Sunday 27 May, 2007

Dr. Manmohan Singh and “Manmohanomics” or “CPIMonomics” or “UPAonomics”


It took me totally by surprise to hear our great PM, Dr. Mr. Manmohan Singh, who is an economist, educated from Universities no less than Oxford and Cambridge, when he called for trimming the salaries of top executives, while addressing the CII Annual General Meeting. How can an economist talk like a lay man to Economics? He must be putting the Universities; he was educated from, to shame. As a citizen of a country which is poised to touch the peak in global economic performance, I feel ashamed because these words come from the mouth of a renowned and responsible economist.


As an Indian, when Dr. Manmohan Singh took over the Prime Minister-ship, I was proud. I was proud because I had a feeling that the wayward Indian politico was moving towards refinement. A feeling, that the Indian politico was recognising the need for a qualified personality at the helm. But I never realised that an economist of such a stature would lose his basics to the wind, in the company of Lalus, Karats and Yechuris. Since Independence, there has been an unconscious performance competition between the Private Sector and the Government Sector. While, in the early years post independence, the Public sector was better off vis-à-vis the Private Sector, now the Private sector has catapulted to dizzy heights and the Public Sector to dizzy lows. Compare the salaries, Compare their employee to work-output ratio and compare the motivation. It’s a low-low in your house Dr. Manmohan Singh. After you and your kinsmen have strangulated the Government sector and now realise that you can not improve it, you now want to strangulate the Private sector too. India is poised, not because you have performed, it is because the private industry was not tinkered by you or your predecessors. Your call to the private sector to restrain salaries of CEOs & executives reflects like a defeated General begging his counterpart in Pakistan to procure 303 rifles instead of modern automatic machine guns. If you can not perform and can not set your house right, do not burn other’s houses. Dr. Manmohan Singh, can you tell Mr. Bush or Bill Gates to restrain salaries of Americans. I am sure you know that the American business fraternity controls the movements of salaries all around the world.

Yes, we know that there is poverty in India. We know that we are thick in corruption. And we, including Dr. Singh and his co-netas, know who is to blame. Its plain and clear, the governance has been very poor. In fact it is not governance but “govern-nonsense” that has been going on post Independence after the Netas took over the mantle. We know that the Sixth Pay Commission is due, Dr. Singh, and that is why probably Manmohanomics goes into a wobbly and asks the Industry to restrain the salaries.

Dr. Manmohan Singh Sir, We know that you are a simple man. We know that you are clean and honest. We know that your heart goes out for our country. You too have a desire to make this country great. But we also know that Manmohanomics can not clean the rotten system. Manmohanomics cannot clean the dirt in the Indian politico. Manmohanomics cannot prevent entries of goondas and goondaraj into the Politics. Manmohanomics can not improve the working culture of the Government sector. Manmohanomics is being pulled and mauled by the compulsions of CPIMonomics and UPAonomics.

We all know, Dear Sir including you that restraining the salaries of top executives of the private sector,who are breaking their backs in nurturing our business is not the solution. The solution is very Clear but tough.

-Hold the Government employees accountable. Get them to perform with the same zeal as the private sector.
-Pay better salaries to your employees.
-Think long term rather than setting five year goals.
-Have qualified politicians to hold Ministerial positions.
-Break the politico-police-goonda nexus
-Do not protect the guilty
-Do not give tickets to goondas and murderers
-Weed out corruption and its perpetrators.
-Get 100% free education in our country.
-Have more colleges and schools.
-Devise concrete tools to uplift the lives of poor
-Encourage and aid the farming and make it a lucrative industry

And finally
-Do not mess about in the affairs of the Private Sector. Act as a catalyst in improving it.
-Do not make a “Khichadi” of Manmohanomics with CPIMonomics and UPAonomics

Can you Dr. Manmohan Singh?

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Tuesday 1 May, 2007

Women - A Hidden Wealth


Gone are the days when women were imprisoned in their husband’s houses and called dumb. Are women dumb? There is a saying “Women are dumb!” I do not know who coined this, but I am sure he was a man who never knew the potential of a woman and lived his life a fool. Everyone here will agree with me that men are physically stronger while women are weak. But that is the only negative thing in women if we compare them with men. Negative??? I think being weak itself is a positive quality of women. Women generally have tremendous patience, are responsible, more mature, are mentally stronger and they are the ones who generally take care of the family. God has given them a huge stock pile of love and emotion. When a women talks, she connects quickly and easily. She is expressive and reflects honesty. She is no longer an indoors women. That is why we see women slowly and steadily occupying higher positions in our society. With increase of computerization and automation, the need of physical strength is on the wane.The women who are blessed with the best of qualities in terms of commitment, mental strength, convincing and negotiating skills are getting better educated and in larger numbers. The good business industry has recognized this and we see women quickly up-skipping towards higher echelon of careers and proving to be assets of their organizations. Many of these women also manage the household chores smoothly and efficiently. That’s a huge load they are now carrying.

Those business industries that have recognized the potential of women are better prospering. We in India still have a very large section of society who has not understood this wealth. Many of us still believe and promote the masculine gender and unconsciously suppress the feminine. We still yearn for that male child and abort the female. Women are still physically and mentally abused by their husbands and in-laws. The muscle still rules.

Though efforts are being made to improve the state of women in our society, the efforts lack will or do not percolate adequately. This has to accelerate quickly with self-assurance. Our country needs the women of our society to be better educated. We need to give the women of our society independence. Independence, to decide their future. We need an explicit cultural and political overhaul.

There is without any doubt that if this area is addressed and acted with vigor, we will be accelerating our pace towards a greater and prosperous India. This hidden wealth urgently needs to be unchained. India needs many more women leaders and managers in every field.

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