Monday, June 22, 2009

Letters-76: "Money Power, Politics and Governance"

1. The article "The Age of the Aam Crorepati" (The Hindu, June 20) is a stinging piece of writing on the susceptibility of politics to money power. the term aam crorepati is seemingly an oxymoron. But it serves to highlight the fact that the newly constituted Lok Sabha is under the sway of millionaire politicians. With 836 million people still "getting by" on less Rs.20 a day and the average worth of a Lok Sabha MP being worth Rs.51 million, the gap between the poor and their rich representatives is glaring. A house of the rich for a nation of the poor is apparently a paradox. But it can be resolved by understanding the correlation between wealth and power. - G.David Milton, Maruthancode.

2. The excellent and informative article makes distressing reading. It highlights the true state of affairs - which is at variance with the picture portrayed - in our elected bodies. Facts speak louder than the din of high-decibel concerns voiced ritualistically in favour of the aam aadmi from time to time. - Satinath Sen, Bangalore.

3. The article has exposed the link between money power and governance. Our political parties have steadily discarded their policies and manifestos, resorting instead to freebies and populist schemes to lure the poor. - T.R.Krishnamurthy, Chennai.

4. The 15th Lok Sabha established the disturbing phenomenon that only people with huge wealth can occupy positions of power, even in a supposedly working democracy like India. Garibi hatao, power to the aam aadmi, and uplift of the weaker sections are all empty slogans. The polity, it seems, has been compromised irreversibly. - J.V.V.Murthy, Coimbatore.

Courtesy: 'Letters to the Editor', The Hindu, Madurai, June 22, 2009.

Grateful thanks to M/s.G.David Milton, Satinath Sen, T.R.Krishnamurthy, J.V.V.Murthy and The Hindu.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

My Photo Album-37: "Achu washing clothes"







Achu is a great do-it-yourselfer. When we try to feed him, he refuses; he prefers to eat the food without anybody's assistance; while walking also, if you try to hold his hand, he shakes it off. He wants to be independent. Here he is seen washing his own clothes. See how totally he is absorbed in the work. Photos taken by Suri using his Canon Powershot A590 camera.

Friday, June 19, 2009

TED Talks: "The Future Beckons You at TED India"

I am a member of the TED Community and great admirer of TED Talks. I have received a mail about upcoming TED conference to be held in Mysore, India during November 4-7, 2009. Under the theme “The Future Beckons,” TEDIndia will be presenting for three days inspiring speakers from the worlds of technology, entertainment, design, science, business and the arts. Join TED India and those who have the opportunity to participate/witness the conference, are most welcome to do so. I am reproducing the mail received by me from TED Team in full:

date Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 9:30 PM
subject: Join us at TEDIndia!

Dear Members of the TED Community,

We are thrilled to tell you about TEDIndia, the upcoming TED conference to be held in Mysore, India November 4-7, 2009.

About TEDIndia:

Under the theme “The Future Beckons,” TEDIndia will present three days of inspiring speakers from the worlds of technology, entertainment, design, science, business and the arts.

"At a time of huge economic uncertainty, one thing remains clear: There's been an unmistakable shift of influence to the east," says TED's Curator Chris Anderson. "We wanted to examine the future from the vantage point of India, a country that's re-inventing itself daily and whose influence is reshaping the world."

Inspired speakers and game-changing ideas, evocative locations and transporting entertainment: TEDIndia offers a vision of the future that's rich with invention, entrepreneurship, cross-disciplinary problem-solving, unexpected solutions and sensory delight. Hosted in a country that's reinventing itself - and reshaping the world …

TEDIndia will be held at the incredible high-tech campus built by Infosys to train its thousands of engineering graduates, representing the heart of the Asian outsourcing industry. And while we have not yet announced the speaker program, it's already shaping up to be an extraordinary line-up. Speakers will include India’s most promising innovators, from entrepreneurs to artists, storytellers to scientists. And about one third of the program will come from outside India. We’ll hear from celebrated global icons as well as undiscovered talent that’s due broader recognition.

To learn more about the conference, visit http://conferences.ted.com/TEDIndia/.

How to Attend:

1. Apply for a TEDIndia Membership: The registration fee for TEDIndia is US$2,000, plus $400 for all housing, meals and airport shuttle. Apply online here: http://www.ted.com/registration/tedindia.

2. Apply for a Reduced Price Membership: We will be offering a limited number of spots to individuals in the education and nonprofit worlds at a reduced price of US$1,000, plus $400 for all housing, meals and airport shuttle. Apply online here: http://www.ted.com/registration/tedindia

3. Apply to be a TEDIndia Fellow: We will be welcoming 100 Fellows to TEDIndia free of charge. Applications for the TED Fellows program close in just one week! To learn more about the program, visit www.ted.com/fellows. Apply online here: www.ted.com/fellows/apply.

We hope that you will consider joining us at TEDIndia!

All the best,

The TED Team
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Grateful thanks to TED Team

Thursday, June 11, 2009

A Thought for Today-203:

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others - Mahatma Gandhi

Monday, June 01, 2009

My Photo Album-36: "Some Recent Photos of Achu"






Achu has now moved to Kovilpatti, where his father is working. During my recent visit to his house, I took the above photos with my Canon Powershot A590 camera. My wife says my skill as photographer has much to improve, as Achu looks better in person than in the photos. She is right, especially the angles are not that good. I have sought the help of my friend, Annamalai, who is a great artist and expert photographer. He is yet to take a kind-heart to me in this regard. Probably I will have go after him.

Achu already has a fan club among our friends and relatives. These photos are for them.