Provoke some...

Just behind my house is the sprawling "Infocity", part of the 35 sqkm mega ITIR (Information Technology Investment Region), an ambitious government initiative with an objective of creating employment opportunities and economic growth. ITIR is like a Mega SEZ where the Central Govt funds the development of External links like Highways, Rail and other transportation infrastructure, State develops internal public amenities and provides infrastruture for private developers to build their campuses and manufacturing units.  One day, on my umpteenth fitness initiative, I went for an early morning walk in the "state-of-the-art" Infocity only to be welcomed by masticating cows sprawled right in the middle of the road adorned by cow dung, dirt and dog's pee, the concoction's smell heavy in the air. The state of the jogging/cycling track was even worse with cobwebs dangling from thoughtfully planted dense trees. There was no hope in hell that I would walk on that roa...

The huge debate recently was whether the government should bail out Kingfisher Airlines? The counter argument, spearheaded by Mr Bajaj, is that in a democratic (read, capitalist) environment the private sector needs to fend for itself. Companies that are unable to manage the business intricacies should be allowed to sink. The Government as well as majority of the people don't think that tax payers' money should be used to save a plunging private company. Got it... The tax payers' money should be spent on developmental projects and for the overall uplift of the country... a country in which 25% people are below poverty line... which as per the latest planning commission report stands at Rs 32 per day. And anyways, Airlines as an industry can never fall in the ambit of the set of industries or sectors where the Government would like to invest. It is an industry for the elite, for the crème de la crème and definitely not for the masses. I am sorry but am I missing something...

When I was in college, all of us from the so-called ‘middle-class’ were inspired by one name – Rajat Gupta, who lost his journalist father at the tender age of sixteen and then his mother two years later and went on to become the Managing Director of McKinsey, one of the world’s largest and prominent consultancy firm. Ramalinga Raju was born in the family of farmers and was just an ordinary commerce graduate from Vijayawada. He founded Satyam Computers and became an ideal for all the IT entrepreneurs as he brushed shoulders with the likes of Azim Premji & Narayan Murthy as his company scaled heights. Then something snapped… In 2009, Ramalinga Raju was imprisoned on charges of cheating, embezzlement and insider trading. And just a few days back, Rajat Gupta was apprehended by FBI for alleged securities fraud and insider trading. At the time of their incarceration, Ramalinga Raju and Rajat Gupta had a personal wealth of more than USD 1 billion and USD 100 million respectively, th...