A RAY OF LIGHT BETWEEN THE CLOUDS

Despite all my promises of a regular post, I am back after 5 months and 4 days. The previous post was hastily typed in the Cypress office, and life has been hectic since then, until recently.

Despite the hectic schedule at CYpress Semiconductor Chennai, the experience at the place is what the post title suggests. In the midst of all the gloom surrounding us, the last five months at Chennai have been an experience to cherish.

Practice School-2 at Cypress Semiconductor Corp. was a fantastic learning experience. Despite the office at Chennai being a centre for Corporate Marketing, I worked on some important technical projects with the Applications team, and also worked on some marketing projects. I worked on about 8 projects, each concerning a different domain. Hence, my knowledge, technical or otherwise, increased manifold. Also, Practice School instilled in me many other things, such as an unshakeable work ethic, working in a group, time management etc. Working with a team, where almost 90% of the employees have a degree from IIT/IIM/BITS has its own benefits.

This was also the first time that I was staying with my 87-year-old maternal grandmother for such a long time. She is my only grandparent whom I have interacted with. Hence, staying with her, listening to her stories and advice, enjoying her brilliant cooking and "teaching" her english are memories which I will cherish for ever. This space ain't enough to write about her. Some day I do hope to write a biography on my grandma. I enjoyed being with my maternal uncle and aunt and other cousins of mine as well.
Other notable things include the City of Chennai, which I shall talk about later, the 28/11 floods and another "noticeable" thing: I have become slim in this period, owing to the use of Public transport "only" for commutation in the city.I shall talk about that also in another post.

It is hard though, to keep ourselves from all the crap happening all around the world. Infact,
all that I have been reading in the newspapers are headlines like "Unemployment at an all-time high", ".... to lay-off", "worst recession since 1930" etc., and also stuff related to Mumbai 26/11, Chennai-TN 28/11 and dogfights in the Lok Sabha etc. In fact, despite BITS-Pilani's 100% placement record in the last decade, students are apprehensive regarding placements, this time around. Surely, this is a bad time to be passing out of college for a job. It makes sense to head for higher studies and go for a job when all this ends.
Ohh, The performance of team India under MSD HAS BEEN something to smile about, after all!!

Anything else about the five and a half stay at Chennai worth mentioning? Hmmm........
As of now, no.

Hoping to be more active on blogosphere in my final "vetti" semester at BITS.
Till then, this is Ashwin, signing off from Bhopal!!!!

Keep smiling, and commenting!

MEN OF HONOR, WIELDING THE RACQUET

The title is self-explanatory; It is about the two tennis players at the pinnacle of men's tennis (really, you now cannot choose one over the other); two players, who have already reserved a place for themselves in tennis folklore, and yet have some years of tennis ahead of them;two gentlemen, who can be called "model celebrities", for want of a better word.They are thoroughly ground-to-earth and have a good friendship off the court, yet, on the tennis court, they have given us the best exhibition of tennis in history.Salutations to the great guys!!!! Given below are my opinions about these players, and the profound effect they have had on the game.....

ROGER FEDERER:
Never count out the great man!!!You may say he has had a pathetic season, but tell me, from the viewpoint of a normal player, are 2 runner's up finishes and a semis appearance in this year's three grand slams bad??But FedEx is no ordinary tennis player. Indeed, we view his season in such a light, because the man has set such superhuman standards for himself, that "very good" is simply unacceptable. As Roger himself put it, after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Aussie Open Semis:"I have created this MONSTER myself, so people expect me to win everytime I step out."There have been doubts cast on the fact whether he is the greatest tennis player of all time. Thinking sensibly, every great tennis player has won in his own different way, in different conditions. So, each legend deserves to be respected, not subjected to unnecessary comparisons.In any case, Roger's place in history has been cemented. People will point out that he has never on the French Open, but the, who can do so at the moment, with Rafa at the helm at Roland Garros. I would like to ask, which player has ever taken tennis to such unfathomable heights?Which player in tennis history has dominated the scene as Federer as?Indeed, the word "dominance" is an understatement.
He is a great champion.And great champions always bounce back.Great champions always write their own endings, a la Pete Sampras.Expect to see more of FedEx in the years to come.He is not gone yet!!!

RAFAEL NADAL:
When Rafa first stepped onto Roland Garros in 2005 and won, many were quick to dismiss him as just a "prodigious clay-courter", in the line of other Spanish clay-courters such as Carlos Moya, JC Ferrero,Albert Costa etc..However, the muscular "Bull of Majorca" has gone on to a stratospheric level on clay.As yet, he remains undefeated on the French clay.He is 22, and looks invincible, to say the least, on clay.You never know, this way, he may end up undefeated at Court Phillippe Chartrier for the rest of his career, thus racking up a dozen French Open titles[:O].
More importantly, by reaching 3 consecutive Wimbledon finals, he has safely dispelled the notion that he is all at sea on grasscourt and hard courts.He gave Federer some semblance of a fight in the 2006 Wimbledon final, stretched him all the way in 2007, and this year, first he won at Stella Artois, and then finally got his hands on the trophy, after being denied by a Federer masterclass in the 5th set in the 2007 final.The next few months will be crucial, because Rafa has shown a tendency to fade into oblivion after Wimbledon.However, Rafa is a constantly improving player, in all aspects of the game.Infact, we can attribute his Wimbledon triumph to his rigorous practice, and the way he tweaked his game to win.He has constantly added new skills to his repertoire, he has worked hard on his shortcomings on faster courts.His serves have improved, and in tune with "traditional Wimbledon style" comes to the net more often.This, coupled with his tenacity on-court, amazing stamina and a tendency not to make unforced errors,has helped him dethrone Federer on grass.So, knowing Rafa, we can expect him to get better on hard courts as well, do well post-wimbledon, and eventually take over the numero uno positon from FedEx.This race to greatness will be close.


These two gentlemen are "model celebrities". Fame and success has not gone to their head.Indeed, we have never seen them in the limelight for the wrong reasons.They remain thoroughly professionals, feet firmly placed on terra firma.They would prefer to spend their holidays with family and friends at their respective homes in Basel and Majorca respectively. Both seem to be approachable and of a pleasant demeanour.There is no semblance of cockiness or arrogance in them.I can go ranting on and on about these two gentlemen, but well, my arms are aching.Rafa and FedEx share anamazing cameraderie off the court.Indeed, after every match,no duel, they hug each other. I have become tired listening to each player praising the other. Infact, Rafa, after walloping Roger this year at Roland Garros, kept his celebrations to a minimum, out of respect for him.This speaks volumes for the respect one has for the other. This off-court friendship is matched by an equally ferocious attitude on court. The Wimbledon final of 2 weeks ago is still fresh in our minds, and is testimony to the way these two players slug it out oncourt.

Not a flaw that you can find in either of them, is there???
We are lucky to be watching them create history....
Cheers to Rafa and Roger....You are an inspiration to all, whether it be budding tennis players or your huge legion of fans all over the globe, in all respects.

THE PROBLEM OF PROPORTIONS

So, against all my promises, it takes me 7 months and 17 days to return to my Pensieve. Life was tiresome in 3-1 and it has redefined the word boredom in 3-2, as far as acads go, though, frankly speaking, I enjoyed all the slogging in 3-1, and it just isn’t fun any more, in 3-2.

Nevertheless, let me move away from boring you with my own tale, and let’s get down to the topic of this blog.

The blog is not about my own disproportionate-looking tummy, but rather about the lack of proportion, which exists within the Indian nation, in every walk of life.

Let’s begin with Forbes’ list of the wealthiest people on the World. Statistics show that half of the top 8 richest people in the world are Indians (LN Mittal, the Ambani brothers and KP Singh of DLF fame), yet, on the other hand, we see people struggling for even 1 square meal a day, in many parts of India. These 4 people are hardly a reflection of the true India.

Even if we remove these “exceptional” billionaires, statistics show that globalization has improved the quality of life by leaps and bounds, and they also show an increase in the per capita income.

These statistics are misleading. They are depicting the urban scenario, more often than not. In a situation of huge contrasts, we can find headlines depicting the “achievements” (for want of a better word), of Messrs. Ambani and farmer suicides, on the same front page of a newspaper. Remember though, that we needn’t go over the moon regarding the former headline, since the person is a businessman after all, and is concerned about his company, and all the good that he does to the nation is restricted to providing jobs, or open a few educational institutions for profit. Without these farmers, however, we might have nothing to fill our stomachs. This might seem an exaggeration, but until we sort this problem out, we might see the food crisis deepen further. Already, people are dying of hunger, and the last thing we need is the food suppliers giving up on life. (PS: Apparently, the chief Minister of Maharashtra, in response to the farmer suicides in Vidarbha, enlightened us with these gems: “Suicide is a crime, and the farmers are lucky to get away with it.)

State Governments want to promote foreign investment in their own state, and bring the city life up to the mark by opening malls, multiplexes et al. The Central government, on the other hand, is engrossed with formulating policies it cannot implement, or sign MoU’s with other countries (definitely, not wrong). The governments, both at the Centre and at the State level, have got their priorities all wrong. The central government cannot bring forth a definite framework for national development. The state governments, on the other hand, are going for the glitz, instead of strengthening the roots. And no one needs reminding that weak foundations will lead to the structure capsizing. Great nations have been built through strong development at the grassroots.

This unequal development leads to a widening gap between rural and urban life, and a lack of facilities in the villages. Further, it also affects the cities, as people migrate to the urban areas in search of a better livelihood, thus putting extra pressure on the city, and depleting the rural areas of the required human resources. Great nations have been built on strong foundations, and there is no need to reiterate the danger, which “weak roots” pose to the national structure.

All that I can say regarding imbalance in governance and development is: The rich can take care of themselves; it is the poor who need the helping hand, in the form of resources, education etc. Obviously, food for the poor is more important than a new mall for the spoilt brats of the rich. Let governance be more uniform, and let it first focus on grassroots development.

The scenario in the sphere of education is none too rosy. Here also, we have a disproportionately large number of engineers, yet there is no fruitful research work going on in India. The guys either end up writing useless bits of code for the software companies, or drain their brains in the US of A. Such a large population of engineers, but the country hardly gets anything back. Again, in the field of medicine, we cater to patients coming from the middle east etc. yet there is no one to ensure better healthcare in the rural areas. For all the subsidized education that they get, the medical students protest against being sent to the rural areas on deputation. A fine way indeed, to repay your debt to the nation!!!!!!!!!!!! Basic sciences have been neglected. Great institutions like IISc Bangalore and TIFR Mumbai are not getting the respect they deserve. And, the less said about commerce and arts, the better. My view is that people from all education streams are needed, but somehow most Indian people have a tendency to believe that commerce and arts (especially) is for losers.

And last but not the least, we can see the same lack of proportion in sports, where poor administration, combined with neglect, has ensured that the Indian hockey team won’t walk out onto the turf in Beijing. Those people, who, 40 years ago, believed that it was a shame for the national hockey team to come second, would never have envisaged such a horrid turn of events for Indian hockey. Similarly, with a 1 billion (and counting) population at it’s disposal, our football team can’t even qualify for the Asian Cup. A sad state of events for the country, which narrowly missed the bronze medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, and won the Asian Games Gold medal in 1951 and 1962!!!!! And, on the other hand, we see the Indian Premier League, a cheap publicity gimmick in the guise of cricket, which reflects the times, and how business and commercialization of cricket has spelt doom for the other sports. Every leap year, there will be voices saying “1 Olympic medal for a billion”, and yet somehow, with the largest non-participating contingent to the Olympics, we manage to come back with the solitary medal. In other countries, they may as well be scoffing at us, for such a PATHETIC track record.

There are many more “disproportionate” examples which I can quote, but I am more interested in speaking the reason for this imbalance. I may be wrong, but two reasons which I can point out are 1) Money and 2) Herd mentality.

There is nothing wrong in earning money. Nothing wrong!!! The more money people earn, the further the living standards increase. However, doing anything blindly in the name of earning money is foolish. This is precisely the malady which India suffers from. OK, choose your career stream judiciously. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Ensure that you will be earning sufficiently, and can have a comfortable life. At the same time, just don’t choose any stream, only because there is more money in it. Give some credence to your interests. If you are good enough in it, the money will automatically follow, you will have a comfortable life, come out in life with flying colors, and what’s more, be at peace with yourself, because you are doing something because your mind is in it. Else, you will end up like those people in the Monster Ads. Out of Place!

This may seem too philosophical, you may have heard it a thousand times before, yet it is necessary to bring home this point again, because, in recent times, people have made a habit of repeatedly going against these tenets. People enter Engineering in droves, only because thy feel that it is a route to a hidden treasure chest. Catering to this large population is the recent trend of “An Engineering College per Colony”. And to cap it all, at the end of 4 years, every engineer; civil, chemical or electrical, ends up in a software company. And the others, who end up as true engineers, go to the US to do an MS, and add to the burgeoning population of Indians in the USA.

I agree, post-graduate engineering education in India is not up to the mark, but then, that’s due to the absence of good teachers. Even if we remunerate the teachers well and ensure that facilities are available for higher research through Government funding, I don’t know whether they would want to stay back. Their attitude will be “Who would become a professor?” A clear case of false notions, herd mentality and money-mindedness!!! And this herd mentality also ensures that these students never take up the long tough, yet highly rewarding path to entrepreneurship. If we had high-level research in India through entrepreneurs, many of the problems mentioned above would be rectified. However, there are two other reasons for the lack of entrepreneurs. The tendency of the young generation to expect quick results, coupled with the familial pressures to get married, settle down etc. are deterrents to entrepreneurship.

There is a lot of money and fame to be earned in basic sciences, and all that is needed for a person is to chart out the path towards his goal. This is the same of every other field. This might sound cliche’, but money and fame are there to be earned everywhere, and all that a person needs to do is to create his own destiny. Unfortunately, no one wants to chart out the path, and all that they want is the roadmap and the directions to be given to them. This is the reason why someone interested in the sciences often goes for engineering, because the “herd” is going there, and he/she doesn’t want to miss out.

PS: In terms of encouragement to the basic sciences, BITS-Pilani rox to the core!!!!!

It is commercialization, coupled with poor governance, which has spelt doom for the other sports. While the presence of industrial barons such as Dalmiya, AC Muthaiah etc. in cricket ensured the flow of the big bucks in cricket. All the other sports federations are being headed by politicians, with 1 or 2 exceptions, and they are champions in that useless game “the BLAME game”.

Sample this: Mr. VK Malhotra, MP from Delhi, and chief of Indian Archery Federation for atleast 35 years, when asked about the failure of the Indian archery team to win any medals at the Athens Olympics replied: “Why are you asking only me? Ask the chiefs of other federations the same question.”

Very Snappy retort, one may say.

But, we return to the point, it is their lackadaisical approach, because of which proper facilities are not being provided. They are simply not interested in attracting sponsors and promoting the sport. This, coupled with the fact that the sponsors see money only in International cricket, not even Ranji Trophy finals, has ensured that other sports are not getting any attention.

The governing bodies have to generate public interest in the sport. This, they can do, by ensuring better sporting and training facilities, so that we are able to churn out champions. Public enthusiasm, and hence sponsorship will also follow. More people will thus take to the various other sports.

PS: I don’t mean to criticize the Indian cricket team in any way. I am myself a big cricket buff, and extremely pleased with the professional performances Team India has given in recent times. Yet, I feel that the benefits of employment under the sports quota, as is the case with other sports, needn’t be extended to them, since they are well off, in fact, raking in the millions without these benefits.

btw, All is not rosy in the World of cricket. Read this:

http://in.sports.yahoo.com/080320/48/6rz2f.html

For the junta reading this blog post, take some time to post a few comments, it will make for a lively debate. The next blog post may have to wait, as the ADVD assignment will soon show its ugly head one more time.

Till then, Goodbye!!!

Signing off On “Holi”day

Ashwin Iyer