Get netas out of education

The entire week has gone by with the media fretting over the unfortunate suicide of the Dalit student in Hyderabad. And of course, next week he will be confined to the dustbin of history, and nothing will change. That in fact is a more depressing thought than the suicide itself.

Even as we witness the usual blame game natak, we have to ask ourselves why these tragedies happen. At the heart of the problem is the involvement of politics in education. And politicians, through the various student unions, will do what they are best at: Divide and rule. And so, as always, one caste is being pitted against another. While it’s sad that this happens at all, it’s becomes criminal when this divisive crap seeps into the lives of young students, this nation’s future. 

There were no politicians meddling in the running of the business management school I passed out from years ago. As is common practice, there were a few students who had been admitted through the reserved quota. And the rest of us had a fair idea who these students were, simply because they lagged behind in class in almost all subjects, and were generally not of the same competency level. But I remember clearly no one discriminated against them in any form, in fact they were encouraged and helped in doing better at school, without anyone being condescending toward them. Today they are all doing well for themselves. All this happened because there was no neta sitting in the next office trying to cut us apart, or a union trying to disrupt the general bonhomie. 

Incidentally, there was this dreadful subject called ‘Econometrics’. In which I stood last in class, and the only way I was able to save my life from this monster was to sign up with an expensive private tutor. And all these years later I am still trying to figure how cos, beta, theta and sigma can help anyone in any business, or in any field of life for that matter. Will the bitchy colleague at workplace stop back stabbing if I threw theta at him? Will Reliance drop their power rates if I discussed gamma with them? Will the street tapori stop molesting girls if they sold sigma to him? Anyway, I digress.

RIP, Rohith.

Kalanick got a smooth ride

Travis Kalanick, Uber’s big chief, was here, and unfortunately I did not get an opportunity to dig my claws into him. Those journalists that did, blew it by sticking to irrelevant global questions. No one asked why in India drivers are being commissioned without adequate checks. And the problem isn’t just about security, it’s more to do with lack of knowledge. Whichever part of India you live in, there is a fifty per cent chance you will run into an Uber driver who is blissfully clueless about locations, has no idea how the damned GPS works, leaving you with the job of having to find your way. And if you happen to be new in the city, god help you.  

I once hired an Uber driver in Mumbai who didn’t know where Cuffe Parade is. And the word ‘Colaba’ sounded Greek to him. That evening I badly wanted to wring Kalanick’s neck. The officer escaped me on this occasion, next time he won’t.

And of course I would have said a thing or two to him about the bloody ‘surge’ pricing, a feature designed to fleece you. Uber needs to keep a lid on such dodgy practices if they wish to hold their ground in a seriously competitive market. By the way, here’s an example of how to interview Kalanick. Enjoy.

Click here.

ISIS crisis

So the intelligence guys have gathered a few ISIS linked suspects in India, and there is an allegation these dudes were planning something murderous on Republic Day. Only time will either confirm or reject this suspicion. And if the intelligence guys are right, they deserve a huge pat on the back, they do get roundly dissed when they fail, so appreciation is also in order.

However, the truth is, the threat is real. ISIS leaders badly want to globalize their campaign, and there are many disgruntled elements in India ready to be grabbed like low hanging fruit. So here’s wishing everyone a safe 26/1.