The Madoff conviction is no more than a Nuremberg Trial

Conservative estimates put the number of dead in the Holocaust at six million, the number of Nazis involved in these crimes as sixty thousand and the number tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials was two hundred. Conservative estimates put global financial losses at $20 trillion of which Madoff’s share was $171 Billion and he alone has been sentenced to 150 years.

Trying and punishing Madoff while necessary and critical is no more than a token. His shame is the shame of an individual and was a far simpler swindle than the one created by the pillars of Wall Street. He is an old fashioned crook who used a ponzi scheme till the feeder pipe ran dry. But the chiefs of investment banks like Lehman Bros., AIG are guilty of creating a whole new system which is so complex and convoluted that even today there is no way to pin point the blame and the cause of the fall. They set in motion an avalanche the end of which no expert can predict. No financial model or historic precedent is capable of telling us when these “toxic assets” will be flushed out of the system so that clean money can start flowing again. Madoff was a tumor you could operate and throw out but these whiz kids and greedy people have created a cancer that has spread everywhere.

The chiefs of these institutions need to be brought under the scanner just as Madoff has been. Additionally, all those highflying executives who raked in not just handsome fees from clients, but also bonuses from their organizations, must share the responsibility. In their defense many of them say that they were merely carrying out orders. But so did all the Nazi guards who simply acted on command to save their own lives.

If these words seem a little harsh (after all we are talking about the loss of money and not of lives) it is time we looked at the human cost of these events. For millions of families this situation has had a very tangible effect- one that will live with them forever. Surely the conviction of one Madoff will never be enough to prevent this from happening again. So let us not congratulate ourselves on bringing to justice Madoff while the big criminals roam free.

State Bank of India- an unlikely mirror of Indian history

Most of us have dealt with this icon of Public Sector banking at some point or the other in our lives. Many of us happily and many grudgingly (yours truly belonging to the latter category). But despite its infamous babugiri , SBI is a surprising saga of Indian history.

It has, for example, as its subsidiaries Bank Of Hyderabad, Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, all established at various times by the then Rajas of the Princely states to mange their finances. The Hyderabad subsidiary even managed the Osmania Sicca- the state currency of Hyderabad. At the time when the various Princes still ruled their roosts, these subsidiaries must have given them a sense of control, but now as the SBI looks to merge them into the parent company it is an indication of the maturity of the banking system of the country and how the country is leaving its past behind.

A look at what happened to PSU Banks and especially SBI during the past year also holds a mirror to our financial system and the Indian mentality. During the recent economic crisis the top IT companies of the country chose PSU banks over private sector banks to deposit over Rs.20, 000 Crore. While ICICI and HDFC Banks were reeling under the shock of steep rise in cash withdrawals, almost all PSU Banks saw a record jump in new accounts and deposits. So much so that led by the SBI, PSU Banks were the first to cut loan rates.

And this is what we Indians really are- we may talk of liberalization, efficiency of the private sector banks, the new approach to buying everything on credit- but when push comes to shove, we will trust the good old SBI and PSU banks. Why? Because we know the conservative Indian Government governs them, and we will put money in fixed deposits rather than risk them in the stock market. SBI was built by and for the Indian way of dealing with money.

As SBI moves forward with its consolidation and modernization efforts, it stands as an example of modern India- one that is learning to accept that competition today demands agility but at the same time understands that at a basic level nothing much has changed. An average Indian even today is still far more concerned with saving for tomorrow than spending today.

Micahel

Debt, mystery, rumors and uncertainty- all these marked his life and also the final hours of his death. The King of Pop moved into history surrounded not by his family or loved ones, but pain and strangers.

And perhaps that is the saddest part of his life. He is undoubtedly the most well known name in music around the world. No single artist has been able to inspire so many people in every corner of the world. As stories of vigils and tributes around the world pour in it is hard not to be amazed at how much love he inspired, but never really got to have that love at a personal level.

Haunted by his skin disease and an aching desire to be more “white” Michael Jackson’s personal life was marred by pain. The legal case against him of child abuse and also the incident with him holding his infant son dangerously over a ledge, caused him enough social suffering as well. He lived in public scrutiny and private pain and perhaps without a moment of peace.

As he goes to his final resting place, it can only be hoped the world will remember him more for his music, dance and passion and less for the outrages that his life had become.

Sarkozy and the Burqa- I say Bravo despite everything!

Since I read about it, news of the strong comments by the French President against the Burqa has been running in my mind. I am still debating whether he has taken an extremely bold step or just stirred up a hornet’s nest?

There is no doubt that the Burqa or any such garments or accessories (shoes, breast and waist bands as in the case of the Japanese) that restrict an individual’s physical freedom and are meant to curb their natural flow, should be done away with. But the question here is that if these are clearly religious symbols, is it the State’s place to do so? France is a secular nation, which means it treats all religions equally giving preference to none. But by actively commenting upon the religious practices of one community it is violating that very secularism.

Those favoring this move state that the Burqa is not a religious practice but a social one. Which is to say that the Quran does not require a Muslim woman to wear it but rather the conservative Islamic societies the world over promote this tradition. Therefore the State, as a preserver of societal values in a country, is right in commenting upon it. But we must not forget that Islam is a communal religion-, which is to say that unlike Hinduism, Jainism and such religions it focuses on the community life of the individual rather than his or her private internal faith and spirituality. Practices such as mass prayers, contributions of a part of the income to the community and even Sharia, all indicate that in Islam the lines between the social and the religious are unclear. So the Burqa must be treated as a religious practice in that sense and not just a social one. By that token Sarkozy may just have crossed the boundaries of Secularism here.

But what if a religious practice is anti-social and harms a section of society? Should the state remain silent on it? In India the practice of Sati and Human sacrifice were both quasi-religious practices, they were banned by the British and the ban was endorsed by the Governments of independent India. No one would disagree that this was the right thing for the Government of India to have done. Then by the same token, we must also support this step taken by the French Government. The public ban on the Burqa is an attempt to free Muslim women of the restrictions imposed by such practices and give them the equality and freedom they deserve. (Where the Indian situation maybe different from the present scenario in France is that the ban on Sati and Human sacrifice dealt with the majority community of India- Hindus. Muslims on the other hand are a minority in France and this action maybe viewed as discriminatory if not handled correctly.)

To conclude, this action of the French President and his Government will be debated and commented upon for a long time to come and only time will tell how the larger Islamic World reacts to it. In a Global atmosphere where it takes so little to injure egos, this could be seen as yet another step by the West to alienate the Muslims. But if the French have decided to set down the bold path where religion must be a private matter and all it’s overt signs (if in any way against basic Frenchness) restricted from public display, then it must take care to apply these rules to all communities. I for one would be curious to see what Sarkozy has to say about the use of head scarves by Christian nuns. But for now I am going to side with him and say, Bravo! Someone had to do it.

Is Jobs the Only Apple on the Tree?

Steve Jobs, the CEO of the Cupertino based Apple Inc., we are told, has just had another surgery. The WSJ confirms that he had a liver transplant and is well on his way to recovery. And so begins a fresh round of speculations and apprehensions of what will happen to Apple after Steve Jobs.

The fear that the Apple may rot
The paranoia amongst the general investor community seems so deep rooted that many newspaper reports (see here for MSNBC and the LA Times to name just two) actually spend close to half of their words illustrating in detail what his ailment is and what are the chances of his full recovery! Frankly all this would be mildly humorous if it wasn’t so off the mark.

Sure the health of a CEO at any company is of great importance. Especially if we are to believe that good leadership is as much to do with the individual, as it has to do with systems and methods he uses. And hence his/her absence will have a materiel effect on the workings of an organization. But surely none of us are naïve enough to believe that a world-class company like Apple has no plans in place for a scenario where the top leadership may not be there. Also if we are to question the very existence of Apple without Jobs, what does that really say about him as a CEO?

Jobs well done
There is no doubt that Steve Jobs has had a successful run. An analysis of several Silicon Valley based companies over the last five years shows that Jobs is by far the most successful at creating shareholder value as well as delighting customers with new gizmos. While Apple stock has appreciated by 727.77% in the past five years, Cisco, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft have each shown losses of –19.25%, -48.02% and –15.10% respectively for the same period. Only Apple’s smart phone rival Palm, is in the green with a positive return of nearly 40%. Most of this success at Apple can be attributed to the iPod and more recently the iPhone. Both considered to be brainchild of Jobs and aggressively promoted by him. He has lead the design, launch and promotion of these products with a fervor rarely seen and this level of personal involvement has made his personality inseparable from the image of Apple as a company. But is that really the case?

Deliberately planted
Apple has traditionally been tight lipped about its new products and strategies. In a hotly contested market such as this, it is perhaps suicidal to reveal names of key product team members because competitors can exploit them. Therefore all of the Apple communication, identity and product imagery has centered around and emanated from the one source- Steve Jobs. This has helped to give its new launches the added zing of mystery and created Jobs as an icon for the gizmo freaks of the world to follow. The PR machinery at Apple has perhaps deliberately cultivated him as the ultimate gadget guy who constantly churns out these amazing products. But why do we forget that it took more than just Jobs to make these legends come true? There are many who must be given credit, including product designers, marketing teams and the whole machinery that it takes to pull off a success story like this. Undoubtedly Jobs provided the vision but it was a team that executed on it.

Time to chew faster
Health is forcing Steve Jobs to retirement a little earlier than he planned. And this is not the first time his presence at the company has come under question. The 2007 stock grant scandal had raised these concerns even before. In this in-depth article about succession planning at Apple the writer talks about the steps the company is taking to mange this struggle. This piece was written in January of 2009 but as we edge close to June, the steps seem to be ineffectual. There is as yet no clearly recognizable alternative to the face of Apple and Jobs’ health continues to severely effect speculations about the future of the company. If it is to overcome the present hurdle Apple must divert from its current strategy and expedite the process of bringing forth alternative faces and names with whom the investors and the public at large can identify.

A lesson to be learnt from Bill Gates this time
Logically speaking the success of Apple is a combination of Jobs’ vision and a job well done by the team at the company. The infrastructure and framework for its continued market leadership exists. All it needs to do is leverage it with greater speed and as Bill Gates did at Microsoft, Jobs must ease in a transition while he has the time

On this Father's Day

Let’s start off by wishing all the loving and caring dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day. It is not every day that us kids take the to time thank our dads for all that they have done for us and today I want to talk about how special dads are by telling you about mine.

Now as dads go, my dad was like most dads I know. Besotted with his kids, wishing he could spend more time with them but also pulled into long work hours and the business of life so that he could take care of those kids. When we were growing up my Dad worked with his brothers in the family business. So it was work, work and more work. He was often the last one to come home and then too with worry lines on his brow. But even then he found a way to be with us. In the chilling Delhi winters we (mum, dad and three of us) would sit in a razaai and he would cut fruit for us and feed all of us. If you ever meet my dad look at his hands. They are not delicate. They are small, pudgy, rough and they shiver. But they can still cut an apple as deftly as the best chefs on TV. He loved feeding us and listening to what we had done that day and make plans for the future. That one hour he spent with us made us feel like he was part of our lives.

He also made sure that he not only fed our bodies but also our souls. Education was always his first priority and its only now that I realize what a heroic effort it took on his part to give me the opportunities he did. Growing up in a conservative extended family with almost fifteen members in the same household, I had very little flexibility to exercise my own choices. When resources were limited, higher education for the kids was not at the top of the list. Sure it was important to get that college degree but only in as much as it improved your over all prospects to land a good match. But despite all this family pressure my dad never compromised on my education. He sent my sister and me to a progressive boarding school in the beautiful town of Dehra Doon, and when I said that eventually I wanted to work, pushed me fiercely to take an advanced computer-programming course and get a Post-Graduate Degree in Business.

Its only now that I have some sense of what it took for him and my mother to do this. In this rather stifling environment my father not only gave me these incredible opportunities, he also shielded me from all the objections that the family must have had. And may be that is why even today, he is my safe harbour in many ways. I am sure if I sat down to document them there will be an endless list of things my dad has done for me and what’s more I would still never know about all those things which he did quietly behind my back.

So for all the things I know and don’t know that you have done for me and for the strong, modern and independent woman you have allowed me to become, I want to thank you. And for all the years that are yet to come may I ask that you continue to be the loving, thoughtful and brilliant man that you are and let your kids take care of you if you should ever need that. Happy Father’s Day Papa.

If Michelangelo were a young man today

I am not a big newspaper reader. Like most people I skim through the headlines and if something catches my attention I do a quick scan and then re-read if its really worth it. So when an article in the "Mumbai Times" promised to tell me who is the artist behind the graceful statue at Shirdi ( a bit of an unusual trivia), I decided to give it a read. The article was average but what really caught my attention were these lines “Most of the lucrative big statue orders are given to experienced sculptors who have a monopoly in the market. The best option for new struggling sculptors is to work with established ones or get into commercial art used in movie sets, hotels etc.”

Now if anyone has read the story of Michelangelo’s life you would probably see what I see. This describes exactly the situation and the challenge he faced over five hundred years ago. Not born into a family of sculptors, he had to struggle all his life to get commissions and risked everything he had to create art that was of his own vision, and did not adhere to the commonly accepted norms of the time. We know him today as one of the stalwarts of the Renaissance, but the man died amidst a life long struggle to be understood and accepted by his peers and the patrons of his time.

This unexpected parallel makes me ashamed. It would seem that in five hundred years we haven’t really grown much as a race. What happened in the Italy of the Renaissance is true even today. We have not developed enough of an appetite for art so that younger, newer artists can flourish. We do not have programs to really support novices who need both the emotional and financial support to hone their art and build a reputation. How many times has each of us been amazed at the price an average work by an “established” artist can command while a stunning piece by a new artist is listed for a fraction of that?

Whether it be in cinema, sculptor or any other form of art, connections it would seem are far more important than the skill. If you choose to be an artist you must accept that struggle is an integral part of your life. So if Michelangelo was a young man today he would still have to fight with MF Hussain to win commissions and most of us would have happily bought a horse painted by the latter over a piece of what Michelangelo created at the Sistine Chapel.

One extra hot, large, Non-fat, latte with two shots of honesty, to go please!

Adding a shot of honesty to your morning or mid-day cuppa seems to be the new mantra in Indonesia. To battle its battered image as one of the most corrupt and dishonest countries in the world, the Government of Indonesia has started what are called “Honesty Cafes”. These are cafes where students and everyone else has the choice of paying either at the register or dropping the required amount into an unsupervised pot of money thus inculcating an honour system.

Using this method may seem like a long shot at teaching people how to be honest but it has succeeded in one fundamental way- it acknowledges that problems such as dishonesty, corruption and lack of civic sense exist in the very fabric of a society and therefore need ground level action to change attitudes. In other words there are no short-cuts to changing the way a society functions and if you must over haul something for the long run, it is important to focus on the youth. After all they are the generation of tomorrow and they will be the ones passing along the legacy.

As expected there are different view on the subject. Some people are cynical and see this merely as window dressing by a Government caught in the glare of international opinion. With the head of the anti-corruption agency himself under scrutiny for murder, and the President’s son’s father-in-law convicted of bribery, the problem seems to be so deep that a mere café seems at best like at attempt at fighting an elephant with a kitchen knife.

But is this kitchen knife doomed to fail and fizzle out? It may sound clichéd but with time even water can cut into stone and in the Ajanta and Ellora caves we have an example of how chisels and hammers combined with dedication created monuments that in today’s world would seem possible only with heavy duty engineering. So if the Indonesian Government and its people are serious about the drive to change its image, they must set down this path with belief and a lot of patience. Newspaper reports say that the Government intends to evaluate the program after six months. This must be done, but a few set backs should not be used as an excuse to discontinue. They must give this its due time to succeed. It is a public sector initiative and results will come at a pace unique to this sector.

To elaborate my point I would like to quote the example of the Delhi Metro system. When the trains started everyone felt that the average Indian commuter, so used to abusing public property would destroy the trans and the metro stations would soon look like replicas of the erstwhile Indian Railways’ train stations. But nearly three years into it’s operations the system is functioning smoothly and the commuters have learnt to give it its due respect.

The success of Delhi metro throws up three key ingredients a public sector initiative should have if it hopes to change something at a fundamental level- in it’s case the ability of a public transport system in India to be viable and successful. These key ingredients are

A strong and committed leadership. The Delhi Metro had that in Mr. Sreedharan. His vision and belief saw the project to its fruition through the several years that it took to construct the tracks. The blueprint of the project might be available to any such initiative to replicate but it must be understood that such things cannot be blindly copied. The Indonesian Government must, if it intends to succeed, find a person who has the belief and the strength to see the initiative through

A plan for sustained growth and levels of quality. The metro stations are still clean and peaceful because in its plans were included provisions for police personnel who would constantly supervise the traffic and the stations. Yes, the time will come when outside supervision will no longer needed but the Metro project acknowledges that this change will take time. In the meanwhile an outside supervision must ensure that the project does not fail in its infancy. So must it be so for the plans of the Indonesian Government. It must plan not just for the setting up of these cafes or other such programs, but must provide for their continued supervision and maintenance.

A demonstrable benefit to the public. No public sector initiative ca be successful unless it has a demonstrable benefit to the people it hopes to serve. The metro has cut both the travel time and cost for the city’s commuters and has significantly reduced congestion along it’s main arteries. The Indonesian Government must demonstrate to its population what higher level of integrity and honesty will mean for them, beyond just the moral aspect.

If these aspects are kept in mind and the Government is serious, honesty cafes may become the norm rather than the exception.

Make that reservation at your peril

The recent decision by the Minister of State for Education Vikhe Patil to propose a 90 per cent reservation at Junior Colleges for SSC Board students, has sparked off an expected uproar amongst parents. No one needs statistics to know that there is a severe shortage of (high quality) schools and colleges in the country and when reservations further limit the choices and the chances of a qualified student, it certainly must be infuriating.

For his part Patil has put up several arguments. One being that schools that choose not to adopt the state run Board must start their own junior colleges and therefore not impinge upon an asset based in the state- the Junior colleges. In essence there is a penalty for being a non-state Board institute. At some level this argument would be fair only if this penalty was known when these schools were given the permission to set up shop in the state, to begin with. How can it be fair to put this rule in place after permission has been granted for Non-State Board schools to start operations? Many schools like Cathedral in Mumbai have been operating for decades now and cannot be expected to change tracks suddenly. Also by annexing ninety percent of the seats in junior colleges for the state board students, Patil is implying that these junior colleges are somehow state property. This just isn’t true. Many of these colleges are run by private trusts and charitable organizations and should be allowed to decide their criteria for admissions.

Patil also feels that the ICSE and CBSE Board schools consider themselves to be “superior” to the state SSC board schools- their shunning of the state Board is an insult of the state Board he says. I say that this is an expression of choices that exist in a developed economy. It is the same as having state run and privately run banks. Would you be any less Indian if you banked with ICICI and not at SBI? The existence of multiple Boards is a sign of a mature education system. Obviously these very successful Boards are thriving because they are fulfilling a need. The existence of multiple Boards gives the students and schools a very real choice. A Non-State board, freed from many of the shackles of a state’s limited agenda, is more able to innovate in terms of curriculum and teaching methodologies. So schools that are more open to innovation have a choice in the Board the adopt, thereby creating a nation of diverse people.

And even if we agreed with the notion that there was an elitist attitude amongst the non-State Board schools, isn’t it better to use that as an opportunity to review the SSC Board and see if there isn’t a way to improve it’s image? Otherwise reservations will amount to nothing more than a way to arm-twist schools and colleges into accepting the lowest common standard (at least as perceived by them) and feel themselves sacrificed at the fake altar of state pride.

One newspaper pointed out that not only is it good to have multiple Boards but a state like Maharashtra with a huge migrant population also needs this system. Many people come here for temporary employment and their children need to have access to education in a system they are familiar with. So non-state, national level, boards like CBSE and ICSE provide them with the continuity they need in their education. And this is true not only of Maharashtra but of most states in the country. With today’s economy and lifestyles, people often move across state borders for lifestyle and employment reasons. If all states had only state level Boards and nothing available across borders, children would necessarily suffer.

To conclude, in his zeal to promote the pride of the State Board, Mr. Patil is ignoring the hidden perils that come with reservations. Reservations and quota systems kill competition and promote complacency, thereby lowering the over all quality of the output that a school could give. Competition lies at the root of progress. Scarce resources motivate people to work harder and smarter to reach the top. Take away that instinct to compete and you will be breeding intellectually inferior people who will feel no need to make any significant progress.

Have you seen this ad? See it! It will make you smile

Not sure how many people have seen the latest TV commercial by the little known Turkish Airlines. The ad features (my personal favorite) Kevin Costner traveling on a flight and receiving attentive service. Nothing surprising about that you say. The actor falls asleep and as the stewardess is picking up his pen he wakes up and signs an autograph for her but she walks away with an indulgent yet quizzical look. As the actor alights he runs into a family posing for a photograph and pushes himself into the frame much to the surprise of the family. As the ad progresses you are wondering why are none of these people delighted at the prospect of such a close encounter with a super star, till you see Kevin looking into a mirror at the airport. The reflection is really that of just an ordinary man- the commercial comes to an end with the voice over saying- “Turkish Airlines, feel like a star!” Mystery solved and you are left with a smile on your face.

It is one of the better commercials I have seen in a long time and it works at several levels. First it tells a story. David Ogilvy in his landmark book on advertising espoused the usefulness of the story-telling devise in TV commercials. The story of a man traveling on a plane and touching the lives of people along the way while lost in his fantasy world, is short but effective. The choice of the celebrity is also bang on. Kevin Costner is the evergreen rogue of Hollywood but he has not been on the front line for quite some time. So while he adds glamour to the commercial his persona does not overpower the storyline. Also the use of celebrities in airline campaigns is a rarity (I can’t think of any other example off hand) so he is able to stand out.

The punch line is in the same vein; it is short and clever and conveys the message without being verbose and taking away from the message. All in all a sixty second piece packed with an entertaining plot, finishing in style with a definite message, and using a celebrity to break through the clutter. Fly Turkish Airlines and feel like a star!

Mukesh Bhatt vs. Mukesh Bhatt and the business of entertainment

When we watch a movie or the latest episode of “Balika Vadhu” it is easy to forget the whole industry that is out there churning out these blockbusters. It is easy to get caught in the world of these fictitious characters and even forget that the people on the screen are actors who do this for a living. And sometimes reality hits us at unexpected moments

In the past twelve months this reality has struck Indians twice. First it was the stand off between the small screen actors and the producers. The artists were demanding better wages, working conditions and longer breaks. Producers on the other hand were just to greedy to share the increased revenues they were seeing as a result of higher penetration of television and the growing popularity of daily soaps that makes up a majority of the television viewing in India. Mukesh Bhatt who heads the producers’ association- who will feature again in this saga- even said that since TV was a “much smaller medium” than cinema the artists had no right to demand a hike in wages. But the deadlock was broken and the producers had to compromise because the actors held out and with no new shows being churned out, the producers had nothing to sell to the broadcasters.

The second showdown ended just a week ago and was between the multiplex owners and the producers from the film industry. This time Mukesh Bhatt was the one holding up the protest banners. He wanted his share of the revenues that the multiplex owners were getting from a whole new stream of audience that were open to watching off-beat films and a general increased spend on entertainment by an upwardly mobile population in an upbeat market. The seats reversed, Bhatt and his colleagues argued that their content was critical to the revenue stream that the multiplex owners were seeing, and therefore wanted a larger share of it. The standoff ended with a generally accepted compromise based on a sliding scale of revenue sharing. The producers got their fair share.

In all of this the main losers were perhaps the TV and cinema going audiences. Deprived for months from new content, many of us watched re-runs and dug up old DVDs. But really was this so bad? Aren’t these strikes a sign of the maturity of the industry and a necessary step in correcting the imbalance of power and money? In both cases the stronger party (the party that was closer to the audience and the source of money) were happy being selfish. In a traditionally unroganised industry it was easy for them to do so. Therefore this protests maybe actually a sign of growing awareness. The TV producers could no longer exploit young artists and continue to fill their coffers and as multiplexes saw growth, the producers also realized that they could leverage their control over content because the audience was more discerning. If the content wasn’t good enough people would go for alternative sources of entertainment and that would spell death for the multiplexes.

Strangely enough in all of this Mukesh Bhatt maybe the most paradoxical symbol of the chain effect of this new face of the media. As a producer of TV content he was at the receiving end of protests from those dependant on him and as producer of film content he was protesting against those who he depended upon for revenue.

All participants of the entertainment industry must understand that as the TV watching and Cinema going audience becomes more demanding, quality is of the essence. This means monopolies, and thus the ability to exploit and force down just about anything no longer exists. After all it is known that Big Cinemas and PVR made the first move to break the deadlock in the latest strike and other association members had to follow suit- something that would not have been possible in a monopoly. The loss of a few weeks of new movies or TV shows is worth the price to ensure that we continue to have an entertainment industry that is mature enough to always put the customer first and nurture all stake holders who will then do their best.

Want to be Speaker of the Lok Sabha- you better be a woman or a Dalit

The newspapers have been abuzz with the nomination of Mrs. Merira Kumar as the speaker of the Lok Sabha. As a woman I am delighted that after a female President we have a woman presiding over the apex Governmental body of our country. But what is puzzling is that this is the only qualification of Mrs. Kumar that everyone seems to be talking about. The fact that she is a woman and a Dalit seem to be the only two things that are being highlighted. All the analysts and the powers that be are calling this a political coup by the Congress led UPA Government in a bid to win the female and Dalit vote bank in the country.

Sure, a party's got to do what it's got to do stay in power but have we become so politicised as a nation that talks of such an important nomination purely for the sake of vote banks does not shock us any more? Not a single article has a profile of her long political career, the work she has done or even her legacy from her father Jagjivan Ram. I am not qualified to say whether she will make a good speaker or no, but as a citizen I can surely ask why no one is even asking why she has been nominated to the post. I want to know why we feel it is alright for her nomination to
be presented in such brazen political terms.

And this is not the only instance where the media has proudly paraded the total death of merit as a basis of selection for a seat in the parliament. When the TV channels were covering the swearing in ceremony of PM Manmohan Singh a reporter for India TV used the word "Malaidar" to describe the most desired portfolios in the cabinet. The term "Malaidar" literally means where the potential of earning is the most. He felt that it was alright to describe cabinet berths in terns of their potential earnings as vs. their importance to the nation.

But then again in a country where we have had years of fragmented verdict and Governments that have had to openly bow to political allies to stay in power and horse trading is a commonly used term, this is bound to happen. In a nation where cast, state of residence and whim are far more important in voting than track record, such things are bound to happen.

All said here is wishing Mrs.Kumar a successful tenure as the speaker and let us hope that even though nobody seems to be talking about them, she has the skills needed to pull this off.