Tata Nano, Mahindra and Indian cars ..

India is considered to be the back office of the world and is a great service destination just as China is considered to be the shop floor of the world. It is high time we revisited this concept and thought out new strategies that could take India not only to the forefront of the world in terms of service industry but also in manufacturing by utilising the great human resources available in the country.

The bottom engined Tata Nano spacious family car ..

The rear engined VW Beetle, German design ..

Automobile manufacturing is the largest manufacturing industry in the world, more than ship building, infrastructure development etc.. India is on the forward and upward trajectory and is growing by leaps and bounds, technologically, scientifically and economically. Innovation holds the key to Indian growth and development in the coming years. If it happens in this largest manufacturing sector, the automobile market, it is the true solution to see the Indian manufacturing industry mature and blossom and take on the rest of the world.

Given India's superiority globally in low-cost high-value innovation, be it in high technology like space exploration, inter planetary expeditions or 100% energy neutral solar powered high risk applications like international airports and the like, Indian ingenuity and innovation is undisputed ! Be it in building the fastest cruise missiles of the world, traveling at 3 times the speed of the nearest competitor or being advanced over the rest of the world by almost 50 years in the Thorium route of nuclear fission technology, or in having the most advanced meteorological satellites, it is high time we climbed down from high-tech areas to low-tech areas like automobile manufacturing and ship building where less developed countries like Japan, Germany and South Korea are dominating...

When an innovative idea in automobiles (SUVs included) is introduced in the Indian market, it is our responsibility to promote it and see that it succeeds. World over, it is safety in the low technology automobiles which is the cause of greatest concern. It is okay if the person is ignorant and unaware of the development in the country. They are the people who are not bothered about the country anyway. The fact is even the educated, scoff at Indian indigenous developments ..

Tata Nano is one of the most innovative four wheelers on the road. Not only is it less costly, it is highly efficient and GREATLY INNOVATIVE ! Safety is a great concern Tata needs to address in this car to make it the darking of the masses.

Innovative, in the case of Tata Nano in that it is the first four wheeler in the world whose engine is neither in the front, (99% of non-innovative cars have it in the front) and a fraction of cars (Volkswagen Beetle) has engine in the rear side. But there is no our wheeler in the world which has its engine below the rear seat.

When anybody tries to play down this indigenously blossoming innovation and instead insists on copying from western inventions stifling local ingenious creativity to bloom, it is great injustice to the creative talent back home.. The country's  technological independence is being played down and our technological edge is being compromised.

Tata Motors and Mahindra are the only two Indian make indigenous four wheelers in the Indian market. All other cars, are basically foreign designs or presses or engines and the like. Promoting such foreign cars does not help the local industry any more than how Tata Motors and Mahindra cars helps US or European car industry in those countries.

Every well-to -do Indian who can afford a car, if he promotes Indian innovation by these companies, it is a great action that will bear fruit in the long run.

It is a challenge to all self-claimed nationalistic and patriotic political parties, instead of gunning for other communities and power, gun for this objective that will take the country forward many aeons over other countries. The call is not to boycott foreign cars completely, but promote them to a lesser extent, learn from their experiences and failures and promote Indian cars in the long run. Only by bringing newer and advanced designs in the Indian market can Indian automotive companies innovate, grow, advance and give leadership to the rest of the world.

Now Ratan Tata has given great leadership in guiding the Nano innovation in the country, who knows what will be the next great automobile innovation to come out of India that will disrupt the world greatly and take India to the forefront of automobiles. We cannot forget the thrust provided to these indigenisation efforts, be it in high technology, or agriculture or milk productionor in nuclear energy, by our first visionary Prime Minister Nehru.

Hope the present day political leaders try to match up to Nehru's vision and dynamism in promoting indigenisation efforts in our country ..

george..

Lawrence Anthony, the elephant whisperer ..

Lawrence  Anthony, a legend in  South Africa and author of 3 books, including the bestseller - "The Elephant  Whisperer".

He bravely  rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human  atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during the US invasion in 2003.

On 7th March, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died. He is  remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons, and numerous  elephants.

Two  days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large  matriarchs.  Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved 'man-friend'.  

A  total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 112 miles to get to his  South African House.

Witnessing this  spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the  supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence's passing, but also because of the profound  memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an  organized way:

Walking slowly for days, making their  way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his  house.  Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the  elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years!  But yet they  knew where they were going.

The elephants obviously wanted to pay  their deep respects, honouring their friend who had saved  their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days and 2 nights without eating anything.  Then one  morning they left........, making their long journey  back home. 

SOMETHING IN  THIS UNIVERSE IS GREATER AND DEEPER THAN  HUMAN INTELLIGENCE.

IT ALWAYS PAYS TO LOVE  & BE LOVED, TO SHOW CONCERN FOR EVERY LIVING BEING.

LET THIS BE THE OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE. (text from the Internet)

Spiritual maturity

Sharing from Fr Eugene Vaz : 

What is spiritual maturity?

1. Spiritual Maturity is when you stop trying to change others,...instead focus on changing yourself.

2. Spiritual Maturity is when you accept people as they are.

3. Spiritual Maturity is when you understand everyone is right in their own perspective.

4. Spiritual Maturity is when you  learn to "let go".

5. Spiritual Maturity is when you are able to drop "expectations" from a relationship and give for the sake of giving.

6. Spiritual Maturity is when you understand whatever you do, you do for your own peace.

7. Spiritual Maturity is when you stop proving to the world, how intelligent you are.

8. Spiritual Maturity is when you don't seek approval from others.

9. Spiritual Maturity is when you stop comparing with others.

10. Spiritual Maturity is when you are at peace with yourself.

11. Spiritual Maturity is when you are able to differentiate between "need" and "want" and are able to let go of your wants.

 last but most meaningful !

12. You gain Spiritual Maturity when you stop attaching "happiness" to material things !!

"Wishing all a happy Spiritually matured life (text from the Internet)

India's botched war on cash, HBR, 14 Dec, '16.

A Harvard Business Review doc of 14 Dec, by Prof Bhaskar Chakraborthy of the Fletcher School at Tufts university, giving a frank and open perspective on India's Demonetization drive, calling it a botched exercise..

It is also unique in that it is

1. A great social experiment 

2. Involving enforced digital disruption and 

3. Lot to learn for the world as almost $240 billion ( INR 15. 4 lakh crores) is at stake with 1.25 billion  people ..

A good global case for businesses and countries of the world of how an enforced digital disruption exercise could get botched up because of poor policy and even poorer execution and how it places great burden on the poor in the country ..

According to me, the event also throws up an innovative opportunity for Indians to wriggle out of this predicament in flying colours, as there is no other way out, and they will for sure ! 👍👍

George..

ISRO, Cyclone Wardha and India's great developmental strides ..

Nehru and Vikram Sarabhai, they took Indian Science forward..

ISRO's advanced meteorological satellites released in September '16, INSAT 3DR and ScatSat 1, by their advanced predictive capability in capturing and efficiently analysing meteorological parameters, have saved more than 10,000 lives from the fury of cyclone Wardha which hit the Tamil Nadu and Andhra coast two days back. 

The foresight, knowledge, intelligence and brilliant  leadership of Pt. Nehru, Indian PM, when he invited Vikram Sarabhai to set up and nurture India's space program in early 60s is now bearing great developmental fruit !

The nation will forever be grateful to these great freedom fighters and leaders who took us on the developmental path, instead of one of confrontation. It is quite natural for countries to fiercely protect their borders, flexing muscles with petty, weak and strong neighbours. It is taking the easy way out and indicative of poor leadership..

On the other hand it takes great courage, conviction and self-belief to boldly take the path of development and scientific progress. India was very fortunate in this respect.  We had great and sensible leaders who were visionaries! Else in sixty nine years India would not have become the world's third largest and powerful economy and at the forefront of scientific and technological development.

http://m.timesofindia.com/india/cyclone-vardah-isro-satellites-saved-10000-lives-in-tamil-nadu/articleshow/55992320.cms

Rahul Narayan (IIT Delhi), Team Indus, Bangalore.

Indian space programme presently is so well founded, designed and led by great technology leaders in the country, there is so much positivity about ISRO. It is going to bring great laurels not only to India but the whole world in the coming years !!

In addition, some gutsy private space initiatives have also blossomed in the country on the back of great success of ISRO. 

By early Jan 2018, the first Indian team, Team Indus from Bangalore led by Rahul Narayan will have the first private rover from planet earth to travel on lunar surface and beam high resolution video images back to earth. 

When no private individual in the world dared to dream to go to Moon and land a rover there, Rahul dared to dream high, very high. The corporate world from Ratan Tata, Flipkart Bansals, Nandan Nilekani (Infosys) are all behind him giving him great support ..

Click for more details on Team Indus. 

George..

The hard facts behind Demonetization..

As of 10 Dec 2016, exactly 30 days after Demonetization started, 12.44 lakh crores of withdrawn Rs 500 and 1000 notes of the total 15.44 lakh crores, have come back as deposits.. 81% of the total, ie, roughly at the rate of rs. 40,000 crores daily across the country.

With the remaining 21 days from Dec 10 till the drive ends on 31 Dec, daily deposits of 15,000 crores will see the deposits of money coming into the banks of demonetized currency to be exactly equal to the total value of notes demonetized and withdrawn, ie. 15.44 lakh crores .. ..

The real Indian picture captured by The Economist Nov '16

But if deposits on an average come across the country at the rate of Rs 24,000 crores per day, it will see the total amount returning to be equal to 17 lakh crores by 31 Dec 2016, which is 1.56 lakh crores more than the total value of Rs 500 and 1000 notes in circulation. The difference now of Rs 1.56 lakh crores will be the forfeited notes in circulation !! The most interesting thing to note is that these 1.56 lakh crores of fake Rs 500 and 1000 notes in circulation has escaped the attention of the bankers and the police all this while ...

This leads to a particular situation in the country where instead of not gaining any amount of money (the new note printing only led to extra costs incurred because of the instability in thinking of the leaders in the country) that will be taken out of circulation, it brings additional liability to the political leadership leading to a great monetary crisis.

Hope the PM may not find himself at the receiving end .. Notes getting printed in the four government note printing presses of the country for 7 days a week, it will take at least July August 2017 for the note crisis to dampen in the country.

Till then hope the PM will find some means to dampen the note crisis in the country. The urban crowd can do with cash less transactions but the rural crowd will be hard hit with lower earning capacity and hence a dent in their lifestyles ..

george..

The damage to the Indian economy ..

It makes me wonder how people sitting in Delhi with access to all information and facts could do great blunders.

Not having the courage to face the Parliament, the temple of democracy, to explain the folly can be understood.

Accept the mistake and take the country forward. Every great person has committed mistakes, learn from it and gone ahead. 

It is not how we make mistakes, but how we correct them that defines us ..

 From demonetization, the focus has been cleverly shifted to cashless economy, which is good for the urban crowd. What about the rural villagers who constitute  70% of the population?

Isin't it high time we corrected the false steps ?

http://thewire.in/86086/modis-note-ban-may-spell-catastrophe-bjp/