What happened, honey?

What happened to you? How could you change so much? I always believed that I could blindly trust you, because you were the most pure in the entire world. If anything went wrong with you, it could be easily detected. We would take corrective steps, so that you maintain that pure and pious nature of yours. So pure, I thought, you were that man's best friend stayed away from you and did not dare to cross your path. For the past seven years, my day has begun with you only!!

But then, this greedy and ignorant world overcame you. You got pulled in its drive to derive the maximum benefit in shortest possible time. I was so naive, that I couldn't realise that someone as pure as you could be dragged into this trap. It was a bolt out of the blue for me. A, rude jolt, a wakeup call, that none in this world is untouched by its character.

The Indian society's ecological guardian, Centre for Science and Environment, and its director, Sunita Narain, announced to the nation about your adultery. Yes, my dear honey, their extensive survey and tests declared most of the honey being sold in India is laden with antibiotics. A further jolt was that these antibiotics have been banned in most of the developed world. Those who trade you as a product, injected the innocent bees with such antibiotics, so that they do not fall ill and continue producing.

Sunita Narain says that your downfall began when a few ill-informed people thought that imported bees are a better proposition, as they can produce more of your ilk. But, those imported bees were not familiar with the Indian conditions. They started falling ill and dying. To avoid this, they were injected with antibiotics and over generations they still continue to consume such stuff. Perhaps, not realising that they are spoiling (and have now already spoilt) our relationship. These antibiotics have now percolated into my body and have probably caused irreparable damages. You were supposed to keep me healthy by detoxifying my body. But, you have contaminated it.

Dear honey, with a heavy heart, I would like to tell you that I am ending our relationship with immediate effect. It can only be restored if you restore back to your former self. Pressurise your masters to reform and to restore you back. Only then, come to me. I will welcome you with open arms.

Amen: Autobiography of a nun: Dr. Sister Jesme

What happens when the rakshaks (protectors) become bhakshaks (tormentors)? We have to either bear it silently, because no one would believe us, or rebel against the system.

Sr. Jesme's book, is the story of her rebellion against, what she terms as atrocities of the Church against the nuns of the congregation. In her book, she talks about the unexpected activities that go behind the closed walls and doors of the convent and the Church. She talks of the illicit, and many times, forced relations between nuns, physical relations between priests (Father, Brother, etc.) and nuns and how sometimes these relations affect the nun's progress in the congregation.

A place of religious activity should be free from the five enemies- lust, anger, greed, attachment, jealousy and ego. However, the priests and nuns of the Church do not seem to have conquered those. The sadder part is that nuns in the congregation are involved in political one-upmanship and try to plot against one another.  On top of that, there is a class (and caste) conflict within the convent. Sisters coming in from poorer (or less educated) backgrounds are treated as lesser humans and are engaged only in menial and physical activities. The sisters from upper class and those well-educated, keep away from them and encourage the new entrants to behave in the similar manner. All this, when they preach that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. The Church, as expected, has denied all the allegations levelled by Sr. Jesme. They have tried to label her an mentally unstable, and its official publication in Kerala has gone far to call her a prostitute. The Church has constantly stone-walled attempts to investigate the allegations. What is it afraid of? Let the place of religion be cleansed of the deviants.

As a book, the writing is not too much to be talked about. Sr. Jesme doesn't give a time-line of the events. This is perhaps because it would allow a trace-back of all the persons involved in the incidents. What, therefore, happens is that you do not get a feel of the duration for which she suffered a particular incident. The incidents too are written in a manner, their enormity never dawns upon you. You get a feeling that they are written in a haste and hush-hush manner. Only, since you know that these persons are bound by vows of chastity, such acts are entirely unacceptable. Similarly, acts of irregularities in colleges do not seem very dangerous, when you read it, but only when you analyse it, the enormity dawns upon you.

Another problem is that, if your a not a Christian, it is very difficult for you to understand the terminologies involved. Is Mother Superior higher than a Priest in hierarchy or not? Who has to obey whose orders? There should have been a flowchart of the hierarchy of the congregation in the book. This also would allow non-Christians to realise the extent to which unacceptable behaviour has spread within the congregations and priestly orders.

Overall, the book is an eye-opener. Unless the Church openly investigates all the allegations, more such allegations will continue to turn up. It should realise that after all, the nuns and priests are humans and occasionally a few might give in to the temptations. But it doesn't mean that they should treat themselves as above all and infallible. Instead, investigate the causes, rectify the situations so that fewer people repeat the mistakes.

R.I.P. cyber cafes

The year 1996, saw the internet coming to India. In the initial stages, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) was the only entity allowed to function as an ISP. And like all those things that came from the west, the accessibility of the internet was restricted to a privileged few, as the cost were tremendously high. Then, came competition. With private sector ISPs roped in to provide services, the cost of acquiring an internet connection dropped, but was still very high, compared to today. There was another problem, though. The cost of owning a PC was still prohibitively high. So, penetration of the internet into homes still wasn't that great. To own a PC with an internet connection was a status symbol in those days.

This situation presented a unique opportunity for business. People bought or leased out PCs, got an internet connection and started providing access to others who couldn't afford. These entities were termed as cyber cafes. Depending on the location, speed and ambiance, they charged anywhere between Rs. 20 to Rs. 45/- per hour. They were a boon for the teens (who were the first to latch on to the internet wave), who couldn't afford to own a computer at home. And it was convenient, because you could access the internet from anywhere in the city, without too much worry.

Then, the inevitable happened. Sensing business opportunity, cyber cafes started springing up like mushrooms in the monsoon. There was a time when two or three cyber cafes would be located within a distance of half a kilometre. The good thing was that rates dropped to Rs. 10- Rs. 20 per hour. This caused a reduction in margins and business was more dependent on volumes. Prices of hardware too dropped, thereby allowing scale-up of business easily.

Then came the second inevitable thing. Beginning somewhere in 2003, prices of hardware dropped drastically. Computers were now more affordable to individuals. From 2005, internet connectivity improved, with broadband access becoming available at a very less premium over dial-up access.  In big cities, this dried up the flow of people to cyber cafes. People started accessing the net from the cosiness and security of their homes. Slowly, cyber cafes started closing down, giving way to other booming businesses like mobile phone handsets, restaurants and retail stores. From two-three cafes in half a kilometre radius, the number came down to one every one kilometre or more. They too are struggling for business and have to keep up the revenue by providing other services such as gaming, or selling pre-paid phone refills, computer accessories like CD/DVD pen-drives, etc.

I too didn't seem to miss the cyber cafes too much. Till, the internet at home was down and there was no chance of the technician visiting home for rectification and restoring of the connection, as there were three days of holidays. Grudgingly, I trudged down the familiar lanes around my house, searching for a cyber cafe, so that I could check my e-mail and reply to the ones that needed urgent action. But alas, where there existed five cafes three years ago, only one was left and that too, tucked away to the extreme end of the lane. The cyber cafes have played an important part in familiarising the internet to lakhs of people in the country. In small towns, they still do that. All, we can say is, R.I.P., cyber cafes!

Idli House

So, it was time for another eating excursion in the city. And after a long long time. And it was again, in Matunga. Idli House is a sister concern of A. Ramanayak, which, as the name suggests, serves only idlis of various kind. It is a fairly recent outlet (though must be more than 10 years old) and serves more than ten types of idlis.

It is located in King's Circle (now known Maheshwari Garden) in Matunga. The restaurant is a fairly small place, with only three tables laid out. Of course, there is a table lined along the wall, where you could stand and eat, if you are super hungry and/or do not want to wait till the tables are cleared, which may take considerable time.

We went there, hungry as ever at around 8:00 AM on a rainy Sunday morning. And were just amazed at the variety of idlis on offer. Kanchipuram idli, Mysore rawa idli, pepper idli, etc. I began with ordering a Kanchipuram idli, shown on the left. Served hot and fresh, with unlimited sambar and coconut chutney to go with it, the idli tasted awesome. It was garnished with cashews and raisins, the chtuney was awesome and the sambar too was tasty, typical Udipi style sambar. Of course, one idli isn't enough to fill my stomach, and that too when it is such a tasty idli. So, the next dish I ordered was a khotto. This idli is steamed in kekdi (kevda) leaves and, therefore, there is a nice aroma and taste of those leaves when you eat the idli. The idli was super soft and just melted into the mouth. The other kinds of idlis available are Mudho, which is idli steamed by wrapping the batter in jackfruit leaves, Mysore Rawa idli, pepper idli and of course, the regular steamed idli. They also have dish called idli upma.

And, the accompaniments are not limited to sambar and chutney. You can choose from rasam, GSB daalitoya or Madras style sambar. And the famous red powder (called gun powder as a nick name) is also available instead of the regular coconut chutney.

Top this sumptuous breakfast with a piping hot filter coffee and you are done. The only thing remaining is a nice bed to lie down and digest all that delicious food.

IIPM's accreditation paradox

It was probably spoken in hushing undertones, but everybody was quite sure that there is something fishy about the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM). Otherwise, why would any B-school come out with full page advertisements almost every month bragging about their so called "achievements", grand course work and daring innocent students to think beyond the IIMs. Throw in a few goodies like free laptops, etc. and call yourself a self-styled management guru, a youth icon and you would have gullible people believing you. But the principle caveat emptor applies to everybody, though most are not cautious and fall into the trap unknowingly.

Notice how IIPM advertisements never carried a list of companies where their students were placed. If you brag about your courses, you can surely brag about the companies that pick your students. But no, in a recent advertisement that appeared in ToI, here's what IIPM has to say

Though almost all students have found placement in the past, we do not guarantee job since we are not a Placement Agency.

Well, they are right in one sense. But then, people definitely expect to be placed in good companies (like ICICI, Tata, HUL, etc.) as IIPM claims that its courses go beyond the IIMs. And in this advertisement, they claim to think beyond Harvard!! When, they do not have even a single faculty who holds a doctorate or conducts any research. So, placements too might come from companies who want to recruit from beyond Harvard!! Who are those? The Professors in-charge of placements at various IITs and IIMs discuss with newspapers about the previous year's recruitment including the companies that came on campus. Never saw Arindam Chaudhari doing it.

Enough of this introduction, I guess. You might know all these things about IIPM. The clincher in IIPM's advertisement is its following statement on Accreditation:

We have never attached any importance to accreditation by national/international bodies. Institute teaching only 600 contact hours have high ranking whereas others teaching around 1200 contact hours have been ranked low by criteria which has nothing to do with the knowledge imparted by such institutes. We have confidence in our own academic standard. Our competition is with our own excellence achieved in the past. Those, who seek statutory recognition, need not apply.

Now, I do not know what excellence they have achieved in the past, going just by sentence construction, whoever writes their advertising scripts, surely, isn't excellent enough. This statement is like Nokia saying, we do not go for regulatory approvals because we believe in our manufacturing capabilities. Surely, organisations like FCC, EU, etc. won't buy this argument from Nokia. Nor, will the customer, who would like an independent standards body certifying the quality and safety of the device. So, why shouldn't we be bothered about such blatant over confidence. Why doesn't IIPM openly say, "We do not offer any kind of degrees. Our so-called degrees are not recognised by AICTE, UGC or any other technical and higher education body in the country." The UGC has finally woken up from its slumber and put an advertisement in the newspapers, declaring that IIPM is not a university nor is in any position to award any kind of degree under the present laws that govern higher education. But then, UGC's mickey-mouse size unattractive advertisement comes nowhere close to the marketing onslaught of IIPM!!

But IIPM believes in the ranking system, as they have quoted it in their statement on accreditation. They believe that higher ranked institutes can do with less course work, because such institutes impart better knowledge. Now, if accreditation itself is not believed in, how can they claim the differentiation between two institutes. The accreditation process might be flawed, rankings might go wrong, but they serve a useful process to help people make informed decisions. All this stuff, makes IIPM nothing more than a private coaching institute. It is not a management institute. Still daring to think beyond Harvard, Mr. Chaudhari? First, try and get beyond Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi.