Bureaucrats

Heavy rains every where headlines are screeching. Bangalore and Chennai Army called, this is the other headline I am seeing in 'Samachar' on the net.
Well this set me to think what next. Great Chennai will not have water problem this summer, and over head tanks can be filled twice a day in our apartment. But what about roads man? Is it not going to be a nightmare to commute on these roads if it is already not . I am already reading about the conditions of roads in Bangalore. Who is going to set right all these?
We are always used to blaming the politicians. We know they are third rated and we strongly feel so, justifying ourselves for not entering politics. The Devegowdas and the Lallus prove that our hunch or feeling is absolutely right.
Our only hope is the Bureaucrats. But the way in which they work is just unpardonable. They just lack the intiative and they just keep passing the buck and don't want to take any responsibility. There are many roads which are already redone only in papers every thing till the minute details being kept in record, but alas there are no actual roads. No wonder our people are so good in virtual reality fields.
I have seen many retired officers, boasting they did this and that. All they do while in office, is just stall the work, by raising some objections some querries, for some small detail, when actually they don't have the back bone to stand up to the political boss for their convictions. They Yes Sir their bosses and the political bosses and harass the people who work for them or with them. The so called Government auditors , will be scrutanizing for some small aberrations , but close their eyes while lakhs and crores of rupees are being swindled. This probably they do to calm their conciousness that they are adhereing to the rules and going by the books.
What we need is not only honest officers, but more than honesty it is people who can deliver and get things done is what is needed for us. I am not saying we don't need honest people. I am saying people who are honest enough but can bend the books, for the common good who can use their discretion in interpreteing the rules so that it works out for the common good is what is needed for todays scenario.
Our bureaucracy is half filled with corrupt officers. About these we know and we can curse them and hope one day they are caught and punished if not at least are shamed if they have what is called ' shame'.
But the other half are the ones to be blamed more, who just don't do any work (they are the one who will be in the office working late hours) but just go on finding objections to every proposal, and increase the correspondence keep on asking querries and get transferred or promoted and retire one fine day just to boast to all and sundry how they did (not do) this and that.
India is kept moving ahead (I suppose) because of some few officers who are actually good, like the collective will of bureacrats, in 'Melur' in Srirangam saved the town from the breech in the cauvery who took and organized the help of local youth also.
I hope at least this time they rise up to the occasion and with what ever money is allocated they get to spend half of them in actually repairing and laying the roads.

Observations

As the Gasolene (read petrol) prices are increasing there are lot of things which I observe as a passing visitor to this country America.
We happen to live in a State (Iowa) which is in the midwest . America basically has vast streches of land and it is a very very young country . When they built this country they built the cities far and wide and even a moderately small place like where we live (Desmoines) is far flung. Even for basic necessity like grocery and milk one has to go a few miles say 5 miles. So without a vehicle (car) virtually living is just not possible. There is no public transport system at all. For that matter surprisingly except for in New york, I have not travelled or seen a public transport system, in Ralleigh, (north carolina) Memphis(tennesse) Tuscon (Arizona) or this place.
I see even Universities are quite big and to move from one department to another you need a vehicle. I don's see that many bicycles also inside the campus and almost all the students have cars. So basically the whole structure depends on individuals having a vehicle to commute.
While planning the importance was not given for the public transport system. Probabaly they took the cheap petrol for granted, like they take so many other things for granted.
I am told by anand that in contrast public transport system is very good in Europe even in small places. He says you can just commute by trams and buses which are very good and about the inter city trains I have heard so much. He says Europeans are very much aware of enviromental issues and many people use the bicycle to avoid pollution. May be it is because the petrol is quite expensive in Europe and they are health conscious too.
He was saying there were lot of clean and neat small stores every where so that you can buy whatever you want without having to travel long distance.
Coming back to America, anand was saying he could see many neighbour hood small stores in washington dc (like our old chettiar kadai?)which sell many things unlike in the cities which I have mentioned you have only the chain of super markets, like Walmart, Target , etc etc. .... This concept of small neighbourhood stores help people so that they need not have to commute every week just to buy those much needed groceries.

I was thinking of Mumbai's suburbs , each of which is a city in itself which contains everything from, stores to schools to hospitals to college to what not. So many of mumbaikars don't move out of the suburbs except for work which of course again is a night mare.
So I can visualize in America, in a few years down the lane many small shops coming in each or some of the housing complexes and those who take the intiative and start these shops are going to make real money.
My wishful thinking is that some invention helps in making solar energy cheaper and viable so that commuting does not become costly.
One added advantage of small shops is at least it will put an end to the monopoly of big chain of stores which kills the small business.

Winter

Winter is slowly setting in here in Desmoines in Iowa. The temperatures are dipping rapidly. We could see some snow flakes flying in the air the other day.
I am able to appreciate the sunny climate more now I suppose. The factor which is called wind chill is always some few degrees less than the actual temperature. This means you can not go for walks even with all the winter clothings. The cold wind will blow on your face and you just can not walk.
Kids look very smart and plumpy with their plump big jackets and cap and gloves and what not. Poor thing we only at home know about their running nose, cough and cold when the weather change sets in and above all their boredom sitting at home in the evenings and the parental problem of how to engage them and make them get some exercise so that they can spend their energy and not behave cranky.
I always used to think I love winter, especially the snowing and the white snow every where pictures I used to love. When I went to Srinagar/Kashmir in summer I told the localites, how I would love to come to Srinagar in winter, they laughed on my face and said ' you won't survive the 10 inch snow and it is not lovely as you imagine' . I took that comment in my stride and few years later when my brother was there on bank inspection duty during winter I wrote to him saying how he must be enjoying the snow fall. Pat came the reply, Yeah when ever outside, I am enjoying as much as a man can without hands, as all the time I have to keep my gloved hands inside the pockets of my coat, otherwise I will be left with frozen fingers.
Jokes apart, actual winter has not yet started here and I have seen the real snowfall in New york in the height of winter, where I ventured with anu to go and see the ruins of 9/11. We just could not stand there for more than 2 minutes to take pictures, even after fully covered from head to toe.

It is human nature I suppose that I will say about the unbearable heat of chennai or even Delhi in the height of summer how unbearable it is.
But I have come to appreciate the sunny interface and see the tv for the temperature outside and if it says anything above 55 F, I put on my shoes and coat and go for my running/walking outside.

Clinton

I have been reading the auto biography of Clinton (My Life) I was impressed by what I read. It is what he says about his Inagural address he gave as the Governor of Arkansas, much before he became the president of United States of America.
I wish this becomes a standard for our Beurocrats , if not for our politicians.
I said some things in that speech that I believe as strongly today as I did then, words that capture what I have tried to do in all my public work, includintg the presidency:
For as long as I can remember, I have believed passionately in the cause of equal opportunity, and I will do what I can to advance it.
For as long as I can remember , I have deplored the arbitrary and abusive exercise of power by those in authority, and I will do what I can to prevent it.
For as long as I can remember, I have rued the waste and lack of order and discipline that are too often in evidence in governmental affairs, and I will do what I can to diminish them.
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the land, air and water of Arkansas, and I will do what I can to protect them.
For as long as I can remember, I have wished to ease the burdens of life for those who, through no fault of their own, are old or weak or needy, and I will try to help them.
For as long as I can remember, I have been saddened by the sight of so many of our independent, industrious people working too hard for too little because of inadequate economic opportunities, and I will do what I can to enhance them.....

Good thing about Indians

I have written too many complaining articles. Let me write something postitive even though it appears like a left handed compliment.
The first time I went abroad it was to malaysia in 93 December via Singapore. I had few hours in singapore to catch my next flight to K.L. I was sitting in the lounge watching people around.
I happen to meet an Indian travelling in the same Air India flight who was travelling to India as the flight was going back to India via K.L.
He was a professor from IISC Bangalore. I was happy as usual to see a Bangalorean.
He was coming from some African country after attending a seminar. He said he was booked in one of the sleek airlines (I don't remember which one) which get the efficieny awards all the time. He missed his connecting flight to India after landing in singapore as his flight from Africa was delayed. When he approached the ground staff he was told curtly but politely that all flights are full and they can not help him in any way and will see if any seats are available on the coming days. They said it is not their fault and left him to fend for himself. He then approached AirIndia and some good fellow Indian helped him to get a seat in that particular flight after great difficulty as it was a very busy holiday season. It was two days since he had come to singapore and living in airport with few dollars in his pocket. He said if you want efficiency and smartness you go to these great airlines. If you want inefficient but humanitarian airlines always go to Air India. But for me it is this humanitarian side of our country which has helped. poor fella was so happy to nibble at the cake served indifferntly by the aged airhostess, saying that this is the decent meal I am having in two days.
This humanitarian consideration I have also seen. The immigration department of other countries are for that matter embassies are very strict and you sort of get intimidated and wonder always if you will get that visa .
I happened to be in the police commissioner's office in Bangalore for tejas's visa(Indian visa) extention which acts as an immigration dept. in Bangalore. I was waiting for my work to be done and watched as some bangla desis approaching the counter. They had some problem, they were students who did not get their reservations in train to go back and so their visa was expiring before that date. I heard the clerk shouting at them but finally I could see that he did help them and gave them that extra two or three days they wanted. This is what I call the Indian humanitarian side and I never felt intimidated at that office but did get irritated with so many forms to fill and so many criteria to meet, to get the visa. If only we can add the right amount of efficiency with this it will be nice I suppose.

pimeapple rasam

let me try for a change to post a reciepe.
pineapple rasam
boil puli (imli) thanni, (can make it with a (tamarind paste) puli paste of 1 tea spoon) salt and sambhar powder. cut tomotoes 1 or 2 and put it . add asofoetida. let this mixture boil till the podi vasanai(smell) goes. cook the tur daal in water in a pressure cooker. take the cooked tur dal a little add water and mix the dal nicely to make it watery. To the boiling mixture on the stove , add a tea spoon of coriander powder, one tea spoon of jeera powder and if available one half t spoon of mysore rasam powder. now add the watery dal little by little. mean while in a kadai put little ghee and jeera and fry cut pineapples. use either fresh cut ones or use the tinned pineapples available in market. fry for about 5 to 10 minutes in low fire and add this to the rasam which is about to come to boil with all ingredients. if you want to enhance the taste you can add a little bit of coconut milk at this point by squeezing out the milk from grated coconut adding hot water to it. This is optional. when it comes to a boil add cut coriander leaves and switch off the stove.
pineapple rasam is ready.

Dreams of little shivu

This is again an article written by my friend Dr. Ramamani and sent to me by mail some time ago. This makes an interesting reading. I am blogging it.

Dreams of little shivu

I was posted in first shift in male ward for fifteen days. I took over the ward from the previous night staff nurse who gave me charge of the patients, as was the routine. All the twenty beds in the ward were occupied. There were two new admissions the previous day, one was a middle aged man with history of accidental fall from scooter and the other a young boy of about 8 admitted with vomiting and tiredness.
His name was Shivashankar. He was actually ten years old as recorded in hospital case sheet. He was small built with narrow bone structure, he had a shriveled body with sunken eyes. Investigations of boy revealed he was a juvenile diabetic.
Doctors ordered insulin injections 3 times a day for him. Whenever I carried insulin loaded syringe towards him the boy would show his left little finger and would disappear into toilet. It required 15 minutes of coaxing by his mother and a lot of luring with goodies like murku to get him out of toilet. After his forcible extraction and deposition on bed, there would ensue a struggle between him, his mother and ward boy with me hiding the insulin syringe behind my back. My other nursing responsibilities for other patients would stall.
On the third day of my first shift I was relatively free after my lunch break. I called the boy and his mother to nurses’ station and had a chat with them. Always working amidst sick patients, talking to kids lightened us.
Chatting with him for a few minutes after lunch break became a routine as long as he stayed in hospital. The little boy started talking and slowly opened up his world to me. He told he was called Shivu at home. He talked about his school, his friends and the bullies in his class and his favourite games. He shared his past secret with me, how teacher caught him while he was opening his friend’s tiffin box. He played many games including hopscotch with his sister but his favourite game was cricket. He liked driving and wanted to become driver, not an ordinary bus driver but a driver of double decker.
On the last day of his stay he told me that I can call him Shivu and that he would call me “sister auntie.”
He was admitted twice later in the same year for other problems when our friendship thickened. As soon as I entered he would shout “sister auntie” to draw my attention and then greet me with a squeaky “Good morning.” He volunteered to assist me in my work. As part of assisting he would give the small bottles meant to collect urine for checking sugar to other diabetic patients in ward and would arrange them on the stand according to number written on the bottle. As I dipped the dipstick meant to find the amount of sugar in diabetic patients he would watch fascinatingly the change in colour in dipstick. He picked up reading the percentage of sugar in urine within a day as he watched the change of colour in dipstick. From next day as I dipped the dipstick he would loudly announce the percentage of sugar like an umpire in a game and I would enter the results in patient’s chart. It was a great game for him. I heard from staff nurses from other shifts that he did the same assistance to them also.
During his last admission he discussed his problems during our chats. He told me he loved sweets but his mother had stopped preparing it. He wanted to know why he should not eat sweets. How could I explain to a little boy of 10 about lack of insulin in the body, about breakdown of sugar, about damage to organs if blood sugar is not controlled? I just told him sweets turn into poison in diabetic people and sweets prevents him from growing tall and he cannot drive a double decker when he grows into a big boy. The boy thought hard over my explanation. He asked whether he couldn’t play cricket if he ate sweets. When I answered in affirmative he looked disappointed. Finally he made a sort of wavering decision.
“Sister auntie” he said, “I will not ask for sweets.”
After a few seconds added “ I don’t like sweets”.
“I too don’t like sweets.” I lied.
“You too don’t like sweets?”
Our bondage of friendship grew thick from then onwards.
The other day I was coming out of hospital after my first shift. I heard the familiar squeaky voice calling behind me. “Sister auntie, sister auntie”. I turned back and saw Shivu. He had a gleam in his eyes and excitement in his voice. .
“Guess what?” he called out. “I saw Wasim Akram yesterday. I shook hands with him.” He started jumping after sharing the most exciting event of his life.
I remembered having read about Wasim Akram’s visit to Bangalore in newspaper and had seen his photograph along with diabetic children splashed over the front page of newspaper.
“Really?” I said.
“My doctor told me that he also has diabetes. Do you know he played cricket for Pakistan?” In the same breath he said, “I also want to play cricket just like him.”
“That is a sweet dream.” I said.

Down but not out.

Here is a mail from my friend dr. Ramamani. I thought it is worth recording in the blog. so here it is.
Down but not out
My first meeting with Suresh happened about a year back. I have been a regular walker in the morning for the last three years, after my family moved into this new locality. The road I take is a straightroad, two kilometers stretch with trees on either side running parallel to railway track. This road is popular among people walkers as public transport is less in the road. In course of time I have become familiar with many faces. Some people walk, younger people jog and run, old people walk slowly, some sick people walk with stiff gait. Different peoplere act in different ways when I bump into them. Some smile, some say hello, some seem to be eager for a break for a chat, some are indifferent, some walk with a stiff upper lip. It was one of my usual routine walks when I saw a family of three walking fifty meters ahead of me - a boy, a man and a woman walking in the same direction. It was an unusual sight, a teenage boy of 15 or 16years being flanked on either side, what looked to me as a protective gesture, by his parents. No boy of that age likes to walk with elders. He would rather run or play with boys of his own age. As I approached the trio from behind I noticed a slight sway in boy’s hips. Sudden noise from my sneezing, reaction by my nose due to cold wind made them turn towards me . I looked at them as they looked at me. I also noticed the boy. He was not exactly like other boys, may be that explained parent’s protective attitude. The boy had protruding tongue, his teeth were irregular, he had a unusual and funny expression on face. What was striking was his smile. It was different, it was a grin and looked a bit silly. I smiled back at him automatically. My mind went back to similar faces I had seen in a magazine. As I tried to tally the two pictures in my mind I had overtaken them.
I met the same boy again in super bazaar when I went to buy groceries. I was looking for a particular item in grocery section. I felt a purr on my shoulder. I turned back to find out the cause of purring. I saw him looking at me and grinning. He said something like ‘harasaya ’ Apparently he had recognized me. His father standing next to him asked the boy gently to take his hand off me and mumbled something apologetically. I did not know how to react . I simply asked the boy his name. Boy muttered something ‘sayasa’ His pronunciation was too unintelligible for me to understand. His father said that his son’s name was Suresh. When the boy heard his name he understood he was introduced to me and held out his hand towards me. I noticed he had somewhat unusual hand. It was small hand with short fingers, with different type of creases in the palm. We shook hands. That is when I correlated Suresh’s face with the article and the photos in magazine on Down Syndrome. That was the beginning of our friendship. I browsed through internet about Down syndrome. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes in a human cell, 22 of them are called somatic chromosomes and one sex chromosome. Somatic chromosomes are numbered according to their length. Longest one is numbered one and the shortest is numbered twenty two. Somatic chromosomes give particular characters to body such as height, color of skin, eye, facial features etc. Sex chromosome determines the sex of the person. For no particularly known reason, cells in persons with Down syndrome is associated with three chromosomes in position number twenty one instead of a pair. In some persons it may be in position eighteen. This condition is called trisomy. An error can happen during separation of chromosomes during cell division of reproductive cells called meiosis. This anomaly in the separation and resulting altered number of chromosomes in the fertilized cell can cause altered development of the foetus. This aberration happens more often in elderly mothers compared to younger mothers. Children developed from this type of cell with trisomy, have certain common features and they look different from persons with a pair of chromosome. They are usually shorter with typical facial features of slanting eyes, nose with wider bridge, protruding tongue, low set ear, loose body and limbs. Mentally they fall in a lower range of conventional intelligence quotient. Why does not chromosome separate properly in a few cells? Why does nature play havoc on some innocent people? And put the victims and the unlucky parents in trouble for no fault of theirs? I learnt more facts about Down syndrome. Children with this are slowlearners but can be coached to carry on their routine work, to do repetitive job and to become relatively independent. Many have an ear for music. They are also good imitators. In spite of being in the receiving end, they reciprocate affection and bond with people. Children with Down syndrome may be a bit down but definitely not out.
It was not long after that, Suresh became a familiar sight whenever I went out for morning walk. I would watch him struggling often balancing an old cycle as his father would run by his side to support him in the event of any fall. He put more effort to peddle than I thought was necessary. As he peddled his cycle he would shift his body from side to side and shake his head in a particular rhythm. Amidst his practice he would look up sometimes and smile at any person he would see. A few weeks later, I noticed his father was missing by his side. That means Suresh could balance himself! That also meant he had become more independent!! He was also riding a new bicycle. As he saw me he got down from his and held cycle handlebars with aplomb and gave a ‘I cando it myself’ grin. He seemed to be in a paradise of his own. He pointed his fingers to his new bicycle and said something like ‘he he.’ Was he telling me he got a new bicycle? And he could ride by himself? I knew I had to congratulate him for his new cycle and most importantly acknowledge his cycling prowess. I patted him on his back. I pointed my fingers towards his new cycle and held my hands up making a ring out of my thumb and forefinger. He understood my appreciation, for he beamed from ear to ear. After a few unintelligible words and a few minutes later he mounted on his cycle and rode smoothly away from me. I saw his father standing a few yards away and watching his son with pride. I could understand his father’s joy.
As a person with no problem in motor control, I had been a struggler myself, a struggler of a different sort, a middle aged woman with not any brisk reflex, learning to balance a two wheeler – a moped and had taken a long time to pick up.
This October seventh was my birthday. I missed my daughter who would give me a greeting card and a present and make an event out of it. Now she is in Germany doing her masters degree in engineering. But a different thing happened . On the morning of my birthday I got birthday wishes and a surprise gift from my husband. It was my favorite blue colored Bengal cotton saree with white border. I was pleased. I wore the new saree and went to temple. As I stood there folding my hands in prayer I could hear some sound from a familiar voice. I turned back and saw my friend Suresh. He gave a wide grin. He made agesture of appreciation . He pointed towards my new saree and held his hand up making a ring out of right thumb and ring finger. Then he heldout his hands . And said something. His hands looked no different from others. I could hear him saying ‘happybirthday!’ My birthday was celebrated.

work culture

We Indians lack one thing that is work culture.
I have seen in K.L. that even the menial labourers don't need any supervisers and they do their job meticulously cleaning the big malls including the hand railings without any supervisor overseeing them. We saw in K.L. airport the glass panels were being cleaned using a big ladder like contraption so that the upper portions also are shining well. I don't think any of our buildings get cleaned once they are built and put to use so thoroughlly. It is to do with the individual who does his job meticulously. I don't know whether they are afraid of losing their job or inherently they work like that, or is it some sign of becoming a developed country.
People go for work at the right time, and start back also at the exact time, as they have so many things to take care of like picking up a child from school, or doing the dishes or the laundry at home. They don't have the luxury of help from extended family, and the cheap domestic help which takes care of these things back home.
We tend to pride ourselves in saying that we work late in the office and do over time. I remember my husband's boss sying once that any body staying in the office after 5 p.m. is not working more but is inefficient in not completing the work within the office hours.
It is becoming a habit with the Soft ware professionals to work over time and day time some times I hear they just while away. Of course due to the time difference between west and india there are certain sectors where they have to work over night.
Now a days one more problem is also hitting the soft ware industry due to the unprofessinalism and the wrong type of work culture followed by our people. I see lot of job jumping from one job to another as there is lot of openings in that sector.
Yes I understand it is not like old times where one stuck to one job till retirement and was content with the pension schemes.
Job jumping is becoming a little extreme and there is no loyalty to the company they work for and so the projects of these companies are suffering due to this. It is just for few thousand rupees, many don't wait for the project to complete and just jump to another job and antother job and so on. It is sort of undercutting as the other company is happy if the first company suffers. But in the end they don't understand that this happens to all the companies and it will be a nuisance for all the companies and they will all suffer.
The best example I can give is the chinese shop keepers. They have their stalls in a row selling the same ware and never undercut each other. We go to furniture stalls in K.L. which is sort of a temporary arrangement. All the lights, Air conditioning etc are commonly connected and probably they share the cost. I have never seen one shop keeper saying or soliciting asking us to come to his shop and buy so that he will give his wear cheaper than the next shop. Each shop allows the shopper to see for himself and bargain and if both parties are happy the deal is stuck. That way all the shops are thriving because there is no undercutting.

Coming back to Soft ware industry, due to undercutting and dog eat dog business and luring the professionals from one company to other company , it is paving the way for the down fall of all the companies. I am not saying no body should quit jobs and stick to the same companies. Each individual should have some conscience and think for himself and be professional and wait for the project to get complete. But the Companies are also to partially/wholly blame as they refuse to increase the pay and benefits to the existing employee but willing to take a professional from a rival company by paying more than what their own employee is getting.
This culture I have seen with a few IIM graduates also. I have seen them quitting the job and changing, the job which was paying them hefty salaries, and little later we hear about the old company going down the drains. Is it that they take care of themselves rather than the company I always wonder. The blame is not on these as they get better job. This has not happened once but quite a lot of times to make me wonder about the management of so called elite managers.
So I think we need to educate people from the menial labourers to elite managers the work culture, loyalty to the work place and professionalism and thinking not about the immediate gain of now and here and think for long term repurcussions and effects.

Banks

Banking sector is one sector which saw a boom in the past 30 years now being taken over by the software sector. But Banks have come to play a major role in the day to day life of Indians.
People get into the jobs through entrance exams and it is(or should I say was )considered as one of the good jobs in the Indian scenario.
But once the job is secured they tend to lax as they know that it is not that easy to remove one from service and just take it easy. I have seen in banks the employees consider the customers as nuisance. They forget that the very existance of banks depends on the customer and they are paid only because there are customers. There is no such direct links in India between banks and customers, as India has a vast population, which has no alternative and has to take the services of the very same banks even if the service is poor. So the employees are honestly ignorant that their livelihood is based on the customer.
Next thing is if they get a big account of some govt. institution that is the end of customer(read individual customer) care. Though sorry to mention by name, this can be seen in every branch of SBI from the corners of a little extension counter branch in Pilani institution to a big branch in metropolis like chennai. Of course there are many many exceptions, great employees on whose shoulders the banks stand , but the reward they get is more work and no recognition. Only those employees who can play upto the bosses get all the outstanding confedential reports, which is making the good workers frustrated and they tend to take VRs and many enter the multinational banks.
Now comes my woes about the multinational banks. These banks I am told employ the employees on a yearly contract basis to that they can circumvent the pension benefit etc and also can chuck them out anytime they want.
The customer service you will think will be great looking at the great offices with beautiful furniture and flooring. But all they do is charge big sums even if you go personally to get some work done. You are supposed to call them. And some smart sounding female voice will answer you and if you ask more than few banking related questions she will be floored and will say that she will get back to you.(she will not say when) Try the email to voice your greivences and you will get a computer generated mail saying sorry for the inconvenience and the matter is looked into. This mail keeps coming even after the problem is solved through some other channel viz, risking the charges (250.00, I am told in city bank for taking their time and using their premises) you go personally and some how manage to get your problem solved.
The minimum balance is quite high compared to our poor service national banks, and every now and then you see in your computer screen, some amount is deducted explanation for which I dare not ask. If I go through this loop of phoning, e mailing and personal visit I know I am going to lose some more money. Add to this the conveyance charges if you happen to have your bank which is little far off from the place you live.

Now a days they deduct tax also at source to what ever or who ever thinks it should be done and to write about income tax department one blog is not enough, so it is impossible to get the money back. so we lose money apart from the income tax we pay regularly.
Like one of my friends said who is a retired employee of a nationalized bank, we should just take out all the investment and close the bank accounts and keep the money buried in the back yard earmarking money to be spent every year and digging it up once a year and hope that you dont outlive the money you have buried. That way we won't lose money and also our patience and cool by visiting/calling/e mailing the banks.

Kerala model

Kerala is a state which is a model in many ways for the other states of India. One of them is the literacy rate. The next one is cleanliness. You can never see the road sides, made dirty with human or animal waste even in small lanes or even in villages.
They are malayalis first and then only they think of what ever religion or subsect they belong to.
You can see in Kerala that there is no big difference between a village and a town or a city. Through out Kerala you can see houses and school which ever place it is. while going to guruvayur you can see children waiting for the bus to go to school in neat school uniform. There is no vacant land which is barren and un occupied.
The main reason is the attachment they have for their 'nadu' their birth place. Keralites, even if they move out, for better prospect, 'return' to their native place after retirement. I have seen many of my keralite friends saying that they will go back to 'nadu' after retirement and they have gone back also. I have seen many mansions in small villages on our travels inside Kerala. It is all gulf money which they spend in building in village or small town instead of in the big cities where as other NRIs tend to build in big cities.
In tamilnadu lot of migration has taken place in the past 100 or more years. Our grand parents slowly moved to the cities in search of jobs and our parents continued to live in the city and that is why many of us have a broken down house in our native village/place and a broken down temple to which once a year or so we go ceremoniously.
I know today I can not go and live in my village as there is no basic facilities. While in Kerala since there are so many people living in small places, the basic amenities like electricity, school and medical facilities are available. They have comparitively good roads too.
Once people start living in small places, the facilities will follow as it is simple economics. For example, doctors can practice only when people are there who can pay them their fees.
Today tamil nadu villages especially the ones I saw are pathetic where they don't have even drinking water as all the wells are dry due to the indiscriminate use of the borewells.
At least if we can have some small establishment in the villages and go once or twice a year to spend some time and have solar panels for electricity, rain water harvesting for water, etc. we can make a beginning towards decongesting the already overloaded cities.
Once the cities and villages merge and the infrastructure and amenities come to the villages there will not be an exodus of people to cities and villages will also prosper just like Kerala.

Devon Avenue/ Gandhi Marg

When Srini mentioned Triplicane, we thought he was joking and did not understand his point. But when we actually visited the famous Devon avenue in Chicago we understood what he meant. All must be wondering that we would have felt so happy to see 'home away from home'
No that is not the emotion which I felt. I was sad. Really Sad.
Started wondering what is wrong with us.
Even though many times as Indians we berrate ourselves, as tamilians we berrate ourselves (like long ago telling our good old friend that it is unfortunate to have got postings in Tanjore), but heart of heart we always felt upbeat about being an Indian.
For the first time in my life I had to be honest with myself that some thing is really wrong with us Indians.
Let me come to the point without beating around the bush.
The Devon avenue in Chicago is The Road where you get everything 'Desi' quite cheap and even things what every desi wants like jewellery, jade, corals, sarees, Indian dresses,vedio casettes, cds of all kind of Indian movies and music and all kind of Indian food. Lot of Indian grocery shops are there where you get things quite cheap comapred to any other Indain stores in other parts of US of A.
The place looks so like India in every respect but more in the negative aspects.
It is dirty with lot of litter thrown on the road. The shops are so close to each other. The road is so narrow I wonder if the shops have made the road narrow by encroachment. The traffic is unbelievable, people honking the horn which is literraly unheard of in this part of the world, and the drivers unruly to use a mild word , and no body giving way to the other drivers , in the two way road. Inside the shops it is so congested and crowded. The shelves and the arrangements not at all pleasing to the eye, lacking in the anbience and the aesthetic feeling.
Why can not we Indians maintain a place cleanly and have the shops etc in an organized way as they do in all other places in America.
It is just a strech of Devon avenue where some Indian shops are there which is named as Gandhi marg. I remembered reading (lot of hype was made) about it in Indian papers few years ago. You walk down the street and come to lot of Pakistani shops and which is very similar to our Gandhi marg and you look up and see the name plate of road is changed and it is named as Muhammad ali Jinnah way. (Americans have to be politically correct!!) Few blocks away it is mujibur rehman way or street. and after some time when the road widens and it starts looking like US of A it is again Devon Avenue.
Are we that uncouth that we can not maintain a locality named after our so called father of nation.
Any one who has visited the Serangoon road, serangoon plaza in singapore which is called little India can understand my point. Whole of singapore prides itself for being so clean and tidy but you visit this one place and it is so sad you feel you have woken up in one of our own uncouth places in India.
In America it is said that the Indians are in the upper end of society and if they can be complacent with such a street in chicago I wonder when we can think of having a nice surroundings back home. I who is always upbeat and postive is lost for once.