Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Tuesday 5 November 2013

A Political Blunder ?




No , it is worse !



It is nothing short of stabbing in their backs , 12 million voters of Delhi  !




At some or other time in their political careers , politicians do make a mistake




But , for Arvind Kejriwal , at this early stage of his career , meeting Maulana Tauriqee Khan and soliciting his support for AAP , is nothing short of a suicidal blunder !




He can still salvage the future of AAP , by :




>      Publicly owning up his terrible mistake



>      Seeking forgiveness of Delhi voters



>      Promising never again to commit such a gaffe in future





May be , people of Delhi will still forgive his FIRST mistake




If he fails to do so , they will realize that  there is no difference between AAP and others !




Both , AAP and Arvind , will get consigned to history's dust-bin of  failed Messiahs !



Arvind ,



Your " Holier - than - Thou " days are over !



You have time till today evening  !




*    hemen  parekh  (  06  Nov  2013  )



What will they think ?


As they walk to the polling booths over the next few months , what will 725 million Indian voters be thinking ?


Here are some guesses :


>    2G Scam...............................   Rs. 176,000   Crores


>    Coal Scam  ..........................    Rs. 185,000   Crores


>    Wakf land Scam  ...................   Rs.  200,000  Crores


>    Mining Scam ........................    Rs.  150,000  Crores


>    Irrigation Scam  ...................    Rs.  70,000   Crores


>    NHRM Scam  ........................    Rs.  10,000   Crores


>    Foodgrain  Scam ....................  Rs.  35,000   Crores


>    Highway  Scam  ...................... Rs.  16,000  Crores


>    Bihar land Scam....................... Rs.   20,000  Crores


>    Fodder Scam............................ Rs.   50,000  Crores


>    Commonwealth Games Scam...... Rs.  70,000   Crores


>    Forgotten Scams  ....................  Rs.   500,000  Crores



Even on their way to the polling booths , will the voters be conducting a " Pre-poll Opinion Survey  " of their friends and relatives , by asking :


"  Which candidate listed on the EVM will deliver us from the " Scam-Raj " and usher us into a " Surajya "  ?  "


If Congress - and other sundry political parties have their way , they would persuade the Election Commission to ban all such pre-poll , wishful exchange of  " Opinions "  on part of the voters !


They are convinced , that any such pre-poll  opinion-exchange that may lead to Surajya  is,  by definition , " mis-leading "  !


Where does our Constitution provide for " Freedom of Thinking "  ?




*    hemen  parekh   (  06  Nov  2013  )


Monday 4 November 2013

Selling Dreams ?



Yesterday , on ABP TV , Arvind Kejriwal ( Aam Aadmi Party ) promised to Delhiwallas , unbelievable improvements in ,


>   Healthcare


>   Education


>   Electricity Supply & Prices


>   Safe drinking water ,       etc


Apart from a Jan LokPal


Provided , Delhiwallas vote AAP to an absolute majority ( he expects 48 seats ) , on 4th Dec


At the moment , it appears that he has succeeded in selling a dream  !


That is one kind of ability that most politicians do possess


But most of them woefully lack the second kind of ability , viz:


>   Management of expectations raised , thru delivering on promises made


It does not take a genius , much hard work or a lot of money , if your promise is :


>   35 Kg of free rice per month to each poor family


I hope 71 constituency-wise manifestos that AAP promises to publish by this week-end , do not contain such " Insults " to people suffering for so long  !


Delivering on promises made by AAP , will require :


>     A time bound ACTION PLAN ( Roadmap ) with quantitative Achievement
      Targets ( Milestones )


>     A " Resource Mobilization Plan " which clearly spells out ,


       *   How much money will be required for each initiative ( budgetary
         allocations )


  
     *    How ( from where ) this money will be raised ?


           Raising taxes is bad !  Borrowing is worse  ! Begging Central Govt is
           worst  ! Can you save from " leakages " ?


>      Transparent procedures , open to public scrutiny


>      A honest / corruption-free / committed bureaucracy to implement


>      Non - interference by elected MLAs


>      How will public be involved ?


>      Which third party will measure the " Actual vs Targetted " performance
        and publish the audited results, and  how often ?


Surely ,drawing up and monitoring such a Project Plan , cannot be a Rocket Science for  IIT /  IIM whizkid volunteers of AAP , when their classmates at ISRO are launching Mars Orbiter Mission ( MOM ) today  ! 



If AAP manages to display this second kind of post-election " Performance Ability " , then it will truly herald  an " Indian Spring " and re-write the rules
of how elections will get fought in State / National elections


Good Luck , Arvind !




*    hemen  parekh   (  05  Nov  2013  )

Sunday 3 November 2013

Ban Pre-poll Opinion Surveys ?



Congress has asked Election Commission to ban pre-poll opinion surveys of voters


Congress says , these are inaccurate , manipulated , misleading


What it failed to say is ,


"  We are frightened to death  ! "


What Congress refuses to believe is that these surveys are confirming that the UPA has failed to come up to the expectations of people  , who are , now looking for an alternative


For UPA , this is a self-inflicted wound  !


-    by refusing to ,


*     Accept CAG findings in umpteen scams


*     Asking concerned ministers to resign immediately


*     Offering the entire Government machinery for CBI inquiry


Can you believe that this is the party which claims " legacy " of Lal Bahadur Shashtry , who resigned , within hours of a train accident when he was Railway Minister  ?


 -    by taking moral responsibility


-    without waiting to appoint an " Inquiry Commission " ( ala 1984 Delhi / 2002 Godhra riots ) , to submit its report within a few years , fixing the blame on faulty equipment / human error


When Nehru died , Lal Bahadur was the first choice for the post of PM


Without any Opinion Survey  !


When will Congress re-learn its lessons in forgotten art of " morality "  ?





*   hemen  parekh  (  04  Nov  2013  )

Saturday 2 November 2013

Nightingale is singing



India's nightingale , Lata Mangeshkar is singing , "  NaMo  ,  NaMo  "


Congressmen are livid with rage


Shuklaji is advising Lataji to keep away from politics and keep out of controversy


And like his predecessor minister of I & B , B V Keskar , who had banned playing of harmonium and Kishor Kumar songs on All India Radio ,current I & B minister , Manish Tewariji is considering a ban on playing of Lata-Songs on all TV channels ! And, of course, on YouTube !


Just as Sardar Patel had banned RSS  ?


To pip Arnab Goswami at his " Noise Hour " debate every night ,  Rajat Sharma served a summons on Lataji to appear on " Aap ki Adalat " , and asked :



"  Lata Didi ,


   You are alleged to have corrupted classical Indian music


   Bhairavi raga is supposed to be sung in early morning , in order to gently
   wake-up the people


   Other day , in Pune , you sang Bhairavi in the evening and woke up people
   from deep slumber of last 9 years


   And you even re-named the raga as " Raga NaMo "  !


   What do you have to say in your defence ?  "




Instead of replying , Lataji starts singing :



"   ए मेरे वतन के लोगो , अब पकडलो EVM ज़रा जोरसे 

    जो फूल देखो कमल का , वो बटन दबावों जरा प्यारसे  "



Instead of clapping , the audience starts singing loudly , in raga NaMo :



"  आयेगा , आयेगा , आयेगा आनेवाला 

    आयेगा , आयेगा , आयेगा। ………  "



The singing reverberates thru the length and breadth of India that is Bharat and fills up every heart  !


Nighingale has sung for 725 million voters




*   hemen  parekh   ( 03  Nov  2013  / Diwali  )


  

   

Friday 1 November 2013

Tora..............Tora.............Tora


During World War - 2 , as they approached Pearl Harbor on American coast , pilots of Japanese bombers chanted ,


Tora , Tora , Tora


( Attack , Attack , Attack )


As they approach 2014 National elections , 725 million Indian voters are chanting ,


NOTA , NOTA , NOTA


For past few months , they have been watching the mud-slinging by their political leaders on TV , Newspapers , Internet , Rally  etc



And they are wondering :




Only time these leaders cared to talk to us is when they wanted our votes during the past 10 years  !


They are least bothered if,



>     We commit suicide ( with family ) because we are jobless
   
       ( JOBS )


>     Our children go to sleep hungry

       ( POVERTY )


>     We sleep on the footpath

      ( HOUSING  )


>     Our dilapidated buildings are about to crash

       ( URBAN DECAY )


>     Even employed among us have no money to buy vegetables

       ( RISING PRICES )


>     Our children are dying of dengue because we live on overflowing gutters

       

       ( LIVING CONDITIONS )


>     Our women must walk 5 miles to fetch water

       ( SAFE DRINKING WATER  )


>     Our children must walk 5 miles to go to a          teacher-less school

       (  EDUCATION  )


>     For want of nearby hospital , our wives die during delivery

        ( HEALTH-CARE  )


>      Without fans , we get scorched in summer heat

        ( ELECTRICITY  )


>      To and fro , work-place , we spend 4 hours on the road

         ( TRANSPORT  )



Do these persons whose names appear on Electronic Voting Machines ( EVM ) , care for our tortured / tormented lives  ?


Are these not the very persons who have made our lives , a living hell  ?


From their air-conditioned cars and their air-conditioned bedrooms , do they have any time to peep into our slums  ?


Their only concern is to get voted back to power and make tons of money  !


NOTA , NOTA , NOTA



*   hemen  parekh  (  02  Nov  2013  )



Thursday 31 October 2013

Solomon come to Judgement ?



To millions of harassed bureaucrats , that is how Supreme Court's order of yesterday might appear



*    WHAT  ?



>    Bureaucrats must not function on verbal instructions from superiors and the political executives , as it leads to favoritism and corruption


>    Fixed tenures for bureaucrats and the setting up of a Civil Services Board ( CSB ) , to advise governments on transfers , postings , promotions and disciplinary actions



*    WHY  ?



 Supreme Court advanced following reasons :


   #    In the present political scenario , the role of civil servants has become complex and onerous


   #   Often , they have to take decisions with far reaching consequences in the economic and technological fields


   #   Their decisions must be transparent and in public interest. They should be fully accountable to the community they serve




*     HOW  ?




>     Each level of bureaucrat must send their " decisions " to the lower level , in writing . ( Will emails do ? )


>     If a bureaucrat receives " verbal " decision from his superior , he shall make appropriate noting on the file . ( Shall he record that he does not agree with this decision - and why - but is forced to take it under verbal order ? )




*     RESULT  ?




>     Decision making process , which has already considerably slowed down over the past one year , will come to a grinding halt , for the simple reasons that , at the time of taking a decision ,


    *    there is absence of adequate / impeccable data on which to base decision ( - concerned vested interest parties will ensure that relevant data / facts / figures are never revealed ! )


    *    there is no pre-existing and well laid-out " Policy Framework " , governing the issue at hand


    *    no bureaucrat - or his political boss - will ever want to take a decision , which , successors to follow , will quote as a " precedent "and not based on policy




*      QUESTIONS  ?




>    Is there here , some confusion between a " Wrong " decision   and a " Dishonest " decision ?

 Don't millions of honest people continue to take decisions , which in hindsight , appear wrong ?


>    Isn't a " Dishonest " decision one which got taken , solely for the benefit of the decision-taker ( or his family / friends etc )  ?


>    Are we trying to replace honest human " Judgement " by some rigid , hide-bound rules ? by some computer algorithms ?



Historian Arnold Toyanbee , once said :


"  Only two things are certain in life -  death and taxes  "


From now on , in India , it will be   -  death and delays


Will our Ministers re-enact British comedy serial , " Yes Minister " ? 



Only time will tell whether this decision of the Supreme Court , was " Right " or " Wrong " , but we are sure of one thing : this is an " Honest " decision



*   hemen  parekh  (  01, Nov  2013  )