M.R. Kutty was killed by Taliban in Afghanistan. Behind all the bickering on whether Pakistan was or wasn’t behind the attacks, an essential question still remains unanswered. What forces the Kuttys of the world to leave behind their families in search of livelihood to all these dangerous places? The Prime Minister has announced an aid of few lakh rupees for the surviving family and free education for the kids but that will not bring the husband and father back.
Oh! and where is Arundhati Roy when we need her? Wasn’t she on the forefront denouncing the US when it decided to take out the Taliban? Maybe she should go to Afghanistan and try doing the same there - after all she is the citizen of the world, isn’t she?
Read this in one of the obituaries of Peter Drucker. It is surprising how much of it still holds true and also how much of it does not, thanks to two people, Manmohan Singh and the man who gave him a free hand, Narsimha Rao.
From “India and ‘Appropriate’ Technology,” March 1, 1979: No one in India could tell me what the economic policy of the government is. The only governmental actions are expansions of already large government enterprises, unchecked growth of an already obese bureaucracy and more bureaucratic regulations. The cabinet cannot agree on anything and has no policy whatever. Substantial sums are being allocated to “the villages” but without programs let alone goals. But there is a pervasive rhetoric of smallness and of antitechnology…
As a reaction to the delusion of “the bigger the better,” which enthralled earlier Indian governments, especially Nehru, [Prime Minister Morarji] Desai’s emphasis on rural India is overdue. Earlier governments neglected the village, where 90% of India’s 550 million people still live. But “small is beautiful” is just as much a delusion as “the bigger the better.” What is “appropriate” is not what uses the most capital or the most labor; it is not what is “small” or “big,” “pre-industrial” or a “scientific marvel.” What is “appropriate” is quite simply what makes the economy’s resources most productive. What is appropriate in a country of huge population and rapid population growth is what multiples productive jobs. What is “development” in a country, which like India has sizable resources of managerial and entrepreneurial skill and at the same time huge unfulfilled consumer needs, is whatever creates purchasing power.
Oh the depths to which our politicians would stoop to get votes. Hindustan Times is reporting today about posters in Mumbai that congratulated Margaret Alva, the head of Congress in Maharashtra, on winning the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela award for minorities’ empowerment. One slight flaw though – the UN does not give out any such award.
Read the entire story here.
So what’s plaguing France? I was listening to a podcast by a BBC correspondent today. He was interviewing a 20 year old leader of a gang of half a dozen Muslim youths and admitted to rioting – indeed he was proud of it. He said that he hated France and hated the French people and he wanted to go back to Morocco.
Now here’s food for thought – the French are the most sanctimonious people in the world (I’ve been to Paris and I loved the city but hated the people), they are never tired of lecturing the US on how its getting it all wrong in the fight on terrorism and how it is fuelling the hatred of Muslims towards the west. Well, I don’t see Muslims burning down cars in the street in the US and asserting that they hate the US or want to go back to Morocco or Pakistan or wherever they’ve come from. In fact – Muslims are very well integrated in the US life; they are successful entrepreneurs and employees. It is said that amongst all the countries that Muslims migrate to, Muslim immigrants in the US are most successful.
So here’s my two cents to the French– the proof of pudding lies in eating; look at the ground reality in the two countries before shouting that the US is unfair to Islam or to Muslims or to immigrants and then put that glass of wine down and fix your country.
So what’s going on in France? It seems that last night riots spread to other parts of Europe as well.
