Social Media Trends

Every netizen has his or her bit of experience with social media. Some two years back when people were increasingly emphasizing on real-time search and information distribution, the marketing agencies and brand builders pitched in to optimize the benefits of social space and then started a much calibrated social media monitoring which proved that social media is not just a fad, rather it's a social technology revolution to understand the marketplace and consumers in an effective way. Time has changed. The same cynics who argued that social media is all fun and and no business have now taken a u-turn and are diehard proponents of social media integration with every business.

Well, social media dynamics are as nimble as social changes in a consumer world. Finally, the physical and virtual world of people have converged. The people who are more active in social space have turned to social media technologies to manifold the results. It's not too far from today when every democratic debate could emerge from aggressive social media discussions. With every new trend in social media, the community influence on businesses will be paramount. And the winners are certainly the ones who stay relevant to the social media trends. Well, let's have a look at some of those trends.

1. Privacy is a word of the past
With younger generations taking on to a non-hypocritical stand on personal choices, social media will enable this trend in a much bigger way. Increasingly people will accept personal exposes on social media. Beyond sharing likes, dislikes, wishes, opinions, and personal information, people will be tempted to share their most secret episode of their life. What it eventually would produce complex personal information that would help businesses personalize their products and services. For example, a survey on the length of a condom, which of course has a direct relationship with manhood, is still considered hush-hush in our society; however through social media the personal revelations would pour in, which in turn would help condom manufacturing companies to innovate better and more effective products.

2. Information portability
It will be a thing of past to view just Facebook trends on Facebook. What's more interesting would be to experience a composite trends across all social media. An OpenID would act as a passport to import all relevant information from various social media spaces and throw up to the expectations of viewers.

3. Real-time search
Gone are the days when we depended heavily on webcrawller logic to get stale search results indexed few days before. Today, Google's social search capability provides real-time information. With advance algorithms, Google can enable users to avail relevant yet timely information to enhance search experience.

4. Content aggregation
Content is king and still this statement is relevant today. Will upsurging social networks and exponentially increasing online profiles, the amount of online content is being generated at huge speed. Like content syndicates, the content aggregation will see a paradigm shift. And the most important fact is that how the content will be aggregated and how will it be presented to the end users will make or break the business.

5. Virtual reality
With platforms marrying each other at a breakneck speed, the end users will experience a more powerful applicability of social networking sites. Thanks to innovative technologies like 3-G, GPS mapping, mobile integration, all these will bring in an altogether new dimension not only to social relations but also to business relationships in long run. And the sad part is that your privacy is gone and you are exposed to million scrutiny.

6. Market influencer
TRP and ABC reports are a thing of the past. When advertising agencies claimed the number of eye balls directly influence the spend pattern of consumers, the social media has gone further to prove that viewership per se has really anything to do with sales, it's now the niche segmentation of viewership that really makes a significant differentiator. In fact, if we go by the market influential tactics, the feasibility of a sale only happens when the right customer receives the information. Advertising through TV or newspapers maybe as relevant today as was in past, but what really matters is that how the consumers internalize the facts propagated through advertising. The social media in turn has bring in breakthrough techniques to influence consumers in a larger way. The peer reviews, Google analytics, social trends, and various monitoring mechanisms have developed a sense of trust in consumers' mind.

7. Consumers' verdict
What's relevant today is how your peers perceive it. That has been a trend written on rock. Consumers now before buying any product take a deliberate preview of the product and its user ratings. If a product doesn't ferry well in user ratings, it's perceived that either the product is not worth purchasing or it's a sub-standard product. Imagine the verdict of consumers which will drive the business of tomorrow.

8. Social media as a service
So. what's next after SaaS, PaaS, and CaaS? Certainly, it's SmaaS or social media as a service that will define how SMEs which can't afford to full-range SM services of their own bank upon this new trend. Beyond fad, SmaaS will bring in new opportunity for businesses to expand their reach and brand positioning. And the SmaaS providers will see a complete new business opportunity along the evolution of social media technologies.

9. Crystal gazing
Everyone likes a bit of predictable future. What's relevant today might be hugely irrelevant tomorrow. Be it social trends, spending patterns, consumer behaviors, or marketing shenanigans, the future of social media largely depends on every aspect of consumer acceptance to change. Behind this lies innovative technologies to understand the implications of consumer reactions and bring about necessary logical changes in the usability of social technologies. That said, the gamut of social media will notice an array of visible changes on consumer usability and technology facilitation. Thus, the future will evolve from how consumers look at social media today and what they expect from the providers.

10. A marriage of social convenience
Social media and digital media will soon converge to open a newer platform for consumers. Digital divide will be dissolved sooner than latter. The elite technologies that specific sections of our society normally use will be available to all and sundry. Because social media will help reduce the class structure and evolve a paradigm shift in digital experiences that once was exclusive to top echelons of society. Thanks to the evolution of social media technologies that have brought people from all ranks and files to the same platform on a reasonably similar involvement.

Krittika's case: Blatant revelation of America's double standards

Forget for a second that Krittika is the daughter of an Indian diplomat based out in the USA, the manner in which she was literally tortured by US officials for an allegedly frivolous case which has no significance in an open society like America, the US administration has drawn the attention, all for wrong reasons, of millions of Indians staying out there. A world democracy that has finally succumbed to base ideologies such as racial discrimination is a reminder of the fact that the USA is eventually heading towards a banana republic. Let's understand first what's the crime that Krittika committed for which she had to go through such harrowing experience of her life for over 24 hours in a dastardly ill-conditioned jail. She was just a suspect of sending an obscene e-mail to her teacher, which actually she didn't committed. This raises serious questions about the judicial system of the most advanced democracy that human rights take a back seat when it comes to an opportunity in favor of them.

Now let's recall the devastating incident of Bhopal gas tragedy when the CEO of Union Carbide Mr Anderson flew off to USA with the help of Indian officials starting from district collector to cabinet ministers. Then the USA put tremendous pressure on Govt. of India to release Anderson without considering the gravity of an enormous crime that he committed. A crime in which thousands of innocent people died like cats and dogs and many thousands who born even after a decade were carrying natal defects. A crime that is billion times grievous than what Krittika could have committed in all its remoteness. And today nearly after 27 years of that fateful day Anderson is still living at an arm's length from the clutches of laws and Krittika passed through the toughest moment of her life in a jail without committing any crime. The most sordid part here is that the same government which helped a criminal to escape from the country under false diplomatic immunity is showing its inherent incompetence to escalate this issue to higher forum. What an American sycophancy?

Krittika's case may be one such incident that not only reveals America's double standards towards universal democratic principles, but also it unfolds their hypocrisy as a civil society where human rights of other nationals are grossly violated under personal agenda.

World-class students, mediocre faculty

Finally someone on the top has garnered courage to spell out the blatant truth about the premier institutes like IITs and IIMs. The recent remarks on students and faculty of IITs and IIMs by Jairam Ramesh might have hurt many, but the fact of the matter is that he is absolutely right in saying this. Certainly, the students of IITs & IIMs are world class because they have established the relevant visible evidence across the world through their immense contribution in building and heading organizations and enterprises alike. However, at the same time, the faculty members of these institutes have done nothing other than discharging their normal duties like their counterparts in any other educational institutes in India.

Well, we can't discount the credit of faculty members in offering quality teachings to the students for over last 50 years, but what have they done beyond that? How many patents have they produced? How many Nobel laureates have they produced? How many world-class inventions have they made? How many internationally-acclaimed books have they written? If we really delve deeper into the intellectual capability of these faculty members and compare it with their counterparts in world-class institutes, it would be quite deplorable.

Let's just compare one prominent intellectual parameter often accepted by global audience, i.e. the number of Nobel laureates produced by any institute. Whereas institutes like Columbia University, Cambridge University, Chicago University, MIT, and Harvard have produced 88, 84, 83, 77 and 74 Nobel laureates respectively, IITs and IIMs have produced none. How pathetic is this? So, Jairam Ramesh has aptly unfolded the open secret about self-proclaimed elites who are basking on the glory of their students, not of their own. There is no political intent in expressing this plain truth as the minister himself is a product of IIT and he knows better than anyone else about the quality and quantity of research done by the faculty members. We must accept it now that these premier institutes of India must come out from the comfort zone and do something exemplary that the world will applaud. If you want to be recognized as world class, you must deliver in that order.

The Judgment Day: Hoax Demystified

Today the world is as secured and safe as it was yesterday. And if someone in this world who could be presumed as the most unfortunate person is none other than Harold Camping for his yet another hoax on the apocalypse – the judgment day – which he predicted that May 21, 2011 is the date with doomsday when a massive earthquake will rip apart this earth and majority of world population will die within 153 days of “death and horror.” Nothing has happened yet and will not happen also in future what the so called clairvoyants and self-proclaimed future-readers predict or claim as their prediction. A perpetual rumor-mongering fraud, Harold also predicted that the world could have met the doomsday in 1994 and again in 2011. How many dates he would lend from the chronology to establish his irrational analysis based on his understanding of religious texts? Next time if Harold predicts something, people will utterly call him a religious fraudster who spreads just rumors, not facts.

Well, Harold Camping is not just the one such creature in this world who peddles rumors and irrational thoughts, there are many thousands more of his breed who are equally responsible for creating confusion in this world. And the most natural ally of these tribes is people's belief system in religion that often obfuscates a rational mind in understanding a scientific phenomenon.

In the evolution of human civilization, the earth has passed through many natural calamities including earthquakes, floods, meteor strikes, and tsunamis, and they have shaped the future of this earth in more ways than one, but during all those devastating situations science has enabled people to understand the genesis of a high magnitude natural catastrophe, which doesn't follow any date or order of the unseen. There are multitude of physical properties of natural forces that in combination produce a devastating outcome. A date writing in any religious textbook or scripture doesn't suffice any rational interpretation of the existence of natural forces that comprehensibly steer an incident, which only can be predicted through the scientific analysis of participatory parameters.

We must understand that people like Harold Camping not only pose danger to our society by spreading rumors, but also they destabilize the eternal quest for truth through scientific means. Even today our earth is the most safest place to live in this universe and there is no second earth still discovered yet. I wish our earth should sustain the progress of mankind for many billion years, and we must work together to make that happen.

Power, politics, and fiery passion

What's the common feature among Dominique Strauss-Kahn (IMF chief), Moshe Katsav (Former Israeli president), and Jacob Zuma (South African president)? They all are powerful politicians charged with sexual assault. So, why the most powerful people in the world seriously fall from grace when it comes to sexual morality? Do they think power can negotiate the indefensible? There is a larger context to the sexual escapades of high and mighty in the annals of history, but from a human psychological perspectives, the power or position of a person can't transform the hidden testosterone quotient to a more constructive force in human psyche for a person of higher moral order.

The sexual aberration in men springs from the very carnal nature of animal instinct, which can be compared with a scenario like a tiger attacking a lone deer. A tiger normally applies its bestial force to justify its position in jungle, without any fear for repercussion. Similarly, a powerful man always believes in his extended reach and weight of his position to counter the aftereffect. However, no powerful man can ever live in a state of illusion that his immoral act can be buried under his nose.

We are living in a civil society where any amount of social aberration can be frowned up and be rejected by people. A false sense of megalomania derived from one's position however exalted in a society can't override the basic legal framework. It's extremely unfortunate that the most powerful people in this world quite forget this obvious fact and always jump the line of fire. They must understand that their hidden passion is more visible when they grow up in ladder.

Perhaps, Dominique Strauss-Kahn may end up in jail for few years for his abnormal sexual misadventure and will even be barred from the next French presidential candidature, but that will not be an appropriate lesson for the herds of his category because powerful men with a high degree of immorality will always commit the same crime repeatedly and face the legal actions and forget that they ever had such misfortunes in their life. Poor immoral men, a matter of distorted testosterone complexity.

Rightsizing the Left

If anything that explains the victory of TMC under the firebrand leadership of Mamata Banarjee in the assembly elections of West Bengal, in a more concrete term, is an unambiguous verdict of people in a democratic system. After 34 years of uninterrupted autocratic ruling, the Left has reduced to ashes and certainly the time has come for the CPI(M) leaders to introspect and unlearn the meaningless ideologies that they emotionally carry in their heart and soul for many decades. A pertinent question that strikes my mind now is whether the same Marx who authoritatively propounded the significance of communism some centuries before during a nascent stage of industrial revolution could have vouched for that ideology in today's world? Probably, it could have been enormously difficult even for him to understand the complexities of socio-economic dynamics that the world has experienced today, forget about his followers who even don't know the world around them thoroughly.

The Left's debacle in West Bengal is justified and timely. Justified because the CPI(M) took it for granted that anything and everything they do would be blindly accepted by the people of West Bengal forgetting a simple fact that they are part of a democratic system, not a communist country like China where the state terror is even justified. Timely because if the Left could have ruled the state at least for another term, the total debt might have crossed Rs. 200,000 crores, which is the rarest of rare incidents, given the fiscal situation of any other state in India. Though the people of West Bengal don't know today as how would Mamata Banarjee manage the gross fiscal violations incurred due to the bad governance of Left parties for over three decades, but at least one thought that they closely nurture in their heart is that something new and fresh would come out from Mamata's magic wand. And that's evident from Mamata's public speech post elections. At least she would concentrate on expanding the private-public participation in faster industrial revolution that was once a hallmark of West Bengal even during the pre-independent period. Though some ghosts of the past incidents like Singur and Nandigram would create some uncomfortable situations for her; however, she can ably turn her critics silent by helping the Land Acquisition bill passed in the Parliament in the monsoon session.

The people of West Bengal can now get some respite from the frequented strikes called by the Left on every alternate day for anything and everything. The Left must now understand that time has changed. Bullying labour-class people is quite easier, but the same people have already witnessed the transformation around them, so it would surely be difficult to indoctrinate them with false ideologies those have no sense in the current socio-economic condition. What people need today is result-oriented governance which can be physically visible and experienced, not the one they would romanticize for decades without an iota of outcome.

An open letter to Rahul Gandhi

Dear Rahul,

When India is poised to switch over to the next orbit in socio-economic revolution, a plain vanilla political opportunism in farmers' agitation at Bhatta Parsaul can't qualify you to become the prime minister of this country. For that you should think beyond the contemporary political think-tank. Your solidarity with the victims of Bhatta Parsaul and empathy for the poor farmer families who lost their members in a protest against state apathy may temporarily yield some brownie points for you in politics, but in long run these political activism will never transform you to a world-class leader that billion plus Indians are eagerly waiting for.

Previously, you also visited Niyamagiri in Odisha to solace the poor tribals and also promised them to fight for their cause. I am not sure whether justice has been delivered to them. And there are numerous incidents when you have shown your genuine interest to reach out to masses and listen to their grievances, that way you have unquestionably proved yourself a leader of the masses, but will that suffice to catapult you to the top job of this country? You are not just another Indian political leader who at best can only aspire for a cabinet berth at the centre in his life time, you are different from the herd. You represent the collective aspirations of millions of youth who dream an India the next superpower in global economy, an India where the fruits of democracy are not restricted to few millions but every citizen of this country gets empowered to lead a life with dignity, an India where a flawed tradition, however deep routed, can't overpower the fundamental rights of any citizen, an India where justice will never be denied.

India is struggling with diverse socio-economic issues. Even after 64 years of independence, millions of people are dying of hunger, millions of children are exploited as child labourers, thousands of farmers are taking suicidal route to escape from the state apathy, and on the contrary, the ruling class is basking under the glory of India shinning, an irony that always narrates the sordid state of our development, a development which is partisan, non-inclusive, and unsustainable. For last 64 years we have been tinkering with the symptomatic treatment of a malaise, which could have an otherwise sure-shot preventive therapy. We wait for a problem to happen and then act partially to suppress it, rather than eradicate it from the root. How long India can afford to bleed on these pernicious ideologies?

Rahul, it's time now for you to take a stand beyond myriads of political limitations. India can't be ruled within the ambit of party ideologies. As a youth leader, you must ensure that the most bright and deserving young leaders join you to embark on a mission to transform India from an emerging economy to a world superpower in every dimension. And a last thought, you shouldn't be “ashamed of to be an Indian” by noticing one grave incidence of state apathy, rather you must ensure that every citizen with self conviction can say “I am proud to be an Indian” and for that you must act now to deliver justice to the victims of state atrocities.

Sincerely,

An honest Indian

The ugly face of land grabbing

The war of land acquisition for industrialization among poor farmers and state agencies or corporate houses simmers everywhere, from hinterland to heartland of cities. From Dhinkia (Odisha) to Singur (West Bengal) to Greater Noida (UP), the woes of farmers have never been addressed, rather state authorities have flaunted their might through engaging law enforcement agencies to suppress peaceful protests. In most cases, the protesters face the brutality of state power as a result many innocent farmers meet their tragic end, but the ugly war of land grabbing fashionably turns into maximum political opportunism. The opposition political leaders of all shades show their pretentious support to the victims just to grab the media attention and when the same parties come to power behave equally unabashedly in the same manner. When will the political hypocrisy take the least importance while mediating for the issues universal in nature? When will the states and the centre stop becoming the agents of corporate houses? When will the true spirit of sustainable development take off in this country? When will the poor farmers across India get justice for their constitutional rights? When will the nexus between government agencies and corporate houses be legally renounced? There are many unanswered questions though pop in the minds of people, the government shows its usual reluctance to address them.

Irrespective of India's economic growth in the post liberalization era, the hiatus between poor and rich has conspicuously grown further. In the name of SEZs, IT parks, real estate projects, and heavy industries, the state governments and corporate houses in tandem prefer farm lands to be acquired first essentially for two reasons: first, it's bit easier to dupe poor farmers, and second, the corporate houses find it quite easy to immediately start their projects, as they don't have to invest a lot on land filling and building connecting roads from the highways and expressways to the project location. Thus, the corporate houses give kickbacks to government agencies to act on their behalf. So what happens then is an unending saga of exploitation by state agencies. The state authorities purchase lands at a rate eligible for farm land and in turn sell it to corporate houses with lower to medium margins, but again the selling price falls far below the rate of industrial land. Eventually, the corporate houses receive all the benefits out of this illegal transactions.

Now the moot question is how long the state agencies will exploit the poor people? The manner in which farm lands are getting their ways into the land bank of corporate houses, few decades down the line India will face serious shortage of farm produces and the ever growing inflation in food grain and vegetable prices will touch the sky. The time is not too far from today when we will carry bag full of cash to buy half a basket vegetables. This is the time for serious introspection. We need a stringent bill on land acquisition for industrial purpose. India can't afford to loose any amount of farm lands for lopsided industrial development given the rising population. Development which is not sustainable is worse than underdevelopment. Is anybody listening?

Can Pakistan hold a mirror to itself?

Why almost all terror groups across the world find an easy hideout in Pakistan? Whether it's al-Qaeda, LeT, or Taliban, the terrorists of all shades and hues conspicuously establish the fact that Pakistan has eventually become a sanctuary of terrorists. And the recent Operation Geronimo, in which Osama bin Laden, the most wanted terrorist of world, was killed in the garrison town of Abbottabad, contributes to the index of increasing suspicion against Pakistan in nurturing terrorism. Despite the claims of Pakistan's top civilian and military leaders that Abbottabad is just another intelligence failure such as 9/11 and 26/11 terror attacks, the facts remain that a terrorist like Osama, who is being hunted by America for nearly ten years, can sustain for over five years in an unimaginably large mansion, a few hundred yards from the military academy, without constant support from ISI or Pakistan Army seems quite inconceivable. Pakistan's support to breeding and nurturing terrorism is also evident from the deliberate act of avoiding India's request to handover the perpetrators of Mumbai terrorists attack those are sheltered in Pakistan.

Can Pakistan afford to bear the dangerous repercussions of its own mistakes? Maybe, it can continue as an unholy bedfellow of America in passively supporting the whims and fancies of White House to fight against terrorism in AfPak region, but the way it has displayed its deficit of trust in Osama episode, the future of Pakistan as a permanent ally of America poses many doubts. Pakistan must understand now that the regional equations among the Asian countries are changing very fast, at least for more cohesive trade exchanges in which it has already missed the train. Supporting proxy wars and terrorism would finally reduce Pakistan to a sheer banana republic. Aids of few billion dollars from America can't transform Pakistan to a self-sustained democracy, rather it could act as a boomerang to hijack it's sovereignty as it did in Osama's case. The millions of peace loving people in Pakistan never want their country's leaders to become puppets of the US administration and act as surrogate mothers to the American ideologies on international relations. The time has come for Pakistan to introspect and say no to American pressure on anything and everything that Pakistan has hardly any benefits in long run. America understands that a potential regional balance of power among Asian countries is not only a blow to its superpower tag but also a threat to its strategic interests in global politics. Wake up Pakistan and extend your support for regional peace process and ripe the long-term benefits.

Why the USA doesn't support India in extraditing Dawood and other terrorists from Pakistan?

While the USA successfully operated a “Geronimo” in the heartland of Pakistan to eliminate the world's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden, then why it is reluctant to extend support to India to do the same for Dawood and other terrorists those are being sheltered in Pakistan? Many would brush Washington's stand a double standard, but they are terribly wrong in doing so. The primary reason as to why the USA is unwilling to support India is the deficit of trust. Sounds out of place? Maybe. But the fact of the matter is that the USA clearly knows even though it holds up extraditing these terrorists, the politicians of India would divide extremely highly on some false notions, which maybe due to their vested interests, and let these terrorists either unpunished or again let them go. And this will not impact India because it has already drawn that sorry picture in international forums, but at the same time it could be a huge disgrace to the America's image.

Even after 18 years of Mumbai blasts why Dawood hasn't been brought to justice is not the problem of America or Pakistan. The problem lies with us. Our politicians and law and order enforcement personnel in tandem have created this deplorable situation. The cocktail of corruption and crime in politics and bureaucracy has been dangerously spurious. Even there are some honest police officers who have discharged their duties with extreme integrity to punish the terrorists, at the same time certain politicians have helped these terrorists to escape from this country to a safe haven in Pakistan or somewhere inside our country. Why our politicians don't arrive at a consensus at least for national issues like terrorism? Why do they have a different party position for the same grave issues? Isn't it our double standard? However, in America when it comes to national issues everybody is united and everyone talks the same language. Will it be possible in India?

Before blaming America or Pakistan for whatever reason, let's transform ourselves and endeavour to unlearn those dirty lessons in politics those were being used by feudalistic societies in the medieval India. India is a republic, not an aggregation of small provinces where each emperor has a different notion on a subject that has tremendous national importance. What are our national characteristics? India can't grow along with the divisive politics. We must understand and acknowledge that in all developed countries issues like national security are dealt with extreme political convergence. There is no scope for regional agenda or individual ideologue. So long as we live on the trivia of political differences, we won't be able to bring even a petty criminal to justice, forget about Dawood or other most wanted international terrorists.

Why India can't afford to conduct an operation like Geronimo?

Though many defense and security analysts in this country opine that India should go ahead with a Geronimo like surgical raid in Pakistan to eliminate the masterminds of 26/11, for all practical purposes this doesn't seem a viable option at all given the geopolitical location of India. Moreover, India doesn't have the capability, including technical and human, to carry out a warfare what SEAL team could able to execute with extreme precision.

The worst fear that grips the leaders of this country is that the immediate fallout of this operation could escalate to a nuclear war, which could be potentially disastrous for India. Their fear psychosis is valid. However, that doesn't stop us to weigh out other viable options apart from diplomatic bargaining and political dialogues which have yielded any results in all these years.

On the contrary, what India can do on a quid pro quo basis is to execute a covert intelligence operation to eliminate the most wanted terrorists on the Pakistan soil. But the inherent problem here is that our external intelligence wing RAW is more driven by the political interests than the national interests. Over a decade and half, specifically after Narsimha Rao regime, RAW has drastically curtailed its covert operations outside India and for that the political masters of this country are responsible. As a result, the incidence of terrorists attacks in India has increased manifold.

Now the fact of the matter is that to carry out any advance counter-intelligence operations outside the country, the agencies should be given enough space for independent decision making, which could be possible only when RAW or IB will operate independently without political interference. Furthermore, the political think-tank of this country needs a complete transformation vis-a-vis the emerging global dynamics on multi-lateral fronts.

Political dialogue is one of the most ancient methods that kings and emperors practiced to engage them in regional peace process and that worked well because the parameters for complexity of situation were limited; however, in the 21st century world, the complexities of today's problem are far beyond the ones those were supposedly prevailing during 500-1000 years before. We have also noticed that during last two governments – NDA and UPA – political dialogues have hardly been effective in establishing a peace process across the region, primarily because in both the cases our prime ministers have initiated it as a personal political aggrandizement rather than considering the core national interests. And this time again, if Dr. Manmohan Singh is making some efforts to move forward on peace dialogues, the results could be unyielding because the current political scenario in Pakistan, in the aftermath of Geronimo, is quite hostile and unstable, and the internal pressures from the public there are mounting high on both the civilian and military leadership to get the truth behind the America's surgical raid.

Given the unstable political situation in Pakistan, a peace dialogue process is just another off-target approach. Neither will India politically benefit from this in long run nor the citizens of this country will get justice for the 26/11 terrorist attack. However, a covert intelligence operation to eliminate the most wanted terrorists from Pakistan soil can be successfully carried out, if the political leaderships of India collectively converge to execute certain decisive actions, at least in favour of national interest.

When will India deliver justice to the families of 26/11 victims?

When will India stop candyfloss diplomacy and act firm against the perpetrators of 26/11 terror plot who are sheltered in Pakistan and protected by their system? Despite hard evidences against the terrorists who attacked Mumbai and seized the city for 72 hours and killed hundreds of innocent people ruthlessly at different prominent places in the city, why then the government is so irresolute, even after two years of the incident, in bringing them to justice? Why the government still believes in meaningless dialogues with a country that is proved to be breeder ground or safe haven of world's deadly terrorists? Do we really want an inconsequential diplomatic relation with just another neighbouring country which has no justifiable reason in the current state of affairs or global political dynamics?

The ineffectual political leadership in our country is the primary reason of many worst problems that Indian citizens are suffering everyday. If look at the symptoms of terrorist attacks that have occurred in the last decade, the aftermath reaction by Indian political system has been divisive and inconclusive. There is no collective mandate towards a resonant action against terrorism in this country. The worst part is that despite solid evidences against the terrorists, our political leadership is too enervated to take synergistic action. Why then the citizens of this country should trust these politicians who don't have spunk to work towards a resolute India? Perhaps, the time has come for Indian leaders to change their obsolete thinking process and work on towards a complete transformation in their style of leadership.

The people of this country have been suffering since independence on many fronts. Whether it's historical partition, communal riots, wars, or terrorist strikes, the genesis of all problems and for that matter for all human sufferings lies with the incompetent leadership of our nation. In the name of democracy, they have not only breached the trust that the architects of our Constitution defined therein, but also they have made every attempt to loot the public money and stash at Swiss Bank. The recent unfolding of series of corruptions is just a clear reminder to the fact that how immoral are these politicians and how do they beguile the gullible citizens. They have done enough damage to this country. India now needs a complete overhaul in the political leadership within the ambit of Constitution. We need the leaders who are visionary, modern, resolute, intelligent, knowledgeable, suave, techno-savvy, and above all possess unbounded empathy for the citizens, not for the terrorists and their supporters, of this country. We don't need the leaders at all who still believe in or carry the medieval mindset and don't have the ability to cope with the current global dynamics. We just need results, not a basketful balderdash.

Take the bull by the horns

Enough is enough is now. For over a week, few hundreds of Indian Airlines pilots have resorted to illegal strike without justifiable reasons and eventually hijacked the national flight services to the nadir. Despite the High Court order, these defiant pilots have hardly shown an iota of respect to the judicial system of this country. Why the government is still witnessing this high drama without taking immediate actions against these stupid pilots who think that they can do whatever and whenever they wish without considering the sanctity of their job responsibilities? Thousands of travelers have been affected by the idiosyncratic decision of these pilots and there is no specific action has yet been taken either by the management or the Ministry of Civil Aviation. And the poor passengers are suffering like hell. How long this anarchy will go on?

As per the sources, these pilots demand a rise in their salary and other benefits equivalent to the salary of a section of pilots in Air India; however, some of the pilots claim that their strike is not related to pay hike, but to expose the corrupt practices. Well, let's consider the first point of confrontation, i.e. pay hike. First, I don't understand why the pilots are drawing a hugely filthy salary in the range of 2 Lacs to 7 Lacs per month? Are they doing any intellectual job? Even the most intellectuals including top scientists and educationists in this country are not drawing a fraction of the salary what these stupid pilots (read high-end drivers), who are just a graduate and almost carry a dubious airline training license, are drawing. Moreover, the Indian Air Force pilots, whose contributions to the defense of our nation are immense, are not even drawing such huge salary. Is their any justification then left why should they every time call a strike to get a pay hike that they don't deserve at all.

Secondly, these pilots and most of which carry a fake certificate to fly a plane just to draw a fat pay packet claim to expose the corrupt practices in the airlines management. Sounds ridiculous? Yes. They must remember that no corrupt person has any moral right to fight against corruption. Only just and honest people in this country can claim to do so because they don't have any vested interest in exposing the corruption. Moreover, if corruption in AI or IA is so rampant, the right party in this country will take action against the culprits. The losses borne by the national carrier due to pilot strikes during various points of time even represent an act of corruption.

Thirdly, the indecisive government has failed to take any prudent action against these errant pilots who have created so much anarchy in flight services. Who will compensate the personal loss of passengers? Pilots or the government? Now is the time the government should act tough rather than doing a lip service. Seven days of disservice to thousands of passengers is not a joke, a dastardly criminal act. And for that, all these bloody pilots should be fired immediately and for a temporary measure the government should induct IAF pilots to action without delay, and subsequently recruit fresh pilots from the open market. In doing so, the government shouldn't forget to design an effective business continuity plan to avoid such untoward incidents in future as well.

Pakistan's hypocrisy exposed

How long will Pakistan bully the entire world by denying its clandestine hobnobbing with various terror outfits on its own land? Now it's an established fact that the world's most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden was killed by US forces in a region very close to Pakistan's military academy in Abbottabad. And the most astonishing fact is that the huge mansion in which Obama was living along with his wife and sons is just at a stone's throw from the army cantonment area and no one in Pakistan's army and ISI could able to know about this. If Pakistan is still in denial mode, it seems, the nation is inviting a serious assault from the US in the coming times, and that's not far off from now when the US will press Pakistan in international forum to justify their denial in all previous high level meetings, when Pakistan's top leadership including civilian and military had deliberately provided false information on Osam's where-about. There is no doubt that Pakistan is a sanctuary of terrorists and that has been exposed by the US. Isn't it extremely embarrassing for Pakistan now?

Why does Pakistan play this double standard? Can Pakistan prove it now that its Army had no role in protecting the most wanted terrorist of the world by providing shelter within the cantonment area? Can Pakistan deny the fact that a terrorist could able to build a huge mansion in its army area without getting permission from the local authority? If Pakistan doesn't have answers to these questions, then it reflects the dangerous state of affairs that it has been embroiled in.

It's not only Osama Bin Laden who has had the state privilege to manage his vicious terror plots from the safe haven of Pakistan, but there are hundreds of deadly terrorists who have plotted ghastly attacks in London, Madrid, and Mumbai and killed thousands of innocent citizens are still harbored in this terror land.

Now the time has come for Pakistan to cooperate with other nations to either provide information about the terrorists those are being protected by ISI or Army, or face the dangerous consequences of not being cooperative. No nation wants to transgress the sovereignty of Pakistan and manhunt the terrorists the way US managed to do, but at the same time if Pakistan constantly ignores the requests of other nations or doesn't cooperate other in ensuring a world free of terrorism, it won't be surprising that one day all other nations would launch a collective military assault to get the results.

Obama's victory over Osama

The Americans are jumping out of jubilation around the White House, and this time it's not just that another festive occasion has infected their collective spirit, rather it's because of an unprecedented victory of America in the continuous war against terrorism. A moment that the US President Mr. Barack Obama clearly articulates with extreme precision from the White House through an officially televised statement: Justice has been done for 9/11 families. Under Mr. Obama's supervision, a selective military attack was carried out on the hideout of Osama Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda chief and the mastermind of 9/11 terror, and eventually killed Osama and his other aides. Of course, this is the most exciting moment for the families of innocent victims who were killed in 9/11. And Mr. Obama is absolutely correct in saying that "justice is done."

The stunning point here is that the hideout of Osama is located in Abbottabad, approximately 51 km from Islambad, the capital of Pakistan. Now this clearly indicates that how treacherous these Pakistani leadership who were constantly denying the fact that they have no connection with Al Qaeda or similar terror outfits. This is a shocking revelation of Pakistan's hypocrisy in protecting terrorists in its territory.

After ten years of that horrific moment, when thousands of innocent Americans and citizens from other countries were killed by a terrorist strike on World Trade Center, America has triumphed the war against the highest act of terror and emerged as the true superpower. This may be a significant achievement for Mr. Obama in the war against terrorism, but it's still a beginning and the world citizens expect many more results from him in the years to come.

Can Indian leaders now learn some lessons from Mr. Obama's strategy in handling terror? The sad part is that despite all hard evidences against the terrorists who plotted 26/11 ghastly terror attack in Mumbai in broad daylight are still at arm's length and hiding in the safe haven of Pakistan and our leaders are passing the buck as usual, which is absolutely unacceptable by Indian citizens anymore. The Indian leaders must now stop delivering meaningless talks and act tough against the 26/11 terrorists.

The next wave @ Infosys

In the last thirty years since its inception, Infosys has established itself as the most respected IT company not only in India but also across the world for many reasons, primarily on the operational front, the fine balance of interest among employees, customers, and investors has always been their priority, furthermore the transparency in corporate governance is so exemplary that very few company across the world can dare to tread this path. From a seed capital of $250 to an annual turnover $6.2 billion IT behemoth, and from seven founding members to 135000 employees, in just 30 years, are an unprecedented business record that hardly any company can claim. In the post-independent India, many companies have formed and have displayed extremely alluring balance sheets, but when it comes to corporate governance, business ethics, integrity, empathy for employees, customers, and investors, and CSR initiatives, no one can ever match the height that Infosys has achieved.

And on April 30, 2011, Infosys has again created another history by inducting a non-founding board member KV Kamath, a veteran banker famous for his business transformation strategy at ICICI bank, to its highest post, the chairman of the board. The decision is obviously strategic as to why Kamath was chosen over Kris Gopalakrishnan although the latter has been promoted to co-chairman from the CEO. And simultaneously SD Shibulal, a founding member who is the current COO has also been promoted to CEO and MD, a position that now will bring in more challenges given the transformation Infosys is eying for. Over and above NR Narayana Murthy will remain as the chairman emeritus and the chief mentor, a position that no one can ever serve better than him.

Infosys at this point of time is on a crossroad. The IT back office operation which was the major revenue generator is now waning. Under these circumstances Infosys is aggressively looking forward to expand its consultancy business. Despite the fact that Kamath is not from IT industry, his extraordinary skills in corporate governance, business transformation through technology, and innovative business modeling will be of immense help for Infosys to mark a distinct position in IT consulting business like its key competitors such as Accenture and IBM. Being a banker for over four decades, Kamath has garnered exclusive business relations with almost all sectors, and this goodwill could work as miracle while acquiring new businesses in consultancy front. Infosys, for sure, is all set to ride on the new wave of transformation.

All the best Infosys for your continued exemplary service not only to your valued customers across the globe but also to millions of Indians on many fronts. May your mission for excellence long live.

Banning Endosulfan: Should India Dare to Move?

Chemicals and pesticides are generally hazardous for human beings and environment; however, there are certain standard processes and practices are followed for their safe usage. The recent move against blanket ban on endosulfan across the country hardly justifies the reason that some 63 countries across the world have already banned this pesticide and India should follow them blindly without considering its own reasons.

The report on birth defects and other environmental degradations in the Kesargod area in Kerala by certain NGOs is motivated by MNCs in European countries since endosulfan as an off-patent generic pesticide which has impeccable integrated pest control capability (almost protects a variety of 29 crops from 60 types of infestations) and furthermore India leads the production of this pesticide. There are serious conspiracies behind this blanket ban across India, which is evident from the launch of new alternatives to endosulfan by EU companies.

Consider this simple arithmetic, India produces over 70 percent of endosulfan consumed by the world farmers and horticulturers amounting to 12.5 million litres and consumes 50 percent of its own production and, if endosulfan is banned, then any alternative as suggested by EU would cost around 8 to 50 times of the price at which endosulfan is sold. The enosulfan is a cheap pesticide available at a price range of Rs. 250-285 per litre in India. Since India's farm economy is quite strong, the usage of pesticide like endosulfan is endemic across the country.

In fact, Kerala and Karnataka are not the only states in India those are using endosulfan, the most prolific users are Punjab, Haryana, UP, West Bengal, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh where there is not a single report on birth defect in these states. Forget about the reports published in media, let me tell you a fact that in Punjab there is no such report of health hazards due to endosulfan in last 50 years, and for all factual evidences Punjab is far ahead in farm products in comparison to Kerala or Karnataka.

Moreover, looking at the EU strategies to ban endosulfan and bring out some new alternatives at extremely higher price range is a clear indication of the fact that the drive against endosulfan is a conspiracy of MNCs those want to launch the product in the market soon. So a propaganda against endosulfan through certain vested interest groups is understandable. If India bows down to the Stockholm Convention, then it could be a suicidal move against the poor farmers of this country.

Kesargod incident is an one-off case which hasn't even strong evidences against endosulfan abuse and chances are that the reports published in media or driven by NGOs are motivated by interest groups. Moreover, the way endosulfan is used in cashew forests in Kerala is against the standard operating process. Aerial spray of any pesticide over a decade could have adverse impact on the people around the locality, and this specific case maybe no different. Rather than banning the pesticide, Kerala should learn the right way of using the pesticide. It seems like bad workmen always quarrel with their tools, and this surely fits in here.

The Government of India should take notice of the strong implications due to ban of endosulfan. The immediate impact could be on the farm productivity and pricing. Already the poor people of India are reeling under extreme inflation in all these years and a step towards blanket ban of a pesticide which has no proven adverse impact on the people and environment could be a dangerous proposition for agricultural productivity and economy of this country.

Curbing the free speech

When IT has made India one of the fastest emerging economy in world market, the regulatory move against virtually free online media including blog sites and other social networking sites is a clear indication of the fact that the rotten politicians and bureaucrats in this country are trying to tighten the noose against unbridled free speech, primarily because the ongoing exposures of their corrupt practices in unconventional media like Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, etc., have attracted huge public attentions and reactions, which become a deterrent to their clandestine corrupt practices. In the recent Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption, the social media played a significant role by spreading the awareness across the world, and this became another jasmine revolution.

Now that politicians think the educated, IT-savvy citizens are well-informed and their collective free speech can bring down their supremacy in a society that they have legitimately exploited for decades, which furthermore won't be possible and this fear psychosis has triggered an authoritarian regime like situation to nip any future online revolution in the bud. This is a serious contempt of freedom of speech provisioned in a democracy. No matter how blasphemous or hateful be the views on an individual on any subject, that should be given a benefit of doubts in the ambit of “personal interpretation”, not as interpreted by a motley group of “pseudo-intellectual bureaucrats” who have continuously blocked the social innovations in this country.

Every time when a corruption news breaks out in this country, people blindly blame politicians without analyzing the length and breadth of the crime, but the time has come now to look beyond the lopsided view. The systemic corruption in India is a phenomenon dangerously propagated by the bureaucrats since independence. Their feudal attitude to keep every policy inherently flawed has stumped the progress of this country. If we have witnessed any social, economic or technological revolution, be it market liberalization, IT revolution, or mobile revolution, in this country, that has been possible just because of the sincere efforts of some good politicians, technocrats, and intellectuals. Though there are very few bureaucrats who have helped executing the policies with due diligence, the majority of this power block have continuously manipulated the system on their side, and the recent move on curbing the free speech in a democratic system is again their misadventure to prohibit public reactions, but this act of despot will never succeed. Controlling the internet framework across the world by any local government agency has never been successful, and this wild act of authoritarian governance will rather raise more conflicts in a working democracy.

The Ghost of Chernobyl

Twenty-five years before, exactly on this date, it was just another aspiring day for the people in northern Ukraine who were starting their day with a new goal, a new hope that they normally had like any other day of the year, but it was not as wonted at all. It's meant to be something inconceivably different so that the people of Chernobyl including the surrounding Ukraine and Belarus cant forget even after many generations. An explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, triggered by a testing error, devastated the entire region to a hell of radioactive inferno that burned for ten days and 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the atmosphere, making it the worst nuclear disaster in the history of human civilization.

The explosion was so powerful that it released 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Though immediate death due to explosion was not great in numbers, over 30 thousand people since the disaster have died due to ling cancer, leukemia, and cardiovascular disease. Over seven millions of people who lived around the contaminated territories were exposed to the toxic radioactive material such as iodine-131, cesium-137, strontium-90, and plutonium-239 and the repercussion of the exposure was so huge that it widely damaged the ecosystem, and Belarus was the worst hit country in terms of economic loss. According to a report by the Committee on the Problems of the Consequences of the Catastrophe at the Chernobyl NPP, the economic damages to Belarus after the accident over 30 years (1986 – 2015) could be to the tune of $235 billion.

The environment and health impact of Chernobyl nuclear disaster are extremely concerning. Thyroid cancer in children has increased since the disaster. According to World Health Organization report, in this region, 50,000 children will develop the disease during their lifetime, 30 times higher after the accident. Leukemia has increased 50% in children and adults. In addition to thyroid cancer and leukemia, as per a UNICEF report, between 1990 and 1994, nervous system disorder has increased by 43%; cardiovascular diseases by 43%; and bone and muscle disorders by 62%.

After 25 years, the innocent victims of Chernobyl are still in a state of fear and uncertainty. They even don't know for how many generations they would face the burnt of this disaster, which has always been the results of mindless technological progress, often postulated by the agents of callous state machinery. Perhaps, in the name of technological progress the human aspirations for precarious achievements pose the most perilous threats that one day the entire world would be pushed to the brink of extinction.

Let the truth prevail

The worst crime ever committed by a ruler is his or her discrepancy towards subjects while delivering fair justice, but today this crime is being publicly undermined by justifying political mandate in the elections or awe-inspiring partisan economic progress in the state. The perpetrators of these heinous crimes still rule us, lecture us about secular democracy, and even shamelessly claim that they are the legends that the entire mankind should follow their footprints. What could be more deplorable than this side of human hypocrisy that at one point the person who overwhelmingly shows his beliefs in a value, at a different point of time the same person leaves no stone unturned to break that value?

No one can forget that fateful night of February 27, 2002 when a group of terrorists torched a bogey of Savarmati Express in which 59 karsevaks charred to death. But again a matter of caution here whether this act of dastardly terror was a conspiracy of a sinister design of some communal groups is yet to be established under the court of law. Let's now examine the fallout of this dangerous act of crime. The state government rather than promptly deploying law and order machinery to action for nabbing these perpetrators of crime, the leaders of the state orchestrated a malicious design so that the community belonging to the victims can vent their anger against the other community by igniting the sparks of the worst communal riots after independence.

For last nine years the case has been investigated by a SIT being monitored by the Supreme Court. However, nothing substantial has come out through this investigative tribunal. This is the callous state of the judicial system in India where the delivery of justice is always delayed supporting the adage: justice delayed is justice denied. It's delayed so extensively that the incident is forgotten in the public memory. If we explore the high profile cases in India, it's quite evident from the historical facts that no case is ever resolved in a year or two, forget about months, India judicial system is so lethargic that at least a decade or more is passed in chagrin to reach at the verdict, which is again partisan, biased, and dictated by the ruling party.

Can India abstinent from such feudal mindset and rise above the political prerogatives to deliver justice in time? Can the various wings of democracy including legislative, executive, and judiciary act collectively to preserve the sanctity of secularism? Can Indians expect fair justice irrespective of the social stature of the persons involved? Probably these are the difficult questions we have been raising since long, but we haven't yet received any satisfactory response to them. There are two specific reasons that fit here; one, the ruling class carries an inherent inertia as a mechanism to prove its extreme importance; two, the subject close to the ruling class try to tinker with anything and everything to prevail their position in society. Thus the immaculate truth is that one India is exploiting the other India with extreme precision.

The wounds that never soothe

After 25 years of that fateful day at Chernobyl, the chilling trepidation of nuclear disaster still echoes from the ghost town, and never settles to die down in the memory of human civilization. Thousands people died instantly after the disaster, millions fled away after being exposed to high degree radioactive emission and those who survived the death trap of this potentially calamitous revolutionary technological progress are still suffering from the pangs orchestrated by mindless pursuits of mankind negotiated for small comforts of society – the comforts that never reach to those people who for all splendors of human development are forced to bury their lives under the perfidious design of the ruling class.

The spirit of human settlements that once dotted around Chernobyl will never resurrect from that epochal nightmare. The survivors even shiver today when they brood over the consequences of a diabolic nuclear disaster that the mankind can never forget and forgive those people who for all their boundless human greed put the entire human civilization at the brink of danger. Even today the newborn babies inherit the curse of dangerous technology. Physically deformed, mentally agonized, these children of post-Chernobyl fallout are the reflection of our imbecilic hankering for technological progress that has always posed myriads of threats to the sustenance of nature. We forget for a moment that the fascinating advantages of a hugely risk-ridden technology cant overwhelm the piles of danger that it intrinsically bears within.

After 25 years we are still crestfallen. The recent meltdown of nuclear plants at Fukushima, triggered by a series of potentially catastrophic earthquakes and tsunami, has again posed serious doubts on the safety of a hazardous technology that many duplicitous protagonists vouch for its economic importance in a world of acute energy crunch. But the moot question here that slaps on our face is: Can we bargain with a crocodile to get rid of a tiger? This is a catch-22 situation. The imminent dangers of climatic changes due to toxic effluents of fossil fuels used in thermal power plants are equally threatening to the sustenance of this world. Now is the time for a serious contemplation. We must engage collectively to think about a third alternative which could be pro-nature, pro-mankind, and sustain the continuous human progress.

Mr. Obama's “cheap” tactics

In a recent speech at a community college in Virginia, Mr. Barak Obama, the president of US, went a little further down the popular, colloquial political speech on the upsurging healthcare issues in America, living behind world political hypocrisy to its shameful nadir. In fact, what Mr. Obama reiterated was nothing more than a political rhetoric that almost all politicians bank on to woo their voters. The fact of the matter is that Mr. Obama wants the Americans shouldn't leave their country to avail “cheap” healthcare facilities in India and Mexico. There are two aspects what Mr. Obama wanted to explain his citizens: one, the Americans shouldn't forget that “cheap” necessarily connote poor quality service because the “costly” in a capitalist society is undoubtedly reserved for “class”; two, even if the healthcare service in the US comes at a higher price, so be it, anyway it goes to America's economy in a sense that when outsourcing debate in certain states of the US is getting hotter, this could be an absolutely cool, politically-correct statement. We emotional, patriotic Indians shouldn't take it as an offense because our politicians too engage themselves in “cheap” talks to feed us with irrational concepts to drive us to a point where we would be compelled to think how caring these politicians for our causes. After a certain degree of rationality, all politicians across the world are public charmers, they know how to deceive people with gullible talks.

Well, the “cheap” healthcare facilities in India have many fringe benefits that attract patients from allover the world including the US. Apart from availing quality medicare at a throwaway price, the patients also get a chance to enjoy their trip to various monumental sites & tourist places and take part in a pluralistic culture curry, which is a bonus point for them. In fact, the healthcare facilities in India are far ahead than those in the US or other developed countries. Indian doctors are world-class and have proved their mettle in every medical specialty. And the ground reality is that the rate of success in critical medical treatments in India is much better than those in the US.

So, if Mr. Obama really wants to overhaul the America's healthcare segment and promises to deliver a better quality of service at a comparatively cheaper price, no one can stop him doing that; however, he should not just behave like another politician to garner brownie points for vote-bank by resorting to “cheap” talks.

How can India eliminate systemic corruption?

India has been witnessing corruption in public domain since independence. However, in the last few decades the length and breadth of corruption net has been manifold. Literally, in every walk of life one can experience the toxins of carcinogenic corruption. Even today the lowest rung government official doesn't hesitate to ask for few bucks to facilitate a service, which on the contrary is a legal right of citizen though to avail it freely. Analyzing the gravity of systemic corruption, many anti-corruption laws have been enacted in this country and nothing has changed the topography of rampant corruption. And of late the much publicized draconian Jan Lokpal bill draft initiated by a civil society organization and supported by Anna Hazare has been a hot debate not only in media, but also in public domain. There are cynics and optimists as well who contribute their piece of argument to galvanize this bill as the mother of all anti-corruption bills ever enacted by any democratic nation in this world. For some time, I was quite optimistic and elated and was holding my trust in the civil society committee, which is an equal partner in drafting and debating on the Lokpal Bill draft. The irony of the draft is that it's a one-stop shop to handle corruption charges against anybody and everybody in public service.

Given the corruption charges getting rounds against Bhushans, now a fundamental question hammers me is that, can human greed be controlled by the stringent laws of land? Maybe, the charges against Bhushans not be true, but one critical aspect about elder Bhusan's declaration of assets looks unbelievable that how just a lawyer can accumulate the personal wealth to the tune of Rs. 209 crores in his life time? Though most of his legal practicing time has been spent on PILs which are certainly not a high yielding specialty in legal domain, but his wealth amassed speaks the contrary. If at all we seriously think about a committee that would pull off the huge responsibility of drafting a stringent anti-corruption bill, the primary attributes of the composition must hinge on the human attributes such as impeccable propriety other than sharp legal acumen. Of course there is no dearth of finest legal luminaries in this country who are honest and an incorruptible. The civil society should not be restricted to the crony professionalism, rather they should weigh high moral grounds against the skills, which are anyway don't rest within Bhushans only.

Well, that's one part of this anti-corruption drive to design a stringent deterrent mechanism to check corruption. However, if we look at the other developed democratic nations, we find a curious contrast that rather taking preventive measures as others strictly follow, why we Indians still wait a disease to inflict us and then take medicines? Probably, this perspective is inherited from a serious feudal mindset that still we preserve in our biological gene. We need to change that mindset first. We cant rely on the old school of intelligence. We must transform our old believes and think something innovative and out-of-the-box. First, we should pan our vision from curing a disease to preventing it. Let's understand that in an age of IT revolution, nothing is impossible to ensure a thorough transparency in the execution process of governance. Consider this: if the bidding process for 2G spectrum could have been executed through an automated process without human intervention, perhaps this scam could have been avoided. Let me tell you that the corruption is an indication of exponential human greed in a society, rather not a reflection of unavailability of stringent laws against corruption. So, the main culprits in the game of corruption are human beings. The more discretionary power of human beings means the larger chance of making corruption. To deal with this scenario, we need to minimize human intervention of human being in the execution process and promote automation, which would certainly curtail the chance of corruption in public domain.

When India is boasting its IT revolution in international forums and certainly has proved its mettle, then why at domestic front we are reluctant to adopt the best practices in automation to curb the corruption in governance process? The best way to eliminate the corruption is to prevent it. Are our old politicians listening? Or do they need to go back to new-age schools to take lessons on how to lead the nation in a technologically advanced manner? The old time is over, the old thoughts and beliefs as well. If still we believe in the status quo, better forget complaining about the corruption. We cant falsely claim or take it seriously that the most seasoned political leaders in this country are capable enough to guide a billion of youth powerhouse bubbling with ideas and innovations. This is the time for intelligent, dedicated, dynamic, and honest young leaders to take over the governance of this nation. We must challenge the unchallengeable. Then only we can aspire for a developed India, free of corruption.

India is a bundle of political conspiracies

In a period when the entire country is rising against corruption, bringing in a couple of smear campaigns against Bhushans, the civil society representatives in the Lokpal Bill draft committee, to derail the anti-corruption drive could be nothing more than some conspiracies designed by specific political groups. This is a clear indication of immaturity in the conspirator group to deflect the public anger from corruption to character assassinations. Whoever behind this smear campaign are silly, moronic, and self-destructive in engaging themselves on an abortive method of hijacking the plot.

Let me explain here as how both the allegations against Bhushans are false, naive, and unsubstantial. The audio CD in which the elder Bhushan explains to another politician for roping in a judge for 4 crore rupees can be managed by his son, is sandwiched between two abstract audio samples, and hence this cant be a continuum while tapping is done. There are also other interesting drawbacks in the entire campaign. For example, when cob reporters are doing hundreds of sting operations using a spy cam effortlessly, then why this serious act of crime (as conspirators try to establish) was captured through audio only, which was a practice of 80's when visual medium was not so developed. Can anyone believe that in an advance age a mere audio CD could be gigantic enough to topple the nation wide drive against corruption? Only a stupid can trust this CD, not a person with an iota of intelligence. This audio CD is a specific reflection of how archaic our political conspirators are, they still live in 60's and 70's in their thinking capability, sometimes even they act like brainless chickens. Neither they understand the social dynamics or contemporary innovations to keep them ahead of time. After all they are the byproducts of centuries old feudal system, it will certainly take time for their genetic transformation.

The second campaign against Bhushans is related to two large farmhouse plots acquired by them at a throwaway price. I don't understand why so much hype has been generated when the ownership of plots are also been indicated by Bhushans while declaring their assets. Had they suppressed this piece of information in their declaration, then it could have been a bone of contention. And the most interesting point here is that, this is a contention among other applicants who applied for the land then, not a political debate as it has been. Even if some media are acting like PR firms in publishing unsubstantial pieces on Bhushans by the behest of some politicians, that is their standard of professionalism. The public shouldn't be distracted by such concocted stories. It's a clear caution for the public that they shouldn't lose heart and withdraw their support from a patriotic cause like anti-corruption drive. We should stand united and support the crusaders in their efforts to bring in a powerful Lokpal Bill.

A huge lesson for corporates

A lower court in Delhi denied bail to five corporate honchos involved in 2G scam. It's definitely a strong blow to corporates, but on the contrary it's certainly life-time lesson for those big-time corporate executives who always believed that “all is well if end is well”, which is a partial truth. To ensure a successful ending, people choose various means, and the key differentiator of success lies in the means chosen, not the end achieved, and this is quite evident from today's court verdict.

In corporates, smart executives often believe that they can influence the policy of this nation for the benefits of their company and forget for a moment that a business run ethically has a longer sustainability. Quick bucks, instant success and false bravado delude them to cross the wrong side of the fence and then they shun the primary principles of professionalism. A thorough professional always emphasizes on the principles and practices adhered during execution, leading to a successful mission. However, in today's world where everything is available instantly, some corporate houses believe in the fact that faster market turn-around time is more critical than anything else. And this thought process trickles down in the hierarchy affecting the collective thinking channel of the organization.

Now it's the learning time for those high-flying professionals who believe that everything is fair in business is just another myth and fundamentally wrong. What's already in practice that's yielding results doesn't necessarily mean full-proof and one should delve deeper to find out whether a popular perception or theory can withstand the litmus of ethical test. The yesteryear's recession in the USA is a classic instance of the larger fallout of ethical violation and extreme human greed. And both these evils are serious blockade to the sustainability of an organization.

And equally it's a primary task for B-schools to concentrate more on the business ethics and business sustainability. Apart from engaging in the critical functional skill development for students, the institutes should never undermine the legality of any practice or method used to achieve a certain business objective. This is a serious drawback in Indian mindset that going through a legal way will kill their business competitiveness and they should engage in policy manoeuvrings and turn the game to their side. There are ways, and more specifically, ethical ways, to achieve a business goals faster, but again it's a matter of continuous propriety that very few people believe in, and they are the real winners in this world of competition – they always succeed with a differentiating tag.