Sunday Posts

My brother is teaching a course on Entrepreneurship these days. I must clarify – this is not an MBA, but a subject taught in High Schools, perhaps as a part of another, broader subject. I found this to be a brilliant idea – implanting minds at a rather early age about a career option, and also encouraging creative thinking in an indirect way. I did sit up and listen, and immediately engaged in a conversation on what is being taught, and how people respond to it. I must admit I was rather disappointed with the curriculum. While the idea of teaching about entrepreneurship is bold and creative, the curricula seems to have been written by people who never had the slightest intention to be an entrepreneur, or to put it differently, wished their own child become one. Two minutes into the discussion, I found myself rather exasperatedly explaining to my brother what I think are the wrong ideas being taught. And, after two hours – he suggested that I write this down, and he would add my perspec...

If it's your blessing glowing bright Amid my grief’s darkest night – Let it be; If only death brings me near Your death-less sphere – Let it be; If it’s for my pain to burn To light up my prayers’ urn, Let it be; If it’s only my tearful eye Can see how loved am I, Let it be. - A translation from a popular Bengalee song

My mother died. At a fighting fit 58, after a painless illness lasting an hour, a ‘mild’ stroke according to Doctors, she did not even give me a chance to say Good Bye. She was great, like every other mother. She built our lives – bit by bit – and protected all of us. For me, she allowed the freedom that I wanted – to move around, to live a life without commitments. She made me what I am, every bit, and gave me the best time of her life, without asking for anything in return. I grieve. Like every other death, I am grieving for myself – for the bits that die with her, for the wishes that will never become true again, for the dreams I must get over with. But, I bid her a happy farewell. She lived a full life, and she left it full. She had great parents who loved her, and a great husband who loved her too. She tossed up the challenge to me and my brother and sister to become great sons and daughter too – may be we failed, may be we made her happy, something we will always keep wondering. ...

This is just another election in Bengal - with outcomes decided, little excitement outside the party offices and minds of the candidates. Yes, no watersheds this time, with an ever-going-on administration and an ever-going-on opposition, bored voters and probably a bored election commission too! This is no battle of ideas. Yes, you can call this a battle of illusions. Everyone is exaggerating their case, everyone trying to make one final point - with the irony that the audience already knows all of it and the outcome. Left Front singing 'industrialization' and Mamta blaming 'power game' - it is a farce in the order of the day. There are interesting changes, yes. For example, the administration can not blame the center anymore, though they are trying to find holes - if you can't pull Manmohan down, at least you can blame Bush! For Mamta, this is another chance to prove that she is the best thing that has happened to the Left Front! She is directionless, opposition-fo...

After a long spell of absence, during which I have been alternately unwell, away from London, busy and finally un-creative [that’s the sign that I am getting back on writing mode!], I thought of updating this blog again. The reason is the discovery of http://web.archive.org/ . Well, you could have known about it already, but I did not – and being able to see sites which are long gone, was nostalgic and memorable. For those who have never visited this before, it may be a great experience in power of the internet. This site archives pages / sites [and changes in them] over years, and you can actually go back many years and see how things evolved for your favourite site. For example, the first site I tried on was http://www.netprotraining.com/ , a company I ran in 1999 – 2000, but then it folded and the domain name has been taken by somebody else. And, to my surprise, it spawned up not just one version, but monthly versions – between mid-2000 and 2001 [by the time I left the company]! And...

As I stand with Prometheus, My hero, Who stole God's fire and gave it to men- I am forced to ponder Why was God so angry, Is he not as merciful as newspapers claim? Was fire like WMD And the power to unleash harm God hated to let go? Or was it an IPR That he transgressed And let the secrets men know? Yet one knows, He did not profit And gave it away to us! Yet, he was chained and pained, Without access to justice, Probably in Cuba, alas! And, then, God sent us gifts - Illness, Greed and Lust, To keep us forever poor and lost! Oh! We still have our Pandoras, Fair-minded but naïve, Who keep unlocking His box. And, yes, there was Hope in this package too, Called The Market, Or did Adam invent the term? We earnestly believed There will be deliverance And did ourselves harm. So, as I stand, Oh Prometheus! Be unbound and let us free! God is angry, But watching us keen, He is frightened, as you see!

I was reading L N Mittal's interview on NDTV and surprised to learn this : NDTV: Tell me something Mr Mittal, you are saying that lets keep emotions out. But there is an entire country lobbying behind you. And some people have debated why India is so interested? Why the Indian government has stepped in? Let me ask you the emotional question right off before you put emotions out of the way. What made you decide to keep your Indian passport in an age where most NRIs go out and make it big, they acquire the citizenship of those countries? Mittal: I am proud to be an Indian. I have always said that the whole family has Indian passports. And I can't change my allegiance to my country. It is not the business, it is my allegiance. I was born here, I grew up here, my roots are here. It is very important for me to keep my passport.