...I am totally anguished by the politicization of the entire reservations business. just because Senor Arjun Singh wishes to score political points off Dr Manmohan Singh is no reason to bastardize the entire education system in the country.
It is bad enough that nearly 60 years after Indian independence, the oppressed and deprived class continue to toil in misery and hopelessness. Worse is the insouciance of the ruling classes that tends to opine that reservations (in higher education and in jobs) is the only form of affirmative action that needs to be tried out.
Why dont these people ensure basic physical safety, sanitation, and primary education, for these poor-est of the poor? I have seen classmates at the IIT that came in through the SC/ST reservation system - 90% of them did not deserve to use it since their respective fathers had used the same system before them to rise to the top rungs of their own public sector jobs! Unless this creamy layer is contained, and the realization sets in that deprivation applies to so-called forward castes as well when they live in poverty, no affirmative action program will be effective.
Most wonderful is Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav's munificent offer to reserve seats in colleges for the so-called forward classes based on percentage of the population...
Go ahead, dilute educational brands that have been developed over the past 40+ years in a single diabolic stroke of the political pen.
While travelling in the US, almost every Pakistani I met (and there are several of them, all very nice to know, etc) had come there for under-graduate studies (since the college education system in Pakistan has totally collapsed after Bhutto successfully politicized the campuses in the 1970s). Indians seemed to typically come there for post-graduate studies.
Give the devils here in India a chance and I am sure this ratio will change - and an increasing number of even middle-class parents whose children do not get through to a premier college will start sending their offspring, and a whole boatload of foreign exchange, abroad to educate them in the US and Australia and elsewhere, and fund US and Australian universities and the education systems there.
Eventually the best faculty will be disheartened about teaching at the so-called temples of learning in India and avoid taking up employment there, in the same way that abysmal salaries and work conditions are keeping the best and brightest away from becoming school teachers.
This will be the death-knell of our much-vaunted education system. Talk of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Saturday, April 01, 2006
A Great Movie ... and a Let-Down...Part 2
...For a movie to put a critically acclaimed one like Parineeta in the shade, the bar has to be set pretty high.
In fact, but for the obsession award-givers have with melodrama and seriousness, this "great" movie from 2005 should have given quite a run at the awards as well to the supposedly more appreciated "Parineeta" and "Black".
"Bunty Aur Babli" is one of those once-in-a-lifetime perfect movies that does not stop to meander at all, that does not give into the temptation to pull in the maudlin though it has no (or minimal) relevance to the core theme.
An amazingly well-made crime caper, with nary a false-step (unless one wants to dwell on the unimportant fact that the action almost never reaches Mumbai though it professes to do so), Shaad Ali Saigal has authored a brilliant offering on the heels of his earlier highly appreciated "Saathiya".
Bunty Aur Babli is thoroughly irreverential, features two of the most versatile stars in contemporary Indian cinema - Abhishek and Rani - who have acquired an almost chameleoning ability to inhabit the characters they play, wonderful music that blends in so wonderfully into the whole (another outstanding score from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and totally apt lyrics from the RD Burman of lyricists - the one and only Gulzar!), great cameos by stars of yesteryear and in particular, superb use of Aishwarya and Amitabh, and borrows liberally from great ideas from impostors and con-men the world over and weaves them into the Indian context.
More on the music. "Kajra Re" has been written about extensively (and deservedly so - Alisha Chinai did full justice to the song) but I like so many of the rest too (Sonu Nigam and Mahalaxmi Iyer's "Chup Chup Ke" is delightful, so is "Dhadak Dhadak" sung by one of my perennial favorites Udit Narayan in consort with the uniquely gifted Sunidhi Chauhan, and Sukhwinder Singh and Jaspinder Narula showcase their talent yet again in the title number co-sung by Shankar Mahadevan) that this has quickly risen into my must-own-CD collection (along with Dhoom, Hum Tum, Dil Chahta Hai, Parineeta, Taal, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,...)
(BTW, have not the last 5 years been one of the most productive ever for fans of Hindi film music in terms of range of selections, quality of songs - lyrics and music, new voices coming up, et al; but this is subject for another post!)
The wondrous part of Bunty Aur Babli is that even the negatives seem to become a positive. For example, after a long time, Rani Mukherjee seems chubby (to put it kindly, especially when she dances around in black hotpants). Yet my wife and I could not agree on whether it was a case of her letting her fitness get away from her, or it was a case of a dedicated actress putting on flab to live the role as a small-town Babli making it good!!! BTW, Abhishek Bachchan is perfect - he lives the role, I could NOT find a flaw in his performance, he lives every disguise and act he puts on, and his body of work (Yuva, Dhoom, Bunty Aur Babli, the cameo in Hum Tum, the supposedly outstanding performance in Sarkar, and more) already puts him on track to match his fathers opus.
Superb movie - this "Bunty Aur Babli", I will see it again and again; it merits dissection and analysis like a "Sholay" or a "Mr & Mrs 55"
So much so that Bunty and Babli have made it into the common folklore as symbols of the ambitious small town Indian youth...see it to experience it!
In fact, but for the obsession award-givers have with melodrama and seriousness, this "great" movie from 2005 should have given quite a run at the awards as well to the supposedly more appreciated "Parineeta" and "Black".
"Bunty Aur Babli" is one of those once-in-a-lifetime perfect movies that does not stop to meander at all, that does not give into the temptation to pull in the maudlin though it has no (or minimal) relevance to the core theme.
An amazingly well-made crime caper, with nary a false-step (unless one wants to dwell on the unimportant fact that the action almost never reaches Mumbai though it professes to do so), Shaad Ali Saigal has authored a brilliant offering on the heels of his earlier highly appreciated "Saathiya".
Bunty Aur Babli is thoroughly irreverential, features two of the most versatile stars in contemporary Indian cinema - Abhishek and Rani - who have acquired an almost chameleoning ability to inhabit the characters they play, wonderful music that blends in so wonderfully into the whole (another outstanding score from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and totally apt lyrics from the RD Burman of lyricists - the one and only Gulzar!), great cameos by stars of yesteryear and in particular, superb use of Aishwarya and Amitabh, and borrows liberally from great ideas from impostors and con-men the world over and weaves them into the Indian context.
More on the music. "Kajra Re" has been written about extensively (and deservedly so - Alisha Chinai did full justice to the song) but I like so many of the rest too (Sonu Nigam and Mahalaxmi Iyer's "Chup Chup Ke" is delightful, so is "Dhadak Dhadak" sung by one of my perennial favorites Udit Narayan in consort with the uniquely gifted Sunidhi Chauhan, and Sukhwinder Singh and Jaspinder Narula showcase their talent yet again in the title number co-sung by Shankar Mahadevan) that this has quickly risen into my must-own-CD collection (along with Dhoom, Hum Tum, Dil Chahta Hai, Parineeta, Taal, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,...)
(BTW, have not the last 5 years been one of the most productive ever for fans of Hindi film music in terms of range of selections, quality of songs - lyrics and music, new voices coming up, et al; but this is subject for another post!)
The wondrous part of Bunty Aur Babli is that even the negatives seem to become a positive. For example, after a long time, Rani Mukherjee seems chubby (to put it kindly, especially when she dances around in black hotpants). Yet my wife and I could not agree on whether it was a case of her letting her fitness get away from her, or it was a case of a dedicated actress putting on flab to live the role as a small-town Babli making it good!!! BTW, Abhishek Bachchan is perfect - he lives the role, I could NOT find a flaw in his performance, he lives every disguise and act he puts on, and his body of work (Yuva, Dhoom, Bunty Aur Babli, the cameo in Hum Tum, the supposedly outstanding performance in Sarkar, and more) already puts him on track to match his fathers opus.
Superb movie - this "Bunty Aur Babli", I will see it again and again; it merits dissection and analysis like a "Sholay" or a "Mr & Mrs 55"
So much so that Bunty and Babli have made it into the common folklore as symbols of the ambitious small town Indian youth...see it to experience it!
A Great Movie ... and a Let-Down...Part 1
Over the past month or so, we have seen more movies than we saw in the year before that.
We saw "Rang De Basanti" in a theatre and liked it a lot.
Then we decided to get caught up on the 2005 Hindi movies that we had not seen. We have seen two thus far, were delighted with one while the other was a slight let-down.
Let me start with the "let-down" first. Perhaps if we had seen this first, we might have enjoyed it. But we did not and the other one so enthralled us that "Parineeta" was perhaps doomed from the very beginning.
Having a wondrous and simple beauty as the heroine, one of the most improved dramatic actors as the hero, and a wonderful sound-track from Shantanu Moitra that has dominated the airwaves for over 10 months now (at least), it was but obvious that our expectations were sky high.
I have not read Sarat Chandra's story so am not sure if the problem is with the original or with the way in which Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Pradeep Sarkar have interpreted it in the screenplay. But the movie begins well and has several lulls that are frustrating.
The worst sequence is the one where a (hopelessly mis-cast and ugly) Sunjay Dutt is bragging about how he became a steel magnate. It really challenges one's intelligence to think that his sister, who has been gushing over his desire to eat her "hand-made" cake has not told the rest about his life story. It was set in the 1960s so it is possible (though improbable) that this beloved and wildly successful brothers pictures were not available to share with his doting sisters and their "like-family" neighbours. But by making him narrate his own life's story, it makes the Sunjay Dutt character singularly self-obsessed and arrogant, and contrasts dramatically with what emerges later.
Equally bad is the inadequate direction given to the beautiful Vidya Balan on how to balance laughter with tears. The best example of this is of course Kamalahaasan in Ramesh Sippy's "Saagar". But otherwise, it is best to avoid such sequences entirely - the inexperience of Pradeep Sarkar as a movie director shows through here.
And the end was so melodramatic, with the scrawny Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan) suddenly seeming strong and breaking open the wall between his house and Lolita (Vidya Balan) - even though it was plausible that she would have left for the airport before he got through with his efforts.
Great music, a haunting performance from Saif Ali Khan, a beautiful new heroine, excellent supporting cast (other than the aforementioned and aging Mr Dutt), great sets and wonderful recreation of th 1960s era Calcutta, brilliant photography, a director with a brilliant feel for visuals, Rekha in one of the most dignified and stately "item numbers" since her own "Salaam-e-Ishq" way back when, a star turn by using Amitabh Bachchan as the sutradhar providing the voice-over, all of it has gone into making an above-average movie (and not the great one it could have been) because the debutante director did not know where to draw the line on the maudlin.
Thankfully, we still had memories of the great movie to fall back upon...will dwell upon that in a separate post.
We saw "Rang De Basanti" in a theatre and liked it a lot.
Then we decided to get caught up on the 2005 Hindi movies that we had not seen. We have seen two thus far, were delighted with one while the other was a slight let-down.
Let me start with the "let-down" first. Perhaps if we had seen this first, we might have enjoyed it. But we did not and the other one so enthralled us that "Parineeta" was perhaps doomed from the very beginning.
Having a wondrous and simple beauty as the heroine, one of the most improved dramatic actors as the hero, and a wonderful sound-track from Shantanu Moitra that has dominated the airwaves for over 10 months now (at least), it was but obvious that our expectations were sky high.
I have not read Sarat Chandra's story so am not sure if the problem is with the original or with the way in which Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Pradeep Sarkar have interpreted it in the screenplay. But the movie begins well and has several lulls that are frustrating.
The worst sequence is the one where a (hopelessly mis-cast and ugly) Sunjay Dutt is bragging about how he became a steel magnate. It really challenges one's intelligence to think that his sister, who has been gushing over his desire to eat her "hand-made" cake has not told the rest about his life story. It was set in the 1960s so it is possible (though improbable) that this beloved and wildly successful brothers pictures were not available to share with his doting sisters and their "like-family" neighbours. But by making him narrate his own life's story, it makes the Sunjay Dutt character singularly self-obsessed and arrogant, and contrasts dramatically with what emerges later.
Equally bad is the inadequate direction given to the beautiful Vidya Balan on how to balance laughter with tears. The best example of this is of course Kamalahaasan in Ramesh Sippy's "Saagar". But otherwise, it is best to avoid such sequences entirely - the inexperience of Pradeep Sarkar as a movie director shows through here.
And the end was so melodramatic, with the scrawny Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan) suddenly seeming strong and breaking open the wall between his house and Lolita (Vidya Balan) - even though it was plausible that she would have left for the airport before he got through with his efforts.
Great music, a haunting performance from Saif Ali Khan, a beautiful new heroine, excellent supporting cast (other than the aforementioned and aging Mr Dutt), great sets and wonderful recreation of th 1960s era Calcutta, brilliant photography, a director with a brilliant feel for visuals, Rekha in one of the most dignified and stately "item numbers" since her own "Salaam-e-Ishq" way back when, a star turn by using Amitabh Bachchan as the sutradhar providing the voice-over, all of it has gone into making an above-average movie (and not the great one it could have been) because the debutante director did not know where to draw the line on the maudlin.
Thankfully, we still had memories of the great movie to fall back upon...will dwell upon that in a separate post.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Professional Photographers at Events
I have been to several weddings and similar large social events in India over the past 8 months. I typically prefer the wedding ceremony itself to the reception afterwards for closer friends and family as one gets to be a part of a smaller more intimate group.
But for the ubiquitous photographers, I really enjoy people-watching at these events. The photographers seem to have decided that since they will be recording the event for posterity, they are the most important persons in the hall. Hence regardless of the seating position, the most prominent sight for you is the posterior of one of these abominations.
And then they turn away from the event itself, only to show their backs to the dais and now click the audience trying to gawk around their girth at the goings-on that they came to see. I have seen the indulgent photographers miss entirely on clicking key events such as the tying of the mangalasutra no less, and then ask for an action replay so that they can provide it for future replays by the families...
I always thought we meet to create memories, and that we part to preserve them...and that photographs are only an aid to memory, not the memory itself!
But for the ubiquitous photographers, I really enjoy people-watching at these events. The photographers seem to have decided that since they will be recording the event for posterity, they are the most important persons in the hall. Hence regardless of the seating position, the most prominent sight for you is the posterior of one of these abominations.
And then they turn away from the event itself, only to show their backs to the dais and now click the audience trying to gawk around their girth at the goings-on that they came to see. I have seen the indulgent photographers miss entirely on clicking key events such as the tying of the mangalasutra no less, and then ask for an action replay so that they can provide it for future replays by the families...
I always thought we meet to create memories, and that we part to preserve them...and that photographs are only an aid to memory, not the memory itself!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
The Best Airports in The World (In My Experience)
One of the positives of the extensive travel my job entails is that I get to see a lot of hotels and airports around the world. It is a pain in that the trips typically are just the airport, a hotel room, the venue of the meeting(s) and back to the airport.
I have been to Japan over a dozen times over the past 2-3 years and seen Mt Fuji only once - from an aircraft as I flew from Tokyo to Seoul! I have been to Beijing and not seen the Great Wall and had actually been at least 5-6 times to Orlando for various conferences before I actually set foot inside one of the theme parks at Disneyworld.
But I digress. The huge positive is the sheer number of airports that I get to see. And my favorites are (in order):
1. The new Kuala Lumpur International Airport (http://www.klia.com.my/ ). An absolute masterpiece, the cornerstone and the flagship of the stated direction of the Malaysian government to ensure their nation is classified as a Developed nation in a few years. It is by and far one of the best airports for transit passengers - there is little else that I could have asked for from amenities, quality lounges, great shopping and very comfortable seating in the common areas. I have never been into Kuala Lumpur so unlike the other airports on this list, that one thing remains a question mark - on ease of access to/from the city.
2. The Incheon Airport serving Seoul, S Korea (http://www.airport.or.kr/eng/airport/) - which is a testimony to what the city of Seoul wants to become! Its 5th birthday is coming up on the 29th of this month and is a magnificent work of architecture with its soaring highlights. As one very well equipped terminal handling all the traffic, it is very very easy to navigate. The only drawback to this airport is that it seems rather lifeless, perhaps because though it does handle a very high volume of traffic (passengers and cargo), its construction and opening seemed to coincide with a downturn in the Korean economy which is now being overshadowed by the explosive growth of China and the emergence of Shanghai's Pudong International Airport as an alternate hub.
3. The new Hong Kong International Airport (http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/index.html) - beautiful struture, very lively and humming with activity, flights go to almost every corner of the world from here and one sees a veritable smorgasboard of nationalities and skin-tones in the transit halls. Slightly removed from the city - but that is its only drawback. With the floor-to-ceiling windows offering fantastic views of the Hong Kong Bay and more, this is truly an awesome airport!
4. The Greater Pittsburgh International Airport
I first flew into the PIT in 1974 - remember flying on the Allegheny Airlines to NYC then but that is all. My more conscious memories stem from my visit there in 1987 - it was a tiny airport still then serving this burgeoning region of western Pennsylvania, South-Eastern Ohio and West Virginia.
But all this had changed when I flew in again in the late 1990s - by now they had built this spectacular new airport (http://www.pitairport.com/AboutUsServlet?option=pit_background) and actually made it like a complete mall inside. No airport's retail initiatives were harder hit by the security restrictions post-9/11 than PIT. The volume of transit passengers has never been too high - this has mainly comprised regional travellers from the immediate catchment area transitioning over to a longer-range jet at PIT. Hence the airport mall was designed for the good denizens of the Pittsburgh area to come in and shop at. Now they cannot even enter the terminal.
Pittsburgh is where I was introduced to the concept of "landside" facilities v/s "airside" facilities. Thus an airport restaurant may be considered "landside" if it is located outside the security check area where visitors and so on can also access its services. "Airside is just the converse".
That being said, PIT is one of the most efficient airports for passengers planning this as a destination, and is an outstanding option for those planning to only transit through. By and far the best airport in the US, surpassing even the newer ones in Minneapolis and in Detroit. The sheer length of my association with this great city makes the Pittsburgh Airport one of my personal favorites.
5. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport: An airport that is still very good inspite of its advanced age - the only one on this list that was constructed primarily before 1990. Inspite of that, it has a unique character, ease of access, an in-airport casino and an actual in-airport edition of the Rijk Museum with original Rembrandts on display, and so much more. Must be one of the great all time airports simply for its longevity and continued relevance.
6. Sydney Airport: A relatively small airport, but beautifully equipped and maintained
7. Singapore's Changi Airport: The general seating is not very comfortable, the signage not very clear and the shopping very very in-your-face. Also, very small and thus crowded always. That being said, it is like all things Singapore - very controlled and correct, every check-box for a good airport ticked off including orchids all over to provide some pale imitation of greenery and so on.
8. The new McNamara Terminal at the Detroit Metro Airport: If you must fly into Detroit, the only way you should do so is by Northwest Airlines so that you get to land in the new McNamara Terminal there. Spacious and sumptious, this is everything the old Metro Airport is not. With a single one-mile long terminal, the elevated tram linking end to end complemented by moving walkways at the floor level, great eateries and more, this is truly amazing. There is very little local feel to it however, and also the fact that this is only used by NW Airlines (and its alliance partner) passengers prevents it from securing a higher ranking. However, it is by and far the best airport in the US after Pittsburgh International.
9. Honolulu Airport: This is exactly how the gateway to Hawaii should be. Very wide open, low-slung and spread out, the excellent vistas and more make it much better than San Diego's Lindbergh Field with which it shares several attributes. The Honolulu Airport has actual greenery growing all over the terminal (and much more natural, not force-fitted into the structure as at Singapore's Changi). It is however, much more of a domestic airport in terms of amenities and shopping - plus as an airport in Hawaii, it is intended as a destination airport and not a transit one.
10. Zurich Airport: One of the most family-friendly airports in the world. Very well appointed with observation decks to watch flights take off and land, great children's play area well designed to address the need of the tired parent, excellent shopping and fabulous views of the Alps outside.
Yet there are some airports that are distinctly overrated. The prime example of this category is Shanghai's PuDong International. Now if one goes by the assumption that China and its amenities (till a few years back) were comparable to the pathetic ones provided in India, then the PuDong International (as also the Beijing National) are both evidences of a magnificent transformation.
However as compared to the great ones around the world today that China is truly vying with, the PuDong International is at best very functional and adequate, lot of the Soviet/Mao era design features continue including shapeless open halls and more; shopping very very limited; ok destination airport especially with the new high-speed MagLev connnection to downtown Shanghai
The bad ones:
1. Frankfurt Airport: Very busy, very cluttered, very poor quality seating, the smell of cigarette smoke pervades all over the terminal, the signage is pathetic with way too many ups and downs, the airline lounges, esp the Lufthansa ones, are utterly substandard in space, amenities and seating
2. Tokyo Narita International: An airport that has by and far outgrown its purpose. The biggest positive is the high speed Narita Express train connecting it to downtown Tokyo but even this is undermined by the enormous number of escalators one needs to climb (with your baggage) to get to the checkin area. When you land there, god forbid you are forced to land at one of their so-called "bus-gates" on either a cold day in winter or a wet day in July...
3. Bangkok International Airport: Another airport showing signs of its age. Or perhaps that it is still a 3rd world country's airport and that it is not yet fair to compare it with the ones in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore. For those in the US, this is like the old Detroit Metro Airport where it was possible to check in on time and miss a flight by the time you walked to the gate proper.
4. The Abu Dhabi Airport: Which would not have figured at all but for two trips in-transit through this of all available airports. It is a strange design - with tiles more akin to bathroom tiles (in shades of deep blue and white) plastered all over the dome shaped (actually more donut like with a dip in the middle of the dome) ceiling. Very jarring on the eye and characterized by a clutter for seating.
5. London Heathrow: Distinctly showing signs of age now. A creaky, outdated structure redeemed by the excellent connections to downtown London and the very lively passenger waiting area. However, moving between terminals is a time-consuming challenge, and the signage pathetically inadequate.
6. Atlanta's Hartsfield - badly designed relatively new airport with the sole redeeming feature being the excellent train connection into downtown Atlanta
7. La Guardia and JFK -in New York enough said.
8. Boston's Logan International - unless you are landing and taking off on Delta out of the completely rebuilt Terminal A, the terminal experience is pathetic. Compound this with the hopeless traffic arrangements, the difficult to reach rental car terminals and the totally inadequate Blue Line connection to the city, this is a pity of an airport.
Then there are ones that are so bad that they are off the charts entirely.
This category has to be headlined by the Indian airports. All the Indian airports - Bangalore's is a joke but even Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai are hopelessly inadequate and out of keeping with the increasingly global role India plays - are absolutely pathetic. Ranking the airports in India from best to worst is an interesting exercise in itself but worth doing...
1. Chennai's Meenambakkam Airport: Easy transfer between the domestic and international sections, adequate though small lounges, like all Indian airports pathetic in-airport retail, all are compensated by the relative efficiency and cleanliness of the airport. Getting around is another thing entirely, with the Madras cabbies and auto drivers historically notorious and only getting worse.
2. Mumbai's Santa Cruz Airport: The Sahar International is bad and badly in need of a total overhaul - the Santa Cruz Domestic Airport, esp the new departure terminal, is quite modern though badly architected. The big plus here is the ease of getting to the city from here and the in-airport retail and lounges are nice. A big reason to use the airport is the Hotel Royal Orchid just outside - just what the doctor ordered for tired transit passengers.
3. Hyderabad's Begumpet Airport: One of the most accessible of Indian airports, this has a very elegantly designed (and adjacent) domestic and international terminals a la Chennai. Very clean bright lines characterize this airport - only rumors have it that it will be "retired" once the new airport comes up in the southern outskirts of the city near Shamshabad. I hope it is not - it still has a key role as the urban airport quite like Chicago's Midway and the Washington National.
4. Kolkata Airport
I have been to Japan over a dozen times over the past 2-3 years and seen Mt Fuji only once - from an aircraft as I flew from Tokyo to Seoul! I have been to Beijing and not seen the Great Wall and had actually been at least 5-6 times to Orlando for various conferences before I actually set foot inside one of the theme parks at Disneyworld.
But I digress. The huge positive is the sheer number of airports that I get to see. And my favorites are (in order):
1. The new Kuala Lumpur International Airport (http://www.klia.com.my/ ). An absolute masterpiece, the cornerstone and the flagship of the stated direction of the Malaysian government to ensure their nation is classified as a Developed nation in a few years. It is by and far one of the best airports for transit passengers - there is little else that I could have asked for from amenities, quality lounges, great shopping and very comfortable seating in the common areas. I have never been into Kuala Lumpur so unlike the other airports on this list, that one thing remains a question mark - on ease of access to/from the city.
2. The Incheon Airport serving Seoul, S Korea (http://www.airport.or.kr/eng/airport/) - which is a testimony to what the city of Seoul wants to become! Its 5th birthday is coming up on the 29th of this month and is a magnificent work of architecture with its soaring highlights. As one very well equipped terminal handling all the traffic, it is very very easy to navigate. The only drawback to this airport is that it seems rather lifeless, perhaps because though it does handle a very high volume of traffic (passengers and cargo), its construction and opening seemed to coincide with a downturn in the Korean economy which is now being overshadowed by the explosive growth of China and the emergence of Shanghai's Pudong International Airport as an alternate hub.
3. The new Hong Kong International Airport (http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/index.html) - beautiful struture, very lively and humming with activity, flights go to almost every corner of the world from here and one sees a veritable smorgasboard of nationalities and skin-tones in the transit halls. Slightly removed from the city - but that is its only drawback. With the floor-to-ceiling windows offering fantastic views of the Hong Kong Bay and more, this is truly an awesome airport!
4. The Greater Pittsburgh International Airport
I first flew into the PIT in 1974 - remember flying on the Allegheny Airlines to NYC then but that is all. My more conscious memories stem from my visit there in 1987 - it was a tiny airport still then serving this burgeoning region of western Pennsylvania, South-Eastern Ohio and West Virginia.
But all this had changed when I flew in again in the late 1990s - by now they had built this spectacular new airport (http://www.pitairport.com/AboutUsServlet?option=pit_background) and actually made it like a complete mall inside. No airport's retail initiatives were harder hit by the security restrictions post-9/11 than PIT. The volume of transit passengers has never been too high - this has mainly comprised regional travellers from the immediate catchment area transitioning over to a longer-range jet at PIT. Hence the airport mall was designed for the good denizens of the Pittsburgh area to come in and shop at. Now they cannot even enter the terminal.
Pittsburgh is where I was introduced to the concept of "landside" facilities v/s "airside" facilities. Thus an airport restaurant may be considered "landside" if it is located outside the security check area where visitors and so on can also access its services. "Airside is just the converse".
That being said, PIT is one of the most efficient airports for passengers planning this as a destination, and is an outstanding option for those planning to only transit through. By and far the best airport in the US, surpassing even the newer ones in Minneapolis and in Detroit. The sheer length of my association with this great city makes the Pittsburgh Airport one of my personal favorites.
5. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport: An airport that is still very good inspite of its advanced age - the only one on this list that was constructed primarily before 1990. Inspite of that, it has a unique character, ease of access, an in-airport casino and an actual in-airport edition of the Rijk Museum with original Rembrandts on display, and so much more. Must be one of the great all time airports simply for its longevity and continued relevance.
6. Sydney Airport: A relatively small airport, but beautifully equipped and maintained
7. Singapore's Changi Airport: The general seating is not very comfortable, the signage not very clear and the shopping very very in-your-face. Also, very small and thus crowded always. That being said, it is like all things Singapore - very controlled and correct, every check-box for a good airport ticked off including orchids all over to provide some pale imitation of greenery and so on.
8. The new McNamara Terminal at the Detroit Metro Airport: If you must fly into Detroit, the only way you should do so is by Northwest Airlines so that you get to land in the new McNamara Terminal there. Spacious and sumptious, this is everything the old Metro Airport is not. With a single one-mile long terminal, the elevated tram linking end to end complemented by moving walkways at the floor level, great eateries and more, this is truly amazing. There is very little local feel to it however, and also the fact that this is only used by NW Airlines (and its alliance partner) passengers prevents it from securing a higher ranking. However, it is by and far the best airport in the US after Pittsburgh International.
9. Honolulu Airport: This is exactly how the gateway to Hawaii should be. Very wide open, low-slung and spread out, the excellent vistas and more make it much better than San Diego's Lindbergh Field with which it shares several attributes. The Honolulu Airport has actual greenery growing all over the terminal (and much more natural, not force-fitted into the structure as at Singapore's Changi). It is however, much more of a domestic airport in terms of amenities and shopping - plus as an airport in Hawaii, it is intended as a destination airport and not a transit one.
10. Zurich Airport: One of the most family-friendly airports in the world. Very well appointed with observation decks to watch flights take off and land, great children's play area well designed to address the need of the tired parent, excellent shopping and fabulous views of the Alps outside.
Yet there are some airports that are distinctly overrated. The prime example of this category is Shanghai's PuDong International. Now if one goes by the assumption that China and its amenities (till a few years back) were comparable to the pathetic ones provided in India, then the PuDong International (as also the Beijing National) are both evidences of a magnificent transformation.
However as compared to the great ones around the world today that China is truly vying with, the PuDong International is at best very functional and adequate, lot of the Soviet/Mao era design features continue including shapeless open halls and more; shopping very very limited; ok destination airport especially with the new high-speed MagLev connnection to downtown Shanghai
The bad ones:
1. Frankfurt Airport: Very busy, very cluttered, very poor quality seating, the smell of cigarette smoke pervades all over the terminal, the signage is pathetic with way too many ups and downs, the airline lounges, esp the Lufthansa ones, are utterly substandard in space, amenities and seating
2. Tokyo Narita International: An airport that has by and far outgrown its purpose. The biggest positive is the high speed Narita Express train connecting it to downtown Tokyo but even this is undermined by the enormous number of escalators one needs to climb (with your baggage) to get to the checkin area. When you land there, god forbid you are forced to land at one of their so-called "bus-gates" on either a cold day in winter or a wet day in July...
3. Bangkok International Airport: Another airport showing signs of its age. Or perhaps that it is still a 3rd world country's airport and that it is not yet fair to compare it with the ones in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore. For those in the US, this is like the old Detroit Metro Airport where it was possible to check in on time and miss a flight by the time you walked to the gate proper.
4. The Abu Dhabi Airport: Which would not have figured at all but for two trips in-transit through this of all available airports. It is a strange design - with tiles more akin to bathroom tiles (in shades of deep blue and white) plastered all over the dome shaped (actually more donut like with a dip in the middle of the dome) ceiling. Very jarring on the eye and characterized by a clutter for seating.
5. London Heathrow: Distinctly showing signs of age now. A creaky, outdated structure redeemed by the excellent connections to downtown London and the very lively passenger waiting area. However, moving between terminals is a time-consuming challenge, and the signage pathetically inadequate.
6. Atlanta's Hartsfield - badly designed relatively new airport with the sole redeeming feature being the excellent train connection into downtown Atlanta
7. La Guardia and JFK -in New York enough said.
8. Boston's Logan International - unless you are landing and taking off on Delta out of the completely rebuilt Terminal A, the terminal experience is pathetic. Compound this with the hopeless traffic arrangements, the difficult to reach rental car terminals and the totally inadequate Blue Line connection to the city, this is a pity of an airport.
Then there are ones that are so bad that they are off the charts entirely.
This category has to be headlined by the Indian airports. All the Indian airports - Bangalore's is a joke but even Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai are hopelessly inadequate and out of keeping with the increasingly global role India plays - are absolutely pathetic. Ranking the airports in India from best to worst is an interesting exercise in itself but worth doing...
1. Chennai's Meenambakkam Airport: Easy transfer between the domestic and international sections, adequate though small lounges, like all Indian airports pathetic in-airport retail, all are compensated by the relative efficiency and cleanliness of the airport. Getting around is another thing entirely, with the Madras cabbies and auto drivers historically notorious and only getting worse.
2. Mumbai's Santa Cruz Airport: The Sahar International is bad and badly in need of a total overhaul - the Santa Cruz Domestic Airport, esp the new departure terminal, is quite modern though badly architected. The big plus here is the ease of getting to the city from here and the in-airport retail and lounges are nice. A big reason to use the airport is the Hotel Royal Orchid just outside - just what the doctor ordered for tired transit passengers.
3. Hyderabad's Begumpet Airport: One of the most accessible of Indian airports, this has a very elegantly designed (and adjacent) domestic and international terminals a la Chennai. Very clean bright lines characterize this airport - only rumors have it that it will be "retired" once the new airport comes up in the southern outskirts of the city near Shamshabad. I hope it is not - it still has a key role as the urban airport quite like Chicago's Midway and the Washington National.
4. Kolkata Airport
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
On Moving To India
It was with some anxiety that I first contemplated the idea of shifting to India from the US when it was broached about a year back.
The crowds are maddening and the traffic worse, especially in the one-time garden city of the country. Tech palaces built by the likes of Infosys and others rub shoulders with squalor and filth of a kind that is alien to those who knew of the Bangalore of the 1980s and before. An interesting study quoted in the Times of India here a few weeks back stated that Bangalore has perhaps the slowest average traffic speed in the country of about 14 or 16 kmph - the best is Hyderabad at about 24-26 kmph, a singular tribute to the previous Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his vision for Hyderabad.
Yet Bangalore continues to grow, and grow rapidly. Companies are still expanding here despite an ongoing outcry for civic improvements. Housing prices are soaring sky high, and yet any new development is being lapped up in a hurry. Public transport is non-existent, crime is rising with pollution keeping pace and yet there is no other Indian city I would rather LIVE in than Bangalore.
The weather is still much more moderate than any of the contenders in India - Hyderabad and Pune are much hotter in summer and Chennai (and Mumbai) are both way too sultry. Crime is still lower than any city from the North, the choices of cuisine for eating out are outstanding!
The Bangalore airport must rank as one of the worst I have seen anywhere, period. The domestic departure terminal is bad; the international departure terminal is worse. And international arrivals - all one can do is to hope and pray. They have exactly ONE baggage carousel in international arrivals - and around midnight, there are jets landing from Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore, full of people and their baggage. Retrieving your bags and getting out can take anything from 30 minutes (if you are lucky) to over 2 hours.
And yet I love Bangalore and am thoroughly enjoying the move back. Now that I have been back for just over 9 months, I must confess it has been an exhilarating experience.
The crowds are maddening and the traffic worse, especially in the one-time garden city of the country. Tech palaces built by the likes of Infosys and others rub shoulders with squalor and filth of a kind that is alien to those who knew of the Bangalore of the 1980s and before. An interesting study quoted in the Times of India here a few weeks back stated that Bangalore has perhaps the slowest average traffic speed in the country of about 14 or 16 kmph - the best is Hyderabad at about 24-26 kmph, a singular tribute to the previous Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his vision for Hyderabad.
Yet Bangalore continues to grow, and grow rapidly. Companies are still expanding here despite an ongoing outcry for civic improvements. Housing prices are soaring sky high, and yet any new development is being lapped up in a hurry. Public transport is non-existent, crime is rising with pollution keeping pace and yet there is no other Indian city I would rather LIVE in than Bangalore.
The weather is still much more moderate than any of the contenders in India - Hyderabad and Pune are much hotter in summer and Chennai (and Mumbai) are both way too sultry. Crime is still lower than any city from the North, the choices of cuisine for eating out are outstanding!
The Bangalore airport must rank as one of the worst I have seen anywhere, period. The domestic departure terminal is bad; the international departure terminal is worse. And international arrivals - all one can do is to hope and pray. They have exactly ONE baggage carousel in international arrivals - and around midnight, there are jets landing from Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore, full of people and their baggage. Retrieving your bags and getting out can take anything from 30 minutes (if you are lucky) to over 2 hours.
And yet I love Bangalore and am thoroughly enjoying the move back. Now that I have been back for just over 9 months, I must confess it has been an exhilarating experience.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
The Strange Story of VVS Laxman
I read a great statistic today - that in the 9 test matches that VVS Laxman has played since Greg Chappell became the coach of the Indian side, he batted in 9 innings and has 2 centuries, 2 50s, a solitary duck of a suspect lbw decision in Pakistan, and is still not considered worthy of a place in the side. That Laxman in this timespan has the second highest average in the team (only after the resplendent Dravid) only adds to the intrigue. And the average is not a doddering number either but a splendid 65 or thereabouts!
Yuvraj Singh does command a place - because he alone scored runs in Karachi, and then had a wonderful ODI series in Pakistan. Also is supposedly a better fielder - but at cover point, not in the slips where dolly after dolly of a catch was dropped while India's best slip fielder sat out the game. In the same way as we are picking horses for courses, should we not be picking fieldsmen by position in the field. So if we are picking a 1-day team, absolutely pick Yuvraj - but then performance in the one-dayers should not be used as a predictor of performances in the longer form.
Laxman should be the 2nd slip by default in the test team.
The irony is this. I think that when Laxman is sure of a place in the side, he bats better. And when he bats well, of course his position is not challenged. When India goes overseas, nobody questions the value of the second-best "wall" in the side, thus he is assured of a spot and seemingly does so much better than in home series on the dead wickets of the subcontinent.
I know he will be a fixture on the tour to South Africa - and will come back with at least one more century and one 50 if not more in the tests there.
Yuvraj Singh does command a place - because he alone scored runs in Karachi, and then had a wonderful ODI series in Pakistan. Also is supposedly a better fielder - but at cover point, not in the slips where dolly after dolly of a catch was dropped while India's best slip fielder sat out the game. In the same way as we are picking horses for courses, should we not be picking fieldsmen by position in the field. So if we are picking a 1-day team, absolutely pick Yuvraj - but then performance in the one-dayers should not be used as a predictor of performances in the longer form.
Laxman should be the 2nd slip by default in the test team.
The irony is this. I think that when Laxman is sure of a place in the side, he bats better. And when he bats well, of course his position is not challenged. When India goes overseas, nobody questions the value of the second-best "wall" in the side, thus he is assured of a spot and seemingly does so much better than in home series on the dead wickets of the subcontinent.
I know he will be a fixture on the tour to South Africa - and will come back with at least one more century and one 50 if not more in the tests there.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
College Basketball and NBA Players...
There is a frequent debate amongst my circle of friends about the relative importance of a college basketball program with respect to preparation for subsequent success in the NBA.
For example the much heralded Duke program has really produced just 2 top-notch and perhaps one or two tier-2 NBA players in the last decade or so - Grant Hill and Elton Brand qualify in the "Outstanding" category and Shane Battier and the player who was perhaps the best NCAA basketball player ever, Christian Laettner, are perhaps the two others who have gone on to have meaningful professional careers. The jury is still out on Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng, Jay Williams' career emerged still-born due to an off-field mishap and in general Duke basketballers including Mike Dunleavy Jr have failed to match their college success without the nurturing coaching of Mike K and the avid support of the system from the great Univ in Durham NC.
Their legendary rivals from across the Research Triangle Park, the UNC Tar Heels, have done a far better job of preparing players for a career as professional NBA players - apart from MJ and James Worthy, several others have had very distinguished NBA careers including Larry Brown, Rasheed Wallace, Sleepy Sam Perkins, Jerry Stackhouse, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Bob McAdoo, Kenny Smith and Rick Fox.
Two very productive colleges in recent times have been the Univ of Arizona (Mike Bibby, Richard Jefferson, Damon Stoudamire, Jason Terry, Clifford Robinson, Andre Iguodala and one of my personal favorite player-philosophers Steve Kerr stand out) and the University of Connecticut (Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, etc). Georgetown has produced a profusion of outstanding big men incl Patrick Ewing, Alonzon Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo though my personal favorite from there has to be the inimitable Allen Iverson.
For sheer numbers of NBA players produced, few colleges can compare with the profusion from Kentucky, UCLA and Kansas, though their greatest products came out a long time back.
Here is a very helpful link for analyzing NBA players grouped by their alma mater... http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerbycollege.htm
For example the much heralded Duke program has really produced just 2 top-notch and perhaps one or two tier-2 NBA players in the last decade or so - Grant Hill and Elton Brand qualify in the "Outstanding" category and Shane Battier and the player who was perhaps the best NCAA basketball player ever, Christian Laettner, are perhaps the two others who have gone on to have meaningful professional careers. The jury is still out on Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng, Jay Williams' career emerged still-born due to an off-field mishap and in general Duke basketballers including Mike Dunleavy Jr have failed to match their college success without the nurturing coaching of Mike K and the avid support of the system from the great Univ in Durham NC.
Their legendary rivals from across the Research Triangle Park, the UNC Tar Heels, have done a far better job of preparing players for a career as professional NBA players - apart from MJ and James Worthy, several others have had very distinguished NBA careers including Larry Brown, Rasheed Wallace, Sleepy Sam Perkins, Jerry Stackhouse, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Bob McAdoo, Kenny Smith and Rick Fox.
Two very productive colleges in recent times have been the Univ of Arizona (Mike Bibby, Richard Jefferson, Damon Stoudamire, Jason Terry, Clifford Robinson, Andre Iguodala and one of my personal favorite player-philosophers Steve Kerr stand out) and the University of Connecticut (Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, etc). Georgetown has produced a profusion of outstanding big men incl Patrick Ewing, Alonzon Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo though my personal favorite from there has to be the inimitable Allen Iverson.
For sheer numbers of NBA players produced, few colleges can compare with the profusion from Kentucky, UCLA and Kansas, though their greatest products came out a long time back.
Here is a very helpful link for analyzing NBA players grouped by their alma mater... http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerbycollege.htm
Friday, March 10, 2006
Rishi Kapoor's 20+ Debutante Heroines....
...I have heard Rishi Kapoor refer to having launched the careers of 20+ heroines in Bollywood...been struggling to compile a listing of these young ladies. Here is what I have come up with -
- Dimple Kapadia - Bobby
- Ranjeeta - Laila Majnu
- Shoma Anand - Barood
- Kajal Kiron - Hum Kisise Kam Nahin
- Bhavana Bhatt - Naya Daur - not really this sometime starlet's first movie but perhaps her only significant one
- Jaya Prada - Hindi entry through Sargam
- Kim - Naseeb (again benefit of doubt)
- Padmini Kolhapure - Zamaane Ko Dikhaana Hai (again benefit of doubt, Ahista Ahista would probably qualify as the former child artiste's first movie as a leading lady)
- Radhika - Naseeb Apna Apna
- Sonam - Vijay (a bit of a stretch considering the multi-starrer Vijay but let's grant it for now)
- Vinita Goel (Janam Janam)
- Sangita Bijlani (Hathyar - just preceded the more famous Tridev)
- Zeba Bakhtiar (Henna)
- Rukhsar (Inteha Pyar Ki, technically her second Hindi Movie as heroine)
...the Turning 40 Generation...dob 1965-66...
...across a broad spectrum of life, there is a group of celebrities who have, often very quietly, turned 40 over the past 12-15 months.
Stefan Edberg, the gentleman Swede who captivated a whole generation with his outstanding battles with Boris Becker, turned 40 in typical relative anonymity in Jan 2006. He espouses the best of great champions - they know how to win, they know how to win with grace, they live life by their own lofty standards, and when they feel those standards cannot be sustained they go away...very few sports personalities have shown this ability to know themselves and their limitations as well. I have fond memories of the epic come-back at Wimbledon in the summer of 88 against the mysterious and vastly under-appreciated Miroslav Mecir - that to me is a game for the ages... I still remember the impudent Michael Chang upsetting Edberg's rhythm at Roland Garros by standing inside the baseline for his FIRST serve and costing Stefan the opportunity to win the one grand-slam tourney he never won...
...very different in upbringing and polish, very different in terms of social milieu and comfort in the limelight was Scottie Pippen. More misunderstood than appreciated, Pippen for numerous fans of the NBA from the late 80s through the early 2000s represented the quintessential team basketball player. While showing an ability to light up the scorecard, Scottie is best remembered for the times he did not do anything statistically and yet changed the outcome of games and playoff series. Who can forget the defensive job he did on Indiana's Mark Jackson taking the point guard out of the game entirely with his swarming defense and leaving the potent offense in shambles.... the series of charges he took from Karl Malone as he proved that he could defend all 5 positions on the court (of course having Greg Ostertag at Center helped!) in the two NBA Finals series against Utah. His occasional blog on espn.com is remarkable for its candor and honesty - hopefully he will find a way to get back and involved in the game of basketball again. The NBA could use grassroots champions like him to sustain the game as it becomes increasingly elitist...
...JK Rowling turned 40 in July 2005... again a champion like Pippen who goes to show that where there is a will, there is definitely a way... how else can one explain the metamorphosis of a single-mother on welfare creating one of the most significant alternate worlds since the heyday of Tolkien...
For fans of Bollywood, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan all turned 40 over the course of 1965... amazing coincidence this.
Stefan Edberg, the gentleman Swede who captivated a whole generation with his outstanding battles with Boris Becker, turned 40 in typical relative anonymity in Jan 2006. He espouses the best of great champions - they know how to win, they know how to win with grace, they live life by their own lofty standards, and when they feel those standards cannot be sustained they go away...very few sports personalities have shown this ability to know themselves and their limitations as well. I have fond memories of the epic come-back at Wimbledon in the summer of 88 against the mysterious and vastly under-appreciated Miroslav Mecir - that to me is a game for the ages... I still remember the impudent Michael Chang upsetting Edberg's rhythm at Roland Garros by standing inside the baseline for his FIRST serve and costing Stefan the opportunity to win the one grand-slam tourney he never won...
...very different in upbringing and polish, very different in terms of social milieu and comfort in the limelight was Scottie Pippen. More misunderstood than appreciated, Pippen for numerous fans of the NBA from the late 80s through the early 2000s represented the quintessential team basketball player. While showing an ability to light up the scorecard, Scottie is best remembered for the times he did not do anything statistically and yet changed the outcome of games and playoff series. Who can forget the defensive job he did on Indiana's Mark Jackson taking the point guard out of the game entirely with his swarming defense and leaving the potent offense in shambles.... the series of charges he took from Karl Malone as he proved that he could defend all 5 positions on the court (of course having Greg Ostertag at Center helped!) in the two NBA Finals series against Utah. His occasional blog on espn.com is remarkable for its candor and honesty - hopefully he will find a way to get back and involved in the game of basketball again. The NBA could use grassroots champions like him to sustain the game as it becomes increasingly elitist...
...JK Rowling turned 40 in July 2005... again a champion like Pippen who goes to show that where there is a will, there is definitely a way... how else can one explain the metamorphosis of a single-mother on welfare creating one of the most significant alternate worlds since the heyday of Tolkien...
For fans of Bollywood, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan all turned 40 over the course of 1965... amazing coincidence this.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Rise and Fall of Civilizations....
....it is my belief that open economies prosper.
I am sure history will bear me out on this. When a society or nation prospers, it attracts talent from all over. A large part of the talent infusion is of semi-skilled or unskilled persons from nearby lands coming over for a better living - a smaller but significant proportion is of inherently smart people coming over for better opportunities.
The semi-skilled and unskilled segment help meet the needs for labor for the more mundane tasks. The talented/educated lot help sustain these successful economies through the cycle of continuous innovation required to keep them at the forefront. Without this infusion of talent, one is left reliant on regurgitated ideas and thoughts and this is the death-knell of any civilization.
The English civilization from the 17th through the 20th centuries, the French civilization, the German dominance of the early 20th century, the US domination from the mid-20th century and even the ongoing emergence of China has all been characterized by the infusion of new talent into the economies. Perhaps the only significant recent boom economy that has been the exception to this rule is Japan - while they did borrow from Deming and more, and while Nissan did gain from the induction of Carlos Ghosn, there has not been the usual infusion of large numbers of expatriates into the Japanese economy.
I was reading a Goldman Sachs projection (“Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050”, 1st October 2003") where they spoke about China and India as the leading economic powers in 2050 AD along with the US. I have a feeling the analysts have gone overboard yet again with their projections - akin to the dot-com boom era of the 1990s. There are so many flaws in the Chinese and Indian socio-economic structures yet that the jury is still out in my opinion.
Unless China and India can each demonstrate the economic freedom, social equity and access to comfort and security that has been provided by the US, Great Britain, western Europe and even Hong Kong and Singapore in their hey-days, they will not emerge as a magnet for top-notch talent.
The education systems need to be strengthened to not only cover the under-graduate level education but also for graduate studies. In addition, there is a need to raise the overall IQ of the colleges - the standards fall off rather dramatically after the premier institutions. Finally, can India and China ensure that the female child is not punished for her gender. The gender ratios in the two countries is already atrocious and this kind of an imbalance is unhealthy to say the least.
I am sure history will bear me out on this. When a society or nation prospers, it attracts talent from all over. A large part of the talent infusion is of semi-skilled or unskilled persons from nearby lands coming over for a better living - a smaller but significant proportion is of inherently smart people coming over for better opportunities.
The semi-skilled and unskilled segment help meet the needs for labor for the more mundane tasks. The talented/educated lot help sustain these successful economies through the cycle of continuous innovation required to keep them at the forefront. Without this infusion of talent, one is left reliant on regurgitated ideas and thoughts and this is the death-knell of any civilization.
The English civilization from the 17th through the 20th centuries, the French civilization, the German dominance of the early 20th century, the US domination from the mid-20th century and even the ongoing emergence of China has all been characterized by the infusion of new talent into the economies. Perhaps the only significant recent boom economy that has been the exception to this rule is Japan - while they did borrow from Deming and more, and while Nissan did gain from the induction of Carlos Ghosn, there has not been the usual infusion of large numbers of expatriates into the Japanese economy.
I was reading a Goldman Sachs projection (“Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050”, 1st October 2003") where they spoke about China and India as the leading economic powers in 2050 AD along with the US. I have a feeling the analysts have gone overboard yet again with their projections - akin to the dot-com boom era of the 1990s. There are so many flaws in the Chinese and Indian socio-economic structures yet that the jury is still out in my opinion.
Unless China and India can each demonstrate the economic freedom, social equity and access to comfort and security that has been provided by the US, Great Britain, western Europe and even Hong Kong and Singapore in their hey-days, they will not emerge as a magnet for top-notch talent.
The education systems need to be strengthened to not only cover the under-graduate level education but also for graduate studies. In addition, there is a need to raise the overall IQ of the colleges - the standards fall off rather dramatically after the premier institutions. Finally, can India and China ensure that the female child is not punished for her gender. The gender ratios in the two countries is already atrocious and this kind of an imbalance is unhealthy to say the least.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
On Competition - and Fan Loyalty!
...it is amazing how competitive mankind is. Equally amazing is how the most docile of creatures, under provocation, comes out to be quite leonine in his or her desire to achieve mastery of the chosen domain.
Yet competition is good. Lack of competition leads to servility, ennui and a sense of hopelessness. It is amazing how long teams like the Boston Red Sox stayed competitive, fueling the hope and imagination of all of New England, while enduring the years of let-downs and supposed curses. The saga of how the New England Patriots came out of nowhere to emerge as the numero uno pr0 sports franchise in the region, surpassing the Boston Celtics of the NBA and the Red Sox of Baseball, is well documented.
But wait, did I say numero uno. No way - the Red Sox have always been the team of the region, their years of futility only fueling renewed optimism and interest, and their eventual World Series victory of 2004 serving as redemption for so many fans.
I wonder why fans are loyal to a team and crazy about players any more, especially in the mercenary world of professional sports where neither the owner nor the players have any loyalty to the region they belong to. Global professional soccer is nearly the same, though at least there has been no talk of teams relocating yet.
Perhaps the only major spectator team-sport worthy of passionate fan loyalty (got my English all tangled up there!) is cricket - where at least at the country level, players are true to their nations....
Yet competition is good. Lack of competition leads to servility, ennui and a sense of hopelessness. It is amazing how long teams like the Boston Red Sox stayed competitive, fueling the hope and imagination of all of New England, while enduring the years of let-downs and supposed curses. The saga of how the New England Patriots came out of nowhere to emerge as the numero uno pr0 sports franchise in the region, surpassing the Boston Celtics of the NBA and the Red Sox of Baseball, is well documented.
But wait, did I say numero uno. No way - the Red Sox have always been the team of the region, their years of futility only fueling renewed optimism and interest, and their eventual World Series victory of 2004 serving as redemption for so many fans.
I wonder why fans are loyal to a team and crazy about players any more, especially in the mercenary world of professional sports where neither the owner nor the players have any loyalty to the region they belong to. Global professional soccer is nearly the same, though at least there has been no talk of teams relocating yet.
Perhaps the only major spectator team-sport worthy of passionate fan loyalty (got my English all tangled up there!) is cricket - where at least at the country level, players are true to their nations....
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
The Virtue of Being Barry Sanders
All of us, regardless of the path we choose, knows of a Barry Sanders.
Barry Sanders is of course the great NFL Running Back of the Detroit Lions, one-time Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma State, who mysteriously made a career of not achieving records. He retired mysteriously at 31, just one season short of overhauling Walter Payton's record for career rushing yards by an NFL Running Back. He had 76 100-yard rushing games, again just short of Payton's 77 and Emmitt Smith's 78!
In an era when athletes have been glorified for their arrogance and attitude, Barry Sanders' humility stands out. Each Sanders' touchdown was characterized by a humble tossing of the football to the referee and a disciplined jog to the sideline.
Barry Sanders is of course the great NFL Running Back of the Detroit Lions, one-time Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma State, who mysteriously made a career of not achieving records. He retired mysteriously at 31, just one season short of overhauling Walter Payton's record for career rushing yards by an NFL Running Back. He had 76 100-yard rushing games, again just short of Payton's 77 and Emmitt Smith's 78!
In an era when athletes have been glorified for their arrogance and attitude, Barry Sanders' humility stands out. Each Sanders' touchdown was characterized by a humble tossing of the football to the referee and a disciplined jog to the sideline.
On Dymaxion and More
Buckminster Fuller, he of the geodesic domes and more, has been one of the most original thinkers of the 20th century. One of the first of the so-called futurists, he coined the term "Spaceship Earth" and showed that one lifetime is indeed too short for true geniuses.
His core concern was about whether humanity has a chance to survive on the planet Earth, and if so how. His lifelong focus was to see how he could make a difference to this planet and life around us, trying to explore the limits of what an ordinary individual could do without the constrictive restraints of a government or corporation.
Often dismissed as utopian and unrealistic, Buckminster Fuller is perhaps a true example of a mind whose time has not yet come, one who lived so far ahead of his time that posterity is the only true test of his impact on humanity.
Read more about him at http://www.bfi.org/
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