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Showing posts from September, 2013

Why hang them when you can punish them?

All countries are defined by their cultures, their heritages and their values.  India is no different. We're defined not just by our culture, heritage, and values but also by the diversity therein.  We're taught to respect elders, women in particular. We're even taught to respect cows. And trees.  How is it then, that crimes against women are on the rise in a country like ours?  We respect our women so much, that a majority of them in previous generations, spent most of their lives serving their husbands and raising kids. They did a magnificent job of it too. Without complaining. We, men, did precious little to change that. ( We made a quota to reserve 33% seats in parliament for women. Bravo! ) Many women, in any chance they got to step out and do something different, have done wonders. Yet, that's a trend that's picking up agonisingly slowly.  It's our fault as a people that we refused to treat women as equals. If we did, there would be more women in parliamen

Why hang them when you can punish them?

All countries are defined by their cultures, their heritages and their values.  India is no different. We're defined not just by our culture, heritage, and values but also by the diversity therein.  We're taught to respect elders, women in particular. We're even taught to respect cows. And trees.  How is it then, that crimes against women are on the rise in a country like ours?  We respect our women so much, that a majority of them in previous generations, spent most of their lives serving their husbands and raising kids. They did a magnificent job of it too. Without complaining. We, men, did precious little to change that. ( We made a quota to reserve 33% seats in parliament for women. Bravo! ) Many women, in any chance they got to step out and do something different, have done wonders. Yet, that's a trend that's picking up agonisingly slowly.  It's our fault as a people that we refused to treat women as equals. If we did, there would be more wom

State of the economy.

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I have blogged about this before, rising petrol prices are good for the country.  http://www.dudurudh.blogspot.in/2011/10/rising-fuel-prices-best-solution-to-our.html?m=1 What is not good for the country though, is the depreciating rupee, the rising CAD and all the problems that come with it. Dr Manmohan Singh, in parliament recently said that " we must control our appetite for gold and economise our use of fuel". Now what good is an economist prime minister if he can't run the country's finances without asking the people of the country to " control their appetite for gold and economise their use of fuel", Right?  Wrong.  Think about it. We're a large country blessed with a lot of resources. Unfortunately, we don't have gold or oil reserves. Well not enough of either anyway. So we need to import both. And we can only buy in dollars. When we don't have enough dollars, we need to buy that first and then use that to buy gold and fuel and what not. 

State of the economy.

Image
I have blogged about this before, rising petrol prices are good for the country.  http://www.dudurudh.blogspot.in/2011/10/rising-fuel-prices-best-solution-to-our.html?m=1 What is not good for the country though, is the depreciating rupee, the rising CAD and all the problems that come with it. Dr Manmohan Singh, in parliament recently said that " we must control our appetite for gold and economise our use of fuel". Now what good is an economist prime minister if he can't run the country's finances without asking the people of the country to " control their appetite for gold and economise their use of fuel", Right?  Wrong.  Think about it. We're a large country blessed with a lot of resources. Unfortunately, we don't have gold or oil reserves. Well not enough of either anyway. So we need to import both. And we can only buy in dollars. When we don't have enough dollars, we need to buy that first and then use that to buy gold and