NANO or NO NO?

Tata motors latest kid on the block-NANO, is creating waves everywhere, ever since its first appearance in the auto expo held at New Delhi. Everyone and anyone is talking about it. What this tiny car has promised is phenomenal indeed. Now every middle class Indian can dream of owning a car, with the price tag of Rs1 lakh, and total costs incurred settling at around Rs1,30,000.
Just to see how it may change the traffic dynamics on road, the cost incurred in buying a simple 3-wheeled autorickshaw is around Rs200,000. I cant help but think of the future, those puny little irritating autorickshaws,with no shock absorbers at all, and the discomfort of sitting in one,where all the dust and pollution greets you strait into your face, can be replaced by this cutie.
OH WHAT A LUXURY IT WILL BE!!
I can see myself humming ‘come September’ very eagerly now. For the car will be available in market by sept 2008.
It is a total city car, and gives a very good average for driving on city roads. As for long distances,if you can bargain the speed of max upto 90 with with more efficiency,its your choice, but generally, for longer distances its not suitable. Also, the fact that the engine is situated at the back of the car is not a very happy thought, even experts are saying that in terms of security and safety, this car isn’t setting any high standards.

But anyhow, here’s a look at the autorickshaw community’s response to the Nano-
New Delhi: The Rs 1-lakh Tata car that was unveiled on Thursday may be targeted at the twowheeler market, but it has found an admirer in our very own autowallahs. They see Nano as a ‘‘cheaper, safer and more comfortable option’’ to their threewheelers. Though the transport department says that such a switch will pose legal and procedural difficulties, their enthusiasm hasn’t dimmed. A group of auto drivers was admiring the ‘‘good looks’’ of the new model on television on Thursday. They said that using the vehicle as an auto will provide commuters a more cost-effective and comfortable mode of commute. ‘‘Buying an auto today is not easy. Though the listed price is just about Rs 1.4 lakh, the vehicle is available for about Rs 3.85 lakh, that too after giving up the old auto. And if you take a loan, it’s a straight one lakh rupees extra,’’ said SK Garg, who has been driving an auto for 12 years. Garg added that if the Rs 1-lakh car was allowed as an auto, he was willing to buy two rightaway. ‘‘At least other vehicles will not splash water on us and we won’t have to brave the chill in winter,’’ added Satpal Singh, another auto driver. But some were sceptical. ‘‘I won’t switch to a car since the manoeuvrability of auto is more. With a car, I will need to look around and be more careful,’’ said Vijay Rawat, another auto driver. However, many auto drivers see it as a good deal for the commuter. ‘‘For the commuters, it’s more value for money as they will get to travel in a car at the fare of an auto. The cost of the vehicle is lesser. So if it runs on CNG, we will be able to provide better service at the same fares,’’ said Ramesh Gupta, another driver. Drivers said the government should consider it as a serious option and allow it commercially. But government sources maintained that the company will have to first approach Delhi government with a proposal and will have to come up with a CNG variant of the car since all commercial vehicles in the city have to run on the green fuel. If the government accepts it — which is subject to approvals of safety and size features — and autos get a motorcab approval, changes will have to be made in the policy too for grant of permits. At present, a new auto can be bought only in exchange for an older vehicle as there is a cap on the total number of autos allowed in the Capital. If the cars are agreed upon as a replacement, this policy will also need to be modified. Sources said that the government will also have to take permission of the Supreme Court for the same, as it will be done in noncompliance with an earlier order. The department will also reportedly need to re-do the badges and driving licences for auto drivers, who will also need training on four-wheelers. Tamper-proof meters will also have to be built into the vehicle.


But amidst all the hype and hoopla the concerns are high for the environment. With buying a car within any person’s reach who earns under the middle class slab, what will happen to the already growing traffic problem in the cities? It is pretty certain now, that the number of vehicles in road will shoot up as and when nano hits the market. So about the vehicular pollution? What about the emissions? Let alone traffic safety…

But on a more humorous note, I heard one person saying at the auto expo that this car will break relationships.how? because this car will be taken as a reverse status symbol, meaning that any person who will be seen driving the nano will be perceived as a poor one, with not enough income to buy a car worth more than a lakh.
All I can say on this is> LOL!

ENTER THE DRAGON:WILL INDO-CHINA RELATIONS FIND MORE BALANCE NOW?

The hindi chini bhai bhai slogan is back, and hopes are high on its resurrection. Indian PM Dr.Manmohan Singh is on a visit China, a visit that many think will bring improved relations with the dragon. Getting better deals, opening up of markets fro better trade, and generally getting better bargains, etc seem to be the main agenda here for India.but amidst all the hope,the essential thing still remains that India cannot apply any sort of pressure on china for getting any of the above things done. For china has the controlling hand here,atleast for now.

• China’s GDP is more than double India’s GDP, and the same holds true for per capita GDP.

• In terms of trade,China’s exports are nearly 8 times more than India’s. the balance of trade for China is in positive(with a huge margin) while India is still struggling with negative balance of trade at around $60 billion. This sustained trade surplus has led China to accumulate an enormous foreign exchange reserve, almost 6 times that of India’s reserves.

• In agriculture, India produces 108million tonnes of foodgrains from 146 million Ha of cultivated land,whereas China produces 400 million tonnes of food grain from just 100 million hectares. Through more equitable and better-managed farming, yields in Chinese farms are far above the levels found in India. The difference lies not in hard work, but in the fact that inputs like water and fertilizers are available, machines are available and land holdings are remunerative. And, most crucially, public investment in agriculture is huge in comparison.

• Another aspect to see is the condition of people of the two countries. Around 10% of China’s population earns less than $1 per day, while over 34% of India’s population is below this benchmark. For further analysis,if we take $2 as the benchmark,the proportion of population earning below $2 per day is about 35% in China but over 80% in India. Same is the case with health and nutrition.

Its obvious that India has a long way still, to achieve a wholesome development, where China is already there. This is one very important factor which governs development, and although India is progressing at a very fast pace, China is still ahead. With most of its population educated and healthy, and earning a fair wage, China stands on a relatively solid base of prosperity and stability. But this in itself doesn’t mean that there are no problems. There is overcrowding of the cities with urbanization at over 40%, compared to about 29% in India. There is a huge rural urban disparity in China, presumably as a side effect of the policy of ‘scientific path of development’, as it is dubbed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Unemployment has risen to 4.2% of the labour force. But, on the balance, the base is undoubtedly stronger. So, when Dr.Manmohan Singh meets the Chinese counterpart, lets not hope for any miracles, though the scope is vast, but unless China is willing to open itself to more balanced trade, nothing can be forced. India might be in a better condition to achieve this in some years to come, but right now its still in its infantile stage.

Reasons? Where China works on the force of the communist cane, things get done in time. Whereas in India, we the people are hard to lead, and to get things done in time is a mammoth task,because democracy although is a very romantic principle in thought, but on application, its people controlled notion holds development back. How? Well, the representatives of the people want to stay in power, so to stay in power, they have to keep the people happy, even if it leads to indiscipline and decline in production. Because the party in power wants to stay in power for next term also,see they do plan for the future, so in order to stay in power for the next term also, they need to be in the good books of their people.now from ‘their people’ I mean the vote bank, that group of certain special kind of gentry that has the power to make or break the success of the parties. That may be because they have the largest population in a certain constituency or state or in general or they might be influential enough. People vote on different basis, this may range from caste, religion, region, sex, perks given to them by that party’s agenda, promises made by parties which are more often than not caste/religion specific or promises that stink with the smell of some kind of benefit, which might not be given at all. For example, some candidates distribute clothes to the poor,to get their vote,the poor poor guy ant think beyond the clothes,as that is his basic need at the moment,therefore his gratitude is certainly going to be towards the one who gave him clothes, therefore he must give something in return,ie, his vote. Or another example can be that of communal appeasement, in which a certain party decides to woo a certain community which is dominant in population in a given area,where they know for sure that if that community votes for them,then n number of seats will come into their possession.the higher the number of seats, the greater the chance of forming government. This whole thing works on the principle that was very popularly used in Rome for many years- the mob. The mob is fickle,it forgets past mistakes or crimes,it seeks gratification, and that too instant.the mob will be the force with the one who can woo the mob. And whoever the mob favours, is the one with the power.Hence the crux of the above written thing is that tough policies aren’t taken up because of the fear of the mob,the next elections are always looming in the minds of our very worthy representatives. This tendency is even more pronounced in case of a coalition govt, where you never know which supporting party might take away the support and you might be facing the next elections sooner than you thought. So strict policies are a no no. And lack the same results in behind the schedule progress, laxity and general under productivity.

Yet, I am not saying that China is squeaky clean. Their form of governance is effective, agreed. But does the common man have enough freedom of self like we in India have. Let me tell you, freedom is like air, its not that important,until you are not getting any. China governs with a cane. Though this cane’s lashes have become less painful in recent times, but nevertheless, it is there. The memories of Tiananmen square bring back this harsh reality. China has tried to open up its economy,and has been successful too, but there still some areas, where the secrecy is evident. How much pollution does this low cost manufacturing of goods in China cause? What is the real state of the labourers? What about the quality of the goods? All these questions are not quite answered fully.India may be behind China in terms of quantity of goods produced, but that’s only a part of the picture. Indian manufacturing is better than its Chinese counterpart, in terms of quality and manufacturing conditions. China may well be ignoring the toxin,pollution and safety norms (as there is no transparency here, and who know for all the reports given might be doctored?). it may not be imminent, but China faces the threat of being consumed by its own growth. I cant say how, but I believe this breakneck speed of development does give an impression of an undercurrent, something which is hidden from the general world.Afterall, there was the case of toxic goods which were being exported by China. Had it not been tested or found out, they would have happily continued with the manufacture and export. Well because it brought money into the economy. This very revelation gives you a sneak peak at the real intent of China, growth, at any cost.(?)This might just affirm my views about its future in years to come. How far will it be sustainable? There is a limit upto which you can hide the crap under the carpet and present a sparkling image outward.

Coming back to trade relations with China, India might not be in a position to bargain right now. China, though is keen on gobbling up any trade avenue in its favour, is not opening the door for India to itself. As India’s trading partner, China is in 2nd position after USA, whereas India occupies only a miniscule 1.3% of China’s global imports. What is deeply worrisome is the rising trade deficit in favour of China. Equally worrying is the near-monopoly of Chinese exports to India in certain critical sectors. India’s trade deficit with China climbed to $9.2 billion in 2006-07 while with US we had a surplus of $7.1 billion. Interestingly, the trade deficit with China during the first six months of this financial year has already mounted to $8.7 billion. And we may end up with a $12 to $14 billion deficit by the end of the financial year. We are developing a dependency syndrome on a single country in some critical areas. Indeed, if Chinese products are competitively replacing our imports from the developed world, there wont be any harm. But if this tidal wave of Chinese products is radically replacing Indian manufacture, there is cause for worry. With China’s pricing mechanism still remaining opaque and with massive subsidies to capital through huge non-performing assets in their banking system, India’s capacity to compete against a strategic and targeted inflow will become more and more difficult.

What should India’s strategic position be in the next phase of our economic engagement? India must focus on entering Chinese markets wherever we have core competencies and China must facilitate this process.

But is what China is not doing, precisely. Which is reason enough for the distrust.(at this point I almost feel like typing an expletive).India is world renowned for its pharmaceutical manufacturing- 40% of india’s pharma products are exported to the developed world, but its pharma export to China is miniscule.( The procedures for product and company registration and for procuring import drug licences in China are far too expensive and time-consuming. These ‘non-tariff barriers’ are acting as an impediment to the entry of Indian pharmaceutical companies into China.) Same is the scenario with IT, as Indian companies have failed to procure any Chinese orders so far, and for films, for India is the largest producer of films per annum, but the Chinese quota of 50 foreign films is mostly given to Hollywood. This is not to say that there is no demand for Indian cinema. Chinese people love Indian films and there is great demand for them, if only they had a say. Then there’s the need of coking coal, which an essential necessity of the steel industry in India, and yet there is no access to China’s reserve of coking coal as of now.

All these issues can be tackled and raised during Dr.Manmoahan Singh’s visit to china, through bilateral talks and negotiations. But the main problem right now is that China will have the upper hand in all this, as they are in a better position than India. A case of economic bullying. But how far the Chinese dicta will run is not clear. For India also has the strong base of a growing working population, and I believe that baby steps taken in a free, highly competitive environment is better than being like a donkey, working on the commands of the master. India has quality to offer, and I am sure, that this is far better than shoving the crap under the carpet and producing in bulk. I believe India has a better attitude here, we are working towards the goal, even though slowly. But like end of story of the tortoise and the hare goes, slow and steady wins the race.

In conclusion I would like to say that India and china have a better future together than in isolation, if only china can see it too.As stated by the Secy general of FICCI, “India and China are inseparable partners in progress in the 21st century. Our future is deeply tied together as the focus of the world shifts to Asia. However, the current engagement could easily turn into an unequal and unsustainable economic relationship. Now is the time to script a win-win model. Let the dragon and the elephant dance together and not be separated by a ‘Chinese wall’.”

our cities could learn something

last night i watching a series on natgeo,megacities.
there they were showcasing the problems of the modern megalopolises and how they have come to tackle it,or are on their way to a more systematic approach.
this time they were showing the megalopolis of SAO PAULO.

It is the largest city of south america,and hence faces major problems of waste disposal,pollution,over population and crumbling city planning dynamics. in the eighties it was a city with no proper waste disposal management system,where waste disposal landfill areas like the banderantes landfill was more an image of living hell,n where it was impossible live.people who tried to live near that area,were diagnosed with cancer or equally dangerous ailments. the nearby factories were not helping either. what was done to the waste? they used to just burn it,causing more pollution and adding to the greenhouse gases. then a revolution happened,it was seen that the landfills were generating a lot of methane,as result of waste products’s disintegration.this was because much of the waste generated from this city is of domestic nature,and is easily biodegradable.(NOTE-in india also,this case applies,as we are still using natural and mostly bio products instead of packaged products,which means the case of saulo paulo can be cut n pasted on the indian cities aswell.which is why i am bothered about this whole sao paulo story)
now methane is a very useful gas.it can be used to generate electricity also.BRAVO! this was the idea!
here is an excerpt from a paper written by Stela Goldenstein, Deputy Secretary of the Administration Secretariat of theMunicipal Government of the City of São Paulo-
Not many people are aware that the City of São Paulo already contributeseffectively and significantly to the reduction of global emissions of methanegas, whereas its largest sources are now under control.That environmental gain was achieved through intervention in a problem weonce believed had been solved a long time ago: the disposal of solid urbanwaste - domestic garbage. Such is the complex and conflictingenvironmental question, but in São Paulo domestic waste is collected andkept out of sight of most inhabitants. Thus the problem is only present if andwhen errors in domestic garbage collection occur.Beyond the visible face of the problem, a complex network of services andinvestments allows safe management of the waste, which is kept out of reachof human contact and disposed of at dumps. Such dumps, unlike the lixões(irregular and extremely large outdoor dumps), are environmentallyprotected areas, avoiding human contamination, as well as damage to thesoil and ground water tables. The city of São Paulo operates two goodgarbage dumps: Bandeirantes and São João, built and maintained withadequate safety. Like everything else in the city, the numbers are impressive:the Bandeirantes dump alone, in the Northern part of the city, receives seventhousand tons of garbage daily, besides the mud generated by sewagetreatment of Sabesp (the State Water Authority).The gas generated by the slow decomposition of the abundant organicmatter present in the garbage has gained new meaning in recent years. Thebiogas, a gaseous mixture of organic origin, rich in methane, crosses thelayers of material covering the dumps and releases itself to the atmosphere,thus contributing to the greenhouse effect and global weather changes. Thestrict control of such biogas takes place with its collection and burning,through a known and tested, albeit expensive, technology.The city has already implemented control of biogas at the Bandeirantesdump. A system for collecting and compacting prevents the gas from beingreleased into the atmosphere, besides allowing 80% of the biogas collectedto be used as a source for the generation of electric power at a thermal 22MW electric plant. The biogas surplus is burnt. Environmental gain is twofold:besides collecting the gas, the need for new sources of energy is minimized.The investment was made possible by the ingenious financial schemes of theKyoto Protocol: the earlier industrialized countries have their own targets forthe reduction of the emission of gases that cause the greenhouse effect, andmust meet them either within their territory or by financing investments inemerging countries.The Bandeirantes garbage dump has obtained the highest dump controlcertification in the world: for 1,150,144 tons of carbon.The project was checked and received the certification for the effectivereduction in emissions from the U.N.’s technical body. Therefore, carboncredits were issued, and should be purchased by companies and institutionsin countries having emission control targets to be met. By purchasing them,those countries are funding the environmental control already implementedhere.The Bandeirantes garbage dump already owns a dump control certificationfor the equivalent of 1,150,144 tons of carbon, a figure pretty close to thecarbon credits generated by all the other certified Brazilian projectscombined. It is the highest possible certification for a garbage dump in thewhole world. It is also the one project generating the highest benefitpercentage for the State, as half the credits belongs to the city and the otherhalf to Biogás Energia Ambiental S.A., the city’s licensee for investments in theexploitation of that gas.The credits belonging to the licensee company have meanwhile been soldon the company’s own initiative and pursuant to its private interest. The city’sshare will soon be sold at a public auction with international reach, a sureand transparent means for a public entity to obtain the highest selling price,with the necessary guarantees for all parties involved.It is the very first case of an inversion of a classic equation: usually investorsand brokers in countries with carbon control targets to be met offer financingin exchange for the sale in installments of the credits to be eventually issued.The city is in a comfortable position and, by having made possible theinvestments and procedures through licensees, now offer potential buyersenough safety to attain best prices for the delivery of certificates.The city will invest the amount collected from the auction in urban andenvironmental improvements of areas surrounding the Bandeirantes dump,whose impact is directly experienced there. The neighborhoods of Perus andPirituba will receive parks and squares and benefit from other actionsextensively discussed in public meetings. Since control of the methane gas willbe continuous, soon we will have more credits to sell, always through publicauctions, with social investments of the results. The dumps are city assets andshould be maintained, valued and exploited throughout their life span.
therefore, the what sao paulo has achieved is phenomenal,and India can follow suit.
not only this,they have also organised and trained the poor people,mostly from slum areas,who have no proper skill,to collect the waste n garbage and then bring it for disposal at various centres.in return they get food coupons or money.the incentive is high,as the more garbage they bring,the more money they get.
then in case of aluminium cans also,the same rule applies.the garbage pickers,known as catadores,pick up the cans,then they are collected n crushed together,n again sent to get recycled.the process is very fast.in 33 days(on an avg) a used can gets converted into a brand new can and comes on the counter for sale again.now that’s what i call efficiency!
they have even found a way to use the waste from tetra packs,which are made from joining paper,plastic and aluminium.they are hard to seperate,thus they used to be non recyclable.now in sao paulo,they are making roofs out of this waste,which resemble the tin roofs in shape n size,but are much lighter n are way more cheaper than them.so,a viable option for poor people.they can atleast have a roof overhead.
then again,a new technique to seperate plastic n aluminium has been improvised-plasma heating.
in this process,the waste is heating with a plasma ray,and as a result of this heat,the plastic n metal get seperated,the plastic becomes gas and is collected seperately,n the aluminium collected is 99% pure.this aluminium can be used again to make any other product.
et voila! we have a way to deal with waste generated by tetra packs also.

all in all,i was really impressed with the way sao paulo has dealt with its share of problems.there is still a long way to go,but hey! they are making the required efforts for it.

sadly in India,the focus is still not shifting at the rate which is required.all the good that has happened is because of people like M.C.MEHTA,the guy who filed a pil to get the leaded petrol n diesel public vehicles removed from Delhi.were the govt was still sleeping over it,had it not been for his environmental activism,we would still be breathing the diesel n lead fumes.



India should follow in the steps of sao paulo.what an example it has set.i am still amazed.

first day of the last term

woke up this morning @6:30am, in order to get ready for the 8:30am class.in winters,it was not a nice feeling
dad gave me ride to college,instead of me taking an auto,thank god.travelling by these puny little vehicles in winters morning is not a pleasant experience.before the first class,met my friend sunny.we chatted for a while,while taking a look at the time table.i just mentioned it to him that now that i think of it again,i think it was better to take insolvency as an optional subject instead of negotiable intruments.then we approached our lecture rooms.
when i entered the room,there was only the teacher n just one student sitting in the room.lol
found this so funny,that i almost laughed out loud.had to curtail it.but i was in for more surprises.
as i settled in my chair,the teacher looked at me pointedly n asked,well have you now decided upon whether you want to continue with nego,or do feel you should take up insolvency instead? have you made up your mind now?
i was taken aback,thinking “how the hell did he know about my dilemma?”
then i nodded n he still continued with “well i heard you talking downstairs n saying that maybe you should have taken insolvency instead,thats why im asking,are you sure about it now,cos there’s still time,and you can it changed”
i was mortified,well,because we(me n sunny) were also bitching about the teachers as we talked about subject change,n i wondered,”shit man,i hope he didnt hear all of it”
then i had to just lay low n say “no sir,i have decided,im sticking to nego only”.but that surely put me on the red alert.
now i did find it funny on the hindsight,but at that moment,i just wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.lol
when i told sunny about it,he almost jumped.hahaha,then breathed a sigh of relief,as that teacher will no longer be teaching him.

finally!

bhajji’s appeal has been accepted by ICC..and the ban has been stayed for the moment.meanwhile ausie Hogg has been charged with the same offence,for calling indian players b@stards, his hearing will be on soon.serves them right:)
oh n the umpires were changed,good riddance.
but all in all,this whole incident has caused irreplaceable damage to cricket in general,and particularly to this series.it will never be the same again,sadly. cricket has now reached a point where the cricketing world is on the verge of being divided. what can i say, maybe i should just stop watching it altogether.but you can hardly do that in india.lol

oh btw,what was cricket again?

havent been really into the cricketana for months now...but this certain incident has been able to make me take notice--
vampire umpires do india in
bhajji banned,whatever happened to>innocent until proven guilty
the cheek to do it again!
this is seriously disturbing.oh n did i forget to mention -ponting,Mr HONESTY n INTEGRITY
for one,im thinking it was a good thing that wasnt watching it live,but it hurts to see cricket go down the drain like that.ponting was always shitty,but he has now taken it to another level.
seriously,i applaud team india's stand on this issue.everybody is with bhajji.now if the upires arent changed in due time,i think the team should come back.there's no point in playing now.
i mean imagine what the mental set of the guy would be,who was accused by symonds(i feel ickly even to write his name on my blog) n then proven guilty by ref proctor,when there was no conclusive evidence against him.
how will he be able to play with a clear head?and for that matter the team must be so disturbed right now,then to see the ICC's decision again to nominate the same umpires for the 3rd test also.anybody will feel down after this.

the begining

might as well start my memoirs here, lol. I'm in a pissy mood right now.
tomorrow have to go to college.my last term at law shall start from tomorrow,8Th Jan. which means I'm just a few months away from my second graduation,AT LAST. law has been one pain in the behind for me.before this i had done my grad in geol env,n it was child’s play compared to law.
my marks have been below par.when i did my grad with flying colors. i’ll be happy when i complete law,its like a constant battle right now.the last term left.sigh
but before the term ends,offcourse i have to give my term exams AND pass them with good marks to complete law.now thats a job cut out.haa
scoring isnt easy.:/
plus the fact that i have to clear 2 extra papers along with 5 papers of the term.*groans*
and to top that,i have to sit in the competitive exams for the civil services/judicial services.its going to be one gruelling summer for sure.have to start studying like a maniac from now only,if i am to complete my law grad and also pass the sitting exam for civils.so time to start planning about how to go about it