Myths, Misconceptions, Misunderstandings, and Misapprehensions
To confront the cliches and shibboleths of one’s age is neither easy nor rewarding. The emperor’s new clothes exist only in the imagination of those committed to maintaining an obvious falsehood for...
View ArticleIndia’s Wonderful Reforms
In an Indian Express article by Vijay Kelkar (Advisor to the Finance Minister) and Ajay Shah (Consultant, Department of economic affairs) ponder the question Why is this a very happy Diwali? (Oct 2003)...
View ArticlePlease Visit India in 2020
This is from the NOT A VERY BRIGHT IDEA Department. Mr. Ram Narayanan sent out an email reporting that a US Congressional delegation was going to visit India. Quote: Congressman Crowley said, “…With...
View ArticleUsed cars and used computers
From Rajesh’s Emergic weblog an item on second hand Japanese cars in the third world. I am reproducing my comment on Rajesh’s blog here for the record. The apparent contradiction between the policies...
View ArticleIndia’s Shining New Clothes
Of course India is shining. Just ask the guy who is raking in the stuff from his BPO company. Or ask the those who are buying all the electronic gizmos from the mega stores in the mega cities. India,...
View ArticleLajja
This one is to be filed under “INDIA IS A SUPERPOWER” category. The newsletter from US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) contained this: We need support and financial contribution from at...
View ArticleNani Palkhivala’s Vision for India
This weblog is about India’s development as seen from my personal viewpoint. Like many others, I too have a vision for India although it is not as well known as the famous Vision 2020. Among all the...
View ArticleWhy loving thy enemies is a flawed strategy
Here’s a story I heard some time ago, about a farmer who consistently won the first prize for his fine crop of corn every year at the county agricultural contest. Peculiarly, after the contest he would...
View ArticleOn Gandhian Self-sufficiency
I am somewhat familiar with the concepts of Satyagraha and non-violence that Gandhi preached and sometimes practiced. They are interesting tools and can be employed effectively in some circumstances....
View ArticleIdol-worshipping gone haywire
This is a followup to the comments on my post on Gandhian Self-sufficiency. It is more than a bit unfortunate that we have a tendency to immediately label any criticism of any person as a sign of...
View ArticleOn Localization of Linux
An interesting press release was forwarded to the India-Gii mailing list this morning by Venky. He wrote: IndLinux.org has launched a Hindi Interface for GNOME, the GUI for the GNU/Linux operating...
View ArticleNow for something entirely different
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. Oh, alright. I was getting tired of posting only development related stuff. So I thought that I would intersperse stuff that I write with stuff that I like...
View ArticleThe Unbearable Silliness of Loving One’s Enemy
Anant in a recent comment on this blog concluded with the seemingly wise statement “to revenge is pleasure, to forgive divine.” I say seemingly wise because it does not withstand any level of scrutiny....
View ArticleHopelessly Disorganized Immensely Selfish Mobs?
What do we want in India? If foreigners want these things, we want them twenty times more. Because…in spite of our boasted ancestry of sages, compared to many other races, I must tell you that we are...
View ArticleDifferent Standards for Different Folks
F. Scott Fitzgerald had noted that “the rich are different from you and me.” Ernest Hemmingway agreed and said, “Yes, they have more money.” Having more money is a significant difference because the...
View ArticleIndia – the Next Big Player
Perception and reality are two different things, of course, but they do influence each other. How India is perceived by the US (and vice versa) matters. A significant shift in that perception is...
View ArticleThe War on Terror
If you ever wanted a brief on what the proximate origins of the Islamic terrorism you see around the world are, Juan Cole’s Informed Comment has a must read item called Fisking the “War on Terror.” Go...
View ArticleDr Manmohan Singh’s Interview
It is always instructive to learn what our policy-makers are thinking. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is especially edifying since he is at the helm of the ship of the Indian state. I therefore...
View ArticleIndia Funding Pakistani Jihadi Groups
Money is fungible. If I give money to my neighbor to help out with his grocery purchases, I may be acting out of good neighborly feelings. But what if he is an alcoholic? By giving him money, I could...
View ArticleIndia Funding Pakistani Jihad — Followup
“India funding Pakistani jehadis” prompted Dan to comment: Couldn’t you make the argument Indian charity and compassion during Pakistan’s time of need might make a positive impression on at least a few...
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