Manish Dhingra: News and politics

Franchisees of Indian Education

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 19:44:49 GMT

The IIMs have been given permission to open centers abroad. This is the beginning of what I feel is globalizing Indian education (globalization with a twist). Till date the globalization of Indian education has happened through people, who passed out of the IITs, the NITs , the IIMs and made their mark in the industry, through the depth of their knowledge and breadth of their talent. However this is a separate phenomenon. A phenomenon which to me is quite disturbing.

It's disturbing because the reasons behind setting up the centers abroad are not completely justified. Primarily, my main concern against this export of these centers of learning is that India could do well with having more of such institutes within India. Picture this 155,000 candidates appeared in CAT 2005 to compete for about 1200 seats across the 6 IIMs. That's approximately 129 candidates per seat.

It's not the first time though that we seeing such a globalization of a premiere education institute of India. It has happened before with Delhi Public School too. Till about 10 years back there were only two branches of DPS which were known. However today there are DPS branches all over India and not only India , but the world over. It's the franchisee model which the DPSs followed which has caused the brand value associated with being a DIPsite lose it's sheen. It won't be long before there is a DPS at every nook and corner of India, much like you find the NIITs at every nook and corner of India.

What we need more of in India is institutes backed by the industries and corporates. Except probably the Birlas with BITS, the Tata's with Tata Institute of Social Science and to a negligible extent Reliance with DA-IICT, there are very few industries who have setup educational institutes in India. So what I'd like to see is companies like Infosys, WIPRO, BioCon, Ranbaxy etc setup world class educational institutes in India and strengthen India's capabilities of being an intellectual powerhouse of the future.

The above if and when it happens with make India's research effort as regards industry innovation more relevant and the pockets of brilliance which exist today can be abridged . That'll be the day.

Dropping Ganguly..Not giving the man his due

Sun, 18 Dec 2005 18:41:37 GMT

This has been a raging debate in all circles , be it buses, metros, offices, gyms, newspapers, television and ofcourse the blogosphere. However from what all I have observed and heard and and felt from the very beginning, I have not met a single person who agreed with the dropping of Ganguly. Worse..the way he was treated after he was dropped.

There is no one who doubts the fact that Ganguly is India's most successful captain. The Indian team reached dizzy heights under his captaincy. If I recount, beating Pakistan in Pakistan, drawing a test series with Australia in Australia and of course the run to the finals in the world cup, Ganguly has been and has instilled that aggressive streak in the Indian team I have talked about earlier. The Indian's in the past used to be a docile lot accused time and again of not having a killer instinct. It was Ganguly who changed that with his aggressiveness. Who can forget his shirt rip off antics at Lords after the Natwest final?

There is this popular quote which I have heard NR Naryana Murthy speak a lot. "In god we trust, everyone else brings data to the table". Now I'm not going to excavate Ganguly's record in test and one dayers, because it is an impeccable record, but the point I'm trying to make is that even if you go by data, it would be difficult to explain Ganguly's omission from the squad. But on the flip side, go by the data of the selectors who have been the torch bearers of the resurgent Indian team in the past. Except the chairman of the selectors, the others have never even played test cricket. That's some data for you!!

I have also lost a lot of respect for Dravid after this incident. As Wasim Akram his put it today, selectors have a hand to play , but it's also the captain and coach who play their part. Look at the way how captains of other countries have exited from cricket. Steve Waugh, Courtney Walsh, Arjuna Ranatunga et. al.

Well now, knowing that Sharad Pawar is at the helm of the BCCI now, all I can say is my doubts have further strengthened, why you may ask..oh well that's just another debate and maybe something for time to tell.

China: The tirade against India

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 19:20:00 GMT

An article in the Hindu Business line (read here) describes how the Chinese are using the infrastructure deficiency I talked about in my last post and massaging it with some more facts, to herald a violent denunciation of Indian IT companies.

I don't really want to elaborate on the response to this e-mail, maybe I'll do that after some more thought, but it's important to note that Mr. Frank Hui is taking a dig at the smaller companies in India.

Well for starters I dug out this post from my archive, I certainly believe the facts in this post are authentic because they are from a very reliable source.

Maybe I'll go undercover and carry out a sting operation and get an idea on what the Chinese who live in my building (and there are a lot of them), think about the Indian IT landscape. Last I talked to them, they loved it here. Keep watching this space people, things are about to get very interesting in this India-China war.

State governments not re-investing into the state

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 19:35:42 GMT

The state governments of the countries major foreign exchange earning states , states which house the world's premier IT and ITES companies are just not doing anything for upping the infrastructure of the state.

I noticed this when I was in Pune and now when I am in Gurgaon. The road conditions are degrading by the day. With foreign nationals visiting all more frequently, it does not present a good picture of the country.

Well if you thought it's only me who is whining over all that is wrong with the infrastructure, not quite, Vijay Mallya and Azim Premji having being crying hoarse over the poor infrastructure in Bangalore for quite some time. In fact Mallya has sought reimbursement of Rs 15 crore from the state government for the failure to implement the Elevated Light Rail Transit System that was sought to be promoted by a consortium led by UB. (Read here)

Marc Canter was in town recently, visiting India after 30 years. Last time he was in India was as an 18 year old, and that time he was only in Bombay and Goa. While having dinner with him one night he made an interesting observation. He said, "So you want to know what my impression is of India?". "We keep hearing about how India is moving towards the west and how your economy is booming and stuff", he quipped. "Well you know what, sitting here in a fancy restaurant, in a posh mall, there are those advertising boards outside, and the TV is playing ESPN and HBO, it does seem like India is moving towards the west". "However to see the real India, you need to go out on the roads, most of the roads here have no sidewalks even, and only a few have traffic lights", he continued. "It's that part of India that needs to move towards the west, not fancy restaurants, jazzy malls and posh clothing labels".

Well said Marc, I agree with you completely. If anyone from the State governments infrastructure division is listening, give us our value for all the foreign exchange we are generating, all the taxes we are paying and all the value we add to being in the state and for gods sake, fix that 3 feet deep pothole on the road.

Saluting the old war-horses in the Tennis World

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:12:39 GMT

After Sania's loss to Sharapova in the US Open, I felt as if my US Open was over. However coming of the just concluded Agassi-Blake match and my interest is back. What a match! The old war-horses in the Tennis world are some of the most enjoyable sports people to watch .

Let me start my saluting the ageless Martina Navratilova. Martina has been playing professional tennis at the highest level since 1973. She is going to celebrating he golden 50th b'day next year, and she continues to make it to the semi-finals and finals of the grand-slams.Wow!! I still remember those Graf-Navratilova matches long long back. Even though she claims this to be her last appearance in the pro circuit I am sure she has a couple of years left in her to continue, but wait I said the same thing in 1990 too when she won her 9th Wimbledon.

Andre Agassi-The Las Vegas showman, they don't call him the showman for nothing. 35 yrs old and still going stong, challenging all the newbies and teaching them a thing or two about tennis, this guy has been in professional tennis since 1986. The only thing he has lost in all these years is the hair on his head. From a blonde rock star look in the late 80s to a pirate look in 90s to a more gentleman'ish look now, the best returner of serve as Goran Ivanisevic would tell you, still is a lethal returner of serve.

And finally there is Mary Pierce, the way she took apart Amelie Mauresmo in the QFs yesterday, she's probably playing her best tennis at the age of 30. She certainly is my favorite to win the US Open this year.

We're reaching the final rounds and the matches get more exciting, Martina,Agassi and Pierce let it rip against all opposition.

An angry young Indian Cricket Team

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 13:56:37 GMT

As I sit and watch India's performance in the Indian Oil cricket cup being played at Sri-Lanka, with India giving it their best against West Indies, to get into the finals against Sri-Lanka, I noticed something which I hadn't see too much earlier. There were two instances in the match today when the young brigade in the Indian Cricket team displayed a very angry demeanor on being sucessful.

First it was Yuvraj Singh, who on reaching his 100, displayed anger while mouthing expletives , and waving his bat at the dressing room. Ofcourse everyone in the dressing room was cheering him while he continued to shout angrily and wave his bat at them.

Second it was Irfan Pathan, who ofcourse has this energy and anger associated with being a young fast bowler. When he dismissed Marshall, the WI opener, he was shouting like a wounded lion.

So fine Irfan is a fast bowler and agression better be in his blood, but there was another instance where in Harbhajan Singh too displayed a similar anger on dismissing a Sri-Lankan player in his previous match.You could actually see the blood in his eyes.

What's common to all these three is that all of them form the core of India's team for the future. All of these three are just 20+. With Gregory Chappell as the new cricket coach, it seems that a sports psychologist is channelizing the energy of these glorious cricketers with a hot head.It's a new behavioral therapy being employed and guess what it seems to be working.

So whatever it takes to get India rolling, right now, they look all set to reach the finals against Sri-Lanka. All the best to them.

Mumbai: (India's)( Financial Capital + Rainest Place)

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 19:20:47 GMT

"It wasn't just the roads but also the phone and data networks, flights, railways, roadways which was blocked in this fury. Mumbai was virtually and actually cut off from the entire world for a good two days. My parents couldn't reach me , I couldn't contact my friends, there was no food or water with me, I was stranded and thought I would die in a landslide. But there were people around me, all huddled together and the unflinching spirit of a Mumbaikar, their never say die attitude egged me on. I knew I would survive because even though I was a Delhi'ite I was a Mumbaiker now" - Amit Narayan, iflex Mumbai

The rains have stopped in Mumbai, finally after wrecking havoc all over. The residents of the city which never sleeps are slowly getting their lives back in order as the water levels recede at all places.

Being the financial capital which houses large industries, The Bombay Stock exchange and of course Bollywood,financial losses are still being assessed. The Bombay Chamber of Commerce is assesing the damage at around 1000-2500 crores. Most of the warehouse facilities are damaged due to water logging.Manufacturing powerhouses like L&T and Nicholas Piramal had to shut-down their units during this time.

So now while the government has promptly released Rs. 500 crore for relief measures, it's the insurance companies who are going to start feeling the heat for all the losses which have occurred. Insurance claims could go to more than Rs. 600 crores as corporates and individuals assess their losses. Mumbai's residents are supposed to be the best insured in all of India. Almost 40% of the premium which comes to large insurance corporations comes from the West of India alone. So I do hope all these Insurance companies have collected enough premiums to pay for these losses.

Even as I write this , I hear that rumors abounding in Mumbai, those of the Powai Dam going to break and even as far as Tsunami going to hit the city. I sure hope Mumbai returns back to normal as do places like Ahmedabad which also are receiving heavy rains. So here is saluting Amit Narayan and the unflinching spirit of the Mumbaikar.

The world's most qualified Prime Minister

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 07:56:45 GMT

I received an e-mail yesterday which described the qualification of the world's most qualified Prime Minister. I googled the same and found several sites which mention the Bio-Data of this person. So in all excitement I had to put this on my blog.

This person is a first position holder in his Bachelor's and Master's degree program in Economics. He is a distinguished performer and scholar at Cambridge University, Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford, Honorary Doctorate in Letters (DLitt).

He has held positions as Lecturer and Reader at the world's most prolific universities, Chief economic advisor, Director of various banks, on the Board of Governors in the International Monetary Fund, economic advisor to former Prime Ministers, finance minister.

Any guesses on who this person could be? No read on..

He has been a Member of Parliament, was awarded the Adam Smith Prize at the University of Cambridge, Euro Money Award for Finance Minister of the year and another honor for distinguished citizen of the country.

Still guessing, his name is Dr. Manmohan Singh, the current Prime Minister of India.

So now with such credentials, here’s a question (which actually was also a question in the e-mail I received)

In spite of such intellectual qualities and brilliant achievements AND in spite of enjoying an unquestionable reputation as the cleanest and the "most achieving" statesman leader in Indian Polity:

WHY DID HE CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE POST OF PRIME MINISTER ( PM ) , PARTICULARLY UNDER THE PREVAILING EVIDENT CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE ABOVE HIM THERE EXISTED (1) SUPER PM ( Sonia Gandhi ) AND C.P.M. (Leftists)?

A few months back one of my relatives told me that Manmohan Singh is an un-happy man today. I'm not too much into politics, so do let me know your opinions on the questions above.

The roads less traveled: Scavenging them more often now

Thu, 16 Jun 2005 15:47:35 GMT

The Delhi-Gurgaon expressway is all set to get commissioned in 2006. From what I read about its description [read here], it seems this expressway is going to provide one awe-inspiring driving experience (with max speed limit of 80 Kms un-interrupted , Driving me Delhi doesn’t mean driving me crazy any more, at least over the 28-Kms-stretch). What’s more it’s going to have exits towards land marked destinations and ramps for merging into the expressway, really neat (ala US freeways).

The major expressways I have burnt rubber on, in India include the Noida toll bridge and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Nothing actually can come close to the drive on the Mumbai-Pune expressway when it comes to the scenic beauty of the drive, especially during seasons when there is light rain falling and the clouds are kissing the hills of Lonavla and Khandala. What’s more waterfalls emerging from the rocky terrains and going through tunnels made by cutting these rocky terrains, simply breathtaking.

One of the major achievements of the NDA government was to get all these projects related to developing roadways of India underway(read Golden Quadrilateral). Even though as per what Yashwant Sinha the then finance minister had announced , the substantial completion of this project by Dec 2003, it’s still underway and lagging behind. Infact the National Highway Authority of India has a neat site which provides the status of the golden quadrilateral project http://www.nhai.org/gqimplementation.htm.

So well, once this project is through (and I hope it’s in my lifetime), I will do a road trip, driving through the entire stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral, through all of the metros which this would connect Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Calcutta, viewing India through my cybershot-P72. So incase you want to join me , let me know !!

Roland Garros-The French Connection

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 19:14:50 GMT

Mary Pierce at age 30 is in the finals of the French Open singles this year. Being a French woman, she is certainly the hot favorite in the match versus Justine Henin. So besides the 14,140 people who would be cheering her on center court on Saturday June 4th, there would be one more, cheering her on from 5679 miles away, in Delhi. That person would be ah ..you guessed it.. me.

Pierce has been one of my favorites on the women’s tennis circuit since the time Steffi Graf dominated the WTA Tour. Of course even today nobody beats Steffi. But what Pierce has achieved is truly remarkable. Five years after she won her last grand-slam, and after going through a string of injuries, overcoming virtual retirement, Pierce is back in her fourth final. In an age where only powerful servers and baseliners, women with extremely muscular physiques (a.k.a Serena Williams), Pierce is one of the players who still retains that womanly charm. So hats off to her steely determination and I hope she wins.

Speaking of determination, Martina Navratrilova is in yet another Grand-Slam final (which she lost though). For someone who is 49 years old and can still partner with Leander Paes and play only the way she does, what does one say about her. What does she eat for breakfast (or for that matter lunch and dinner). If Sachin Tendulkar can last that long, I would have no qualms about saying that I would frame the fact sheet about his record in my room.

The Media ought to leave Ganguly alone

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 18:50:14 GMT

It's not only the Media but the followers of Cricket too, with the result that everything thing related to Ganguly is being blown out of proportion. The guy has just been slapped a six match ban, and our media guys , both from print and television have already signaled it as the end of his career. Gimme a break please, the guy is India's most successful captain, he has almost 10000 runs in ODIs, and 5000+ runs in tests.

They spare no one, absolutely no one, whether it's the little master or the Bengal tiger. No wonder whether it's film stars or the men in blue, their is scant respect shown for media people.

Gaurav went hoarse telling Sania Mirza to keep away from the media. Speaking of Sania Mirza where is she,don't hear too much about her these days, media shy is she?

You Media guys want some news, go catch the Women's cricket team, they were runners up in the recent world cup and no one even knows the name of the captain. So focus on that captain, and leave the captain of the men's team alone.

Sania -All the best, tame Serena

Thu, 20 Jan 2005 21:34:43 GMT

It's a big match for the Indian diaspora, for after Lee and Hesh making their presence felt in the international doubles circuit, it's time for the lady from the "City of Nizams" too woo Indian tennis lovers.

Tennis does not have as big a following as cricket in India, but with 1 Billion + people, I guess a number equal to the current population of Australia would be actively watching tennis, and following the indian tennis players.All of them would be behind Sania to get the better of Serena.

Serena rightly so has been titled "the raging bull" by the press, so lets see if Sania plays the perfect matador and tames Ms Williams. All the best Sania and Indian tennis!!

Are we taking the Tsunami relief donations to far!!

Thu, 13 Jan 2005 17:08:43 GMT

The press has started to compare the donations made by different popular personalities , and classifying some are stingy compared to the others. Comparisons between Bill Gates and Azim Premji or Michael Schumachar and Sachin Tendulkar don't auger well for those who have actually been ravaged.

I believe that tsunami is being treated as an event where in people can display their generosity quotient and gain some brownie points on their image, which totally beats the mood and need of the hour.

Even though everyone in my company has done enough of monetary charity for the tsunami victims, I have come of the firm belief that the actual genorisity quotient will be measured after a month or two of the clamity, when actual rehabilitation work will start. Lets see how many of these popular personalities will be available then to help in the rehabilitation work, or will it just be the perogative of the NGO's to whom the money has been donated.

Time will tell!!

The tsunami and little ants

Wed, 29 Dec 2004 18:17:52 GMT

The Tsunami ('Japanese for harbor wave or seismic sea waves) striking South Asia and causing so much disaster and devastation raised a few questions in my mind.

Nearly 70% of the earth surface is covered with water bodies. So what this means is that we are never too far away from a Tsunami striking us. It would just take one seismic shift in the tectonic plates below the Arabian Sea and Mumbai could get washed out. Sounds scary I know, but this calamity could happen anywhere, with 70% water all around you, you never know.

We all live our life like ants. Imagine how an ant would view the world. For an ant, each person is a walking talking giant, who can trample it any second. Similarly we are also ants to these natural calamities which occur. Volcanic eruptions, over the land, they are still predictable, but under water, they cause a Tsunami, leaving you with no chance to take any evacuation measures at all.

However try to notice the ant formations sometime, how ants walk in a straight line when finding a crack or a nook to live in, or how they come together when faced with a huge block of food which needs to be transported. We all need to come together the same way to help the Tsunami victims.

This is not a "King Bruce and the Spider" story, the natural calamity which has struck us and the neighboring countries would require the largest relief measures undertaken. The affected need your help and support. Please donate at least a days salary to help the victims. Please provide them with your old clothes, blankets, food packets and other daily amenities.

Check out http://opinion.paifamily.com/index.php?p=1134, for ways on how you can help.

The hapless victims of the Tsunami don't just not your monetary help, they need your emotional support aswell. There are a set of organisations which are aiding this cause in your city. I shall try to put together the names and contacts of these organisations on the space tomorrow for most of the major cities in India.

May god give the courage to the people for overcoming this disaster and for everything else, lets all come together and make some effort to brighten their lives.Amen

The retail explosion: Hitting India soon

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 15:57:26 GMT

The other day me and a friend were checking out the Nike retail outlet in the up market area of bund garden road in Pune. My friend wanted to buy a pair of tracks and I willingly went along. The last time I was at a Nike outlet was in the small town of Northbend in Washington, and so I wanted to check out how the brand items are priced here. My friend really liked this pair of tracks which were priced at Rs.900. I did a quick calculation and told him $20, not bad, I would have paid the same in the US aswell. Of course salary differentials between the two countries made the comparison stupid. However I would still not let go of the salesman without a good bargain, and so got into an argument over how high priced the items were compared to the US citing examples of a sweat shirt similar to the one I had bought from Northbend, which to me seemed at double the price (mind you salary differentials still exist).

The sales man retorted back saying how Nike was placing itself as the brand for the Indian consumer, having started manufacturing here in a big way, and with the commitment to sell apparel and other goods here at 20% lesser cost then in the USA. I wasn't too impressed by that logic.

It was only the next day that I realised ,come Jan 1,2005 and the quota regime will come to an end in the US. What this means is that countries like Dominican Republic, Honduras and closer home, Bangladesh,Pakistan and Sri Lanka, will cease to exist on the radars of brands like GAP, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Marks&Spencer,Armani etc because all these brands might get their entire manufacturing done from India and China because of the superior infrastracture available here (and ofcourse cheap labour).

I however feel that the brands themselves might be cashing in the retail boom which might sweep India very soon. With huge malls coming up in the NCR and cosmopolitan towns like Pune and Bangalore, they day might not be far when you will bid goodbye to the "bhaji wali" and the roadside market and buy all your daily needs from these malls.So killing two birds with one stone, thats exactly what the international brands are bracing themselves for, cash in on the retail boom, while still feed the demand in the US and UK.Well at least all the brands will offer greater accessibility to the middle class and the younger generation.

And yeah, the tracks which my friend bought, guess what it said on the label inside. It said "Made in India".