Piracy has no equivalent word in most of the Indian languages; maybe that is why we really don’t understand it. Whenever we face a problem regarding it, we legalize the violation. And that is exactly what government is doing in the case of premier educational institutions.

In place of developing other good institutions egalitarianism-believing-government is going to free ride on the brand name of IIT’s, IIM’s, and NLS’s. Of course, the students, and with them the vote bank of parents, are going to love it. The competition will dwindle with the increase in seats; and more wards will get tagged IIM or IIT alumni/e. It is like putting a logo of Mercedes or BMW on the Maruti 800 (such happenings are not a rarity in India).

But that happiness of the hoi-polloi is going to follow the diminishing marginal utility principle of Economics. The more people will have the coveted tag, the more un-coveted it will become. The more un-coveted it will become the more redundant the brand name will turn into.

The brand-name, who’s importance any successful company can tell, can give an impetus but can’t be a panacea. Any institution only gets renowned with time, after proving itself in various important parameters. The dwindling of competition, for which the presently happy students are cheering, will be turn out to be their anathema with passing of time.

The politician’s who are the brain behind such policy can appreciate this logic better: Everybody wishes to be PM but can’t be. But the solution of this is not to do away with the post of PM. Similarly not all institutions can get the rank one; or everybody can’t have the best facilities or best students ; or superlative term ‘Best’ can’t be used by everybody
But any creative and competitive spirit needs to know what best is; so that it can aspire for that.

Some IIM’s or IIT’s will again try to get rise above others by re-inventing their brand names. One such example: IIM ABC, which is the keyword among MBA-aspirants. What it stands for is Ahmedabad, Banglore, and Calcutta (impervious to the chagrin of name-changing ministers). But what can guarantee that tomorrow they won’t open another IIM in Ahmedabad, trying again to free ride?

The government in place of developing different brand names is planning to do away with the brand name itself. Somebody should tell the politicians why not Naomi Klein’s seminal book “No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies” may have asked for doing away with logo, but still “No Logo” is itself a logo.

Bill Watterson, the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, once jokingly said: “I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone’s expectations”. The politicians missed the joke.

In last few days going through various blogs by Indians I have found that everybody has condemned the terrorist attacks; as they should have. But the surprising or appalling part has been that the most of criticism was in the same tone and having similar keywords. Like terrorist, blood-thirsty, un-human, fear, security, Muslims, politics, intelligence, corruption, etc.

And most of them had blamed without even knowing how or who has done it. It was more like reading same things again and again with some paraphrasing. Over that it all gave one a feeling that writer is just writing for the sake of writing and you are reading for the sake of reading. There is no emotional attachment; but of course full of similar larger-than-life words; giving you a feel that words may have meaning but no connection; and which have after repeated usage are no more significant than a passing remark.

Maybe it also coming in our culture in some way; the thing we call the city returned to normalcy and failed the terrorist intentions. I am not against recovering from a loss, but at least one should feel a loss. The next day to any terrorist attacks every city looks as if nothing has happened apart from troubling policemen who are further choking the traffic. The local trains are again full after Mumbai bomb blasts, the shopping mania continues after Delhi bomb blasts; the life is same everywhere until and unless your own dear one is one of the victims.

I don’t know why but nobody even tries to ask or answer why terrorist does such acts, as if it doesn’t matter. By having such attitude we may be failing terrorists’ intentions but we are for sure failing the humanity.

When blogomania came it was thought that people would be able to resolve far more amicably by interacting; but it doesn’t look the case. Blogs have become a tool of infinitely duplicating of more prevalent idea.

The end of history and the last man, an idea but forward by Francis Fukuyama, may support liberalism but not one where everybody becomes a kind of clone, and stops thinking for oneself. I really hope it doesn’t lead us back to the time when it became necessary to convert right to speak into a privilege, which had to be won.

The communists not only obstruct every chance of nuclear deal but also ensure that precious time of Parliament is wasted continuously. When it realizes that it can’t afford to have election it gives a green signal, as if to appease its Nandigram oppressed Muslims. But the moment it regains its ensconced position in West-Bengal it returns to red light.

Further in a state which had all the possibilities of growing fastest because of its geographical and human resources, the Left has succeeded in thwarting that possibility. It not only repels MNC’s by their every week strike but by also making them look like an enemy in the society. Any educated person has nothing much to do but use his mind in devising game plan how to fool others while pretending to be most poor. Of course people are contended now, as if it’s a very nice thing to be, but till when they will continue to be?

Left keep on praising China and Chairman Mao, but can turn Nelson’s eye if somebody try to show them the way opted by the China to uplift millions from the below poverty line. But Left is adept in one thing, for sure, creating an enemy figurehead of USA; which it needs for its survival. Of course it is also possible that China is paying them to keep on doing such things, as China feels India, with a clout of America behind it, to be a growing competition to it.

At present time when oil prices are sky-rocketing, the biggest hit are the lower strata of society, who always are resource-crunched; who can’t afford buying house near their workplace; or avoiding going places as everything their do is because of necessity. Every thing seems to be spiraling out of reach for them, and people’s attempt to control the budget by trying to cut away the minimal services, meaning their livelihood.

India is at a developing stage and can leapfrog straight to hybrid technology or other future- technologies, but for that one need to ensures that government not only remain passive but become active supporter. That can never happen until you can allow uninterrupted power supply to everybody, and for that you need cheaper and possible way of producing it. To find a solution India needs to have more electricity from every kind of source so that it can put some light on the development and growth, without which no common man can be happy.

Left is more of believer in the policy of not doing much development , as they have learnt from USSR, because development makes people empowered and ensures that people speak their mind; a very “un-patriotic” and “un-egalitarian” stance.
One must also credit Left its due: it really makes you lose faith in democracy.