Dr. Bowonder

In the passing away of Dr. B. Bowonder on 08 December, 2009, I have lost a good friend and a well wisher. I met him on 01 December, 2009, at his office at Tata Management Training Centre, Pune at around 09.30 hrs in the morning; he was very busy dictating and correcting a paper for publication and was in the midst of a discussion with his colleague on this paper. Still he took some time off for me and came all the way to the Adminstrative Officer's office to introduce me to him and to enable a smooth discussion. He was brisk. Before we went to the AO's office he took me to various lecture halls that were available and explained the facilities. He, as always, said that he would do anything for me. That was a reassuring thing. He never hesitated to heed to any of my requests. He always regretted that he could not keep up the promise of visiting us. That day I found him very enthusiastic and healthier than any other day. It appears that on the same day evening he got the fever...which turned out to be the last straw in the series of health problems he faced .....and I lost a good friend and a well wisher on Monday, 08 Dec.

One thing unpleasant that we learnt from Mrs. Bowonder was that Jehangir Nursing Home did not send an ambulance to pick him up in time fearing that he was afflicted with Swine flu. It is possible that he is still alive if the hospital had acted responsibly and sent the ambulance immediately when called. The fever turned out to be Menigitis Encephelatis....not Swine Flu.

This can happen to anyone....I think I should write a SOP which can be used if such a thing happens to me....in the future.

I would like to end this posting with a prayer for Bowonder: Let his soul rest in peace !!!

Ten Commandments of Sustainability

Hi

I know that the following is a heavy stuff for a "family blog"; but still I am posting it as it will give you an idea as to what my job is and is going to be.

In an interesting discussion in another forum I tried to bring out the essentials of Sustainability as I understand it. The Question asked was "what are the ten commandments of Sustainability". My answer was:

Sustainability covers a wider ranger of subjects than just environment; hence my ten commandments (not necessarily in order of priority) would be:

1. Work within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem in which you live and help to maintain the ecosystem
2. Improve resource productivity and reduce waste (this includes issues related to energy, water, materials, waste, pollution etc.)
3. Improve the lives of people, especially the underprivileged, through your actions/products/services and strive to eliminate poverty in whatever way you can
4. Ensure health and safety of employees at workplace
5. Avoid/eliminate corruption in any form in your dealings; be a law-abiding citizen
6. Respect other human beings and avoid/eliminate Human Rights violations
7. Avoid/eliminate discrimination of any form (gender, race, language etc.)
8. Honour labour rights and ensure fair wages to those who work for you
9. Spare your resources (like time, money, knowledge etc), if you can afford, for the betterment of this world
10. Work towards eliminating / avoiding things that have potential to eliminate the human race

I would seek your comments/additions/ deletions of the above commandments. Your critical view of the above is welcome.

Swine Flue Vs. Road Accidents...Media Coverage

I am writing this post from the "epicentre" (as the TV anchor describes) of Swine Flu in India, Pune. Ever since the first death (a school girl) due to H1N1 virus was reported from Pune, there has been an increase in the number of cases tested positive for H1N1 virus as well as the number of deaths in Pune (the 11th death in India was announced last night from Pune). The TV anchors have a "lead news" and fill their time with reports on H1N1 from all over India; they appear to be experts in every field related to H1N1 and throw, for the sake of authenticity, a few medical doctors, in between, to support their views. The result is that there is panic everywhere. The hospitals that are supposed to help test for H1N1 are flooded with people - resulting in chaos and, of course, fighting !!! Only those who had stood in queues in India would appreciate the difficulties encountered by law-abiding citizens. They are always the last to reach the post....there are smart guys who know how to break the queue and get to the post first.

The TV coverage has really created a panic....everyone who goes to these hospitals wear a mask (whether it is effective or not is another question)...one can see at least 20 % of the people on the streets wear mask. The guy who sells these masks at the traffic junctions has been having brisk business. Those who do not wear mask cover their nose and mouth with their clothes (like hand-kerchief, dupatta etc.). The Police Commissioners office, especially the Foreigner Registration office, has mandated wearing the mask before entering its premises !!!

Government has ordered the closure of schools and colleges for a week. Malls and Cinema Halls have been ordered to close down for three days. People have been advised to stay at home and not to venture into public places. They say that the virus is out there everywhere; it is no more required to have a body contact or a close (1 metre) contact, it can catch you anywhere...because it is there in the air (you breath)....Some state Governments have issued advisories to its citizens not to travel to Maharashtra (where Pune is situated).

While I appreciate the role of media in informing people of the H1N1 virus, I am a little concerend about the "hype" and "panic" created by media among people with no or little knowledge about the Flu. Overall, I see a positive effect: at least people are taking preventive actions (whether effective or not) or sensitized to take preventive action.

Swine Flu is probably a one time affair and short lived (say for a couple of months). TVs have spent quite a lot of time on this - justifying the same quoting 11 deaths and potential deaths in the future.

I don't see the same vigour when it comes to, say, road accidents. Pune had reported every year almost about 400-500 fatalities per year on its roads; these could have been avoided by just wearing Helmets or following traffic rules. I don't see any media campaign on this. Hardly any TV news covers this aspect - as it has lost its novelty as a news item....every day someone dies in the road accident...what is new about it ?

When people que up at the Hospitals for fear of H1N1, why not they wear Helmets to save themselves from certain death ? I believe that it is the fear of the "unknown" virus that makes people to rush to hospitals, wear masks and stay at home. When it comes to driving two wheelers or four wheelers everyone thinks that he / she controls the process....till he/she loses control, which most of the times results in death.

Government spends a lot of money to control H1N1 from spreading...it is no doubt a good initiative (probably they should have spent more in preventing it from entering India)....if they spend at least a fraction of that on Roads and traffic issues they would be saving more lives from traffic accidents.

(Please don't mistake me - H1N1 is an important issue and deserves Media coverage; but there are other equally important issues which are not glamourous for the Media to cover...this post is an expression of that concern)

PS: Immediately after posting this blog I opened the Indian CNN site; the news is that the death toll due to H1N1 had gone up to 14 and the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, has been affected by H1N1.

Globalization....bonanza in the days of economic downturn

(I wrote this blog in June 2009; I thought I should publish it now at least)

I attended many lectures on Globalization. On the one hand India's "economic success" has been attributed to the opening of the economy by Manmohan Singh in early 1990s; on the other hand most of the difficulties that the poor and the deprived face is also attributed to the phenomenon of globalization.

Of course the woes are attributed to the propaganda by the left; the proponents argue that the left brings out issues which are not related to Globalization and tries to link them to Globalization (but please read Steiglich). Unless one experiences the effect of globalization he will not appreciate it.

Take this example...I used to take coffee at the international airport, Mumbai, every time I departed from there. My records show that I had paid anywhere from Rs.5 (plastics cup, from dispenser) to Rs.50 (China, from dispenser) last year and before. This time when I travelled, I had to pay Rs.250 for a cup of coffee (Tall glass, from dispenser). Now I don't have the option of getting the cheap Rs.5/- cup of coffee at the International airport. I have to necessarily buy the coffee from one of the fashionable coffee shops in the airport at the price quoted....that means the choice which was available earlier is no more there....Can an average Indian afford coffee at this price? No way. But he is not expected to enter the international airport anyway ! (there are may who go through this airport who cannot afford the coffee). Then, that is what Globalization is about...generation of exclusive club of rich people who will not allow others to enter this club by making entry difficult and not affordable. The majority, therefore, will be left out of the so called economic boom....

You know pretty well that matter can neither be created nor be destroyed....same is the case with wealth.....it is only transferred from one pocket to the other....if one section of the society becomes rich because of Globalization,.....the obvious outcome is the other section becomes as much poor....and the story continues.....

My China Visit - some impressions

It all started in 2000, with my first visit to Shanghai, PRC. I was terribly upset on returing to India to see the condition of buildings, roads and the general hygiene. How is that China could progress so much (Shanghai was and is, almost similar to Singapore and Hong Kong) we in India cannot. We are not less intelligent or hard working than the Chinese. We have enough funds to improve our infrastructure; of course the Chines have a lot more reserves. But I can not help getting into a sort of depression on landing in Mumbai/Delhi. We cannot compare the facilities and architecture of Shanghai, Nangjing or Beijing Airprot with those we find in the "improved" airports at Delhi and Mumbai. One of the reasons that I could attribute to the poor infrastructure that we have in spite of crores being spent to improve them is our so called "Democracy"...the rule of the mediocres. The other is "widespread corruption" (may be an element of Chalta Hai also contributes, but it is less compared to corruption). Here are some photographs that I had taken in the recent past in China....see for yourself:


Great Wall of China (is that Allen Border ?)....near Beijing


The Forbidden City, Beijing

The above two are frequented by lakhs of visitors everyday...but maintained clean and neat.



The above is NOT the picture of Shanghai; it is WuHan an interior city. I cannot imagine any of our cities coming anywhere near this, with neat roads and manicured plants as road dividers.



It appears that most of the cities of China are mini-Shanghai. The above picture of Xiamen was taken from the Island across the sea...I don't to need to say any further than to show you the skyline.




The above picture was taken by me from my room (a guest room provided by our factory, located inside our factory) in Songzi, a small town in the Hubei Province, PRC. I cannot imagine such a road in say, even, Ahmednagar, which is much bigger than Songzi.



The above picture was taken at the Gulangye island off Xiamen...this is a street full of shops....again clean and neat....in this island no petrol or diesel driven vehicle is allowed.



I enjoyed my "bargaining" here...the above picture shows the market on the foot of the Great Wall of China near Beijing. See the cleanliness

I can go on posting more such photos....then my frustration goes up...why not India progress....at least catch up with China if not overtake it....I don't think it will happen in my life-time....probably the younger generation may take India to greater heights...probably we were a generation without ambition (Chalta Hai)!

Beware...I intend to post more such photos from all over....

Cheats on the mail....beware of them !!

Recently I received a mail from a very good friend of mine, reading: "You probably received a message from me claiming to have used the product by jaxtr and hence recommending it to you. Well the Jaxtr agency seems to have got your address from my address book and has used it to promote its own product. This being rather unethical, I suggest you delete anything to do with Jaxtr to be safe. Sorry to have burdened you with this bit of hi tech prankism". It is nice of him to have informed me of such a fraud through his personal e:mail address. The referred mail did reach me and I did not respond to it as I knew that my friend will not recommend any such thing without asking. This is the second mail that had come to me from a known e:mail address, but asking me to do something that my friend will not ask me to do anytime.

A month ago I received a mail from a professor whom I know. That read: "I am in a hurry writing you this message, i don't have much time on the pc here, so i have to brief you my present situation which requires your urgent response. Actually, I had a trip to Malaysia for a program called "Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education, the program is taking place in three major countries in Asia which are Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. But unfortunately for me, my little bag where my money, phone, passport and other valuable things got stolen at the hotel where i lodged due to a robbery incident that happened in the hotel. I have been so restless since last night, the present condition that i found myself is very hard for me to explain, I am really stranded here because i have been without any money, i am even owing the hotel here as well, moreover the Hotel's telephone lines here got disconnected by the robbers and they are trying to get them fixed back. I have access to only emails at the library because they also took my cell phone which i have all my contacts. I am now owing a hotel bill of $1,500 usd and they wanted me to pay the bill soon. I need this help from you urgently to help me back home, I need you to help me with the hotel bill and i will also need $2,000 to feed and help myself back home. So please can you help me with a sum of $3,500 USD to sort out my problems here. I am sending you this email from the city Library, I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promise to pay back your money as soon as i return home. So please go ahead and send the money to me through Western Union money transfer because that is the only way i could be able to get it fast and leave. These are the details below....

Name: Dr............
Address: ... Jalan Loke Yew, Bandar Melaka, Malaysia

After you have send the money, email to me the western union money transfer control number or you can attach and forward to me the western union money transfer receipt so that i can pick up the money fast and leave.

Hope to hear from you soon. The embassy here has already promised to give me a covering traveling papers that i will need to have my way back home, all i need right now is the money to settle up the bills and leave.

Thanks and get back to me soon."

On seeing the mail I smelt the "rat"...the numbers did not match. The language was not the Professor's. Something was "fishy".

These kinds appear to be new frauds in the net (or am I getting exposed to them rather late ?); we are of course used to "winning lottery", "your account number for depositing millions of dollars", etc.

Many of us would have been cheated or attempted to have been cheated. Can we share them and learn from each other?

The Art of Haggling...........a way to relax

I have been thinking of writing this blog post for quite sometime, ever since my colleagues and I were taken to the Great Wall of China near Beijing by our hosts on 19 April, 2009. After many failed attempts, knowing fully well that I cannot capture the spirit of what I wanted to share, something “(mis)adventerous” in me has pushed me to write this blog post now…..

“You look handsome”
“This will fit you nice”
“Cheap !!!! you get three for 50”
“Write your name; this is my name. Buy when you come back”
“I will wait for you; you will get the best prices”

There were so many surrounding us trying to sell anything and everything available in their shops; some were quiet…probably they did not know that much of English !!!!
We (self and my colleagues from Europe) were at the entrance to the Great Wall of China near Beijing …..one of the wonders of the world stretching over 8800 KM which was built between the 5th century BC and the 16th Century AD. …

On both sides of the path leading to the entrance to the Great Wall there are many shops selling mementoes, shirts, paintings, brass items etc….you cannot move forward without being touched and stopped by the girls, boys, women and men trying to sell their goods to you.

After visiting the Great Wall of China and moving around (or on) the wall for over a couple of hours it was time for us to return to Beijing.

That is when the whole “fun” started.

“What is the price of this chopstick pack?”
“300 Yuan”
“Oh! It is too costly”
“How much will you give”

My friend was thinking for a while…he was converting the value from Euro to Yuan

“What is the lowest price you will give that for?”
“You are a nice person. Even though I make a loss, I will give you for 250 Yuan”

My colleague looked at me….I told him to offer one tenth of the quoted price.

“25 Yuan”
“Oh ! No. That is too low….last price 35 Yuan”

My friend pretended to walk away and the girl held him back…”hey…hey…I spent a lot of time to sell this to you….don’t go without buying….I will give you for 30 Yuan”

My friend was happy…he paid 30 Yuan and got the chopstick set made of bone china.

He was happy that he got it very cheap….less than 4 Euro.

We walked to the next shop…here the haggling started again for T-shirts…with “I walked on the Great Wall” written on it.

“How much for this T-shirt”
“100 Yuan”
“But someone is giving four for 50 Yuan down there”
“Hey…you want to buy….I will give you a special price…..two for 50 Yuan”

Haggling continued for over 10 minutes, the seller somehow trying to push the T-shirt to my friend and my friend trying to reduce the price as much as possible….finally settled for “3 for 50 Yuan”. He was quite happy again; he got three T-shirts for less than 10 Euro !!

The whole haggling took more than 45 minutes…..I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation…each one trying to outsmart the other…without hurting each other. It was full of joy for my colleagues…a lot of laughter after a strenuous week with long days behind us. A real stress reliever !!!

We decided that was enough and started moving…..

The next shop….my friend saw the chopstick pack….”What is the price?”
“20 Yuan …….you are a nice person….so this is a special price for you”…….my friend almost fainted.

But…now we know….

“What is the price for this”
“200 Yuan”
“5 Yuan?”
“You are a nice person…I want to sell this to you…50 Yuan last price”
“No. I don’t want”

I started walking away….she packed the memento, held me back and said, “ I don’t want you to go without this memento. I give you a very special price….20 Yuan”

…I kept on walking…”15 Yuan”…..”12 Yuan”……”10 Yuan” by the time we had already walked about 50 metres. “This is too much of a haggling”, I thought….”OK. take 10 Yuan and give me the memento”….I was happy that I got something worth the money!!!!

Walking down a few feet….I met this guy with the “same” memento….”very cheap sir…only for you….one dollar”…..Aha….always there is someone who ensures that your joy of buying something cheap is short-lived!!!

“Hey…you wrote your name. I was waiting for you. Here are the two T-shirts for 50 Yuan that you agreed to buy”
“No. Thanks. I got four for 50 Yuan…and I don’t need anymore”
“I am waiting for you. You cheated me….buy something from me….you wrote your name too”

This emotional black-mail continued till we reached our car and drove away.

Not only at the Great Wall, but also at the Forbidden City and the Silk Street, my friends enjoyed the haggling and indeed we were offered “Rolex” watches for 10 Yuans and “designer Suits” for 100 Yuans….(we know someone would have got them for 5 Yuans and 50 Yuans respectively!!!).

That Sunday was not forgettable….Great Wall…..Great Palace…..Great People…..and after all Great Time !!!!

It rubbed on us when we were in Singapore…..

”What is the price?”
“2800 dollars”
”That is too much”
” we can give you for 2000 dollars….OK…for you, especially because you have been referred by ….Mr……., 1900 dollars”
”I don’t have that much money”
”Don’t worry we take credit cards….you won’t get this cheap anywhere in the world. Don’t miss the opportunity”
”I can give you only 1400 dollar”
”OK…that is a deal”

I was happy that I negotiated a good price....and got rid of all the Singapore dollars I have been holding for more than a year

Returning to the hotel I searched for the product price in Amazon…..the best price 600 dollar!!!!!!

Have I been cheated?....I don’t know….

Moral of the story: Haggle only when the stakes are low

Chidambaram Am-BUSHED

I just read the news item that some journalist threw a shoe at Chidambaram, Home Minister, in protest against the CBI report on Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 Sikh riot case. Even in protesting our guys are not original !!! Why should they copy that Iraq journalist....our Sardar could have thrown any of his other possessions....at least showing some originality. The Akalis immediately announced Rs.2,00,000 gift to the guy who threw the shoe....Aha...here is a new way of earning money. Chidambaram should immediately form a team of loyal journalists for throwing shoes at him, without hurting him of course, as the journalist had done, and make money ...for each throw Rs.200000.

I am just reminded of a story that RK told me (or did I hear when he was telling this to some one :))...He had just published a book "Kumbakona Madam - Unmaigal" (or something similar)..The publisher was Salem based. He told RK that agents of Kumbakona Mutt wanted to buy the entire print of the book and he refused...he was very happy telling that to RK. RK retorted...you should have sold all the copies to the Kumbakona Mutt...from the profit you could have printed more for distribution to those who are genuinely interested !!!

What is the link between the two....in both the cases people were hurling abuses on the subject person (by the way, both are lawyers)...in one, being a politician, he wanted to hush it up; in the other, being a smart intelligent common man, he was looking for an opportunity to spread his message.

After my death

It happened when Appa died. I did not like the rituals; it appeared to be something established by a smart set of people to earn wealth/money for themselves. I had to put up a show to the people gathered that I was doing something required by the Shastras...I did not know even the a,b,c,d of the requirements. I mis-chanted (mis-pronounced) or not chanted many of the mantras...I did not know the meaning of what I was blabbering. If such a prayer can reach the GODS, I am convinced that a sincere one-liner will also reach THEM. That I do many times every day, in a language known to me.

The same thing happened when Amma expired last week. The timing for the funeral was changed to suit someone's convenience; Sastra, which demanded that funeral should take place within four hours, changed in no time. Between one telephone call and the other, the extension of timing was five hours. Thank GOD !! There were not many phone calls. Secretly everyone had their Coffee/tea and tiffin - who would fast till late in the evening !!! Again the Sastra was given a go by. I don't wear Poonool..as I did not find any use for it...I don't perform any of the Sandhya Vandhanas or Tharpanas or Shrardhas. But to conduct this funeral ritual I needed to have a poonool, which I managed to get while just entering the house at Chennai. I just wore it after the bath - I became eligible to conduct the rituals !!! Peria Anna was not well; his place was taken up by Chinna Anna. But whenever Peria Anna desired he could reclaim his rightful place in the ceremony !! The Sastra could change from using funeral pyre out of wood to modern gas fired incinerator...no issues (you need to carry out a LCA to find out if this is indeed environmentally friendly !!!). The body, of course, had to go into the incinerator without any of Gold and diamond ornaments....someone else had taken possession of the diamond ear-ring and golden bangles before the body left the house!!! Good move.

While waiting for the ashes to come out (i.e. about one and half hours) all sorts of topics were discussed among those who assembled at the Kannammapet crematorium - to kill time....some talked philosophy (??), some politics and someothers economics. By the way, the crematorium was one of the dirtiest places I have visited so far...can't they provide a better place for the last journey of our beloved ? Even if they had provided a five-star facility, our sastra following janata would have spoilt it in no time.

We went from the crematorium to the sea directly to immerse the ashes in the sea; this time I requested at least five more people to go with us; the last time, when Appa died, we had some unpleasant experience at the sea shore...a drunken fisherman was demanding money for immersing the ashes in the sea...his father's property. We, Chandra and I, avoided confrontation and finished the job without paying any money. This time luckily there was no such unpleasant experience. Again Chandra and I were there for the immersion of the ashes.

I thought that a house with a death will be mourning; as soon as we returned we were asked to take bath and that was followed by a FEAST, with payasam...I can not imagine this...OK. We need to take food...to survive...do we need to celebrate ? I also came to know that when Appa died, every day there was some sweet with lunch!!! What is this Sastra ? All these gentlemen and ladies who are diabetic consume these sweets every day without inhibition, paving the way for more such sweets in the near future !!!

The most important aspect of someone's death is the expenses for the funeral and the associated ceremonies...last time for Appa it was almost Rs.70000/=. Now for Amma I am told it would be in the same region or a little more. Luckily my parents have four sons...this expense had been equally divided among us....imagine a family with only one son !!! At the end of the ceremony, probably he would be physically, emotionally and economically down.

Why did I start writing this blog ? To tell my children (and to confirm what I had already told) that no such ritual has to be performed after my death. I am planning to donate ALL my body parts after my death; the body may be used for medical education/research...the remains may be burnt in the incinerator. Please don't spend any money on ceremonies....please do not have any Amavasya/Monthly tharpanas (with two girls as children these may not be done anyway - thank the Sastra) or yearly Shrardhas. The only thing I expect from my children, after my death - and even now, is that they live a CLEAN life as responsible human beings, enabling their near and dear ones to keep their heads high !!! I have faith in GOD; I leave it to my children to have or not to have faith in GOD. But I, if there is any "individual life" in the other world which I reach after death, would pray GOD for their and their families' happiness and well-being....that is not conditional to their performing any of the rituals mentioend above. Love does not have any barrier !!!

Amma - Love of an imperfect

Amma has at last taken leave of all of us on 25 February, 2009.

When I received the message from Chandra early morning on 25 February, 2009, I felt relieved...not that I was not sad. But I was more sad to see her lying in the bed without any (or with low) physical activity, including speaking and moving for many months.

I could not bear the pain to see that scene; I was quite upset.

I was praying God and Appa to take Amma to them at the earliest. It did not happen for long...every passing day I was praying that Amma should leave this world without any major difficulty and with peace.

I had heard the shouting of "frustration" and utter indifference from those "close" to her; I could not stomach that "insult" to Amma. After all when she was conscious she loved one and all close to her - in spite of her strong likes and dislikes !!!

People enjoyed her hospitality when she was living like a Maharani....people still flocked to her even after we moved to Chennai because of her personality...she had special friends ..Radhakrishna Chithappa, Srinivasa Chithappa (who has already joined her in their new journey), Rukmani Chithi and the like.

Once upon a time she was the un-crowned princess of RK's family; as the years passed, people forgot RK and with that visitors to our house, close to RK, had also come down.

She was married to Appa for seventy five years....a long period in one's life...I never found them fighting with each other as far as Appa was in service...quarelling (or is it teasing...a sign of love !!!) started very late...probably after Appa reached his eighties.

Hats off to Appa ! He managed a strong perosnality like Amma for many years to keep their marriage lively. Amma was always naive...not anywhere near Appa in any of the wordly matters...but still they managed to have a successful marriage.

My memories of her will never leave me.... Amma is unique for any son...I am no exception...I loved her as much as she loved me... I will continue to ...in spite of her draw-backs as a human being.

I am sure I and my family will have her blessings from the heavens....Love goes beyond this world !!!!

A new experience

Today is the last day for me to work from the Philips office at Metropole, Bund Garden Road, Pune. I have made many office shifts in the last 31 years. But this one is unique. This is a GREEN shift. I will be working from home from Monday, 9 February, 2009, substantially saving on petrol used for travel to/fro office. My individual carbon footprint will come down - apart from less consumption of petrol, no airconditioning (whether I am in or out of the office the airconditioner is on in the office - as it is a central air conditioner), no lift, no extra lighting etc., will save substantial energy and consequent carbon emission !!

Responses to my working from home have been varied. Some think that I have been sent home due to economic downturn (one of the 6000 jobs to be cut in Philips !!). Some think that I have taken Voluntary Retirement ! Many more are curious to know why I have changed my Landline Number !!! They are civilized enough not to ask me a blunt question. Some have even suggested as to what to do after retirement.

At home, Maya believes that I will get bored after sometime working from home; Sheila feels that I will encroach upon her time for chat through broadband with Indhu and Maya (and of course with ARJUN and Kriti). Indhu has some comment to make; but she has not revealed that so far (may be waiting for an innovative comment !!!).

I hope to make the necessary adjustments to make everyone happy. I am sure that my life-style will change - hopefully for better.

Let me wait and see if this change is indeed GREEN or will turn out to be RED over time!!!!

This Looks Very Familiar !!!!

If there is a close resemblance of this story to SATYAM, I am not responsible:

"
Adelphia Fraud Information

Adelphia Communications Corp.

By 2002, Adelphia had built itself into the sixth largest cable operator in the United States under the direction of founder John Rigas. The company was delivering cable television and local telephone service to thirty-two states and Puerto Rico. But in March of that year, the company was forced to admit that it had failed to report several billion dollars in debt. This debt was believed to have been tied in large part to insider deals conducted by John Rigas and his family, several of whom held key executive positions at the company. The Rigases quickly left the company, although they, along with several other company executives, have since been charged with criminal and civil offenses. Meanwhile, the company watched its share value plummet until they filed for bankruptcy in June 2002.

How did Adelphia defraud the public?

Adelphia, under the direction of the deposed executives, is alleged to have:
· Inflated reports of company earnings and subscribers
· Failed to sufficiently report unpaid company debts
· Concealed the Rigases’ use of company funds for stock purchases, real estate procurement, and other deals

It is also believed that the company was used to leverage personal loans for executives.

What charges have been filed?

Criminal charges have been filed against John Rigas, sons Timothy and Michael Rigas (who held, respectively, the positions of chief financial officer and executive vice president of operations), former vice president of finance James Brown, and former assistant treasurer Michael Mulcahey. Charges against each included sixteen counts of securities fraud, five counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one of conspiracy.

The SEC filed civil charges against the same executives as well as another of John Rigas’s sons, James Rigas, and Adelphia itself. The defendants are charged with violating antifraud, periodic reporting, record keeping, and internal control laws.

There have also been 44 individual civil suits filed against the former Adelphia executives."

Even in Fraud Americans beat us !!!!

A pleasant way to remain healthy !!!!

For the last almost five months I have been on my own. Initially it was only taking care of my food; I enjoyed cooking all sorts of food.

Last month I sacked the servant maid who was taking me for a ride by not present on days when I wanted her and taking off whenever she wanted; this in spite of my giving her off due to my travels. She used to come late, making me to go to office late everyday. Oneday, last month, I lost my patience and told her to stop coming for work.

From that day my daily schedule has changed. After getting up, morning coffee, and spending time at the most peaceful room, I do the vacuum of the flat (I bought the vacuum cleaner after sacking the maid servant); then I do the swabbing (again swabbing stick bought after sacking the servant maid) on alternate days. Then I go for tending my plants; if required to water them (say once in a three days) - on Saturdays and Sundays I spend more time with the plants. I also sweep the open terrace once in a couple of days. After taking bath, I go for making the breakfast...Idli, Dosai, Adai, Poori, Upma, Rava Idli and so on...depending on the availability of the dough and mood. By the time I prepare and eat the breakfast it is time for leaving for office. So I try to iron my clothes in advance.

On the way back home, most of the days I go to Central to buy either vegetables or other items like idli rice, pulses, oil, cleaning agents, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap etc. I reach home normally at about 18.30 hrs.

Now a days, I go to Indsearch on Mondays and Tuesdays for the lectures in the evening directly from the office. By the time I return home it is almost 9.30 pm. I go for some quick dinner on these days. On other days I cook at least one curry and either sambhar or rasam. When there is a mood, I do have appalam / vadam also fried.

In between I have to manage milk for coffee as well as for curds. I have to manage washing the clothes, drying them and folding and keeping them. I have to dust the windows and furniture often - at least once in three days.

I enjoy doing all these things....the result is:

I cannot wear the new pants .....my waist has come down and I go for old pants which I had kept in a cornter ...

My weight has come down to 91 Kg......

My stress test was fantastic!!! MY doctor was surprised that I could take the stress test without any problem in spite of my not doing any regular exercise or walking !!!

My blood pressure is under control ! (without taking any medicine)

My sugar is under control !! (I have stopped taking direct sugar with coffee and tea and in any other form..on a regular basis...there are exceptions when I felt like taking it for taste...Whatever Sugar Sheila left in the small container is still there).

Overall the health seems to be in good shape !!!!

I enjoy doing what I am doing now ....without any extra effort my health has improved. No wonder housewives keep their body in shape !!!! (except for the effect of the menopause)...my prescription to husbands to be healthy and trim...do part of your wife's daily chore....you don't need to go for jogging or to a gym to reduce your weight...you will be healthy and your wife will be happy (but then she may put on weight...because her work load comes down!!!!)

Will Corruption come down ?

Today I went to ICICI Home Loans department to get a provisional EMI certificate; all the computers were down and I had to return without even registering a request. While going and returning I noticed that important junctions were policed by woman traffic police. They were standing at vantage positions and directing the traffic efficiently. They were also ruthless pushing back the vehicles crossing the zebra cross. I found them more professional than their male counterparts we come across often. (by the way, when I returned from Shanghai on 30 December, 2008, I found one male immigration officer sleeping on his chair, when there was a big queue standing for immigration clearance...what a sight and what a shame!) I did not find the police woman standing by the side of the road to catch an unwary offender. I did not see them checking the Licence etc., to make money for themselves. If only their male counterparts learn these from the professional female traffic police, probably we will have a beginning of the end of the corruption era. Extending this further, can we have more and more women in charge of sensitive Government positions that are potential corruption centres ? I am aware of Mayavatis and Jayalalithas....but their corruption is at a higher level - the common man is not directly affected (except in cases like the MLA killing the PWD Engineer for not paying for Mayavati's birhtday party a sum of Rs.5000000). At least with women manning sensitive jobs in Government we may reduce corruption at the lower levels. What is your view ?