he has learned the hard way..:)

() Never understood this about humans. We call dogs our best friends, but then abuse someone by calling him a dog. We descend from monkeys, but calling someone a monkey is racist. We worship cows, but suddenly saying 'cattle class' is derogatory. LOLL

Tuesday, September 15

Unique Identification Authority of India

60 crore people would get their identity cards in next five years. It’s a very optimistic approach to get 12 parameters of data that will be used for India’s Unique ID (UID). The details will include the following an individuals.

– Name
– UID Number
– Photograph
– Right Hand Forefinger Print
– Name of Father
– UID of Father
– Name of Mother
– UID of Mother
– Date of Birth
– Sex
– Place
of Birth
– Address

Most severe problems that India faces are the lack of a comprehensive database of its citizens. If at all this happens it means instant online authentication of the identity of every Indian, it means Fingerprints and photographs of more than a billion. Of the parameters mentioned above, the only parameter that cannot be duplicated is the biometric one.. rest God Knows... I see that we willl overcome problem of duplicate and bogus identity (documents) . It can be helpful in implementation of schemes of the central and state governments..

All said and done ..but what about the flaws..?

First is the Violation of the Rights to Privacy, Freedom, and Liberty.The government does not have the right to the information that our bodies reveal about us .

Its not (foolproof)-Biometric passport chips can be cloned in an hour, researcher warns.Researcher raises alarm about biometric hacking with "biologger" tool.Researchers Hack Faces In Biometric Facial Authentication Systems .

I dont think a biometric state will curb Government corruption. Rather, this will only keep it under wraps and give citizens a false sense of security.Like corrupt politicians .

Once in Government hands, the information can be used for a wide variety of purposes and even be used by the private sector.