Bodh Gaya: Photo-Lens

A few of you may have noticed that the list of World Heritage Sites visited has an additional entry - The Mahabodhi Temple. Yeah, I finally visted Bodh Gaya. You can find lots of pictures and some details in my 'photo-lens on Bodh Gaya: Land of Enlightenment.

Let me know what you think of the pictures.

Indians in Business Novels

That Indian characters are increasingly finding a central place in Business Novels is a sure sign of Indians having arrived. At least in Harvard Business Review Press books. However, if the author is not very conversant with the culture, it could lead to some awkward situation. Especially, when the culture in India is as varied as it is.

In the otherwise delightful and very knowledge-imparting business novel,What I Didn't Learn in Business School by Jay B. Barney and Trish Gorman Clifford, Vivek Chatterjee (the almost central character) is "a native of India with a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkley."

Stereotyping is to be, of course, expected. "Turns out that Vivek and I [Justin Campbell - the central character] had something in common. He was once a good cricket player, and I once saw a cricket bat."

But what I found very amusiing is the following extract:

Bill entered the room with his hand extended and a smile on his face. Vivek was closest and introduced himself.
"Hello, I am Vivek Chatterjee And these are my colleagues Justin Campbell and Gordon Lee." Bill turned to Vivek, quickly withdrew his hand from the handshake, brought the palms of his hands together, and bowed slightly.
"Namaskar."
Vivek did the same and responded, "Namaskar."

Hmmmm... I think the authors have heard that Indians greet each other with a Namaskar or Namaste and they wished to show how culturally senstive they are. I have never seen Indians in formal business meetings greeting each other in this manner, and I have lived here all my life! The real life Vivek Chatterjee would have been equally amused.

Please don't get me wrong. I immensely enjoyed the novel. I would rate it as high as The Goal. It has the same quality as the Goal that makes you want to read it again and again. The theme is gradually elaborated and you feel as if you are part of the whole experience. Also, at the end of each chapter there what are called the Reflection Questions. Meditating a while on these questions could be a learning experience. I was very impressed with was the Reading List that is the end of the novel. Very neat list.

I really wish the authors come up with a series of Justin Campbell novels so that, along with Justin, we too discover "How Strategy Works in the Real World."

India and the Millenium Development Goals

There are times when growth and progress needs to be seen from the perspective of human development; and not just in terms of % GDP growth or industrial output. The UN Millenium Development Goals (MDG) provides an alternative reference point.

The UN published a report on where the world stands with regards to meeting the MDG in 2010.
There are three references to India in the text of this report. I reproduce these below ...

The fastest growth and sharpest reductions in poverty continue to be recorded in Eastern Asia. Poverty rates in China are expected to fall to around 5 per cent by 2015. India, too, has contributed to the large reduction in global poverty.

Asia, on the other hand, registered a net gain of some 2.2 million hectares annually in the last decade, mainly because of large-scale afforestation programmes in China, India and Viet Nam.
These three countries have expanded their forest area by a total of nearly 4 million hectares annually in the last five years.

Impressive!
And if you thought that this report was written to show India in favourable light, consider this ...

[P]roblems of contamination with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic, in particular in Bangladesh and other parts of Southern Asia, or fluoride in a number of countries, including China and India, have affected the safety of water supplies.

There you have it.
India is doing rather well in (almost) all fronts - beyond that indicated by the macro-economic indicators. What is more interesting is the India is and China seems to have the similar growth trajectory as far as the MDG is concerned.

It must be borne in mind that this report came out in the middle of 2010. Wonder what impact the recent spate of inflation will have on the above statements.

Swear if you care

Once in a while you stumble upon information that forces you to think. It might also push you beyond your comfort envelope.
The information can come to you from any domain, even mathematics. Especially when it comes in the form of an article titled 'If mathematics is a language, how do you swear in it?' One instictively knows that this article by David Wagner would be an interesting read and indeed it is.

Here's an extract ...
[H]istory ought to remind us to listen to students who say things that we think are wrong, and to listen to students who say things in ways we think are wrong. ... Furthermore, pursuing the non-permissible opens up new realities.

Read this article even if your are instictively repelled by the word 'mathematics'. There is no mathematics (in the normal sense of the word) in this article but lots of uncommon sense.

To wind up here's another extract from the article (after all, I need to justify the topic of this post)...
To help my students develop a sense of attachment to their mathematics, I need to give them mathematical investigations that present them with real problems. They may swear in frustration but they will also find satisfaction and pleasure.

I bet David Wagner is a great teacher.

The Best Site To Access the Leaked US Embassy Cables

Confused about the leaked US Embassy Cables and wikileaks?
Irritated that newspapers are reporting only a few of the cables and you would like to have your hands on the original cables and come to your own conclusions?
Help is here ...

The best source for accessing the cables - that I find convenient - is the Guardian interactive database. The user interface is wonderful. The database is fronted by a worldmap. All you need to do is point to the country you are interested in and out pops all the cables that are relevant.
For example, as on date there are 18 cables that are linked to India.

Here, have fun: The Guardian Interactive Guide To The Leaked US Embassy Cables.

People You Meet on Bangalore Bus

Almost everyone on the bus is in his/her own world. You do not hear incessant chatting - ok! sometimes you do, but most of them have those ubquitious earphones plugged in, listening to music or - like me - learning a new language (perhaps!)
Some college students are reading their notes. Perhaps, they have to take some test today. This is no way to prepare! What were you doing last evening?
Oh look there! A lady just flipped open her laptop. She is typing away to glory. I wonder if the news that Bangalore buses will have WiFi installed is correct. I wonder what she is typing. She is typing rathetr furiously.
The young chap who just got into the bus settles down next to me. From my peripheral vision I see him talking out a black notebook. No it is not a notebook! It is a Kindle. I ask him a few details. Yeah! He loves it. He downloads his book at home using the USB cable; doesn't use the WiFi. I let him go back to his reading.
You meet the coolest people on a bus.

Be part of the Solution

Having taken a public bus to office for the last couple of weeks, I am happy I made that decision. It was sort of forced on me - doctor said I cannot drive - but now that I am enjoying my daily bus trip to and from the office, I can say that this is perhaps the best thing that happened to me.
I have never waited more than 5 minute for a bus; I almost always get a seat to sit; some buses are airconditioned, and I do not have to worry about that crazy driver who decided that the best way to drive a car is to drive it as if it were a motorcycle. I arrive at the office fresher. In fact, the only time I need to wait for more than 5 minute has been to cross the road - that tells you the state of traffic in Bangalore.

If you are in Bangalore - or any such busy city / town - and the public bus service is good, it is a crime to commute in a car. We cannot keep carping about the traffic situation and continue driving to our offices. In other words, be a part of the solution, not the part of the problem. And till, dedicated cycle routes are made mandatory in all big towns and cities, please travel by a public transport.