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Barack Obama created history on Tuesday when he became the first black man to be elected president of the United States of America and the first person that comes to my mind when i hear about obama is David Palmer who is a fictional President of the United States played by Dennis Haysbert as part of the television series, 24.
Like him obama also represents freedom,truth and a change… Being a geek it was really fascinating to see obama’s online presence he used almost all popular mediums to attract the votors…
His political campaign was like watching a celebrity show and i gues now even politics has a new icon…
Whatever it was it worked!!! He really did it… Congratulations Mr. President , i hope the change you brought by getting elected will be reflected in what you do and the decisions you take..
All the Best!
Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas put together this amazing representation of Obama’s inspiring “Yes we can” speech.Check it out!
A few days ago i posted an article by my future boss Vineet Nayar { CEO - HCL Technologies Ltd} where he showed the silver lining of this recession phase and now when every country is working on the bailout packages and there’s a bit of stability in the economy here’s another great post by him about the Lessons from the meltdown >
·Courage to walk away: The very first learning that emerged from what is now being termed as a financial Armageddon was the need for courage: The courage to carve your own path and walk away from the herd. We in India were born with this lesson as we gained independence with ‘non-violence’ in an era of World Wars. In the US financial world, we saw Warren Buffet display the courage to walk away. Back in 2002, when companies began toying with exotic derivative instruments, Warren Buffet termed derivatives ‘financial weapons of mass destruction.’ Few listened to him then but today he stands out as the voice of sanity.
·Save it for a rainy day: The second lesson is the forgotten power of savings. The ‘savings mentality’ has always been a hallmark of the Asian culture. India, for one, has always had a high rate of savings – a phenomenon that is getting eroded with a new culture of consumerism sweeping across our cities today. Interestingly, America, which is home to 5% of the world’s population, accounted for 30% of global production and 37% of global consumption during boom times! On an individual level in the recent crisis, the ninja loans reflect this mentality, but collectively it made the entire country vulnerable to risk. And there were those who saw the warning signals.
In 2005, when the times were good, economists Paul Volcker and Clyde Prestowitz, pointed out that America was vulnerable due to all the leveraging, and predicted that a financial crisis could soon hit its shores. This has come true and – be it at a macro level or a micro level - it highlights a forgotten lesson on the power of savings and that that we should leverage only to the extent we can afford to service our debt. Its time for a “back to basics” approach, old fashioned as it may seen. Save and plough back in good times, and not fritter liquid assets away.
My apologies for having to communicate through the editorial pages of a newspaper, but frankly am left with little choice since you seem to have decided to stay away from the so-called ‘national’ non-Marathi media. Let me at the very outset say that I am impressed with the manner you have carved a niche on the political landscape of Maharashtra. I distinctly remember meeting you in February last year soon after the Mumbai municipal corporation elections. It wasn’t the best of times: your party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had been marginalized while your cousin Udhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena had captured power in the city. With many of your supporters deserting you, you appeared down, if not quite out. Twenty months later, I see you’ve bounced back: every local and national daily has you on the front page, you are the subject of television debates and your politics has even united Bihar’s warring netas.
And yet, my friend, there is a thin line between fame and notoriety, more so in the fickle world of politics. Bashing north Indian students may grab the headlines, getting arrested may even get you sympathy and strident rhetoric will always have a constituency, but will it be enough to secure your ultimate dream of succeeding your uncle Bal Thackeray as the flagbearer of Marathi asmita (pride)?
If Balasaheb in the 1960s rose to prominence by targeting the south Indian “lungiwala”, you have made the north Indian “bhaiyaa” the new ‘enemy’. In the 1960s, the Maharashtrian middle class in Mumbai was feeling the pressure of job competition for white collar clerical jobs. Today, it seems that there is a similar sense of frustration at losing out economically and culturally to other social groups in Mumbai’s endless battle for scarce resources. With the Congress and the NCP having become the real estate agents of the state’s rural-urban bourgeoise and the Shiv Sena a pale shadow of its original avatar, the space has been created for a charismatic leader to emerge as a rabble-rouser espousing the sons of the soil platform.
But Raj, I must remind you that electoral politics is very different from street agitations. Sure, round the clock coverage of taxis being stoned and buses being burnt will get you instant recognition. Yes, your name may inspire fear like your uncle’s once did. And perhaps there will always be a core group of lumpen youth who will be ready to do your bidding. But how much of this will translate into votes? Identity politics based on hatred and violence is subject to the law of diminishing returns, especially in a city like Mumbai, the ultimate melting pot of commerce. Your cousin Udhav tried a “Mee Mumbaikar” campaign a few years ago that was far more inclusive, but yet was interpreted as being anti-migrant. The result was that the Shiv Sena lost the 2004 elections - Lok Sabha and assembly - in its original citadel of Mumbai. Some statistics suggest that nearly one in every four Mumbaikars is now a migrant from UP or Bihar. Can any political party afford to alienate such a large constituency in highly competitive elections?
Maybe, your not even looking at winning seats at the moment, but simply staking claim to the Sena legacy in a post Bal Thackeray scenario. Perhaps, thats exactly what the ruling Congress-NCP combine in Maharashtra wants: like a market leader who gets competing brands to crush each other, the Congress-NCP leadership seems to be practicing divide and rule politics once again. They did it with Balasaheb and the communists in the 1960s, with Bhindranwale and the Akalis in the 1980s, even with the Kashmir valley politicians in the 1990s. A larger-than-life Raj Thackeray suits the ruling arrangement in Maharashtra because it could erode its principal rival, the Shiv Sena’s voter support. It’s a dangerous game, but often when politicians run out of ideas, they prefer to play with fire. It’s a fire that could leave Mumbai’s cosmopolitanism scarred for life.
Now, before you see my writings as the outpourings of an anglicized non-resident Maharashtrian, let me just say that, like you, I too am proud of my roots. I too, would like to see the cultural identity of Maharashtrians preserved and the economic well-being of our community assured. Where we differ is that I am a citizen of the Republic of India first, a proud Goan Maharashtrian only later. Fourteen years ago, I left Mumbai for Delhi to seek professional growth and was distinctly fortunate to be readily embraced by the national capital. Like millions of Indians, I too am a migrant and a beneficiary of a nation whose borders don’t stop at state checkpoints.
Moreover, I cannot accept that ‘goondaism’ is the way forward to forging a robust Maharashtrian identity. By vandalizing a shop or stoning a taxi, what kind of mindless regional chauvinism are we promoting? Taking away the livelihood of a poor taxi driver or beating up some defenceless students from Bihar reflects a fake machismo that is no answer to what ails Maharashtrian society today. The Maharashtra I once knew was inspired by the progressive ideals of the bhakti movement, by a Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar legacy of social reform. Are we going to dismantle that legacy under the weight of hate politics?
When you started your party a few years ago, it had been pitched as a party committed to a “modern” Maharashtra. If that vision still stands, why don’t you take it forward in real terms? Why don’t you, for example, set up vocational courses and technical institutes for young Maharashtrians to make them competitive in the job market? Why not, for that matter, start English-speaking classes for Maharashtrian students to equip them for the demands of the new economy? If cultural identity is such a concern, why not launch a statewide campaign to promote Marathi art, theatre and cinema by financially supporting such ventures? If Mumbai’s collapsing infrastructure worries you, then target the politician-builder nexus first. And isn’t it also time we realized that Mumbai is not Maharashtra, that the long suffering Vidarbha and Marathwada farmer needs urgent attention? Why not use your political and financial muscle to start projects in rural Maharashtra instead of focusing your energies on Mumbai’s bright lights alone? An employment generation scheme in a Jalna or a Gadchiroli may not make the front pages, but it will have far greater value for securing Maharashtra’s future.
Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra!
P.S:- We all are quite aware of the situation in Maharashtra which is actually a big insult of the constitution of this great nation.The path taken by Raj thackeray shows how much he respects this nation and the citizens and as rajdeep mentions in the last para if he would have been serious about his vision he could have taken these steps instead of taking the path of “gundagardi”…
I am sure all of you are quite aware of the present global economic recession and have tasted it in some way or the other…
Trust me even a student like me can also feel the heat…
But this article by Vineet Nayar - Chief Executive Officer of HCL Technologies Ltd. shows the silver lining of this bad phase…
We can all see dark clouds gathering ahead. The western world is in the throes of a recession, there’s a financial crisis that has got its foot stuck in the door, regulators are battling solutions behind not-so-closed doors. Meanwhile people are losing jobs, capital is drying up, and just about everything has hit the fan. While that appears to be a picture far removed from us, no country is an island today and India is no exception. The Indian economy has started to feel the beginnings of the pain, and by the looks of it, we need to be prepared for the tremors.
So, what do we do when turbulent times begin to creep in through the back door?I’d like to share a real life narrative here that shows us the power of conviction and persistence when you hit a bad patch.At the time of the dotcom bust, e-commerce suddenly seemed like a bad word and investors were becoming increasingly disenchanted with the virtual world. Jeff Bezos, who began amazon.com from the garage of his home in 1994, was undeterred. Having gone live in 1995 and reached the one million customer mark by 1997, he was sailing along when the dot-bust hit the internet. In 2000 amazon.com was forced to lay off 150 workers. The next year, it posted a loss of $1.4 billion. Many companies folded up, others changed tracks but Jeff Bezos believed in the power of the internet and did not buckle. He continued to expand the services provided on amazon.com. In fact, he stayed steadfast on the path of lowering costs even as profits dwindled simply because he believed that was the right way to go in the long run.
I read about him warding questions on how he was taxing the patience of his investors and shareholders with conviction that he was doing the right thing even though it may not be evident then. In turn, to reflect his own personal commitment, he passed up any pay raise or bonus for several years in a row.The rest is history. Amazon today is a case study in e-commerce success having achieved over $ 500 million in profits by 2004, nudging its way into the S&P 500.
So, the question is that when bad times strike, should we take the punch or should we, like Jeff Bezos did, stick to our belief and fight back?
Well, fight back we must. To begin with, we must stare at the situation square in the eye, assess the impending change, and then reinvent ourselves to fit the new picture.
On a personal note friends always remember “Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do!!!” and guys due to this recession time every company is in filtering mode they are filtering out its employes and only the good one’s will survive and for all of you its just a matter of time and market will bounce back and these company’s will get in hiring mode soon then it’ll be a golden chance as they’ll hire more to compensate for those who were filtered…
Don’t worry, Be happy…
P.S:- Thanks to HCL i have a job in my hand I hope i’ll get my joining soon…
The foll. comes as a result of a thought that came to my mind while i was watching ‘californication s01 e06′ and from a person who is not very experienced about this topic….
Human kind is in itself strange and unique , you can never judge what the other person thinks or believes , even if you know someone for years there’ll still be times when you’ll find out something new about the other person…
Sex is one thing that is even more strange and this passion has no rules ya I know there are all those stuff available which tells you diff. kinda positions and all but seriously do you think this passion is limited to that?
I think NO!!! , coz I know everyone has one or the other fantasy at the back of your mind that you want to fulfill with your partner BUT is your partner and you are on the same page about this…
have you ever talked about your fantasies with your love and how many times has he/she said yes!!!
Oh you tried it well did he/she like it NO!!! so do you feel unsatisfied?
you have tried your level best to convince her/him and you are tired of requesting him/her to try…
Well what will you do about this…
Lets just add some more spice to this there’s this guy/girl who provokes you to try all kinda stuff that you have always wanted to try, that gives you a sense of satisfaction!!!
Loyalty OR Satisfaction, Passion, Fantasy!!!
What’s your choice , Sincere answers plz…
Will your answer change IF-
1> Its not your husband/wife but your GF/BF…
2> Nobody will ever know about this “Fling of yours” with someone else.
3> If you say it depends on the intensity of the relation then how long is it enough for you to be in that relation to choose loyalty.
4> Any other condition that comes to your mind…
P.S.:- comments that are not suitable for general viewing will be rejected do mention your geographical location so that I can know the answers that I am getting from my friends are India specific or global.
Also you can choose to hide your names…
They are rejecting huge pay packages to start with something that may not be very promising but ‘IIT this three letter tag can easily get you media attention even if you haven’t started anything great and once you are able attract media half of the work is done soon you’ll get people who are ready to invest in your dreams.
But does that mean only IIT and IIM students think this way ? Well I won’t agree to that, students in other institutions are also very creative and are full of ideas but they are not that lucky, i won’t say that they don’t get oppurtunity but they are actually blindfolded and they don’t see it and this is because the environment in most of the institutions is not compititive. Copying assignments and getting projects made from shops is very common and these institutions are least bothered because they know nomatter what happens their seats will get filled every year.
But if you are determined to do something then no one can stop you…
These days you also find students from other institutions creating wonders but that percentage is still very low.
One major reason why students are not able to turn their dreams into reality is the risk involved, For IITians its easy to kick off jobs and start with something and even if they fail they can go back and take up jobs in any IT company but for others campus placements matters a lot because once you are out of campus it gets too difficult to find a job.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way! if you have passion for something than get up and get going because now is the time to turn your dreams into reality…
Hey friends its my humble request plz plz do give your valuable comments after you read any post... As all these posts are related to my life and your comments will be of great help!!!
A few days ago i posted an 
