Nano and Environment

This link - Why CSE says ‘NO’ to has been forwarded to me a friend on google reader. I came to know there exists something called Centre for Science and Environment and from this article it seems they are completely dorks living in a whimsical world, how can they associate themselves with science - an institution of logic and reasoning.

A king walking on the road slips on banana-peel, next day he bans eating banana by anyone in his kingdom. Try subverting the irony between symptom and cause.

"Cars may drive growth and aspirations, but they can never meet the commuting needs of urban India. Cars choke cities, harm public health and guzzle more oil."
If Indian regulation for car-pollution are low or the road infrastructure in India is bad it doesn't mean cars can never meet the commuting needs. Cars are the major means of commuting in developed countries whether it's USA, Europe or Japan. If in India cars are not able to meet that requirement then its not cars which are to blame. The blame lies with infrastructure that exists in India. Rather than chalking out need of infrastructure, blame the cars, because that is more like environment-friendly, isn't it?

"as all cars -- small or big -- are heavily subsidised in Indian cities. But the hidden costs of using cars are enormous."
Does car-manufacture put state-governments on the edge of knife, when they negotiate for subsidies? No, state-governments happily shower their subsidies to lure these manufacturers so that state can have another mean of employment, jobs and gross production. If some widget/product price is reduced according to principles of trade then there is nothing wrong with it.

"Thus, we are certainly not paying the full cost of manufacture of our cars, let alone the cost of running or parking them."
Do they even know the concept called business or trade. First of all how are they measuring the full cost? On what parameters do they decide full cost? Just because there is lenience in taxes to manufacturers, reasoning is that it's not full price? To tell you the truth of economics, there shouldn't be unreasonable obstacles and taxes in the first place that businesses in India have to face.

"Public transport, on the other hand, gets a step-motherly treatment: our government penalises buses by taxing them higher than the much-pampered cars."
Public transports pay more because they are in business. How difficult was it to understand? They are making money from usage of buses. Individual cars do not make income from the usage. They forgot to mention the taxes imposed in taxis or cabs.

"Cars of today are truly akin to dinosaurs. They are not part of the solution to the pollution and climate mayhem."
Of course, cars are not solution to pollution problem, they are solution to transportation problem. What kind of statement is that?

"the major car companies are lining up for bailouts worth billions that are forcing Western governments to inject more money into the business – this, in turn, is fanning more greed and greater car dependency."
I was of the view that we were talking about India, how and when did USA enter into picture, is strange. The bailouts are result of bad business choices and dependency of employment on those industries. It has nothing to do with 'fanning greater car dependency'. In fact, the present conditions of bankruptcy to these industries will be a lesson to car-makers to make pollution-efficient cars.

Cities need mobility, not cars. Says Roychowdhury: “We need to re-design public policies to promote mobility for all -- scale up efficient public transport and implement effective tax policies to restrain car use.”
I agree with what they have concluded, but there is a way to reach at some conclusion. The way in which CSE has opted to reach this conclusion is fatally flawed. Cars of course, result in more pollution and more so in India(given the infrastructure). Most of people don't use cars(and stuck in traffic jams) just for funsies, they do it because there is no choice. The present infrastructure of transportation in India is not appropriate enough for a good-earning man who has option for car. The blame lies with infrastructure and improve, it should be.
Just for example, recently Delhi metro system has been a success in transportation. Why is it a success? - Is it because metro system was efficient as transportation or did they banned car-usage for people who lived near metro-stations?

ਜ਼ਿੱਦ

ਮੁਹੱਬਤ ਦਾ ਬੇਡ੍ਡਾ ਸੀ, ਜੋ ਜ਼ਿਦਾ ਕਾਰਨ ਬਹ ਗਿਆ
ਦਿਲਗੀਰਾ ਦਾ ਦੁਖ, ਖਾਰੇ ਨੀਰ ਦੇ ਬਾਵਜੂਦ ਰਹ ਗਿਆ!!

Retrospection

ਕਈ ਚੇਹਰੇ ਸੀ ਜੋ ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਖਿਡੇ ਸੀ
ਕਈ ਹੰਝੂ ਸੀ ਜੋ ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਵਗ ਤੁਰੇ ਸੀ
ਰੋਗ ਕੁਝ ਮੈਂ ਦੇ ਬੈਠਾ, ਕੁਝ ਰੋਗ ਮਨ ਦੇ ਮੈਂ ਲੇ ਬੈਠਾ

ਮੈਂ ਅੱਜ ਵੀ ਕਦੀ ਹਸਦਾ ਆਂ, ਮੈਂ ਅੱਜ ਵੀ ਕਦੀ ਰੋਂਦਾ ਆਂ
ਪਰ ਜੋ ਰੋਗ ਵਕ਼ਤ ਨਾਲ ਚਲੇ ਗਏ, ਓਹ ਮੁਡ ਕਦੇ ਖੁਲੇ ਨਾ

Birth of third front

Third front is born with Left(CPI) at its helms. Below is how I see Left as a hypocrite anti-development bunch of politicians with no ideology except power hunger.


"He said the non-BJP, non-Congress coalition would stand for the interests of the vast majority of Indians, defend secular values and fight for social justice."
Need I remind of Nandigram

"Perceptions will change. In states where our coalition is running governments much development has taken place and industry has grown. I don’t see why industry or corporates should feel that this coalition will be less favourable or hostile to them,"
"Karat, whose party withdrew support to the Congress-led government in July last year over the India-US nuclear deal, said successive governments had failed to resolve grave economic problems confronting the country."
Resolution of Tata Plant issue is a mockery to above statement

"What does 9 percent growth mean for common man? We still have farmers committing suicide. We have shortage of food items, which makes life miserable for common man"
Talk about suicides(suicide by a farmer or a common man)


"I don't think there is any leader or party in the Third Front who would not want to be PM. When the time comes to select the PM candidate, the Third Front will split," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leader in charge of the party in Karnataka."
I hope the situation of third front choosing a PM never arises.

News delayed by one year

This is Mar 11, 2009 news from CNN-IBN:
24 indians make it to forbes worlds richest list [link now removed]
This was the content of the news, anyway.

This is news from BBC on same day:
Rich list hit by economic crisis

These are the actual lists:
Forbes 2009 list
Forbes 2008 list

IBNlive is an Indian news channel. There isn't any mention whether list is 2008 or 2009, but 'now'(as on Mar 11,2009) is mentioned.

Colorful Holi to all!!

अनेक रंग में जन खेला
तो एक भारत वर्ष बना!!


हरे रंग से उपजी रोटी

मानव का भुज - बल बना!!


सफ़ेद रंग के सूत से

लाखों का संग्राम बना!!


केसरिया सा इक चोला पहना

तो इक जवान, शहीद बना!!


गुलाब एक कली खिली थी

वोह झांसी का नर-सिंह बना!!


लाल लहू ने दी कुर्बानी

तो सदिओं का इतिहास बना!!


नीले रंग की चाद्दर हटा

देश मेरा सवाधीन बना!!


श्याम रंग के वरन लिखे थे

एक अछूत से गणतंतर बना!!


अनेक रंग में जन खेला

तो एक भारत वर्ष बना!!


English Transliteration:


anek rang mein jan khelaa

to ek bhaarat varsh banaa!!


hare rang se upaji roti

maanav ka bhuj-bal banaa!!


safed rang ke soot se

laakhon ka sangraam banaa!!


kesriyaa saa ik cholaa pahnaa

to ik jawan, shaheed banaa!!


gulaab ek kali khili thi

woh jhaansi kaa nar-sinh banaa!!


laal lahoo ne di kurbani

to sadion kaa itihaas banaa!!


neele rang ki chaaddar hataa

desh meraa savaadheen banaa!!


shyaam rang ke varan likhe they

ek achoot se gantantar banaa!!


anek rang mein jan khelaa

to ek bhaarat varsh banaa!!

Diversity and Democracy

Diversity is important for a healthy democracy. Whether in demographics or in political representation diversity plays an important role. A diverse demographics ensures that there is free flow of ideas. Diverse political representation ensures that people's(minorities and ethnic) rights are being taken care.

The very essence of democracy is changing governance, and this comes as direct result of difference in ideologies. Whether it is change of power from one political power to another or it is change of ministries from one person to another, both are equally important.
Take here example of Pakistan and India. We both essentially are same people (or more appropriately 'were' before 1947). Both are sprouts of one entity. A lot of culture is still shared between Pakistan's Punjab area and India's Punjab and Delhi region. But then came a difference.
Pakistan's demographics restricted to one culture, that of Islam, as a result the political representation and governance also became mess of altering phases of dictatorship and democracy. India celebrates her history of Maurya rule, Mughal rule, British rule and democracy while Pakistan has no such history. Six decades afterward, Pakistan is a failed state while India celebrates its democracy and dream of becoming super-power(dream it maybe, but can Pakistan dare to see same dream).

But the main point is about an additional thing, which if of more to introspect rather than retrospect the history. India is a Federal Parliamentary Republic. Which means there is state-wise government as well as one central government. Some realities in regard to India are that election of MPs is almost influenced by the same lines along which state-government was elected. A single party doesn't have presence in all the constituencies to form central government.
Over time, as influence of congress reduced and there were internal division of congress, these things have given rise to fragmentation of elected MPs to different parties. As a result, in the current scenario, it is difficult for any party to be at power stand-alone without any coalition.
This fragmentation ensures that there is diversity of elected MPs from different MPs. The one thing that can be hoped from this scenario is accountable government as there isn't a single party at the helms. But as it happens in last governement of UPA, accountability was traded off with political benefits. To be in power becomes the sole motivation for main-party and therefore accountability is jeopardized for coalition parties if not for that party. Some examples can be checked out:

Cash for vote - http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/05upavote1.htm
Telecom scam - http://www.indianexpress.com/news/this-is-a-mega-telecom-scam-cries-cpm/400884/
puppet-ism - http://www.dailypioneer.com/155718/Centre-told-us-to-save-Mulayam-CBI.html

In the current political landscape of India, in view of forthcoming general elections, the equations are coming down to impossibility of a single power. Whether it is UPA coalition or NDA coalition or third front(chances for third front look bleak, but nonetheless it has to be counted), the government is bound to be a multi-party coalition at center.

If the next government is dependent to an even greater extent on alliance partners than the UPA, the outcome is a foregone conclusion: ever-greater corruption and much-diminished[link]