Google+: A measured blitzkrieg on Facebook's popularity emergence

When Google selectively launched its most secretive social networking project Google+ (Google Plus) on Tuesday (June 28) to a select list of users for field testing, a group of technology cynics hardly inhibited from writing off the Google's innovation success, at a stage when the God even can't decide the fate of a newborn. And they argued that the new adventure of Google to take over the social media domain, especially to outshine Facebook, could be another silent whimper that once it experienced with Buzz and Wave. Wrong. Forthrightly unacceptable. At least, there is a degree of rationality to every cynicism, not a smoky ideological wall that imprudently swirls into the cynics mind at the slightest provocation of status quo.

Well, the world is changing faster than expected and so is the innovation. Facebook maybe the standard lead of the league in social network market, but that doesn't necessarily imply that its market monopoly will be eternal. Or no new player can emerge out of demand. Let's understand that the current market leaders in social media such as Facebook and Twitter are designed on a tack-on fashion, rather than highly loosely-coupled pieces integrated together, which would enable faster mutually inclusive experience, an attribute that's unambiguously desired for social networking to mix-n-match various social groups; nonetheless, Google+ has judiciously charted out an exclusive architectural marvel to outpace the competitors. And that's not just below the skin, it's quite evident from the out-of-the-box designing skills as well – the Circles+ is an attempt to address this issue that allows users to drag-and-drop friends in to different social circles.

What's even more exciting is Google+ Sparks, which enables its users to share content, both textual and multimedia, amongst different interest groups. Since Google is sitting on the global information basket, it's quite logical for Google to identify social interest-centric content even with extreme precision. Add to that the photos and group video chat. It's just beyond the periphery of standard sharing – any user can simultaneously manage and edit multimedia.

Moreover, Google+ treads a little further on the mobile apps integration. With Android, you can automatically upload the photographs and videos to your system, which can be shared to select groups next time you log on to your computer. The assortment of advance features that Google+ promises to offer, well, if not eat out the popularity of Facebook immediately, but certainly will outshine it one day, and that's not quite far off from now.

Indians Outshine Americans in Math and Logic

There has always been a tug of war between various opinion leaders or image magicians who shape international image building of Indian IT professionals in the USA; nonetheless, GILD, the professional social networking platform that combines social gaming with career advancement, has recently released results of a first ever major international study comparing American and Indian software developers at least in key programming and language communication skills, based on over 1 million tests taken by nearly 500,000 developers.

And the good news, of course on record now, is that Indians outshine US developers in math and logic, two of the core skills desired by US technology companies such as Oracle, Salesforce.com, and eBay. However, Americans clearly lead the world in web programming skills, valued by companies such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Well, given the analysis, it clearly indicates that Indians have less chance of exploring the opportunities in new-age technology companies.

According to the study, Indian developers outscore US developers on analytical skills like math and logic by 11%; on the contrary US developers outperform Indian counterparts on mainstream programming languages including C (8%), JAVA (9%), SQL (9%), and in web programming languages 53% higher scores on advanced PHP and 27% higher on advanced HTML. Moreover, US developers are 33% better skilled than Indian counterparts at English communication skills, which is fundamentally a valid case, as English is not the first language of Indians.

Well, the skill rivalry among Indian and American developers though marks some glaring askance in web programming skills, the exciting proposition that drives back home some brownie points lies in the fundamental skills such as Math and Logic, which often differentiate one between a good programmer and great programmer.

Moreover, US tech companies which outsource their software development projects to Indian tech companies will now be in a better position to deliberate upon the type of developments before signing their contracts, and it's equally an opportunity for Indian developers to take up the challenge and outshine their US counterparts at least in the next such international survey conducted by GILD.

They need solace

Their hallucination laden eyes surreptitiously aspire for certain degree of surrealistic survival, yet the soul inside them rests as sangfroid as pristine glittering dewdrops settled on semi-awakened leaves of grass on a winter morning. They are shackled with myriad of social restrictions, yet they are unbridled from the bustles of life. Look closely into their drowned eyes and you would fail to understand the epicenter of their pangs. They never resurrect from the abysmal depth of intoxication that haunts them every now and then on a sinusoidal trajectory, sometimes high and sometimes low. The reference here doesn't necessarily borrow a cue from a typical Hindi movie sequence, rather it reflects the stark narratives of profound sufferings of millions of drug addicts those unfortunately allured into this world of delusion by the agents of death – drug mafias, traffickers, subdued western hippie culture, and inefficacious state administration – at every turning point of human civilization.

What's more enigmatic and perplexing is the social response to these people. Yet in the midst of cavernous psychic ensnarement, their singular plea for resuscitation bounces back from the deaf ears of many insensate people like us who in all probability though believe to tread on the human spirit of connection, but here deliberately choose to turn a blind eye to the state of dastardly victimization. What's more disturbing is when the iron fists of state machinery multiply their bereavement through various tactics of harassment. Their sorrows never subside.

What's essentially required here is a human touch to the terrible psychological wounds that these victims carry along their tormented journey for which everyone of us is a passive culprit for not embracing their problems that initially stem from depreciated emotional support of family members. We as family members ignore some serious symptoms of emotional imbalance that these drug addicts exhibit before their initiation into this dark journey. We are so engrossed in our self-centered passion for individual excellence that a minor human aberration of a near and dear one is even looked down upon. When the delicate problem snowballs into an enormously dangerous proliferation, we feel the heat and by then a minor behavioral issue of an individual gets transformed into a larger social predicament. Can we be little vigilant and considerate as a fellow human being to such slender issues that grapple the entire humanity? They just need little but genuine consolation.

Customer service with empathy

Why do many customers feel cheated during their post-sell engagements with customer service departments? Why do many leading brands fail to achieve their projected loyalty even though they carry some great market competitive features? In the ambit of customer service, the one aspect that makes or breaks the long-term loyalty of customers largely depends upon how the service reps engage with customers to provide them unique personal solutions. A customer buys a product with great expectations that if in future the product requires necessary service he or she should avail it with unconditional support, although a rider or two can be well managed.

What makes a customer extremely unsatisfied is the gross uncaring attitude of the customer service department, which in all probability facilitates a resolution process in a more mechanical manner. Though the resolution technically addresses the issues of the customer, the human psychological bonding with the product receives a letdown. Here the company fails to leverage the long-term loyalty factor that most satisfied customers believe could be a pivot to the repeat business of the company.

What really prevents companies alike to strike a concordance with customers is the overuse of statistical parameters by managers to showcase the senior management that our maths are right; we are well ahead of our competitors. But that's not an absolute corollary. A management preview of a quality report has really nothing to do with the quality that customers desire. Each customer has a specific reason to be satisfied for the same technical issue. Here what differentiates great customer service from better customer service is the empathy of service reps. No one denies the fact that certain statistical parameters cannot be overlooked, but simultaneously, we must not forget the broader service angle.

An empathetic rep has great persuasive skills. While addressing the issues of the customer, an intelligent rep can garner a slew of critical information which in turn can be used to enhance the satisfaction level of other customers as well. This opens up an arena for innovative service delivery. Companies need to bring in this culture in their customer service departments. However, many service providers rarely open up to a shift in the cultural paradigm. And that becomes a dangerous proposition for long term strategy.

Why only few customer service providers have achieved the laurels of exemplary customer service is an indication of specifics they not only follow but they transform them into an organizational culture that transcends from batch to batch uninterruptedly.

Do we really need a Lokpal Bill?

Why India is so frenzied about drafting a draconian Lokpal Bill that some self-proclaimed protector of this nation claim this could become a panacea for all corruptions taking place in this country? Why are we so obsessed with a theory that has never practiced anywhere in other parts of the world to wipe out corruption in any form? Okay, let's stick to this proposition that we would have the toughest Lokpal Bill passed in the Parliament and soon it could be implemented. So, what's the guarantee that the people who would be in the panel of Lokpal are incorruptible? Who can in this country ascertain that the law can't be transmuted into a dangerous Frankenstein? What if the corrupt people in this country resort to newer jugglery to flounder with the legal loopholes in the law itself? There are many unanswered questions though in the ambit of architecting the severest anti-corruption law, the lawmakers may end up in a trap from where living in democracy could be synonymous to living in a fascist country. But the problem here is much deeper and complex. What we vociferously argue that corruption is systemic is even a flawed premise in a country like India where corruption is a manifestation of chronic symptoms of a genetically mutated disease that transcends generation to generation through our blood over many centuries. In a country where peons to prime ministers and from daylabourers to CEOs, everyone has his or her moment of temptation to relish the forbidden fruit of corruption, a mere law could be as farcical as spelling out an abracadabra to beguile the gullible.

Any strong law can't act as a deterrent to a lawbreaker. For a one-time or habitual lawbreaker, law of the land has any sense if he or she is insensible and doesn't possess fundamental human virtues. And specifically Indians are fundamentally devoid of virtues because of a series of anthropological reasons. Maybe, it sounds bizarre to a billion-plus hypocrites, but the truth is that we all are corrupt. As one leading television anchor puts it in a different way: “We all are naked in this bath.” That's why corruption is so rampant in India. Corruption has metamorphosed into a symbiotic attribute of Indians. Our high-flying aspirations, shortcut to fame, and quick-tricks to riches have made us insulate to the simple virtues of life. For us greed is the index of our prosperity and calibration for success. Anytime a person attempts to flirt with corruption thinks that it's like a one-night stand and can be managed within a commitment to fidelity towards spouse and then starts the danger of unbridled fission reaction. Can we transform ourselves in this war of inhibition? Can we, at least for once, refrain from this law of temptation? If we don't, no law, however draconian, in this world can prevent anybody from breaking the law of the land.

Building India at the cost of Bharat

The conflict is poignant, the exploitation is downright. India has started rampaging Bharat in a more unrelenting manner ever than before. From Niyamgiri to Dhinkia and from Jaitapur to Bhatta-Paursal, the war of land acquisition has finally turned ugliest. Farmers and landholders brutalized, state went berserk on agitators, many fled away from their ancestral homes, and many were killed in the tug of war between India and Bharat. How long will this desperate war continue? And for what reason? Why is that every time the people of Bharat are stripped off their marginalized property to help build a modern India? Why is that they turn victims in every episode of development that they never relish its fruits? Why is that the modern India becomes so callous in exploiting the resources of Bharat? Perhaps, nobody has a rational answer to all these queries, but the fact remains that every time India makes a visible progress, the farmers, the tribal people, and the poor people living in JJ colonies become the inevitable sacrificial lambs. Because these people are helpless, gullible, and maybe have no access to power.

Let's look at how Posco with support from the state administration of Orissa tries to destroy the livelihood of thousands of betel farmers by offering them a miniscule compensation. Calculate this: a normal betel farmer earns somewhere between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 20,000 a month from an acre of land whereas the onetime compensation for the land hovers around Rs. 250,000. Is this justified? Now the moot question is if the same farmer who can earn the compensation amount within a year or two from a perennial crop, why would he settle for such a lower amount? Moreover, given spiraling inflation, the same farmer can achieve even higher returns from the crop in future. Isn't this a clear exploitation of gullible farmers? Is there any future dividend even Posco will skyrocket its profit margin once production gets started? No. Everybody from state administration to company board will forget the fact that the plant which is built on thousand acres of land was once an economical, social, and emotional storehouse of thousands of farmers. And if this huge economic progress has been possible couldn't have been materialized without the utter sacrifice of these farmers or local people. No one does care how a piece of Bharat metamorphoses into an enlightened India in such a short span and some elites of that modern India will take credit for what they never had sacrificed even few moments of their life.

How long this exploitation will continue? When will the growing hiatus between Bharat and India be put on a reverse gear? Here we are forgetting a glaring fact that so long as we continue exploiting Bharat, we are pushing India to a stage of unsustainable development where progress would be there, but without sustained prosperity.

Where is the country heading for?

India as nation is losing its glory on many fronts, be it governance, economy, or social dynamics. The recent high-drama eviction of Ramdev from Ramlila ground is an indication of how the government has reduced to a helpless bunch of irresponsible leaders who don't understand the statecraft, forget about running this country. What's more disturbing is the way political leaders are hobnobbing with gurus, babas, and other popular figures in this country has created vacuum in the integrity and sophistication of politics. Politics that was once reserved for the most elite class of society has become a vocation of anybody and everybody irrespective of their social strata and perhaps that's the primary reason as to why both politics and politicians have not only lost their grip on the governance of this nation but also lost their shine over the years.

Now if the recent government at the centre is helplessly firefighting the burning issues such as corruption, black money, anarchy, and brewing social revolutions like the Annas and Ramdevs are resorting to, it's because the political leaders in the past had paved the way of vote bank politics as a major tool to win elections term after term, forgetting the fact that the future generation would face the repercussions of their mistakes. Why UPA II is the most vulnerable government at the centre today is not because of any drawback in Dr. Manmohan Singh, rather it's the consequence of cumulative blunders committed by heads of Congress party over last many decades.

Corruption and black money are not recent phenomena. They have been smuggled into politics and governance since independence because heads of political parties presumed that running a national political party and winning subsequent elections need huge amount of funding thus opening avenues for corrupt practices. Then vested interest sections like business houses, religious groups, and other minority groups started lobbying in politics that founded the emergence of corruption at high places and then cascaded down to lower echelons in the government departments eventually engulfing the entire system what we now connote this as systemic corruption.

We can't entirely blame the current UPA II for the anarchy that has crept into the governance of nation. What has happened today is a consequence of continuous degradation of political ideologies. There was a time when Nehru and Shashtri maintained an extremely sophisticated aura around the highest position of this country, their successors diluted that exclusiveness through their personal alliances with some elements of society, maybe for winning popularity or other personal reasons, and that practices have organically inherited to party leaders.

Let me cite some examples to substantiate my hypothesis. In the recent past, our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh flew down to Puttaparti for tendering last tribute to Saibaba, and by doing this he has grossly violated the protocol of his position. Similarly, last week our Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee rushed to airport to welcome Ramdev. What's prompting these ministers to commit mistakes after mistakes? Is it their naivety or adaption of party ideologies? Whatever be the reason, they are making glaring blunders and creating bad precedents for the future generation.

Finally, politics has lost its elitism, and that's the prime reason for anarchy in a parliamentary democracy. Democracy doesn't promote the theory that popularity is the necessary attribute of leaders, rather it's their value system, calibre, intellectual level, vision, honesty, commitment, and empathy for people, which in turn portrait them as great leaders.

India doesn't need popular politics. To win elections, political parties are fielding popular figures such as actors, sports persons, religious leaders, criminals, and the likes without considering their leadership attributes. This mix of mindless inclusiveness has degraded politics. What we really need are great leaders with commitment for nation building. Now national politics need a complete overhaul in terms of party ideologies and leadership qualities. Anybody listening?

An Open Letter to Prime Minister – Part II

Dear Mr Prime Minister,

India is the largest democracy of the world, it's not a monarchy or autocracy where the excess of government can be tolerated by its citizens without blinking an eyelid. What happened on June 4 midnight at Ramlila ground, New Delhi not only reflects the extreme brutality of police forces and atrocities on innocent women, children and old people, but at the same time it exposed the collective base mentality of a government (read a bunch of diehard sycophants of a political dynasty) towards the universal democratic principles that once upheld by the forefathers of our Constitution. It's not only shocking that over five thousand police forces swarmed into action at the midnight to evict a yoga guru who just two days before the incident received a red carpet welcome by the cabinet ministers of this country, but it's equally deplorable that this kind of miscalculated action by your government landed you in a situation where you again committed a glaring blunder by admitting to the fact that “the excess of police action was though unfortunate but unavoidable as there was no alternative” and subsequently lost your credibility as the prime minister of this country.

What your government has done in this incident not only reflects the naivety of statecraft, but also it corroborates to the fact that the collective knowledge of your cabinet on the fundamental rights of citizens empowered by our Constitution is null and void. This is a dangerous proposition for a parliamentary democracy. No amount of argumentation however powerful can justify the brutality of police forces on innocent, unarmed, sleeping women and children that these critical mass can be dangerous to the law and order situation of the capital city of India by immaturely drawing a parallel between Babri masjid incident and an unfounded similar dangerous situation that maybe lurking in the hindsight of your government. No, Mr Prime Minister, this argument doesn't hold any water in the current scenario. What your government has done here to the democratic fabric of this country is irreparable. No amount of apology even from all ranks and files of your cabinet including you can't repair the humongous loss that it has done to the families of victims in this police atrocities.

Mr Prime Minister, there are scores of alternatives to handle the worst dangerous situation even with grace and within the ambit of democratic principles. The Ramlila ground incident is a murder of democracy, which you can't understand it, forget about acknowledging the blunder because you are not an elected representative of people of this country, rather a representative of a dynasty for political convenience. Perhaps, that's the prime reason as to why political compulsions have always overshadowed your intellect and conviction during national crisis whether it's all-pervasive political corruption or crushing of democracy in the recent event. It's still live in public memory when you justified systemic corruption as “coalition dharma” and “political mandate” can even wash away the democratic sins like “horse-trading in the Parliament.” No parliamentarian can claim such immature, unconstitutional statement.

Mr Prime Minister, it won't be quite surprising to notice another emergency during your tenure given the uprising of civil society against systemic corruption and black money issues that have entangled your government in deep soup, and subsequently you will give the same lame excuse that “though this is unfortunate but unavoidable as we don't have an alternative” a cliché that you have got by your heart to fire it whenever condemnations on your actions from public or political parties loom large.

Sir, we are living in 21st century, not in an era of colonial rule where all actions, however dangerous or anti-human or antagonistic, of a ruler stand legitimate. People of India are not subjects of British Raj. We are living in a vibrant democracy where every citizen has fundamental rights to lead his or life with human dignity and grace. Any excess by the government is extremely deplorable and condemnable. As head of the government, you must first oblige to the democratic principles and the Constitution of India, and then probably you can discharge your duty as a prime minister. If you fail to uphold the democratic principles, people of this country will not hesitate to consider you a man of no reason.


Yours sincerely,

An honest citizen

Midnight murder of democracy

History has been repeated, rather in a more dastardly manner. What could be condemned as the worst incident in a democracy is on the contrary not only a blot on democracy, but also the worst form of inhumanity executed by a government. What's happening in this country? When people of this country come out in unison to protest peacefully against corruption and black money, the government doesn't hesitate to use barbaric police force to fire teargas at innocent people to destroy the movement. What happened at Ramlila ground, New Delhi, on the midnight of June 4 is a clear indication of the darkest episode of democracy. Five thousand police force cracked down on Ramlila ground and evicted Ramdev in brutal manner and the worst part is that the policemen assaulted women and children while they were taking rest in midnight. Is it a democracy or a nation ruled by rouges?

When the government is acting like nincompoops to fight against hardened terrorists despite all hard evidence, the same government is behaving like a medieval, brutal force against its own citizens to perish peaceful movements against corruption and black money. Can we call it a democracy where the basic tenets of democracy have miserably failed by its dispensers? What it clearly indicates that the government in power is a bunch of corrupt politicians who have stashed hordes of black money in foreign country and perhaps that's the primary reason what compels them to wipe out any kind of serious movement against corruption and black money.

The fear psychosis of the government is finally noticed by the public as how they are helplessly behaving in the most undemocratic manner to mar a peaceful protest, which is a fundamental right of every citizen in a democratic country. And the sad part is that a cabinet minister justifies the brutal action of police force on the innocent protesters and idiosyncratically reasons it as a lesson for all and sundry. What a duductive logic? This government after committing such unethical act against humanity and fundamental rights of citizens in a democratic nation doesn't have moral right to rule this country.

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.