Why Apple or Galaxy instead of Aakash for MPs?

Posted on December 7, 2011 by indra

I love my iPad. It’s the first model and was a gift from Anand. It has made my life easy. It’s so user-friendly particularly for reading document in any font suitable to my eyesight that has gone very poor. All 790 Members of Parliament in India have been granted 50,000 INR each to invest in either iPad 2 or Samsung Galaxy Tab in order to a tech savvy ambience in parliament and make them go paper free.

I and perhaps many like me really must be envying these MPs.

As I understand, each one of them must already be having a PC pr laptop provided by the tax payers’ money along with an employed assistant to operate them for their boss. I don’t know how much of that are used and for what purpose. What will be the use of this technically advanced but costly gadget for most of the MPs? Unfortunately the parliament secretariat would have studied the status of the parliamentarians so far the use of computer is concerned. However, some may just download Bhawarin Devi’s CD or their son’s marriage video on it. Alternatively, some younger ones in the loving family of the MPs may grab it. However, some will use it for using it for the massive amount of documentation an MP must deal with – files, reports, debates, question lists. It can also help them in researching on the various subjects that come up for discussions and debates in the parliament. I do also wish that some of the parliamentarians innovate some applications that could be used in the parliaments of even the other countries and prove their knowledge and intelligence.

But I have one more question. Why couldn’t the parliamentarians start with Aakash, India’s own innovated world’s most affordable tablet PC? Why didn’t Kapil Sibal sell this austerity measure to the MPs? MPs would have been trained in using Aakash with help of students and teachers of IIT, Rajasthan who participated in its innovation. And the gadget could have done all that an MP would have been required. It would have been at least somewhat India manufactured gadget and cost wise good enough even if MPs would have been able to use them.

Kapil has showcased Aakash to the world leaders at UNESCO and World Bank, and expressed his desire to make all central ministries use Aakash for their e-governance projects.

Why has the government agreed to reimburse the expenditure up to 50,000 to each MP? Why didn’t it appoint a tech company or Nandan Nilekani group to procure the gadgets to the right specification for the use of Indian MPs?

If we go by the reviews of Aakash in domestic as well as in the media of advanced nations after Kapil Sibal launched it for the student community of India, it has a lot of potentials for various applications. Its manufacturer is an inspired person though certainly not a Steve Job or has a team such one Steve had in Apple. Will the techies of IITs help the entrepreneur of Aaakash to make it world class and compete with others in market? Except for a brand value it can be a sought after gadgets for all the poorer countries and billions of its users. As on today, when I searched for ‘Aakash Tablet’ on Google, I instantly get 27,400,000 entries in less than a second.

Should the countrymen smell the possibility of some scam even in this project? Will the MPs just present a fake bill and get the payment against this head of their perks?

I still appeal to the authority deciding this perk for MPs to go for Aakash at lease certainly for those who are nit computer savvy already.

I am waiting eagerly to lay hand on one Aakash. Can someone arrange one for me? I dodn’t want it free and shall pay for it immediately.

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Helpless Manmohan, Hopeless Opposition

Posted on December 5, 2011 by indra

I don’t think any prime minister in India was so poorly rated as Manmohan Singh today. A recent ‘India Today’ survey of young persons in India ranks him at third position after Sharad Pawar and Dinesh Trivedi. The country men today hardly see Manmohan’s initiative except in the global summit that he loves to attend. He might have created a record of a sort. Whenever Manmohan tries to assert and make his presence felt as in case of Nuclear Bill or present FDI in multiband retail sector, the parliament and the country as a whole goes into chaos. Can we blame the opposition only for this? At least in present case of FDI issue, the country could have avoided the chaos. Manmohan could have gone for the announcement of the cabinet decision after the winter session. The country was waiting for Lokpal Bill and Land Acquisition Bill to be through. FDI could have waited for few days. Now even a layman on the street smell a conspiracy of the government in bringing the FDI issue to kill those important Bills. Manmohan knew his inability to bring his allies on his sude, as Pranab takes cares of Mamta’s mood, and Sonia Gandhi DMK supremo.

Interesting the survey mentioned above has equally worse ranking for Advani and Gadkari. The country perceived for a long time that BJP would go for FDI in retails. Its opposition is strange and particularly the logic given by the party and its stalwart against it. All the economists and industrialists can’t be fool in talking about its merit. When Jaitley says that its time has not come, does he mean that the country will have to wait for BJP led party to come in power at centre and then only FDI time will arrive? I wonder how all the experts of the country be wrong in their assessment. I am sure the people of the country must be really angry even against BJP for making the parliament not work. And FDI in retails can’t be more important than other bills and issues such as black money and inflation could have been taken up more seriously and debated.

I wish the political parties enumerate the policy issues of national importance and keep on getting referendums in all the elections that keep on coming in India to understand at least the feel of the people.

It is good that print and digital media has come out with huge lot of information because of the controversy and made the people more knowledgeable but it doesn’t bring the change as there is hardly any ongoing interaction between the parliamentarians and the people of their constituencies. Moreover it’s only few key members in opposition who matter on all these issues that block the working of the parliament. It’s whip rather than conscience of individual members.

MPs must however work and may be someone approaches the apex judiciary to find out if the acts of the parliamentarians are in the interest of the people of the country. Can they keep on stalling the parliament? Will they keep on getting their remunerations for not working for even minimal hours? Will they go for a self imposed discipline at work?

One can only pity the prime minister after seeing Mamta talking on behalf of the government about the temporary suspension of FDI in retail and get morose with the way Advani looks at the possibility of fulfilling his ambition to be in the highest chair. Why can’t he take a lesson from his peer Atal Bihari Bajpai?

It seems the reform has undergone for permanent burial. I wonder why BJP is so funny. Perhaps all the major political parties must distinguish between the interest of the country and that of the party.

PS: Replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on price rise, Mukherjee read from a 2004 interview of leader of opposition Arun Jaitley in which the senior BJP leader had said that organized retail trade on the international pattern would be promoted as a new engine of growth and that sourcing of Indian products by foreign retail chains would be encouraged.

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Nitishji! Don’t Oppose FDI for politics

Posted on December 1, 2011 by indra

Fortunately, Shri Nitish is educated in engineering too. Nitish Kumar wants immediate withdrawal of the cabinet decision of FDI in retails. As reported Nitish said, “We are not going to support it at any cost as it will ruin the life and existence of marginal traders, grocers and farmers.”

Let me assure you, Wal-Mart or for that matter any other MNCs in retail will not enter Bihar for next ten years even after the opening by the centre. Reason: Bihar doesn’t have the ambience to do business. Look at the power position. Will any MNC invest in cold storage sector that is already in free list of 100% FDI? Big MNCs in retail will focus on the big cities and will remain few in numbers without disturbing the business of even 1% of small marginal traders and grocers in poorly urbanized Bihar. It has happened in the same way in every country. If Malls have not made the small rural and urban grocers go out of business, MNC will not. And the MNC stores will never be cheaper. MNC stores are normally huge in well connected locations with sufficient parking areas and lot of customers visiting it on off days

Most importantly, FDI in retail will certainly eliminate four to five or perhaps more middlemen that are present at different levels between the manufacturers and the final users. It is these middlemen who get benefitted with almost no values addition. FDI will also enable farmers, artisans and craftsmen to get better quality of inputs and its application techniques and improve the quality of the output to global level.

It is unfortunate that when the retail traders keep on helping the inflation to increase resulting in the worried consumers spending much more than the price at which the commodities were bought from the farmers or the manufacturers.

Please hear what a farmer of Bihar’s famous litchi says, ““I sell my litchi to the first middleman at Rs 21 per kg. Passing through different layers of middle-level retailers and transporters, the commodity is sold at the rate of about Rs 200 per kg in south Indian markets and at Rs 400 and even more in London and Dubai markets. In the process, the producers and the consumers are the biggest losers.”

I am from Bihar and love the fruit, but I can hardly buy it at that exorbitant price in Noida. Many must be having the similar experience.

Can you or for that matter any government ensure that the due share of the exorbitant price the traders make the customers pay through various tricks of trade such as creating scarcity and illegal hoarding to the farmers? If you can arrange that for the farmers, I shall agree to your opposition against FDI.

Before opposing FDI, you are to do some real research and decide wisely if it will really affect the small trader and the farmer in reality.

However, the government must help the small farmers and manufacturers in negotiating the price of their produce with the big retailers, be the domestic or foreigners, if there are complaints. Normally the organized OEMs always make the small vendors the minimum through rigorous negotiation.

Please don’t oppose FDI for political reasons. It’s a big reform, please allow it to come. After all we expect a rational decision from a technocrat.

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Worrying News and the Country’s Leadership

Posted on November 25, 2011 by indra

Worrying signals are coming from Tahrir Squares and Wall Sreets. Are the parliamentarians of the world hearing? Can the democracy accommodate such rebellions or protests? India has witnessed its manifestation in slaps and people’s protests.

Some recent news reports in India are really worrying and would have been taken up seriously by the politicians and parliamentarians. It deserved some serious discussions. I would have loved if they could do that in close door.

Protest against nuclear power plants, particularly the organized against the one at the near-complete Kudankulam is worrying. The prime minister himself has done all to take the help of the former President Abdul Kalam, the local religious leaders, and the atomic scientists of the country to explain to the protesters but has failed. The hold-up continues.Can a campaign leader SP Udayakumar be considered more pro-people that all the scientists and the former president?

How can a nation afford such protests against the important projects of the country? The people of the country will have to depend on the prudence of its mature knowledgeable technical experts. The rightists and politicians must not interfere, as it is being observed throughout the country. But more worrying is the news report that some foreign fund is in use to fan such unrest.

The recent labour strikes at Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki and then it solution must be a cause of serious worries of the nation and its policy makers. As a new trend in aggressive unionism the workers refused to strike by remaining outside the plant. They remained in the plant premises and refused to leave unless the court ordered. And how surprising ununion-like was the solution that came out with the union leaders getting paid Rs 40 lakh each only for a few years of services with the company!

The use of thousands of school going kids made to sleep on the hot sand in the protest against Posco plant is something that the leaders of the country must think seriously.

Finally, how can the country find a solution to its image of the country as ‘the dirtiest and filthiest’ that Jairam Ramesh stated? Jairam must come out with some concrete plan to get over the image at least in next hundred years if not twenty. The policy makers and the administrators of the country must think over the proactive actions to see that happen.

If you go on allowing breach of the law and order norms, for example land encroachment all over the country, one fine morning even if you work for twenty four hours, you can’t solve the problem. The country must work steadily to improve the situation.
Unfortunately, the parliamentarians are neither working not behaving the way they should. The administration is on mute and freezed mode.

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Kautilya alias Chanakya: Getting Raw Deal

Posted on November 21, 2011 by indra

I was going through Times of India on November 19. I came across a news report that highlights the pathetic condition of working of the institutes of the country under the present governing system.

“A 450-year-old manuscript, the earliest available copy of Kautilya’s Arthashastra, written in 4th century BC, and preserved at Mysore’s Oriental Research Institute (ORI) is peeling off. According to the institute, “It is in great danger. There is not even a locker to keep it safe,” It is merely wrapped in a cloth and kept in a cabinet. In 1909, Rudrapatnam Shamasastry found the copy in a heap of palm-leaf manuscripts. Historians across the world then recognized that India had an enviable textual history. The Arthashastra and about 60,000 other manuscripts at ORI came close to be reduced to ashes during two fires caused by short circuit at the institute in 1996 and 1998. Yet, the manuscripts have not been secured in fireproof chambers. A fumigation machine, donated by the Ford Foundation to protect manuscripts from insects, fungi and algae, does not work. The Institute lacks fund to protect these national heritages.”

Interestingly, the newspaper had at least half a dozen ads from different ministries of the country to commemorate the birthday of Indira Gandhi. Perhaps the cost incurred to one media house for these advertisements would have been stuffiest enough fund that the Mysore’s Oriental Research Institute may be hankering for.

In evening I again tried to watch ‘Chandragupta Maurya’ on Imagine Channel to find if the director and producer have come out with some sensible episode. It was just disgusting. How are the Indians tolerating such serials? The historical heroes such as Chanakya and Chandragupta would not have been portrayed as the heroes of Chandrakanta Santati. I was wrong. Indian TV addicts, for whom the serial has been produced, would have hardly gone to school or read about Chanakya. It is pretty clear from some of views expressed and available on Internet. You get what you deserve.
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It is interesting to know that Turner Broadcasting System based owns Imagine TV entertainment channel. Unfortunately, I see the channel propagating things such the importance of Sani Dev and making Sudama saying that every good Brahmin must beg.

Is it the reason for the poor deal to India’s historical heroes such as Chandragupta and more so of Chanakya. India certainly requires good content producing firms. It requires also some amount of regulation ensuring the quality, particularly for the stories related to historical and mythological characters. The serial producers may be asked to give references.

Interestingly, the famous Sagar Arts has produced the serial, Chandragupta Maurya. Should I assume that the younger generation doesn’t have the value and quality bias of the older Sagars?

PS: Let me clarify that I am only shore about the imaginary story and script of the serial and not the acting quality of the individual actors playing the role of either Chandragupta or Chanakya.

Is it the way to depict the life and time of Chandragupta Maurya, the greatest emperor India has ever known?

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Migration-Why is it bad?

Posted on November 18, 2011 by indra

Rahul has again raised this controversy for political mileage. According to him, the chief ministers of UP and Bihar failed to develop their states fast enough. It made the people of the states go to Mumbai, beg for some jobs or find other avenues of engagements and face humiliation. “How long will you beg in Maharashtra (for work)? How long will you work as labourer in Punjab?”

Why is migration bad? Why are the politicians trying to discredit migration and stop it? Will it be good for the people? Reduction in migration rate has become a parameter of efficient governance. Rahul’s political party gives credit to its MNREGA policy that has reduced migration.

Anyone, be it Rahul or the fundamentalist Sena leaders of Mumbai, looking down upon the migrants must stop and ponder for a while. Everyone here in India is a migrant. Their ancestors were migrants. Migration many times gives more opportunities. Look at the migrants from the backward area of Bihar and other places in India to Mauritius many decades ago. The decedents of all those migrants are today affluent.

Whatever I achieved in life is all because my grandfather migrated to Bengal, fought through all odds and at least provided a better ambience for me to get educated and established in life. I provided employment to many in Hindustan Motors just as workmen. Almost all are better off and their children are better educated and placed.

Today in India all the educated and skilled persons from any corner of the country migrate and move around to explore the best opportunity. The government must provide quality education and vocational training to every young men and women of the country, particularly in rural regions, so that they can get matching employment and engagement anywhere in the country.

I feel bad to find a huge population in rural India not getting quality education, large percentage of the school going children from deprived class dropping out from schools before getting any vocational training or skill that can make them better placed for the existing vacancies of job in the country or abroad. Those who are their well-wishers must provide the education and skill. The endeavour to provide doles through schemes such as MNREGA can yield only little benefit to the deprived class and will not provide a satisfactory living.

Migration has made the world better. Let the politicians must not meddle in it.Many may agree by my views on migration and urbanization.

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Bangalore Visit: Some Social Engagements

Posted on November 16, 2011 by indra

It was after many years that I visited Bangalore. Main pull was from OP Khanna who has been a great host as we know him closely from HM days. Prabha Bhabhi was in hospital for a checkup but returned in time to receive us on Nov 3.I never knew that our sweet Mini lives in the block across the road. I had never met Niranjan and Slok, the husband and the son of Mini. I was so happy to know that Mini has quit his job for some months, as Slok wanted her to be around him till he appears for his class X examination. Niranjan as usual these days remains engaged for long hours in his office. It was a pleasure to talk to Mini as well as Niranjan on various issues including Ramayana and the history and mythology related to Hampi.

Prabha really appeared sick. She is acutely diabetic. We feel the present life style may be one reason. With OP Khanna keeping himself excessively busy with his NGO works, she remains alone for most of the day. It must be torturous at this age. I tried to motivate her to be happy. I wish it could have been so easy. Mini certainly takes care of her when she needs that.

OP Khanna is doing wonderful work for the heart patients of the deprived class who can’t afford the costly heart surgery. He is also engaged in various professional bodies such as Institute of Engineers, Institute of Production Engineers and International Rotary Club. His house has become a museum with awards and various recognitions that have come to him.

OP and Prabha are organizing a unique get-together for the blood relations from the both sides in mid November to celebrate the birthday of Prabha. All the members will assemble in Bangalore. OP has arranged accommodations in the serviced flats of Diamond Districts. Then the group will move to a place on the border of Karnataka and Kerala, live and move around to various places of interests for two days and depart. Perhaps that can be the best way for keeping the family bond active and growing.

We could meet and visit Sarvesh Upadhyaya whom I had come to know only through my blog and face book through his comments. Sarvesh was good enough to arrange my place of stay and vehicle for our visit to Hampi. He knows many of my relatives and comes from a village known to me.It was very homely hospitality at his place with his wife preparing the dinner of our choice and the two little fairies of Sarvesh and Asha providing us with the sublime entertainment too. Another fan of my blog came to his place to meet me. And Sarvesh also could make me talk with Chandrakant Singh who has set up a tech savvy school in Gopalgunj Bihar.

It was only Sarvesh who could take us to the residence of Khushboo, the daughter of Dr. KrishnaTiwari, who is the first female engineer in our extended family and works in Bangalore with her husband. We could not have located it easily with cab driver. For some time now, Krishna is living in Bangalore for the treatment of his wife, Usha leaving his medical practice at Rishra. It was necessary to meet her, once we were in Bangalore. Usha appeared to be bearing with the treatment through chemotherapy pretty well. Krishna is hopeful and we all pray to the almighty to give Usha a long life. We could only say few moral boosting words. I could realize the agony of Krishna.

Though we wanted to meet many more close acquaintances, who are in Bangalore, it was not practically possible.

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Hampi: My Experiences

Posted on November 12, 2011 by indra

The history book of high school had described the Vijayanagara and Bahmani empires of south. However, I don’t remember if there was any enthralling reference of Hampi that could make me visit Hampi during many a visits to Bangalore that I made during my professional career. Some years ago I read about Hampi in an article. The writer had referred to the Nobel laureate VS Naipaul’s critical comments on Hampi. “Look carefully and you can see scattered everywhere the crumbling wreck age of former greatness: “Palaces and stables, a royal bath … the leaning granite pillars of what must have been a bridge across the river. A long and very wide avenue, with a great statue of the bull of Shiva at one end, and at the other end a miracle: a temple that for some reason was spared destruction, and is still used for worship.”

Everyone whom I referred about my intention advised me to use overnight train from Bangaluru to Hospet. However, I decided to go by road. On Nov5, we started after a lovely breakfast from Mini, the daughter of my host and the friend since IITdays. Even at 9AM, it took almost an hour to reach Yashwantpur on NH4. Bangaluru has over grown its infrastructure development. Up to Chitradurg, the NH is part of the dream North-South Corridor. The hills around Chitradurg are dotted with huge number of wind mills something that we had seen in Tamil Nadu when we took a tour of its temples. The road between Chitradurg and Hospet is single lane but pretty smooth but for a small portion. It’s barren and rocky on both sides of the road and with little water resources. But the farmers grow sunflower and maize. One gets hardly any important township or rest place on this stretch. But as we neared Hospet and the huge water reservoir on the Tungabhadra River.


Suddenly, we found the land becoming very fertile growing good crop of sugarcanes and banana in around Hospet. A large number of steel mills appeared on the right side belching smoke as we neared Hospet and I got reminded of infamous Bellar, that is pretty near to Hospet.

Hospet appeared to be very poor and dirty. I never expected it as Hampi the world Heritage site in just near it. I wish the tourism as well as urban development ministries of the state and centre would have made some planned nedeavour to improve it, as it as the entry for the millions of tourists coming for Hampi. But how can we hope for improvement of the quality of faculties when the corruption has gone so deep in our country in every state and town. However, I was really happy to find an oasis in Vijayshree Heritage Village resorts with wonderful facilities. We rested and in evening enjoyed Rajasthani entertainment: Jhummar dance, rope tricks, magic and many things and finally the Rajashthani cuisine in dinner.

Nov 6 was the day for seeing Hampi as it existed. We took the assistance of a middle aged guide. It was nice that our vehicle could go to all important destinations of interests. I divide the city and our visits to five types of the structures.

1. Hampi had some huge stone sculptures: kadalekalu Ganesh, Narsinmha, Siva Linga, Stone chariot that lies in Vitthal Temple courtyard.


2. Hampi has a large number of temples built in different corners. The deity in main Virupaksha Yemple is still worshipped. Vittthal temple, Hazara Rama temple with thousand panels depicting incidences in Rama’s life and all other temples are in ruins. The deities are damaged but the decorative relief carvings, statues and panels in the temples and its various mandapas are intact. Many structures such as Gopuram and halls of dance are in good conditions. But main and unique feature of Hampi is the presence of well constructed and laid bazaars in front of the main temples. Vijaynagar was known of its trade that expanded up to Europe. I have not seen such combination in any other places. Perhaps this was the innovation of Vijayanagara’s kings, traders and architects. There are many temples in ruins worth seeing but with our limitation, we could see only the main ones.


3. The area that housed the palaces of the kings such as Harihar Rai and Krishnadeo Rai is huge and is lying in full ruins. I wish I would have visited this place when I was a little younger. Yamuna remained seated in the vehicle in most of the places. It further reduced my enthusiasm.

4. Zenana enclosure was for the queens. The main palace like others that were surprisingly made of wood has vanished after the whole city was burnt by the Muslim army of Bahamani Empire. But Lotus Mahal and the Queen’s Bath got spared and are intact as there were built in bricks. I couldn’t understand why the bath and dining halls of the queens were not integrally built but located at certain distance.

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5. Royal enclosure is another impressive area. It has the beautiful step well, stone channels for carrying water from River Tungbhadra to different places. It had separate meeting places for royals with ministers and officers as well as with public.

And finally the surrounding hills presenting different things with the varying sized and shaped bolders moved me. As someone has very rightly said,”If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi.”

My last place of visit was the Kiskindha where Ram and Lakshman waited for Hanuman to bring the news of Sita being in Lanka. I saw a number of persons reciting Ramcharit Manas in the Rama Temple on the top of the hill. My imaginations flew few centuries back how Rama with Lakshman spent their time waiting.

But naturally after walking for six hours we were pretty hungry. I made somehow to Mango Tree Restaurant that has become famous among the tourists both Indians and foreigners. I had known about Mango Tree through a blog. Its popularity was evident from the crowd there. It was beautiful and clean and also provided good food too. Yamuna had some trouble in reaching the place but either she braved or the hunger made her walk though with few stops in between. And we returned to Village Resort.

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IIT, Kharagpur: 1961 Batch Alumni Meet in Bangalore

Posted on November 10, 2011 by indra

I had not attended any alumni meet after the one in Calcutta many years ago. It was due to an initiative of Mr. P Parthsarthy. My batch mate RK Agrawal who worked in Heavy Engineering division was also there. I could talk with Prof SR Sengupta, director at our time. It was a different Sengupta. I could never dare to talk with him during the four years of IIT. He was in accessible.

I got invitation from the Delhi Chapter and then from the institute to attend the golden jubilee of our batch in IIT, Kharagpur in last January. I could never make it. But there was so much of a pull in O P Khanna’s plea for joining the meet in Bangalore that I could not resist it. Yamuna also agreed. I added a sideline visit to Hampi to make it more attractive. I did never dream of meeting so many of the batchmates, many for the first time after passing out.

I could see the first glimpse of the warmth of meeting of the batch mates at the stag party itself on Nov 3. OP Kanna and Shridhar Subramanian had arranged it in a hotel room in Diamond District itself. Russi, Anil, and M Sikka joined it beside OP and Shridhar. M Sikka was in Calcutta after IIT, Kharagpur when I was working in Hindustan Motors. It was he who had invited me to speak in a meeting of Institute of Production Engineers. It was the first time that I spoke on my subject in a gathering. GL Makhija joined the stag party after sometime just to meet me. Makhija was with me in RP Hall and in my group of Machine Design in the fourth year. We used to meet on airports. Once he had come with his mother, wife and son also in Hind Motors in 1980s. Makhija was leaving for attending a family marriage next day in Pune. Makhija has gone really religious with close relation with Radha Swami Sect. He even appeared to be an ardent supporter of Guru Ramdev. At end of the stag party, I could realize how the group was worried about the political bankruptcy and critical issues such as corruption of the country.

The Golden Jubilee Reunion for the 1961 batch came on Nov 4, 2011 in Bangalore Club. One by one some 29 of our batch mates joined most of them with their wives. N Sankar was with us for sometime in HM and then left for his M.Tech to IIT, Kharagpur. He had taken a book from me; he still remembers that and has kept that with him. CP Raman was in Calcutta when in Union Carbide. We had attended his son’s marriage with an American girl. S Ramanathan was in Calcutta as General Manager Eastern Railways and had attened the reception of Rajesh’s marriage in Salt Lake. I had met Krishan Khanna and his two daughters at the residence of BD Singh Bir who was then in Voltas.

I didn’t know many of them who were in different departments and halls but it didn’t reduce the warmth of the meeting. I was never very social any time.

Though most of them are having a retired life like me, some are still active. Ramanathan is assisting his relation in a manufacturing business of investment castings near Chennai. OP Khanna is busy with his NGO that helps arranging heart operations for needy rural poor. He keeps himself busy with active participation in the programmes of Institute of Engineers and Rotary Club. Krishan Khanna is busy in ‘Transforming India’ by empowerment of Indians through relevant education. N Mahalingam has created IDEK that produces innovative design educational kits for making learning for the kids in school easy. It’s all exhilarating. Most of them in 70s are still fit and appear to enjoy their life. It was very much clear when I heard the melodious songs from DP SenGupta, who had been in teaching in IISc, Bangalore.

Surpringly, neither Dr. Damodar Acharya nor Dr. Amit Patra though promised attend the meeting. I had few questions and suggestions for them. Though I spoke about at least one, I think the initiative would have come from them. I wish alumni of each batch who may be around 400 in number can create a fund for various purposes including the scholarships for the needy and meritorious through donations. With just 200 of them that is just 50% joining the group, the fund could be Rs 20 crore. BK Syngal has created one in memory of his parents by donating Rs 50 lakh that provides scholarships. That shows the great giving spirit.

And I could hardly realize how five hours of the session came to an end. We said ‘Bye Bye’ and parted with heavy heart and a hope for meeting again, but who knows if it will happen again.

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Hampi-Our Heritage: My Views

Posted on November 7, 2011 by indra

Every time I think about our history, I get morose to know that even today not much of research is getting done by Indians about our heritages. One can hardly find some good authentic historical and archaeological literature written by Indians or in Indian languages. I met a young educated Maharashtrian couple from Hyderabad in Mango tree restaurant along with their school going son. They were having ‘Hampi in Ruins’ and trying to understand the history of Vijayanagara. Why have Indian historians and writers even after 60 plus years not written anything that can be that good? While driving around in the ruins spread over miles in length and breadth, one can’t see a shop with good souvenirs and books except for some kids selling hardly reliable and poorly printed cheap picture books.




Our vehicle had to be parked at a distance from Virupaksha Temple. Yamuna couldn’t walk that distance. She had to sit on the door steps of the temple. Why can’t the authority provide some facilities where the tourists can sit or wait? The encroachers and occupiers of the ancient Bazaar along the whole of avenue in front of Virupaksha Temple could have been removed, and the area could have been kept clean.

Should we believe that nothing can be done in this politics ridden country? Can’t the people occupying the place be provided good alternative place and convinced to move there? I wish someone researches on the habitations and families that might be having ancient lineages.

Hampi is a wonderful historical site where a Sound and Light Show (Son-et-Lumière) could have been a great attraction for the tourists visiting it. It could make the world heritage site more attractive than many in world because of its spread and variety. In the months more suitable for visit, some locations in the hills could stage some well designed Indian music and dance shows in the evening. The story based on Ramayana may also become one theme. I wish the route followed by Rama could become popular Hindu pilgrimage. Kiskindha, Mathanga parvatham, Rishyamuka parvatham, and Pampa could become important destinations.

Taking clues from the bazaars in Hampi in its glorious days, a good bazaar can also come up for the trade of unique commodities and artifacts. Another addition must be of a craft training school that can produce replicas of wonderful reliefs and panels in the various temples of Hampi.




The archeology or tourism department can charge an entrance fee from tourists and similar development tax from the business enterprises such as village resorts and other organized shops. I don’t know if the tax that some local people demand and get as one for panchayat is legal or properly used. It might be going to some local goon.

Why doesn’t the Indian government take some grand projects to develop such sites to a world class standard? Many a times I feel like believing; it is because Hampi is associated with the strongest Hindu Empire of the South India. It is unfortunate that in name of secularism, the country can’t take care of sentiments of the people and provides excuses.

You can view Hampi’s grandeurs on YouTube:

More videos on YouTube

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