"Maharaja" Time for a silent exit

When i say Maharaja, you know what i mean. If not it's Air India.

I don't know, but anyhow i don't consider it an airline anymore. What sort of airline is an airline that frequently change the route, that drops the profitable root for the private player to rule, take new route that was never existed earlier. It doesn't have the money to pay gas companies, lethargic empoyees hardly manage to move there ass are in a industry whose dynamics keep changing in every passing seconds, yet they do strike. Are these all symptoms of a flourishing airline?

Whenever I see Air India it reminds me of Tony Fernandese of Air Asia. OK the story as it goes when he tried to set up an airline in Malaysia and got a chance to meet Dr. Mahatir. he suggested him to take over the laggard existing airline instead of setting up a new one. Air Asia was in a mess when he took over and rest is history.

The point here is, if there is a bail out or loan given which is public money on a highly non-professional airline, for its employee to be in the safety cocoon of govt of India. I don't see any other reason. Rather than pulling, dragging it to run in a less loss mode why not dilute the stake and sell the major chunk to a private player to operate. And i am pretty much sure from very next day it will run on profit. There is no rocket science needed to manage the Airline. GoAir can go from 10 to 78more in few years, Indigo from few to few hundred, so why not Air India. And i am sure you know why not?

This is high time, govt should genuinely diversify it's stake in those sector or companies that no longer profitable or can't be managed by bureaucrats. You can't take the tax money to keep alive the dead sector who are in comma with no chance of revival just on ventilator support (public money).

it's intersting to know there are some companies owned by Govt of India that are into cements, salts, cotton and don't know where else.

I don't support Ramdev, with all due respect

The moment i make my first statement, i might sound odd. Isn't it? But that's the truth. Here i am not questioning the intention of Ramdev, or his fasting but what i dislike about the whole affair is his solution to curb the black money. There are something you should leave the experts to do. You just initiate the process, monitor it but not a part of it.

If he is telling, govt should bring the money back to India that is hoarded in Swiss Bank, I am with him. One more point he was making is to stop the bigger denomination of 500 and 1000. Here lies the difference. I know his intention is to stop hoarding the black money. As a citizen, popular citizen you can ask for the transparency or the progress report on the issues that you have. But the moment you are pointing what needs to be done then there is a problem. Lets talk about the denomination. We are in a age where 9-10% of inflation is quiet natural. So in layman terms Money is loosing its value by 9-10% each year. So the amount of thing that you can buy in the Year 1991 on 100 rupees note, the same amount will cost you 560 rupees in 2011 considering 9% of inflation through out. So all the transaction in 100 rupees currency is equally painful for normal man.

Another point i would like to mention. This time govt was little pro-active in persuading in what is going through and what are there plans. They received Ramdev and finance minister talk to him personally. The minutes of meeting has never surfaced officially neither from him nor from government. So we as a common man never got to know what in reality stops them from getting the money back to India and on the black money curbing what are the steps govt is taking. If Ramdev doesn't like the Govt initiative then why he doesn't like it? Nothing in reality has come out publicly.

So my humble request will be creating agitation, and mobilizing a mass movement in anyway will put tremendous pressure on a ruling side, and sometimes powerful enough to put a functional govt to a defunct state. So lets keep the pressure on without squeezing it too much. There are several ways you can put a check on black money segment, apart from high value denomination. So let's have something concrete rather than going for a fast to see wonder overnight, as if Manmohan is sitting with Swis Bank user ID and password will log in and transfer all the money back to India. Just to give another example Singapore has a currency of 10000 sing dollar. Can you imagine one note is equivalent to 3.6 Lac rupees. So the country should be heaven for black money hoarder. Answer is a big NO. You put the check and balance in several places, that's it. Don't ask me how? I will leave this to experts to decide.

By saying this i no way defend the action that was done by Delhi police on the people who are sleeping silently and protesting. Again on the flip side I don't accept the fact where Ramdev was talking about keeping some trained young people with weapons for RavanLeela at Ram Maidan if things happen again. So the bottomline is if i am concerned about something, i will try to initiate the process that will mitigate the issue, but not by myself. Indira Gandhi during her tenure very intuitively know that science has to grow for the country to flourish. ISRO formed, atomic research center formed, even sent man to moon during her period. She herself didn't study science for the growth, she made the environment conducive for the rest to flourish. So let me re-iterate you let your concern send across the table but not the solution.

Honestly i sometimes feel you are good at the shows at morning 4 o' clock doing pranayam. You are good at that stick to it. Else always remember great power bring great responsibility. If not well directed might work as double edge sword.

Boddu, I am waiting

I hate when a man turns to soul, i hate even more when it turns out to be a near and dear. Yesterday had a painful news, news of your.... I didn't know whom to call and verify. How come you left so early not even notifying? Is it fare Annaya?

I call you Boddu. I asked you few times about me calling you by that name,and you always gracefully smile and say "No issues bhaiya". If there is a guy whose leg i normally pull, and pull frequently you are the one. Half of my coffee i had with you in office, coffee was just an excuse, to hangout was the real motive. I still remember, you used to come to me every now and then try to speak in Hindi. Things turn worse when you explain me your ROL incidents in Hindi.

I don't know why you were so close to me? We don't have much in common in terms of language, food or anything but we were gelling so well. You have called me before you left Singapore, and you told me we will meet once you are back. Is it right you won't keep your word. Please Boddu ra ra.

I still not in a mood to believe the fact you are not here, i don't want to wish for soul. I don't care. I want you back to your work smiling as usual. Waiting for an "hi" on Monday. They tell us miracle do happen here, waiting for one now. Please surprise everyone. I don't mind if you fooled us. We will have coffee at lounge. Don't forget we will take the same bus to Bedok.

I will not talk to you if you don't turn up. Never.

Love you.

(Photo i have taken on my mobile during JP Morgan race, April 2011)