One is the number of French Open Titles Roger Federer Won in completing the career Grandslam.
Two seed won the French Open for the last five years. May be Federer needed to drop down to Number two seed to win the French Open.
Three is the number of top seeds that lost before reaching the semifinals (1 Nadal, 3 Murray ,4 Djokovic). Not to take one bit away anything from his victory but he got every conceivable break he needed especially considering how consistent the top four guys played this year.
Four is the number of French open finals Federer played to win the title finally.
Five is the number of points away from losing to Tommy Haas in the Fourth round. In fact down two sets and facing a break point, I think the shot of his career and legacy was a classic inside out forehand which just brushed the inside side line. Yes, it is his favourite forehand.
Six is the number of players who completed career Grandslam in the tennis History. Federer is the sixth member of the exclusive club.
P.S. I came up with up to six so far :). I will add more once I can think of anything.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Political Dynasties!
I don't agree with the view that India's family values and relations are descending day by day. I will take an example from all the political families that are part of Indian politics from the day we got independence.
There are two three ways to succeed in India especially in Indian politics. Let us start from south India and take an example from DR.Karunanidhi (Chief Minister of Tamilnadu) to get married to three wives (Don't ask me whether it is legal? Everything works in Indian politics) and have as many children with them as possible.
After all who knows which child is going to be useful in the feature. Now one son is Central Cabinet Minister, one is his successor to his throne in the state. If you think all the worry is with the son of his sweet third wife you are mistaken. Just see he will be Chairman of some Public Service commission or Central Exercise very soon. I know you will get a doubt, how can he become a chairman without any qualifications ( of course he is highly qualified Rowdy in southern city of Madurai) but who are we talking about here he is CM's son.
If you move to East in the North East State of Assam, Dr.Sangma has once supported Congress and he was awarded Speaker of the Lok Sabha at that time. That is not enough, now his Daughter a 28 year old and I doubt she knew anything about governance is the Central Minister.
Then, there is Abdullah family in the Valley of Kashmir in North India. Farooq Abdullah who used to be Chief Minister of Kashmir(He is the son of freedom fighter Sheik Abdullah) is now Central Minister and his Son Omar Abdullah is the chief Minister and his cousin Sachin Pilot is Central Minister again.
How can we forget Lallu and Rabri in the state of Bihar. They transferred secretariat into their Kitchen for almost fifteen years. You know what is Rabri Devi's qualificication to become chief Minister of Bihar? Who are you kidding she is the wife of lallu is that not enough :).
Then the Mother of all is the Gandhi family. Jawaharlal Nehru is the first Prime Minister of India. Indira Gandhi his daughter is also the first and only Women Prime Minister of India. Rajiv Gandhi son of Indira Gandhi is the Prime Minister after her assassination and his wife Sonia Gandhi who originally hails from Italy is the unofficial Prime Minister of India and the most powerful Women(in fact person) of India. And then there is Son Rahul Gandhi who is project to be the next Prime Minister of India. Heck, there will be his Grandson(son of Pryinka Vadhera) who will be ready by 2020.
Then there is the second way. Just be an actor or even a cricketer. Just look in my home state of Andhra Pradesh where a superstar actor Mr N.T.Rama Rao with no governing experience has become the chief Minister in less than nine months he formed a party. Although, the service he made was commendable now his sons, daughters, Son in laws are still trying to grab power with his name and fame.
Ladies and Gentleman, there is no dynasty to Mahatma Gandhi and there is none to Dr RadhaKrishnan, Prakasam Pantulu and Vavilala Gopalakrishnayya. There can be dynasties in business like Tata's and Birla's in our country but these political dynasties in so called secular country based on caste,religion and just the family background is not only unacceptable but unethical.
There are two three ways to succeed in India especially in Indian politics. Let us start from south India and take an example from DR.Karunanidhi (Chief Minister of Tamilnadu) to get married to three wives (Don't ask me whether it is legal? Everything works in Indian politics) and have as many children with them as possible.
After all who knows which child is going to be useful in the feature. Now one son is Central Cabinet Minister, one is his successor to his throne in the state. If you think all the worry is with the son of his sweet third wife you are mistaken. Just see he will be Chairman of some Public Service commission or Central Exercise very soon. I know you will get a doubt, how can he become a chairman without any qualifications ( of course he is highly qualified Rowdy in southern city of Madurai) but who are we talking about here he is CM's son.
If you move to East in the North East State of Assam, Dr.Sangma has once supported Congress and he was awarded Speaker of the Lok Sabha at that time. That is not enough, now his Daughter a 28 year old and I doubt she knew anything about governance is the Central Minister.
Then, there is Abdullah family in the Valley of Kashmir in North India. Farooq Abdullah who used to be Chief Minister of Kashmir(He is the son of freedom fighter Sheik Abdullah) is now Central Minister and his Son Omar Abdullah is the chief Minister and his cousin Sachin Pilot is Central Minister again.
How can we forget Lallu and Rabri in the state of Bihar. They transferred secretariat into their Kitchen for almost fifteen years. You know what is Rabri Devi's qualificication to become chief Minister of Bihar? Who are you kidding she is the wife of lallu is that not enough :).
Then the Mother of all is the Gandhi family. Jawaharlal Nehru is the first Prime Minister of India. Indira Gandhi his daughter is also the first and only Women Prime Minister of India. Rajiv Gandhi son of Indira Gandhi is the Prime Minister after her assassination and his wife Sonia Gandhi who originally hails from Italy is the unofficial Prime Minister of India and the most powerful Women(in fact person) of India. And then there is Son Rahul Gandhi who is project to be the next Prime Minister of India. Heck, there will be his Grandson(son of Pryinka Vadhera) who will be ready by 2020.
Then there is the second way. Just be an actor or even a cricketer. Just look in my home state of Andhra Pradesh where a superstar actor Mr N.T.Rama Rao with no governing experience has become the chief Minister in less than nine months he formed a party. Although, the service he made was commendable now his sons, daughters, Son in laws are still trying to grab power with his name and fame.
Ladies and Gentleman, there is no dynasty to Mahatma Gandhi and there is none to Dr RadhaKrishnan, Prakasam Pantulu and Vavilala Gopalakrishnayya. There can be dynasties in business like Tata's and Birla's in our country but these political dynasties in so called secular country based on caste,religion and just the family background is not only unacceptable but unethical.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Jumbo Cabinet
Indian Cabinet for the new UPA government was formed and it was huge. Am I being too naive too think do we really need 79 ministers with different portfolios to form a Government? There is separate minister for food processing, shipping, water resources, Coal and so on. Basically, there is a minister for everything we can imagine and for important portfolios like finance,defense etc there are two ministers. Regular minister and minister of State. I still don't understand this concept of minister of state.
I was also happy to see Congress getting the majority (I am up for one party getting majority whether it is congress or BJP instead of big coalition) as it need not depend on the coalition to form the government which enables more stable government but the purpose of giving a majority to one party is in jeopardy with this huge cabinet.
I applaud Mr.Singh when he got rid of veterans like Arjun Singh from Cabinet and bought in some new and fresh minds like Shasi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, but having visualized a 100 day road map for delivering good governance one would imagine a leaner and more efficient cabinet will ensure the results.
We need trimmer government. Taxpayers shouldn't have to payroll the fragmenting of ministries into ever smaller units coal, steel, chemicals and information & broadcasting. The government has a lot of scope to cut waste and spending. What it can gain in terms of efficiency, public trust will make for a good management which in turn enable a good and efficient government.
I was also happy to see Congress getting the majority (I am up for one party getting majority whether it is congress or BJP instead of big coalition) as it need not depend on the coalition to form the government which enables more stable government but the purpose of giving a majority to one party is in jeopardy with this huge cabinet.
I applaud Mr.Singh when he got rid of veterans like Arjun Singh from Cabinet and bought in some new and fresh minds like Shasi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, but having visualized a 100 day road map for delivering good governance one would imagine a leaner and more efficient cabinet will ensure the results.
We need trimmer government. Taxpayers shouldn't have to payroll the fragmenting of ministries into ever smaller units coal, steel, chemicals and information & broadcasting. The government has a lot of scope to cut waste and spending. What it can gain in terms of efficiency, public trust will make for a good management which in turn enable a good and efficient government.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Singh is King
The Verdict is out. Congress led UPA overcame the anti incumbency factor and came back into power with a thumping majority. "Singh is King" again. I think this is good. Not because UPA came to power but I wished one of the leading parties either Congress or BJP come into over power with full majority rather than a hung government hindering any policy implementation.
Also, I was amazed how fast the results are out. Counting started at 8:00 AM and by 1:00 PM almost all results are out. Results here means not precincts, but actual vote count with majority. That is counting more than 500 million votes all over India. I think India have the most sophisticated vote counting technology in the world better than USA.
Let us hope this is going to be a fresh start again.
Also, I was amazed how fast the results are out. Counting started at 8:00 AM and by 1:00 PM almost all results are out. Results here means not precincts, but actual vote count with majority. That is counting more than 500 million votes all over India. I think India have the most sophisticated vote counting technology in the world better than USA.
Let us hope this is going to be a fresh start again.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Got Democracy?
Indian Elections are over and tomorrow is the D- Day. The results will be out. These are some of my ramblings about Indian Democracy.
SIX weeks is too long a period for conducting elections. The government has been inactive since the poll notification issued nearly three months ago.
Fortunately, there has been no challenge or issues within India except some random violence in the North East. But practically all neighboring countries have been facing situations that demand New Delhi’s immediate attention.
The new parliament must attend to this problem. I believe peaceful and prosperous Pakistan is always good for India. Pakistan is like a big Honey Bee hive now and if we throw a stone at the hive some bees will fly across the Border. Also, Certain elements have appeared inside the country causing concern about the future of democracy.
Elections are not just a question of queuing up before polling booths. They also represent something more meaningful. Economic well-being is no doubt the main requirement, but more important is the value system which the nation has lost along the way. If the country had only retained the rule of law it would have met the minimum demand of democracy. Worse, there is no accountability in any field.
The question that now faces the nation is who will bring about the required change. Leaders of political parties are interested only in power for power’s sake. They have turned their parties into their personal play grounds and there is no internal democracy. A party moves from one alliance to another, not on ideological or policy considerations but on the basis of gain. Criminals or moneybags doing deals do not have any vision that contains principles or a sense of humility.
What has lately pulled down the nation is the polarisation of society. Democracy has already been diluted. India appears to be building a structure which is far from the traditional principles: by the people, of the people and for the people. The Elections turned into a system of voting based on caste.
These election has shown increasing intolerance and speeches of hate, including personal attacks, whether it is Varun Gandhi in the UP, Area based politics by TRS and other parties in the AP or fake hunger strikes and politically motivated concern for Tamil's in Srilanka from one of the oldest politician in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu which do not in any way contribute to the democratic spirit.
Equally important is how to bring about change in a society where disparities are increasing between individuals and regions. Since consumerism has become an integral part of our life, I was shocked to see an article the other day that two-thirds of India’s population continue to live on an income of around Rs1000 a month even after 62 years of independence. This is a systemic failure.
Political leaders are comfortable because they are thick with industrialists and businessmen who provide them with the funds they require. In the absence of electoral reforms it is not possible to stop the role that money plays, but then the question is will the political parties agree to a law which makes elections possible within an affordable limit? Politics is the new mantra now to become rich.
The role of the media, particularly the electronic one is huge. The bias was obvious and there are reports of corrupt practices. An inquiry committee should be appointed to look into the charges which some political leaders are not willing to accept.
Corruption has saturated both the bureaucratic and political machinery to such an extent that the rule of one party means benefits for all those who support it. Sometimes people have argued that it is better to allow a party in power to continue than to elect a new one because the one in power has already filled enough and so hopefully they will get fed up with that.
I was reading an article some where which says "India has taken cricket and changed it forever it has adopted democracy and transformed it into its own unique political game.’
So true, This is democracy of a different kind. It does not ensure that people elect the candidate they want, nor does it shun dynastic, caste and communal politics.
At some stage the people will become desperate because they have been led down the wrong path. We have the most number of youth in the world and they are biggest sufferer's because of this system.
However, we have wasted too much time and too many resources in attaining too little. Let us discuss all these things openly and without fear now that the elections are over. I rest my case.
SIX weeks is too long a period for conducting elections. The government has been inactive since the poll notification issued nearly three months ago.
Fortunately, there has been no challenge or issues within India except some random violence in the North East. But practically all neighboring countries have been facing situations that demand New Delhi’s immediate attention.
The new parliament must attend to this problem. I believe peaceful and prosperous Pakistan is always good for India. Pakistan is like a big Honey Bee hive now and if we throw a stone at the hive some bees will fly across the Border. Also, Certain elements have appeared inside the country causing concern about the future of democracy.
Elections are not just a question of queuing up before polling booths. They also represent something more meaningful. Economic well-being is no doubt the main requirement, but more important is the value system which the nation has lost along the way. If the country had only retained the rule of law it would have met the minimum demand of democracy. Worse, there is no accountability in any field.
The question that now faces the nation is who will bring about the required change. Leaders of political parties are interested only in power for power’s sake. They have turned their parties into their personal play grounds and there is no internal democracy. A party moves from one alliance to another, not on ideological or policy considerations but on the basis of gain. Criminals or moneybags doing deals do not have any vision that contains principles or a sense of humility.
What has lately pulled down the nation is the polarisation of society. Democracy has already been diluted. India appears to be building a structure which is far from the traditional principles: by the people, of the people and for the people. The Elections turned into a system of voting based on caste.
These election has shown increasing intolerance and speeches of hate, including personal attacks, whether it is Varun Gandhi in the UP, Area based politics by TRS and other parties in the AP or fake hunger strikes and politically motivated concern for Tamil's in Srilanka from one of the oldest politician in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu which do not in any way contribute to the democratic spirit.
Equally important is how to bring about change in a society where disparities are increasing between individuals and regions. Since consumerism has become an integral part of our life, I was shocked to see an article the other day that two-thirds of India’s population continue to live on an income of around Rs1000 a month even after 62 years of independence. This is a systemic failure.
Political leaders are comfortable because they are thick with industrialists and businessmen who provide them with the funds they require. In the absence of electoral reforms it is not possible to stop the role that money plays, but then the question is will the political parties agree to a law which makes elections possible within an affordable limit? Politics is the new mantra now to become rich.
The role of the media, particularly the electronic one is huge. The bias was obvious and there are reports of corrupt practices. An inquiry committee should be appointed to look into the charges which some political leaders are not willing to accept.
Corruption has saturated both the bureaucratic and political machinery to such an extent that the rule of one party means benefits for all those who support it. Sometimes people have argued that it is better to allow a party in power to continue than to elect a new one because the one in power has already filled enough and so hopefully they will get fed up with that.
I was reading an article some where which says "India has taken cricket and changed it forever it has adopted democracy and transformed it into its own unique political game.’
So true, This is democracy of a different kind. It does not ensure that people elect the candidate they want, nor does it shun dynastic, caste and communal politics.
At some stage the people will become desperate because they have been led down the wrong path. We have the most number of youth in the world and they are biggest sufferer's because of this system.
However, we have wasted too much time and too many resources in attaining too little. Let us discuss all these things openly and without fear now that the elections are over. I rest my case.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Election 2008!
I am following American Presidential Election right from the Primaries last year and I supported John Mccain when he was nominated. I am an independent with no right to vote in this country being an Indian citizen but I tell you what I feel about these campaigns. I saw this quote from one of the Indian entrepreneurs Mr. Anand Mahindra " I think Indians Heart goes to Obama and head goes to McCain in this Elections." That is so right. Mccain is supporting Bush policies and I have no problem with that in the context of India. George Bush maintained good relationship with India, encouraged outsourcing and stood against the outcry in this country about it. More importantly he is the key persons in signing the historic Nuclear deal with India which may be the key for India's future in energy independence. So, I have no problem if Mccain is Bush again, just with respect to India. On the other hand in Obama I see a young and talented leader emerging in the international scene. I think with a fresh face and new leadership he will bring again the trust of the world in America which was totally lost in the last eight years. But being a liberal he is opposed to outsourcing, opposed to free markets and I am not convinced that a Democratic government is better for Indian than a Republican government. So even though I didn't liked in my heart I wished McCain will become the President. But then came Sarah Palin.
When I first saw Sarah Palin is going to be the Vice Presidential nominee of the GOP Party, first person who got in mind was H.D. Deve Gowda former Prime Minister of India back in the 90's. I know how he became a laughable stock for all of us in India and a provided a great writing material for all the cartoonists in India. He used to sleep in the cabinet meetings. Why I bring that comparison here is because I know how bad an ineffective leader can be. Can you imagine Sarah Palin dealing with issues like Iran in the future. I can't. I am scared to even think in those lines because it will not affect just the America but the whole world.
So, Now I wish Barack Obama will become the President of this country and bring back the respect and trust of the world because I think in this global economy one thing is clear. If America prospers, the world prospers and I hope Obama becomes the hope of this country.
When I first saw Sarah Palin is going to be the Vice Presidential nominee of the GOP Party, first person who got in mind was H.D. Deve Gowda former Prime Minister of India back in the 90's. I know how he became a laughable stock for all of us in India and a provided a great writing material for all the cartoonists in India. He used to sleep in the cabinet meetings. Why I bring that comparison here is because I know how bad an ineffective leader can be. Can you imagine Sarah Palin dealing with issues like Iran in the future. I can't. I am scared to even think in those lines because it will not affect just the America but the whole world.
So, Now I wish Barack Obama will become the President of this country and bring back the respect and trust of the world because I think in this global economy one thing is clear. If America prospers, the world prospers and I hope Obama becomes the hope of this country.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Acute viral nasopharyngitis
I have been suffering from cold from the last few days. I think the most irritating disease in the world is cold. It won't let us do anything. I did some googling to find the right medicine and I was amazed that with this advanced technology we have in science and medicine there is no drug which is approved to cure this disease. All the Tylenol's and NyQuil's we take are just for relief. And there are 31 dictionary meanings for the word "Cold".
More I learned about this it got more interesting. Take a look at this (Courtesy Wikipedia). This calculation was during the war times in 1940-50's and now the cost of common cold is astronomical. The average cost of common cold just in America is $7.7 Billion dollars an year. Can you believe that? I wonder why it is so hard to find a preventive cure for cold like a vaccination. Imagine a world with no sneezing and puffing due to cold. Suffering with cold reminds me of my grand mother who passed away recently. She used to give me a home medicine some liquid prepared from black pepper. Really hot and spicy but extremely effective. May God rest her soul in peace.
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