Lessons of life....

It’s been more than 5 years now that I am out of college. I always tell my friends that 22nd year is the best year of your life. It is because you are just out of your college and probably you are just into your new job. There are no high expectations at office nor are you answerable to anybody for your studies, expenses, for the time you spend. To say the least you really do not have any responsibility on you. But the situation changes fast as you grow. I personally feel that I have changed a lot in last 5 years. In our instant gratification culture, it's easy to forget that most personal change does not occur as a single static event in time, but rather as a long, gradual evolution where we're hardly aware of it as its happening. We wake up one day and suddenly notice wild, life-altering changes in ourselves. Our identities slowly shift, like sea sand getting pushed around by the ocean, slowly accumulating into new contours and forms over the passage of time.It's only when we stop years or decades later and look back that we can notice all of the dramatic changes that have taken place. Last few years were certainly dramatic, but here are 3 lessons I have learnt hard:

1.Fail early and often: Time is the only asset you have.

When you are young, your greatest asset is not your talent, not your ideas, not your experience, but your time. Time grants you the opportunity to take big risks and make big mistakes. I started investing in stock markets in the beginning of my career. A little more lust for money tempted me to put all the eggs in one basket and play bigger games in derivatives. Eventually I lost all my money but I learnt my lessons hard. I still thank God that I lost it all at a very young age when I had no responsibilities on me and neither was I answerable to anyone. Moreover, you aren't strapped by all of the financial responsibilities that come with later adulthood: mortgage payments, car payments, daycare for your kids, life insurance and so on. This is the time in your life where you have the least amount to lose by taking some long-shot risks, so you should take them. Nevertheless, it thought me the value of money and I learnt basic investing lessons by losing.

2.You can’t force friendships.

There are two types of friends in life: the kind that when you go away for a long time and come back, it feels like nothing's changed, and the kind that when you go away for a long time and come back, it feels like everything's changed. I am out of home since 11 years now. I have stayed at Aurangabad, Mysore, Hyderabad, Pune and of course my home town, Hingoli. That means I have left a lot of friends behind in various places. What I have learnt is you cannot force friendship with anyone. You might have very good friends in college or probably in your early career when you are single, but it is the truth of life that times change, people change, responsibilities do come in their way and slowly you lose keeping in touch with many of them. It’s not that those people whom you didn’t keep contact with were bad people or bad friends, just that life becomes too busy. It’s nobody’s fault. We have to reconcile and resign to the fact that life change, people change and so do their and your own priorities. What happened in your late teenage might not happen in your late 20s and early 30s. Those cacophonous fantasies and activities eventually fade out.

3.The sum of small things matters much more than bigger things.

We have a propensity to assume things just happen as they are. We tend to only visualize the result of things and not the arduous process (and all of the failures) that would go into producing the result. I think when we're young, we have this idea that we have to do just this one big thing that is going to completely change the world, top to bottom. I have faced such situation prominently at office, when I see seniors around me who are well settled, have a good home, a big car and spend lavishly on their lifestyle. And this is the phase when you too want exactly same things in your life and you start dreaming big. That’s a good thing btw. But we need to realize that those "big things" are actually comprised of hundreds and thousands of daily small things that must be silently and unceremoniously maintained over long periods of time with little fanfare.

Why the BJP should dump the sena.

In India, like in any other place, political alliances endure because of personalities. This is a truism but worth repeating nevertheless and is especially important as we watch the shenanigans of the Sena-BJP before the Maharashtra electoral battle. The Sena-BJP alliance was forged in the 1980s when Lal Krishna Advani headed the BJP and Balasaheb Thackeray ruled unchallenged from Matoshree. The two hard core nationalists saw a lot of benefits in a tie-up. The Sena had a strong base in Mumbai, Thane, and could boost the BJP which was readying itself to play a major role at the centre.

To say that the alliance is at the crossroads is stating the obvious but what has also become increasingly obvious is that the alliance partners have almost reached the point of no return. Changing priorities, shifting demographics and a radically altered political landscape are making it extremely difficult for the Sena-BJP to function together as a cohesive political force. Media reports have portrayed it as a clash of egos but it is not just that. The differences between the two parties have widened especially after the Modi-led BJP set about transforming itself from a party of religious zealots and trigger-happy nationalists into a mature, inclusive, development-oriented modern party.

Gone are the days when parties could win power solely based on appeals to ethnic, religious and linguistic causes. Changing demographics means that every party now has to tailor and customise its message to appeal to a burgeoning young population. Women, who played a marginal or passive role in past elections are now becoming an increasingly important force. The BJP realised this a long time back and it could be said that the Modi’s emergence as a prime ministerial candidate was largely driven by the realisation that there was no other leader within the party who could appeal to this young generation. This is not the case with Sena. It continues to stick to the past, having anointed Balasaheb’s son Uddhav as the leader after the patriarch’s death. It continues to shun modernisation and change its ideology to better reflect the aspirations of new and young voters. The decimation of the old guard and tight control exercised by the family means that the Sena bench is practically non-existent.

Tuesday’s agreement, coming after weeks of hard-nosed and bitter haggling may help the alliance regain power (if it stands) but the fighting and the hand-wringing is one more example of how far the alliance partners have drifted apart.

I would actually argue that the BJP is better off without the Sena. This is because the larger issues and problems within the Sena cannot be ignored any longer. Its governance record is extremely patchy and the absence of top-quality leaders, an effective second-rung makes the party entirely dependant on the Thackerays. This was not a problem as long as the Sena was winning elections and attracting talent. Suresh Prabhu, one of the party’s brightest minds has been sidelined; so is Manohar Joshi, the first Sena-BJP chief minister. After the departure of Raj and the death of Balasaheb Thackeray, the party does not have a popular vote getter either.

There is another reason too. So far, the party has fared poorly in states where it is the junior partner in government. Just look at Punjab. States where it is the sole party in power have been different. Despite criticism and brickbats (some of which is probably well deserved), Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh have provided reasonably effective governance. It can be said that the BJP often struggles to establish itself and is unable to control its ally in an alliance where it is the junior partner.

The problem with the Sena is that it has nothing to show for in terms of governance or achievements despite controlling the country’s biggest civic body for more than two decades. Mumbai as a city does not have a problem with basic services like water and electricity but infrastructure continues to be poor and the quality of roads is pathetic. The BMC collects a lot of taxes but very little flows back into city development.

In fact, the BMC example should be warning to all those who think that the BJP should stick with its alliance and that Sena could provide effective governance. The last thing the party of Modi wants is to be hobbled by a party disinterested in development in a large and important state like Maharashtra.

The third and the most important reason is this. The alliance has endured for so long largely because of Balasaheb and Advani. But as we look back at the last two-and-a-half decades, it is hard to miss the point that the alliance has overpromised and underperformed. It missed a great opportunity to make a mark at the state-level after the 1995 elections. Widespread corruption, an inept administration widely perceived as powerless and toothless drove voters into giving the reins of the state back to the Congress, five years after it lost power in the state for the second time since independence.

Of course, breaking with long-standing partner is difficult and could end in electoral tragedy if not handled well. Sometimes it is better to be discreet than valorous and the BJP probably realised that dumping the decades-old alliance partner this time around may well cost it the state, something it cannot afford after a string of bypoll defeats. That is a fair call to make.

But they should use this opportunity to build a support base in weaker regions of the state so that they are well prepared for a final break if and when it comes.

Source: Economic Times blogs.

Indo-Japan Relationship

Even before Narendra Modi became prime minister, he has had 2 visits to Japan in his capacity as Chief Minister. Of all its investments in India, Japan has highest investment in Gujarat. The new smart city plan in Dholera, Gujarat is going to be a home for all Japanese investments in the state. I remember having a very casual discussion with one of my managers at Oracle in early 2014, about what would be diplomatic ramifications of Narendra Modi as prime minister; and I had then told that the biggest beneficiary of his foreign policy would be Japan. Having said that, his recent trip to Japan has been a phenomenal success which even his staunchest critics have had to agree. If he gets the same momentum going, then I think India shall rise and the LION will gain enough strength to stand up to the DRAGON. 

Below is one of the article which I recently read on The Diplomat, on Indo Japan relations and its ramifications on Indo-Sino relations and how he needs to do a balancing act, keeping "MindPeace" ..... :)

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If photo-ops are considered to be vital part of conveying messages in diplomacy then the image of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe hugging each other last week should go down as a defining moment in India-Japan relations. Traditionally, the Japanese are not known to be demonstrative or even to encourage physical contact but if the enthusiastic reception accorded to Modi during his five-day trip to Japan – his first bilateral trip outside the Indian sub-continent – is any indication, New Delhi and Tokyo are all set to transform geo-politics in Asia.

The two prime ministers, also close personal friends, not only discussed a wide range of bilateral issues during an unusually long trip but also worked towards building a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China. Although the only reference – and an oblique one at that – to China came from Modi, the joint statement was dominated by plans to cooperate on security issues that will have far-reaching implications in Asia. “Everywhere around us, we see an 18th-century expansionist mind-set: encroaching on another country, intruding in others’ waters, invading other countries and capturing territory,” Modi told his Japanese audience without mentioning China.

Even the joint statement by the two countries spoke about regional tensions and steps that they intend to take to control the situation. It said, in parts: “The two Prime Ministers affirmed their shared belief that at a time of growing turmoil, tensions and transitions in the world, a closer and stronger strategic partnership between India and Japan is indispensable for a prosperous future for their two countries and for advancing peace, stability and prosperity in the world, in particular, in the inter-connected Asia, Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions. Prime Minister Abe briefed Prime Minister Modi on Japan’s policy of ‘Proactive Contribution to Peace’ and Japan’s Cabinet Decision on development of seamless security legislation. Prime Minister Modi supported Japan’s initiative to contribute to peace and stability of the region and the world.”

The joint statement was labeled “Tokyo Declaration for India – Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership,” a fact that would not have gone unnoticed in Beijing. While the fine print of various agreements will be known in due course, the larger message of Modi’s visit is loud and clear: For the first time India is willing to throw its lot in with Japan, a known U.S. ally. So far, New Delhi has refrained from an overt alliance with the U.S. but it has accepted a need to have closer defense cooperation with both Tokyo and Washington. One early manifestation of this was the recent trilateral naval cooperation Exercise Malabar held off the Japan coast in June. This was a significant departure from the recent past. Since 2007, Japan had kept away from Exercise Malabar after Beijing had protested in the wake of a five-nation exercise in the Indian Ocean. But under Abe’s leadership, Japan is turning many of its defensive policies on their head. The easing of Japan’s defense exports rules will allow Japanese defense firms to participate in India’s huge weapons market. An amphibious military aircraft is likely to be one of the first exports to India. A civil nuclear deal is also progressing well, although much against Modi’s wishes it could not be clinched during his visit. However, Japan’s commitment to invest around $34 billion in India’s key infrastructure projects over the next five years will boost the India-Japan partnership further.

Officially, there was no reaction by China but Modi’s breakthrough visit was certainly keenly watched in Chinese official media, where it drew some pointed comment. Global Times, the hardline voice of the Chinese establishment in China had two strident back-to-back editorials on the Modi-Abe tango. In the first, the paper commented: “The increasing intimacy between Tokyo and New Delhi will bring at most psychological comfort to the two countries. What is involved in China-India relations denotes much more than the display of the blossoming personal friendship between Modi and Abe. After all, Japan is located far from India. Abe’s harangue on the Indo-Pacific concept makes Indians comfortable. It is South Asia where New Delhi has to make its presence felt. However, China is a neighbour it can’t move away from. Sino-Indian ties can in no way be counterbalanced by the Japan-India friendship.” The second one attacked Japan directly in an editorial titled, ‘Tokyo lost the war, and must accept defeat,’ threatening Japan openly: “What we need is a rational Japan that behaves itself and stops serving as a pawn of the US to sabotage China’s strategic interests. We need to crush Japan’s will to constrain a rising Beijing and only in this way can Sino-Japanese friendship garner a fresh, solid foundation.”

It is instructive to note that Chinese criticism so far is muted as far as India is concerned. The reason is clear. In less than a fortnight after Modi ended his successful Japan trip, Chinese President Xi Jingping is expected in India. Xi has an ambitious agenda for his visit. China wants to take full advantage of a pro-business regime under the new prime minister and raise bilateral trade beyond 100 billion dollars. Economic partnerships apart, China would want to keep its negotiations on the contentious border issue going, if only to keep India interested since India is now being wooed by the world. The U.S. has already sent three of its cabinet secretaries to India, all before Modi has even visited America. That visit is due in late September, where he will hold a summit meeting with President Barack Obama. Clearly, Washington wants to reboot ties with New Delhi after a downslide in relationship over the past four years. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has left for Mumbai and New Delhi, and is expecting to sign a deal to supply uranium to India. Canberra has already indicated it wants much closer defense cooperation with India.

Modi’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has toured Vietnam – one of several of China’s neighbors that have territorial disputes with Beijing – and Bangladesh to re-establish India’s primacy in the region. The prime minister has himself decided to reach out to smaller but important nations in the Indian sub-continent by visiting Bhutan and Nepal, the two Himalayan countries wedged between India and China. His decision to call off talks with Pakistan also shows he is prepared to make a departure from conventional practice. Clearly, Modi is the international flavor of the season. His challenge will, however, be to balance competing interests between the U.S., Japan and China even as he pursues an independent Indian foreign policy based on national interest.

One Idiot

Here is  a small 30 minutes movie called “One Idiot“, by IDFC foundation, released to spread financial literacy for today’s generation which feels that life is all about spending and looking “cool”. The movie is directed by Amol Gupte, who had also directed the movie “Taare Zameen Par”. The movie ‘One Idiot’, shows how a bunch of students who are in their early 20’s make fun of a guy who looks dumb and does not believe in showing off, only to find out later one day that he is actually a multi millionaire, living and enjoying his life. The overall message of the movie is that you have to be prudent and responsible when it comes to money and start your systematic investments however small they are and over a long term, you will be on path of financial freedom.

Direct Link

Overall I think you should watch this movie and also share it with your children who are in school and going to enter their working life.

Interlinking rivers in India

The articles which I am sharing are part of my Political and Economic thinking. I came across an article in The Hindu Business-line, the news paper which I follow exclusively for policy making literature.

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“Atalji's dream of linking rivers is our dream as well. This can strengthen the efforts of our hardworking farmers,” tweeted Narendra Modi soon after an election campaign speech in Bihar in April.

The river linking project, which the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) calls inter-basin transfer of water, is designed to ease water shortages in western and southern India, while mitigating the impact of recurrent floods in the eastern parts of the Ganga basin.

“One of the most effective ways to increase the irrigation potential to improve foodgrain production, mitigate floods and droughts and reduce regional imbalances in the availability of water is the Inter Basin Water Transfer from surplus rivers to deficit areas. The Brahmaputra and the Ganga, particularly their northern tributaries; the Mahanadi, the Godavari, and the west-flowing rivers originating from the Western Ghats are found to be surplus in water resources,” NWDA says on its Website.

At its completion, the country will have 30 river links, 3,000 storage structures, a canal network stretching almost 15,000 km and can generate 34 GW of hydroelectric power, create some 87 million acres of irrigated land, and transfer 174 trillion litres of water a year. The initial cost of the project is estimated to be at ₹5.6 lakh crore, while around 580,000 people face the threat of displacement.

The plan

Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) prepared by the Ministry of Water Resources, the NWDA has identified 14 links under the Himalayan Component and 16 links under the Peninsular Rivers Component. Out of these, feasibility reports for 14 links under the Peninsular Component and two links under the Himalayan Component have been prepared.

According to the NPP, the Himalayan Rivers Development Project envisages construction of storage reservoirs on the main Ganga and the Brahmaputra and their principal tributaries in India and Nepal, along with an inter-linking canal system to transfer surplus flow of the eastern tributaries of the Ganga to the West. It will also link the main Brahmaputra with the Ganga.

The Peninsular Rivers Development Component is divided into four major parts: interlinking of Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery rivers and building storages at potential sites in these basins, interlinking West-flowing rivers north of Mumbai and south of the Tapi, interlinking of Ken-Chambal, and diversion of other West-flowing rivers. 

Bringing States on board

To implement the project successfully, the Government will have to convince States to come on board, as water is a State subject.

Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are the major States to benefit from the project. Several States have supported the plan, while some others have raised concerns. Chief Ministers of both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have been urging the Centre to take up the 14 links under the peninsular component. Kerala, however, is worried about the proposed Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar link.

The first steps

One of the initial tasks before the Government is to address the Supreme Court verdict of February 2014 on the interlinking of rivers. The court had directed the Government to create an appropriate body to plan, construct, and implement the massive project, starting with the Ken-Betwa link.

The two phases of the Ken-Betwa link project, involving Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, are estimated to cost ₹11,676 crore. A detailed project report for both the phases has been submitted to the two State Governments. According to this report, a total of 11,723 ha of land could be submerged if this project is executed. This includes more than 5,000 ha of forest land belonging to the Panna Tiger Reserve. It will also affect 10,163 people belonging to 2,529 families in 22 villages.

“Together, both the phases of the Ken-Betwa Link project envisage 7.35 lakh ha of irrigation, 78 MW of hydropower and would provide drinking water to 15.07 lakh people,” said S Masood Husain, Director-General, NWDA. Other priority links are Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal, Damanganga-Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada, and Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijayawada).

Of these, the detailed report for the Damanganga-Pinjal link is ready with the Centre. The report has already been submitted to the Governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. “If implemented, this project can address Mumbai’s water problem to a great extent at least till 2040,” Husain added.

The downside to linking

However, the projects have already invited criticism from various political parties. In fact, those who were evicted for the construction of the Bhakra and the Pong dams, two of the oldest in India, have still not been fully rehabilitated.

“Environmentalists, hydrologists and economists around the world have expressed deep concerns at the irreversible damage that this sort of a mega project can do to the country’s environment and our water resources. Massive civil works will be involved, lakhs of people will be uprooted and vast sums of money will be required,” Congress leader and MP Karan Singh said.

The CPI (M) has also questioned the move. The party’s MP KN Balagopal said the Central Government’s plan is politically-motivated, giving the example of theParambikkulam-Aliayar project (in Kerala).” Farmers of Palakkad district have to hold protests during the crop season to get water from the project released. The proposed Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar link will be a disaster for a riparian zone like Kerala, he says.

Failed attempts

The Government defends the project, saying the idea of river-linking is not new in India. In 1972, then Union Irrigation Minister KL Rao mooted the first major proposal to interlink the water basins. The 2,640-km-long Ganga-Cauvery link was the main component in the proposal. But Rao’s estimate of ₹12,500 crore was considered “grossly under-estimated and economically prohibitive.” In 1977, during the Moraji Desai Government, Captain Dinshaw J Dastur, an engineer, proposed the construction of two canals – the first for the Himalayan rivers and the second to cover the central and southern parts. A host of experts opined that his project was infeasible.

However, both the Government and the NWDA are now confident of implementing the project at the national level. The NWDA lists a number of initiatives such as the Periyar Project, the Parambikulam-Aliyar, Kurnool-Cudappah Canal, the Telugu Ganga Project, and the Ravi-Beas-Sutlej-Indira Gandhi Nahar Project as examples of successful execution of river linking.

“If we can build storage reservoirs on these (surplus) rivers and connect them to other parts of the country, regional imbalances could be reduced significantly and lot of benefits by way of additional irrigation, domestic and industrial water supply, hydropower generation, and navigational facilities would accrue,” it adds.

Disruptive Potential of Solar Power, a McKinsey Report

I have been a big proponent of harnessing India's solar potential. It is believed that India's solar energy potential varies from 300GW to 700GW. India's current electricity capacity stands around 200GW. Even if we set a target of achieving 50GW of Solar power generation in next 10 years, it can make wonders for our country thereby protecting environment and also giving a boost to Modiji's energy security dream.

Here's a report by McKinsey which describes the potential of solar energy and how the world is responding to it...

Disruptive Potential of Solar

And I hope, even if half of the above target is achieved before 2019 polls, Modiji would have a new slogan "We have SOLARIZED the nation", a slap on the face of the people who accuse him of polarizing.. :)