Chugging along the slow lane

Lalu managed to do what I had expected him to do.. Live up to my expectations of not being able to deliver.. As he read out the railway budget for the year 2008-09, I could only stare at the TV in disbelief.. Does this guy know what he is talking about??

I strongly believe that for the country to continue its growth story, the railway infrastructure in the country must grow atleast 2-3% faster.. However, the railways plan to lay only 3500kms of new lines in the coming year.. This comes to me as too little, too late. There is no plans for real capacity augmentation on the country's most busiest sectors. Just changing the signaling systems is not enough. With plenty of railway land on both sides of existing track, laying of new tracks should be done much faster. I would love to see IR build new lines even at half the rate of its Chinese counterpart.

The reduction in passenger fares is a sham that most people fail to see through. The capacity of the existing coaches is being increased by 15-25%. This means more people cramped up in the same space. After such an increase in the carrying capacity per coach, how difficult is it to cut the fares by 3-7%, that too in the non-peak season. What a gimmick!!!

The introduction of the 63 new trains seems like a good move, but without the required infrastructure growth, would it be possible to ensure timely running of trains.. Or the cleanliness of toilets on board?? This apart, I see Bihar, and to some extent Tamil Nadu gobbling up a lions share of these new trains. Regionalism?? Nah, they are just taking the divisive politics to a new level..

What Lalu has effectively done over the last 5 years is disastrous, and his successor will inherit a overloaded, over fatigued network of rail lines, not to mention the sixth pay commission recommendations , which could topple the boat.. I have a feeling even if the UPA manages to win in 2009, Lalu may not want to be the railway minister again!!!

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Enchanted

107 minutes of this left me completely enchanted!! It was a fantasy meets reality movie, and although it requires one to completely suspend disbelief, it guarantees entertainment. I actually came out of the theater humming, smiling, and generally feeling good about everything..

But entertainment apart, it asked me why we are not able to listen to our heart, and follow our dreams. And why dreams don't come true. Why there is no happily ever after in reality.. However, there are no easy answers coming.

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Sharma and Sharma

The find of the season. Cricket in India has found its latest heroes, the kind who are putting the world champions into a tight spot, again and again..

One has only to watch Ishant bowl to Ponting to believe the talent that this young man has. So much so that Ponting has gone on record praising the young gun.. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma's contribution may not be well hyped, but his stands in the recent games with the skipper have saved India from batting collapse many a times.

It is on these young men that I pin my hopes of restoring the pride in 2011, after the mauling in the Caribbean last year.

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Hail the leader

In leadership, as in the martial arts, your stance is critical to your success.
If you have a weak stance, then every way you lead will be fundamentally flawed.

A small discussion in a casual gathering prompted me to do some deep thinking. And then, the above saying came to my mind.. And I realized how important it is to take a stance. Not taking a stance and waiting for things to resolve themselves is the worst possible thing. A good leader is one who has ears on the ground, and hands full..

Unfortunately, there seems to be a dearth of such leaders, everywhere I look. Not just in the government, but everywhere.. So called leaders are disconnected from their subjects, and refuse to take action till rumblings precipitate into a crisis.. In such circumstances, we can only be the change we want to be. And then, show others the way, and change the world, such that the people say, We did it ourselves, for it is rightly said, "Leadership is action, not position".

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Grounded

Bangaloreans can take heart, they will not be the only ones suffering from the connectivity issues on the new airport.. It seems even in Hyderabad, where the new airport opens in about a month, there is no proper road connectivity.. How have things come to such a turn?? Not one but two instances.. An airport takes atleast four-five years to plan, and another three to construct, and a connecting road may take, in the worst case, a couple of years.. But still, the airports are ready, but the roads are not.. Wonder where we went wrong?? And what should we do to prevent another infrastructure disaster??

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Kicking Ass

Thats what the Democrats plan to do later this year.. Media reports suggests that this year is going to be the year of the donkey.. What remains to be seen is whether it will be a female donkey, or whether it will be an African-American one.. Either way, it will be a first.. Any change will be for the better, for it will be tough to be worse than Bush ;)

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