Blast from the past/ समाजवादी की वापसी

The grey haired generation (GenX, in Web language) among us will remember the halycon 70s when all banks in India were nationalized in one stroke. Over the last 6 months as the credit crunch assumed crisis proportions

• The UK government nationalized Northern Rock Bank
• The US Federal Reserve assisted the buy out of failing Bear Stearns by J. P. Morgan
• as well as the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America
• and propped up mortgage institutions, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• On a related note, the Italian government has left no stone unturned to save Alitalia.

More than 10 years ago, the dot.com collapse left investors and entrepeneurs with huge losses, but no government agency intervened. That it is doing so now indicates the gravity of the situation, probably for a huge number of people. Governments have to step in when crises go out of hand. So, were the critics of unbridled laissez faire capitalism correct? Aren't these acts of socialism, a much maligned word in a post-WTO world?

Kumbhkarna's slumber/ कुम्भकर्ण की नींद

Delhi,Varanasi,Mumbai,Hyderabad,Jaipur,Bangalore,Ahmedabad, Surat (as a warning) and today, Delhi again. The chain continues and the average hardworking Indian is reduced to think ' where next' in this series of macabre attacks. Every time there is a series of blasts, a terror group quickly claims responsibility. Sadly, the government neither accepts nor discharges its responsibility. The terror mongers have their plan all thought through. But the law enforcing authorities have none in reply.Till date, India has not been able to formulate a coherent response - political, economic, judicial or military- to the rising tide of homegrown terror. (In contrast, Italy has soldiers on the streets to fight crime). Will the country's security set up stop sleeping on the job at least now that it has struck Delhi's poshest shopping areas?

Before the Nano, there is ......

....the bicycle.It is heartening to note that this non-polluting, no-space occupying and healthy mode of personal transport is showing robust sales in India. This year in particular has been excellent according to this article. No, the reason is not high fuel prices or inflation but something in keeping with our electoral traditions. Read on.

9/11- In memoriam

The tragic events of this day 7 years ago in the USA marked the end of the laissez passe (let it pass) phase in modern history. Since then safety and security are the buzzwords in all aspects of life - shopping, travelling, jobs, cellphone conversations and even Internet browsing. Wars are being waged on terror and just like the rest of the world, India has had to face up to the reality. That of fighting an organized and unseen enemy. A lot of individual freedoms have been compromised in its wake. Whether these are justified or not is a debate that will continue. But for all of us who lived through that day watching in horror at the TV screens, no single event has changed our lives in the last 10 years as the 9/11 attacks have.

In search of the cosmic beginning

The world's most ambitious physics experiment begins today near Geneva, Switzerland. Using a 27km-long underground tunnel which houses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists will attempt to re-create the conditions of the Universe at its birth. The project has taken 30 years from conception to switch on and has cost $10 billion so far. Read more about its mindboggling size and complexity here.

Would you like to be the President?

If so, just follow this link (thanks to a friend) and get your electoral campaign off to a great start. Just shows the power of computing and the Internet. You might just be a click away from the Presidency.

Paens

It has been a good year for Indian sport. There was an encouraging show by athletes at the Beijing Olympics. India beat Sri Lanka on their home soil in an ODI series for the first time. This weekend, the battle-scarred veteran Leander Paes, won the US Open mixed doubles title with Cara Black of Zimbabwe. He and his Czech partner, Lukas Dlouhy, finished as runners-up in the men's doubles. A phenomenal performance by the Warrior.

IAEA/NSG clearance to India

The issue of a nuclear deal between India and the USA has raised a storm over the last few months. Yesterday, the two principal multilateral organizations (the IAEA and the NSG) ended more than 30 years of nuclear isolation and allowed India to resume trading in civilian nuclear energy. While the debate over the impact of this waiver ('clean or not') rages on,the least that India gains is a chair at the nuclear high table and the space to negotiate for energy technology. A great achievement, by any standard.

The noble profession

My favourite teacher in high school was a gentleman who gave weekly lectures on science outside the school curriculum. Astronomy and its immense sweep was one topic. Another was items of daily life such a the utility of torque in bicycles, the principle of priming in water pumps, the difference between AC /DC. He comes to mind often when I explain something similar to my son.
Today is Teacher's Day in India. It is a time to remember that much of India's current knowledge muscle and technical expertise-based economy owes a lot to millions of unsung teachers who educate generations of young people.
Do you want to post a memory about your teachers? Go ahead and do so.

Ganapati bappa morya!

On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi (3rd September), our greetings to all in the Indian community. Ganesha is probably India's favourite in the pantheon, for children and adults alike. The day also signals the start of the festival season.

Open thread 1: Rome schools

Many of you asked about schools and English medium education in Rome. Here is a link that summarily gives details about such schools in Rome.
http://www.romeschools.org/
- Does anyone want to start a discussion on this issue?
- Do you want to share your experiences?
- Which school would you unhesitatingly recommend to someone who has just arrived in
Rome?
Use the comments link below this post to communicate.

Our favourite sport in Italy

Did you know that cricket came to Italy as far back as 1793? This and some other interesting details about the sport in India in this article in The Guardian. Needless to say, expats from our sub-continent form the core of the cricketing revolution in the making.

BA to begin flights to Hyderabad

From December 2008. Read about it here. The flight from Hyderabad will connect 19 American cities from London.

बिहार में बाढ़

हर साल बिहार में बाढ़ आती है। पर इस बार, कुछ ज्यादा ही। इस के बारे में पढिये यहाँ पर।
A contrast from the previous post about the glowing economy.

India buzz

A recent collection of articles in the 'Economist', about the country, its economy and its challenges.

Trouble in Paradise

The situation in J & K is serious and that is an understatement. It concerns us all Indians, will yet another generation grow up under the shadow of the gun?

Janamashtami Greetings

On the occasion of Krishna Janamashtami, greetings to all.

Taste of India

A sumptious picture of India, link courtesy Churumuri blog.

Two weeks ago and now

Prior to the Olympics, Foreign Policy magazine, reviewed the worst ever Olympic countries with India leading that pack (followed by Israel, Venezuela and Taiwan). Now, economist Bibek Debroy comes up with an econometrics based analysis and prediction of India's performance. He expects the tally to double (3 going to 6) by 2020.

What next after Beijing?

Echoing thoughts about a post-Beijing 2008 sports plan, is this post here.

India's best ever Olympics

One bronze medal today. This one in the 66kg freestyle wrestling category by Sushil Kumar. A medal is assured in the 75kg boxing division, thanks to Vijender Kumar's entry into the semi-finals. This medal tally (in addition to Abhinav Bindra's gold) is India's best ever. Not good enough for a large population and huge economy like ours. But it is a start and this may just be the impetus Indian sports needs to start climbing the medal board from 2012.

Revamp in progress

This site is being restructured and re-designed. Thanks to all the Web tool designers who make life easy for still-wet-behind-the-ears bloggers.

India, 61

On the occasion of the 61st Independence Day tomorrow, we wish all Indians, wherever they may be, health and prosperity. Most people retire as they enter the 60s. India, as it happens, is just taking off.

First ever individual gold medal at the Olympics

11th August 2008 was a proud day for all Indians when Abhinav Bindra won the country's first individual gold medal in Olympic history at Beijing. It is a huge achievement and we sincerely hope that it is a sign of more to come.

Greetings everyone!

Greetings to all for the New Year and Republic Day.
Some of us had the chance to meet at the Indian Embassy on the occasion of 26th January and discuss about proposed activities in 2008. Watch this space.