Health Care Legislation is finally a reality

United States President Barack Obama scored a major triumph when his health care reform legislation passed the Senate by a 219-212 vote. Congrats to Obama and those who helped him pass his signature legislation. After all the bad news on the economy front, I hope this will bring some cheer to the millions of uninsured Americans and mostly the Obama Administration.

"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness" This sentence has been called "one of the best-known sentences in the English language" and "the most potent and consequential words in American history".

This sentence also forms the bedrock through which the constitution of the United States has been interpreted and lastly came to represent for many people a moral standard for which the United States should strive.
Now why am I saying all this. I watched the movie "Green Zone" today. The movie gives a deep insight as to what ails the decision making in the United States. What better example than the Iraq war fought by the Obama's predecessor the Bush administration. It raises some disturbing questions for which there are no easy answers.

So when George Bush by an executive order attacks Iraq looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and then pumps his fist in the air on board an USS navy ship uttering those famously infamous words "Mission Accomplished" What exactly did his mission accomplish?

In Green Zone, Matt Damon plays the role of the chief warrant officer (CWO) Roy Miller with the US Army who returns empty handed each time he raids the supposed WMD sites based on actionable intel that is given to him. Miller is flabbergasted as to how can the intelligence go wrong each time or there is something which more than meets the eye.

Even reputed newspapers like "The New York Times" have their credibility stained when their reporter just publishes the news articles about WMD without verifying the source just because it was handed to her by a senior US Administration official.

I haven't seen "Hurt Locker" however this movie really does make you think about the sequence of events that led to the Iraq war. Were the US public misled by their President that the United States was justified in attacking Iraq.

"Liberty" maybe one of the founding principles of the US constitution but what is the US really doing to promote it in other parts of the world.

It still remains cosy with military in Pakistan turning a blind eye in lieu for its co-operation in the so called War on Terror. Its pally with Saudi Arabia and China. One is a monarchy and the other is a communist country with a terrible human rights record. Not to forget about the junta in Myanmar which has been holding Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for so many years.

I have been a fan of Matt Damon's Bourne series. This movie comes from the same Director Paul Greengrass. The storyline is credible, action scenes are taut, the witty dialogues and overall the message. My favorites:

Sergeant: "We are here to do our job, reasons don't matter".
Roy Miller's response: "It matters to me".

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence)
(Image courtesy: http://www.startribune.com/photos/?c=y&img=1greenzone0321.jpg)

When I woke up today morning the first thing I wanted to be sure was whether I had suffered another bug attack. Let me rewind. As I sleep on the floor with a blanket, I guess bug(s) would have crawled up and then bitten me on my forehead. That was the day before. Now fast forward to 17th morning which also happens to be my birthday and thankfully there was no bug attack. I was happy and thought that was my birthday gift :)

So I am a year older today. And as always its time to look back, pause for a moment and think about the distance I have covered since the time I was born till the present day. Distributing chocolates on the occasion of my birthday has always been a tradition for me right from my school. How can today be any different even though now I am dealing with grown-ups :) The birthday cake was a pleasant surprise for me @ work, thanks to my colleague and friend Prashanth.

At home my flatmates had another cake party for me. This whole thing makes me feel why should birthdays be celebrated only once in a year :( Anywayz I treated my flatmates to a dinner at a nearby restaurant. My diet went for a toss. There was a sad feeling when I was returning home that finally all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow it's back to work :(

Another weekend has gone by. If I were in India, I would have shopped for groceries or caught up with a latest movie with my family. Here in Concord, California, it's the same routine, except for a difference I am alone.

Sometimes the boredom gets to you. But I have some winged friends here. I am talking about the ducks which swim in the lake right opposite our apartment. In the stillness of night and at the crack of dawn I can hear the sounds of the ducks. It was a rare sight in the balcony yesterday, when I spotted two sparrows.

I was amazed because in my home town i.e. Hyderabad, sparrows are no longer seen. You miss them. I guess other cities such as Mumbai also have the same problem. This is due to the massive urbanization which has led to the extinction of many species apart from the greenery and sparrow was just but one casualty. (Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Sparrows-no-longer-chirp-in-city/articleshow/5720959.cms)

So looking at the Sparrows, I was happy that they are safer here at least for the time being.

(Image courtesy: http://buildyourownbirdhouseplans.com/images/2008HouseSparrow.jpg)

Bowing to popular opinion NASA had named one of the craters on moon after the Bollywood film actor Shahrukh Khan. This decision of NASA had me squirming. Now Shahrukh has legions of fans and I am definitely not one of them. However there are exceptions. His roles in "Swades", Chak De India" were some of them.

My Name is Khan (MNIK) is a movie which has hogged the headlines more than any other movie for the past few days mostly because of Shiv Sena's decision to boycott this movie in retaliation for Shahrukh Khan's recent comments in the media about Pakistan's players not being included in the Indian Premier League.

Today when one of my flatmate suggested that we go and watch MNIK even though I knew it was a movie which has as its main theme racial profiling a story on which recent movies like New York and Kurbaan was released, I thought it would be a good time pass.

MNIK was screening at Brendon theatre in our area i.e. Concord. MNIK turned out to be a surprise package. Leaving aside SRK's claims of being questioned by the Customs and Border Patrol officers(CBP) at an US airport, the movie comes across as something with substance. We would have seen umpteen Bollywood movies which have huge budgets, song and dance, big star cast and one missing link - a script. The protagonist in this movie is an individual Rizwan Khan who has Aspergers syndrome. The main symptom of which being severe trouble with social situations (Source: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/tc/aspergers-syndrome-symptoms).

Rizwan Khan wants to meet the president of the United States and tell him "My name is Rizwan Khan and I am not a terrorist"
From the start till the end, this simple statement forms a key linchpin for the entire movie. MINK has mostly serious situations but also some genuinely funny moments. Take for example a few scenes "Mandira (Kajol) is busy in the kitchen when Rizwan(SRK) walks upto her and says that he wants to have sex with her right now." It was direct but the way the whole scene was aesthetically done shows that Indian cinema has really come of age. We are no longer prudish about the S word and that's a good sign.

Another scene after post 9/11 when Kajol applies for a job and frankly tells the interviewer that her surname is Khan and she is married to a muslim. But I was moved by one particular scene involving Mandira (Kajol)'s son Sameer who gets into a fight at a soccer field in his school. Kajol is a natural on the camera and it doesn't seem that her long absence from the big screen has done any difference to her acting talent. She can give the present day actresses a run for their money :) SRK is good however he can't let go off his hamming in some scenes.

My main grouse with the movie is the second half which seems to get pretty heavy with the track involving African Americans. Why should the African Americans be shown mostly as poor? The movie clearly drags here. Overall the movie has been intelligently made and is straight from the heart. It ends with a simple message as Zarina Wahab (nice cameo) tells her son Rizwan that there are good people and there are also bad people.

MNIK has been shot across the United States but a substantial part of the movie has been shot in San Francisco city in California.
I was not expecting a location such as Bowling Green in Kentucky to show up on the screen as it doesn't seem to be a favorite location for film directors much less Bollywood. Its a small and very quiet city. I should know it as I lived there for more than a month. My brother Akki must be feeling proud that Bowling Green made it to the big screen :)

I really liked MNIK. You can watch it atleast once and if I were to rate MNIK, I would give it

(Image courtesy: http://www.mynameiskhan.org/film/mnik-posters/)

I am not a big fan of the Gandhi family but the news of Rahul Gandhi travelling by a local train in Mumbai impressed me. Now there are a few reasons for that. Firstly I have lived and worked in Mumbai for close to 2 years and personally even I found it challenging to travel by the local train. You need to be a brave heart to travel by a mumbai local. Thankfully for me I didn't have to commute using the train as my office was just 30 minutes drive from the residence.

Even if I did use the local train, it was only on weekends when the crowd was far less. Second, Rahul being a Z+ protectee to suddenly take a detour from the airport towards the Andheri station would have caught everyone by surprise. Now especially in India where politicans, bureaucrats etc love to flaunt their fleet of vehicles with red beacons even while thousands of motorists wait while the roads are cleared for them (VIPs) this comes as a breath of fresh air.

No wonder then that Rahul's co-passengers couldn't stop gushing :) In the process he also cocked a snook at the Shiv Sena which was protesting against his visit with black flags. Rahul's desire to connect with young India is a noble thought however what has surprised me is that how come he didn't mention the burning agenda which is on the mind of every common man that of price rise. Is it because the federal and state government are ruled by his own party...some food for thought this.

(Image courtesy: http://www.searchindia.com/search/mumbai-pictures/mumbai-train.html)

On this day last year, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Obama swept to power on the promise of change. So the big question, has he delivered?

Well its a mixed bag. The economy was going through its worst phase when he inherited the mantle from George Bush. The Obama administration was quick to start work on a war footing to revive the economy. Apart from appointing top officials to oversee the stimulus program, other measures like bailouts to banks and financial institutions were implemented. The success of the program can be gauged by the fact that some of these institutions have not only turned profitable but also returned the bailout finds. However the economy still continued to sag except at the fag end of the year with some positive signs of revival which is still tentative. The good news is most of the businesses have stopped cutting down on employees.

But the main theme around which his campaign was built - uniform healthcare legislation which seemed to be just within reach after passing the senate hurdle now seems in danger. Amid declining approval ratings came a big shocker today. The Democrat party lost hold of a key senate seat in Massachusetts. It was a Democrat stronghold for the past 50 years. This is the third major defeat after the democrats already lost 2 senate seats this year. Healthcare reform is something which has deeply divided people. Suddenly President Barack Obama and the Democrats look vulnerable. These are early days as yet. Obama has still time on his side and if he wants to continue for a 2nd term, he needs to get his act fast.

The biggest shock for me was when Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Don't get me wrong but Obama has just started his term and has not accomplished anything major yet. Now this coming from people who didn't nominate Gandhi is a big let down and the credibility of the Nobel committee has been tarnished.

On the other hand I think Obama as someone who is a good orator, takes things in his stride. When people comment on his race he doesn't want to get into a debate and wants to move on. For the botched Christmas day bombing he was quick to admit his administration's mistakes (how many politicians in India really do it).

Finally Obama administration's quick relief and rescue efforts for the people in Haiti along with his appeal to the citizens to contribute for the earthquake relief to Haiti in the company of ex-presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton shows that he wants to present a united stand and didn't have any ego issues.

(Image courtesy: http://luv2hateu.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/who-is-barack-obama.jpg)

My first blog for 2010

I have just completed a month in the US. My first impressions of this country are varied. When people describe US as one of the biggest polluters I was just wondering what was the reason. Now I know. Most people here own large gas guzzling vehicles. Except for offices, universities etc most residential units are happy with incandescent bulbs. I was shocked to find in my bathroom 6 large incandescent bulbs on top of the mirror.

Other than that, groceries are pretty cheap. Here even 1 cent has a value. Contrast that in India where the old 5, 10, 20 and now even 25 paisa are not accepted even though they are legal tender. It has been snowing for the past few days. This was my first experience with snow and I enjoyed every moment of it.

The snow looks nice but it has its downside. Walking is risky as you tend to slip once the snow melts and driving on the road is even more riskier when the snow starts melting due to sunlight and then due to the sudden change in weather it again freezes this time partially giving a glass finish on the roads and making it slippery. That was one of the reasons that has led to a rash of road accidents with some proving to be fatal.

This will be my last blog...hang on before you start thinking that I will quit writing..I meant for the year 2009 :) As I rewind my memories of 2009, it was a year which most of us would like to forget for reasons ranging from the gloomy economy, high unemployment, soaring prices and regional troubles. 44th United States President Barack Obama's inauguration was the much awaited event grabbing more eyeballs on the internet and the television than any other event in recent history. Personally 2009 started off on a bad note for me when my employer Satyam Computer Services (which is now Mahindra Satyam) founder Ramalinga Raju's confession shocked the people and left the future of the company in doubt. Mahindra Satyam has recovered from that but the scars will surely take time to heal. Michael Jackson, the iconic pop star bid adieu to the world and we will surely miss him.

Although most of 2009 was very disappointing for me, it did end on a promising note. I could fulfill my long cherished dreams of working in the United States and the economy (its still early days) seems to show positive signs of recovery. I hope and wish as always that the spirit and strength with which we managed to cope with the worst crisis and learnt some useful lessons will endure as we look forward to ushering in the new year . I wish everyone a Happy New Year 2010

(Image courtesy: http://rlv.zcache.com/new_year_2010_holiday_postage_stamps-p172594239822487567anr4u_400.jpg)

Its Christmas time and what better place to celebrate than in the United States. Every house here is decorated with christmas wreaths (tied neatly with bright red ribbons), bells, rein deer + Santa Claus (most of them are made of decorative lights). It's like a festive atmosphere.

I am right now in Bowling Green, Kentucky (the birth place of the Sixteenth US President Abraham Lincoln). It's a quiet place much like rural India. I have come here to spend some time with my brother who is studying at the Western Kentucky University (WKU). Its cloudy for most part of the day however early mornings whenever there is sunlight its a blessed place. The house where I am living is closer to the university. I can hear the bells chime every hour and the honking sound of the train. Its cold out here. After initial hiccups I am getting accustomed to the weather. I took a bicycle ride in the sprawling WKU campus and it was quite awesome. The bicycle was pretty cool with shimano gears. However I didn't use the gears as I wanted to use my strength to power the bicycle rather than relying on the gears. It reminds me of my bicycle rides in India when I used to commute to the gym.


Yesterday while I was walking down to Walmart (one of the biggest retail chains in the United States and probably the world) which is nearly 3.2 miles from my place, I was hit by a car. Now in India people have to look carefully over their shoulder lest they become a statistic for road accidents. However here people are supposed to stop for the pedestrians at a safe distance. Now there was an intersection leading to the main road. It was almost dark and a car was waiting to get on to the main road. I began crossing the road to get to the other side and suddenly the car started hurtling towards me. I was taken completely by surprise and shrieked loudly.

My hands fell on the bonnet of the car as I leaned on it and by some quick thinking I pushed my legs back to protect against injury. The car dragged me a few metres and then stopped. There was a female driver behind the wheel and she put her hands up to indicate that she was sorry. I was shocked and stunned as I was definitely not expecting it. From then, on my return journey back home chastened by experience I am letting the vehicles go even if they stop for me. Did someone say once bitten twice shy :) It was my lucky day as I didn't even have medical insurance. Getting injured and treated in the hospital here can financially impair someone who doesn't have medical insurance. Now that's a current topic here as today the Health Insurance reform legislation (Obama's poll promise for universal health care) was passed with a majority and must clear a final hurdle which might be just a mere formality.

When I narrated this incident to my brother he chided me for putting myself at risk by walking down to Walmart. The fact is although there are pavements for pedestrians here, except for a minority (which is very rare) people here seldom walk. They just drive. No wonder then people passing in motor vehicles looked at me as if I was an alien from another planet :)

(Image courtesy: http://www.walmart.com, http://media.photobucket.com/image/merry%20christmas/mandyr5_photo/christmas.jpg?o=7,http://media.photobucket.com/image/merry%20christmas/donutz_photos/merryChristmas.jpg?o=6)

As I had mentioned in my blogs earlier, working in the United States was one of my long cherished dreams. On 10th December 2009 when I landed in Dallas, Texas my dreams finally came true. It's a small step as there are miles to go.
(Image courtesy: http://www.photos4travel.com/large/Statue_Of_Liberty.jpg)

26/11

26/11 is one incident last year which stunned the whole nation. The first anniversary of this incident just passed by. Like the rest of us I have similar doubts whether we people in India are any safer now. Will it be status quo as people seem resigned to their fate until the next terror attack or will there be a welcome change in the way our security agencies and the politicians work towards the security of the common man. So many questions and so few answers.

However as I watched the television programs marking the 26/11 anniversary, one thing was clear. There will be no dearth of brave heart officers who despite the shortage of ammunition, faulty equipment & lack of response from the control room took the terrorists head on and paid with their lives. Also credit to those people who were injured in the attack but still carry on despite losing a limb or being disabled. As for those who lost their lives one can only pray that may their soul rest in peace and their dependents (its really hard) to be courageous and be positive.

(Image courtesy: http://www.whoisabhi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/26-11mumbai02.gif)

Enchanting Sikkim

Going on a vacation to the north-eastern states where I could see the snow capped mountains, mingle with the locals, visit the Indo-China border and the best part take a Yak ride was always one of my dreams.

I am glad that I could realize my dreams. Most of the credit goes to my sis who funded the trip and her colleagues. It was a 10 day trip to Sikkim. Now we had a itinerary as per which we would board the train on the 27th September from the Secunderabad railway station. Now blame it on me that I reached the station 5 minutes late. I was huffing and puffing along with my luggage. However all my efforts were in vain and my poor sis had to let go off the train due to me.

(Image courtesy: http://theora.com/images/Sikkim.jpg)

An Appeal

The recent floods have caused a lot of havoc and distress in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. I appeal to the readers to help the affected people by contributing to the flood relief fund. One of them has been set up by the Times of India. Also the ICICI bank has a provision for people to transfer funds. Whatever the amount through our actions we can atleast mitigate and lend a helping hand to the people in distress which will go a long way in rebuilding their lives.

Dr.Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy (1949 - 2009)

The news of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr.Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy's chopper missing since yesterday sent shockwaves throughout the state. The worst fears of everyone came true when the wreckage of his chopper was spotted on a hill in Nallamala forests adjoining the Kurnool district.

The confirmation of his death today brings to an end the story of one who although was controversial has battled adversity all by himself. It's one of the strangest ironies of life that a man who bought his party back to power in the recently held 2009 elections against the worst predictions of his sceptics wasn't so lucky himself.

I am not a big fan of YSR but the way he came to power after the former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was defeated in the elections after 10 years in power is a text book example of how politicians can win people's hearts. He travelled more than a 1000 kilometers by foot in the scorching sun meeting villagers and farmers. He even took a shower staying with the villagers. Cut back to 2009 his was a one man show and he proved all his critics wrong. He was the only man in the Congress which normally interferes in the decision making of the state units who told Sonia to just trust him which Sonia did. It was a calculated risk. If YSR would have lost, he would have been literally banished into oblivion. But the fact that Congress won a majority in the state assembly and returned a lion's chunk of parliament seats proved him right.

As a voter, Congress was never my favourite party as I hold it responsible for most of the problems. However giving the credit where it is due inspite of corruption charges against him, the phenomenal rise of his son Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy especially his business interests and the Satyam scam, YSR was a towering personality. The calm confidence exuded by him meant that the state was in secure hands. The experience gleaned from his padayatra (as mentioned above) helped him gauge the pulse of rural farmers. The NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) which worked quite well in the state providing livelihood for atleast 100 days in a year and rural housing scheme for the poor were some of his creditable achievements. On the downside free power to farmers even when the state had a power deficit was not a sensible decision.

He wasn't in awe of even international leaders except Sonia. A case in point was when the former United States President George Bush visited the agricultural university in Hyderabad. Unlike many who fawn over foreign dignitaries he just sent one of his officials to represent the state.

Today is a sad day in the history of Andhra Pradesh. In all this, one should also not forget the people - pilot group captain S K Bhatia, co-pilot captain M S Reddy, special secretary P Subrahmanyam, chief security officer ASC Wesley who perished in the accident along with Dr.Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy. May their soul rest in peace.

(Image courtesy: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/techsatishtelugu_ysrajasekar+reddy.jpg)

Trees take years to grow.

Rain drops on the leaves, grass and the smell of the rain soaked earth. All these are part of the excitment that rains bring. Yesterday it didn't rain, it poured. Thankfully I was @ home but enjoyed the sounds of rain water flowing from the terrace.

Finally it seems that the monsoon which almost vanished this year has finally arrived. Today morning's news article about the rains which lashed the city almost sounded prophetic. On a personal note I am also happy for the farmers who were desperate for rains, it maybe late however they can salvage something out of it.

The other thing which I wanted to mention here is the news of film actor Shahrukh Khan's questioning at the Newark airport in U.S. Indian fans have been very critical of the treatment of their star. However as many have pointed maybe we should learn a thing or two from the authorities in the U.S. We have a VIP culture here. Ordinary passengers are frisked and someone like Robert Vadra is exempted from frisking (when even the three service chiefs are not exempted) just because he happens to be the husband of the daughter of India's most powerful women politician. No prizes for guessing who it is.

Even gods are not spared. Tirupathi famous for its richest donations after the Vatican gives the red carpet treatment for politicians, ministers, industrialists and filmstars. All these @ the expense of ordinary pilgrims.

I was frisked at the Heathrow airport in UK, I took off my shoes and was body searched just like other passengers. However I didn't mind it. After all the officials are doing their job and its for our own safety. For once, someone from the film industry had the courage to swim against the tide. As film actor Salman Khan rightly said that there has been no attacks in the US after 9/11. He too has faced similar treatment and as long as a minor section from one community continue to indulge in acts which threaten national security the other innocents will continue to suffer.

We need to pick a leaf from the US and get rid of our VIP culture. Western culture may have its drawbacks but there are also certain good things like rules which are the same for everyone whether its a senator, movie star or ex-presidents.

(Image courtesy: http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=266757310)
(Image courtesy: http://www.bollywoodpicturesgallery.com/pictures/shahrukh08.htm)

Its the most yuckiest job. We all use it every morning when we discharge our waste. Yes I am taking about cleaning the toilet bowl which maybe Indian or the western commode.

I had my first brush with cleaning the loo when I was doing a part-time job in New Zealand. My supervisor who was a lady gave me the broom and the liquid to clean the men's toilet. She said she will take care of the women's toilet. Now I have never done this before. I just stared at her and told her frankly that I haven't done it before.

However my Supervisor insisted that I do it. Now I was at my wits end. I didn't want to disobey my supervisor as it was also a question of my job. I went to the men's toilet, thankfully there was only one western toilet. I started the cleaning job with a heavy heart thinking what I was doing in India and what am I doing here. Now the best part is that once I finished cleaning the loo I wasn't embarrassed anymore. In fact looking at the sparking toilet bowl there was a deep sense of satisfaction.

I have come a long way since then. Now even though I am back in India, every week I clean the toilet bowl myself. Its not an easy job alright however its a great leveler. Every time I do it I just can't stop admiring the sparkling toilet bowl :)

(Image Source: http://www.darkcreek.com/toilets)

All new borns look cute whether they belong to humans or animals. It makes me sometimes wonder as to why the same babies when they grow up more often than not don't look so cute.

Now at my place there is a female cat which gave birth to 3 kittens. The kittens are so pretty. The place is outside near our staircase. They cuddle one another, play mischievously and the best part is when they climb the stairs. You should see the look in their eyes which is full of innocence. The kittens have now started taking baby steps. Whenever we try to approach the kitten, their mom who is always around gives a worried look.

The not so good thing is the mess they leave around just like human babies :(

Ideally the month of June in India is the time when the monsoons should have begun. It's now July and so far we have received scanty rainfall and the same situation prevails all over India however its worse in Northern India.

I am a bit worried as scanty rainfall means less water flowing into the river(s) and conversely less water in the reservoirs/dams. The end result is less water flowing from the dams to the common people. So how will people survive without drinking water. The affluent ones can afford a water tanker however what about people in general. There is a report which states that in the future wars will be fought over water. Scenes of people sparring over water in a town in Madhya Pradesh even leading to the death of a person means that the reality is much closer at our door step than we think.

Our crops are dependent on rainfall and lesser rains would mean that the crop acreage would shrink. Lesser crops implies lesser food grains in the market creating a demand supply gap. Now that as we know leads to rise in the food prices. The food inflation is quite high in India unlike the western countries. I recently bought half kilo gram of Tur Dal (Pulses) from the nearby grocery store and the price of Rs.48 shocked me. Now Dal is one of the essential items for an average Indian. The price of Dal is just one of the symptoms of a larger malaise.

The problem is how do we get out of this vicious cycle. To begin with, we are too much dependent on rain. We don't have water conservation efforts replicated on a national scale. Instead of having a long term approach towards solving the water woes, our short-sighted approach sees us every year literally at the mercy of a good monsoon. One of the side effects of deficiency in monsoons is the shortage in power generation. Adding fuel to the fire of transmission and distribution (popularly known as T&D) losses in the power sector apart from pilferage of power is the free distribution of power to farmers. A truant monsoon can lead to lower generation of power from the hydel projects. At this pace, how do you jump start the economy towards a double digit growth. We say that India is a rising power however when even the basic needs are not met, our dreams will be just that... a mirage.

(Image Source: http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mycen.com.my/sightings_pics/rain_clouds.jpg)